With Him

Cupid's Irony
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The club was crowded, the buzz of people's excitement reminded Aerri of the buzz and excitement she felt before Jiyong's concert the day before. She watched the crowd, a nervous grin started to appear on her face. Her heart was thumping harder as she watched a performer on stage, realizing that Seunghyun's and her turn to take the stage was getting closer. She was nervous, but it seemed that her fingers were itching to just dance on the strings of her guitar. Somehow she knew that it would shoo away all her nervousness and tune down her nerves.


"Don't be nervous. You'll do amazing." Seunghyun said from beside her. But his usually soothing deep voice somehow made her even more nervous.


"I know. It's you I'm worried about."


"Yah!" he exclaimed loudly, turning his head to look at the chuckling girl beside him.


She burst in laughter, her nerve finally easing down a bit. "I was kidding, T.O.P. I know you're always on top, hence your name." she laughed. He squinted his gorgeous eyes at her, pretending to be upset. But the ghost of a smile was visible on his lips.


Aerri had always felt comfortable with him. And judging from the way she talked to Jiyong and the way Jiyong talked to her, she also felt that comfort with Jiyong. The three of them must have been really close when they were all still alive. Sometimes Aerri wondered, if she was finally born again, would she be lucky enough to meet great friends like Seunghyun and Jiyong again? She sure hoped so. She even hoped that she would be even happier in her next life, probably even finding someone that loves her just as much as she loves him, and they would grow old happily together with a family of their own. Aerri's previous life was cut short, but at least she had another chance to live life.


How could a short encounter with Jiyong and his parents could quickly make her change her mind about being reborn? Probably because she could finally see clearly how much she was loved by her family? The way her parents talked about her and the way Jiyong treated her the night before made her feel loved. She even could see that Seunghyun cared about her when they were alive. Of course, the way he loved her was not the way she wanted him to love her. But still, he really did care for her.


She wanted to feel that way again, to feel that warmth people have when they realized that someone loved them. Hopefully she will feel it again in her next life.


Aerri stared blankly at the crowd of people as her mind wandered off. She didn't notice that Seunghyun was staring at her, his own mind seemingly struggling with his own war.


The boy was contemplating whether or not he should talk to her about the night before. He wanted to tell her that he already knew about their relation in life, that their closeness in death was just a fracture of what they had when they were alive. But he wasn't sure how he could bring the matter up without making her upset when she found out that he followed her. Besides, what reason could he give to her to explain why he followed her? How would she react if he told her that he followed her out of curiosity and jealousy?


Each of their minds were bubbling with their own questions. But soon they were distracted from their thoughts when their friends appeared and took a seat on their table.


"Here's your drink, Aerri. You might need it before performing to ease your nerves." Sara said, putting a drink in front of Aerri.


"And how would it help me ease my nerves if I can't feel the alcohol effect from it?" Aerri sighed, making Sara laugh.


"Ah yes, alcohol. I might not remember it, but I swear there are times that I missed them so much." Seunghyun mumbled from his seat beside Aerri.


"Well maybe the two of you could go out for a drink on Earth together sometimes." Sara laughed, nudging Aerri's feet with her own.


"Maybe." Seunghyun said, glancing at the girl beside him. But Aerri only smiled as she shrugged her shoulders, taking a sip from her glass and not say a word.


They continued their conversation for a few moments. The light nature of their chat helped Aerri to forget her nervousness. In no time, Seunghyun nudged her and told her that it was time for them to get behind the stage, as their performance was up next.


She grabbed her guitar and followed Seunghyun backstage. While waiting to get called up on stage, she double checked her guitar, making sure that it's not out of tune. Next thing she know, she could hear Seunghyun's name being called on stage.


He gave her a small smile before going out on stage, walking confidently in beat with the music that already started to blast loudly through the speakers. Then, it was like he turned into a whole different persona as charismatic T.O.P took over the stage. His moves and the way he raps seemed so effortless yet captivating. The dorky side of his personality occasionally appeared slightly through his facial expression. But somehow he still seemed fierce, commanding his stage as if he was born to perform.


