[2/5] Lucky
Lucky
One morning, her phone rings.
2.
One morning, her phone rings. She sits up groggily and reaches blindly for her phone on the nightstand. She is careful not to make too much noise, for she is sharing her hotel room with Minji for this trip to New Orleans and she knows the younger girl did not get in bed until a few hours ago.
“Hello?” she whispers, trudging out to the balcony and closing the door behind her silently.
“Did I wake you?” his voice responds.
“You did, but it’s fine,” she says huskily, leaning against the railing and looking out into the night sky. She clears her throat in an attempt to get the sleep out of her voice“I have to get up in a couple hours anyway. Phone interview with Ryan Seacrest about the last album with Minji, and I have to go wake the unnies so they can go to their photoshoot for People Magazine, and then we all have to catch a flight later today to go up to New York to be a special guest on the Today show tomorrow morning.”
“Full day, huh?” he laughs. She smiles.
“I like to be busy.”
He updates her on his life, or rather, the lives of those around him - how Seungri was becoming much less irritating now that he had a girlfriend (“We don’t plan to ever announce them to the public,” he added, “since Hyunsuk hyung is convinced that Seungri is just with her for the sake of having a girlfriend.”) and Daesung was still trying to convince his girlfriend that they should get engaged already but she consistently refused, knowing how marriage would not aid his career despite the public already being accepting of their relationship. She remembers choking when she first hears that Daesung had revealed his relationship to the public. She remembers immediately calling up Jiyong, asking, “What’s going on? What happened? Is Daesung okay? What about his girlfriend? Is Big Bang okay?” He reassures her that everything is fine, that the girl was quite literally, the least hate-able person on earth. She was born into a rich family, but was orphaned at a young age and thus inherited all of her family’s wealth. She chose to devote herself to charity work, which was how she met Daesung in the first place. “His fans can literally find nothing about her to hate. They want to throw him an engagement party, even.” She nearly dropped her phone at that.
She realizes that Jiyong is still talking and snaps out of her recollection. Apparently, Youngbae was convinced he was in love with one of his dancers (“He’s in deep infatuation,” Jiyong scoffed, “just like with the last dancer girl he was convinced he was in love with.”) and so was trying to court her but to no avail. It seemed like he and Seunghyun were the only ones who were solely focused on the preparations for the European and American legs of their world tour.
“World Tour includes New York, right?” she asks, although she has memorized every date of the US leg of their tour.
“Of course. We’re heading there right after the London stop next week. How many extra tickets do you need?”
“Three. Kevin’s daughter wants to bring a friend.”
“Kevin is…?”
“My new driver! And bodyguard, manager, whatever you want to call him. Remember? You sent his daughter that signed poster last month?”
“Ah! That Kevin.” Is she mistaken or is that relief she hears in his voice?
“Yep. You should watch out, by the way. Kevin says that his daughter hung up your poster right above her bed so she could look at it every night. You have another fangirl among your legions of millions.”
“I can’t help it if I’m just that loveable,” he says arrogantly. She can imagine him bristling with pride over the phone.
“Yeah, aren’t you just,” she murmurs absently. There is a comfortable silence over the phone and she closes her eyes and feels the breeze blow gently.
“I’ll be there soon,” he says after a moment.
“Hurry,” she replies, “it’s been too long.”
“If it were up to me, I would be right next to you right now.”
“I know.” She is quiet; as is he.
“I have to go.”
She turns around at the sound of movement inside the room. “Yeah, me too. I think Minji’s awake.”
“New York. I’ll see you in New York.”
“New York,” she repeats. “Goodnight.”
“Good morning.” And then the dial tone.
“Unnie?” Chaerin turns around at the sudden noise and finds Minji at the door, rubbing at her eyes and yawning. “Why are you awake so early?”
“Ah, it’s…” she motions to her phone.
“Jiyong oppa called?” Minji’s eyes widened. “Did you tell him we’re coming back to Korea next month?”
“Ah… no,” Chaerin said, looking down guiltily. “It didn’t come up.”
Minji narrows her eyes at her unnie. “You mean, you didn’t bring it up.”
“I don’t want to change things between us!” It feels like Chaerin has repeated this statement for the thousandth time.
Minji shakes her head. “You need to stop over-thinking things, unnie.”
“You know how they say ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’?” says Chaerin, fiddling with her phone. “I don’t want him to realize that my absence was the only thing making his heart grow fonder.”
