(AN:// Annyeonghaseyo~ I'm still alive hehe ^^ Sorry for the mega late upload... school work has been eating me up lately and my exams are starting soon orz Anyhow, I would like to say a big thank you for being so supportive and understanding! This belated chapter is dedicated to YOU- I hope you enjoy it! ^^*)

(P.S This fanfic can now be found on Wattpad under the same name and username ^^*) 

Episode 4  –  I'm a Loner

The wall.

There was something about the wall.

All along the smooth dark chocolate surface were tiny keyholes of a peculiar shape. The wall itself was divided into what looks like a hundred palm-sized squares, forming a tile-like grid which looked a lot like a giant chocolate bar because of its colour.

She didn’t know what they were, but Shin Hye was drawn to it. She stepped closer for a better view.

Could they be… lockers?

“What are you looking at?”

She jumped, almost bumping into the person behind her.

It was Yong Hwa, carrying a brown tray of food and drink, “What’s this?”

“I’m… not sure,” She replies, as honestly as she could. She looks at the tray he is holding, “Let’s find a table first!”

Being human, they naturally went for the closest one to them. Half out of convenience and half because their curiosity just wouldn’t let them stray too far from the wall.

He sets the tray onto the wooden table as Shin Hye helps him with the drinks. She opens the lids to check which one was hers and sits down on one of the winged seats; feeling that extra bit special.

“We should come here next time with Renai- I mean… Geun Suk-Hyung and Hongki!” She smiles, warming her hands and blowing over her coffee.

He takes his seat opposite her, “Wae?”

“A.N.Jell~” She explains, gesturing to how appropriate the café was, starting with the winged chairs she’s beginning to grow fond of.

Ah… that’s right. How could he forget? “Yeah, let’s do that- next time.”

Shin Hye nods cheerfully. Just the thought of reuniting with the A.N.Jell members made her happy, and the alluring scent of that caramel mocha made her feel even more blissful. Like a kitten neatly sipping milk from a tin bowl, Shin Hye tries her beverage, nose-tip-to-cream due to its fluffiness and depth. She rose from the caramel-ly and chocolate-y goodness, not at all dissatisfied.

“Mashisseo!” She exclaimed wide-eyed with amazement before stifling a laugh. That extra weight on the tip of her nose reminding her of her occasionally childish eating habits, “Is there any-?”

Beating her to it, Yong Hwa chuckles and offers her a napkin he got from the counter, “Don’t worry, I got a few.”

“Gomawo~”

They both try their food, only realising now how hungry they were.

The production crew also relaxed, some standing, some sitting, most settling on the tables out of camera view. One of the female staff, equipped with a clipboard was going around taking orders through lip-reading and sign language, in an attempt to not intervene with the recording. When it came to the director’s turn, Writer Kim ordered on her behalf since the director seemed to be so immersed with monitoring the camera screen.

“Is that nice?” Shin Hye asks, gesturing to his sandwich.

He nods, his Busan dialect making an appearance on the first day of filming, “The best~!”

Shin Hye grins back, imitating the way he just talked before popping a piece of waffle into .

“Do you want some?”

She shakes her head politely even though he really looked like he was prepared to share.

Like this, they continued to talk and eat, and it wasn’t long before the last of the awkward atmosphere finally dispersed and they were joking and chatting freely like they did back during YAB, not as husband and wife… but as Yong Hwa and Shin Hye- two close friends.

Shin Hye was finishing the last of her drink when Yong Hwa asks her out of the blue, “Should we make up nicknames for each other?”

She laughs, “But we already have nicknames, Bol Mae Jung.”

“No, not like that… I mean like how other couples have nicknames for each other, like”-he smiles shyly-“‘honey’ and ‘darling’ and stuff…”

…

She laughs inwardly, “Don’t you think that’s really cheesy?”

“It is isn’t it? Mian…” Yong Hwa agreed quickly, wiping his mouth with a napkin dejectedly.

“Wae? Did you want one?”

“Well… I don’t object to the idea…”

He clearly wanted one.

“Hnn… What should… What should our nicknames be then?” Shin Hye asks shyly, propping her chin on the ‘V’ shape she’s made with her hands. Then she smiles, “If we’re going to use nicknames… lets have unique ones.”

He nods compassionately, “Just between us.”

“Hmm… but nothing too cheesy.” She says, shivering at the thought.

“Wouldn’t it be cheesy if…? I called you “Cheese”?”

“Yah, what are you?” She laughs.

