Chapter 10

A Clumsy Proposal

솔직히
사실대로 얘기할게
처음 그날 순간부터 지금
순간까지 순간도 일분 일초도
너를 사랑하지 않은 없어

 

Myung Soo recognized Sung Gyu's song 'True Love' at the first notes. Eun Ae and him had been listening to his songs ever since they had boarded the KTX. But now that she was sleeping with her head against his arm, he reached for her phone in order to check if the music playlist was exclusively composed of Sung Gyu's albums. The screen lit up to reveal a photograph of the singer's legendary eye smile and Myung Soo shook his head disapprovingly while opening the gallery instead of browsing the music application. He clicked on a folder entitled 'Infinite' only to find that it was mostly dedicated to the group's leader. He struggled to find a photograph of himself. The most beautiful one dated from a photoshoot session of the drama 'Angel's Last Mission : Love', it showed him dressed entirely in white clothes, smiling sweetly as he revealed his dimples to the camera. He liked this photograph because it exposed a different aspect of his personality, he was not depicted as an egnimatic persona, but as a charming man. It was a vision that coincided with his true self. He selected it as a new wallpaper and smiled contentedly once the picture of Sung Gyu was replaced by his own. Then, he placed the phone in Eun Ae's handbag as discreetly as possible. He glanced at her so as to make sure that she had not seen him, but she was still sleeping. He slowly slipped his arm around her shoulders and brought her face closer to his chest to allow her to sleep in a more comfortable position. The earphone fell from her ear in the process and he put it away. She whined at the sudden touch, so he her hair to guide her back to sleep. She was probably tired since their date had lasted well into the night and they had woken up early in the morning to catch the train to Busan. His manager had suggested to lend them a vehicle, but Myung Soo preferred the train journey. The man had not dissuaded him from that choice because it was a benefit for Eun Ae and Myung Soo to be seen in public. Even though the latter was aware of these considerations, they were not his only motivations. Actually, he was looking forward to going out with his friend because it was something that they rarely did after he had become an idol. Besides, he could finally take some time for himself. For one week-end, he had the luxury not to think about his reputation or his professional future, his sole focus was a healing trip with Eun Ae.

 

Busan was their destination for Eun Ae had never been there although marine landscapes were her favorite. He had a little apprehension about the fact that they should share a room, but he hoped that it would not be a problem since they were used to sleeping at one another's place. Moreover, the hotel staff might be suspicious if they were in separate rooms so they had no choice. He thought that she would definitely understand these reasons.

 

Eun Ae was awakened by the train's announcement once they reached Busan Central Station. From there, they took another line to Haeundae Station. She was no longer sleepy when she stepped outside of the building and felt the warmth of sun rays on her body. Myung Soo watched on as she spinned on herself like a child. He was caught off guard when she ran to him, suddenly throwing herself in his arms, and he let go of their luggage to hug her back. She thanked him repeatedly as people around them stopped in their tracks to look at the beautiful couple, some of them even captured the lovely moment on camera.

 

. . .

 

They headed to the beach after having left their belongings in the hotel room. Myung Soo settled comfortably on the sand while Eun Ae walked close to the sea, looking back at him once her feet came in contact with water.

 

"It's cold." she mouthed, to which he responded with a nod.

 

She stood there for a moment, admiring the shiny reflection of the sun on the surface of the water. Meanwhile, he adjusted the settings of his camera to secretly take photographs of her. He put the device away once he was satisfied with the results and looked at her instead. She played with the water for a while, then walked back to sit next to him. She pressed her wet hands against both of his cheeks.

 

"Isn't it refreshing ?" she asked playfully.

 

He placed his hands on top of hers and nodded. He observed her carefully as her facial expression changed, and he wondered why she was not smiling anymore. He removed her hands from his face but held them tightly.

 

"Don't look at me like that."

 

He smiled in awareness of her malaise.

 

"Why not ? Can't I look at my girlfriend ?" he joked.

"Don't call me that either."

"Alright, jagi. I won't call you my girlfriend."

"Yah you-"

He brought his face closer and whispered : "what's wrong, jagi ?"

"Please stop."

