Chapter 18 - Maybe I'm in Love With You...

*Three Years Later*

People started coming in, filling up the hall where the wedding was going to take place soon. A series of congratulations were heard, either prompted towards the proud parents or towards the groom himself as they continued to greet their guests. It was going to be a grand celebration and even the groom himself was getting both nervous and excited. Just a few minutes before the wedding ceremony start, the groom excused himself and headed towards the flight of staircase which was usually used during emergency situations. On the way there, he had managed to grab hold of two of his friends with him.

Both friends were surprised with his actions but just followed him without any questions asked. The moment they reached the quiet stairs, the groom let out a loud sigh before burying his head into his hands, at the same time he was wiping his sweat which was dripping down the side of his face.

“Wae? You feeling nervous?” One of his friends asked with a smirk.

“Shut up.” The groom scowled before grinning. “Is this how you felt previously?”

“You bet.” His friend replied with a chuckle. “But don’t worry, after going through the ceremony, it was not so bad after all.”

“Sinchia? But what about the weird fainting spells that I heard Jieun mentioning about?” The other younger friend asked causing the first friend to scowl.

“If you know what’s best for you, then you better shut up.” The first friend gave a low growl.

“Relax hyung. I was just joking.” That younger friend raised his hands up and grinned.

“Onew, give him a break.” The groom said as he gave a light pat on his friend’s back.

“You give him too much face Yonghwa-yah. He needs to be taught a lesson once in a while.” Onew shot the younger man a dirty look.

“He doesn’t need to be taught a lesson.” Yonghwa said. “You’re just being a protective older brother that’s all. Just chill dude. They’ve been dating for three years already. You should get over it.”

Onew forced a grin. “Yah! I know! I’m just teasing him.”

“Yeah right. Whatever.” Yonghwa shook his head as he loosened the knot on his tie.

“Hey! Don’t do that. The wedding’s starting soon!” Onew exclaimed before pulling Yonghwa in front of him and fixing his friend’s tie properly.

“It’s choking me.” Yonghwa told him with a pout.

“Hyung, you’re acting like a baby.” Wooyoung told him with a sigh.

“You’d be acting like me when it’s you’re turn to stand on the altar!” Yonghwa told him with a glare.

“Alright! Enough fighting here. We should head out soon.” Onew said as he lightly pushed Yonghwa out of their hiding place. “Your parents must be looking for you already.”

“Onew, you’ll be there with me right?” Yonghwa turned to Onew while clutching his collar lightly.

“Aish! I’ll be by your side, don’t worry!” Onew lightly pushed Yonghwa’s cold hands down and straightened his collar. “I’m your best man. Just stay cool, ahrasso?”

“Ne.” Yonghwa nodded nervously.

Wooyoung looked at his two hyungs and grinned. Yonghwa’s before wedding reactions were almost similar to Onew’s. Onew had gotten married the year before to Hara and of course Wooyoung was there to witness every single detail of the wedding. He still remembered how Onew kept going to the toilet to calm himself down and how he almost fell unconscious a few times just before the wedding ceremony. Wooyoung and Yonghwa had a hard time trying to ease his nervousness away. But when he was there at the altar and saw his lovely bride walking down the aisle towards him, his nervousness immediately disappeared. Wooyoung still remembered how confident Onew was when he accepted Hara’s hand and brought her to stand with him at the altar. It was a wonderful sight.

“Hyung, at least you are not fainting like somebody I know.” Wooyoung whispered into Yonghwa’s ear with a soft chuckle. Yonghwa turned to look at his dongsaeng and grinned, knowing fully well who he was referring to.

“Let’s get you ready then!” Onew exclaimed as he rubbed both his hands together and grinned.

***

Seohyun smiled as she took a look at herself in the mirror. The wedding dress she was wearing looked perfectly good on her. She could not wait to let him see her in this wonderful gown. Today, he was the only person she wanted to impress. And could not wait to see him…

In a few minutes time, she would be walking down the aisle with her father by her side, towards him, the man whom she would be spending the rest of her life with. She had been waiting for this moment to come and she was glad that it finally did. After three whole years of dating, finally she was going to claim him as hers permanently.

“Yah! You should stop looking into the mirror already.” Seohyun turned to see Hara grinning towards her.

“Aish! I can look into the mirror for all I want.” Seohyun replied with a grin.

Hara laughed. “I know. I was like you previously.”

“Hey, how are you now? I heard from Onew that you are not feeling well.” Seohyun asked before standing next to her friend and held her shoulder lightly.

“It’s getting better actually.” Hara told her before grinning. “Especially now since I know the cause of the problem.”

“Ne? There’s a cause for it?” Seohyun raised an eyebrow. “And what would it be?”

“Hm, let’s say, a beautiful problem that will remain with me for the next eight months.” Hara raised an eyebrow with a smirk.

“Bo? You mean you’re, you’re…” Seohyun widened her eyes before creating large imaginary circles on her stomach using her hands. Hara just nodded shyly at her and soon both women were squealing before hugging each other tightly.

“This is great news Hara-yah!” Seohyun exclaimed. “I’m so happy for you!”

“Of course you should. You are going to be my baby’s godmom.” Hara told her.

“Is Onew aware of it already?”

“Aniyo. I have to find a perfect momentum to tell him of the news.” Hara sighed. “Especially since he’s prone to fainting. You know that right?”

Seohyun nodded her head before laughing. “Who knows a tough and temperamental guy like him has this fainting spells attacking him whenever he’s nervous!”

“Oh! But he’s never nervous in the bedroom.” Hara smirked and Seohyun whined in disgust.

“Aigoo! How dirty can you get Hara!” Seohyun pouted.

“Yah! You’ll see how dirty you can get when you’re with Yonghwa tonight!” Hara teased.

The door of the waiting room opened to reveal Tony, Joori, Jieun and a little girl around the age of two in Tony’s arms. The three of them exclaimed happily to see Seohyun all dolled up nicely for the wedding ceremony.

“Aigoo! My future niece is looking so pretty!” Seohyun cooed the moment her eyes landed on Tony and Joori’s daughter, Hyerim.

“She chose the dress herself.” Joori said and all of them started laughing.

“Anyway, congratulations Seohyunnie!” Tony said with a large smile pasted on his lips. “Please take care of Yonghwa properly. He’s still a whiny kid who needs all the help he can get.”

“Ne oppa.” Seohyun grinned.

“Congratulations unnie. I hope you’ll be happy forever and ever and ever!” Jieun exclaimed before hugging Seohyun tightly.

“Thank you all of you.” Seohyun said with a tinge of sadness in her voice. All of them started coaxing her and told her to hold her tears until after the ceremony so as not to smear up her make-up. Seohyun nodded and soon they were called out to get ready for the ceremony.

***


Onew watched as Hara, who was the maid-of-honor for Seohyun, walked up the aisle with a wide smile. He caught her eye and gave her a wink which caused her to blush prettily. He noticed that she had this radiant look on her and he wondered why he had not noticed it before. He continued watching her as she stopped at the opposite side from where he was standing.

Then the wedding march started and soon Seohyun was seen entering the large hall with her father guiding her. They walked down the red carpet towards the altar where Yonghwa was loyally waiting. He had a loving smile on his lips as he watched in awe as his soon-to-be-wife neared him. Seohyun’s father placed her hand into Yonghwa’s waiting palm and left his place before giving Yonghwa a light pat on the shoulder.

Seohyun looked up shyly to see her handsome Yonghwa looking down at her. He pulled her up to the altar and both of them did their vows calmly. Before they knew it, they were giving sharing their first kiss as husband and wife. Seohyun finally allowed a lone tear to roll down her cheek, feeling the happiness seeping slowly inside her.

Both Seohyun and Yonghwa’s parents came running up to the altar to offer their most congratulations towards the married pair. Joori, Tony and their daughter joined them in the family exchange. Yonghwa went towards Tony to give him a brotherly hug whereas Seohyun and Joori had their fair share of hugs as well.

“Finally we are becoming sisters for real!” Joori squealed and hugged Seohyun tightly.

Along the side, Onew went towards Hara to give her a hug as well. The two of them were definitely still in love with each other even after almost two years of dating and a year with their bond in marriage. Hara loved Onew for who he was, the temperamental guy he would always be and Onew loved Hara for her feisty attitude and they both knew they were always fated to be together.

Hara grabbed Onew’s collar to give him a kiss and Onew complied willingly. It was not everyday that Hara would show her affection towards him in public. Then he felt her trailing her lips towards his ears. Onew bit his lips, trying his best to stop the moan from coming out of his lips.

“You’re going to be the most sexiest daddy ever…” Hara whispered into her husband’s ear and she felt him froze. Hara started to panic and pulled herself back to see Onew’s reaction. But he quickly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. This time, it was Hara’s turn to freeze.

“So are you trying to tell me that we’ll be having our own little Hara or Onew soon?” Onew asked in a low whisper.

“Ne. Are you happy?” Hara asked a bit too unsurely.

