It was unusually quiet for a Saturday morning, and Joy was ready for find out the reason behind it. Stepping out of her bedroom she made a v line to the kitchen. Odd, Wendy wasn’t there. Most mornings she was already pounding away at the crack of dawn, either making something incredibly healthy or something that’ll give you diabetes just by looking at it.

Making her way towards their rooms, she was sure she would hear SM Superstar echoing from Seulgi’s room, but the room was quiet as a mouse.

“Seulgi unnie?” No response.

“Wendy unnie?” Still no response. Where could they be?

She found herself back on her bed, legs sprawled as she brought her phone to her ears.

“Hello?” The voice sounded tired, as if the owner had been sleeping just second before picking up the phone.

“Yah, Kim Yerim let’s do something today.”

“Unnie-“

Joy moved the phone away from her ear as Yeri started a coughing fit.

Seconds later and she heard Yeri back on the line, “sorry unnie, but not today.”

“You sound awful.”

“You think? Something’s been going around at school,” Yeri wasn’t amuse with her.  

“Hmm…alright, get better soon then.”

“Guess it’s just you today Joy,” she stated as she threw her phone on her bed. It was a good thing though. She needed some time to herself. She had been so busy with school and now that she was taking a part time job as a fan girl she barely had any time to herself.

Putting on a pair of shoes and a cardigan she made her way to the nearest convenient store. Today would be a day of nothing but junk food and movies.

The sun was bright that day, almost too bright to be spending it indoors, but she had already made up her mind.

On her way there, however she saw a familiar sight ahead of her.

“Kim Taehyung?” She squinted her eyes to get a better look. Tall, dark, and handsome. Yep it was Taehyung, even if he had a mask on she could tell it was him.

What was he doing over in this area? Curiosity getting the better of her, she forgot all about her Joy Day and followed him.  He led her out of the city and into an almost community looking area. Was that water she was hearing? There must be a lake nearby, but where was this place? It was unfamiliar to her, but there was not time to take in her surrounding as she feared if she kept her eyes off of him too long she would lose sight of him. Getting lost was not in her book.

Hiding her body behind a mailbox, she watched as he entered a building that looked out of place amongst the other buildings around it. The architecture resembled that of the homes from the Joseon Era and she wondered what this place was. 

“Waterfront Retirement Home,” she read.

What was he doing at a retirement home? A grandparent? Volunteer? Whatever the reason, Joy had the answer to her question so there was no use for her to stay there any longer. The day was still young and Joy Day was back on full force.

“There you are! We’ve been waiting for you,” a voice shouted at Joy. The voice belonged to a middle aged woman, most likely a caretaker, who stood in front of the entrance of the retirement home.

She glanced around, there was no other living soul insight, but “are you talking to me?”

“Yes, come on. They’re waiting for you.” Before Joy could protest the women had grabbed her by the arm and was dragging her into the building.

“But mam-“

“They’re so excited for today. They’ been talking about this performance all week,” she blabbed as she navigated her way through the halls of the building, Joy having no choice but to follow as well. She caught sight of elders going about their everyday life.

“Performance?” Joy’s eyes increased their normal size, realization hitting her, “you have the wrong person.”

“Wait? You’re not the performer?” The stop in her tracks and turned to look at Joy.

“No mam. I’m just a passerby. I’m sorry.”

The woman groaned, “What am I supposed to do? They were supposed to be her an hour ago. Do you know angry old people can get. They’re monsters I tell you. This will not go well.”

Joy nodded her head apologetically, but there was nothing she could do.

“Can you sing?”

“Huh?”

“Sing? Can you sing?”

“You’re a nice looking girl, I’m sure they wouldn’t care if you couldn’t sing. Everything is already set up.”

Joy stared at the lady, didn’t she just call them monsters?

“Oh please, it would mean so much to them.”

“Miyoung?” An elderly woman approached them hand reaching for the middle aged woman who Joy assumed was Miyoung.

“Has the performer come yet?”

Miyoung looked at Joy before softly patting the elder’s hand, “I’m sorry Mrs. Kim, but it seems like we’re going to have to cancel today’s performance.”

The disappointment on Mrs. Kim’s face was just too much for Joy to take, “actually Mrs. Kim, I’m the performer today.”

“Really? Oh goody!” She let go of Miyoung’s hand and grabbed onto Joys, “Oh Miyoung you, you know not to play with my heart like that.”

“Come on dearie, I’ll show you the way. The old folks are going to be so happy.” Mrs. Kim beamed and Joy couldn’t help but smile too. She a felt a pat on her back, as Miyoung mouth a silent thank you before speeding ahead of them to prepare the stage.

