Chapter Nine
Hyejin had received that message around two days ago, but she was unsure whether or not to reply. She felt like this was wrong in so many ways, but at the same time, it was right. Hyejin wasn't really sure. She was just confused.
She had two options: she could embrace whatever was happening and see what happens in the end, or stop right now, since she knew what the ending was.
This isn't some fanfiction, Hwan Hyejin. You know very well what reality has in store for a story such as this, Hyejin thought to herself. She shook her head a bunch of times just to snap out of it, but part of her wanted to go on with it. To see if there was more that meets the eye.
She had her principles and she lived by them. Yet, somehow, even if she set down rules to make sure nothing ever happened, she found herself wanting to get to know her idol more than she already did. He might already know her. Everything about her seemed to be everywhere these days.
Hyejin was being greedy, though. She wanted to get close to her idol. She might never have a golden opportunity like this in her life ever again, so she decided it was best to befriend him. After all, a fanfiction moment doesn't last too long, nor could it bring you any further than just being friends.
Hyejin finally replied to his message in agreement and set her phone aside. She tied her hair into a messy bun and put on black rimmed glasses—she didn't really need glasses; she just wanted to get into the feel—and finally began reviewing her second chapter of her newest Hoshi fanfiction titled Lean On Me.
Once she was done, she published it and waited to see her notifications blow up. It did seconds after. Numbers were rising. Comments and votes were flooding in. Hyejin couldn't feel anymore happier than this.
She left the notifications to blow up while she moved on to her profile, wanting to post a message for all her lovely readers then she noticed the follower count—31.9K followers.
Her eyes widened at the number. She had to take off her fake glasses and rub her eyes just to make sure she wasn't dreaming about it.
In fact, she wasn't. Right in front of her eyes was what she thought it was—31.9K followers. She never paid close attention to how many followers she had and she only remembered it was 21.3K every time she visited her profile.
Today, her eyes caught a sight of a new number. She knew people continued to follow her, but she didn't really see how many followers flooded in a day. She didn't know there were that many until she saw it. It must have felt like a dream to her.
Out of utter bliss, she grabbed her phone and dialed Dae Jung's number, waiting for him to pick up the call.
"You're calling for?" Dae Jung annoyingly grumbled on the other end. Hyejin took note that she had woken him up with her call.
She squealed in return and said, "Yah! Cho Dae Jung! We should go out and celebrate today! Or, no, wait, you buy cake and come over to my apartment! We can eat at the rooftop!"
"What's this all about?" Dae Jung asked, almost in a whisper. His voice was hoarse and he sounded like he would fall asleep in the next second.
"Will you buy me cake?" Hyejin asked, super excited. She couldn't help but feel this way. She has never thought of actually hitting 30K followers in her entire life before.
When she first reached 1K, she knew she still had a long way to go. But as the numbers started to rise, she started to become more confused on how it was happening, but at the same time, she was so happy because her life-long dream was finally becoming a reality.
"What's this about cake? What are we celebrating?" Dae Jung started to groan before he yawned over the phone. "Wait... did I forget your birthday?"
Hyejin looked at the calendar that was placed on the desk where her laptop was and saw two circled dates with a red pen. There were two days until Dino's birthday. Then, the day after, it would be hers. She smiled.
"No," she answered with a less, enthusiastic voice. Instead, she used a calm voice. She picked up the calendar with her free hand and stared at the two dates. "But if you didn't ask me now, you would have forgotten that my birthday's in three days."
Dae Jung was quiet on the other end.
"Dae Jung?" Hyejin called. When there was no reply, she tried again. "Dae Jung? Yah, Cho Dae Jung! Are you there? Hello?"
Slowly, a sound was heard on the other end of the line. It was then she realized Dae Jung had fallen back asleep.
Hyejin sat back in surprised. Well, it was partly her fault that she woke him up while he was sleeping. Not wanting to be a bother anymore, she ended the call and decided to just call him back later when he's awake.
Hyejin set her phone next to her laptop and stared at the screen of her laptop, where her Wattpad profile was being displayed. Since there was no one who could celebrate with her at that very moment, she decided to type a message she would post on her message board.
