Chapter 6
“I’m going to get killed out here,” Jin Ri muttered as she followed Kyuhyun through the maze of people.

She had driven them to Konkuk University, where the rest of the Super Junior members were filming Dream Team season 2 with thousands of fans watching. She lowered her head as some of the staff looked curiously at her.

Kyuhyun draped an arm around her shoulder when he heard what she said. “They’re going to have to go through me first,” he knowingly told her, giving her a wink.

“Ugh,” she commented, shrugging his arm off her. “I never thought that cheesy and greasy could ever go together, but with you anything is possible.”

“I am a genius, you know,” he declared, grinning cheekily.

She shook her head and just chuckled. He laughed and then proceeded to hug Shindong, who was chatting with Donghae and Yesung, from the back.

“Oh Kyuhyun!” the three members greeted him in surprise.

“What are you doing here?” Donghae asked after they had all hugged him. Kyuhyun wasn’t participating in the filming because his body wasn’t strong enough for athletics ever since the accident and because he had to rest before his operation the next day.

“Just came to visit,” Kyuhyun answered. He pulled Jin Ri from behind him. “And Jin Ri wanted to meet you guys. Jin Ri, this is Donghae hyung, Shindong hyung, and Yesung hyung. This is Jin Ri.” He smiled happily.

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Donghae joyfully told her, giving her a hug.

“It is nice,” Yesung agreed, smiling at her.

“We never thought Kyu would introduce you to us,” Shindong added.

Jin Ri laughed. “It’s nice to meet you all.” She bowed. “I’ve wanted to formally meet you guys for a while now, but Kyu said you were busy.” She shot him a look.

“Hey,” Kyuhyun protested when his hyungs suddenly voiced out how selfish he was. “I wasn’t conspiring against you guys meeting, okay? It just so happened that I was the one who was least busy out of all of us.”

“We’re not as busy as you make us out to be,” Yesung commented.

“Still,” Kyuhyun stubbornly replied, crossing his arms on his chest. “Besides, she’s here now, isn’t she?”

“Oh is that Kyuhyun-ssi?” the MC suddenly said through the microphone. The fan immediately screamed liked crazy at the thought of Kyuhyun being there, visiting s.

“That’s your cue, Kyu,” Donghae pushed. Kyuhyun made a face at him because of his lame joke then went up on stage, where Leeteuk and Sungmin were with Siwon and the MC.

As Kyuhyun got interviewed, Jin Ri brought her camera, one of the smaller ones that she owned, out and started taking pictures of everything she found interesting. Yesung stood beside her, watching her curiously.

“You know, Kyuhyun has started taking pictures of everything and everyone,” Yesung informed her.

“Has he?” Jin Ri responded with a chuckle.

“It’s quite disconcerting, actually,” he admitted with a sigh and a shake of his head. “I feel like I should watch myself even if I’m in the shower.”

She laughed loudly at this. “He does have paparazzi tendencies.” She giggled.

He nodded seriously. “I don’t like it. It’s weird. Ddangkkoma, Ddangkkomaeng and Ddangkkoming get blinded by the flash,” he mentioned with a frown.

“Who…?” she wanted to know, tilting her head in wonder.

“They’re my babies,” he announced, interrupting her, smiling widely.

“Your babies,” she repeated, taken aback. Before she could ask further, Yesung had to go up the stage to do the challenge. She stood there mulling over what he said.

“They’re turtles.” Donghae suddenly sided up to her. He’d been listening to her conversation with Yesung all along. He couldn’t help but think how cute and refreshing she was, not knowing anything about them.

“Oh turtles,” she said, chuckling with some sort of relief. “Right. I think my cousin mentioned that a member had a pet turtle.”

“It really is nice to finally meet you,” he repeated what he said earlier, smiling as he looked at her, his hands in his pockets. “We’ve all been wondering about the girl who brought a sudden change to our magnae.”

“Sudden change?” she inquired, smiling back. “Whatever it is, I didn’t want to do anything to change him. I think he’s great as he is.”

“He’s been different since he’s met you,” he revealed. “We don’t see him playing too much of his games anymore. He doesn’t stay in his room all day. He has other hobbies. And he actually goes out of the dorm when we don’t have schedules.”

“Was he that bad?” She wrinkled her nose jokingly.

