When I Can't Sing

- - - - -

"And the first place for this week's Music Bank will be...." the MCs looked at each others and together, they announced the name of the lucky winner. "J to the B!"

After the winner's name was announced, loud screams started to bomb the whole place, there's even some girls who're crying in happiness and some fans were mad, unsatisfied with the result.

The winner heard his name and walked towards the MCs to take his bouquet of flowers and the trophy every singers want to have. He flashed his famous smile to them and they smiled back, mouthed a 'congratulation' after they handed his awards.

"Thank you for giving me this amazing trophy. First of all, I would like to thank...."

JB was giving his thank you speech with a happy smile but no one knows, behind that smile and his happy-singer-just-got-an-award face was actually a sad, scared and soon-to-be regular boy.

Music Bank ended and everyone started to walk down from the stage, heading to their next destination. JB shook hands with his seniors and juniors and watched them left. After everyone is gone, leaving only him on the stage, he looked around. He put his trophy and flowers down and started to walk to the center of the stage.

*This is where I sang just now.* he thought and smiled. He bent down and touched the stage. *Will I be able to sing here again?* He let out a sigh and stood back up. He looked at the audience's seats and smiled weakly. He closed his eyes slowly and the image of his fans cheering for him, shouting his name and singing along with him during concerts started to pop up in his mind.

"I'm so going to miss these." he said and walked away after picking up his stuffs.

----------

"You're here." said the manager when he saw JB coming out from the KBS building. "Are you going to head home or hospital?" he asked and JB just put up his index finger. "Home? Arasso." he nodded and opened the door for JB to get into the van.

JB looked out the window as the manager starts the engine and the van started to move. He let out a long sigh and leaned his back against the cushion. "What's up?" the manager took a quick glance at JB through the mirror.

"Nothing really." the singer shook his head and looked at his manager back through the mirror. "I'm just tired."

"Okay." the manager nodded. But he knew, the reason why the singer behind him sighed is not because he's tired. The real reason is he's confused.

Times passed by and they already arrived at JB's apartment. He thanked the manager for driving him home and asked him to go back home too. "You should go home too, manager hyung. I'll be fine by myself." he said and closed the door. He waited for the car to drive away and entered the building.

He pushed the key into the keyhole and turned it, the 'krack' sound was heard and he wrapped his right hand around the doorknob and opened the door. His apartment is dark as usual. His hand searched around for the switch while he uses the other hand to take his shoes off.

"Surprise!" a loud shout was heard, making him jump a little. "Hello hello, Jaebummie!"

He looked up and a smile was formed on his face when he saw his best friend's face and a cake on her hands. "Amber noona!" he called out, making the friend chuckled. "What are you doing here?"

Amber Josephine Liu, JB's best friend. The one who always be there for him, the one who encouraged him to become a singer, the one who made him JB and the only one who never call him JB.

"Well, I got the news that said you won Music Bank and I got out from my house, went to buy this-" she held up the cake. "Then came straight here!"

"Aigo. I gave you another key is not for you to sneak into my apartment." JB chuckled and walked towards his friend. "Babo noona!" he poked her forehead playfully.

The older one slightly pouted and slapped his hand. "Don't poke me. I'm your noona." she glared at him. "Anyways, let's have cake now!" she held the cake on her left hand and grabbed JB's wrist with the other one, dragging him to the kitchen. "It's cheesecake. Your favorite." she turned around and grinned at him.

JB smiled happily. *Noona always make my day. I'm so happy.*

----------

"This is so yummy!" Amber patted her tummy and barfed loudly. "I'm so full!"

JB finished his cakes as well and shook his head. "And I thought this cake is for me but you're the one who ate more than half of it." he scoffed but ended up smiling for no reason.

"But I'm the one who bought it." Amber gave him a look and wiped with the back of her hand.

JB saw her doing it and quickly stopped her. "You're a girl. Wipe your mouth with a tissue, noona." he pulled out a tissue from the tissue box on the table and got up to wipe Amber's mouth for her.

The girl's eyes widened and she blinked after that. Her heart started to beat faster when the male wiped . "Ugh, I can do it myself!" Amber snatched the tissue from JB and pushed him away. "T-thank you by the way. " she said and looked away, wiping , more like trying to hide her tomato cheeks.

"Bounce. Bounce." JB's cellphone rang. He excused himself and went to pick his phone up. "Hello?"

Amber looked at him and puffed her cheeks. She put her hands on the table and rested her head on them. *Jaebum is so perfect. How I wish I can be his girlfriend or maybe someone who's more than best friend. But he's a popular singer now. I'll be nothing but just a best friend. One day, he'll marry a famous, pretty female artist who's more lady-liked than this tomboy here.* she sighed.

