FINAL
ForevermoreIt was the first day of their concert and EXO have been up since the night before. Even if they had rehearsed the songs thousands of times, they still need it to be perfect. Be it their reactions when they’re dancing or the angles of their arms, there’s always room for improvement. Fans have gathered outside since early morning and the boys' phones had been ringing nonstop from the congratulatory messages from fellow artists.
"Are you all ready for the concert?" TVXQ's Yunho asked as he reached the backstage, checking on the boys. The boys stood up and quickly bowed to their Sunbaenim before nodding. Yunho is very supportive of their company’s maknae group and would always try to be there to encourage the boys.
"Neh, Sunbaenim. But we are nervous as well," Kyungsoo replied as he stared at Yunho.
"All I'm going to say is, have fun and that's what matters. Enjoy the stage and I'm sure the fans will enjoy it as well," Yunho advised as he gave each of the members a pat on the back. "I'll be watching you guys, hwaiting!" he cheered before he left the room.
"Are the girls here yet? It's half an hour to the concert," Suho checked as they did the last preparations. Each member was surrounded by a few stylists, make-up artists and what not. They had to make sure everything would go right, they wouldn’t want any wardrobe malfunction in the middle of a performance and the boys’ flies would be for everyone to see.
"We're here!" Hyomin chirped as she entered the room. All the heads turned to look at her before she was elbowed on her ribs by Minki. She frowned at Minki before bowing her apologies to the staffs. The stylists returned to their jobs while the boys slowly walked over to where they were.
"Where's Jongdae?" Yna asked as she scanned the room, not finding the very familiar face around.
"The room next door," Tao replied as he buttoned up his dress-shirt, pointing to the room.
Yna quickly waved at the girls and ran to the room next door. There, she saw him warming up his vocals while facing the wall. Even from the back, she can recognise him and she could tell that he was exhausted. She ran to him and gave him a surprise back-hug. It made him jump up from surprise and Yna giggled in response.
"You scared me," Jongdae said quietly as he loosened Yna's hold of him and turned around, only to wrap his arms tighter around her waist.
Yna scrunched her face then she smiled at him. "Sorry, I just missed you. Like really missed you," she complained as she buried her face in his chest. At her complains, he hugged her even tighter and gave her a peck on her shoulders.
"What will happen when I go overseas for our tours?" Jongdae spoke softly but she only shook her head. He chuckled lightly before pulling away, he saw her tear-stained cheeks and quickly wiped them away gently with his thumb. He was going away for a concert tour with the group for the next few months, and who knows when the tour is ending.
"Oh man, the show is starting in 15 minutes and you made my costume wet," He complained as he examined the wet patches of his dress shirt.
"Yah. Stop being a brat, it will dry up," Yna retorted back as she stepped back, grabbing a tissue paper to try and wipe it off.
"I was just kidding, jagi." Jongdae replied as he beamed at her and grabbed the tissue paper from her
"I'll leave first, I'll be watching! Make me proud, jagiya!" Yna exclaimed before she left, only to be jerked back by Jongdae and crashing hard on to his toned chest. She winced a little from the impact, she stuck her tongue out before taking a step back.
"My good luck kiss?" Jongdae asked as he pouted his lips. Yna couldn't help but chuckle at this side of Jongdae, he was too cute and precious. Yna tip-toed and placed a split-second kiss on his lips before pulling away, only to be attacked by Jongdae with yet another kiss.
"Oh no, someone needs to redo his lip make-up," Baekhyun commented with his sassy mouth as he entered the room, his face obviously teasing. Yna rushed forward to hug him and Baekhyun ruffled her hair. Baekhyun even had to take a step back from the impact but he didn’t mind, Yna was pretty much like a little sister to him. Even though the two of them had a past, they still remained as close buddies.
"All the best guys, I'm going to go and find the girls and sit down. Make me proud Jagiya!" Yna exclaimed as she playfully winked at her boyfriend and waved at the other boy. The two boys then nodded and continued their preparations for the first concert.
"Are you ready Jongdae?" Baekhyun questioned as he placed one of his arm around Jongdae's shoulders. The two then walked to the room where the other members were.
"Yes. Tonight is the night." Jongdae replied as he smiled back to the older one.
