Chapter 17:

             The next day, I came to school only to find Gette's seat still empty. Suddenly I thought going to her house wasn't a very good idea at all. L was there, but his expression was blank, as if he was thinking about some great problem. He should be, I told myself that time, since I will be the one he will be talking to for the next few hours if I don't get the answers I wanted.

             “Hey,” I said as I approached him. He was broken from his thinking right away, but the moment his eyes met mine, he quickly averted and sank on his seat. “You've got a lot of explaining to do.”

             I took him to the roof top which, in my case, unleashed all the truths about my feelings towards Jun-hyung. Let's just say I was hoping to find the truth in that place. “So, care to start?” I said after we got into the area I felt comfortable; the part of the roof overlooking the whole campus.

             L bit his lips before he started, “I know that it's okay that I loved someone else, and I also know that you don't like me for your friend –”

          “I don't like you for my friend? Oh please, don't misunderstand,” I interrupted him before he continue with his wrong assumption. “My problem isn't the obvious fact that you love my best friend. My problem is that... why did you keep it from me? And why would you leave her just because she told you to?”

           “Wait, how did –?”            

           “I asked Sung-jong, so you better speak up or else...” I was trying to find the right words to make him speak, “I'll hate both you and Gette.”

             “Please don't do that,” at last, L is all ready to explain. L paused and looked at me as if asking me for permission to speak. I nodded and he continued. “First, we kept it from you because it all happened in the past.”

         “Do you know the song 'Don't Cry Joni'? The situation is somewhat similar.” L said. “That situation when the person you liked told you that he likes you, but then you're not ready to accept him, so you made him wait until you're ready, but then when you're already you find out that the person you liked has grown tired of waiting for you.”

          “I made her wait,” L said in a sad tone which almost broke my heart, “so now, even if the possibility of her liking me back again is slim, I'm willing to wait for her. I will, forever.”

              No need to ask him why he obeyed her words and dated me just because she told him to. He's really in love with my best friend. Head over heels.

          “You don't have to wait for long,” I told him, the plan I conceived in my head just a few seconds ago was being put to action. “Once she gets back, meet her at the hall.” L looked at me questioningly.

               “Get your best self ready,” I told him, “She challenged you for a duel.”

---o0o---

              I sat on the couch in the living room of Gette's house, tapping on my phone for the best GPS application I could get. Suddenly a door from upstairs closed with a loud bang. “What happened?” I asked the person descending the staircase.

               “She hated the pink dress,” Sung-jong told me, “and told me she wouldn't wear it if not because you asked her to.”

               “Aigoo, it's the simplest dress from the store,” I said which made Sung-jong chuckle. “True, it lacks sparkles,” he said. “Do you think this will work?”

               “Of course,” I told him, “as long as Gette doesn't know anything else about it.” That moment, Gette came out of her room in a pick dress and a pair of brown boots. The guitar bag was already slung on her shoulder.

               “Let's go?” Gette said. Sung-jong took the guitar from Gette and said, “Let's first have a warm up practice!”

              “Yeah! Why don't you first have some warm up practice? It's your second guitar battle, right?” I said, “I'll go ahead to the concert hall and fix the speakers you'll use.” I gave her a smile which I struggled to make the look as normal as I could.

               “Then I'll see you later,” Gette said. With that I set out for the hall where the duel will happen. On my way inside, I came across other Infinite members. Woo-hyun was talking to a group of girls, but when he gained sight of me, he gave me an okay sign. Part two, check.

               Near the stage was Hoya and Dong-woo fixing the cables and speakers for the battle. They, too, gave me an okay sign. Part three, check. At the far left corner, L was with Sung-yeol who was arranging the music sheets in front of L. L was seriously looking in the music sheets prepared in front of him that he didn't even notice Sung-yeol giving me a thumbs up. Part four, check.

          I went to the back stage and as expected, Sung-gyu was there checking the batteries on the microphones. “How are the music sheets?” I asked him. “Don't worry, I've chosen the best songs,” Sung-gyu told me. Part five, check. The only thing left to do was the performance.

          I looked at my watch. It was already time. I went out of the back stage and looked at L. It was obvious in his looks that he was very nervous about the duel. After a few moments, the door on the side opened and Gette came in with Sung-jong on her side.

               She has her piercing eyes on, like what she told me earlier. She will scare her challenger away with her stare.

               Sung-jong helped Gette set up her guitar. Gette kept her gaze which forced L to return the same heated gaze. As soon as Sung-jong finished setting up the speakers, Gette gave it a few warm up strums before she proceeded with the piece on her music sheet. I could see from my position that L was surprised with the sudden start. He quickly averted his eyes to the music sheet and played the bar he was able to catch up to.

          Gette's eyes remained fierce for a little while but soon she realized that they weren't playing a single composition together. They were doing a mash up for the duel.