When someday Seunghyun would be born again, Aerri really hoped he'd still have his ability and talent to perform like this. And hopefully he'd be able to reach his dreams of becoming a performer.


Aerri couldn't help but stare lovingly at the boy on stage. There were times when she wondered why was it so hard for her to move on and shed her feelings for him. But then times like these would remind her why she loved him. Seunghyun is amazing on stage, but she knew that he was not only that persona he showed when he performed. He's charismatic on stage, but actually dorky in real life. He can look cold and distant on stage, but he's actually really kind and gentle. Any girl who ended up with him is a very lucky girl.


Aerri scoffed at herself when she realized the way she thought about him. "So much for trying to forget him." she muttered to herself as she distract her mind by re-checking her guitar again.


Not long after, the music stopped as Seunghyun finished his first song. Aerri took a deep breath, once again trying to feel less nervous. Her time has come to go on stage. Seunghyun gave a short introduction on stage, mentioning her as 'a pretty friend who happened to be a great guitar player and singer". Then, he called her on stage.


Aerri went on stage with her guitar in her arms, smiling nervously at Seunghyun before she stood beside him, looking at the crowd of audience. They were cheering for her, and Aerri could hear shoutings and howlings coming from where she knew Sara, Bae, and Dae was sitting on their table. But all Aerri could think of was how her fingers were slightly trembling. How was she suppose to play guitar with her wobbly fingers? And standing in front of all those Cupids and Reapers, her body suddenly felt stiff and awkward.


"Hi.." she greeted the crowd, her voice slightly quivering. She chuckled at her nervousness and added, "This is the first time I'm doing this, so I'm sorry if I look nervous. But I hope you’ll like our song."


Then after a slight nod at Seunghyun and another deep breath that she took, Aerri started to play her guitar. And just like that, her nervousness slowly dissipate. Her fingers were no longer trembling as they strum and play the strings of her guitar. Her quivering voice turned into her usual clear singing voice, complementing the sound of her guitar. She no longer felt awkward, as she even manage to move her body along with the song. Of course, she was not dancing. But at least she wasn't so stiff anymore.


And when Seunghyun started his rap, she felt that the song was perfect, at least for her. Who cares if Seunghyun wrote the lyric for a girl that she didn't know about? Who cares if he probably really likes that girl and if the lyric was really about how he wanted to be with that girl? Well, she probably did care. But that moment, she genuinely liked the song, even though the backstory of the lyric probably gonna ruin her heart. And from how the crowd cheered and clap when the song was finished, she could tell that they liked it too. They liked a song that she helped wrote. The sense of pride and achievement that she felt was amazing. Such a powerful high feeling that made her understand why Seunghyun and Jiyong loved performing so much.


"Do you like the song?" Seunghyun laughed as he asked the crowd after the song finished. He chuckled even louder when he heard the crowd cheered. "Well, you gotta applaud her for that. I only wrote my rapping part, but she wrote her own lyric and basically everything else." he added as he point to Aerri.


Aerri just grinned, still enjoying the high she felt from being on stage. She want to hold on to that feeling for as long as she can, because for once her insecurities and doubts where nowhere to be found. It was almost the same feeling that she felt after jumping. Somehow, even if only for a moment, she felt invisible.


Seunghyun nodded at her, giving her the cue to start the next song. So she started to play her guitar again, moving her body as she played her guitar. This time, she simply play her guitar as Seunghyun rap in the song. It gave her the chance to observe the boy as he rap and move along beside her, occasionally making eye contact with her. She was happy that at least she could help him do one of the things he loved the most. That was one thing that only her could do. Not Ai, not Seunghyun's girlfriend in life, or any other girl that he had met so far. At least she hope so. She just wanted to have something that was only for the both of them. It might seem selfish of her. But if it's the one thing she could have, then she'll take it.


And finally, Aerri strummed her guitar for the last time at the end of the song. And the next second, the cheers from the crowd can be heard again.


