Chapter 5: Autographs and Teasing
Teacher Taeyang helped Lisa by sharing the burden of the flowers.
With their arms filled with flowers, the two of them left the sight of the crowd. Teacher Taeyang did not plan to conduct anymore interviews — as he walked, he said to Lisa, "Lisa, it was not your place earlier to say those things. We're reporters, not advocates for the athletes. As a reporter, you only need to record the subject's replies and ask questions."
Lisa was still unwilling to admit any wrong. "But that question was really too horrible."
Teacher Taeyang's eyebrows knitted together. "Well, you didn't ask the question, so you needn't feel stressed out about it."
"But that's unfair to the one being interviewed. He hasn't even answered yet and he has already had a chamber pot flipped over his head. What if the interviewee isn't good at speaking and is unable to explain things properly? Should he just accept the accusation despite being innocent?" It wasn't like such things had not happened before — some psychologically weaker people had even broken down crying due to the harsh questioning.
"Lisa!" Teacher Taeyang's tone turned hard and strict. "How can you still not understand? You're not a judge! Matters of fairness are not for you to worry about. We're reporters. We should not take any sides when looking at an issue. You're brazenly standing on Jungkook's side ... this is not in line with the professional conduct of a reporter."
Lisa was unfazed. What sides? Being objective and fair was her true position. Take those people earlier for example — all of them were completely ignoring the problem with that question, all of them waiting for Jungkook to fall for the trap. That wasn't called being unbiased — that was called hoping for a show without care for the consequences.
She still wanted to argue, but when she saw Teacher Taeyang's stern expression, she choked back the words on the tip of her tongue. Instead, she lowered her head and said, "Okay, I understand. I'm sorry."
Teacher Taeyang nodded, relieved. In his eyes, this girl Lisa had a lot of potential. She was smart and quick to learn, and her professional qualities were good. The only problem was that her brain would sometimes go offline, and her attitude towards work was inconsistent — she would sometimes be very hardworking, but then there were times where she seemed to rebel against the nature of her job. She was truly a mystery ...
Lisa was still meekly saying things that she didn't really believe in, "Thank you, Teacher Taeyang, for your guidance. I won't do this again."
"Alright, alright. It's not really a big deal. Besides, that fiasco just now wasn't completely fruitless. Jaehyun and Jungkook both have a pretty good impression of you now. By building good ties with the athletes, you might just be able to get an exclusive interview in future. Who knows? Hahaha."
Teacher Taeyang was mostly trying to console Lisa when he said this. To obtain an exclusive interview, simply building good ties with the athletes was useless. It was more important to have a good relationship with the coaches ...
The two of them were walking towards the exit of the venue when Teacher Taeyang suddenly thought of an important question. "Say ..."
Right then, they heard sounds of a conversation coming from the other end of the passage.
A: "That girl was really bold, but it's clear to see that she's a newbie, daring to say anything. From "Sports Weekly", was it? I heard she's called Lisa?"
B: "You think that's bold? She's done something even more outrageous. At the beginning of Jaehyun's interview session, Jaehyun seemed to have met her before, and so he let her ask the first question. In the end, this girl immediately asked Jaehyun: 'May I know how it feels to lose twice to the same person?' Oh my!"
A: "Really? What kind of thought process is this?! And why would Jaehyun let her ask the first question just after one meeting? It makes no sense ..."
B: "Well, she's pretty! Who doesn't like a pretty girl? But this girl is so straightforward and tactless, completely fearless ... she most likely has some significant background, right? What could it be ..."
Blah blah blah ...
Lisa was unable to continue eavesdropping on their speculations about her family background, because Teacher Taeyang abruptly exploded. "Lisa! You actually spoke like that to Jaehyun! You're going to get it from me now!"
"Ah, ah, ah, Teacher Taeyang, I'm sorry I didn't mean it I was also just trying to be original ..." said Lisa as she ran, turning around the corner. She ignored the stunned couple there, running like the wind out of the swimming hall. She was still fast and agile even with her arms full of flowers. Because she was moving so fast, at one glance, she looked like a large low-flying flower basket.
Teacher Taeyang was hot on her tail — at first, he was still spiritedly screaming murder at her, but as the distance between the two of them grew, Teacher Taeyang changed his approach. "Stop! Lisa, you stop right now!"
