Chapter 31 – His Smile

"Wait here, I have to get that from there." I ran to the other end of the block and took a video of the new JYP building in low angle.

I crouched on the ground to take the shot and didn't care about the curious and funny glances I received. I was used to it.

When I was done, I got up and reviewed what I recorded. Satisfied, I took my attention away from the video recorder and looked at Young Hyun. The moment my eyes found him, he immediately brought his phone down while smiling. So I quickly approached him.

"Hey, what's that?"

"Nothing." And he pocketed his phone.

I tried to take it from him, but he kept his hand in his pocket while trying to scurry away.

It was the third and last day of my vacation. DAY6 had two hours to spare before going to another schedule, so Young Hyun volunteered to accompany me around Gangnam where I had to shoot for a personal travel video diary. I had been doing it since I began to work in the film industry and of course, I could not waste the opportunity while in South Korea. I usually recorded videos when I had free time, and that morning was one.

"It's nothing really." He was trying not to laugh, but it was suspicious of him.

I raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't push further. "Make sure it's nothing."

"Yes, Ma'am." But he was grinning like a mischievous kid. "Let's go inside Seoul Cup." He put his arm around my shoulder and guided me inside the café. He didn't even care if we were in front of their agency.

My video camera was recording as we entered Seoul Cup. I had to walk first, so Young Hyun had to let go of me. It was fine, but I suddenly felt slightly disappointed.

I recorded a video of the place before I took a seat. Young Hyun already ordered a matcha green tea bingsu for us.

"Try that. It's good." He said and offered to feed me.

There he was again trying to convert me to being a health buff.

I tried to get the small spoon from him, but he wouldn't give it to me. He was insistent on feeding me. Gosh. So I just let him do what he wanted. The bingsu actually tasted good. I loved it...and the guy who recommended it.

I was putting my recorder back to its bag when I noticed Young Hyun fiddling with his phone, the camera focused on my direction.

"I know what you're doing." I told him.

He smiled widely. "You do?"

I put my palm up in front of him. "Can I see?"

"No." He pocketed his phone again.

I rolled my eyes at him and sneered. "I hate you."

He leaned on the table and whispered. "But I love you."

I felt all my blood rushed to my face. I just laughed it off.

But he took out his phone and showed me the pictures he took. As I hinted, they were photos of me.

"Don't delete those." He warned as he gave me his phone.

"You take good photos, huh." I complimented. It was true. They were as if taken by a professional photographer.

I gave his phone back without deleting the pictures. I even asked him to send me copies of those.

"Steins!"

I looked for the person who called me and found Martin Cerulean walking towards our table. He came from the other door entrance, the one which goes to JYPE. I was surprised seeing him there, but I still welcomed him with a big hug.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him and offered him a seat.

"Just a meeting with Park Jinyoung." He glanced at Young Hyun. "Oh, hi. I actually met with your manager."

Young Hyun seemed shocked, but I also noticed he was no longer smiling. Uh-oh. Did he still doubt Martin's gender identity?

"What for?" I asked to ease the 'dark clouds' slowly forming around Young Hyun. "And aren't you supposed to be in Paris for the fashion week?"

Young Hyun glanced at me and I thought he was thinking how I knew Martin's schedule. Well, he was a fashion photographer.

"That was last March, sweetheart." Martin corrected. He loved to use endearments for people close to him. "And I have a new project with the Olympus magazine. They will be featuring Asian bands for their next issue and DAY6 is one of the five chosen bands."

"Really?" It seemed that I was more excited than Young Hyun. I looked at him and saw how his expression changed from grim to glad.

"Yes and—oh." Martin covered his mouth with his hands. "How silly of me. I wasn't supposed to say it yet."

I laughed at him. He was probably too excited when he saw us that he immediately told us about the magazine feature.

"Anyway," he gestured dismissively. "You can watch the photo shoot if you have time. You said you wanted to see how I work in a studio, right?"

I clapped my palms together and squealed in excitement. "Oh, I love that. I wish James could join us."

"He will."

My eyes widen in surprise, but he didn't even wait for me to react. James was a fashion photographer as well and had been a good friend of mine since college. I introduced him to Martin when the latter went to Manila for a photo shoot and he promised he would take James as an apprentice.

He glanced at his wristwatch and told us he already had to go. He still had people to meet, so he could not stay longer.

When he left, I finally noticed how Young Hyun's eyes had gotten smaller. He looked scary again, but I must admit, he looked more handsome that way.

