Say I Love U / Chapter 3
"Wow."
"Gosh, I know right! It's like the Earth's shifted from its' axis!"
"Just... wow."
"Exactly! It's like Hell's frozen over, or an alternate reality - or Christmas! An early Christmas miracle!"
Yoona felt herself shrinking behind Changmin's shadow at every word that came out of his sisters' mouth. She wondered vaguely to herself how a simple day of 'getting-to-know-your-accomplice' would end up in a hospital room with said accomplice's family peering closely at them -
"Just wo... Ow!!! Oppa, that's foul play!" Sooyoung cried, rubbing the top of her head where Changmin had struck her quickly with his whiteboard. She reached out to punch him on the arm but then huffed when he easily stepped away from her reach.
He glared at her, /Stop saying 'wow'. It's rude./
-Yoona sighed, knowing fully well that clearly today was not her lucky day.
"You really shouldn't hit your sister like that. She's a patient and should be taken cared for." She said, giving him a slight roll of the eyes. She hoped he would react and excuse himself so they could escape, but instead he shrugged it off and stepped back to lean on the wall and erase his board with his palm - leaving her there at the mercy of his sisters watching her every move intensely. Yoona felt her hand clench, aching to slap him (I haven't done this before, damn you!) and run, however she just smiled and blinked back at her audience.
"Um, hello! My name is Im Yoona. It's very nice to meet the two of you," she said, bowing politely. Anxiously, she tucked her hair behind her ear and waited for them to respond - which didn't take too long when suddenly Sooyoung reached out to her and wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug. Yuri followed a second later and tightened their hug on her petite frame. Yoona could only blink in surprise, turning her head to look at Changmin shaking his in - what was it? Dismay? Embarrassment?
She sighed, silently praying for strength to pull through this disastrous "plan" she allowed herself to think up and hoped it wouldn't backfire. At least... not yet, she thought briefly, gently patting the girls' backs softly (anxiously).
"I've wanted an older sister for so long!" Sooyoung cried, smiling as she took her hand and shook it energetically. Yuri laughed and jumped onto her sister's bed and shook her (other) hand too, grinning from ear to ear. "We were worried he'd end up as a hermit or something." The younger girl said, tilting her head towards her brother's direction (who only rolled his eyes and popped an earphone into his ear and tuned them out with music).
Yoona rolled her eyes and sighed, shaking her head. Gee, thanks man. Leaving me to converse with your sisters alone when we haven't even gotten our 'story' straight. She sat gingerly on the chair next to the bed and looked up at the sisters smiling at her. She smiled back, letting her hand touch her chin restlessly. "Is he always this... rude?"
The girls shrugged, fortunately not noticing her distress. "We're used to him ignoring us half of the time to care. He doesn't like to get involved in girl talk - but then again what straight guy wants that?"
"I guess..." She trailed off, glancing at her partner-in-crime slightly bobbing his head to his music, "I bet he ignored his past girlfriends too."
"We wouldn't really know. We've never met them."
Yoona's lips unconsciously widened into a smile and she raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she said, a little too loudly for an indoor voice and directed her gaze towards the man leaning against the wall. Her smile widened even further when his frame tensed slightly and he gave her a sideway glance.
She continued, eyes and lips widening into a mock look of surprise and said sarcastically, "I thought he'd be a regular Casanova, with his brooding personality and would bring girls home often. I figured girls would fall all over that type." Yoona sighed, making "tsk" sounds and pursed her lips together. "I guess I chose the wrong type of brooding guy to like."
She grinned at him innocently and then giggled as he rolled his eyes at her before turning his attention back to his mp3. She glanced at Yuri and Sooyoung conspiringly and casually shrugged when they immediately understood.
"Oppa, she's funny!" Yuri exclaimed, laughing and waving her hand to catch her brother's attention. Changmin looked at them and said nothing (as usual), shaking his head again while reaching out to write on his board.
/At my expense, I'm sure she is./ He wrote, tilting his head to stare at Yoona (as if to say that he heard everything Yoona had just said and would get back at her eventually).
She met his eyes innocently and fluttered her lashes for effect. The action surprised her for a moment and she stopped abruptly, blinking. Seeing this, Changmin smirked and stepped away from the wall. He put an arm around the back of the chair as he squeezed into her seat and pulled his face close to hers - their eyes boring into each other in determination and waiting for the other to look away first.
It didn't matter that Changmin's hands had started to sweat as her beautiful eyes stared back at his or that his throat had gone considerably dry when she opened her soft mouth slightly. Somehow, those details didn't bother him as much as when she finally looked away with a slight grimace crossing her features.
He bit the inside of his cheek, deciding to ponder about it later and instead looked back at his sisters with a wink.
/She really likes me. That's for sure./
They laughed, shaking their heads while Yoona laughed with less humor, avoiding his eyes. "Touché." She murmured, soft enough for only him to hear. He shrugged, ignoring the way his ears buzzed even without the thump of music ringing through them as he stared down at her. "We need to straighten thi-"
"Oh, hello. I didn't think your whole family would still be here, Sooyoung-shii." Siwon said, appearing suddenly at the door in buttoned-up shirt and loose tie. He bowed politely at them, stepping inside the room almost tentatively before reaching towards Sooyoung's Medical chart. Everyone greeted him warmly (Sooyoung with her bright eyes and beaming smile, Yuri with her cheerful 'Hello' and Changmin with a nod) except for Yoona, who sunk back into her seat as Siwon moved closer towards the bed.