Onew chuckled and rubbed his nose against her cheeks. “Of course I am. I’ve been hoping to hear this news from you since a few months ago. I’ve been trying hard you know.”

Hara pulled back from Onew’s embrace to see him winking at her slyly. She scowled. “So the monthly question of ‘are you having your period?’ is just to check if I was pregnant? Damn you Lee Jinki!”

“Ssh! Not so loud baby. People will look.” Onew grinned before planting a soft kiss on Hara’s lips to shut her up.

***

“Look at them, acting all cuddly like a newly-wed couple.” Jieun frowned as she watched the too loving exchange between her brother and her sister-in-law.

“Why? Are you jealous?” Wooyoung grinned as stood behind Jieun and hugged her firmly. He rested his head on top of her shoulder and sighed. “We could be like that too you know.”

“What do you mean?” Jieun turned her head to look at her boyfriend.

“Well, I’ve been wanting to ask you this for a while now.” Wooyoung said before shyly burying his face into Jieun’s shoulder.

“Yah! What are you saying?” Jieun turned around till and cupped Wooyoung’s blushing face in her hands.

“I-I… Oh God, how do I do this?” Wooyoung bit his lips, still smiling shyly.

“You are making me nervous Mr Jang Wooyoung.” Jieun pouted her lips as she placed her hands on her hips.

“I-I…” Wooyoung could not bring himself to ask that question to her. He was obviously nervous. Big time.

“Pali!” Jieun squealed. Deep inside her heart, she knew what he wanted to ask of her.

“Well, I-I…”

“Will friends of the bride and groom please come here and take a picture together with them?” Both Jieun and Wooyoung turned to see the photographer calling out to them.

Jieun sighed. “Later then…”

“Yup. Later.” Wooyoung nodded his head before pulling Jieun’s hand and headed towards the newly wed.

***

Yonghwa and Seohyun stood in the middle of the dance floor awkwardly. Then as soon as the slow music started, Yonghwa pulled Seohyun close to him and together they started to sway their body to the sweet music. A few seconds later, their friends entered the dance floor, dancing to the music together with them. Onew with Hara, Wooyoung with Jieun and finally Tony with Joori. Yonghwa and Seohyun looked at their friends and grinned wide. It was going to be a fun night and they were going to enjoy the moment together as the music continued to play the song ‘Maybe I’m in Love With You’…

Chagaun gaseumi eoneusae jogeumssik
Noga naeryeonna bwa niga deureowasseo
Geurigo nado mollae nae gaseumeul chaewosseo

Eonjenbuteoinga jibe doraomyeon
Neoreul tteoolligo inneun nae moseubeul
Bomyeonseo nae mam soge niga inneun geol arasseo

Maybe you’re the one
Maybe eojjeomyeon
Eojjeomyeon niga
Naega gidarin banjjogingeonji

Maybe it is true
Eonjena neomu
Gakkai isseoseo mollasseonnabwa
Baby I’m in love with you

Cheoeumen mollasseo naega neol ireoke
Tteoollige doel jul saranghage doel jul
Ni mamdo jebal ireon nae maeumgwa gatgireul

Maybe you’re the one
Maybe eojjeomyeon
Eojjeomyeon niga
Naega gidarin banjjogingeonji

Maybe it is true
Eonjena neomu
Gakkai isseoseo mollasseonnabwa
Baby I’m in love with you

Neomu neutjin anhatgil
Ijeya kkaedareun nae mam badajugil
Neutge aratjiman ijeya aratjiman
I maeumeun jeoldae heundeulliji anha

Maybe you’re the one
Maybe eojjeomyeon (Maybe)
Eojjeomyeon niga (niga)
Naega gidarin banjjogingeonji

Maybe it is true
Eonjena neomu (eonjena neomu)
Gakkai isseoseo mollasseonnabwa

Baby I’m in love with you
Baby I’m in love with you
Baby I’m in love with you
Baby I’m in love with you
Baby I’m in love with you
You Know

***

Yonghwa felt his friends and brother pulling him up towards the mini stage. He gave a slight chuckle as he looked back down towards Seohyun who was now seated on a chair in the center of the dance floor. She had that loving gaze in her eyes and Yonghwa felt that wonderful bliss gripping at his heart.

“Go on say a few love words to your brand-new wife!” He heard Onew catcalled and he gave out a nervous cough. Soon the guests were chanting together asking him to say something to his bride.

Yonghwa smiled shyly as he accepted the microphone which was suddenly shoved towards him. He cleared his throat before blowing into the microphone. “Uhm, hi everyone!” Yonghwa started with a nervous grin.

“Um, yeah, so I am a married man now. And that pretty lady there,” Yonghwa pointed towards Seohyun, “is my lovely wife.” Every one in the room were cooing and Hara was the only one squealing in her high-pitched voice. “Seo Joohyun, I know I’ve said it before, but right now, I am going to say it again.” Yonghwa said, now with a serious tone to it.

“It’s been three long years. And I assure you, my love for you is still strong as ever. The day when you accepted my proposal, I was the happiest man on Earth. I love you too deeply and you know that. I still remember the first time I saw you. You were beautiful, with that loving look in your eyes, I was smitten. Did I ever tell you that your voice sounded like bells?” Yonghwa asked and Seohyun laughed before nodding. “That laugh there, that’s the bells I was talking about.”

“Joohyun, I am standing here, among all these guests here who had witnessed us tying the knot as husband and wife, I promise you, with all my heart, I will always treasure you. I will always love you just like I did when I first saw you three years ago. I will always care for you and I promise you, I will never push you away. I really, really love you Joohyun-ah…” Yonghwa said, his voice faltering at the end as tears ran down his cheeks. The audiences clapped their hands as they watched the love emanating from the groom himself. Seohyun even stood up and walked over to her husband before pulling him into a hug. She then grabbed the microphone from him and smiled.

“That has been his promise to me for these past three years and I swear to God, he had never broken any of it. I love you too very much, yeobo.” Seohyun said into the microphone. That simple reply from her caused the audiences to clap their hands again and soon they witnessed again the exchange of a loving kiss between the bride and the groom. It was a lovely start to their marriage life and both Yonghwa and Seohyun were aware of that.

***

Jieun was busy trying all the different kinds of cakes and fudges on the food table when suddenly she felt someone tugging at her hand. She turned around to see a boy of about the age of nine grinning mischievously at her. She raised an eyebrow questioningly. Then he handed her a piece of folded paper before running away towards the busy crowd ahead.

Jieun frowned, getting a bit confused with the boy’s behavior. She looked at the folded paper in her hand and opened it slowly.

‘Come to the garden. Alone.’

Jieun frowned as she read the note over and over again. It sounded mysterious but curiosity got the better of her and soon Jieun found herself walking out of the hall towards the garden situated at the back of the building.

The garden was brightly lit and it looked beautiful with flowers blooming here and there. She suddenly felt like a little princess and twirled herself around, enjoying the calm scenery before her. Then she stopped when she saw a silhouette of a man standing a few meters away from her. She squinted her eyes to get a clearer look at him.

“It’s me.” Jieun heard him saying as he walked forward towards her confidently. Jieun gave a sigh of relief when she saw that it was only her boyfriend, Jang Wooyoung.

“You gave me a shock there!” Jieun exclaimed as she held a hand to her heart.

“Well, I wanted to show you my mysterious side.” Wooyoung shrugged.

“It worked well, I must say.” Jieun nodded her head in agreement.

“I tried my best.” Wooyoung told her.

“Um, good job.” Jieun grinned.

Jieun watched as Wooyoung walked towards her, that serious look still etched on his face. Jieun tilted her head, trying her best to read her boyfriend’s mind.

“Lee Jieun, I stand here in front of you as your boyfriend.” Wooyoung started saying. “But I don’t wish to hold that title anymore…”

Jieun gasped. She stared at Wooyoung, not believing those words which was coming out of his lips. Was he playing around? Did he know that his words were hurting her?

“W-Why?” Jieun asked, her voice breaking slightly.

“I no longer want to be your boyfriend. I just don’t want to anymore.” Wooyoung said still staring straight into her eyes.

“D-Did I do something wrong? P-Please tell me…” Jieun whined as she grasped Wooyoung’s hands lightly. She was afraid that he would push her away, and she did not want that.

“No. You did nothing wrong.” Wooyoung shook his head. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to be your boyfriend anymore.”

Jieun let go of Wooyoung’s hands before burying her face into her hands. She did not want to allow Wooyoung to see her tears. She did not want to see how weak she had become because of his words. She cried the sadness to herself.

“Because, I wanted to be more than just your boyfriend.” Wooyoung continued saying as he knelt down on one knee in front of the woman who he loved so much. It hurt his heart to see her crying because of him. But hey, it was her brother’s idea to prank her and he had stupidly agreed to it.

Jieun brought her hand down her eyes to see the perfect picture in front of her. Her eyes widened when she saw Wooyoung holding out a ring seated inside a beautiful velvet red box. “W-What is this?”