          Gette threw a look at L who in turn threw a look at her and to the audience. I looked at them and the people were liking what they were playing. I hid myself among the audience and as I expected, Gette was already looking for someone in the audience. Amazingly no body between the two made a mistake during the overcoming-the-shock phase.

          Suddenly a voice sounded from nowhere. Sung-gyu then went center stage singing the first stanza of the song.

          “This song? Really?” I managed to say. Then Woo-hyun came out and sang the next part. After a few moments, Woo-hyun brought his hands over his head, forming a huge heart and threw it at the audience.  I looked at Gette and he struggled to keep her focus to the music sheet in front of her. L on the other hand was already laughing so hard. Still his hands were at the right chords. Of course, it was their song after all.

          At some point of the song, Woo-hyun left center stage and went to L while Sung-gyu went to Gette at the other end of the stage. Both of them formed hearts from L and Gette's head and threw it at each other, causing so much laughter not only among audience but also to the duelists on stage.

          Then Woo-hyun and Sung-gyu went back to the center and together they formed a huge heart with their arms and threw it again to the audience. Woo-hyun didn't stop and threw more hearts at Sung-gyu who seemed to be so awkward about it, which made the sight funnier.

          After the song, the atmosphere was unusually light. Everyone was smiling, and the intense gazes the duelists had at the start of the battle were gone.

          “The title of the song we performed is White Confession,” Sung-gyu said. “It's weird to sing it at this time of the year, but it is meaningful for us and we want it to be meaningful to you.”

          “Right, no body sings a Christmas song in the summer, so I should be unforgettable,” Woo-hyun said with his pretty eye smiles.

          “But then that isn't the only reason we performed it,” Sung-gyu said. “We told you that there is a guitar battle happening today. Indeed there have been, and we have two great guitarists on stage.” The people clapped their hands and cheered for the two.

          “And we think you've been wondering, who challenged who?” Woo-hyun said. “Well, the truth is that... no body challenged anybody.” I face-palmed myself after that. I told him to tell the truth slowly.

          L rose from his seat, but Sung-yeol calmed him and made him sit on the stool chair. Gette, On the other hand, was obviously letting out her questions to Sung-jong who was standing beside her.

          “These duelists had a past that surpasses the time we've spent in this school,” Sung-gyu said.

          “Not only that, they have precious sentiments for each other for a very long time that both of them kept hidden.” Woo-hyun said. “Long before our Myung-soo became your L, a young girl already tried to tell her feelings. He liked the girl but he turned her down, thinking that she's way out of his league. Now this young Myung-soo have gained a reputation for himself, and soon proved himself that he can become someone whom the young girl could be proud of.”

          “But then earlier, when he was about to prove himself to his beloved, something happened,” Sung-gyu said, “and I'm sure everyone noticed it, am I right?” Everyone then responded yes.

          All of those sweet distractions onstage caused the duelists to make mistakes on their performance. L made a mistake even when it was a song their own group made, and Gette, who was very much accustomed to reading music sheets and playing different instruments, lose some bars and had to stop to get back on the beat.

          “This performance showed that even these two people could make mistakes in the field they've been familiar with,” Woo-hyun said. “And surely they've made a huge mistake in the field of love.”

          “To tell you directly, we're here to make a miracle happen,” Sung-gyu said. “You might hate us after this, but were taking the risk for our friend.” Sung-yeol and Sung-jong took L and Gette from their seats and brought them to the center. “Are you going to allow these two to be together?” Sung-gyu asked the audience who cheered for a yes.

          “What? Wait, you can't do this!” I heard Gette tell Sung-gyu from the microphone near her.

          “She's right!” L added on the background. “You can't just in to other's problems!”

          “Will you stop lying and be true to yourselves?” I screamed when all the unnecessary drama became unbearable. It was my plan, and their pride is ruining it. Not only L and Gette looked at my direction but also the rest of the audience. For a moment I regret losing control of my emotions most of the times.

          “L, do you love my best friend?” I said when I finally gained back my confidence. L glanced at his friends momentarily before looking at Gette. He held the microphone close to him and said, “Yes.”

          “How about you Gette?” I told my best friend, “do you love L?” For a while she remained silent and I knew what she was doing. “Come on! For once stop using your head and use your heart! Don't be afraid of L-ements because they love whoever L loves. If ever they hate you, I'll be the one to face them.” A group of girls glared at me and for a moment I felt fear for my own safety, but then I thought,  If they bash me or Gette after this, then L won't like them anymore, and surely they wouldn't want that to happen.

          “Yah! We like L because of his talents! And we respect and support his decisions!” one of them said which made me breathe easier. Apparently I was the only L-ement wanting to be his girlfriend. I became embarrassed after realizing that.

          “So, you're answer is...” the microphone was far from L's lips, but judging from how he smiled brightly, Gette's reply must have been something favorable to him. A moment later everybody in the hall cheered and the two on stage mouthed me a small “thank you.”

          I had settled the heart problems of the people I love. The only problem left was the problem of my own heart: Jun-hyung.