Obsession;; Chapter 1.
OBSESSION;; PG - 13
Sequel to Sky Flip Fairytale
The prequel was from Jessica's POV, so this is from Jjong's POV
one.
"Hyung."
Pause.
"Hyung, wake up."
Another pause. A swift smack to head and suddenly Jonghyun can't sleep anymore, but he's groggy enough not to actually wake up.
"Hey asshole, we're going to be late for the taping. It's a four hour drive, you can sleep in the car."
Jonghyun gets up, un-burying his face from his plush pillow, not because he wants to, but because he has to. The fact that he sees Minho's complacent face right after he wipes the goober from his eyes with his hands is not all that pleasing to wake up to.
"What time is it, exactly? It's still dark outside, I'm sure."
"It's 3:50."
"I don't get how you of all people woke up before me, the man who can sleep through anything."
Jonghyun doesn't even bother to hide the utter annoyance in his voice, but whatever, Minho can handle it. He picks up his phone from the dresser and starts texting, the light filling up the still darkened room. 'Hey baby, I'm up now. Going to my first schedule already, miss you.' He makes sure to attach twenty obnoxious sad and loving emoticons before pressing send.
"That's because I'm not whipped enough to stay up every night with my girlfriend playing the 'No, you go to sleep first! game.' Plus, seeing you in the middle of the night sleeping with your eyes wide open is enough to scare anyone to never sleep."
Minho laughs heartily before slamming the door shut behind him so hard, Jonghyun almost loses grip on his phone. He glances over his sent text message and scoffs at the door.
"That's because you don't have a girlfriend!"
two.
"I'm so hungry and cold. Why did they put us in some back tent for a waiting room?"
"I don't know." Jonghyun vaguely hears Taemin squeak. He looks at the ground, back at his phone, then outside the tent again.
Taemin and Minho huddle on the makeshift carpet near the heater, trying their best to ignore Jonghyun, but Jonghyun still hovers above them, stomping his feet every two seconds for emphasis.
"I could really use eat some ramen right now. Or some coffee. Anything to keep me warm."
"I can make you some ramen when we get home, hyung!"
Jonghyun looks down into Taemin's painstainkgly adorable eyes. His hunger and shivering tell him he feels nothing.
"I'll pass."
Minho stands up and pushes Jonghyun back a little without much force.
"Don't be an asshole."
"Kiss me, Minho. That'll keep me occupied."
"I'd rather kiss the freezing ground, thanks."
"Or you could kiss the heater. At least that way you'll be warm and entertained and entertaining us at once."
Onew grins from the other side of the tent, feet reclining on the table from his chair lazily. His balance is knocked over when Key walks past him, slightly shoving his chair, Sunny in tow.
"Our managers brought us snacks. Enjoy it boys!"
Sunny chirps, making her way past Onew and Key to hand Jonghyun, Minho and Taemin some chocopies and dried seaweed chips. Taemin ignores the chips and grabs almost all of the chocpies, giving Sunny an ear to ear smile before she can refuse.
"Taemin-ah,"
Jonghyun starts but stops when he sees Hyoyeon and Jessica enter the tent and stop at the front to talk to Onew.
"Thanks, noona I was really, really hungry. I thought I was going to die."
"Yeah, thanks Sunny noona."
"No problem children, now eat. You too, Jjong-ah."
"Hmm? Oh, right?"
Jonghyun smiles at Sunny, picking up seaweed chips from her hand, nonchalantly walking to the other table where the girls were standing and everyone was laughing at something.
"Trade me for a chocopie."
He says to no one in particular, but catching everyone's attention all the same. His eyes fall upon Jessica, her hands perched on the back of Onew's seat, her legs crossed and stiffed and she's not as bundled as she should be in this insanely cold weather.
"No one wants to eat seaweed chips, those things give you bad breath and just make you more hungry."
Hyoyeon states and gives Jonghyun a pitying look while Onew nods in agreement. But Jessica just stands there, saying nothing and doing nothing.
"Jessica, give me your chocopie."
"What? No."
"Were there no more extra chocopies? We brought so many." Key takes a shocked hand to his neck, turning to yell at the other half where Jonghyun came from. "YAH, SUNNY NOONA JONGHYUN WANTS A CHOCOPIE."
"HYUNG, I HAVE SOME I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WANTED ONE, YOU CAN HAVE ONE OF MINE!"
"Forget it."
Jonghyun mutters, kicking his feet on the ground, symbolizing his sheepishness.
"WELL I WANT ONE, DON'T EAT THEM ALL TAEMINNIE!"
"Oooh, me too!"
Key and Hyoyeon join forces across the room to grab the remainder snacks, and Jonghyun looks up in time to see Jessica shivering. He opens his mouth to say something but Onew beats him to the punch.
"Jessica, do you want my jacket? You look cold."
"Ah, no it's okay Jinki, we're going to perform soon anyway."
But Onew doesn't hesitate in standing up and Jonghyun can only stand there awkwardly as Onew kindly drapes his puffy coat over Jessica's shoulders and forces her to sit down and take his seat before she can refuse. It's weird, but Jonghyun feels like he's not supposed to watch this so he shuffles his feet again, clearing his throat more times than necessary before he feels he's allowed to look up.
"No wonder you're freezing. Look at those chicken legs of yours. When was the last time you ate?"
He mocks, waiting for her to bite. Instead, Onew gives him a reapproaching look and Jessica just stares at him like before, until Onew leans down and gives her his snack to eat.
"Here, you guys must be more starving than we are. We ate on our way here."
"But Jinki-"
"Just eat it, Jessica."