She started to study his face and her eyes slightly widened. That face of his, that's not the kind of face she likes. It's a signal that tells her something is going on right now.

"Oh, thank you."

She snapped out of it and quickly got back to her previous position, clearing . "So, who's that?" she asked when JB walked back to the kitchen and sat down on his chair.

"Just my manager." he smiled, faked a smile.

Amber sighed and looked at JB. "Something's going on, am I right?"

The singer was surprised but then, he's impressed at the same time. *My best friend after all.* "Nothing really. Just my busy schedule." he stood up to grab a bottle of cold water from the fridge.

"You cannot drink cold water. It's not good for your throat."

JB let out a soft groan and opened the bottle. Just when he's about to drink the water, a hand stopped him. He turned around and saw Amber's serious face. "A-Amber-"

"You're lying. It's not your busy schedule, right?" ding dong. Amber just won a quiz. 

"What? I, I did not lie." JB pulled his hand back. "What even, Amber, what even." he faked a laugh.

"See. You're lying again. You called me by my name, not noona. I knew it. Something is going on. Tell noona." Amber sighed and gently took the bottle from JB. "You don't really drink cold water. You only drink it when you're anxious, worry and when something bad is up." Amber stated and drank the water.

He just watched her drink the whole water and started to laugh. Amber blinked in confusion and stopped. "W-why are you laughing?" she took the cap and closed the bottle, putting it aside.

"It's funny that you know me so well." he said, wiping away his invisible tears. "Yeah. Something is up." he nodded, faking a smile again.

Amber felt bad, her heart felt like someone just threw a large stone and bricked it. "Stop smiling. Stop faking a smile! Cry if you want to!" she barked, making the younger had his heart skipped a beat.

"I, I don't want to cry. What made you say that?" JB looked away.

Amber sighed and put one finger on his throat. "Your throat. It's hurting, right?"

"H-how do you know?" his eyes widened in surprise. *I didn't tell her. Did someone-*

"No. No one told me. I just guessed." Amber shook her head and walked backward a few steps. "So, since when?"

"A long time ago and that phone call just now- it's not my manager. It's my doctor. He said that- He said that-" JB cannot continue his sentence. Tears started to gather inside his eyes, making his vision blurry and soon, they began to roll out and escape from those small homes.

Feeling bad and twice sadder than the boy in front of her, Amber bit her bottom lip and stepped forward, spreading her arms wide and gave JB a hug. Without any rejection, the boy hugged her back.

"It's okay. Cry. Just cry all you want." Amber whispered as she patted his back repeatedly.

*Thanks, noona. You're the best.*

----------

JB slowly opened his eyes and carefully elbowed himself up. He looked around and found out that he's inside his room, on his bed. He stretched his body and turned his head to look at the time. *Nine forty-five pm.* he sighed and got up from his bed, heading outside. *I guess Amber noona went home now.*

He opened the door and laughing sound was heard. He raised an eyebrow and followed the sound. He stopped at his living room and the brown, short hair looked familiar to him. He walked towards the sofa slowly and patted his best friend's shoulder. "What are you doing here? I thought you went home."

The girl just pressed her index finger on her lips and scooted over a little. "Sit here." she mouthed and patted the empty space beside her.

JB just shrugged and sat down next to her. Amber pointed at the television and he looked at it. "This." his jaw dropped when the 16 years old him was seen, singing behind the glass. "Yah! Where did you get this?" his cheekbones began to change color.

"It's a part of my collections." Amber winked at him and shifted a little, to make herself comfortable. "Just shut up and watch it, my boy." she said and popped a popcorn into . "Want some?" she handed the bowl of popcorns to JB, only got a head shake as a reply. "Okay then." she shrugged it off and popped another popcorn into .

He made himself comfortable as well and watched the video. *This is me. I'm singing. How I wish I can go back to that time.* he let out a soft sigh and the girl beside him heard it.

"Noona-" JB looked down and bit his bottom lip, trying to hold his tears, not wanting to show them to the precious person beside him.

"Yes?" she answered, her eyes still glued at the screen.

"What if I can't sing anymore?"

That question surprised her. She turned around and looked at JB with shocking face. "You." Amber swallowed the popcorns down. "Are you being serious?"

JB looked up at her and nodded. "The doctor said that my chance to recover from this injury is very little. He said that I might-" one tear escaped from his right eye. "I might lost my voice or cannot sing anymore." he whispered. "Will, will you still love me?"

Amber just kept quiet.

"I knew it." he chuckled softly. "Everyone, they love me because I'm a singer." he looked down, slowly sliding his body down on the sofa. "I know you'll be disappointed and stuffs like that. You're the one who encouraged me to become a singer. You're the one who made me one and that's why you'll be the one who hate me the most for not being able to sing anymore."

