I'd Love To
Caught in the Headlights“You don’t say, Zhang Yixing.” Kris commented as he nudged his friend teasingly. Lay’s face flushed a very natural rosy color. He was never used to the teasing; he was never used to it at all—and probably never would he get used to it.
What irked him out most though was the fact that he couldn’t do anything about it. He needed to admit—he was as shy and waaaay too embarrassed to talk to her—his long new found person of affection. New found? Pssh. He have been practically nuts about her since the day of their last concert which was, well, more than a year ago.
“Aish, stop teasing, Kris.” was all he could mutter. It wasn’t like it was Kris’ fault anyway. He’d been ranting and whining about meeting that girl again though he pretty much knew it would never happen.
"Aww, it up, man. She was just a fan, stop thinking about her." Kris' words rang in his ear, triggering something in him. He never considered her as just a fan, for him, she was the most admirable girl he has ever seen since his last girlfriend.
Kris is right. I should just it up and forget about her. After all, what are the chances of meeting her again, right? Lay could only heave a sigh. He couldn't disagree with his friend. He knew very well that an idol-fan relationship wouldn't work anyway, if it even started.
"One, two, three, ~Geunyeo gyeoteseo moduga mulleona ije jogeumssik sanawojinda~" Kai chanted. How he loved the feeling of being the first one to always master their new choreography. Damn that dancing machine. Lay quietly hissed. He never was the type to utter mean words but today, he had the right to be extra grumpy. Kris noticed it and smirked.
"Someone's getting worked up again." Kris announced. Everyone turned to look at Lay who just sighed defeatedly. He could never hide his expressions from s, not when he was as transparent as a plastic bag. Luhan chuckled, completely fond of Lay's new aura.
"It's so unlikely of you to be like that, Yixing." Luhan commented, earning a high-five from Kris. The two of them were the ones who knew about how Lay felt about that certain girl.
"She got you all worked up, huh?" Kris laughed, trying to hold back his laughter. Lay was just so fun to tease that Kris and Luhan couldn't get enough of the teasing.
Lay, after practice, quickly took a shower and headed towards Luhan and his room. With a sigh, he slumped on his bed. Luhan had just entered when he did and Lay couldn't care less. He was far too tired to mind Luhan. Luhan, on the other hand, fought with his urge to start on another teasing fiasco with Lay since he noticed Lay's gloomy expression.
"Hey," Luhan said in his calmest voice. Lay mumbled a "hmm" without looking at Luhan. "What's wrong?" Luhan added. Lay could only sigh.
"It's been a year." Lay whispered, enough for Luhan to hear. Luhan face-palmed himself before sitting up.
"Yah, what's with you? A fan's a fan, Yixing. Why are you so affected?" Luhan asked like it was something so casual to Lay. Luhan was talking about a fan, and he knew that. So why was he getting beaten up by that fact? He shouldn't even be affected by a mere fan.
"I.. don't know. She's just.. she looked so confident; so alluring. She danced so well. It was like seeing a girl version of myself." Lay stared off to space as if he was watching that scene right in front of his eyes. Luhan sighed as he patted his friend's shoulder.
"I know, Yixing. But she's out there and we're, well, here. We're practically two worlds apart." Luhan said. Lay knew it was the truth and that was what irked him out the most.
"I know, I know. But I can't forget her face, the plain white shirt and faded skin-tight jeans she wore.. Her red cap and her short hair. I can't forget her necklace which fell-- Her necklace!" Lay quickly jolted up. Without any hesitation, he opened his side cabinet and there it was, the girl's necklace-- a silver chain with an 'EXO' pendant which was covered with diamonds, an assurance that she was an Exo fan. A soft yet knowing smile quickly appeared on Lay's face.
"Yah Hye Min, watch this!" her friend shouted at her, tearing her attention from her laptop.
"Ne, what's that?" she asked with her usual cute voice. Not too cute to be considered whiny, though. Her friend immediately tapped the play button and an unfamiliar song played, followed by the sight of a very familiar boy group.
"OH. MY. GOD. KYAAAAA!" Hye Min almost squealed, but she quickly stifled it with her hands. Watching her long lost "loves", she just couldn't take it anymore. They grew far more handsome and they danced far better than before. Blush quickly crept to her cheeks the moment she saw Lay wearing a black wife beater and a cap.
Lay. Wife beater. They should NOT go together. She mentally cursed upon seeing her ultimate bias. How cool he danced to what she assumed was their new song, she couldn't find the exact words to describe. Heck, there were NO words to describe how she felt at that time while she was watching Lay and only Lay.
"YAH! This is a leaked video!" realization hit her hard but she just couldn't tear her eyes off the screen. Not when she started to watch it. She had no choice but to finish the video even though she knew it wasn't meant to be watch by anyone.. yet. But what the hell. She thought. She really liked the song, plus the dance made it more appealing and she just had to watch it. Right then and there, she knew she MUST learn the steps.
