Contains Ch's 13- 18 Of Until You're Mine

'The Things I do For You'  'I need you, DongHae' 'What dreams are made of: the musical'  'Uncle HyunBin' and the beginning of 'My Lullaby'

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The next couple of days I spent my time locked up either in the school theatre or in my room. I was trying to keep my mind busy; I avoided thinking about my neighbor, but I failed miserably. The reason I spent so many hours in the theatre was because my mind would think about him...about that day that changed everything. Why can’t I stop thinking about him?! I was becoming frustrated with myself.

            I was in the theatre, behind my piano as I composed a song, but it turned out so depressing. It was supposed to be a happy song.

            Heechul and KyuHyun make their way inside the theatre. They had been giving me my space this whole time because they knew I was upset, confused...and other unexplainable things. “Hyukjae, you ok?” Heechul frowns, “It isn’t that bad that he loves you...just accept it” he nods and KyuHyun mumbles an agreement.

            Accept it? How can I accept a love confession from someone who was really dear to my heart. I sigh slowly and shake my head, “I don’t think we could ever be friends again..”

            “Poor Fish.” KyuHyun mumbles and frowns a bit, “It isnt really his fault…I mean you can’t help who you fall for.” He nods and Heechul nodded in agreement.

            “So what am I supposed to do?” I stare at them.

            Heechul shrugs, “He could forget about you…if you show him you only want to be friends. Pushing him away wont solve anything.”

            I nod and stand, “I should go…its getting late.” I just wanted to be alone in my room. No matter where I went I always ended up thinking about DongHae’s confession.

            We walked out of the theatre, “I can take you home” KyuHyun suggested.

             I shake my head, “The walk home is what I need…” I smile at them and they seemed to understand. I needed to think things through. I didn’t want to hurt Donghae, but I didn’t want to lead him…I didn’t want to give him any hope that he and I could ever be together.

            I waved at my friends and walked off towards the woods but suddenly my phone rings. I stop and answer, “Hello?”

            “Date Donghae!”

            I sigh, “Hi to you too Sooyoung” I crack a smile once she laughs.

            “Please.” She says sweetly, “Just give him a chance! You never know…you could fall in love with him. How can  you not already?!”

            “Sooyoung I like women. You should know that…plus I only see Donghae as a really important friend. I don’t wish to hurt him” I walked forward and she began to scold me. She said I was stupid and I would regret making him wait. And blah, blah, blah. I just sigh, “I’ll talk to you some other time, Sooyoung…”

            She sighs as well in frustration, “Just…think about it” she says then hangs up.

            All I’ve been doing is thinking. I walked through the woods, lost in my thoughts when I suddenly hear, “PABO DON’T HURT HYUK JAE!” I stopped and froze in place. That…sounded…like DongHae. Oh, God I’m going insane now…my eyes widen as I stare at the dirt. Was I imagining his voice? I look around and didn’t see him.

            I slowly inched forward and stopped when I saw a group of  people surrounding the lake. I hid behind a tree and frown. Is DongHae there too? “And where is you precious Hyuk Jae, eh? Why isn’t he the one saving you from drowning?” I heard Kai laugh.

            My heart stops. Kai…knows Donghae?! I’m not sure why but this really bothered me.

            “He is busy…succeeding in music, while you continue to fail.” DongHae replies. I crack a smile and shake my head slowly. Aish…this kid doesn’t know Kai and his stupid bully friends.

            “Is that so?” he laughs again, “Donghae do you not see that Hyuk Jae will never take you in consideration? To him, you are nothing…” he said it so harshly; it ended up hurting me as well. Why would he ever say that to DongHae?! Because it isn’t true…I do care about Donghae.

            “AISH YAH enough talking!” I heard one of his friends yell, but I didn’t see what they were doing.

            “Don’t touch me!” Donghae yells.

            My heart started pounding from what was going on. Are they planning on hurting him? No, I wont allow it.

            I heard a splash a bit later and I quickly approached them; I stared at the lake and my heart nearly fell out of my chest when I saw four of them were drowning Donghae!

            “LEAVE HIM ALONE!” I yelled as I made my way towards Donghae. I quickly pull him out of the lake and protectively hug him as he coughed out the water and shivered in my arms. He pouts and clutched onto my shirt; he slowly looks up and seemed shocked to see I was the one who pulled him out. But I didn’t look at him. I was busy glaring at Kai and his stupid friends.

            “Go home Donghae.” I whisper. This wont end pretty and I really didn’t want him to be here for it.

            He shakes his head while I help him stand; he hugs himself while I approach the gang that stood in front of us. DongHae, why wont you listen to me and just leave? Cant you see I’m trying to protect you?

             “What exactly do you want?” I ask while I pushed Donghae behind me. If they wanted to hurt me, fine, but they better not pull Donghae into this. I frown when I noticed he seemed hurt in his leg for some reason. I ignored it and

            “You, in pain.” Kai smirks.

            I laugh, “Ok…I’m right here.” I spread my arms apart and waited for them to attack, but then I remembered there was someone still behind me; I slightly turn and say “Go Donghae.”

            “No, I wont leave you.” Aiisshhh he is so stubborn! I roll my eyes and mutter, “You are so stubborn.” I turn and glare at Kai.

            I could feel DongHae shiver behind me. I wanted to hug him…he must be really cold from being pushed into the lake.

            I snap my thoughts away from DongHae and forced myself to focus on the people in front of me. The four that tried to drown DongHae slowly make their way out of the lake and approach me with smirks. “But really,” I smile slightly, trying to hurt Kai’s ego, “Six against one seems a little unfair.” I teased. I knew how much he wanted to hurt me…but why wont he do it alone?

            “One?” Kai chuckles, “And the fish beside you?”

            I exhale heavily; my insides turned and I wanted to hit him for even implying DongHae was involved in this. “Leave him out of this.”

            “I will…once he leaves.” One of his friends says.

            I turn, “DongHae…please leave.” I was becoming desperate. I NEEDED him to be away from here; somewhere safe. He stares at me and slightly pouts. I stare at his lips and felt a tug in my heart.

            “But I cant” he says softly; he was having trouble with this as well.

            Maybe I should try a different approach. He did say he would do anything that would make me happy…hmmm. I thought for a while about what to say. “Please?” I smile sweetly at him, “I’ll be ok, don’t worry.”

            He stays quiet.

            “It would make me happy…if you wouldn’t see what will happen…” I whisper, a bit hesitant but certain that my words would get to him. Please…please leave DongHae.

            He sniffles because of my words and slowly nods, “O-kay…I’ll go…” he sounded so hesitant, but I was relived he finally listened.

            He leaves quickly and before I could react one of Kai’s friend (Suho?) grabs me and they all start coming at me; except Kai. They started ganging up on me, hitting me until I bled, but I put up a fight. I hit them back as hard as I could, and threw them into the lake. One of his friends slices his knife into my back and I had to bite my lower lip to keep from screaming. I turn and punch him across his nose. I felt dizzy from the blood that spilled from my face; I was badly hurt from them attacking me all at once.

