I found this text while I was browsing through my drafts and thought I'd share it here.

I don't know when we'll update this fanfic or if we're ever going to continue writing it

(since we've decided to focus on the Happy Bubble sequel)

but please enjoy this unedited Chansik-Hyejin moment from Chapter 2 featuring a cameo from our dear Jaemi:

 

 

"HEY KERORO!"

 

The sudden greeting almost made Seo Hyejin drop the tray of utensils she was holding. It was fortunate that, as a trained dancer, her reflexes have improved so much that she narrowly escaped an hour-long scolding from her great-aunt Hyewon by preventing every single spoon from sliding off the metal tray. Just imagine if it were ceramic bowls she was carrying. She'll probably be deported back to Suncheon in no time.

 

"How many times do I have to tell you?!?" she complained. "DO NOT CALL ME KERORO!"

 

Gong Chansik chortled. "I'll stop calling you Keroro if you stop looking like him."

 

"You look like CRONG!!!" Hyejin countered.

 

Ignoring her comment regarding his resemblance to Pororo the Little Penguin's dinosaur friend, the teenage boy just cracked up and took the tray of utensils from Hyejin's hands and brought it to the servery window separating the counter and the kitchen. When he noticed the middle-aged ahjumma staring at him, the boy flashed her one of his signature eye-smiles. "Good afternoon, Great-aunt Hyewon!" he greeted, helping himself by settling on one of the stools on the other side of the counter. "There's something different about you, but I can't put a finger on it... did you get a haircut? A new dress? A new-"

 

"What do you want, Gong jashik?" she asked straight-forwardly.

 

Chansik, who seemed much taller than great-aunt Hyewon last saw him, scooted closer and reached for the middle-aged woman's hands. "Can I take Hyejinnie out for a while?" he asked, an awkward smile plastered on his face. "We won't be long, Great-aunt Hyewon. I promise."

 

Great-aunt Hyewon stayed silent. She continued staring at Chansik's face, surveying his facial expressions to figure out whether or not he was telling the truth. "Please, Great-aunt Hyewon~ we haven't seen each other for a week and it's been a while since Hyejinnie has smacked my head or kicked my - and we both know that giving me a hard time is your great-niece's way of relieving stress. We won't even go out far. We'll just walk around here in Apgujeong. Please, Great-aunt Hyewon~" he begged, trying the eye-smile thing again in an attempt to convince her. "I'll buy a bowl of Amppong soondae when we return, I promise."

 

"Have her back by seven-thirty," Great-aunt Hyewon gave in.

 

Hyejin tried haggling. "Eight o'clock?"

 

"Seven-thirty," her great-aunt maintained.

 

Chansik's smile widened. "Seven-thirty's great! Thank you, Great-aunt Hyewon!" he exclaimed, leaning closer to give the middle-aged lady a quick peck on the cheek that only resulted to him getting smacked with a Taegeuk fan on the forehead. "I'll have her back by seven-thirty, I promise!" he shouted as he grabbed Hyejin by the wrist to lead her towards the door. "Let's go before she changes her mind!"

 

"But seven-thirty is too early!" Hyejin argued.

 

Chansik untied the apron off his friend's waist. "Would you rather stay here instead?"

 

"Wait for me outside," Hyejin said firmly. "I'll just grab a jacket."

 

 

"Where are we going anyway?"

 

"There's this bubble tea shop nearby that my friends in school have been telling me about," Chanshik explained, as they passed by a chicken mascot giving away discount coupons to pedestrians. "They said it's a popular hang out among idols and trainees, especially those from SM Entertainment, so who knows? Maybe we'll even spot your idol."

 

"BoA?" Hyejin asked, zipping up the front of her yellow jacket. "I know she mentioned that she likes bubble tea in an interview before, but I think she prefers rice wine nowadays," she added with a chuckle. "Besides, do you really expect the Queen of K-pop to roam around the streets of Apgujeong at 5 in the afternoon?"

 

"Even so, we still need to check out the place," Chansik insisted.

 

Hyejin raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

 

"Because I really want to try the bubble tea that my friends have been raving about," he answered with a smile. "I want to find out if it can live up to the hype."

 

"Fine. Let's go find this bubble tea shop," Hyejin gave in. "What's it called anyway?"

 

"Happy Bubble," Chansik answered, consulting his mobile phone. "They say it's located right beside an old coffee shop... it's apparently near the SM Everysing building."

 

"Even if you told me what the landmarks are, I still wouldn't know where this Happy Bubble is located," Hyejin admitted as she continued to study the details on the discount coupon she just received from the chicken mascot. "I've only been in Seoul for a few months, remember?"

 

"Ten months, Keroro. You've been here for ten months," he corrected, taking the discount coupon from her hands. "You've been living in Apgujeong for almost a year and you still don't know anything about the place. You really should go out more."

