SORRY FOR SUCH A LONG WAIT TT^TT I usually update every day.... but my birthday was on the 26th so I didn't write much XD this is an extra long chapter~ Enjoy~

Chapter 17: Resignation

            “Ugh, what am I supposed to tell Eunjo?!” I said nervously.  Yonghwa and I had already jogged a mile or two and I had taken a shower, so our business today was for me to resign from my job at the café.  I hadn’t seen Eunjo for a while; he has been avoiding me since the time Yonghwa abducted me from work.  There were always other staff members on duty during my shifts.

            “Tell him that you’ve resigned.  Anyways, he might not even be there today,” Yonghwa said.  I nodded nervously.  All joking aside, Yonghwa patted my back reassuringly.  “I’ll be there the whole time; we can even make a run for it if you become nervous,” he said while chuckling.  We were both wearing disguises, but Yonghwa’s was heavier than mine since I just debuted recently.  I had to admit, he look pretty good in a baseball cap, glasses, and some baggy jeans and a t-shirt.  Mr. Fashionista actually could look pretty good in normal clothes.  My disguise, on the other hand, wasn’t really what I would call a disguise.  It just looked different from my normal self.  Yonghwa had made sure that I dress up in a schoolgirl uniform, and he even put my hair into a side ponytail.  I laughed silently to myself.  Hyesung would be so upset that Yonghwa tied my hair after she took all that time curling it and straightening it so it fall in waves down my back.  My hair was slightly curly at the tips, but it wasn’t really long enough to be naturally wavy.  Yonghwa, being a perfectionist, had even reapplied my lipstick and makeup after I showered.

            “Fighting!” Yonghwa said as we approached the coffee shop.  I nodded and entered the café.

            “Song Eunhye?” Eunjo exclaimed.  He was cleaning the counter.  “You don’t have a shift today; what are you doing here?” said the boy who would never answer any of my texts.  Yonghwa scoffed and glared at Eunjo.  “What’s this?  Are you doing a school cosplay with your boyfriend?” Eunjo said bitterly while continuing to wipe the counters.  Yonghwa was about to say something, but I sent him a glare and he shut his mouth.

            “If you hate me so much, then this should be good news.  I’m resigning,” I said bravely.  Yonghwa reached over to squeeze my hand.  Although I sounded confident, I was scared of my best friend’s reaction.  After all, this would be his café in a few years.  Eunjo dropped the rag he was holding and walked towards me.

            “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean any of that,” he said.  He looked as if he was about to cry.  I bit my lip as I decided what to do.

            “I don’t really have a choice,” I said while staring at the floor.

            “You always have a choice!” Eunjo shouted, causing several people eating at the café to turn their heads and stare at us.

            Just then, a familiar song began to play on the television of the café.  “Isn’t that-“ Yonghwa said while pointing.  It was my song with CNBLUE.  Our first song as ST4R wasn’t that popular yet because it just was released yesterday, but my song with CNBLUE was a hit.  I’m surprised that Eunjo hadn’t heard it by now.

            I nodded at Yonghwa.  We exchanged a series of panicked glances.  With our song playing, there was a high chance that our cover would be compromised.

            That didn’t even matter anymore.  I forgot that at the beginning of the song it says “CNBLUE feat. Song Eunhye.”  That blew our cover completely.

            “WHA-“ Eunjo began to exclaim in surprise.

            “Um, this is why I have to resign.  I have to go!” I said hastily as Yonghwa dragged me out of the café.  I laughed as we ran through the busy streets of Seoul.  “That was pretty funny. His reaction,” I chuckled.  Yonghwa laughed and ruffled my hair as we began to walk.

            “That was quicker than I expected,” Yonghwa said while trying to hold in his laughter.  I smiled.  It went a lot better than I had expected.  Although he pretty much rejected my resignation, I got the point across and now I had free time for the rest of the day.  I had expected it to take at least an hour to get things sorted out and to find Eunjo, but we got lucky.  Yonghwa and I came to a stop at a less crowded street.  “Ah, I have an idea!” Yonghwa said while grinning.

            I looked up at him confusedly.  “What is it?” I asked while glancing at Yonghwa.  He chuckled and grinned mischievously.

            “Since I made these lovely disguises today… let’s pretend we’re high schoolers!”  Yonghwa said while smirking.  I gaped at him.

            “What?” I asked, shock written all over my face.  Yonghwa smirked.

            “You.  Me.  High school students,” he said while pointing at me.  I nodded in understanding.  “Is that a yes?” Yonghwa asked excitedly.  I nodded and he smiled at me.  “Then, call me oppa,” he added hastily.

            “No!” I shouted as I felt heat rise to my cheeks.  Yonghwa and I still talked formally, so I shouldn’t be calling him oppa.  I wasn’t ready for that yet.

            “Come on,” he pleaded.  I looked at the floor awkwardly.  Yonghwa bent down to peer at my face.  He poked at my cheek.  “We can be a high school dream couple,” he said while looking at my bright red face.  I looked up at him in surprise.  He laughed, “Wow, that got you interested.”  I frowned.