Oh no. I forgot about sunbae! Her mind panicked and she covered her face with a hand. Choi Siwon had been her four years senior in her University and knew of her and Donghae, her ex-boyfriend. They were friends at some degree she recalled, since he and Donghae would frequent the same bar and gym. She wondered vaguely if Donghae had told anyone else about their break-up, and tentatively lowered her hand to glance at her senior who seemed to not notice her at all.
"Siwon-oppa." Sooyoung's voice rang sweetly in the air as she said his name. "We've got great news to share. It's a miracle, I promise."
"Oh? What is it?" He asked, smiling as he folded his arms across his chest. A little too widely too, Yoona noted, grinning and glancing back and forth at her senior and Sooyoung. She momentarily forgot to realize what Sooyoung had meant for a miracle and put her hand down from her face and nudged Changmin with a knowing glance.
"Oppa's got a girlfriend! A really pretty talking one too!" Yuri exclaimed, cutting her sister off just as she was about to say the exact same thing as well. Sooyoung glared at her for a split second before letting out a laugh and pointing at Yoona's form against Changmin's side.
"Oh so he does, does he? Who might the lucky la-Yoona?" Siwon stopped, his brow furrowing once recognition of the woman's petite form registered in his mind. He tilted his head as she froze in her spot (her face inches from Changmin's and her body sharing one seat with him). "Im Yoona."
Yoona pressed her lips together, considering her words before turning towards her senior. She shot Changmin a worried glance and then pulled a smile on her face. "Hello, Siwon-sunbae," she greeted, bowing her head immaculately in greeting. She thought about standing up but felt frozen in her seat. "It's been awhile..."
"You... are Changmin's girlfriend?"
"... Yes."
Siwon's brow furrowed close together and his eyes stared back at her accusingly. "What about Donghae?"
Yoona winced at the sound of his name being mentioned and opened her mouth to speak. Unfortunately, no words came to mind. Her heartbeat drummed against her ears and she fought the tears that threatened to fall. Damn emotions. You don't just get over heartbreak overnight! Even if you are 'pretending' to be with someone else for your father. She absentmindedly gripped her hands on her knees as she tried to collect her thoughts and respond. She didn't notice Changmin's eyes on her nor his hand suddenly covering her own softly. This was such stupid plan.
"Who's Donghae?" Sooyoung asked, tilting her head to the side. "Unni's ex-boyfriend?"
Changmin made no motion to respond immediately, only looking at Yoona's bowed head. She said she's only had one boyfriend. That must be his name. He thought, wrapping his hand upon hers comfortingly - if not to show Siwon that they were a 'couple'. Slowly, he looked up again and nodded - shooting the young doctor a look.
/They've been broken up for a while now./ He knew it was a lie since it had only been last night after all, but it was still true to an extent.
Siwon regarded him for a moment, taking in his stoic face and the hand wrapped protectively around her hand. It didn't make sense to him, knowing fully well about Lee Donghae's relationship with this lady, Im Yoona, in front of him. He didn't know her very well, and had only seen her a couple of times at class reunions where Donghae would bring her and leave early. She didn't come off as the type that dated around or lied. But Siwon had spoken to Donghae not too long ago in a bar with a few of their friends and he had said they were still together - was that a lie? He hardly thought so (if anything, this right here in front of him was a lie) and decided to speak again, "I do-"
"Choi-sunbae!" Hyoyeon cried, bursting through the door in such haste that almost everyone in the room jumped at the volume of her voice. Her heels clicked on the tiled floor as she entered the room with a wide grin on her face.
Yoona looked up and smiled at her best friend. Thank God for Kim Hyoyeon and her impeccable timing. She felt relieved that she'd shown up and worried at the same time for the slight deadly glint her eyes held when she looked back at her.
You have a lot of explaining to do. Hyoyeon's glare seemed to say and she would make sure she'd hear it all.
"I thought your shift ended an hour ago. Why are you still here? Visiting someone special?"
Color stained the young doctor's ears red at her comment and he shook his head a little too vigorously in response. "Kim Hyoyeon... I thought your training here already ended. Why are you still here?"
She waved her hand casually and placed it on her hip, smiling flirtatiously. She stepped closer towards them, stopping just beside Yoona and Changmin sitting together on one chair. "There are no rules against visiting a hospital on your free days, sunbae. Plus there's this very cute male nurse in the fifth floor that I've got an eye on so..."
Hyoyeon laughed at Siwon's incredulous expression and playfully hit him on the shoulder. "Oh don't give me that look! I was kidding - Yoona, her boyfriend and I are actually going to dinner. She said we'd meet later since they'd be here visiting his sisters but I couldn't wait and since I haven't met his sisters' either I thought I'd show up early."
"So you've met him before?" He asked, his brow furrowing together. She nodded, slapping a hand on Changmin's shoulder. He winced at the impact of the blow (he shared a look with an apologetic Yoona) and offered a small smile. There wasn't much he could do anyway; they'd be caught (by the doctor and his sisters) if he had reacted otherwise.
"Of course I've met him! He's Yoona's boyfriend after all. I just call him 'Broody' though, just as I called the last one 'Fishy'."
"You called Donghae 'Fishy'?"
"Totally. He has that blank look that a fish has a lot of the time that they were dating. You should stare at a goldfish sometime."
"Right. I can picture it now." Siwon shook his head and laughed, convinced. He bowed apologetically at Yoona and then at Changmin before standing up straight again and scratching his nape in embarrassment. "I'm sorry about my slightly accusatory tone earlier, Yoona-shii. I guess Donghae forgot to mention your break up when I last saw him."
