Chapter 12 - Habanera

A Quote from the Habanera in Georges Bizet’s opera, ‘Carmen’ (Is also played in by the Windflowers and The Stupid in Heartstrings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rycj94iwhg).

When will I love you?

Good Lord, I don't know,

Maybe never, maybe tomorrow.

But not today, that's for sure.

Love is a gypsy's child,

It has never known the law;

If you love me not, then I love you;

If I love you, you'd best beware!

---

Director Pyo was very happy with the unexplained boost in Yong Hwa’s and Shin Hye’s chemistry.

He didn’t know where the tired leads found their fire, but for the rest of the day, the scenes were electric.  People watched in amazement as Shin and Kyu Won challenged each other with youthful antagonism, while Yong Hwa and Shin Hye tried to outdo each other in intensity each time they redid a scene.  Some of the cast couldn’t keep their eyes off them, while the more sensitive had to walk away before they bit all their fingernails off...

---

“I thought that it was only your singing skills that were lacking,” asserts Lee Shin, giving Kyu Won a superior look.  “Even your sense of humour’s warped.”

Kyu Won jumps to her feet.  “What?”

He sneers.  “With what I heard just now, you won’t surpass anyone in the singing competition.”  He stops and surveys the music room that she had cleaned under his orders.

“The window sills still need cleaning,” he adds arrogantly before leaving the room.

As the door shuts behind him, she clenches her teeth and hisses.  “He has a piss-people-off ability!”  She balls her fists and glares at the door.  “Just wait and see!  Watch me become the best lead singer you ever heard, Lee Shin-Babo!”

---

“Cut!” shouted Director Pyo.  “And we’re done with this part.  Nice work with the tension you two!  Phew, it’s hot in here!  Take a break while we wait for the sun to set for the next scene.”

As the crew filed out of the fake music room, Shin Hye caught Yong Hwa looking at her from his position outside.  He was still giving her that same withdrawn look from earlier and she didn’t want to admit to herself, but it frightened her.  What did it mean?  Had he already gotten tired of her?

“Nice work, Shin Hye,” said Hyun Jin, cutting off her view of Yong Hwa.

“Ah,” she said, reluctantly accepting the bottle of water offered to her.  “Thank you, Oppa.  Would you excuse me for a moment?  I’m just going to talk to Yong Hwa about our next scene.”

She moved to get around him and found that the CN Blue star had already disappeared.

“Shin Hye!” called Hyun Jin.

She paused, but didn’t look back at him.

“Just take it one day at a time,” he said.

Realising that she and Yong Hwa had been found out, Shin Hye slumped.  The words carried too much weight for her to mistake his meaning.

“I’m sorry,” he added.  “I don’t mean to be intrusive.  I just wanted to help.”

She leaned against the doorframe.  “Help me by forgetting you know, Oppa.”

“Silent as the grave,” he replied kindly.

She gave a stiff little nod and then stepped out into the corridor of the building.  The crew were still carrying the equipment down the broad staircase as she passed it.  Some of the staff had stayed behind to clean up the funeral set in one of the other rooms.

Shin Hye moved from door to door, using the small glass windows to check that he hadn’t stopped to rest in one of them.  Checking her watch, she realised that the sun would be down in less than twenty minutes.  She didn’t have much time to find him before the costumes department would begin looking for her.

Could he be taking a shower?

The day had been hot enough that a lot of people had been using the building’s showers located on ground level to cool down.  She hurried back to the stairs and decided to take a chance on the idea.  The entrances to the men’s and women’s showers were clearly marked, and it wasn’t without some trepidation that she chose the one that was forbidden to her.  Shin Hye shaded her eyes with a hand, ready to prevent disaster of the kind from occurring, and she walked as quietly as she could on Kyu Won’s high heels.

“Hello?” she said politely.  “Yong Hwa?  Are you in there?”

No one answered, but there was definitely someone in there.  She could hear their shoes walking back and forth on the tiled floor.

“He-lloo,” she cooed shyly, trying to get them to answer.  She rounded the corner and found that the place was deserted...

...Except for Yong Hwa.

He was walking back and forth between and shower cubicle and his bag.  It was clear that he was getting ready for a wash.  ‘Lee Shin’s’ denim shirt was ed, revealing the singlet underneath.  He noted her presence with barely a nod, and continued ripping his shaving kit out of his bag with too much fervour.

“Are you that mad at me, Yong Hwa?”  It was meant to be a joke, but it still came out sounding bitter.

At the sound of her voice, the muscles in his arms tensed.

“I’m not angry at you,” he said, taking off his shirt and slamming it down on the bench.  “I’m ashamed of myself.”

“About what you did to Hyun Jin?”  She twisted her lips to one side.  “I think he understands.”

“I hate this.”  He laughed bitterly, leaning forward to tug his singlet off.  “It’s only been a day and I can’t take it.”

