A few days ago…

Seoul, South Korea

THIRD PERSON POV:

            Team JT (Jongtae) was in a panic. Taeyeon hasn’t sent her update and they couldn’t get a hold of Lee Jonghyun. It’s been almost 24 hours since CNBLUE’s guitarist was last seen. They called everyone they could think of and went to places he’d frequent but still, there was nothing. They regrouped back to CNBLUE’s dorm.

            “Where the hell did that Lee Jonghyun run off to?! Are you sure you guys don’t know where he is?” (Sooyoung)

            The boys just shook their hands in desperation. They were certain he wasn’t with Taeyeon yet because if he were, then the kid leader herself would’ve been busy fuming with her messages and calls.

            “Did you go check his room? His phone and wallet aren’t there?” (Seohyun)

            “We did. He took his phone and wallet with him. I don’t know how long he’s going to be gone because from the the looks of it, he packed a lot of clothes and took his guitar with him…”

            “Clothes..suitcase…guitar..oppa, did you check his laptop?” Seohyun asked.

            “No. Why would we?” Yonghwa answered back.

            “How could you have missed out on that thing? Oppa, bring his laptop here right now!”
            “But why?! Aish. What’s his laptop got to do with this?!”

            “He could’ve booked himself a flight online! You said so yourself it looks like he went on a trip and since we can’t find him anywhere in Korea, he’s probably somewhere overseas.” Seohyun explained. Before any of them could go get the said laptop, their phones rang and they received the same picture message.

            Jonghyun sent them a picture of him doing a V sign, smiling widely, as Taeyeon was in the background eating some snacks, oblivious to the fact that the guy she’s running away from is standing no more than 20ft across from where she sat. They felt like being splashed with cold water. It’s only Day 4 of Taeyeon’s vacation. They promised to give her 5 days of rest. If Lee Jonghyun shows up unannounced, they’re going to get murdered by Kim Taeyeon herself.

            “YAH! How the hell did he know she was in Cancun?! Which one of you told him?!” (Jessica)

            “No one. We swear!” (Lee Joon)

            “How did he find out when we blocked all ways for him to get that kind of information? The “sources” who are supposed to tell him about Mexico and those stupid hints aren’t due to make a move until tomorrow! He must’ve overheard one of us mention the place…” (Tiffany)

            They fell silent and afterwards, all deathly glares were directed at Lee Jungshin. He was the only one who mentioned Cancun during that video call and Lee Jonghyun must’ve overheard it. After taking turns trying to hit Jungshin (with Jessica shielding them AFTER she had her turn to slap his arm), they sat down and tried to contact Jonghyun.

            They made specific orders for him NOT to show himself to Taeyeon before the 5 days are up. After a lot of arguments and negotiations, they agreed that they would arrive a day later than their original plan. It was the only available flight. At least a 24 hour delay would be fine. They cancelled their bookings at the height of the panic attack when Jongtae was out of reach that’s why they are frustrated with this setback.

            After final warnings, they decided to just calm their nerves and unwind their stress when they reach Cancun. In 48 hours, the Nice Guy and the Damsel would finally get the happy ending to their twisted fairytale…would they?

Present Day

Cancun, Mexico

HER POV:

            We’ve been engaged in this staring contest for the past 2 minutes. He faked a cough and I did the same. What does he want to happen? He nodded his head as if to order me to start walking. I rolled my eyes and sat down on the bench.

            “Step 2. Grab her hand when you walk next to each other. Well, what are you doing just sitting there?! It says here we have to walk.” He ordered me around and I don’t even know why I started following him.

            “Yah, why aren’t you grabbing my hand? We’ve been walking since a minute ago.” Why did I say that?! I sounded so desperate. It’s practically the equivalent of begging him for skinship!

“It says here “grab.” Which means to take hold of something quickly, suddenly, or forcefully. Like this.” He said that sentence in one breath but what made my heart skip a beat was when he took my hand in his so quickly. I wanted to hold on tighter but he let go before I could do so.

