"Why?" I mumble facing back towards his chest.
"You told me to-"
"I didn't think you'd actually do it. I didn't think you'd last," I tell him. I was beginning to get angry.
"You think it was easy to do that? It was your last request while sending me off. You seemed so serious about it. You made me promise. You said for me to not to look for you and not to ask for you. I needed someone to listen to me when I struggled. I needed someone with me to feel that someone was supporting me. I can't tell my family what tell you. I kept holding a finger over your contact name on my phone. I kept going through your social media like a psychotic stalker. That is, until you stopped using it. But I see now you use your show's Twitter account. Don't you think meeting like this is like fate? Isn't this what you wanted? For us to meet again after I debut and become successful?" He had pulled back but kept me in his arms as he stared into my eyes while talking.
"Yes- but I didn't think you would do it. I have my own life now Mark. One without you," I pulled away and turned around walking towards my balcony.
"Oh really? What about my shirt? When I saw it earlier today something felt funny. Like I was connected to it like how I felt when you walked into the room and you greeted us on the phone for your show. You still wear my shirt," he tells me from where I left him.
"But it doesn't smell like you. It smells like my laundry detergent. I've stopped going to your house and stopped talking to your family because it hurt too much. From having someone beside me to take care of me to having no one to having to take care of someone is a big change for me and I too needed someone by me to help me. Meeting my friends was the best thing that could happen. Brian and Jen are my closest friends and act like an older brother and sister to me. They were there for me. My friends accepted me with this child that's not even my blood," I crossed my arms feeling exposed. I stare out of the glass doors and watched the sky grow dark. I hear his footsteps but I can't tell where he's going.
"I know you stopped meeting them and going there. They told me that asking what happened," the bed squeaked, "I told them that it was probably hard for you and they understand. They still keep in contact with your parents to ask about you and your parents about me. They ask me if I wanted to know how you were but like you I thought it'd be to painful to hear you were doing well without me. It's selfish and petty but I didn't want to see you happy without me. Turns out you've been well without me. You have a job, friends who you can lean on for support, an apartment, and you go to school. You're living your life even if things had come and gone in your life. I'm really proud of you."
"And I'm proud of you. After three years of being away from home and the hard work of being a trainee, you have finally debuted and is making something of your name to the world. It amazes me to see your face on some things around Koreatown and your albums on some shelves here and there. Hearing 'Girls Girls Girls' for the first time and giving the news about the new rookie group on my show was a big shock to me when I read your name. I stalked you guys a bit until it hurt again." The sky became dark and stars began to shine. The bed squeaked again before he spoke.
"Why won't you come to me? Why won't you bring down your walls and just let us be?" I was surprised by the sudden questions. I turn to face him and he was already looking at me lying down on my bed.
"Because now you're known by people. Soon people will stalk you and follow you around. They will look at every little thing in your life. If they see me even once, they will surely find out about who I am and what I do for a living. And because I am also known to many of the young asian population they will find more about me than if I wasn't," I was scared. Even if I wanted to hangout with him again. I had to think rationally.
"So what? What do you have to hide?" He asks leaning his head on his arm.
"Miguel," I stated. "He's too young. I've been able to hide him because they don't know how I look like and I've never spoke about him. All they know is my education, age, hair, eyes, and birthday. I've never shown my face but they can find it out if they wanted too. Luckily I'm not visually famous so I don't have fans waiting for me outside the building rather they wait for me on the forum where I receive their comments and requests."
"Your birthday is coming up." Seriously. Of all I said he chooses to comment on that.
"Yeah I know, so?"
"You'll be twenty-one. Are you doing anything special?" He asks me completely changing the subject.
"No probably not. Does it even matter to you?" I respond remembering he'd be back in Korea by then. I sit at the edge of the bed and grab a pillow to hug while facing him. He shrugs.
"I guess not really but at the same time it does. I mean you're going to be the big twenty-one. That's like the 'coming of age' thing they have in Korea except theirs is when women turn 20 and they do stuff specifically for that day," he tells me puckering his lip as a form of habit he's always had.