“Miyoung, where’s the singer?” She could hear them yell as soon as she entered the room. It was filled with elders sitting at tables and she spotted a little stage at the front, totally equipped with a standing mic and speakers in the back.

She regretted not wearing anything cuter than a pair of jeans and an oversized cardigan.  

“Oh pipe down Park, we have our singer here,” Mrs. Kim shouted at the elderly man.

Taking her to the stage, Mrs. Kim patted her hands once more before making her way to an empty seat near the front.

“So we meet again old friend,” she thought to the microphone. Her hands where shaking as she reached for the microphone.

“Go-good Morning everyone,” was it even still morning?

“Turn the mic on, we can’t hear you,” old man Park shouted from his seat. Flustered, Joy quickly scrambled to find the on button, “sorry.” Once she had tested to see if the mic was working she faced the audience once more.

“Hello, my name is Park Jo-“ just as she was going to say her name, she spotted Taehyung in the back, thankfully he didn’t seem to notice her as he seemed to be busy doing something else.  

“-Jung-eng. Nice to meet you all. I hope you’ll enjoy my performance.” She nodded to Miyoung indicating that she was ready. It wasn’t an old trot song, but it was pretty popular when it was released so she figured why not. Besides she needed to pick songs she would do well in and Jang Yoon-jeong’s Jjan Jja Ra was a song she could sing with flying colors.

♥

The tune of Jang Yoon-jeong’s Jjan Jja Ra faded the farther he walked form the room where the concert was being held. The singer’s sweet voice leaving his ear drums with each step, until all he could hear was muffled rhythms echoing from the walls.

Reaching his destination he knocked a few times on the door before opening it. Inside he spied a neatly made bed, a single recliner with a quit draped over it, and a small television centered on top of a small stand; the standard format of most of the rooms here.

“Grandma Lim?”

“In here Taehyung.”

Making his way to the back he found her staring at out the window in her wheelchair.

“How did you know it was me?” The woman reached for his hand.

“I may be losing my sight, but my hearing is still very much intact. Besides I couldn’t forget your voice if I tried. It reminds me so much of my husband,” she smiled at him.

“Now what brings you here today?”

“I wanted to see if you wanted to go to the concert today.”

“Concert?”

“Yeah, a singer’s here today. She singing trot too.”

“Trot? That would be nice.”

Unlocking her wheelchair, he gently starting pushing her towards the concert room.

“Her voice is nice,” Grandma Lim commented as the neared the music.

It was, and V almost thought he recognized it. It sounded vaguely familiar to him, but whose voice did it sound like? Whose voice sounded so clear, so sweet that it was almost as if honey had a voice?

Then it hit him, Park Jung-eng and as if his worst nightmare had come true he saw her on the little make-shift stage, swaying to the music as she sang her heart out. God, why was she here? He couldn’t even get a break from her on the weekends.

“Why did you stop Taehyung?”

“Oh, uh just trying to see where I can place you,” scanning the room he spied an opening beside Mrs. Kim and quickly wheeled her over.

“Oh Taehyung, there you are. Glad you could make it Lim,” Mrs. Kim greeted, “isn’t she great?”

“It’s rare to find youngins who likes trot nowadays.”

“Humph, I’m a youngin and I like trot. Looks like nothing more than a showoff.”

He stood beside Mrs. Kim, arms crossed as he stared at Joy, who looked as if she was too busy enjoying herself to spare him a glance.

But he was wrong, Joy had saw him, saw him wheeled in a little old lady to the front beside Mrs. Kim, saw him converse with Mrs. Kim, and then saw him cross his arms at her. How dare he? Here she was performing out of the goodness of her heart and he was looking down on her. If she hadn’t been on stage, if she wasn’t pretending to be his fan girl, oh he would be walking around with not one, but two black eyes. Fine, if that was how he was going to treat her, then she’ll make him regret ever being born.

The song finally ended as the crowd erupted in applause for her. She took her bowed and grinned to all the onlookers but her gaze stopped at V, “Kim Taehyung oppa!”

“Oppa. Taehyung oppa. It’s me Jung-eng,” she shouted extra loud when he ignored her. A small wave would have been sufficient for her, but since he wanted to play dirty with her, then game on.

“Taehyung oppa, saranghae!” She formed a heart over her head, and smiled in victory when she saw him turn red.

If only he could go up on stage, pick her up, and throw her out of the building, life would be much better.

“Taehyung she’s saying hi to you,” Mrs. Kim scolded him leaving him no choice but to acknowledge the girl. An idea came to him, since she seemed to know so much about trot songs, how about taking requests.

“Jung-eng” he spoke, he was close enough to the stage where he didn’t need to shout for her to hear him. “Why don’t you take requests?”

