Yonghwa wasn’t the type to meddle into people’s affair. Or rather, he had enough up his sleeve to do so. So when the breaking news about half of SNSD members dating came to surface, he would just treat them as a nice read. The magazines were kept nicely in their CNBlue dressing room for each members to read like a fairy tale—the fairy tale of the celebrities. After all, their hearts were never their own.

He was clutching the sling of his guitar strap as he trotted under the drizzling rain into his apartment corridor that night, rushing to get his music sheet he left before leaving to the studio when he saw someone fumbling on his letter box. He frowned, somehow unable to comprehend why anyone would even be interested in his letter box. And he was sure as hell he won’t send cash via mail for a thief to be peering in. But as he scooted closer, he registered the girl he knew living on the fourth floor of his apartment—his celebrity neighbor.

“Hyun,” the name sounded awkward on his lips. He hadn’t mentioned her name for a long time. Sure, they kept close contact after filming We Got Married together. Seohyun would nag him about his habits of drinking too much coffee, or things she claimed would be bad for his voice. But somewhere along the lines, it had gradually reduced to none. And calling her with the name again felt rather unfamiliar.

“Seohyun-ah,” he corrected quietly, a sheepish smile on his face.

But she didn’t respond. Her fingers were still trying to languidly push her key into the keyhole of his mailbox, and Yonghwa couldn’t exactly wrap his mind around what she was spacing about.

Carefully he approached her, grabbing her hand by surprise. Seohyun visibly gasped in shock, shifting a bit as if someone was about to harm her.

“Yong oppa,” she stuttered, eyes fluttering up to him.

“Why are you harassing my mail box?” he asked flatly.

Seohyun blinked a few times, staring at the mail box she had been trying to pry open. It was his apartment number indeed. She gasped slightly, pulling her hand away from his grasp. “I’m sorry, it was a mistake,” she bowed a bit, and he noticed she was using her formal speech on him again.

He saw her looking around, probably starting to search for her own mail box. He hadn’t talk to her for months, but she was still the Seohyun he knew. And he was still very confident that he knew her well enough—he was probably still the person who knows her best. Even if he would no longer dare to claim that out loudly anymore. And he knew something was up in that head of hers. And with all the events going on, he could guess the issue.

She reached out her hand to her mail box once she spotted hers. But just as she was about to push the key in, her fingers slipped, and the key fell audibly on the floor. Her eyes widened in realization, as if she had been spacing out the whole time and the sound kind of woke her up. Yonghwa stood there, staring at her before sighing, bending down to pick the key up and proceeded to just open the box for her.

“I’m sorry,” she bowed again apologetically.

Yonghwa always thought it would have been better if he pretended not to know. After all, Seohyun was like an open book for him, and acting like he knew her too much would somehow hurt her pride sometimes. But this wasn’t one of the moments. This was the moment when he knew Seohyun needed support. Just a bit will do.

He pulled his guitar to his lap, gesturing it to her. “Wanna play?” They were known as the musical couple after all.

Seohyun shook her head. She wasn’t interested. Yonghwa might go on playing The Banmal Song they wrote together, or maybe even Love Light that he composed for her, but she really wasn’t interested. No music he could play that would heal her soul at the moment. But she smiled, bowing in respect anyway. He was older than her by two years, and she would never cross the boundary of being rude.

“C’mon, you need to loosen up,” his grin turned lopsided, and he unfolded his guitar anyway.

She stood awkwardly as he tested the chords. She really wasn’t in the mood. But he insisted, and he had been none other than a great friend before. She thought listening for a while would have been polite at least.

He struck the first chord. It wasn’t the familiar chord from Banmal Song or Love Light, but she couldn’t exactly tell which song either.

And then he played the second chord, and the third. By the fourth chord, Seohyun’s eyes liven up, raising her head in disbelief as he started to sing.

