Close to You

Close to You
by abbyeepinkish11 | shabbypinkish13

Chapter Five

Ten minutes before lunch ends, I had a paper with my Physics homework printed on it and underneath it was a square spiral scrapbook with a piece of hard carton that hid the pages of what Donghae says is his secret... but a few moments ago, it became our secret. I was part of it already, and to think that a girl like me would share this secret with him.

Before entering the classroom, I went to a group of white lockers by the end of the hallway, specifically walking up to mine, which was located at the far end. Upon unlocking it using the key that I reached inside my pocket, I opened it to place Donghae's scrapbook inside. Putting my Physics homework below the scrapbook, I looked at it dearly like it was the most precious gift that I've ever received. I then felt my lips curve by themselves, and his smile started to linger in my head again.

I was able to get a grip of reality when someone from behind started calling me. Her voice seemed familiar, and the jolly tone in her voice made it easy for me to recognize her.

“Yoona-sshi!”

I turned my head, about to face my back when I see her rushing towards my side. Facing her, I was trying to keep the smile on my face, although I was a bit surprised and I try to hide it from her. She was Seo Joohyun, but she was better known in the school as Seohyun. Though she's friends with the devil's mistress and her psycho dwarf, Tiffany and Taeyeon respectively, Seohyun was different—she's more open to others, but she has this fear of boys wherein she avoids them as much as possible. Both of us went to the same school during our middle school days. We're acquaintances, perhaps, since we usually talk at Music club every Thursdays.

She had a bright smile on her face and her hair was pony-tailed. “Yoona-sshi, good afternoon to you.” she bowed her head. I bowed my head as well to greet her before she continued. “I heard that Mrs. Gong won't be able to go to this Thursday's meeting. Does that mean we don't have to go to Music club that day?”

“Mrs. Gong?” I mumbled to myself, trying to recall information about our music instructor as I looked up at the ceiling while holding the scrapbook in between my left arm and my chest. Upon remembering the answer, I faced Seohyun at my left. “She needs to attend her sister's funeral.”

Seohyun's smile faded. “Oh. Well, I didn't know that.” she lowered her head at me.

Alarmed that the enthusiasm that was once present on her face had disappeared upon mentioning the death of our music instructor's sister, I opened my mouth, trying to think of words that could comfort her somehow.

“Hey,” I stuttered. “That's alright. People come and go. It's life.” I tried comforting her with a smile.

In return, she lightly nodded her head before focusing her attention at me. “You're right, Yoona-sshi. Thank you.” she curved her lip afterward.

“Yoona!” I heard an awfully familiar voice calling me, and when I turned my head to see who it was, it was no other than Donghae himself. I gasped. I haven't adjusted myself with the reality that Donghae is a friend, but these feelings of mine couldn't stay still, and I just have to suppress them.

Upon closing his distance with mine, Donghae ceased his footsteps and showed me a notebook. “I think you left this at the library.”

It was only then that I realized that I had forgotten my Physics notebook at the library. It wasn't intentional, but I didn't even think that he'd bring it to me himself. Directing my eyes at my blue notebook, I smiled at my mistake as I scratched the back of my head. “Sorry about that.”

“It's okay.” he smiled back, handing the notebook over. As I try to hold the notebook in my hand, Donghae pulls it away from my reach. He continued to play with me with the notebook until I was able to get a hold of it. He willingly gave up, shrugging his shoulders while he averts his gaze from me with a smirk on his face. I ended up laughing at what he did just now.

“Once again, thank you.” I bowed at him.

“I should be going now.” Seohyun said all of the sudden before walking away, without another word. Something bothered me deep inside when I heard Seohyun's words that sounded like something was troubling her. Glancing at her face as she moved away, Seohyun's face depicted something far different from what I usually see from her. I've never seen her this... uneasy.

“Seohyun!” I cried out, hoping that she'd turn around and face me but she continued to walk away with her hands clenched into fists.

“Is there something wrong?” Donghae asked, and I felt like he's starting to get worried towards Seohyun and I. I turned to him, shaking my head out of doubt. “I... don't know.” I told him before taking another look at Seohyun. “It's just that... I never saw her like this.”

Silence was evident between us, until one time, when Donghae started talking. “You want advice?”

His words had this certain vibe wherein I couldn't help but curve my lip, like he was suggesting something. Curious, I ask him, “What?”

