Album No. 19

:: Track 01 ::

After the lesson, JaeJoong surprisingly volunteered to drive me home. I’d like to say because he wanted to make sure I got home safely but really it was because Mrs. Kim kept on begging me to stay for dinner and I guess… he didn’t want me to.

Hmph. Whatever.

Kim JaeJoong led me to the car silently and then all of a sudden pushed me in like I was a worthless sack of potatoes. I landed in the seat with an all but painless thud.

He really can be so aggressive sometimes… remind me what I see him…

He went around the hood of the Benz and climbed into the driver’s seat. He then smiled with a short laugh as he started the engine, keeping his gaze on the steering wheel.

I moved my hair out of my narrowed eyes –his violent behavior caused my bangs to fall in my face.

“What’s so funny?” I asked him, staring at him at the corner of my eyes. He quickly shook his head.
“Nothing, nothing…” Kim JaeJoong tried to pass it off but obviously he didn’t actually mean nothing.

We then began to drive out of his garage. I noticed that the sky was already dark and the stars were out tonight.

I leaned back in my seat and crossed my arms, deciding not to probe him any further.

“Hey what’s wrong with you?” he then so kindly questioned and I sat up straight with anger. “You usually bother me until I tell you.”
“What do you mean what’s wrong with me? I should ask what’s wrong with you.”
Kim JaeJoong only chuckles.

“What? Do you just like to laugh for no reason? Are you crazy?”
His mysterious laughter just pissed me off. Number one because I’m a nosy person so when I hate it when he doesn’t let me in on what’s happening and number two I don’t like it when he is being secretive.

I want to know. I want to know everything, everything about him. I want to know everything that you’re thinking, JaeJoong.

He doesn’t answer and continues driving and smiling.

Once again I exhale a deep breath of hot air and look to the outside. I roll down the car window hoping that the coolness would make me feel better.

“Hey,” he finally speaks and nudges my arm with his elbow. I don’t respond on purpose. “Do you really want to know?”

I don’t turn my head immediately.
“…What?” I ask, looking over nonchalantly, channeling my I-don’t-care attitude.

We stop at a red light and he stares directly into my eyes. I jerk my head back a little, surprised at his sudden actions. His lips slowly rise into a taunting grin.

“You want me.”
My eyes widen and the first thing that crosses my mind is that I should jump out of the car. He knows?! He knows that I-

“You’ve fallen for me.”
The traffic light turns green.
He focuses in front again and starts to sway his head back and forth.

“You’re crazy for me. You can’t break out. I got you~ under my skin~”
My eyes fall flat and I clutch my chest, catching my falling heart.
I thought he figured me out good but instead-

“Don’t I sing good?” Kim JaeJoong asks and I scoff. He’s unbelievable. It should be ‘sing well’, not ‘sing good’.
“It’s ‘well’, dummy,” I tell him and keep staring out the window. He can’t even use proper grammar. Stupid Kim JaeJoong.

“Why thank you,” he says. Aish.

After a moment of peace and quiet, I steal a glance at his stupid good-looking face.
He can’t possibly find out. He doesn’t know that I like him. He’s too dense to figure it out right?

“What, you don’t like that song? It’s Mirotic by TVXQ, pabo,” he tells me but I already know. “Don’t you listen to the radio? Or do you just avoid all things related to music?”

I don’t respond so he nudges me again with his elbow. “You know some people say I look just like that Hero guy in the group.”

Ha. What a random and obviously wrong comparison! Hero belongs to Gods of the Rising East and Kim JaeJoong is just… he’s just a guy. A stupid, arrogant, meanie who likes to play with me like I’m some toy. Sure he has his sweet moments and I admit that he is talented, a good teacher and ridiculously hot and – um, uh … what point was I trying to prove again?

“You wish you look like Hero!” I say, feeling my skin burn hot from my dumb thoughts.
“Tch, please,” he answers and I stare at him from the side. “I look better than him,” Kim JaeJoong spits back and after a moment of silence, we laugh – probably for different reasons and we exchange glances.

His expression softens to a gentle smile. “You’re thinking…” he begins and points at my face. “I AM better looking than him right?”

I slap him on the arm while laughing. “I said you wish!”
I manage to hit him a few times before he catches both my hands with his. We had stopped in front of my house already and I knew it moments before. I just didn’t want to leave. Just then, the world stopped spinning.

“…Your hands are cold,” Kim JaeJoong tells me and then I notice how warm his are. Suddenly he puts my both of my hands on both of his cheeks. Warm, so warm…
It felt weird and awkward but at the same really nice.

JaeJoong closed his eyes and smiled a soft, tender smile. I wish I could have taken a picture of how he looked right now. But um, what the heck was he doing?

I eventually sneezed, interrupting the moment and he quickly lets go, blinking madly. We both look in opposite directions shyly and then back at each other simultaneously.

