“YONGGUK-SSHI! YONGGUUUUKKK!!!! SARANGHAE, YONGGUK-SSHIIIII!!!!””

The squealing around you was indeed intoxicating. Young nubile women eagerly jumping and throwing themselves against the hefty airport security personnel just to get a decent view of their idols. They all looked so desperately enamored. Any celebrity would revel in this moment of glory.

Well, except Yongguk who seemed to be so used to this spectacle already.

“Stay close.”, he mumbled to you with a smile. “I love them all, but some of them can be a little …touchy.”

“I cannot be that close.”, you mumbled back.

Yongguk sighed. “Ok, not THAT close. But at least a few inches closer to me.”

You did inch closer. But not much. You made sure the distance between you made you look more like a part of the staff, more like a coordi-noona, if you will. You concentrated more on keeping up with how fast the group was walking through the airport counters. The screaming was also starting to give you a headache.

Yongguk glanced at you. He’s only allowed to glance at you. He looked forward again as he spoke.

“Do you hate me for asking you to see me off today?”

“What? Of course not!”, you said, not looking at him. “It’s my first time to be in your world. Give me a break.”

He chuckled. “You are my world, jagiya.”

“Sssshhh!”

He chuckled once more.

You stopped at the check-in as the other members got assessed to board one by one. As soon as you stopped walking, the screams of the fans got louder. And the non-stop flashing of cameras got even more ecstatic and beyond control. During this intense moment, you saw Himchan look back at the line, found you, and gave you a reassuring yet goofy smile. You gave him a very small smile in return.

“You’re allowed to smile, you know.”, Yongguk mumbled again.

You nodded, bowing low to avoid the dizzying flashes of light around you.

“And, you would be less stressed if you’d let me hold your hand.”

“You will not do that!”, you snapped, still looking down. “You will not jeopardize your career like that. I’m fine. Give me a minute.”

Yongguk visibly rolled his eyes. “How is holding your hand jeopardizing my career?”

“Duh! It would be an announcement that you have a girlfriend!”, you hissed under your breath. “Haven’t we been over this before, Yongguk?”

“And haven’t I told you before that I don’t care? We’ve been together for a month. I’m proud to be your boyfriend.”

“SSSHHH!”

Again, another eye-roll from your… boyfriend.

You cannot believe Yongguk chose to be stubborn in a public place like this. Thank goodness it was way too noisy for people to hear the two of you arguing. You were still worried about the fancams though. Body language can easily be read and a picture will paint a thousand words. You frantically tried to cover up your ire and kept your head low.

“I think they’ll like you.”, Yongguk went on. “The fans? They will like it that I finally found someone to love.”

You didn’t reply. One fan suddenly shoved a prettily wrapped bag towards you and Yonnguk took it, smiling warmly at the girl who started spazzing as if suffering a happy epilepsy attack after that.

“They’re nice, you know.”, Yongguk continued.

“And some of them can be… touchy.”, you reminded him. “Some of them will get jealous and might even hurt you. You never know, Yongguk.”

They moved forward a little when Himchan got checked in. It was Daehyun’s turn. As he moved under the check in arch, a fan squealed and flung herself forward to touch Daehyun’s hair. Security quickly got a hold of her though and set her back behind the lines. Daehyun, unfazed, waved at her and smiled.

“Do you love me?”

For the first time since you entered the airport, you looked at Yongguk. Wide-eyed. Hurt that he should ask you that question.
He went on, softly. “If you loved me, you’d want everyone to know.”

You would’ve wanted to pull his face to you so you could look at him dead in the eyes, but that’s just not possible out in the open like this. So you resorted to more mumbling.

“I love you. So much. So much that I care for your safety, your career. I would love for everyone to know that I’m your… girlfriend…” You whispered the word so softly that even you couldn’t hear it. “… but given the situation, it is just not right to do so.”

Yongguk abruptly growled.

“ the situation!”

You panicked! Yongguk was loud enough for Zelo to hear. The teenager was in front of you and he turned with fearful eyes at his leader. A staff member who walked beside you glanced your way, too. As did a security personnel right next to Yongguk.

