[kyle's notes]: update for Saniasa.. and for everyone who still reads this crap

 

warning: LOTS of ERRORS ahead

 

 

 

Kyu Jong’s right arm remained locked around So Min’s trembling shoulders as he guided her up the steep steps of the hospital’s fire exit. He was on his way to practice room when he witnessed the commotion made by the most meddlesome people walking and breathing on the planet. Not that he had anything against them – they were only doing their jobs. But he wished they could be more careful with their chosen words in prying in other people’s private life. He briefly wondered whoever leaked So Min’s relationship with Wang Hee was. But as swift as it crossed his mind, it immediately vanished as he felt another shiver came from So Min’s body. “It’s okay. Shin Hye and Seung Ah have you covered.”

He couldn’t remember exactly how he had maneuvered his body to help the three enter the building until they reached the ladies’ comfort room, had Seung Ah exchange shirts with So Min, and let Shin Hye ran with her outside. It made the reporters think that Seung Ah was actually So Min – Seung Ah made sure her face was covered, thanks to So Min for choosing to wear a hoodie today. Kyu Jong then quietly slipped So Min outside when everybody ran after the two women and nobody noticed a missing girl out of the three.

 

 

 

“Where are they?” So Min managed to ask in spite herself. She wasn’t used to having so many people lay their eyes on her, let alone ask about the matters she didn’t wish to flag around.

 

 

 

“I’m not sure where they headed to. We’ll call them later.”

 

 

 

Unable to do anything but nod, So Min allowed herself to be coxswained to the fifth floor. Her legs ached for running from the university to the hospital grounds. She was glad they had stopped upon reaching the stairs.

 

 

 

“Oh, hey!” Il Woo beamed soon as he saw who entered his room without knocking. His PM shift nurse was just giving him his IV meds through his intravenous line. “What’s going on?” he asked, noticing the lack of color on So Min’s face and Kyu Jong’s upset expression.

 

 

 

The nurse sensed the tension and politely exited to leave the three dealing with whatever it was they had to deal with.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                 

Il Woo’s arms automatically stretched out to welcome So Min in them and rested his head on her stomach – it seemed to be a habit now. “You’re having me worried when you keep shaking like this.”

 

 

 

So Min brushed his hair on top of his head, making sure her hands didn’t press hard on the newly changed bandaged. The small of his hands on her lower back were very soothing. She found herself calming down before letting him go. She grabbed the chair nearby and slumped on it.

 

 

 

“The reporters attempted to harass them,” Kyu Jong said then explained their tactics on how to escape.

 

 

 

Il Woo’s worry grew as he listened. It wasn’t only So Min he was concerned about, but also the fact that they didn’t know where Shin Hye and Seung Ah went. One of them being his girlfriend didn’t contribute in lessening the worry. “Who do you think tipped them on it?”

 

 

 

“I don’t have any idea. They even knew where they could find her at this time. Creepy.”

 

 

 

Il Woo was quick to agree and nodded when Kyu Jong raised the notion of calling the girls. He went out to dial after borrowing So Min’s phone – he didn’t have Shin Hye’s and Seung Ah’s numbers on his own phone.

 

 

 

So Min clasped her hands on her lap. “Do you think we should inform Mr. Hwang?”

 

 

 

“Let Hyun Joong handle it. Use my phone and call him.”

 

 

 

She obediently obliged but fought against calling her husband. He had to be in his classes at this time. She came to a decision of texting him instead. Series of type-delete-edit-send later, Kyu Jong returned in the room with the announcement that Geun Suk had the ladies hiding in College of Business Administration. Where exactly? Well, he didn’t have the inclination to tell the two about the men’s restroom. Turning to So Min, “I’ll go help them out. I told Geun Suk to convince Hyun Joong to get out of their classes. I hope you don’t mind that. Three guys might be enough to scare those media junks. Stay here with Il Woo. It’s safer than going anywhere else. The hospital staff won’t allow those nosy people bothering all the patients for chasing you around here.”

 

 

 

Half an hour passed since Kyu Jong left and still hadn’t heard from any of them. Mr. Hwang called to officially cancel their session – it equated to lots of makeup practices in the near future. But right now, these would be set aside as So Min enjoyed the light company of Jung Il Woo.

 

 

 

“You’re twenty-three now, too, correct? Does your birthday come later in the year or has it already passed? I noticed I haven’t asked any of my bandmates this. Present husband excluded.”

