“I got to go Sohyun. Wish oppa good luck that I can resist all the charms of all these Japanese girls.  I’ll try to get back to my room early, but better don’t wait for my call tonight” Seung Ho teased over the phone. Sohyun had warned him earlier how the Japanese girls would be throwing themselves at him. She indignantly mentioned that these girls were too open minded and very forward.  He had detected some jealousy behind her warnings and it made him feel good.

Sohyun grimaced and just said “Good luck! Bye! “and as she was about to put down the phone, she could hear Seung Ho-oppa laughing out loud.  Aaarrggghhh! She knew that Seung Ho-oppa was teasing her and she took the bait each time, no matter how often she told herself to be cool. She sighed and her laptop to catch the fanmeet in Tokyo live, online.

She watched as Seung Ho greeted his fans who were boisterous and loud. They were chanting his name and screaming Saranghaeyo and giving him the love signs.  She smiled looking at how shy Seung Ho-oppa became when faced with that much attention.  His ears were red and he kept covering his face.

Seung Ho-oppa was fun, cheeky and caring among his friends.  He kept that circle of friends small though.  However, with colleagues, acquaintances and fans, he became very shy and quiet.  Sohyun felt that was because he was too humble to acknowledge his celebrity status and hence often felt undeserving and uncomfortable of the attention. She was glad that Seung Ho-oppa included her within his inner circle.  In fact, they were both comfortable sharing their thoughts to each other, more so than with some of their other friends since being in the same industry, they understood what they each had to go through.

From the reaction of his fans, the fan meet would be a great success.  They played games and some of the girls got hugs and gifts from him. The atmosphere was fantastic. There was a short break and Seung Ho left to change.  During the break, a piano was rolled in.  Seung Ho walked out to the stage and stood by the piano.

Looking at his fans, he smiled and shyly said “As most of you know, my mom told me not to sing in public because, according to her it would have been just noise since I am not a good singer. But I gather my courage today and will try to sing my best tonight.  Please look kindly at me.  This song is for all of my fans, especially my special fan.” Seung Ho looked directly at the camera, smiled, and looked around, smiled and bowed.

Sohyun gasped because Seung Ho-oppa at times called her his special fan.  And when he looked directly into the camera, it felt like he was looking directly at her.  Seung Ho played the piano and sang the song “Because I Love You”. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDrUmhRQ698). He sang it softly but hauntingly.  It was beautiful. Sohyun felt like he sang it to her personally, as she was swept by the beautiful lyrics and his captivating rendition. But she then realized that thousands of girls listening to it probably felt that they were also personally serenaded by Seung Ho-oppa. She tempered her heart and reminded herself not to be swayed by her own wishful thinking.

During the interview session, Seung Ho-oppa was asked similar questions about Sohyun which he repeated his answers.  When asked whether he had seen her after Ruler, he admitted that he had met her on some group dinners and they got along well. He then distracted the MC by commenting that he saw Sohyun all the time now that it was overwhelming since her face from her various CFs and photoshoots, was everywhere including in Japan. That comments drew a lot of laughs and the topic changed.

Sohyun decided to get to bed early as she indeed was not expecting calls or text from Seung Ho.  She expected that Seung Ho and the crew would be out having dinner after the fan meet.  It was a surprised when she heard a beep on her phone.

            To Sohyunnie

I’m still out, having supper with the crew. Not with Japanese girls.  So, don’t worry, go to sleep and dream of me.

A group picture of him with his crew having dinner were attached to the message. Sohyun smiled blissfully and wondered if he worried that she would think he be with Japanese girls, and hence be jealous. Seung Ho-oppa is so shy, he probably would run if he saw the Japanese girls went after him. Nevertheless, she could not deny that she felt comforted from the message and photo.

A few days later, Seung Ho arrived home from the airport being enthusiastically welcomed by his cats. The cats were all over him as he unpacked and washed. They purred demanding attention from him. As he played with them, he called his mom and told her he would be dropping by with some gifts from Japan. His family loved the gifts and they were happy just to see him.  After dinner, he excused himself.

“Drive safely home, adeul! You must still be tired,” his mom said. Seung Ho stopped and turned, “Mom, I’m going to drop something off to a friend first before going home.” His mom smiled widely and nodded her head.  Seung Ho blushed.  He had not mentioned about Sohyun to his mom but he assumed that his mom must had suspected something.

When he arrived at Sohyun’s neighbourhood, he parked and called Sohyun. “Yoboseyo, oppa!” Sohyun chirpily answered. “You are back!” Seung Ho immediately smile hearing Sohyun’s happy voice. The sound of her voice always makes him happy.  She was like his happy pill. No matter how bad his mood was, texting or chatting with her would lift his mood.

“Yoboseyo, Sohyun-ah. Are you busy now?” Sohyun quickly replied “No, no.  we can chat.  I go to my room now.” and she quickly walked to her room but stopped when she heard Seung Ho asking her to go for a drive instead. “Do you think it would be ok?” Sohyun asked nervously. “We’ll stay in the car.  Just put on a dark jacket and face mask.  When you are ready to leave the house, text me and I will drive up to the lobby and pick you up,” Seung Ho told her reassuringly.

Sohyun was quite nervous.  They had not gone out without others before and hence she worried if they were caught together. But she did miss him and would like to go for the drive. So, she decided to trust Seung Ho and quickly changed her clothes.

As she arrived at the lobby, Seung Ho’s car turned in. She got in quickly and Seung Ho drove away, glancing at her with a cheeky smile. But the smile disappeared as he noticed that she was very nervous, her eyes darting outside on the look-out for paparazzi. He asked her to calm herself down “breathe Sohyun-ah, breathe.” “Ya, how could Oppa be so calmed.  Do you think this is safe, what if someone saw me in your car, at this time of the night?” Sohyun asked in a panic. Seung Ho looked at her “Shiro? I’ll turn the car around then.” “Ani, we just have to be very careful.” She adjusted herself and faced in front. Seung Ho chuckled.

Seung Ho drove them to a nearby lookout point. It was quiet and there was no one there. He assured Sohyun that he would take responsibility if they were caught together.  He also reminded her to pull up her coat and cover her face with the mask if anyone was to come by.  He put a cover on the windscree