            Once his last friend was down, Kai suddenly attacks me and yells, “You think you’re better than me?! I can simply destroy all your dreams in a second.” He glared into my eyes as he held a knife near my hand; piercing it to the side. I felt my heart pounding faster just by the look in his eyes; I knew he wasn’t kidding. He would hurt me if he ever had the chance…well goodbye piano/music career. I nearly cried, but suddenly Donghae runs up to Kai and kicks him roughly across his hurting leg; which sent him crying in pain. Donghae grabs me gently held me up and wraps my arm around his as he walks towards my house.

            I had trouble processing everything. My head, heart and wounds ached in all different types of pain. The smell of blood surrounded me, but I only ignored it.

            Donghae really was taking me to my house so I struggled to say, “Your house.” I didn’t want SungMin to see me, in case he decided to come home tonight. He told me he was spending the night at a friend’s house…and either way…I didn’t want to be home alone.

            I limp my way into his house and he locks his door before walking me to his couch. I wince in pain as he slowly sits me down. He runs off somewhere, comes back with a first aid kit and sits in front of me; on a little table in front of the couch. I had a difficult time breathing properly from how strong the pain was becoming.

            DongHae pouts and with trembling hands dips a cloth in rubbing cloth and slowly rubs my forehead wound with it. I winced in pain from the sudden sting, but I kept quiet. He keeps wiping the cloth down my forehead, nose and upper lip. He frowns as he stares at my nose; I figured it was broken or something.

            He grabs another cloth and pinches it around my nose; it hurt! But I stayed quiet while he says, “Lean forward and sit up straight.” I groan a bit as I obey him. I really didn’t have much strength so without realizing it I lean my head to his chest for some sort of support…maybe a bit of comfort as well. While he pinched my nose his other hand pinched the bridge of my nose, “It’s not broken.” He sounded happy to say that.

            Well, that’s a relief. I breathed slowly, lost in my thoughts while Donghae stayed quiet. His words kept playing again and again in my head, so I slowly close my eyes. Don’t. Stop, heart, and forget what he said. But…DongHae has done so much for me for so long, how could I ever ignore him? I just can’t…I want to be close to him. I care about him far too much to ever successfully stay away.

            I smile a bit, enjoying his warmth but then his hand suddenly lets go of my nose; he pushes me back a bit and inspects me, “The bleeding has stopped.” He stares at the cloth and frowns at the amount of blood. He suddenly pouts-again, but I still think it’s adorable- and places the cloth to the side and grabs the other one to clean my upper lip. He would place band aids on my wounds, which I thought was hilarious, but I stayed quiet. I stared into his eyes as he grabs a Band-Aid and presses it on my upper lip. He seemed to be concentrating really hard.

            I was lost in my own thoughts while I stared into his lake-like eyes. They really are beautiful...

            I notice he suddenly seemed nervous while his cheeks turned scarlet red. Why is he blushing? Then I suddenly realize I had been staring at him for who knows how long! “Sorry…didn’t mean to stare.” I mutter and stare down at the floor.

            He shakes his head and smiles a bit, “No, its ok.” He takes my hand gently and slowly cleans it up with the cloth; he seemed really gentle. “Did they hurt you anywhere else?” I stay quiet and stare at my hand on his. Should I tell him about the cut on my back? Maybe that wont be a good idea…I don’t him to be even more nervous than what I just made him.

            I watched his hands as they slowly bandaged up my hand. He finishes quickly then smiles at me while he insists. “Well?”

            I clear my throat and shake my head. I knew he saw right through my lies though. His eyes told me so.

            “Are you lying?”

            “No…” Stop asking! Aish…I can never win with this guy.

            “Hyuk Jae.” He gives me a stern look and I could’ve laughed if I didn’t feel suddenly nervous. I exhale and my leather jacket slowly. DongHae’s suddenly went as big as marbles while I threw my jacket to the side. The last thing I saw was him looking down with pink cheeks as he intertwined his fingers together, nervously.

            I turn so my back was to him as I take off my shirt, “See.”

            “Does it hurt?” he asks in a worried tone while he quickly cleans the wound.

            I winced at how bad it stung, “Yea.”

            “Sorry.” He whispers and I half smile when I felt him sticking band aids on the wound.

            I chuckle, “You sure band aids are gonna help?” I was teasing him.

            “Trust me, they will.” He taps my shoulder, “All set.” He says sweetly while he grabs my shirt and helps me put it back on gently. Putting on my shirt was difficult with a wounded hand, I accidentally hurt myself. I groan a bit while DongHae helps me put on my jacket. “Thanks.” I mutter weakly.

            He smiles sweetly and nods, “No problem…want me to walk you home? If you’re in too much pain…”

            I only shake my head while I try to stand up, but I suddenly felt dizzy; I hadn’t realized I almost fell until DongHae holds me up. I felt exhausted. He pouts, “Want me to-”

            I only shake my head, “Can I…stay here?” It was a small whisper, so I wasn’t sure if he heard me or not.

            Donghae nods and helps me lay down comfortably on his couch, “I’ll go get you a blanket.” He says sweetly then runs off. I shift in the couch and look around his house. DongHae comes back with a fluffy blanket and unfolds it before wrapping it all around me; he tucks me in and I smile at how thoughtful he was. “Comfy?” he asks with a sweet smile.

            I smile and nod, “Very.” I felt very tired so suddenly. I placed my good hand on the blanket while I say, “Thank you…so much…” my voice trailed off. I really didn’t know how to thank him properly…a simple ‘thank you’ didn’t seem like enough.

            He sits on the couch, close to me and nods, “Want me to turn on the heater? Or maybe the air conditioner? Or would you like something to eat before sleeping? Or maybe a bed time story?” he grins while he listed everything. If it was anyone I would be annoyed, but since it was Donghae I thought his endless talking was highly adorable; especially when it came with his smile.

            I only shake my head slowly, unsure of what to say.

            He nods, “Kay goodnight.” He stands and was about to leave but I gently grasp his hand and hold him back. He looks back and stares at my hand holding onto his.

            “Don’t leave.” I say softly, I didn’t want to sound like I was begging but that’s what I was. I really didn’t like to be alone and plus I enjoyed having Donghae around.

            He blinks a couple times, probably out of confusion. He sits back down and nods, “I’ll stay…” he leans his head down on my shoulder and smiles a bit, “Sleep, Hyuk Jae…have sweet dreams.” He says sweetly and I only managed to smile at him.

            I close my eyes, exhale a bit as I felt sleep coming. I was oddly comfortable even though DongHae was on my shoulder. His warmth was pleasant, and in an instant I fell into a deep sleep.

