Chapter 9 - My Love, Cry Baby

During the retreat for the musical performance group, all hell is breaking loose...and it’s not just because of the talent show.

Kyu Won has been mentally stabbing Lee Shin with chopsticks since he sat next to her on the bus.  Shin’s jealousy has reached new heights as he watches Kyu Won spending time with Ki-Young.  Hee Joo is shooting suspicious eyes at both Joon Hee and Ki-Young.  Professor Jung keeps seeking out Shin as if she’s afraid she might lose him at any moment.

And Ki-Young?

He just wants to go on stage to lip-synch a CN Blue song with his friends.

“Don’t go, Hyung,” pleads Joon Hee, seconds before they are due to perform.  “I know that your waist is still hurting from the fall.  I will go on for you!”

Ki-Young shakes his head at the scruffy guy.  “I’m fine,” he insists.  His voice is gentle, if a little impatient.  He just wants to have some fun.

To his surprise, Joon Hee grabs his wrist.

The drummer looks up at him with his almond eyes, and his bottom lip trembles.

“Don’t give me that face,” Ki-Young warns, already feeling himself giving in.  “It won’t work.”

Joon Hee intensifies the puppy-dog face by letting tears gather on his lashes, and his glasses start to fog up.

Ki-Young’s soft heart has no chance.

He sighs noisily, and runs a hand through his cropped hair.  “Guys, I’m not going on.  You’ll have to do the performance without me.”

His friends are about to protest when Joon Hee starts bouncing around them.

“Thankyouthankyou-Hyung!”  He jumps up and plants a big kiss on Ki-Young’s mouth.

Ki-Young is rendered speechless.  His cheeks turn a bright tomato-red as his friends freeze in shock.

Joon Hee looks around at Ki-Young’s friends and grins.

“He’s my Natasha,” he says, as if that explains everything.

Ki-Young touches his lips, and wonders how he is going to explain this to everyone in school.

The next team to perform on the talent show is the traditional music group, The Windflowers.  They are all dressed up in black dancing clothes, bright jewellery and make-up.

He’s doing his best to ignore her, but Shin can’t help but watch Kyu Won as she leads the group onto the stage.  They dance and lip-synch to 2NE1’s Fire.

The people in the audience really get into the bubbly music, and soon students and teachers are running up to the stage to join them.

Annoyed that everyone is blocking his view of Kyu Won, Shin slinks up to the edge of the stage, wanting to see her smiling and laughing.

Suddenly, Kyu Won is knocked over by someone’s flailing elbow.

He’s there in a trice, catching her as she tumbles from the edge of the stage.  Kyu Won falls into his arms as if she trusts him implicitly.

Honey eyes meet his dark ones.  She slides her hands up to his shoulders, and for a moment, there is something new in their expressions as they gaze at each other.

Can it be love?

In the next instant, Kyu Won recoils from him and goes to join Joon Hee and Ki-Young.

She will not be made a fool of.

Across the room, Professor Jung feels like she is going to cry.  She recognises the sparks in Lee Shin’s eyes, and she knows that he has forgotten all about her.

She is aware that it is foolish to care about Lee Shin...but it hurts all the same.

Shin Hye wiped a few tears from her eyes after reading about Yoon Soo’s heartbreak.  Director Pyo had left her and Yong Hwa a typewritten copy of his added scenes before running off to play on Lee Shin’s bike.  He looked like an overgrown child riding around on a toy that was too small for him.  His knees kept knocking the handlebars.

Next to her, Yong Hwa was watching every flicker of emotion in her face.  He had pushed the food aside and was using the table top as a place to rest on his back.  One arm was being used as a pillow, while the other was outstretched towards Shin Hye’s shoulder.

The first glimmers of sunrise were bouncing off her hair and skin.  She looked up from the paper, wiped at her eyes, and smiled at him.

He wasn’t fooled.  Not anymore.

She was afraid of him.  That crazy brain of hers was telling her that he couldn’t be trusted; that he would break her heart.  No wonder it had taken her months to come to him.  No wonder he’d been confused by all the mixed messages she’d been sending his way.

Well, he’d just have to prove her wrong, wouldn’t he?

And that would be no easy task.  Not while they had to keep their secret from the rest of the world.

A beam of sun shone into her eyes and she winced, lifting a hand to shade her eyes.  “Ah!  Go away sun.  I don’t want it to be day yet.”

Neither did he.  “Come here,” he said, flexing the hand closest to her.

She made sure that there was no sign of Director Pyo, and then she shyly climbed up onto the table beside him.  “Is this going to hold both of us?” she asked, nervous about the strength of the plastic furniture.

Impatient to spend the little time they had left of the night, he reached out with his other hand and pulled her down beside him, making her laugh.  Her hair tumbled across his cheek, and he happily brushed it away so that he could kiss her lips.  Shin Hye turned her head so that he could kiss her properly.  Her tongue tasted soft and sweet, and he was already addicted to the flavour.

