Who?
asdfghjk
I've been playing this song on repeat for the entire day. :') I love it so much. Hopefully I update fast, 'cause the chapters are done, I just need to revise them. Oh, & happy anniversary SHINee. :D <3 I love them so much~
_
Taeyang kept a distance while following me to the door. He leaned on the wall & gave a smirk, with anticipation in his eyes.. It made me feel a bit anxious to find out who was waiting outside of Rennie's house.
I opened the door widely & saw someone I didn't quite know. His face was puffed & red with fury. He looked as if he was going to throw a fit. He inhaled deeply & started to yell, "WHY DID YOU LEAVE WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE? OUR MANAGER KEPT ASKING ME WHERE YOU WENT AND I HAD TO KEEP MAKING EXCU-.." he opened his eyes & gazed at me.
"W-who are you?.." he asked. I tilted my head in slight confusion, still trying to recover from the sudden scolding.
Who am I? Who are you? You're the one who rang the doorbell expecting someone you recognized, right? You don't just yell at strangers like that..
"A-Anyway.. Where's Taeyang? He ran off & gave me a lot of trouble. We're supposed to go to the SM Town Concert tomorrow!"
"SM Town Concert?.." I asked. His voice was shaky whenever he dared to open his mouth. Taeyang got off from the wall & approached the door.
He had a wide smile on his face.
"Don't worry, I'm right here~" he teased. The unknown guy looked up & gave an angry, but embarrassed look at Taeyang. He was flushed. "We need to get back now.."
I opened the door widely & saw someone I didn't quite know. His face was puffed & red with fury. He looked as if he was going to throw a fit. He inhaled deeply & started to yell, "WHY DID YOU LEAVE WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE? OUR MANAGER KEPT ASKING ME WHERE YOU WENT AND I HAD TO KEEP MAKING EXCU-.." he opened his eyes & gazed at me.
"W-who are you?.." he asked. I tilted my head in slight confusion, still trying to recover from the sudden scolding.
Who am I? Who are you? You're the one who rang the doorbell expecting someone you recognized, right? You don't just yell at strangers like that..
"A-Anyway.. Where's Taeyang? He ran off & gave me a lot of trouble. We're supposed to go to the SM Town Concert tomorrow!"
"SM Town Concert?.." I asked. His voice was shaky whenever he dared to open his mouth. Taeyang got off from the wall & approached the door.
He had a wide smile on his face.
"Don't worry, I'm right here~" he teased. The unknown guy looked up & gave an angry, but embarrassed look at Taeyang. He was flushed. "We need to get back now.."
Taeyang shook his head playfully. "No thanks~ I want to stay here with Rhaye!" He started to laugh & wrapped his arm around my shoulders. The guy standing outside the door started to grow furious. He didn't look scary, though. Maybe it was because he was cute, but the way Taeyang was teasing him after he drove all the way here to get him pissed me off a bit. I decided to back.
I grabbed Taeyang's hat (which he treasures the most) & he started to whimper.
"Stop playing around. You need to get back to LA!" I nagged.
He attempted to get his hat back, but failed. "G-give it back!"
"No," I stuck my tongue out.
He sighed & turned back to the guy at the front door.
"Okay, okay.. I'm sorry. I'll go there soon. But, c'mon, you should go inside & stay here with me for a while!" Taeyang walked back towards the kitchen while I turned to face.. whoever he was. He looked really stressed out.
I gestured him to come inside. He kept his head low & slowly entered the house.
I grabbed Taeyang's hat (which he treasures the most) & he started to whimper.
"Stop playing around. You need to get back to LA!" I nagged.
He attempted to get his hat back, but failed. "G-give it back!"
"No," I stuck my tongue out.
He sighed & turned back to the guy at the front door.
"Okay, okay.. I'm sorry. I'll go there soon. But, c'mon, you should go inside & stay here with me for a while!" Taeyang walked back towards the kitchen while I turned to face.. whoever he was. He looked really stressed out.
I gestured him to come inside. He kept his head low & slowly entered the house.
"DAESUNG, C'MON!~" Taeyang yelled, as he left the kitchen & jumped on the couch. I twitched at his immaturity & introduced myself when the guy (who I've recently learned his name) walked passed me.
"Daesung?" I smiled. His eyes grew wide & he looked up at me. His face brightened immediately. He was about to open his mouth to speak, but I decided to say my name before he said anything."I'm Rhaye~ You're Taeyang's friend right? Sorry if he caused you any trouble.. If you're hungry, you can grab anything from the kitchen." His mouth closed & suddenly he didn't look so well.
