Seohyun

The crowd cheered at the emergence of four figures on the brightly decorated stage. The drum rolled. People screamed and raised their handmade cheering boards (?), each with their own idol’s name written on them, over their heads, while I just stood there in the middle of the crowd admiring the four boys quietly.

The four boys in their uniforms stood aligned in the middle of the stage and bowed to the audience before them. “Annyeonghaseyo, CNBlue-imnida!”

The crowd grew louder and louder at every inch of movement the boys made. People were pushing each other, trying to get closer to the stage to get a better view of the four charismatic boys on stage. I stumbled a couple of times in the middle of the violent crashing human wave. Thankfully Jessica eonni was there next to me. She yelled at the people behind me that made me stumble and gave them a cold glare that silenced them in a second.

I chuckled at the ice princess. “Thanks, eonni,”

“Don’t mention it, Seohyunnie. Come on, our boys are about to perform!”

I chuckled once again and turned to the stage. The boys—our boys—were already holding onto their own instruments. The main guitarist started to strum an intro, followed by the vocal of the frontman.

“Wetoriya, wetoriya…” the song went.

It was the annual talent show of SM High. The day that Yonghwa oppa, Jonghyun oppa, Minhyuk and Jungshin had been practicing for the whole year. It was a big deal to the band because they all wanted to be great musicians.

They really looked awesome on stage. Incidentally, I would find my mouth hanging open in awe. I was fighting the urge to scream out oppa’s name but I was too embarrassed. I now knew how those fan girls feel when they see their idols.

“Kyaa! Minhyuk oppa!!!” I flinched at the screeching dolphin voice that screamed out Minhyuk’s name. To my surprise, it was Jessica eonni. Aigoo, she’s lost it, I thought.

I kept my eyes glued at one person: Yonghwa oppa. Between his fan services making eye contact that made fan girls swoon, he would steal some glances at me and winked. Every wink he directed at me, my heart skipped a beat.

Every time Yonghwa’s hands were free from the guitar, he would make a hand gesture where people can see that something was attached to his finger. As he was showing his bare hand while moving along to the music groove, he smiled at me and winked once again. I caught what he meant and then looked at my ring finger. There was something attached to it also, exactly like the one on Yonghwa’s finger. Yes, those were the 2,000KRW couple rings we bought when we went to Seoul.

After they finished their second song, they stood aligned in front of the stage for one last bow before going to the backstage. The crowd grew wilder as the boys disappeared behind the black curtain in the back of the stage, screaming and begging for more CNBlue.

Jessica eonni tapped my shoulder. “Seohyunnie, come on. Let’s go to the backstage,”

“Alright, eonni. Come on,”

Just as we got inside the backstage area, we were welcomed by the boys.

“Hey guys! How was it? How was our performance?” Minhyuk asked us.

“It was rad! You guys were so cool!” Jessica eonni raised her voice in excitement and giggled by herself as she linked her arm with Minhyuk. “Especially the drummer~”

“Ya! Guys, don’t get all lovey dovey here. People are watching. It’s embarrassing,” Jonghyun oppa scolded eonni and Minhyuk.

“I think you’re just jealous, hyung! Hahaha!”

As they were busy making fun of each other jokingly, I realized that Yonghwa oppa was missing, Even though Jungshin was not with Minhyuk and Jonghyun oppa, I saw him talking to some sunbae not far from us, but my eyes didn’t catch any sign of Yonghwa.

“Oppa,” I tugged Jonghyun oppa’s arm, interrupting his quarrel with Minhyuk. “Where’s Yonghwa oppa?”

“Hmm, haven’t seen him since we finished the performance. He went straight to the bathroom when we set off stage,”

“Hmm, I see. I’ll go look for him. You guys just stay here,” I said.

I went off further inside to look for Yonghwa oppa. Eventually I found him in the far end of the hall, talking with an ahjussi in a suit. He seemed oddly familiar and looked like an official or something. When I was about to approached them, Yonghwa bowed to him and they parted. I tugged his arm and he looked startled to see me.

