2008

HIS POV:

            Senior prom was closing in and I haven’t asked her to be my date yet. I know that everyone expects us to be each other’s dates but that doesn’t mean I don’t have to ask her. I want to ask her. I just don’t know how. Maybe I should start now.

Breathe. Calm down, Jung Yonghwa. You can do this. Ask her like the cool namja that you are. I approached her, or rather, my classmates and our friends pushed me.

            “Yah. What’s the color of your dress? I need to know so I can match my clothes with yours and the corsage I have to buy.”

            She looked up from the book she was reading and glared at me. Aish! This wasn’t how I wanted it to happen. I wasn’t supposed to ask her that way. I blame it on these nerves! I could see the rest holding those placards that said,

               WHAT?!

IS THAT HOW U INTEND TO ASK HER?!

PABO! DO IT RIGHT!

            “If that’s your way of asking me out to prom then forget it. I’d rather go solo or not go at all.”

            She turned her back on me and I felt desperate. I looked to one corner and once again I saw those placards. This time it said,

ASK HER OUT PROPERLY YOU PABO!

BE A GENTLEMAN!

ASK HER TO BE YOUR DATE!

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!

            “How can you not attend?!” yet another useless rambling made its way out of my mouth. She didn’t even look at me as she coolly responded,

            “How can I not? I’m not into the prom thing anyway. It’s not a requirement so it doesn’t really matter if I go or not.”

            “But everybody’s going to be there!”

            “Well, I’m not like everybody. I might be one to break tradition.”

            “WHAT?! SEO JOOHYUN!”

            “Jung Yonghwa, if you have nothing else to say to me, you can leave. I’m enjoying my time reading this book and you’re ruining the moment.”

            “Just tell me first what’s the color of your dress.”

            “Why should I?”

            Aha! So she did buy a dress already. I caught you, Seo Joohyun! You’re just waiting for me to ask you out. Jashik.

            “Because we’re going together and I need to know so I can buy the right shirt and corsage.”

            “What makes you think I’ll agree to go with you?”

            “Because you are. Don’t even argue. Everybody expects us to go together. Besides, I never thought of asking anyone else out but you.”
           

            “You see, that’s the thing. You haven’t even asked me yet. You just assumed that I’m going with you because no one else would want me as their date. I’m not some charity case, Jung Yonghwa.” She rolled her eyes, got up, took her things and started walking away from me. At this instant I could hear the rest of our classmates scolding me. I ran and I caught up with her.

            “Joohyun-ah…”

            “Get out of the way, oppa!”

            She tried to get past me but I wouldn’t let her. Instead, I dropped on my knees as I took out the rose that’s been tucked in my back pocket. I was holding on to that rose so tightly that I felt the stem being crushed under my grip.

My hands were shaking as I held it up to her. I tried my best to establish eye contact but the second our gazes met, I felt my insides shaking. I can’t do this. Can I? I’m too nervous. What if she says no? Relax. She’s going to say yes. But what if she doesn’t? I think I’m going to throw up.

            “Uh…ah….eh….haha…eee….uhm….hey…hi….yo…uh…” I babbled.

I saw our classmates closing in while holding those placards again. I could hear Joohyun laughing and I looked up to confirm if my suspicions were right…and damn…she’s smiling. I can’t…I cannot handle this anymore. The added effect of the sunlight is not helping! I have to ask her before I do anything unmanly such as puking all over the place.

            “SEO JOOHYUN, WILL YOU BE MY PROM DATE?! PLEASE!” I yelled. This isn’t exactly how I pictured saying this. She kept laughing as she shook her head. Was that a yes? A no? WHAT?!

            “Yah…can you….ey! Stop laughing. I..uh…I’m not..asking you to be my date because I think no one else would want you. I…uh…I actually..uhm…told the guys that i..uh..that you…are..uhm…off-limits? You’re not a charity case, Joohyun-ah. I.. I never thought of asking anyone else cause I uh, I want us to go together. So..Uh..is that a yes? No? Can you please tell me now and put an end to this agony? Please?”

            She bent down so we are now facing each other on eye level. She took off her glasses, held my face in her hands, and then she smiled at me once more. Seo Joohyun, stop killing me with that smile!

            “Yes.”

            Yes? She said yes? SHE SAID YES!

            “YES! Wooh! You hear that?! She agreed to go with me!” I kept jumping out but as soon as I heard the signature YONGSEO IS REAL! fan chants from our friends, I cleared my throat and pretended to act all decent.

