The sound of his phone vibrating wakes him up from his slumber. He groans, face buried in one of the three extra-large feather pillows on his bed, and his arm pokes out from under it to fumble around his nightstand, trying to feel for his phone. It vibrates again, 'Uuuuuuugghhhhhh,' he replies to the tremors and turns towards his nightstand, hair springing in all directions, eyes squinting from the bright afternoon sun. He grabs the phone and retracts into the comfort of his blanket before tapping on the device. It's a message from Wonho:
"Where are you?? You should be here 20 mins ago. You better not forget"
'What the hell is he talking abou... Oh. Shit,' he sits up swiftly to get out of bed, only to feel a pair of arms wrapping around his naked body. "Where are you going..." a voice purrs from under the soft, white blanket. He pulls the massive cloth away, revealing an equally naked woman on his bed. She flinches from the light and the sudden cool air swarming onto her skin. She moans, and tightens her arms around him, curling up and pulling herself closer to Hyungwon. She snuggles close to his lower back and kisses it, "Don't go..." she adds.
He smiles, recalling what happened last night. "Sorry babe, I have to. Duty calls," he says to her, gently tugging her hands to let go of him. "Remember to leave the keys at the front desk later," he adds as he gets up and enters the bathroom. He brushes his teeth as the woman joins him in the bathroom and hugs him from behind, pressing her body onto him. Slightly annoyed, he tells her, "Babe, I'm brushing my teeth."
She pouts and lets go of him. She shifts to the front and leans against the marble sink with her arms crossed, staring at him with her beautiful almond eyes. Her eyes narrowed, "Do you even remember my name?"
He glances at her for a moment, and returns to his reflection in the mirror. He chuckles and spits the toothpaste into the sink while turning on the faucet. She scowls and storms out to the bedroom, then throws herself back onto his bed, sulking.
He grabs some hair gel from the cabinet and runs his fingers through his hair lightly, then exits the bathroom and without skipping a beat he heads toward the closet to get changed, as if he's alone in the room. He emerges shortly fully dressed in a dark grey suit with a burgundy shirt, a hand holding a pair of black dress shoes. He approaches the bed one last time before he heads out, and bends over the sulking girl, his face barely an inch away from hers.
His piercing gaze shifts from her rosy lips to her glistening eyes, "Joanne. Your name is Joanne," he says as he sinks his lips onto hers, a hand caresses her smooth cheek to her chin, and pinches her chin a lightly as he pulls away. She blushes, and sighs sadly as he exits the room, knowing that there's a slim chance he will come to her again after today; Hyungwon is known to never double dip.
He arrives at the building 45 minutes late to the event, and is immediately greeted by his cousin at the entrance to the launching ceremony of the new Prometheus Challenger: the fastest, quietest, environmental friendly and affordable vehicle to be created in the auto industry to date.
"I see you had fun last night," Wonho teases him.
"The suit gave it away?" Hyungwon asks rhetorically. He keeps a few sets of clothes over at his suite at his mother's resort; his bachelor pad that he only visits when he throws parties, and when he wants to have some private time alone with the women in his life. There, in its closet, are his favourite turtle necks and jeans, shirts and slacks, and the grey suit. His cousin chuckles and elbows him lightly.
Through the evening, the boys were introduced to investors, partners, and clients of Prometheus Motor Corp by their fathers as the successors to the company, something that Wonho's father has decided to do as a hint to motivate them to take more effort in learning about the company soon. However, being the playful 19 and 20-year-old that they are, everything about the event screams boredom to them, and they simply cannot wait to get out of it as soon as they can.
While their fathers are distracted by a couple of Japanese businessmen, the two snuck away from the party, to the lobby. Wonho pulls out a card from his coat and shows it off to Hyungwon.
"Whoa! When did you get that?!" Hyungwon exclaims, and snatches Wonho's new driving license out of his hand. He looks at it in awe, studying the information printed on the card with his cousin's picture right next to the wordings. Wonho grins proudly, "This morning. Oh, and I also have this," he says as he pulls out a small remote from his pocket.