Lisa finally stood still. She hugged the flowers as she panted, and turning to look at Teacher Taeyang, she pleaded, "Teacher Taeyang, please don't hit me!"
Teacher Taeyang was so angry his eyes were rolling up into his head. "Am I so violent?!"
He finally caught up to Lisa. Due to the strenuous exercise, he was so tired that his tongue was hanging out of his mouth, making him look like a husky with a healthy appetite.
Lisa did not wait for Teacher Taeyang to scold her; she began apologizing repeatedly. Teacher Taeyang was someone more amenable to persuasion than coercion, a softie at heart — Lisa had realised this during her probation period.
"You- you explain things clearly to me now." Teacher Taeyang glared at her. "Why does Jungkook know your name?"
"Eh? Teacher Taeyang, you're changing gears rather quickly ..."
"Tell me!"
Lisa could only answer, "That ... yesterday, we had some small misunderstanding, causing my name to be deeply imprinted in his mind." She would not tell him why even if he beat her to death.
Teacher Taeyang shook his head. "You're quite narcissistic."
Lisa had said this as a joke to liven up the mood a little — she reckoned that Jungkook and company would forget about her after a couple of days; after all, they were just passing acquaintances whose paths would not cross much.
After some thought, Teacher Taeyang asked, "That ... can you get his autograph?"
"Huh?" Lisa considered it. Jungkook was a very warm and friendly person — it shouldn't be a problem just to get an autograph, right? And so she nodded, saying, "Jungkook is very nice."
Teacher Taeyang's gaze brightened. "Then what about Jaehyun? Can you get his too? Rumour has it that he gives out autographs based on mood."
Thinking about that quirky prodigy, Lisa smiled confidently. "Jaehyun's autograph is even easier to get! Teacher Taeyang, you can even do it yourself. When you see him, just tell him 'you're so amazing and so handsome and I really like you', and you'll definitely get one!"
Teacher Taeyang laboriously reached out a hand to touch his face, his expression sorrowful. "With a face like mine, if I say something like that to him, I would probably be treated as an old pervert and be beaten up!"
"Uh ..."
The two conversed as they walked, neither noticing a lanky figure in front of them who had paused when he overheard their conversation.
What finally drew Lisa's attention was a soft thud.
When she turned to look, she found that a gentleman two or three steps ahead of them had dropped his wallet. The gentleman was making a phone call and had not noticed. Lisa instantly called out, "Sir, you've dropped your wallet."
His figure was tall and slender, but he was still dressed in short sleeves in autumn — it looked like he was very resistant to the cold. Lisa had barely finished speaking when the man turned around. When Lisa saw his face, she was slightly startled. The man was very handsome!
He was very lean, and the lines of his face were clearly defined. His eyebrows were long and slender, and his thin lips were pressed into a straight line, stretched pale. Such an aloof expression paired with the paleness of his face resulted in an inexplicably cool aura. His entire being was shrouded in an aura screaming 'strangers, stay away'.
Lisa once again motioned to the wallet on the ground. "Sir?"
He finally bent over and picked it up. "Thank you."
His fingers were long and tapered with well-proportioned phalanges. His fingernails were trimmed neatly and well-kept, shining prettily under the sunlight with an oddly beautiful translucence.
Lisa looked at his hands and then considered her own hands, and she found herself a little envious ...
The man tucked his wallet away, and then his gaze swept lightly over Lisa and Teacher Taeyang. He asked, "You are reporters?"
"Yes, yes," replied Teacher Taeyang, "There's a competition here."
"I know. I watched the matches today." He hesitated for a moment and then looked at Lisa. "I heard you can get Jaehyun's and Jungkook's autographs?"
"Huh?" Lisa was taken aback, but she soon realised that he must have overheard her conversation with Teacher Taeyang earlier.
Teacher Taeyang approached him and said, "As long as you tell Jaehyun that he's very amazing and handsome and that you really like him, Jaehyun will give you his autograph."
The man shook his head. "So gay."
And then, Teacher Taeyang and this handsome man turned in unison to look at Lisa. Teacher Taeyang even took things one step further. "Lisa, can you let me take a photo together with Jaehyun?"
Lisa was a kind and passionate young lady who took others' wants and concerns seriously. Under the ardent gazes of the two men, she nodded firmly and said, "Alright. Follow me."