Onew smiles at her warmly, and she mums up immediately downing the little snack and Jonghyun can't help but notice the way she keeps crossing her legs one way and then the other underneath the table.
"You've got a little something on you,"
Jonghyun steps a couple feet forward and leans over before Jessica can acknowledge his presence, briskly wiping some crumbs off the lower side of her cheekbone. He can't help but stare at her in such close proximity and he likes the way her make-up shimmers in the dimlight.
It's pretty.
"Thanks, Jinki."
"Jonghyun."
He stands straight back up, suddenly irritated and remembering just how cold it was in the tent.
"No, I meant, thanks Jinki. For the snack."
"Oh, right."
Jonghyun grumbles again but it doesn't matter, because Onew is smiling warmly again and patting Jessica's head fondly.
Like a dog.
three.
"She looks, different right?"
"Huh? Who does hyung?"
"That Jung girl. She just...looked different tonight."
Jonghyun lays in bed, staring at the bare ceiling in the darkness, not an ounce worth of sleepy.
"What do you mean, hyung?"
If Jonghyun was paying attention, he would've been able to hear the irritation and sleepiness stemming from Minho but his mind's somewhere else and he just can't seem to close his eyes.
"I don't know, she just had some kind of different feel to her."
"Sica noona has always been pretty if that's what you mean though. Or hot. Whatever."
Minho coughs and Jonghyun's muscles tense up unconciously underneath his blanket.
"Hey hyung, shouldn't there be a blinding light be coming from your bed, trying to disturb me from sleeping? You're off schedule tonight."
"Huh? Oh, right."
Jonghyun picks up his phone absentmindedly from the dresser. Four unopened texts. He makes a mental note to check them when he wakes up in the morning as he shifts under the covers.
four.
Jonghyun turns on the television. SNSD is on stage, fulfilling the wish of a million men out there, singing to the camera. He doesn't switch the channel, caught up in the way Jessica's legs flicker with every step. It's not like how she used to do it.
five.
"I've heard this movie is really good, the CGI on the dinosaurs is supposed to be awesome and stuff."
"Dinosaurs, huh?"
"Yeah, and Ha Jiwon is the lead - she's super hot." Jonghyun says pointedly before looking at Sekyung tucked underneath his arm. "I mean pretty."
He waits for her disapproval, eyes to narrow, a chill to run up his hand from his body, but nothing. Instead, she stares at the screen, face blank as the lights dim in the theater and the previews start.
"Oh, that's fine. Jiwon noona is really hot. And she's super nice - I went to visit her on the set of the movie, and she showed me the technicalities of the movie. She also complained about how the dinosaurs were a bitch to work with and how the CGI wasn't as on par as it could've been. She said it was the most miserable set experience she's ever had. Bad weather, horrible effects, bad director, yup."
"Huh." Jonghyun thinks that is the first time he's heard Sekyung talk so much since they started dating.
A couple of rowdy guys elbow Jonghyun as they take the seats right next to them, making every noise of disruption they can while they find their seats.
"Sorry, man." One says to Jonghyun as he ducks just in time before getting a whack to the head as they finally sit down and the other ones cellphone goes off to the distinct and blaring sound of 'GEE.'
"Yoona's mine you douchebag - but you better turn your cellphone off I don't wanna get kicked out."
"Yah. Yoona is mine. I've already named my dog after her, sucker so don't mess with me."
Jonghyun snickers.
"Look man, how many times do I have to tell you. Yoona is mine. You can have Jessica or something, now shhh."
"I don't want Jessica! That bitch is ice cold and she's not pretty like Yoona. Oh, look a dinosaur!"
"SHHH, stupid. SHHH."
A huge and obviously CGI dinosaur runs across screen, but Jonghyun's eyes glaze over watching it guzzle three passerby's into oblivion, mind whirling about ice and how can ice be anything but cold, really, and how movies just don't have that great effects nowadays.
six.
"I think I want soda today - I've been really good with my diet lately, let's get some caffeine Key!"
Key groans at Jonghyun, but lets Jonghyun drag him by the arm out of their room backstage and towards the vending machines at the Music Bank station.
"You're like a petulant child who's only capable of thinking of themselves sometimes."
"And you aren't?"
Key scoffs and Jonghyun pretends like he doesn't hear it as he drags Key towards the empty corridor, gleaming at the beauty in front of him. The soda machine calls his name and he joyously inserts his money into its dispenser.
"Whatever. Why do you even need to diet anyway, you're already in good shape besides that bum leg of yours."
"Good enough shape for you maybe, honey, but I want to increase my muscle weight. And my abs need more definition in them, they've been looking sloppy since you know-"
Jonghyun mops sadly for a second, motioning towards his leg before reaching down and getting his coke. He holds it in the air and then kisses it to his lips before opening and letting the fizz chill with the air.
"Oh, please. You are either A, trying to shape up to compete with Minho again and let's face it you will never, ever win that battle because you are incapable of growing taller-"
Jonghyun stops drinking his soda, scandalized by these words.
"Or B, you are trying to shape for Sekyung. Cuz she likes you buff or something - I wouldn't know."
Jonghyun says nothing.
"Ooh speaking of buff guys that you will never be taller than look at who Jessica's talking to."
Jonghyun turns immediately to where Key is subtly motioning at on the other side of the hall, a little too immediately, and he puts a hand on his neck to recover from the momentary whiplash.
They are walking down the hallway, flirty smiles abundant, body language coy, talking about something, probably in English, probably something he would never understand.
"They're-they're friends, right? That's what hyung told the press after all that drama happened after you know," Jonghyun's voice gets caught in his throat as usual while he tries to look at something else but fails.
