Come Away With Me

Time passes and the weather gradually gets hotter in Korea, everyone's spirits are high as an upcoming holiday period is around the corner. Some people take a few days off work prior to the holiday so as they can beat the insane traffic that is soon to come and get out to the countryside away from the busy bustling city life that the Chuseok period inevitably brings. Most people venture home to spend the holiday in their hometowns so they can visit family and the shrines of their elders as part of the tradition of South Korea's Thanksgiving. Of course you are not a Korean so you have no intention of celebrating the Chuseok holiday like everyone else plans to, but you are looking forward to having a few days rest from work as the company had been working you hard of late.

You had since released three new singles, you had a small part in a music video with a new girl group that called themselves Wonder Force, and had begun collaborating with CN BLUE on a new song to be released in the following weeks. Your popularity has been growing, and you have become a stable player in the industry for a while now, you were beginning to relax and were starting to get the hang of things. What people wanted to see you do, hear from you, how many talk shows and variety shows you could get yourself into, and of course solid work on your music and vocals were all propelling you at a steady pace. There was also talk of some directors looking to cast you in a new drama that would be starting towards the end of the summer. You were very excited by this prospect, but it was still just in the planning stages and you would find out more about it all in due time.

Things were going well with YongHwa, he was as sweet to you as ever. There were times he got a little too demanding and the two of you might have had a little argument or two, but it was never anything serious. It was a happy stage in your relationship. HanJu had not appeared in the company since the night you had left him in the hospital, and Clara-B seemed to be laying low for the time being also. YongHwa seemed to think from time to time that you were flirting with some other handsome stars at events, shows or company dinners, but you always managed to talk him around and remind him he was just being insecure. Who would have thought such a big idol like him would have so many insecurity issues? It seemed he had a bit of a possessive nature, but you were able to keep it under control so far. At first you found it adorable, flattering even. But the more he played up about it the more it was starting to annoy you and you were starting to put your foot down. In the end he always listened to you, and the makeup kisses actually made it worth it. You started wondering if he was picking fights on purpose just to get you worked up and enjoy the passion in the aftermath. You wouldn't put it past him, he was uncannily clever that way.

Since the day YongHwa had given you the white guitar as a gift, you had spoken a lot about whether or not it was a good idea to go public as a couple. For the time being it didn't seem like a good idea as you were still gaining your footing in the world of fame, although the more popular and experienced you became, the more restless YongHwa seemed to be getting. The pair of you had attempted to tell the rest of the CN BLUE boys about your status but every time you broached the subject the boys seemed to come up with different ideas and directions which left the topic on a tangent. The first time JongHyun went off on a rant about how it was a bad idea for celebrities to date, especially each other. The second time JungShin and JongHyun went off in their own world about which celebrities they wished they could be dating, you included, much to YongHwa's annoyance. The third and last time MinHyuk had started hinting that you and him would still make a great couple and that the reception was so good from the fans that it was only a matter of time that the company would make it happen. You and YongHwa decided to leave the subject alone for a while. He also instructed you to somehow become less appealing around his band members, in particular MinHyuk. And if it was possible, you should also make it seem like you and MinHyuk had no compatibility whatsoever when in media spotlight. Once these foundations were properly laid, then the two of you should try again. In the meantime, also test out the waters for the media and fan reception about the idea of the two of you together. Only in small ways... You would have to work on that together.

"How about we try and get on We Got Married together?" suggested YongHwa excitedly, lifting his head from your shoulder to gaze at you with those tantalizingly big brown eyes. The two of you were sitting on the couch of your apartment together, as this seemed to be the best place for you guys to get some privacy. YongHwa's dorm was a danger zone for getting caught out by his band members, and going out anywhere in public was always too risky for a proper date. On the rare occasion the two of you would try it out, and it always ended up being an adrenalin rush for fear of getting caught rather than an actual date where the two of you could spend some proper quality time together.

You groaned. This was only his eighth ridiculous suggestion so far today, you wondered how many more he was willing to come up with. "How is that even something we can control? They don't even take pairs that request to go on the show, it's supposed to be selected at random!" You threw your hands in the air, frustrated that none of his suggestions were even worth considering properly. It was beginning to tire you out. Of course you wished it were that easy, but it wasn't. It seemed like YongHwa was just churning out ideas for the sake of it.

YongHwa turned to look at you earnestly. "Don't you know about show business? Nothing is ever done at random, everything is always prepared. They have to make sure they make the right decisions so they can get the right reactions from the viewers. Come on, you should know that by now. You're an entertainer yourself nowadays." He grinned at you and squeezed your hand.