"WHAT?!" he snatches the key to the new Prometheus Challenger from his cousin.
"It's a present, for passing my drivers test."
"I can't wait to get mine," Hyungwon says enviously.
Wonho chuckles, "It won't be long, but till then, wanna go for a ride?"
"Is that even a question?!" he answers. Wonho giggles and leads the way to the basement of the building, where his new car is parked. The boys turn to each other giddily as the car unlocks automatically when Wonho approaches it, and when they entered the car, Hyungwon takes in the luxurious scent of the brand new, black leather seat. They might've own the company that made this vehicle, but the excitement of being in a new car still gives the boys butterflies in their stomachs. Wonho presses on the engine button, and the car vibrates lightly and silently, coming to live.
They drove around the city for a while, thrilled to finally be able to go to places without a chauffeur. The Challenger was turning heads wherever it goes, just like the two boys that are riding in it; being the heirs to a rapidly growing company and being so good looking, there's never a shortage of girls and even women that would try to get close to them.
Wonho swerves in and out between lanes, driving recklessly and making Hyungwon nervous, "Hyung, slow down."
Wonho glances over to his cousin, "Why, you scared?" he teases Hyungwon. He turns at the junction and enters a parking lot of a club they've always gone to. Typically, only those of age 21 and above are allowed to enter the venue, but the boys being who they are, rules need not apply to them if they decide that they belong in there. They parked the car at the VIP lot and nods at the muscular bouncers as they walk into the massive room with booming music, colourful spotlights and an ocean of party goers bouncing along to the beat, some holding bottles of beer in their hands as they dance.
Hyungwon stays at the bar while Wonho heads straight for the dance floor, since he doesn't drink. Within minutes after he started dancing and grooving to the music, a girl approaches him and is dancing really close to him. He smirks and pulls her towards him as they move to the beat. Hyungwon, witnessing all that is happening, is not at all fazed. It's so typical for girls (and sometimes even guys) to flock towards Wonho wherever he goes. He turns to the bartender and orders himself a drink. He scans the room as he takes tiny sips from his Jack Daniels; he likes to people watch. Eventually, a group of three girls sitting beside him started talking to him. He smiles and chats with them.
Once in a while, there would be a small gap between the songs; something that Hyungwon notices. It's not very obvious, in fact, it's barely noticable if you don't pay attention to it, but Hyungwon did. He realizes that it only happens when they switch DJs, so he'd turn towards the DJ booth whenever he hears the small gap between the music. DJ Randall's beat are heavier and more dubstep-like, while DJ Dorian prefers ethereal sounds with a dash of electronic and house. He can already recognize each DJ of the club by their music styles by now. He can even predict which DJ would come on after the current one has done his set of music. Which is why he was intrigued when a new style of music plays over the speakers. It's too light to be DJ Randall, not as upbeat as Dorian's, and definitely not as structured as DJ Verse's music. He turns towards the booth, and sees a slim figure, her headphones supported by one hand and pressing on the straight, waist-long hair, while the other hand navigates the turntable skilfully, making sure the sounds and tempo is exactly how she likes it. She bounces on the booth along with the rest of the crowd, smiling wide and hyping up the dancers in front of her.
"Hey!" one of the girls he was talking to calls out to Hyungwon, and he turns back to the three girls in front of him to continue on their conversation. But every once in a while, his line of sight would be drawn towards the DJ booth, where a dazzling long-haired woman dressed casually in a white singlet and khaki pants with army boots dances and sways to her own music, bringing the crowd along on her euphoric journey.
Compared to the women in the club that night, she's dressed rather conservatively, but for some reason, he was drawn towards her. He paid attention to her music, and the way she moved on the stage. When it was time for the next DJ to take over, he watches closely where she was going after coming down from the booth. He sees that she's coming towards the bar, so he excuses himself from the three girls, heading towards the DJ.
"Hey," he says, leaning on the bar next to her.
She turns, and smiles at him, "Hey."