"Those two? I doubt it - like I would believe anything we're supposed to believe. Besides - he's like the second coming of Daniel Henney except in idol form. You know, Sica noona's ideal type."
"Yeah."
"Besides you know a thing or two about what it's like to be around something like your ideal type-"
Jonghyun watches the way Jessica looks far up into Taecyeon's face and he imagines that her eyes are twinkling and that her aura of being an ice princess never existed with the way her feet are turned inward.
"...it's funny though, for a while there...I really thought you two would end up together. Like I thought all that flirting and weirdness between the two of you guys would be an eventual relationship - looking back I don't know how crazy I was to think that."
Jonghyun tries to smile as Key laughs his preposterous laugh but all Jonghyun really feels like doing is throwing up for some inexplicable reason. They start walking down the hall again, and he throws his half-drunk soda into the trash, caffeine seeping everywhere.
seven.
Jonghyun is offended that he comes home to an empty dorm free of distraction and bother as he pretends to watch the television. He's really watching the clock above though, wondering where Key and Onew could still be out at such late in the night while Taemin and Minho are traipsing overseas somewhere with their manager hyung for some Dream Team filming or another show; Jonghyun doesn't even bother keeping up anymore.
But where were those other hooligans off to without him? And why wasn't he informed? The cool thing to do would be to sleep and act like he didn't care, but Jonghyun thinks the boys deserve to know his worried feelings when they arrive so he abides his time on the pleathery sofa that has sticky remnants everywhere of whatever Taemin was eating last on it and he actively pretends he's watching the last Toy Story which accurately displayed a proper dinosaur instead of what he was really doing.
"Hyung, watch it." He hears Key's whiny voice once the door opens after what seems like an eternity, and Jonghyun immediately stands up, arms crossed. Onew and Key are holding each other up for mutual support, douche-smiles plastered on their faces
"You're drunk."
"And you're pissy."
Jonghyun is not content with the way Onew smiles and slurs as he says this, while Key tries to maintain his cool as he stumbles a couple of steps into the room with his hyung by his shoulder.
"Where have you guys been? It's so late, and you guys didn't answer any of my texts! We could've gottten in trouble!"
"Oh, relax. Manager oppahyungdeul isn't here. And we covered your ass plenthoras and plenties amount of times - okay." Key rolls his eyes - or at least tries to, all Jonghyun can see is the white of his eyes.
"Where did you guys go? And how much did you drink Jinki hyung, you aren't a lightweight in the slightest."
"Sssh, don't tell anyone."
Onew motions his thumb to his mouth and raises an eyebrow, so Jonghyun caves in and nods, desperately wanting to be part of the club.
"After you left for your weekly ritual to go fuck what's her face - what is her face again? - yeah the face - we got an invite to go hang out with the girls in their dorm. It was a BLAST-" Onew hops over the coffee table and takes off his sweater and shirt struggling while walking over to Jonghyun, "but only, only, only, only until Hyoyeon dared us all to see who would chicken out of drinking the most. And while, I-" he points to his chest repeatedly, "I LOVE chicken, I am not one at all sadly. And neither is Kibum! So we proved her wrong."
"Indeed!" Key stands on the other side of the coffee table, pants off as he nods furrowed in agreement.
Jonghyun tries to ignore Onew as he clamors over him for a sleepy hug, mind riled at their confession.
"Well, why wasn't I invited? I used to sneak over there with you guys all the time for those kind of things minus the overdrinking, and oh, your breath hyung!"
"You wasn't invited because you were fucking what's her face - oh what is her face again? I really can't remember!"
Jonghyun is bemused for a second at the way Onew stares up at the ceiling for a little too long and how Key is deciding he's a crawling ninja on the floor before he gets offended and confused again.
"But why didn't you guys calll me, I would've gone!"
"Jessica's the one who did the inviting, not us. Is your heart offended by the non-invite, ajhusshi?" Key stands up again, posture strict, taking on the role of a lawyer.
"Is my hea-what in the world-"
"Don't you talk to Jessica anymore?"
"I guess I really haven't lately-" Jonghyun stops, tries to keep holding up Onew, thinking about the fact that he wasn't invited intentionally. Maybe it was a fluke, or she just didn't remember he was in town.
"She's the one who did the inviting - NOT US. NOT US. And now if you will excuse me, I have to attend to my invitation to the bathroom."
"Ah, me too. My invitation got lost in the mail but I shall escort you, ahjumma."
Onew leans away from Jonghyun and holds out a gentlemanly arm for Key who takes it, and Jonghyun doesn't bother to help them when they walk towards the direction of the kitchen. He slumps down the hallway, stirring in his stomach at the prospect of being edged out of the group, alienated and alone.
His phone rings when he reaches his room, and he looks down to see who calls; "Baby." Jonghyun lets out an infraction of a smile, he almost forgets constantly now that he's never alone.
eight.
It's cheating, walking around the building like a freebird, but Jonghyun enjoys it, taking two struts at a time, one hand in his pocket, the other bouncing an opaque stress ball into the air, and back into his hand again.
He starts down the back corridor, humming a raw tune, that effervescent smug still placed on his face. Walking alone in the SME building can be a near suicide attempt most days, but Jonghyun's able to get an hour off every night after he finishes vocal practice and the boys finish up rehashing dance moves over and over. The doctor tells Jonghyun he's making a speedy recovery but even so, to watch that leg; "YOU WATCH THAT LEG BOY!" and truthfully Jonghyun is grateful for the little excuse he's incurred.
"Shit."
