Idol(s): Yoon Doo Joon (BEAST)

Genre: Fluff, Romance

Inspiration: I remember a few years ago (like 2008 or around there) there was this thing called PostSecret that was pretty popular where people send anonymous secrets by mail and if chosen, their secret would be posted on a website. I forgot about it until recently when I found out about the Whisper app which reminded me of PostSecret. Anyways, the whole concept of anonymous messages gave me the idea for this one shot.

Synopsis: It's Joo Mi's birthday and she really only wants one thing. Will her boyfriend figure it out?

Individual Story Link: Dear Anonymous

Note: This story may contain some Korean terms. If so, their definitions are provided (to the best of my knowledge) when they first appear. You can hover over the hyperlink for a definition if you’re on a desktop computer or click on the link to be directed to a Glossary of Korean Terms if you’re on other devices.

~//~

Every girl has that one romantic notion (or notions) that they hope to experience at least once in their lifetime: receiving a bouquet of red roses, taking a stroll through the park via horse and buggy, being serenaded from outside their window. But Choi Joo Mi's one romantic wish was actually quite small. It neither cost anything, nor was it considered an embarrassing act. Joo Mi's romantic notion was to receive a simple message in her school's "Dear Anonymous" section. Simple as that, Joo Mi only wished to be the subject of a note which only the sender and receiver could understand, but was visible to the public eye, like the ultimate public confession of love without the awkward stares, the cellphone cameras in your face, or the annoying gossip that spread like wildfire.

And yet, as easy as it was to please her, Joo Mi had never been the recipient of such anonymous note or any anonymous note for that matter, at least not that she was aware. There was that one, "Dear Anonymous, please stop clicking your pen. You may not have ears, but the rest of us do. Sincerely, Officially Annoyed." Joo Mi had a habit of clicking her pen when in deep thought, but that was usually when she was alone, so that one probably wasn’t to her – hopefully.

Then there was the, "Dear Anonymous, I almost thought kindness was extinct in this world, but thank you for helping me carry my groceries to my apartment. Sincerely, Hope Restored." Joo Mi had helped an old lady carry her bags of food to her apartment – on the fourth floor, without an elevator – once before. But the probability of that elderly woman sending in a "Dear Anonymous" message to a college newspaper was highly unlikely, so again, it probably wasn't to her.

So it was with a sliver of hope that Joo Mi tore open the newspaper to the next to last page for the "Dear Anonymous" section as she waited in the impossibly slow line of her school's only place to get decent coffee. Her eyes scanned through the lines of black ink for anything remotely about her only to arrive at the end, disappointed. Well, in a way, it was good there wasn't anything about her, since it meant there at least weren't any complaints towards her. Or that's what she told herself every Monday through Friday (minus holidays) which her school printed their newspaper.

With a heavy sigh, Joo Mi folded the paper up and tucked it into her purse, just as her cell phone vibrated. She smiled at the screen that flashed "Yoon Doo Joon" before swiping to excitedly answer, "Where are you?"

Doo Joon chuckled on the other end. "Well hello to you too."

"Sorry, let me try that again. Hi, how are you this morning?"

"That's much better. I'm doing great actually. There's this cute girl waiting in line at the coffee shop and I really want to go up to her and say hi. What do you think? Should I go for it?"

The line was starting to move and Joo Mi took a step forward to fill the gap. "Hm, are you sure you should be discussing this with your girlfriend?" she asked, feigning a judgmental tone though a smile was on her face.

Doo Joon gasped loudly. "Did I accidentally dial my girlfriend? Joo Mi, it's not what you think. I'm not cheating on you, or thinking about cheating on you. I swear."

Joo Mi hid a chuckle behind her fist and turned her head to see Doo Joon grinning broadly back with a phone up to his ear, five spaces behind. She faced forward again. "I think you should definitely say hi to her. As your girlfriend, I give you permission."

"Alright, you said it. There's no going back."

