CHAPTER 12:

“Minsung-ah, just talk to my granddaughter for once, huh? I’m telling you, you’ll like her. There’s no one who cannot resist my granddaughter's charm.”

I smiled a bit at grandma Sunkyu’s forever favor to me. She has always asked me to talk to her granddaughter who is living in Seoul but has never visited her here in Gwangsa. It's been awhile since I got here in Gwangsa and all she ever tells me is her only granddaughter. The smart, pretty, and kind granddaughter she has. 

She partners me up with the girl I never met eversince and I actually don't like it.

I think everyone in the town knows grandma Sunkyu’s granddaughter although she has never went here in Gwangsa. And her popularity here is all because of being boasted everywhere by her grandmother who is famous here in the town.

“Minsung, just talk to her! She must be really pretty and smart if she’s the highest in their class in Seoul.” My grandma then nudged me when she heard grandma Sunkyu from the kitchen. Of course, she will side with her best friend although she knows that I don’t like being introduced to anyone. Especially to her granddaughter.

I only focus on academics which is why I don’t like being introduced to anyone. So what more to the girl who has never visited her grandmother here in the province. I bet that she is a spoiled brat who thinks highly of herself. I can imagine her being a snobby person.

“She didn’t answer again?” My grandma asked Grandma Sungkyu after she tried calling her granddaughter and she dropped her phone while pouting.

“She’s really busy these days. Aigoo, my poor baby is making her life really hard, huh?” She said in a very concerned way.

My eyebrow twitched. I heard we’re just the same age, how can she be so busy that she finds it difficult answering a call from her grandma. I shook my head. 

A phone suddenly rang and we immediately turned to grandma Sungkyu. She raised her phone quickly and looked at the screen. She smiled widely and then answered it. I was shocked when she suddenly stuck her phone in my ear.

“Grandma, I’m sorry I didn’t get to answer your call a while ago. We just finished our performance. How are you doing, grandma? I’m sorry I cannot visit you. Did you eat already?” I heard her talking through the call.

I immediately put the phone away from me and gave it back to her. Her lips protruded again before putting the phone on her ear and talking to her beloved granddaughter.

“How’s my pretty Aera doing?” She changed her mood quickly after hearing her voice on the call.

I stared at the grandma while she talked to her favorite kid. I shook my head afterwards and turned to reading the book in my hand again. It was the first time I heard her voice and it immediately made me change my judgments about her and her relationship with grandma Sungkyu.

Her voice was small and very lovely. The way she talked thinking that it was her grandma made me realize that she’s not actually a spoiled brat. She humbly said sorry and even asked her grandma how she was doing in a concerned way.

“I told Aera about you, Minsung. She said she wants to talk to you!” One time, while she was gardening with Grandma in our front yard, she suddenly told me about that.

My eyebrow arched. She wants to talk to me? Why, though? What did grandma Sungkyu even tell her that she wants to talk to me? I doubt she knows that her grandma here is trying to be a couple maker.

“Aera-yah, here is Minsung. Talk to him, okay?”

I gasped when she really said that to her granddaughter on the phone when we saw each other again in the town hall for a celebration. I cannot do anything but accept the phone she’s extending to me because everyone was looking.

The townspeople were grinning at me while I slowly put the phone on my ear. I scoffed at them and just went away because they were teasing me so much.

“Hello?” She suddenly spoke while I was still trying to walk away from the noise of the town hall. My heart leaped in shock.

“Hello...” 

It was so awkward. I don’t know how to talk to her. I don’t even know her!

“Oh, hi! I’ve heard a lot about you from grandma.” She sounded bright and kind. Very different from my first impression about her when I was just still hearing stories from her grandma. “I heard we’re the same age?”

It made me feel bad when I realized I was so judgmental about her. She sounds so bubbly and friendly in the call. It’s as if she’s born to be a smooth talker because she easily made me comfortable in our conversation even though I always have a hard time being friendly to people. Although she asks about me, we always end up talking about her grandma and her health.

“Hope to meet you soon, Kang Minsung.” 

And we finally saw each other. It’s just that, I guess... she forgot me.

“Good morning, my name is Seo Aera, 20 years old.”

A girl slowly walked inside the classroom. My eyebrows arched when her name rang in my ear.

At first, I thought I was wrong when I thought that she’s the granddaughter of the late Seo Sungkyu because from what grandma Sungkyu said, her granddaughter is living comfortably and content in Seoul. Why would the girl suddenly want to study in the province?

But then, I have seen her childhood pictures from her late grandma’s house and she indeed looks like the mature version of it. 

“If you have any other questions that Sua and Yeri cannot answer, you can definitely reach out to me. I’m just in the library.”  I said when I approached her in the cafeteria on her first day.

It has been a year and so since we talked on the phone. Her grandma had complications in her health after the one time call we had and we never heard from each other again. That’s why I wasn’t surprised anymore when she didn’t recognize me a bit.

