[26 DECEMBER 2019 | DENISSE]
Shortly after rehearsals, Jeanne went ahead and returned to the dorms.
I was left with the rest of the staff to pack up.
My heart felt heavy, so I took a quick break to get some air.
I got out of the building and just sat down on a nearby bench.
"Denisse noona?"
"Woozi! What are you doing here?"
I blurted out, shocked to hear his voice.
"You seemed out of sorts, so I followed you out, Noona."
"Ya! We are just the same age! You can just call me Denisse."
"I feel more comfortable calling you "noona" because you always take care of all of us, not just HHU."
"Aww. That's sweet of you to say, Woozi."
"Hey, don't change the topic. Some of the other members noticed you were distracted, too."
"I'm fine. I just feel a bit weird."
After a short silence, Woozi said something that caught me off-guard.
"You genuinely like Coups hyung, don't you? Not just because you're a Carat, right?"
I couldn't find the words to respond.
But I could no longer deny what I was beginning to realize... and feel.
I was tempted to leave Woozi's question unanswered, but my emotions were too overwhelming to ignore.
That was the moment a tear fell from my eye, and I started telling Woozi what's been on my mind, although not everything.
I'm not even supposed to be crying.
This is too shallow.
But I guess my tears, just like my laugh, are shallow.
I just cry or laugh so easily.
What slowly stopped my sobs was Woozi hugging me.
He isn't one to initiate skinship.
He finds it cringey and would rather avoid contact, with almost no exceptions.
For him to be hugging me right now, to comfort me, says a lot about how much he cares.
"For what it's worth, Noona, all of us actually like you, legit. You attend to us not because it's your job. I feel that you're sincere, taking care of every member.
"Gomawo, uri Jihoonie. I needed that."
"You know, I'm feeling inspired to write a song for you...hmmm..."
"Wow, really? I'm sure whatever you compose would be another hit."
Feeling lighter, I joined Woozi and walked back indoors to finish packing up.
Having made sure that the rest of the HHU boys needed no further help, I went straight to our dorm.
-----------------
Immediately after getting back, I felt more exhausted than usual.
Suddenly, my phone vibrated.
"Hey, Jeanne. Cheol already texted me. He'll meet you at Pledis."
"Okay, Ate. I'll just head out."
"Try not to stay out too late, okay?"
Seeing the grim expression I had on, Jeanne tried to reassure me.
