When I See You Smile
Note: This is another prompt with some of the writers of Gogumafics and this time around, the prompt are no1 billboard hit songs from year 1989 or 1991 which we all gave it a YS version, enjoy! Coincidentally, this song is also an all-time fave song of mine. the band does have perpetual bad hair day (that's the 80's for you) but do take time to listen as the song is awesome and the lyrics are really meaningful.
Click to viewIt should be just another day but it is not, in fact it is one of those days where he feels everything seem to be going wrong. They have been going around in circles but nothing seem to be working out. That’s the fourth day in a row where they played to audiences who don’t give two hoots about their music or what they are singing about. He kept telling himself, their time will come but everyone has a day off or two from motivating themselves, everyone has a day off or two where they have the right to mope and then get up and start again.
Her legs don’t belong to her no more after walking around in those damn high heels for 3 hours. She stood at one corner, feeling overwhelmed with sadness and tiredness, feeling slightly broken yet helpless. A slight rustle made her turn towards the stage and she felt as if the world stopped when she saw him. He was sitting a distance away, head slightly hung, hunching over his guitar with a sad smile towards his friends. For some unknown reason, her heart twitch at the sight of him.
Soon break time came and Jung Yong Hwa was grateful that his bandmates leaving alone especially Jung Shin because he can go on and on just about anything. Settling himself in a dark corner, he heave a big sigh and felt somewhat better. For the next half hour, he just sat hidden in that corner while looking at passerby. There was a couple who look as if they are arguing, a few cute promoter girls who has been going around taking polaroids of the customers, some college kids celebrating a birthday, which was nothing new. But he is curious about the shy looking promoter who just came off the stage and he got off his seat and walk towards the stage.
Break time for her came and was gone in a blink of an eye, yet those precious 15 minutes did nothing for her aching feet. But this one off job pays well plus it’s the last night, so Seo Joo Hyun gritted her teeth and put on a smile and push on. She passed the backstage and this time it was empty except for a few of the band’s instruments, and she remembered the guitar guy with the sad smile. An idea came to her as she took a polaroid photo of his guitar and scribbled some words hurrily before the band comes back from their break.
By the time Yong got onto the stage, the girl in question was nowhere to be seen, instead there was a polaroid and a photo of his guitar with some words scribbled on it.
everybody gets tired. everybody gets hurt.
but not everybody gathers up the pieces of
what is left and stand again. be one of those
who stands up again, even if takes a longer time.
For the first time today, he smiled. She who was hiding behind the curtain saw him smiling while strumming his guitar, took the opportunity to capture that moment. Even her feet aching, seeing him smile, it sort of gave her a sense of strength and determination to push forward as well. As for him, with that little encouragement, there was a sense energy for their second set and as later they would come to find out that they have caught the fancy of a record executive.
(the photo would be something like the above)
He had a sense it was one of the promoter girls and although he tried to look for her to thank her but as all the girls are long haired and tall plus it was dark so he did not get a chance to take a good look at her hence his chance to find her was in vain.
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A few days later on the other side of town, her housemates, Soo Young and Hyo Yeon were still busy unpacking in their rooms whereas she is done with hers so she decided to check out what does their new neighbourhood have to offer. It is a nice neighbourhood with many eateries, convenience store, and a nearby subway. She was on her way home when she heard sound of laughing kids and it was that infectious that she found herself smiling for no reason.
After recording overnight at the studio, a tired Yong slowly made his way home. It was a stressful night for him and the boys because the producer wanted to control everything but they are adamant because it’s their songs. But yet he is grateful and can’t help thinking that whoever that left him the polaroid and message is his lucky charm.
To get to his house, he would have to passed the playground near his house where he sometimes practise his guitar there or play for the kids too. But today, he would have to skip his daily routine because his bed seem to be beckoning. Walking passed, he heard the kids’ laughter but on top of that a girl’s laughter. From afar, he could see a long haired girl casually dressed in shorts and a loose top chasing the kids, laughing and smiling at the same time. He took out his phone and snap a photo of the scene in front of him and as he look at the photo, he can’t help but smile at himself and feel as if he could do just about anything.
