[ The Boyband's Guide to Happiness - ChangMin ] 005: Better Than the Taste of Candy
[ The Boyband's Guide to Happiness - ChangMin ] 005: Better Than the Taste of Candy
MinHa. G. 1132 words. ChangMin and Younha have their first date. ♥
Author's Notes: This chapter's title is taken from Younha's song, Telepathy. For Justine, who's extremely bored today, methinks.
It was a cozy ramen place not unfamiliar to ChangMin. He and the other members have dined here a couple of times after their Japanese debut, but have somehow forgotten about it when they started to tour Japan. ChangMin smiles when he remembers how delicious their food is.
Younha arrives less than five minutes after ChangMin finds a seat - at the farthest end of the restaurant, at the nook without windows - and sees ChangMin waving at her with a smile. He has already gotten a kettle of warm tea and copies of the menu.
"Have you been waiting long?" she asks as she sits across him at the table.
He shakes his head, "I'm just in a hurry to look at the menu."
She nods and picks up the menu, browses through it a bit. ChangMin calls a waiter over and puts the menu down.
"Tantanmen*, plea-"
ChangMin and Younha look at each other in surprise and stop speaking at the same time. ChangMin nods at her, letting her go first. Younha smiles apologetically, afterwards looking at the waiter and saying, "I'd like Tantanmen, please."
The waiter nods and jots the order down, "And you, sir?"
"Same thing she's having," ChangMin replies. "And some gyoza, please."
"Yes, sir," the waiter says, bows to them and leaves. ChangMin clears his throat and watches Younha staring at the menu while pinching her left earlobe softly. "Younha..."
She looks up at him, and suddenly he finds it difficult to say anything. "Ahhh... would you like some tea?" he asks, lifting the ceramic kettle up a little for her to see. She nods, takes her cup and holds it in front of her so ChangMin can pour some tea. The kettle's spout hit the cup (a result of ChangMin's hands shaking) and Younha is worried he'll spill tea all over the table.
Luckily, the table is clean and dry when the waiter comes with their food minutes later.
Small talk ensues, with questions about work, the current weather, and things they do when bored being thrown at the table in between random laughing fits. Younha finds it adorable when ChangMin laughs, his eyes becoming shiny black, mismatched arches that resemble rainbows, and wonders - amidst the cheesy jokes and less-than-funny comments he's just laughed at - if there is anything at all in the world that can upset him.
His voice is so gentle and warm, she thinks, listening intently to every story he's got to tell. After a few plates of gyoza, ChangMin opens up more and tells her little stories about their tours, his groupmates and his family back home. When he asks her to tell him something, she feels strangely sad, because then it's time for her to speak, and she won't be able to listen to the rhythm of his voice anymore.
He looks at her eyes attentively as she speaks, watching how they catch light and reflect it - so beautifully, he thinks - and waits for them to disappear when she smiles. She tells him about her favorite places in Japan and how she discovered them all by herself, when she came to Japan alone trying to make a career out of singing, tells him how she spent hours and hours just staring at the Tokyo sky wishing she'd be a star too, and smiles when he says "you're a star now, aren't you?"
"Actually, I should get your autograph," he says and pulls out a pen from his jacket pocket.
She laughs, "Where do I write? On tissue?"
ChangMin doesn't know what he's thinking when he says, "Here..." and pulls the sleeve up his right arm.
Younha is shocked. "Are you serious?"
"Do I look like I'm kidding?" ChangMin asks back and almost hits himself. What the hell are you doing, ChangMin? You sound like a rabid fan trying to get... TOUCHED or something!
Younha takes his pen and shifts in her seat to be able to write on ChangMin's right arm. She holds his palm upwards and starts writing on his wrist:
Dear ChangMin,
It's been nice listening to you - to your stories & your voice. Thank you for sharing Tantanmen with me.
Younha
She ends her scribbling with something that ChangMin thinks looks like a heart before she gives the pen back to him. She watches when he tries to read it, and tries to hide her wide smile by drinking some more tea. She wonders if he can hear how hard her heart is pounding.
Younha dissuades ChangMin from walking her back to the hotel, and ChangMin feels sorry about letting her go back on her own, considering the time. She thanks him for the meal and waves goodbye to him before finally walking away. He watches her small frame walking away before finally disappearing into a crowd of people walking down the street.
She wonders if he's still watching her as she walked, keeping her pace steady and normal. Deep inside she wants to skip, not walk, back to the hotel. She has never been invited to dinner by a man before, save for the times his managers and other guy friends invite her to go to the noraebang or some other cocktail parties. This is different, so different from the previous times.
She just actually came from a date, and she loved it.
"Here comes our man!!!" YooChun announces when ChangMin appears at the door of their apartment. All four hyungs simultaneously and gang up on him - "How was it?" "Did you hold hands?" "Did you kiss?" - until he gets to his room and sits quietly on his bed. The faint smile on his face is ready to burst, but he waits until his hyungs keep quiet before he answers any of the questions.
"Come on, ChangMinnie! Say something!"
"He probably scored some..."
"I'm not as greasy as you, hyung..." ChangMin snaps, barely able to keep his grin to himself.
"YAAAAAA! The man speaks!" YooChun says. "Tell us something, come on! Don't be selfish!"
"Ya! His arm!" JunSu yells and points frantically at his arm.
ChangMin instantly holds his right arm to his chest and runs to the bathroom. However, YunHo catches up with him and pins him down on the carpet. "What is it? What is it?" JunSu asks JaeJoong, who pulls up ChangMin's sleeve and tries to read the message written on his arm out loud.
ChangMin closes his eyes, his ears burning as he listens to JaeJoong reading the message. Everyone cheers when JaeJoong says, "There's even a heart sign on it!"