"Lay is just so.. ugh." a frustrated sigh escaped her lips as she finally exhaled. She hadn't noticed how her breaths hitched while she watched the "Growl" dance video (which was announced to be leaked).
"Yah, you should consider yourself lucky. You had the chance to dance with him." her friend. She couldn't help but nod like a dog when sudden flashbacks of that moment flashed through her head.
"Yeah, I guess.. I guess I am lucky." Hye Min smiled weakly, knowing that she probably wouldn't have the chance to dance with him again. After all, that moment was just one strike to the moon and she was more than glad that she took it.
"Good, good. Hold that." the photographer said as multiple clicks were heard. Exo was having their photoshoot for a magazine which had a theme of angst and wealth. They wore black and white themed outfits and they had a hell of luxurious accessories. Suho, Luhan, Kris, and Kai were the ones who fitted the characters well since technically, they were the ones who actually knew how to play the part.
Lay uneasily walked around the set, his gorgeous face and equally y hair still in tact even though he had been walking around for hours. He never adjusted to the feeling of photoshoots simply because he was just too shy to flaunt his God-given gifts which he clearly don't take notice of himself. The photographer called his name. He awkwardly walked to the set, his hands shaking.
He wore a simple white long-sleeved dress shirt paired with black pants. His hair was tousled nicely enough and was topped of with a black leather fedora hat. He politely asked their stylist to let him not wear all those expensive looking accessories since he was a minimalist. And heck, he looked absolutely stunning with the simple outfit he was wearing.
A month later, Hye Min's friend bought the issue of the magazine as a birthday gift for Hye Min since she knew how Hye Min loved Exo. She also purchased another gift which she put inside an envelope with a bright blue ribbons tide to it.
"Hye Min-ah~" she opened the door and much to her surprise, she saw Hye Min curled up into a ball on her bed, sobbing like a lost child. She quickly ran up to Hye Min and sat beside her.
"Y-yah, what's wrong?" she asked hastily, feeling if Hye Min would like to be comforted or left alone.
"It's been a year already." Hye Min whispered as she sobbed once more. She could feel Hye Min's sadness.
"Hey, it's okay. It's not like you're not going to see them again."
"What do you mean? Last year was just a coincidence." Hye Min said as she muffled her sobs.
"Pabo. Happy Birthday, Hye Min-ah." she handed Hye Min the magazine and the envelope. Hye Min was touched by her best friends gift even though she could have afforded the magazine if she wanted to.
"Wait, there's more." she then handed Hye Min the envelope and what shocked Hye Min the most was the content of that simple envelope.
"Are these..?"
"Ne. Let's watch their next concert together, ne?" that was the last straw for Hye Min. She cried even more as she pulled Yerim into a hug.
"Gomawo, Yerim-ah." she quickly wiped her tears away. She opened the magazine which featured Exo and quickly scanned the pages for the pictures. She immediately stopped at Lay's picture and she heaved a sigh.
"Aigoo, so handsome as ever." she touched the picture as she giggled like a little girl. She traced Lay's face and stopped just as she noticed something familiar in the picture. She squinted her eyes as she brought the magazine closer to her face. Her eyes quickly widened and her face paled as she felt her heart thump loudly. Yerim grew worried. Was her best friend having a heart attack?
"Y-yah, Hye Min, gwaenchana?" she asked though she wasn't even sure her friend would reply.
"My.. m-my necklace.." she mumbled. The both of them looked at Lay who was smiling so brightly, with a silver necklace with an 'EXO' pendant covered in diamonds hanging from his neck.
"We are one! Annyeonghaseyo, Exo-imnida!" the group chanted flawlessly. Hye Min's heart stopped literally. She hadn't realized she was holding her breath.
"Yah, earth to Hye Min? They haven't even started yet!"
"Annyeonghaseyo. We are very thankful that all of you could come to our concert. This will be our way of giving back the love you have shown us despite our year-long absence. Kamsahamnida, saranghae!" Suho said and that was enough for the crowd to go wild.
Exo need not to exert much effort to please the fans since the crowd was already hyped by just their mere appearance.
They danced to their signature songs and lastly, to their new songs, "Wolf" and "Growl". Everyone simply went wild just by the entry song.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" if there was perfect time to scream and shout, it was probably now.
The final song, "Growl" echoed through the whole concert area, sending shivers down every Exotic fans' spines. It didn't help that Hye Min wore a black tank top and skinny jeans, symbolizing Lay's outfit on the leaked video. Thought the stadium was airconditioned, she was still able to produce sweat. It was just too damn hot in there. Figuratively hot.
Just as last year's concert, Exo's management team decided to still pursue on with the "open-stage" portion-- which actually gave the fans the opportunity to dance along with Exo in whatever manner they like: be it freestyle or the actual choreography.