Jonghyun's ball finds freedom outside of his greasy hands, spinning evolutionary down the hall. He can't walk cool anymore once he decides to risk his last won upon the fate of the ball, and he skips ahead as much as he can without putting strain on his bum leg.
"Yah. You're going to regret this."
He pounces on the ball, just as it rolls towards the last door on the left, and there's contact with the ground as he hovers over it, eyeing the speckles embedded on its surface for design. He finishes his death stare and looks up from the doorway, door wide open into the bare rehearsal room, trademark cloud wallpaper hanging on one end, mirrors aligned on the other.
She's focused in the corner, her light clothes swaying brightly under the lights as she spins and spins again, and spins once more. Jonghyun's hand uncurls and the ball rolls into oblivion as he watches the way the strong overhead lights hit her hair as she spins madly, passionately along with the appropriate music he realizes has been playing all along.
He ticks his tongue along with the beats, trying to place it. It's a familiar song, classical, and why is she dancing to this song all alone in the back rooms? He loses the tick in his breath when she tip-toes on her barefeet, concentrating so heavily, Jonghyun can see her chest heaving nervously. She aims for a pirouette, but fails a quarter through digging her nails into her hair, as she trips and almost loses her balance in Jonghyun's direction.
"Jonghyun."
He leaps up, suddenly aware of the fact that he was perched on the floor in a cheetah predatory pose. He brushes the non-wrinkles in his clothes and shoves his hands into his pockets as she takes a step towards him, then stops, her face inquiring.
"I - I just dropped something. Out there."
"Okay."
"Really."
Choked voice and all, he feebly points towards the hall he just came from, but what did he drop exactly? He can't remember and why for the life of him does his voice have to choke now.
"I wasn't, like, stalking you." he clarifies.
"Okay."
"What exactly are you doing anyway?"
Always the best at blabbering, Jonghyun manages to take a couple of steps forward into the room, and his adam apple breaths easy when she doesn't inch farther back towards the wall.
"What did it look like?"
"Well, dancing but -"
Jonghyun stops short, hearing the uncertainty about him.
"Well, then that's what I was doing."
Her eyes are cold, unreadable and the draft the open door brings in makes Jonghyun fidget in the stifled room. He coughs anxiously, once, twice, three? times not sure if he should go find that blasted ball or if he is supposed to linger a little longer - really, what kind of end to a conversation is that-
Jessica decides to turn away from him, enevloping herself back into the music at a quick pace, hands lifting up towards the air. She settles them down again, along with the beat, daintly and with grace. Jonghyun gulps and watches on, her breathing more steady now, hands turning in an almost intricate pattern as they fall smoothly near her sides and she takes a couple of light leaps forward, and he can't help but notice the way her pale barefeet glide across the floor effortlessly. He's never seen anything like it, and before he knows it he becomes enraptured by the shadows she creates drag across the floor, her feet never making a single sound.
Jessica turns her lithe body towards the mirror panels, but faces her head at Jonghyun, daring him to make eye contact. He's taken aback, those same unreadable eyes staring straight at him in an almost alien manner, never blinking or turning away as she continues to glide effortlessly across the room.
The track stops playing, but she keeps dancing, twirling slowly now, never losing eye contact with him and all Jonghyun can hear is her rushed yet steady breaths in the silence. One breath, another, a twirl, one breath, another, a twirl. It's haunting, the silence and Jonghyun feels a chill run up his spine.
It feels like hours pass by, slowly, but he can't turn away, memorizing the pattern she falls into, picking up the peculiar breathing method she uses and he becomes one with her dancing. He stands there, hands falling out of his pocket, limp at the sides, mouth slightly ajar, concentrating on the way her miniscule curves bend when she furls her body to the ground and then up again, tossing her hands into even more complicated patterns in the air, the way she never breaks into a smile, but breaks into the most captivating cold sweat.
She's still staring right back at him.
Jessica stops dancing abruptly though, and for a moment Jonghyun can't figure out that the room is suddenly standing still and he forgets how to breathe, until her eyes break contact. There's a shuffle behind Jonghyun, and he realizes too late that there's an intruder in the room amongst them.
"Ah, so this is where you were. What are you guys doing?"
The intruder sounds friendly but highly inquisitive. Jonghyun snaps out or reverie, turning around to see a damp and sweaty Onew entering the room, smiling but Jonghyun knows it's a fake one but can't figure out why this is in his dazed state.
"Ah, Jinki-yah. I was just practicing."
"How's it going?"
Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle and Onew is closer in proximity to Jessica than Jonghyun is now and he's aware of just discombobulated he is. He needs to sit down or something.
"I still have a lot of work left, I'm nervous I won't be ready in time-"
"In time for what?"
Jonghyun cuts her off, Onew raising an eyebrow at him.
"Jessica got the lead in a ballet-musical. Didn't you know...?"
Onew's turning his head back and forth between the two, trying to match the pieces together of why Jonghyun's in the room but Jonghyun doesn't care anymore, realization spinning in his head over what she was doing now and that Onew knew before him and his head is still spinning and he trips a little, catching himself before he can make a fool of himself, completely but it doesn't go past him when he looks up and sees Onew and Jessica's expressions, so he just walks towards the door as cooly as he can muster.
"Oh, that's great- I think I'm just going to get some air for a moment-"
"Oh, nevermind that, I just came looking for you, it's time to leave already. Later, Jessica!"
Jonghyun feels a strong arm tugging him out the room and he succumbs to it, not sure what's happening. He feels like turning around, turning around and looking into those haunting eyes again, just once, but he can't find the courage to do it so he walks wordlessly down the corridor with Onew instead.