You shrugged. "Maybe so. But don't you think it's a little bit strange for us to come to them as a couple and say we want to do it together? I mean... it seems a bit obvious... We may as well just announce ourselves then and there!"

YongHwa was amused at your trail of thought, but he scratched his chin and considered your point of view all the same. "You have a point. But we don't have to be that obvious about it. We can just subtly get our managers to see if they can get us a slot sometime soon, and hopefully it matches up and we pretend we never even knew all along!" His eyes were shinning bright, clearly won over by his own idea and convinced it would all pan out smoothly. Truthfully, he looked really cute when he was like this. He looked like a child in a candy store, excited beyond belief at the gigantic jar of gobstoppers he was being given.

You pinched his cheeks and he looked at you in surprise. "Weh?" he asked, and pulled you into him, wrapping his arms around your waist. "Why do you always do that to me?"

"Because you're just too damn cute when you get all excited," you poked his nose and he pretended to eat your finger, making you giggle.

"Does that mean you'll go along with this idea?" he asked you hopefully. When you just gazed at him noncommittally he nudged you and added, "Because I'm just too damn cute for you to refuse?"

"Okay you're pushing it now Mr-" you began to quip at him but he held his finger to your lips to stop you saying his name the way he hated you saying it.

"There is no 'Mr' when you're addressing me, _______." He cooed in your ear. "Only oppa, that's all that is needed here." His lips brushed against your ear, his nose nuzzling in your hair. Warm breath tickled your neck and your tiny hairs stood on end. He really had a talent for making you freeze up and lose all logical thought. Sometimes it was just a touch... just a word... just an action...

You struggled to find a clever response but none came to mind so you just blinked down at his finger and slowly looked up into his eyes. They were heavy lidded, regarding you in that amorous way he often did when the two of you ended up alone together, intertwined. He would get this specific look in his eye, it wasn't the same as his intense gaze, it wasn't his mysterious stare, it was one that could melt the very toughest of metal if he bothered to turn his eyes onto it. It certainly melted you, and you weren't a tough metal. You were already well under his spell whether he was looking at you like that or not. He smirked at you and removed his finger, obviously realising the effect he had on you and feeling rather pleased with himself. This was almost enough to have you opening your mouth to snap at him what he was smirking about but within seconds his mouth was on yours and you were forced to swallow your objections as he pushed his tongue into your mouth and circled yours. His mouth was hot, smooth and wet. At the caressing from his tongue on yours, the sliding of your lips against each other's, you felt as if you were being lifted to a higher place far from your living room. He moved his head so his lips were against your ear again, and as the two of you were catching your breath he murmured to you, "I want you to meet my parents."

It took a moment for that to register, but then you quickly pulled away and stared at him. "Moh?"

YongHwa raised his eyebrows at your reaction. "I want you to meet my parents," he repeated in case you were only asking because you hadn't heard him properly.

You shook your head. "I heard what you said, but do you really think that's a good idea? I mean... the less people know about us the better."

"Oh please," YongHwa scoffed. "Do you really think my parents are going to go blabbing to the media? I think we're safe."

You thinned your lips and gazed around your room in thought, YongHwa watching your reaction closely. You turned back to him and smiled. "Okay sure, why not? It's just your parents, right? I suppose it couldn't hurt..."

This made YongHwa grin widely, and he grabbed you by the waist again and hugged you tightly to his chest so you had to shift to get comfortable. "It will be fine! In fact, it will be great! Epic! Daebek! Bringing the girl I love to my hometown, to meet my parents! I can show you everywhere! I can show you my trophy collection!" He looked down at you, that excited boy in the candy store all over again. "Do you know I once got a trophy for riding a stud over a water course? It was this weird farm place my uncle took me to... But I was the only one that could do it!"

You laughed at his sudden explosion of enthusiasm. "Neh, you can show me everything. That's quite impressive. So we're going to your hometown together? To Busan?"

He nodded animatedly, and nuzzled at the top of your head happily. "I'm your Busan man!"

Somehow, even this statement made you blush slightly.

"They say us Busan men are the most manly," added YongHwa. He thumped his chest and flexed his muscles. You rolled your eyes and brought his arm back down with a smile that told him what a pabbo you thought he was.

"Arraso, I already knew you were manly," you told him and he beamed. "So I expect you're bringing me with you for Chuseok? Are you sure that's okay? I heard it's just for families to spend quality time together..."

"It's fine! My family would love to have you there!" Then his face turned serious. "But we will have to leave tomorrow really early, the journey is always mad as hell. Make sure you're packed and ready to leave by 4.30 in the morning, so I can come get you swiftly and we can leave on the first early morning train."

