A bit of TaeSun fluff
THANK YOU
It’s finally over. Not that I’m glad that it is. I could’ve gone another hour or two with our S<3NEs, just to see their smiles and hear their thunderous roars. “So Nyuh Shi Dae! Saranghaeyo!” Then again, I might have cried bucketfuls. Man…
I take a deep breath and look around. The stadium’s empty now and it’s cold. I take the towel draping from my right shoulder and bury my face in it. I reek of sweat and hairspray. Not a very good combination. “I need to take a long shower later,” I mumble to myself. My voice seemed to echo.
Right now, with my drenched towel and my drenched shirt, I could feel the remnants of our first concert. I can still hear the music and the fan chants. I can still feel the mic in my hand (or maybe my towel has gone stiff) and somehow it’s like I’m still dancing to Oh! or Gee. Or walking down the ramp with a soft plushie a fan tossed us. I had fun. Like any other first, this concert will always be special.
I smile as the thoughts course through my head and then I sigh. I look down and I spot a familiar opening. “Ah. But I could’ve gone fine without the fireworks coming outta there,” I mutter.
“Sunny-ah?”
I turn around and see Taeyeon. “Oh. Sorry. I’ll be right there.”
She shakes her head. “Nah. They said we can stay a bit longer. They’re still trying to get the van over here.”
I giggle. “Did our fans block it again?”
She shrugs her shoulders, both arms behind her back. I find it a bit strange. “Well, some things never change. Our fans are really dedicated, aren’t they?” she says with a smile.
I nod. “It’s good to know.”
We stay silent for a moment. I take a look at the empty seats while she stares straight ahead. I get the feeling that she’s fumbling with something behind her back. “Hey Taeng-”
“You know, I think I ate some of the-Oh. You were saying something?”
I shake my head. “It’s okay. You go first.”
She giggles. “Okay. Hm, I think some of the powder from the fireworks entered my mouth or something. It tasted really bitter.”
I frown and slap her arm. “Ew! You’re joking, right?”
“No! Seriously!” she replies.
I sigh. “I should be over fireworks by now.”
“Well, at least you had Ti-ppany cover your ears again, right? That was really cute.”
“I guess so. Fany-ah’s really considerate.”
“Yeah. Hey, close your eyes for a sec.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Just do it.”
I raise an eyebrow. “This isn’t some prank, is it?”
“No. Trust me.”
I take a deep breath and close my eyes half-way, just in case. “Now what?”
“Just imagine… center stage, fans screaming your name: Sunny! Sunny! Sunny!”
It’s dark, but I see the outlines of the fans and I hear them. I hear my name and I smile. “And then?”
“Imagine the glowsticks,” she says.
“The glowsticks?”
“Yeah. That pink ocean.”
It doesn’t take me long to envision that familiar sight. I wonder why Taeyeon wants me to see it, though. She doesn’t even like pink that much. I wonder if she’s come to like it. This pink ocean… during our first concert… Our fans… The nine of us as family… All the hard work we did to get here. And here I am at center stage with my eyes closed. Taeyeon is standing right next to me.
“From the lowest box to the highest, the pink ocean stretches,” I hear her say.
I see it, the back and forth movement of that small glint of pink light. Then it grows and grows, brighter and brighter as the chants get louder and the beat of the music rises within me. I used to think it would be scary being part of such a big event, but being enveloped in that warm light is always the best.
“Just like fireworks,” Taeyeon says.
I nod, my eyes still closed. The pink light appears and then disappears just as quick. It really is just like seeing fireworks. “But it’s less scary,” I reply.
“Really?”
“Yes. At least I don’t hear anything exploding in front of-”
BOOM BOOM… BOOM BOOM…
I suddenly feel my heart racing. “Whe-where did that come from?” I manage to say. I can’t open my eyes and I don’t want to. But if I don’t… I might get hit. And I-
BOOM BOOM… BOOM BOOM…
The explosions get louder. I try not to stutter: “Taeng, where are you? You’re still there, right?”
“Of course I am,” she replies. Her voice is louder. It echoes.
Then it hit me. I opened my eyes. “Babo!”
She laughs. “What?”
“I thought there were really fireworks exploding right in front of me!”
She laughs again. Her arms are no longer behind her and I see that she’s holding a mic. I was right. “Wow. My heartbeat is that loud, huh?” she says
I blink. “Your… heartbeat?”
She nods. The mic is against her chest and I hear that BOOM BOOM sound.
I stare at the mic in partial disbelief. “I thought… you were beatboxing or something,” I hesitate to say. “To make that BOOM BOOM sound.”
“Well, that wouldn’t be a sweet thing to do, would it?” she replies. “And I’m not good at beatboxing.”
I scratch my head. “True…”
“So that’s that,” she says, lowering the mic.
She walks toward me and holds one arm up to her side. Without another word, I let her wrap that one arm around me. I close my eyes again and there’s that pink ocean. I hear a faint BOOM BOOM sound and I realize that she slipped the mic in between us with her free hand. I could hear my heart beating or maybe it was hers. Ours?
“Thank you, Taengoo.”
I feel her shake her head. “Nah. Thank our S<3NEs," she replies, "for the glowsticks.”