Yoona smiled (relieved that they had narrowly avoided disaster), and bowed back. "It's alright, Sunbae. I understand."
"Don't worry about it, oppa! I'm sure he forgot to tell Hyukjae too." Hyoyeon said, shrugging. Siwon laughed and nodded.
"You're probably right. I should go now, it's late." He said, bowing once again to bid farewell, "Sooyoung-shii, you should sleep early tonight. You need your rest; no matter how energetic you think you feel. I'll check on you again tomorrow."
"But it's a Sunday tomorrow. It's your day-off." Hyoyeon said, blinking at him devilishly. His ears turned pink almost instantaneously and he sputtered an incoherent goodbye and an uneasy smile before walking out the door. She laughed once he disappeared, sitting down on the bed comfortably and turning her head to face the patient occupying it. "He totally likes you, by the way."
This time it was Sooyoung's cheeks that turned a crimson color and she squealed, hiding her face behind her hands. Yuri followed suit, teasing and laughing as she nudged her sister with an elbow. The girls laughed together - sharing a mutual sense of excitement over that one statement and started chatting happily.
"Wow, I hadn't even introduced myself! My name is Kim Hyoyeon, I'm Yoona's best friend." Hyoyeon said, bowing her head slightly at the sisters and grinning. They exchanged the usual pleasantries and then started casually talking to one another once again (about the departed young doctor and his obvious affection for his patient). Seeing this, Yoona felt herself relax and let out a relieved sigh.
"We need to straighten things out." She whispered, staring down at his hand on hers. His hand was warm, exactly how it was when they had held hands earlier today as well. She felt her heart twinge slightly and she removed her hand from his, brushing her loose strands of hair back behind her ear. She cleared her throat. "We should tell Hyoyeon about this... she helped us just now. I think it's only fair, don't you think?"
Changmin nodded, feeling curiously disappointed from the loss of her hand in his and let out an inaudible sigh. Slowly he stood up, running a hand (the one that held hers just moments ago) through his hair. He stepped away slightly and then bowed, holding up his whiteboard to Hyoyeon's surprised face.
/It's nice to see you again, Hyoyeon-shii./ The word 'again' was written more darkly than the others and she regarded him with a curious stare. Hyoyeon looked at Yoona for any answer and found instead a guilty glint in her doe eyes. She sighed, pasting on another one of her bright smiles and stood up - holding out a hand.
"Nice to see you too, Broody," she said, shaking his hand. His hand was firm, strong - Acceptable; even without knowing his name yet, Hyoyeon thought, as she sashayed out of the room after saying 'goodbye' to her new found friends, Broody's sisters, Choi Sooyoung and Kwon Yuri.
"Let's go to dinner now, okay?"
"That is the most ridiculous plan I have ever heard." Hyoyeon drawled, swinging her beer onto her lips and slamming it down on the table a moment later.
They were in a bar in downtown Seoul, a tiny place that looked more like a café than anything but served plenty of drinks. It was already late in the evening when they finally left the hospital and finished relaying the 'plan' to Hyoyeon over dinner - and now, there was nothing left for them (Changmin and Yoona sat together at their side of the booth) to do but to listen to their new accomplice's reaction. Her eyes were bright - almost livid, Changmin noted and Yoona cringed; except she wasn't angry - only confused and worried.
She continued, tapping the neck of the bottle with her index finger. "You do realize that if any of your stories get mixed up, it'd be a lot of trouble, right?"
"I know... that's why we told you about it." Yoona said, biting her inner cheek and smiling nervously.
Hyoyeon groaned, shaking her head and making a 'tsk' sound with her tongue. "So I'm the person who'll back you up on whatever now, huh? Damn, Yoona... I didn't think you had an impulsive or stupid bone in you but I guess I was wrong." She let out a frustrated sigh and leaned back against her seat, taking in the sight of her best friend staring guiltily at her and her... quiet partner holding his glass of scotch and ice absentmindedly.
"And this dude doesn't speak - except for a whiteboard," she said, pointing at Changmin with a menacing glare which he met coolly.
/I don't appreciate being called 'dude'./ He wrote, letting out a breath as he put his board on the table. Hyoyeon looked over his handwriting appreciatively and shrugged.
"Please, it gives a sense of... I don't know-a kinship between us. I'm your girlfriend's best friend after all. We should be friends too." She said matter-of-factly. Yoona nodded her head slightly in agreement and nudged him with an elbow. Hyoyeon watched the pair look at each other for a moment (communicating with their eyes, she noted - another devilish grin forming on her face) until finally Changmin rolled his eyes and wrote again.
/The I'd rather you call me 'Broody'./
"Broody Changmin it is!" She cheered, sharing a grin with her friend as he rolled his eyes and massaged his temple. The she tapped his whiteboard with the bottom of her bottle. "Can't you have learned sign language or Braille or something instead? It'd be a lot easier than to bring a board everywhere"
/Braille is for blind people./ - "Braille is for blind people, Hyo."
Hyoyeon laughed despite herself, watching the pair in front of her look at each other in surprise. "Wow. This might be all pretend but the two of you seem to be on the same wavelength. It's almost believable."
"So you'll help us?" Yoona asked, her tone hitched in anticipation and hope. She wrapped her hands around her best friend's and squeezed it. Please say yes, her eyes seemed to say, I need my best friend's support.