“Well it was just a thought~”

“Is there… something you wanted me to call you, perhaps?” She takes another sip of her coffee.

“Let’s see…”

“There is, huh?”

“Hnn…” He leans on his left hand and smiles as he ponders, “Yong~, Yong Hwa-yah~… things like that?” 

She grins, “That’s how I normally call you though.”

“Oh, that’s true…” He chuckles, sipping his latte.

“Well… if we can’t come up with anything now, we can always decide on one later.” Shin Hye offers.

“Okay! Let’s do-… Oh! Jeojiyo!”

Shin Hye looks up from her mocha to see who had appeared.

It was the sale assistant from earlier. She appeared to be on her way to clean up the table that once seated the young couple Shin Hye saw before.

Looking a little startled at first, the young lady quickly composes herself and straightens her posture, “Ne? How can I help?”

“Joesonghamnida~ Those… Over there,” Yong Hwa points to the peculiar wall behind her, “Are those lockers?”

“Oh, those?” She turns briefly to take a look, “Yes they are. We rent them to our customers.”

“Oh, really? What for...?”

The girl visually relaxes and explains, “It’s an attraction specific to this café. Customers can rent their own locker here where we can keep messages or items that can be repossessed at a later date, for example letters to your future self and objects that are meaningful to you. It has been quite popular amongst couples.”

“Oh, wow…” Shin Hye nods and admires the wall again in a new light, “So… couples get their own key?”

“Ah, jamkanmanyo~”

The assistant politely dismisses herself and returns after a few seconds, holding small objects in her hands which she shows to Shin Hye and Yong Hwa.

They were keys.

Smaller than average, the first one resembled a stereotypical key to an old-fashioned door. It was long and lean, a delicate piece of silver with a peculiar tip. A tip that was wing-shaped.

Shin Hye squints at this.

“As you can see, the tips are not like the ones of normal locks.” The assistant shows them the second key which seemed to be split in half, making it thinner than the first, with a wing on each half, “This one is for two people. In this case, the locker can only be opened when the two parts are joined together like this.” She explains, demonstrating how the two keys fit perfectly together forming a key that resembled the first one they saw.

“Wow… that is amazing.” Yong Hwa exclaims, wide-eyed.

Holding one of the half-keys in her hands, turning it this way and that, Shin Hye watches it glisten under the lights, “How long can you rent a locker for?”

“Our contracts are for 1 year, but you may wish to extend them at any time.”

Yong Hwa peers up at his wife, “Should we get one?”

***

I grin, nodding.

As the assistant went to get us the registration forms, I continued to play around with the key. It was light and charming and it seemed like it would continue gleaming forever. So, feeling amused, I kept testing it to see if it would.

“What should we put down for our ‘name’?”

“Huh?” I looked up, he was already filling in the form. I put the key down. “You mean our couple name?”

“Yeah…”

“Hnn…” I tilted my head in thought, “‘Yong’…’Shin’. ‘Shin’ ‘Yong’. ‘YongShin’?”

His eyes lit up as he reached forward for a high-five, “Oh! That’s not bad!”

I laughed, happily complying with his request, “‘ShinHwa’ wouldn’t work as well…”

“True! True!” He chuckles.

I brought the key close to my heart, “So… does this mean I can keep this now?”

He clicked his pen shut before grinning at me, “All done!”

That was when the assistant came back to help us through our transaction. I insisted to go AA this time, because although it was sweet that he didn’t want me to spend any of my own money, a little voice inside my head was urging me to take more of an active role in this virtual marriage. That would please the audience more, right?

With our signatures on the papers, smiles on our faces and keys in hand, we sat contemplating at our table.

“Since today is the first day, can we put something inside?”

“Now?”

I watched him as he sat up in a sudden search through his pockets, probably for something to put in the locker, before presenting me with all he had- a sheepish grin, “Mian, I don’t have anything on me. But we can go and do some shopping if you want?”

I shook my head, “It’s okay. We could just… leave a letter? Or a photo? To commemorate~ You know… the polaroid ones?” I demonstrated with my hands as though I was taking a snapshot of Yong Hwa’s concentrated face. Wait… do we even have one handy? I turned towards the crew, “Do we…?”

And conveniently we did; along with multi-patterned writing paper, gel pens, stickers and stamps- all ready and for the taking. Conveniently.

I can almost see how the editors would make this sweat-drop moment look as I accepted them gratefully.