“Step 3. When standing, wrap your arms around her. Hey, didn’t I just do this a while ago? What’s the difference between this and the first step?!” he whined. Wait. This is awfully familiar. Is he? Is this? Am I having my déjà vu moment right now?

“Step 1 says hug her from BEHIND. This one says when standing, wrap your arms around her. It means that you’re side by side and then you execute the hug. The earlier was a back hug. So this…is a side hug? Is there such a thing as that? Mwolla.” I replied. Wait. That explanation. I heard it somewhere…did I just echo what he said when we were first “testing” out this “theory?” What the hell is happening to me?!

“Ahhhh.. You mean like this?” I felt him wrap his arms around my waist as we continued to walk. I felt myself froze for a nanosecond before the jolt of electricity from this physical contact ran through my veins. He didn’t even give me another minute to recover when he untangled his arms from me and read the next step.

“Step 4: Cuddle with her. I think we have to take a seat. It’s much easier to do this. Come along you slow poke!” he dragged me and then pulled me down to sit beside him. I almost fell and I was still trying to regain my balance when I felt him snuggle closer to me like a lost cute little puppy who wants a hug. Help! Help me! I can’t. How do you ward off these fluttery feelings? I will NOT fall for him for the second time.

“Psh. You’re not even over him yet, Kim Taeyeon. What falling for the second time are you talking about?” YAH! Now is not the time to scold me, my dear ol’ conscience!

He’s still cuddling up to me as he read on.

“Don’t force her to do anything. Ok, so..there! I didn’t force you to do anything! Next step! Can I combine step 6 and 7? The write little notes and compliment her?”

He got up and searched something in his bag. I should’ve felt relieved that he’s distanced himself from me but why do I feel the exact opposite? I was still wondering about these thoughts when he tapped my arm and handed me a little pink note. The same one that I’ve been receiving for the past 2 days. What..? So is he…? He’s the…he’s the secret admirer?! WHAT?! There goes all hopes of finding another guy. All this time, it was him. I knew it. I knew there was something weird when I didn’t even feel scared or annoyed when the first pink note was slipped under my door.

The smile that crept into my face was automatic. I could feel it practically reaching to my ears.

“Ohooo. So So Nyuh Shi Dae’s leader likes these kind of compliments, eh? Aigoo. You’re so cute! Hahaha! Moving on to the 8th step: when you hug her, hold her in your arms for as long as possible.”

            I was about to comment that his line was unoriginal (he just changed a few things here and there from that note I gave him back then). Instead, the thing that came out of my mouth was,

“What are you doing?” He was busy tapping something on the iPad.

“I’m setting up a timer for this hug. I think 2 minutes is enough?” he said without looking at me. He’s still busy with that app.

“2 minutes?! Is that your definition of “as long as possible?!” Make it 4!” Why am I bargaining like this?!

“3!” he yelled.

“5!” I said. Wait, did I just say 5?!

“Call!” he agreed.

Did he just? Did I just? What was the number I said again? 5? 5 minutes?! He wasn’t surprised at all and he kept grinning like he just won the lottery. I felt my head spin and I don’t know if it’s the fact that I’m re-living the same moment but in a reversed manner or if it’s because he’s sitting right next to me.

He didn’t give me a chance to retract my words as he hid the tablet somewhere and set the timer. I tried to sit at the farther end but every time I’d move, he’d come closer. He gave me this puppy eyed look with that cute pout. Since when did Lee Jong learn how to do aegyo?! This is bad for my sanity! Be still, my heart. He reclined comfortably in his seat and just waited. I couldn’t resist that look on his face. Aish. I leaned my body against his and he didn’t waste a second hugging me.

He rested his head on my shoulder and cuddled me more. I found myself relaxing in his embrace. This feels like the most natural thing in the world. Us being in each other’s arm feels so right. It’s like two puzzle pieces coming together. The alarm started ringing off but before he could even get out from my embrace, I held him tighter.