Hyoyeon could only sigh and give her a smile and a reassuring squeeze back before nodding. "Of course, Yoong. I'm your home girl."
There wasn't much she could do anyway, but to help her friend in her time of need. Granted, she though her plan was crazy but it was thought up with the best possible intention. It was something Hyoyeon loved about her friend after all: her unfaltering determination to keep her father (especially) and everyone she loved happy - no matter the cost. Yoona smiled widely in response and leaned back against her own chair with a relieved sigh escaping her lips. The man beside her looked over to her and handed her his drink (which she took and drank without protest - she's never liked scotch before - or lecture about 'microbes' - something Hyoyeon had never seen her do), his eyes softening as he looked at her. Hyoyeon's lips curled into a smile - plus, there's the fact that Yoona's less conscious of herself and more (what was it?) relaxed despite the break up intrigued her more than anything.
She regarded this man under her gaze and smirked. He's not bad for the eyes at all - just needs a better hair cut, she mused, bringing her bottle to lips again and grinning.
Hyoyeon said nothing more about the plan after that and instead continued to tease her friend's boyfriend. She kind of liked him by the end of the night, as she stepped into a cab they'd hailed for her. He was polite and sarcastic at all the right moments and rolled with the punches she threw at him mercilessly. He didn't seem like the type of who thought about death and sorrow a lot, although his aura gave off that vibe. Changmin only seemed to care about his sisters.
She smiled, looking back at the couple behind the car window and watched them walk in the opposite direction. He had removed his thick jacket and draped it across Yoona's shoulders. The action was normal - polite. But who knows?
"That was interesting, don't you think?" Yoona whispered, pulling his jacket close to her face and breathing deeply. They fell into rhythmic step together, watching remnants of February snow crunch and melt under the soles of their shoes. She fingered the hem of his jacket sleeve and sighed. "I didn't expect that to happen so quickly."
He said nothing, but pulled out his earphones and mp3. She shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you've had enough of writing today. I'm kind of sick of talking too - but I can't seem to stop. We've got a long way ahead of us-oh?"
Changmin shrugged as he inserted one of his earphones into her ear without announcing it, and Yoona found herself not really minding it. Normally, she'd have jumped and screamed, demanding for the other person to get his hands off her but instead with this person -
"I did a lot of things I normally never do today." Yoona said, her lips slipping into a smile. Their feet moved together in harmony, their steps slow and deliberate. "I held another man's hand, met said man's family, drank his scotch and schemed with my best friend."
She laughed, the sound rippling across the night's silent air and causing Changmin to let a smile form on his lips. Her car was just up ahead, and she waved at her driver as he started the vehicle with a low rumble. "I've never opened myself to a stranger before. It feels... liberating and nice. Your sisters are lucky to have you looking after them."
"It'll be fine, right? When you meet my father?" She asked, not really expecting an answer. Changmin didn't make a motion to make one either and she nodded, calm and understanding (I keep surprising myself, she thought). She moved to shrug his jacket off but stopped when he pulled the lapels closer to her neck.
Yoona shook her head, her smile unwavering as she stared up at him. "I chose the right type of brooding guy, didn't I?" She shook of her scarf and wrapped it around his neck, patting the fabric softly once it covered him neatly. He only smirked in response and she let out a mock frustrated sigh - before giving up and laughing again.
"Thank you."
Then she stepped back and opened the door, slipping into the vehicle smoothly. She winked at him from the open car window and waved - the car driving off slowly from the cub and into the night.
No... thank you. Changmin bowed his head, letting his hand feel the fabric of her scarf and smiled.
The car window rolled down with a soft sound as she stared out and watched from a distance. The boy in the fraying picture she held in her hand was smiling broadly, wrapped around loving arms... but this time, well - the boy had grown up. Six years can do a lot for an eighteen year old boy. She thought, looking back down at the photo before trailing her eyes up towards the man walking alongside a woman wearing his jacket.
They walked silently, not speaking, towards a car parked just ahead of them. The woman bowed gracefully, removing his jacket only to be stopped by him. She smiled, shaking her head and removing the scarf around her neck and putting it around his. Then she bowed again (perhaps in thanks? She wasn't so sure - she couldn't hear them from here) and entered the vehicle, leaving him staring after her wake.
"Miss Jung, should we go to him now?" Her driver said, surprising her out of her thoughts. Jessica Jung shook her head, rolling up the car window and tucking the picture back into her purse.
2005 February 18. Our son Changmin's 18th birthday.
She looked back out, watching him turn around and walk further and further from them - ignoring their presence, she was sure of that and crossed the street. He stopped for a moment, looking back and staring at the car, them, her. Then, he turned away - and he was gone.
"Miss Jung?"
"No," she said; her voice suddenly wary and tired, "not tonight - Mother needs company. Let's go home."
Author's Note: The song featured here this time is Adam Brand's It's Gonna Be Ok. It's a nice song, kind of country. And now some important data about the characters of Say I Love U.
First of all, it's already the end of February for them.
Second, their ages range from 20~27 in this fic (please note that everything is in Korean age): Yuri (20), Minho (20), Sooyoung (21), Hyoyeon (23), Yoona (22, turning 23), Changmin (25, his birthday has already past), Eunhyuk (26), Jessica (26), Siwon (27) and Donghae (27).
Third, the bolded names above are the people who are deeply involved in the drama of the story (as always). Love triangles are practically a must. I know it's something you all expect and want.
Lastly, there is no 'villain' in this fic. If you had read 'A Perfect Day...' before then you will have to expect it from me. I don't like writing bad characters - I love creating drama and angst but not villains.
