Three
Work, Play...BlissMy screech owl of an alarm clock announced that morning was here. Reaching over to shut it off, I noticed an arm around my waist. Scrambling out of bed, I slammed the alarm off, causing it to hit the floor.
"What happened?" Dong Ho sat up suddenly.
"You tell me!?!" I spat back heatedly.
"Sorry! I can't sleep without holding something. I have a large, stuffed bunny that I sleep with at home. I've always been that way since I was little." Dong Ho explained sleepily, rubbing his eyes. If he hadn't been so damn cute, I might have punched him again.
"Fine! I'll give you a pass for that one because nothing happened. About kissing...not ever going to happen again. Don't say it to anyone, or even bring it up again!" I glared my best with my hand on my hip.
"Fine! Only if you don't tell anyone I was crying on your shoulder. I have a rep to keep up!" He grumbled the last, stretching on my bed. His t-shirt rose up showing nicely sculptured abs... Damn!
"Deal!" I held out my hand. He shook it. "I am showering first, and locking the door!" I declared. Spinning around, I tried not to run out of the room.
He grumbled something, then laughed.
When I came back, Dong Ho was snoring softly. I could definitely have fun with that. I smiled wickedly...But first I needed to check on mom.
She sat at the kitchen table drinking her morning coffee. "How did you sleep?" She asked as I kissed her on the cheek.
"Like the dead." I walked over to the coffee pot.
"Did Dong Ho stay over last night?" Dead give away that she'd checked on me when she got up.
"Yeah. His family lives in Jeju-Do. I was trying to be nice." I defensively explained as I helped myself to some coffee.
She watched me closely for a moment. "He seems nice."
"He's alright." I sat beside her.
"How are the other boys?" She asked getting up and putting bread into the toaster.
"They seem OK. I've seen them around, but never talked to them." I answered, sipping my coffee, and loving the warmth and steam.
As she was getting the jelly from the fridge, she seemed thoughtful. When she sat down again, she reached over and held my hand. "You take good care of yourself! Don't let anyone take advantage of you even if they say they are your friend... Especially older people in authority positions. Be mindful, Min Ki. I worry about you! I trust you to make good decisions... But I still worry."
"I will! Please take good care of yourself. I will miss you the most, and worry about you more." I said softly, trying to fight back tears.
"And me too... Do well, my son! I am so proud of you!" She came around the table, hugging me tightly.
After a moment, there was a mumbled "Good morning!" from the doorway.
"Good morning, Dong Ho!" I smiled up at him.
"I am counting on you to watch over each other, and the other three boys." Mom smiled as she busied herself making breakfast.
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The practice for the backup dancing was grueling, but fun with Aron, Jong Hyun, Min Hyun, and Dong Ho. We just clicked, working well together from the very beginning.
After three hours straight, we stopped for lunch at a nearby restaurant with our poor, tired Manager.
"We are going to check out three possible places after we eat, and then it's back to practice....so eat well! Everyone above is greatly impressed by your progress and cohesion, so things will start moving ahead of proposed plans." Our Manager explained excitedly.
Halfway through lunch, our manager had to take a call outside. I was feeling a bit mischievous, so I flicked a large pea at Dong Ho. It was a far better shot than I was anticipating - right between his pretty brown eyes!
"Ohhhhh, you so did not...." was as far as Dong Ho got. I had already launched another, hitting him in the nose. He retaliated with a mushroom that landed in my hair.
"Dong Ho!! You so did not do that! No one messes with my hair and lives!" Scowling as I threatened him.
Min Hyun thought that was really funny, so I threw noodles in his hair. He stopped laughing instantly. Jong Hyun was right on board as he tossed a long carrot at Aron, who tossed rice back at Jong Hyun. Then it was so on... A battle royal food fight! Just what the doctor ordered to break the remaining ice.
Ten minutes later, our Manager came back only to find a right proper mess! "I leave you alone for a few minutes... Really boys?!" He lightly scolded as he tried not to smile. Dong Ho launched a mushroom at him, and it stuck to his cheek. He glared at Dong Ho for a second, then he laughed. "At least you aren't scared or fighting. You seem to be forming bonds of friendship, which is a giant step in the right direction. Clean this up, so we can go. Then stop in the bathroom, and tidy yourselves up. I'll go pay the bill." As he removed the mushroom, flicking it onto a plate, he asked. "By the way, who started this?"
All fingers pointed to me, so I cutely batted my eyelashes. Under my breath, I hissed. "Traitors!"
"So, you are the trouble maker in this group." Our Manager laughed. "I won't have guessed that one."