Joo Mi giggled and shook her head as she slid her phone back into the front pocket of her purse. A hand tapped her shoulder and she glanced to her side to see Doo Joon beside her.

"Hi," he said with a big smile.

Joo Mi mimicked his smile. "Hi."

The student behind Joo Mi cleared his throat to get their attention. "Hey, there's no skipping in line."

Joo Mi opened to defend them, but Doo Joon beat her to it. "Sorry, my girlfriend was just saving my spot." He turned to her and gently nudged her out of line. "Go find a spot, I'll order for both of us. Black house roast with one packet of sugar, right?"

Joo Mi nodded. He knew her well. She took the stairs to the second floor and found a table in the corner, next to the window. While she waited, she again pulled out the newspaper, laid it fully across the table, and stared at the next to last page with her chin propped up on the palm of her hand. There was actually a confession in today's paper, a student was crushing on the girl in his Organic Chemistry class, and it put a smile on her face. Had the girl read the message from Secret Admirer and would she know it was for her?

"Thinking about me?"

Doo Joon's voice broke Joo Mi from her thoughts as he took a seat across from her and she quickly cleared the table of the newspaper so that he could set both their drinks down.

Joo Mi took a sip from her coffee. "As hard as it may be for you to believe, there are other things that make me happy than just you."

"But I do make you happy," Doo Joon cheekily pointed out. Joo Mi smiled behind her paper cup. "Speaking of which," he continued, "your birthday is coming up this Friday, and not that I don't have something planned out, but is there anything in particular you want?"

Yes, I want to see a Dear Anonymous message to me, but I don't want to have to tell you to send one in or it defeats the purpose of it. I want you to be able to read my mind and know that's what I want without my having to say it in words.

Joo Mi sighed. Even in her head it sounded stupid and unreasonable. "No," she finally answered, placing her cup down and twirling it around between her palms to warm her hands, even though she wasn't particularly cold. "Just keep it simple. I don't want anything fancy."

Doo Joon nodded. "Duly noted." He checked his watch and started getting up. "I have class in ten, so I'll catch you later." He reached across the table and gave Joo Mi a quick peck on the lips. "Oh and you mind if I borrow the paper?"

Joo Mi handed it over to him. She'd already read the only thing that interested her in the entire newspaper. Then she waved her boyfriend goodbye and watched him walk down the stairs of the coffee shop.

***

Friday morning, Joo Mi's alarm clock blared annoyingly in her ears. She sat up, her eyes half closed, and shut the alarm off. As she stretched her arms and yawned, her bedroom door opened and in came Doo Joon, holding a tray of food.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, flabbergasted. Then she realized what a mess she probably looked and tried her best to superficially brush her haystack hair of its knots with her fingers.

"Well good morning to you too," Doo Joon answered as he placed the tray over her covered legs.

"Sorry, I was just surprised to see you, but a good surprised." Joo Mi stared down at the meal before her, obviously bought from the beautiful presentation, but still a sweet gesture since it meant he'd gotten up early to buy it. "And thank you for the breakfast in bed."

Doo Joon cut up a piece of waffle and held it up to to hand feed her. "Well today is your special day. Happy Birthday, Joo Mi."

Joo Mi chomped on the cooked dough hungrily. Doo Joon cut up another piece and though Joo Mi had yet to finish chewing the first bite, she opened to receive it. However, he instead placed it into his mouth, leaving her to narrow her eyes at him.

Doo Joon pouted and innocently stared back. "What? I didn't get a chance to eat anything this morning."

Joo Mi chuckled and took a sip of orange juice. She pushed the tray towards him and then jumped out of bed. "You can finish the rest. I have to get ready for class."

Doo Joon continued to munch on the waffle, sitting comfortably in Joo Mi's bed as he watched her go to her dresser and then head for the bathroom outside her room.

When she was fully ready, Joo Mi half expected to see Doo Joon still in her bed, asleep. He wasn't a morning person, nor did he have classes that day. But she was again surprised to find him waiting in the living room, lying down on the couch and playing a game on his phone.