            That night, I dreamt about Donghae. Yet again. It’s becoming a little odd how I always see him; whether it was in my dreams or not. In my dream we just sat together in a grassy area; he was smiling brightly as the sun shone on him. I stared at him, at loss for words. He really did look like an angel.

            I woke up to Donghae poking my shoulder; I shift in the cough and groan from how much I enjoyed being asleep. I slowly wake up, my vision was still off, but then it suddenly focuses when I see Donghae’s bright smile, “Morning sleepy head!” he grins, “Made you some waffles, want some?”

            I stare at him and then stretched a bit, “Sure” I mumble and he walks to the kitchen.

            “Uhm…we’ll wait in the car.” One of his sisters says while she grabs the younger one as they run off.

            He walks up to me with a plate with two waffles that were drenched in butter and syrup. He also hands me a glass of milk, “Here you go.” I take then with a small smile. He sits beside me, “Feeling better?”

            I nod as I cut the waffles with the fork, “Yes, thank you. I actually had sweet dreams.” I smile a bit while I remembered how he looked in my dream. He still looks the same, except he really glowed in my dream.

            “Really?” he perks up. “What was it about?” he always asked what my dreams are about…and yet I still wont tell him.

            I tilt my head to the side, stared in front of me and pretended to actually try to remember. I frown, “I don’t remember.” I shrug and go back to eating my waffles.

            He sniffles and suddenly pouts again. He seemed really disappointed, “Whats with the face?” I frown and stare at him while he quickly blushes. I hide a smile; Oh DongHae, you must really want to know what goes through my head.

            He clears his throat and shakes his head, “No nothing…” I only shrug and finish my waffles and milk.

            “Thank you” I smile at him while he takes the plate, fork, and cup to the sink. 

            As much as I don’t want to, “I should go.” I exhale and rub my head a bit.

            He nods, “Yea, wouldn’t wanna be late.” He sounded sad as he stared at the floor. He exhales and smiles at me, “I’ll see you at school?”

            I nod and smile at him, “Of course you will.” It’s settled; I couldn’t ignore you even if I tried. I wave at him before I walk out of his house and head home.

            Again, stress came to me; it was flooding me to the point where I could no longer properly breathe. I sat on the red seat during rehearsal and once it was over everyone left one by one. Hongki smiles at me, “hey…don’t be so stressed, Hyukjae…everything will be fine” he nods and I just stare at him.

            “If only it were that simple…” I held both scripts in hand, “But thanks…”

            He nods, “Anytime. Go home and rest. Health comes first.” He smiles and walks off.

            I stare at the script while I felt stressed enough to blow.

            “Need any assistance?” I knew the voice belonged to Donghae, but I lowered the script and stared at him just to make sure.

            “No, Donghae…you wouldn’t understand any of this…” I smile a bit at how he wanted to help. I wanted to say more, but I stayed quiet and stared at the script.

            “Understand what?” he sits on  the seat next to mine and stares at me. “Can you at least tell me why you have TWO musicals?” 

            I stare at him and was a bit confused. I’m pretty surprised he didn’t ask this question before. “Oh…uhm the principal has a young daughter and she wanted me to…make a musical for her birthday.” I roll my eyes at my stupidity. I just LOVE stress….ugh. I exhale tiredly.

            “Oh…so it’s a kids musical!” he sounded excited by that. “How fun! I bet they are gonna love whatever you come up with.” He nods and smiles at me encouragingly.

            “DongHae, if only musicals were that easy to make…I have cast members, sure, but I don’t have what I need.”

            “What do you need?” he frowns.

            I nearly smile at how interested he actually seemed, “None of t he actors seem right…they are just not…one with children…I need a cast that is performing to entertain children and not to just please me.” I try my best to explain. I scowl at my script while I thought about Taemin. He isn’t a bad person, but he doesn’t seem too good with kids…I stare at my script.

            I could see SungMin approaching us from the corner of my eye, “Hyuk jae…” I didn’t notice how hesitant he sounded.

            “Hmmm?”

            “Taemin…quit…he said he didn’t want to be a part of the children’s musical.” He sounded a bit afraid because he knew my temper would be at its peak with all the damn stress.

            Donghae scoots over to the opposite side while I grip on the script, “What do you mean…he QUIT!” I glared at Sungmin, but my anger was pointed at Taemin. How could he leave the musical?!

            SungMin backs away slowly.

            “He knows how important he is and now my time is cut shorter. Her birthday is in two weeks! How am I supposed to replace him suddenly?” I was beyond pissed; I exhale, trying to calm myself down. “Sorry SungMin please leave before I take my anger out on you some more.” I say softly and SungMin didn’t hesitate to quickly run off.

            DongHae stares at me and chews on his lower lip. He sits up and faces me; a wide grin appeared on his face as he says, “I’ll do it.”

            “Do what?” I was lost in my own thoughts.

            “Replace Taemin” he nods confidently while I was completely shocked. Did he really just say what I think he just said?

            I lowered my script and stare at him with a confused expression, “YOU? Replace Taemin? You do know he is in choir, right? That’s why I chose him in the first place…he had the voice of the perfect character…” I frown and shake my head. I stared at him. Well…DongHae is pretty childish…the kids would surely love him…but can he sing?

            “I can do it.” He nods.

            “DongHae…being a part of a musical isn’t as easy as it sounds…you have a lot on your plate and-”      

            “AND I can handle everything on my plate just fine.” He nods once and gins, “Don’t you trust me?” he half pouts and I chuckle at how he can convince me so easily; effortlessly even.

            “Well…” I was hesitatant. I didn’t want Donghae to do this just to please me, and knowing him I figured that was his purpose. But…giving him a chance couldn’t hurt…right?

            He presses his hands together and leans close to me; I felt my heart swell up as he pleads, “Oh please please please let me help you!” How could I refuse when he’s so persistent?

            I exhale deeply, shake my head but managed to smile sweetly at him, “Fine…I’ll let you be in my children’s musical.”

            He almost sprang up the seat from excitement, but I extend my first finger in front of him, “BUT you MUST attend ALL the rehearsals.” The few left anyway…

            He stares at me and nods, “Ok…when are they?”

            “Opposite days of when Henry has to come for the other musical. So Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, ok?”

            He nods, “Yes, Sir.” He grins happily.

            I tilt my head as I stare at him, “Can you even sing?” I should’ve asked this first, but he was so confident I figured he could.

            He seemed to freeze in place, “Sing?”

            “DongHae…in a musical you have to sing…live…in front of EVERYONE.” I say it slowly so he gets it, but he seemed shocked; even a hint of fear appeared in his eyes.

            His jaw drops and I frown as he seemed to be having a mental breakdown.

            “Will you watch me?” he asks as his voice seemed off. I laugh a bit at how cute he asked that.

            “Of course! It’s my musical, I have to watch it.”

            He frowns, “Cant you close your eyes when I sing?”