He clears his throat loudly and adds, “You should get going.”
I blink, slowly recovering from the moment and utter, “…h-huh?”

“I said, get out~!” he yells and pushes me towards the door. Not only am I not able to get out now but my face and body is also mashed up against the window. Thanks a lot Kim JaeJoong. You seriously killed the moment.

“Swab whooshing! Swab it!” I scream at him with my fish lips but he only pushes my cheek into the glass even more. In an attempt to freedom, I swing my elbow backward and finally he takes his hands off. (A/N: BoA’s trying to say ‘stop pushing’)

I rub my cheeks and glare at him. “What the heck is your problem?!” He’s strangely silent and doesn’t look at me.
“Fine! If you want me to leave so badly, at least unlock the door first genius!” I press the button myself and grab the handle to let myself out. I slam the door and storm away from his Benz, not looking back once.

Well… I tried not to.

After I heard the engine start, I glanced back to see him drive off.

Gosh, he’s so weird. One second he’s all playful and teasing me, then at the next he’s being sentimental and sweet but after that, he just ruins it all by being rude and stupid.

That Kim JaeJoong. What does he want me to think about him?
Sigh. Maybe he doesn’t want me to think anything of him at all.

:: Track 02 ::

I stomp into school the next morning with heavy steps, walking across the courtyard to class without caring about who or what gets in my way.

“BoA wait up!” LiYin shouts as she tries her best to catch up. I suddenly halt and turn around, gripping onto my knapsack straps. LiYin leans back a little, surprised.

“Where’s Junsu?” I ask with a rough voice. “He’s not around is he?”
LiYin stares at me with large eyes and gulps. “W-why do you ask?”
I see her wave her hand back by her leg and I gaze at a figure that is so obviously the shape of Kim Junsu, hiding behind one of the school’s pillars.

I grumble and storm over there, despite LiYin’s tugging and pulling.
“Waiiiit BoA! What-what’s wrong?!” she screams but that doesn’t stop me.

Junsu is smart so he circles around the pillar a few times in an effort to avoid my rage.
“YAH!” I yell and it is all I have to do to get him frozen. He doesn’t dare defy my fury, I know it. I get around the pillar and grab him by the collar. At the same time, LiYin is holding me back as much as she could. I make my hand into a fist and hold it up to Junsu’s jaw.

“Where is that ugly person?” I ask lowly and Junsu averts his gaze.
“Wh-who are you talking about?” he asks with a nervous smile and I tighten my grip on his uniform jacket.
“YOU KNOW WHO I AM TALKING ABOUT JUNSU!”

Junsu shuts his eyes and puts his hands up in surrender. “O-okay-okay! I promise to tell YoungWoongie Hyung that-” I clear my throat and nudge his face with my fist.
“I-I mean that ‘ugly person’ that he is not to bother you and that he is not allowed to talk to you nor will you be having your piano lesson today unless he admits that he is a stupid, boneless, arrogant, good-for-nothing jerk!”

“…And?”
“A-a-and he’s ugly! Please spare my life,” Junsu squeals and I let him go with a proud smirk.
“Good boy,” I said and pat him on the cheek. Junsu opens his eyes and leans over with a sigh of relief. LiYin goes to him, rubbing him on his back.

I clutch my knapsack straps again, walking happily to class. This was going to be fun.

:: Track 03 ::

I knew that I had to see the jerk in music history, which was precisely why I had LiYin switch seats with me. But, it was ten minutes into the class already and he hadn’t showed up. Not that I care! – it was just suspicious.

All of a sudden, the door slammed open and there the devil is, panting like he had just finished a 500m sprint. Hmph, I hope it was 1000.

“M-mianhamnida, sonsaengnim,” the breathless person asks and bows for forgiveness. Ms. Lee doesn’t say a word about it, only glaring at him and points him to his seat.

When he comes over, he realizes that I wasn’t sitting where I was supposed to be. He glances over at me and I quickly look away. He then sits down without any other reaction. Heh.

:: Track 04 ::

Class flew by as usual and luckily Ms. Lee didn’t make us work on our project together or my whole ignore-Kim-JaeJoong-for-the-whole-day plan would have gone down the drain.

Throughout the entire day though, I was expecting him to make some kind of effort to talk to me – or at least tease me, you know, but he didn’t do anything. It was the first time I discovered that he could listen so well.

After school was out, I met up with Junsu near the entrance. LiYin would have been there but she had violin practice again.

“Thanks Junsu,” I say to him when I approach him and he just looks at me oddly. He was talking to a guy friend but upon my arrival, the person walked away.
“Oh hey BoA. You’re welcome but um, what for?”