"Done?" he asked with his eyes still on the screen.

"Yeah," Joo Mi said warily. "Let me just go get my bag." She returned from her room with her tote bag in arm. Doo Joon rolled of the couch and opened the door of her apartment for her. He even bowed slightly and gestured with his hand for her to go first, "After you."

He walked her to her class, all the way across campus and in the complete opposite direction of his own place. Joo Mi was touched by the gesture, though it was unnecessary, even if it was her birthday.

"You're done in an hour, right?" he asked as they approached her classroom.

"Yeah, but I have another class right after."

Doo Joon nodded. "Alright, I'll be here to walk you to your next class then."

Joo Mi raised a brow suspiciously. "What's going on? I know it's my birthday, but you don't have to hold my hand everywhere."

Doo Joon shrugged. "Just wanted to show you I care."

Joo Mi continued to eye him. What exactly was he planning? "Okay," she reluctantly gave in. "But just so you know, I won't get mad if you change your mind and decide you want to go back and sleep."

"Got it." He urged her into her classroom.

Joo Mi mentally scratched her head at his odd behavior, but decided to not think too much on it. She took a seat near the back and noticed that morning's paper resting on the chair of the seat next to her. She swiped it and flipped through the pages for the “Dear Anonymous” section. Unfortunately, the professor walked in to start the class before she got a chance to read it, so she folded it and slipped it into the front pocket of her tote to read later.

As promised, Doo Joon was waiting for her outside when her class was over to walk her to her next and last class. She knew it must have something to do with her birthday, but had no idea what, though again, she pushed aside her theories knowing that it would all make sense later when he revealed his surprise. While she waited for class to begin, Joo Mi decided to pull out the paper to read. However she was disappointed to find that it had somehow fallen out and was no longer sticking out of her bag. She quickly scanned the room, but unfortunately no one had left a copy, nor was anyone reading one at the moment. Well, she'd just have to grab her own later then.

The rest of the day after her last class was now free to spend it however she liked since it was finally the weekend. Normally she'd spend her Friday afternoons grabbing lunch with her girlfriends and then spending her evenings on a date with her boyfriend. Today, since it was her birthday, the whole day would be spent with Doo Joon.

"So what is this special day you have planned that you followed me around all morning?" Joo Mi asked while on the way back to her apartment to drop off her school books.

"Everything will be revealed in due time, my dear," Doo Joon answered with a scholarly tone.

Joo Mi rolled her eyes. But for all the trouble he was going to, she would play along. So while Doo Joon led the way, she didn't pester him with where they were going or what they were going to do. However, when they passed a newspaper stand, she halted and reached for the handle to grab the day's paper. Doo Joon's own hand pressed against the door to stop it from opening. She glanced up at him quizzically.

"I know today is your special day, but it would be really nice if you could give your attention to me," he softly but firmly stated.

Joo Mi straightened up and folded her arms across her chest. "Shouldn't it be the other way around since it's my birthday?"

Doo Joon smiled. "And how are you going to know how attentive I am towards you if you're not the same to me?"

Joo Mi's shoulders slumped submissively. "You're right."

Doo Joon grinned broadly. He slung his arm around her and pushed her forward. "I like the sound of that."

Joo Mi rolled her eyes but grabbed hold of his hand that dangled over her shoulder. He held on tightly and a warm tingle spread through her body. Doo Joon was always good with small gestures that made her feel secure and protected.

Doo Joon had a full day planned out for Joo Mi's birthday. As per her request, he kept it simple and it started at the city lake.

Joo Mi scanned the surroundings for signs of what he had planned. All she could see were a bunch of people going about their merry way. "Don't tell me you prepared some kind of flash mob and all these strangers are going to ambush me with song and dance?"

Doo Joon raised a brow in amusement. "Is that secretly what you want to happen?"

"Oh god no, that would be embarrassing," she said with a mortified look.

