Nam Woohyun   or   Seo Dahee

As the week progressed, so did Dahee's pursuit of friendship with me. Soon, we were eating lunch together every day (though I didn't want to) and sometimes, her friends would join us. Albeit, they were often wary of me, but they began to grow comfortable enough to smile in my direction every once in a while. This didn't help with my attitude towards people. I still found them irritating. But, I grew accustomed to Dahee's presence enough to tolerate her over-bearing positivity. She and I even exchanged numbers, much to Sungyeol's surprise, and not to mention, my own. So, she began to text me at night to ask how I was doing. I never responded back, knowing that I would be seeing her the following day anyway.

As much as I contemplated speaking to my next-door-neighbor, I wasn't able to see him at all throughout the week, leading me to believe that seeing him that first day was merely a dream. Strangely enough, I couldn't shake the thought of his smile from my mind. Apart from Sungyeol, no other male interested me. Nam Woohyun was an odd exception. It wasn't to say that I liked him; such feelings were reserved for Sungyeol alone. I just wanted to see if there was an attraction between us to begin with, even if it was more towards friendship.

Our rehearsals were also becoming tedious. Although our director had regained his composure and treated us with much more kindness after that day, he continued to be hard with me and Sungyeol. I couldn't complain, especially when the director was kind enough to let us arrive late on some days. He knew that we were nearing mid-terms. But, he also knew Sungyeol and I were perfectionists, which gave him all the more reason to be hard on us.

On the Monday night before the dry show (which was also on the week of our mid-term exams, go figure), I arrived home, exhausted beyond repair. Just as I got into the elevator of my apartment building, I heard a male's voice yell, "Hold up!" I pressed the 'open' button and Woohyun slipped into the elevator just in the nick of time.

I widened my eyes at him. After not having seen him for a week, I thought that he had ceased to exist, but boy, was I wrong. He was, in fact, very much alive. That night, he was dressed in a white hoodie that showed that not only did he look good in everything (model-like quality, Sungyeol was the same way), but that I was indeed attracted to him. My heart palpitated when he smiled and gave me a small salute.

"Hey, neighbor. What's kicking?" My tongue refused to work. To me, his voice was smoother than butter, sweeter than honey, and more addicting than caffeine. How could I answer his question with those thoughts in mind? I cleared my throat and tried to answer his question with as much sanity as I could muster.

"Nothing much. You?"

"Eh, I just went running. Tonight is pretty cool and breezy."

"I see..."

"Did you do anything tonight?"

Well, I had rehearsal for five hours straight. "I went to rehearsal."

"Oh, really? Rehearsal for what?"

I shrugged, desperate to hide the growing giddiness in my chest. "Nothing really big."

There was a pause in our conversation as our elevator crawled up another floor. I swear, this elevator is probably the slowest on our block! This is torture to be in the same one as him! Torture!!!

"So, um, did you like the gift basket?" asked Woohyun with a hopeful grin. I couldn't help but grin back.

"Yeah, it was very nice. I really liked the ribbon. It's my favorite color."

"Haha, I spent the entire night making them after moving in."

"Really?"

"No, I bought them." He and I shared a laugh. When I realized how obnoxious my laugh was, I stopped and resumed an indifferent expression. He stopped as well and gazed at me. "You have a very nice laugh. I have a feeling that you don't do it very often..."

"No, I don't..."

"You don't laugh?"

"Not very often." We stood in an awkward silence until the elevator finally reached our floor. He shot me another breathtaking smile and gestured that I go first.

When I got to my door, I turned around and bowed. I couldn't think of what else to do, especially when we weren't exactly friends, just next-door neighbors. "Good night, Woohyun-ssi."

He smiled so widely that his eyes formed into pleasant upward crescents. "Good night, Hwayoung. It was nice talking to you."

With that, we entered our apartments and shut the doors.  

~:~:~:~:~

To say that I didn't think about my encounter with Woohyun the next day at school would be a downright lie. While I climbed the "Stairway from Hell" in the morning, with every step I took, all I could see were Woohyun's smiling eyes. When I settled into my first class (the one with the late and irate teacher), the guy who sat next to me said, "What's kicking?" to his friend on the phone. In my next class, someone was talking about a tree (*pronounced 'namu' in Korean, which is close to 'Nam Woo' [hyun]), which grabbed my attention so violently that the group of students talking about said tree leaned back in surprise at my actions.

Whatever I did, wherever I went, I was reminded of the night before, and I couldn't understand why it affected me so much. I was so distracted, that Dahee startled me during lunch break (even though I was expecting her).

"Hi, Eonni!" beamed Dahee. I flinched, then rolled my eyes at her, hoping that she would get the message to beat it. Obviously, our connection was faulty or something, because she remained by my side. I sighed irritably.

"Yah, Seo Dahee, do you have nothing else to do?"

"At the moment? I don't have anything."

"Don't you have other friends to hang around with? What about the locker room girls?"