"I really like your music earlier, it's different than the other DJs here," he adds. This got her interested; she turns to face him, "Really? I was just experimenting with some new sounds, glad you liked it though!" She extends her hand towards him, "Chrysalis is my stage name, but you can call me Chaerin."
"Hyungwon," he says, shaking her hand, which feels so soft and smooth in his grasp.
He impresses her with his knowledge in EDM, and for a long while they just discussed about music. His phone suddenly vibrates, and when he taps on the screen, he sees that it's a message from Wonho, telling Hyungwon that he's leaving the club early. He glances over to the dance floor and sees his cousin walking towards the exit, his arm wrapped around a woman's waist. They wave at each other before the older boy disappears into the tunnel. He returns his attention to Chaerin.
He's usually a smooth-talker, but for some reason he's particularly charming that night, and kept her engrossed in their discussion on music, and travelling; Apparently, she just returned home from her ten years abroad. Her parents sent her to the US to complete her studies, and she's waiting for any news on her college application.
"Wait...college application? How old are you?"
She smirks mischievously, "How old do you think I am?"
His eyebrows furrowed, "Not a teenager, but it seems I'm mistaken," he replies, cursing in his head. He was expecting to get lucky tonight, but looks like that's not happening; he prefers older women. How does she even get into the club in the first place.
"You're not the only rich kid in town, oppa," she snickers. "Sorry to disappoint."
He chuckles, and tilts his head up. So, she knew who she was talking to all along, and his plan with her the moment they greeted each other. He couldn't believe that he thought she's of legal age; she looks nothing like a minor! He turns to the bar and takes a sip of his drink.
She leans on the table and props her head on her hand, "So, you're gonna walk away from me, and pretend like we never met huh?" she looks at him, eyes sparkling from the colourful lights on the liquor shelf in front of them. She's met so many men like him from her experiences in clubbing; they all turn away from her when they found out about her age.
Usually, he'd expertly wraps up the conversation and leaves, but not this time, for some reason. "Why would I do that, we're having fun, aren't we?" he smirks, and they continue chatting until the early morning. His phone vibrates again, and as he taps on the screen, he realizes how late it already is.
"Hey, it's half past 1, don't you have a curfew, kid?" he teases her.
She replies, "Do you think I'd be here in the first place if I have a curfew?" with the same mischievous smile plastered on her face.
He chuckles, "Fair enough." He excuses himself to the washroom, but when he returns, he sees Chaerin still at the bar, but cornered by a man. He approaches them.
"It's just one dance, missy. Don't be shy," he teases her. She smiles briefly, "No thanks," and turns away from him, facing the liquor shelf as she sips on her drink.
Hyungwon reaches the bar and wraps his arm around Chaerin and pulls her close, "Ready to go, babe?" he says to her, and turns to the man, "Oh, is this your friend?" he pretends to ask her. She shakes her head. The man, embarrassed and annoyed, turns and walks away before anyone sees what was happening. When the coast is clear, Hyungwon says to her, "Alright kid, time to go home." Chaerin groans as he pulls her out of her chair and towards the exit. Outside, he pulls out his phone to order a ride, but was stopped by Chaerin. "My ride is right there, why not I drop you back at your house," she says as she points at a black car that is driving towards them from the VIP lot, "as a token of gratitude, for earlier," she adds as he was hesitant. He smiles, and nods.
On the way to drop Hyungwon home, Chaerin asked for his number. "Why?" he asks. "Because!," she answers playfully, and grabs his phone from his hands to call her number. She hands it back to him with a cheeky smile on her face, just as the car pulls up at the gate of his house. Hyungwon rolls his eyes, but smiles as he exits the car. "Thanks for the ride," he says, stepping out of the car. She perks her head out, "No hug?"
He stands facing her, thinking a short while. "Do I have a choice?"
She giggles, "Nope! Man you're a fast learner huh!" and hops out of the car and wraps her arms around him.