She let out a soft little moan, and he scrunched is eyes closed, resisting the urge to pull her on top of him and seduce her.

He ended the kiss and moved to caressing her neck.  “I love you.  I know you don’t believe me, but I really do.”

Speechless, Shin Hye bit back tears and traced his lips with the tips of her fingers.

She didn’t believe him.

He tried to add a little humour to the situation.  “So, is there a timeline for when you would believe me?  Hundred day anniversary?  Wedding?  First child?  Retirement?”

She gave him a shove.  “Stop it.”

“Ah!  I’m serious, Shin Hye!” he said with an unfortunate smile that would not go away no matter how hard he tried.  “Give me a goal to aim for.”

She giggled, but her eyes were sad.  “Stop it!”

Yong Hwa’s smile faded.  “Seriously?  You’re not going to tell me?  Right, there’s a pen around here somewhere.”  He lifted a hand above his head and felt around the table for one.

Shin Hye looked puzzled.  “What do you need a pen for?”

“Ah.”  His hand found one.  He pulled the lid off and grabbed her wrist.

She laughed against his shoulder as he wrote on the inside of her fingers.  “What are you writing?”

“YAH!” shouted a male voice.

The two lovers were interrupted by a very angry looking Manager Jun.  He seemed like he was about to explode.

“Waaaaaah!” Shin Hye screamed, making Yong Hwa flinch.  She was so shocked that she fell off the table and onto the grass with a ‘thump’.  The CN Blue star leaned over the edge to check that she was okay.

“Jun Oppa!”  She shot up into a standing position and brushed the grass out of her hair.  “I wasn’t expecting you for another hour.”

The elder placed four hot coffees down next to Yong Hwa’s feet.  “I can see that.  I came to make sure you were ready to go for another day.  There are showers on this set.”

“There are?” interrupted Yong Hwa.  “Do they have hot water, Manager?”

The elder narrowed his eyes.  “I’m not telling you until you both explain to me what I just saw.”

The pair blushed.

“He was-“

“She was-“

“We were-“

Manager Jun face palmed.  “It’s worse than I thought.  Please-please don’t tell me you’re dating.  I’m begging you.  It will damage your careers if you do it right now.”

Yong Hwa gave him a look that said ‘we know that’ and slid off the tabletop.  He walked over to an anxious Shin Hye and put his arm around her shoulders.  “We’ll do whatever you think is necessary, but I’m not negotiating when I say I want some time on her schedule.”

Shin Hye looked hopefully at Yong Hwa, and he gave her a reassuring squeeze.

Manager Jun sighed at them.  They were clearly not going to let this idea go.  “Fine.  I’ll talk to your manager about coordinating your schedules.”

Shin Hye smiled and leaned against Yong Hwa’s shoulder.  “Thank you, Jun Oppa.”

“You can thank me by keeping your secret well and not causing a scandal,” the elder grizzled.  “Where is the director?  He was supposed to be keeping you two out of trouble.”

“MANAGER JUN!”  The director came pedalling into view on Lee Shin’s bike.  “Wheeeeeeeee!”  He brought it to a halt not far from the table.  “Phew!  That was fun.  These grounds are beautiful.  Ah!”  He spotted the coffee and grabbed the cup with his initials on it.  “Did you sleep well?”

“I tossed and turned all night, worrying if my actress was safe with you,” came the icy reply.  “It turns out that I was right to worry.”

The director swallowed some of the hot brew and frowned.  “What are you talking about?  As you can see, they’re in one piece.  The kids got along really well.”

Manager Jun’s left eyebrow twitched.  Yong Hwa and Shin Hye pretended to be very interested in getting their coffee.

“So did you get much work done last night,” asked the bulldog-manager.

“Mm!”  Director Pyo held up his part of the typewritten script.  “We have many new ideas.  I like them all, but I will have to speak with Hyun Jin and Min Hyuk before I make any final decisions.”

Shin Hye’s eyes shone.  “Are you really going to use my idea, Director?  Really?”

The man’s eyes twinkled.  “I haven’t decided yet.”

Yong Hwa smirked.  “I wonder if Min Hyuk will agree to be a gay character.”

Manager Jun choked on his coffee.  “Mwo?”

Vroom!

The sound of a minivan pulling into the driveway ended all further conversation.  The cast and crew were beginning to arrive.  Shin Hye was hurried off to the showers by her manager, while Yong Hwa watched her leave regretfully.

It was going to be a long day for him.

“The story isn’t finished yet,” said Director Pyo.

“Hmm?”  Yong Hwa waited until Shin Hye had disappeared from view before turning to the elder.  “Why isn’t it finished?”

The director put a new page into his typewriter and tapped the side of his nose.  “Because, Lee Shin has to convince Lee Kyu Won that he loves her, and it won’t be easy.”

Yong Hwa frowned.  “How does he do that?”