One out of Two | Chapter Twelve

“Let’s date.” Jongin said.

Hana looked up, her cheeks ablaze from his words. “H-Hm?”

“It’s fine…I don’t have a dating ban anymore.” He said as if he read her mind.

She looked away and couldn’t help but smile. “What’s the company going to say? What about your fans?”

He moved over. “Why should the company care? It’s not like they own me.” Jongin mumbled.

Hana looked at him and chuckled. “They actually do…you signed a contract remember?”

He buried his head in the crook of her shoulder and fumbled around with his shoelaces. “If my fans loved me enough, they’d be able to consider my happiness and let me go. It’s not like I was going to end up with any of them anyway…they wouldn’t be able to handle me.” He said softly. “Because I’m not the Kai they see on stage and on TV.”

Hana turned to him. “Why not?”

“I’m a completely different person…that idol you see on the big screen is just an illusion of my happiness.” Jongin admits. “They’ll never know what goes on behind closed doors and I’d like to keep it that way.” He tilts his head. “The chances of someone understanding me are one in a million and you’re that one in a million…because we have that one thing in common…Depression.”

Hana nodded. “We’ve come a long way.” She says.

Jongin lifted his head off her shoulders. “Babe?” He said.

Hana covered her face in embarrassment. “Stop…” She said shyly.

“Baby? Ducky?”

Hana laughed. “Jongin…stop…”

“Stop what?”

“Stop, ducky.”

Jongin smiled when she played a along and nodded. “Fine, ducky.”

“Let’s go somewhere…”

Sehun gawked when he heard his words. He stood outside of the practice room, when everyone else left he stayed. He scrambled around and ran into the closet when he heard Jongin and Hana’s footsteps.

He peeked out of the closet. “Where are they going?” He asked himself. “It’s still light outside.” 

Jongin pulled a cap over his head and peeked into the practice room; grabbing another snapback he placed it on Hana’s head.

“Hana…” He started. They walked down the street, hand in hand, ignoring the few stares they received. “I’ve never seen a doctor dress like that.” He said. Jongin eyed her black skinny jeans, pale blue button down and pumps. She wore a necklace with a gold charm and pretty pearl earrings. Unlike other days, her hair was down her back in waves. “Skinny jeans?” Jongin teased.

“The hospital has an exception with black skinny jeans. ‘Formal colors’ they say.” Hana chuckled. “I’ve been there for a while anyway…the director of my department don’t mind.”

Jongin nodded. “I prefer a woman in jeans anyway…”

“Because you’re always around girls who wear tight dresses and short skirts.”

He leans over. “You wore a skirt once…and you seemed very uncomfortable.”

Hana laughed. “I was.” She admitted. “You remember?”

“It was a navy blue pencil skirt…you wore it when you came over because of an emergency this one time. Board meeting?”

Hana nodded. “You know me better than I expected.” She said. “Impressive, Kim Jongin.”

They sat at a coffee shop and avoided the cameras. Word had spread that a ‘Kai lookalike’ was out on the streets of Seoul with a woman. Rumors spread like wildfire and frankly, Jongin didn’t care.

“I’m going overseas soon.” Jongin says. “We’re flying all the way to the US first, then we’re going to make stops from there to Korea. Can you come when we hold our last concert here?” He asked.

Hana nodded. “I’ll try to make it.” She reassures him. “But when I’m not there…don’t… Don’t let your parents get to you, please.”

Jongin shook his head. “I won’t…I promise.”

She smiled and sighed, shaking her head. “You’re scared that it’s going to happen…don’t lie, Jongin.”

“And what if that happens? Will you fly to where ever I am? My manager won’t let that happen, the company won’t…they’ll sedate me and .” He mumbled. “I just…I can’t let it happen.”

“Don’t pick up any phone calls, it’s that simple. Turn your phone off.” Hana looked at him. “When I’m not there with you…”

“Don’t get too touchy with the backup dancers…don’t flirt, don’t look at anyone else…I know Hana, I know.”

She rolled her eyes. “I was going to tell you not to get sick, geez.”

“So I can get another girl?” He teases.

“You better not!”

Jongin laughed. “Ah why would I? When I have Hana Jung’s heart.”

“As expected, cheesy greasy Kim Jongin from boy band Exo, who writes love songs all the time.”

“Maybe I’ll write a song about you and sing it. I’ll name it Hana too.” He says.

“Can you sing?”

Jongin nodded. “Very well, better than Kyungsoo-hyung.”

“And I found the cure to cancer.”

He frowns. “Are you doubting me?”

“I’m pretty sure Kim Jongin doesn’t sing…according to all of your albums, I don’t think I’ve heard you sing.”

“Oh, you listened to my albums? To find my voice?”

Hana flushed pink. “Of course…not.”

Jongin reached for his phone and plugged his headphones in. He leaned over to stick one ear bud into her ear and ‘First Snow’. “I’m so good, I sing right after Kyungsoo hyung!”

She listened and looked at him. “Is that…really you?”

Jongin nodded. “I sound nice, don’t I?”

On the way back to the building, the streets were silent as it was Christmas and everyone was in the city, with their families.

“Did I just spend Christmas Eve with you?” Hana asks.

He nods and holds onto her hand tighter. “Can you spend Christmas with me too? Tomorrow…I’m off, everyone is.”

“You should probably spend it with your family, Jongin.”

“Manager told me that your parents are in Japan, and that you stayed in Korea for the holidays.” He says. “You don’t have anyone to spend it with and I’d rather spend it with you instead of …instead of those people.”

Hana stops and turns to him. “Why are you so scared of being with them? They don’t bite.” She says softly.

Jongin looks at her with sad eyes. “They…They’ve never expressed that they loved me ever since the time I told them about my love for dance.” He says. “We don’t talk much at all…my siblings’ think I’m stupid…and that I’m in this group just because I can dance. They think I can’t rap and that my vocals are nonexistent. They think I’m not smart…and my parents agree.”

She holds his hand. “So you’re going to prove them wrong.” Hana says. “You’re going to slay that world tour…you’re going to work on your vocals…and write a song.”

“Named Hana?”

“Named Hana.” She chuckles. “You’re going to show them that the fact that you’re not a doctor has nothing with to do with being successful.  You’re going to show them that you’re Kim Jongin, and that you’re responsible for the happiness of millions of people who love you.”

“Because what I do only matters to me…because my happiness only matters to me.” He whispers.

Hana smiles. “That’s right.”

“I wish I realized a whole lot earlier.” He whispers.

“I wish I met you a whole lot earlier.”

Jongin looks at her, he feels all warm on the inside and for a moment, he feels as if everything will be okay.

He looks around when he notices something land on his head.

“It’s snowing.” Hana says softly.

“Girls always want to get kissed in the rain.” Jongin wrinkled his nose. “But I think this is a better idea.”

And without hesitation, he leaned down and gave her a kiss.

[a/n]: Happy holidays!
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