Since that night, she would text him every couple of days, asking him random questions, telling him random things, and occasionally asking him out, which he is fine with whenever he's free, but sometimes her calls come at the most inconvenient time, like when he's with someone in his suite:
"Oppa!"
"Kid, I'm busy, bye."
"Nonononono wait!"
"What."
"What are you doing?"
"BYE."
She became like a younger sister to him, and her presence in his life grew on him. Her annoying calls became a thing to be expected, and eventually became a thing to look forward to. Her playful demeanour became endearing, and adorable. Spending time with her became a norm; accompanying her to her gigs at the club, visiting music stores and listening to old records, chipping away his own free time that was used in his conquest of women until one day, he stopped going back to the luxurious suite altogether. It's comfortable being with her; he can just be himself and not think about saying the right things at the right time and be charming. She accepted him the way he is, a big brother that she can boss around, and he liked having her around to keep him company.
Until one day she asks, "Oppa, when I turn 18, will we still stay the same as we are now?"
Hyungwon, sitting across from her in the cafe, with his head propped up by his hand on the table, chuckles, "Why would we be any different?"
She sighs as glances out of the window by her side, towards the park right opposite the cafe, "Because...sometimes I wish I could be one of those women that you went out with."
His eyebrows creases, "Why would you think that? We're so much more than what I have with any of them. We have so many adventures and memories together."
She sighs again, and looks down on her hands on her lap, "But...I don't want to always be just a younger sister to you. Just once, I want you to see me as a woman."
He fell silent. Never did he think that this kid who pestered him into being her friend would have thoughts like that. Then again, she is the first and only girl he knows that he keeps around in his life.
He finally says, in a solemn tone, "Chaerin-ah, I'm not a good person. You shouldn't want me to look at you in that way," looking at her, still fiddling with her hands.
"I think you're a good person, you just don't want to admit it for some reason," she rebuts without looking up.
"Kid..."
"You don’t have to stay with me forever, just until I have to leave for college…"
"Chaerin..."
"I mean it. I've liked you since the time you pretended to be my boyfriend at the bar months ago. I just...I just wanted to wait till my birthday to bring it up, but... I couldn't wait any longer."
He doesn't know what to say, he doesn't know how to react. This is all so new to him; all his life he's understood relationships as things only sappy, needy people have. He was always convinced that to him, women are the manifestation of his lust. He looks at her, trying to process all that is happening. She shifts her gaze from her hands to him, "You don't feel that way towards me, do you?"
She looks him in the eyes, and he does the same. As if she understands what he was thinking, she gets up, eyes shifting, and utters, "S-sorry, oppa. I shouldn't have brought it up." She turns away and walks towards the door, when she felt someone grabbed her hand and pulled her back. The next thing she knew, she's trapped in his arms, with his soft lips pressing against hers. She blushes as he pulls away, her heart racing in her chest.
He says to her, earnestly, "I can't be sure of this feeling I have towards you yet, but I know I don't want you to leave." She looks up at him, surprised at what she just heard. 'He genuinely likes having me around?' she thinks to herself.
"But are you sure this is what you want? A potential jerk who knows nothing about love and relationships?"
She avoids his eyes that look so mesmerizing to her, and nods. He smiles, and hugs her tight, "I'll figure this out. This, relationship thing." She feels so right in his embrace, and in that moment he's convinced that he'd want to be more than just an older brother to her. There’s no doubt that he's afraid, but he's willing to open his heart and give love a chance, for her.
He drives her back at her house, in his brand new car that he received from his father when he got his driving license just three weeks ago. He kept the handbrake down, relying only on his foot brakes whenever he needed to stop the car on the way, because he wanted to hold her hand. His thumb caresses the soft back of her delicate hand. She feels like the luckiest girl alive by his side, not as just a friend, but as his girlfriend. She smiles secretly, glad that she confessed her feelings towards him.
With each passing day, his affection towards her grew. As her boyfriend, he's surprisingly attentive; he wants to take care of her all the time, satisfy all her needs, keep her happy. He wants to be perfect for her; he wants to be a better version of himself for her. And when her birthday finally approaches, he had everything planned out for a perfect date: a car boot filled with blue roses, her favourite shade of the flower, dinner reservation at a romantic restaurant by the beach, and a ring.