He chuckled. "Maybe I'll try that for your next birthday then." Joo Mi swatted his arm playfully. "But no, we're here to just relax and enjoy the warm weather on that." He pointed towards a row of paddle boats tied to the docks. "You did say you've always wanted to try one."

Joo Mi placed a hand on her heart. "Aw, you remembered." She leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheek. "That's really sweet."

After strapping on their safety vests, the two stepped into their rental boat and untied the rope that docked them to the shore. Although Joo Mi didn't know how to swim, she always liked the serenity that big bodies of water provided. Being on a boat floating atop a lake felt as surreal as she imagined it would.

"You can finally cross this off your bucket list," Doo Joon remarked while propping his feet up and folding his hands behind his head.

"Yeah," Joo Mi agreed with a smile. She shifted her body to lie down and rest her head on his lap. "This is really nice. Why didn't I try it before?"

"Because you didn't have me before," Doo Joon replied with a smirk.

Joo Mi rolled her eyes, though she secretly agreed with him. There were a lot of things she probably wouldn't have tried if she hadn't met him. A yawn escaped from which she tried to cover with her fist.

"Tired?" Doo Joon asked.

She fervently shook her head. "No."

He patted her head soothingly. "It's okay, you can take a nap. You had a pretty stressful week of exams and projects."

Joo Mi hummed in accord and let her eyes close. With the soothing effect of Doo Joon her hair, the warmth provided by the sun overhead, and the slow rocking of the boat on the water, she quickly fell into slumber.

Joo Mi awoke with a start from a dream where she was falling. She felt moisture on the side of and used the back of her hand to swipe the drool away. She heard a camera click and blinked away the rest of her fatigue to find Doo Joon holding his phone in her face.

"That's going on Instagram," Doo Joon said with a chuckle.

Joo Mi sat up and pouted. "Don't," she pleaded, reaching for his phone.

He held it away from her and continued to tap on the screen. "Too bad, it's already posted," he said with a grin, holding the picture up for her to see.

Joo Mi's face contorted in chagrin as she held the phone in her hands and saw comments from her friends flood in: "Joo Mi's drool XD", "this is your iest picture yet", "clean up on aisle 3"

She covered her face and groaned, "Oh my god."

Doo Joon plucked the phone back and laughed at some of the comments.

"Stop laughing!" she harrumphed, crossing her arms for emphasis. "It's not funny!"

"Oh come on, it's a cute picture. And you already have 11 likes," he said with a thumbs up.

As embarrassing as that photo was, she had to admit that it was nice hearing him call her cute regardless. And luckily Doo Joon's account was private so the picture would only circulate amongst their friends...although just among their friends, she was sure to get a lot of teasing for that particular photo. Her frown returned and she glared long and hard at the culprit.

"Aw, did I make you upset?" Doo Joon said in a baby voice as he squished her face between his palms, further aggravating her. He smiled and gave her a quick kiss on her puckered lips. "I'll make it up to you later."

The next destination on the itinerary Doo Joon had created for Joo Mi's birthday was a dog café. Joo Mi loved dogs and she had two of her own back at her parent's place that she missed dearly. Doo Joon on the other hand wasn't so fond of them. As the eager canines rushed up to them upon their entrance into the establishment with their tails wagging, Doo Joon surreptitiously slid behind Joo Mi and tried not to make eye contact with them, hoping that by doing so, they would stay away from him.

Joo Mi, however, welcomed all the dogs that jumped atop each other to get her attention, cooing at how cute they were and petting them all in turn.

Doo Joon cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'll go order something," he mumbled and slowly went around the mass of fur that surrounded his girlfriend. One of the smaller breeds left the group and scampered after him. Doo Joon quickened his pace and let out a sigh of relief when he reached past the gate that separated the dog's play area from the rest of the café.

After placing an order, he waited by the gate and watched Joo Mi play with her new friends, even taking some photos of her giggling at their tongues lapping her cheek. She picked up the small one that had followed him earlier and crossed over to him. He stepped back defensively.

"Don't tell me you're scared of this cutie," she teased as she held the dog to his face.