Aerri smiled widely, bowing to the crowd. She glanced at Seunghyun who was looking at her, a big grin plastered on his face. And suddenly, they started to giggle. They didn't even know why they giggled. Probably relieved that their performance went out well? But they just couldn't contain their giggle. So they just giggle with each other, bowing to the audience for the last time, and went off stage while still giggling together.


"That was awesome!" Seunghyun said to Aerri once they were backstage.


"Yeah, that was great. Thanks for asking me to do this, Seunghyun." Aerri said as she walked back to their seat. Seunghyun was following behind her, but he got distracted by a few of other people that greeted him on his way back to their table. Not to mention the amount of girls that was eyeing him, trying to get his attention. So, Aerri just chuckled, continued to push through the crowd and made her way back to her table.


Sara's squeal and hugs were the first thing Aerri got once she got to her seat.


"My kitty is amazing." Sara squealed as she hugged Aerri tightly. Aerri just laughed, putting her guitar back in its case. Bae was sitting beside her, giving her a thumbs up and a wide smile.


"Thanks, Sara. But now, this kitty is thirsty." Aerri laughed. "I'm heading to the bar. Do you want me to get you anything?" she asked Sara.


When Sara shook her head, Aerri made her way to the bar. The bartender was still busy tending a whole lot of other Cupids and Reapers. So Aerri stood back for a while, waiting for her turn.


"Having trouble getting your order in?" someone asked from beside her. Aerri turned her head to see a tall gorgeous guy standing beside her.


"Oh.. Yeah, that's the downside of being a pint size girl, I guess. But I don't mind waiting." Aerri chuckled.


The boy chuckled along with her and introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Soo Hyuk. That was a pretty good performance you did just now."


"Hi, I'm Aerri. And thanks. Glad that you enjoy it."


He tiptoed a bit, making him stood even taller than he already is as he tried to see what the bartender was doing. "I'm getting my drink. What are you ordering? I'll get it for you."


"Just a Screwdriver, please. Thanks for your trouble." she smiled.


"No trouble at all. Just trying to help a girl in need for extra height." he laughed. "Stay here, ok."


"Ok." Aerri laughed as she watched the boy walked to the other side of the bar to approach the bartender. A few seconds later, she could hear
another voice from beside her.


"Ooohhh... Flirting with a handsome Reaper by the bar, eh?"


Aerri turned to the side and see Bae with a cheeky grin on his lips.


"I wasn't flirting, Bae. We just exchanged 2 sentences. I didn't even know that he was a Reaper."


"Well, he's a Reaper."


"Well, good for him. For all I know, he could have been the devil with that face."


Aerri didn't think it was possible, but the grin on Bae's face just got wider.


"Aahh.. I see someone's having a crush.." Bae said, wriggling his eyebrows.


"Dude! Seriously. I was just complementing his looks." Aerri laughed.


"But that's ok if you like him, Aerri." Bae said, still grinning widely.


"Stop it, Bae." Aerri chuckled, shaking her head as she observe the pictures on the wall beside the bar, trying to distract her mind from Bae's teasing. And to her annoyance, one of the pic that caught her eyes were that pic of Seunghyun with Ai, Bae, and Ri that she already saw before.


"Oh wow.. I forgot that the pic was here." Bae said when he noticed the pic Aerri was staring at. Aerri just nodded at his sentence, not keen on saying anything. She wanted to look away from the pic, but she just can't. She just keep staring at how Seunghyun put his hand around Ai's waist and the big cheerful smile on his face.


"Ok. Usually when people saw a picture of someone they know with someone they don't know, they would ask about the person they don't know. But you didn't ask any question. So it's either you're the least curious girl I've ever met, or you already know about Ai and Seungri."


"Yeah, I already know about Ai and Seungri." Aerri chuckled.


"Who told you about them?"


"Seunghyun did."


"Seunghyun? Really?"


"Yeah. Why?"


"I thought you'd knew from Dae. Seunghyun never wanted to talk to anyone about Ai. Even Dae only knew about them from me."


