Chapter 14: “What happens to a dream deferred? - Langston Hughes”

“Bonamana, bonamana, bonamana, bonamana,” Sungmin somehow couldn’t get the music out of his head, singing it even in the shower.

“Stop singing it, it’s annoying...” Kyuhyun insisted, playing his PSP. Sungmin’s voice even echoed that night to the living room. The rest of the boys were gathered in the room, dark and cold, intently they were watching a horror movie Siwon had bought for their entertainment while waiting for the three boys to arrive.

“Baby you turn it up now!” Leeteuk added, laughing. “Hangeng-sshi, the pizza please.”

Eyes attached to the scary plotline, the Chinese boy handed him the box. Eeteuk, focused on the TV, took a bite of his pizza.

“Hyung-nim shut up,” Heechul reprimanded him as he himself was glued to the blood squirting out of the human face. “It’s getting interesting.”

“This is gross,” Yesung said, closing his eyes and laying his head unto Kyuhyun’s shoulder. “Please wake me up when it’s over.”

“Don’t lie there Yesung-hyung,” Kyuhyun pushed his head to the side, “Heechul-hyung is just at the other side doing nothing. Go lie on his shoulder.”

Busily Kyuhyun merely looked up at the movie for he was too caught up with his own game. Seated on the couch was Kyuhyun, Yesung beside him. Heechul and Siwon were next to them, paying attention to the of the story. On the floor were Kibum and Hangeng, legs sprawled with the boxes of pizza by their foot while on one separate chair was the hyung, on the edge of becoming a ghost himself as his whiteness intensified.

“Well, Kyu-sshi. If you’re not watching this, why don’t you go back to your room?” Heechul asked.

The maknae did not answer---gladly, Hangeng replied for him. “Are you crazy? Are you going to feed the maknae to his death? He’s scared of going alone in the room.”

Kyuhyun frowned. “I’m not scared.”

The screen was showing them a woman being chased by the killer, his knife wrapped around the blood of the woman’s son. She was crying----her white dress already tainted by the blood as quickly she ran for her car on the other side of her home. She took a short cut by the kitchen, in hopes the killer was not following her anymore. To her surprise, he got there before she had.

“Ahhhh! Umma! Umma! Ahh!” a loud scream was heard from the bathroom, from where Sungmin was taking a shower.

The other boys started shouting as well, Kyuhyun jumping from his seat in total fright. Hangeng quickly ran towards the scream, the other boys falling behind the couch. Cowered together, petrified, the boys were all complaining and whining about it that they turned off the DVD and waited for Sungmin to get out.

“What the hell Sungmin!” yelled Kyuhyun, annoyed. “This isn’t funny.”

“Yeah, even though Kyuhyun doesn’t say a lot of sensible things, this time he has point. It wasn’t funny, hyung,” Kibum agreed.

In his pink towel, Sungmin got out, shivering, his hair unkempt and wet. He approached the rest of them and bowed his head.

“Sungmin-sshi, are you okay?” asked Leeteuk, concerned.

“I found...a turtle,” he said, a little shocked. “I was going to get the soap, and then I got him instead.”

Yesung swiped the turtle from him, rubbing its shell without hesitating to kiss it. “Did Sungmin-sshi hurt you? Don’t worry, Yesung’s got you.”

“Ah, Yesung-sshi, mind explaining what’s with that turtle,” Heechul hissed.

“Because I was bored and didn’t know what to do with my allowance,” Yesung answered dully. “So I went to a pet store and bought a turtle. A day later, I realized it was even more boring than me.”

“You should have bought a dog.”

“I don’t like dogs,” he said. “They’re too common and drool too much like Hyukjae-sshi.”

“Please don’t leave your things unattended,” Sungmin suggested, “especially when it’s alive.”

-o0o-

“Next time Chief, I’m getting your job.”

Awaiting confirmation, she pressed the paper on her boss’s table along with the pictures she took. It was the basketball season, the ten-minute four points earned by SMEU’s varsity team against YGU’s rowdy boys. Her camera captured all the greatness the team showed, along with the crowd’s team spirit. One of its newest members was the boy named Choi Siwon, a man Sooyoung met at the party. Since then, she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

“Sooyoung-ah, you are one smart girl,” commented her boss, a Senior Journalist at the top of his game. He scanned through the sports article, and then to the photos. She had done quite well for the youngest photojournalist ever accepted in to the University’s publication. She had a knack for current events, and she was just plain nosy that minding her business had to be the last thing to consider. That was Choi Sooyoung, a girl without fear, a staffer of ‘Elite Chronicles’.

