Chapter 13: And It's Still A Dream

We stood there in silence for awhile; him at the balcony, enjoying the breeze, and me, 5 feet behind him, staring at his back.

“Jae Joong-shi,” I finally called out. “Did you want to talk to me?”

“Ani,” he said. “You’re supposed to continue your story.”

“Story?”

“The one you were about to tell me at the beach, before Jun Su came and called me away,” he said as he turned and smiled.

“Oh… that story,” I said nervously. “It’s nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Opseumnida,” I smiled.

“And here I thought I was on to something,” he sighed.

I laughed softly at his faked disappointment.

“Anything I can do to make you feel better?” I asked him.

“Hmm…” he contemplated for a moment. “I think I need a drink,” he said as he walked over and sat on the bed.

“I’ll get us some drinks,” I smiled, and I left the room.

I walked out of the room, and immediately bumped into a tall figure.

“Choesonghamnida,” he said, and I looked up.

“It’s alright, Yun Ho-shi,” I smiled.

“Hello Sierra-shi. Nice to see you here,” he said.

“Same here,” I replied.

“Have you by any chance seen Jae Joong?” he asked me as he scanned the crowd.

“He’s in the room,” I said.

“The room?” he repeated after me.

“Yes. He was in the room with me. I’m going to get him and me a drink. Do you want one?”

“Yes, please. Komawoyo,” he smiled, and disappeared into the room before I could ask him what drink he wanted.

I went to the chiller and picked up 2 cans of beer for them and a can of Coke for myself. As I opened the door, I could hear a heated argument between Jae Joong and Yun Ho. I couldn’t help but stand there, and try to pick up what they were debating about, and I didn’t want to barge in since I didn’t want to interrupt.

“You just met her today,” Yun Ho said.

“Are you telling me all this because you like her yourself?” Jae Joong said.

“Don’t be mad. I don’t pick up reporters.”

“So what is your problem?”

“I don’t think it’s wise for you to get involved, even if it’s just one night,” Yun Ho said. “She might feature the whole escapade on the next issue of her magazine.”

“Look at her, Yun Ho,” Jae Joong said. “She’s so obviously a fan, and even if she isn’t, she should be aware of the consequences of kissing and telling after an affair with a member of TVXQ.”

“Fine… since you’re so adamant,” he replied, and walked towards the door.

Before I could pretend I was just walking in, Yun Ho had swung the door open and caught me standing there.

“How long have you been listening?” he asked me.

“Just for awhile,” I said.

“How much did you understand?” he asked.

“Just some,” I lied.

“Come with me,” he said, and this time, it was his turn to drag me across the room.

Here I was, in my blue sundress and white wedges, being dragged across a suite towards the door by U-Know Yun Ho. Was he going to kick me out?

He opened the door, and instead of shoving me out and shutting the door, like I’d expected, he walked out himself, still dragging me along.

“Yun Ho-shi,” I voiced out. “Where are you taking me?”

“We need to talk,” he said.

If you’re wondering, he sounded very curt when talking to me, but he was using polite speech in Korean all the time, indicating respect for me since we hardly knew each other.

We got into the elevator, and he hit the button for the top floor. We rode the lift in silence, and as we neared the top, he realized that I had been carrying the 3 cans of drinks all this time.

“Choesonghaeyo,” he said, and took the 2 cans of beer from me. “Your hands must have been freezing.

“Anieyo,” I smiled. “Kwaench’anayo.”

We got to the top floor, but it wasn’t the end of the journey. He opened the fire escape door and we walked up a flight of stairs before we came to the top of the building. Yun Ho walked towards the edge, and put the 2 cans on beer on the parapet. I walked towards him and put my can of drink beside the beers.

“Yun Ho-shi,” I said, and he cut me off.

“Jae Joong invited you tonight?” he said; his hands on the parapet, but his head turned to look at me.

“He said that it was TVXQ and Eru-shi who invited me,” I said.

“Hah… he probably convinced Eru hyung himself,” he said softly, as he turned away. “That boy needs to grow up.”