He cleared his throat. “I don't know what happened just now, but people aren't meant to be alone. Leaving a friend in that state can leave a barrier between you and her. Ask her what's wrong instead of just talking to her, rather than just let her go and lose another jewel from a treasure chest.”

I smiled at his answer. “Jewel from a treasure chest?” I chuckled afterward.

“Why? What's wrong with that?” he asked like he was really serious with what he said just now. “My dad once told me that when you find a friend, you find a rare jewel in them. So rare, that no one else can make a replica of it.” Donghae shrugged his shoulders. “No matter what other people say, each and everyone of us is a gem that can't be replaced.”

Instead of feeling his emotions as he justified his answer, I laughed, covering my mouth with my hand. At first, Donghae had this bewildered look on his face, like he can't and will never understand the humor of his innocence; how he completely believes in what he just said. But in the end, he laughed. Yet I have my doubts on whether he's laughing because he just realized it or he's laughing at me, particularly at the way I laugh.

“You laugh funny.” he said in between laughs.

I don't have to be skeptical about it any longer, but hearing him say that made me smile, and I think I'm having cheek cramps (if you can call it like that) after laughing and smiling.

“Still...” I uttered, his gaze focused at me while he tries to stop laughing. “...what you said is true. It's just that the way you said it made me laugh like an idiot.”

He chuckled. “Is that so? Well, I really respect my father. I hope that someday, he'd be cured. And by the time that comes, I'll come to him more often for advice and maybe, a few jokes for you to hear. That old guy is a lively person even though he's already sick.”

Although I have the reason to smile, something inside me wanted to be at rest... and that was curiosity. Smiling, I asked, “Why me?”

Donghae crinkled his eyebrows. “What do you mean by 'why you?'”

“I mean, of all the girls that you know and you can't trust; of all the gems that you can just randomly pick up from nowhere and tell your jokes and stories to, why me?”

He wasn't able to respond just yet; his hazel eyes conveyed bafflement.

“Why would you entrust me with such a secret? You don't even know me that well.”

I didn't mean to bring the mood down between the two of us. I didn't even sound pessimistic when I asked him, but he seemed to have remained frozen. After a few moments of silence, Donghae curved his lip at me, like he was totally enlightened after being puzzled for a few seconds.

“Honestly, I don't know why, but I just have this feeling that I'm indebted to you.”

I didn't know how to react at Donghae's answer at that moment. I simply widened my eyes upon hearing him say so, and I felt a wave of disappointment crashing its way to my heart.

“Pardon?” just escaped from my lips.

“Ever since that day when you walked up to me and reminded me of the few things that I overlooked in life—well, it made me think that maybe, all I ever wanted was someone to listen to me... to sympathize and tell me that everything will be alright in the end.” Donghae replied, trying to focus on anything that's around him except for me as he said those words. He seemed restless, inserting his hands inside his pockets as he musters up the courage to face me. I smiled at his small yet meaningful effort in doing so, and I listened to him entirely when he added, “I know I just got out of a relationship and I'm not being friends with you because I want to flirt with you or anything else that you can associate with that idea. I just need someone to talk to, that's all. And because of that, I can't help but feel like I owe you something. A real friend—that's all I need to just feel complete.”

I looked at him intently, sighing. “So basically, you want me to be your counselor or something?”

“A friend. A real friend.” he answered. “I mean, face it. They'll say that I'm not a real man because I cry whenever I have problems, or that I'm a she since I like designing clothes and distinguishing fabrics.”

“And you call them your friends?”

“Yeah.” he smirked, “Goes to show how much of a coward I am.”

“It's alright to be scared, but running away from your problems rather than facing them isn't good. You can hide them, but one day, everyone will know your secret and you just have to deal with whatever comes at you.” I told him in a cordial manner as I laid his book inside my locker, closing the door and locking it afterward.

“You're saying that you're going to reveal my secret?” he joked, pointing his index finger at himself as I chuckled.

“No, but I'm saying that the more you hide it, the bigger of an issue it will be. Same goes for life itself.” I shrugged my shoulders at him with a smile, holding the piece of paper with my Physics homework on it. “I gotta go now. Physics. Good luck with your life.”