"Locker room girls?" Dahee stopped walking to wrack her brains about whom I was talking about.

"Argh, never mind." I left her behind as I made my way towards Sungyeol's working place again. She rushed forward to catch up with me.

"Eonni, I have no idea who you are talking about."

"I said, forget it. I'll see you later." I tried to walk faster, but I had no chance to. She continued to stick to me like glue.

"Are you going to see Sungyeol-oppa right now?"

"So what if I am?"

She smiled brightly at me. "He's incredibly handsome, don't you think?"

I stared at her. Is she perhaps one of his fangirls? "Absolutely not."

"What? You don't think I'm handsome?" Sungyeol's voice piped up from behind me. He poked me in the ribs, making me jump. With a smoldering glare, I turned around and scoffed at Sungyeol.

"Of course not! Do you think that everyone should think you're handsome? You're so vain, I swear."

"H-Hi, Sungyeol-oppa..." stammered Dahee. Yup, she's one of his fangirls. He shot her a million-dollar smile.

"Hi, Dahee-ssi. Is Hwayoung being nice to you?"

"Yes, she is..." She stared at Sungyeol, star-struck.

"No, I'm not!" I snapped. "I don't even know why she continues to follow me like a little puppy! Get her off my back, will you, Oppa?"

"Not a chance. You have to learn how to make friends, Hwayoung. Dahee, don't ever leave her side, alright? Even if she says that you're the most annoying person on this planet." Sungyeol instructed Dahee sweetly, while casting a triumphant glance at me. She nodded vigorously and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Of course, Oppa! Anything for you!"

"Why aren't you at work?" I asked him, doing my best to change the subject.

"Because I'm off today. I deserve days like these once in a while, don't you agree?"

"Or is it because you have a lunch date?" I smirked. "You finally agreed to date one of your fangirls?"

He flung his arms around Dahee and my shoulders. "Yep. You two are the lucky girls who will go on a lunch date with this fine fellow." Dahee nearly swooned, while I shrugged his arm off my shoulder.

"'Fine fellow?' Please, Sungyeol-oppa. There is nothing 'fine' about you." I laughed good-naturedly, finally releasing the happy butterflies I felt in my abdomen. Sungyeol and Dahee stopped walking and stared at me with wide eyes. My laughter trailed away when I realized they were no longer by my side. "Hey, what's up with you guys?"

"You laughed, Hwayoung. You laughed happily." Sungyeol stated with a straight face. He rushed up to me and felt my forehead with the back of his hand. "Is there something wrong? Did something happen last night?"

Before a goofy grin could spread across my face, I slapped his hand away and sauntered off to the cafe. "I don't know what you're talking about, Oppa. Go find a hobby or something."

"I saw that smile on your face, Eonni. Do you have someone you like?" Dahee asked, hooking her arm into one of mine. I scowled, but she could tell that my eyes were smiling. I couldn't hide my lightheartedness. What in the world have you done to me, Nam Woohyun?

"No." I walked faster, only to be thwarted by Sungyeol. I stamped by foot in annoyance. "Argh! Will you stop, Oppa? I'm hungry, I want food!"

"Did you, perhaps, become friends with your new neighbor?" suggested Sungyeol. He shot me a mischievous smirk. "What's his name again? Nam Woohyun?"

I glared at him suspiciously. "How did you know his name?"

"I met him last week... In fact, right after I wrote you that note and left your apartment. He was bringing gift baskets out of his house and putting them at the foot of each door. I thought, 'He must be the new neighbor. Since Hwayoung will never take the first step to meet him, I might as well meet him first,'" chuckled Sungyeol. "He's pretty nice. And he told me that he likes girls who can sing and dance well! That's you, Hwayoung."

"Why in the world would he tell you that in the first place? Did you ask him that out-of-the-blue or something?" I fumed while pacing to and fro. Sungyeol chuckled at my antics.

"No, we were just talking about our ideal types, that's all. Men talk about manly things."

"Ugh, whatever! Leave me the hell alone!" I said, taking off towards the cafe. Sungyeol and Dahee ran after me, laughing their heads off.

~:~:~:~:~

After yet another excruciating rehearsal, Sungyeol drove me and Dahee home. Usually, I sat in shotgun, but Sungyeol insisted that Dahee sat in the front with him, so that he could "get to know her better." I leaned back in the backseat, exhausted from the events of the day.

Apart from continuing to think about Woohyun's smile and eyes during my classes, Sungyeol and Dahee continued to tease me throughout rehearsal. I was annoyed. I thought that I had made it clear to Sungyeol that I didn't want any other man in my life, except him. Of course, he had misunderstood me from the first time we met. I also reminded him over and over again that I only needed one friend, but he persistently insisted that I make new friends; friends who were girls.  

