Chapter 9

A/N Annyeong! So I updated! :) Here are the personal replies :)
DuGi i'm glad that you liked them! ^^ and yes, chae yeon does have that syndrome, lol :P but who knows, in the end, she might change her ways for seung gi or tei? yes? ;) lol. hope you enjoy this update & thanks for reading ^^
Chinh well, as you wished, this update is purely seung gi & chae yeon. but it's kinda short though -_- mian. but either way, here's the update! ;) i hope you like it & thanks for reading ^^

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Neither spoke as they walked near the shoreline. The scene was something like in the romantic movies … A couple, their hair being blown by the wind, their feet, wet in the ocean, and by the end, the boy will carry the girl on his back. But with Chae Yeon and Seung Gi, it was different. The two did not have any dialogue, the two were not holding hands, the two were not the happiest, and the two were definitely not in love.

“So mind telling me what happened? Why you suddenly became like this?” Chae Yeon asked, as they sat on the dock near the beach.

“It’s a long story.”

“I’ve got all the time in the world,” patting his back and cooing him with encouraging words, “But if you don’t want to, it’s really okay. I’m just—"

“Concerned?” Seung Gi butted in, “Kamsahamnida, nuna. But, why do you even care?”

“Was that supposed to come off as an insult or a question?”

“Ah. Mian, mian. It’s just that y–,” his voice became softer, and his shoulders began to fidget.

She heard sobs. Sniffs. She knew that he was feeling bad so it's likely that he was going to… Ah. There it is… A tear fell from his cheek. He was crying.

“Seung Gi. Are you crying? What’s happening? Are you okay?” Chae Yeon said, obviously not knowing what to say.

Seung Gi then became silent. He stopped sobbing. “What do you think, nuna? Do you think I’m okay?” His voice was gradually becoming louder. Almost as if he wanted to scream, “Isn’t it obvious already? Now do I have to answer your stupid questions??! Wasn’t it enough that you had to remind me of–" Seung Gi. There was a long pause. “Aish. What the heck.” He then stood up and ran away.

“Ya! Seung Gi Ya!” Chae Yeon screamed. But Seung Gi was obviously not listening. He continued running to who knows where.

Chae Yeon sat there, confused. She was trying to figure out what the heck just happened. Who did she remind him of? Where did he go? Why was he crying? Did it m–

“Nuna?” She looked back. It was Seung Gi. He came back?

He just stood there. Looking down, with his hands on both sides. The right sleeve of his jacket was wet with tears. After running away, he decides to come back? Aish, this boy.

“What made you decide to come back?” Chae Yeon asked, putting his hand on Seung Gi’s head the moment he sat down.

“I just… I just need someone to talk to, nuna. Mianhe! I am so sorry for the way I acted,” and wiped his tears with the back of his hand, still having his head down.

“It’s okay. Just tell me what happened.” She fixed his hair, held his face gently and used her fingers to wipe the tears on his face. Seung Gi cried even more. Chae Yeon, not knowing what to do, and now knowing what to say, started stuttering and flailing her arms in the air, thinking of a way to make him stop.

Seung Gi only sighed and shook his head.

Chae Yeon, seeing this, went at the back of Seung Gi, who was sitting down on the end of dock, looking at the ocean.

She went down, and put her hands on Seung Gi’s shoulders. “Seung Gi ya,” Chae Yeon whispered from the back. It felt cold. How ironic that it did, seeing that the sun was already at its peak.

“Ne?” he said, still with his head down, sniffing.

She sighed, and breathed in a nice blast of fresh air. “I really don't know what to say. I've always loved watching movies where it had moments like this because I felt that I could get some lines from those, but I can't, Seung Gi. Life doesn't work that way. It doesn't have any background music, a perfect script to end things in a happy note, and things aren't always as fake and as scripted as they are in those movies. I'm sorry that this is the best I can tell you, but I will be here for you if you need it.” Chae Yeon smiled, held his hand, and squeezed it gently. She then sat down next to Seung Gi, and had him bend his head on her shoulder to let the tears all out.

It made her feel bad that she couldn’t do anything but watch him cry. But then again, this is all that people need anyway. Just to have someone who would listen. Someone who would sit idly on the sidelines and watch them shed the pain. Seung Gi needed that someone. And even if she didn't have the perfect dialogue, Chae Yeon fit that role perfectly.

Chapter 8

A/N: Hello to DuGi, Chinh and not_popular for being the first readers! ^^ I'm so glad to know that my story is being read and appreciated by you guys, so thank you! I will be updating a lot continuously, even if I have my exams already because I have some pre-written chapters so YEY! :D Haha. Okay. Enough ranting. I hope you enjoy the chapter ^^

replies
DuGi i'm not really sure if there were a lot of teiyon moments in xman, but i've been seeing a lot of tributes to teiyeon so i'm guessing there were ^^ lol. anyway, thank you for reading~! :)
not_popular thanks for the nice words ^^ i love teiyeon too~ i think they look cute together as a couple *^^* but dongsaeng-nuna relationships are adorable ^^ that's why giyeon's kinda cool too. hehe. thank you for reading ^^
Chinh thank you for being my first replier/reader ^^ thank you for such encouraging & nice words! ^^ and yes, i will be updating regularly now! thanks for reading!! :)

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“1 hour. That was all the time that we spent together. I’ve known Tei for more than 2 years. How is it possible that I’m starting to like Seung Gi?? That’s impossible! I don’t like Seung Gi! He’s just new, he’s young, he’s –”

“Chae Yeon! Just STOP,” Seul Gi said, holding Chae Yeon’s face with both her hands. “If you didn’t like Seung Gi, then you wouldn’t react this way. There’s definitely something going on.”

“You’re right,” Chae Yeon sighed.

She and Bae Seul Gi have been best friends since who knows when. They didn’t really like each other when they first met, because Seul Gi thought that Chae Yeon was bratty, and Chae Yeon thought that Seul Gi’s shoes were ugly. Seul Gi was right that Chae Yeon could get a little bratty, but she still loved her and saw past the brattiness. They complemented each other’s personalities. They had some disagreements here and there, but definitely fixed things after. They were inseparable. They were best friends.