Aerri only hummed, amused by the jealousy that came rushing back out from the corner of her mind when she heard Bae's words.


"How much you knew about Ai?" Bae asked.


Aerri chuckled again, biting her tongue from telling Bae that she probably knew something about Ai more than he was, cause Bae certainly didn't know about how Seunghyun was keeping Ai in his secret apartment on Earth.


"I know that she was banished, if that's what you're asking." Aerri answered.


"Yeah. Seunghyun was so.. angry when that happened."


"Angry?"


"He closed off again. When he first got here, he was really quiet, as if not interested to get to know other Cupids and Reapers. He just work and work. But Ai helped him opened up. Since she was the Reaper who picked him up, she managed to find out some things that he liked when he was alive. So she pushed him to rap. Then slowly he opened up. He's still a bit of a loner, but not as bad as when he first got here. But when Aerri got banished, he closed off a bit again, for a while."


Aerri nodded. She finally understand why Seunghyun said that Ai helped him a lot.


"Sounds like they were really close." Aerri said, trying to ignore the lump that suddenly appeared in . "But I thought that Ai was dating Seungri?"


"Yeah. She was devastated when Ri was banished. Seunghyun helped her a lot during those moments."


"So.. After Ri got banished, Ai was with Seunghyun?"


"Mm.. No. I don't think so. They're just really close, I guess. Nothing romantic or something like that. But I don't know. Seunghyun is not the type to talk about those things. Why are you asking?" Bae asked, his grin was back on his face.


"Nothing. Just curious." Aerri smiled, shrugging her shoulders.


"Well, I still think that he got nothing with Ai. But even if he got something with Ai, she's not here anymore. So he's free to be with someone else." Bae added. Aerri just chuckled, laughing at how Bae didn't realize how wrong his words were.


Bae looked like he was going to tease Aerri again. Thankfully, before she had to endure Bae's questions and teases, Soo Hyuk appeared with her drink in his hand.


"Here you go." Soo Hyuk passed the drink to Aerri.


"Thanks, Soo Hyuk."


"Hey, Youngbae." Soo Hyuk greeted Bae.


"Hey, man. Nice to see you again. We should get together again sometime."


"Definitely. It's not like we live far away from each other."


"Yup. But I'll see you again later. I'm getting my drink first. Join us at our table if you want."


"Sure. I'll drop by later."


Bae waved at Soo Hyuk and wink at Aerri before leaving to get his drink. Aerri's eyeroll still managed to make him laugh before he disappeared behind the crowd.


"I didn't know you guys knew each other." Aerri said.


"I didn't know that you guys knew each other either." he said. "But to think of it, since you know Seunghyun than it's no surprise that you know Youngbae too."


"You know Seunghyun too?"


"Yes. But just by name."


Aerri nodded as she sip on her drink. To imagine those handsome boys hanging out together.. they must have looked like one of those handsome group of boys in a manga series or teenage drama. The group of boys that girls always try to reach.


"Youngbae's dating someone, right?" Soo Hyuk suddenly asked Aerri.


"Yes, she's dating my friend, a Cupid." Aerri answered. Why was he suddenly asking for Bae's relationship status?


"Good for him. How about Seunghyun? Is he with anyone?"


"Uhm.. not that I know of." Aerri answered. In her mind she added, "Well, that's if you're not counting a banished Reaper that he helped on Earth."


"So he's not with you? I thought you guys are together since you're performing together.


"No, we're not. I was just helping him." Aerri chuckled.


"How about you? You're not with anyone?"


Aerri tried to hold back her smile when she realized the direction of their conversation. It wasn't like she was interested to get to know the gorgeous guy in front of her with a prospect of anything more than a friend. But it's hard to not be flattered when someone that hot question her relationship status, even if he only asked the question casually.


"No, I'm not with anyone."


"Ok then." he smiled.


They chat for a little while before Aerri decided to go back to her table. Soo Hyuk tagged along, saying that he just wanted to greet Youngbae.


