Hints

BGM : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TnR6akg-ww


It’s not a good day for Jung Yonghwa. He can feel himself crumbling with all the pressures that are put upon him. A shoulder to carry off the burden of the expectations, and it’s like a God sent how he had mistaken his van for hers.

He slides the door open and is greeted by the sleeping Seohyun, dozing off at the backseat. Her head resting on the left side of the door… somehow, he feels himself drawn in… being called in by the serenity in it. Watching her fall asleep is like watching an entity of peacefulness sweeping over him. Because of the door opening, Seohyun squints her eyes feeling the sunlight glaring on her face, his breath quicken in panic but cease down once he sees her settle in. slightly parts.. as her chest rise up and down into a settling rhythm.

Somehow her sleeping face looks so pure, undisturbed of any nightmares.

A calmness tug over his heart, his headaches turning into a slow beating of a sweet melody..

His heart beating on the melody of her name.. Seo Joohyun… Seo Joohyun.

He got it bad. He really does. One could wonder what it is about her that affects him so much.

And that’s the sole reason why he could never move on unless he hears that she does. One will expect him to go on with his life if he ever meets an unrequited love and so does he but then he stuck on this one. Like a sad puppy wanting the owner to pick him up. Her effect on him is something else… but never once he regretted on meeting her because she makes him feel like he wants to become a better person.

Afterall, she did tip toed to him and planted a short kiss on his lips once and said. “Oppa that is my first. Remember it.. you have my first… and I want you to have all of my first.”

He didn’t notice it but It doesn’t even take a genius to know that he is grinning foolishly watching the maknae falling asleep.

Gently he reaches out to touch her face, grazing her thumb on her plum cheeks. Once he feels that she stays unmoving, he caresses it as his lips curve into a loving smile when he sees she nuzzles on his hand.

Her soft baby cheeks.. pressing on his hand.

It’s a risky move staying.. but he does anyway but then her eyes shoot open. That round sparkly things is looking at him, confuse.

He is speechless.. but he settles into a smile once he sees her flush looking face.

“Oppa..” That word rolls on her tongue breathlessly. “What are you doing here?” She grumbles as she groggily brushes her eyes.

“Looking at you, silly.” He taps her nosetip.

She looks at him, skeptically. Like she will ever believe his words.

“I’ve got the wrong van.” He tried to force his unwilling heart with a tightlipped smile to say “I’m going.”

He is about to move out when he feels a small tug on his shirt… a shy and reluctant breathing of “s-staay.” It’s the most beautiful thing he has heard in ages and the fact that he sees a desperation on her eyes… on her words.. are something he can’t even imagine how to describe.

It’s painful but self pleasing too.

It makes him feel crazy things..

“What do you say?”

“Stay oppa.”

Yonghwa can feel an automatic raise of his eyebrows.. but without even having any chance to ask anything, Seohyun retorts back, defensive over his reaction and ashamed of her sudden bluntness. “There might be people watching.”

“When can I go then?” He prods further, wanting to elicit something in her. Something to make him hope for something more with her..

“When I say you can.”

“Why?”

“Because they are watching you.” She says and he can feel the grip on his shirt getting tighter, her eyes staring into somewhere else. Anywhere but his eyes.

“You are lying.. ” He says as a matter of fact, challenging her previous statement.

Her eyes slightly meet his, blinking twice. He can see how her pupil dilates.

She is nervous..

“I am not lying..” She says defiantly, more like convincing herself rather than him.

“Whatever you say.” His cheek is nearly bursting with joy. She hates it, she hates how he knows… she hates the fact that he is subtlely teasing her.

“You know I need to go now, I enter the wrong van after all.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to… but..”

“But?” He doesn’t intend to do so, but his ‘but’ send chills on the girl.

“I can’t let go..” She looks at him, almost pleading. “I really can’t let go..” She repeats, a sudden determination is heard.

Something about her tone.. her eyes… makes it feel like it’s a double meaning sentence. Yonghwa wants to stay too, but it’s getting too dangerous. Something is off with Seohyun for sure, she usually mask it well. He leans in to touch her forehead… she slightly lean back, feeling nervous.

“Jasshik.. It’s not like I haven’t kiss your forehead.”

‘He’s teasing her again… and she hates how she willingly become his prey..’

She blushes and nods, letting him put the back of his hand on her forehead.

“You are having a fever.”

“I’m not..”

“Why is it so hot then?” Yonghwa fakes a thinking expression before suddenly closing down their gap… leaning right onto her face. She gulps nervously… her nose just inches away from his.

“Is it because of me?” He grins.

She just stares at him, shaking her head. Her eyes saying otherwise. “I’m just tired.” She says, holding her breathe.. not knowing why did she feels expectant about the close proximity.

He knows.. and she knows what it means. It goes on for a while before Yonghwa walks away from her van, leaving the girl muttering all the words that will strengthen her weakening heart seeing how his back fades away from where she is from.

***

There is just something about her, something about her that pisses him off when she tries to ignore him.

That shell of hers… that shell of hers that admittedly has grown further down is still there to keep him aloof from her life.

