"So" I said, shifting in my seat.
"I was chatting with the boyz downstairs, and-"
"Oh, I wouldn't recommend that." Hyunjae cut in.
"Me neither," I said, and both of us laughed. "But the thing is...they said that what you told me about the managing team wanting new people to work isn't true."
"Ah.. right," Hyunjae peered at me, touching his palms together. "I figured out you would ask me eventually."
"I actually wanted to work with you. A few months ago, I got called from the head of Songdo, asking me if I was interested coming to the school festival and the new band. I couldn't go of course. But I decided to look at the pictures from the day and there I saw your photos."
He was staring straight at me now.
"They were amazing Yoona. Like,they were as good as some people who had been in the industry for long. I remembered you from the presentation in the assembly, how you wanted to make a career from it. I was amazed from your speech and how determined you were. So I figured, I can help you.
I can help you achieve your dreams. I can be there for you. And I didn't know whether you'd take me seriously, so I made up that story. Maybe I shouldn't have-"
"I'm glad you did," I interupted Hyunjae. He smiled at me in relief.
"Yeah. Me too."
"Only..." I dropped my hands on my knees.
"What?"
"Well..if it was your idea to bring me here," I continued. "It means I was right about your management team and staff. They just think I'm just a random groupie."
I laughed at myself in my head. A random groupie. I'm the one who's using the term now.
"No they don't. I told them why I wanted you to be here and believe me, they get it. Even if they gave you cold shoulders, just ignore them. You don't have to please every single one here. And you can't. It's the same for us too. We can't please every single fans.
But they know we work our butt off for them. You are amazing and talented. And you know yourself. Don't let the others change who you are."
We shared a few seconds of silent eye contact, and I thought about the strange sequence of events that led from Hyunjae inviting me on social media to sharing a heartwarming conversation with him on a empty balcony.
The high school senior in an idol group.
"Thank you," I said genuinely, wiping my tiny drops of tears. "I should keep these as my mottos."
Hyunjae giggled. "Don't mention it."
"I mean it. Thank you for everything. It's just... It's so nice of you." His perfect brown eyes met mine. "You didn't have to do all these."
"I'm glad I did."
"Here you are, Hyunjae!! We've been looking for you everywhere." A woman in a brown suit and navy cap appeared, standing near the entrance.
"We need you for the rehearsal."
Hyunjae looked at me for a brief second before he gathered his things, yelping "Yep, I'm coming."
"Where's Juyeon?"
"Still in the piano room, I guess."
"Great. We will grab him after your shoots. Let's go."
As she walked away, Hyunjae pointed his finger at me, "we'll do the pictures before the shoot starts!" I nodded as I watched him go.
As they disappeared through the hallways, I clutched my camera case and looked through the exit. There was a sign, almost invisible that read: "REHEARSAL STUDIOS: AUTHORIZED ACCESS ONLY."
I stood up. If I was going to confront Juyeon, now was the time.
***
The walk to that "piano room" was way longer than the food Haknyeon had consumed for the past few months. It felt like an eternity and my legs felt like they were dying.
Opening the door with all the force, I fell down on my knees as I tried to breath. How the hell did he manage the find the room? Now wonder he doesn't get out once he's in.
"Yoyo?"
Juyeon was sitting near a battered uptight piano as he played to an unfamiliar tune. The room was bigger than it seemed, with purple walls and a sofa in the far corner.
I looked up at him, trying to stand up quickly acting like nothing happened at all. Juyeon bit his lips and truned around, trying not to show his laugh.
"I-i didn't know you played the piano," I said placing my bag on the sofa as I looked around, avoiding his gaze.
"Most people don't."
I looked at him as he replied.
I almost forgot why I was here because of my embarrassing accident. The fan blog. Does he have any idea what had happened to me online?
"So apparently I'm supposed to get some pictures of you," I said opening the case which was inside my bag. We both listened to the he was playing.
"What if I don't want to?" He asked provocatively. If I was the same old me three weeks ago, I would blush. But I couldn't. With all the hate comments, insults, I couldn't think or act like I usually do anymore.
"Where do you want to be?" As I ignored his answer, I tried my best to hide all of the negative thoughts.