“H-Hey! Why are you over here?”

“Hehe, Minhyuk and Jonghyun oppa was greeting us at the entrance and you weren’t there. I’m worried so I looked for you,”

“Well, congratulations. You’ve found me, Hyun~” He pinched my cheek that immediately made me blush.

“Come on, let’s go to the others.”

When I startled him, there was a look of anxiety in his face. He even stuttered a little bit when he talked to me. What was it? I wonder who that ahjussi was.

“Yong, who was that?”

“Who?”

“The ahjussi you were talking to earlier,”

“Oh, that…he’s just an acquaintance,”

There again. He sounded uncomfortable at the thought of that man. His face was serious but seemed worry. I decided not to talk about it anymore in the meantime.

“I see,” I slid my arm inside his and pulled him along into a run across the hall. “Come on! Everyone’s waiting!”

He looked surprised at my sudden change of mood but then finally he smiled. I couldn’t help but giggled inside and smiled back at him.

----------

Orange light filled the sky as the sun began to set. Everyone has gone home to have a rest as the next day was a big day because it was our Graduation Day. Well, everyone except me and Yong. We went to the park right after everyone left, just the two of us.

“Hyun~” He smiled at me as I pulled my head away from leaning on his shoulder.

“Yong~” I replied him with a smile.

He laughed, which made me blush. “I just can’t get enough of it. Every time you call me that, I feel butterflies inside my stomach,”

I chuckled awkwardly. “Hehe, me too, oppa. It always feels like the first time you made me feel this way,”

His smiled grew wider. “Yes, Seohyunnie. And it will never change. Never ever.”

He pulled me closer inside his arm. I followed his gesture and snuggled closer. He leaned his face closer to me and I knew what to do. I closed my eyes as our lips slowly collided. It was a slow, gentle, and soft kiss. The kiss that gets rid of all the anxiety in the world, freeing me from all my worries. The kiss that only belongs to us. The kiss that makes us feel like the whole world belongs to us.

He pulled away, breaking the kiss, and smiled before turning his gaze on the reflection of the setting orange sun on the lake. I giggled and rested my head on his shoulder. Just being with you like this is enough for me, I thought. I wish I can watch the sun sets with you for the rest of my life.

“Hyun~?” he called, breaking the peaceful silence.

“Yes, Yong~?”

“Sorry…”

I got up from his shoulder, puzzled. “Hm? What for?”

He held up his hand and showed me his bare fingers. I didn’t realize it at first but his fingers seemed too bare. Something was missing. Then it hit me. The couple ring wasn’t there.

“Y-you lost the couple ring?”

“Yes. When I was washing my hand in the bathroom earlier, it slipped right out of my finger. When I was going to pick it up, it went through the sinkhole. I’m sorry…” He said with a disappointed look on his face.

“Hey, it’s okay, Yong. It’s not a big deal. It’s only 2,000 wons anyway. We could just buy it again later,” I tried to cheer him up.

“I know. But it’s just that….I’m sorry for being so careless…”

“Hey, come on. It’s okay. It’s only a ring. Don’t pout like that, you choding!” I poked his cheek.

His face turned bright. “Hahaha. But I know you like Yong choding. I am and always be your choding. I am proud to be Hyun’s choding!”

I felt my face blushing. “Yes, choding. You are my choding and only mine~”

“Hahaha, Hyun’s getting possessive,” he laughed at his own words. “Don’t worry Hyun~ I’ll always be your choding and only yours. And you’ll always be my Hyun eomma!”

“Ya! I’m not!” I slapped his arm.

“U-huh! You’re really like eomma, always nag about what I do~” he stuck out his tongue. “But that’s what I love about you. That and countless other things about you.”