            I grin and shake my head, “Donghae…Taemin was  the lead role…so you will be singing the WHOLE time.” He seems really nervous…but I found it amusing how he thought I wouldn’t watch him.

            He pouts, “And you have to watch?”

            I nods, “Yup, still wanna do it?” I teased. He still had time t o back out of this, but I knew he wouldn’t.

            He nods and I hand him the script. He seemed shocked by how many papers there were in total. He stands and walks off, but turns and says, “I’ll come tomorrow…for the rehearsal.”

            I nod and wave at him, “See you then Donghae.”  I was actually feeling excited about this. Seeing Donghae sing should be interesting. I smile a bit and SungMin sits beside me.

            “Feeling better?” he smiles when he notices my mood had changed.

            “Taemin is replaced.” I say with a smile. I felt my stress subsiding.

            “By who?” SungMin smiles.

            “Donghae” I grin while SungMin suddenly frowns.

            He rolls his eyes and cross his arms, “Figures…the idiot would do anything for you…” he says bitterly and I smile at that. He really would do anything for me…

            The week passed by quickly and Donghae seemed so dedicated to his role; I was really starting to admire how much he would study the script-he would sit backstage and memorize it for hours.

            During rehearsals, Donghae seemed to really avoid my eyes. He looked so nervous, but I couldn’t help but glance at him. He truly was the perfect character; pink cheeks and all. I smile to myself once rehearsal was over. I wanted to say something to Donghae but he quickly walks off backstage with his script in hand. I figured he’d be trying to memorize it some more. I was about to go back with him, to thank him for trying so hard, but then Taemin walks into the theatre. I stare at him and slightly frown, “You could’ve personally told me you were quitting…” I say bitterly.  

            Taemin approaches me and half smiles, “Sorry…” he says sadly, “I just got nervous…but if you would let me…I would really want the part back.” He stares at me and I frown.

            I shake my head, “Someone already took it-” I tried to say, but he shakes his head.

            “Well tell him to give it back…I’m sure he’ll gladly accept.”

            I stare at him and shake my head. I didn’t WANT to take the role away from Donghae. He deserves it after trying so hard…but I should ask him. He does seem nervous about it…I should at least ask him. “I’ll ask, but if he refuses then he keeps the role.”

            Taemin smiles and nods, “Thank you.”

            I nod and walk backstage; I make my way to Donghae’s dressing room and slowly walk inside. He was sitting on the floor, back against the wall as he stared at the script in his hand. He seemed really focused as he read it softly. I sit beside him and hesitated when I say, “Taemin…talked to me today.”

            He didn’t stop staring at the script, “Oh…really? Did he apologize?”

            I exhale and hated myself for saying what I didn’t want to say. “He wants his part back.” But its your choice Donghae, you can keep it if you really want it.

            His eyes peel from the page and he stares at me. He smiles, but it didn’t reach his eyes; not even close. “That’s great…looks like you get the person you imagined for the part.” He smiles sweetly and nods.

            I stare at him, “DongHae…you’ve been really dedicated to the part, so I don’t give it back to him. You deserve it.” You really do.

            He shakes his head, “No. He’d probably do the part a lot better anyway.” He shrugs and smiles slightly.

            “Don’t give me your fake smiles.”

            He pouts and stares at the ground. Aish, why does my heart feel odd every time he pouts?! “Sorry.” He mumbles and I smile at him.

            ‘You don’t want the part?”

            “I do…but he has the voice of the perfect character.” He repeats what I once said and for some reason that hurt. I shouldn’t have said that. “So you should give it back to him.” He nods, “Plus…I’m awkward and…yea.” He says under his breath.

            I smile sadly and shake my head, “But you’re really…dedicated and that why I would love for you to take the lead role, Donghae.”

            He shakes his head, “no…give it to him.” He insisted with a nod.

            I exhale, “You sure?”

            He nods, “Positive.”

            I look around the room trying to find a way to convince him to keep the part. “But…you’ve been-” he cuts me off by standing and shaking his head. I stare at him, “I think Taemin deserves the part…he made a mistake.”  He shrugs and clutched the script to his chest. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow.” He mumbles sadly and walks off. My heart suddenly dropped to see how affected he was by this. Aish…I should’ve never told him…

            Days later, Taemin falls sick. Seriously sick. He was taken to the hospital for high fever. The worst part was that tomorrow was the musical…to say the least, I was overwhelmed. I quickly made my way to DongHae’s house. I really needed him to help me or else I’d just die.

            I ring the doorbell to his house and was surprised at how fast he opened the door. He smiles, “Oh hi Hyuk Jae…come in.” he moves and I quickly walk in.

            I was nervous as I stared at him, “What’s wrong?” he asks, he seemed worried.

            “Taemin, is sich…and I don’t mean ‘cold’ sick…I mean he’s in the hospital with a high fever.”

            His jaw drops, “That’s terrible! Is he gonna be ok?” DongHae didn’t know Taemin personally and he seemed sincerely worried about him. That made me smile.

            I nod, “He has to stay in the hospital for a week.”

            DongHae pouts, “I’ll visit him this weekend and send him some flowers.” He smiles and then his jaw drops, “What about tomorrow?! The musical is tomorrow!”

            “I was wondering…if you could take his place…but this time for real.” I smile sweetly. Hoping that he would do this for me, even though he shouldn’t.

            He blinks a couple times and frowns, “But…I’m not ready.”

            I should just get on my knees and beg! “Please Donghae…you’ve read the script so many times…I have faith that only you could pull off the lead role.” I smile and nod, “Please…” I pleaded. “I feel bad bothering you, but I really need you Donghae…but if you don’t want to, I wont force you.” I shake my head.

            He smiles and shakes his head, “I’ll do it.” He says softly. I felt a sudden wave of relief wash over me.

            I smile, “You sure? I know its last minute.”

            He nods, “I can do this…the character isn’t that difficult to relate to.” He smiles. “And I’ve read the script many times…how hard can this be?” he half shrugs and smiles.

            “Thank you.” I say softly as a grin appears on my lips, “I’ll be sure to repay you somehow for everything you do for me.” And I mean that…I don’t know how, but I’ll find a way to make it up to him.

            He shakes his head, “There’ no need…I am happy to help you. You should know that.” He half shrugs and I nod. I know; I still remember you saying you just want me to be happy. My heart swells up.

            “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

            He nods, “Night.” He stares at me and I smile at him sweetly.

            “Goodnight DongHae.” I whisper, but I didn’t want to leave. I was about to walk of, but I suddenly stop myself and in an instant I pull Donghae into my arms; I hug him tenderly and he slowly wraps his arms around me and hugs me back. Thank you…for everything. You really do love me…and I’m an idiot for being unable to love you back.

            The hug was pleasant, and it hurt when we pulled away. He was blushing as he stared at the floor.