To meet someone with even the slightest similarity with Seohyun is nearly impossible. Imagine if you start seeking for a whole personality of hers in every girl that you meet.

That spells nothing but trouble for Jung Yonghwa.

He sighs, feeling himself trying to attract her attention towards him. He feels safer trying to initiate a talk with her within the crowd of idols since it’s only a rehearsal. He bears no of the nonsense of putting her on the spot with the recent SNSD media attention knowing fully well how she’s being followed constantly by the hoard of paparazzi.

“You look pretty today, all black. Are you trying to appear slim?” He flashes his charming looking smile, his eyes of adoration are hidden by his black shades. Obviously, he’s teasing her and all the girls attention are on him but he spends no time to pay attentions to any of them as his eyes are locked on the said girl, laughing her tears off about his random whining about her attitude which her members deeply agreed on.

“Aniyo.. I just feel like wearing it.”

“Liar you like white.”

Seohyun doesn’t feel like responding to it as she fumes with anger and look at their front again, her unniedul are still busy scheming with Yonghwa against her.

Mad Seohyun is a charmer.

Then she starts on giggling, the addictive kind of giggle… and he naturally burst into a smile.

“Oppa.. “She whines… but he knows, she is secretly loving his teasing. And he secretly hopes that her heart tingles as much as he did.

Her eyes form this beautiful crescent moon, her innocent childlike charm is there for him to behold. For him to drink on… somehow his hand flies to touch her shoulder which she catches on and stop him.. but the thing is they touch and it sends tingles all over his body.

His cheeks really hurt from smiling but he can’t help it. He keeps teasing her because seeing her smiling… it’s like the light on a tiring day. The light at the end of the tunnel… it’s like she has a halo on her head.

The ticklish sound of her giggles that send wonders to his ears…

Somehow, he feels nothing but grateful that he pulls off a Jonghyun and wear a shades that day despite it being at indoors.

Because one would know how his eyes soften and brim with joy feeling her near him.

Something disturbing did happened.. he doesn’t know whether it’s good or not but something unimaginable did happened.

She glanced at her side playfully, noting the presence of Jung Yonghwa before proceeding to whisper on his right ear.

“What if I wear black to attract oppa? To show you I can be your type of girl too?”

He should do the teasing.. not her.

His jaw drops at her statement, eyes unblinking as she, catwalks her way to the backstage.

Being the friendly Yonghwa, he listens to the younger girl despite having his left ear focus on the nearing voice of Seo Joohyun. Her soft tone voice that defines cuteness and beauty at once. It’s so soothing.

“Can I have your number?”

He keeps his silence, his eyes sneak to the corner of his left.

“Yonghwa sunbaenim?”

“Oh, what did you ask?” He grins back, slightly glancing at the figure walking towards his way.

“I was asking for your number.” She states yet again, though she is even more reluctant than before. Just because, she notices where is his attention at. His side glancing is too obvious one would wonder why is the girl he is staring at doesn’t even notice the lingering looks the guy has been throwing her ever since she steps to the backstage.

“Fine with me.” He smiles.

She feels happy really, but…

“Joohyuy..” Yonghwa calls for Seohyun. Just like that, her hope gone as fast as the moment she sees his face beams when he calls out for her.

Yonghwa waves at Seohyun who is too busy fiddling with her earpiece but it’s a girl way of covering things up when they are trying not to make it obvious though Seohyun does it way better than any other person. She notices the darkened expression the maknae has been giving them before.

“Annyeong my friends.” He continues to wave at each SNSD girls.

Seohyun has every intention to walk away, she doesn’t feel like being in the same space as him. She speeds walk away from the scene but he calls her out again “Seo Joohyun!” Too loud to be ignored… too loud since most of the people backstage staring at her and him. He even uses her full name, it feels like he’s marking her in public but for what reason? Just this once.. just this once let her go..

But he won’t…

“Are you ignoring me?”

After leaving me hanging just now?

Seohyun stops walking and grimace on her own, forcing a smile.. “What?! Aniyoo..”

“Okay then.”

“Annnyeonghaeseyo oppa.” She flashes him a smile. That professional looking smile that was embedded on herself.

After her recent lapse of sanity, it seems Yonghwa is fine with her acts of stupidity once in a while considering how he easily brushes it off and back to the teasing mode.

For the hoobae it feels like she’s witnessing a rapid shift of changing occurring. He is all polite, smiling definitely but it doesn’t look as blatantly obvious as this. His cheeks are literally popping out, with his snaggletooth evident. One will wonder about the level of the closeness of these two. The hoobae asking his number might as well believe the rumors that Yonghwa never offered anything more than friendship to girls and now she knows why.

“Whats up chingoo?” Yonghwa fakes a hip hop hand movement to the girls except for Seohyun. He sends her a wink instead.

“Just us as friends? What about Seohyun?” Hyoyeon asks, faking a hurting voice.

“She is special.. you know that right?” Yonghwa laughs at Hyeoyeon, while Seohyun face is still unchanging.

“Maknae you know that right?”