She bowed her head in gratitude. “Yeah, that’s what I always say.”

“But,” he said, “Something’s wrong.”

She rolled her eyes, as she sat on top of his table without shame. “C’mon Chief, I don’t have all day. What is it now?”

“Choi Siwon,” he rubbed his chin as if trying to remember something. “Are you two related?”

“That’s what I thought,” she said, sighing. “Too bad. He’s one rich dude. What’s with him?”

“Isn’t he the son of an owner of a great law firm all across Asia? I guess that’s him,” he told her. “Well, I need you to interview this guy. Isn’t he one of the newest members? And he already scored them the last three consecutive points! We need the story about him. About his life, everything. You got that topic, kid?”

“Do I still have to take pictures, Onew-oppa?” she asked, pouting.

“Yes,” he answered. “What’s with the ‘Onew-oppa’? You never call me that.”

“Can I call you that? The other girls in the publication call you that,” Sooyoung defended.

He smiled. “Well, the other ‘girls’ in the publication are hardworking and had done great in this course. They know me better than you do. It’s your first year in the pub. I don’t even know why as a first year student you get to be part of the newspaper. Shameful.”

“Jealous that I got in at such a very young age?” teased the playful Sooyoung, heading out now as she saw his eyes waver. “Sorry, Chief. Didn’t mean to insult your ego.”

“Whatever, just get me those pictures,” Onew demanded. “And get my friend Luna on the phone. I need to speak to her.”

“What exactly am I? Your secretary?” Sooyoung complained but told the Associate Editor outside to contact the man’s friend.

“Thanks, Sooyoung,” he told her as he picked up the phone.

She stuck her tongue out in reply, noticing that he had a very divine smile that afternoon.

-o0o-

“Wookie-sshi, I can’t go with you to the movies on Friday night,” texted Luna. “My friend Onew-oppa, Editor in Chief of Elite Chronicles, needs my presence at his brother’s birthday party. I wish I could bring you with me. I will ask him first if it will be allowed to have a friend over. I will cross my fingers. I want to have fun, and without you, it just wouldn’t be. So, let’s hope he says yes. Good luck on your test tomorrow! Luna.”

Disappointed and bored, Ryeowook took the liberty of going to the park as he felt the strong patient breeze of the sea calling to him. Even when they dated the other night, had fun and talked about very personal stuff, Luna still conquered his side and owned back their kinship of just being friends and nothing more. He was okay with that abrupt silent decision, but he really much preferred to have been to just being friends. However, it was like what Kyuhyun always told him while playing Starcraft: ‘You can’t win them all on your first try.’ His game logics made practically more sense than his usual sayings, Wookie thought.

It was already five o’ clock, and he didn’t notice. He went back to their dorm, driving his car in depression. Luna still hadn’t informed him about that silly party. He was sure this hyung declined Luna’s proposal of getting him invited.

At the front porch of the dorm beside everyone else’s slippers were two envelopes. One was plain white with a purple floral design at one corner. The other was tied with green ribbon and lousy lettering behind. He picked both up; all were unexpectedly meant for him. He opened the other one first, the one with the green ribbon on it. It was an invitation to some boy’s party, and almost suddenly, his phone vibrated.

“I got you in! Yeah, see you on Friday night! It’s a good thing Onew-oppa was very kind.”

Smiling cheerfully, Ryeowook went inside, unknowingly the other envelope slipping down his fingers and unto the slits of their wooden tiled floor. He barely noticed this at all, relying only on the feeling of bliss that he was going to see Luna still on another Friday night.

Wookie, being in a hurry to tell his hyungs about the news, changed clothes and left his phone hidden under a pile of Kyuhyun’s dirty socks in the bedroom that evening while he was off to eat dinner with the rest of them. It rang nonchalantly a million times, several attempts to contact Ryeowook but he had not heard of it from downstairs.

“Did you receive the invitation for my 19th birthday, Wookie-sshi?”was all what Beige wanted to say and yet, he didn’t even try answering it. She felt rather ignored. If it weren’t for her cell phone network being very berserk, she could have left him a text message but it was impossible because of her load balance. She could call, but could not text. Silly little useless device worth nothing. Stupid phone!

-o0o-

“Dude, move on,” Kangin proposed when the two hanged out that evening. “She’s not coming back. Get over it. She’s