            “Sweet dreams.” I say and smile to myself as I leave. Red is definitely his color. I smile as I thought about his scarlet cheeks.

            “Sweet dreams.” He whispers back. 

I made my way into the theatre; I scanned the area and smiled to myself when I saw how many people were attending. The red seats were pretty much filled. I tucked on my blazer nervously and felt myself shaking from the nerves. I smile when Sungmin-who was also dressed in a tux- walks up to me, “Hey! Are you ready?” he grins and I just sigh and force a small nod.

“How’s DongHae?” I ask.

SungMin shrugs, “Good question.” He stares at me, waiting to speak but I was pretty much frozen. I just look around at all the kids filling up the front row seats (except for two that were mine and Sungmin’s). “I guess I’ll go talk to him.” He mumbles and walks off. I quickly take my seat and nervously scratch my head.

I look around and hope that Donghae will do just fine even there were so many people around.  I was certain he would but I was so nervous I couldn’t help still worry. I have faith in you DongHae; I exhale deeply and watch all the parents, grandparents, teachers and small kids all around.

            The lights quickly change; grabbing all our attention. My heart nearly dropped because I knew it was about to start. Damn…

            Sungmin sits beside me and smiles confidently, “He’ll be fine…I’m sure of it since all he does is please you.” He slightly rolls his eyes and places his hand on mine; he was evidently trying to calm me down and it slightly worked. I even cracked a smile at his words. I stare at the stage and wait for Donghae to show up.

            “This is nerve wrecking.” I mutter; unable to sit still in my seat. We all slightly tilt our heads when something came into view. I frown…is that a…strawberry?!

            “What the heck…?” I stare at the strawberry as it slowly approached the front of the stage; you could only see DongHae’s feet.

            SungMin’s jaw drops, “Its that…?” he couldn’t even say it. We were both in shock. Did he not remember he was a bunny?!

            DongHae lifts his head a bit until you could see his eyes, then he quickly hides again. We were all quiet and tried to understand what Donghae was doing. He stands up properly and I couldn’t help but smile at his attire; he had black tights and a long-sleeved black shirt while his strawberry costume fit him like a bathing suit-except it was really round. I stared at Donghae and smile….he really made an adorable strawberry. “Why is everyone so far away?” he pouts and waves for the kids to sit closer. “Come closer.” He says sweetly.

            The kids were quick to oblige. They sat in front of the stage and DongHae-somehow- finds a way to sit his round strawberry on the edge of the stage. He had a small microphone pinned to his costume so we could all hear him even though his attention was just to the kids. He stares at them all and smiles, but twirls his fingers in a nervous manner. He frowns and looks down, “Want me to tell you something?”

            The kids seemed interested while they all nod.

            Donghae’s face was solemn and slightly sad as he whispers, “I’m not really a strawberry.”

            The kids frown. “What do you mean?” one of them ask.

            “I’m actually a bunny!” He makes a shocked face and the kids mirror his expression. “I was once a cute bunny with nice long ears and a cute fluffy tale *Shakes his a bit making everyone laugh* “You see…my bunny parents want me to go to a school FILLED with DIFFERENT kinds of animals…and I *Shake head nervously* cant. I’m too scared. I’m not brave…I’m too shy…how would I get by without talking to anyone? I already feel different enough and now look at me *He points to his costume and pouts* everyone will make fun of me because I’m red. *he sniffles and some kids giggle from his cuteness while others pout with him* what am I gonna do? What do people do to not be afraid of people’s thoughts? What do people do to be strong?” Wow…DongHae really improvised. I smile to myself feeling really proud of him.

            “They sing a song!” A little blonde girl says with a smile.

            “Nooo they dream about what they want to happen!” another girl says and everyone frowns, wondering what she means.

            “What do you mean?” DongHae asks sweetly.

            “Cinderella dreamed about her prince and then he poof he was real!” She giggles and all the small girls nod in agreement. “You should sing her song and you will be a bunny again!” She says cutely and DongHae chuckles. I stared at him-completely amazed by everything he did. It was actually a bit scary how attached I was becoming to him.

            DongHae perks up and soothing music starts playing in the background. He smiles sweetly and clears his throat as he begins to sing, “A dream is a wish your heart makes when you’re fast asleep. *Everyone stared at him, mesmerized by his angelic, sweet voice* In dreams you will loooose your heartache. Whatever you wish for you keep. Have faith in your dreams and someday you’re rainbow will come smiling through. No matter how you’re heart grieving, if you keep on believing the dream that you wish will come true. “his voice drifts off and everyone instantly starts clapping. I was completely stunned, to say the least, his voice was hypnotizing…I think I forgot to breathe.

He looks at the little girl and grins, “I feel better already.” He giggles and the kids laugh with him. His laugh was so contagious…just like his sweet smile and adorable pout.
             ”But I think I should sleep *Nods* maybe THEN my dream will make my wish come true.” He stands up and walks to the middle of the stage, he stares at the ground confused. “That’s weird.” All the kids stand and look at what he’s staring at; on the floor were multiple Disney books.

            “Hmmm” He shrugs and lays down on top of them all. “Nighty night.” He says cutely and closes his eyes. In matter of seconds a blue aura surrounds him, the kids all gasp as the curtains open up revealing a treasure filled room, just like the one in Aladdin. There, behind DongHae was a lamp on a stool.

            “Wake up!” All the kids called for him and Hae shifts and sits up, he groans and looks behind him. He gasps. “Rub the lamp!!!!” The kids tell him, jumping up excitedly and he stands up and walks beside the lamp with a shocked face.

            “OMO this is just like Aladdin!” He exclaims and stares at the lamp in amazement. “What should I do?” He looks at the kids with an indecisive expression.

            “RUB THE LAMP!!!!!” they all yell and jump up and down.

            DongHae chews on his lower lip and he slowly picks up the lamp; he inspects it and then he presses his palm on the side and slowly cleans off the dust. Then a blue smoke comes out of the lamp and it surrounds the stage making it difficult for everyone to see what was happening. Once the smoke cleared there was a plump blue man standing beside DongHae, he was stretching and was slightly yelling. “Ten thousand years can give you such a crick in the neck!” He tells the audience as he stretched then he glances at DongHae and stares at him up and down. He burst out laughing instantly at the sight of DongHae, he holds his stomach and laughs loudly. DongHae pouts and stares at his feet and somehow he made the kids feel sad with him.

Stupid genie…DON’T MAKE DONGHAE FEEL SAD!

            “No need to laugh.” Hae says sadly. He sniffles.

            “Have you seen yourself, kid?” The genie wipes his tears from laughing so hard. “You’re a FRUIT!” He chuckles but then clears his throat, “Lucky for you though! I have to grant you three wishes *Holds up three fingers* but make em good, kid.” He smiles and DongHae’s jaw drops from shock and excitement.

