The Answer - An Answer Me 1988 Fanfiction

Junghwan

February 1989, Ssangmundong

'Junghwan-ah?'

What the hell was she trying to do?

Why was she making this more difficult than it needed to be?

When had she started calling him by his name?

He hated it!

He loved it!

The desperate whine in her voice, like he was hurting her, it set his teeth on edge.

'Let's go the concert together?' She begged for the fifth time that day.

The tickets are in my drawer! He wanted to shout. I want to go there with you now and just sleep under the stars outside the stadium until the end of the month holding you against the cold!

He gave her a wondrous amount of well thought out excuses.

She pouted, 'Okay.' in a small voice that drove a nail into his heart.

She turned to go, her shoulder hunched forward in defeat.

No, Deokseon-ah. No I'll go with you!

I'll do anything Deokseon-ah, please!

He felt grimly proud of himself for avoiding the temptation.

He felt like a windup toy without the key.

She was living with him these days.

In the same house!

She was touching these very door handles with her own hands!

Her hands!

But time seemed to have slowed so hours crawled into each other, colliding lazily and he was following behind, a soul devoid of life.

He climbed into bed and pulled the rug up.

The room smelled of Deokseon.

He loved that scent: the cheap perfume she had mixed into the bottle of Nivea body spray his mother had given her for her birthday last year with a soft hint of red bean bun.

He turned on his side and opened his eyes.

Deokseon.

So beautiful.

He was going mad.

She was in his bed now!

No wait, he was in her bed! They were sleeping in his room, Deokseon and Bora Nuna.

Just one minute Jungpal-ah, one minute won't hurt!

I'm sorry Taek, forgive me. He thought, laying back down. Just one minute. I'll just look at her. I'm sorry.

She opened her eyes and he was caught.

There was nowhere to run.

'Let's go to the concert?'

'Junghwan-ah?'

It was her drunken whisper that did it.

He had never realised just how beautiful his name was, intoned in her soft childish voice, broken with sleep.

'Ok. I'll go.'

Taek.

He tried not to think about Taek even as the two of them got on the bus and it lurched forward, throwing her against his chest.

He sucked in a breath.

She giggled and gave him a small pat right over his heart before bouncing down the aisle to the back.

'Isn't this so exciting? Huh? Jungpal? Huh?'

'Don't hit me woman, my arm hurts!'

She gushed and giggled and punched him some more.

He loved getting punched by her.

His arms were always blue and sore when he changed for the night.

He found himself smiling every time he caught sight of the bruises in the mirror.

He was a masochistic ass!

She couldn't wait to get off the bus as it neared the stadium, bouncing on the balls of her feet giddily just outside the doors.

He hurried over and stood behind her to make sure she won't fall out when they opened and just as well.

She would have flown out face first if he didn't catch her with an arm wrapped around her waist.

She looked up at him with a cat-like smirk and for a wild moment he feared she could feel his heart ramming his chest.

He dropped his hold.

She bounded away without a backward glance.

They spent the evening sitting next to each other, Junghwan very aware of her shoulders and their warmth brushing against him when she waved her hands, as captivated by the melancholy of Lee Moon Sae's voice as Junghwan was of her.

I can't have you.

Taekie needs you.

The concert finished and the crowd surged forward trying to get a last glimpse of the singer and if they were lucky, an autograph.

They pushed Deokseon towards Junghwan, unknowingly giving him the excuse he needed to hug her tight under the pretense of pulling her away from a stampede.

Several girls jostled in front of them, pushing Deokseon closer he could feel her nose digging into his collarbone.

He buried his chin in her hair and kissed the top of her head as lightly as a butterfly's touch.

She glanced up at his chin.

'Get off me, Kukudas!' He growled.

She stuck out her tongue.

... ... ...

7j\$