---
um yup he's not creepy
Sequel to Sky Flip Fairytale
The prequel was from Jessica's POV, so this is from Jjong's POV
one.
"Hyung."
Pause.
"Hyung, wake up."
Another pause. A swift smack to head and suddenly Jonghyun can't sleep anymore, but he's groggy enough not to actually wake up.
"Hey asshole, we're going to be late for the taping. It's a four hour drive, you can sleep in the car."
Jonghyun gets up, un-burying his face from his plush pillow, not because he wants to, but because he has to. The fact that he sees Minho's complacent face right after he wipes the goober from his eyes with his hands is not all that pleasing to wake up to.
"What time is it, exactly? It's still dark outside, I'm sure."
"It's 3:50."
"I don't get how you of all people woke up before me, the man who can sleep through anything."
Jonghyun doesn't even bother to hide the utter annoyance in his voice, but whatever, Minho can handle it. He picks up his phone from the dresser and starts texting, the light filling up the still darkened room. 'Hey baby, I'm up now. Going to my first schedule already, miss you.' He makes sure to attach twenty obnoxious sad and loving emoticons before pressing send.
"That's because I'm not whipped enough to stay up every night with my girlfriend playing the 'No, you go to sleep first! game.' Plus, seeing you in the middle of the night sleeping with your eyes wide open is enough to scare anyone to never sleep."
Minho laughs heartily before slamming the door shut behind him so hard, Jonghyun almost loses grip on his phone. He glances over his sent text message and scoffs at the door.
"That's because you don't have a girlfriend!"
two.
"I'm so hungry and cold. Why did they put us in some back tent for a waiting room?"
"I don't know." Jonghyun vaguely hears Taemin squeak. He looks at the ground, back at his phone, then outside the tent again.
Taemin and Minho huddle on the makeshift carpet near the heater, trying their best to ignore Jonghyun, but Jonghyun still hovers above them, stomping his feet every two seconds for emphasis.
"I could really use eat some ramen right now. Or some coffee. Anything to keep me warm."
"I can make you some ramen when we get home, hyung!"
Jonghyun looks down into Taemin's painstainkgly adorable eyes. His hunger and shivering tell him he feels nothing.
"I'll pass."
Minho stands up and pushes Jonghyun back a little without much force.
"Don't be an asshole."
"Kiss me, Minho. That'll keep me occupied."
"I'd rather kiss the freezing ground, thanks."
"Or you could kiss the heater. At least that way you'll be warm and entertained and entertaining us at once."
Onew grins from the other side of the tent, feet reclining on the table from his chair lazily. His balance is knocked over when Key walks past him, slightly shoving his chair, Sunny in tow.
"Our managers brought us snacks. Enjoy it boys!"
Sunny chirps, making her way past Onew and Key to hand Jonghyun, Minho and Taemin some chocopies and dried seaweed chips. Taemin ignores the chips and grabs almost all of the chocpies, giving Sunny an ear to ear smile before she can refuse.
"Taemin-ah,"
Jonghyun starts but stops when he sees Hyoyeon and Jessica enter the tent and stop at the front to talk to Onew.
"Thanks, noona I was really, really hungry. I thought I was going to die."
"Yeah, thanks Sunny noona."
"No problem children, now eat. You too, Jjong-ah."
"Hmm? Oh, right?"
Jonghyun smiles at Sunny, picking up seaweed chips from her hand, nonchalantly walking to the other table where the girls were standing and everyone was laughing at something.
"Trade me for a chocopie."
He says to no one in particular, but catching everyone's attention all the same. His eyes fall upon Jessica, her hands perched on the back of Onew's seat, her legs crossed and stiffed and she's not as bundled as she should be in this insanely cold weather.
"No one wants to eat seaweed chips, those things give you bad breath and just make you more hungry."
Hyoyeon states and gives Jonghyun a pitying look while Onew nods in agreement. But Jessica just stands there, saying nothing and doing nothing.
"Jessica, give me your chocopie."
"What? No."
"Were there no more extra chocopies? We brought so many." Key takes a shocked hand to his neck, turning to yell at the other half where Jonghyun came from. "YAH, SUNNY NOONA JONGHYUN WANTS A CHOCOPIE."
"HYUNG, I HAVE SOME I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WANTED ONE, YOU CAN HAVE ONE OF MINE!"
"Forget it."
Jonghyun mutters, kicking his feet on the ground, symbolizing his sheepishness.
"WELL I WANT ONE, DON'T EAT THEM ALL TAEMINNIE!"
"Oooh, me too!"
Key and Hyoyeon join forces across the room to grab the remainder snacks, and Jonghyun looks up in time to see Jessica shivering. He opens his mouth to say something but Onew beats him to the punch.
"Jessica, do you want my jacket? You look cold."
"Ah, no it's okay Jinki, we're going to perform soon anyway."
But Onew doesn't hesitate in standing up and Jonghyun can only stand there awkwardly as Onew kindly drapes his puffy coat over Jessica's shoulders and forces her to sit down and take his seat before she can refuse. It's weird, but Jonghyun feels like he's not supposed to watch this so he shuffles his feet again, clearing his throat more times than necessary before he feels he's allowed to look up.
"No wonder you're freezing. Look at those chicken legs of yours. When was the last time you ate?"
He mocks, waiting for her to bite. Instead, Onew gives him a reapproaching look and Jessica just stares at him like before, until Onew leans down and gives her his snack to eat.
"Here, you guys must be more starving than we are. We ate on our way here."
"But Jinki-"
"Just eat it, Jessica."