 

Hyejin snatched the discount coupon back from her friend. "Well, it's not my fault if other shops don't interest me at all," she said, finally keeping the discount coupon in her pockets. "If I can travel from my uncle's house to my new school and vice-versa without getting lost, then I'm good. I don't need to know where the nearest hair salon is or where the trendiest dress shops are. It's not like I have the time to go out and play."

 

"But you still need to get out sometimes," he insisted. "Walk around Apgujeong or Myeongdong. Eat street food or go window shopping. Who knows? A casting agent might notice you and invite you for an audition."

 

Hyejin sighed. "If only that was as easy as you're claiming it to be."

 

"You can always audition at our company," Chansik reminded, his eyebrow slightly arching up. "I know it's new and it isn't as big and as famous as your beloved SM Entertainment, but it's alright. The people there are nice. The conditions are good. I'm sure you'll fit right in."

 

"Like I've said about a million times before - thanks but no, thanks," Hyejin said, turning down her friend. "It's sweet of you, really, but if I'm going to be a trainee, I'd want it to be a result of my hard work or my good luck, not my connections. And besides, if I join your company, you'll automatically be my sunbae, so yeah. Thanks, but no thanks."

 

Chansik let out a chuckle. "Why do you always have to look at things in a pessimistic way? Signing for a smaller company is not that bad. Besides, if you become a trainee at our company, we'll be together more often. If I become your sunbae, I think it would be easier for me to take care of you. I can-"

 

"-boss me around?" Hyejin quipped.

 

"For years, I've been your scapegoat, your number one source of test answers, your slave, your personal music library, your punching bag..." Chansik started, holding up his fingers as he counted. "...isn't it about time for the tide to change? I think I deserve to give you a hard time once in a while."

 

"My personal music library?!? YA! I already returned The Romanticist CD and I already apologized for losing the My Sassy Girl soundtrack!" Hyejin complained, pinching her friend's right arm. "And why are you making it sound like I'm always taking advantage of you?!?"

 

Chansik laughed out loud as he continuously rubbed the part of his arm that his friend just pinched. "That's the thing, Hyejinnie," he secretly said to himself, half-smirking. "You take advantage of me, but not in the way I want you to."

 

"And number one source of test answers?!?" Hyejin exclaimed, smacking Chansik's left arm. "That was one time! ONE TIME! And it's not like you didn't know that our dog ate up all of my history notes that's why I wasn't able to study for the test!"

 

"Wasn't it because you stayed up the entire night streaming BoA's concert in Japan?" Chansik retorted, prompting his friend to kick him hard in the shin. "HEY! That hurt!!!" he yelled. Already realizing what was about to happen next, Hyejin made a run for it before her friend gets his revenge.

 

"COME BACK HERE!!! YOU~ KERORO!!!"

 

 

After a few minutes of walking - and running - along Rodeo Street, Hyejin and Chansik finally found the famous Happy Bubble Tea Shop. It was so cramped and so tiny that it was easy to miss amongst the towering establishments of Apgujeong. In fact, Chansik only realized that they were already near the bubble tea shop when he noticed the SM Everysing building at the corner of the street. 

 

The moment they pushed the front door open, Hyejin immediately knew why plenty of people fall in love with this place. The first thing that greeted her upon entering Happy Bubble was the faint smell of tapioca pearls. It was so enticing that it would tempt even the most hardcore coffee enthusiasts to jump over the bubble tea bandwagon. 

 

Even the interiors of the bubble tea shop helped her figure out why it was so popular amongst teenagers and tourists. The walls, she noticed, were plastered with posters and signatures of the who's who in the K-pop scene. A smile automatically formed in her lips when she saw a new poster of BoA from the Hurricane Venus album.

 

"Annyeonghaseyo! Welcome to Happy Bubble!" the girl behind the counter greeted, as cheerfully as she could manage. "May I take your order, please?"

 

Hyejin immediately recognized her. She has only seen her once before, but Hyejin was pretty sure that the petite girl behind the counter was one of the people who dined at SEOsiji during Chinese Hottie's birthday. Yes. She was 100% sure. The girl from the bubble tea shop was Friend #2's girlfriend. 

 

"I'll, uhm, well, I really don't know which flavor to get, so I'll just go with the Korean-style milk tea," Hyejin decided. "For sinkers, I'll just have some tapioca pearls."

 

"One Korean-style milk tea with tapioca pearls," Friend #2's girlfriend repeated as she scribbled the words down in a notepad. She then looked up and gave Chansik a polite smile. "And for you, Sir?"

 

Chansik squinted his eyes as he stared at the enormous menu posted on the wall. After blinking a couple of times, he looked back at Friend #2's girlfriend and said: "I'll have a honeydew bubble tea with black bricks, please."

 

"OI! GONG CHANSIK!!!"