Hyun Choding

Yonghwa has been flipping and turning on his bed for the past minutes trying to sleep but his eyes were disobedient. His mind wander to the pretty woman next door and his heart did the summersault. His eyes traveled on the thin walls of the beautiful inn, with its serene ambiance and a can of beer/non-alcoholic beer they had been honest to each other. Spilling all bottled emotions, expectations and disappointments inside. Being a triple A, as Jonghyun has said, it was harder than planting gogumas on a hectare of land all by himself. And he knew Hyun was the same or maybe a bit more. He can say he knows her well to the amazement and/or annoyance of some because she is partly him, minus the mischief and playfulness. And what struck him in their heart to heart talk was when she told him she’d changed, she was changed all because of him. His heart swelled hearing those words from her, and from acknowledging it, he knew she has been thinking about it a lot, thinking about him a lot. A smile broke on his face, he reached for his smile lines and massaged it, it always comes in handy thanks to Jungshin.

He heard a soft laugh from the other side of the room that made him sprang up “Hyun is still awake” he whispered to himself a little giddy. He tiptoed his way to her room, afraid of waking up their crew whose room was just adjacent to theirs. He knocked softly on her door but no one responded “Was it just my imagination?” he just asked himself when he heard another soft laugh. “Hyun! Hyun!” He knocked and tried calling her name in a whisper and again no one responded. He opened the door and there he saw her sitting on the porch, both legs are wrapped around her embrace, her chin on her knees, her eyes were closed as she listens on something that makes her giddily laugh on her earphones. It seems like she is not aware of his presence yet. Curiously he tiptoed and close their distance, he studied her face, the beautiful smile that spreads on it and the occasional laugh that escapes her throat, his curiosity deepened, earlier he thought she was talking to someone on her phone but now that he’s closer he assessed that the earphones were connected to the MP3 that was lying on the floor. His forehead creased in confusion and without realizing his head moved closer to hers, his left ear to her right ear trying to hear what makes her giddily happy that it’s making him jealous. “God only knows what this girl is thinking” he thought

-

Seohyun sat on the opened porch after their serious talk. She can’t possibly sleep from all those talk, right? It makes her happy that finally, someone was able to open up her heart and her mind freely. Bottling up all emotions suits fine with her but she hadn’t know how good it feels to actually let it flow. She has been thinking a lot these days, and she was in denial at first but reality caught up with her and acknowledging it is the only way to calm her shaken heart, and boy was she glad to do just that. Seeing how happy it made him, a smile broke her face. She put her earphones on and pressed play, the music starts playing on her ear that made her giggle, she pressed replay, closed her eyes and listen to every single word to it, hearing this particular song always tug her heartstrings. The song played again and again as a soft laugh and giggle pass through her throat, oblivious to her surroundings. She suddenly felt an ear brushed to hers. She jumped in surprise, her wide eyes adjusted to the darkness and stared to the equally surprised Yonghwa “What…” she saw him put a finger on his lips and realized she has to keep it low. “What are you doing here? Why didn’t you knock?” she asked now in a whisper

“I did knock. I even called your name twice but obviously you did not hear it. What were you listening anyway? Making you all smile and laugh like that?” he whispered back, he reached for her earphones

Seohyun flinched, trying to take the mp3 player and turn it off, but as expected, Yonghwa was faster than her. She blushed from the tips of her hair to her toes in embarrassment as he shot her a knowing look and a mischievous smile on his face. A glint of understanding sparked in his eyes “Is my song that funny?” he feigned ignorance and hurt but Seohyun knows him well enough to see he’s playing around again

“Yes and no” she answered, collecting all the courage she can muster, she can tell he knew something, so better yet say it once and for all. “No I don’t find it funny and yes it can make me laugh because it reminds me of you.” She answered wholeheartedly while thanking the darkness of the room, she touched her warm face, trying to look straight his eyes

His eyes danced with mirth “Are you trying to say you have a crush on me?” a half meant joke escaped his curved lips

She sighed “Call it whatever you like, it doesn’t matter” the nonchalance in her voice surprised her as she was feeling way more different. The butterflies in her stomach, the fast beating of her heart, the cold sweats on her palms was saying otherwise. She watched his reactions changed from playful to serious. Now her mind readies itself for a rejection.

