Chapter 5: You Always Were

"One corn...two corns...three corns...four corns..." Bom mumbled as she stared up at the dark ceiling. 

It was midnight and everyone was fast asleep in their warm and cozy beds yet this girl couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard she tried. So she decided to use a common tactic that many others did when they had trouble falling asleep. She counted sheep...or corn, since that was her favorite food.

Bom wouldn't admit what was bothering her to anyone in the house who asked but deep inside it was making her sadder every minute. So she decided as soon as she got home that wherever Dongwook was, she wouldn't go. If he entered, she exited. She wasn't going to allow him to make her even more depressed and decided it was best to take a break.

But that was even worse. Her mind went one way yet her heart went the opposite. She yearned to see his face and smile. She wanted to see him dressed in his casual clothing with his signature snapback on his head. She was dying to hear his masculine laughter that brought butterflies deep in her stomach. The heart wants what the heart wants and her heart wanted him.

Just the very thought of him made her eyes water and she quickly wiped a tear that fell a lose from the corner of her eye. "15 corns...16 corns...17 corns...18...corns...19..." Her voice slowly began to tremble as the actor invaded her thoughts.

"Bom?" 

"Oh!" Bom immediately sat up as she heard someone call her and she look to see So-Ra, who was trying not the laugh at Bommie's facial expression. "Having trouble sleeping?" She asked with a tired smile.

"Uh...yes." The singer said softly and looked down at the floor before looking back at the older women worriedly. "I'm sorry for waking you up. I know you're a light sleeper."

"No. No. It's fine...I just wanna make sure you're okay...are you okay?" So-Ra asked in concern.

Bom was silent for a while before shaking her indicating that she was not okay. Not by a long shot.

"Is this about Dongwook?..."

Again, the singer let silence speak her truth. And to be honest Bom didn't have to even to say anything because So-Ra knew the answer. The model witnessed the feelings blooming from the both of them yet misunderstandings and doubts were seeming to get in the way. 

But now So-Ra decided that she was gonna step in and give Bom a little push in the right direction. "You know he asked me about you yesterday and he today. Twice, in fact.

Her eyes widen and she looked up at her roommate. "He did?...why?" She asked softly.

"I think he thinks that you're avoiding him...and he's really sad about it." Sora explained.

"Why would he be sad? Its not like he likes me..." Bom let out with pout, which earned a laugh from her roommate. 

"Has he told you that he doesn't like you, Bom?" She asked with a knowing smirk.

"No..." 

"Exactly...you don't know...which is why I think you shouldn't give up." 

The black hair girl sighed softly before hugging her stuffed animal close to her. "Do you think that he likes me?" Bom asked her hesitantly.

So-Ra smiled softly while looking at Bom. " I honestly do..."

"But how can you be so sure?" She murmured to herself but So-Ra heard her loud and clear. "Bom...I see it in his eyes everyday ever since you two met that night. He cares for you so much that it goes deeper than any sibling bond...he shows that he likes you everyday...especially a few nights ago. He was so worried and concerned-" So-Ra explained before Bom interrupted her.

"Wait-wait! What night?" Bom asked curiously.

The model looked at the younger girl with surprise. "Wait...you don't remember what happened that night?"

Bom shook her head. "Not at all...why? Did I do anything weird?" She asked with a worried expression.

So-Ra chuckled softly and shook her head. "No...you were just really exhausted when you came home and Dongwook just so happened to see you. You were so out of it that he had to carry you to bed. He was really worried. He stared at for at least 10 minutes." She said with a small laugh.

As she listened to So-Ra tell what happened, her memory slowly came back to her. "Ani!" She yelled and and slapped her cheeks with both of her hands as she felt her face heat up.

"Sshh." The older lady told her with as she laughed silently at the embarrassed girl. "You'll wake poor Gayeon up."

"Sorry..." The two girls soon died down their laughter and sighed. "So what are you gonna do now?" So-Ra asked her.

Bom laid back down on her bed and looked up at the ceiling in thought. "Let's just see what happens." She confessed with a smile before mumbling goodnight and finally getting some well deserved rest.