Yongguk ignored them all. Took a long, deep breath. And looked at his shoes. Meanwhile, you struggled to keep the shock out of your face and simply inched forward when Jongup and Youngjae got scooted into the boarding area. You and Yongguk were quiet from then on.

Finally, Zelo got checked in. It was your boyfriend’s turn. A shot of relief coursed through your body. In a few minutes, you’ll be riding a cab back to your apartment and living your good ol’ boring life all over again. No more flashing lights. No more deafening fangirling. No more stress of being coerced into admitting a relationship with a celebrity. You love him –with all your life even. But you do hate him when he’s reckless. If the situation was any different…

“I’m off.”, Yongguk woke you up from your thoughts.

You touched his hand briefly and discreetly, like you always do when saying goodbye to him in public places. But then he leaned close to whisper, “Stay close to the bodyguards on your way out.”

Your brows knitted in confusion. Why would you do that? You didn’t need bodyguards.

“Bye. Take care.”, you mumbled your last mumble for the day. Swiftly, you turned to swim through the mass of screaming fans to get to the exit. You never looked back. Looking back meant you were more than just a land-based staff member who saw the group off. Body language can be read. And a picture will paint a thousand words.

You’ve barely made it 10 meters through the throng when, from out of nowhere, you heard a loud shout.

“JAGIYA!”

You stopped in your tracks. It sounded like Yongguk’s voice. But it couldn’t be. He wouldn’t.

You took a tentative step forward.

“JAGIYA!”. Yongguk called out again. You swallowed hard. Immediately conscious of the fact that the whole airport has fallen silent.

You turned around very slowly. It amused you ever so slightly that the fans have separated to create a path between you and the general direction of the boarding area where Yongguk stood. And there he was, your boyfriend, standing in the middle of the boarding arch with his signature gummy smile plastered on his goony face, looking at you with all the love he can muster.

“I LOVE YOU, JAGIYA!”, he said, loud, clear, and proud.

You gasped. Gaped. What the hell is he doing? What the hell should you do? Running to the exit like a madwoman crossed your mind.

“I SAID I LOVE YOU, JAGIYA!”, he repeated even louder, his hands cupped around his mouth. He held you in his sight like you were the only person there, melting you. The fans looked at him, then they looked at you, waiting with bated breath for what’s to happen next. You held your breath as well. So unsure if all this was all a dream. Your heart pounded in your chest almost painfully.

“I…”, you started mouthing the words but only a tiny squeaky sound came out. “… love you.”

“What, jagiya?”, Yonguuk cried aloud. “I can ‘t hear you!”

His smile widened even more. You made a mental note to kick him in the balls when he comes back home.

But his smile (ah, that smile) always –ALWAYS— breaks your walls. Without meaning to, you felt yourself smiling back, shaking your head at his carelessness, at the same time deciding that you should just toss everything into the wind yourself. What choice is there?

Inhaling deeply, you shouted.

“I LOVE YOU, TOO, BANG YONGGUK!”

The quiet that followed was deafening. But before you could wish the earth to swallow you whole, joyous screams filled the air. And again, mad camera flashes. This time, trained right at you.

Two bodyguards automatically appeared on either side of you, leading you away. You looked back –your first time ever to look back at your boyfriend—and he was looking at you with the happiest possible expression on his face. He blew you a kiss, just as his manager and Himchan pulled him away. You smiled at his silliness, and secretly admired his courage.

And then you were safely brought to the exit where a limo waited. A limo! To think you were hell bent on taking a cab today.

“Your apartment. ma’am?”, one of the bodyguards who now sat behind the wheel, asked.

You nodded weakly. Your whole body was still shaking from the unexpected, unusual experience. No wonder Yongguk told you to stay close to the staff body guards. He has planned this all along! Ah, your sneaky, crazy- boyfriend.

As the car slowly started to peel out, some fans and reporters managed to catch up. They started tapping on the window.

“What’s your name?”

“How long have you been dating?”

“Do you really love Yongguk?”

In the middle of this frenzied verbal bombardment, a dozen cameras were on your face. You swallowed hard. Body language can be read. A picture will paint a thousand words.

With that etched deeply into your mind, you nodded in reply --happily, confidently. And thought to yourself, ‘Yes, I love him very much…’