For the first time, ChangMin doesn't hate the unnecessary attention.
*Tantanmen is a variety of ramen topped with spicy ground beef.
MinHa. G. 1132 words. ChangMin and Younha have their first date. ♥
Author's Notes: This chapter's title is taken from Younha's song, Telepathy. For Justine, who's extremely bored today, methinks.
It was a cozy ramen place not unfamiliar to ChangMin. He and the other members have dined here a couple of times after their Japanese debut, but have somehow forgotten about it when they started to tour Japan. ChangMin smiles when he remembers how delicious their food is.
Younha arrives less than five minutes after ChangMin finds a seat - at the farthest end of the restaurant, at the nook without windows - and sees ChangMin waving at her with a smile. He has already gotten a kettle of warm tea and copies of the menu.
"Have you been waiting long?" she asks as she sits across him at the table.
He shakes his head, "I'm just in a hurry to look at the menu."
She nods and picks up the menu, browses through it a bit. ChangMin calls a waiter over and puts the menu down.
"Tantanmen*, plea-"
ChangMin and Younha look at each other in surprise and stop speaking at the same time. ChangMin nods at her, letting her go first. Younha smiles apologetically, afterwards looking at the waiter and saying, "I'd like Tantanmen, please."
The waiter nods and jots the order down, "And you, sir?"
"Same thing she's having," ChangMin replies. "And some gyoza, please."
"Yes, sir," the waiter says, bows to them and leaves. ChangMin clears his throat and watches Younha staring at the menu while pinching her left earlobe softly. "Younha..."
She looks up at him, and suddenly he finds it difficult to say anything. "Ahhh... would you like some tea?" he asks, lifting the ceramic kettle up a little for her to see. She nods, takes her cup and holds it in front of her so ChangMin can pour some tea. The kettle's spout hit the cup (a result of ChangMin's hands shaking) and Younha is worried he'll spill tea all over the table.
Luckily, the table is clean and dry when the waiter comes with their food minutes later.
Small talk ensues, with questions about work, the current weather, and things they do when bored being thrown at the table in between random laughing fits. Younha finds it adorable when ChangMin laughs, his eyes becoming shiny black, mismatched arches that resemble rainbows, and wonders - amidst the cheesy jokes and less-than-funny comments he's just laughed at - if there is anything at all in the world that can upset him.
His voice is so gentle and warm, she thinks, listening intently to every story he's got to tell. After a few plates of gyoza, ChangMin opens up more and tells her little stories about their tours, his groupmates and his family back home. When he asks her to tell him something, she feels strangely sad, because then it's time for her to speak, and she won't be able to listen to the rhythm of his voice anymore.
He looks at her eyes attentively as she speaks, watching how they catch light and reflect it - so beautifully, he thinks - and waits for them to disappear when she smiles. She tells him about her favorite places in Japan and how she discovered them all by herself, when she came to Japan alone trying to make a career out of singing, tells him how she spent hours and hours just staring at the Tokyo sky wishing she'd be a star too, and smiles when he says "you're a star now, aren't you?"
"Actually, I should get your autograph," he says and pulls out a pen from his jacket pocket.
She laughs, "Where do I write? On tissue?"
ChangMin doesn't know what he's thinking when he says, "Here..." and pulls the sleeve up his right arm.
Younha is shocked. "Are you serious?"
"Do I look like I'm kidding?" ChangMin asks back and almost hits himself. What the hell are you doing, ChangMin? You sound like a rabid fan trying to get... TOUCHED or something!
Younha takes his pen and shifts in her seat to be able to write on ChangMin's right arm. She holds his palm upwards and starts writing on his wrist:
Dear ChangMin,
It's been nice listening to you - to your stories & your voice. Thank you for sharing Tantanmen with me.
Younha
She ends her scribbling with something that ChangMin thinks looks like a heart before she gives the pen back to him. She watches when he tries to read it, and tries to hide her wide smile by drinking some more tea. She wonders if he can hear how hard her heart is pounding.
Younha dissuades ChangMin from walking her back to the hotel, and ChangMin feels sorry about letting her go back on her own, considering the time. She thanks him for the meal and waves goodbye to him before finally walking away. He watches her small frame walking away before finally disappearing into a crowd of people walking down the street.
She wonders if he's still watching her as she walked, keeping her pace steady and normal. Deep inside she wants to skip, not walk, back to the hotel. She has never been invited to dinner by a man before, save for the times his managers and other guy friends invite her to go to the noraebang or some other cocktail parties. This is different, so different from the previous times.
She just actually came from a date, and she loved it.
"Here comes our man!!!" YooChun announces when ChangMin appears at the door of their apartment. All four hyungs simultaneously and gang up on him - "How was it?" "Did you hold hands?" "Did you kiss?" - until he gets to his room and sits quietly on his bed. The faint smile on his face is ready to burst, but he waits until his hyungs keep quiet before he answers any of the questions.
"Come on, ChangMinnie! Say something!"
"He probably scored some..."
"I'm not as greasy as you, hyung..." ChangMin snaps, barely able to keep his grin to himself.
"YAAAAAA! The man speaks!" YooChun says. "Tell us something, come on! Don't be selfish!"
"Ya! His arm!" JunSu yells and points frantically at his arm.
ChangMin instantly holds his right arm to his chest and runs to the bathroom. However, YunHo catches up with him and pins him down on the carpet. "What is it? What is it?" JunSu asks JaeJoong, who pulls up ChangMin's sleeve and tries to read the message written on his arm out loud.
ChangMin closes his eyes, his ears burning as he listens to JaeJoong reading the message. Everyone cheers when JaeJoong says, "There's even a heart sign on it!"
For the first time, ChangMin doesn't hate the unnecessary attention.
*Tantanmen is a variety of ramen topped with spicy ground beef.
