Chapter 22 – Freely

I would never get drunk again! Never!

Jae and Jimin told me what happened. Jae called to know if I was already fine and I asked him how I ended up meeting Young Hyun that night.

"I called him, so the two of you can talk." I imagined him grinning. "But you were already so drunk that you've already fallen asleep. You're cute when you're drunk, by the way."

I glared at my phone hoping it would channel my annoyance to the other line.

"Then I just left you to him."

It was all the information I could get from him, so I then asked Jimin.

"Young Hyun-oppa brought you here and asked me to take care of you. You know, you kept on saying, 'I don't like you. I love you. It's more than like. But I'm scared. I'm damn scared. What if it won't work? Blah. Blah. Blah.' I forget which came next, but essentially, it's like that."

Imagine my embarrassment! I just suddenly wanted to book a flight back to Manila and never come back. Oh, my God! How would I face Young Hyun?

It was my dilemma, especially since we had a shoot that day. And a whole day at that. Should I act as if I didn't know anything?

I came to the set early which surprised the production staff. They hadn't even started setting up. So they had to work fast although I told them it was okay. I just really needed to compose myself and arrange my wits.

Despite the lingering headache due to hangover, I still made a rundown of what would happen to the day's shoot. I talked with my assistant director and almost every member of the staff and tried to listen on their opinions and suggestions. It was what I usually do on set. When I had the time, I ask and chat with the staff. It was how I build rapport and strengthen work relationship.

Though actually, I was only killing time and trying to bury my anxiety by chatting around. I was really anxious and nervous to see Young Hyun after what I did!

When DAY6 arrived, I was helping the production design team set up the stage. The scene would be a band performance, so of course we need a stage. I didn't actually hear them arrive, so I was surprised when someone caught me when I almost tripped backwards from the cable wires.

"Careful."

When I turned around, I learned that it was Young Hyun. I stopped myself from scurrying off.

"Thank you." Okay. That was the most awkward 'thank you' I ever said.

"PD-nim!"

The rest of the band members followed on stage and greeted me.

"Oh, hello." Was my return greeting. I was really out of it.

"Are you feeling well?" Jae asked, which sounded rather teasingly.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "I am."

"Sure?" Now, it was Sungjin.

I rolled my eyes at them. "Get ready. We'll start soon." I just really wanted to hide.

I was about to leave them there when Young Hyun got on my way. He offered me the cup of hot coffee he was holding.

"Coffee?"

I stared at him and saw he was smiling. It was as if I never turned his confession down. How on earth could he look so fresh and handsome while I was looking haggard and obviously with a hangover?

I accepted the coffee without hesitation and thanked him before I finally went down the stage. That one cup wouldn't be enough to cure my hangover, but that one smile made the day lighter.

…

We finished at eleven pm that day. It was so exhausting, especially since I had a headache, but I was just glad I made it through.

After wrapping up, I left the set first. I told the staff that I had a headache, which thankfully they understood. DAY6 left first before me and Young Hyun actually bid me goodbye. We did not talk on set except when necessary, example when I had to tell him how to act out a scene. It was just awkward and the rest of the guys felt it too. They tried to set us up during lunch break, but I ate with the production staff instead.

I decided to take a taxi going home not because I was afraid to become lost, but because I was really tired. (I no longer get lost in Seoul.) So I hailed a taxi, but I almost got a heart attack when someone followed me and rode the taxi with me. It was Young Hyun who I thought already left the set.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I asked him in shock.

He told the taxi driver to just go before he smiled at me. "You didn't forget what you did to me yesterday, right?"

I glanced nervously at the taxi driver, but his eyes remained on the road. "Huh? What exactly?" I feigned innocence.

"You really forgot?"

I frowned at him and continued to act. "Forgot what? I don't—"

He laughed. "Waa…Jinjja. I won't buy your acting."

"No, what it is, really?"

"Well, you just ki—"

"Okay!" I stopped him before he could say it. Goddammit. "Okay. I get it."

He laughed at me again. He was happy about it, wasn't he?

The rest of the ride was quiet until we reached my place. I paid our fare and went out first. He was just following me until we reached my doorstep and I finally faced him.

"You aren't going home yet?" I asked him.

He didn't answer, but gestured towards my door instead.

I sighed and just opened the door. However, I did not come in and faced him again instead. "It's almost midnight. You should go home already."

"I will if you'll tell me again what you told me last night. I wanted to hear them now that you're sober."

Really? He went all the way to my place at midnight to hear the words of a drunkard?

"I was drunk last night. I didn't know what I did or said."

"Ahh…Jinjja?" He took out his phone and played something. It was late when I realized it was a recording—a recording of what I said when I was wasted!

"Hey!" I tried to take his phone from him, but he held it high. He's tall, so I could not reach his phone. The recording just went on playing.

"Erase that, Brian or else!" I warned him. I did not care if my neighbors would wake up because of our noise.

To my surprise, he grabbed my waist and pulled me closer to him. My world just suddenly stopped spinning.

"Or else what?"

I could not answer. All I could do was get drown in his stares.

"I wanted to ask this again and please be honest this time." He became serious. "Do you feel the same way I do?"

I remembered what Jae said. "You know, you'll actually ruin Brian and yourself if you continue to hold that feeling back. Since the two of you became close, we noticed how much he had changed. And it's a good change. You'll know what I mean once you hear our new song. I'm telling you. But with what you're doing now…I don't think it's doing you anything good."

"Are you still hesitating?"

I looked away first and sighed, "No."

Then I decided to finally just let it go. "I'm just trying to appreciate your eyes."

He finally cracked into a smile. "Do you?"

I nodded and smiled.

"So…"

"So?"

"Say it."

"Should I?"

"Ya."

I laughed and placed my forehead on his chest. I could hear the loud beating of his heart…or was it mine? "I'm embarrassed."

It was his turn to laugh. "Wae? Come on, I wanted to hear them from you. Do you know how much pain and distress you caused me the other night?"

I looked up to him again. "Of course, I know and I am so sorry about that. But…"

"I'm not listening to another excuse. Please just tell me what you feel, honestly."

I sighed a deep breath. "Okay." Let's be brave. "Yes, I do feel the same way about you. Probably more than what you feel. Yes, I'm falling for you every day."

Then I realized how greasy it was.

"Ugh! It's corny." I looked down again.

He just laughed. "No, it's not!" His arms went around me and I was just suddenly enveloped in his hug. "You don't know how much you made me happy tonight for being honest."

We stayed like that for a while until I said, "This is awkward."

"Sweet awkward."

Then we laughed at the same time—the sweetest sound I had ever heard in the midnight.