(imagine she is laughing like the above and surrounded by kids, unaware of her surroundings)
Hyun thought she saw someone who look like the lead singer of the band standing a distance away but shakes her head thinking perhaps it was just all in her mind. Looking at her watch, she gasped as she realised that she is late for dinner.
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There was more than a dozen polaroids that was stuck to the board on her wall, she run her fingers lightly over them all and came to rest on the one of him smiling on stage. Last night was a bad night because she fought with her mother on the phone. Her mother wants her to go home or find a proper job instead of taking night courses because it won’t get her anywhere.
Smiling to herself, she lightly touch his face as if she is caressing it for real. His smile seem to give her a sense of determination and telling her that everything will be alright. Caught in a trance, she snapped out of it when she heard Soo Young shouting outside that if she don’t eat breakfast now, she will be late. Looking at her watch, Hyun gasped and took a last look at the photo, gave herself a quick ‘hwaiting’ boost and open her room door to start her day.
Meanwhile, things were going much better for Yong as he and the boys finally managed to come to an agreement with their company. So here he is sitting underneath the tree at the playground, winding down and just strumming his guitar while Hyun was walking at a fast pace mumbling to herself when she caught the soft strumming of a guitar from a distance. She turned to the direction and her heartbeat quicken its pace when she saw him. Totally forgetting that she would be late for class, she took out her camera and took a few photos.
A clock chiming nearby woke Hyun up from her reverie, looking at her watch, she gasped and ran towards the bus stop. Yong meanwhile had a feeling that someone was watching him but when he turned towards that direction, there was no one there.
And so it became a routine for Hyun to stop by the playground every morning before she go to class or work to catch Yong who will normally be sitting underneath the tree. Some days he will be sleeping with his note book sprawled across him, some days he will be strumming his guitar trying to find the right chords, some days he would be furiously writing down the notes or words in that note book of his and some days he would just be singing while surrounded by the kids.
It was two weeks into her ‘stalking’ routine when he was nowhere to be seen that morning. Disappointed but knowing there is nothing she could about it, Hyun was in a bad mood the whole day even when Soo Young and Hyo Yeon told her that they are going to catch a live band whose lead singer is the younger brother of her colleague.
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Although they were one of the first few to arrive, the line to get in was pretty long but lucky for them Soo Young knows someone who knows someone so they get to ‘cut’ queue so to speak. Then Hyun was introduced to Soo Young’s colleague, Tae Yeon who is actually the lead singer’s sister. Soon the band members came out one by one and to Hyun’s surprise, it was Yong. And just like that, her whole world lit up with that one smile of his.
This little mini-guerilla showcase is like a test run for the band as arranged by their company. As he scanned the crowd, there was one girl who stood out and she was smiling and playfully nudging her friends, right at that moment he forgot everything else but her. With her in his mind, Yong totally rocked out their mini-guerrilla showcase but he lost her later on.
Hyun was in cloud nine that night, lovingly looking at the photos that hung around her room especially ones of him. She went to sleep with a smile thinking that she will be able to see him again tomorrow morning. But morning came and gone, but there was no guy with guitar underneath the tree, nor was there for the next few days. Later on, she would find out that the band has gone to Japan as part of their learning process.
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It was 2 months down the road when Yong finally came back to Korea and their company is giving him and the boys two weeks of well-deserved break before they start preparing for their debut.
He was walking through the playground that early morning when he saw her, the girl whom he took photo of a few months back. The girl whose smile would lit up his days whenever he felt homesick or tired because all he needed to do was to look at those photos. She was sorta skipping her way to the bus stop and unknowningly something slipped out from her bag.
For Hyun, it’s been a tiring but fruitful 2 months. She has finally graduated and to commemorate the graduation of their class, her school is holding an exhibition and hers has been picked to be the main one. It’s still her daily routine to take the longer route and walk through the park, hoping that he will be sitting underneath the tree as if he has never left. She did hear from Tae Yeon that they are wrapping up and could be back in Korea pretty soon so her heartbeats even faster lately when she walked pass the playground lately.