“He’s older than you,” I said.

“1 month is a very small difference,” he said. “He should’ve consulted me before he invited you, since I am the leader.”

“I guess,” I said.

“So are you a fan? Or are you here for a scoop?”

“I’m definitely not here for a scoop,” I said.

“Then you’re a fan?” he asked; looking at me expectantly

I kept silent for awhile; contemplating if it were wise to reveal that me, a 24 year old woman, no longer a girl, was infatuated with a Korean boy band whose members were the same age as my younger sister.

“I…” I hesitated.

“It’s okay,” he sighed. “As long as you’re not here for a scoop, I don’t care why you’re here. I just don’t want any harm to come to our band.”

“I have no such intentions,” I said.

“Good,” he said.

He picked up a beer and opened it.

“Beer?” he asked me, as he held it out to me.

“No thanks,” I said. “I don’t drink.”

I picked up the can of Coke and opened it, then took a sip as he took a sip from his beer.

“So… Sierra-shi,” he said. “Who are you?”

“Huh?”

“Who are you?” he repeated.

“A reporter?”

“I don’t mean your profession. I was asking about you, as a person. What is your purpose here tonight? What role did you expect to play when you came here tonight? I know I said I didn’t care, but I’m still curious.”

“Nothing,” I said. “I was just here to get to know people.”

“That simple, huh?” he said. “How old are you?”

“24,” I said.

“3 years older than me?”

“Technically, since I was born in December, and you’re born in February, we’re more like 2 years apart instead of 3,” I said.

“So you’re a fan,” he smiled, as he took another sip of his beer.

“Why do you say that?” I asked; blinking at him.

“Only a fan would remember my birthday like that, and usually reporters tend to assume I’m the oldest in the band since I’m the leader,” he said.

He sounded a little smug, having made the discovery, and yet there was lightness in his tone, indicating that he found the situation amusing.

“Okay…” I sighed. “You got me.”

“Is it so hard to admit?” he asked.

“It hurts my credibility as a journalist,” I smiled.

“I see,” he smiled back. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell a soul that you’ve got a crush on us.”

“Well,” I said. “It’s not so serious with the whole band. I’ve got it worse for Jae Joong,” I admitted.

“He’s popular with the overseas fans,” Yun Ho smiled.

“You’re my 2nd choice,” I said, as I pat his back lightly, in an effort to console him.

“Am I never?” he laughed.

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” I joked, and we laughed together at my little joke.

“So…” he asked me. “Why am I always 2nd choice?”

“I don’t know,” I shrugged.

“Is it because I don’t act cute as often as Jae Joong does?”

“Maybe it’s the man boobs,” I joked, and he winced.

“You’re definitely a fan. How do I know you’re not the stalker kind,” he said.

“You don’t,” I winked.

“Aishii…” he said, then laughed. “Your Korean is pretty good.”

“I doubled up my studying time the moment I realized that I would be covering this event. I took a crash course as well,” I smiled.

“Not bad…” he laughed.

“So does Jae Joong do this often?” I asked.

“What?”

“Pick up fan girls,” I said.

“Not really. Just the ones he really likes,” he said.

“I’m flattered,” I said.

“And he had to pick a reporter this time,” he sighed.

“I’m not here to write an exposé,” I said.

“I didn’t know that until I spoke to you,” he said.

“So now you know?”

“Yes,” he said.

We stayed there for a long time, chatting and joking. An hour soon passed, and we decided to make our way back to the party in case people starting wondering where we are and possibly gossiping about our disappearance.

When we got back to the suite, I approached Jae Joong to inform him I was leaving.

“So soon?” he said, looking a teensy bit disappointed.

“I need to prepare to cover the concert tomorrow. I’ll see you on the site,” I said. “Thank you for inviting me tonight.”

“No problem,” he said.

“I’ll leave now,” I said. “Annyeonghikyeseyo,” I added with a small bow before turning to leave.

“I’ll walk you back,” he said, suddenly.