“Of course I’m right,” she laughed, and hugged Chae Yeon. “Think things over. Have time for yourself. It’s still early. They said that recording will be delayed for a couple of hours today because… I don’t know. Just because. So anyway, go to that place where you usually go to. I’ll just text you when it’s already near recording time, okay?”

“Seul Gi. Why do I always get myself into things like this?”

“Because you’re pretty, Chae Yeon-ah. And pretty girls like us always go through a lot of difficult times. It makes us all prettier."

"Aish, babo. How can problems like this make us prettier?!" Chae Yeon flicked her forehead.

"Aigo, I don't know! I just - Aish. That's not the point! The point is, it makes us stronger or something. Now go and think about it. You can’t have two men in your heart forever,” patting her on the head. “By the way, love what you did to your hair, Chae Yeon.”

“Okay. And thanks, Seul Gi.” Chae Yeon smiled a faint smile.

“Want me to tell your driver to take you there?”

“Aniyo, aniyo. I’ll just walk. I need to get some air.”

Seul Gi hugged her again. “Jota, jota. Take care, okay. I’ll talk to you soon. Stop frowning, okay? You’re looking uglier and uglier,” and frolicked to her dressing room. Chae Yeon laughed as she watched her best friend jump up and down. Why can’t she be as happy as Seul Gi? She asked herself.

She came back into her room to change her clothes into something more casual, seeing that there was no more need to dress to impress, because Tei already drooled (or so it seemed) over her a while ago when she was in that black dress Park Kyung Lim picked out for her. She wore washed-out tattered jeans, and a plaid polo shirt. Her chucks had drawings and scribbles all over them (the ones she drew with Seul Gi), and she finally tied her hair up in a ponytail.

She got her bag and was off to go. As soon as she opened the door, Seung Gi was standing right in front of her.

At the same moment, Seung Gi was going inside the room as soon as Chae Yeon was about to leave.

Seung Gi looked up. Wow. She’s really pretty.

Chae Yeon looked at him as well and noticed his smile. Aww. He's so cute like!

Seung Gi apparently changed clothes too. That morning, Chae Yeon didn’t really notice what he was wearing. But now, she did. He looked really good for someone his age. The shirt and hoodie-jacket he was wearing made him look stylish, and the jeans complemented very well. His hair was messy in a nice way.

Seung Gi then suddenly smiled. Chae Yeon couldn't decipher if it was a happy smile or a sad smile. But from the looks of it, he didn't look happy. So she guessed it was a sad smile. A sad smile? Aigo. What the heck is she talking about.

Neither of them spoke. So, wishing to change another would-be awkward moment, Seung Gi started to talk. “You look pretty,” he blurted out.

Chae Yeon did not want to be caught off guard, “Pft. I won’t fall for that joke again.”

“Do you think I’m joking?” He looked like he was serious.

“I… I, uhm. I don’t know! Wait... Are you joking?” Chae Yeon blushed.

“No,” and continued staring at her.

“Ya. You know that it’s impolite to stare at someone,” Chae Yeon sneered.

“Not if that someone’s as pretty as you, nuna.” He looked straight in her eyes.

-SEUNG GI’S POINT OF VIEW-

I don’t know how I managed to move or talk at that particular moment.

She really looked like Ayumi. She really did. From the hair, to the jeans, to the plaid polo shirt, it was like she was brought back to life. Every memory of Ayumi came back to me. The car crash, the coma. My childhood sweetheart. Gone, and now, it seemed as if she was the one standing right in front of me. It was like she was just there… Like nothing happened 2 years ago. I wanted to hug her again, like how I always did when we were still together… When she was still alive.
And Chae Yeon’s smile made me melt even more.

“Seung Gi a. You look pale. A-Are you okay?”, she asked.

It’s as if I saw a ghost, a beautiful and stunning ghost.

“Ne… Ne. I’m just fine,”


-END OF SEUNG GI’S POV-

-CHAE YEON’S POINT OF VIEW-

He certainly didn’t look fine. I knew that I had to do something.

I was about to go to the beach to try to forget about Seung Gi and our little talk, to try to reflect on why I acted the way I acted a while ago, but seeing him like that, I couldn’t leave him there. I wanted to do something to try to make him feel a little better even if it was in the expense of us being awkward again. He really looked like he wasn’t okay.

“Uhm, Seung Gi-sshi?”

He didn’t reply.I held one side of his arms, “Would you want to go outside? Maybe get a little bit of fresh air?”

“Ne… Yes. Fresh air,” Seung Gi said, putting his forehead to his palm.

I felt so bad for him. A little while ago, he was literally rolling on the floor laughing. Now, he looked nowhere near happiness. He looked like.. I didn't know how to describe it. But I could see through his eyes. There was a sense of longing, a sense of sadness, of pain. It was as if someone got his heart and yanked it out, leaving him with nothing but a hole. An empty space that was needed to be filled in - badly, before anything worse can happen. I was sure of it. He looked depressed.

Was I about to just leave him there and go to the dock alone to think about my problems? Or go with him and help him with his?

Omo. My reflecting had to wait.

Chapter 7

“Why did hyung run off?” Seung Gi asked.

“I don’t know. He’s always so weird, he never finishes a conversation he starts with me. And he’s always so nervous. He’s always like this around me.” Chae Yeon laughed.

“Ne? Why?”
“Well apparently, he likes me," and she stuck out her toungue to him.

“Aish. How do you know? And what did hyung see in…” he looked down, and up Chae Yeon, “YOU?!”
“Ya! Don’t be so bad to me,” and playfully punched Seung Gi. Seung Gi almost fell over.

“What the… For a girl, you’re pretty strong! So anyway, how do you know that HaHa hyung likes you?”

“Of course I’m strong. That’s why I was able to carry you, pabo," she was still sore, though, after having to carry Seung Gi inside the room to prevent him from making a scene outside a while ago. She held her shoulder to massage it when she felt another hand in the way. She lookedd and saw Seung Gi massaging her shoulders. "Uh.. Yeahh.. Anyway, The PDs told me,” Chae Yeon explained, while sipping her cup of coffee. Ohohoho. This massage is relaxing. “And once, he sent me flowers. It was supposed to be from a ‘secret admirer’, but then he forgot to remove his name in the card he put in. So I found out.”