Walking away, I grinned to myself as I trotted my way to my classroom. I guess I should join the drama club for being able to suppress my feelings in front of him just like that, when in fact, I felt like lightning struck me when he told me that he needed a friend whom he can talk to. If he wasn't even there while I'm heading off to my classroom, I would've cartwheeled my way there.

“Yoona, wait!” Donghae called out as I heard footsteps getting louder by the second. I bit my lower lip in order to hide the grin that was once present on my face from him. I felt his hand on my shoulder before I turned around in my place, asking him why he called me out all of the sudden. He continued, “Let's meet up later for dinner. After soccer practice. Is that alright?”

I took a deep breath, trying to keep the excitement inside me from bursting like a firework in front of him. “Y-yeah, sure.”

He innocently smiled at me, and I can't help but curse inwardly on how he looks his best whenever he smiles. “Alright. Meet me at the soccer field near the open field.”

The moment he told me to meet him at the soccer field, it felt like something was ringing at the back of my head. I thought it was my imagination, but it was only the school bell, ringing to inform the students to get back to their classrooms before the teacher locks the door.

“Bye, Yoona.” he gave a small wave with his hand at me, smiling before he turns his back at me and head off to his next class. As for me, I watched him enter his classroom before I walked to mine.

It was around 5PM when classes ended. After bidding my goodbyes to Yuri and Sooyoung, I went to the football field where Donghae said he'll be practicing with his teammates for two hours. For two hours, I watched him kick soccer balls with great skill, and aiming them at goals from a distance from the bleachers while glancing at my sketchbook, holding a pencil in my hand and sketching Donghae from afar. Whenever he did a good job, Donghae would glance at me and wave his hand in the air for me to see. He was a kid at heart, and knowing that makes me fall for him more and more.

After he finished taking a shower, I watched Donghae climb the stairs at the bleachers, heading towards me with a haversack hanging on his shoulder as he gripped onto its strap; he had a plain black shirt and skinny jeans to match it. I stood up when he was already two steps away from where I was sitting down, holding the horizontal sketchbook in front of me that covered the rest of my skirt as he spotted it.

“You draw?” was the first thing he said upon arriving.

“Oh.” I mumbled, hiding the sketchbook behind me. “I thought you wouldn't notice.” I answered, smiling sheepishly at him like I was caught red-handed with a dirty deed that I'm still trying to hide.

“May I see it?” he asked, a trace of curiosity present on his face as he moved closer. I reacted by taking a step back, shaking my head at him.

“I don't think that you'll like it.” I told him in a soft-spoken manner before I my drying lips. He then started to smile unceasingly, trying to charm his way to see the sketchbook in my hands, but I didn't let him. He gave up afterward, saying that we should be going already, but I felt a stir of emotions rumbling inside me. Donghae showed me his sketchbook, and the least that I can ever do is to show him mine. But the mere thought of showing my sketches to Donghae is just... embarrassing.

Just when he was about to go down, I cried out. “I might as well show you...” he turned around, a smile making its way on his face again as I lifted my index finger. “...one, perhaps?”

He ran towards me, filled with eagerness and excitement. “Sure.”

I took a step back once more before opening the sketchbook to make sure that Donghae can only see the cover and not what's inside it. I was afraid that if he sees the rest of my sketchbook, he'd have a different view of me. After flipping a few pages, I found one that he'd be delighted to see.

“Here.” I said, showing him a sketch of what I drew just now—an angled look of Donghae, whose feet are floating from the grass—one of them was bent while the other was stretched out—upon kicking a ball that was directed at him with a serious look on his face. The ball was a few inches away from him after getting kicked.

I can't help but feel like what Donghae was seeing right there wasn't good enough for him. Perhaps it's due to his mouth wide open and his eyes wide opened; it was like he's expecting more from me. Without saying anything, he held the sides of the sketchbook, specifically near where my hands were placed, and took it from me. He turned his back at me as he started to walk away; it was as if he was completely dismayed with what he had saw... until he faced me with a silly smile on his face. “You're really gullible, Im Yoona.” he jested, before running his way down the steps and to the soccer field, his eyes still fixed at my sketch of him.

I froze back there upon realizing his joke. Thoughts started to pile up inside my head, but the one thing that I'm fretting about is that he might even look at my other sketches. Knowing that I had to stop him before he flips a single page, I ran downstairs, whining. “Lee Donghae! Stop it, please! Don't even dare turn to the next page!”