Jung Yonghwa and his words…never cease to make me blush…

“Hyun…” He called. His face suddenly turned serious. “After all this…”

He paused. Without hearing the rest of the sentence, I already knew what he meant. I have been having these thoughts myself. Thoughts about where we would be after graduation.

“There’s something…I need to tell you…” he said with a determined look on his face.

I braced myself for what ever came. I had a feeling this was very important.

“The ahjussi you saw earlier…he was from a big music company. He offered me a chance to meet his colleague in the company to show some of my self-composed songs. It was…”

What I heard completely made me speechless. A part of me was excited and happy for him because he finally found a great way towards his dream as a music producer. Another part of me was crushed as I knew it means that we have to be apart. Despite that, I tried to be supportive and be happy for him. I wouldn’t let anything, even myself, to stand between him and his dreams.

“T-that’s great, Yong!! You made it! You finally found your way to your dream!” I cheered for him. I got up and hopped around to show him how happy I was, or how happy I pretended I was.

“Hyun…” He just sat there on the grass, looking up to me with a puzzled look on his face.

I just hopped around in front of him excitedly, only to hide what the other part of me actually felt. I bit my lips hard and kept hopping in circles, throwing my hands up in the air. Eventually, my eyes gave in and let tears crept their way out. I stopped and set my gaze on the orange water of the lake, with my back facing him. I gave away and let out faint sobs.

“Hyun…” I heard him calling from behind before I felt something warm on my back and a pair of arms wrapped themselves around me from behind me.

“Oppa,” I called back to him as I sniffed and tried to wipe away the tears that fell. “There’s something I need to tell you too…”

He didn’t move an inch and kept holding me in his arms from the back. Without looking at his face, I went on.

“I got a scholarship to a design school, majoring fashion design. But…it’s Paris, France. I thought at first that there’s no way I’d take it. But I just thought I should let you know…”

I broke down as more and more tears flowed out of my eyes. I used my hands to cover my face. I just couldn’t see his face.

“That’s great, Hyun! Of course you’ll take it! It’s what you’ve been working hard for! I’m really proud of you!” He kissed my cheek.

“B-but…I don’t want to leave—I don’t want to leave you…”

He grabbed my shoulders and turned me gently to face him. His eyes were sharp, piercing right through my soul.

“No matter where you are, or how far away, you’ll always be here in my heart. This is your dream. Your dream is bigger than me. Please, don’t let me stand between you and your dreams…”

He rummaged his pocket and took out a small blue box with a ribbon on it. He untied the ribbon and opened the box, revealing a pair of silver rings.

“Do you know what these are?” he asked softly.

I just sobbed and shook my head.

“Promise rings…”

He pulled out one of the ring and took my hand. He took off the cheap couple ring that was already dull as the silver coating had faded from my ring finger and replaced it with the new, real-silver, promise ring.

“As long as you have this ring, just believe that I will always be there for you. A part of me will always be by your side, where ever you go. And do you still remember what you said that morning in Seoul?”

“I feel most at home right by your side….”

“Where ever you go, just remember that you’ll always have a home to return to…”

He put on his ring around his finger where his couple ring was. He then held out his pinky to me and smiled. Seeing his dorky and choding smile, I couldn’t help but laugh it out. I held out my pinky and captured his to seal the promise. Somehow my heart had lighten in relief. His words made me realize that no matter what I chose, nothing will ever change.

I paused and smiled. Then I threw my hands around him and reached up. I closed my eyes and crashed my lips against his. It was the first time I initiated the kiss. Well, other than the incident of the first one…

I pulled away and saw his face becoming red. He looked startled as I caught him by surprise. I wrapped my arms around him tightly and buried my face on his chest. I could almost feel the fast beating of his heart. It has the same rhythm as mine.

“Thank you, Yong~…you mean the universe to me…” I tightened my embrace.

He smiled and hugged me back. “I love you, Seo Joohyun…”

“I love you too, Jung Yonghwa. I have, I still do, and I always will…”