Being a girl, I naturally love my stationery, so the brand new gel pens and cute stickers were a worthy cause of fuss. Yong Hwa, on the other hand, would never understand.

We briefly discussed what we could write about before taking on Writer Kim’s whiteboard suggestion: “a letter to your spouse in a year’s time”.

I wasn’t sure what to write.

For some reason, it felt like I was at school again, sitting a Korean exam I didn’t see coming. It would’ve been better if it was, because at least then my writing would remain confidential between my teacher and I, and after being graded on the best I could do, the subject is usually not mentioned of again. However, this… this was different.

This is something that will no doubt crop up in the future- on national TV. If I don’t be careful, this could potentially come back to bite me in the ; something I cannot afford if I want to continue my career in this industry.

I sneaked a peek at Yong Hwa.

Darn…!

How can this guy write so much??

I glanced self-consciously down at my paper- then to his. Mine was stark in compassion. I better start writing… But what to say?

What can I say to the Yong Hwa in a year’s time? “Hello”?

In a year’s time…

In a year’s time… we would’ve finished our virtual marriage. What would we be like then?

Will Yong Hwa still be the same Yong Hwa I know now? Will I still be the same me I am now?

Before my head starts overheating, I sighed.

Remembering what Jun Oppa said, I brought pen to paper.

‘When unsure, go with neutral.’

***

(Manager Junhwan’s POV)

I continued watching her carefully, making sure not to miss any signs of anxiety.

Shin Hye was doing so well. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride as I watched her bravely stepping out of her comfort zone.

I still remember debating over whether or not this job was too much of me to even suggest. It’s been an endless internal struggle since the day Jeong Ah decided to give me a call after all these years- and what does he tell me?

He’s “calling from MBC as the executive producer of the reality show ‘We Got Married’” and they “are in need of back-up candidates for the potential ‘bride’ in the show”, did we “have any idols or actresses interested in participating?”

I bet he would not have recognised me if I hadn’t re-introduced myself, whereas I had picked up on him just from his very first words- which isn’t really hard since that guy’s voice is really something. We caught up a little, just simple things like where we live now, what our jobs are like and whether or not he still listens to PIA.

When I had mentioned that I was working with Shin Hye, I was a little surprised that he recognised her. The show must’ve done better than I thought… He had fussed about wanting to meet her and how he thought it would be great to have the chance to work with her, I politely declined at first of course. Knowing Shin Hye, she’d back out before I could even have the chance to get her through the door.

But that didn’t stop me from thinking about it…

It would be nice if she could experience something like this before it’s too late. Through my connections, I have heard stories about idols who have/are facing all sorts of stress.

Sadly, the showbiz isn’t all glitz and glamour. Most of the time, these vulnerable, dream-headed young people, all with ambitions of fame and fortune walk naively into a world they think they do but in actual fact know nothing about. Bet their faces would look a whole lot different if somebody had told them what they were in for, and that for every tiny scrap of fame you desired, you had to trade over chunks of your freedom, love life and privacy in return. The industry is a cruel and dirty place, all hidden behind the smiles and laughter of the people it is eating up.

Thankfully, Shin isn’t one of them. Or at least, it shouldn’t affect her as much. Plus, she is a mature and careful kid, always thinking over the consequences of her speech and actions before making her moves. I have nothing to worry about. I should have nothing to worry about. But you can never be too certain nor too careless… because that’s when things usually spin out of your control, and by the time you realise, it’s too late.

I watched as Shin Hye laughed and hit Yong Hwa’s shoulders.

Her smile is so pure, so innocent and so golden- the reason I’m still here in this business.

It is something I treasure and vow to protect.

***

“Arasseo! Arasseo! You win~” He sighs in defeat.

She knew he was only joking, but she couldn’t help herself. Maybe the caffeine was starting to kick in?

“We’ll put them in and lock them together.” He says reassuringly, flashing her that toothy smile which has melted the hearts of so many fan girls. Playful in nature, anyone could see that the guitarist and lead singer was just fooling around.

Shin Hye claps happily before picking up her neatly written and decorated letter. She had purposefully chosen the blue patterned paper as to not “insult” his “manliness”, as well as in support and promotion of CNBlue. As for stickers, she decided it was best not to put too many and settled for a sticker of a girl she thought resembled herself and stuck it at the bottom. Although she still wasn’t 100% satisfied with the contents of the letter, she felt that it was decently written and wouldn’t do any harm. She was actually looking forward to Yong Hwa reading it.