The group of three first stowed the flowers in the man's car, and then Lisa led them to the place where she had met Jaehyun and Jungkook yesterday, and they settled down to wait ...
Along the way, they introduced themselves to one another. The handsome man was named Bambam, and he claimed to be an investment consultant. Teacher Taeyang was troubled when he heard his name. "Your name is very familiar. I must have heard it before!"
"That's because you must have heard the phrase 'a large forest houses all kinds of birds'." The man with the cold disposition displayed a flash of sudden humour.
"Cough, hehe ..." Lisa and Teacher Taeyang's laughter was forced.
This swimming hall had four exits. The one the athletes took had many isolation belts hemming it at the external exit in order to prevent the athletes from being harassed. There were also staff keeping watch over the area. Lisa had been lucky the day before. The staff on duty had left his post unattended, which was why she had managed to remain unnoticed. Today, they were chased away twice before they finally caught sight of Jaehyun and company. The staff member was about to chase Lisa and her group away again when Jaehyun came over.
Bambam was over 1.8 metres tall, but standing before Jaehyun, his figure could still be called petite. As for Lisa, she could at best be considered tiny ...
Thus, Lisa had to tilt her neck back a considerable degree before she could see Jaehyun's face.
Right before this, Teacher Taeyang and Bambam had come to an unanimous decision that Lisa would be the one to spout those words. Lisa finally knew what it meant to lift a rock only for it to smash one's own foot. And so, right then, under the pressure of their gazes, Lisa forced herself to say to Jaehyun, "Jaehyun, you're so amazing and so handsome and we really like you!"
"I know!"
Lisa gaped, at a loss as to how she should reply. In contrast, Jaehyun stretched out a hand in a practised manner and asked, "Where should I sign?"
Teacher Taeyang handed over a notebook while Bambam handed over a tablet computer in a white casing. As Jaehyun signed, he said, "You threw away all the flowers we gave you?"
"No ..."
Before Lisa could explain, he continued, "It's fine if you threw them away. After all, I would have thrown them away myself." He returned the notebook and the tablet computer to the two men.
Lisa felt that she needed to explain properly. "I didn't throw them away. We've put them in the car and will bring them back to the hotel in a bit."
After Teacher Taeyang received an autograph, he still wanted to have a photo taken with Jaehyun. Jaehyun was a little impatient, but he still cooperated.
After the picture was taken, Teacher Taeyang also asked Jungkook for his signature and a photo. Jungkook was more patient than Jaehyun — at least he did not show any signs of impatience.
Bambam did not ask for a photo. After he put his tablet computer away, he stood to one side and waited quietly. Lisa whispered to him, "You don't want a photo with Jaehyun?"
He shook his head.
"Then ... do you want Jungkook's autograph? He's very nice. If you want one, he'll give you one."
Bambam shook his head once more.
Lisa was puzzled. "Why do you not want it anymore?"
At this moment, Jungkook called out to her. "Lisa."
"Hm?" Lisa turned her head to look at Jungkook.
Jungkook's gaze, as pure as driven snow, landed on her face, and he asked, "What about me?"
"???" Lisa tilted her head, unsure what he meant.
He quirked an eyebrow. "Am I not amazing and handsome and don't you like me?"
"Uh ..." Lisa looked into his eyes with their clearly defined blacks and whites. That sincere gaze did not seem like it was joking. She felt a headache coming on. "That's not it ..."
"That's not what?" He gazed at her steadily, pressing.
It looked like he was intent on getting an answer ... Lisa could only bite the bullet and say, "Jungkook, you are, very amazing, very handsome, I ... really like ..." Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, until the barest mosquito hum could be heard at the end.
It was so odd — why had it been so easy to say those words to Jaehyun, and yet be so awkward and strange saying them to Jungkook ...? Lisa lowered her head in embarrassment, too shy to look at him.
And then she heard his laughter once more. It was as mellifluous as usual, like a musical movement flowing from the strings of a harp. Lisa subtly lifted her eyes to peek up at him, and found that his brow was smooth and at ease and his lips were curved, neat white teeth peeking out from the gap between his lips. Although his smile was still radiant enough to stall time, it was currently filled with mischief.
Teacher Taeyang leaned over to whisper inopportunely by Lisa's ear, "Lisa, I think you've just been teased."
Lisa: "..." This is the kind of thing you keep to yourself! Why did you have to voice it out?!