“Don’t try to start your teasing here.” Seohyun warns him, a warm smile creeps by. It seems whatever thought fills her head is long gone by now.

“I’m not teasing you, I’m being honest.” He smiles cheekily. “Oh, do you know how confident she is whenever she is about to cook bu… ashfghj.” Yonghwa leans a bit closer to whisper to the hoobae that ask for his number only to end up mumbling away as Seohyun palms cover his mouth. She slightly hisses in protest.

“OPPA.”

“What Seo Joohyun” He lets out a goofy looking grin.

The girl can’t help but ask… it just goes out from . “Are you guys dating?”

“What? No..” Seohyun answers right away.

“No? How could you? You don’t like oppa?”

“Not that, of course I like you.”

“Tell me why aren’t we dating yet, because I like you too.” He nudges her shoulder, her very tense shoulder.

“Does it bother you that we are not dating, oppa?” The atmosphere suddenly got serious.

“What if I say it did? What will you do?”

“What if I don’t want to do anything?”

“Why? Why don’t you Seo Joohyun?” Without intending to do so, his tone raise a pitch.

Seohyun generally feels there are limit to joking but Yonghwa surpasses all the boundaries with her. She tries to laugh it off, brushing the initial shock wave and the somersault forming in her stomach.

 “Aish..” Seohyun instinctively twirls her soft silky hair which Yonghwa is enjoying the beauty of the sight before deciding to ignore Jung Yonghwa. “I’m sorry for not greeting you earlier.” Seohyun politely said.

“It’s fine sunbaenim.”

***

“The thing that you said about attracting me is it true?”

Seohyun somehow dismisses his question with a statement unrelated to her bold flirt she threw in right before she went away. “Just now what you said.. it’s not funny oppa. I mean it.”

“But I mean every word of it.” He smiles, a smile that brings thousands of question in her head.

“Why do you keep teasing me?”

There.. she says it… the question that has been bothering her.

“Why?” He chuckles.. “Because I’m only interested on teasing you.” If she could turn into a bundle of goo, she would by now.

“Kojimal..”

“Am i? When my eyes are only on you whenever you are around?”

Seohyun has always known Yonghwa as a very considerate gentleman, sometimes a little bit too considerate to take advantage of her, when she wanted to. Like when she is dying for him to lean closer and kiss her for real… how she has always been saving her first for him.

After We Got Married though, their gimmick change a little bit. Like his teasing to her… the way his eyes gazes onto hers like he’s trying to burn her alive, there’s something more intense about Jung Yonghwa. The feeling like he’s trying to bare her soul for him to see, dig through her flesh. He is still that choding but there’s always a moment like that between them. The unspoken, tension.

He flirts with her, all the time. With or without the rumors that he or she did date around with another people for a little while.

But sometimes, she can’t read him. Whether he’s teasing her… or he means it. The way he smiles after he says it… she doesn’t know. She hates the fact that she didn’t.

“What if I say, I meant every word that came across as teasing to you?”

“Are you teasing me again?”

“No. I’m serious.”

“How can I trust you oppa? You keep joking around, how can I know you’re being truthful? Don’t please don’t.. I can’t read minds.”

“You can. You know you and me can. We read minds during our stint during We Got Married… that lingering smile on your eyes… to me. You’re seducing me Seo Joohyun, and you are not aware of it and because of that I have a definite love hate relationship with it.”

“Why should you? I’m aware of it. I purposely do so.” She sounds like a rebellious little kid, but she doesn’t care. Screw lying.

Yonghwa cheeks are about to burst with happiness by now. “And I nod back with my eyes. You feel it don’t you? I reply it..” If it’s even possible Yonghwa voice gets even huskier and charming by this time.

“I do.”

“Then read it… my eyes now. What does it says now?” He asks breathlessly.

Sometimes, she wants to hide when she looks at his eyes… and this is one of the rare moments. “I like being with you?” She says, her voice trembling.

“Sort of.. but it’s more deep.”

“Like?”

“Like I love you, Seo Joohyun..”

She feels the blood rushes through her head, feeling like it is about to explode. It’s the natural nuance of him calling her real name.

“And I can see it through your eyes too..” His fingers trail on her wavy black hair… over and over again.

“What is it?” Seohyun asks, trying to sound compose although failing miserably doing it.

Yonghwa curves into a sneaky smile, placing his hands on her shoulder this time around. “That, you and me… We should be together.” He grabs her shoulder strongly and look deeper into her eyes.. “That you too wanted us as much as I do.”

It’s like she’s being pulled into a vortex… It’s his charm doing… and her stupid heart that can’t help to fall even more for this guy.

She nods and..

He grins.

Author’s Note

I saw some comments requesting Arrogant Stranger updates. As it was explained before in Awkward Love, I’ve been dealing with a loss. This story has been done before it happened so I figure I should post it on such a special date for us. I will try to take up writing again..

I love Yongseo with all my heart, and they are as usual the source of my inspiration. I wish you all can give as much as love to my stories as much as the love you have in Yongseo. We shares same interest after all. Enjoy reading and do leave feedbacks. Thanks.

#5YearsWithYongseo