“You know~” I remind him. “For telling the ugly person about today’s rules and everything. It worked well… strangely a little too well…” I mumble, trailing my voice off towards the end.

“Oh~ that,” Junsu says and scratches the back of his head.
“Sorry but I actually didn’t get to tell Hyung.”

HUH.

“Yeah, he came late this morning I think,” Junsu told me and it was true. “I waited outside until the second bell rang and was even late for my own class. I called him too, just to make sure that he got your message but he didn’t pick up.”

I was at a loss of words but Junsu continued to tell his story.
“I finally met with him at lunch and I was so scared that he tried to pick on you or something but he told me that you were ignoring him so he wasn’t going to do anything and-”
Junsu suddenly paused and I glanced up with a curious face. “And?”

Junsu’s bubbliness seemed to fade and he casted his gaze down to the floor. He put his hands into his pockets and shook his head. “I… I don’t know. He just looked kind of tired and he didn’t talk as much as he usually does. It was weird, such a weird feeling coming from him. I’ve never seen him so quiet and dazed before.”

“…Really?” I didn’t know what to say. As much as I want to think that it was because I ignored him that he was acting this way, is there possibly something else that might be bothering him?

Junsu nodded matter-of-factly. “Yup.”
I don’t know why but I felt kind of bad. “Um, do you know where he is now?”
“Oh. He went home already,” Junsu answered and for some reason I wasn’t happy like I wanted to be. “You told me to tell him that you didn’t want to have a piano lesson today right?”

I gave Junsu a half-smile. “… Right.”
He grinned. “Well, I got to go buy something for LiYin so she has something to eat after practice. See you tomorrow BoA.” Junsu patted me on the shoulder and left.

Though originally I wanted him to feel this way, I now felt kind of bad that he was. I mean, I’m not saying that it was me but if it was me…

I’m terrible.

:: Track 05 ::

I’ve gotten so used to seeing Kim JaeJoong almost everyday after school that it was like my house wasn’t even my house today. As usual, it was empty, with the exception of the house staff that always seem to be hiding out of sight, but because ‘he’ wasn’t present, the entire atmosphere was just plain lonely.

With a free schedule, I did my usual boring mundane routine. I ate ramen, watched some T.V., did my homework and took a shower. Before I knew it, night had already fallen and it was about time to go to sleep.

I stepped out of my bathroom with my hair wet, rubbing it through with my blue towel. I stared at my phone on my desk with a horrible thought in my head.

Should I call him?

I draped the towel over my shoulders and shook my head.
No way. Why should I? It’s none of my business anyway. If he’s feeling depressed, let him be depressed! It’s not like I did anything to make him feel that way right?

“GAH!” I screamed and threw myself on my bed. I yelled into my pillow and kicked my legs. Why was I being like this? Why did I have this huge wanting feeling to hear his voice? It’s driving me insane!

With a sudden burst of bravery, I picked up my phone and dialed his number.
Ring. Ring. Ring.

“Um, BoA?”
Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t!
The damn phone has caller ID, you idiot! Idiot BoA! Idiot!

I pressed the end call button in a panic and threw my cell on the bed like it was a bomb. My heart beat rapidly, and it was only upon hearing the sound of his voice. I mean, I’ve freaking heard it before but this time- this time I just- I don’t know! And did he actually call me by my name?

// I-I-I-I did it did it did it for love~ ♪

My phone! I hesitated before picking up the call. It was probably JaeJoong who was calling me back. I tried not to make my voice shake.

“H-hello?” Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Shut up, heart.
“Hey, it’s me. It’s Yoochun.”
I heard the sound of butterfly wings being clipped off and falling to the pit of my stomach.

“Oh,” I said calmly and I couldn’t help but feel completely disappointed. “Um, what’s up?” Yoochun chuckled though nothing funny was going on.
“Just called to see if you’re okay,” he said and I raised an eyebrow.
“Why wouldn’t I be okay?” I asked with suspicion. “What makes you think I’m not okay?”

“Oh, um, nothing,” he said in short responses. Strange. “I was just wondering… heh.”
“…Mhm…”
“So, I, um, actually wanted to ask you something,” Yoochun continued in that nervous and still highly suspicious voice of his.

“Ask away,” I told him and sat down on my bed, staring outside my window.
“Okay. Um, I know that your birthday is coming up this weekend and I was wondering, if you would like to go out to dinner with me. You know, to celebrate.”

Oh. God. My birthday. I should have known he’d ask this!
“Wow, um. Thanks Yoochun but I’m not sure what I’ll be doing yet,” I told him, biting my lip. For the previous years I’ve either spent it with my boyfriend or made an excuse to celebrate it with my parents. “I’ll have to check with my mom and dad first.”