"Mm," he nodded, walking away.
Rennie finally came down from her room. "Aigoo, that took forever.." she mumbled. I approached her & pointed to Taeyang's friend.
"Is it okay if he stays here overnight?" I asked.
"Is that.. Daesung?"
I nodded. I didn't know she knew him.
"Woahh~ Long time no see, Daesung!" she waved at him happily, but he didn't acknowledge her. "Hmph," she pouted, heading towards the kitchen.
_
"Let's make a lot of Asian courses! I'm craving all kinds of food," she said.
I rolled my eyes & went to get short grained rice out of the pantry. After putting the washed rice in the rice cooker, I couldn't help but think about Daesung. I didn't know that Rennie knew him, & I know all of her friends. Rennie was going through her iPod while she was waiting for the pan to heat up. "Hey, Rennie, how do you know Daesung?"
"Hmm?" she turned to me with a headphone in her ear. "Oh.. just an old friend.. Don't worry about it. I think you two will be great friends!"
"Do you know why he seems so down today?"
She shrugged guiltily, "I have no clue."
I turned around to take a peek at Taeyang & Daesung. He had more of a worried, scared face rather than sad. Taeyang, though, was as loud & energetic as ever. I sighed & went back to cooking.
_
Taeyang finally calmed down & bent down to face Daesung, who was resting his head on his hand. "Don't you miss her? I know you did, it's been years. Oh, & well-" Taeyang paused & lifted his hand up.
"Babo!" he said, hitting Daesung gently on the head. "I was supposed to surprise you by bringing her to LA, but you had to find me, didn't you?" Taeyang whispered, smiling. He pulled back & found Daesung blushing.
"What was I supposed to do?" he muttered. "I kept getting yelled at by our manager. We still need to practice for our comeback.."
"I know, I know, but this is much more important!"
"More important than our careers?"
"Yes, & a long time ago, you said she was the most important thing in your life. You have to get her back!"
"DINNER'S READY~" Rennie screamed. She stormed out of the kitchen & pulled out a chair carelessly. Rhaye followed behind her with empty plates with utensils sitting on top.
"You better like my cooking," Rennie spat while glaring at Daesung & Taeyang. Taeyang stepped away from the table & went into the kitchen to grab all the food.
"Don't you dare eat anything, Taeyang!" she barked. He pouted, and brought all the dishes on the table. "Good," she growled.
"If I wanted to, I would've ran out the door with all this," he winked.
"I would've chased you until you got hit by a car!"
"I would've threw all the food at you once you started to chase me," he laughed.
"WELL I WOULD'VE KICKED YOU IN TH-"
"Thank you for the food!~" Rhaye yelled.
Everyone finally settled into their seats & starting to indulge in as much food as they could. It was a fast feast. The serving plates that contained kimchi, sushi, eggrolls, & stir-fry were nearly empty.
The food seemed to simmer down Daesung's stress & he was feeling a little bit better than before.
"Thanks for letting us stay over & thanks for all the food~" Taeyang said in satisfaction. He was beaming with happiness once he laid back in his chair. Daesung looked up & flashed a wide smile. His eyes were closed & there was kimchi & rice all over his hands & face. Once everyone finished eating, they laid back & relaxed.
Taeyang & Rhaye began to reminisce.
"HAH. YEAH YOU DID. You looked like a loser once you started dancing!" He spat out carelessly. Rhaye gave him a threatening glare & he was forced to change topics.
"Ahah. I was just kidding. You were cute whenever you messed up.."
"Mhm. Sure I was."
Taeyang propped back up on his seat. "So," he began, "was everything all right once I left? No more trouble for you in high school?"
She nodded & smiled weakly. "Yeah.. There wasn't much, but I was able to bear with it thanks to you." She lifted her arm up to reveal a blue bracelet. "I still have it, by the way. I never got to thank you properly for it, so, thanks," she giggled.
Taeyang stared at the bracelet until he realized where it was from.
Oh. That bracelet.
He quickly turned the Daesung & saw him on the verge of tears..
Taeyang furrowed his eyes & attempted to switch the topic quickly.
"I-I've been wanting you two to meet the rest of my group!" he smiled, trying to cover up the broken atmosphere that aroused. Rennie scoffed.
"If they're like you, then no~" she said jokingly.
"No, really! You should meet them. One of them is an amazing rapper,
but he's really mysterious at the same time. He's overly confident,
but not in a bad way, he always inspires the whole group. I guess
that's why he's the leader." He shrugged.