Seung Gi let go and drank from his cup now. “Wow. He’s even worse than me,” Seung Gi laughed. “I thought that I was the worst romantic in the world… I guess HaHa-sshi took over.”

“Really? Psh. From how I see you, you can’t be that bad?”

“Ne, I am. I am not very good with showing or telling someone that I love them. And, I haven’t had so much experience–”

“Yet.” Chae Yeon continued his sentence. “In time, you’ll find that one girl you’re destined for.”

She looked him in the eyes. Seung Gi looked back. It was maybe the longest four seconds of the day.

Seung Gi smiled. “There’s no need to look for that girl. I’m looking at her right now.”

Chae Yeon looked away, her cheeks went red. What the? “AISH! SEUNG GI SSHI! Really? Are you serious?”

“No,” and Seung Gi laughed again.

“Ya! Don’t joke about things like that!” Chae Yeon punched him in the arms.

“Don’t punch so hard!” he screamed while massaging his arms now. “Why? Did you believe it? Did you actually want me to like you?” and gave Chae Yeon a distorted smile.

Chae Yeon held her breath. “AIGOO~! You and your jokes! You are better off with Tei oppa!”

“Nuna, if I were together with hyung, wouldn’t you cry hard because you lost two of your lovers? Me and him? Ohohoho. You player!”

“Shut up,” Chae Yeon crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow.

“Me? Shut up? Aish. If I did, you’d be bored. You won’t have anyone to talk to. You might even start to d…”

“OKAY. OKAY. DON’T SHUT UP THEN,” Chae Yeon glared.

“Ya. You look ugly. Change your face.”

“What the? How the heck can I change my face?!”

“I don’t know. Just do something with it,” Seung Gi tapped her cheeks. “You’re getting uglier and uglier.”

She pushed Seung Gi’s hands away. “LOOK who’s talking!” shouted Chae Yeon.

“If you looked at me, you might fall in love with me,” Seung Gi said.

Oh this boy.. Chae Yeon didn't know what else to say so so she thought of something. Wishing to joke him back, she replied, “Seung Gi sshi?”

“Ne?”She came up to him, and held his hands. “I already fell in love with you.” Chae Yeon snickered. The joke was about to come.

Seung Gi snickered back. “Haha, nuna, you can’t fool me with…”

“WHAT???!” Suddenly, Tei came in the door. At probably the best time in the world.

Seems like there won’t be any room for laughter this time around.

Tei stood there with his mouth open for some time. Then he just smiled. Maybe to hide his initial reaction of shock, maybe. He couldn’t scream at them, because he was far too nice to do so. Chae Yeon didn’t know whether she was to laugh or be embarrassed that Tei heard what she had said to Seung Gi. Did he hear her? Oh crap. It was just a joke! Please don't believe me. Why do you have to come in when I had to tell the joke. Whyyyyy!

“So you love him? Aish. No wonder I lost all the gifts you gave me. You took them and gave them all to Seung Gi-sshi!” Tei laughed, wishing to change the awkward moment.

“Aniyo, aniyo. It’s not what you think oppa. I was just kidding around with him,” Chae Yeon smiled a distorted smile, wishing to show her oppa that it was really just a joke.

Seung Gi could do nothing because he was embarrassed as well. What started as a joke turned into something like this, so all he did was just agree to what his his nuna said to Tei. He just nodded his head hearing every word of her and Tei’s discussion.

Seung Gi wanted to go out of the room. He wanted to give respect to hyung and nuna talking, but leaving the room meant abandoning a situation that he started. And he didn’t want that. So he stayed in there. Listening to every word that Chae Yeon and Tei had to say.

“ I was just… Uhm. Ya! Oppa. It’s not what you think!” Chae Yeon said, stuttering with every word.

“What do you think I’m thinking?” Tei replied.

“I don’t know! Ah! Ne! I know. You’re thinking that I love Seung Gi sshi? It was just a joke!” and suddenly looked at Seung Gi from afar, glaring at him for maybe the 10th time on that day.Tei just laughed, and looked at Seung Gi as well.

“Why are you laughing again! Ya, oppa. Stop laughing.” Chae Yeon said, almost crying.

“Okay.” Tei replied.Then things became awkward.

Seung Gi didn’t know what to do. His hyung, his nuna… Were they fighting? Are they fighting?

“Oppa…” Her voice cracked. “Mianhamnida.”

“Why are you saying sorry? Pft. It’s not like you did something wrong. It’s okay, dwesominda. Things are okay,” Tei assured her. “It’s just a joke, right?” He was hoping it was just a joke.

He looked down to smile and her and gave her a kiss on the forehead, all to the amusement of the boy at the back. Seung Gi smiled at them.

“Ne,” Chae Yeon told him.

And half-telling herself. She hugged him and looked down. But why do I feel that there’s something more to what I just said?

Chapter 6

There was a commotion near Chae Yeon’s dressing room door. Three PDs were fighting over something.

Everybody was pushing one another.

“No! You do it.”

“Aniyo! I don’t want her to scream at me again!”

“Well SOMEONE has to call her out. Why is she still inside her room?”

HaHa came over to see what the fuss was all about.Three PDs were debating. They were fighting over who was to go inside Chae Yeon’s room to tell her that the show was about to start. Ever since she screamed at the PD earlier that morning, news spread throughout the crew that Chae Yeon was in a moment. One false move or word can prove to be fatal. NO ONE wants to be on Chae Yeon’s bad side.

“Let’s play the 31 game.”

“Aish. Must we play that NOW??”

“Either that, or YOU go in,” the PD said confidently.

The first PD suddenly started shouting the numbers. “1, 2.”

“3..4…30!”

“Ya! 30 doesn’t come after 4!”

“It does now! I made new rules,” the second PD said proudly.

Then the last one shouted, “Pabo! You can’t make new rules to this game! It’s illegal!”

“It is not! I’m still winning so it’s all fair!”

“Pabo. How can you say you’re winning? We haven’t even reached 31 yet!”

“We haven’t because you skipped all the other numbers!”

“It’s called shoortcuuuuuts,” and waved his finger to the two PDs, “learn your geometry, pabo.”

“Shortcuts? Aigooo~ I believe it’s called geographyyyyyy,” and waved his finger as well. They were all, waving their fingers.