“Surely we need an envelope of some kind?” He asks, peering around their selection of stationery.

“I know! We can... fold it,” She suggests, demonstrating, “like this… into an envelope. You know? Like we used to do in high school.”

He watched in awe as she swiftly converted her letter into a work of origami in a space of a few folds.

“Really? You’ve never did this? In high school?”

He shakes his head.

“It was really popular,” She explains, showing him the steps again at a slower pace so he could follow on his pink paper, “we used to pass notes in lesson sometimes, I remember people even wrote love letters.”

“You must’ve written a lot.”

…

She shoved him, sending him a mock glare, “Yah! What’re you trying to say?”

He whistled his innocence and held up his neatly folded letter, “Did I do it right?”

“Yeah… it’s pretty good!”

She continued to gaze wonderingly at his letter to her. From what she could recall, he had written quite a lot. She couldn’t help but wonder about the things he had to say on that pink piece of stationery. Was there really that much?

Yong Hwa waited for her to put her letter in first before putting his one in as well.

The Polaroid camera was handed over to them. As Shin Hye held it in her hands, she was surprised to find a note attached to it with a small blue bow that matched the camera, “oh!” She takes off the note curiously and reads the message out loud:

“To Yong Hwa and Shin Hye,

This Polaroid camera is a gift from the WGM team to you to celebrate your marriage.

Please use it to take pictures of the sweet memories you’ll create as a couple.

-The WGM Staff.”

With a slight blush, Shin Hye bows gratefully in the direction of the director and production team, “Aigoo, kamsahamnida~ This is… really nice of you!”

Yong Hwa mirrors her, touched by the gift, “Kamsahamnida! We’ll use it well!”

“Uwaa~ It’s so pretty, I’ve always wanted a Polaroid camera!” Shin Hye beams, admiring the device in her hands before grinning at the guy next to her, “Wanna try it?”

“Sure! It can go in the locker too.” He stands closer to her as Shin Hye hands it to him.

She grins sheepishly, “Your arms are longer~”

“Yep~ Gwenchana, gwenchana. Ready?”

Lifting the camera into the air at arms’ width, the two shift into their starting positions.

“Chijeu~”

FLASH!

Whirr..!

FLASH!

Whirr..!

FLASH!

Whirrr..!

“You took three?”

Yong Hwa nods, laying them out on the table to develop.

“You should’ve told me! I probably look so caught off guard…” She cringed at the thought, taking her seat opposite Yong Hwa.

They both looked over them, waiting for the little pieces of card to work their magic.

In the distance, Shin Hye heard the tingling of the doorbell and some heavy footsteps; cutting through her fragile gauze of concentration. Although her ears were drawn to the entrance of the café behind her, she resisted the urge to turn and look.

The spiteful chill that had seeped in, unsettling the skin at the back of her neck was enough to notify her that somebody had entered the café.

Probably costumers…

But whoever it was, they didn’t seem to mind the cold…

The sudden burst of laughter almost made her jump, “W-Wae??”

Yong Hwa holds up one of the photos, “I guess this will have to be the one that goes into the locker~”

She looked at that one and then at the other two.

What in the…

She buried her face as she guffawed before quickly picking them up to show the camera.

If there was such thing as synchronized blinking, it was right here; warm and crispy in her grasp.

“Daebak~ This is… honestly… Daebak!” She giggles showing them around to the crew.

Yong Hwa grinned as he watched her. He missed seeing her like this…

With a tingle of a bell and a rush of wind, the café was warm again.

***

“And that person over there is Assistant Writer Dae.”

Filming wrapped up a lot faster than I expected. Standing here outside of Angelina Café as the wind battled it out with the currents of the river, I bury my face in my scarf, nestling my chill-sensitive cheeks.

Jun Oppa was just giving me a quick introduction to the members or the crew before we had to leave. He knows that I like to be close to the people I work with, even if they’re a part of the production team. I bowed politely as each member of staff passed by; packing up the equipment they had laid out earlier. I tried my best not to get in their way as I waited to say goodbye to Yong Hwa who was getting changed for his next schedule in their company’s van.

As though she heard us, the woman walked over to greet us.

Despite her misleading surname, Writer Dae was a rather petite lady with a very feminine feel to her. Her eye-smile was very warm. She had her long, straight, brown hair tied neatly into a high ponytail and wore a long shirt that seemed to swallow her up- in a cute way. She reminded me much of a mouse or a rabbit- the kind of animal that was small and docile; incapable of any harm.