“Don’t worry,” he answered immediately in a cheerful voice. “I already asked ahjumma and ahjussi and they said that you’re free to do whatever you want this year so-”

I sighed. I hate to do this but-
“Oh, I’ll have to think about it then,” I replied, before he could hope any further. “I might just go out with LiYin and have a girl’s night out instead. Sorry.” I could feel Yoochun frowning through the phone.

A long silence passed. “Okay,” he says. I can tell that he’s disappointed. “Let me know if you still want to- you know, and um, good night BoA.”

“…Good night Yoochun.”

:: Track 06 ::

The entire night I couldn’t help but think about Yoochun’s offer to take me out for a birthday dinner. But on the larger side of my mind, I was wondering what JaeJoong had thought about my abrupt call and the even more abrupt hang up. He didn’t call me back like I assumed he would. I shouldn’t have bothered to assume, should I?

As I was about to cross the street to Ongaku, I instantly spotted Kim JaeJoong in the distance sitting at a bench in the courtyard. He was hard to miss, being that he simply stood out so much. I hated how good looking he was! GAH!

My heart fluttered thinking about what I did last night but what was more interesting was that he looked like he was writing something, with Junsu standing over him reading along. I wondered what the both of them could be doing.

Just then a hand pressed to my shoulder. “Hey kid.”
I looked back to see DongHae’s bright face. “I haven’t seen you in a while. How’s life?”

“Oh hey. It’s fine. Nothing, nothing much has been up really,” I answered and showed my eagerness to cross the street. “Oh look, the light is green.”

I pulled DongHae along and he laughed as I tugged strongly on his arm. “Excited to go to school, I see.”
“Oh, um not really,” I say as I scan the courtyard in its full view. Geez where did 2Kim go?
“You know you can let go of my arm now,” DongHae chimes in and I release him embarrassedly.

“Oh sorry,” I apologize, giving him a short glance, then returning to look for Kim JaeJoong. Seriously where are they?

“Searching for someone pabo?”
I turn away from DongHae and realize that the person standing over me is just the person I was looking so desperately for.

Kim JaeJoong flashes DongHae a menacing grin and pulls me to his side. “I’ll be taking this pabo back, thank you.”
DongHae chuckles and with no resistance, backs off. “Okay,” he says and gives me a wink, “I’ll see you later then kid.”

I blush at both DongHae’s wink and the way that Kim JaeJoong stares at DongHae’s back as he walks away. Is he jealous?

“See you later? What does he mean see you later? There will be no seeing you later,” Kim JaeJoong mumbles angrily to himself and I just wanted to smile. He was back to his old self again- well the randomly protective part of him anyway.

“Didn’t I tell you not to hang around him?” Kim JaeJoong scolds me but I don’t care. I’m just happy. For some unknown reason, I’m just happy.

“Oh, did you?” I ask aloofly and watch him snap. His eyes narrow at me and he just sighs with frustration.

“YEAH,” he answers and flicks me on the forehead. “Don’t you ever listen to what I say?”

Usually I’d argue: Why do you care anyway? What does it matter if I’m friends with DongHae? Who is he to you? Why are you so mad?

But now I felt like… he actually cares for me. That must be why he is so pissed. He doesn’t like DongHae being around me because maybe-

“Then okay,” I say, to my own surprise as well as his. I can tell that he is shocked by his wide brown eyes.
“What?” he questions as if my willingness to oblige was not possible.
“I said okay,” I repeat for him. “If you don’t want me to hang around him, I won’t. I mean I will try not to but I can’t help it when he comes over to me. He’s nice and I can’t just ignore him just because you want me to because he’s really nice and so unless he looks for me I won’t look for him so-”

Out of nowhere, Kim JaeJoong presses his hand against my lips. “Okay, okay be quiet already,” he says, rolling his eyes. “It’s so annoying when you’re talking about other guys to me.”

To this I had to respond. “And why’s that?” I stop myself from smiling sheepishly.
Again, he looks at me with his cute and surprised face.
I nudge his arm with my shoulder. “Hm? Why is that?” I ask again.
“Tch, I don’t know!” he tells me and turns away with a semi-pink face. He doesn’t say anything for a while. It means that he’s cooking up an excuse.

“I-It must be like you always say!” he then shouts, just as I thought. “I’m an arrogant good-for-nothing jerk so I like hearing you only talk about me. Is that a good enough reason for you?”

I shrug my shoulders in a gleeful mood. “Sure,” I smile, knowing that that isn’t what he’s thinking at all. Could it be that he’s falling for me? Heh. In any case, I’ll take it. I’m feeling nice today- partially to make up for yesterday.

Kim JaeJoong blinks with confusion but he too decides to accept it. He smiles and holds me by the wrist. “Class, pabo.”
I smile back letting him lead me. “Okay.”

:: Track 07 ::

Before I knew it, it was already the day of my birthday.

