airplanewishes (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
airplanewishes) wrote2012-01-06 05:20 pm
airplanewishes) wrote2012-01-06 05:20 pm
[PG-13] Wishing on Airplanes (12/28)
Title: Wishing on Airplanes
Characters: Donghae, Kyuhyun, Hyukjae, OC, Super Junior
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Friendship, Comedy, Drama
“So how did it go?” Hyukjae asked, falling into step beside Jooyeon.
“How did what go?” Jooyeon asked him. They were on their way to their Literature class from homeroom. Donghae had told them to go ahead.
“Your date,” he said, smirking.
“What date?” she asked, truly clueless. She hadn’t had a date in forever.
“You went out with Donghae, remember?” he said, looking at her like she was weird. “You went to the mall…”
She laughed. “Oppa, that wasn’t a date. He just wanted some company when he bought his soccer shoes,” she said, rolling her eyes.
It was Hyukjae’s turn to laugh. “Jooyeon, I think you’re the most innocent girl I’ve met. Or the most clueless. If company was what he wanted, he could’ve asked any one of us. He usually asks me. But he didn’t ask us, he asked you.”
“I don’t see the difference,” she said, shaking her head.
“Aish this girl,” he said, shaking his head as well.
“It really wasn’t a date,” she repeated. “I would’ve known if it was. He would’ve told me, too.”
“Sometimes guys don’t tell their feelings straight out,” he persisted.
“Oppa, what are you saying?” she asked him seriously.
“You had moments, you know,” he reminded her. “The tree house…”
Moments. She had to admit that what Donghae did for her in the tree house was probably one of the sweetest things that any guy had done for her, not that there were many. But still, even if that was an important moment, it was still just a moment. And sometimes moments were just that, moments. Most of the time it didn’t mean anything in the bigger scheme of things.
“That’s just silly,” she told him with a chuckle.
“What’s silly?” Donghae asked, catching up with them.
“You not getting in the soccer team,” Hyukjae said at once. “I keep telling her that there’s a chance that you might not get in.”
Donghae snickered. “That really is silly.”
“See, it’s the attitude,” Hyukjae pointed out.
“Oppa, be humble,” Jooyeon chided Donghae jokingly. “Still, I think you’re going to do really well at the try outs.”
“Of course I am,” Donghae said. “You’re going to be there.”
Hyukjae gave Jooyeon a knowing smile.
~ * ~
Jooyeon watched as Donghae warmed up for the tryouts. There were a lot of guys trying out, but there were even more people watching. The bleachers were somewhat packed. Luckily, she found a seat on the third row. She waved at Donghae, who happily waved back. Hyukjae was on the edge of the field, watching Donghae warm up.
Jooyeon’s mind kept going back to the conversations she had with Hyukjae that morning. She couldn’t help but think how weird it was how Hyukjae kept on pushing that fact that Donghae might possibly like her. But she just didn’t see it. Donghae was nice to everyone. He was naturally sweet and was such a warm person all the time.
While Jooyeon was musing over this, she felt someone sit down to her left. When she turned to look, she realized that it was Kyuhyun.
“Oppa,” Jooyeon greeted him with a smile. She looked behind him. “Is it just you?”
“Probably,” Kyuhyun answered, looking at the field.
“Fishy’s there,” she told him, pointing near the goal. “Anchovy’s there, too.”
They watched as the tryouts began. Those who were trying out were asked to line up on one side. The team captain, who was an upperclassman, was giving out instructions.
“I’m getting nervous,” Jooyeon told Kyuhyun.
“I’m curious,” Kyuhyun began in response. He looked at her as she looked back at him. “Do you have a nickname for me? Aside from dark knight, I mean.” He smirked as she turned bright red.
“Um,” she stammered, avoiding his eyes. But he went on looking at her expectantly.
“I hope it’s not another fish,” he went on, amused at her embarrassed expression.
Jooyeon burst out laughing. “Oppa, really,” she said, biting her lip to stop her giggles. Kyuhyun looked annoyed. She noticed this and halted her laughter. “Oppa, what do you want me to call you? I mean dark knight is very fitting.”
“I know I’m handsome and all, like a hero and everything,” he said. “But I’m not a fan of Batman.”