Onew smiles at her warmly, and she mums up immediately downing the little snack and Jonghyun can't help but notice the way she keeps crossing her legs one way and then the other underneath the table.
"You've got a little something on you,"
Jonghyun steps a couple feet forward and leans over before Jessica can acknowledge his presence, briskly wiping some crumbs off the lower side of her cheekbone. He can't help but stare at her in such close proximity and he likes the way her make-up shimmers in the dimlight.
It's pretty.
"Thanks, Jinki."
"Jonghyun."
He stands straight back up, suddenly irritated and remembering just how cold it was in the tent.
"No, I meant, thanks Jinki. For the snack."
"Oh, right."
Jonghyun grumbles again but it doesn't matter, because Onew is smiling warmly again and patting Jessica's head fondly.
Like a dog.
three.
"She looks, different right?"
"Huh? Who does hyung?"
"That Jung girl. She just...looked different tonight."
Jonghyun lays in bed, staring at the bare ceiling in the darkness, not an ounce worth of sleepy.
"What do you mean, hyung?"
If Jonghyun was paying attention, he would've been able to hear the irritation and sleepiness stemming from Minho but his mind's somewhere else and he just can't seem to close his eyes.
"I don't know, she just had some kind of different feel to her."
"Sica noona has always been pretty if that's what you mean though. Or hot. Whatever."
Minho coughs and Jonghyun's muscles tense up unconciously underneath his blanket.
"Hey hyung, shouldn't there be a blinding light be coming from your bed, trying to disturb me from sleeping? You're off schedule tonight."
"Huh? Oh, right."
Jonghyun picks up his phone absentmindedly from the dresser. Four unopened texts. He makes a mental note to check them when he wakes up in the morning as he shifts under the covers.
four.
Jonghyun turns on the television. SNSD is on stage, fulfilling the wish of a million men out there, singing to the camera. He doesn't switch the channel, caught up in the way Jessica's legs flicker with every step. It's not like how she used to do it.
five.
"I've heard this movie is really good, the CGI on the dinosaurs is supposed to be awesome and stuff."
"Dinosaurs, huh?"
"Yeah, and Ha Jiwon is the lead - she's super hot." Jonghyun says pointedly before looking at Sekyung tucked underneath his arm. "I mean pretty."
He waits for her disapproval, eyes to narrow, a chill to run up his hand from his body, but nothing. Instead, she stares at the screen, face blank as the lights dim in the theater and the previews start.
"Oh, that's fine. Jiwon noona is really hot. And she's super nice - I went to visit her on the set of the movie, and she showed me the technicalities of the movie. She also complained about how the dinosaurs were a bitch to work with and how the CGI wasn't as on par as it could've been. She said it was the most miserable set experience she's ever had. Bad weather, horrible effects, bad director, yup."
"Huh." Jonghyun thinks that is the first time he's heard Sekyung talk so much since they started dating.
A couple of rowdy guys elbow Jonghyun as they take the seats right next to them, making every noise of disruption they can while they find their seats.
"Sorry, man." One says to Jonghyun as he ducks just in time before getting a whack to the head as they finally sit down and the other ones cellphone goes off to the distinct and blaring sound of 'GEE.'
"Yoona's mine you douchebag - but you better turn your cellphone off I don't wanna get kicked out."
"Yah. Yoona is mine. I've already named my dog after her, sucker so don't mess with me."
Jonghyun snickers.
"Look man, how many times do I have to tell you. Yoona is mine. You can have Jessica or something, now shhh."
"I don't want Jessica! That bitch is ice cold and she's not pretty like Yoona. Oh, look a dinosaur!"
"SHHH, stupid. SHHH."
A huge and obviously CGI dinosaur runs across screen, but Jonghyun's eyes glaze over watching it guzzle three passerby's into oblivion, mind whirling about ice and how can ice be anything but cold, really, and how movies just don't have that great effects nowadays.
six.
"I think I want soda today - I've been really good with my diet lately, let's get some caffeine Key!"
Key groans at Jonghyun, but lets Jonghyun drag him by the arm out of their room backstage and towards the vending machines at the Music Bank station.
"You're like a petulant child who's only capable of thinking of themselves sometimes."
"And you aren't?"
Key scoffs and Jonghyun pretends like he doesn't hear it as he drags Key towards the empty corridor, gleaming at the beauty in front of him. The soda machine calls his name and he joyously inserts his money into its dispenser.
"Whatever. Why do you even need to diet anyway, you're already in good shape besides that bum leg of yours."
"Good enough shape for you maybe, honey, but I want to increase my muscle weight. And my abs need more definition in them, they've been looking sloppy since you know-"
Jonghyun mops sadly for a second, motioning towards his leg before reaching down and getting his coke. He holds it in the air and then kisses it to his lips before opening and letting the fizz chill with the air.
"Oh, please. You are either A, trying to shape up to compete with Minho again and let's face it you will never, ever win that battle because you are incapable of growing taller-"
Jonghyun stops drinking his soda, scandalized by these words.
"Or B, you are trying to shape for Sekyung. Cuz she likes you buff or something - I wouldn't know."
Jonghyun says nothing.
"Ooh speaking of buff guys that you will never be taller than look at who Jessica's talking to."
Jonghyun turns immediately to where Key is subtly motioning at on the other side of the hall, a little too immediately, and he puts a hand on his neck to recover from the momentary whiplash.
They are walking down the hallway, flirty smiles abundant, body language coy, talking about something, probably in English, probably something he would never understand.
"They're-they're friends, right? That's what hyung told the press after all that drama happened after you know," Jonghyun's voice gets caught in his throat as usual while he tries to look at something else but fails.
