Part II

(there is a time leap since the last chapter – two weeks have passed)

“Hey! It’s me… again. We keep missing each other, huh! So I guess, just, call me when you get this?”

Hyukjae threw his phone on the empty seat beside him with a very extended sigh. A second later, someone handed it back to him and took the spot instead.

“So you still haven’t been able to talk to her?” It was Donghae.

Hyukjae just shook his head while he lay back with his eyes closed. He was exhausted. For the past week, the company president had been making a handful of male trainees undergo intensive training – almost like boot camp – starting at 6 am and ending anytime between 5 pm (if they were lucky) to 8 pm (usually the case for him). Something big was going on behind the scenes and Hyukjae would’ve been feeling very excited – if only he had the energy for it.

“Yea we keep missing each-“ the phone suddenly rang and ignoring everything else, Hyukjae immediately snapped it open, “Hyoyeon-ah?”

“Hyoyeon?”

“Oh Gyuri sshi?”

“Of course, it’s me! Why were you expecting some other girl to call you oppa? I am really disappointed.”

Hyukjae rubbed his temples slowly, “I explained it already, Gyuri shhi. She’s my best friend just like Donghae. We honestly don’t see each other as girl and boy.”

“Good. Let’s keep it that way.” Her voice then suddenly changed into a cutesy baby tone, “I was just kidding oppa. I understand and trust you completely.. I was actually disappointed that you are still calling me Gyuri shhi. I am your girlfriend now so you must call me Gyuri-ah.”

“I will,” he said slowly – honestly, it was baffling him as well why he wasn’t able to drop the formalities with her since Gyuri was younger than him.

“Try it! Now!” she demanded and Hyukjae finally glanced at Donghae who had been listening in on their conversation intently. “Uh.. later.. when we are together in private,” he mumbled back simultaneously causing Donghae to smack his arm and Gyuri to yell in his ear. “I’m just asking you to call me by name! Is it such a hard thing to do? Did you think about how I feel? I want to feel close to you and you’re keeping me at a distance!”

‘Wow the girl speaks her mind. Gotta give her that.’ Donghae mentally noted. He also noticed that Hyukjae grimaced a little every time her voice rose.

“Ok I am sorry.” Hyukjae was apologizing now. “Gyuri ah. Happy?”

“Finally!” she yelled into the phone once more, “We have to celebrate this moment. Where should we meet? I really feel like eating pat bing soo! Should we go to Rodeo and do some window shopping too?”

“Right now?” Hyukjae sank further back into his seat trying to collapse into it, “but I’m really dead tired. I told you about our training, right?”

“Training? So you think training is more important than your girlfriend of one week? I have no importance in your life?“

“It’s not like that..” Hyukjae was honestly out of energy to even argue. “Fine, let’s meet.”

“Pick me up in half an hour! Don’t be late like last time oppa, you know I hate waiting, right?”

Hyukjae rubbed his eyes tiredly, “Ok.”

--click--

“Hyukkie.. Why  are –“ Donghae was prevented from saying anything more when Hyukjae turned to him and simply said, “Whatever it is, let’s talk about it tomorrow.”

Hyukjae barely had time to enter their dorm, wash up and he was out the door again.

“Ya! Where are you going?” Jungsu yelled after him from the living room where all the boys were sprawled across the floor – limbs overlapping – but the younger boy just waved his question away.

“Ya Lee Hyukjae I am talking to you!”

“Just let him go. He probably can’t wait to see his new girlfriend!” Heechul threw a cushion at his friend’s face effectively shutting him up.

Hyukjae continued in this dark mood on his 20 minute walk to Gyuri’s dorm. He was too poor to afford the taxi ride both ways. ‘Should’ve thought about my poor self before getting a girlfriend!’ He kicked himself mentally – ‘A girlfriend that likes to be pampered!’ He didn’t want to ask his parents for date money since they were having hard time themselves and it wasn’t like he had time to get a part time job. ‘Aish! Why am in such a bad mood lately!’

“OPPA!” the signature shrillness cracked his thoughts and he looked up in surprise to find he was already outside Gyuri’s dorm. She was a trainee as well but with a different entertainment agency. He waved while walking towards her but stopped suddenly, remembering to turn off his phone like she had made him promise on their last date, and resumed walking again.

“Hi,” he said and she smiled brightly. He instantly felt like an for acting so reluctant about meeting her – they were in the honeymoon stage of their relationship still, it wasn’t her fault for wanting to see him constantly.

Deciding to make it up to her, Hyukjae offered his arm shyly, “Are you ready.. Gyuri ah?”

