[a/n] So I had accidentally deleted this chapter so I needed to retype some things. The ending will be different from the original one, but hopefully, still good.

 

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Day 5 was a drag in every sense of the word. The hours seemed to inch by at snail's pace. What made it worse was that this was one of the days I had no classes. To relieve my boredom, I had texted Yongguk that afternoon, telling him that I was going to spam him with photos. He didn't reply, but I did it anyway. In the end, he got to see my lunch, my dinner, the sunset over the Han River when I went jogging and a secretly snapped picture of my Dad who had called on Skype.

 

"Thank you so much, Daddy! We ate well."

 

 

My lovable Dejang* leaned back in his seat. "I haven't even seen this kid yet but you're already cooking for him. I better not come there and see a baby bump or I swear I'll--"

 

 

"Daddy!" I exclaimed. "Are you nuts?" Even though there was nothing to protect, my hands covered my stomach. "I'm still in school!"

 

 

He scoffed. "So was Grace when she was pregnant with Lucas. I see no difference."

 

 

I rolled my eyes at the comparison. My half brother's mom wasn't the best person to have as a role model, that was for sure. I mean, who cheats on their baby's daddy for a guy with no financial stability and a hot temper? I never understood her, though it was not for lack of trying.

 

 

"How is Luke anyway?" I asked once I had settled down. "Last I heard, he was on the islands."

 

 

Daddy reached for his cup of what I hoped was just some really diluted Dr. Pepper. "Yeah, he still is. Supposed to be coming up to me next month with some girl. Maybe you can bring your boyfriend too when you come over."

 

 

"Uh...."

 

 

"As a matter of fact, what does the boy do? Is he in one of your classes or something?"

 

 

"No...?" I really didn't want to mention the whole 'its just a show' thing to him.

 

 

"Then where'd you meet him? Is he employed or what?"

 

 

I could hear the impatience rising in his voice and decided to save my skin the best way I knew how: selective omission.

 

 

"Well, Daddy," I began, trying to sound as innocent as possible, "we met at the library. And he is employed. As a matter of fact, he's in Malaysia right now on business."

 

 

The first good sign, his eyebrows raised which meant he was impressed. The second, he reached for his drink which meant he was comfortable with the answer.

 

 

I sighed in relief. Daddy didn't ask any other questions other than when my "boyfriend" would be back and if I was happy with him.

 

With a cool smile, I replied, "Whether I'm with him or not, I believe he'll always be a source of happiness for me."

 

So not the answer he was expecting,  but he let me get away on a nod. 

 

 

I sent Bang one last text before I went to sleep that night.

 

//  I don't know if I was a nuisance or an encouragement to you today. Either way, I hope that you gave it your all. You're coming back tomorrow, right? I don't know which flight its going to be, but I hope you're comfortable. Check to make sure you have all your luggage and documents and.... //

 

 

Wrinkling my nose, I backspaced over that entire last sentence. I was his girl, not his mom; I didn't need to nag him. That's what he had Manager-oppa for.

 

 

I stared at my ceiling a while before I finally put my fingers to my phone again.

 

 

//  Praying for your safety, I'll patiently wait for you, oppa.

 

 

--Baby Min  //

 

 

I practically threw my phone to the side after I sent it, my face burning in embarrassment.  What was it that posessed me to type him such a message? Ugh! Was it too late to retract the text? Of course it was. What was I? Stupid? Covering my head in shame, I went to sleep early.

 

When I woke the next morning, I was more grouchy than usual. I went to make some waffles for breakfast in hopes that the sugar would give me some comfort.

 

 

"Yah! Ige mwoya (what is this)?" Heejin walked to the opposite side of the island counter and I could just imagine the scowl on her face. "Waffles? I wanted eggs. E~ggs."

 

 

I snatched the timer from its convenient place near the toaster and launched it right at her forehead. She howled in pain ans clutched her face.

 

 

I didn't raise my voice; I didn't even look at her when I spoke. "Shut the hell up and get out of my kitchen."

 

 

Shrieking some indecipherable thing, my little sister retreated. Maybe I was a little harsh, but I really was not in the mood for that girl and her bull that morning. Her attitude had been pissing me off all week and I was still riding out a shame hangover; its not really a state for people to get on my nerves.

 

Thus, I ate my cherry wafflees alone. I met Nana, who had left home early for class, during our coinciding free time for lunch.

 

As we shared a pizza, I bared my soul to her. Leave it to her to laugh at my confession.

 

"So, wait," she insisted, wiping tears of laughter from the corner of one eye. "You had the guts to confess, but you totally flake the next day? Oh, girl you probably killed him, too, with that aegyo."

 

At the very thought, I scrunched up my nose which triggered yet another bout of laughter. Nan knew that when it came to aegyo, I was not the one. I actually had a guy break up with me because he thought I had an old ahjumma's* aegyo.....whatever that meant.

 

I almost face planted into the pizza that was left, groaning.

 

 

"Anyway," she went on with a sip of her bottled water, "you sure have guts, coming out here dressed like that."