The concert had begun and they opened it with the song, Growl. Growl which topped the charts for so many weeks and made their popularity reach its peak. The fan chants, screams and the light stick moving to the beat only hyped them up even more as they performed their best. The boys didn’t fail at giving fan-service and enjoyed every single stage that they performed. At the VIP seats, the girls were enjoying themselves as well. Sometimes they were dancing along while sometimes, screaming along with other fans. They scanned the whole venue, proud of the boys for having so many fans. Yna couldn't help but find a lot of banners for Jongdae as well and she couldn't help but smile to herself. When EXO were just rookies, there were not a lot of Jongdae fans. However, after Growl, Miracle In December and SM the Ballad promotions, he gained a lot more fans after more people saw his potential.
The first hour of the concert had gone by and it's time for the boys' solo stages.
"Where are the girls seated again?" Suho double-checked with the staffs. They were all backstage, changing their costumes. The make-up artists working fast in changing their make-up for their specific stages.
"VIP. First row." The head of the staff replied him and pointed to the part on the floor plan on his hand. Suho nodded as he took a mental note. He bowed a thank you before walking to the rest of the boys.
"Jongdae, they're seated on the first row of the VIP section. Anyway, EXO will be there to be the pathway to the stage. Don't worry," as he patted the younger boy's back before going back stage. He was up first for the solo-stages. Soon, screams were heard as the music began playing.
One by one, the other members were done with their solo-stages and Jongdae's turn was a lot faster than he had expected. He sat backstage, fiddling with his microphone and readjusting his tie. The other members looked worried at how nervous he was and encouraged him.
A couple of minutes later, he was called by a staff member that he needs to be on ‘stand-by’. He followed the staff to the side of the stage and stood there, waiting for Sehun’s performance to end. He closed his eyes, whispering his prayers and that everything that he had planned will go well. Seconds later, the lights on stage were off and screams were heard once again. Sehun appeared beside him and gave him a playful punch on his shoulder as an encouragement. Jongdae was then asked to take the centre-stage and wait for his cue to start.
Before the lights on stage were , a small clearing of throat echoed at the venue. The fans laughed a little at their idol before chants of encouragement were heard. Everyone knew all too well whose turn it was, the cough even confirmed it for them.
Slowly, the back lights and the big screen lit up, and a slideshow of the pictures of the couple started to show on the screen. It began from when they were little, to when they were in middle school, to high school and pictures that were taken lately. The fans all had mixed reactions, some were squealing and cringing, while some others were groaning. However, at one picture, the fans all had one reaction, which was laughing at the picture. It was a picture of Jongdae as a drag queen, posing with a bouquet of flowers and beside him was Yna, wearing a tuxedo.
Even the EXO members couldn't help but laugh at the picture. All these while, one person sat confused her on seat, wondering why pictures of her and Jongdae were shown on the screen for everyone to see. Jongdae stood still on stage, microphone clutched tightly with his right hand. Slowly, he raised his right hand, putting the microphone a few inches away from his mouth.
Taking a deep breath, he began, "Firstly, before anything, I would like to say sorry for leaving EXO before. I really do not wish for that to happen again, both me leaving EXO, and anyone that matters to me getting hurt."
He turned to the side and nodded, as if telling someone to start the music. A melody started playing at the background and it got louder and louder, it was Nothing Better. Chen began singing and a pastel pink spotlight shone on Yna. A few seconds later, she saw a pathway from where she was seated to where Chen was standing. An EXO member would be standing by the pathway, holding a pink rose. Baekhyun suddenly appeared beside her, bowed to her and gave her a rose. The rest of the girls pushed Yna to Baekhyun who led her to the Chen. Meanwhile, Chen was still passionately singing on stage.
Yna's cheeks turned bright red as she follows Baekhyun on stage without a clue. As she passed by the members, they gave her the rose and . She bowed a thank you to the members and carried on walking. Honestly, she didn’t know the reason why she thanked them but everything in her head didn’t make sense that very moment. The fans were in chaos by now and was wondering what was happening.
As she climbed up the stairs to the stage, Chen was already at the top of it, waiting for her. He offered his hand, which she gladly accepted and led her to the centre of the stage. He sang to her, emotions pouring out as he sang each word and every fan was moved by his actions. Soon, the song was finished and the two stood side by side on stage. Yna, who still hasn’t grasped the situation, held Chen’s hand tightly and turned to him, as if asking for an explanation.