            “No!  I was just shocked!” I kept on denying.  Yonghwa pouted.  He grabbed my hand and made a puppy face.

            “Please!  It’ll be really fun; I promise!” Yonghwa whined.  I groaned.  Why did he have to be so cute?

            “This is going to kill me,” I grumbled before turning to Yonghwa.  “Arasso, I’ll do it,” I sighed.  Yonghwa jumped up and down excitedly.

            “Kaja!” Yonghwa said excitedly as he began to drag me somewhere.  Apparently, he already had somewhere in mind because he knew exactly where he was taking me.  Yonghwa was holding my hand and guiding me through the crowds of people on the streets.  “Careful!” he exclaimed as I tripped over several people’s feet.  Yonghwa laughed.  “You’re really clumsy, aren’t you?” he said while bending down.  I looked at him confusedly.  He chuckled.  “Get on,” he said while motioning to his back.

            “No!” I protested.  Yonghwa looked at me and grinned.

            “Nope!  I can’t have you getting hurt today,” he said while scooping me up in his arms.  I gasped in surprise.

            “What are you doing?!  I’m wearing a skirt!” I exclaimed as Yonghwa carried me princess style through the street.  Yonghwa looked down at me and laughed.

            “Then wouldn’t a piggy back ride be worse?” he joked.  I lightly hit his arm.  “You’re heavier than I expected,” Yonghwa snickered.  I pouted.

            “I’m not that fat!  I’ll go on a diet!” I said while Yonghwa carried me somewhere.  I held onto his neck so I wouldn’t fall.

            “What, really?” he asked, surprise written all over his face.  I wasn’t the type of person to go on diets; I would rather exercise.  I didn’t have huge muscles, but it’s not like I was fat.  I nodded at Yonghwa and his eyes grew serious.  “No.  I won’t let you,” he growled while looking at me.  I realized he had stopped walking.  I felt my face begin to heat up and I stayed in his arms nervously.  “I like you the way you are.  Don’t change a thing,” Yonghwa whispered.  I gulped nervously and nodded.  Yonghwa had fire in his eyes and he reached down to touch my face.  I trembled as his fingertips brushed my cheek.  I coughed loudly and Yonghwa snapped back into reality.  “Sorry!  We’re almost there!” he stammered while setting me on the ground lightly.  I stood there, frozen in place, until Yonghwa grabbed onto my hand.  He tugged my hand softly and led me inside an ice cream shop.

            “Ice cream?” I asked Yonghwa as we sat down at a table.  He nodded and smiled at me.

            “Isn’t that where high schoolers go for dates?” he asked while beaming at me.  I blushed.  Was this a date?  No way, definitely not.  Yonghwa was just really into this roleplaying thing.  “I’ll go buy ice cream!” Yonghwa said happily while running over to the counter.  I laughed as he ran and bought us ice cream.  He was like a little kid.  Yonghwa rarely got this excited, except when he wrote or played new songs.

            “Gomawo,” I said as Yonghwa handed me my ice cream.  Yonghwa sat down across from me and stared at my face.  “Err, hi,” I said awkwardly while eating my ice cream.  Yonghwa hadn’t even touched his ice cream yet, he was just staring at me.  “Hello?” I said as I waved my hand in front of Yonghwa’s face.  Yonghwa looked completely out of it.

            “Yes?” he said.  I snorted.  Yonghwa likes to talk a lot, and usually his answers are way longer than one word.

            “Is something bothering you?” I asked concernedly.  Yonghwa was not acting normal today.

            “Ah, no!  It’s just I was thinking that this is the first date I’ve had in a long time,” Yonghwa said while trying to eat his ice cream that was melting rapidly.  I coughed and stopped eating my ice cream to gawk at Yonghwa.

            “Is this a date, sunbae-nim?” I asked for confirmation.  Yonghwa frowned.

            “I told you to call me oppa today,” he scolded me.  I groaned.  Yonghwa was avoiding my question.

            “Oppa!” I said in a sickeningly sweet voice, “Are we on a date?”  Yonghwa blushed.  He was really acting like a teenage boy.

            “Er, I don’t know,” he stammered.  I sighed.  This was getting nowhere.  I decided to ignore him and just enjoy my ice cream.

            I was surprised that no one recognized us because Yonghwa was a really big star and Hyesung and I were pretty much the center of attention.  We weren’t really big as a duo yet, but almost everyone knew us as soloists.  I guess Yonghwa was really good at disguises.

            I wasn’t really paying attention to Yonghwa as I ate my ice cream.  He poked my cheek lightly.  “Yes?” I asked as Yonghwa peered down at my face.

            “Let’s go to the park,” he said while standing up abruptly.  I couldn’t help but laugh at how awkward Yonghwa was.

            “Okay, but you know, you don’t have to act so awkward,” I chuckled as we walked to a nearby park.  Yonghwa blushed and stayed silent.

            I sat on the swings as Yonghwa tried to regain his composure.  “Well, since we’re here… let’s have a lesson!” Yonghwa said while sitting on the swing next to me.  I groaned.