She looked away and coughed to disguise her laughter. When she faced him again, he was looking at the field, a stony look on his face. She smiled. “I’ll think of something, oppa. I promise,” she told him. Although, she couldn’t help but think that, personally, he would always be a dark knight to her.
He looked at her and smiled a little. “You haven’t been to Kangnam yet, right?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Why?”
“Do you want to go tomorrow?” he asked, looking at the field again. This took her by surprise. “There’s a gaming convention,” he added, clearing his throat to hide his discomfort. He wasn’t exactly asking her out. That wasn’t his intention.
“There’s a gaming convention?” she asked, straightening up, becoming excited. She’d heard about gaming conventions and knew how big and exciting it was.
“It runs for the whole weekend. I was thinking you want to go tomorrow,” he went on. “That way you’ll get to go to Kangnam. We can also go to Apgujeong.”
“I’m so excited,” she blurted out, grinning widely. She would get to go to a gaming convention. “Do I get to play?”
“With everyone. We can finally test those so-called skills of yours,” he answered, looking at her. Her excitement amused him. “So does that mean yes?”
“Definitely, oppa,” she answered with a nod. She started clapping happily. “I can’t wait.”
Being overly excited about their discussion and for the event tomorrow, Jooyeon missed a big part of Donghae’s tryout. She hadn’t seen his amazing soccer skills that made girls swoon and drool. But Donghae clearly saw how much she enjoyed talking and laughing with Kyuhyun.
~ * ~
“Did you get in, oppa?” Jooyeon asked as she rushed to the field, where he and Hyukjae were talking. Kyuhyun slowly followed after her, hands in his pockets.
Donghae turned to her and smiled. “I did.”
“Despite the cockiness,” Hyukjae commented.
“I knew it!” Jooyeon happily said. “Congratulations!” She clapped her hands then she looked around. “It’s so weird that the others aren’t here.”
“We knew he was going to get in,” Kyuhyun said. “So they didn’t bother to watch.”
“But you’re here,” Jooyeon pointed out.
Kyuhyun didn’t say anything. He just stood there and looked back at Donghae, who was studying him. Donghae had known Kyuhyun since they were in elementary school. He wasn’t very vocal about things. He never really talked about his feelings or his problems. Although he was such, they knew they could rely on him. He was just that kind of friend. In time of need, he was almost always the first one there. But most of the time, they had a hard time figuring him out. Kyuhyun seemed to have that dark personality, but was actually very nice. A lot of girls, almost all, had expressed their desire for him, but he never paid any attention to them. But, somehow, at that moment, Donghae knew that Kyuhyun had some sort of interest in Jooyeon. What kind of interest and how much, he didn’t know.
Hyukjae, who suddenly felt the tension, broke the silence. He clapped his hands together. “So are we celebrating or what?”
~ * ~
Kyuhyun leaned against the railing outside Taeyeon’s apartment. He was a bit early. He promised to pick her up at 9:30 AM. It was only 9:15. He heard the door open. Turning around, he saw that Taeyeon had come out, wearing a robe.
“Hey,” Kyuhyun said.
“Hey, Jooyeon will be out in a bit,” Taeyeon said, standing beside him, leaning her back on the railing. “So…”
“It’s just a gaming convention,” he said before she could continue her sentence.
“I didn’t say anything,” she said with a smile. “Why are you so defensive?”
“I’m not,” he said abruptly. “I’m just saying.”
Taeyeon chuckled. “Okay then.” She didn’t say anything for a while. She opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off.
“It’s just a gaming convention,” he repeated, glaring at her.
“So it should be okay if some of us tagged along, right?” she asked, looking back at him.
Kyuhyun inadvertently looked away and pursed his lips. “Sure,” he said.
Taeyeon smiled inwardly. Boys can be so easy to read when they try hard to not care about something. At that moment, Jooyeon stepped out, her hair tied in a ponytail. She was wearing a jean skirt and a white hoodie.
“Alright then,” Kyuhyun said, pushing himself off the railing and turning to leave.
“Have fun,” Taeyeon said after giving Jooyeon a quick hug.
“See you later,” Jooyeon said.
Jooyeon hurried after Kyuhyun, who was already on the road. “Oppa, you didn’t bring your car today?”
“So early in the morning and already complaining,” Kyuhyun commented, looking at her.