"And what's that?" I ask him pulling lint off of his pants.
"Give perfume, a rose, and a kiss." I nod. I didn't know what to say after that. After a good minute I spoke.
"I'm probably just going to stay at home. If my friends come over I guess we can have a little celebration. But I'm not going to do anything special really. It's just another year." I shifted myself and laid on my back with my head on his thigh as he shifts to his side completely. My legs hung at the side of the bed and my head was faced towards him. The way we act around each other is so natural. This, these moments like this I miss. But it didn't seem like there was a gap in our relationship at that moment. It felt as if nothing happened between us. Even before we would fight and all of a sudden it's like nothing happened. Sometimes we don't even have to really resolve the problem with each other rather we learn from it and know each other so well and subconsciously know the fights over and there's nothing more to add on to it. We say what we need to say and that's it.
"What's the time difference between here and Korea?" I stare at him to check if he's serious. Well I kind of knew he was but- Seriously?
"No you won't call me. You need your sleep and don't try to pull anything. Even if you call me at 12:00am my time I won't answer. You guys are busy and you will probably be at a schedule." I shake my head against his leg but he stops me with his hand. He lifts my head a bit and slides a pillow in the space between my neck and the bed.
"I'll find out anyway, I can just search online. And I will call you and if you don't answer I'll leave a message and call again. I'll send you text messages until the very last second of your birthday." He smiles a toothy smile making me smile back and slap his stomach to stop him.
"You don't even have my number. And it will take awhile to send a text overseas so how will you get your timing right?" I challenge him and he bites his lip in thought.
"Download this app. It's a way for people to text overseas. It only uses Internet and stuff. You can call with it too," he tells me. He asks for my phone but I don't give it to him or move to get it. It's not with me. It's in my bag which I left outside. "Give me it, Chris!"
"No!" He starts moving his legs making my head move and mess up my hair and I got annoyed.
"Why?!" He stopped moving.
"I don't have it." I shrugged and he just stared at me.
"Why don't you have your phone?"
"Because it's not with me." I said simply. I knew I was annoying him now and it was fun.
"Why don't you have it with you?" His teeth were gritted when he asked forcing me hold my laugh and smile as I responded.
"Because it's in my purse." I seriously wanted to break out in laughter when I saw his irritated face but held it to see how far I can push him.
"And why is it in your purse?"
"Because that's were I put it."
"Well where is your purse?"
"Not here."
"I asked where it was not where it isn't."
"Oh." He stared at me and his face was starting to become red.
"Well?"
"Well what?" I asked innocently. I knew it was really pushing him but I was surprised by how far he can go. I thought he would have blown up three responses ago.
"Where the hell is your damn purse?" His seethed and my lip twitched.
"It's in the living room. Why?" He flew up making me hit my head against his leg and I sat up with him only to be shoved back down. The force was too strong and we tumbled to the floor with me on top. He groaned and I hooted with laughter into his chest. He made an animalistic sound before he held my hands and slid me up until we were face to face. He glared at me until I spoke with laughter. "Relax you bozo. I was just teasing you. Well partly. I really don't have it. It's in my purse in the living room. Don't have a fit."
He nudge me to the side making me lay beside him and stood up leaving me as I laughed. He was pulling on the jammed door and left once it opened.
"Where are you going?" I asked in between laughs. He ignored me and I waited for his returned. He comes back with my bag and slams the already broken door shut. I had calmed down after my high and rolled to my stomach as he drops my bag in front of me and sits down. I pull open my bag and take my phone out of the pocket and hand it to him with a smile. He snatches it from my hands making a face at me making me know clearly that he was embarrassed and fully annoyed by me.
I lay my chin on my fists as I stare at him. He fiddles around with it and bites his lip as he taps on the screen. His brows furrow before they straighten out as though he remembered something. A smirk forms on his face as he glances at me quickly before typing again. His smirk grew as a look of pride was seen on his face.
"Can't believe you never change your passwords," he tells me handing my phone back.