I sighed reluctantly. I had a gut feeling, even though it wasn't particularly pleasant, that I NEEDED, LONGED, for a friend like Dahee. Someone who didn't judge me. Someone who cared enough to eat lunch with me. Someone who would endure anything to become my friend. Someone who didn't care about my connection with Sungyeol. Someone who I could... relate to, in some ways.

I glanced at Dahee, who was laughing at one of Sungyeol's lame jokes. For the past few days with her, I had grown accustomed to seeing her smile and laugh, even when I refused to. Whenever I responded to her questions, she would answer back enthusiastically, as if having a conversation with me made her day. There was no doubt that she was a weird girl, but I had fun whenever I was around her. Although that feeling was foreign to me, it made me feel good to know that someone cared so much for me.

I cleared my throat, "Seo Dahee."

Sungyeol and Dahee stopped laughing immediately. Dahee turned around, while Sungyeol peeked at me through the rearview mirror. Dahee smiled and said, "Yes, Eonni?"

"Why do you like hanging around me so much? Is it because of Sungyeol-oppa?"

Dahee laughed out loud. "No, silly Eonni!"

"Then, why?"

"Because... you're lonely."

I opened my mouth to argue back, but when I realized that her statement was true. She continued, "Everyone smiles and laughs in front of you, but behind your back, they curse you. To them, you're like a one-woman plague. They believe that you're a primadonna. That you're really talentless and that you have with the director and Sungyeol-oppa for personal gain. On top of that, they believe that you do all this because you were abandoned as a kid."

"Do you... Did you ever think that way about me?" I inquired solemnly. She shook her head defiantly.

"Heck, no! I see you every single day for rehearsal and it's obvious that you aren't talentless! You have every right to be a primadonna because of how talented you are! Just because you are close with Sungyeol-oppa and the director doesn't mean that you have with them for personal gain! How could someone as strong as you give in to such womanly desires in the first place? And as for being an abandoned kid... Everyone knows how it is to be abandoned, one way or another. What makes you so different?" She gave me a reassuring smile that I couldn't help but return.

"Um, thank you..."

"So, don't worry, okay, Eonni? You have me and Sungyeol-oppa to support you!"

Silence filled our car as Sungyeol continued driving towards Dahee's home. A few minutes later, we reached a desolate neighborhood, one on the outskirts of Seoul. I glanced around in shock. Litter and rodents lined the street. Streetlamps flickered on and off. Homeless tents were set up in alleyways. A gang of high school boys walked alongside the car, glancing at it every once in a while with dark envy. The only convenience store on the block was vandalized with graffiti.

I had to hold in my tears. To think that innocent and happy Dahee lived in such an awful environment broke the ice wall around my heart and made me want to scream for justice. I thought that MY living situation was horrible. Oh, was I ever so wrong.

"It's here." Dahee pointed to a cheery-looking townhouse (most likely the only one) up ahead. Sungyeol screeched to stop in front of it and glanced warily at Dahee.

"Will you be okay?" He asked, genuinely concerned. She beamed up at him.

"Of course, Oppa. I've lived in this neighborhood my entire life. I'm basically a queen around here!"

"What about that gang of high school boys, huh? Don't you fear for your life?" I snarled, much more hostile than I meant. Dahee continued to smile.

"My brother is in that gang. They treat me like a noona. Anyway, good night, Eonni and Oppa."

Before she closed the door, I gritted my teeth and barked, "Babo! You better call me tonight if something happens! I don't want to discover that my friend got kidnapped or died through the news tomorrow morning! Got it???"

Sungyeol snapped his head at me when I mentioned the word, "friend." I was just as shocked as he was to hear myself say the word. Dahee's smile widened, if that was even possible. She nodded ecstatically. "Yes, I will call you if something happens! Good night, Eonni and Oppa!!!"

With that, she skipped into her home.

~:~:~:~:~

"What was that?" Sungyeol asked ten minutes later. We were long gone from the ghetto neighborhood and were well on our way to my apartment. I shrugged and tried to play off what happened as coolly as possible.

"Nothing." Sungyeol saw right through me.

"Uh-uh. That was NOT nothing, Hwayoung! Do you know what you just did?"

"What?" I snapped, my irritation with him returning. "What did I just do, Oppa?"

"You just made your first friend! I'm so proud of you, Hwayounggie! I knew you could do it!"

I harrumphed and folded my arms firmly across my chest. So what? It wasn't that hard. Does he really believe that I'm incapable of making friends on my own? And what? "First friend"? What a joke! Oppa is my first friend!!!

"You're such an ..."

"Now, you should try it with your new neighbor. I'm sure that he would be glad to be your friend..."

Sungyeol's voice trailed off as I was reminded again of the encounter with Woohyun. Unknowingly, my lips curled up into a soft smile. I sure hope that he would...

*****Hey, all! Here is Chapter Four! I hope you all love it as much as I loved writing it. ^^ What do you think will happen next? Let me know what you think in the comments! As always, please comment and subscribe. Constructive criticism is also welcome! I truly appreciate it! :)*****