“Um, this is a ring?” Wooyoung answered stupidly and he heard a deep growl coming from behind him. He gulped. He knew that growl well enough and it belonged to his his future brother-in-law, also known as Onew.

Jieun wiped her tears and continued to stare and Wooyoung in shock. “I-I don’t understand.”

“Lee Jieun, I love you very very much. I don’t want to be just your boyfriend, but I want to be your bestfriend, you lover, your soulmate… and most importantly, I want to be your husband. I want to be the man to protect you from harm. I want you for myself. I want to make you officially mine. I want you to be the only woman perfectly made for me.” Wooyoung said, his tone more confident this time round. “Will you be my wife, Lee Jieun?”

Jieun was stunned. She gaped. “You scared me, you made me think that you wanted a break-up and you made me cry. And now you are proposing and you think I would accept it so easily?” Jieun asked him, her eyes watering again and Wooyoung groaned inwardly, thinking that Onew’s plans had gone terribly wrong. “Because my answer will definitely be a yes!”

“Jieun-ah, let me explain… NEH?” It was Wooyoung’s turn to gape. “D-Did you just say yes?”

“I perfectly well said that.” Jieun grinned, her tears falling down her cheeks uncontrollably.

“WOOHOO!” Wooyoung shouted in happiness as he stood up and pulled Jieun into his embrace. They were laughing and hugging each other happily that they did not realize their spectators coming out from behind their hiding places and cheering for them.

“YAH! Hands off her! You’re not married yet!” Onew barked but earned a well-deserved smack on the head from Hara for ruining the moment.

“Wait! My ring!” Jieun whined as she pulled back from the hug to search for her ring.

“Aigoo! My bad!” Wooyoung grinned as he pulled Jieun’s left hand towards him and gently slipped on the ring onto her finger.

“So does this mean we’re engaged?” Jieun asked her boyfriend cum fiancé shyly.

“Um, I guess so.” Wooyoung rubbed the back of his neck shyly.

“Congratulations the both of you!” Joori and Tony appeared. Onew, Hara, Yonghwa and Seohyun joined them a moment later. The women were busy admiring the ring on Jieun’s finger whereas the men were giving friendly pats on Wooyoung’s back.

“Your plan almost failed Onew.” Yonghwa pointed out.

“Hey! But we did manage to make her cry.” Onew grinned slyly.

“Oppa! I am so telling appa on you!” Jieun threatened.

“Go on and tell him. He loves me too much to even raise his voice at me now.” Onew stuck out his tongue towards his sister. “And furthermore, I am finally going to give him a grandchild! He’ll love me more after this!”

“Bo? Does that mean Hara unnie is pregnant?” Jieun asked as she looked at Hara questioningly. Hara just blushed and nodded. “Ommo! This is like the best day ever!”

Everyone agreed.

Rounds of congratulations were passed around once again and everyone had to agree, that the day should end with something good as well. Heck, the story should end with something good as well, um like a happy ending? XD

Chapter 17 - Maybe I'm in Love With You...

Yonghwa groaned before allowing himself to sit on the bench. He was tired, big time. He had been jogging around the park while at the same time keeping a lookout for Seohyun for almost twenty minutes. He had even separated himself from his brother, thinking that it would be faster for him to find Seohyun if he was alone.

Yonghwa sighed before standing up again and started with his jog. He needed to find Seohyun soon. He only had less than forty minutes to find her. Yonghwa jogged until he reached the place where he had first met Seohyun; the oak tree. Yonghwa smiled before allowing his hand to touch the bark of the oak tree. He closed his eyes as his mind flashed back to the very first time they spoke to each other. This was their place. This was part of their memory.

Yonghwa chuckled as he thought about the time when they were looking for Seohyun’s missing anklet which they fortunately found just under the tree. The tree had witnessed everything about them; from their awkward start, to their friendly conversation, to their endless flirting. Yonghwa felt blessed. He felt lucky to meet Seohyun, knowing her, loving her. Adding to that, Seohyun felt the same love for him and he was thankful for that.

Yonghwa woke up from his reverie when he suddenly heard that familiar jingle of bells. He felt as if it was Monday afternoon once again, like the time he heard those sounds while he was busy resting by the oak tree, looking over at the lake. No doubt, it was Seohyun who was wandering somewhere near the oak tree. Yonghwa thought fast. He could not let Seohyun see him first. So he did something which he though he would never do in his life. He climbed the oak tree. ‘Hell! If I could climb the roof, this tree should be much easier!’ Yonghwa grinned as he continued climbing.

***

Seohyun pouted. She felt dumped suddenly. Joori had left her alone the moment she spotted Tony walking towards the playground. Joori had wanted to observe Tony from afar before allowing him to find her. Seohyun on the other hand, had not spotted Yonghwa yet. She was busy looking for him all around the park as well but to no avail.

Seohyun wondered if Yonghwa was looking for her as well or he had given half-way and went back home. Seohyun thought she would burst out in tears if Yonghwa really did went home, leaving her.

Seohyun sighed as she continued walking along the pavement. Soon she realized that she was heading near the oak tree where the lake was in full view. Finally she smiled as she took in the beautiful scenery before her. She remembered the first time she had made Yonghwa here. She had no awkwardness on her part. Yonghwa made her feel comfortable and she knew it. She still remembered when he had found her missing anklet and how he had dangled it in front of her face with that silly smile. Seohyun grinned happily. When it was Yonghwa, she only had beautiful memories.

“Yonghwa-yah, where are you?” Seohyun shouted towards the lake before sighing again. She missed him.

“I think you should shout louder. I don’t think I can hear you from here.”

Seohyun jumped back before looking around her in panic. Did she just hear Yonghwa’s voice talking to her? Or was she just plain dreaming because she missed him so much?

“Oi beautiful! I’m up here!”

Seohyun looked up as told and gasped. Yonghwa was there sitting comfortably on one of the thick branch of the oak tree, waving at her. Seohyun gritted her teeth and kicked the tree trunk. “Yah! What are you doing up there?”

Yonghwa grinned and shrugged. “Hiding from you.”

“What excuse is that? You should be the one looking for me you know!” Seohyun folded her arms and glared at Yonghwa.

“I was looking for you.” Yonghwa told her as he climbed down the tree carefully.

“Are you sure? Or have you been sitting up there for the past forty minutes?” Seohyun eyed him curiously as Yonghwa finally landed on the ground safely.

“Sinchia! I was looking for you!” Yonghwa smiled as he took her hand and grasped it tightly. “But when I heard you, I thought of hiding myself first.”

“Heard me?” Seohyun frowned.

“That bell on the anklet. It tells me when you’re near me.” Yonghwa whispered causing Seohyun to pout.

“I think I should get rid of that bell.” Seohyun muttered.

“Wae? Leave the bell alone.” Yonghwa smirked before wrapping his arms around Seohyun’s slender waist.

“I hate you.” Seohyun mumbled again and Yonghwa laughed.

“You know you’re lying.” Yonghwa teased her as he rubbed their noses together.

“I am.” Seohyun blushed.

“Then say it properly.”

“Shiro.” Seohyun shook her head.

“Wae?” Yonghwa asked, his voice low and husky.

“Because you’ll tease me again if I did.” Seohyun shivered when she felt his fingers creating small circles on her back.

“I won’t. I promise.” Yonghwa said, his lips just inches from hers.

“I still don’t want to.” Seohyun told him and he chuckled before rubbing his nose along her jaw and up to her ear.

“Then I won’t kiss you for the whole of today.” Seohyun heard him whispering into her ear.

“No.” Seohyun breathed.

“Then say it.” Yonghwa commanded, his voice still low.

“I-I…”

“I’m waiting.” Yonghwa let out a low growl and Seohyun thought she almost fell due to the nervousness she was feeling at the moment. But luckily Yonghwa had a strong grip on her waist and almost on instinct, Seohyun wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I-I l-love you.” Seohyun whispered, blushing madly.

“I did not catch that.”

“I love you.” Seohyun said it louder before burying her face in Yonghwa’s neck, trying to hide the blush and the shyness she was feeling.

Yonghwa was having the time of his life, teasing Seohyun like he always wanted to. He smirked before allowing his nose to travel to her hair, inhaling her sweet scent. “I love you too.” Yonghwa said into her hair.

“Will you kiss me now?” Seohyun asked shyly, her face still in his neck. Her breath on his skin was making Yonghwa fidget nervously.

“Should I?” Yonghwa decided to tease her again as he tried to fight the nervous feeling of him.

Seohyun pulled back from the embrace and stared at Yonghwa straight in the eye. Then she shrugged. She decided that it was her turn to tease. “Well then, I don’t mind if you don’t want to.”

“What do you mean?” Yonghwa watched as Seohyun pushed his hands off her waist.

“I thought I could continue living without any kisses from you.” Seohyun told him with an innocent expression. “So it’s okay, you can keep your kisses.”