"I don't see the reason too. It makes it a lot easier for me," I tell him taking my phone and looking at what he's done. One new app and many new contacts.
"And others. People can easily go through your stuff like that. They can also hack you also," he tells me.
"That's not always a bad thing. What if I die and you need something that I placed a password on or it's in my accounts or something. You would easily know what it is. And only you and the family know my passwords to the important stuff. My friends only know the passcode to my phone." I tell him as I sit up. I bend my legs outwards so my feet are by my butt and place my phone on the floor to look at him.
"Your passcode is so easy! It's one number!" He exclaims gesturing to my phone.
"Exactly! People always thinks it's more than that. They think it's four like how it originally is. Who would think of a passcode to be only '7'?" Every time I dictate my passcode people always expect me to say more but I don't. That's it. 7. That number is special to me. It always has.
"You know, if you tell the guys your passcode they'd think it's because of our group that you made that your passcode," he snickers as he thinks about it.
"Why would I have to tell them that. I'll see them today and tomorrow. That's it." I tell him.
"We leave on Wednesday," he tells me looking down at his hands as he plays with his ring.
"That's great! You can spend time with papa and mama! They'll love spending time with you after so long!" I tell him smiling as I imagine his parents' smiling faces as they see their son home after so long.
"You know what would make them even happier?" He asks me smiling back at me.
"You coming home with the rest of your members?" I joke smirking at the end. He gives me a deadpan look and I laugh. "Keeeding! We'll see. I still have school you know. And Miguel. Can't forget about him."
I'd love to visit his parents and my parents along the way but I don't have as much time as I did before.
"Just come with us right after the competition Saturday and spend the night and stay until Monday morning. Or if you have to go, Sunday night. It'd be fun to hang out like old times." I nod considering it and smile at him.
"Okay. I'll pack tomorrow and bring my stuff with me to the competition. We just have to tell the others.- wait what have they been doing all this time?" I ask remembering that they were still here in my apartment. All of the feelings I had against them had diminished in the time I spent with Mark. Lucky them. I was seriously going to make them do some crazy stuff the day of the competition as a form of payback.
"Uhm, I think your friends are trying to learn Korean. That's all I heard when I went out to get your bag. I don't know what they are doing now."
"Wanna go?" I ask nodding my head to the door. He shrugs and nods standing up. I pick up my phone before I reach my hands to his so he can he hoist me up onto my feet. "Thanks."
He leads the way to the door and pulls up before pulling it open. He walks out first and I quickly follow not bothering to close the door. When we go out the the living room they were in a circle. Their manager was sitting at my dinning table. He saw me and stood to bow and I bowed back politely. He sat back down not saying anything and looked back at the circle of people.
"Yay! You're finally out!" Cassidy cheers as she sees us approaching them. "Now we can finally play!"
Mark and I glance at each other before sitting down in gap they created for us in between Aaron and BamBam. I smiled at BamBam as I sat next to him but looked at my friends in confusion.
"Hyung, tteonal su issseubnida? (Can you leave?)" Jr. talks to their manager.
"Mueos? Andwae! (What? No!)" The manager seems taken back and has his eyebrows furrowed.
"Jebal! (Please!)" Youngjae pleads. I knew that word.
"Noona, hyung won't leave. Make him leave!" BamBam pouts to me making me feel pity for him.
"How?" I ask. Who was I to ask their manager to leave?
"Easy. I'll tell him we can sleep over," Mark says.
"But I did-"
"Geunyeoneun uliga ja su malhanda! geunyang naeil deli leo uli! (She says we can sleep over! Just pick us up tomorrow!)" Make cuts me of smirking at me. I didn't know what he said but I know I'm not going to like it with that look on his face.
"Mark, what did you tell him!" I whispered to him slapping his arm.
"Shhh! Let's see what he says!" He whispers back.
"Jeongmal? Naneun gyohwan doe go geu laineul ttala amugeosdo deudji anhassda. (Really? I didn't hear anything along those lines being exchanged.)" He tilted his head thinking about it unsure.