Doo Joon jumped back with a small yelp which Joo Mi laughed at. "Haha, very funny," he said dryly.

Joo Mi brought the dog back to her and nuzzled it lovingly. "I don't know how you can be scared of dogs. They're man's best friend." She sent him a pointed glance, "Maybe you're just not man enough."

Doo Joon stood tall and puffed out his chest. "I'm plenty man enough," he declared.

"Prove it. Hold him." Joo Mi again held out the small dog in her hand.

Doo Joon gulped and with shaking hands, held his palms up for her to drop the animal in. The dog squirmed around, making Doo Joon antsy and shout, "Take it back, take it back," with his eyes scrunched close and his face directed away. There was an audible click and he opened his eyes to find Joo Mi with her phone held up, having snapped a picture.

"You just made it up to me," she said with a wicked smile before finally relieving him of the "dangerous" animal.

Doo Joon quickly checked his Instagram and his mouth dropped at the embarrassing picture she had just posted. His friends were already calling him out for it in the comments: "wuss", "I'd be scared too in the face of such a terrifying beast", "haha forget about lions, tigers, and bears, Doo Joon's scared of puppies"

He dragged a hand across his face and narrowed his eyes at his girlfriend. "You," he growled.

Joo Mi angelically smiled back. "Oh come on, it's a cute picture. And you already have 14 likes," she mocked.

Doo Joon should have known that she'd get her revenge so soon. Joo Mi was playfully vindictive sometimes. "Alright, will you put that thing down and come eat now?" he pleaded.

Joo Mi sighed and reluctantly set the dog back on its feet to join Doo Joon on the other side of the gate. He picked up their order from the counter and the two sat at a booth in the corner.

"Why did you come here if you're so scared of dogs?" she asked after swallowing the bite of her sandwich.

"Because you love them, though why I'll never understand," he answered with a shake of his head.

Joo Mi rested her head against her palm and smiled dotingly at him. "Did I tell you you're the sweetest boyfriend ever?"

He brought up his cup of coffee to his lips and sipped with his pinky out. "You've mentioned it," he said with arrogance. Then he dropped his act and crookedly smiled, "But that doesn't mean I don't like hearing it."

If Joo Mi thought Doo Joon's plans for the day were over, she was mistaken. Though she would have liked to spend more time at the dog café, Doo Joon feigned a headache from the noise produced by the dogs' barking and the shuffling of their paws on the hardwood floor. Miraculously, it went away as soon as he was out the door.

The rest of the evening and well into the night was spent at Joo Mi's own place.

"Just for today," Doo Joon explained after returning from the front door with bags of food delivery in hand, "we can watch whatever you want and I won't say a word against it."

Doo Joon wasn't big on watching romantic comedy movies, but just for Joo Mi, he was willing to sit through hours of her films.

"Really?" Joo Mi prodded with a mischievous glint in her eyes. She went over to her TV cabinet and slung open the door to reveal her large collection of cheesy, cliché movies. She pulled out one in particular with a harem of very good-looking guys surrounding one girl. "Even this one?" she asked, waving the movie in the air tauntingly.

Doo Joon's expression faltered. That was his absolute least favorite one of all. The sole reason girls watched that movie was for the eye candy and the unrealistic gestures that the guys performed in order to get the attention of one girl. It made normal, everyday guys – who could make perfectly good boyfriends too – look subpar. "Yeah, sure," he said with a forced smile.

Joo Mi was well aware of how Doo Joon hated this particular movie, but he did say he wouldn't say anything against whatever she wanted to watch. And truth be told, she actually enjoyed seeing his reactions more than the movie itself – she’d seen most in her collection multiple times already. So after getting comfortable on her couch and with her take out noodles properly mixed, she started the movie with half her attention on the screen and the other half on her boyfriend scoffing and shaking his head throughout the whole hour and half.

When the credits finally rolled through, Doo Joon let out a sigh of relief and slouched back into his seat. It was even worse a second time.