She swooned at the beautiful flowers, and can't wait to have them all distributed all over her house, and melted at the sight of the candle-lit table by the beach at sunset, surrounded by flower petals of red, purple and orange. By the end of the night, he pulls out the small box and opens it in front of her, and her eyes grew wide.
Sliding the ring over her finger, he says to her, "We're too young to marry. I feel like I still need to grow and mature a little more before I'm ready for that. But I wanted to make a promise to you, that you'll be my only one until then. It's a little corny..."
"No no it's not," she quickly rebuts, tears welling up in her eyes, realizing how much her love towards him has grown since they started dating. He grins, his heart warms seeing her reaction, and leans in to kiss her. He recalls the moment when he decided to buy the ring that is currently on her finger, surprised at how eager and happy he was to get it for her. Seeing how happy she is now, he's glad he got it.
Towards the end of the night, he asks her, "Do you have any other wishes for the night, princess?" as he tucks her hair behind her ear.
"If I say it, promise me you'll do it, okay?"
"Okay."
She hesitates, "You promised, okay?"
He chuckles, "Okay, what is it?"
"I want you to bring me to your suite."
He froze, "Chaerin..."
She pouts, "I mean it."
"Chaerin-ah..."
"You promised," she looks at him, eyes shimmering from the candle light.
They drive up to the resort, and he leads her to his room. When he opens the door, she enters it first, taking in the classy setting of the living room, the kitchen, and the bedroom. Though he hasn’t set foot in there for months already, the housekeepers continued to clean the room daily, as they do for all the other rooms in the resort.
"Why did you want to come here?" he asks.
"I was just always curious about it," she replies as she strolls into the bedroom. He follows behind her.
She traces her fingers on the sofa, the vanity, the nightstand, then the bed, and turns to him, "and I want to be the last person you'll bring here," she says as she wraps her arms around him. He smiles and cups her face as he gives her a peck on her lips. "That's a certain," he says, as she reaches up and kisses him passionately, feeling his heart beating against her chest. It all feels so right, he feels so right. His other arm weaves around her waist, pulling her body close to his own. He bends over to lay her down gently onto the bed; his lips never for a second left hers.
He didn't want to ever let her go; he wants to stay like this with her forever. And he couldn't believe that this kid was all it takes to convince him that love is real. This young woman, and her music.
But of course, forever is a fiction of time. Eventually, the letters regarding her college application came in, giving an end to their happily ever after. There were some rejections, but she got accepted to the one she wanted to attend the most: Cornell.
In just two weeks, months’ worth of memories was fitted neatly into three suitcases, sealed and ready to be shipped to the land where dreams come true. All that is left of her with him is her turntable that she wanted Hyungwon to have.
He drives her to the airport, his hand holding hers the whole way, even through the check-in counter. She keeps him close to her, leaning against him once in a while, dreading the moment they have to part.
"Oppa, will we stay this way forever, even though we’re world’s apart?" she asks.
"I don’t know, but my promise remains, until the day you found someone that loves you more than I do."
He leans in to kiss her one last time till the next time they meet each other again. When he lets go of her, a pair of glistening eyes meets his own, her smile veiled with sadness and reluctance. They promised each other to not cry on this day, no matter how much the separation etch away their hearts.
*****
"Hey I didn't know that you have a turntable," Wonho asks as he sinks into one of the couches in the room, glancing at Hyungwon's study.
"Oh, yeah I'm learning about DJ-ing lately. Seems fun," he says as he brings the older boy his coffee.
"Interesting, anyway, I'm going to a party tonight. Wanna come along? Or would you prefer to drive there yourself in your new car?"
"Nah, I'm planning to experiment with some old records tonight. Oh, and I sold my car."
"WHAT?! Why?"
"Uber is so much more convenient."
It just doesn't feel right driving without her by his side, holding her hand in his.