“Just a minute longer…let’s stay in this position for 1 more minute.”

He chuckled and smiled widely. It now feels like I’m floating. Lee Jong stop showing off those dimples! I’m supposed to be mad at you. I’m supposed to push you away, but how come, I feel like, you’re drawing in me once more? One minute became two, and two became four. I wanted to prolong this but he untangled himself from me as he continued to read the remaining steps.

“Now what’s left? Step 10. Brush the hair out of her eyes.”

I felt disappointed that he purposely skipped out on steps 9 and 12. However, I didn’t get a chance to dwell much on these feelings as I felt him gently take hold of my chin so now we were looking through each other’s eyes. He tucked a strand of her behind my ear and lightly brushed off the bangs that’s been covering my eyes.

I could feel myself blush from the simple gesture. We were drawn in an intense gazing battle and no matter how much I want to look away, I can’t seem to find the strength to do so. My knees are shaking. My whole body is trembling. The way he looks at me right now…it’s more than just that look. It’s…it’s inexplicable. It feels like a deeper connection was made and that’s just simple eye contact. Is this what Yonghwa and Seohyun feel whenever they have those “epic eyeships” we always teased them about. Is this it? Wait. Why am I even comparing?! Lee Jong doesn’t even like me that way.

His gaze drifted from my eyes to my lips and I could feel myself doing the same. There’s this indescribable magnetic pull and I felt us drawing closer to each other. Just a little bit more…I was going to close my eyes and let my inhibitions go but the spell was broken when we heard camera clicks and constant squeals.

“OMO!!!!” (ALL)

“What are the two of you doing, in broad daylight, and in such a public place?! Kyaaaa! I knew it! I knew that Jongtae is just as real as Yongseo despite your namsan staircase drama! Hahaha!!” (Sooyoung)

“Aigoo. It feels like you never even spent some time apart with all that emo brooding judging from your intense stares.” (Lee Joon)

“They’ve been saving it up for this moment! They ignored each other in Korea because they want to have this date here in Cancun. Haha!” (Minhyuk)

“I told you this couple is daebak! Jongtae is just jjang with their PDA!”(Hyoyeon)

“PDA?!” Lee Jong and I shouted.

“Yep. Public Display of Affection! Hahahaha!” (Krystal)

“Don’t try to deny it. We caught it all on cam!” (ALL)

“Guys, stop making a big deal out of this! We’re just….” I didn’t even finish what I was going to say.

 “What? We’re you going to say you’re “Just friends?” RIIIIIGGGHHHHTTT!!!” (ALL)

“Because friends back hug each other, hold their hands as they walk, wrap their arms around each other’s waist, cuddle for 16 minutes, brush the hair out of each other’s eyes, and then lean in for a kiss…you’re just friends…RIIIGHHHTT! Hahahah!” (Tiffany)

“Not to mention, they had to replay this scene in a much more romantic setup in a foreign land! Kyaaaaa!” (Sunny)

“Well, we better get going. Byeeee!”

They left almost as immediately as they came by. We sat in awkward silence before he started speaking again.

“I guess you’re right. These 12 steps aren’t enough…yah, I still have five hours left with you! Don’t you think of going somewhere!” he back hugged me again when I stood up and attempted to run. Aish. Don’t do this to meeee. Stop. Lee Jong why?! If I spend another 5 hours with you, I think I’ll never be able to recover from what I feel.

“Do you trust me?”  he asked me. I glared at him as I said,

“NO.”

I expected him to feel hurt but all I got was a smile. What is he smiling at?!

“I almost believed you…but I guess your blushing face and refusal to have eye contact are enough of an indication that what you just said was a lie.”

Stupid butterflies. Stupid heart that won’t stop. Stupid me for being so enamored with his dimples. Stupid blush! Argghhhh!