“Well, sadly, I don’t intend to.” Yonghwa said before pulling Seohyun back to him. Seohyun gasped when she felt Yonghwa’s lips on hers and was even more surprised when she felt her lips responding to his kiss.

Seohyun pulled back from the kiss, gasping for air. Yonghwa just grinned and rested his forehead against hers. Seohyun smiled. “That was… breathtaking?” She asked and both of them laughed silly.

“Breathtaking indeed.” Yonghwa nodded.

Seohyun took a look at her watch and gasped. “Ommo! The time is almost up!”

“So?”

“We need to meet the rest at the exit.” Seohyun said as she gently pulled his hand to follow her.

“Yah! Joohyun-ah!” Yonghwa called out and Seohyun turned around to face him. She shot his a confused look causing Yonghwa to chuckle. “Would you like a piggyback ride?”

“Bo? You think I’m a kid?” Seohyun gaped.

“Aigoo! Just get on my back will you.” Yonghwa said as he squatted down and pointed his back to Seohyun.

“Are you sure?’ Seohyun raised an eyebrow.

“Of course I’m sure. Pali! Get on now!”

Seohyun bit her lips before proceeding towards Yonghwa and slowly leaned her body against his back. Yonghwa pulled both her legs at his sides and immediately stood up. Seohyun thought she was about to fall backwards when she quickly grabbed for Yonghwa’s neck causing him to cough suddenly.

“Oppa! Kwenchana?” Seohyun asked worriedly.

“Don’t grab my neck too tight!” Yonghwa said, struggling.

“Ooops!” Seohyun loosened her grip and Yonghwa was alright once again. “Mianhe.”

“It’s okay, anything for my princess.” Yonghwa said with a smirk.

“Aish! That’s too cheesy oppa!” Seohyun laughed.

“Only for you.” Yonghwa replied.

“I love you Yonghwa-yah.” Seohyun said softly.

“I love you too Joohyun-ah.” Yonghwa said and he smiled when he felt Seohyun pressing her lips on top of his hair.

******

Tony kicked a stone he saw in the middle of the pavement. He knew he was walking aimlessly around the park. He had absolutely no idea on where to look for Joori. He took a look at his phone again but sighed when he saw that he had received no message from anyone, even from his girlfriend.

He walked further until he reached a playground which was empty with children. He looked around the area and spotted no one. Tony grinned. It had a while since he had some silly fun by himself. So he walked over towards the steps and climbed up the playground. He chuckled upon seeing how silly he had turned into. He then sat on the slide and slid down. He groaned when he felt his bum hit the ground before standing up and brushed his pants. He then eyed the empty swing and sat on it and started swinging.

Tony hummed a song to himself as he continued swinging. Feeling the breeze hitting his face lightly made him smile. He knew he was supposed to look for Joori but playing here on the swing was much much better then seeking. He shrugged and grinned happily.

***

Joori was peeking at Tony from behind the bushes. It was big enough to cover her entire body and she knew Tony would not be able to spot her from the distance. She grinned as she continued to watch Tony walking towards the playground and at the same time she saw him glancing around him to see if there were any passer-bys.

Joori knew Tony well enough. He was childish and very playful. He loved all the random things which she never expected. Just like now, she knew he was going to start playing the playground. Joori held her breath and her laughter as she watched Tony fidget nervously before climbing up the steps of the playground and went down the slide. Joori almost coughed out huge laughter when she saw Tony bumping onto the ground hard when he went down the slide, but she managed to cover her mouth to stop herself.

Tony was having the time of his life that he did not notice Joori walking past the playground. He had his eyes closed as he enjoyed the breeze from riding the swings. Joori giggled as she sat down on the bench just behind the swings. She decided to help him with the swinging without informing him of her presence. Joori estimated the swinging time properly before moving on forward and pushed the swing up higher.

Tony who suddenly realized that there were hands pushing his back quickly opened up his eyes. He turned his head to see a smirking Joori behind him.

“Jagiya! What are you doing?” Tony asked in shock. The swinging was moving to fast and too high now, all thanks to Joori.

“Are you having fun oppa?” Joori asked with amusement in her eyes.

“Yah! Stop swinging already. This is getting to high!” Tony shouted.

“You enjoy this don’t you? Besides, it’s still too low for me!” Joori squealed.

“Joori-yah, this is seriously too high!” Tony said again. “I’m going to jump if you are not going to stop soon!”

“You won’t jump oppa. I know you won’t.” Joori grinned as she continued pushing him on the swing.

“Yah! I’m really going to jump! And if I jump on a fast moving swing, I’ll get hurt. And if I get hurt, you are going to cry. And when I get hurt, you’ll have to take care of me!” Tony warned but Joori ignored him. “Okay, you’re asking for it.”

Before Joori could answer anything, she watched Tony jumped off the fast-moving swing. She gasped when Tony finally landed flat onto the ground. He was not moving and that made Joori panicked. She ran towards his side and poked his shoulder lightly.

“Oppa! You okay?” Joori asked. “Oppa, this is not funny anymore!”

Joori pulled Tony’s body until he was turned upright. She noticed he had his eyes closed and it looked as if he had fainted. Joori felt tears in her eyes as she continued to shake Tony to wake up.

“Oppa! Wake up! Don’t scare me like this!” Joori cried whilst shaking Tony’s body. Then she heard snickering coming from Tony himself. He opened his eyes slowly and grinned. Joori fumed before hitting his stomach.

“AISH!” Joori gritted her teeth and got off from the ground. She folded her arms and walked back towards the bench and sat down on it again. Her eyes continued to glare at the man in front of her who was now standing up straight and laughing happily.

“See, I told you, you were going to cry.” Tony said as he wiggled his eyebrows at his girlfriend who he noticed was sulking.

“Just shut up.” Joori bit her lips as she tried to stop her tears from coming down. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

Tony walked over towards Joori and knelt down in front of her. “Aigoo. I’m so sorry okay.”

Joori had her face turned to the side. She did not want to look at Tony for now. “Just leave me.”

“Leave you? I just found you and you are asking me to leave?” Tony gaped.

“Aish!” Joori stared at her boyfriend who was still kneeling. “When did you ever found me? I was the one who found you!”

“But technically, it’s still within that one hour, so even if you were the one who found me, I would still regard that I was the one who found you.” Tony smirked and Joori groaned out loud.

“Cheater.” Joori muttered before looking down.

“Don’t cry already okay?” Tony said soothingly as he brushed away the tears from Joori’s eyes. “I’m fine you know.”

Joori snorted unladylike. “I could see that.”

Tony grinned as he allowed himself to sit beside Joori. “Let’s not play the hide and seek game anymore.”

“Wae?” Joori asked.

“I don’t like seeking. It makes me bored.” Tony smiled.

Joori rolled her eyes. “It makes you bored that you just abandon seeking me and just play the playground?”

“You got it right my dear!” Tony pinched Joori’s cheeks lightly causing her to pout.

“How unlucky am I to get a boyfriend like you.” Joori sighed before hitting his chest playfully.

“How unlucky am I to get a sulky girlfriend like you.” Tony replied before leaning his head onto her shoulder. Then he grasped Joori’s hand and squeezed it lightly.

“This is nice.” Joori mumbled happily.

“I know. Let’s just stay like this for a while.” Tony said before sitting up and pulled Joori closer to him. She had her arms around his waist and placed her head on his chest.

“I love you oppa.” Joori muttered before closing her eyes.

“I love you too Joori-yah.” Tony replied as he leaned his head on top of Joori’s before closing his eyes as well.

******

Hara showed the message which she had received from Joori to Jieun. The younger girl squealed and gripped onto Hara’s arm excitedly.

“Where should we hide unnie? Let’s find a place where it’ll be difficult for them to find us!” Jieun exclaimed.

“You look happy to be involved in this stupid one hour hide-and-seek game.” Hara raised an eyebrow before laughing out loud.

“Of course unnie! It’s been so long since I last played his-and-seek!” Jieun pouted.

“Hm, what do you think, should we hide separately or hide together?” Hara asked.

“Let’s stick together. I am kind of nervous right now.” Jieun chuckled.

“Okay, let’s go up to that shelter there.” Hara said as she pointed to a small shelter on top of a slope.

“Ahrasso! Let’s go!” Jieun grinned before pulling Hara along with her.

***

Onew and Wooyoung walked together quietly along the pavement. They were still unable to spot any of the girls around the park. The silence between the two was getting more awkward by the minute.

“Why are we so quiet like this?” Onew asked. “We were never this awkward around each other.”

“Maybe it’s because I’m dating your sister now?” Wooyoung questioned before letting out a small smile.

Onew snorted. “Maybe it’s because you had to kneel in front of me and asked my permission to date her.”

“Shut up hyung!” Wooyoung scowled and Onew just laughed.

“You were embarrassed weren’t you?” Onew asked.

“Of course I was!”

“Then why did you do it?”

“Damn it hyung! I had to do it if I wanted her to be my girlfriend.” Wooyoung groaned as he thought of her conditions again. He had yet to greet the female student at work and praising them. He had promised Jieun that he would do it on Monday.