He played couple of notes on the piano as he said, "I'm shy, Yoona. Plus my hair..." He pointed at his messy dark brown hair.
He changed his hair color again..
"That's going to be a no no. I really shouldn't have slept besides Younghoon. He bites my hair, thinking it's bread."
"What?!" I burst out off laughter as I imagined the scenario happening. Juyeon frowned.
I calmed myself down after laughing my heart out. Juyeon pouted like a puppy, not liking the situation at all.
Everything was twisting inside my head. The humiliation at school, Juyeon's lyrics, this conversation. He acted like nothing happened at all. What's even worse was that he made me forget about all these even just for a few minutes. I felt guilty...
I closed my eyes, sighed.
"ThephotoofusfromStarlingitsbeenpostedonlineImbeingtrolledPeoplewontleavemealoneandI-"
"Yoona! Yoona! Slow down for a second." He closed the lid of the piano and stood up from his seat. "What are you talking about?"
He walked closer to me, I fought the verge of my tears.
"Someone leaked the photo on the fan blog."
"What photo?!"
I glanced up. He looked genuinely confused.
"The photo of us, onstage in Starling. The one I sent you. No one knew about it apart from us, but some fan blog got the picture and posted it online and.."
Juyeon closed his eyes, and touched his eyelids, taking a long, slow breath.
"I think I know what happened."
He stepped back from me, hands interlocked on the back of his head.
"Soojin came to my hotel room last week, asked me out for some coffee, and I...I don't know, I'd had enough of her, so I told her to piss-" He stopped his sentence midway.
"that I wasn't interested. I guess she's not used to hearing that. Cuz she went off the rails a bit. She kept taking about how perfect we'd be in the industry as a couple." He said, running his hand through his messy hair again.
"Anyways she talked about you a lot. Asking why you were always around, why I was hanging out with someone who's not even famous, stuff like that. Then I got called from my manager so I was in the bathroom for ages. When I came back, she was gone. My laptop was open on your email."
His eyes met mine. We both knew what he meant by that. It was Soojin all along. I'd been blaming Juyeon all this time. I chewed my fingernails as I asked,
"Why would..she want everyone to think we were..." I didn't say together. It felt insane.
"Because...I don't know, because she figured it would make your life a hell. She knows how the press works. If you're getting trolled, you bet she knew it would happen. She probably started it herself first." Juyeon said, his hand on his arm.
It felt like all the pieces finally fit together. The way she looked at me at the after-party. The way she'd looked at me whenever she saw me with Juyeon, calling me names.
"But why would anyone do that? It's just..so mean."
"Soojin is a bit like that. You've read Utopia of Gossips, right?"
I shook my head. He showed me a half-smile.
"Oh right. I forgot. You don't read gossips. Anyways it was a stupid mistake, and you shouldn't have been dragged into this. But don't listen to what those idiots say about you on the internet. I never do."
Juyeon came closer and I glanced up.
"You really think she would do that to me?"
"She's done worse to other people, believe me."
"But I don't understand," I said, shaking my head. "Soojin's famous and has like everything. And I'm just..."
"Yoyo, trust me. You're not just anything." The only sound in the room was my breath falling in steps with his.
"Hey, wanna hear a song?"
"Huh?"
He pointed at the piano.
"A song. From the album."
"Um...Sure."
Juyeon walked back to the piano, lifted the lid and sat down. He placed his strong but gentle fingers on the keys. Just as he was about to start, I stopped him.
"You have to tell me about something tho." He looked at me as if he told me to continue.
"Why- who are your songs about?"
He stared at me with his intense eyes and furrowed eyebrows. I felt like I was the ghost being stared.
"Just people who are around me..or who used to be," he replied and began to play.
Glided by the light from the tiny window, his hands moved swiftly across the keys, and echoed sounds from the piano wrapped the thin air around me. The notes chimed. He started to sing, his voice hung magically in the air.
When he reached the chorus, my pulse began to beat faster. His lyrics ringing in my ears, filling my mind, it sent a buzzing heat around me.
The song ended, for the very long time, I didn't say anything.