The last one, not knowing what to say, just joined in and waved his finger with them.

HaHa came up to them to ask what was happening.

As soon as he came up, all three PDs looked at HaHa simultaneously. “Ne?” HaHa stared at all three of them.

The PDs started going near HaHa.

One PD explained “Why don’t you go inside Chae Yeon’s room?”

“Ah. Yes, yes. Good idea! Besides, we are very tired,” another PD said, fanning himself and acting like he was about to faint.

HaHa looked at them with a distorted face. “Hyung, tired? The show hasn’t even started yet. You m–”

“HaHa, fighting!” the PDs screamed, and put their fists up in the air.

And with that, all three PDs ran off to who knows where.

He looked at them with disbelief. He was left alone. In front of her dressing room.

Ironically, he made it look like he didn’t want to go in, but actually, HE DID. He’s been eyeing Chae Yeon even before Tei did. Ever since Chae Yeon gave him a hug last New Year, he had the biggest crush on her.

He fixed his hair. Blew a blast of his breath to his hand, and smelled it. Ah. The breath mints are paying off.

He did a pose, something to make Chae Yeon smile, and knocked on Chae Yeon’s door. But as soon as he was about come in, there was a big laugh from inside. HaHa’s heart stopped. He was still in a pose.

He listened intently, and put his ear against the door. It wasn’t Chae Yeon’s laugh. It was far too loud. It wasn’t Tei’s laugh either. He knew how Tei laughed. He didn’t snort that way when he laughed. Actually, he doesn’t snort at all. So to find out, he fixed his polo and opened the door.

There they were, just sitting together. Chae Yeon. HIS Chae Yeon (or so he wished…) And… GASP! Who is she sitting with?

“Ehem.” HaHa coughed.

Chae Yeon and Seung Gi were still laughing and talking about something.“E-HEM.” He made it a bit louder. Still, no reaction from the two.

“YA! CHAE YEON A!” He screamed, growing impatient, throwing his fists in rage.Chae Yeon looked back. “Ah! Annyeong, HaHa-sshi,” and stood up to greet him. “Mianhe. Did you just come in? Mian. I w–”

“Hey. The show’s about to start. The PDs are asking why you aren’t still there… But I guess I see what your answer’s going to be,” holding his gaze at the boy beside her.

Seung Gi was still smiling and laughing to himself, obviously hung over from the laugh fest that he and Chae Yeon were having.

Chae Yeon and HaHa looked at Seung Gi. Boy, the boy sure loves to laugh, both thought.

“Anyway, oppa!”, returning her gaze to the jealous HaHa, “I didn’t notice the time. Oh, mianhe. I was just talking to–”

“Lee. Seung. Gi. Yes. I know him.” And looked down. Almost making it look like he was defeated.

“Really? Aish. Why didn’t you tell me about him! He’s so much fun to talk to!” Chae Yeon laughed.

“Really?” Her words pierced right through HaHa’s heart. Why can’t he talk like this with Chae Yeon? When will Chae Yeon ever say words like that about HaHa?

“Ne, ne! He’s very nice.” Chae Yeon exclaimed, beaming with excitement.

“Awww. Kamsahamnida, nuna! I’m so touched,” Seung Gi said. “It’s becoming obvious that you like me, now. What will hyung think!” and stifled another laugh.

“Pft. In your dreams.” They were starting to forget that HaHa was there, so HaHa butted in the conversation.

“Ya. Chae Yeon-ah. We will start recording, okay? Seung Gi. Boy. Yeah, you. Go, ah. Yes. I shall go now.” And ran off. HaHa ran towards the door, and stood outside. He started hitting his forehead to the wall. Why is it so unfair?

The 3 PDs from earlier came back. They saw what HaHa was doing. He was sitting his head to the wall. Tsk, tsk. They thought that Chae Yeon screamed at him, so they went and tried to comfort him, wishing to make him feel a little better.

The first one said, “It’s alright. It’s alright.”

“She’s always a mood swinger,” one explained.

“We are here for you. You just have to get used to it.”

They were patting him on the back.

HaHa laughed at them… at himself.

Why does he have the feeling that today was going to be a long day?

Chapter 5

“Chae Yeon-ah? Are you listening?”

“Ne, ne.” She said to the PD. Obviously she wasn’t.

“OK. So you know where to g– ”

“Ne, ne. Just please leave the room. I have to uh… Uhm, do stuff. Jalga,” and bowed before taking a seat.

“OK. Jus–”

“JAL-GA.” Chae Yeon said.

“Ja–“

“YA! GO OUT ALREADY! PLEASE!”

She was not in a very good mood to talk to anybody. The news that Tei was about to leave just made her feel really weird. No. Not weird. Sad. She must not deny what she really feels. She feels sad to know that Tei will leave. Maybe she DOES like him. She wasn’t in a really good mood at that time, so it was a good idea that Tei invited Seung Gi to get a cup of coffee, so Chae Yeon was practically alone in her dressing room.

Chae Yeon-ah. You crazy little girl. What have you gotten yourself into again.

After a little while, there was a knock at the door.

She screamed at the closed door, “Didn’t I tell you guys that I don’t want to talk to anybody right now?!”

The person who knocked answered back. “Who said that I wanted to talk to you?! Let me in!”

This made her even angrier. Who the hell does that person think he is for saying that? And at the worst possible moment!

So, she stood up. She made a face, an angry face. To scare the person who knocked. This is what you get if you mess with me when I don’t want to see anybody. She made the angriest looking face she could possibly make. She scrunched her nose. Her eyebrows met. She held the door knob. She opened the door.

It was…

Just Seung-Gi.

Chae Yeon didn’t know how to react.

But Seung Gi certainly did. He started laughing… HARD.

“Ya! WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?!” she screamed.

“Y-Yo… Your face.” And started laughing once again, not able to hold back the tears. “Your face,” and snorted in between the laughter.

“What’s wrong with my face?! Ya! Stop laughing!”Seung Gi continued laughing.

“Aish.” Chae Yeon closed the door.

That… punk. THIS BOY! RRGH! Laughing at me?! Who does he think he is. I’m going to tell him off. I am SO going to tell him off…

So as she opened the door, to “tell him off”, she looked straight. Seung Gi-sshi was not there.