“You know she’s just teasing you.” Onew shook his head. “Even if you don’t do it, she would still accept you as her boyfriend. I know my sister well enough.”

“I would never risk anything hyung.” Wooyoung grinned.

“It’s mostly up to you punk.” Onew grinned before turning serious again. “Just don’t hurt her.”

“Hyung! I won’t! If I did, I would give my soul to you willingly.” Wooyoung said.

“Sure you will.” Onew laughed and the both of them continued their walk.

Thirty minutes later, Wooyoung saw something moving up under a shelter just above the slope. He tilted his head and squinted his eyes to have a clearer vision. He gaped when he realized he had found whatever they were looking for. He quickly pulled a grumpy Onew to a hidden spot behind a tree.

“What the hell Wooyoung!” Onew scowled.

“Hyung, quiet! They might hear us!” Wooyoung screamed in a hushed whisper. This made Onew quiet. He glanced around them nervously.

“You found them?” Onew asked, in a whisper himself.

“Ne. Look at the shelter up the slope.” Wooyoung told him.

Onew peeked from behind the tree and looked up at the shelter. And sure enough he saw Jieun and Hara moving around the shelter happily. He frowned, wondering what his sister and his girlfriend were doing.

“I think they’re dancing hyung.” Wooyoung said as if he had read whatever was playing in Onew’s mind.

“Dancing?” Onew raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know Jieun danced.”

“I didn’t know either. That’s the first I seeing too hyung.” Wooyoung said before frowning. “I think it’s the song from SNSD, the song Tell Me Your Wish.”

“And how the hell you know all this? I thought you were always busy in your science lab?” Onew questioned as he threw a funny look at Wooyoung.

“Don’t get me wrong hyung.” Wooyoung quickly defended himself. “There was a mini concert down at the campus last month, and the female students chose this song as their item. That’s why I could remember their moves.”

“Hm, Hara never told me she could danced that well.” Onew said.

“Maybe she’s shy?” Wooyoung said with a smile.

“Hara? Shy? She’s never shy!” Onew grinned. “Okay, maybe when I’m teasing her.”

“Eeew hyung! I don’t need to hear anymore from you.” Wooyoung cringed his face.

“Whatever!” Onew said. “Should we just tackle them?”

“Hm, I think we should just creep up the slope slowly and scare them!” Wooyoung grinned.

“Whatever. As long as you keep your hands off Jieun. Ahrasso?” Onew said before creeping out behind the tree. Wooyoung on the other hand rolled his eyes before following Onew from behind.

***

“So it goes like this unnie.” Jieun showed Hara the proper steps to the song ‘Tell Me Your Wish’. Hara followed slowly before finally getting it right. Jieun cheered for her.

“How do you know how to dance to this song Jieun-ah?” Hara asked.

“Well, I did this item with some other girls for a mini fund-raiser concert last month.” Jieun shrugged.

“Ah! I see.” Hara nodded.

“What’s taking them so long?” Jieun pouted.

“I think our hiding place is great! That’s why it’s difficult for them to find us!” Hara grinned slyly and Jieun laughed.

“So that’s what you think is it?”

Both Hara and Jieun turned to look at the voice which came out from Onew. He was standing just outside of the shelter with a playful smirk on his lips.

“RUN!” Hara shouted and soon both Jieun and Hara ran towards the other side of the pavement. Soon before they realized it, the two girls were separated and were running in different directions with different boys running after them.

***

Hara continued running without giving a care where she was going. The only thing which was on her mind was that she needed to get away from him, Lee Jinki or commonly known as Onew.

She could feel her heart beating so fast and when she saw a large bush, she immediately jumped behind it. She squatted herself down behind the plant and covered her mouth with both hands. She could hear footsteps coming from the other side of the bush and she was sure it was Onew. After a few more seconds, Hara sighed in relief when she noticed the footsteps were gone.

Hara stood up slowly and peeked through the bush. No Onew. Hara grinned. She was back in the game!

***

“RUN!” Onew heard Hara shouted and soon she was running away from him. Hara was fast but Onew was faster. He never allowed his eyes off her. They ran quite a distance before Hara suddenly jumped behind a bush. Onew smirked.

‘You think you’d get away from me that easily?’ Onew thought grinning.

He stopped in front of the bush and pretended to look around for a moment. He wanted to make Hara think that he was confused to which way she had gone to. After a few more seconds he ran off but unknown to Hara he had actually ran to the other side of the bush, behind her. Finally he saw her standing up and she was intently peeking out through the bush. Onew grinned as he tiptoed towards Hara quietly. Then he slipped his arms around her waist and hugged her tightly.

“Gotcha!” Onew whispered into her ear making Hara gasped. Onew continued to lift her off the ground as she struggled to be let loose.

“Yah! Let me go!” Hara screamed, hitting his hands at the same time.

“Not until you quiet down.” Onew said before burying his face into her hair. He just loved the smell of it.

Hara calmed down immediately. She looked at herself who was practically hanging from Onew’s arms. She could not possibly fight this man. He was too strong for her. Then an idea hit her. It was true that she was weaker than him physically, but she was still stronger than him emotionally. And so, Hara turned her head to look at Onew who was now grinning the moment their eyes met. Hara shot him her most innocent smile before giving him a cute pout.

“Baby, will you please let me down?” Hara whined. Onew’s expression softened. Hara could feel his hands loosening themselves from his grip around her waist.

“Promise me you won’t run.” Onew said, his gaze never leaving her eyes.

Hara nodded, biting her lips. And Onew knew he had lost. He slowly let her off and allowed her to stand in front of him. But before he knew it, Hara tried to make an escape again. Unfortunately, Onew was prepared for the worst. He thought quickly and tackled Hara to the ground. Hara groaned in defeat when she felt Onew’s body weight on hers. She looked up and saw Onew having that silly smile on his lips once again.

“Hi baby! Glad to see me?” Onew asked, laughing happily.

“Aigoo! You don’t fall for my aegyo anymore do you?” Hara sighed as she blew strands of hair off her face. Onew saw her actions and proceeded to help her by tucking those loose strands behind her ear.

“Hm, I know most of your tricks already.” Onew answered.

“That sucks.” Hara pouted.

“Too bad, I love every minute of it.”

“Get off me.” Hara whined again. “You’re heavy.”

“No, I’m not.” Onew smirked before leaning his face towards hers. He felt Hara froze. “You’re nervous.” Onew said in a whisper.

Hara shivered. “A-Ani. W-Who said I-I w-was?”

“I could feel every single veins and pulse in your body baby.” Onew said again.

“No you don’t.” Hara gulped.

“I could feel your heart beating crazily for me too.”

“No, it’s not.”

“It’s telling me that you want me so badly.” Onew whispered, his eyes turning dark.

“Oh really?” Hara raised an eyebrow.

“And I want you so badly as well.”

“I-I d-don’t believe y-you.” Hara gasped.

“Let me show you then.” Onew said before crashing his lips against hers in a forceful kiss. Hara moaned, totally not expecting Onew to be so rough suddenly. But she would lie if she said she did not like it, which she actually did. Their tongues met and fought in the love battle from the heated kiss causing Onew to moan as well before Hara finally used all the strength she had left and pushed Onew away. Both were panting hard, gasping for breath.

“I… I… I like that. B-But, we sh-should go.” Hara said in between heavy breaths. “They will be w-waiting.”

“O-Okay.” Onew just nodded before he gently nuzzled his nose in the crook of Hara’s neck. “I love you Hara.”

Hara smiled and replied with full of sincerity, “I love you too Jinki-yah.”

And they stood up, before walking hand in hand, shyly and in silence.

******

Jieun ran as fast as she could towards the end of the park. She noticed she had lost Hara halfway but it did not matter to her as long as she could get away from Wooyoung. She knew he was chasing her but she was not able to see if he had managed to catch up to her.

She headed for a huge tree and hid behind it. She had nowhere else to hide and the tree was her last resort. She peeked from behind the tree to see Wooyoung running but she was sure he did not see her. Then suddenly Jieun gasped when she saw Wooyoung fell after tripping over a root of a tree. She saw his scrunched up face and she held a hand onto her lips. After a few minutes of watching the pain in his face, Jieun decided to show herself and she quickly ran towards her man.

“Oppa!” Jieun cried and knelt beside him. “Are you okay? Does it hurt much? Can you walk? Should we see a doctor? Ommo! What if you get an infection?”

Wooyoung looked at the girl in front of him. She had tears in her eyes and he felt that sudden guilt attacking his senses. He just made the girl whom he loved dearly shed her first tears. Wooyoung cursed himself.

“I’m fine. Please don’t worry.” He managed to say, in hope that his words would calm her down.

“No oppa. You’re hurt because you were chasing me.” Jieun said, biting her lips. “I should just have let you caught me earlier.”

Wooyoung laughed. “Silly girl! What’s the fun in letting me catching you without any resistance at all? I love challenges and you gave me that!”