“I wasn’t complaining,” she muttered, making a face at him. “It was just a question.”
“Stop asking questions then,” he told her, smirking.
Jooyeon followed him quietly all through the bus stop. He hadn’t said a word to her all the way there. Why did he even bother asking her to go with him if he wouldn’t even talk to her? She really couldn’t figure him out. He was so weird. It was like being with a schizophrenic. One minute he’s really annoying and irritating and then one minute he’s like a real gentleman.
“What are you doing?” Kyuhyun asked, his voice seeping into her thoughts. “I told you to get in.” He nodded his head towards the bus, an aggravated look on his face.
“Sorry,” she muttered, going up the bus.
It was like a moving sauna. It could also be likened to being in a can of sardines. The bus was packed. Because of the many people, Jooyeon was separated from Kyuhyun and she was squished in between two greasy-looking men. She tried to scoot away from them as best as she could, but it felt like they kept on moving closer to her, keeping her in between them.
Suddenly, she felt an arm wrap around her waist, after which she felt a hand sliding up her leg. She gasped loudly and tried to move away, but the arm on her waist kept her from doing so. Looking up at the men beside her, they merely grinned at her.
“Ahjussi,” she pleaded quietly, not wanting to attract attention to herself and the incident.
“You have very pretty legs,” one of the men told her as he leaned closer.
“Ahjussi,” Jooyeon squirmed, struggling to get away. She was so scared that her eyes were starting to water. Looking around, she wondered where Kyuhyun was.
“Ahjussi, I suggested to remove your hand from her legs or I’ll put my fist on your faces.”
All of a sudden, Kyuhyun was there, grabbing the two men’s wrists.
“Aish, this kid,” one of them said. Then, surprisingly, both of them moved away from her.
Kyuhyun then grabbed Jooyeon’s wrist and pulled her to the front of the bus, forcefully squeezing through everyone.
“Kyuhyun oppa,” she began to thank him.
But, instead, he thrust a white handkerchief to her face. “Wipe your tears,” he said, not allowing her to finish.
When they got off the bus, Kyuhyun began walking, but stopped when he realized that Jooyeon wasn’t following him. She was just standing on the sidewalk, staring at the concrete.
“What are you doing?” he asked her, walking back. “Are you crying?” he asked when she didn’t even look at him.
“No,” she denied, hurriedly wiping her face. She looked up at him and grinned. “Let’s go.”
She started to walk, but he grabbed her wrist. “You shouldn’t have worn a skirt,” he commented, looking at her. “What if I wasn’t there? What would you have done?”
“I’m sorry,” she apologized, looking away. “Thank you for looking out for me, oppa.” She gave him a small bow.
Kyuhyun shook his head and started walking, dragging her with him since he was still holding her wrist. He didn’t let go until they arrived in one of the tall buildings in Kangnam, where the convention was being held. When they entered, Jooyeon saw that there were lots of people, probably hundreds and hundreds.
Computer stations were set-up in every corner of the place. There were big screens, showing the game being played live. Jooyeon couldn’t help but smile. It was gaming heaven.
“Stay close,” Kyuhyun ordered her, still holding her wrist.
Jooyeon obediently followed. After they had registered, she didn’t mind being dragged everywhere. It seemed like he was looking for an empty computer space so he could play. She was just astounded by the whole thing. It was like a melting pot of all gamers in the city. It was such a beautiful sight.
“You,” a man suddenly pointed at them. He was looking down on them from an elevated stage, where a few computers were situated. “You there.” Kyuhyun looked at him. “You want to play?”
Kyuhyun looked at Jooyeon, who beamed at him. “It’s okay, oppa. You go and play. I’ll be fine by myself,” she said, removing her wrist from his grasp.
“Are you going to play or not?” the man asked, looking irritated.
“She’ll play,” Kyuhyun offered, pushing her up the steps.
“Me?” Jooyeon asked, surprised.
“Are you sure?” the man asked Kyuhyun. “I’ve seen you around and I know you’re good,” he said. “We don’t let just anyone play up here.”
“She’s good,” Kyuhyun told him firmly. Both the man and Jooyeon looked at him in surprise. He’d never acknowledged her gaming skills before. But, then again, he’d never seen her play. Kyuhyun looked at her. “You said you’re good, right? Here’s your chance to prove it.”