“All right, so first we go to your house, dress up, get prettied, the guys pick us up, go eat dinner, then we’re going to walk around the city and check out either a club or a noraebang place. Which one?” LiYin suggests for the birthday celebration plan for tonight as we walk to my home, linking our arms.

I’m only half-listening to her ideas, not because they were bad ones, but I couldn’t concentrate thinking about how Kim JaeJoong is actually going to come along. Gosh, he’s going to celebrate my 17th birthday with me- kya, I want to just fangirl scream! Ah, why am I acting like this? Stop being so happy Kwon BoA!

LiYin, probably seeing my retarded scrunched up face in refusal to squeal from all the excitement, stopped talking. I could feel her hazel eyes boring into my skin.
She laughs heartily. “Haha, BoA what are you doing?”

I jump up and beam like the sun. “Nothing! I’m- I’m just excited for today, that’s all…”
Damn it. I’m blushing. BLUSHING. I know I’m blushing.

LiYin snickers. “I’m not going to ask why.” What a good friend, but I’m sure it’s because she already knows. We both giggle and quickly make our way home.

:: Track 08 ::

When I open the door, I am surprised that my parents were there.
“Oh, appa, omma!” I greet, happy to see them. I run over and give them both hugs.
“Happy birthday sweetheart,” my dad says and kisses me on the crown of my head.
“Yes happy birthday dear,” my mom adds and I smile back at them like a little girl- their little girl.

“Annyeonghashimnika ahjumma, ahjussi,” LiYin chimes in as she bows.
“Annyeong LiYin dear,” my mother says and gives her a small hug as well. “It’s been a while since we’ve seen you at our house. Mr. Kwon and I are always at work.”

“Oh that’s fine,” LiYin answers with a smile. “I’m glad to see you both now.”
“We’re glad too LiYin,” my dad adds and pats her on the head. We all treat each other like family.

“Anyway, did you come over to help BoA get ready for dinner?” my mom brings up and LiYin nods cheerfully.
“Yup,” she replies and holds up her bag of clothes. “We’re both going to get dolled up for BoA’s big night.”

“Both?” my mother inquires, putting a finger to her lip. She blinks with a surprised, clueless look on her face.
“Yeah omma. I’m going to celebrate with LiYin and some, um, other friends tonight. In the city,” I tell her as I hold onto LiYin’s arm. “You said that I could do whatever I want right?”

My mom and dad look crestfallen. They exchange glances of worry.
“… What’s wrong?” I ask with anxiety building up in my heart.
“Oh! Is it because ahjumma and ahjussi wanted to surprise BoA with a party yourselves?” LiYin suggests and for a minute it made sense.

My mom waves her hand down in the air. “Don’t be silly, LiYin. It’s not that,” she bluntly states and I flatten my gaze.
She swings her finger back and forth between my dad and herself. “It’s just that we thought you were going to dinner with Yoochun. Alone.”

“Ehhh?!” I yell back. The day I do that is the day pigs fly. “No-no-no! I’m not! Not at all! I wasn’t planning to! I wasn’t gonna-”

Ding dong. Ding dong.
“Ah, that must be him,” my mom said and sprinted toward the door.
“Wait omma! Don’t open it~” I whined after her but as usual no one listens to me, so she went ahead and swung the door open wide.

Both of us stared at the person standing in front of us. Both of us were completely stunned and surprised.

“Oh,” JaeJoong uttered. He probably wasn’t expecting my mom to answer the door, like how we didn’t expect him to be the one at the door either. “Annyeonghaseyo Mrs. Kwon.”

My heart was pitter-pattering at how gorgeous he looked. He wasn’t wearing his Ongaku uniform but rather a really nice clean dress shirt and dress pants with dress shoes. It reminded me of the time at his mother’s birthday bash- that prince-like appearance of his that made want to melt in his arms- only toned down a notch. Still, he was amazingly good-looking.

“I was looking for BoA. I-”
My mom smiled but she looked annoyed. “Today’s her birthday. She won’t be having her piano lesson today so-”

“Ah yes I know, Mrs. Kwon. I just need to give her something. A present from-” I saw the shiny white box with a pastel pink bow wrapped around it and my eyes sparkled.

My mom then grabbed it out of nowhere and I dropped my jaw. “I’ll give this to her then, thanks JaeJoong. Bye-bye now!”
“OMMA!” I shout and pop up from behind her. I knew I was short but for JaeJoong not to see me the entire time was kind of sad. My new birthday wish: grow taller.

I grab my gift from her hands and hug it tight to my chest. “It’s mine!” I say and JaeJoong looks at me, dazed. I know he’s trying not to crack up in from of my mother.

“But BoA-” she tries to say something but I urge her to go away. She soon gives up and I close the door so that JaeJoong and I could talk outside.