Jieun pouted. “Stop laughing oppa! It’s not funny.”

“Aigoo! My girlfriend is so cute!” Wooyoung grinned before giving her a gentle pinch on her cheek.

“Are you hurt anywhere?” Jieun asked as she checked Wooyoung’s body for any signs of wounds.

“Ani. I’m fine, really.” Wooyoung told her. “I may have sprained my ankle though but other than that, I’m great!”

“Sinchia?”

“Sinchia, sinchia!” Wooyoung nodded his head and Jieun smiled.

“Ahrasso, let me help you then.” Jieun pulled Wooyoung up slowly and placed his arms around her shoulder.

“It’s okay Jieun-ah. Oppa is heavy and I can walk by myself.” Wooyoung tried to shrug his arms off Jieun but she would not allow it.

“I’m your girlfriend oppa, let me help you. And I won’t take no for an answer.” Jieun glared at Wooyoung and he nodded fearfully. They made their way slowly towards the entrance of the park.

“I fee so lucky to have you as my girlfriend.” Wooyoung sighed happily. “I could not imagine myself without you around.”

Jieun blushed. “I feel the same too.”

“I love you Jieun-ah.” Wooyoung said shyly as he glanced at Jieun.

Jieun returned the gaze and smiled warmly at her man. “I love you too oppa.”

***

And the four couples finally met at the entrance of the park at exactly at the end of the seeking hour. All of them had crimson-colored faces, due to the mad blushing each of them had. And before they knew it, they were back at the girls’ house eating the wonderfully cooked breakfast, most credits to Joori.

Chapter 16 - Maybe I'm in Love With You...

Wooyoung shivered as he looked down. Indeed it was a long way down. He was not sure why he had followed his hyung’s orders. He felt stupid. He turned to look at Yonghwa and Onew who were now busy looking through the binoculars as they continued to look out for the girls. Tony on the other hand was enjoying the view. It was his first time up on his own house roof and only now he knew that the view from the top was of course mesmerizing!

Wooyoung sat down slowly beside Yonghwa and held on tight to his shirt. Yonghwa turned around and smirked. He knew Wooyoung was afraid of heights but it did not stop him from dragging his dongsaeng up to the roof.

“Why must we do this?” Wooyoung asked uneasily. He was trying his best not to look down.

“Yah! We’re going to spy on the girls.” Yonghwa told him, grinning.

“But why? We are going to meet them later anyway!” Wooyoung groaned.

“But this is my weekly activity! Just because I am dating her already, it does not mean I should neglect this hobby of mine!” Yonghwa said. “I have been doing it for six months! And I can’t just stop.”

“And thanks to you, I’m forced to join in this hobby too.” Onew smirked.

“I didn’t know the view from here is this amazing!” Tony exclaimed in awe.

“You should have joined us before hyung!” Onew grinned. “Instead of scolding us for doing this.”

“I scolded you because I was just worried for your safety.” Tony explained.

“Sure, safety is very important.” Wooyoung said before slowly standing up. “That’s why we must go down now.”

“Oh no you’re not!” Yonghwa pulled Wooyoung down again. “We have a mission to complete here.”

“Mission? More like a death wish.” Wooyoung grumbled.

“Yah! Yah! Yah! I see them! They’re coming out from their house!” Onew said suddenly and soon the other three were standing behind him, including Wooyoung. “But why is Hara and Seohyun hugging each other?” Onew mumbled to himself.

“Let me see! Let me see!” Tony pulled the binoculars from Onew roughly. He took a peek and saw the girls. “Yah! They look so fresh!”

“Give me that!” Onew pulled the binoculars back from Tony. He looked through it and had it focused directly on Hara. Onew grinned. He still remembered the time he started spying like this with Yonghwa six months ago. At that time they were only looking out for Seo Joohyun and he had never noticed Hara before. He knew Seo Joohyun was always with her friends but he had never focused much on them. But now, his entire focus was practically on Hara, and she was the only girl he would be looking out for from now onwards. He smiled. She looked so beautiful! How could he have missed that? For six whole months in fact!

“She looks the same… Still the same Seo Joohyun I started admiring six months ago.” Yonghwa sighed. “I’m falling in love for her all over again.”

Watching over Seohyun from afar for six whole months was such a blessing for him. From just observing, finally he got the chance to meet her, in the most unexpected situation! Yonghwa was not able to describe his happiness when he met Seohyun in the park that late afternoon. It was truly a surprise and he had even thought that it was a dream. He still remembered how Seohyun had approached him under the oak tree and how comfortable she was with him. It felt as if their meeting was planned; planned by someone who was looking at them from above. Yonghwa was pleased. He was indeed thankful to fate. Fate brought them together and he would strongly believe in that.

Tony grabbed the binoculars again and Onew just grumbled in response. He wanted to see Joori and finally saw her. He smiled. Joori looked happy. It was that same happy smile which made him fall in love with her so many years ago. He was sure that he was the only one man who was able to make Joori smile like that. And he was glad.

All the memories of him and her together started playing in his mind. The day he met her, the day he asked her to be his girlfriend, the day he broke her heart, the day he finally realized he was in love with her, the day he lost her, the day he felt like dying because of what he did to her, the day he forced himself to live on because of her, the day he finally met her again in the ahjumma’s shop, the day he court her again, the day she accepted him back, the day she forgave him, the day he vowed his love to her all over again and finally the day he confessed his everlasting love to her. Tony smiled. Joori would always be his main priority.

Wooyoung stared at the binoculars which was shoved into his face. He looked up at Yonghwa’s grinning face before accepting the device. Carefully he looked through and saw the four girls walking happily with smiles on their faces. But the only girl he was interested to look at was Lee Jieun. She was laughing at what her unnies were saying and that made Wooyoung smiled too. He was mesmerized by her beauty and he still could not believe that she was his girlfriend now. It started from accidental bump at the bus stop. He could still remember her face, looking all guilty for bumping into him. And that was just a few days ago. But he felt as if he had known her for months, years in fact! Their frequent accidental meets got frequent including the late night walks together. Wooyoung could not believe how lucky he was to meet her. His own Lee Jieun.

“Yah! Give it back to me hyung!” Wooyoung snapped out of his reverie when he heard Onew shouting as he tried to get the binoculars out of Tony’s grip. Wooyoung groaned as he watched his hyungs started to fight again over the binoculars. Then remembering that he was still on the roof, Wooyoung grabbed onto Yonghwa’s shirt again.

“Yah! Let go of me!” Yonghwa tried to shrug Wooyoung off but failed.

******

Joori had to practically drag Hara and Seohyun out of the house. The two friends were squabbling endlessly. First it was because of the bathroom, then later it was because of the vanity mirror that Joori had in the spare bedroom; both wanting to look extra pretty that morning. Finally it was when they were about to take their jogging shoes out from the shoe cupboard. Each of them was telling the other who were to take the shoes first. Joori was losing patience slowly by the minute. Jieun on the other hand was just minding her own business while smirking once in a while, not really bothered with what was happening around her.

After listening to an earful from Joori, both Seohyun and Hara gave small guilty grins before giving each other massive hugs. Joori looked at them in surprised, totally unable to understand both of her dongsaengs weird way of arguing and sudden making-up.

“You’re both just weird you know that?” Joori said as she turned to look at both Hara and Seohyun who were still engaged in their little cuddles every now and then.

“YAH! Will the two of you stop that?” Joori shouted in annoyance. Seohyun, Hara and Jieun froze as they looked at their unnie with a horror expression. “People will think differently you know that? What will Onew and Yonghwa say if they see the two of you like this?”

“Wo! Relax unnie.” Hara said, rolling her eyes. “You look like one hell of a crazy woman. What will Tony oppa say if he saw you like this?”

Seohyun and Jieun cracked up laughing to what Hara said and that left Joori frowning before joining in the laughter. And soon the four girls were walking down the road, heading towards the park. They were almost passed by the boys’ house when all four of them suddenly stopped.

“Do you think they’ve left already?” Seohyun asked as she eyed the house curiously.

“Hm, it looks empty to me.” Jieun answered.

“You don’t know them, they might still be asleep.” Hara scoffed.

“Hm, let’s think positive shall we.” Joori assured her dongsaengs.

Seohyun smiled. It was only a week ago that Yonghwa was her personal faraway stalker. Always watching her but would never dare to approach her. Seohyun tilted her head to look at the balcony from Yonghwa’s room. She grinned as she imagined the shy Yonghwa looking down on her from the balcony… No. Wait. He did mention to her that he did climb the roof. Was it?

Seohyun looked further up and there she saw four men standing on the roof in all their glory. Well, almost, if they were not arguing amongst themselves at that moment. Seohyun stifled a laugh before looking back at her housemates who were still discussing about the boys.

“I think you girls should take a look at the roof first.” Seohyun told them as she pointed a finger up in the air. Joori, Hara and Jieun looked up and gaped.

“Am I seeing things or are they trying to kill each other up there?” Hara asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I am so going to kill him!” Joori hissed.