Thanks for reading! Review?
"Gosh, I know right! It's like the Earth's shifted from its' axis!"
"Just... wow."
"Exactly! It's like Hell's frozen over, or an alternate reality - or Christmas! An early Christmas miracle!"
Yoona felt herself shrinking behind Changmin's shadow at every word that came out of his sisters' mouth. She wondered vaguely to herself how a simple day of 'getting-to-know-your-accomplice' would end up in a hospital room with said accomplice's family peering closely at them -
"Just wo... Ow!!! Oppa, that's foul play!" Sooyoung cried, rubbing the top of her head where Changmin had struck her quickly with his whiteboard. She reached out to punch him on the arm but then huffed when he easily stepped away from her reach.
He glared at her, /Stop saying 'wow'. It's rude./
-Yoona sighed, knowing fully well that clearly today was not her lucky day.
"You really shouldn't hit your sister like that. She's a patient and should be taken cared for." She said, giving him a slight roll of the eyes. She hoped he would react and excuse himself so they could escape, but instead he shrugged it off and stepped back to lean on the wall and erase his board with his palm - leaving her there at the mercy of his sisters watching her every move intensely. Yoona felt her hand clench, aching to slap him (I haven't done this before, damn you!) and run, however she just smiled and blinked back at her audience.
"Um, hello! My name is Im Yoona. It's very nice to meet the two of you," she said, bowing politely. Anxiously, she tucked her hair behind her ear and waited for them to respond - which didn't take too long when suddenly Sooyoung reached out to her and wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug. Yuri followed a second later and tightened their hug on her petite frame. Yoona could only blink in surprise, turning her head to look at Changmin shaking his in - what was it? Dismay? Embarrassment?
She sighed, silently praying for strength to pull through this disastrous "plan" she allowed herself to think up and hoped it wouldn't backfire. At least... not yet, she thought briefly, gently patting the girls' backs softly (anxiously).
"I've wanted an older sister for so long!" Sooyoung cried, smiling as she took her hand and shook it energetically. Yuri laughed and jumped onto her sister's bed and shook her (other) hand too, grinning from ear to ear. "We were worried he'd end up as a hermit or something." The younger girl said, tilting her head towards her brother's direction (who only rolled his eyes and popped an earphone into his ear and tuned them out with music).
Yoona rolled her eyes and sighed, shaking her head. Gee, thanks man. Leaving me to converse with your sisters alone when we haven't even gotten our 'story' straight. She sat gingerly on the chair next to the bed and looked up at the sisters smiling at her. She smiled back, letting her hand touch her chin restlessly. "Is he always this... rude?"
The girls shrugged, fortunately not noticing her distress. "We're used to him ignoring us half of the time to care. He doesn't like to get involved in girl talk - but then again what straight guy wants that?"
"I guess..." She trailed off, glancing at her partner-in-crime slightly bobbing his head to his music, "I bet he ignored his past girlfriends too."
"We wouldn't really know. We've never met them."
Yoona's lips unconsciously widened into a smile and she raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she said, a little too loudly for an indoor voice and directed her gaze towards the man leaning against the wall. Her smile widened even further when his frame tensed slightly and he gave her a sideway glance.
She continued, eyes and lips widening into a mock look of surprise and said sarcastically, "I thought he'd be a regular Casanova, with his brooding personality and would bring girls home often. I figured girls would fall all over that type." Yoona sighed, making "tsk" sounds and pursed her lips together. "I guess I chose the wrong type of brooding guy to like."
She grinned at him innocently and then giggled as he rolled his eyes at her before turning his attention back to his mp3. She glanced at Yuri and Sooyoung conspiringly and casually shrugged when they immediately understood.
"Oppa, she's funny!" Yuri exclaimed, laughing and waving her hand to catch her brother's attention. Changmin looked at them and said nothing (as usual), shaking his head again while reaching out to write on his board.
/At my expense, I'm sure she is./ He wrote, tilting his head to stare at Yoona (as if to say that he heard everything Yoona had just said and would get back at her eventually).
She met his eyes innocently and fluttered her lashes for effect. The action surprised her for a moment and she stopped abruptly, blinking. Seeing this, Changmin smirked and stepped away from the wall. He put an arm around the back of the chair as he squeezed into her seat and pulled his face close to hers - their eyes boring into each other in determination and waiting for the other to look away first.
It didn't matter that Changmin's hands had started to sweat as her beautiful eyes stared back at his or that his throat had gone considerably dry when she opened her soft mouth slightly. Somehow, those details didn't bother him as much as when she finally looked away with a slight grimace crossing her features.
He bit the inside of his cheek, deciding to ponder about it later and instead looked back at his sisters with a wink.
/She really likes me. That's for sure./
They laughed, shaking their heads while Yoona laughed with less humor, avoiding his eyes. "Touché." She murmured, soft enough for only him to hear. He shrugged, ignoring the way his ears buzzed even without the thump of music ringing through them as he stared down at her. "We need to straighten thi-"
"Oh, hello. I didn't think your whole family would still be here, Sooyoung-shii." Siwon said, appearing suddenly at the door in buttoned-up shirt and loose tie. He bowed politely at them, stepping inside the room almost tentatively before reaching towards Sooyoung's Medical chart. Everyone greeted him warmly (Sooyoung with her bright eyes and beaming smile, Yuri with her cheerful 'Hello' and Changmin with a nod) except for Yoona, who sunk back into her seat as Siwon moved closer towards the bed.