Taeyang continued to describe every member of Big Bang, but went into detail for the last one, which was directed to Daesung.
"Oh, & the last one, I think you'll like him the best. He's really caring & nice. He can be really clumsy & gullible at times, but he's really sensitive. He also has an amazing voice. You'll believe me if you hear it! I think you'll get along with him well~" he laughed.
Rhaye listened eagerly to all the descriptions of the other members, but she was especially struck by the last one. "What's his name?" she asked, smiling.
Taeyang shook his head. "You'll find out when you meet them!"
He opened his mouth to speak again, but turned to Daesung & whispered,
"Aish, since you ruined the surprise.." He faced the two girls again & continued. "Oh, & well, I was going to take you guys with Daesung & I to the SM Town Concert tomorrow. Care to join us?"
Rhaye smiled brightly. "A concert?! You're performing tomorrow, Taeyang?"
"Nahh, I'm not from SM Entertainment." He glanced at Rennie & she just glared.
"But, it'd be nice if you met a few more of my friends from the music
industry~" he continued. "Don't worry, the concert's my treat to you!"
Rhaye got up from the table & spoke, "Sounds great!" she smiled. "I'm going to shower & get settled in, okay?"
Taeyang nodded & she quickly walked up the stairs.
"BYE RHAAAAAYE~! Settle in well! I have everything prepared for you already!" Rennie yelled.
"Ahh, thanks, Rennie!" she hollered back.
Taeyang & Rennie turned to Daesung & gave a sympathetic look. They both knew about the painful situation he was in.
"Sorry if I said anything that made you upset.. I guess I shouldn't have taken credit for the concert tickets." Daesung shook his head & turned away.
"She.. doesn't remember me."
Rennie's face grew awkward, but then she got up confidently, about to yell out her blunt advice.
"So what if she doesn't remember you?! You're on a clean slate right now, & you're making a bad first impression! Wait, wait. Never mind. She's been concerned about you ever since you got here.. This is finally your chance, don't ruin it now! You barely talked to her today! Stop acting upset & make a move already." She puffed her cheeks. Daesung faced her & gave another weak smile. But it grew wider.
He laughed, "I thought you didn't support me."
Rennie gave an awkward, suspicious laugh.
"I didn't know you back then.. Plus I thought Taeyang & her made a cute couple, but they never thought about each other like that. Well, don't worry, I'm rooting for you Daesung!" she started to clap.
Taeyang laughed & gave Daesung a pat on the back.
"So, Rennie." Taeyang smirked. "You were on the phone for a while. Who was it?"
"Ahh, it was SM Entertainment. They wanted me to appear in the SM Town Concert announcing that I am preparing for debut. But, I don't want Rhaye to find out about it yet.." She sighed, then continued, "I asked them if it was all right if I didn't mention my name."
"Did they agree?" Taeyang raised an eyebrow.
"Neh, but once I debut I'll have to mention my name. That's okay, Rhaye should find out by then. But what if she sees me on stage tomorrow?"
Taeyang gave another smirk & turned to Daesung. "You're showing up before the concert starts, right Rennie?"
"Well, I'm going in before introductions."
"Oh, that's not important! She can miss that. Then Daesung can take her backstage during that time & show her around.~" He winked.
"For Rachel's sake, okay?~" she beamed. Daesung became awkward & hesitant but agreed.
They all left the table while Taeyang was forced to clean the dishes. "Really now? I have to move boxes & now clean the dishes?"
"Shut up or I'll kick you out of my house & you'll have to sleep outside tonight," she threatened.
Taeyang cringed when Rennie gave him a death glare. He struggled to walk towards the sink since she was eying him.
"Anyway~" Rennie started, averting her eyes away from Taeyang & onto Daesung. "C'mon, let's get you settled in for the night!" She grabbed Daesung by the wrists & dragged him up the stairs.
"Here!" she exclaimed as she showed him an unfurnished room, with an exception for the bed. "Just shower up & sleep, 'kay? Or if you're hungry you can grab anything from downstairs. I'm going to help out Taeyang with cleaning." She waved, walked down the hallway & made her way downstairs. He watched her until she was out of sight. Daesung sighed & entered his empty room & stared at it blankly until he went into the hallway to grab a towel.
The bathroom door creaked open while a portion of the hallway filled with steam. Daesung jumped back & lingered near the door.
"O-oh, hey!" He stuttered when he saw Rhaye's face. She gave a warm smile to him & held out her hand. Daesung looked at it for a while until he understood the gesture.
"Daesung, right? We didn't get to talk much today, but I hope we'll get to know each other later on."