 

 

She motioned to my comfortably faded jeans and my soft tee that bore a cartoon bunny dancing with a oversized carrot. I rolled my eyes at her. I didn't have the will to care today with how I was feeling. Besides, the cameras were still no where to be found.

 

 

"Don't you know that he's already en route back home?" She ignored my non-sensical sputtering. "The first fancams of them heading through the Malaysian airport were posted about 10 minutes ago."

 

 

I heart thumped particularly hard in my chest. "10 minutes ago? Why did they take such an early flight?"

 

 

"Early? Yah, myotshieyo (what time is it)?"

 

 

I yanked my sleeve up from over my watch. It was 2:30, well into the afternoon. Because I hadn't been bothered by the cameras for two days, a part of me was trying very hard to forget about them. So hard that perhaps I had fooled myself into thinking that they weren't coming back. Suddenly Nan went rustling through her bag. She scribbled something in the back of  one her notebooks and slid it over to me as if it was nothing. I followed her lead and took a glance at the paper, sipping at my drink with feigned disinterest.

 

 

---Maybe they're already watching us.---

 

 

I leaned back in my seat and allowed my gaze to scan the now crowded cafe. There was virtually no one when we first came in; where did all these people come from? Any one of them could had a camera in their bags, recording us.

 

"Let's get out of here," I said softly pushing up from my chair.

 

 

We cleared our table quickly and made our way out the door and back to school. Nan began to go on about all the things she was going to do when she got back to campus, creating a really nice cover. I smiled every now and then and nodded at what she was saying. In reality, she was just background noise to my thoughts.

 

 

How screwed was I? Was I an idiot or what? I knew he was coming back. I knew it, yet I still allowed myself to be caught like this.

 

 

Be chill. I told myself firmly. Its not the end of the world. Besides this is you at your most natural. Yongguk is one of those guys who will appreciate this kind of appearance.

 

 

The second we crossed the campus boundary, my phone vibrated at my side. I nudged Nan a little as I pulled the device out of my pocket. She took the hint and quickly stop talking.

 

 

"Oh, is it him?" If I didn't know any better, I would've thought that it took her by surprise.

 

 

My thumb flipped the phone open. It was a text.

 

 

// I managed to make it back safe and sound. When does your last class end? //

 

 

I smiled.  // You "managed" to? Thank goodness. But my classes don't end until 8. //

 

 

// I guess I should come see you now then? //

 

 

// I don't want you to come out of your way. Especially when you've only just come back home. //

 

 

"Its not out of my way," I heard from behind me.

 

 

My eyes widened dramatically as I my heels to see Bang, leaning against the wall we had just passed. He was still dressed in the clothes he was wearing at the airport--the exact same thing, plus some badass sunglasses. What if somebody recognized him from the fancams?

 

For some reason the thought had me grinning on my walk to where he was. "How reckless," I teased. "Looks like someone isn't scared of riling up a mob."

 

 

All he did was smile until I was only a few steps away from him. My kidding mood cooled and I could only sigh, my eyes running over his body. It wasn't like I expected to him to be hurt but I looked anyway.

 

"You didn't go home?"

 

 

It was obvious that he hadn't; it was a dumb question, but his answering smile was still unbelievably warm despite him lowering his face slightly. "Ne. I was passing the area and wondered if I would see you if we took this route......and I suppose we did."

 

 

So the van was close.

 

 

So the cameras were back.

 

So we weren't being paranoid.

 

 

Of course not.

 

 

"Minnie." She turned to see Nana tapping her watch. "I'm heading in first."

 

 

After a bow to Yongguk, she was gone. His chin raised as if he were watching her leave before his face turned back to me. I wanted to ask him to take off his sunglasses so badly but I pursed my lips instead, knowing full well how much problems that would cause.

 

It was then that he decided to have one of his usual fangirl killing moments, his tongue sliding between his own lips. His plump, pink lips. Were they as soft as they looked? I wondered as my feet brought me one step closer to him. He seemed to have noticed the change in my thinking and tensed a little.

 

That was my cue to stop.

 

 

I retreated three steps and played it off with a shaky laugh that sounded weird to even my ears. "I should go to class now, oppa. Thanks for stopping by," I said suddenly, averting my eyes.

 

 

"Minhee-ah...."

 

 

I gave him a short smile. "You made me really happy by stopping by. But I have to go to class. You know how that is."

 

 

I really regretted not being able to see his eyes then. Though I shouldn't have; I didn't need his expression to make me feel even more messed up. He didn't frown, but he wasn't smiling either. His voice was low when he murmured something sounding like an OK.

 

It more than just bothered me when I turned away from him and walked off. He seemed a bit put off because of my ridiculous behavior. And it was all my fault. I sighed as I entered the building my class was in. On the stairs, I met Nana checking her nails. When she saw me, she was smiling.

 

"I have someone taking notes for us," she explained. "So don't ask. Just tell me what you love birds talked about." At my frown she tilted her head to the side. "That is not the face of romance," she commented.

 

 

I sighed, unable to believe the way I was feeling. "I want him, Nan. I want him so bad, but I don't want to just jump him on camera, you know?"

 

She nodded in understanding. "Did you do something embarrassing in front of him or...?"