Oh no. I forgot about sunbae! Her mind panicked and she covered her face with a hand. Choi Siwon had been her four years senior in her University and knew of her and Donghae, her ex-boyfriend. They were friends at some degree she recalled, since he and Donghae would frequent the same bar and gym. She wondered vaguely if Donghae had told anyone else about their break-up, and tentatively lowered her hand to glance at her senior who seemed to not notice her at all.
"Siwon-oppa." Sooyoung's voice rang sweetly in the air as she said his name. "We've got great news to share. It's a miracle, I promise."
"Oh? What is it?" He asked, smiling as he folded his arms across his chest. A little too widely too, Yoona noted, grinning and glancing back and forth at her senior and Sooyoung. She momentarily forgot to realize what Sooyoung had meant for a miracle and put her hand down from her face and nudged Changmin with a knowing glance.
"Oppa's got a girlfriend! A really pretty talking one too!" Yuri exclaimed, cutting her sister off just as she was about to say the exact same thing as well. Sooyoung glared at her for a split second before letting out a laugh and pointing at Yoona's form against Changmin's side.
"Oh so he does, does he? Who might the lucky la-Yoona?" Siwon stopped, his brow furrowing once recognition of the woman's petite form registered in his mind. He tilted his head as she froze in her spot (her face inches from Changmin's and her body sharing one seat with him). "Im Yoona."
Yoona pressed her lips together, considering her words before turning towards her senior. She shot Changmin a worried glance and then pulled a smile on her face. "Hello, Siwon-sunbae," she greeted, bowing her head immaculately in greeting. She thought about standing up but felt frozen in her seat. "It's been awhile..."
"You... are Changmin's girlfriend?"
"... Yes."
Siwon's brow furrowed close together and his eyes stared back at her accusingly. "What about Donghae?"
Yoona winced at the sound of his name being mentioned and opened her mouth to speak. Unfortunately, no words came to mind. Her heartbeat drummed against her ears and she fought the tears that threatened to fall. Damn emotions. You don't just get over heartbreak overnight! Even if you are 'pretending' to be with someone else for your father. She absentmindedly gripped her hands on her knees as she tried to collect her thoughts and respond. She didn't notice Changmin's eyes on her nor his hand suddenly covering her own softly. This was such stupid plan.
"Who's Donghae?" Sooyoung asked, tilting her head to the side. "Unni's ex-boyfriend?"
Changmin made no motion to respond immediately, only looking at Yoona's bowed head. She said she's only had one boyfriend. That must be his name. He thought, wrapping his hand upon hers comfortingly - if not to show Siwon that they were a 'couple'. Slowly, he looked up again and nodded - shooting the young doctor a look.
/They've been broken up for a while now./ He knew it was a lie since it had only been last night after all, but it was still true to an extent.
Siwon regarded him for a moment, taking in his stoic face and the hand wrapped protectively around her hand. It didn't make sense to him, knowing fully well about Lee Donghae's relationship with this lady, Im Yoona, in front of him. He didn't know her very well, and had only seen her a couple of times at class reunions where Donghae would bring her and leave early. She didn't come off as the type that dated around or lied. But Siwon had spoken to Donghae not too long ago in a bar with a few of their friends and he had said they were still together - was that a lie? He hardly thought so (if anything, this right here in front of him was a lie) and decided to speak again, "I do-"
"Choi-sunbae!" Hyoyeon cried, bursting through the door in such haste that almost everyone in the room jumped at the volume of her voice. Her heels clicked on the tiled floor as she entered the room with a wide grin on her face.
Yoona looked up and smiled at her best friend. Thank God for Kim Hyoyeon and her impeccable timing. She felt relieved that she'd shown up and worried at the same time for the slight deadly glint her eyes held when she looked back at her.
You have a lot of explaining to do. Hyoyeon's glare seemed to say and she would make sure she'd hear it all.
"I thought your shift ended an hour ago. Why are you still here? Visiting someone special?"
Color stained the young doctor's ears red at her comment and he shook his head a little too vigorously in response. "Kim Hyoyeon... I thought your training here already ended. Why are you still here?"
She waved her hand casually and placed it on her hip, smiling flirtatiously. She stepped closer towards them, stopping just beside Yoona and Changmin sitting together on one chair. "There are no rules against visiting a hospital on your free days, sunbae. Plus there's this very cute male nurse in the fifth floor that I've got an eye on so..."
Hyoyeon laughed at Siwon's incredulous expression and playfully hit him on the shoulder. "Oh don't give me that look! I was kidding - Yoona, her boyfriend and I are actually going to dinner. She said we'd meet later since they'd be here visiting his sisters but I couldn't wait and since I haven't met his sisters' either I thought I'd show up early."
"So you've met him before?" He asked, his brow furrowing together. She nodded, slapping a hand on Changmin's shoulder. He winced at the impact of the blow (he shared a look with an apologetic Yoona) and offered a small smile. There wasn't much he could do anyway; they'd be caught (by the doctor and his sisters) if he had reacted otherwise.
"Of course I've met him! He's Yoona's boyfriend after all. I just call him 'Broody' though, just as I called the last one 'Fishy'."
"You called Donghae 'Fishy'?"
"Totally. He has that blank look that a fish has a lot of the time that they were dating. You should stare at a goldfish sometime."
"Right. I can picture it now." Siwon shook his head and laughed, convinced. He bowed apologetically at Yoona and then at Changmin before standing up straight again and scratching his nape in embarrassment. "I'm sorry about my slightly accusatory tone earlier, Yoona-shii. I guess Donghae forgot to mention your break up when I last saw him."