Yonghwa gazed at Seohyun’s sincerity. He knew something was up but he didn’t want to be presumptuous so he tried to joke around with her. One can’t know how surprised he was with her statement, or should he call it confession? This is so not Seohyun! His mind was screaming at him, but because she is Seohyun, then he should take her seriously. He sat comfortably beside her, they shared earphones and listened to the replayed song LOVE LIGHT. After the second replay he swallowed hard and said “Where is the CD that I gave you earlier?”

“It’s in my bag. Why?” the walls of self preservation were almost finished and he asked her that? The moment she sat beside her in silence, she thought he was constructing a sentence of rejection, the one that would hurt less once he said it, but she was asked about some random CD? How could that be? What is exactly in that head of yours Jung Yonghwa? She sighed.

He smiled as he sees Seohyun fidgets “The single I don’t know why, I was the composer.”

She stared of him in confusion and disbelief. Here she was fidgety and nervously waiting for his reply after her confession but he wanted to talk about his composition? But she answered anyway “W-well, yeah, I read about it earlier too.” Her mouth pouted and her nose flared

Yonghwa wanted to pinch her nose as she unknowingly do her mannerisms, although he finds it really cute, he knew she wanted to say something but held it in. “I was thinking of you while I wrote the lyrics, just like love light”

Her eyes flew from the dark sky she was staring at a few seconds ago to Yonghwa who is now back to his usual playful self. The mirth on his eyes and those mischievous curves on his lips that she started to love was back “Don’t lie!” tension started to ease as she studied his face

“I’m not. That song was how I felt while thinking of you at that time” he answered coolly his eyes on the moon

“Hmmnn, you don’t have to impress me you know. I already have crush on you so..” they say couples are starting to be alike and now she believes it, copying how the cool Yonghwa acts is easier than she thought. She chuckled at her own silliness

“Waahh!” his eyes widened at her imitation, and then he smiled tenderly “I was actually saying I have a crush on you too”

No, she did not faint, she just sat there frozen for about 20 seconds or maybe more, she’s not sure. She just looked at him. He clapped to get her attention, clicked his fingers in front of her face, he even danced awkwardly but she’s somewhere else. Then he gave her a light peck on her gaping mouth. She blinked her eyes.

“Hi, welcome back to Earth” he said smiling

“Did you just kissed me?” she whispered, she felt her lips

“Me? Kiss you? Nah! You must have been dreaming”

“Was I asleep?” confusion was written on her beautiful face

“You took a nap”

“Are you kidding me?” Yonghwa stifle a laugh. How cute can she get?

“Of course not! How could I?” after he stared at her for a couple of seconds, he smiled, stood and left her with his goodnight

Seohyun really felt Yonghwa kissed her. She can’t explain how it happened but what she is sure of was hearing him say he has a crush on her too and then she felt something that touched her mouth and she saw his face just a breath away from hers with this really wide grin. She shook her head, she has to be sure. Now it’s her turn to tiptoe her way to Yonghwa’s room. She knocked carefully and called out his name in a whisper “Yonghwa oppa”

He heard her from outside, he opened the sliding door and stood there in shock, his eyes wide and his mouth gaped at her.

As soon as the sliding door opened, she stands in her toes and planted a soft kiss on his unprepared lips. She nodded and felt the sensation on her lips, she touched it before she looked at his shocked expression “You did kiss me. Liar! Meeroong!” she turned her back on him hurriedly and closed her door. A giddy smile on her lips, couples are really alike. “Now I’m Hyun choding” she whispered to herself