Her smile was just mesmerizing..
He couldn't help but smile back. Once he opened his squinted eyes, he spotted the bracelet she was wearing, the one that he wasn't able to give her directly. He pointed at her wrist. "I-Is that the bracelet you were talking about? The one Taeyang gave you?.." It was difficult to keep his voice steady, but he managed. Rhaye looked at her wrist & sighed with content.
"Yeah.. it is," she muttered.
"It really means a lot to you, huh?" he began to give weak smiles.
Rennie said they never felt that way for each other, but..
He struggled to keep his thoughts stable, along with his voice.
"Of course! This bracelet really saved me." Daesung's attention was caught.
"Saved?.."
She nodded & proceeded to tell a small portion of her past.
"Mhm.. I was at the brink of breaking down because of the constant bullying, & I didn't even have any comfort or support, not even from Taeyang. Rennie wasn't around at the time. I wasn't able to see her. Taeyang seemed so oblivious to the situation I was in.. But seeing this bracelet on the floor outside of my room," she began to caress her wrist & continue, "made me feel like Taeyang really was watching over me. I picked up the bracelet, looked up, & saw him walking out of the hallway. I guess he really wasn't oblivious about how hurt I've been.. So, this bracelet really relieved a lot of pain." She looked back at Daesung elatedly, but he kept avoiding eye contact with her.
Daesung suddenly remembered what had happened back then.
_
Oh.. I remember..
I was holding the bracelet & I waited outside her room. I had it customized to her liking. I felt that today, this day, was the day where I could finally confess to her. I would fidget & walk side to side in front of her door, anticipating her to come out of the shower, giving me a chance to knock. Nervousness took over me until I heard a soft laugh from behind.. "Daesung, what're you doing? ~" Taeyang joked, holding back his laughter. I panicked & stepped back, hitting the door. "E-eh!" I whimpered, dropping the bracelet.
"Well?" he smirked.
"N-nothing!" I murmured, running past him. I heard him sigh & his footsteps followed in my direction. I heard the door open so I sped up my pace until I was out of the hallway. I clenched my fists thinking, how stupid, how stupid can I get?..
_
Babo... he thought, while his mouth twitched.
"Hello?" she said, waving her hand in front of his face. "You seem so out of it today.."
"Mm," was the only sound he could make. But Rhaye gave him a comforting smile & placed her hand on his shoulder. "Please just get some rest & feel better tomorrow. Tomorrow'll be really fun, promise." She looked him in the eyes & then walked away.
I hope it will be.
Daesung heaved a heavy sigh & threw his towel into the bathroom. Taeyang approached him before he was able to close the bathroom door.
"Why're you so down, Daesung?" Taeyang pouted. "Be around her as much as you can tomorrow, it'll benefit the both of you, araso?" Daesung gave a slight nod & closed the door.
Rennie came storming into the hallway carrying a large pink box & a few jumbo pillows.
"What.. is that?" Taeyang asked.
Rennie stopped in her tracks & happily turned to Taeyang.
"Pillows & a pink box!" she replied.
"And where are you going with those?.."
"Rhaye's room~!"
"What's in the box?"
"Err, stuff," her voice grew impatient.
"Why are you going to her room?"
"..."
Before Taeyang got a chance to interrogate her further, she blurted out, "WE'RE HAVING A SLEEPOVER, DUDE. I haven't seen Rhaye in weeks, nor had much sleepovers with her so, LEAVE US ALONE." she ran to Rhaye's room & slammed the door.
Taeyang stared at the door & twitched. "I was just asking.."
_
Why doesn't she remember me?.. How could she not remember me? She barely acknowledges me during high school & Taeyang always took credit for everything I do for her. Even now she still gives him more attention. She hasn't erased him out of her life. But me? What did I do?
..I really loathe showering. It's always the time where I think the most, when I hurt the most.. My thoughts are glued on her, everyday. I sighed & put my head down, feeling the hot water softly hit the back of my head, feeling the warm water mix with what emerged from my eyes.
_
They were screaming & laughing. After 4 hours of goofing off, they both eased into a serious conversation. "Did you miss Daesung? You haven't seen him in a while, longer than Taeyang," Rennie asked nosily.
"Miss? Why? I barely met him today~" she laughed.
Rennie's eyes grew wide.
"Well," Rhaye continued, not noticing the expression on Rennie's face, "I'm kind of worried. He seemed so down today.. I just hope he cheers up by tomorrow."
Rennie sighed, "Yeah, I hope so, too.."
Comments