But like a kid, Donghae had a smile on his face as he stared at my sketch. He was standing at the middle of the field. The shocked look on his face has faded and is seemed to be replaced by engrossment. Abruptly, I grabbed my sketchbook from his hands. “I'll be taking this.” I uttered, hugging the sketchbook in my hands.

He had that smile on his face again. Damn.

“Are you in the painting club or something?” he asked me, carrying a hint of curiosity and astonishment. I shook my head in reply before he continued. “Well, you should be. You have talent. It's very detailed and well done.”

I chuckled sadly. “Even though I'd like to be part of the painting club, my mother won't let me.”

He remained frozen for a moment until I started walking away. Catching up, Donghae ran by my side. “But... why won't your mother let you? Not everyone can draw as good as you.”

I continued walking while I answered his question. “Because she knows that I have this talent and she doesn't want me to surpass my sister.”

“Your sister?”

I stopped all of the sudden when I felt a few tears making their way out of my eyes. I wiped them off before facing Donghae, forcing myself to smile. “You know what, let's not talk about this right now. I'm starving.” I rubbed my stomach in front of him afterward, chuckling to hide the fact that I almost cried back there.

However, it felt like he was able to read right through me, like I was an open book to him. His face seemed to convey that he knew my whole life just by seeing my broken smile—sympathy, and that he wished that he could do something about it. At the same time, I was feeling sheepish in front of him since I didn't want to open up to him at that time.

But I can't bear the troubled look he had on his face. I decided to open up anyway.

“My own mother doesn't like me. I have an older sister named Yoonhye and my mother favors her more than she can ever favor me. She treats her like she's the only daughter that she has and I'm just nothing but a mere relative or acquaintance. Yoonhye's in college, studying arts and thinking that her precious daughter would get insecure, my mom concealed my talent. She forced me to join the music club even though it wasn't my passion. My mom did a lot of things to make me feel bad, as if she likes to have me killed or something.”

While saying those words, tears started to fall down from my eyes. The feeling that I get whenever I reflect on everything my mother had ever done, my heart would just feel so crippled over everything that I've done to make her smile, but failed. Without knowing, I started sobbing with my head lowered at him. Thinking about it, I had never recalled a time where she was worried of me.

I then felt Donghae's hand on my shoulder, making me lift my head to respond. “It's alright. Life isn't fair but it's worth it, right?” he smiled afterward, somehow calming my heart from its restless state.

I know that I should be the girl who just watches him from afar, knowing that he'll never notice a girl like me. I'm a whole lot different. There are girls who are far prettier than me, skinnier than me and more 'perfect' than me. But he just comes up to me and unbeknownst to him, he makes my not-so-worthy life worth living because even the smallest things that he does can make me smile and feel so special... and it feels like I'm falling into an endless pit.

The painful part is that he might not be there to catch me.

A/N:

So that's it for now, guys! Sorry if it didn't go as planned. Let's just say that the teaser you saw in the previous chapter is meant for the next chapter. I'm sorry, but I thought that the story will look a bit rushed if I did write the chapter about Yoona being framed. Trust me, the next chapter will be about that. But I hope that you enjoyed the YoonHae moments here! :-bd

@Lei-Lei
I'm happy that you liked this! :)) I'm pleased to know. ^^;; Thanks~ :))

@sushisoju
lol maybe Hae is becoming more and more "attached" to Yoong now? kkk :D And sorry about the teaser. I'll save it for the next chapter. Thank you for the comment. :)

@wintersoeul19
You mean the bowling ball thing? lol I remembered a certain episode in Hello! Baby where Taeyeon was trying to set up the pins and she keeps on failing. I got it from there. :)) Well, Yoona can't not talk to Donghae... she can't stand him ;)) thanks and updated! :D

@melodyoona7
I'm sorry dear, but the teaser will be for the next chapter. It didn't go as I planned. When I read it, it looked like it was going too fast. I'm sorry, but I hope that you still enjoyed this chapter. :D Thank you! :D

Btw, thank you, my dear subscribers. You're all awesome guys and you inspire me. :))

No teaser for now, since the teaser for the next chapter is stated in the previous chapter (by the end, as always).

Once again, thank you for reading. Please comment too! I want to know what you think of it. Suggestions? Violent reactions? :DDDD I hope you liked this chapter!! :))