“I want to tell you, even though the sad times have already past
Close your eyes and feel, how you affect my mind, how you attract my gaze.
Don't wait for a miracle, there's a rough road in front of us
with obstacles and future that can't be known, yet I won't change, I can't give up.”

It was their song. Into The New World. The song when they debuted. The Girls Generation. The song that would never fail to bring up her motivation. Of all songs he would play, she least expected this, and it took her off guard.

“Keep your love unchanging for my wounded heart
Looking in your eyes, no words are needed, time has stopped.
I love you, just like this. The longed end of wandering.
I leave behind this world's unending sadness.
Walking the many and unknowable paths, I follow a dim light.
It's something we'll do together to the end, into the new world.”

He was playing so smoothly, she had always known he was a wonderful musician. The chords were flowing like a river. And she couldn’t help the chills she felt inside.

“Don't wait for a miracle, there's a rough road in front of us
with obstacles and future that can't be known, yet I won't change, I can't give up.
Keep your love unchanging for my wounded heart
Looking in your eyes, no words are needed, time has stopped.
I love you, just like this. The longed end of wandering.
I leave behind this world's unending sadness.
Walking the many and unknowable paths, I follow a dim light.
It's something we'll do together to the end, into our new world.”

She saw him smiling as he stared at her with that familiar soft gaze. He knew. He knew. That gaze gave him out. He knew what was troubling her. It still amazed her how after all these times, he could still understand her like no other man could, even though they were never dating for real. He was the first guy she had ever been close to, and she wondered by this time what she had gotten herself into for participating in the We Got Married show. Was she really that predictable?

“Feeling alone in this dark dark night
Your soft breath,
This moment, warmly entwines me in your presence.
I want you to know all my tremors
I love you, just like this. The longed end of wandering.
I leave behind this world's unending sadness.
Walking the many and unknowable paths, I follow a dim light.
It's something we'll do together to the end, into our new world.”

She stuttered when he played the last chord. A lone tear escaped her eye, trickling down her soft cheek. “Yong... Oppa?”

Yonghwa grinned, leaning a bit to his favorite guitar as he adjusted some strings. Seohyun had always loved her SNSD sisters. Like how she would call Hyoyeon just to ask about driving licenses, and how she would mention them when they were bickering. The SNSD names had always played on her lips. Yonghwa once thought if a guy was to really court her, the SNSD would probably be their biggest rival—aside from goguma.

“World is fair, you know,” Yonghwa stood up, putting his guitar back into the case. “The more people love you, the more you’ll get your haters. It just happens that the haters now have a reason to lash on you.”

“Tae unnie doesn’t deserve this hostility,” there was no point in hiding anymore. He knew.

“No one does,” Yonghwa almost cut her off at that. “But you received love, didn’t you? Don’t insult your fans and act as if they don’t exist.”

It was rare for Yonghwa to scold her. He had always been gentle to her after all. But he had his point. Their fans had supported them throughout their journey. From Into The New Word until Mr Mr, they never failed to show their care. She was just blinded by the roaring hate they heard at the airport, and how Taeyeon cried endlessly. Yet she remembered the cheer their fans gave them, as if telling them everything will be alright. They were trying so hard to let the girls know that they were there.

The storm will end, and they will enter the new world together.

Her lips slowly curved into a demure smile, one that Yonghwa had always loved to see. And he smiled back, hanging his guitar case on his shoulder as he offered her his hand. Seohyun blinked, staring at his calloused hand questioningly.

“You should get in,” he stated. “It’s raining, and you don’t want another scandal about both of us to resurface.”

She chuckled, nodding slightly as she took his hand.

He pulled her in while grinning. “Jonghyun told me if you caught SNSD members dating this year, chances are, they really do,” he joked. “If the tabloid caught us like this, should we date for real?”

Seohyun widened her eyes, staring at him in disbelief. “Oppa!”

His melodious laugh echoed along the corridor.

He had never failed to bring out different emotions in her. And she thought she probably had missed him more than she would like to admit.


The end.