It’s finally over. Not that I’m glad that it is. I could’ve gone another hour or two with our S<3NEs, just to see their smiles and hear their thunderous roars. “So Nyuh Shi Dae! Saranghaeyo!” Then again, I might have cried bucketfuls. Man…
I take a deep breath and look around. The stadium’s empty now and it’s cold. I take the towel draping from my right shoulder and bury my face in it. I reek of sweat and hairspray. Not a very good combination. “I need to take a long shower later,” I mumble to myself. My voice seemed to echo.
Right now, with my drenched towel and my drenched shirt, I could feel the remnants of our first concert. I can still hear the music and the fan chants. I can still feel the mic in my hand (or maybe my towel has gone stiff) and somehow it’s like I’m still dancing to Oh! or Gee. Or walking down the ramp with a soft plushie a fan tossed us. I had fun. Like any other first, this concert will always be special.
I smile as the thoughts course through my head and then I sigh. I look down and I spot a familiar opening. “Ah. But I could’ve gone fine without the fireworks coming outta there,” I mutter.
“Sunny-ah?”
I turn around and see Taeyeon. “Oh. Sorry. I’ll be right there.”
She shakes her head. “Nah. They said we can stay a bit longer. They’re still trying to get the van over here.”
I giggle. “Did our fans block it again?”
She shrugs her shoulders, both arms behind her back. I find it a bit strange. “Well, some things never change. Our fans are really dedicated, aren’t they?” she says with a smile.
I nod. “It’s good to know.”
We stay silent for a moment. I take a look at the empty seats while she stares straight ahead. I get the feeling that she’s fumbling with something behind her back. “Hey Taeng-”
“You know, I think I ate some of the-Oh. You were saying something?”
I shake my head. “It’s okay. You go first.”
She giggles. “Okay. Hm, I think some of the powder from the fireworks entered my mouth or something. It tasted really bitter.”
I frown and slap her arm. “Ew! You’re joking, right?”
“No! Seriously!” she replies.
I sigh. “I should be over fireworks by now.”
“Well, at least you had Ti-ppany cover your ears again, right? That was really cute.”
“I guess so. Fany-ah’s really considerate.”
“Yeah. Hey, close your eyes for a sec.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Just do it.”
I raise an eyebrow. “This isn’t some prank, is it?”
“No. Trust me.”
I take a deep breath and close my eyes half-way, just in case. “Now what?”
“Just imagine… center stage, fans screaming your name: Sunny! Sunny! Sunny!”
It’s dark, but I see the outlines of the fans and I hear them. I hear my name and I smile. “And then?”
“Imagine the glowsticks,” she says.
“The glowsticks?”
“Yeah. That pink ocean.”
It doesn’t take me long to envision that familiar sight. I wonder why Taeyeon wants me to see it, though. She doesn’t even like pink that much. I wonder if she’s come to like it. This pink ocean… during our first concert… Our fans… The nine of us as family… All the hard work we did to get here. And here I am at center stage with my eyes closed. Taeyeon is standing right next to me.
“From the lowest box to the highest, the pink ocean stretches,” I hear her say.
I see it, the back and forth movement of that small glint of pink light. Then it grows and grows, brighter and brighter as the chants get louder and the beat of the music rises within me. I used to think it would be scary being part of such a big event, but being enveloped in that warm light is always the best.
“Just like fireworks,” Taeyeon says.
I nod, my eyes still closed. The pink light appears and then disappears just as quick. It really is just like seeing fireworks. “But it’s less scary,” I reply.
“Really?”
“Yes. At least I don’t hear anything exploding in front of-”
BOOM BOOM… BOOM BOOM…
I suddenly feel my heart racing. “Whe-where did that come from?” I manage to say. I can’t open my eyes and I don’t want to. But if I don’t… I might get hit. And I-
BOOM BOOM… BOOM BOOM…
The explosions get louder. I try not to stutter: “Taeng, where are you? You’re still there, right?”
“Of course I am,” she replies. Her voice is louder. It echoes.
Then it hit me. I opened my eyes. “Babo!”
She laughs. “What?”
“I thought there were really fireworks exploding right in front of me!”
She laughs again. Her arms are no longer behind her and I see that she’s holding a mic. I was right. “Wow. My heartbeat is that loud, huh?” she says
I blink. “Your… heartbeat?”
She nods. The mic is against her chest and I hear that BOOM BOOM sound.
I stare at the mic in partial disbelief. “I thought… you were beatboxing or something,” I hesitate to say. “To make that BOOM BOOM sound.”
“Well, that wouldn’t be a sweet thing to do, would it?” she replies. “And I’m not good at beatboxing.”
I scratch my head. “True…”
“So that’s that,” she says, lowering the mic.
She walks toward me and holds one arm up to her side. Without another word, I let her wrap that one arm around me. I close my eyes again and there’s that pink ocean. I hear a faint BOOM BOOM sound and I realize that she slipped the mic in between us with her free hand. I could hear my heart beating or maybe it was hers. Ours?
“Thank you, Taengoo.”
I feel her shake her head. “Nah. Thank our S<3NEs," she replies, "for the glowsticks.”