Jooyeon nervously sat down on the cubicle. But, as soon, as she started and became engrossed in playing, the nervousness melted away. Kyuhyun smiled a little as he watched her.
~ * ~
“Hello!” Jooyeon answered her phone happily. She was seated in one of the tables in a small restaurant across the street from the gaming convention building. Kyuhyun was at the counter, ordering their food.
“Where in the world are you?” Hyukjae demanded
“I’m in Kangnam,” she responded. “Why?”
“What are you doing all the way in Kangnam? Are you on a tour by yourself?”
“No, Kyuhyun oppa took me to a gaming convention,” she shared, “But we’re going to Apgujeong later.” Hyukjae didn’t say anything for a while. “Oppa, are you there?”
“Are you having fun?”
“Oppa, it was so amazing! There were so many people gaming. It was so exciting!” she gushed.
Kyuhyun then arrived with their food.
“Well, enjoy yourself then. Take care, okay?”
“Yes, oppa. You too,” she said then ended the call. “That looks good,” she said, smelling the food.
“Eat quickly so we’ll have time to go to Apgujeong,” Kyuhyun said, nodding towards her food.
Halfway through her meal, Jooyeon couldn’t stand the silence anymore. He ignored her the whole time he ate. She looked at Kyuhyun. He was already done and had just been continuously texting someone.
“Oppa,” she cautiously began. He looked at her. “Thank you for bringing me to the convention.”
He smiled the smallest of smiles. “Finish up,” he responded then went back to texting.
“Oppa,” she started again. He, once again, looked at her, eyebrows raised. “I’ve already thought of a nickname for you. Do you want to hear it?”
He closed his phone and put it in his pocket. Looking at her expectantly, he said, “Let’s hear it.”
“GameKyu,” she announced. “It’s good, right?” She grinned.
He merely looked at her and sneered. “GameKyu?” he repeated.
“You don’t like it?” she asked, frowning. She really thought it fit him perfectly.
Sighing, he stood up. “If you’re done, we should go.”
As they left the restaurant, Kyuhyun looked at Jooyeon. She was still frowning. Did it really matter that much to her that he liked her new nickname for him? GameKyu. It wasn’t bad at all. In fact, he did like it. He just wasn’t going to let her know that he did.
Characters: Donghae, Kyuhyun, Hyukjae, OC, Super Junior
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Friendship, Comedy, Drama
“So how did it go?” Hyukjae asked, falling into step beside Jooyeon.
“How did what go?” Jooyeon asked him. They were on their way to their Literature class from homeroom. Donghae had told them to go ahead.
“Your date,” he said, smirking.
“What date?” she asked, truly clueless. She hadn’t had a date in forever.
“You went out with Donghae, remember?” he said, looking at her like she was weird. “You went to the mall…”
She laughed. “Oppa, that wasn’t a date. He just wanted some company when he bought his soccer shoes,” she said, rolling her eyes.
It was Hyukjae’s turn to laugh. “Jooyeon, I think you’re the most innocent girl I’ve met. Or the most clueless. If company was what he wanted, he could’ve asked any one of us. He usually asks me. But he didn’t ask us, he asked you.”
“I don’t see the difference,” she said, shaking her head.
“Aish this girl,” he said, shaking his head as well.
“It really wasn’t a date,” she repeated. “I would’ve known if it was. He would’ve told me, too.”
“Sometimes guys don’t tell their feelings straight out,” he persisted.
“Oppa, what are you saying?” she asked him seriously.
“You had moments, you know,” he reminded her. “The tree house…”
Moments. She had to admit that what Donghae did for her in the tree house was probably one of the sweetest things that any guy had done for her, not that there were many. But still, even if that was an important moment, it was still just a moment. And sometimes moments were just that, moments. Most of the time it didn’t mean anything in the bigger scheme of things.
“That’s just silly,” she told him with a chuckle.
“What’s silly?” Donghae asked, catching up with them.
“You not getting in the soccer team,” Hyukjae said at once. “I keep telling her that there’s a chance that you might not get in.”
Donghae snickered. “That really is silly.”
“See, it’s the attitude,” Hyukjae pointed out.
“Oppa, be humble,” Jooyeon chided Donghae jokingly. “Still, I think you’re going to do really well at the try outs.”