As he continued to talk, more and more tears came out from his eyes. "But noona, I, I lo-"

"E-hem! E-hem! Hello, Im Jaebum!" he looked back at the screen and Amber's one year younger self was in the television. "This is your favorite noona, Amber!" she laughed. "You see. I knew it! I just knew it! My precious little dongsaeng will be a singer and now, you're one! Noona is glad and happy that your debut is a huge success. Everyone especially cute girls will be all over you. Don't you ever forget about noona, arasso? Well, screw that. I know I'm your favorite noona." she winked.

JB cannot helped it but laughed a little. The reality Amber glanced at JB and smiled in relieve that now, he stopped crying.

"Oh my gee, you're famous now. I guess noona should keep her promise and tell you what she wants to tell you, huh?"

Blinking, JB turned around and looked at Amber. "Promise? What promise?"

Amber just shrugged and nodded at the television. Getting it, he nodded and moved his eyes back at the screen.

"What noona want to tell you is..... IM JAEBUM-AH, I LOVE YOU. I love you not because you have the voice, not because you're good looking and it's because I love you for who you are. The way you smile, the way you joke, the way you- I don't know. I just love you. I know you won-"

JB grabbed the remote control and switched the television off. Amber gasped when the screen got black. "Why did you turn it off?" she turned her head and a warm thing landed on her lips. She blinked and tried to make everything clear. Her eyes widened when the warm thing was actually JB's lips. Her body froze at the moment, not knowing what to do.

The boy pulled away and smiled at Amber, not his normal smile, it's somehow different. It's like the 'i'm in love with you' smile. "I'm glad, noona. I thought you'll hate me. I thought you're only think of me as a friend but all of them are wrong."

"Jaebummie... You just kis-"

Once again, his lips landed on hers again, this time, it's longer. Both of them closed their eyes and the girl kissed him back and the kiss got deepen.

After a few seconds, they pulled away. JB leaned his forehead against Amber's and looked into her eyes. "Noona, I love you too."

Amber was speechless. She started to cry due to the overloading happiness. She never thought this moment will come. To tell you the truth, she had feelings for JB since like five days after they met. Everything about him really made her heart skipped many beats those days but then, she knew about his dream. Not wanting him to be sad and somewhat down, she encouraged him to make his dream come true, she braced herself to take the consequence, which is hard to make him as her man now. She thought being only his best friend is enough but this moment, right now, after the boy confessed his feeling for her, she felt like she's flying high in the sky. It's like someone just filled up that empty space inside her.

"Noona? Noona?"

She snapped out of it and saw JB waving his hand in front of her face. "Are you okay?" he asked and she only nodded. Chuckling, JB got closer to Amber and wrapped his arms around her, bringing her closer to him. "So, will you be my girlfriend?"

Amber smiled. "Of course, I will!"

----------

"Wait! Aren't you JB?" a high school girl took out a picture from her bag and showed it to JB. "You're JB, right? The singer who quited being one!"

The new JB with short black colored hair and a dorky glasses smiled at her. "Yes. I was but now, I'm Im Jaebum." he stated and winked at her, making the girl's legs slowly becoming jellies.

"Appa! You're flirting with girls again!" a mad little boy crosses his arms and glares at his daddy.

JB turned around and laughed awkwardly. "Jinyoung-ah." he called out. "I'm, I'm just kidding. I didn't mean that. She's just one of my fans." he explained but it's too late.

The little boy stomped his way towards his father and gave him his hardest punch on the stomach. "Offff." JB groaned in pain and held his stomach.

"Jinyoung!"

Amber ran towards her husband and son with a little baby girl in her arms. "Yah! Jinyoung! Why did you punch your daddy? Again?" she glared at Jinyoung, who's pouting. "Say sorry now!"

"No! Never! Daddy flirted with girls again!" he pointed at JB and began to cry. "Jinyoung didn't do anything!" began to cry, hard.

"Aigo, you!" Amber turned and glared at JB. The little girl in her arms seems like she knows what's going on and glared at his daddy too. "You flirted with girls again!"

JB blinked and grinned. "You're so cute, noona." he reached out and ruffled the wife's hair. "She's just a fan. Fan. You're the girl who I'll flirt always and forever. You're the girl who I love the most."

The husband cupped the chin of the woman he loves and kissed her on the lips.

"Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww." the son stopped crying and quickly covered his eyes. "Get a room, appa and umma!"

The married couple looked at their son and then looked back at each others, laughter slowly coming out from their mouths. "Aigo, our Jinyoung-ah!" they went to ruffle the boy's hair together.

----------

Author's note : How was it? Do you like it? I'm sorry if this is too long for oneshot. Anyways, hope you enjoy this and please do leave a comment below! Tell me what you think about this! :D