“I suggest we kill them together?” Jieun asked a little too politely, causing her unnies to laugh for a moment. Jieun shrugged. “Well, it does look dangerous, don’t you think?”

Joori, Seohyun and Hara nodded.

“There’s no need to actually.” Hara smirked. Then she looked up at the four men who were still engaged in their quarrelling. “YAH!”

The four men looked down to see who was the one who had let out that high-pitched scream. They gaped to see four pairs of female eyes glaring straight at them. Onew and Tony immediately let go of the binoculars causing it to drop onto the rooftop floor. Wooyoung had also let go of Yonghwa’s shirt and he was suddenly standing up straight and not looking so timid as before. Yonghwa on the other hand gave a wide smile. He was glad to see his Seohyun there.

“What the hell are the four of you doing on the roof early in the morning?” Joori shouted.

“Um, we, we, we um we…” Tony was unable to tell her anything as the shock was still flowing in his veins.

“We, we we…” Hara imitated. “Yah! Do you know how dangerous it is to be up there?” Then she fixed her death glare on Onew who gulped. “Baby! You’re such a bad influence!”

“Ani! It’s Yonghwa! He’s the one pestering us to climb up to the roof!” Onew retorted.

“Oi! Don’t you sputter nonsense!” Yonghwa exclaimed. “You agreed to it yourself!”

“Jung Yonghwa!” Seohyun shouted. “Why are you be up there? Are you stalking a new girl now?”

“Aniyo.” Yonghwa answered, horrified. “Why must I do that when I already have you?”

“Wooyoungie oppa! Can you please come down now?” Jieun called out. She had already noticed his expression when she first looked up earlier. It clearly wrote ‘frighten’ on his face. “It’s dangerous up there.”

Wooyoung tried to look down at Jieun who was smiling wide at him. “A-Ahrasso. L-Let me get t-to the b-balcony f-first.”

“Aish! Now your concern is only for your new boyfriend is it?” Onew asked Jieun, feigning hurt. “Ne, ne, just forget about your brother here.”

“How about we just forget about the four of them!” Hara squealed suddenly, a creepy smile on her face.

“Baby! I don’t like the look on your face.” Onew told her, gritting his teeth. He knew Hara was capable of coming out with influential ideas.

“Don’t worry baby, we’ll meet you guys later in the park, ahrasso.” Hara replied before throwing a sweet smile straight to Onew. Then she started pulling her friends with her to continue their way towards the park. The boys, who were still on the roof, just stared at their retreating backs before they too hurried down the balcony.

***

“What was that about?” Joori asked, confusion written clearly on her face.

“Well, I decided that we should hide ourselves from them.” Hara shrugged. “Since they made us worry by climbing up to the roof, so we should make them worry too, by hiding ourselves.”

“I absolutely agree!” Seohyun grinned as she high-fived Hara.

“But aren’t we wasting our time by hiding? We’ll get to spend lesser time with them.” Jieun pouted.

“Aigoo! You’re still new to love Jieun-ah.” Hara smiled, hugging the maknae. “Don’t worry, this is just a lesson for them not to make us worry. It’ll be fun.”

“Ahrasso.” Jieun pouted before smiling wide. “I would love to see Onew oppa’s face when he sees you missing. He was being a bit mean just now.”

“Okay, it’s settled then!” Joori exclaimed with a mischievous smile. “Seohyun and I will head towards the left side of the park. Jieun will follow Hara to the right.”

“Okay unnie! Good luck!” Jieun said as she waved her hand.

“Good luck to you too!” Seohyun and Joori said before waving off.

Seohyun and Joori started some light exercises before starting on their jog. After a few minutes of slow run, Seohyun pulled Joori by her sleeve indicating for her to stop. Joori stared at Seohyun questioningly.

“Unnie, let’s just at least send them a hint that we’re hiding and that they are supposed to find us.” Seohyun said. “I don’t want Yonghwa oppa to worry too much.

Joori smiled, finally understanding. “Aigoo. Ahrasso. Let me be the only one to send a message to Tony oppa okay? Actually, I don’t want him to be too worried too.”

Seohyun chuckled. “Ne unnie. But give them a time limit!”

“Hm, is one hour enough?”

“It should be!” Seohyun and Joori grinned.

*****

“It was all your stupid idea you punk.” Onew grumbled, elbowing Yonghwa at his side.

“Bo? You agreed to it! It fact you said it’s a good idea to watch the girls and surprise them!” Yonghwa answered back.

“Aish! Can the two of you stop fighting already?” Tony groaned. “We were all foolish enough to agree to this stupid idea. And now the girls are angry with us for putting ourselves in danger.”

“I agree with hyung.” Wooyoung said nodding his head. “It was pretty high up there.”

“Okay, okay. I admit I was wrong okay. I’m sorry for dragging to guys up there.” Yonghwa relented with a slight bow to his head.

“Aniya. It’s not your fault entirely.” Onew replied as he placed his arm across Yonghwa’s shoulder.

The four men were once again talking animatedly before they entered the park. They started to look around to see if they could spot four women huddled together waiting for them anywhere around the park. After a few minutes of looking around, they were still unable to see them.

“They ditch us.” Onew simply said causing the rest of the guys to frown at him. “What? Knowing Hara, I think that’s what she would do.”

“But your sister won’t be that heartless.” Wooyoung said.

“Your point?” Onew raised an eyebrow.

“She loves me.” Wooyoung smiled proudly and Onew just rolled his eyes.

“Yah! I just received a message from Joori!” Tony said as he raised up his handphone. His dongsaengs gathered around him as Tony read the message out loud.

Dearest boyfriends,
Tony, Yonghwa, Onew and Wooyoung.
Just to let you all know, we are somewhere around in the park.
We are still angry with you lot but we decided to give you a chance.
We’re just hiding from you, so search for us.
You have one hour.
Good luck! XD

The four boys looked up at each other curiously.

“So, they’re hiding eh?” Onew asked with a slight grin.

“Hm, this is something new. And it sounds exciting?” Yonghwa asked with a silly tune to it.

Tony chuckled. “It sounds like fun.”

“They’re playing hard to get.” Wooyoung could not agree more.

“I say, let’s spread out and look for them. I’ll be sure to punish her good the moment I find her.” Onew let out a smirk.

“Eww! Hyung, you make it sound so wrong!” Wooyoung spat in disgust.

“What? As if you never thought dirty of any girls before?” Onew asked cheekily before frowning. “But never ever let me catch you think of my sister like that!”

“I didn’t say anything, you did.” Wooyoung pointed out.

“Alright enough you two.” Tony voiced out. “Shall we start now?”

“I’ll bring him with me.” Onew said as he quickly dragged Wooyoung with him. The younger man was not able to say out any comments at all as he followed his hyung towards the right side of the park.

“Well, that leaves you with me then.” Yonghwa said grinning. “My brother!”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go.” Tony and Yonghwa headed on to the left side of the park.

Will You Be My Friend? - A Jung Hana Series

Seohyun watched as her six-year old daughter kept on staring into thin air. She had a book placed on the study table but her eyes were nowhere to be found on the book. Seohyun watched as her daughter let out sighs after sighs. It was quite funny actually to watch such a young girl sighing like an old ahjumma but deep down Seohyun just knew that her daughter was troubled by something.

***

Jung Hana continued to ponder. At times she would let out sighs which she felt was necessary especially when people were thinking. She always watched that on television. Adults do a lot of sighing when they are deep in thought, just like her. She looked down at her book once again to see that note which she had received earlier during class. Her pretty and round eyes stared at the note curiously. She pushed her fringe back to stop them from covering her eyes.

Hana sighed again before closing the book shut, leaving the note in between the pages. Her cute ruby lips started to pout as she laid her head on the study table. She thought of that moment in class again…

****

As usual, her pretty mother, Seohyun, would drop her off at her pre-school. After saying her usual routine of goodbyes to her mother and to her baby brother who was sitting back comfortably in his pram, Hana quickly ran towards her classroom to greet her teacher.

Mrs Seo gave her a fond look before gesturing for her to keep her things inside her pigeon hole. Hana smiled wide and obeyed her teacher. Hana was indeed a polite girl and of course, knowing it was the daughter of the famous Jung Yonghwa and Seo Joohyun, Hana was always the apple in her teacher’s eyes.

Once she had safely kept her things, Hana skipped towards her bestfriend Chaeyoung who was busy reading at the library corner. Chaeyoung looked up happily before patting a space beside her, gesturing for Hana to sit. Hana complied and soon the two friends were happily reading the books together.

Their happy time were soon interrupted by a few boys who were always there to tease them. Hana pouted and Chaeyoung placed her hands on her hips. They looked angry but the boys just continued to disturb their peace. But luckily, Mrs Seo noticed the commotion and hurried over to talk to the boys. She made the boys apologize to Hana and Chaeyoung and soon the two girls were left alone again. Lessons started and class activities were in full swing.