            “THREE wishes?! *He jumps up in excitement making the kids excited too* OMO that’s so many!” With his first finger he taps his forehead in a thinking matter then he snaps and grins, “I know!” but the genie cuts him off.

            “Have you ever had a friend like me?” he asks out of no where, making DongHae blush because he completely forgot to cue in his song! He was beginning to hyperventilate but he just shakes his head quickly and turns, he huffs and crosses his arms.

            Ooooh he forgot his line…and now he’s blushing, which matches his costume. I press my fingers to my lips and try to hide a smile, but SungMin notices and rolls his eyes. Even when he makes mistakes he’s cute.

            “What’s so great about having a friend like you?” He gave him attitude and the genie walks to the front of the stage with a slight smile. “For all I know…I could be dreaming.” He mutters.

            “Master! I don’t think you understand what is going on here!” he grabs Hae’s arms and sits him down on a chair, “So you just sit while I illuminate the possibilities.” He seemed to glow as music began. As he sang “Fiend like me” multiple genies appeared and he did extensive magic tricks where he’d pull out a bunny out of his hat and pull out a long scarf from behind DongHae’s ears. He made women appear out of no where and they all danced around, entertaining the kids. DongHae only danced on the last lines where the genie sings. “Mister Aladdin, sir, have a wish or two or three I'm on the job, you big nabob You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend You ain't never had a friend like me You ain't never had a friend like me, hah!” the genie finishes off with the lights changing in different colors, the kids all gasped and their eyes were big with excitement.

            Hae takes a deep breath, “Ok *Exhale* first wish….*Thinking* hmmm…I wish…*Looks up at the crowd and smiles* I wish I didn’t care what other people think of me.” He nods at the genie and grins.

            The genie smiles, “You see, kid, I’m not like other genies…I’ll grant you your wish but you yourself have to make it affective.”

            Hae frowns, “What do you mean?”

            Genie looks at the kids, “Can you think of ANY princess or prince that didn’t care what others thought of him…or her.”

            “BELLE BELLE BELLE!!!” A little girl yells out and she was jumping up excitedly.

            Hae smiles at her and then looks at the genie, “SO I have to be Belle?” He frowns, “But how?”

            “You just have to go through what she went through…and sing.” He winks at the kids and they giggle.

            He drags DongHae behind the closing curtain and it slowly begins to open again revealing the little town Belle grew up in. There were many people around that were dressed the same as the people in the cartoon, they were roaming around and DongHae shows up dressed up in clothes that would represent a male version of Belle, he was in the side of the stage with a book in hand. He looks around and a soft song begins. He exhales and looks at the people around, his voice was soft and he looked around shyly “Little Town…it’s a quiet village. Every day, like the one before. Little town, full of little people….waking up to saaaayyyyy-”

            “Bonjour” the baker calls out and waves.

            “Bonjour,” A woman holding a baby calls out.

            “Bonjour.” “Bonjour.” “Bonjour.” Random people passing around greeted everyone.

            A slight smile appears on DongHae’s face as he continues to slowly walk forward, “There goes the baker with his tray, like always, the same old bread and rolls to seeelllll. Every morning just the same, since that morning that we came to this poor provincial town-”

            Baker greets him, “Good morning, Belle!”

            DongHae smiles big and clutches the book to him, “Good morning monsiuer!”

           “Where are you off too?”
           ”The bookshop! I just finished the most wonderful story about a beanstalk, and an orge, and a...-“
           “That's nice...Marie! The baguettes! Hurry up”

            Hae half shrugs and continues to walk through a group of people that stare at him funny. “Look there she does, that girl is strange no question, dazed and distracted can’t you tell? Never part of any crowd, cuz her head’s a bouncing cloud, no denying she’s a funny girl that belle.” They sang about him behind his back, but he continues walking and reading.

            Hae sits in front of the kids and his eyes slightly sparkled as he looks at his book lovingly, “Ooohhhhh isn’t this amazing? *Shows them the page* It’s my favorite part be-cause...you’ll seeeee here’s where she meets prince charming, but she wont discover that it’s him, til chapter three. *Flips through pages*” The kids all smile big with him but then he freezes on the inside. He just cut off a chunk of the song! ‘That’s strike two, DongHae’ he thought and mentally smacked his head but he still forced a big smile as he walks off, reading his unchanged book.

            Interesting. DongHae caught himself yet again on another mistake, but he looked so into the part that I didn’t even notice myself at first. I couldn’t stop

               The cast members noted the mistake but they went on. A woman was whispering to a man and she sang, “Now it's no wonder that her name means "beauty” Her looks have got no parallel” the man answers in a whisper, “But behind that fair facade I'm afraid she's rather odd *nods*” everyone around sings, “Very diff'rent from the rest of us She's nothing like the rest of us Yes, diff'rent from the rest of us is Belle. Look there she goes a girl who's strange but special. A most peculiar mad'moiselle

It's a pity and a sin, she doesn't quite fit in 'Cause she really is a funny girl, a beauty but a funny girl she really is a funny girl, That Belle” their voices all blended in together and DongHae continues to walk as their voices drift off. Everyone claps loudly when he turns and stares at everyone, but they quickly turn away and act like nothing happened. He shrugs and walks off; the curtains close and when they open the genie and DongHae appear, he was wearing his strawberry costume. 

               “How do you feel?” The genie grins. 

               DongHae smiles big, “I feel…different.” He giggles happily and the kids laugh with him-even I struggled not to laugh with him.

               “Next wish.” The genie nudges him and DongHae thinks for a bit, he taps his forehead with his first finger then he snaps and grins. 

               “I wish that I had strength…on the inside and outside…like Mulan.” He grins and the kids jump up excitedly. 

               The genie nods and smiles, “You got it,” He drags him off and the curtains close behind them. 

               Once the curtains open, there was a group of men dressed up like the way they did in Mulan as they prepared themselves for battle. DongHae looks around and he looked different compared to the others, the others were much bigger and much more menacing looking while he looked too innocent to hurt a fly. The leader comes out and felt desperate at how weak everyone was (Especially DongHae) so he begins to sing “I’ll make a man out of you” and during their performance they pick on DongHae, and scare him with their martial arts moves but he decides not to give up and he shows everyone that he became strong, not just physically but mentally as well by not letting the bullies get to him. 

               Everyone cheered for him once the song ends and he shot an arrow straight into an apple, shocking the leader and the bullies because he couldn’t even hold a bow properly at the start of the song. 

               The curtains close and he walks up with the genie and the genie wraps his arm around DongHae and he says cheerfully and excitedly, “One more wish!” He beams and everyone looked excited for what DongHae was going to say. 

               DongHae stares at his feet with a big smile on his face, he seemed pretty proud of himself for making it so far. He clears his throat and moves side to side happily, “Uhm…for my last wish…I wish…*He looks at the kids and grins* I wish that someone…in this world….could turn me back into a bunny.” He looks at the genie and the genie frowns, but shrugs. 