@hwan_ji: Hi guys! I just woke up to see that I have 31.9K followers!!! This is crazily amazing, I can't believe this is real! I hope I'm not in a dream because I would cry. This is real, right? OH MY CARAT, YOU GUYS ARE JUST AMAZING! YOU KNOW THAT? I love you guys, thank you so much for following me! Seriously! You guys are just the best!
Seconds later, accounts started replying. She recognized most of them because she had befriended and had friendly chats with them on Wattpad occasionally, whenever Hyejin wasn't busy with real life schedules.
But the newest account added to her fandom on Wattpad was there once again. The oppa fan that went by the name @dinorawr17. She never saw him in her notifications, other than the rare times where he sent her messages or when he was replying to her posted messages—like right now.
@dinorawr17: wow! you're making it big so quickly, hwan hyejin! congratulations! this oppa fan is sending you virtual cakes! enjoy it! I would send you a real cake if I could :)
Aw, that's sweet, she thought, replying to his message.
@hwan_ji: Aww, thank you, oppa! :)
Hyejin stopped looking through her notifications on Wattpad, feeling like she could get dizzy with the non-stop increase of votes and comments. She enjoyed reading the comments, but she started feeling lazy that she didn't want to.
Hyejin climbed into her bed and stared at the screen of her phone, waiting for Dae Jung to call, but there was none. She groaned and pouted before she placed it on the small table next to her bed.
"What to do, what to do..." Hyejin muttered to herself as she threw a pillow up into the air, catching it and then doing the same cycle over and over again.
Her eyes were fixed on the ceiling and she started to wonder if she could celebrate a small party with Dae Jung. She'd make Dae Jung get the cake and she'd whip up something delicious—or at least try since she wasn't that good in cooking.
She heard a click of a door outside and immediately knew it was her mom. Hyejin recognized the sound of her mom's keys, since her mom has been using the same car ever since Hyejin was five.
Hyejin ran out of her room, going over to where her mom was, which was right in front of the door. Her mom was arranging the shoes.
"Hi, Mom," Hyejin greeted sheepishly.
"Hi, dear," her mom greeted in return. She entered the living room with Hyejin trailing behind her. "What are your plans for today? Do you have any schedules? Talk shows? Fan signings?"
Hyejin shook her head as she leaned against their dining table. "No, but I reached 31.9K followers on Wattpad today. I was thinking of celebrating with Dae Jung up in the rooftop, but he's too sleepy to have a proper conversation right now. I'll talk to him about it later. As for now, can you help me make something to eat?"
Her mom put her handbag down on the couch in the living room and beamed at the mention of her follower count. "Is that so? Congratulations, my lovely daughter! You're indeed brains and beauties."
I couldn't help but laugh. "Anything but that one, Mom. You know I don't get that many A's. There are usually just three when the highest gets like five or six. Or even all A's."
"But you're still in the top five so I'm happy enough." Hyejin's mom gave her a tight squeeze. "Come, I'll teach you how to make kimchi soup for you and Dae Jung. Ah, wait! You two can have a mini barbeque on the rooftop!"
"That sounds nice," Hyejin commented, following her mom into the kitchen. "What do we need?"
"Luckily for you, I went grocery shopping yesterday and bought some meat," her mom said, reaching inside their fridge. "You can bring the mini grill upstairs later to the rooftop. When Dae Jung comes, ask him to help you with that."
"Okay," Hyejin replied, watching her mom from behind the counter that separated the kitchen to the dinning hall—if it was big enough to be called one. The dinning hall was only three steps away from the living room and there were no walls to separate them.
"I'll leave the meat here so it'll thaw," her mom said, leaving it in a bowl as she proceeded with other things. She bent down and took things out from the fridge. "A barbeque is incomplete without the vegetables to wrap. I'll also prepare you guys with sauces."
"Thanks, Mom. You're the best," Hyejin said with a grin as she flashed a thumbs up.
"Only the best for my amazing daughter." As her mom was about to head to the sink, she gave Hyejin a kiss on the head and grinned. "You're so famous now. So many people love you. Are there any guys who are courting you?"
"Me?" Hyejin almost snorted. "Nope."
"Good," she answered, taking some bowls out from the cabinet below her. "Your dad would be very jealous by then. Dads and daughters seem to have that close bond together."
