Replay
 

Tiffany giggled while Siwon carried her on his back. Here's this overly pompous boy, one so refined that it was obvious that he was raised in the arms of a queen back in Seoul.

He was very careful in keeping his image clean and his grades high. Although he admitted that there were 'issues' back home, he said that meeting her was one of the things that made him change for the better.

While he had never fully discussed what he did that made his parents so angry they sent him outside of Seoul, she had never questioned his sincerity in turning a new leaf. To her, he seemed determined to erase his past and build a new future---with her.

If it was only this simple with Taeyeon. She told herself. A relationship where there won't be bittersweet kisses, a love that is accepted by the majority. She could hold his hand or even kiss in public and all the others would think is that they look good together. They can have kids and bring up a family with good values. Taeyeon can never give her this certainty, the secure feeling of being in the arms of a person that can only be judged as a good husband to his wife.

It’s easier this way. She thought. She hopped off Siwon's back and smiled sincerely, rewarding him with a warm face that wanted to thank him for being with her tonight.

She told herself that she was protecting Taeyeon, from words as sharp as knives. That she wouldn't let her experience a love that needed a great amount of endurance, that she can still be there for her even if there is another person involved, and that she can live with the fact that she can fall in love with another person.

Someone like Leeteuk? Her conscience wandered. Her fanboy, that ear lover? She wondered if Taeyeon and Leeteuk kiss like they do. If his tongue wandered her ear while she made intoxicating sounds. And if they did, did Taeyeon enjoy his treat more that hers?

"What? You don't want ice cream anymore?" Siwon asked he had been holding the door open for her for more than a minute. “Miyoung?”

"Aniya. I'll buy some." She smiled as she walked to the frozen goods section and picking up a tri-flavored pint of chocolate, double dutch and strawberry ice cream.

•••••••

Seohyun counted the ballots again. Im Yoona had won her spot on Prom queen on a landslide. Usually, a senior would win a spot for it; but this year a junior had beaten all the beautiful candidates.

Minho uncomfortably shifted from his seat. "Like I said! Im Yoona won fair and square." He beckoned; it was as if his attraction to with older women has something to do with Yoona winning the crown.

"Well, then... Who won Prom King?" Onew asked resting his back to a wall. As the head of the election committee, he was forced to supervise the ballots instead of enjoying the dance.

Key and Taemin looked at each other. "We don't know how to say this."

"What is it?" Minho asked.

"Heechul won." Taemin laughed.

"What's so bad about that?" Onew asked, crossing his arms.

"Because Donghae and Eunhyuk wanted the crown so badly, they asked everyone to vote for them." Key laughed. "They even asked people they’ve never even talked to.

“I even heard their girlfriends from Seoul came to the dance.” Taemin claimed. “One of them have moves. I saw Eunhyuk dance with her before we started counting.”

Minho jumped from his seat. “I saw her! And the other one was so pretty! I wonder if she’s our noona?”

“We can talk about girls later.” Jonghyun slammed his hand on the table. “I demand to know why, of the ninety students eligible to vote. I counted at least a hundred and twenty in the box.”

“Maybe it’s because you at math.” Key joked. Minho and Taemin wanted to laugh, but Jonghyun had stared them down before they can even react.

"So which one of these are legit votes?" Jonghyun asked, looking at the votes one by one for ballots that might've been incorrect in any way. "How did it even got pass you, Seohyun?"

“Don’t blame it on Seohyun.” Onew argued. “She can’t tell who voted twice because she doesn’t know half of the senior’s faces.”

"Let's count it again." Seohyun suggested. Everyone in the room groaned.

•••••••

It was Yonghwa's last song. A small group of freshmen pushed this one girl on stage when he announced that it wasa duet. While they were busy fighting for the mic, his eyes tried to look for Seohyun but he couldn't see her.

"Our last song--" he said, "--is a song I made for my special lady, if you can hear this…" He began to pluck the strings of his guitar to set the mood. His band followed his lead and played on the notes that Yonghwa composed.

"The day when I first saw you
Your bright smile full of shyness
We’ll get closer after today--"

He glanced at his partner just to see how she was holding up, but she looked more than ready for this. Her eyes reflected the kind of confidence that almost seems that she had practiced this song with him a hundred times. She even added a different kind of softness to his song. He had not decided whether he liked it or not.

"Every day, I have heart-fluttering expectations,
What to say to you--" he continued, listening closely to the girl as she played her guitar.

"How to get you to laugh
I fear it’ll get awkward when I try to hold your hand
All I can do is smile shyly."

The crowd was eager to hear his voice and his feelings. Actually, they had stopped dancing and just listened to Yonghwa's song completely.

And that's when the young girl blew everyone away.

"Hopefully we can speak banmal to each other
Even though it’s still awkward and unfamiliar--"

Yonghwa has been caught off guard. He wasn't expecting the girl to be this good. He pulled away from the condenser and observed her before he caught on.

"Instead of saying ‘thank you’
Talk to me in a friendlier way."

Everyone cheered. People gossiped about what her name is, who she was at school and on how she skillfully picked up Yonghwa's song in a single verse.

It took another minute for Yonghwa to finish his song. And while the whole gym applauded their performance, he wanted nothing more but to look for Seohyun and ask how she was and how he did.

Yonghwa bowed and reached out to the girl, bowing for the second time to thank her participation. When they were done, they proceeded backstage to drop their instruments.

"Excuse me." The girl tapped Yonghwa and gave her warmest smile before handed him a notebook with her head down in respect.

He was confused at what the girl was trying to show him. He turned towards her and opened the book. It was a musical score. There weren't any lyrics yet but he scanned her composition. He can hear the sound of their guitar syncing as his eyes played the notes on his head.

Pabo? The title read. He looked at the girl questionably.

"I was hoping you can help me sing it next time. I'm a big fan of your music." she said in a mild mannered voice.

Yonghwa closed he book and handed it back. "What's your name?"

He can see how her eyes jumped at his question as she promptly bowed at him. "Naneun Juniel imnida."