But I think I got tricked when I thought she’s a friendly and bubbly lady because obviously, now that she’s my classmate, she’s not like that at all. Although she got grouped with Sua and Yeri who are known to be the most extrovert and loud ones in our classroom, she’s still silent.

I can feel that she’s kind because of the way she talks with her small voice but she has the air that tells me that she doesn’t care about everything. It’s as if she has given up about everything. I usually see her silent and absent minded if without her friends.

I grew more curious about her. Maybe that’s why I got more interested in her. Although her eyes look domineering and her aura is overwhelming, It felt like she’s actually very down and unconfident. 

Grandma Sungkyu has always told me how smart her granddaughter is. That’s why when she got called by our teacher to answer a difficult question on the board, I wasn’t surprised anymore when she got it right. She doesn’t actively participate in classes but she always gets high scores. Be it in arts, physical education, and academics.

It made me proud somehow.

And then it hit me. I forcefully made my smile into a frown. What am I smiling about? Why would I smile? I know that I have a crush on her but I shouldn’t make it obvious. Many guys were already rejected by her. I don’t want to be the next.

Wait, do I even plan to confess? No. It’s so obvious she’ll reject me because she always avoid me. She feels uncomfortable with me already so what more if she finds out I like her? 

That thought made me clench my jaw. Dang, don’t I have a chance with her, then?

“That’s unfair. It’s not my fault I’m good at guessing right answers. That’s immaturity if he gets angry at me for that reason!”

For the first time, I heard her raise her voice. It sounds like a whining kid. Very cute. I quickly turned to her in surprise. But you know what’s more surprising?

It’s when I found her inside our house after class!

“You can continue with your studies, hyung. Aera eonni can help me. She beat the rank 1 of their class so she’s a genius like you too!”

Of course she lives next to our house because that’s the house of her late grandma! 

Her late grandma didn’t lie when she said there is no one who can resist Aera’s charm. My grandparents were so fond of her although they haven’t known her for long. They invited her to always eat with us every dinner.

I think I found my way to have a chance then.

“You look good together!” Grandma sounded so happy while saying it. I smirked a bit. Well…

“Minsung, remember when Sunggyu always wanted to introduce you to her one and only granddaughter and you always decline? Don’t you regret it?”  

My eyes widened when grandma suddenly said that out of nowhere. My lips parted. Seo Aera looked shocked at that as well. She has always been avoiding me and now, she even turned awkward with me. I panicked so in the end, I couldn't help it anymore and tried my shot to atleast make her befriend me.

“You always avoid me in school. Even in my grandma’s house, you keep avoiding me.” 

“No. I don’t.” 

My teeth clenched inside my tight sealed lips. She furrowed her brows and even then, she looked so gorgeous. 

“No, really. I don’t hate you. I-I just think you’re too intimidating…”

I cannot believe that those words came out of her lips. I’m the one here who is intimidated by her! Although she doesn’t mean to look disinterested in everything, because of her sleepy monolid eyes, she looks so sharp.

“Everyone in our house likes you. I don’t want them to see us being this awkward that’s why tell me what can I do so you won’t be scared of me.” I said as a reason. “Tell me what I should do so you’ll be comfortable with me. Is it that hard? Or our relationship cannot be helped?”

“Smile! You look friendlier when you smile.” She said in the end looking so frustrated because I forced her to say something.

Smile? I can definitely smile all day if it means that she’ll be comfortable with me. I don’t find it easy to befriend people, the reason why I also don’t have friends. But because I want to really be close with her, I always try to talk to her even when she’s at our house and sticking with my brother.

Because she barely gives a reaction to everything, I cannot help but stare at her and smile whenever I see her smile and giggle along with Sua and Yeri. All the time she talks to me, I treasure and appreciate it so much. Maybe I’m whipped because I find her every move so special. 

“Who’s that guy?” And I finally found out how much I feel for her when I saw her with a guy in front of the supermarket. My blood boiled when I saw Aera being held by an unknown guy. It was the first time I felt so frustrated. 

“Who else? Aera’s boyfriend, of course. They were even wearing a couple mask.”

They look so close. Is he her boyfriend? Does she have a boyfriend already? I wasn’t aware. That’s why when she denied Yoojung’s impression, I was relieved.

Seo Aera is really mysterious to me. Not only because of her personality but also because of everything that is happening around her. One time, I saw her being scouted by a talent agency right in front of our school gate and then the next time, I saw her around girls who looked like idols because of their bright hair colors and clothes.

I already had an idea that she has an interest in being an idol but I only confirmed it when she told me about it.

“What if I don’t have luck?” 

I was trying to be as objective as I can while talking about her dreams but when she suddenly sounded so dejected after I told her that luck and opportunity is needed to be successful in that field, my heart melted. I want to beat myself because I realize that I might be destroying her dream.