Yoona smiled (relieved that they had narrowly avoided disaster), and bowed back. "It's alright, Sunbae. I understand."
"Don't worry about it, oppa! I'm sure he forgot to tell Hyukjae too." Hyoyeon said, shrugging. Siwon laughed and nodded.
"You're probably right. I should go now, it's late." He said, bowing once again to bid farewell, "Sooyoung-shii, you should sleep early tonight. You need your rest; no matter how energetic you think you feel. I'll check on you again tomorrow."
"But it's a Sunday tomorrow. It's your day-off." Hyoyeon said, blinking at him devilishly. His ears turned pink almost instantaneously and he sputtered an incoherent goodbye and an uneasy smile before walking out the door. She laughed once he disappeared, sitting down on the bed comfortably and turning her head to face the patient occupying it. "He totally likes you, by the way."
This time it was Sooyoung's cheeks that turned a crimson color and she squealed, hiding her face behind her hands. Yuri followed suit, teasing and laughing as she nudged her sister with an elbow. The girls laughed together - sharing a mutual sense of excitement over that one statement and started chatting happily.
"Wow, I hadn't even introduced myself! My name is Kim Hyoyeon, I'm Yoona's best friend." Hyoyeon said, bowing her head slightly at the sisters and grinning. They exchanged the usual pleasantries and then started casually talking to one another once again (about the departed young doctor and his obvious affection for his patient). Seeing this, Yoona felt herself relax and let out a relieved sigh.
"We need to straighten things out." She whispered, staring down at his hand on hers. His hand was warm, exactly how it was when they had held hands earlier today as well. She felt her heart twinge slightly and she removed her hand from his, brushing her loose strands of hair back behind her ear. She cleared her throat. "We should tell Hyoyeon about this... she helped us just now. I think it's only fair, don't you think?"
Changmin nodded, feeling curiously disappointed from the loss of her hand in his and let out an inaudible sigh. Slowly he stood up, running a hand (the one that held hers just moments ago) through his hair. He stepped away slightly and then bowed, holding up his whiteboard to Hyoyeon's surprised face.
/It's nice to see you again, Hyoyeon-shii./ The word 'again' was written more darkly than the others and she regarded him with a curious stare. Hyoyeon looked at Yoona for any answer and found instead a guilty glint in her doe eyes. She sighed, pasting on another one of her bright smiles and stood up - holding out a hand.
"Nice to see you too, Broody," she said, shaking his hand. His hand was firm, strong - Acceptable; even without knowing his name yet, Hyoyeon thought, as she sashayed out of the room after saying 'goodbye' to her new found friends, Broody's sisters, Choi Sooyoung and Kwon Yuri.
"Let's go to dinner now, okay?"
"That is the most ridiculous plan I have ever heard." Hyoyeon drawled, swinging her beer onto her lips and slamming it down on the table a moment later.
They were in a bar in downtown Seoul, a tiny place that looked more like a café than anything but served plenty of drinks. It was already late in the evening when they finally left the hospital and finished relaying the 'plan' to Hyoyeon over dinner - and now, there was nothing left for them (Changmin and Yoona sat together at their side of the booth) to do but to listen to their new accomplice's reaction. Her eyes were bright - almost livid, Changmin noted and Yoona cringed; except she wasn't angry - only confused and worried.
She continued, tapping the neck of the bottle with her index finger. "You do realize that if any of your stories get mixed up, it'd be a lot of trouble, right?"
"I know... that's why we told you about it." Yoona said, biting her inner cheek and smiling nervously.
Hyoyeon groaned, shaking her head and making a 'tsk' sound with her tongue. "So I'm the person who'll back you up on whatever now, huh? Damn, Yoona... I didn't think you had an impulsive or stupid bone in you but I guess I was wrong." She let out a frustrated sigh and leaned back against her seat, taking in the sight of her best friend staring guiltily at her and her... quiet partner holding his glass of scotch and ice absentmindedly.
"And this dude doesn't speak - except for a whiteboard," she said, pointing at Changmin with a menacing glare which he met coolly.
/I don't appreciate being called 'dude'./ He wrote, letting out a breath as he put his board on the table. Hyoyeon looked over his handwriting appreciatively and shrugged.
"Please, it gives a sense of... I don't know-a kinship between us. I'm your girlfriend's best friend after all. We should be friends too." She said matter-of-factly. Yoona nodded her head slightly in agreement and nudged him with an elbow. Hyoyeon watched the pair look at each other for a moment (communicating with their eyes, she noted - another devilish grin forming on her face) until finally Changmin rolled his eyes and wrote again.
/The I'd rather you call me 'Broody'./
"Broody Changmin it is!" She cheered, sharing a grin with her friend as he rolled his eyes and massaged his temple. The she tapped his whiteboard with the bottom of her bottle. "Can't you have learned sign language or Braille or something instead? It'd be a lot easier than to bring a board everywhere"
/Braille is for blind people./ - "Braille is for blind people, Hyo."
Hyoyeon laughed despite herself, watching the pair in front of her look at each other in surprise. "Wow. This might be all pretend but the two of you seem to be on the same wavelength. It's almost believable."
"So you'll help us?" Yoona asked, her tone hitched in anticipation and hope. She wrapped her hands around her best friend's and squeezed it. Please say yes, her eyes seemed to say, I need my best friend's support.