"Ne! Jeongmalyo! Right?" Jackson answers and turns to me with the look 'you better say yes'.
"Ne, mullon," I responded pressured by all of the eyes on me. I turned to the manager and spoke the little korean I knew, "Geudeuleun yeogi meomul su issneun?"
He was surprised and nodded. But then asked about their clothes.
"I have some guy clothes they can borrow, however I don't have underwear for you guys," I scrunch my nose thinking of what's going to happen with theirs.
"Why do you have guy clothes?" BamBam asks.
"Well, when I was packing to move I found some guy clothes I guess I borrowed and never returned," I answer not sure if I'm suppose to tell them I knew Mark well before today.
"Why didn't you return it after you found it? Huh?" He teased. "Yeah sure definitely trying to move on from me."
"Is it wrong to want to have them as remembrance?!" I argued defensively.
"That's actually creepy," Jen tells me. I look at Brian and he nods.
"What? No it isn't. Right Jackson?" I turn to Jackson giving him the same look he gave me earlier. He glances at me and looks past me and then back to me. I glare at Mark before smiling nicely to Jackson.
"Uhhhh....I think- I think it's, uhm, cute?" He answers only staring at me with fear in his eyes. I smile widely feeling content even though his response was forced.
"I actually think it's really cute. Honest." I look at BamBam with so much joy and hug him tightly. Suddenly small arms wrap around me too. I quickly turn around and find Miguel.
"You guys didn't put him to sleep!?" I said shocked. He looked so tired yet excited with the amount of people in the apartment. Everyone looked guilty and I rolled my eyes picking him up and taking him to his room. I hear footsteps behind me and I didn't care. I laid him down and his eyes began to droop but he wouldn't sleep. I tucked him in further and kissed his forehead. "Come on, honey. Go to sleep now."
"I don't wanna. Uncle and Aunty here." He argued half asleep. He was fighting to stay awake and times like this made it difficult.
"Please, sleep for momma. Your uncles and aunties will be here tomorrow morning. Shh. Please sleep," I caress his head hoping he'd sleep but he kept fighting.
"Can we sing for him?" I turn around in the accent filled voice to see JB. I smile and nod. I stepped further up the bed by his head as they approached Miguel. Miguel looked up at them and smiled faintly. Beside me was Mark, then Jackson, JB, Yugyeom, BamBam, Jr., and finally Youngjae.
Mark: Forever young shawty forever young
Forever young shawty forever young
Forever young shawty forever young
Jackson: ne nuneul cheoeum bwatdeon nal
geu soge sumanheun byeoldeureul boasseo
jogeumeun useupge ibeotdeon geu nal
hapirimyeon wae geureon nare neol
Yugyeom: geu sunganeul nan ijeul su eobseo
bitnadeon nega nareul hyanghae odeon nal
neon naege Best of the best no one I ever had
neoege naega seonmulhalge So I won't regret
Jackson: Miss you I really miss you
geuraedo simsimhaji anke nae norael bulleo julge
Turn the radio o-o-on
Turn the radio o-o-on
Jr.: Miss you I really miss you
nega nal saenggakhal su itge nae norael bulleo julge
Turn the radio o-o-on
Turn the radio o-o-on
Cuz I wanna be
JB: Forever young dulmanui siganeul nan
Forever young nochigo sipji anha
Forever young woo baby
Woo woo baby woo woo baby
Cuz I wanna be
Youngjae: Forever young neowa na idaero
Forever young sigani heulleogado
Forever young woo baby
Woo woo baby woo woo baby
Forever you're my shawty
BamBam: Forever you're my shawty
bamsae byeoreul su noha ne mame nal noha
neoui nunbitgwa, neoui misoga
nal nogyeo deouk seolleige hae
Mark: neon geudaero naege deo gakkai wa
nawa areumdaun i bameul neukkyeo bollae
Hey shawty I wanna be with you forever young
ttak bwado ara nan you're ma baby girl
Yugyeom: Miss you I really miss you
geuraedo simsimhaji anke nae norael bulleo julge
Turn the radio o-o-on
Turn the radio o-o-on
JB: Miss you I really miss you