She felt her heart sinking at his words.  Tears sprung quickly to her eyes; she was too tired to control them.  She hadn’t slept for thirty-seven hours.

“Please,” she begged.  “Don’t do this now.”

“I can’t do it!” he bit out, keeping his back to her.

“Can you at least wait until the day’s work is finished?” she sobbed.

“I tried to calm down and be professional after what happened this morning with Hyun Jin, but I just...can’t switch off like you can.  It’s wrong.”

“Wrong?” she said, her voice catching.  Shin Hye could see what was coming, and she could feel the world collapsing around her.

No-no-no, please no.

“Shin Hye?”  He finally looked at her, and it seemed like he was dying a little too.  “Say something.”

She placed a hand on the wooden bench nearby and sank to the cold floor.  “Just...give me a minute,” she uttered as the tears poured down her face.  It was too hard, the day had been too long and now she was turning into a puddle on the floor.  “Just give me a minute.”

“I understand,” he said, taking two steps over to her and then stopping.

She tried to stop the tears and the sobbing...and the hiccoughing, but it was impossible.  In the end, she gave up and tried to stutter out something comprehensive.

“I-I knew it w-would be hard,” she choked out.  “I-I just didn’t think you’d...FOR-GOD'S-SAKE-YONG-HWA-WOULD-YOU-PUT-A-SHIRT-ON-BEFORE-YOU-BREAK UP-WITH-ME?”

He blinked, looking like a cow about to be hit by a car.  “Huh?”  He looked down at his perfect torso and blushed furiously.  It had obviously slipped his mind under more pressing matters.  He snatched up the denim shirt and shrugged it onto his shoulders before approaching her.  “I’m sorry,” he said, drawing closer.  “I think I’m going deaf or stupid from my caffeine crash.  Can you repeat what you just said?”

She swallowed and tried again.  “I-I knew it would be hard.  I just didn’t think you’d break up with me in less than a day.”

“What?  Are you crazy?” he shouted.

Her wet eyelashes fluttered.  “Eh?”

In a state of bewildered confusion, she watched him kneel down beside her and use his sleeve to wipe her face.  The cotton weave was rough on her cheeks, but it was effective in soothing her.

“If that’s what you’re crying for then you really are crazy,” he teased, his dark eyes were alight with humour.  His heart twinged at her red puffy eyes and he pulled her limp body against him for a hug.  “I was talking about not having a chance to hug you, and kiss you...and maybe a few other-ah-things...but not that.”

She thought back to the words he’d spoken earlier and winced.  Her mind was so warped that she had completely misunderstood him.

She sighed in relief, letting out a dry chuckle and holding him tighter.

She’d been an idiot.

“I thought I’d already scared you off,” she said.  “I thought the stress of our secret had gotten to you.”

He chuckled.  “It has.  It has been the day from hell, which is why I thought you were crying.”

“No,” she corrected, her cheeks going red.  “I thought you were breaking up with me...shirtless.”

He tilted back on his shoes to look at her blushing face, and they both started laughing uncontrollably.

The whole thing was so ridiculous.

“Phwaaah!  What a hot day!” echoed a deep voice that seemed to be coming from just outside the entrance.

Shin Hye’s eyes widened.

Yong Hwa’s mouth ran dry.

They were about to get busted.

A quick as lightning, they scrambled onto their feet.  Yong Hwa grabbed her hand and led her over to the exit.  Her heels clicked loudly on the floor, making them both panic.

“This is the men’s showers isn’t it?” asked a baritone voice.

“Eeeeeeeerrrrm, yes.  Men’s is the right side,” answered another.

The pair inside the bathroom freaked out.  Without a word, Yong Hwa lifted his girlfriend by the waist - scaring her to death - and carried her over to his shower cubicle.  As the two strangers appeared from around the corner, Shin Hye had the forethought to reach over his shoulder and close the shower door behind them, turning the lock just in time.  They covered each other’s mouths, trying not to breathe too loudly in case they gave themselves away.

They both thought privately that their day couldn’t get any worse.

“Waaaaaah!  Hyung!  This room is so nice and cool,” said a male voice.

“I’m so glad this place has showers.  Whose stuff is that?”

“It’s Yong Hwa’s, I think?”

Yong Hwa and Shin Hye exchanged worried glances.  They both had recognised the voices as Min Hyuk’s and Hyun Jin’s, and they had no idea what to do next.

The couple had a silent argument with their eyes until Min Hyuk spoke up:

“Yah!  Yong Hwa!  Are you in here?”

Shin Hye shook her head.  She didn’t want to them to have a guy’s conversation while she was there.  Heaven only knew what they would talk about.

