For the day, the once uniformed white hallways are filled with bright, dark and photogenic pops of colours as children, parents and guardians from presumably a large area came together to spend their day at Nabi's High School. This is a great opportunity for students, especially those who are not so keen to be sitting down for a good seven hours to be out and about, for those good seven hours and to be active while also having the luxury to stuff themselves with some yummy school festival delights and snacks.
"Last one has to pay for all of us!" Yebin clearly announces to the group in a rush, not wanting to lose her own punishment. Jaemin isn't too phased about it, walking calmly to the bubble tea truck while the others race each other to increasingly long convoluted line.
"And here I thought Jeno was the no fun one." Donghyuck shook his head in disappointment, "Have a little fun would you?" The boy playfully shoves Jaemin who kept his eyes on Haeyoon, not minding a thing that was just said to him.
Jaemin scans Haeyoon's costume that she has already decided to wear prior because she knew that she wanted to quickly scan the stalls before heading off to their performance, "Are you nervous? Or excited?" Jaemin asks Haeyoon with tender eyes.
Soothed by not only his voice but stare, Haeyoon leans her chin forwards and boldly flings both her arms around his neck. Jaemin stood still though every part of him wanted to scream and run away due to the unpredicted act, "I trust you. I trust that we'll be alright." Jaemin wanted those words to be true so badly because he knows that he couldn't handle the way that Haeyoon cutely smiles at him as his body leans forwards towards her slightly due to her weight. He felt a wave of electricity running from the top of his central nervous system all the way down.
"Come on lovebirds." Renjun rolls his eyes, even though the sight of his lovesick friends would make anyone's day, "We're at the front of the line."
When Haeyoon releases her hold from Jaemin, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of disappointment as the light gravity that pulled him down towards the windows of her kind soul disappeared and his body craved more for her touch; it became clear to him that he couldn't stand a moment without Haeyoon no matter how much he denies it. To everyone's gratefulness, Jaemin pays for everyone's bubble tea as the group lets out fake tears but genuine sadness as they learn that he is lactose intolerant, meaning that he could never enjoy the heavenly original milky bubble taste without certain consequences. For the first time in a while, Jaemin shows a smile. It was small but it looked genuine to their eyes, their worries of Jaemin fitting into the group vanishing into the sound of laughter that surrounded them and was emitted from them.
Jaemin and Haeyoon look over the curtain at the side of the stage as they both watch the group performance, clapping and swaying along to the beat with occasional dancing along to the choreography. She began to grow more excited when Donghyuck and Yebin took the centre part of the stage, performing their short and sweet little duet part, "They look so cute."
Jaemin diverts his attention from the stage to the shorter girl next to him, "Don't they like each other?"
"They're both too dense to realise it and they don't believe us when we tell them." Haeyoon frustratedly exclaims, "I mean, seriously! Just hurry up and be a couple already! Yebin needs Donghyuck and vice versa! Have you seen the way that she looks at him with those lovey-dovey eyes? I'm lowkey, very, super-duper, incredibly jealous." Jaemin leans his body to the wall next to him, amused with the little rant that made her huff and puff adorably.
Jaemin leans over to the girl and with the sudden surge of confidence in him, turns her face to him with his thumb, "Do you like someone, bubs?"
"H-Huh? W-What makes you think that?" Haeyoon reaches out the the bricked walls behind her, the pads of all her ten fingers touching the cold surface that isn't too far away behind her.
Amused by her stuttering, Jaemin leans closer until Haeyoon's back lays flat on the wall behind her, Jaemin extends an arm next to him for bodily support and safe space between the two, "Why are you stuttering all of the sudden?"
Haeyoon looks away from his intense gaze. More like, she looks away from Jaemin because of the way his hair is styled perfectly to one side, lips moisturised and a bit pinkish due to the lip balm that she applied with shaky hands, long natural eyelashes that most people would envy and his cunning eyes that looked like he could swallow her whole at any time, "Because you're being weird."
Before Jaemin could go any further, the audience claps at the group currently on stage and Haeyoon pushes Jaemin away quickly by his chest before anyone catches them staring at each other like no tomorrow. Clearing their throats, they both looked away from each other, saving the awkwardness for each other at the same time as they both walked on stage before their performance started.
To the audience watching their somewhat intimate dance, they were in awe of how in sync the two were as they put their trust in each other as the dance involved many dips, carries and balance, something that cannot be truly achieved by 'just two people doing a duet'. While some parents covered their children's eyes because some deemed it to be too touchy and mature, majority of the crowd and in particular couples, were taken back to when they first met their partners while the ones who are still single imagined a world were they would be held tightly just like the way that Jaemin held Haeyoon close to him.
Coach Jeong and the rest of the dance team, excluding Soobin and a few others, left their mouths gaping open for most of the performance. They knew the effort that the two spent with each other, appreciating the art in front of them even more when they recall how Jaemin was a misunderstood, cold outsider to them, Haeyoon complaining on the days when he wouldn't show up and left her in the seemingly bigger practice room herself, tired of being alone and dealing with the double workload that her body didn't manage to completely hold on for.
"You see that?" Renjun points to the duet, directing his question at Donghyuck and Yebin, ready to openly expose them, "That's 'the' look that you two always give each other. Stop being dense and do better." Renjun receives a hard slap on both sides of his arms from the two, Jeno left chuckling at the scene even though his heart silently cried.
It all seemed like a shame when Jaemin and Haeyoon held their final pose to the audience. Haeyoon had both her hands on his shoulders while Jaemin wrapped his arms around her waist as they both stared at each other for what felt like both an eternity and a second, their breaths syncing one another like one person.
The day is all set up to be a festival but it wasn't only the school that is externally decorated with balloons, silly strings, party poppers, confetti, smiles, surprise, excitement, amusement and inspiration but also internally at heart for most people, more for a smaller group of people.
As the music dies down and the sun sinks down to say goodbye for another time, the school gradually clears its visitors, staff and students after a great time that can only be experienced annually. With tired bodies and half-closed eyelids, Renjun, Jeno, Donghyuck and Yebin excuse themselves first, leaving Jaemin and Haeyoon alone.
"Should we go for a MacDoodle's run?" Haeyoon suggested cheekily.
"Are you still not full from all that food? My wallet is crying because I lost so many bets today, so no." Jaemin hops on his motorcycle, clipping and adjusting his helmet, flipping the centre stand off the ground, before looking over to the sulky girl, "Okay fine, we'll go for a MacDoodle run."
Hurriedly, Haeyoon climbs on the back of his motorcycle, "Forget the helmet, let's go, let's go!"
Jaemin scoofs through his helmet, his face in disbelief, "What happened to the girl that was so against on being on my baby bike?"
"You call your motorcycle 'baby bike?'" Haeyoon eyes him up and down in disgust, the nickname cringing her from inside out, "Whatever! Let's go!"
"Put on your helmet, Hae."
"It's called trust, Nana."
Jaemin stood still at the nickname. His heart felt like it was being squished and pinched from all sides, his mind giving him happy flashbacks of the times that he had with his deceased parents. Yet he soon felt relief when he reminded himself that it was Haeyoon who called him the familiar, endearing nickname and it most definitely mended not his wounded heart.
"Yes." Jaemin agrees, roaring the engine full of life, " Yes it is, bubs."
I went to my friend's dance concert today and it made me realise how much I miss dancing 😭
Also had my annual school music concert and it was like an hour late. Like, I could see the head of department being so mad for it and I felt so bad. I was scheduled to perform at around 8pm in the second half but then got moved forward to the first act of the first half. Never been this late before but thank God cause I could go home earlier.
from_izzy