Chen only smiled to her before turning to face her, microphone a few inches away from his lips. Finally, he was going to do it. To propose to her. All that he was hoping for was for her to say yes. He took a deep breath once again before speaking with confidence.
“Song Yna, from the first time I laid eyes on you, you took my breath away. I love everything about you: your eyes, the way you laugh, your humour, and of course your kind heart. You are always so caring to the people around you, taking care of them as if they were your own flesh and blood, even those people that you barely knew. It was that kind heart that forgave everyone who had made a mistake towards you, even though at times they probably didn’t deserve your kindness and forgiveness. It shocked me,” he paused and Yna continued to stare at him, as if asking him to carry on. The crowd had become silent except for a little murmurings here and there.
“How a person could be so selfless, sacrificing everything for her friends and members. That made me fall even harder for you, but I felt hopeless because I was nothing more than a friend to you. All I could do was grin and bear it whenever I saw you with another man. I had always been a bystander, watching everything happen. I wanted so badly to hold you in my arms, tell you sweet things and protect you always. I wanted to be your everything, the same way you were MY everything. And finally my wish came true one day; you became my girlfriend. I was euphoric, and I always tried my best to make you happy, just like how you always made me happy even without you trying. But I was careless. I couldn’t take care of you, I couldn’t protect you from all the backlash you didn’t deserve to get. I was overconfident that you’d be okay, and I took it for granted that since you were such strong woman, you’d be able to handle it perfectly well. I was caught up with work too, and I didn’t pay you enough attention, especially with all the chaos that was happening at that time. And you being you, you never raised any complaints and never told me about the pain in your heart. Until one day, you couldn’t take it anymore and broke up with me. It crushed me, but I can only imagine how miniscule the pain I felt was, compared to the amount of pain you felt. I felt that I didn’t deserve you, and no doubt a lot of people thought that too.” He continued, a single drop of tear escaped his eyes, as if he could feel the pain again. Yna quickly stepped closer, wiping his tears away. The crowd saw how tightly Jongdae was holding on to her right hand and squealed at the scene in front of them.
“It killed me every time I saw you with another man, especially when I saw you with my brother,” at this he cast a sideways glance at Baekhyun, who stood by the edge of the stage with the other boys. The crowd gasped as more surprises were revealed about the relationship of the two. Even though the public knew that Yna and Baekhyun once dated, no one actually confirmed about it and it remained as a rumour. Until of course, Jongdae said it out during the concert.
“But somehow, my brothers thought you should give ‘us’ another chance, and with their help, we did get back together. I promised to change my ways, to treat you better, and make you even happier. And now I am not promising you all this. Instead, I swear it. And I never want to see you with another man, unless it’s our future son. So tell me right here and right now, Song Yna. Look me in the eyes and tell me, will you marry me?” Chen broke out into a wide grin as he knelt down before her, holding up a simple but elegant diamond ring.
This time, the whole venue went awfully quiet and Yna stood there, still not processing what was happening. She blinked a couple of times before Chen made an eye-contact with her. He tilted his head a little and a while later, the rest of EXO and the girls appeared on stage a couple of metres away from the couple.
“SAY! YES! SAY! YES!” The boys chanted, and not long later, the fans have joined in as well. Chen couldn’t help but laugh at how adorable his girlfriend was for not being able to comprehend what was happening at the moment. She was looking around, before Chen tugged her hand, asking for her attention once again.
She nodded and Chen leaped from his current position. He slowly slid the ring on her finger before the rest of the members popped some party-poppers towards the couple. He pecked her lips and soon, cheers were heard from the fans and the two smiled gratefully at them.
Then, Suho stepped forward and passed a microphone to Yna. She cocked her head to side slightly before thanking everyone.
“I’m so sorry being so blur today, I just didn’t expect Jongdae to propose to me like this. I am so happy to be able to share this wonderful and touching moment with all of you. Thank you everyone for your support and I hope you guys continue to support EXO! Thank you very much.” She finished before bowing.