Snack time came and the children were told to sit at their respective places on the chairs as the teachers would be serving them the snacks shortly. Hana were assigned to sit beside one of the boys who had teased her earlier. His name was Jinki and Hana was not very fond of him. He wais very mischievous and would always upset her. He would often mess up her drawings or even hid her Keroro pencil case. Because of that, she would always give him the cold shoulder and she would always ignore him most of the time. She had numerous times came home and complained to her mother and her mother would just tell her to be patient and to tell him nicely to not tease her again.

Hana did follow her mother’s advice and talked to him nicely. But he just stared at her cluelessly before grinning wide and soon he was hiding her things again. She had no choice but to endure it until Mrs Seo came to her rescue once again.

So that day, snack time was still the same. They had strawberry jam filled biscuits and a cup of hot chocolate. It was Hana’s favorite snack. While Hana was enjoying her snack, suddenly she felt eyes looking at her. She turned to see Jinki grinning at her. She groaned as she thought that he was going to do something horrible to her again. But surprisingly, he placed one of his strawberry jam filled biscuit on her plate. Hana looked at him curiously.

“Why are you giving this to me?” Hana asked in her cute, girly voice.

“I like you.” Jinki had said cheekily before turning away from her and drank the hot chocolate from his cup.

Hana frowned. Jinki had never been this kind to her. She thought that maybe he finally wanted to be her friend. Hana smiled.

It was time to go for their outdoor activity. Hana loved outdoor plays too! She always enjoyed when her father brought her, her mother and her brother out to the park to play at the playground. Outdoor plays were fun!

Mrs Seo told the children to find a partner to do the activity together. Hana started looking around the crowd of children for her bestfriend, Chaeyoung, when suddenly her hands were grasped by Jinki. She frowned.

“Let’s be partners today!” Jinki exclaimed and Hana just nodded.

They played the games together and Hana actually had fun. She thought that Jinki was a good friend and that he was good at games too. They won a few of the games and Mrs Seo presented them with candies.. Hana beamed. She loved candies but unfortunately her mother never encouraged her to eat them. However her father would always smuggle candies home and gave them to her in her room. He would always made her promise not to tell her mother about it. Hana would always comply with a grin.

Just then, Hana felt a few candies being pushed into her pockets. She turned to see Jinki smiling. She frowned again.

“They are yours, why are you giving them to me?” She asked innocently.
Jinki shrugged. “I like you.” And with that he ran off again.

Finally, it was time to go home. Hana and Chaeyoung walked together hand-in-hand towards their pigeon hole to gather their things. Unknown to them the boys who were always teasing them were right behind them. Hana turned and gasped when she saw them. Jinki was right in front of the group, smiling sneakily.

“Why are you boys always disturbing me and my friend?” Hana asked with her hands on her hips. She was glaring at them.

“I told you. I like you.” Jinki answered and his friends grinned.

“But we don’t like you!” Chaeyoung answered for Hana who was biting her lips.

“Here.” Jinki said as he pushed a piece of folded paper into Hana’s small hands. Hana took it and looked at Jinki questioningly. “We’ll see you tomorrow! Bye!” He waved and soon he and his friends were gone from sight.

“Pali! Read the note!” Chaeyoung exclaimed as she leaned over towards Hana.

Hana unfolded the paper and read the simple writings of Jinki. It read:

Dear Hana,

Jeongmal joahae.

Will you be my friend?

Lee Jinki

Chaeyoung smiled. “He is a good boy afterall.”

“Hm, maybe.” Hana nodded. “He shares his things with me today.”

“He’s a good boy.” Was all Chaeyoung answered. And soon the two girls headed out of their school and walked over to their mothers.

****

Seohyun walked into her daughter’s room with a soft smile. She stroked her daughter’s soft curls and that made Hana looked up. She smiled. She loved to see that smiling face of her mother. It reminded her of the pretty dandelions.

“You look troubled.” Seohyun said before sitting herself down on her daughter’s bed.

“Aniyo omma. I was just thinking.” Hana replied with a shrug. She headed towards her bed and sat down beside Seohyun. She snuggled into her mother’s side and Seohyun just laughed.

“Why suddenly so clingy?” Seohyun asked as she wrapped her arms around her little princess.

“Omma, is it okay if be friends with boys? Even naughty ones?” Hana asked, blinking her eyes.

Seohyun raised an eyebrow. She was indeed surprised to hear that question from her daughter. “Well dear, it’s okay to be friends with everybody. Even the naughty ones.” Seohyun nodded her head. “Besides, if we are friends with those naughty ones, we could always help change them to be good.”

“Jeongmal-yo?” Hana widened her eyes.

“Of course my dear.” Seohyun said as she bent down to kiss her daughter’s head.

“Ah! So it is definitely okay for me to be friends with Jinki?” Hana asked again.

“Jinki? It’s that boy you always complain to me about right?” Seohyun asked with amusement.

“Ne omma. He did not tease me that much today. In fact he shares his things with me.” Hana told her with excitement. “He also became my partner during outdoor and we won a lot of games. He’s good at playing games omma!”

“Ah sinchia-yo? Then you better accept him as your friend then!” Seohyun encouraged with a hidden knowing smile beneath her poker face.

“Ahrasso omma. I will tell him that tomorrow.” Hana said before yawning and Seohyun nodded.

“Aigoo! It’s time for your afternoon nap.” Seohyun said before adjusting Hana to lie down on her bed properly.

“Ne omma.” Hana yawned again. “Omma, when is appa coming home?”

“He’ll be back soon.” Seohyun smiled before giving a light peck on Hana’s cheek. “Now sleep.”

Hana nodded again before finally dozing off. Seohyun finally let out a small chuckle. She could not help but find it funny. Hana’s explanations were funny but cute at the same time.

Seohyun walked over to the Hana’s study table. She picked up the book Hana was reading earlier and was about to place it back into the shelf when a piece of paper dropped out of the book. Seohyun picked the paper up and read it.

Dear Hana,

Jeongmal joahae.

Will you be my friend?

Lee Jinki

Seohyun gave another chuckle before placing the note back into the book again. She put the book on the table again and looked at her daughter’s sleeping form before heading out of the room.

******

It was night time and Yonghwa and Seohyun were soon snuggled up in bed together. Yonghwa gave a sigh as he placed light kisses on Seohyun’s neck. Seohyun grinned before moving away from Yonghwa and turned on the lamp just beside their bed.

“Why’d you do that?” Yonghwa asked gesturing to the brightly lit lamp. “Let’s sleep already.”

“I need to tell you something about Hana.” Seohyun told him and soon Yonghwa was immediately sitting up straight on their bed. When it came to his precious Hana, he needed to be alert at all times.

Seohyun noticed her husband frowning and laughed. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad.”

“Then what is it about?” Yonghwa asked with a slight frown.

“It’s funny actually.” Seohyun said. “She asked me if it’s okay to be friends with boys, even the naughty ones.”

“Ne? Boys? Then what did you say?” Yonghwa asked gaping.

“I told her it’s fine to be friends with boys.” Seohyun shrugged.

“Bo? How can you say that? It is never fine for my daughter to be friends with boys!”

“Jung Yonghwa, your daughter is only six for God’s sake!” Seohyun widened her eyes.

“Yeah so? She needed to be trained not to be too friendly with boys from young.” Yonghwa shrugged. “Who’s the boy anyway?”

“It’s the same boy she had been complaining to me about.”

“That boy who always tease her?” Yonghwa raised an eyebrow.

“Ne. His name is Lee Jinki.” Seohyun said.

“I am so going to find out where he lives.” Yonghwa mumbled before throwing his body down on his side of the bed.

“Jung Yonghwa! That boy is only six years old! Besides he only wanted to be her friend.” Seohyun glared at her husband.

“She should have boys liking her when she turned nineteen, not when she’s six.” Yonghwa continued to grumble.

“You better stop that now Jung Yonghwa.” Seohyun warned.

“I am so informing Jungshin and Minhyuk.” Yonghwa continued with his grumblings making Seohyun rolled her eyes.

“Good night yeobo.” Seohyun said turning off the light. “I will make sure not to tell anything more about Hana to you.”

“Bo? I’m her father, you should tell me whatever she told you!” Yonghwa exclaimed as he turned to face his wife.

“Then stop being a jerk okay? Fathers give encouragement, not the other way round.” Seohyun told him. Through the darkness, Yonghwa could still feel Seohyun’s glarings on him.

“Ahrasso. I’ll be the ultimate understanding appa for our beloved Hana.” Yonghwa said as he pulled Seohyun closer to him. “Okay?”

Seohyun smiled against his chest. “Okay. You’re the best appa in the whole world.”

“I know.” Yonghwa chuckled. “And you’re the best omma in the whole world.”

“Heh! I know that too.” Seohyun grinned.

And when the night suddenly got a little quieter…

“But I’m still telling Jungshin and Minhyuk about that Jinki boy.” Yonghwa muttered.

“I heard that Jung Yonghwa!”