“Your mom is so funny,” he tells me with a laugh and I don’t say anything to that. It’s better that he thinks that she’s funny because to me she’s plain embarrassing.

I stare at him as he laughs and all those good old funny feelings surge through my body. Gosh, I like him- I really like him- so much.

“Um, what are you doing here so early?” I ask knowing that we were scheduled to go at 6. Right now it was only 4:30. I look down at my own clothes. Ack, I was still in my school uniform! “Erm, come to think of it, how’d you get home and change so fast?”

“Never mind that,” he tells me and scratches the back of his head. “I came here to tell you that um-”

He pauses and makes a face. I was sensing that something was either wrong or he was about to say-

“Ahem. I, um. I can’t make it today.”

I should have known it was going to be something like this.
“Sorry BoA,” he apologizes, rubbing his neck and kicking a pebble on the ground.

Rip my heart out, why don’t you?
“Something came up so that’s why I came to give you your present,” Kim JaeJoong continues to explain. “Ah but don’t open it yet!”

I stare at the box and run my thumb over the satin ribbon. Even though I should be happy that he gave me something, whatever it was, why did I feel more sad than happy?

“Open it tonight after you’re done having fun,” he said and I look up, feeling his hand on top of my head. He runs his fingers down through my hair and finally holds me by the chin. “You’re going to have much more fun without me, aren’t you?” He lightly laughs.

I force a smile back. “O-of course!” I retaliate, acting normal about the situation. I can’t let him see me sad.
JaeJoong reels his hands back into his pockets and smirks. “All right then. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“…Y-yeah, I guess.” I badly wanted to say: it’s not going to be the same tonight without you, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
He ruffles my hair. “Happy birthday, pabo.”

And just like that, he leaves to a limo and is gone before I could even say-
“…Thanks.”

:: Track 09 ::

“BoA, you’re not having fun are you?” LiYin asks with a concerned face as we walk down the streets to find a noraebang place. Dinner was fine and stuff but… I still wished he could have been here.

I give my best friend a small smile. “Of course I’m having fun. It’s my birthday and I’m celebrating it with my good friends,” I answer as I throw my arms around Junsu and LiYin’s shoulders, jumping in between them.

We all laugh even though I’m sure that we’re all missing that one person.

“Hey this looks like a good place,” Junsu says, pointing to one of the noraebang bars.
“Oh yeah, I heard that this place serves good snacks too,” LiYin adds and ties in her arm with mine. “Let’s go in!”

The three of us go to the second floor of the building and are presented to a medium-sized room with sparkling black walls, black floors and black couches. The atmosphere was very dark but the spotlights made it seem like a nice party lounge.

“BoA sing something with me,” LiYin said as she flipped through the pages of the heavy song book. I shake my head.
“It’s fine. Sing something with Junsu first. I really want to hear you guys sing a duet,” I smile and they exchange looks of shyness mixed with excitement.

“How about this one?” Junsu points and LiYin huddles over him, reading the song title.
“Timeless?” she asks and he nods. “Okay~ I’ll try~”

I watch and listen as the melody starts and the voices of my wonderful friends blend together. They sounded really good, almost like professional idol singers.

// I-I-I-I did it did it did it for love~ ♪
I could have sworn that they were singing Timeless but then I realized that it was my phone ringing. Junsu and LiYin look back at me, still harmonizing, and I make a signal to tell them that I’m going to take the call outside.

“H-hello?” I didn’t look at the caller ID so I didn’t know who it was.
“Hey pabo, where are you guys?”

I nearly dropped my phone. “Jae-JaeJoong?” I spit out and hold the phone close to my ear so that I could hear more clearly.
“Interesting. You didn’t call me by my last name this time,” he points out and I feel my mouth go dry. He laughs. “Anyway, I’m free now. Are you guys still celebrating? I want to swing by.”

Was his voice always this smooth and sweet?

“Hey. You there?” he asked. Darn, I’m too nervous to respond! “Can you hear me?”
“YES!” I shouted and I blinked furiously. I think I was too loud that time. “I-I mean, yeah I can hear you… we’re still partying.”

“Oh. So where are you? I want to see you.”
My spine is tingling and I feel like I could fly off the ground right now.
I tell him the address. “All right. I’ll be there in 10.”

I hear his end of the line click and I stuff my phone back into my purse, running inside to our room.

“Hey guys, JaeJoong says he’s coming over right now!” I exclaim, more in a panicked tone rather than a happy one. Maybe it was kinda both.
“That’s great!” LiYin expresses for me and Junsu nods with a smile.
“I knew Hyung would make it.”

I beam back at my friends and suddenly, somebody opens the door.
“Happy birthday,” JaeJoong says, walking in with a box in hand and I blink at him as if he wasn’t real. I poke him in the cheek. “Yah, what’d you do that for?” He asks, rubbing his face.