"You're a tough crowd, Yoyo."
I shook my head, flustered.
"No, God..no. I didn't mean like that. I loved it. It's just....you..."
He smiled oddly and leaned against the piano. His chin rested in his hand.
"Did I what?"
I couldn't say it. I didn't know how to. No matter how I pharsed it, it just sounded crazy. Especially when I'd never heard about Juyeon from Yeo.
"Nothing," I said pushing the thought out of my head. I will just ask next time... when I find more clues...
"So do play?"
"Me?" I laughed. "No way. I am already tired just by watching."
He patted the space at the end of the stool.
"Come here. I will teach you something."
Watching him doubtfully, I croosed the room and slid into the stool. Our legs pressed together, he touched some of the keys.
"How about a chord? You can at least do chords, right?"
I rose him a brow. I don't even know what a chord is.
"Okay so here's how it goes."
He curled his hands over mine and lifted them both to the keyboard. I stared at my fingers, having weird feeling inside.
"You thumb, here, that one goes there..." He was carefully placing them against the back and white blocks on the piano. "And every finger has its own key..no like this!"
He smirked at me.
"You have to relax. Yoyo. You're all tense." He leaned an elbow on the lid. "You know playing a piano is a lot like making love to a woman."
I glared at him.
"I just turned 18!!!"
His face, at first very serious, soon broke into laughter.
"I can't believe you just said that..."
"Concentrate!" He said, as if he just didn't say it. "or you'll never make it as a concert pianist."
"Who told him I wanted to be one," I mumbled just to be scolded again.
"Now, you want to play these three keys here...yep, those three. At the same time."
I pressed down the keys, but the noted all rang out differently. It certainly didn't sound great.
"Haha...This is the best I can do."
I sheepishly smiled at him. Juyeon smiled back, "I've seen better. This is just your first try, you know?"
I nodded and tried the chord again, placing my fingers on the spots. Once again, it came out weak.
"Hey, what's that?"
I stopped playing. Juyeon was staring at my neck.
"What's what?"
"That mark."
I touched my neck and said, "it's just a birthmark."
"It's amazing. Although this is my second time seeing it in my life. It almost looks like a...cresent."
"I used to hate it but somehow it made me special," I smiled at myself. "But what do you mean by second time? You'd seen it before?"
Juyeon looked down, at the piano keys and smiled with his dreamy eyes. "Yea... Someone who I knew a very long time ago had those. Who I used to admire..." Juyeon muttered the last part under his breath.
I looked at him in amusement. It's just crazy how someone had the same birthmark at me.
Not even my brother had one.
"Don't you ever let your hair down?" He asked randomly, looking at my high ponytail. Now that he asked, not really. I somehow ended up doing it for no reason.
I folded my arms. "Yes. Of course. I'd definitely done it before."
"No," he laughed. "I know you're lying. Just let it down. I want to see."
He was staring at me with lowered brow, like he was trying to see through. I couldn't speak. I stood there as if I was frozed on the stool as he lifted his hair towards my scrunchie.
Gently, he removed my scrunchie, releasing some strands of messed up hair. I pawed at them self-consciously, knowing how messed up I would look.
"I knew it," he said.
"Knew...what?"
I found myself being uncomfortable with my hair down. I couldn't look at him.
"You are, indeed, the most beautiful girl I have ever seen."
Thump.
I felt my heart skipped a beat.
The silence in the room grew, as Juyeon continued looking at me with a smile on his face. All I could hear was my own breathing, and my heart beat.
When I thought about it- really, honestly thought about it, there was a 99.9% he was lying.
Somehow, that 0.1% was killing me.
"You shouldn't these people like that."
His eyes narrowed at this, as if he was offended. And he tilted his head to the side, still watching.
Then he leaned foward, into the space between us. I felt my heart beating million miles per second and I couldn't stop. And then I knew.
I knew, with a certainy, that Lee Juyeon was going to kiss me.
+×+
Writer's feeling rn: ಡ ͜ ʖ ಡ kiss already!!
Although this late, Happy birthday to our best boi, Kevin Moon! 🌛
<You see what I did there? 👀 A Cresent! Get it? No? Oh..>