“Yes,” he confirmed, nodding his head, biting back a laugh. “He was.”

They watched from the sidelines as Kyuhyun was practically forced to do some entertaining for the fans. He did an imitation of Siwon, which had everyone watching laughing. Then he danced a portion of their song, U, which had the fans screaming like no tomorrow. Jin Ri laughed and clapped along as he ended his short stint on the stage. He really knew what to do to make his fans happy.

“Thanks to you, he’s changed,” Donghae went on, clapping as well.

“Well, if he really was that bad… then you’re welcome,” she giggled.

Kyuhyun hurried back to them as soon as he got off the stage, followed by Sungmin, Eunhyuk and Siwon.

“This is Sungmin hyung, Siwon hyung and, well, you know Eunhyuk hyung,” Kyuhyun introduced. “This is Jin Ri.”

Eunhyuk gave a shy wave, while Siwon shook her hand. Sungmin, meanwhile, was very sweet and gave her a hug.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Jin Ri told them sincerely.

“I’m happy to meet you,” Sungmin stated, grinning cutely. “Kyuhyun talks about you a lot. It makes one very curious.”

“Oh I hope he hasn’t been saying any bad things,” she responded, glancing at Kyuhyun, who gave her a boyish smile.

“You take very good photos,” Siwon complimented. “I’ve seen your work. Our 4th album pictures came out amazing.”

“That just sounds conceited, coming from you,” Eunhyuk snickered. He turned to her. “I’m sorry. We’re not really pompous. That’s just Kyuhyun.”

“Ya, I’m right here,” Kyuhyun retorted. He put an arm around Jin Ri and said, “Don’t listen to them.” He glared at s who snickered knowingly. “Anyway, we’d better get going.”

“You’re leaving without introducing her to me?” Leeteuk interrupted, grinning at Jin Ri and introducing himself to her.

Jin Ri bowed. “It’s nice to meet you, Leeteuk-ssi.”

“You can call me Jungsoo,” Leeteuk said, waving his hand dismissively. “Kyuhyun’s friend is our friend, too.” He turned to the magnae. “Where are you guys off to?”

Kyuhyun and Jin Ri looked at each other then at Leeteuk. “Eat.” They laughed at this. Some of the members exchanged knowing glances at each other.

“Then maybe we’ll just go walking around or something,” Kyuhyun added, glancing at her, who shrugged. He began wondering what they should do to pass the time. He was having his operation the next day and would be cooped up in the hospital for a couple of days. He wanted to have fun.

“Okay then,” Leeteuk replied, patting his shoulder. “Don’t make yourself too tired. You have to be well-rested for tomorrow.”

“Yes, hyung,” Kyuhyun said, giving s hugs and pats on the back.

“I’m really happy I met all of you finally,” Jin Ri said as a form of good bye. “Bye!” She bowed and grinned, waving.

Eunhyuk and Sungmin decided to walk them to their car. When they reached where Jin Ri’s car was park, Eunhyuk let out a loud Omo. Jin Ri stared at him in surprise, giving him a bit of a weird look as she wondered what he was on about. Meanwhile, Kyuhyun snickered, while Sungmin chuckled.

“What is it?” she asked in a worried tone. She looked around, wondering what could have made him react in such a way.

“It’s your car,” Kyuhyun told her.

“What about it?” she asked, looking at her car and surveying it. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it.

“You drive the newest Genesis Coupe (click on Blue Sapphire color)?” Eunhyuk confirmed reverently. He moved closer to her car, letting his hands travel on the paint. He went around the car twice, looking at every nook and cranny.

She gave Kyuhyun and Sungmin a confused look. Sungmin giggled. “Hyuk’s a fan of cars,” he shared.

“I told you it’s not just me,” Kyuhyun reminded her. “And I don’t even care about cars.” When he first saw the car she drove, he couldn’t believe it. He wasn’t being ist or anything like that, but it was such a cool and expensive car. He really didn’t expect her to be driving something like it.

“I like the color,” Sungmin noted. He smiled at the sapphire blue-ness of it. “Are you sure you’re not a fan?” She merely chuckled at this.

“Can I...?” Eunhyuk trailed away at the question. He smiled at her shyly.