She looked down, and there he was. Lying on the floor, apparently still dying of laughter.

Everybody was looking at them. Some were even whispering.

Obviously, Chae Yeon wasn’t in the mood for laughter. “Oy, boy! You come in! People are staring! They… Hey! Let go of… Gaaaa! They might think that we’re a couple. Stop laughing! Seung Gi Ya! Let go of my leg! Yaa! Stop laughing… Oy, you should st… Aish.”

He obviously wasn’t going to stop laughing, so Chae Yeon had to drag him inside the room. She didn’t want anybody to think that they had something going on. She tried to pull him in. He was too heavy and moving around because of so much laughter.

“Why don’t you stop laughing?! WHAT THE HECK!”

Seung Gi started laughing as hard as ever. For a moment, he even forgot what he was laughing about in the first place.

Chae Yeon could not take it anymore. “Must I do this?!” And resorted to giving Seung Gi a piggyback ride. A woman, in a black dress, carrying an almost retarded young boy, laughing for no reason? Why must this happen. Aish. She sat him down on the couch, and waited for his laughter to finally die down.

After what seemed to be a lifetime of laughter, Seung Gi finally stopped. Giving off maybe few snickers in between, but either way, he was finally back to being normal.

“What the heck just happened?” Chae Yeon asked. When I first met you, you were so quiet. But now, you’re like... Ugh.” She couldn’t even think of a word to describe how Seung Gi looked like.

“I don’t know. I was just going inside the room to fix up for the show, and then you made a face that…” Seung Gi was about to start laughing again as he remembered how Chae Yeon looked like, but Chae Yeon glared at him with another face. This time, it worked. It wasn’t as funny anymore.

Seung Gi became silent. "Oooh... Mianhe. I guess you aren’t in the mood. I’ll just go outside. I’m sorry if I disturbed you.”

“Aniyo, aniyo. Just stay here."

Seung Gi was confused. “Me? Stay here? With you? Why?”

“Just because.”

“Just because? Nuna, is that even an answer?”

“Aish. Just don’t ask anything. When a girl asks you to stay with her, no questions are needed to be asked. It’s a girl thing. Just stay,” and pointed to the extra seat in front of her.

He stayed. For almost 30 minutes, they sat there, drank coffee, and started talking as if they were good friends.

Seung Gi noticed that she didn’t mix the coffee powder and the water with a stirrer when she made a cup of coffee. She just put in the powder, and waited for it to sink down to the very bottom of the cup. She was watching the coffee powder sink and dissolve.

“Nuna?”

“Ne?”, she replied, still looking at her cup.

“Why don’t you mix the powder and the water? The taste won’t be spread throughout if you just put it in.”

“Why are you asking?” Chae Yeon looked up.

“Just because.” Seung Gi drank from his cup.

“Seung Gi-ah,” Chae Yeon smiled, looked down again. “You see, I have a lot of weird habits. I… I am… I’m just really weird.” She grinned from ear to ear, not believing that she actually said what she just said.

“Weird? Pft. Obviously.” Seung Gi whispered to himself, with the cup still near his mouth. And gave out a quiet laugh.

“What did you say?” Chae Yeon sort of heard something.

“Ah, nothing, nothing! Nuna, if you’re really weird, try eating Kimchi with…” Seung Gi stopped talking. “Oh, never mind. You might think I’m disgusting.”

“From the looks of it, nothing you confess now can make me change the way I perceive who you are.”

“Aish. Why must you use such deep words,” playfully putting down the cup, as if he was angry.

“They’re not deep, pabo. You’re just really shallow.” Chae Yeon smirked.

“Ohohoho! Am not!” Seung Gi shouted.

“You are. Stop complaining. It’s making you look shallower. Now, what were you saying about the Kimchi? What should I eat it with?”

Seung Gi, still hesitant, said, “Eat it with mayonnaise.”

Chae Yeon laughed. All was well.

Chapter 4

It definitely wasn’t going to be a good day.

“W-what?! W-Why?” Her stuttering went into full gear.

“Duh.”

He pushed her forehead with his finger. “Because I’m already old, Chae Yeon-ah.” And started laughing.

Why is he laughing? What is there to laugh about!

“And it’s required for us to… Remember? Makes sense?”

No! It doesn’t make sense. Why must he go?! It’s still to early!

She knew what was to happen. It’s going to take him forever in the army! Even if she didn’t say it aloud, she wanted to be with Tei oppa every day. That’s why she looked forward to going to work to X-Man every day. It was to have a job and earn money, have fun, and see Tei.

“Aniyo oppa! It’s not making sense at all!” and hugged him.

Tei stood there, stunned. But he was still smiling.

“Ah. So you ARE going to miss me! I knew it. HaHa said that you weren’t going to miss me,” and started pinching her cheeks and patting her head. “Don’t worry. He said that while I’m gone, there would be a replacement, though. I think his name is Sunchi… Sunli… Seung Kri…”

A small voice came from the back. “Seung Gi, hyung. SEUNG-GI.”

“Is it? It’s not Sun Li?” asking himself, “Aigo. Seung Gi ya. And his full name is Ling Seung Gi, I think.” Tei said proudly.

“Aniyo. LEE-SEUNG-GI.” The small voice from the back became louder.

“Aish. Why must these names be so…”

Seung Gi stood up to introduce himself, to save Tei from messing up his name again. “Annyeong, hyung. I’m sorry if I interrupted your talk. I was just uh… fixingmynameuhhanyway. I’m LEE. SEUNG. GI,” emphasizing the name.

“Ohhhhh. Okay, okay. Annyeong! And mianhe, I’m really bad with names.”

“It’s okay.” And Seung Gi smiled again.

“Seung Gi Ya! Can you stop smiling?! I mean.. Even for a little while?!” Chae Yeon was definitely getting annoyed with Seung Gi’s smile.

Seung Gi smiled even bigger.

Tei gave her a look of confusion. “What’s wrong when he smiles?”

“Nothing. It’s just that…”

Chae Yeon stopped. She thought to herself. Truth be told, there really wasn’t anything wrong when he smiled. It’s just that… Okay. She takes it back. There’s nothing wrong it.

“Aish. Whatever.” She went back to talking to Tei. “Oppa! Why must you go?!”