"Alright, time for the sequel," Joo Mi stated as she got up to find the DVD.

Doo Joon sat up and stared with a horror-stricken look, "There's a sequel?" Joo Mi nodded enthusiastically. "Oh god," he grumbled as he fell back onto the couch and covered his face with his arm.

"Why? You don't want to watch it?" she inquired with a sad pout.

Doo Joon quickly shook his head. "No, of course I do. Today's your day," he said with an uneasy smile.

Joo Mi giggled to herself and after finding the movie, inserted it into the player. She again got comfortable on her couch, pulling Doo Joon's arm around her and leaning in against his chest. "Thank you, for today."

"It wasn't too boring? I mean, from the grand gestures these guys in the movies you like do, I was almost worried that when you said simple, I made it too simple."

"No, as much as I love watching my rom-com movies, I don't actually want a rom-com love story. I like simple because it doesn't take much to make me happy, just showing me that you care is enough. And today, you really went above and beyond. I couldn't have asked for more."

"Really?" he asked almost skeptically.

In the back of her head, Joo Mi still wished to have gotten a “Dear Anonymous” message, but looking at how she'd spent the day with her boyfriend, she was more than content with how her birthday had passed. "Really."

Doo Joon chuckled and kissed her forehead. "I'm glad. Happy Birthday, Joo Mi."

Because Joo Mi worked an early shift on the weekends, she had to cut her movie marathon shorter than she would have liked. Doo Joon slept over, instantly falling asleep from the day. But Joo Mi lay awake with her head resting on Doo Joon's shoulder, thinking about the newspaper she hadn't had a chance to read that day.

Ever so quietly, she slipped out from Doo Joon's arm that hung loosely around her and left her room. She slipped on some sandals and despite the late hour, walked to the nearest newsstand that carried her school's paper. Luckily it was only a block away. It was too dark to read outside, but once she was in the vicinity of the lights provided by her apartment building's lobby, she flipped the paper open, not expecting much but always managing to get a giggle or smile out of at least one message.

However, as her eyes swept down the page, they froze on the last one, "Dear Anonymous, What are you looking here for? Was breakfast in bed, a boat ride on the lake, going to a dog café, and a marathon of your favorite movies not enough? Sincerely, Attentive Boyfriend."

Joo Mi went slack-jawed and almost walked past her floor on the staircase. She arrived back in her bedroom with a big smile on her face and slipped back into bed and into her boyfriend's arm, who stirred awake from the movement.

"Where'd you go?" he asked sleepily.

"Thank you, Attentive Boyfriend," she said with a grin.

He tiredly laughed, "You looked. I tried hard to keep the paper away from you. I almost had a heart attack when you came out of your class with it because it would have ruined the day I had planned for you if you'd already read it."

So that was how the newspaper had disappeared from her bag earlier and why he'd insisted on keeping close to her all day, so she wouldn't look at the paper. "How did you know it's what I wanted?"

"I read your mind."

Joo Mi actually believed him too, until he again laughed.

"That and you're always reading it. I figured it wouldn't hurt to send one in for you."

Of all the things Doo Joon had done for her that day, this was probably her favorite. Her one romantic wish had come true, as simple and foolish as it might be considered by some. But to her, it meant so much, especially coming from her boyfriend.

"Now seriously, let’s go to sleep," Doo Joon said as he rolled over and slung his leg over her so she couldn't escape on a nightly errand again. "You have work and I'm exhausted from today."

Joo Mi smiled and scooted closer against him. She pressed her lips against his. "Have I mentioned that you're the sweetest boyfriend ever?"

He closed his eyes and smiled, "You have, but I don't mind hearing it again," he mumbled before he was soon back in dreamland.

***

Monday morning, there was a curious message that many who read the “Dear Anonymous” section of the school paper found interesting because it almost seemed like a reply to one from Friday's edition, "Dear Anonymous, They were more than enough, but this was the cherry on top. Sincerely, Appreciative Girlfriend."

~//~

April 28, 2014, 11:57 PM