"Yoboseyo?"

"Yah. It's me."

"What the?... What do you want??"

He chuckled a bit on the line. "All the wrong things, no doubt," he said. Then, he paused.

I rolled my eyes, then wearily pushed my head up from where I lay on my bed to check the clock on my wall. Just past 11pm. "Listen, Sunggyu, I don't have all the time in the world for this. I have... I have things I need to think about."

"Like what things."

"Like things that lie well outside the scope of what we can appropriately label as 'your business'," I spat. He chuckled again.

Another pause. Then... "Well, where were you tonight?"

"...Huh?" In his pause, those 'things' I had to think about had already began filling the forefront of my mind. Though the room temperature hadn't changed, I could almost feel the warmth on my hand as it lay, sandwiched, between Howon's grip and the firm tone of his chest. Suddenly, I felt that uncomfortable warmth rush to my cheeks, the memory of Howon making me blush hard.

"...Yoboseyo? Did you hear what I said?"

"What?...A-aniyo," I said as Sunggyu's voice pulled me back to the present. I gripped the phone a bit harder, pressing it against my ear in an effort to stay in the moment, until I could hear his even breath on the line. Somehow, it worked to push the memory of those warm brown eyes away. "Sorry, Sunggyu. Say it all again."

He sighed a bit with impatience. "I said that our band had a small gig in this dive bar downtown. I thought for sure your sister invited you to come."

"Chincha?" I frowned again. "I mean, I'm sure she would of, if she didn't already know that I had plans."

"Oh. Well...You should come next time," he said.

All of a sudden, there was a weird swell in my chest. Did he really want me to come? Suddenly, I wondered what it mattered to him whether I attended or not. I mean, we weren't... friends or anything. Were we? Now that I thought about it, why were we even having this conversation at all?? Sunggyu must be calling for a reason, but in the moment, my mind simply refused to process it. "Should I?" I asked feebly, trying to ignore that strange bubble in my chest.

"Yeah. We're just starting out, so if anyone can boost our numbers in the crowd, it's better for us."

The swell in my chest deflated. Right. Of course. He just wanted me there to make him look good.

What else was I really expecting?

I sighed. "Well. I was..." Unfairly set up with a suitor I might already like, I thought to myself. "...indisposed. At a dinner."

"Hmm..." he paused. Then, he barked into the phone, "It wasn't a date, was it?!"

"No! Of course not!" I spat defensively. Though... to be honest, it wasn't completely unrelated to a date.

He sighed heavily on the other end. "Dear, dear Choa. Don't you remember what I said? Men are wolves. It really is best for you if you would just stay away from them altogether."

"Sunggyu. I do so wish you would leave me alone."

He chuckled deeply, and the sound of it almost made my lips twitch up in a smile.

Almost.

"Well.... then what are you doing tomorrow night?"

I frowned. "Waeyo?"

"We have another gig. This time, it's a fundraiser, featuring local talent. There will be bands and musicians, but also a lot of other acts. It's pretty much a glorified talent show, but anyways... You should come."

"But I'm not your fan."

"That's because you haven't heard us play before."

"You say that pretty confidently."

"I'm not afraid to tell it like it is."

"That, I already know," I said, rolling my eyes. "What if I have something else to do?"

"Don't tell me the punk already set up a second date with you?! Aish, he's too fast, way too fast. Who the hell does this punk think he is??"

"SUNGGYU! Tonight wasn't a date!"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"Sunggyu!" I was so annoyed. Too annoyed to say anything of merit. But as I thought about it... would my time with Howon tomorrow really be a date? Or just a hang out between friends?

Howon. The sudden thought of that man sent a shiver down my spine. Though why, I wasn't all too sure.

"Well... the invite is there, if you decide."

"I'll... I'll see what I can do."

"Right. See you tomorrow, Choa."

"Maybe."

He chuckled. "Don't be late."

"Yup."

*******

Though we had discussed not being awkward, there was no denying it. We were the glaring epitome of awkward. Howon let the engine idle as we sat in the car, both not looking anywhere but dead straight. We had time to kill before his dance class and we were supposed to be thinking about where we wanted to go, but let's be honest: I kept worrying about my hands--whether I should lay them on my lap or rest them on the seat-- and I kept wondering over and over and over what he was thinking.

What was he thinking?

What was he thinking?

What the hell could he possibly be thinking?!

I decided to put my hands in my lap and clasp them together, twiddling my thumbs like a freaking idiot. It suddenly felt so warm that I could almost feel the initial beads of sweat forming on my forehead.

"Ahem..." he finally said, clearing the silence.

"Y-yes?"

He shifted in his seat, gripping the steering wheel tight and then letting go. "Maybe... maybe right now, it would be best if we went somewhere... public."

"Y-yes! Perfect! You read my mind exactly!" I said almost too excitedly. I felt so relieved. There was something about having other people around... It put me more at ease, like I could be myself without feeling so continuously under his sole scrutiny. Plus, it made this feel more like a hang-out.

Less like a date.

I think he thought the same, because his shoulders visibly relaxed as he put the car in drive and pulled into the road. Then, he peeked over at me, smiling slightly. "Actually... there's this one place I was thinking of taking you. It does have to do with dancing, but I'm not sure you'll like it..."

"Let's go," I said decidedly. I like it already... as long as it's in public.

He smirked. "Brace yourself. You're about to see the Hoya danseu machine in full force."

"Bring it on. I was born ready."

***

We pulled into a large and crowded parking lot, where streams of people flocked into a spacious gynamsium that sat alongside a well-kept high school. There was a banner strewn across the face of the gymnasium that I could only make out as we got nearer.

"'J.O. ...High school... Fundraiser'?" A fundraiser? It sounds oddly familiar...

But before I realized it, we got caught up in the crowd, and followed them inside (pausing for a brief moment so that Howon could pay for our entry) until we stepped onto the main floor of the gymnasium, where people were already picking their seats, facing a large stage with a sweeping velvet curtain set up towards its back.

I frowned. "Howon--"

"Kaja!" he said, all smiles. He took my hand and began pulling me towards the stage, beyond the general crowd to the first two rows, which were taped off and marked "VIP seating." Then, he lifted the tape, stepped under, and held it up for me, waiting for me to follow him.

"We... we shouldn't be here... Shouldn't we sit back with the crowd? We'll get in trouble..."

Then he grinned brightly and chuckled, pulling me beneath the tape with so much force that I accidentally bumped into him and he had to catch my elbow to prevent both of us from falling. He laughed.

"Surprise!" he said. "I'm actually one of the performances tonight! And I wanted you to come and watch!"

My eyes bugged out. "Chincha??" All of a sudden, I smiled brightly back at him. I was unbelievably excited that I got to see him perform.

And to be honest, this was a great idea for our hang-out (date).

"I'm actually the first act, so I have to head backstage in a few minutes."

I nodded. "But aren't you nervous?"

He grinned, then gently lifted his hand to pinch my chin. "No. Not when I know that you'll be cheering me on."

It's like his touch set my cheeks on fire. I couldn't say anything, so I just nodded quickly and smiled. He grinned back, and then with one final look, he let go of my hand and recrossed the tape, making for the stage. Alone, I took my seat and faced the curtain, heart beating loudly in my chest as I waited anxiously for the show to begin.

---

Part 1 of this scene. Which means... I have enough planned out for at least another update or two! Woohoo! Take that, writer's block!!

Mmmmm let's get into the nitty-gritty of this drama, shall we? :) Please look forward to it, and stay tuned, beautiful readers!