            “I kind of wanted a day off,” I said while protesting, but Yonghwa looked at me firmly.

            “No.  Let’s learn,” Yonghwa said.  I sighed as I swung back and forth.  Eventually, I gave in and nodded.  “I’ll teach you the basics of showbiz,” he said while grinning.  Yonghwa was right; he was very good with the press.  I guess I could learn a thing or two from him while we have some free time.

            “Okay, sunbae-nim, give me some pointers,” I said eagerly.  I waited for his response, but he just chuckled and reached over to ruffle my hair.

            “Wow, I don’t even need to tell you.  My first tip was to always be eager to move forward,” he said while laughing softly.  I pouted although it seemed like he was complimenting me.

            “That’s not a real tip,” I whined while pouting.  Yonghwa smirked and leaned over to pinch my cheeks.

            “Number two, you got it!  Don’t be afraid to do aegyo; you’ll always get what you want,” Yonghwa said while grinning.  I groaned.

            “I wasn’t trying to do aegyo!” I protested.  Yonghwa placed his finger on my lips to silence me.

            “You want to learn, don’t you?” he said while smirking.  I was about to spit something back at him, but he kept on talking.  “Now, sometimes you won’t be able to avoid scandals, but I want you to try and keep your personal life off camera,” he said while frowning.  “Don’t reveal anything too personal, and fake stuff for the cameras if you have to,” Yonghwa said seriously.  I nodded.  I’ve seen how this has ruined many idols’ careers.  Sometimes scandals can’t be prevented, but Yonghwa was telling me to try to avoid them in any way possible.

            “I will.  I don’t want my dreams to be crushed because of a scandal,” I said.  Yonghwa nodded in approval.

            “Hmmm, what else can I tell you?” Yonghwa said while looking as if he was deep in thought.  “Ah!” he exclaimed as an idea popped into his head.  “Play with the fans hearts,” he said nonchalantly.

            “What in the world does that mean?” I asked.  He smirked and winked at me.  “WHAT?” I asked while gawking at him.  Did he want me to wink at people?  Isn’t that a little strange?  “I don’t think that works for me,” I said while gawking at him.  Yonghwa burst out into laughter and hit me on the head.

            “BABO!  I haven’t even done it yet!” he laughed while clutching his stomach.  I blushed.  I thought that his wink was part of the lesson.  “I meant,” he said breathlessly.  He was still laughing his lungs out.  “I meant like tell your life story as if it’s super sad,” he said while trying to stifle his laughter.  I tried to hide my embarrassment by covering my cheeks with my hands.  I stared at the ground as Yonghwa bellowed with laughter.

            “Errrrr,” I said awkwardly while swinging back and forth.  Yonghwa was still trying to regain his composure.

            “Ah you could always play the innocent role,” Yonghwa said while tapping his chin.  I nodded.

            “I think I can do that,” I said confidently.  “I’ve never had a boyfriend, never done anything terrible,” I said, trying to list all the things I haven’t done.

            “Too bad you can’t say you haven’t had your first kiss,” Yonghwa said while smirking.  I pouted.

            “Are you going to tease me about that forever?” I fumed.  Yonghwa chuckled and stood up.

            “Aniyo, aniyo.  I’ll walk you back to your dorm,” he said while offering me his hand.  I stood up, and refused his offer.

            “Thanks, but I’ll be just fine.  See you tomorrow,” I said while starting to walk away.  I felt an arm slink around my waist.

            “Not so fast, kiddo.  We’re not done playing yet,” he said while chuckling.  I blushed.  Playing?  This guy was weird.  “Jagiya, let’s go!” Yonghwa said while pulling me along.  I groaned.

            “I don’t want to walk with you.  I want to just go home, sunbae-nim,” I protested.  Yonghwa gasped at me.

            “You’re forgetting something!” he said while smiling cheerfully.  Yonghwa struck a girl pose and shouted, “Saranghae, oppa!”  I grimaced.

            “You’re such a nuisance,” I mumbled while following Yonghwa.  He held my hand tightly in his and swung our arms back and forth.

            After walking for a good 20 minutes, Yonghwa got a phone call.  “Yoboseyo,” he said into the phone lazily.  He put it on speakerphone so I could hear.

            “Hey guys, I think you should watch this.  Turn the TV on, I’ll be at the ST4R dorm in 5 minutes,” a panicked Minhyuk said from the other line.

            “What?” I said confusedly.  Yonghwa’s expression turned serious.  He flung open the door to my dorm and made a beeline for the TV.  He turned it on and we both awaited horrendous news.

            “A NEW COUPLE HAS BEEN BORN?!” Yonghwa read the headline on the news channel.  I gasped.

            “WHAT?!” I exclaimed while covering my mouth in shock.  Yonghwa groaned and rubbed his temples.

            “A scandal… and you’re just a new idol,” he said while trying to calm himself down.  The door flung open and Minhyuk rushed inside.

OwO tell me what you think about it~ THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING TTwTT it makes me so happy