After a quick nap, he freshen up and made his way towards the address stated on the flyer. As he walked around looking out for her exhibition, it struck him that he had no idea why is he here when he could be home taking that much needed sleep. But all was forgotten when he stood in front of a photo of himself.
It has been a success so far and there were even a few people who wanted to purchase some of her photographs and today is the last day. Soo Young, Hyo Yeon and Tae Yeon wants to celebrate with her and to be honest she is not too big on celebrations but she wanted to know if Yong Hwa (yes she finally learnt his name and the girls teased her endlessly about her little ‘obssession with him’) is back so it looks like she would have endure it. Anyway, she is only leaving about half hour earlier, doubt she will be missing much.
She only got as far as the bus stop in front when she realised she forgot something important, that photo. Chiding herself for being stupid to be so obssessed about a person who could care less about her existence but regardless, she turn back again. Raindrops began to fall so she break into a run and was glad that her exhibition hall that was not too far off.
Meanwhile Yong was walking around the hall in a trancelike motion. The photographs are amazing, it felt like each subject is able to tell a story by itself. Though the ones he is most impressed are the photographs of him. She was able to translate the feel of every moment during their performance and those of him in the playground. It was however that one polaroid of him strumming his guitar unaware of anything except the music got him intrigued and curious.
Being in a hurry, Hyun did not make much of the hooded man stood staring at the photo. She murmured an apology, grabbed the polaroid and turn to walk off.
“Wait..”
Something in his voice made her stop immediately. She heard footsteps walking towards her. In normal circumstances, if a hooded man ask you to halt, the first thing for you to do is to run but for some unknown reason, Hyun felt her heartbeating nineteen to a dozen for a different reason.
“I should charge you for appearance fee.”
And she turned around while he took off his hood. Hyun gasped as the person she has been yearning to see for the past 2 months is right in front of her.
“Hello, I am Jung Yong Hwa,” he grin at her, “And I believe I am the main subject of your exhibition.”
Lost for words, Hyun could only nod. Although Yong appeared calm but he felt that he could hear his heart is beating loudly especially the fact that the girl who is standing in front of him is the girl whose smile got him through his darkest time. Sure, he envisioned the possibility but he is never one to believe or put his hand in destiny or fate.
“Would you like to go for dinner?”
Hyun stood, staring at the ground nervously bitting her lips whereas Yong swallowed nervously while waiting for her answer.
“Sure.” It was a soft reply but Yong heard it nonetheless.
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And so, that is the start to a beautiful relationship.
It is not surprising that Yong and Hyun are compatible in many ways and that they balanced each other out. Every morning she would prepare breakfast while he would be waiting for her outside her house. Then they would walk to the park together; sit under the tree while having breakfast.
On the second day, it was raining while they were sitting under the tree so Yong grabbed Hyun’s hand and they ran towards the nearest shelter. She noticed that he was still holding her hand and on his part, he has no intention of letting it go anytime soon. He brushed away some raindrops with his free hand while she smile shyly. Then she imitate his gesture by brushing off the raindrops from his jacket. Smiling at each other, they stood underneath the shelter hand in hand waiting for the rain to stop.
They would talk about anything under the sun and bicker about anything over the moon. He would then send her to the bus stop for her to start her day while he goes about on his business. At the end of every day, he would be waiting for her at the bus stop and they would spend their evenings together until he sends her to her doorsteps.
It was Saturday evening and they were just walking back hand in hand from a day out with their friends when he told her to wait because he had to go and buy something inside the convenience store. His phone then was ringing non-stop and seeing that it’s Jong Hyun, she pick it up and told him that she will pass Yong the message.
As she end the phone call, she caught a glance of a girl’s photo as the background of his phone. Afraid to find out the truth, she just passed him the phone and Jong Hyun’s message. Although later she kept on telling herself that it’s just a photo but yet feeling confuse and unhappy, Hyun started finding excuse to not see Yong or to avoid him.