It was finally morning and Bom woke up with a smile plastered on her face. She didn't know it was because of the corn dream she had or the fact that it felt like something great was about to happen today but whatever it was she was all for it. 
 
Before she could get out of her bed she heard her phone ring and from the ringtone she knew it was Minzy. She grabbed it and answered the call. "Hello?"

"Hey Bom. I thought you wasn't gonna answer the phone. Did I wake you?"

"Nope. I just got up a minute ago. Why?" She asked.

She took a while before answering. "I was worried about you...are you okay?"

Bom sighed before smiling. "I'm fine Minzy. Don't worry your little head about anything..."

She could feel Minzy's smile through the phone. "Okay...I know that Dara and CL went a little over board with the bodong mission. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"So...how come you never gave me a mission?" Bom asked curiously.

"Because...I just wanted you to be yourself. The pretty alien 8D girl that I've known for 5 years. That's the girl that Dongwook likes. That's you." Minzy confessed. 

Bom smiled brightly at Minzy words. Not because they were kind words but because they were true. She was that girl and if he can't except that...his lost. "When did you get to become so mature?" Bom asked with a smirk.

"Well when you have 3 childish noonas...someone has to be the mature one." Minzy teased. 

"Very funny, Minzy." The vocalist said before smiling. "I'll talk to you later."

"Wait! Are you giving up still?" Minzy asked quickly.

Before she answered she just so happened to looked at the door and her eyes widen. So-Ra had left a sticky note on the door.

Gayeon started training today, I have to go to work. All the other roommates are gone too...except for one :)

Bom looked down at the floor before answering. "No. Not yet...I have a mission of my own I wanna try."

After getting off the phone with an overly excited Minzy, Bom got up from her bed and walked over to the door to take the sticky note off and threw it away. She then left her room and walked over towards room 3, more specifically Dongwook and Se-ho's room.

Bom stopped at the door way and took a deep breath, while whispering to herself. "You are Park Bom Lee. 2NE1's Park Bom. You can do this..." After a long while of gathering her confidence, she faced the door and knocked on it. 

"Come in." 

I opened the door to the sight of Dongwook sitting up on his bed looking at his phone. "Hi, Dongwook Oppa."

A big bright smile graced his face as he looked at her. "Hey..." We both stared at each other silently with smiles on our faces for while before he broke the silence. "Don't just stand there. Come in." 

"Okay." The vocalist said soft voice and walked in while closing the door behind her. Afterwards, she walked over to his bed and sat down on opposite side of him, though she didn't notice how close she was until she looked at him. 

"So what's up? We haven't talked in awhile...." He said while studying my face. 

"Nothing really...everyone else left so...I decided to come and talk to you." She said before asking "I'm not bothering you, am I?" 

"No. Never. I'm actually glad that you're here...I kinda felt like you've been  avoiding me the pass two days..." He confessed while looking at me.

Oh. No! He's on to me... I thought and began to panic in my mind as I looked at him. "Uh...wanna wrestle?" I asked nervously, trying to change the subject. 

He stared at me for a while before bursting out with laughter. "Are you serious?" He asked while laughing. 

Bom suddenly felt her pride get bruised a bit when he laughed at her and she frowned. "Are you saying that I can't wrestle or something? I could beat you anyway." She challenged.

"Oh really? I wish I could see that" He said with a teasing smirk. 

"Be careful with what you wish for." The younger girl said and before he knew it she pounced on him and punch him playfully. 

 "Wait! Stop! I was kidding Bom!" He yelled but as soon as she lighten up he grabbed her arms and quickly turned them over so that he was the dominant one. "Gotcha." He said with a smirk.

They both continuously fought and turned each other over, messing up the bed a bit in the process until Dongwook grabbed her slim waist and turned her over for the last time and started at her while trying to catch his breath.

Bom looked up at his handsome face and her heart began to race. This was it...this is his chance to kiss me. And if he doesn't...I'll let go."  She thought as she looked into his eyes.

She watched as he kept looking from her eyes to her lips and back again. Then he slowly tilted down towards her lips and she closed her eyes, waiting for them to meet.

"Bom..." He said softly as he stared down at her, wanting to close the space between them and kiss her so badly.