“You said you’d be here in 10,” I tell him, believing that he meant 10 minutes – that is how people usually say it.
“Yes. Yes I did,” he answers with a grin. “10 seconds, duh.” He chuckles as LiYin and Junsu walk over.

“Ooh, what’s this?” LiYin curiously asks as she takes the box from JaeJoong’s hand.
“Is it cake Hyung?” Junsu questions and JaeJoong puts his hands on his hips, smiling proudly.
“Yep, only the best tasting one ever,” he emphasizes and sits down at the couch as the other two open up the big red box.

I stare at the birthday cake that he brought with awe. It was so pretty- with my favorite colors white and pink, sprinkled hearts and flowers all over and most importantly my most favorite character in the world was on it: Hello Kitty.

In a speech bubble over Hello Kitty’s head it read:

Happy Birthday BoA!
aka pabo ;]

I couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“Like it?” the dummy asked me and I shyly nod. It was the best cake ever, and I wasn’t just being biased.

“I didn’t think you’d actually make it yourse-” Junsu commented and then was cut off by JaeJoong as always. Junsu wriggled as JaeJoong seemed to suffocate him with his hand clasped over his mouth and nose.

“Seriously Junsu! I’m going to tape up this big mouth of yours,” JaeJoong grumbles and what he said only brought back laughter and memories of the other day when he actually did do that to me.

“You made it yourself?” I ask softly and he lets go of Junsu as he rubs the back of his neck.

“Since Junsu basically said it already… yeah. I made it,” JaeJoong confesses and I’m only even more touched by everything that he did. “Hey, it wasn’t easy either! That stupid Hello Kitty’s eyes are so far apart, it was so annoying. If I didn’t put it at the right distance, it didn’t look like right so I tried like twenty times before I got it to look even a little teensy bit like the damn-”

“I love it,” I said coyly and smile at him. “It’s really cute. Thank you so much.”
He stared back at me without much of a reaction, then I look away feeling my face burn up.

“Aww,” LiYin had to add to make the atmosphere even more nerve-wracking. “Aren’t you two adorable?”

Usually we’d both snap at that kind of comment but today I was just so in love with the JaeJoong now that I didn’t want to deny it. And JaeJoong must have not said anything because he was being nice for my birthday.

“Can we cut the cake now?” Junsu interrupted, to which LiYin kind of glared at him, but cutely.

“Sure! I want to try how good Mr. Kim JaeJoong’s skills are at baking,” I exclaimed and got a hold of a plastic knife to cut the cake.
“Tch, it will be the most amazing cake you’ve ever eaten,” he argued, going back to our normally playful back-and-forth relationship.

I think that he didn’t notice this but he held my hand, guiding me as we cut the cake together. The nerve cells under my skin were tingling all over me.

“Whoo!” Junsu and LiYin clapped.

“Ah wait!” I exclaimed, realizing that the bulk of birthday tradition was missing. “There aren’t even any candles and you guys didn’t sing happy birthday to me yet!”

“Oh, I almost forgot.” JaeJoong pulled a candle from his pocket and stuck it into the middle of the cake. He struck a match he found taped to the side of the box of the cake and lit the yellow candle.

I smiled as I closed my eyes, folding my hands into a prayer.
“My birthday wish is to get taller!” I say out loud. I wish to get taller so that the person I like will notice me.

I open my eyes and try to blow the candle out. It didn’t go out the first time so I tried again. And again. And again!

“Hey, it’s not working…?” I say and I see that even LiYin and Junsu are confused like me.

I can hear Kim JaeJoong laughing behind me from his seat. I was kneeling down on the floor in front of him. He suddenly leaned in close behind me to the point that I could feel his breath at my cheek.

“It’s a trick candle silly,” he told me and picked the candle out of the cake.
“Here, a real one.” JaeJoong sticks another candle in it, to which I make the same wish and finally blow it out.

“Yay! Now we can eat!” Junsu exclaims and goes ahead, cutting the rest of the cake into slices. He gives me the first slice and then JaeJoong the second. LiYin got the third and himself the last, however it was the biggest.

I grab a fork and bring a piece of JaeJoong’s homemade cake to my mouth. I couldn’t believe how delicious it actually was. Gosh, he can play the piano, sing, compose, dance, fight, cook AND bake? What’s next? Ultimate Frisbee?

“This is good!” LiYin squeals and I watch as Junsu spoons her some of his cake. I smile at how adorable they are and I turn around seeing a piece of cake in my face.

“Yah, eat this. It’s the best part,” JaeJoong says and I stare at him for a second. He pushes the fork forward. “It’s going to fall if you don’t eat it,” he adds and I quickly take a bite.

I cover my mouth as I chew and I blush harder as he’s watching me.
“Good right?” he asks with a smirk and then uses the same fork to eat another piece of the cake. Is that what people call an indirect kiss?