“Do you really want to be an idol?” I asked her because if she really wants to be one, I will definitely do everything to help her especially when I know a way.  “My mom is working on a TV station in Seoul. She has some connections in the entertainment industry. She can help you to be a trainee. You can audition to the biggest entertainment labels so you can have a higher chance of having both luck and opportunity.”

I don’t actually want her to be an idol. Her softness and kindness doesn’t deserve that kind of world. My parents work in that industry and ever since, I’ve heard a lot of things about how cruel that industry is. 

But does my opinion even count? I will fully support her dream and happiness. I can see her eyes sparkling while she talks about being an idol. I will just do everything to make her forget about the cruelty of that world if she ever encounters the evilness of it then.

But how can I do that?

“It’ll be hard for me to pass Seoul National University so I decided to pursue my real dream.” She told me while smiling widely.

“You decided to be an idol...that’s why you’re happy. Are you going to train at Han Entertainment?” I tried to sound excited but to be honest, a part of me starts thinking already.

She’s going to train as an idol. She’s not pursuing SNU like I thought it would be. Dang, what a fool. I even daydreamed about us being closer because we’ll be in the same university after graduating here in Gwangsa.

I start becoming concerned for her although she hasn't even auditioned yet. How will she endure the strict diet for being an idol? I heard some companies even forbid idols from having phones. Once she debuts, I hope people will appreciate her and not judge her for looking so charismatic.

And then, it turns out I was thinking so much about it. It stunned me when I knew that she’s actually an idol even before. 

“By the way, I think some of your fans got information that you’re here studying here in Gwangsa. I saw a bunch of ladies asking some students if there’s someone named ‘Seo Aera’ studying here when I got in the school today.”

And before I can even react about her being an idol already, the frustration and the fear on her face made me more alarmed. I volunteered to help her get out of the campus without being bothered by the press but knowing her, I understand that she declined it because she doesn’t like other people being involved.

The day today started as a normal day. I was so used to seeing Aera on our table every dinner but all of a sudden, she’ll not be with us anymore. How will I tell my grandparents who’s very fond of her that she has left all of a sudden?

“Will you be back here?” 

From the looks of it. I felt like it would be impossible she’ll go back here. Her real home is in Seoul and when I heard her friend saying that she’ll need to go back for protection, it immediately hit me that she’ll go now and that it’ll be hard to see her again.

“Thank you, Minsung, for everything.” 

I smiled at her for the last time. She likes me when I smile. She gets comfortable with me whenever I smile so I smiled widely to her for the last time even though I find everything hard to process. 

And all of a sudden, in a snap of a finger, she left. 

I tried to divert my thoughts back to studying like how I was before but it felt so weird now because I keep thinking that something is lacking. I chuckled at myself. How hard it is to not fall for that girl and when she already made me, she’ll leave and never contact. 

I worked hard as a high school student. I became more passionate about having the highest marks in class just so I can at least forget that one day, in our high school, a mysterious girl suddenly transferred, and turns out that she was a known idol.

I got accepted into Seoul National University. I had to leave Gwangsa with my younger brother, Minho, to study in Seoul. Although I don’t want to leave my grandparents back in my hometown, we have to. I suggest that they live with us in Seoul but they keep saying that they like the province better.

Although I sometimes go here in Seoul before, now that I finally start living here, I finally understand how big Seo Aera and her group is. Everywhere I go, I see banners and commercials of her former groupmates. I don’t know if I just follow social media accounts that talk about Seo Aera but whenever I open my account on the internet, fan accounts of her always welcome me. Her name usually trends too. 

I’m not a fan of social media but because of her, I dived into it so I can just look for her. I don’t have contact with her and she doesn’t even have her own official sns account which makes it harder to find updates about her. So what I did instead, I just kept scrolling about her facts and videos back when she was still an active idol. It eases my longing for my long-time crush.  

God, when did I turn to a fanboy when I was already her friend before?

The Internet answered all the questions that I have never received when I was still in Gwangsa. Many rumors spread after her leaving her group back then. They said she was a bully and such but according to my research and the people from the internet, it was a set up and she was just framed. 

I slowly learned that she’s actually a bubbly and friendly person back then...like how I thought when I first had a call with her. 

I fully realized why she was like that back in Gwangsa. She was forced to leave her group because of her issues and her dreams suddenly crumbled because of something she didn’t even do. Of course, it was indeed depressing and sorrowful.

I was already in my first year as a college student but Seo Aera hasn’t returned back as an idol yet. I was concerned and anxious about what’s happening with her. She clearly told me before that she wants to be an idol, her name is also cleared already but I never heard from her anymore. 

Her former group mates are also facing so many problems right now and I became more curious and concerned about how she is everyday.

“Where are you right now? I thought you wanted to pursue being an idol?” I talked to her picture on my phone. “Seo Aera, you’re really making me crazy.”