Annyeong~~! ^^*

Sorry for the late update and thank you for being so patient! ^-^

Here is Chapter 3, I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to your feedback! ^^ <3

~~~

Episode 3  –  3화 - My Wife

“Should we call somebody?”

Shin Hye sat there looking at him questioningly for further clarification.

“To tell them about our marriage!” Yong Hwa explained enthusiastically.

“You’re worried nobody will see the tweet?” Shin Hye laughed, hiding her still-apparent shyness towards the mention of the ‘m’ word.

No… Nothing like that, Shin Hye!

In fact, Yong Hwa should know best, out of anyone in the room, about the effects of self-publicity; it’s been drilled into his awareness since his trainee days like how a scout would memorise his promises. That being said, no, he wasn’t itching to call somebody because he wanted someone to promote them (although, now that he thought about it- it would be a bonus), Yong Hwa simply wanted to gloat his glee to the world, about how happy he is that he’s been paired up with Shin Hye.

Yes- Shin Hye, his ‘close friend’.

“Who should we call??”

“Hnn… Hongstar…?” Shin Hye’s eyes lit with sudden enthusiasm as she claps her hands, “Hongki!! Lee Hongki!”

…

That was Yong Hwa’s heart sinking for a moment there, the second Shin Hye suggested a masculine name.

He doesn’t really know why, himself. I mean- it’s Hongki. Even if the two of them were seen out spending the day together, there would be no gossip, no camera flashes, no questions asked. They were pretty much declared “impossible” in the eyes of netizens everywhere. But Yong Hwa wasn’t. Sometimes… he secretly wished he was; especially during the times when he couldn’t take a photo with Shin Hye unless there was a Director or a Hongki between them.

But this is Hongki, he tells himself.

It’s only Hongki…

He pressed the singing receiver to his ear as he cleared his throat.

That phone… The one Yong Hwa was using right now…. Shin Hye is sure she hasn’t seen it before. Since when did he get a phone? Yong always used his managers’ out of convenience since he only ever needed a phone to call home whenever he was abroad or away. It’s a brand new model too… Could it be sponsored? Her head spins at the idea.

“Yeobuseyo?” Yong Hwa greeted as though trying to search for the phone signal with his eyes. He’s found it! “Ne, Hongki! It’s Yong Hwa. How’ve you been?”

Shin Hye perked up, as though she was able to pick up on the microwaves too if her eyes and smile were wide enough.

“Ne… Are you busy right now?”

The phone was then placed on the table; speaker-mode: “Ani… I’m on my break right now, wae?”

‘It’s Hongki!’ Shin Hye mouthed excitedly, pointing at the source of the familiar voice.

“Yeah, umm… I’m married!” Yong Hwa beamed.

…

Shin Hye shoved the guy sitting next to her who was leaning over the same phone, ‘Yah!’ Her eyes said it all: ‘Isn’t that too fast??’ His reply?

A goofy grin.

Slap!

“Hongki?” Yong Hwa called, checking he was still on the line whilst he continued to tease Shin Hye, making faces at her- when she wasn’t looking. As much as he liked skinship with her (which was more like coat-ship at the moment with all the layers they were wearing), he wasn’t going to risk their reputation as a new couple.

There was a coughing sound coming from the speaker before Hongki spoke again, “S-sorry, what was that? You what?”

“I’m married now! It happened today.”

“Muo? Jakkanman…” The lead vocalist of FTISLAND seemed to be collecting his thoughts whilst repositioning his fuzzing mic, “This is not funny, Yong Hwa…”

“Huh??” Yong Hwa’s eyes popped in disbelief which threw Shin Hye into a fit of silent laughter, “Why does nobody believe me?”

“You’re being serious?”

By the tone of HongKi’s voice, and the short pause on the other end of the line, it seemed like HongKi was picking up on the ‘we’re-on-a-variety-show-please-cooperate’ vibes. It was kind of like Morse code, a secret form of telepathic communication developed exclusively between the entertainers of this industry and the people who have worked alongside them long enough to know. It was no wonder that variety-newcomer, Shin Hye, was still oblivious to it all, since the only thing she did detect was the sudden (and slightly capricious) mood switch, “Congratulations, Yong Hwa ya, treat the Mrs well!”