“Of course I am,” Donghae said. “You’re going to be there.”
Hyukjae gave Jooyeon a knowing smile.
~ * ~
Jooyeon watched as Donghae warmed up for the tryouts. There were a lot of guys trying out, but there were even more people watching. The bleachers were somewhat packed. Luckily, she found a seat on the third row. She waved at Donghae, who happily waved back. Hyukjae was on the edge of the field, watching Donghae warm up.
Jooyeon’s mind kept going back to the conversations she had with Hyukjae that morning. She couldn’t help but think how weird it was how Hyukjae kept on pushing that fact that Donghae might possibly like her. But she just didn’t see it. Donghae was nice to everyone. He was naturally sweet and was such a warm person all the time.
While Jooyeon was musing over this, she felt someone sit down to her left. When she turned to look, she realized that it was Kyuhyun.
“Oppa,” Jooyeon greeted him with a smile. She looked behind him. “Is it just you?”
“Probably,” Kyuhyun answered, looking at the field.
“Fishy’s there,” she told him, pointing near the goal. “Anchovy’s there, too.”
They watched as the tryouts began. Those who were trying out were asked to line up on one side. The team captain, who was an upperclassman, was giving out instructions.
“I’m getting nervous,” Jooyeon told Kyuhyun.
“I’m curious,” Kyuhyun began in response. He looked at her as she looked back at him. “Do you have a nickname for me? Aside from dark knight, I mean.” He smirked as she turned bright red.
“Um,” she stammered, avoiding his eyes. But he went on looking at her expectantly.
“I hope it’s not another fish,” he went on, amused at her embarrassed expression.
Jooyeon burst out laughing. “Oppa, really,” she said, biting her lip to stop her giggles. Kyuhyun looked annoyed. She noticed this and halted her laughter. “Oppa, what do you want me to call you? I mean dark knight is very fitting.”
“I know I’m handsome and all, like a hero and everything,” he said. “But I’m not a fan of Batman.”
She looked away and coughed to disguise her laughter. When she faced him again, he was looking at the field, a stony look on his face. She smiled. “I’ll think of something, oppa. I promise,” she told him. Although, she couldn’t help but think that, personally, he would always be a dark knight to her.
He looked at her and smiled a little. “You haven’t been to Kangnam yet, right?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Why?”
“Do you want to go tomorrow?” he asked, looking at the field again. This took her by surprise. “There’s a gaming convention,” he added, clearing his throat to hide his discomfort. He wasn’t exactly asking her out. That wasn’t his intention.
“There’s a gaming convention?” she asked, straightening up, becoming excited. She’d heard about gaming conventions and knew how big and exciting it was.
“It runs for the whole weekend. I was thinking you want to go tomorrow,” he went on. “That way you’ll get to go to Kangnam. We can also go to Apgujeong.”
“I’m so excited,” she blurted out, grinning widely. She would get to go to a gaming convention. “Do I get to play?”
“With everyone. We can finally test those so-called skills of yours,” he answered, looking at her. Her excitement amused him. “So does that mean yes?”
“Definitely, oppa,” she answered with a nod. She started clapping happily. “I can’t wait.”
Being overly excited about their discussion and for the event tomorrow, Jooyeon missed a big part of Donghae’s tryout. She hadn’t seen his amazing soccer skills that made girls swoon and drool. But Donghae clearly saw how much she enjoyed talking and laughing with Kyuhyun.
~ * ~
“Did you get in, oppa?” Jooyeon asked as she rushed to the field, where he and Hyukjae were talking. Kyuhyun slowly followed after her, hands in his pockets.
Donghae turned to her and smiled. “I did.”
“Despite the cockiness,” Hyukjae commented.
“I knew it!” Jooyeon happily said. “Congratulations!” She clapped her hands then she looked around. “It’s so weird that the others aren’t here.”
“We knew he was going to get in,” Kyuhyun said. “So they didn’t bother to watch.”
“But you’re here,” Jooyeon pointed out.