               “Know what they say…careful what you wish for.” He mutters and they walk behind the curtains. 

               The kids all stared at each other and waited attentively and once the curtains opened it revealed a background that showed they were inside the sea. They would have been excited but the surroundings made the scene really dark, to the point where it looked haunting and scary. 

               DongHae walks off with scales drawn all over him and a fin that fell to the ground, some little girls giggled. He looks around and a sea witch appears, making the kids gasp and cover their eyes. She approaches DongHae, her eight legs came out of her dress and her scary white hair stood up. “You…what do you want?” She asks in an eerie voice. 

               “Sea witch…I was wondering if you could use your powers to turn me back into a bunny.” He nods sweetly and flashes a smile. 

               The sea witch smirks, “My dear, sweet child. That's what I do. It's what I live for. To help unfortunate merfolk like yourself. Poor souls with no one else to turn to.” She looks at DongHae with a fake sympathetic looks and he smiles at her. She flashes an evil grin at the audience before she begins to sing in her eerie voice, “I admit that in the past I've been a nasty *Places her hand on her chest and stares at everyone with an innocent expression* Theyweren't kidding when they called me, well, a witch, but you'll find that nowadays I've mended all my ways repented, seen the light, and made a switch True? Yes *Smirks* and I fortunately know a little magic It's a talent that I always have possessed *Dances around with a green aura escaping her finger tips* And dear Sir, please don't laugh I use it on behalf Of the miserable, the lonely, and depressed (pathetic) *Points to DongHae behind his back* poor unfortunate souls! *Her voice was strong* in pain, in need * DongHae Pouts* this want longing to be thinner, that one wants to get the girl and do I help them? Yes I do *Grins evilly* Thos poor unfortunate souls, so sad, so true, and I help them! Yes I do!” 

               “Wait!” DongHae cuts her off instantly, the music stops and everyone stares at him confused then he slightly giggles making us smile with his cute laugh, “I’m just kidding.” He waves her off and continues to grin. “I don’t need your help I just really wanted to wear the fish costume.” He laughs innocently and the sea witch’s jaw drops and she puffs her cheeks in frustration. 

               The kids laugh while I grinned widely. True, this was far off than what I was expecting when I wrote it, but somehow Donghae made the musical so much better; better than what I would have ever expected. I’ve never been so entertained in my life; just staring at DongHae-with his chilsish grin- really had an affect on me. The crowd seemed to love him just as much as I did; he was truly angelic with his voice and facial expressions.

               “So you came all this way…to wear that!” She shook her head in disappointment and he nods. 

               “I like fishys.” He giggles and walks towards the little kids. He clears his throat, “I can admit it now…I finally see a light. I don’t even remember why I was shy anymore” He spreads his arms and grins happily. 

               A little girl stands and slightly smiles, “Could you sing part of your world? PLLLEEEAAAASSSEEE I love that song.” She grins and her eyes were filled with hope. 

               DongHae was hesitant, but he seemed to give into her plead.

               He nods, “I’ll sing it, but first…I have to get ready for school,” He looks around. “It’s starting, he runs off behind the closing curtains, his fish tail trailing behind him and once they open again there were people in animal costumes; there were cows, chickens, pigs, horses, wolves, etc. DongHae wobbles nearby with his strawberry costume.            

               “Everyone please welcome the new student.” The sheep teacher announces and DongHae waves a little but clears his throat, “Teacher, I hope you don’t mind I sing a song…it would help me…with my nerves.” He says under his breath and while he nods and flashes a smile. 

               The sheep half shrugs “Go ahead.” This wasn’t planned out so everyone was kind of confused as he walks up in front. He smiles at the little girl who requested it, he exhales and music plays in the background. As he sang the song, everyone was dazed by how well he interacted with the kids, like when he asks, ‘Walking around on those…what do you call them?’ the kids would all happily yell out “feet!” making him laugh at how cute  they were. His voice was powerful throughout the song but when he sang the last phrase “When's it my turn? Wouldn't I love, love to explore that world up above *Holds out the word and everyone falls silent*” everyone stares at him and his voice instantly changes and it goes low and soft as he continues, “Out of the sea ….Wish I could be...Part of that world” voice trails off and was the first to stand and clap happily for him; everyone else did the same. I definitely need to have him sing for me another time.

               He grins and looks at his “Classmates” and they all stand and all the cast members go behind him, forming four lines of people. An upbeat song starts and DongHae grins as he begins to sings the final song, “Have you ever seen such a beautiful night?” He points upwards and the ceiling darken and show small lights that represent stars. “I could almost kiss the stars for shining so bright.” He winks at the birthday girl, and she giggles happily. “When I see you smiling I go, Oh, Oh, Ohhh, *Hands on his strawberry chest* I would never want to miss this, cuz in my heart I know what this is.” 

               They all slowly start to dance and the kids were jumping up and down. 

               “Hey, now. Hey, now. This is what dreams are made of. (repeat) I’ve got somewhere I belong. I got somebody to love. This is what dreams are made of.” He chuckles and runs behind the curtain while everyone was dancing to the beat. 

               He slowly comes out in his bunny costume, making everyone cheer as he shakes his cute little fluffy tail. I laugh and other people joined in while SungMin only cracked a smile. I stared at DongHae, slowly shaking my head as I watched him dance around the stage happily and sing his heart out. 

               “Have you ever wondered what life is about? You could search the world and never figure it out…you don’t have to sail the ocean. No, no no oh. *interacting with the cast members* Happiness is no mystery its here and now- it’s you and me, yeah. Hey, now. Hey, now. This is what dreams are made of. *Lights flashing different colors* (repeat) this is what dreams are made of! *They were all clapping to the beat* When I see you smiling, I go- oh, oh, ohhh *he stares at me and smiles; I quickly smile back* yesterday our life was stellar now everything’s Technicolor. Hey now, hey now 
this is what dreams are made of hey now, hey now this is what dreams are made of  I’ve got somewhere I belong I’ve got somebody to love  this is what dreams are made of,” he exhales deeply and smiles big when everyone stood up and cheered for him. All the kids ran up the stage and hugged him; he smiled big and hugged as many kids as he could. 

               I stare at DongHae while SungMin glances at me, “Well…he did better than I expected.” He slightly smiles, “Don’t you think?” 

               I look at him and smile, “Yea…that was…impressive.” 

               “He only agreed to impress you, you know that right? He’s obsessed with you.” He slightly rolls his eyes and stares at DongHae being attacked by the little kids. 

               I slightly smile, “Well, I hope that wasn’t his only intention, but either way….I am impressed.” I smile a bit, “He put on a good show.” That was an understatement.

               SungMin glances at me and smirks, “I think he’s getting to you…” 

               I only roll my eyes, “Nonsense. I am impressed by his singing and ability to perform so well.” And his charisma, and his angelic voice, and his adorable pouts.