He laughed at me again and pinched my cheeks.

“Why do you have to be extra cute and pretty today? Oh wait. No. You’re absolute breathtaking. Gorgeous. Beautiful.”

            Asldadkasdsdksdlskdskdjsldjaskl! Somebody save me! Where are my sisters? Where are his dongsaengs? Why isn’t anyone stopping this namja from drowning me with his stare, his smile, and those killer compliments?!

            “Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairytale…our story will begin now. As much as I want to spend every second with you, I have to leave to get to my post. I’ll be waiting for you. Till then, I hope you just relax and enjoy everything.”

            He leaned in to kiss my forehead before a wave of people (or should I say a tsunami!) rushed towards us and separated us. I tried to look for him but there were too many people and I was being pushed, shoved, and nearly trampled on. I regret laughing at Seohyunnie when she experienced this during the meet cute.

            Our friends could’ve been more considerate of my height if they planned to do this! I was really annoyed and I didn’t know where the crowd led me. The next thing I knew, I was inside a bus where the rest of my sisters and Krystal awaited for me.

            “What the hell is going on?!”

            I looked at them one by one and they were dressed like they were headed to some costume party. I kept asking a lot of things but no one paid attention to my rants. They pushed me inside the dressing room (this is similar one to our caravans, the ones we used for yongseo and etc, but this one is bigger) and I didn’t think much of the outfit they forced me to wear. If you’re wondering how they got me to agree to change my clothes, that is, they refused to let me out of this room until I succumbed to their demands.

            Yoona and Seohyun led me to sit down as Tiffany and Jessica were busy with my hair and makeup. What is up with these girls? Why are they so excited? What is happening, really?!

            “Perfect.” (ALL)

            “Perfectly hideous or funny-looking you mean?” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

            “Aww, don’t say that TAENGGOO. I bet your LEE JONG will drool once he sees you.” Tiffany teased me as she emphasized the nicknames Jong and I have for each other.

            I didn’t get to answer her back because as soon as Krystal announced that we have arrived at our destination, all of them rushed out of the bus. Tiffany stayed over and gave me one last advice:

            “It’s time for the knight and the damsel to get their happy ending. Don’t hold yourself back, Taeyeon-ah….now, be a good girl and wait until someone comes to fetch you. Just enjoy. This is your moment. Everything is all about you and…him. Bye! Love you taeng! Be happy!”

            She hugged me before she rushed out of the bus. After 15 minutes, someone came in. As soon as I stepped out of the bus, the scene that greeted me left me in awe. This looks straight out of a fairytale book. Is that..is that a castle?! There’s a castle here in Mexico?! What?! A castle that looks like that?! Is this real? Am I in a Disney movie right now?!

            I walked around to admire the view. This feels surreal. I could see our friends try to act as random citizens (this explains their costumes) and more. It really feels like I stepped foot in one of those Disney movies I still love. What? No one’s too old for fairytales and happy endings. Just then, I heard trumpet sounds that signaled an announcement was to be made.

            I could see our friends got so into their character swith the exaggerated acting and facial expressions. I wanted to laugh but instead, I shook my head and smiled. Jungshin chingu took out a scroll and began to read.

            “Once upon a time, there lived a nice guy and a man-hater…”

            MAN-HATER?! YAH! How many times do I have to tell these people that I am not a man-hater? I’m just…uh…ambivalent to guys? Aish. I noticed the rest try to scold Jungshin chingu so he changed it to nice knight and damsel.

I tuned back to the announcement and only then did I notice that Lee Joon was playing the “nice knight” who was pining over “Princess” Yoona (ha, same leading lady even in the reenactment?) as Yuri was the “damsel” who kept being there for the nice knight (still sounds weird).

            The scene kept shifting from all those moments in high school and everything else that happened. It was like watching the past events unfold right in front of me. This is more than just a 4D. It’s freaking live! I’m inside this Disney-esque