To this, the new and official virtual couple mirrored each other beautifully, shy smiles curving into shy cheeks (or a ‘grin’ in Yong Hwa’s case), their gazes brushing the floor.

“I will…” ‘You didn’t have to tell me’ He wanted to add, but Yong Hwa seemed to be losing his voice… and he didn’t seem to mind.

“I can’t believe you are getting married before me though… woah… I thought Jeremy was the more popular one!” HongKi snickered cheekily.

“Yah! Says who??” Yong Hwa demanded, offense printed clearly on his face.

“Go Minam did!”

Yong Hwa shot a look of shock and betrayal straight to Shin Hye’s eyes as HongKi’s clueless laughter rang from the phone. He had a feeling that they would edit this part for humorous reasons in slow motion; mono-chromed. She really said that?

The accused was still glowing pink, the harsh pinning of direct eye contact adding to the growing list of reasons why. Though it stung a little at first, Shin Hye’s cute feigns of innocence, her smile… the small shakes of her head and the small clasps on his jacket sleeve easily iced the slight bruise Yong Hwa started to feel- without permission.

Yong Hwa had a feeling that their marriage-life-to-come would not be in his favour…

He tore himself away from her sweet hypnosis, scratching the skin behind his ear. This had become a habit of his whenever he was nervous or shy. He wasn’t really sure how or when it started, but it might’ve had something to do with the times when one of his mother’s friends used to comment on the shape of his ears when he was a child.

He wanted to change the topic.

“My… wife is… She’s here with me; do you want to speak with her?”

She could almost feel the hair at the back of her neck stand up at the indirect mention. She has to start getting used to this… being his “wife”…

Was this her cue to speak?

“Oh really? She is??” You can almost see HongKi straightening himself on the other end; wanting to make a good impression to his by-some-sort-of-connection ‘Sister-in-Law’. Who could not smile at that?

It was Shin Hye’s turn to lean forward. She cleared and, for a brief moment, contemplated what to say, but ended up sticking with her usual and bright: “HongKi~!”

…

…

“I-Isn’t that Shin Hye?”

“Ne, this is Shin Hye…” She confirmed cheerfully as though they were long lost friends.

“You’re… with Yong Hwa… right now?” Bewilderment was clear in his voice.

“Ne.”

After a heartbeat or two, HongKi spoke again, this time audibly more comfortable, “Hey, you’ll never guess what I just heard! Did that guy really get married?”

Yong Hwa face-palmed, smothering his embarrassed toothy smile. So he wasn’t actually believed from the start!

“I know right? He told me too,” Shin Hye turns to poke her tongue out at Yong Hwa, “who’d ever thought he would get married?”

As HongKi erupts into a hearty laughter of agreement, Yong Hwa falls into another state of depression. You could almost feel the wind blowing around him. Not that Shin Hye minded. She was having too much fun to feel it!

“So… where is HyungSoo-nim?” HongKi asks, with a little more seriousness in his tone, “That guy”-to which Yong Hwa grimaces at the use of pronoun-“told me she was with him? Are you all together?”

…

Oops. She didn’t know how to re-

“You are speaking to her right now!” So Yong Hwa replied for her.

She blushed.

“Well… she sure sounds manly…!” Came a sarcastic retort.

Yong Hwa looked like he was about to jump off a bridge. Calling HongKi was a bad idea. A very bad idea. He noted to himself: Never call HongKi about anything serious again!

With Go Mi Nam’s aegyo lacing her voice, Shin Hye decides to put Yong Hwa out of his misery, “Jeremy~ Go Mi Nam- ani… Go Mi Nyu”-She corrected-“married Shin Woo-hyung today~ We got married~”

Shin Woo smirked lopsidedly at his wife, his previous signs of depression dispersed. He didn’t know why, but he loved seeing and hearing her in Go Mi Nam mode. It satisfied the fanboy in his heart, the one that he never acknowledged had existed.

“…Jinja?? You’re the one who married him?” HongKi probed with shock. Then he laughs, “Yahh… You will regret it.”

Shin Hye switches to her usual ‘speaking-to-HongKi’ aegyo. She couldn’t help it. With him, it came too naturally, “Ne~”

And it was only natural for him to reply in the same manner, Jeremy-style, “Jinja~? Aigoo~ It’s really a pleasure to meet you, HyungSoo-nim~ Congratulations to you both~”

“Yah! Yah! Yah!” Yong Hwa interrupts, audibly coming in-between the two pre-schoolers before Shin Hye had the chance to reply, “That’s enough. Thanks HongKi, we will! We’ll speak again later!”