One morning, her phone rings.
2.
One morning, her phone rings. She sits up groggily and reaches blindly for her phone on the nightstand. She is careful not to make too much noise, for she is sharing her hotel room with Minji for this trip to New Orleans and she knows the younger girl did not get in bed until a few hours ago.
“Hello?” she whispers, trudging out to the balcony and closing the door behind her silently.
“Did I wake you?” his voice responds.
“You did, but it’s fine,” she says huskily, leaning against the railing and looking out into the night sky. She clears her throat in an attempt to get the sleep out of her voice“I have to get up in a couple hours anyway. Phone interview with Ryan Seacrest about the last album with Minji, and I have to go wake the unnies so they can go to their photoshoot for People Magazine, and then we all have to catch a flight later today to go up to New York to be a special guest on the Today show tomorrow morning.”
“Full day, huh?” he laughs. She smiles.
“I like to be busy.”
He updates her on his life, or rather, the lives of those around him - how Seungri was becoming much less irritating now that he had a girlfriend (“We don’t plan to ever announce them to the public,” he added, “since Hyunsuk hyung is convinced that Seungri is just with her for the sake of having a girlfriend.”) and Daesung was still trying to convince his girlfriend that they should get engaged already but she consistently refused, knowing how marriage would not aid his career despite the public already being accepting of their relationship. She remembers choking when she first hears that Daesung had revealed his relationship to the public. She remembers immediately calling up Jiyong, asking, “What’s going on? What happened? Is Daesung okay? What about his girlfriend? Is Big Bang okay?” He reassures her that everything is fine, that the girl was quite literally, the least hate-able person on earth. She was born into a rich family, but was orphaned at a young age and thus inherited all of her family’s wealth. She chose to devote herself to charity work, which was how she met Daesung in the first place. “His fans can literally find nothing about her to hate. They want to throw him an engagement party, even.” She nearly dropped her phone at that.
She realizes that Jiyong is still talking and snaps out of her recollection. Apparently, Youngbae was convinced he was in love with one of his dancers (“He’s in deep infatuation,” Jiyong scoffed, “just like with the last dancer girl he was convinced he was in love with.”) and so was trying to court her but to no avail. It seemed like he and Seunghyun were the only ones who were solely focused on the preparations for the European and American legs of their world tour.
“World Tour includes New York, right?” she asks, although she has memorized every date of the US leg of their tour.
“Of course. We’re heading there right after the London stop next week. How many extra tickets do you need?”
“Three. Kevin’s daughter wants to bring a friend.”
“Kevin is…?”
“My new driver! And bodyguard, manager, whatever you want to call him. Remember? You sent his daughter that signed poster last month?”
“Ah! That Kevin.” Is she mistaken or is that relief she hears in his voice?
“Yep. You should watch out, by the way. Kevin says that his daughter hung up your poster right above her bed so she could look at it every night. You have another fangirl among your legions of millions.”
“I can’t help it if I’m just that loveable,” he says arrogantly. She can imagine him bristling with pride over the phone.
“Yeah, aren’t you just,” she murmurs absently. There is a comfortable silence over the phone and she closes her eyes and feels the breeze blow gently.
“I’ll be there soon,” he says after a moment.
“Hurry,” she replies, “it’s been too long.”
“If it were up to me, I would be right next to you right now.”
“I know.” She is quiet; as is he.
“I have to go.”
She turns around at the sound of movement inside the room. “Yeah, me too. I think Minji’s awake.”
“New York. I’ll see you in New York.”
“New York,” she repeats. “Goodnight.”
“Good morning.” And then the dial tone.
“Unnie?” Chaerin turns around at the sudden noise and finds Minji at the door, rubbing at her eyes and yawning. “Why are you awake so early?”
“Ah, it’s…” she motions to her phone.
“Jiyong oppa called?” Minji’s eyes widened. “Did you tell him we’re coming back to Korea next month?”
“Ah… no,” Chaerin said, looking down guiltily. “It didn’t come up.”
Minji narrows her eyes at her unnie. “You mean, you didn’t bring it up.”
“I don’t want to change things between us!” It feels like Chaerin has repeated this statement for the thousandth time.
Minji shakes her head. “You need to stop over-thinking things, unnie.”
“You know how they say ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’?” says Chaerin, fiddling with her phone. “I don’t want him to realize that my absence was the only thing making his heart grow fonder.”