"Those two? I doubt it - like I would believe anything we're supposed to believe. Besides - he's like the second coming of Daniel Henney except in idol form. You know, Sica noona's ideal type."
"Yeah."
"Besides you know a thing or two about what it's like to be around something like your ideal type-"
Jonghyun watches the way Jessica looks far up into Taecyeon's face and he imagines that her eyes are twinkling and that her aura of being an ice princess never existed with the way her feet are turned inward.
"...it's funny though, for a while there...I really thought you two would end up together. Like I thought all that flirting and weirdness between the two of you guys would be an eventual relationship - looking back I don't know how crazy I was to think that."
Jonghyun tries to smile as Key laughs his preposterous laugh but all Jonghyun really feels like doing is throwing up for some inexplicable reason. They start walking down the hall again, and he throws his half-drunk soda into the trash, caffeine seeping everywhere.
seven.
Jonghyun is offended that he comes home to an empty dorm free of distraction and bother as he pretends to watch the television. He's really watching the clock above though, wondering where Key and Onew could still be out at such late in the night while Taemin and Minho are traipsing overseas somewhere with their manager hyung for some Dream Team filming or another show; Jonghyun doesn't even bother keeping up anymore.
But where were those other hooligans off to without him? And why wasn't he informed? The cool thing to do would be to sleep and act like he didn't care, but Jonghyun thinks the boys deserve to know his worried feelings when they arrive so he abides his time on the pleathery sofa that has sticky remnants everywhere of whatever Taemin was eating last on it and he actively pretends he's watching the last Toy Story which accurately displayed a proper dinosaur instead of what he was really doing.
"Hyung, watch it." He hears Key's whiny voice once the door opens after what seems like an eternity, and Jonghyun immediately stands up, arms crossed. Onew and Key are holding each other up for mutual support, douche-smiles plastered on their faces
"You're drunk."
"And you're pissy."
Jonghyun is not content with the way Onew smiles and slurs as he says this, while Key tries to maintain his cool as he stumbles a couple of steps into the room with his hyung by his shoulder.
"Where have you guys been? It's so late, and you guys didn't answer any of my texts! We could've gottten in trouble!"
"Oh, relax. Manager oppahyungdeul isn't here. And we covered your ass plenthoras and plenties amount of times - okay." Key rolls his eyes - or at least tries to, all Jonghyun can see is the white of his eyes.
"Where did you guys go? And how much did you drink Jinki hyung, you aren't a lightweight in the slightest."
"Sssh, don't tell anyone."
Onew motions his thumb to his mouth and raises an eyebrow, so Jonghyun caves in and nods, desperately wanting to be part of the club.
"After you left for your weekly ritual to go fuck what's her face - what is her face again? - yeah the face - we got an invite to go hang out with the girls in their dorm. It was a BLAST-" Onew hops over the coffee table and takes off his sweater and shirt struggling while walking over to Jonghyun, "but only, only, only, only until Hyoyeon dared us all to see who would chicken out of drinking the most. And while, I-" he points to his chest repeatedly, "I LOVE chicken, I am not one at all sadly. And neither is Kibum! So we proved her wrong."
"Indeed!" Key stands on the other side of the coffee table, pants off as he nods furrowed in agreement.
Jonghyun tries to ignore Onew as he clamors over him for a sleepy hug, mind riled at their confession.
"Well, why wasn't I invited? I used to sneak over there with you guys all the time for those kind of things minus the overdrinking, and oh, your breath hyung!"
"You wasn't invited because you were fucking what's her face - oh what is her face again? I really can't remember!"
Jonghyun is bemused for a second at the way Onew stares up at the ceiling for a little too long and how Key is deciding he's a crawling ninja on the floor before he gets offended and confused again.
"But why didn't you guys calll me, I would've gone!"
"Jessica's the one who did the inviting, not us. Is your heart offended by the non-invite, ajhusshi?" Key stands up again, posture strict, taking on the role of a lawyer.
"Is my hea-what in the world-"
"Don't you talk to Jessica anymore?"
"I guess I really haven't lately-" Jonghyun stops, tries to keep holding up Onew, thinking about the fact that he wasn't invited intentionally. Maybe it was a fluke, or she just didn't remember he was in town.
"She's the one who did the inviting - NOT US. NOT US. And now if you will excuse me, I have to attend to my invitation to the bathroom."
"Ah, me too. My invitation got lost in the mail but I shall escort you, ahjumma."
Onew leans away from Jonghyun and holds out a gentlemanly arm for Key who takes it, and Jonghyun doesn't bother to help them when they walk towards the direction of the kitchen. He slumps down the hallway, stirring in his stomach at the prospect of being edged out of the group, alienated and alone.
His phone rings when he reaches his room, and he looks down to see who calls; "Baby." Jonghyun lets out an infraction of a smile, he almost forgets constantly now that he's never alone.
eight.
It's cheating, walking around the building like a freebird, but Jonghyun enjoys it, taking two struts at a time, one hand in his pocket, the other bouncing an opaque stress ball into the air, and back into his hand again.
He starts down the back corridor, humming a raw tune, that effervescent smug still placed on his face. Walking alone in the SME building can be a near suicide attempt most days, but Jonghyun's able to get an hour off every night after he finishes vocal practice and the boys finish up rehashing dance moves over and over. The doctor tells Jonghyun he's making a speedy recovery but even so, to watch that leg; "YOU WATCH THAT LEG BOY!" and truthfully Jonghyun is grateful for the little excuse he's incurred.
"Shit."