After she reached her table, Aerri had to contain her laugh when she saw the excitement on Sara's face when Sara realized that she was with Soo Hyuk. Sara genuinely looked like a proud mother who just found out that her beloved daughter just brought a handsome husband back to their home.


As Soo Hyuk greeted Bae and Seunghyun, and got introduced to Dae and Sara, Aerri took a seat beside Sara, avoiding Sara's stare as she pretend to be interested with the glass of drink she got in her hand. It's just fun to tease Sara.


"Well, gotta go now. See you later all." Soo Hyuk bid them goodbye.


Everybody on the table said their "Bye", but Soo Hyuk added, "Let me know if you're performing again, ok Aerri?"


"Actually, I don't even know if I'll be performing again at all." Aerri chuckled.


"What? Why not? You should do it again, cause you were great tonight. Tell her to perform again, Bae." Soo Hyuk said to Aerri and Bae.


"Definitely. You should perform again, Aerri." Bae said, grinning widely at her. "And I'll let you know when she's performing again." Bae added to Soo Hyuk.


"That's great! But we should get together again even if you're not performing again, Aerri."


"Sure." she answered.


With that, the boy waved them goodbye and disappeared behind the crowd. The next thing she knew, Aerri could hear Sara's squeal as she pinched Aerri's cheek.


"Oh my Gooddd my kitty got herself a gorgeous new friend.." Sara squealed.


"You're getting excited for nothing, Sara." Aerri said in a sing-song tone.


"Look at you, going to get a drink and getting a boy instead."


"Geez, Sara. You're saying it as if I'm capturing boys with a net and tranquilizer.


"Well, whatever it is you're doing, you're doing it right. Cause if you haven't notice, the guy is freakin' hot. I actually have noticed him a couple of times before at the dorm."


"Hey! Your boyfriend is right over here, just in case you forget." Bae said from beside Sara. His mock offended face made Aerri laugh out loud.


"Chill, babe. I'm not in love with him. But you have to agree that your friend is.. not ugly." Sara said to Bae.


"Yeah, he's not bad." Bae shrugged his shoulder. Sara rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's reluctance to admit the hotness of another guy, while Aerri just laugh at her friends' slight bickering.


From the corner of her eyes, Aerri was actually watching Seunghyun who was chatting with Daesung. He didn't seem to be affected at all when he saw Aerri with Soo Hyuk. Aerri felt pathetic for slightly expecting him to be jealous or to give any kind of negative reaction when he saw her with a guy she just met.


"God, Aerri. You're so stupid." she muttered, feeling frustrated at herself. Thankfully, Sara didn't hear her words, thanks to the loud music from the stage.


Aerri drank the last gulp left from her glass and put the empty glass on the table. A small smile finally bloomed on her lips as she watched the performer that was on stage. She remember the joy she felt when she was performing, singing and playing guitar. Would she have the to courage to get on stage and perform again? She just might, especially if there was a chance for her to feel that high that she felt on stage again. She just might perform again.


Besides, performing helped her put aside all her thoughts about Seunghyun and Ai. That alone should motivate her to perform again. If that could help her to finally move on, then she should do it.

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The ligh

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momo8808
#1
Chapter 29: I was here again after so many years of waiting and I guess author-nim had abandoned this story. Sigh.
dawnsun #2
Chapter 29: It's been two years, almost three years since your last update of this story. I hope one day you're going to finish it. Stories with this kind of plot are hard to find.
drunkennightxo #3
updateeㅠㅠ
sapphire_kings
#4
Chapter 29: Please update this story soon
darkestnights #5
please update :(
momo8808
#6
I wondering if this story is still continuing or not..... Lol hello authornim *waving hands*
taekris #7
Chapter 29: It's been three months already. Hope you're doing fine and will be updating soon <3
dawnsun #8
Chapter 29: Pleas update this story. It's one of my favorite.
drunkennightxo #9
I hope they'll reborn and be together againn
kellykeyes #10
Chapter 29: You finally updated yay!!! Please make Seunghyun and Aerri stay together. I hope they can still get reborn.