 

"I was going to kiss him. Because of his sunglasses I couldn't see his eyes, but I must have made him uncomfortable since he just tensed up."

 

 

"Maybe it wasn't that he didn't want to, but because he was worried about the cameras too," she suggested helpfully.

 

I shook my head in disbelief. Somehow I couldn't see that as a possibility. Not at all. I sighed when I realized that here I was, psyching myself out again because of my own emotions. This man was making me lose my mind, I swear. We eventually went to class, but like some in heat I kept thinking about him his lips.

 

"Oh my gosh!" I groaned out loud my face in my hands.

 

Nan came over with a bowl of ice cream left over from the boys' visit. She sat beside me on the couch offering me a spoon that I took half heartedly. She had come over to the apartment after a trip home to grab more clothes to sleep over. I guess clothes wasn't the only thing she thought to bring.

 

Spooning out some of the ice cream into , she hummed. "To all my Babys, yes sir..."

 

"Yah." She looked over and met my steady gaze with a sheepish smile.

 

"My bad." I rolled my eyes at her. "But we're adults," she went on. "Sometimes we may feel those feels. There's nothing wrong with that because, guess what? He feels those feels, too. He can't relieve them as easily as regular people either so I know he suffers."

 

I didn't want to think about it, but I ended up thinking about it just like that. What kind of girls made him feel that way? Was I ever one of them?

 

I groaned, messing up my hair as I flopped back onto the couch. "Two days is no where near enough time!"

 

"Hey, its more than the rest of us get," Nan reminded me curtly. "Instead of complaining to me, shouldn't you be making time with your man?"

 

She did have a point. I reached down for my couple phone which I had placed on the coffee table in case he texted or called. Now I suppose I would have to be the one to take the first step. He was probably busy, I told myself. He was too busy to be bothered with me and my hormones, but I found myself waiting as I listened to the phone ring.

 

"Yoboseyo?"

 

His voice was deeper than usual and it ran delicious vibrations down my spine. "Y-yoboseyo?"

 

"Mm...Minhee-ah." If I wasn't mistaken Yongguk sounded pleased. "Are you alright? What was going on today?"

 

"Today? Um..." Nan motioned for me to tell the truth...Yeah, right. "My mind was just cluttered."

 

"Really." He was so unconvinced that it didn't even sound like a question.

 

I looked at my fingers tugging on the edge of my tee shirt. "It was REALLY cluttered."

 

He hummed in acknowledgement and didn't push it any farther.

 

Afraid of the silence I spoke up again. "Were you resting before I called?"

 

I heard something what sounded like a yawn at a bit of a distance from the receiver causing me to giggle in response.

 

"Mianheyo. What did you say?"

 

"I asked if you were resting before I called."

 

"Ne. We practised earlier and I came in here to write some lyrics but I ended up falling asleep on the couch...." He sniffed a little and I imagined he was rubbing his eyes too.

 

"How was practise? Where are the others?" I asked idly, slapping Nana's hands from waving to get my attention.

 

"It was OK. Productive. We didn't make many mistakes. I was really tired afterwards though I didn't want to sleep. We all sort of laid out on the floor so we wouldn't fall over." His soft chuckle made my chest feel as if butterflies decided to take up residence. "As for the kids, the last time I saw Youngjae and Zelo, they were playing video games. Daehyun was watching a movie on my laptop and Himchan took Jongup with him to the store to grab some snacks.....but that was before I took a nap, so I can't tell you how true any of that is now."

 

I smiled, having snuggled my side into the side of the couch after slapping away the hands waving in front of my face to get my attention once more. "Ah. I was just wondering."

 

"Weayo? You were planning on cooking again?"

 

I shook my head even though he couldn't see me, biting my lip a little. "No. I was just....I...I guess I just wanted to hear you. I mean, you had been gone and even though I was like that earlier, I really...I..."

 

The words for some reason refused to just come out. My mouth was holding back the words I most wanted to say. My heart was thumping so hard in my chest that I thought that I was having a medical problem. He said nothing during this time, but his silence made me even more nervous. What was he thinking at that time? I couldn't help but wonder. Even to the last.....I couldn't tell him that I had missed him. That not hearing his voice for that one day made me want to go to wherever he was and cuddle against his chest.

 

I brought a hand to my head. It covered my eyes in an attempt to hide even myself from my shame. I thought I had already overcome this.

 

"Are you busy? Do you want me to come for you?"

 

His voice came so suddenly that my eyes widened in surprise. "Uh...ne?"

 

In the same even tone he went on. "Do you want me to come for you? What time is good?"

 

"Um..." The time on the Pororo clock that hung near the kitchen read 10:00 PM. "Half an hour.....half an hour is good."

 

"I'll be there in a bit, then."

 

I nodded dumbly. "N-ne....I'll see you when you get here."

 

Click.

 

Nana touched my arms, pulling me to look at her. "What was that?"

 

I didn't even answer her. There was no time. I ran out of the room, swinging around corners until I was practically falling into my room.

 

A night escapade with Bang Yongguk...

 

Hell yeah.

 

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NOTE: Dejang (it was actually used before, but in case you forgot) means general

         Ahjumma is used to refer to middle aged women who are not related to you