Still half dressed, Yong Hwa stumbled over to the shower taps and turned them on full.  Water came gushing out, drenching his clothes and shoes, and Shin Hye covered with both hands, begging herself not to make a noise.

“Maybe he can’t hear us,” said Min Hyuk.

“Did you see his acting this afternoon?” said Hyun Jin.

“He was on a roll.  He almost scared me to death with what a bastard he was to Kyu Won.”

Shin Hye gaped at the language coming from Min Hyuk’s mouth, and Yong Hwa smirked, already familiar with it.

“He was also like that to Shin Hye,” added Hyun Jin.  His voice easily carried across the cubicles.

Three people in the room frowned.

“He was just tired,” defended Min Hyuk.  “Rumours are going around that the director had them pull an all-nighter in order to improve their skills.”

“Shin Hye was tired too.  He’s going to have to pull himself together if he wants to stay friends with her!” said Hyun Jin.

Both Yong Hwa’s and Shin Hye’s jaws dropped.  She was angry at her elder for making a poorly disguised attempt to meddle with her boyfriend, while Yong Hwa, unaware that Hyun Jin already knew about them, was feeling the familiar pangs of jealousy creep up on him.

“I wonder if I should ask her out to dinner.  I think she likes me, and she looks like she needs a bit of attention,” added Hyun Jin, making sure that his voice could be heard throughout the whole bathroom.

Yong Hwa angrily moved to step out of the shower tray and wrestled with Shin Hye for the right to unlock the door.  She used all her strength to block him, and she did it without moving her feet.  He looked ready to murder his elder, and she didn’t have it in her to blame him.  If Hyun Jin kept going, she was going to personally threaten him into silence with her Tigers’ baseball bat...

...The limited edition one.

So much for his promise to be as silent as the grave.

“I-I don’t think you should,” said Min Hyuk.

Shin Hye wondered what that meant, and she looked up at Yong Hwa for answers.  Had he told Min Hyuk something?

He was still leaning over her, his wet arms were dripping on her clothes, his shirt sticking to his exposed rock hard stomach.

Shin Hye smothered a thirsty whimper.

Failing to notice that his girlfriend had gone from anger to confusion to lust in zero point two seconds, Yong Hwa just shrugged his shoulders and waited to hear more.

“Say, has Shin Hye said anything to you about her idea for your character?” asked Min Hyuk.  “The director said I should talk to her, but she’s been busy for most of the day.”

“The director is thinking about making our characters lovers,” said Hyun Jin.  “Ki-Young is going to be Joon Hee’s love interest.  Congratulations, you’re gay...or biual; one of the two.”

“Mwo!” Min Hyuk’s voice went up an octave.  “I’m what?”

For Yong Hwa, it was no small satisfaction to hear Hyun Jin’s next words.

“Lucky for you, I’m experienced in dramas that explore uality.  I should be able to guide you through most of the love scenes.”

“No!” Min Hyuk shouted.  “But I’m a DUDE!”

The room went quiet.  Yong Hwa and Shin Hye covered their noses and mouths in an effort not to chortle.

“It’s okay,” reassured Hyun Jin.  “I know you’re a-er dude.  I was just jok-”

“A-and I like girls!  Hot ones!  Not ones that look like boys!  I’m not into that stuff,” Min Hyuk clarified.

Shin Hye’s shoulders shook in silent laughter.

“It’s not a bad thing to be part of the rainbow. Perhaps I should explain the different types of uality to you,” suggested Hyun Jin maturely.  “It might help you feel less defensive.”

“I’m not defensive!”

“Oooookay.”  Hyun Jin sounded nervous.  “Just so we’re clear, we’re talking about the script, not personal romance issues, right?  Because I’m not qualified as a counsellor.”

“But I’m a DUDE!”

“And I believe you...Why don’t we talk about your ‘dudeness’ when we’re not half .  We’ll talk about it later, man to Hyung, okay?”

“Hmph!”

Doors shut, and shower sprays were , making enough noise to cover the strange noises coming from Yong Hwa’s cubicle.

The lovers were laughing.  They were laughing until their sides split and their chests ached.

Yong Hwa moved to turn the lock so that they could make their escape, but Shin Hye stayed him by putting a hand on his arm.  She looked up at his dark eyes...his toothy smile, and grinned.

From the second their first night together had ended, all she’d thought about was the next moment with him.

Right now, she was going to take all she could get.

With the added height from her shoes, she reached up to taste his lips, his tongue, the mixture of water and salt on his skin.  His shirt was tossed onto the slippery floor, and he holstered her up by the waist, letting her wrap her legs, arms, her whole body around him in an intimate hug.  The writing on her fingers began to fade as they stepped back under the cool water, allowing it to thrum against their tired bodies while they gave and received both ecstasy and comfort in equal measures.

For a couple of minutes, they forgot about the insanity awaiting them outside the locked door, and kissed the pain away.