“Arrasseo~ Have b-”

“Annyeong, HongStar!” Shin Hye chirped.

“-eautiful children, take care~” Beep!

…

Wait. What??

Have beautiful…? Shin Hye hoped she heard wrong. Whatever it was, it gave her cheeks a colour boost.

Typical HongKi…

“We… shouldn’t have called HongKi,” Yong Hwa coughed, shifting in his seat but not looking the slightest bit uncomfortable.

“He…” White.

Shin Hye was sure she saw white.

And she was right.

Something rectangular and white was being deliberately waved at her in a way that it gleamed in her line of vision; hooking her attention. The Unni she could recognise from earlier, who was the second after the director to congratulate them, was waving the back of what Shin Hye had thought at first was a clipboard.

‘Go out and explore!’ Suggested the hasty black ink on the shiny whiteboard.

This ‘clipboard’ conveniently had double uses…

“He was just being himself…” Shin Hye finished as she turned back to Yong Hwa who seems to have received the message too. This was their first prompt. She had to do well. “…What should we do now?” She asked with a natural and smooth touch.

Actor’s technique: call…

“I don’t know…”-He peers outside-“Since we’re here in Yeouido… Should we have a look around outside?”

…and response!

Shin Hye smiled, it seems like our Shin Woo has levelled up, “Should we?”

“Kaja!” Yong Hwa grinned as they both got up.

“And… CUT!”

***

I let out a breath I didn’t even know I held.

It’s over… our first take is over. And we did well!

I did a little stretch as I got up, you just can’t help feeling pleased after a good take!

“So… Where should we go?” Yong Hwa asks as he tucks his chair in.

Hmm?

For a second, I did a quick check to see if the cameras were still rolling. I’m sure they called ‘cut’... Surely, you can’t film whilst the main camera was having its legs amputated by a mob of black-coated staff?

The coast seemed to be clear. Unlike dramas, there aren’t any behind-the-scene cameras about either as far as I could tell- which is nice. Oh! I’ve spotted the mic!

“I don’t know…” I turned to smile at him- I miss doing this, “What’s there to do around here?”

He laughs, shaking his hands, “I’m not a local here either.”

I fiddled with the stitches in my scarf that still hung on the back of the chair as I started, “Well if we go outside first and th-”

“Sugohaesseoyo!” I turned to see the Unni from earlier walking over to us. As she walked closer to me, I realised that she might only be a few years older than I was, which shocked me at first because she was so absorbed in her work earlier.

“Annyeonghaseyo!” We both bowed.

“I’m the main writer, you may call me writer Kim”-She smiles and shakes hands with us-“That was a great take! I was worried at first about the director’s suggestion of leaving you guys to it, but I was proved wrong, you guys were so natural!”

“Thank you,” Yong Hwa smiled, placing his hands together in front of him in a formal, congressman-sort-of-way.

Sensing we were moving soon, I picked up my scarf and hung it over one arm before nodding and repeating Yong Hwa’s words. We didn’t get to talk long before there was another call to get moving. Writer Kim went back to her post after giving us some brief prompts and bidding us good luck, and as we made our way down to the lobby again with the hand-held cameras following us this time, I was glad to see Jun Oppa’s face somewhere in the crowd behind us. I’m glad he is still here...

***

“Brrr~ It’s cold!” Shin Hye cries as she steps out into the early-February chill.

“You should probably put that scarf on then,” Yong Hwa says, stepping forward to her right, looking across the streets for places to go.

As though she suddenly remembered the dark fabric hanging from her arm, Shin Hye quickly unhooks and was about to lift it over her head when Yong Hwa stops her; taking her scarf.

“Eh?”

“Like this…” He mumbles, wrapping the soft material gently and loosely around her neck one loop at a time.

She didn’t know what to say, so she just smiled as her heart (and the crowd behind them) did a little flutter, “K-Kamsahamnida…”

He smiles, “Should we get going then?”

Nodding, Shin Hye follows close beside Yong Hwa as they walked along the frosty pavement lined with winter trees, her on the inside and him on the outside.