Tei laughed again. “Because I have to, Chae Yeon-ah. Don’t worry. Our… Chi Sul Gi…”

“Lee Seung Gi…”

“Mian. Our Lee Seung Gi will keep you company.” He then whispered another Mianhe to his junior. He was really bad with names.

Chae Yeon pouted, and made a sad face.

“Ya.” Tei came closer to her, their noses almost touching. “Don’t pout. You’re getting uglier. You wouldn’t want to look like me now, would you?” laughing at her again.

Chae Yeon pouted even more. “Aish. Can you NOT go to the army? Can you go after all the X-man episodes?”

“By that time, I’m going to be 80. How can I join the army in that state.” And squeezed her nose.

“But my manager wants me to go already, so I think I have no choice.”

She pouted and looked down. Chae Yeon didn’t have anything else to say. She was sad. She was angry… Yes. She was angry. Why must he go? Why must he… Aish. WHY IS SHE THINKING THINGS LIKE THIS? DOES SHE REALLY LIKE TEI OPPA? She shook her head in disapproval.

She looked up to tell Tei that she… Huh? What the? Tei wasn’t there. She looked around.

Aish. There he is.

He was talking with Seung Gi on the couch.

Chae Yeon crossed her arms. “Ya!” She tapped her feet.

Both of the guys looked at her. “Ne?”

“We were just talking HERE, Tei,” pointing to where they were just conversing. “Why are you suddenly THERE?” Chae Yeon said angrily, almost. She was stubborn this way. But Tei knew how to make her smile.

Tei smiled. “Well you weren’t answering me when I was talking to you. You were sort of… well, shaking your head like a crazy man. So I came to talk to Seung Gi. It’s Seung Gi, right?”

“Finally, hyung! You get my name right!” And the two exchanged high fives, as if they won something from the lottery.

Pft. Boys. “Uhm, oppa. When are you going to leave for the army?”

Tei went up to her again. Faced her, and looked at her straight in the eyes.

“Tomorrow.”





Chae Yeon taken aback, screamed, almost falling over. “What?!! Are you joking?!”

“Ne, I am.” Tei laughed and hugged Chae Yeon. “I’ll leave maybe in a few weeks, I'm not really sure yet.”

Chae Yeon wanted to hit him. She wanted to get away from his hug and just punch him. But she couldn’t. She just hugged him even tighter.

Today, next week, next month, it didn’t matter. It was still the same: Tei was leaving, and Chae Yeon was not happy about it.

Chapter 3

A boy came in the door into their room and sat down in one of the couches at the back.

Chae Yeon didn’t notice though because she was too busy talking to Tei.

She was always busy with Tei. They never really had dull moments when they were together, that was why people regarded them as a couple already. But they were always denying it, always dodging rumors, to avoid any scandals.

*i'm so hot nanomoyepoyo~ i'm so so so ho*CLICK*
Tei looked at his phone and Chae Yeon swore she saw him blush and grow red. He clicked the phone shut instantly before the song ended, and put the phone back down on the table.

It rang for a couple of times – over and over again.

“Oppa, aren’t you going to answer that?”

Tei looked at her, looked at the phone, and back again to Chae Yeon. “No. I’m with you. The call can wait.” She got the phone on the table, and playfully threw it to him. “Aish. Stop being a player! Just answer the phone already.”

“Ya! Are you crazy?! Don’t throw my phone! It has sentimental value!”

“Sentimental value?”

“Well, it did come from you, of course. Duh. So I'm entitled to actually take care of it.”

“That’s why you should answer the phone already! I’ve spent a lot on that phone, and it’s a shame if you don’t use it. I bought it for you on your birthday for you to use it. Now go away.” And with that, Tei went outside to talk on the phone. It was a habit of his to step out of a room when he needed to talk to someone on the phone, so he excused himself and went out.

Chae Yeon was left alone in the room. But then, she suddenly remembered. There was that boy… That boy who came in minutes after they did.

She scouted for him in the room and saw him near the corner. Has he been here all this time? Was he listening to me and Tei?

He was sitting on the couch by himself. He had his head down and was reading some sort of, I don't know. Looks like a.. Ugh, okay, whatever. He looked shy.

The couch he was sitting on and where she was were pretty far apart, so she had to make her voice a little louder if she wanted to talk to the boy.

“Annyeong,” Chae Yeon exclaimed and smiled. She waved her hand to say hello.

The boy just looked at her, confused, but none the less, it looked like he was mute. He looked down and went back to his reading.

“Annyeong. What’s your name?” Chae Yeon said, louder, still keeping her smile.

“Mianhe. What?” the boy replied.

Ah. The boy talks!

“Your name?”

“Mianhe. What was that again?” the boy asked, cupping his ear, as if that would be of any help.

Aish. Do I have to repeat it again?

She screamed, making sure that she was to be heard. “Are you new?”

“Ne,” and smiled.

Uhuh. So... Right.





Aigo. Where the hell is Tei?! She was growing impatient. Looking back at the boy, he was just… sitting down. How… Exciting.

Chae Yeon hated awkward moments like this. She couldn’t stand sitting there with nothing to do or say to the boy. So she stood up and sat next to him. At least that made things easier for them to hear each other. IF the boy was to talk.

“Soooooooo… What’s your name?”

“Se-Seung Gi. Ah. L-Lee Seung Gi. And you, nuna?”

“Annyeong Se-Se-Se-Seung Gi-sshi. I’m Ch-ch-chae Yeon,” imitating his stuttering. It was pretty cute. Chae Yeon let out a laugh.

Seung-Gi laughed as well. “Mianhe. I’m just nervous. A-annyeong,” and started looking around.

Things grew even more awkward than it already was at the beginning. They sat next to each other like any two strangers did in bus stops. They did not say anything to each other for the next 4 minutes… going on 5.

“Seung Gi-sshi. Helllooooooooooo,” waving her hands to Seung Gi’s face. “Why aren’t you talking?”

Seung Gi smiled.

Chae Yeon stopped. He’s cute.

“So anyway. Why are you here?” She asked. But she really didn’t pay attention to what he was about to say. She was thinking to herself again.. Tei’s taking so long on the phone. Who is he talking to anyway? Why did I have to make him answer the phone? Now I don’t have anyone to talk to expect this…

“Uhm, nuna?” Seung Gi cut her train of thought.