"Why ? Afraid you'll fall for me jagiya ?"

 

He was dumbfounded to see her face redden at his words. It was now his turn to feel confused. Eun Ae took advantage of his condition to push him to the ground and flee the scene, while he stayed lying on the sand. As he stared blankly into space, the vision of Eun Ae's blushing face rooted itself in his mind. He had never made her blush before. He was well aware that the reaction was part of her unconscious attitudes towards romance. The first stage consisted in her blushing whenever her love interest talked to her. The second stage was defined by the way she moved her hair strands behind her ear. As for the last stage, it was a habit of hers to cover with her hand when she laughed. Her reactions were equivalent to some sort of scale, evolving from one stage to the next as she fell deeper in love. Therefore, Myung Soo knew how meaningful it was to see her blush because of his words and actions. He was not bothered. In fact, he felt light-hearted and cheerful. He liked the idea that his pretend girlfriend was not indifferent to his charms.

 

. . .

 

The couple wanted to film the second episode of their series at the Busan Tower later in the day. However, there was a long line of people in front of the elevator that led to the top, so they chose to sit on a bench in an adjacent park where the surroundings were beautiful enough to organize a live broadcast. This time, it was Eun Ae's duty to introduce the dating spot, so she talked of her impressions of Busan whereas Myung Soo recommended other interesting locations of the city that they were planning to visit. Eun Ae seemed a lot more comfortable compared to the first time she had faced the camera, and, to his astonishment, she played along when he flirted with her. Her bold conduct contrasted with the shyness she had shown earlier. She used her most honeyed voice to call him 'Oppa', did not mind the proximity between their bodies, and gazed into his eyes every now and then. Yet, she backed away from him as soon as the camera was out of sight.

 

"Thank you Eun Ae, really. I don't know how things would be if I didn't have you."

He was glad to see her loosen up as she tapped his shoulder softly while saying : "that's what friends are for."

"Then... as a thank you gift, we'll do whatever you want. Just say the word."

 

He should have known better than to let her plan their activities, for her first wish was to visit the tower even though she knew how much he hated queuing up. He tried to dissuade her from waiting in line, but she dragged him nonetheless. Her grip on his hand was strong enough to force him to stand by her side. She entertained him to the best of her abilities in an attempt to ease his impatience. But when their turn came at last, Myung Soo forgot the long wait upon reaching the cabin where the panoramic view of the city was mind-blowing. They were walking around to see the panorama from different angles when he realized that Eun Ae had been holding his hand the entire time. And so his attention drifted to her. It seemed to him that they were holding hands quite often these days. Her fingers looked slender and delicate compared to his, it reminded him of how delicate she actually was. In spite of her apparent strength, she was very emotional and easily influenced by sentiments. She was quite naive too. That was why he had always felt the need to protect her. He had always thought that no men were good enough for such a precious woman who deserved to be cherished, yet he allowed himself to hold her hand, call her sweet names or charm her even if their relationship was not real.

He released her hand without her noticing and she walked to another window while he stood still, watching her from behind as he thought of the way their game of pretense made him feel. Eun Ae was beautiful, both externally and internally, and he was not against the idea of them becoming a real couple. He did not know whether it was love, or a simple attraction, but he had to admit that he could get used to having her in his life, as a beloved girlfriend.

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DreamyGongju
#1
congrats on winning the bid!
cuteflower
#2
Congrats!! :)
kkuchaen39
#3
congrats on winning the bid!!
Ghad20
#4
Congratulations on the bid 🥰
mandalee
#5
Chapter 3: Oof. I kind of understand eunhae’s point of view in this state because it IS bad to cheat on someone but her “you gotta choose sides” kind of irked me. I like this chapter because it’s so well written in a way that you highlighted eunhaes personality— very ideal, very strong moral code, probably very defensive, blunt and hardly wishy washy. Amazing chapter!!! I love writings that highlight characters!
WR_Supplier
#6
Congrats on the ad bid feature!
KimmyNurry
692 streak #7
Congrats on the bid! ^^
Minhospuppy
#8
Can't wait to read a myungsoo fan fiction after such a long time!! ^^