BECAUSE GUESS WHAT FINALLSS ARE OOOVERRR <3

--

Saturday, October 5, 2012

                You know how when your mom says you can’t watch a certain TV show and suddenly it’s your favorite frikkin thing in the world? Or how Krystal ignored me for three years but I break it off and suddenly she’s in love? Well it’s only been three days since the whole Eunmi-Chanyeol-Baekhyun-and-his-Hoe thing, but Chanyeol hasn’t contacted me since. And normally, I’d be like, “Great, now I don’t have to make up an excuse to reject him!” But now…it’s killing me. Chanyeol has never been fazed by my cold attitude. He was always his cheery self, inviting me to everything, texting me all the time. As much as I hated to admit it, I was scared. Scared I had really screwed up on Wednesday…

                “Hello?”

                “Chanyeol! Hi! Hi...it’s me. Kai. I mean, you probably know that. Like…caller ID,” I stumbled across my words.

                “Uh…right. Yeah, hi Kai,” Chanyeol responded, and he sounded…normal.

                “So I mean, I was just…wondering…you know…” Now that I actually had him on the line I realized I had no idea why I called him.

                Suddenly, Chanyeol burst out into laughter. I heard him mumbling some giggly words before he came back on the line. “You were wondering…?”

                “Uh…is this a bad time? Are you with someone?”

                “Um…I’m just…you know…hanging out…” It was 4 o-clock on a Saturday afternoon. The only “hanging out” Chanyeol did on Saturdays was at midnight at a bar or a club.

                “With whoo…?”

                “I’m with Baekhyun…and DO... Oh and also Eunmi’s over but we’re really busy now so gotta go talk later!” Chanyeol rushed, hanging up immediately.

                Baekhyun…DO…Chanyeol…and Eunmi. Three guesses who doesn’t ing belong…

Eunmi~

                “Kai,” Chanyeol mouthed after he picked up. I nodded, the name alone sobering me. But Baekhyun and DO were still slap happy and began tickling Chanyeol halfway through their conversation. “Um…I’m just…you know…hanging out,” Chanyeol managed, slapping the two away.  “Stop it!” Chanyeol hissed out of the side of his mouth. “I’m with Baekhyun….and DO….” Chanyeol eyed me, questioning, and I shrugged. “Oh and also Eunmi’s over but we’re really busy now so gotta go talk later!” he finished in one breath.

                I cracked a small smile, trying to get back into the jovial mood we had been in before. I don’t even remember what had cracked us up, but suddenly none of us could talk because of the happy laughs racking our body. It did help, and I was happy I had them. Chanyeol had been so helpful…so sweet to me. Especially when I needed it most.

                “Eunmi!” I recognized that deep, contrasting voice instantly not as Kai’s, but as his giant, elf-like friend’s. My throat felt thick and I pushed down any expectations I had for Kai. ‘Stop it,’ I commanded myself. ‘You two aren’t even close. He probably doesn’t even like you. You just annoy him.’ But even still, I couldn’t make that disappointment go away. I was so hoping that…that just maybe….

                “Thanks Chanyeol, but I’m fine,” I turned to face him, a smile plastered on my face.

                “Stop it. You know faking a smile is worse than frowning, right?” Chanyeol said, stepping up to me and gently swiping a thumb across my cheek.

                A small laugh escaped me despite myself, and I pushed Chanyeol’s hand away lightly. “Oh stop, I’m not even crying,” I insisted.

                Chanyeol just shrugged, a small smile on her face. Slowly, I began the walk I had been taking previously, and he fell in step beside me. It was silent for a while, but finally, Chanyeol broke it. “I’m sorry…” he mumbled, his deep voice even huskier.

                I froze up at his words, barely able to keep a steady gait. “What for?” I asked, trying to keep my voice light.

                “Everything. Kai…he should be here. But he’s too stupid to realize that…he’s just…he was really hurt before. Please don’t judge him too quickly.”

                The sudden seriousness of the topic surprised me. “I’m not mad at him,” I told Chanyeol. And it was true. I was upset he didn’t care for me. It made me upset that my expectations for him were only going to be shot down, proved wrong. But I wasn’t mad at him.

                “Because you’re too nice,” Chanyeol laughed. “I can tell. Kai doesn’t deserve a girl like you. But maybe if he gets one, he can change into someone who does deserve you.”

                I felt heat creeping up to her cheeks. “What are you talking about?” I mumbled. “We’re not even friends. And even if we were ever to become more, it would be just that.”

                Chanyeol nodded. “Right, right. Well, please, don’t give up on him. He’s been…depressed. I haven’t known him for very long, but I can still see the façade he has up. I can tell he’s not really like….like this. Like how you know him. He just needs some help.”

                I swallowed the lump that was in my throat. To be honest, this conversation almost made me dislike Kai; his friends were so good to him. And when I needed someone like Chanyeol was to Kai…I had no one. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?” I asked, my voice suddenly harsh to even my own ears.

                “No. I just have a story to hear,” Chanyeol answered.

                I kicked a rock and it skittered away. “And what story would that be?” I asked.

                “Yours.”