Kyuhyun didn’t say anything. He just stood there and looked back at Donghae, who was studying him. Donghae had known Kyuhyun since they were in elementary school. He wasn’t very vocal about things. He never really talked about his feelings or his problems. Although he was such, they knew they could rely on him. He was just that kind of friend. In time of need, he was almost always the first one there. But most of the time, they had a hard time figuring him out. Kyuhyun seemed to have that dark personality, but was actually very nice. A lot of girls, almost all, had expressed their desire for him, but he never paid any attention to them. But, somehow, at that moment, Donghae knew that Kyuhyun had some sort of interest in Jooyeon. What kind of interest and how much, he didn’t know.
Hyukjae, who suddenly felt the tension, broke the silence. He clapped his hands together. “So are we celebrating or what?”
~ * ~
Kyuhyun leaned against the railing outside Taeyeon’s apartment. He was a bit early. He promised to pick her up at 9:30 AM. It was only 9:15. He heard the door open. Turning around, he saw that Taeyeon had come out, wearing a robe.
“Hey,” Kyuhyun said.
“Hey, Jooyeon will be out in a bit,” Taeyeon said, standing beside him, leaning her back on the railing. “So…”
“It’s just a gaming convention,” he said before she could continue her sentence.
“I didn’t say anything,” she said with a smile. “Why are you so defensive?”
“I’m not,” he said abruptly. “I’m just saying.”
Taeyeon chuckled. “Okay then.” She didn’t say anything for a while. She opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off.
“It’s just a gaming convention,” he repeated, glaring at her.
“So it should be okay if some of us tagged along, right?” she asked, looking back at him.
Kyuhyun inadvertently looked away and pursed his lips. “Sure,” he said.
Taeyeon smiled inwardly. Boys can be so easy to read when they try hard to not care about something. At that moment, Jooyeon stepped out, her hair tied in a ponytail. She was wearing a jean skirt and a white hoodie.
“Alright then,” Kyuhyun said, pushing himself off the railing and turning to leave.
“Have fun,” Taeyeon said after giving Jooyeon a quick hug.
“See you later,” Jooyeon said.
Jooyeon hurried after Kyuhyun, who was already on the road. “Oppa, you didn’t bring your car today?”
“So early in the morning and already complaining,” Kyuhyun commented, looking at her.
“I wasn’t complaining,” she muttered, making a face at him. “It was just a question.”
“Stop asking questions then,” he told her, smirking.
Jooyeon followed him quietly all through the bus stop. He hadn’t said a word to her all the way there. Why did he even bother asking her to go with him if he wouldn’t even talk to her? She really couldn’t figure him out. He was so weird. It was like being with a schizophrenic. One minute he’s really annoying and irritating and then one minute he’s like a real gentleman.
“What are you doing?” Kyuhyun asked, his voice seeping into her thoughts. “I told you to get in.” He nodded his head towards the bus, an aggravated look on his face.
“Sorry,” she muttered, going up the bus.
It was like a moving sauna. It could also be likened to being in a can of sardines. The bus was packed. Because of the many people, Jooyeon was separated from Kyuhyun and she was squished in between two greasy-looking men. She tried to scoot away from them as best as she could, but it felt like they kept on moving closer to her, keeping her in between them.
Suddenly, she felt an arm wrap around her waist, after which she felt a hand sliding up her leg. She gasped loudly and tried to move away, but the arm on her waist kept her from doing so. Looking up at the men beside her, they merely grinned at her.
“Ahjussi,” she pleaded quietly, not wanting to attract attention to herself and the incident.
“You have very pretty legs,” one of the men told her as he leaned closer.
“Ahjussi,” Jooyeon squirmed, struggling to get away. She was so scared that her eyes were starting to water. Looking around, she wondered where Kyuhyun was.
“Ahjussi, I suggested to remove your hand from her legs or I’ll put my fist on your faces.”
All of a sudden, Kyuhyun was there, grabbing the two men’s wrists.
“Aish, this kid,” one of them said. Then, surprisingly, both of them moved away from her.
Kyuhyun then grabbed Jooyeon’s wrist and pulled her to the front of the bus, forcefully squeezing through everyone.
“Kyuhyun oppa,” she began to thank him.
But, instead, he thrust a white handkerchief to her face. “Wipe your tears,” he said, not allowing her to finish.
When they got off the bus, Kyuhyun began walking, but stopped when he realized that Jooyeon wasn’t following him. She was just standing on the sidewalk, staring at the concrete.
“What are you doing?” he asked her, walking back. “Are you crying?” he asked when she didn’t even look at him.