“Annyeonghaseyo!” I bowed, smiling back at her, “Park Shin Hye-imnida~ It’s nice to meet you, Writer Dae!”

Her smile brightened as she bowed back, “Ani~ Ani~ The pleasure’s all mine! Nice to meet you, Shin Hye-ssi!”

She held her clipboard tighter to her chest.

That clipboard…

Ah! Now I remember!

She must be the person who was going around taking orders earlier!

I viewed her with a new light as Jun Oppa greeted her.

“Annyeonghaseyo, Writer Dae, I’m Shin Hye’s manager, Junhwan. We spoke over the phone?”

“Ah! Ne, ne!” She nods, smiling as she shook his hand, “It’s great to see you!”

I looked up questioningly at him. Since when…?

“We spoke over the phone last week about your application.”

“Ah~ I see…”

She smiles at me, “Shin Hye-ssi and Yong Hwa-ssi did so well tod-”

“Good job!”

I turned to see Writer Kim join us and the director not too far behind her.

I bowed quickly to the seniors as Writer Dae silently stepped back to make room for them.

“I told you to trust them, didn’t I? Didn’t I? I told you it’ll work out just fine, didn’t I?” The director chortled gleefully. I noticed she wasn’t wearing her mask…

Writer Kim chuckled in response, “She did…”

“Annyeonghaseyo, Gamdong-nim!” We greeted.

She put her thumbs up at me, “You guys did so well today. Absolutely brilliant. They were worried it would be awkward like first episodes usually are, but you guys helped me prove them wrong, good job!”

She reached forward to envelope my gloved hand whole-heartedly with both of hers; shaking them and I bowed again in gratitude.

“Kamsahamnida~ Is it okay for gamdong-nim to be out here in the cold?” I asked worriedly, rubbing my hands to warm them. “You seem unwell today.”

“I’m perfectly fine!”

“She’s better than fine!” Writer Kim laughed.

I looked at them, befuddled, “But… the mask… earlier…”

“Oh, that!” The director chuckled, “I had to wear it to hide my smile. I was too excited, I would’ve ruined the suspense!!”-She then leaned forward and whispered playfully to me, “I’m a big fan, Go Mi Nam-ssi~”

“Oh! Cheonmaliyo? Uwaa… I’m honoured! Thank you!” I chuckled.

She grinned before diverting her gaze at Jun Oppa, “It’s a shame you have to leave early today, we could’ve filmed a bit more, but I guess it can’t be helped… Your manager isn’t working you too hard, is he?”

“Ani-imnida~” I laughed as Jun Oppa stood awkwardly.

“We should better be going now,” He coughs, just as Yong Hwa appears, saving him from being swarmed by femininity.

Yong Hwa bows, greeting and exchanging handshakes with the staff one by one before greeting me, “Hey!”

Jun Oppa coughed again before taking his leave, “I’ll be in the car. Remember the time!”

“Ne~!”

I turned back and the three ladies were out of sight, “Where did they go?”

“Kidnapped by the director,” Yong Hwa grins, “Just kidding, they went to pack up.”

“Ah, right~” I nod.

“Good luck at the meeting, I’m sure you’ll get the part!”

“Thanks, Yong Hwa…” I smiled back, “Good luck with the band.”

He nods, and we awkwardly gave each other a high-five, which naturally led to our secret handshake. I grinned before bidding him goodbye. It feels like it’s been ages…

***

“All ready to go?”

I buckled my seat, “Ne~!”

Leaning back, I looked out the window as Jun Oppa pulled the car off the drive.

Yong Hwa was shivering.

I smiled. He was pretending not to be cold, huh? His acting skills sure has gotten better…

I closed my eyes as I felt the car moving forwards and away; the soft buzz of Oppa’s usual radio station in the background. It’s over. I made it through the first filming. And I feel great!

That gives me a bit more hope.

Reaching for my phone in my coat pocket, my fingertips brush against something cool and hard. I took my phone out and then the object. It was the key.

I held the key close to my chest as a familiar tune played in the car.

“…oetoriya oetoriya daridiridara du~

oetoriya oetoriya daridiridara du~”

It was so pretty, so pure, so small…

“oetoriya oetoriya sarange apahago

sarangeul gidarineun oetori…”

I have a feeling I will get attached to it.

***

Dooley Trivia + Facts used in this Chapter! ^^

-Yong Hwa on his ideal type: "...If she were to shyly call out my name, "Yonghwa-yah~", I think my heart just might explode..." ♥