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We easily agreed on a larger house farther out of town with a large yard, the biggest kitchen and bedrooms, and the biggest plus for me was two bathrooms, and reasonable walking distance to my mom's house.
"I will have keys made, so all of you can start packing. Tomorrow is a half day of practice, then the next day is picking out stage names, looks, and personas. So get some sleep tonight." Manager Nim glared playfully at me.
"What?" I frowned.
"Troublemaker!" He laughed as we all climbed back in the van.
"But we like him, and we are keeping him! Otherwise, things would be very boring. He's our mood maker!" Jong Hyun smiled one of those dazzling smiles of his that made me smile too.
"Mood maker Maknae....I like that." Grinned Manager Nim as we drove back to the studio.
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After another grueling three hours straight, the second round of rehearsal was over. I can say, with painful certainty, that I can feel every muscle group on my body. That had not happened since my earlier training days.
As we were leaving, Dong Ho cleared his throat. "Umm... I really hate to ask, but I need to be out of my apartment today. Does anyone have a car, and would anyone want to help me move a few boxes to Min Ki's house? I really hate to ask, plus I'd be in your debt." Dong Ho humbly begged.
"I have access to a car. Does anyone have a license?" Aron smirked mischieviously. "I'm working on getting mine, then I can drive you lot around!" He winked, smirking wickedly.
"I have a license." Jong Hyun grinned menacingly. "This could be fun! We can get you moved out, then go out on the town."
I smiled mischievously. "That idea I like! Blowing off some steam would be really good." All I had to do was pout at Dong Ho, wink at Min Hyun, and it was a done deal.
"We're in - Don't make us regret it!" Min Hyun spoke up.
Dong Ho had his whole life in a dozen or so boxes. He had a DVD player, a medium sized flat screen, a stereo and speaker set. And there, on the bed next to a few boxes was a large, spotted, stuffed bunny with a faded blue bowtie.
"Emptying everything out of here? You're staying with me tonight, right?" I asked quietly, meeting his eyes.
"Yeah, I guess. Thanks, Min Ki!" Smiling for the first time since practice, he seemed to visibly relax.
Where was the tension coming from in the first place? I pondered. "What are friends for?" I grinned at him.
"We're friends?" He seemed a little surprised.
"I thought we were or are you just a creepy stalker boy?" I teased quietly as I carried his speakers out.
"I'd only stalk you.... so worry!" He teased right back, winking.
It didn't take long to load everything up. As Dong Ho locked the door, he breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced around, looking for me. A smile lit his face upon finding me. When we piled into Aron's car, Dong Ho sat beside me in the back seat. "Thanks!!" He nudged my ribs.
"You're welcome!" I nudged him back. Then Aron got in on it from the other side goosing my ribs. Tears rolled down for laughing so hard.
"Kids! It is hard for dad to drive when you are messing around in the back seat!" Jong Hyun reprimanded from his place behind the wheel.
Aron grinned. "Don't worry, dad! I'll get my license in a few weeks, then I'll do the driving and you can ref the kids." Everyone laughed, calming down.
When we got to my house, I directed where to put everything. "We'll sort it out later!" I yelled back as I read my mom's note. She was called into work, so she left dinner in the oven. Walking over, I took the food out, wrapped it in a few towels, trying to keep it warm and turned off the oven. I hoped to enjoy that later!
Forty-five minutes passed quickly. We had everything up where my boxes were. Everyone ran out the door, jumping in the car. Dong Ho waited with me as I locked up. "Thanks, for this and letting me crash here."
"I already told you. What are friends for?" I playfully punched him on the shoulder, turned, and ran to the car. He chased after me, but Aron already slipped in the back with me, and Min Hyun sat next to him, who flipped the seat down, blocking Dong Ho.
"You won't always have them to hide behind!" Dong Ho teased, getting into the passenger seat.
"And you already know I don't need to hide behind anyone...Or did you forget?" My voice grew serious with warning for reasons I really couldn't explain.
"Oh, I didn't forget! My ribs are still sore." Dong Ho grew serious too.
"Did we miss something last night?" Jong Hyun teased, trying to lighten the darkening mood as he merged with traffic.
"Little scraper back there was drawing his boundaries in a very unmistakable way." Dong Ho illuminated. "He hits harder than most of the people I've been training with for the last seven years studying Komdo."
"That's impressive for both of you!" Jong Hyun said, smirking at me in the rearview mirror. "It's nice to see bonds of friendship growing!" He lightly joked, imitating our manager.
I smirked back, then turned my head toward the window. As I gazed out, I sighed contently. Finally, we were out and wild with a dash of freedom. Things were definitely looking up!
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