You blinked at him. "4.30am, are you crazy?"

"If we want to beat the crowds, neh." He said simply, as if the thought of getting up and about that early didn't bother him at all.

You sighed and then smiled at him. "Alright, let's do this."

He returned your smile with a lopsided one that made him look extremely y. This time he didn't know how he made you feel and his eyes widened in surprise when it was you who pulled his face against yours. He recovered quickly however and pressed his lips onto yours feverishly, his hands roaming up your back as he leaned forwards and eased you backwards onto the sofa. It seemed YongHwa always had to be the one in control and you laughed about this as he showered your face and neck and part of your chest in kisses like an overexcited puppy.

.............................................

The next morning was the day before Chuseok, and you and YongHwa set off together on the first train out of Seoul bound for Busan. The first train came at fifteen minutes past five, and you were yawning your head off, shuffling along in your slippers you couldn't be bothered changing out of so early in the morning. The two of you sleepily stepped forward to board the carriage with a multitude of snacks and matching neck pillows you had picked up at the station stalls. You were both also wearing peaked caps pulled low over your brows and dark shades even though the sun had barely risen yet. This was definitely a time you had to travel incognito. If fans saw you and YongHwa leaving Seoul together like this, him carrying your luggage, matching pillows under your arms, it would be impossible to talk your way out of that one. It only took a few seconds for someone to grab a photograph and you would both be in a load of strife.

YongHwa lead you to seats at the back of the train and you admired his muscled back and arms as he hoisted all the heavy bags onto the top shelf. You quickly looked away when he turned around to face you, not wanting him to catch you ing on him. It was too early to deal with his ego after all. He gave you a curious look as you became very interested in the old man's hair in the seat in front of yours, and feigned innocence when YongHwa caught your eye and gestured for you to take a seat first.

"Window seat or isle?" he asked you, grabbing your backpack from you so you could slide into the window seat easily. Once you had sat down he scooted in next to you and settled in, placing everything in his lap as he attempted to organise himself. You took your bag from him and rummaged around to make sure you had included everything you needed for the long ride to Busan. Even if you had forgotten something, you still had YongHwa here to look at. You thought this slyly to yourself as you watched him through your hair. He was adjusting his seat and already had his neck pillow out, arching his back and testing the position he deemed most suitable for a nap. The outline of his chest became more prominent as he did this and you blushed and quickly looked away, scolding yourself for ing again. It was just that after all this time... you still hadn't seen him without his shirt on. It was such a tease really, as you knew only too well how toned he was underneath that thin layer of clothing. However if you made a move to try and catch a glimpse of him, you were frightened he would want you to return the favour. You weren't sure if you were ready for Jung YongHwa to see your body yet. Even though you were certain you loved him and he loved you, he cared so much for you and made you feel so adored... That was still something you couldn't bring yourself to allow. Guys were very opinionated about girls bodies in Korea, they were also very vocal about it. They had no shame in letting it be known exactly how they thought about a woman's physique, with little regard for their feelings. It wasn't such a taboo as it was in the west. Where you came from, it was frowned upon to be so openly judgemental about the build of a woman. However here you noticed it was different. Other guys comments you could handle, but if it was YongHwa... if he wasn't satisfied with how you looked. You didn't know how you would face it. It didn't help that YongHwa was already a highly opinionated or just a downright brutally honest kind of guy. You knew he wouldn't want to hurt your feelings... and you knew he loved you... but still...

"When you're done staring, can you pass me that grape drink?" asked YongHwa, his eyes closed.

You started. "How did you know I was looking?" Your face flushed as you reached to get the can of jelly grape juice from the shopping bag you and him had brought from the snack stall at the station.

"I could hear the drool dripping from your mouth," he grinned and held his hand out for the can without opening his eyes. You it moodily into his hand without opening it for him.

You snorted. "You wish! I was just staring at that strange thing on your face. Didn't you wash your face this morning?" You your fingers and leaned forward, his eyes flew open urgently at your words and he rubbed at his face before you could get there.

"Where? What is it?" he looked positively mortified. This made you chuckle evilly in your head. That sure stopped him from getting too ahead with himself.

"Over there, up a bit, to the left a bit, down a bit... yeah... oh almost... keep rubbing it... I'm sure it will come off. Oh there's another bit," you lied, leaning in and pointing all over his face as if you were being helpful but also being very annoying. He suddenly grabbed your wrist, his eyes flashed at yours. You gulped.

"There's nothing there, is there?" he asked you quietly, those deep brown eyes so intense.

