Yonghwa

Everyone seemed to be having fun. We started off with the adrenaline-rushing rides first. Actually, I didn’t really want to ride the roller coaster, but everyone was excited about it so I thought what the heck. It was all very nice aside from the sickness after the ride. After trying most of the cool rides, we decided to go look for somewhere to eat.

“I’m starving,” Sooyoung whined.

“Ya! You’re always starving,” Jessica said.

“But I’m just a human who’s got to eat…” She used aegyo to look at Jessica. Jessica just gave her a cold glare.

“At any rate, I’m sure most of us have gotten hungry by now, right? Let’s look for a place to eat,” I suggested.

Everyone agreed. We found a buffet restaurant not far from where we were. We were going into the entrance when I heard someone calling Taeyeon’s name. Just as the automatic door closed, I looked back. I saw through the see-through glass door, Taeyeon was still outside talking to someone. Talking to Tiffany. For a moment I saw her face brightened. While they were talking, Taeyeon seemed different. It wasn’t like the first time we met Tiffany. Now she looked happy seeing Tiffany. Then I decided not to stare any longer and joined with the rest who were standing in the line to get their food.

I was still feeling uneasy about the thought about confessing. But somehow I felt that it was the right thing to do. It was the only thing I could think of. Then I tried once again to look back. Taeyeon was going towards the line. Tiffany was nowhere to be seen.

“I saw you were talking to Tiffany earlier outside,” I said to her.

“Ne? Oh, yes. She just happens to be here hanging out with her friends.” She moved her head about to avoid eye contact with me. At one point, I followed her eyes until I met them and smiled. It only lasted for 2 seconds before she broke it off. She was back, not like what I had seen her earlier in front of Tiffany.

I wondered why she suddenly changed. I remember how she was shocked when we met Tiffany that night. And since then, she seemed to be avoiding me. What did I do? I couldn’t stop worrying about it. And that smile just now when she was talking to Tiffany...

“Yonghwa-ssi, why aren’t you eating?” Sunny called. I was drowning in thoughts for a while and just realized that we were already in the table.

“Ah, um, nothing…” I picked up a handful of French fries and put them in my mouth.

“Oppa, you’re so quite. Waeyo? Something’s wrong?” Sooyoung frowned.

“Hahahaha, there’s nothing wrong, really.” I smiled and tried to fake a laugh.

“Oppa, why are you so perfect even when you look troubled? Aigo~” she giggled with her two fellow fangirls.

Taeyeon shot a glance at me. For a second our eyes met, but then she broke it off as usual. She was also quite the whole time. Even she didn’t talk to Sunny that much. When our eyes met, I saw anxiety in her eyes.

“Yonghwa-ssi, after this let’s go to the house of horrors where we get to sit in a boat as it traveled inside a mansion full of ghosts and monsters! It’s gonna be fun!” Sunny suddenly broke off the awkward silence between us.

“Um, but aren’t we supposed to wait until our food’s been digested properly? I mean, we go there and there’ll be screams and such. I don’t want anyone to get sick.”

“But that’s where the fun is. We’ll see in the end that doesn’t puke after getting terrified by the ghosts inside the house! Those who lose would have to buy the winner something!”

“I think I’ll pass. I’ll go somewhere else, looking around for rides that aren’t scary,” Jessica.

“Ah, Jessica-ssi jaemi eopseo. Well, who’s with me?”

----------

In the end there were only Sunny, Taeyeon, Sooyoung, and I that agreed to go to the House of Horrors. Also to my surprise, Sunny was the only one who puked after the ride.

“That was so scary! I didn’t know it’d be that scary!” she was still shivering even after the ride was finished.

“Ya, you’re such a scaredy-cat! Now you have to buy me three cones of ice cream! Serves you right!” Sooyoung laughed evilly at Sunny.

“But at least I didn’t call out ‘Mommy! Mommy!’ every time a ghost appeared,” Sunny stuck out her tongue.

“Me neither!” Sooyoung also stuck out her tongue before realizing what she just said. Sunny and Sooyoung turned to me and Taeyeon when they realized.

“Um, it was me…” Taeyeon raised her hand and lowered her head. Everyone laughed.

“Hey, oppa. I didn’t hear you at all. I even forgot you were in the ride with us. Well, were you?” Sooyoung turned to me.

“Well, uh, I kind of shut my eyes tight and put my hands on my ears throughout the ride…”

One second there was silence. The next, I was surrounded by embarrassing laughter. I even caught a glimpse of Taeyeon chuckled and smiled. Finally, a smile…

We got out of the House of Horrors and tried to find other rides that weren’t so scary, until Sunny got us in front of a love boat ride.

“Let’s go here!” Sunny went in the line.

“Um, what are we doing here?” I asked.

“It’s going to be fun, trust me!” Sunny just smiled wildly like an excited kid going for a trip to the wonderland.

The line wasn’t long when we got in the line, but more people immediately followed after us. I didn’t understand why Sunny asked us to go here. I mean, a love boat?

When we were only one person away from the next boat, Sunny suddenly wailed.

“Ack, my tummy hurts!” She bent down while holding her stomach.

“Sunny-ssi, what’s wrong?” I asked.

“Mollayo. My tummy suddenly hurts.”

“Let’s just go find a first-aid tent,” Taeyeon suggested.

“No, no. You guys go ahead, we’ll be fine,” she said before kicking Sooyoung, who was silently standing there only staring at Sunny, in the leg.