Hyoyeon could only sigh and give her a smile and a reassuring squeeze back before nodding. "Of course, Yoong. I'm your home girl."
There wasn't much she could do anyway, but to help her friend in her time of need. Granted, she though her plan was crazy but it was thought up with the best possible intention. It was something Hyoyeon loved about her friend after all: her unfaltering determination to keep her father (especially) and everyone she loved happy - no matter the cost. Yoona smiled widely in response and leaned back against her own chair with a relieved sigh escaping her lips. The man beside her looked over to her and handed her his drink (which she took and drank without protest - she's never liked scotch before - or lecture about 'microbes' - something Hyoyeon had never seen her do), his eyes softening as he looked at her. Hyoyeon's lips curled into a smile - plus, there's the fact that Yoona's less conscious of herself and more (what was it?) relaxed despite the break up intrigued her more than anything.
She regarded this man under her gaze and smirked. He's not bad for the eyes at all - just needs a better hair cut, she mused, bringing her bottle to lips again and grinning.
Hyoyeon said nothing more about the plan after that and instead continued to tease her friend's boyfriend. She kind of liked him by the end of the night, as she stepped into a cab they'd hailed for her. He was polite and sarcastic at all the right moments and rolled with the punches she threw at him mercilessly. He didn't seem like the type of who thought about death and sorrow a lot, although his aura gave off that vibe. Changmin only seemed to care about his sisters.
She smiled, looking back at the couple behind the car window and watched them walk in the opposite direction. He had removed his thick jacket and draped it across Yoona's shoulders. The action was normal - polite. But who knows?
"That was interesting, don't you think?" Yoona whispered, pulling his jacket close to her face and breathing deeply. They fell into rhythmic step together, watching remnants of February snow crunch and melt under the soles of their shoes. She fingered the hem of his jacket sleeve and sighed. "I didn't expect that to happen so quickly."
He said nothing, but pulled out his earphones and mp3. She shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you've had enough of writing today. I'm kind of sick of talking too - but I can't seem to stop. We've got a long way ahead of us-oh?"
Changmin shrugged as he inserted one of his earphones into her ear without announcing it, and Yoona found herself not really minding it. Normally, she'd have jumped and screamed, demanding for the other person to get his hands off her but instead with this person -
"I did a lot of things I normally never do today." Yoona said, her lips slipping into a smile. Their feet moved together in harmony, their steps slow and deliberate. "I held another man's hand, met said man's family, drank his scotch and schemed with my best friend."
She laughed, the sound rippling across the night's silent air and causing Changmin to let a smile form on his lips. Her car was just up ahead, and she waved at her driver as he started the vehicle with a low rumble.
"It'll be fine, right? When you meet my father?" She asked, not really expecting an answer. Changmin didn't make a motion to make one either and she nodded, calm and understanding (I keep surprising myself, she thought). She moved to shrug his jacket off but stopped when he pulled the lapels closer to her neck.
Yoona shook her head, her smile unwavering as she stared up at him. "I chose the right type of brooding guy, didn't I?" She shook of her scarf and wrapped it around his neck, patting the fabric softly once it covered him neatly. He only smirked in response and she let out a mock frustrated sigh - before giving up and laughing again.
"Thank you."
Then she stepped back and opened the door, slipping into the vehicle smoothly. She winked at him from the open car window and waved - the car driving off slowly from the cub and into the night.
No... thank you. Changmin bowed his head, letting his hand feel the fabric of her scarf and smiled.
The car window rolled down with a soft sound as she stared out and watched from a distance. The boy in the fraying picture she held in her hand was smiling broadly, wrapped around loving arms... but this time, well - the boy had grown up. Six years can do a lot for an eighteen year old boy. She thought, looking back down at the photo before trailing her eyes up towards the man walking alongside a woman wearing his jacket.
They walked silently, not speaking, towards a car parked just ahead of them. The woman bowed gracefully, removing his jacket only to be stopped by him. She smiled, shaking her head and removing the scarf around her neck and putting it around his. Then she bowed again (perhaps in thanks? She wasn't so sure - she couldn't hear them from here) and entered the vehicle, leaving him staring after her wake.
"Miss Jung, should we go to him now?" Her driver said, surprising her out of her thoughts. Jessica Jung shook her head, rolling up the car window and tucking the picture back into her purse.
2005 February 18. Our son Changmin's 18th birthday.
She looked back out, watching him turn around and walk further and further from them - ignoring their presence, she was sure of that and crossed the street. He stopped for a moment, looking back and staring at the car, them, her. Then, he turned away - and he was gone.
"Miss Jung?"
"No," she said; her voice suddenly wary and tired, "not tonight - Mother needs company. Let's go home."
Author's Note: The song featured here this time is Adam Brand's It's Gonna Be Ok. It's a nice song, kind of country. And now some important data about the characters of Say I Love U.
First of all, it's already the end of February for them.
Second, their ages range from 20~27 in this fic (please note that everything is in Korean age): Yuri (20), Minho (20), Sooyoung (21), Hyoyeon (23), Yoona (22, turning 23), Changmin (25, his birthday has already past), Eunhyuk (26), Jessica (26), Siwon (27) and Donghae (27).
Third, the bolded names above are the people who are deeply involved in the drama of the story (as always). Love triangles are practically a must. I know it's something you all expect and want.
Lastly, there is no 'villain' in this fic. If you had read 'A Perfect Day...' before then you will have to expect it from me. I don't like writing bad characters - I love creating drama and angst but not villains.
Thanks for reading! Review?