“No,” she denied, hurriedly wiping her face. She looked up at him and grinned. “Let’s go.”
She started to walk, but he grabbed her wrist. “You shouldn’t have worn a skirt,” he commented, looking at her. “What if I wasn’t there? What would you have done?”
“I’m sorry,” she apologized, looking away. “Thank you for looking out for me, oppa.” She gave him a small bow.
Kyuhyun shook his head and started walking, dragging her with him since he was still holding her wrist. He didn’t let go until they arrived in one of the tall buildings in Kangnam, where the convention was being held. When they entered, Jooyeon saw that there were lots of people, probably hundreds and hundreds.
Computer stations were set-up in every corner of the place. There were big screens, showing the game being played live. Jooyeon couldn’t help but smile. It was gaming heaven.
“Stay close,” Kyuhyun ordered her, still holding her wrist.
Jooyeon obediently followed. After they had registered, she didn’t mind being dragged everywhere. It seemed like he was looking for an empty computer space so he could play. She was just astounded by the whole thing. It was like a melting pot of all gamers in the city. It was such a beautiful sight.
“You,” a man suddenly pointed at them. He was looking down on them from an elevated stage, where a few computers were situated. “You there.” Kyuhyun looked at him. “You want to play?”
Kyuhyun looked at Jooyeon, who beamed at him. “It’s okay, oppa. You go and play. I’ll be fine by myself,” she said, removing her wrist from his grasp.
“Are you going to play or not?” the man asked, looking irritated.
“She’ll play,” Kyuhyun offered, pushing her up the steps.
“Me?” Jooyeon asked, surprised.
“Are you sure?” the man asked Kyuhyun. “I’ve seen you around and I know you’re good,” he said. “We don’t let just anyone play up here.”
“She’s good,” Kyuhyun told him firmly. Both the man and Jooyeon looked at him in surprise. He’d never acknowledged her gaming skills before. But, then again, he’d never seen her play. Kyuhyun looked at her. “You said you’re good, right? Here’s your chance to prove it.”
Jooyeon nervously sat down on the cubicle. But, as soon, as she started and became engrossed in playing, the nervousness melted away. Kyuhyun smiled a little as he watched her.
~ * ~
“Hello!” Jooyeon answered her phone happily. She was seated in one of the tables in a small restaurant across the street from the gaming convention building. Kyuhyun was at the counter, ordering their food.
“Where in the world are you?” Hyukjae demanded
“I’m in Kangnam,” she responded. “Why?”
“What are you doing all the way in Kangnam? Are you on a tour by yourself?”
“No, Kyuhyun oppa took me to a gaming convention,” she shared, “But we’re going to Apgujeong later.” Hyukjae didn’t say anything for a while. “Oppa, are you there?”
“Are you having fun?”
“Oppa, it was so amazing! There were so many people gaming. It was so exciting!” she gushed.
Kyuhyun then arrived with their food.
“Well, enjoy yourself then. Take care, okay?”
“Yes, oppa. You too,” she said then ended the call. “That looks good,” she said, smelling the food.
“Eat quickly so we’ll have time to go to Apgujeong,” Kyuhyun said, nodding towards her food.
Halfway through her meal, Jooyeon couldn’t stand the silence anymore. He ignored her the whole time he ate. She looked at Kyuhyun. He was already done and had just been continuously texting someone.
“Oppa,” she cautiously began. He looked at her. “Thank you for bringing me to the convention.”
He smiled the smallest of smiles. “Finish up,” he responded then went back to texting.
“Oppa,” she started again. He, once again, looked at her, eyebrows raised. “I’ve already thought of a nickname for you. Do you want to hear it?”
He closed his phone and put it in his pocket. Looking at her expectantly, he said, “Let’s hear it.”
“GameKyu,” she announced. “It’s good, right?” She grinned.
He merely looked at her and sneered. “GameKyu?” he repeated.
“You don’t like it?” she asked, frowning. She really thought it fit him perfectly.
Sighing, he stood up. “If you’re done, we should go.”
As they left the restaurant, Kyuhyun looked at Jooyeon. She was still frowning. Did it really matter that much to her that he liked her new nickname for him? GameKyu. It wasn’t bad at all. In fact, he did like it. He just wasn’t going to let her know that he did.