Requests? That monster would do something like that. Did he know how many trot songs there were and how old these people were? The chances of her knowing the song was near impossible, but that was what he wanted wasn’t it? He wanted her to embarrass herself on stage. Sending him a quick glare, she brought the mic to , “well I must admit I don’t really know all the trot songs out there, but I can see.”

That’s right, there was no shame in admitting something you didn’t know.

“Grandma Lim is there a song you would like to hear?”

Grandma Lim thought for a while, “if it’s not too much I would like to hear Bae Ho’s Goodbye.”

V smiled, he didn’t recognize the song and if he didn’t then what were the chances that she did?

“Grandma Lim song request is Goodbye by Bae Ho.”

“Goodbye?” She thought for a bit, it would be difficult, but she could do it. She was sure of it.

“Alright, Goodbye it is.”

The room fell silent the moment the song started playing. He saw her close her eyes and couldn’t help but note that she looked serene as she slowly started swaying to the rhythm. When she opened , V was left speechless. Who was she? How did she know this song? He listened to the lyrics, they were sad, but it was the way she sang that tugged at his heart. There was so much emotion in her voice as if she had actually experience the pain of parting from a loved one.

When the song ended, the room gave her a standing ovation. She had touched the hearts of everyone in the room and V found himself clapping and smiling despite the situation. She really was something special and as much as he didn’t like her, he had to give credit when it was deserved. Joy breath heavily, the song had taken a lot more out of her then she thought it would. She saw V clapping for her and smiled, “that’s right, clap for the queen of trot.”

When the room had settled, she excitedly jump from the stage and ran towards V. She’ll get him back for his suggestion.  

Arms wide open she attacked him with a hug then latched herself onto his side like a clingy girlfriend, “Taehyung oppa! I did good right?”

“Omo, you two are dating?” Mrs. Kim asked surprised.

“No/Yes.” They both answered.

“Taehyung oppa is my boyfriend,” she said much to V’s horror.  

“No. She isn’t my girlfriend,” he protested, but Joy would have none of it.

“Aw, oppa, there’s no need to lie. Mrs. Kim, Taehyung oppa is being a bully.” V wanted to gag, she was using her aegyo voice again. There was no way Mrs. Kim was buying her sickening act right?

“Taehyung! Be nice to Jung-eng, you should be grateful that you have such a beautiful girl beside you.” He was wrong. Joy smiled at V’s face. Her boring Saturday had turned into a fantastic one.

“Hey where’s the next song?” Old man Park yelled, and Joy could only laugh for she wasn’t yet done with V.  

“Right, right, I’m sorry but I’ve been singing for a while now. How about we let someone else sing?”

“Who?” Joy smirked at V, “let’s see if he can sing trot?”

“Taehyung oppa.” She was challenging him and he knew it. Alright then, if she wanted a challenge then he’ll give her a challenge. Did she forget he was in a band?

“You can sing Taehyung?” Grandma Lim asked surprised.

“Yes mam, Taehyung oppa is the best,” Joy said smiling, despite wishing for his downfall.

Taking the stage he nodded to Miyoung to que the music. He would make her wipe that smirk off her lips. The moment V opened his mouth, Joy knew she made a mistake. There was no denying that he was good, possibly better than her. She better brace herself, because he’ll definitely rub it in her face later.

“He’s good,” the lady V pushed in said as she clapped along with the rhythm. Bending down to hear her better she clapped along with her. 

“He sure is Mrs Lim?”

“Call me Grandma Lim. That’s what all the youngsters call me here.”

“Grandma Lim,” she repeated.

“And what’s your name?”

“Jung-eng, Park Jung-eng.”

“Jung-eng? Well you’re very lucky to have Taehyung as your boyfriend, he’s a very caring young man, comes here whenever he can to volunteer here you know. This place would be awfully boring without him.”

“Is that so?” Joy would have never guess it from the way he carried himself around campus. He seemed like such an egotistic jerk that it was hard to see him as caring, but Grandma Lim didn’t look like she could lie. Perhaps there was more to V then he let on.

“Tell me, what do you see Jung-eng?”

Grandma Lim’s question confused her, “what?”

“You see Jung-eng I’m going blind and somedays my eyesight is normal but other days I’m blind as a bat. Today happens to be the latter, so sometimes I like to get the volunteers to describe to me what they see.”

“Well, I see” her eyes wandered over to the stage, Taehyung had somehow gotten three elder up on stage with him and was singing with them. She watched as he carefully twirled each one of them, and as he did so their faces smiled matcing his smiling face. The scene soften her heart and for a moment all she did was stare in awe at him. Her eyes following every movement of his. The way his eyes lifted up into crescent shaped moon, or the way his teeth showed when he smiled too hard. It was all enticing and she wasn’t sure it was even the same person she had pestered earlier.

“I see a warm and caring person.”

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