At that very moment "Growl" played, the "open-stage" portion was announced immediately. However, just like last year, no brave soul dared to even set foot on the free stage. If it were to be a "open-spazz" stage, then the given stage would have been too small to accomodate even one-third of the crowd. But then, it was the strategy since the management knew that the fans would be too shy to even dance along with Exo.
Hye Min inwardly sighed. It felt like last year-- she was the only bravest soul to dance with her idols since she was hell good at dancing. With one more sigh and a still-doubtful mind, she stepped up. Yerim almost squealed. It was her best friend's moment to shine once again and she was very much thankful that the concert was set on her Hye Min's birth month.
"Go for it, girl!" Yerim supportedly shouted. Hye Min gulped. Would they recognize me? she inwardly hoped not. It would've been embarrassing to be the only one to dance with her idols again, much more if her idols actually remembered her. But that was the least of her worries. She was.. what? Ten steps closer to Lay? That was what she was worried about most.
Exo, who was still oblivious to the "open-stage", still danced in tune of the song. They didn't even recognize that an elevated stage appeared in the middle of the main stage. As Hye Min slowly walked to the stage, squeals could be heard. Her whole body shivered just like last year but she knew that once she started dancing, she would quickly forget everything around her. This would be the best birthday gift ever. She thought.
The choruse of "Growl" played and her expression immediately changed as she put on her smirk. Exo members started noticing the change of the atmosphere of the stadium and little did they notice the presence of a girl dancing in front of them, her face with a playful smirk as her black cap covered her forehead down to her eyes.
The members stopped dancing, which was perfectly understandable since it was "open-stage" portion. They quickly grew excited when they saw a girl dancing perfectly in-sync with them. It was like she was part of Exo, executing the steps as if she learned it with them.
Lay's heart skipped a beat automatically, as if the moment was not new to him. And it wasn't-- for the one dancing in front of them was the same girl who danced "Mama" and "History" with them last year. Except for now, her hair was slightly longer and she wore a confident smirk-- which he found utterly y. It was different when a girl knew how to dance and when a girl dance with much confidence. Hye Min gave off the same aura she did which magically drew Lay's attention to her. She looked up only to see Exo moving to the beat with her, with the exception of one person. Lay. She would've just continued with the dance if she hadn't noticed Lay who just stood there like a deer caught in the headlights.. again. This time, she stopped dancing as well and "awws" could be heard from the crowd. Exo stopped dancing too, and it was a very dramatic scene indeed. With the sound of "Growl" still echoing through the stadium, Exo looked up to her and widened their eyes.
It's her. All the members thought. But what caught their attention was the direction where she was looking at. They trailed the path and it stopped on Lay. And instinctively, Kris pushed his friend towards her. Luhan nudged at Lay who was utterly lost in the situation. If it hadn't been for Luhan and Kris, he would've stayed rooted in his spot, admiring the being in front of them. He quickly noticed her outfit which brought him back to when their practice video was shot and he immediately smiled. She must've watched the leaked video. But that didn't bother him anymore. She was there, once again, and it was more than enough for him to know that fate had brought them back together.
She gulped; her heart beat accelerating with every step Lay made towards her. Was she dreaming? The smirk she wore quickly faded as soon as her ultimate bias stood in front of her, spotlight on the both of them. He rubbed the back of his neck, she unconsciously copied him and a wild roar of "awww" was heard throughout the stadium.
"Hi." Lay managed to croak. It took him more than his confidence in dancing to mutter that single word. She giggled a little. She found it quite cute how someone like Lay could be shy in front of a mere fan like her.
"Hi." she sheepishly replied. Lay was too stunned to hear her voice. It was everything he imagined it to be: sweet and gentle yet so alluring that he wanted to strike a conversation right then and there. He fought with his urge though, since he knew that thousands were watching them. Literally thousands, considering the ones who will watch the concert through live-streaming and other means of media.
"Uh, this is yours." Lay took off the necklace, and handed it to Hye Min. Yes, he was confident that the necklace belonged to her.
"Uh, yeah, thanks." she got the necklace and looked at it. Her heart was beating so fast that she knew Lay could hear it. Suddenly it felt like there were no people watching them. With Hye Min on the elevated stage and Lay on the main stage, it looked like a perfect scene.. only that it wouldn't last long.
"Uh, you're here to dance with us.. again?" Lay asked shyly. He mentally slapped himself as his question might've offended Hye Min but to his surprise, she laughed sweetly.
"Yeah, I guess. I guess I am." with that, Hye Min pulled her cap off and put it on Lay's head. The song "Growl" quickly replayed and her smirk appeared once again. Sending Lay one quick wink, she headed towards the other members who smiled at her and high-fived with her. She stopped and turned towards Lay who was still rooted on the elevated stage.
"Zhang Yixing-ssi, would you dance with me?" Hye Min shouted, not minding the massive audience. Lay snapped and quickly turned around, a wide and triumphant smile plastered on his face.
"I'd love to."
-END-
Comments