               SungMin smiles a bit, “He’s wrapping you around his finger, Hyuk Jae…be careful.” He chuckles while I only exhale and shakes my head. Everyone around was still clapping for DongHae and I couldn’t help but just stare at him and smile because seeing DongHae laugh while the kids played with his bunny ears was a beautiful sight. 

People slowly left and once everyone quit congratulating DongHae, I slowly made my way up the stage and stared at him with a huge smile; I held a bouquet of roses behind my back. Donghae smiles back sweetly and I quickly pull him into a hug. “Thank you thank you thank you thank you” I repeated over and over again, unable to get tired of thanking him. DongHae giggles and hugs me back happily; I knew he was proud of himself as well. “You did amazing….” I say softly, pull away and smile at him. “These are for you.” I smile sweetly at him as I hand him the bouquet.

            He stared at the bouquet in complete shock, “T-Thank you…” he whispers and smiles sweetly at me. He holds them close to his chest while we quickly walk out of the theatre.

            SungMin had left with….someone, not really sure who. My mind was only focused on DongHae.   

“You were great DongHae” I grin as we walk home. He was holding the bouquet close to his heart with the sweetest smile on his face.  He presses them near his cheek and seemed to be in love with the way they smelled. I smile to myself, happy that he liked the flowers so much.

            “Thank you.” He says softly.

            “I have to say…you did very well interacting with the kids, but then again you seem to be a kid yourself, so of course you pulled it off.” I chuckle, slightly teasing him while I stuffed my hands into my  pockets.

            DongHae smiles big, “Did you really like it? I hope you don’t mind my mistakes though…” He pouts and stares at our feet.

            I smile big when I see him pout-yet again. It was becoming addicting. “There you go again, pouting.” I laugh and he frowns and stares at me, “But no, I don’t mind your mistakes because they were beautiful mistakes, you really knew how to correct them. Erm…the sea witch part…that was intentional right?” I laugh, just remembering how he only wanted to wear the fish costume. DongHae nods and grins happily.

            “I realllllly wanted to wear the fishy outfit…hope you don’t mind.” He giggles.

I shake my head, “No, you did amazing and I am very glad you did this for me.” I grin. “Thank you.” I say once more and trust me I could go on forever, but Donghae shakes his head. “I won’t get tired of thanking you so accept all of them.” I smile.

            He giggles and continues to shake his head, “Stop thanking me, I’m glad to help.” He sounded shy.

            We stop in front of his house and I only smile at him. I really didn’t want us to part ways, it actually made me a bit sad. “Have sweet dreams DongHae,” I force a grin and DongHae nods and stares at the flowers in his hand.

            He seemed upset for some reason. What’s wrong? I began to feel like I did something wrong.

“You ok?” I frown and inspect his face.

            “Hyuk Jae…you think you could give me a goodnight hug?” He asked so sweetly I couldn’t help but smile. How could I ever refuse?

            I nod and spread my arms out; he grins and wraps his arms around my waist and buries his face in my neck. I hug him back tightly. I close my eyes and smile to myself. Thank you so much, Donghae…I owe you so much.

            The hug felt short when we suddenly pulled away from each other. He waves and whispers, “Night.” I smile at him and say, “Night.”

            I make my way home and smile when SungMin was waiting in the living room; I lock the front door and approach him, “Hey…”

            He frowns, “You seem oddly happy…” he crosses his arms and stands, “You’re falling for him.” He blurts out and I just roll my eyes.

            “Aish, don’t start. I’m not falling for him, SungMin. I’m straight. And plus Donghae is just a very…close friend.” I smile at him.

            “You didn’t take your eyes off him tonight.” He teases.

            “Well he is the main lead. Did you expect me to close my eyes?”

            He only shrugs, “Why not?” he sticks his tongue out at me.

            “Aish, just go to bed.” I scold him and push him up the stares and continue to push him until he was in his room. “Goodnight.” I say and hide myself in my own room before he could continue pestering me.

            Two days later, in the very morning I was putting my stuff away in my locker when Sooyoung and Taeyeon approached me with huge smiles.

            “Hyukjae!” Sooyoung giggles and I only smile at them both.

            “Morning ladies.” I stare into my locker, lost in my thoughts when I hear Taeyeon say.

            “Do you know what day it is?” she smiles sweetly while I only frown and think about it for a bit.

            “Is it a holiday?” I frown.

            Taeyeon giggles, “Its Henry’s birthday…” she smiles a bit.

            “BUT in four days exactly…it’ll be Donghae’s birthday.” Sooyoung continues while they stared at me with wide smiles. I didn’t notice the hints they were trying to give me because I was already trying to plan out what I should get him. So many possibilities! I should start planning now…

            “What should I get him?” I frown as I think out loud.

            “Well you could ask his sisters SoHee and Amber…” Taeyeon suggests with a shrug.

            I look around and smile brightly when I see Amber and SoHee making their way through the hallway, “Thanks for the info ladies, but I have to go!” I close my locker and dash away and try to catch up to them. “Hey, wait.” I stop them and they stare at me with wide eyes; they glance at each other then stare at me.

            “Uhm….h-hi…” Sohee seemed nervous as she smiles sweetly.

            “Uhm…I was just wondering…Donghae’s birthday is in four days right?” I just wanted to be sure.

            They only nod.

            “What does he like?” I ask with a smile.

            Amber smirks, “You should write him a song.” She grins while SoHee smiles big as well, “He just LOOOOVVESSS it when  you play the piano, he finds it fascinating.” She smiles.

            I smile, feeling happy to hear Donghae liked my playing so much, “Anything else?”

            Sohee grins and nods, “He’s obsessed with Nemo!” she giggles and I smile at that.

            He likes fish so then that would make sense. It’s so Donghae. “Thank you” I smile at them happily and walk off to class. I kept getting stopped by people. Everyone kept congratulating me for the musical’s success, but I only smile and thank them.

            I made my way to class and take my seat. I chew on my lower lip….maybe I should confuse him. Would he be easy to fool? I smile to myself as Donghae makes his way into the class and takes his seat.

            Once class was over I notice Donghae shoving everything into his backpack.

            “Need help?” I chuckle.

            He jumps and stares at me with wide eyes; he was obviously startled, “How long have you been standing there?”

            I smile, “Not long….*Clears throat* so have you received anything yet?” I stared into his eyes and hid a smile when I saw the sudden confusion behind them.

            He frowns, “Received anything…? Like what?” he stares at me. I became really amused by the way he stared at me; he really didn’t know what I was talking about. Good…I wanted it to be a surprise.  “Tell me!” he pouts in frustration and I felt my heart swell up at the sight.

            I laugh, “You’re just like a child DongHae.” I laugh and he smiles big. “Don’t worry…you’ll see what I’m talking about later, k?” I grin and walk off, leaving him completely confused.