You raised your eyebrows at him, trying to remain nonchalant. "What makes you think that?"

He wiggled his eyebrows subtly at the bridge of your nose, following a line under your eyes to your ears. His eyes then snapped back to yours, and with one finger he pushed at the glasses you had been peering over, so they came back up to your eye level. "Those are mirror lenses," he stated.

You stared at him through your glasses for a moment, feeling pretty stupid. "So?" you asked feebly, your last attempt at being defiant.

"So I can see myself perfectly clear. There is nothing on my face," he added. Now he brought his finger up to your forehead and poked you there playfully. "Pabbo."

You pouted and slumped back in your seat as he chuckled to himself softly.

"But you're a really cute pabbo," he whispered so only you could hear.

You pretended you didn't hear him and reached into your bag to fetch the magazine you had just purchased at the station, flicking through the pages without really looking at them.

"Not just a cute pabbo but a very pretty pabbo," cooed YongHwa, shifting in his seat so he was facing you in his chair and leaning his head against the side. You saw his eyes blinking sweetly at you from the corner of your eye but you ignored him still.

"I wonder what my cute and pretty pabbo is reading," he murmured, continuing to openly gaze at you, knowing it must be making you feel uncomfortable or annoyed. "Is she reading about celebrity gossip about herself? That sounds just the type of silly pabbo kind of thing my cute and pretty silly pabbo would do. That's what makes her such a silly pabbo. But even still she's my cute and pretty pabbo so I guess I'll just have to live with her silly pabbo side as well."

You threw down your magazine on your lap and turned to glare at him. "Stop it YongHwa! You're so annoying!" Although, you tried to keep your voice from breaking because you had actually been tickled by his antics as well.

He stuck out his lips at you. "Is my pretty pabbo annoyed at me? Did I say something to make my very pretty and cute sweet pabbo angry? Maybe I should stop calling her a pabbo, but that's what she is... My... adorable... little... paaaaboooooo-" he began slowly sounding out the word, sticking his lips out more and more and bringing his head in closer so in the end you rolled up your magazine and stuck it in his mouth.

"Hah! Try calling me a pabbo once more with those big fat lips of yours Mr Jung YongHwa!" you snapped as he blinked at you with the tube of magazine sticking out of his mouth.

He cocked his head to the side in thought and your smile faded. YongHwa then grabbed hold of the magazine and started using it as a speaker, his voice now louder as he used it to speak through. "Ah my pretty pabbo thinks she's so clever but she just gave me a tool to annoy her even more! See what a silly little pabbo she is! See what my silly little pabbo just did?"

People started turning in their seats to see where all the noise was coming from, and you snatched the magazine back from YongHwa and bonked him on the head with it. "Yah! We're trying not to get noticed! What do you think you're doing?"

He gave you a cheeky smile and leaned back into his chair again, facing you and hugging his knees. He looked like a naughty kid that had just been scolded but didn't care because he still thought he was funny. "I made you laugh," he told you gleefully. "I saw you smile! Don't deny it! It's right there!" he poked the side of your mouth and went on chuckling to himself, grinning at you.

You rolled your eyes and slumped back in your chair, giving in. "Ten points for being so annoyingly persistent, Mr-"

"Oppa."

"Mr-"

"Oppa."

You at your teeth and turned your face slowly to give him snake eyes. "Stop interrupting me, YongHwa!" You punched him in the arm and he cried out in surprise.

Such was the ride from Seoul to Busan. If you thought it was going to be a peaceful trip where you could do as you pleased, relax, snack, read your magazines and nap, how very wrong you were. Although at some point YongHwa got tired of jabbering on to you, asking you pointless questions and finding new amusing ways to irritate you. He soon fell into an unexpected slumber, when you had finally decided to engage him in a deep and meaningful conversation. You looked over at him and found that his head was slumped on your shoulder and he was fast asleep. With a sigh you rested your head on his and succumbed to the call of the dream world also. You would need your energy and your wits about you if you were to be travelling with YongHwa it seemed.

__________________________________________________________________________

YONGHWA P.O.V.

YongHwa stirred some time after you had fallen asleep. He felt your head resting on his and gently lifted his own, putting his hands under your head and bringing it softly onto the neck pillow. You didn't stir, but went on sleeping that way, your mouth hanging open and he chuckled to himself as he watched you. He leaned in closer to check if you were drooling but lucky for you, you weren't, or he would have taken a photo and teased you endlessly about it later. What a shame he couldn't tease you about that. He loved finding new things to tease you about, because he just loved your reaction whenever he did it. Really, if you didn't get so uppity about it all, he probably wouldn't pick on you so much. But your fiery responses were always worth his while, and it was just one of the many things he loved about you.