After two days, Yong realise that something is amiss. He tried many ways to ‘bump’ into her but she seem to be always one step of him. Left with no choice, Yong went to his sister for help.
Meanwhile, her housemates note that their friend has a perpetual sad face painted on her for the past two days. She misses him like crazy. Just because they don't talk doesn't mean she is not thinking about him.
Hyun is not naive when it comes to relationships except most of hers turn out to be like picking that one and only sour grape from a bunch of sweet grapes. So ever since then, she has been treading carefully when it comes to drawing the line with the opposite sex except with Yong, she don’t want to draw anything. In fact, she wants to draw a circle around the both of them but she guess Yong does not want to be in her circle.
It was towards the evening when Soo Young and Hyo Yeon insisted that they go out for dinner in the pretext of cheering her up. So there she stood at the playground near her house, willing for her two friends to arrive faster because she does not want to bump into Yong.
A pouty Hyun is definitely cute, deduced Yong who was peeping at her from behind their tree. He strummed the first note and walk out from his hiding place.
Hyun was surprised to see him, feeling both happy and sad at the same time.
Strumming his guitar, his soft voice fill the dusk as night falls.
Sometimes I wonder
How I'd ever make it through,
Through this world without having you
I just wouldn't have a clue
'Cause sometimes it seems
Like this world's closing in on me,
And there's no way of breaking free
And then I see you reach for me
Sometimes I wanna give up
I wanna give in,
I wanna quit the fight
And then I see you, baby
And everything's alright,
everything's alright
When I see you smile
I can face the world, oh oh,
you know I can do anything
When I see you smile
I see a ray of light, oh oh,
I see it shining right through the rain
When I see you smile
Oh yeah, baby when I see you smile at me
Baby there's nothing in this world
that could ever do
What a touch of your hand can do
It's like nothing that I ever knew
And when the rain is falling
I don't feel it,
'cause you're here with me now
And one look at you baby
Is all I'll ever need,
you're all I'll ever need
Chorus
Sometimes I wanna give up
I wanna give in,
I wanna quit the fight
And then I see you baby
And everything's alright,
everything's alright
So right...
“Hello.”
Hyun was bitting her lips nervously.
“It’s been a while,” Yong put down his guitar, “are you avoiding me?”
Hyun straighten herself, “Of ... cos not.”
“I want to show you something.”
“You know what,” Hyun took a step back, “I have to meet Soo Young and Hyo Yeon.”
But Yong was quicker as he grab her hand.
“But first, I have a story to tell.”
“I seriously have to meet them.”
“I think they are busy.”
Then it hit her that this was all a setup.
“There is this girl whom I have not met before but her smile seem to be able to give me strength throughout my darkest hour.”
Closing her eyes, Hyun took a deep breathe and told herself that is it.
He took out his phone , “And I want you to meet her,” and show her the photo that was the culprit of it all.
She quickly cover her face with her hands and softly shriek. Yong laughed and slowly remove her hands from her face. That’s when she gasped as she saw that the girl in the photo is her. A photo taken of her laughing and playing, unaware of her surroundings.
“For a smart girl,” Yong flick her forehead, “you are sure dumb.”
Blushing furiously now, Hyun gave him a playful whack on the shoulder.
“Ya! Wh...”
Before Hyun could continue on, Yong lurched forward and planted a kiss her on her soft lips while she just stood there stun. She hadn’t expected the jolt of electricity when their lips had met. But before he could pull away, she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepen the kiss.
He reluctantly he broke the kiss, "Next time, ask."
She pouts and he moved to kiss her again, another of those kisses that combined the sweetest tenderness with the most sultry passion. She smiled at him, her heart in her throat, in her eyes, beating its message loud in her ears. Surely he must see and hear it and feel it too? He took her hand in his and they walk home hand in hand.
She didn’t think she’d ever felt so happy.
A smile takes but a moment, but the memory of it lasts forever.