“Oh, sorry. Yes?”

“Well I answered your question… and well, you weren’t speaking…”

“Ah. Mianhe. I was just thinking of…”

“Tei oppa?” Seung Gi smiled.

“Aish! Why must you say it aloud!” Chae Yeon screamed. Seung Gi laughed as soon as she did.

“Ya! I meant, no! I wa-wasn’t thinking about him. I was thinking about… U-uhmm..." Chae Yeon stuttered on continuously.

“A-a-aboutttt?” Now he was imitating Chae Yeon stutter. Seung Gi raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. He was mocking her. He gave out a laugh again. “Okay. Why are you here again?” Chae Yeon demanded, putting her hands on her waist, wishing to change the topic. Having to talk about Tei was kind of awkward, so talking about him with someone she just met was way beyond awkward-ness. It was just… uhm, wrong.

“Must I repeat what I just said when you WERE NOT LISTENING?” Seung Gi pouted.

“A-duh.” Chae Yeon smirked.

“I’m a new member to the X-Man family. I’ll be staying for a couple of episodes.”

“ So you ARE new.” Chae Yeon told him, as if there was a need of reminding.

“Didn’t I say that I just was?”

“Ah, yes. Ne. Ne.”

Seung Gi smiled.

Chae Yeon then suddenly blurted out, “Why must you smile like that?”

“What’s wrong with smiling?”

“Nothing. It’s just wrong when you do it! It's like, I don't know. I just don't like it when you smile,” Chae Yeon explained. Matter-of-factly.

“Ne? Mworago?” Seung-Gi smiled even more.

Chae Yeon stuttered. “I meant that you shouldn’t smi…”

Tei came in the door.

“Bah. Never mind.”

Seung Gi stayed there sitting down, still with his hands together. Chae Yeon stood up and went straight to Tei.

She came up to him and asked, “What took you so long?”

He came up to her and answered bluntly, “I have to go to the army.”

Chapter 2

“You,” Tei replied.

Chae Yeon then answered, “Why are you staring at me? It’s been 5 minutes since I opened the door, oppa.”He gave her a smile and said, “I’m staring at you because you look pretty.”

Chae Yeon blushed, smiled, and looked down.

She did look pretty.

She wore a cute little black dress, with little flower designs. Her belt looked very classy on her, and so did her sandals. Her hair was not tied up; it was long, flowy, and resting up to her shoulders. It was curly, but not too curly, just the way Tei liked. The color of her hair made it look like it smelled good (Tei wanted to smell it). And that smile. Ohohoho, how he loved that smile.

Chae Yeon was melting inside. If Kyung Lim made Chae Yeon feel good this morning, Tei definitely made her feel twice that happiness. She likes it when she hears things like that, especially when
a. It’s early in the morning (because it can definitely start the day right)
b. She herself feels pretty (doesn’t she always?)
c. The one who tells her that is smiling and looking at her intently
d. That person who’s telling her that is Tei

Tei continued to stare at her, smiling from ear to ear, as if he won something.

“Oppa!” She laughed. And gave Tei a playful punch to the shoulder. “Why do you always do this!”

“Do what?” Tei pouted.

Chae Yeon could do nothing but laugh at how stupid and cute Tei looked. He rarely pouted or acted cute to her.

“You stare at me like that! And you do THIS!” she explained, and imitated Tei’s pout.

“Bah. You’re doing it wrong! Don’t pout like that! The day is just starting, and you’re already ruining it for me,” Tei said after laughing at her.

Chae Yeon lifted her eyebrows, crossed her arms, and tapped her feet. Tei simply smiled and took her hand.

As soon as Tei took her hand, Chae Yeon wanted to let go because she was embarrassed and shy, but Tei held on even tighter. He glanced at her and gave her a smile that always made Chae Yeon fall to her knees. As soon as he looked at her, Chae Yeon felt an immediate feeling of comfort, that nothing can go wrong, and that Tei can and will always find a way to keep her happy, not that he has to try because seeing him and just being with him makes Chae Yeon feel good already.

“C’mon. We’re going to be late if you just stay there being pretty,” pulling her to his car.

They both laughed it off. This is really going to be a good day.

They reached the studio minutes later. They had plenty of time before the show started recording, so they both decided to go to one of their rooms and spend time over a cup of coffee.

They walked backstage, through the corridor. It was early; there weren’t much people yet; just some PDs and crew members, getting the stage ready for another show of X-Man.

“Ya!”

Chae Yeon stopped walking. Tei looked back. It was HaHa.

“Annyeong, HaHa!”

HaHa was Tei’s close friend. They weren’t really best friends, because they didn’t tell each other mushy love stories, or played dolls together when they were little (they’re boys, what can you expect? But they were really good friends. They complemented each another, and knew each other from the head to the toes. If one was sad, the other one knew what to do or say.

“Annyeong!” HaHa said, patting Tei in the back. “Why didn’t you pick me up today? Aish. I had to drive again… You know how I don’t like driving so much in the morning. Traffic is crazy and I almost ran over a dog in the parking lot! I think it was one of DBSK’s dogs. Dongsaeng! If I ran over one of their dogs, caan you imagine what Cassio-”

“HaHa.” Tei interrupted.

Tei gave him a look, and then smiled sarcastically. He then was signaling to HaHa. Pointing at something.

“Dongsaeng? What are you pointing at? Bah. You’re going crazy again. What have I told you about wa- Oh.” HaHa saw her. He stopped talking, and gave Tei a distorted smile.

HaHa looked behind Tei. “Annyeong, Chae Yeon-ah,” and flailed his arms in the air to run up to her and give her a hug. He pushed Tei aside and gave Chae Yeon a big hug. Like he always did every morning.

Chae Yeon laughed, bowed and smiled. “Annyeong,” and kept her head down. She was still very shy when people saw her and Tei together, especially when it was HaHa who saw them together.

As soon as Chae Yeon greeted him, HaHa looked at her for a moment. He came closer to her, circled around her, having his fingers to his chin, and inspected what Chae Yeon was wearing.