“AUWW!! Ah, yes. That’s right. You guys just go on ahead, we’ll be okay…” Sooyoung joined Sunny.

Sunny grabbed Sooyoung by her arm and pulled her out of the line. “We’ll just go find a first-aid tent and wait for you at the exit, okay?” They strode off.

“Wha---what just happened…”

“I don’t know…” Taeyeon said, looking puzzled. “Hey, it’s our turn. It’d be rude to keep the line waiting.”

“Um, arasseo. Let’s get on.”

----------

The atmosphere inside the love tunnel was very romantic. The water where the boat traveled on was filled with floating rose petals. There was even some candle light in some of the rooms. Murals picturing some romantic scene decorated the walls of the dim rooms of the tunnel. There were some mannequins that represented romantic scenery like having a candle light dinner, watching a movie together, and even watching the sunset side by side, hand in hand.

The atmosphere inside and outside the boat was totally contrast. Instead of a love boat, this one should have been called an awkward boat. We sat on the boat keeping thoughts to ourselves without having the courage to face each other as the boat rocked gently. Then I finally decided to speak up. I turned to Taeyeon next to me.

“Taeyeon…”

“Yonghwa…”

To my surprise, we faced each other and called out each other’s name at the same time. I lost my courage in a second and lowered my head back. I closed my eyes and encourage myself before turning back to her. Yonghwa, you can do this!

“Taeyeon-ah, there’s some---“

“Yonghwa-ya, there’s some---“

It happened again.

“Um, you go first…” I told her.

“No, you go first…”

I paused for a second. “Okay, I’ll go first…”

Even after we agreed that I should go first, I paused for a while, thinking of how to start this kind of talk. My mind suddenly went blank. But despite that, I should tell her.

“From the first time I saw you, back then in the class when I was late and you were just being introduced to the class, something happened to me. It felt like my body was taken over by some unknown force that makes it move towards you. I felt my heart beat faster. And that day too, I saved you from harm’s way while holding you in my arms. The world stopped spinning, and seemed as if we were the only human in this world. Since that day, everything you do makes me smile. Makes me fly. Makes me feel warm.”

I paused and tried to see her expression. She had been looking directly into my eyes this whole time. She smiled, but her eyes said worried. I grab her shoulders gently before continuing.

“Kim Taeyeon,” I gave her my sweetest smile. “I like you. I really like you. Jinjja johayo.”

I let go of her shoulder and waited for a reaction. She just smiled there and still giving that eyes full of anxiety.

“Thank you, Yonghwa-ya. Thank you for being there for me this whole time. Thank you for saving me that day. Thank you for caring so much,” she started.

“The truth is, ever since that day when you saved me, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I feel safe when I’m with you. Being newly transferred here, everything was so unfamiliar. But you make me feel comfortable about that. Once again, I’m very thankful for all that,”

She paused as she wiped a drop of tear from her eye. She still smiled despite the tears. My smile slowly faded as I braced myself for what she was about to say.

“But then, I realized that I don’t have it. I never had it. That feeling, that same feeling that you feel towards me. I am scared that I can’t return the favor. I’m afraid that if I continue, I would just be using you in order to make myself not alone without being able to give you anything in return. I don’t want to turn that true feelings of yours to become painful feelings,”

She looked at me with her teary eyes. She gave me another smile, but I kept silent.

“I am sorry. I know this is hurtful, but I need to say this now. It’s better now before you fall any further. Jung Yonghwa, mianhaeyo.”

The tension vanished after a while but the silence went on. There was only the sound of the rocking boat against the gentle current that led us to the final destination of the love tunnel. I said to her one last thing.

“Thank you, Kim Taeyeon.” I hugged her. She looked a little shocked, but then she gave up to my embrace and hugged back. We were still deep in our tight embrace when the boat finally reached the exit of the tunnel. I opened my eyes, still holding onto Taeyeon, and see that everyone was there outside the fence by the exit, watching us. Everyone was really there, some of them gasped and some of them smiled. I saw Sunny and Sooyoung cheered. Then I saw her watching us from afar.

When the boat had docked, we stepped out of the boat and continued making our way to the exit. We were welcomed by Sunny and Sooyoung’s cheers. Sunny immediately hugged Taeyeon who was still wearing a worried smile. Sooyoung came to me but before I could scold her for ditching earlier, I noticed over her shoulder.

Seohyun turned her back and ran away from the group. I reflexively dash towards her direction. Jessica also noticed as she saw my reaction and followed. I couldn’t think of anything else but not to let her go out of my sight. Eventually, we lost her as the theme park became more crowded. It was already afternoon but the crowd just kept coming. Jessica and I decided to split up and search for her.

Fifteen minutes passed. Half an hour passed. Forty minutes passed and I got a text from Jessica saying that she found Seohyun and was already heading back to catch a ride home. I sighed in relief, even though in truth I didn’t really feel relieved at all. At least we found her.

“Seohyun…” I whispered to myself as I made my way back to the others.

------------------------------

Author's note:

Annyeong!

Sorry it took so long to update >< been busy and it's hard to find the time to write.

so here's the other half of the chapter hehe let me know what you think :D

Gamsahamnida!

Oh, and two nights ago, I went to the GIRLS GENERATION WORLD TOUR 2013 in JAKARTA \o/

It was too good to be true :') I even shed some tears for being able to see them perform live for the first time.

It was the most special saturday night i've had in a while xD