YongHwa stretched out his arms and glanced out of the window to try and work out how much left of the journey there was to go. He recognised that Busan would be the next stop, in another 20 minutes and started to pack away yours and his things. When the train began slowing down for the Busan Station stop he gently shook you awake and lead a groggy you from the train, carrying everything for you but your own light backpack, as he also had his own luggage on his back.

The two of you hopped in a taxi outside the train station and took a short ride to a hotel on the outskirts of the city. It was a nice area surrounded by restaurants and high end stores, he knew you would enjoy staying here for your first night in Busan. And as the taxi pulled into the hotel parking, you grabbed his arm suddenly and looked at him in confusion. Even your confused face was so adorable.

"Why are we here?" you asked blankly.

He gave into his impulses and pinched your cheeks. "This is where we're staying tonight. I booked us a hotel room, the best suite that isn't the Honeymoon suite. I didn't want you getting embarrassed..." he trailed off and bit his lip, looking at you expectantly.

"I... I thought we would be staying with your family!" you exclaimed. You looked around wildly from the taxi to the hotel, clearly you were worried about something.

YongHwa leaned into you. "Eyyyyy," he said quietly, giving you what he thought was one of his more seductive looks. "Do you think if you stay in a hotel with me you're going to be in trouble?"

His seductive look didn't seem to have the effect on you that he had hoped, and you pushed him away distractedly. "It's not that! Just... What if people see us staying here together? Imagine what they would say! And well, it won't just be rumours it'll all be true!" You seemed to begin hyperventilating. Why were you so dramatic about everything? It must be a girl thing to get so worked up and expect the worst from these situations.

YongHwa pulled his mouth to the side and regarded you for a moment. "You don't need to worry about that. It's only for tonight, we'll go and visit my parents in the morning and stay the night in my family home. Just bare it this once. I thought it would be nice. Arriving in Busan and staying with my family right away... it might be a bit much for you. They can be a bit... overbearing sometimes. Enjoy tonight, this one night of luxury. We can order room service and do whatever we want! But, you'll have to deal with my Omma's (mother's) incessant nagging tomorrow... Believe me, you'll thank me. Once you meet my Eommoni (Grandmother).... You'll be begging to go back to a hotel."

You took in a deep breath and stared ahead. It seemed you were giving it all a good hard think, and YongHwa tried to hide his smirk of amusement at your seriousness. "Your family can't be that bad," you said finally, turning back to him and looking more relaxed. "Arraso, just for tonight we can stay in the hotel. But you better keep your nose clean Mr Jung YongHwa!"

YongHwa wiggled his eyebrows at you. "Don't be counting on that. You and me... alone in a hotel room... hmm... maybe I should have thought more about this before I booked it..."

You made that adorable face as you at your teeth and gazed at him animatedly. He really wanted to kiss you right now, and without thinking he leaned further in towards you but the taxi driver cleared his throat and you both quickly looked towards the front. You reached for your backpack and hurriedly opened the cab door, letting yourself out so he followed your lead and went around to the boot to collect the luggage.

YongHwa stuck on some fake stubble and a pitiful shadow of a moustache as the taxi pulled away. You turned to stare at him with your mouth slightly gaping open, so you looked like a fish that was deprived of water. YongHwa smirked and put his hand under your chin, gently closing your mouth for you. "You'll catch flies doing that," he told you good heartedly.

"What are you doing now?" you asked, gazing at his sudden facial hair.

YongHwa didn't answer you, he thought it better if you worked it out yourself. Or he could laugh a little more inside as you continued to watch him, so he pulled out an old fashioned style cap and positioned it on top of his head. He also fished in his pockets for the thick rimmed reading lenses he had planted there earlier, pushing them up the bridge of his nose. He then turned to you with as much nonchalance as he could muster, trying to keep a straight face as you stared at him and he stared back at you, feeling his lip quiver slightly.

"Are you disguising yourself like that?"

YongHwa nodded, and turned to gaze into the distance, straightening his clothes. "Pleased to meet you, I am Kim JoongGo. I have a reservation here with my lady friend, Park HyeRim." He gestured towards you, then brought his fist to his mouth and coughed lightly. You watched him with wide eyes of surprise as YongHwa then pulled out a wig and some false eyelashes from his other pocket. He looked down at them and then shook his head in dissatisfaction, there was something else he had prepared for you. Ah, that's right. YongHwa reached into the front pocket of his backpack. This particular detail was his favourite, he couldn't forget to include it.

"Oh you've got to be joking," you said.

End Chapter Twenty