 

 

 

“What do you mean present husband?” Il Woo arched an eyebrow at her direction. She was peeling what seemed to be their eight piece of tangerine. “You’re saying there’s a past husband and you’re planning on having a future one?” Her response laugh had him laughing as well. At least, some of her tension was easing and the color on her face was coming back. “The twenty-third birthday’s done. It was the day after Robert Lao’s party.”

 

 

 

So Min let the answer dissolve in her brain then she found her hands stopping in the middle of her peeling.

 

 

 

The day after Mr. Lao’s party.

 

 

 

“Excuse me, did you just say your birthday was the day after our first major performance?”

 

 

 

“Yes.”

 

 

 

“The day when I was sick and came to the coffee shop to make amends with my girl friends?”

 

 

 

“Yes.”

 

 

 

“The week before your accident?”

 

 

 

“Yes.”

 

 

 

“Three Sundays ago?”

 

 

 

“Whoa, you sure have several ways of describing it. But yes, that’s it. The day after Robert Lao’s party; after our first major performance; when you were sick and had war with your friends; week before the accident; three Sundays ago.”

 

 

 

So Min focused her eyes on him. Amusement was apparently dancing around the stare she bestowed. But there was also some kind of a shock. “And you didn’t tell me any of this?”

 

 

 

“Hey! You never asked! Besides, you came in that night drenched in the rain. How was I supposed to know you were interested in attending the party Jung Min prepared?”

 

 

 

“The party.” She raked her mind and remembered Il Woo telling her he had just finished putting things back in order upon her arrival that night. “I thought that party was to celebrate your successful performance?”

 

 

 

“You’re so cute, So Min,” he remarked and reached out to pinch a cheek briefly. “Glad you’re more talkative than ever. To your question, I never said it was for the performance. What made you think that? Anyway, turned out Jung Min had a surprise party prepared. Countdown surprise party, you see. He planned on having it until midnight as it officially entered the birthdate. You came in around past one in the morning. It wasn’t my fault you were late and saw me arranging things instead of blowing a birthday cake.”

 

 

 

“Wow,” was all So Min could say.

 

 

 

He looked at her as if her reaction was uncalled for. “What’s wow-worthy with that?”

 

 

 

Her sentiments exactly. Yet she couldn’t find the will to continue her task of ridding the tangerine of its skin.  “I just found out—” The idea was overwhelming her senses. “—that we have the same birthdate.”

 

 

 

***************************************

 

 

 

Hyun Joong pocketed his phone as he willed his feet to bring him to the second floor restroom where his two bandmates and his wife’s two best friends were hiding. Cutting classes is not an activity a student should tolerate. Yet he felt he didn’t have an alternative to dodge the inevitable. In a corner of his thick skull, he was thinking of possible reasons why his father-in-law had the urgency-filled voice from that call he just ended. Can you tell your friend, Jung Min, to come over the house? It was stated as a question but sounded more like a command. You and So Min need not come. It was strange for him to invite one of their friends over without being invited themselves. Perhaps it had something to do with the blood donation. Whatever. Something was up, Hyun Joong reckoned and tried to block the sickening feeling beginning to rise because he couldn’t fathom what that something could be.

 

 

 

“What took you so long?” Geun Suk’s whine greeted him.

 

 

 

Hello to you, too, Hyun Joong wanted to say. Among everyone present, Geun Suk should’ve known how difficult it was to escape the professors of their major classes. But reality check had Hyun Joong keeping his tongue still. The situation was ugly. “If we get out of here and be seen with them, they’d still think one of them is So Min,” Hyun Joong reasoned, choosing to duck Geun Suk’s question and eyeing his wife’s shirt on Seung Ah.

 

 

 

“Damn,” Kyu Jong muttered and sighed. “But with their—” pointing at the two girls, “—faces shown, the media would find out neither is So Min. That should do the trick.”

 

 

 

“It won’t.” The declaration had four pairs of curious eyes turned to him. “When they see three of the band’s members with two ladies, they’d drop the subject about So Min and jump on romance issues about them,” also pointing at the girls, “—and us,” shifting the point to the three of them. “It’ll be a matter of guessing game who’s dating who.”

 

 

 

“Oh no,” Shin Hye uttered and looked at them, helpless. Geun Suk was on her side, her hand with his thumb. “We’re already dragged into this?”

 

 

 

“You were already seen with her.”

 

 

 

Kyu Jong knew Hyun Joong wasn’t trying to raise any argument—he was just stating facts that seemed to be against them in any angle. But it didn’t mean he hadn’t wished Hyun Joong would be more expressive rather than stoic while explaining. It made his aura tyrannical and downright scary.