“Have you eaten yet? I heard there are some really good restaurants around here.” Yong Hwa offers.

Shin Hye thinks for a moment. Was she hungry? “Maybe later… I’ve eaten on the way here.”-She turns to him and grins-“Are you hungry?”

“Me? I’m okay, I had something to eat on the way here too.” He lies.

And she knows he did, “Oh… Molla.”-She smiles at him-“I think I’m hungry now.”

“Really? Let’s go and grab something to eat then.” He grins with an evident bounce in his step, “Is there anything you fancy having right now?”

“Hnn… coffee?” She says, smiling sheepishly.

“Ah! We can go to a coffee shop. They usually do cakes and sandwiches too, don’t they?” He nods as though agreeing to himself and claps his hands, “Okay! We now have a destination!”

“But… where is the nearest one around here?”

They looked around them, there were tall apartment blocks on their right and small businesses and offices on their left, with a wide flowing road in between lined with dormant trees. There was a buzz within the production crew before one of the ahjussis in the sound team, who seemed to know the area very well, pointed out a coffee shop by the river within 15 minutes walking distance.

After an enthusiastic approval from the director, they continued to walk, this time with more confidence in their steps, and the two of them soon fell into a comfortable silence (much to the dismay of their followers).

This was when Yong Hwa decided to use one of the prompts given by writer Kim. To be honest, he really wanted to know too, “How… did you feel when you found out it was me?”

“Hmm?”

“I mean like… first impressions.”

Shin Hye rubbed her fingers against each other, which were starting to go pink from the cold, “Umm…”-She blushed, peering up at him from her scarf-“Surprised.”

He chuckles, “Wae?”

“Well… when I first stepped into the building, you were the first person I saw and… the mission card, it said that a ‘friend’ will be waiting there to take you to meet your husband.”

He nods.

“I had suspicions but… I thought you were that ‘friend’, so when I found out it was you, it surprised me!”

He nods again, taking in her words, “Ne, they were mean to us…”-He turns to her, expression shy yet expectant, “What about now? What about now? How did you feel when they said it was me?”

“Pfft… muoya?!” She pushes him away, flustered at the interrogation.

He laughs with her before carefully rephrasing his question, “Okay, okay...! Were you… disappointed?”

…

“Ani…”

[Black Room Interviews]

Yong Hwa: (Leaning forwards) "I think… Shin Hye is still shy about it. You would think that if two close friends were paired for this show, it wouldn’t be as awkward as it would be if it was between strangers, right? No, that’s not it. (He laughs) The awkwardness was still there, that’s why I was trying so hard to make conversation- so it wouldn’t be that awkward..."

She gasped, pointing towards the two-story building afloat on the edge of the Han River, “There? That one?”

And sure enough, docked by the river banks was the place they were heading to. The building had a sophisticated dark chocolate wood panelling along its faces, and on the top floor, the name of an expensive brand was embedded across the rich wood, the coy modern row of windows only revealing enough to attract, whilst on the first floor, there was a gorgeous little coffee shop opposite in character to the classy store on top of it, it’s floor-to-ceiling windows with lacy stickers giving it a more romantic and airy feel.

“That… should be the one!” Yong Hwa announced after getting a confirmation nod from the sound Ahjusshi.

And that was enough to set her trotting off, jogging the remaining several metres easily. She stood near the river, where the wind seemed to be picking up, admiring the structure as she waited for everyone to catch up.

“Angelina Café” it read in white and lovely English underneath the lean of a happy baby angel.

“This looks so pretty…” Shin Hye cooed as Yong Hwa and the main cameraman arrived at the scene.

Yong Hwa read the name of the shop in his head, unsure of whether or not he was allowed to say it out loud, “It’s cold, let’s go inside!”

She nods, eager to explore what looks like a fairy-tale from the outside. They cross the metal platform, Yong Hwa first with Shin Hye tugging his sleeve, afraid of being blown away, going around the left side and through the glass double-door entrance. With one push of the door, and a tingle of the bell, icy air from the outside and the warm air from the inside rushed to meet each other. With one step, they were bathed in balmy air that wrapped around their cold selves as snug as a mother’s embrace, the intensity of the sudden contrast enough to well up their eyes.