To be completely honest, Hyukjae had thought they wouldn’t make it to the second date, let alone becoming a couple. Their blind date hadn’t started very well…

·         Flashback

Hyukjae nervously fidgeted around in his seat as his eyes stayed trained on the door of the restaurant. He found himself inadvertently standing up every time a girl walked in his direction. He had been wrong six times already and he could tell those girls were all giggling at his clumsiness.

A part of him wanted to run but Heechul would never let him live it down so mere pride had him hanging around.. and then she walked in.

Hyukjae gulped nervously as he watched the girl toss her hair back confidently while surveying the restaurant. Perhaps, Heechul had sent her a photograph, because her eyes narrowed and she headed straight for him.

“Hyukjae oppa? Annyeong, I am Park Gyuri.”

He bumbled around trying to pull the chair out for her, “Annyeong Gyuri shhi.”

It was awkwardly silent for a while but Hyukjae chalked it up to the fact that this was the first date of his adult life.

‘Hmmph’.

At the sound, Hyukjae looked up at Gyuri questioningly.

“YoungSaeng oppa told me that you were funny but you haven’t said one funny thing since we sat down.”

“Oh!” Hyukjae’s fork clattered on the plate noisily adding to his humiliation. “I’m sorry. I guess it doesn’t come out naturally when I am nervous.”

“Aw!” Gyuri smiled, looking very happy, “You’re nervous? Is it because of my Goddess like beauty?”

“Neh?” Hyukjae asked, a little surprised, “I was a little curious actually… are you by any chance half foreigner?”

“Excuse me?”

“I mean.. you know.. your features are very..” sharp? He couldn’t say that. Donghae would smack his head if he spoke so bluntly to a girl. “Flattery is the key to a woman’s heart,” the fish always reiterated. And Hyukjae definitely didn’t mean anything bad. In fact he thought she was quite striking and oh yes! That’s the word! “Refined!” He almost yelled out in relief but Gyuri didn’t seem to share his appreciation.

“You think I don’t look Korean?” Her eyes challenged him, “My parents are 100 percent Korean and I have childhood pictures to prove it.”

“Oh no! I don’t mean anything bad. It was a compliment, really! My best friend gets asked if she is part foreigner all the time and she likes it!”

“Does she have an inferiority complex or something?”

There was the awkward silence again.

“Excuse me, I need to use the ladies room.” Gyuri got up and sashayed away. Hyukjae slouched back against his chair..

In the washroom:

“Seungyeon? Hey it’s me!… Yes, I’m on the date right now… Christ no! I wish I had let you win. This date is a snoozefest.. I’m going to kill Youngsaeng oppa when I see him.. He’s .. I don’t know.. awkward and has no manners. He asked me if I was mixed! Can you believe that?... Yea, I should be back soon. I’ll just keep it going long enough to get dessert… Okay, wish me luck!”

--click--

She walked back to the table.

“So, tell me more about you oppa.”

“Uh.. I am a trainee at SM. My parents live in Ilsan but I moved to a dorm this year with some other guys. I like.. hamburgers and strawberry milk..”

“That’s cool. So when was your last relationship?”

Hyukjae’s face colored a bright pink, “Uh.. um.. when I was in elementary school..”

“Cuteness!” Gyuri cooed – her eyes seemed to brighten as well, “So tell me, what is your ideal type?”

Hyukjae scrunched his forehead. He hadn’t given it much thought – he liked girls in general – but an ideal? “Well.. I guess.. I like active, playful girls, someone who laughs a lot..”

“That’s such a Miss Universe type answer, oppa. Be honest! What kind of looks?”

Hyukjae’s mind glazed over and he could imagine the girl – she didn’t have a face but he liked the way she made him feel, the way she fit in his arms – “I guess.. a petite girl with fair skin, small face, big eyes, cute nose and it would be great if she could dance..”

Gyuri’s expression fell slightly, “That’s.. totally different from me.”

Hyukjae jerked awake, “Oh.. I’m .. I .. I didn’t mean it like that.” He struggled looking for something to pacify her.. suddenly his eyes twinkled – he knew exactly what to say – “but meeting you, I feel like my ideal type is changing.”

Gyuri’s spirits seem to lift at those words and it was like she was looking at him in a new light. ‘Thanks for that one, Jungsu hyung.’

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A/N I'm so sorry for this chapter guys. I absolutely despise it - didn't enjoy writing it one bit (which is why it took so long) and i didn't beta it either. but it's finally done and posted. there's no hyohyuk here but there will be next chapter. I hope gyuri fans are not offended. I'm not a Kara follower and I dont know what her real personality is but the image she gives off fits the cocky confident vibe so i'm sorry if this is not flattering towards her.