But Bom, who felt like he said her name to get her to open her eyes and reject her, frowned sadly and pushed him off quickly.

 "I knew it." She mumbled and tried to stand up only to be pulled back down by the actor. "Wait. Why are you leaving?"

"I knew it! I knew that you weren't interested in me yet I let my friends and So-Ra lead to believe so! I let them make up the "bodong" mission to catch your attention yet you never seemed to notice! I did the hair thing! I did the pelvis thing! I've done just about everything yet still I get nothing. And that's why I avoided you for the past two days! I knew that you didn't feel the same way I felt and that I'm just wasting my time-" 

And just like that, Dongwook kissed her. Soft and slowly. Hard and passionate. It was everything she ever imagined. He finally lit her fire and it was burning all over her skin and she loved it. 

After awhile he finally pulled away and leaned his head against her own, while regaining his breath. "Bom...you really don't know. You don't how I've been wanting to do that...ever since I met you. You don't know how long I've been feeling this way..."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Bom asked softly. 

The actor sighed before answering. "Because I felt like I didn't deserve you. I didn't think that I was the guy you would go for. I'm not romantic...I don't have any swag or anything...I'm just Dongwook." 

"But that's the man I fell for. I like you because you're sweet, considerate, and you care. I fell for you...and I'm still falling for you, Dongwook...I just hoped you felt the same all this time." She confessed.

"I do Bom." He said and leaned down to kiss her again but she pushed him back. "Wait...what about Nana?"

"What about her?" He asked.

"Well...every time I went on a mission to capture your attention you would always be talking to her. Then you guys hugged and I assumed..."

Dongwook chuckled softly. "You thought...that I liked Nana?" 

Bom didn't answer because she was too embarrassed and he just smiled and caressed her face. "Nana likes Se-ho and she feels embarrassed about it...but I reassured her at the pool party that she shouldn't feel that way and that she should confess." 

"Ah..." The girl said before looking up at Dongwook and smiling softly. He smiled back and kissed her again before hugging her softly. Bom hugged him back and hid her face in his chest.

"So...can you enlighten me on this bodong mission?" He asked with a smirk. He was really curious about it and he couldn't keep the question from coming out but deep inside he just wanted to and make her blush.

"Ani!" She yelled out into his chest as her face started to heat up. 

"No! Don't be shy. I really wanna know." He told her and leaned back so that he could see hands covering her blushing face.

"...The girls caught me staring at you picture during my trip to Japan so they decided to make up this bodong mission...The first mission was to show of the curve of my neck while tying my hair up...the second mission was to show off my figure...and I made up the third mission, which was to...confess...happy now?" She explained. 

Then she moved her hand down to unveil her face and added "And you didn't even notice!" She let out and pouted cutely.

"Who said I didn't notice?" He asked with a smirk and studied her obviously surprised face for a bit. 

"So...you..saw...me?" She asked hesitantly.

He nodded his head. "Yes...just because you didn't catch me looking doesn't mean that I didn't see you. In case you haven't noticed...I sorta watch your every move...is that weird?"

"No...it's cute." She told him and smiled. They both stared at each other again and he grabbed her hand and caressed it softly. "But why me?" Bom couldn't help but ask. "Why do you like me so much...I'm not pretty. I'm not normal. I can't even speak in my native language as good as I should yet you still like me...why?" She asked as she looked into his eyes as if she was searching for something. 

And she did find something. She found love. And that was the best thing she have ever found in her life. 

"I like you because you're you. You're not pretty. You're beautiful. You're not normal. You're out of this world. And you can't speak Korean well." He said and laughed at the last part before adding. "But you speak throughout your eyes and actions and that's enough for me. You're just my type. You always were...and so much more..." He confessed before diving down to kiss her again.

"I think our bodong shippers are gonna be happy about this." He pulled away quickly and said.

"Bodong shippers? So that's were they got that name from..."said Bom, who smiled at the revelation. "I didn't know we had shippers...wait...how'd you know?"

"Because it's all over the news. They saw what we didn't see. And they really wanted us to make this happen." The actor said with a smile.

Bom wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled softly. "It's looks like they got what they wanted." She whispered and ended the conversation with a sweet kiss.