 “What?” I finally inquired, my voice soft.

                “It’s been a while since you’ve had someone to talk to, huh? You don’t have to tell me everything, but let me take at least some of the burden. Please.”

                A sudden jab to the side startled me, and I gasped, ticklish. “Yah!” I shouted at Chanyeol, who was now grinning at me.

                “Eunmi, you’re so short,” he teased lightly. “Didn’t your parents tell you to drink milk when you were a kid?”

                “I’m sorry, human parents are obviously different than the elf parents that birthed you,” I retorted, and Baekhyun and DO both burst into laughter.

                “Look who’s talking Mr. Wide-Eyes,” Chanyeol muttered under his breath.

                DO gaped at Chanyeol, making his normally round eyes even larger.

                Chanyeol let out a laugh seeing DO’s scandalized look. “Sorry. Let’s go get some ice cream to make up for it,” Chanyeol grinned, standing up and offering me his hands. I accepted and he pulled me up easily. “Any objections?”

                Baekhyun and DO were both on their feet, grinning. “No sir,” Baekhyun called, heading for the door. Those two got out first, laughing at something stupid as they walked ahead.

                “They’re like little kids,” I laughed as Chanyeol locked the door to his apartment.

                “And people call me the Happy Virus,” Chanyeol muttered, rolling his eyes.

                “Happy Virus?” I reiterated, trying to keep my laugh in. “That’s adorable…”

                Chanyeol pouted. “It makes me sound like a little kid.”

                “Awhh is Baby Yeol upset?” I asked in a baby voice, pinching his cheeks.

                Chanyeol laughed, swatting my hands away easily. “If anyone’s a baby it’s the girl who stands at 4 feet.”

                I gave him a scandalized look. “Excuse me? For your information I’m a good 5’3”.”

                “Oh you giant,” Chanyeol laughed, bowing jokingly to me.

                We had just exited the building when my phone rang. I glanced down at the caller ID. “Oh ,” I muttered before answering. “Yah. Boss hasn’t come around yet, but if you’re not here…” I heard Hyuna hiss.

                “Shiitt,” I’ll be there soon, okay?! Just stall for me, please please pleaseee!?”

                Hyuna sighed. “Fine. Fine. But get your over here ASAP.”

                “Right. Will do. Thanks Unni, you’re the besttt,” I sang over the phone.

                I heard Hyuna scoff. “Whatever. You owe me.”

                “Of course. Bye, be there soon!”  I finished, hanging up and frantically trying to tell how far away from the club I was.

                “What was that all about?” Chanyeol inquired.

                “I’m late for work,” I groaned.

                “You work?” Chanyeol asked, cocking his head at me.

                “Uh…well…yeah…” Great. Chanyeol thinks I’m some innocent, helpless girl. Once he finds out that I’m one of the s that works as a bartender at a club… Well, I might as well get this over with… “Heard of Exotic? The club?”

                Chanyeol’s mouth dropped open. “You—at…Exotic?” he finally sputtered.

 I nodded, waiting for his hurried excuse as to why he can’t hang out with me anymore. Well, either that or asking me if I can fit him in for a quickie…

                His laughter surprised me, and when I looked up at him I saw he was grinning. “Dang, girl. I had no idea. I can drive you over there, I go there a lot,” he told me good-naturedly.

                His reaction surprised me, but I quickly accepted the offer. “Yes. Please, that would be…much appreciated.”

                “Alright, cool. You guys can go get food, I’ll meet you over there,” he directed at Baekhyun and DO. “Come on, my car’s over here,” he told me, leading me into the parking lot.

                I nodded and followed him to a sleek black car. “It’s messy, sorry,” he mumbled, revving the car and then backing out with a deft flick of his wrist.

                “No, no, it’s fine,” I assured him. “I can’t believe you have a car as a freshman…”

                Chanyeol laughed lightly. “Yeah, I know. But my brother graduated last year, so I just kinda took over all of his stuff. Apartment, car, furniture…”

                “Wow…that must be nice…”

                “Yeah, he can be a pain, but I love him.”

                I nodded, and silence settled over the car for a bit.  Suddenly, something he said floated back to my memory. “Aren’t you a little bit…young…to be going to Exotic?”

                Chanyeol let out a laugh. “Right…I guess. But I behave myself!” he insisted, and I laughed at his cute personality. “And whattabout you? How’d you get a job there?”

                “Aren’t you…a little young to be a bartender?” I smiled subconsciously, thinking about when I had run into Kai at the club.

                “Yeah…I guess…” I mumbled. I was lost in my thoughts, and before I knew it we had pulled up to Exotic.

                “We’re here,” Chanyeol said softly.

                I blinked, surprised at how short the ride seemed. “Right. Thanks. So much, I’ll see you later,” I called, hopping out of the car and hurrying in. I rushed to the employee area in the back and slid into the uniform I kept here; tight black skirt, black spiked wedges, short-sleeved white blouse and red bow tie.  Fixing my small apron around my waist I scurried out to the dining area, where we had to set up for six-o-clock opening. Yeah, no one came at six. The crowd’s didn’t really start coming til nine or ten, but we always had to be ready.