“Oh sure,” she said at once, unlocking the car with a click of one of the buttons on the key.

Eunhyuk got in the car and sat down on the driver’s seat, feeling the steering wheel, all the other buttons, the interior. He shook his head in amazement. When he finally got out after spending a few minutes inside, he walked towards Jin Ri and put both his hands on her arms.

“Will you let me drive it one of these days?” he solemnly requested.

“Hyuk, you’re scaring her,” Sungmin scolded lightly, a small smile on his face.

“Of course,” she agreed without hesitation. “You can drive it whenever you want,” she then offered.

Eunhyuk then hugged her. “Thank you.”

When Jin Ri and Kyuhyun finally left and Eunhyuk and Sungmin were on their way back to the filming, something just suddenly clicked in Eunhyuk’s mind. He stopped walking and turned to Sungmin, who was frowning at him.

“I think I now remember why Sun Young-ssi, Jin Ri-ssi’s cousin, looks familiar to me,” Eunhyuk relayed.

“I’m sure you’re going to tell me,” Sungmin commented.

“She was at the Hyundai office when Donghae and I were looking at cars,” Eunhyuk remembered.

~ * ~

“So what do you want to do?” Jin Ri asked Kyuhyun as they got on the main road, her eyes focused on the road.

“I thought we were going to eat?” Kyuhyun reminded her.

Her phone, placed on the small compartment beside the stick shift, vibrated. She glanced at the screen and saw Sun Young’s name, reminding her of something. “I just remembered,” she began, sounding apologetic. “I have to fix my apartment because Sun Young’s sleeping over tonight. Do you mind if we just eat there? I can cook you something.”

“Do you know how to cook?” he asked pointedly.

“Definitely better than you,” she shot back. “I know how to make a proper ramyun at the very least.”

“Hey,” he protested. He paused then grinned almost evilly. “How do you know about that?”

She rolled her eyes. “When are you going to accept the fact that I just don’t read about you?” If it wasn’t for Sun Young, she would never really know such details about the members. She would never have the patience to search for stuff herself.

He shrugged. “If you say so. Alright, I’m willing to put myself through your cooking.”

Kyuhyun was just looking out of the window, listening to the indie music blasting through Jin Ri’s speakers when he realized that they were driving into the very expensive I-Park in Samseong-dong. He turned in his seat and glanced at Jin Ri.

“What are we doing here?” he inquired, looking out of the window and up at the tall building. It was quite possibly the most expensive property in the whole of South Korea. A lot of high-profile people lived there, businessmen, politicians and celebrities alike.

“We’re parking,” she vaguely answered as the entered the basement parking.

When they finally parked and had gotten inside the elevators, he blurted out in amazement, “You live here?”

“I do,” she chuckled. “Not really my preference, but yeah.”

Inside Jin Ri’s apartment, Kyuhyun couldn’t help but just stand in the middle of the place and stare at everything. She owned the whole 17th floor. She merely smiled at his reaction and told him to explore the place, except her bedroom, while she took care of the food. True to Jin Ri’s love for photography, there were framed pictures everywhere; photos of herself with different people in her life. She had a big kitchen, spacious living room, an awesome movie room, a packed gym, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, both with Jacuzzis, and…

He looked astonished as he stared at the contents of the room he had just opened the door to. He walked in and looked around. It was a recording studio. It was a full-fledged recording studio, complete with live room, where the actual recording takes place; the control room, where the sound is recorded and manipulated; and the machine room, where other noisier apparatus for recording is placed.

He walked out of the room in a daze, closing the door behind him, and went to the kitchen where whatever Jin Ri was making smelled great.

“Hey, I was wondering if you got lost,” she joked, picking up the pan on the stove and putting its contents into a bowl.

“You live alone in this huge apartment?” he asked, taking a seat on one of the chairs.

“Sometimes Sun Young stays over, as well as other friends,” she shared. “But yeah, it’s mine alone.”

“How…?” he began.

“My uncle wanted me to have it,” she answered before he could finish. “He gave me the car, too.”

“Sun Young’s dad?” he clarified. She nodded. “Wow, your uncle must love you very much,” he remarked, thinking about how there weren’t a lot of relatives who would do that for their nieces unless they’re incredibly rich.

“He does,” she confirmed, smiling.