“Uwa~! Jinjja yeppeo!” Shin Hye exclaims, rubbing her semi-gloved hands together to warm them as her eyes explored every inch of the cosy café.

The interior had a matched uniform of glass and deep mahogany. Distributed around the room were seats designed with winged backs and detailed with engravings, promoting the theme of angels as well as making any customer feel that bit more special. Accompanying the seats were matching tables with round surfaces, engraved with the cheerful faces of cupid. Right in the middle of the café was the counter, the source of the wafting aroma of rich coffee. It was wide and welcoming, staff stood neatly at attention, with menus made like the old fashioned chalkboards you may see perched outside cafes in the streets of Paris on a beautiful blue-skied Wednesday. All throughout the humble coffee shop was the soft hum of K-Indie, giving the finishing touch to the canvas and, like watercolours of the same shade, blended together beautifully.     

They waddled over to the till, still in their outdoor clothing, and were greeted by the sales assistant who wore a green apron and had her hair pinned neatly into a bun, “Eoseo-oseyo, may I take your order?” She seemed a bit stunned when she saw it was Jung Yong Hwa, leader of the new boy band CNBlue that she was talking to, and besides him, a rather cold (temperature-wise) Go Minam.

“Ne,” Yong Hwa gestured for Shin Hye to order first.

She steps forward and leans against the counter as she studied the menu. Surprisingly, they had a wider selection of coffee and desserts than her usual go-to cafés The Seven Monkeys and The Zoo. White chocolate café mocha with caramel? She was impressed.

Her eyes accidently brushed over the waffle display underneath her lean which made up 2/3 of the counter. Now she really felt hungry. Whatever that was, that waffle-y, ice-creamy goodness draped in chocolate sauce, it was calling out to her. So many choices… what should she do?

Yong Hwa was studying the menu for sandwiches and waffles with a facial expression just as troubled as hers. But guys will be guys, he had already chosen beforehand.

“Hnn… Can I have one white chocolate café mocha with caramel, please, and… one of those?” She asks, pointing shyly to her first love from behind the glass.

“Ne… anything else?”

“Ne, can I have a Chilli Sandwich with a latte, please?”

“Ne… Will you be paying together or separately?”

“Separately, please.”

“Together.”

***

I looked at him for a second, puzzled.

He grins down at me with a glint of masculine pride in his eyes, “Yah, gwenchana! When you’re with me, let your husband pay.”

Who…?

Oh… that’s right, I… have a husband now!

“But… e-even so! It’ll be expensive... It’s okay, it’s not like I don’t have money on me; I can pay.”

“No, I’m the husband in this marriage, so just listen to me, okay?” He answers before leaning forwards on the counter too, purposefully trying to grab the assistant’s undivided attention, “How much do I have to pay?”

Normally I would’ve hit him by now for that slightly ist comment. But I held it in. Knowing him, he would probably regret ever offering in 3… 2… 1…

“That will be 28,200 won, please.”

I watched his face as the impact hit; a tinge of shock, distress then… acceptance- all in 5 seconds. Wow, better than I thought, Jung Yong Hwa-ssi!

“Are you sure?” I asked, offering my last lifeline.

He hands over his debit card to the assistance as he, completely ignoring my help, told me, “Find a place to sit, I’ll bring our meal over in a second.”

“Ne~” I replied, happily skipping off to explore. Hmm… so these are the benefits of having a husband? Hehe… I could get used to this!

I looked around me for spare tables. There were many to choose from- which isn’t surprising since it was a weekday. From what I could see, the majority of people who were here looked like businessmen and women who are on their breaks. There was also an elderly man and a young couple around our age (or maybe older), seated on the left hand side by the windows which showed a picturesque view of our famous river.

I walked over to the right side of the shop, near where the toilets were located, and something struck out to me.

The wall.

There was something about the wall...

***

[[A/N:// If you are wondering, "Angela Cafe", it's menu and pricing is actually based on a real cafe in that area. I changed the name just in case hehe But it's very very similiar. And about The Seven Monkeys and The Zoo, I read from somewhere that it is Shin Hye's favourite coffee shops ^^ Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Hopefully, I'll be able to get Chapter 4 to you guys very soon! In the meantime, please leave a comment below to let me know if you enjoyed it or if there's anything you think I should improve on ^-^ Hope you have a nice day!]]