"Is that so?" Hyejin asked, folding her arms on the counter as she watched her mom prepare food. Just recently, Hyejin had a weird dream of two of her ex-crushes. It was weird. The guy whom she liked longer seemed to have caught up to her, holding her by the shoulder when Hyejin did her best to avoid him. The other one... they were a team in some weird game and he had planted a kiss on her cheek with both her dad and her long-time crush watching.
Hyejin shuddered and decided to just watch her mom cook instead of dwindling in such weird dreams. Although, she made another mental note to make that dream into a story. Or at least use it as a scene in her future stories.
Hyejin heard her phone ringing inside her room and immediately ran inside to pick it up. Just as she expected it, it was an incoming call from Dae Jung. She swiped the answer option and brought it up to her ear. "It's about time you called."
"Sorry," Dae Jung apologized on the other end. "I was really sleepy. I stayed up until three in the morning to play my game. You woke me up too early."
Hyejin laughed and said, "Tsk. This is why I always remind you to sleep earlier! Eye bags will form and you will eventually be unattractive, Cho Dae Jung."
"Oh, so you admit that I'm attractive?" Dae Jung teased.
"Hmm, the effect must be taking over already. I don't see a handsome face in you anywhere," Hyejin teased back. "Anyway! As I was saying—because you were too much of a sleepyhead to hear me—let's have a mini party so we can celebrate!"
"What are we celebrating again? Is it your birthday?" Dae Jung asked worriedly on the other line. "Did I miss it by accident? What date is it today?"
"Relax, it's not my birthday," Hyejin said, calming him down.
"Phew." Dae Jung sighed in relief on the other end.
Hyejin added, "Yet."
"Okay, okay, what are we celebrating then, if not your birthday?" Dae Jung asked.
"Me hitting 31.9K followers on Wattpad!" Hyejin excitedly screamed on the other line.
"Woah, really?" Dae Jung was just as excited. "Is this for real? Oh, wow! Congratulations, Hwan Hyejin! Your life-long dream has finally come true! Now, here I am, wondering when that will happen to me."
"Oh, geez, Cho Dae Jung. You're going to be all sulky and whine, aren't you?" Hyejin knew that Dae Jung looked up to her. She was his idol on Wattpad, long before she even made it this far. "I told you! You have to update your stories frequently in order to have fans rolling in."
"Will you advertise my stories on your account?" he asked, his voice full of hope.
"I will, I will," I assured him. "Now, before you come to my house, don't forget to buy me a cake. Alright? I'll be waiting! Go out and buy a cake now! I'll see you later. Bye!"
"Okay! Bye!" Then, Dae Jung ended the call.
Hyejin pulled the phone away from her ear then pressed the home button of her phone. She went to messages and ended up staring at the message Dino had sent to her two days ago.
It's almost his birthday, she thought, wondering what she could get for him. There was no doubt most of the fans would send him cakes. If she sent him a cake, it wouldn't be very original. Maybe I could send him something else?
Hyejin wasn't too sure what exactly guys liked. Luckily, for her, her guy best friend was coming over for a mini celebration so she could ask him what exactly do guys fancy. She could get him something that Dino liked, but other Carats may have already thought of that idea.
Not too long later, the doorbell rang and since her mom was busy, Hyejin was the one who raced to the door and answered it.
Dae Jung's face was covered with a cake in its box and seconds later, he pulled it down and smiled at his best friend. "Congratulations, Hwan Hyejin! You reached 31.9K followers!"
Hyejin smiled back at him and stepped out of the door for him to enter. "Come in. You'll be helping me carry some things up to the rooftop."
"Did you call me over just to be your servant?" Dae Jung asked, lifting the cake up higher so that it was at the same level as his head. "You even asked me to buy you a cake."
"Hush," Hyejin said in response, pushing a finger against his lips before giggling at how silly he looked. "Let's go, my dear friend. We have a mini celebration waiting for us."
"Hi, Ahjumma!" Dae Jung greeted, waving at Hyejin's mom, who was working in the kitchen.
Hyejin's mom beamed as she attempted to wave back, though her hands were full. "Hello, Cho Dae Jung. How is your mother doing?"
Dae Jung smiled back at Hyejin's mom. "She's doing fine, thanks for asking, Ahjumma."
Hyejin's mom washed her hand and took something that was placed inside a bag and handed it to Hyejin. "You take all the ingredients as well as that cake. Dae Jung will take care of that small grill. It's quite heavy."