nega nal saenggakhal su itge nae norael bulleo julge
Turn the radio o-o-on
Turn the radio o-o-on
Cuz I wanna be
Jackson: Forever young dulmanui siganeul nan
Forever young nochigo sipji anha
Forever young woo baby
Woo woo baby woo woo baby
Cuz I wanna be
JB: Forever young neowa na idaero
Forever young sigani heulleogado
Forever young woo baby
Woo woo baby woo woo baby
Forever you're my shawty
Youngjae: Listen to me baby
neoege jeonhaneun maeum deullini
neol hyanghan nae jinsimi dagil
nae gyeoteman isseojwo idaero
BamBam: Forever young shawty forever young
Mark: (uh)
BamBam: Forever young shawty forever young
Mark: (come on)
BamBam: Forever young shawty forever young
Mark: (uh)
BamBam: Forever young shawty
Youngjae: Cause I wanna be
JB: Forever young dulmanui siganeul nan
Forever young nochigo sipji anha
Forever young woo baby
woo woo baby woo woo baby
Cuz I wanna be
Jackson: Forever young neowa na idaero
Forever young sigani heulleogado
Forever young woo baby
Woo woo baby woo woo baby
Forever you're my shawty
Halfway through Miguel had already fallen asleep but I stood there listening to them as they sing their ballad. I could see behind them Jen, Cassidy, and Lara had sneaked to the door to listen to them. It really was a beautiful song. The four of us quietly clap and they shyly smile at us. I herd everyone out of the room and turn off the light. I leave the door open just slightly and rejoin them in the living room.
"Our manager hyung left. But he gave you a list of things to make sure of," Jackson tells me handing me a paper.
'GOT7 must not go outside.
GOT7 must not post on social media.
Any pictures taken of or with GOT7 must not be posted or shared.
GOT7 are on a strict diet.'
"Seriously?" I ask them. They all nod. "How'd he write in-"
"Internet," Jackson answers. I nod.
"Yay! Now let's play!" Cassidy cheers.
"Shhh! Miguel will wake up again. Oh and thank you guys for singing him asleep. It would have taken a while if you didn't."
"It's the least we could do considering what we did. And we are going to play this game we play in Korea," Jackson tells me. I nod and we sit in a circle. I sat in between Mark and BamBam again and leaned back listening as they explain the game.
So basically, the game was one of us calls out a number and stands quickly but if you call out the same number as someone else you have to choose a game and if you lose at that game you get flicked by everyone.
"But there are girls! Are you guys seriously going to flick us?" Lara complains after hearing the punishment.
"I don't mind," I say raising my hand. She glares at me and I shrug.
"I do," Cassidy cuts in.
"Well, I don't," Jen says smiling at me. We high five and laugh.
"Yah, you sure you can handle it? From what I remember you didn't take pain very well," Mark asks me while putting an arm around my shoulders. I make a face at him and he does one back.
"For your information, during these past few years I've learned how to deal with pain," I state.
"Uhuh, sure you did," he humors me while patting my head. I scowl at him.
"Actually she's pretty tolerable. When we first met, me and Jen, she broke her ankle and she didn't feel anything. We had to force her to get it checked just in case and it was. They said she might not be able to dance anymore but she kept saying she had to," Brian tells them.
"That was because she was the youngest and one of the best in our dance class.-" Jen was cut off.
"I've been meaning to ask, when did you start dancing? Or even start to take an interest in it?" Mark asks me earning a glare from Jen. I never danced when he was there. It didn't interest me really. It still doesn't. Well it interests me as a hobby.
"I just did. Now don't interrupt Jen. You don't want to get on her bad side," I say as an excuse so I don't have to tell him the reason. But it is true, she can be really nice and everything but if she doesn't like you, or you do something bad to her or her friends or family she can be a real 'B'.