I nod in response. It’s really, really good.
“Told you I can bake,” he flaunts and sits back, still eating.

I didn’t doubt his ability at all but what I was curious about was why he did all this for me.

All of this, everything. Agreeing that he’d celebrate my birthday with me, then saying that he can’t make it, but then showing up so suddenly with a homemade cake that he specially took the time out to bake for me, feeding me the best part of it and even giving me a present… why should any guy do such a thing for me?

“…JaeJoong,” I call and he steals a glance at me, biting the end of the fork that we shared.
“Huh?”
“Um, I- I just wanted to, um… ask you, if you like-” I can’t do it. “If you like to sing!”

JaeJoong smirks and raises one of his eyebrows. He really knows how to make my heart beat. “Is this a challenge, pabo?”

I have no idea where he got the idea from but I decided to go with it. “YEAH. Singing battle, right now!” I shouted with a laugh with cheers coming from Junsu and LiYin. This was the best birthday ever.

:: Track 10 ::

After noraebang, I had JaeJoong drive me home. Naturally LiYin made some excuse so that it would end up this way.

“I had fun,” I said to him in a soft voice once we pulled up to my house. These car rides from JaeJoong were becoming too normal for me. “Thanks for coming.”

“It’s your birthday pabo,” he said with a wink. “Of course I had to be there.”

I secretly smile, like I’m in love.
“Thanks,” I repeat, not knowing what else to say. I just wanted to run into my house and into my room and do a full-out victory dance. “So, um, good night-” I was about to open the door but at the last moment, JaeJoong pressed the button to lock it.

“Wait,” he warns and then he leans over towards me. In shock, I close my eyes, anticipating his action- his kiss.

“Ah, here you go,” he then says and I feel something tap my hand.
I slowly open my eyes and see him handing me a CD case. “It’s another part of your present,” he explains with a smile.

Oh god. So- he wasn’t going to kiss me? Aish, he was just reaching over to get the case. This is embarrassing…
“Oh, um thanks,” I laugh it off, hoping that he didn’t realize what I was thinking.
“You’re welcome,” he says and unlocks the car door. “You can go open your presents now.”

I glance back at him and nod. “Thank you… for everything.”
“No problem,” JaeJoong answers and gives me a wave. “Good night and happy birthday, again.”

“…Good night.”

I step out of the car with my gifts in hand, walking down the path back to my house.
I glance back every so often to see if he’s still there and every time, he is.

Once I open the door to my house, he gives me one last wave and drives off. I was sad that the day was over but at least I had presents to look forward to. I quickly go up to my room and fetch out the box that he gave me earlier.

I pop the CD he gave me into my stereo, making sure that the volume isn’t too high so that I don’t disturb my parents in the other room. Then, I slowly unravel the satin pink ribbon from the white box to open my present as the music plays.

(♪

Like the wind avoids the rain,
I am watching you from my shelter.
Even though my love for you overflows
Can I love you? Can I hold you?
I’m about to drown in my worries.
I can’t forgive myself for hesitation.
I want to know why, I want to know why

(Rap)

When we met, my girl, I knew it would be like this.
Do you feel me? The only one I’ve been looking for.
I can’ t breathe my word. My words turn into tears.
Do you feel me? The sound of the rain that hits my heart.
I always want to keep you smiling.
I’m sorry that I made you sad.
But please keep waiting.
Don’t give up your love, stay by my side.
I need your love, I need your love.

(Rap)

If I reach out my hand, my girl, I’ll believe that you’ll understand.
Do you feel me? Even if there are wounds left.
The place you are is my world. If you open the doors again.
Do you feel me? I want to feel your sound)

I fall asleep to JaeJoong’s voice on replay holding the necklace with the treble clef pendant in hand.

I like him… love him… so much…

:: Outro ::

JaeJoong’s letter to the birthday girl:

Happy birthday pabo! Are you surprised? Or were you expecting this all along? Sorry… for my mom being nosy but when she found out that your birthday was coming up, she just had to give you something. So yes, it IS the same necklace that you picked out for her, but instead she’s giving it to you. She hopes you like it. Also, I didn’t know what I could possibly give you myself so as there are only SO many things I am good at, I decided to write a song. I didn’t write it all by myself though because the big mouth Junsu made me let him help. It was the only way I could make him keep the whole thing a secret. Can you believe that he just barged into my room one day and said that I should write MY song this way? Well whatever, I think it worked out well in the end and again, I hope you like it. This is the only original copy of a Kim JaeJoong- Kim Junsu song so treasure it! Or as you like to call us: 2Kim. Hope you had a good birthday and that all your wishes will come true. Happy Birthday.

From your awesome piano teacher & friend,
JaeJoong