"And everything else is not?" Hyejin complained to herself, only in a mutter. "It's too bad we can't teleport these things up there."
"Afraid to carry too ,any things, Hwan Hyejin? You must be a wimp," Dae Jung teased as he securely held onto the mini grill her mom gave him. "Oof, this is quite heavy."
"You two better hurry along now. That might start to get heavy," her mom advised. "If you ever need something else, don't forget we're three floors below the rooftop, okay?"
"Nae," the two replied before they headed out of Hyejin's apartment, walking to the elevator with a handful of things.
"So, Ms. Famous, ready to celebrate the day you've always been waiting for?" Dae Jung asked as he pressed the button for the 11th floor—the rooftop. The apartment Hyejin stayed at wasn't a very tall one.
"This feels unreal," Hyejin confessed, breathing. "Is this real, Dae Jung? Pinch me. I need to know if I'm still dreaming or not."
Dae Jung looked at her, incredulous. He lifted the grill that he held in his hands and said, "I think you might have gone blind after getting famous."
They arrived at the eleventh floor shortly and with the hand with less things of Hyejin's, she pressed the button to hold the door open long enough for the two of them to leave the elevator.
The rooftop was spacious and it had nice designs. The people who lived here in Saecho Apartment Complex were free to go to the rooftop at any time they wanted to. Everyone went for a different reason. Like right now, Hyejin and Dae Jung were there to celebrate a special moment.
Dae Jung placed the mini grill down onto the table that accommodated eight chairs. It even came with a parasol. Hyejin also placed down all the ingredients that her mom had prepared just for them.
Hyejin pulled out a seat and sat down. Dae Jung did the same and he tried to turn the grill on, but he was mostly clueless. Eventually, Dae Jung figured it out—since he was no. 2 in class and obviously the smarter one.
"I don't know a lot about cooking," said Hyejin whilst she was eating a cookie she managed to snatch from the kitchen, "but I'm pretty sure you have to let it heat up first."
Dae Jung was just about to place the meat onto the grill but paused after hearing Hyejin's words. He put the meat back into the plastic bag and took a seat across me. "So, want to celebrate by blowing out the candles right now?"
Hyejin shook her head. "Save the best for later. Oh, I have a question."
"What does it involve?" Dae Jung asked, looking suspicious.
"I wanted to give Dino a gift. I'm still a fan, after all. What do guys usually like?" Hyejin slowly asked.
Dae Jung shrugged. "Video games."
Hyejin frowned. "Is that it?"
"Were you expecting something else?" Dae Jung teased. He adjusted his sitting position from throwing his legs onto the empty chair next to him to leaning against the table with his arms crossed on top of it. "We don't want a lot of things, if we had to be honest."
"Is that so?" Hyejin was surprised. But she knew for a fact that the older people grew, the less things they seem to want. Or, at least, it felt that way to her.
"Let's think out of the box, then," Dae Jung suggested, looking over to the grill, where it was heating up.
"I'm trying," Hyejin stressed out, leaning back in her seat. She stared at the skies. It was blue today. "But I'm not creative enough to."
"Then, let's use those talents of yours," Dae Jung said, grinning.
Hyejin paused and finally looked at Dae Jung in the eyes. "Say that again."
"What? The use those talents of yours?" he clarified.
Hyejin nodded. "Explain."
"Ah." Dae Jung clacked his tongue as he grinned. "Write him something. A poem, for all I know. Short. Simple. Sweet. Special."
"A poem?" Hyejin repeated. "Aren't you more of a pro in that field, Dae Jung? Think you can lend me a hand?"
"Poetry isn't something you learn. Not entirely, at least. It's something used to express emotion and you're the one who decides how it'll be expressed," Dae Jung knowingly told her.
Hyejin gave it a thought before a smile stretched across her face. Different words started to float around in her mind. She wanted to tell him a lot, but she wanted to keep it vague at the very same time.
At that moment, Hyejin had totally forgot what they were celebrating.
~Author's Notes~
Hi guys! Sorry for the long wait for an update. School has drained the energy left in me and I'm too addicted to The Liar and His Lover these days. Also, I'm super obsessed with Seo Chanyoung. Like, seriously. I just want him to have the biggest hug from me. Heh <3
Hoped you enjoyed this chapter then :) See you in the next one <3