“You look really pretty today. What did you do to your hair? It’s curly, ne? And you're slippers, are they slipperaaaaaa~ Yaaaa! I almost forgot! Did you hear what I just said? About the dogs I almost ran over? Nuna!!! Don’t tell anyone I almost ran over DBSK’s dogs. They might kill me! Cassio-”

“HaHa.” Tei gave HaHa a stiff smile. Almost as if he was signaling him to just go away.

“Aish. Why do you always cut me off in the part where I talk about Cassiope-”

“Aish. Just go! I’ll bring you home later, okay?! GO AWAY, Hyung. You know I love you, but this is one of the moments where that love has to be put on hold. See you in recording later,” Tei said, waving his hand.

“Goodbye, oppa.” Chae Yeon laughed and put her arms in the air to signal HaHa for a goodbye hug.

"Hmph," HaHa gave them a look. “Don’t call me oppa. You still look older than me.” He stuck out his tongue like a kid, and left. “Pft, lovers...”

“Lovers??”

Both Tei and Chae Yeon whispered to themselves, and secretly looked at one another.
Both thought. We’re not lov… Muo-ya? That’s crazy. Are we?

Awkward as it became, the two decided to shrug it off and go to the room already to relax a bit before the show. Tei and Chae Yeon finally reached Chae Yeon’s room, after what seemed to be an eternity of answering questions about couples or compliments about how pretty Chae Yeon looked today.

Sitting down in one of the chairs, Tei said, “Ya! Why must you be so pretty today?” and playfully swung his hair like it was long like Chae Yeon’s. “Now no one will ever notice me anymore, and to think that I styled my hair differently today. I’m becoming uglier and uglier because of you!”

Chae Yeon obviously was smiling from ear to ear when she heard this. “Mianhe.” She stood up.

Chae Yeon jerked up and came close - so close to him. She held on the arm-rests of the chair that Tei was sitting on. Their faces were touching, almost as if she was about to…

“YA! What do you think you’re doing?!” Tei shouted. He put his arms up to his chest and raised an eyebrow.

She smiled. Looked him in the eyes, and said, “Oppa, don’t worry. I still think you’re pretty.”

She bent her head to the side and raised her eyebrow, almost as if she was examining Tei’s face. “But you should stop pouting. You ARE becoming uglier and uglier.”

Chapter 1

Tok-tok.

There was a knock on the door. Chae Yeon didn’t bother to open it. She was still lazy. She was still tired. And she was still the same, old, stubborn Chae Yeon that Park Kyung Lim learned to love. Let’s face it. Working for 4 years in her household, she’s bound to learn to love her – sooner or later… Whether she liked it or not. Whether she liked it… or else.

“Chae Yeon a~ Wake up,” she bellowed. “And to think I left home… For THIS...”

Park Kyung Lim grumbled. Seeing that Chae Yeon wasn’t going to wake up anytime soon, she went back to the kitchen to fix breakfast. It was Chae Yeon’s favorite. Kimchi, extra spicy, with a little bit of flavoring – mayonnaise. It’s so to balance the taste of the spiciness of the kimchi, she always said. Park Kyung Lim never understood this about her. Why make it spicier when you just add something to make it… erhm, un-spicy? And to use… Mayonnaise?? Ohoho. This girl.

“Master Chae Yeon is so weird.”

She prepared the food, waiting for her boss to get up. She placed everything neatly on the table, just as Chae Yeon had wanted every morning. Then, she heard a loud slam of a door, followed by loud steps.

Park Kyung Lim smiled. “She’s finally awake.”

“UNNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!” Chae Yeon screamed and rushed towards Park Kyung Lim, as if she was the older one. “Why didn’t you wake me up?! I told you to wake me up earlier today because I have to go early to ge–”

She wasn’t able to finish her sentence because she smelled something tasty. She saw something delicious on the table. Kimchi… And she looked for... Ah. There it was, the mayonnaise.

Chae Yeon stifled a little smile. Maybe because she was embarrassed that she screamed at her unni, or the fact that her favorite food was prepared so early in the morning. But either way, she stopped screaming. And that was all that really mattered to Kyung Lim.

“Tell the driver that he doesn’t have to bring me to work today. Tei will pick me up instead. Please get my things ready. I want to look decent for Tei. I’m in a great mood today. Kamsahamnida, unni!” And continued to eat her “breakfast”.

“Chae Yeon, you don’t have to try so hard to look good. Without make up, you look much better than anybody I ever met, and look more beautiful than all the artists in the shows you are in.”

“Awwww, unni. That’s why I hired you! You always knew how to make my day.” Chae Yeon laughed. Park Kyung Lim could do nothing but laugh with her.

The old maids they had did not like Chae Yeon’s princess attitude, and so Chae Yeon did not like the old maids as well. But Park Kyung Lim always tried to find ways to make Chae Yeon smile, even if Chae Yeon can get a bit… well, can get very annoying. She was still a nice girl.

This day, however, Park Kyung Lim ran out of compliments. That last compliment was, well… The last one she could think of. But not to worry. She remembered that Tei was coming over to pick up Chae Yeon. The ajumma was sure that Tei can bring a smile to Chae Yeon's face. Tei was okay. He was nice. He made Chae Yeon happy, so hopefully, there won’t be any need for much compliments today.

They spent a lot of time with each other, Tei and Chae Yeon-ah, on and off the shows they were in. That’s why they’re always questioned if they were a real couple. They did what any other X-man couple would do, avoid rumors to avoid scandals. But it was obvious that they liked being around each other.

She finished what was left of her food (if you can still call it food, c’mon. Kimchi… And, mayonnaise??), and got up to get ready for her early morning meet with her oppa. The doorbell rang.

She opened the door.

“What are you staring at?”

Prologue

They never knew, or maybe they didn’t care to notice what was really going on. There was something more than what was initially planned for us – me and him. What was once silly couple talk turned into something more, and I for one did not like it. Did I? Actually, I did… But, I didn’t… Gaaaah! Aigooooooo~! I don’t know! Was I actually falling for him? Something about him just makes me interested. Something about him just makes me stop, look, and listen to what my heart really is saying. It’s like all the romantic movies I watched paid off. I’m finally going through what they talk about in those movies! It was bound to happen, though. I don’t know. I hope that’s it. But what about… HIM? That other boy?

Is this really… real? Aish. Chae Yeon! WAKE UP!