He watched Jin Ri for a couple of seconds before deciding to ask the question he’d really wanted to ask. “Why do you have a recording studio?” he asked straightforwardly.

She chuckled. “I knew you were going to ask about that.” She moved to one of the cabinets and brought out two plates, placing them on the table in front of him. She then proceeded to put the bowl of Japchae and the bowl of Bibimbap on the table. “Eat,” she encouraged him, pointing at the food and sitting down across from him.

“So you’re not going to tell me about the studio?” he pressed, watching her as she put some Bibimbap in her bowl.

“What do you want to know?” she asked, looking at him, smiling a little.

“There are a lot of things I want to know about you, Jin Ri,” he admitted bluntly.

“I thought you were never going to ask anything of me, except photography lessons,” she joked, taking in a spoonful of Bibimbap. He looked at her, speechless. He remembered that conversation and he remembered promising her that. But he didn’t actually think that he was supposed to be serious about it. “I’m kidding,” she told him when she saw him opening and closing his mouth like a fish. She pointed at his empty bowl. “You’re not eating.”

“I’m curious,” he began as he put food in his plate. “I’m the one always doing the talking and you doing the listening. When are you going to stop listening and start talking?”

She lifted a shoulder as a half shrug. “I didn’t think it mattered.”

“Why would you think that?” he asked incredulously.

She shrugged. “You have enough to think about between the two of us,” she answered with a smile. Before he could say anything, she randomly asked, “What is music to you?”

“Music is an expression of my being,” he described, unwavering. “Without it, I don’t think I would be me. I’d feel lost.” He gazed at her as she smiled and nodded at his answer.

“That was how I felt about music,” she explained. She tucked some strands of her hair behind her ear and stood up, bringing her bowl to the sink, suddenly not hungry anymore.

“Was?” he echoed, standing up to bring his bowl to the sink as well. He leaned on the counter and watched as she put everything on the sink and opened the faucet. This information surprised him. He already admired the fact that she took really striking photos. But this was definitely a revelation. It just showed how extraordinary she was.

“Was,” she affirmed with a nod of her head. “I haven’t been in that room in a long time.” She sighed as she started washing the dishes. She bit her lip as memories of her music days went back to her, just like what happened when she had dinner with Sun Young in Hongdae.

“Why?” he wondered aloud, continuing to watch her.

“Because it felt meaningless when I had to do it all by myself,” she elaborated. Suddenly, she turned off the faucet, wiped her hands on a towel then turned around to face him, her back leaning on the sink. “We did everything together. We grew up together, along with Sun Young. He was musically inclined and so was I. Music was like our breathing ground. It was natural for us. So we formed a band together.” She smiled wistfully, staring at a spot on one of the top cabinets behind Kyuhyun.

“What happened?” he pressed.

“He fell in love with me.” She smiled sadly and shook her head. “That, in itself, wasn’t a bad thing.”

“Then what was?” His eyes followed her every move. He took note of every eye movement that she did, every hand gesture and every sigh. Because, even though that Jin Ri was finally opening up to him, telling him things about herself, he still couldn’t figure her out. It fascinated him how simple yet complex she was.

“I didn’t love him back,” she stated. Her eyes moved from the cabinets to the floor then to him. “He hated me for it and he left.”

“But you guys were best friends,” he interjected, feeling upset for him. “How could he do that?”

She chuckled at his reaction. “That wasn’t a good enough reason for him to stay. I did try, in case you were curious.” When he nodded, she smiled. “I told him to give me time. I wanted to take things slow. But he got impatient.”

“How slow was slow?” he inquired, tilting his head.

She thought about it and shrugged indifferently. “A couple of months? It was a while,” she vaguely stated. “But no matter how much I tried, it just didn’t feel right. We were best friends.”

“Maybe that’s why,” he tried to rationalize. “Maybe you were afraid to lose the friendship. You could’ve loved him back, but you were just afraid.”

“No, that’s not it,” she doubted, shaking her head.

“Then what makes you sure that you really didn’t love him?” he prompted.

She looked into his eyes. “If I loved him that way, don’t you think I would’ve just known? You love someone just because. No buts, no excuses, no explanations. It wasn’t that the time wasn’t right. It wasn’t that we were best friends. It just wasn’t supposed to be him and me.”