            “Royal blue.”

            “What?”

            “That’s the color of my dress, oppa.”

            “Oh right. Ok. I’ll take note of that.”

            She teased me as she pointed to the rose whose stem has almost withered from my grasp. I hastily handed it over to her and ran my way back inside the building.

Prom Night

            “Hyung! You look fine! Your hair is ok and so is your suit. If you keep pacing back and forth and staring at your reflection, we’re going to be late! Yoona and Seohyun will kill the two of us! Let’s go!” Jonghyun said as he dragged me out of my room. I’m going to get you back at this when we arrive at Joohyun’s house!

            “Whoa! Wow! Hyung! Look at that ride over there! That vintage car!” I smirked as I got out the keys and unlocked the door. Lee Jonghyun’s jaws dropped on the ground the minute I sat on the driver’s seat. I called him over and he couldn’t stop gushing about the car.

            “Where’d you get this hyung?!”

            “I borrowed it. Remember that kind-hearted harabeoji who owns the bakery near your old house?”

            “Ken harabeoji?! He owns this and he just let you borrow it?!”

            “Yep. I gave him a proposal of why I wanted to borrow the car and even offered to pay for it but he said it’s fine. I just had to help him move some stuff in his shop and then I got this. Cool, huh? We won’t be joining you in that limo. It’s already too crowded. I wrote down the directions and I asked Seunghyun to draw the map for you guys so you wouldn’t have problems getting lost or finding your way to the hotel. We’re here.”

I parked the car and we headed our way to Joohyun’s house. Her parents welcomed us in and asked us to wait in the living room. I was unexpectedly calm and composed but Lee Jonghyun was not. Time to take my revenge.

            "Stop chewing your fingernails, Jonghyun-ah. Where's your manly pride?"

            He still didn’t listen and continued to pace back and forth, mumbling to himself, and being all anxious.

            "For the last time, Lee Jonghyun! Stop pacing back and forth! You look fine. Act as the cool guy. The girls are coming down soon."

            Soon enough, Yoona was the first to come down the stairs. I wanted to laugh at Jong’s expression and the way struggled to tie that corsage on her wrist. This pabo. He should confess soon. I was busy laughing quietly when my attention was caught by the sound of footsteps coming down from the stairs. I don’t think I can ever recover from this.

An angel was descending from the stairs…my Seo Joohyun. No words came out of my mouth as she reached the spot where I stood. I wanted to compliment her. I meant to shower her with praises. I wanted to tell her that she looks breathtaking. I wanted to shield her from others who would ogle at her but at the same time, I wanted her to shine in her own spotlight.

A beauty like this, no matter how selfish I am, is not meant to be kept hidden. I sensed that she must’ve felt the same way about me. We were staring at each other awkwardly, wanting to say something, anything, but ended up with nothing. We didn’t even notice that Jonghyun and Yoona already left until such time Mr. and Mrs. Seo teased us and asked us to pose for a couple of pictures.

            “Jonghyun oppa and Yoona unnie left! How are we going to the hotel?!” she panicked.

            “Don’t worry about that.” I said as I pointed to the car. She let go of my hand and instantly rushed over to it. She kept squealing and admiring it. She’s just too cute.

            “Joohyun-ah…”

            “Yes, oppa?” Damn. She turned around and the way her eyelash fluttered is making me lose my senses once more.

            “Uh..” Focus! “I was thinking if we could ditch prom, just for a couple of hours? We’d go back just in time for the last part. You said so yourself this isn’t a requirement and I’m not really up for the usual dancing and those boring stuff. I wanted to take you someplace else. I, uh, I already prepared for it but if you don’t want..I uh..so..uh..”

            She laughed and pinched my cheeks.

            “Yes oppa. I think your idea sounds fun.”

            I opened the car door for her. Before I the engine, I asked her one last time,

            “Are you sure? I mean, I don’t want you to be pressured to ditch the prom or anything and don’t take that the wrong way! I’m not going to do anything bad or what and I uh I just…”

            “Oppa, stop. I already said yes, didn’t I? I’ve always been the obedient, boring and predictable student. I think it’s time that I live a little and enjoy the remaining months of my high school life. This isn’t exactly a “rebellion” oppa. We’re just choosing to celebrate prom in our own way and it’s not like we’re skipping out on the event altogether. Now stop asking and start driving!”

            “Yes ma’am!”

            We finally reached our destination – the beach. I was nervous because I don’t