Jonghyun's ball finds freedom outside of his greasy hands, spinning evolutionary down the hall. He can't walk cool anymore once he decides to risk his last won upon the fate of the ball, and he skips ahead as much as he can without putting strain on his bum leg.
"Yah. You're going to regret this."
He pounces on the ball, just as it rolls towards the last door on the left, and there's contact with the ground as he hovers over it, eyeing the speckles embedded on its surface for design. He finishes his death stare and looks up from the doorway, door wide open into the bare rehearsal room, trademark cloud wallpaper hanging on one end, mirrors aligned on the other.
She's focused in the corner, her light clothes swaying brightly under the lights as she spins and spins again, and spins once more. Jonghyun's hand uncurls and the ball rolls into oblivion as he watches the way the strong overhead lights hit her hair as she spins madly, passionately along with the appropriate music he realizes has been playing all along.
He ticks his tongue along with the beats, trying to place it. It's a familiar song, classical, and why is she dancing to this song all alone in the back rooms? He loses the tick in his breath when she tip-toes on her barefeet, concentrating so heavily, Jonghyun can see her chest heaving nervously. She aims for a pirouette, but fails a quarter through digging her nails into her hair, as she trips and almost loses her balance in Jonghyun's direction.
"Jonghyun."
He leaps up, suddenly aware of the fact that he was perched on the floor in a cheetah predatory pose. He brushes the non-wrinkles in his clothes and shoves his hands into his pockets as she takes a step towards him, then stops, her face inquiring.
"I - I just dropped something. Out there."
"Okay."
"Really."
Choked voice and all, he feebly points towards the hall he just came from, but what did he drop exactly? He can't remember and why for the life of him does his voice have to choke now.
"I wasn't, like, stalking you." he clarifies.
"Okay."
"What exactly are you doing anyway?"
Always the best at blabbering, Jonghyun manages to take a couple of steps forward into the room, and his adam apple breaths easy when she doesn't inch farther back towards the wall.
"What did it look like?"
"Well, dancing but -"
Jonghyun stops short, hearing the uncertainty about him.
"Well, then that's what I was doing."
Her eyes are cold, unreadable and the draft the open door brings in makes Jonghyun fidget in the stifled room. He coughs anxiously, once, twice, three? times not sure if he should go find that blasted ball or if he is supposed to linger a little longer - really, what kind of end to a conversation is that-
Jessica decides to turn away from him, enevloping herself back into the music at a quick pace, hands lifting up towards the air. She settles them down again, along with the beat, daintly and with grace. Jonghyun gulps and watches on, her breathing more steady now, hands turning in an almost intricate pattern as they fall smoothly near her sides and she takes a couple of light leaps forward, and he can't help but notice the way her pale barefeet glide across the floor effortlessly. He's never seen anything like it, and before he knows it he becomes enraptured by the shadows she creates drag across the floor, her feet never making a single sound.
Jessica turns her lithe body towards the mirror panels, but faces her head at Jonghyun, daring him to make eye contact. He's taken aback, those same unreadable eyes staring straight at him in an almost alien manner, never blinking or turning away as she continues to glide effortlessly across the room.
The track stops playing, but she keeps dancing, twirling slowly now, never losing eye contact with him and all Jonghyun can hear is her rushed yet steady breaths in the silence. One breath, another, a twirl, one breath, another, a twirl. It's haunting, the silence and Jonghyun feels a chill run up his spine.
It feels like hours pass by, slowly, but he can't turn away, memorizing the pattern she falls into, picking up the peculiar breathing method she uses and he becomes one with her dancing. He stands there, hands falling out of his pocket, limp at the sides, mouth slightly ajar, concentrating on the way her miniscule curves bend when she furls her body to the ground and then up again, tossing her hands into even more complicated patterns in the air, the way she never breaks into a smile, but breaks into the most captivating cold sweat.
She's still staring right back at him.
Jessica stops dancing abruptly though, and for a moment Jonghyun can't figure out that the room is suddenly standing still and he forgets how to breathe, until her eyes break contact. There's a shuffle behind Jonghyun, and he realizes too late that there's an intruder in the room amongst them.
"Ah, so this is where you were. What are you guys doing?"
The intruder sounds friendly but highly inquisitive. Jonghyun snaps out or reverie, turning around to see a damp and sweaty Onew entering the room, smiling but Jonghyun knows it's a fake one but can't figure out why this is in his dazed state.
"Ah, Jinki-yah. I was just practicing."
"How's it going?"
Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle and Onew is closer in proximity to Jessica than Jonghyun is now and he's aware of just discombobulated he is. He needs to sit down or something.
"I still have a lot of work left, I'm nervous I won't be ready in time-"
"In time for what?"
Jonghyun cuts her off, Onew raising an eyebrow at him.
"Jessica got the lead in a ballet-musical. Didn't you know...?"
Onew's turning his head back and forth between the two, trying to match the pieces together of why Jonghyun's in the room but Jonghyun doesn't care anymore, realization spinning in his head over what she was doing now and that Onew knew before him and his head is still spinning and he trips a little, catching himself before he can make a fool of himself, completely but it doesn't go past him when he looks up and sees Onew and Jessica's expressions, so he just walks towards the door as cooly as he can muster.
"Oh, that's great- I think I'm just going to get some air for a moment-"
"Oh, nevermind that, I just came looking for you, it's time to leave already. Later, Jessica!"
Jonghyun feels a strong arm tugging him out the room and he succumbs to it, not sure what's happening. He feels like turning around, turning around and looking into those haunting eyes again, just once, but he can't find the courage to do it so he walks wordlessly down the corridor with Onew instead.
---
um yup he's not creepy