"Before I was rudely interrupted, I was saying that she was trying to work a lot harder after being labeled the youngest and one of the best along side Brian and I and another person. We had a performance coming up and she had a big part where she used ballet in our hip hop composition. It was going to be beautiful and we were going to lean on that to help ourselves be known but then during practice she hurt herself and that happened," Jen continues.
"Yeah, and we aren't saying she's strong in a sense that she's strong willed but an average person wouldn't go straight to strengthening her ankle and foot right after taking off the cast. She worked all day and night with school, work and Miguel but still made sure she did what she could to strengthen her ankle. I remember she would sneak into the practice room we were in earlier and just stretch her leg out and bring her own weights for her to strengthen it. Two months later, also a month before the performance, she was already dancing on her feet doing even more complicated things than before." As Brian spoke about my past I had curled myself into a ball and turned towards Mark who had squeezed my shoulder every so often as he listened. Every so often Jackson tried to translate to the others and they would glance at me and my ankle.
"Daebak ida! Jeongmallo? (Wow! Really?)" Jr. asks me amazed. I give a small smile and nod slowly.
"I'm so proud of you," Mark tells me and I smile up to him but then I realize something and it changes to a smirk.
"If you were still here while that happened I wouldn't be able to do anything! You'd probably coddle me and everything!" I exclaim laughing at how true that would be.
"Well, I'd hate to see you hurt in the first place. I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself again. But since you're fine now I guess that's okay," he tells me while shrugging at the end.
"Whatever," I sing. I then face everyone and say, "can we play now? It's like 9:23 and I have class tomorrow morning at 10."
"The game is really active, and I'm lazy now. Wanna just play truth or dare?" Jackson asks both in English and Korean. They all nod.
"So cliché," I mumble. Mark chuckles beside me and I smile up at him.
"Hey, Christine, I'm going to get one of your water bottles-"
"Wait! Let's make it more interesting. But still get the bottle!" Marco says excitedly cutting off Lara.
"How?" BamBam asks.
"Extreme Truth or dare?" Jen asks.
"Exactly!" The two high five and smile devilishly. I hate this game.
"Can I-"
"NO!" My friends yell together. Pout and slump back down.
"How do you play?" BamBam asks.
"So basically, the player who spins, or anyone really, asks the person it landed on 'Truth, dare, kiss, forfeit, double dare, love, opinion, pain or butt-burner (hardest dare)'. If truth is picked, an embarrassing question is asked. If dare is picked, the spinner asks if 'level 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or electric chair is wanted'. These get harder depending on the level. There are no rules, but on the electric chair dares, if the person doesn't do it, they are automatically given the worst punishments. If kiss is chosen, the player must kiss or lick someone or something. If forfeit is chosen, a forfeit is given, which usually means giving up something. If double dare is chosen, everyone in the group must perform that dare together. If love is chosen, any act of love must be performed on someone or something of your choice. If opinion is chosen, the player must give their opinion on someone or something. If pain is chosen, level 1, 2 or 3 is asked. Each level is increasingly painful. These are usually hardest. If butt-burner is chosen, the spinner can dare anything. There are no rules for this one but be careful what you ask them to do," Marco explains to them. Mark and Jackson translate and they are all for it.
"I hate this game. Can't I sit out?" I ask pouting still.
"There's already an uneven amount of girls and you never play!" Cassidy tells me.
"Just play, it'll be fun," Mark speaks softly to me and I can't help but comply.
"Fine." I say flatly.
"Okay, I'll start," Lara says spinning the bottle. I watch and tense whenever the tip of the bottle reaches me. The bottle begins to slow down and I hold my breath waiting for it to stop.
A/N: hello(: last chapter was a lot longer than this one. Chapters I write are not consistent in length. It just goes on until I think is a good place to end it.
It's Friday here in California and it's GOT7's 1 year anniversary! Yay! They had even won two awards the other day I'm sure they're ecstatic about it all.
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For this story I know not a lot of attention is on the other GOT7 members so far but I promise you I will put them in more and more into the story. If there are any other artists and idols you would like to see here please tell me and I'll try my best to include them!
Thank you for those reading my book! I hope you enjoy every chapter!