Slowly, the rest of the EXO members, and the girls left the stage and the two were left on stage. With only a spot on light on the two of them and the rest of the stage dark, a familiar melody started to play at the background. It was the couple’s theme-song, Side A’s Forevermore.
Chen Yna Together
There are times
When I just want to look at your face
With the stars in the night
There are times
When I just want to feel your embrace
On a cold night
I just can't believe
that you are mine now
Chorus:
You were just a dream that i once knew
I never thought i would be right for you
I just can't compare you with anything in this world
You're all i need to be forevermore
Yna had missed the first few words of the next verse as she didn't expect to sing it. Jongdae guided her into the song and soon, she was singing by herself.
All those years
I long to hold you in my arms
I've been dreaming of you every night
I've been watching all the stars that fall down
Wishing you will be mine
I just can't believe
that you are mine now
Chorus:
You were just a dream that i once knew
I never thought i would be right for you
I just can't compare you with anything in this world
You're all i need to be forevermore
Time & again
There are these changes that we cannot end
As sure as time keeps goin on & on
My love for you will be forevermore
I just can't believe
that you are mine now
You were just a dream that i once knew
I never thought i would be right for you
I just can't compare you with anything in this world
As endless as forever
Our love will stay together
You are all i need to be with forevermore
(as endless as forever)
(our love will stay together)
You are all i need to be with forevermore.
By the end of the song, all the fans were standing up and giving them a standing ovation. The two sang to each other, as if the crowd wasn’t around. Everyone felt that the two were really made for each other. The two hit every single note perfectly, as if the stage was practiced. It even shocked the both of them how they could just perform like that in front of thousands of people. As the last note was played, the two bowed to the crowd and happily walked backstage together where their parents were waiting to congratulate the both of them.
The congratulatory messages were cut short as Jongdae still had to finish up the rest of the concert with EXO. He felt even more energised after he got his nervousness off his chest. He performed his best for the next half an hour. By the side of the stage stood Yna, watching him proudly. She kept examining her ring finger, still not believing that she’s wearing a diamond ring.
The concert had come to an end not long after. With the very exhausted members, they went to every single staff and thanked them before going to their rooms and pack up. Jongdae excused himself from his managers that he won’t be staying at the dorms that night.
“Just remember to use protection!” EXO-M’s manager joked as he broke into loud laughter. Jongdae only shook his head before finding Yna with his parents outside the room. There, the both of them were given hugs by their families. Fellow artists would also stop by and congratulate the two.
“I’m finally alone with you,” Jongdae commented as he took the driver’s seat, smiling tiredly at his fiancée.
“So tell me, how long have you planned this?” Yna questioned as she buckled her seat-belt. Jongdae playfully tapped his chin, acting as if he was thinking hard.
“Not that long ago. But I had to talk to the concert organisers if I could propose during the concert,” Jongdae explained as he adjusted the driver’s seat. “At first they didn’t really allow, but I worked my charms around them.” He continued and winked at her.
“Eww,” She scoffed and pretended to barf.
“You’re too much, you know that?” Jongdae pointed out, starting the engine and driving away from the venue.
“If I’m too much, I wouldn’t have said yes to you,” Yna stated as a-matter-of-factly. He shrugged and one of his hands slowly reached out to hold Yna’s hand. Yna only swat his hands away and he whined like a baby. Yna shook her head before grabbing his hands and intertwining their fingers together.
After a few minutes, Chen had pulled over. They were on top of a hill overviewing the Seoul’s skyline. Chen quickly unbuckled his belt and went out of the car, in which Yna followed suit. She found Chen laying a blanket on one of the big rocks before he turned to look at her. He placed his arms around her waist and lifted her gently, placing her on it. Next, he took a seat beside her and wrapped his arms around her.
“The view is so breath-taking,” Chen stated as he gazed lovingly at his fiancée. Yna quietly nodded, and hummed an “I know” back to him.
“I wasn’t talking about the skyline, but you,” Chen corrected and Yna turned to look at him, surprise painted on her face. She playfully slaps his arm before commenting, “So cheesy.”
Minutes of silence enveloped the couple before Chen stole a kiss from her lips and said ever so gently, “I can’t believe you’re finally mine, forever.”
So yay, I'm finally done after 3740 words!
Comments are appreciated.
xx
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