"Are you not happy with Martin's news?" I asked him as I scooped a spoonful of bingsu.

"I am. I just…Who's James?"

I wanted to laugh at his expression. Was he jealous again?

"A good friend from college. He almost became my boyfriend back then."

He just nodded and poured his focus on the bingsu. Meanwhile, I just stared at him and finally burst out laughing. He looked up from the food and bore his eyes on me.

I really loved teasing him. "Do you want me to give you a mirror so that you can see your face right now?"

He put his spoon down and stared at me with those scary eyes. He really looked annoyed!

"Okay. I was just joking." I said in defeat. I was actually worried that he might get mad at me. "James is only a good friend. That's all. The second sentence is not true."

But that did not even appease him.

"Hey, are you mad?" I finally asked.

But he didn't answer. So I leaned on the table and joined the staring contest. Not long after, he finally let go a soft laugh.

"Why?" I asked him with a smile.

"Nothing," he finally answered me. He went back to the bingsu. "I just can't stay mad at you."

He finally smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. My own smile faded and worry began to form in the bottom of my heart. I could not understand it, but I feared it. He had been like that since we left the hospital the day before. I tried to ask him what was wrong, but he just said 'nothing'.

Nothing, but it felt like something.

…

On the first Saturday of May, I really went to DAY6's photo shoot for Olympus magazine. I arrived early in the studio because James asked me to. He called me the day before the shoot, announcing his arrival in Seoul. We were even supposed to meet, but I had an important meeting.

When I arrived at the studio, James welcomed me with a bear hug. It had only been months of not seeing each other, but the way he hugged me felt like we had not seen each other for a decade.

"I'm really glad to meet you here." He said after finally letting me go. "You still look wonderful."

"Why did you just show up just now? It's been six months!" I told him.

He was my best friend, the person who helped me get through my darkest days back then. After graduating from college, we took different paths. He started working on magazine companies and photo studios while I took the path to film. We often met during our free time. We were like siblings.

It was actually true, that he almost became my boyfriend. He confessed his feelings to me before we graduated, but I told him I didn't feel the same way. We agreed to stay friends and nothing actually changed.

We continued to chat while they prepared the studio for the shoot. He even made me pose for the camera and I gamely did. He and Martin took turns taking photos of me while we waited for DAY6 to arrive. When they arrived, I was reviewing the pictures with James.

"Jjang?"

I turned to see the members of DAY6 arrive. Jae was walking ahead of everyone and it was him who called my name in surprise.

"Hey, brother." I greeted. We bumped our fists, our usual greeting.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

I waved at Sungjin, Wonpil and Dowoon, and smiled sweetly at Young Hyun first before I answered Jae's question. "Martin invited me to your photo shoot. Didn't Brian tell you?"

We looked at Young Hyun, but he just scratched his nape. "I actually forgot."

I shrugged and remembered to introduce James to them. "By the way, this is James, a good friend of mine since college. He'll be assisting Martin today." I turned to James. "These are the members of DAY6: Jae, Sungjin, Wonpil, Brian and Dowoon."

They shook hands with each other and exchanged greetings. I noticed how Young Hyun's mood suddenly changed from excited to guarded.

Since that day in Seoul Cup, I never mentioned James to him again until they met for the first time. And there was that worry again, stirring from the bottom of my heart. You know that feeling of getting scared that you will be scolded over a mistake you didn't even do? That was how I felt over the past days.

After they changed into the outfits for the shoot, the photo shoot began. The two photographers took turns. They even asked me to take the photos of DAY6 on the third change of their clothes.

"Jjang-noona, fighting!" Dowoon cheered.

"Be good to us." Jae reminded.

"Don't worry. No flying chairs." I joked back.

James stared at me with disbelief. "Hey, you still throw chairs on set?"

I laughed softly. "No. When did I ever do that? Ask them, I'm the kindest director there is."

There was a chorus of protest from the guys, so I took advantage of the situation and clicked the camera. I laughed at the picture I took. They were in the middle of talking when I took the photo, so it was really funny. However, I noticed how Young Hyun would not joke along with his bandmates.

I looked at him and caught him staring at me, but he immediately looked away. What he did stung a bit. It actually dampened my mood.

When we took a break, I tried talking to him, but he was with the guys. It was actually okay to excuse him from them, but I was kind of shy. So I just stayed at one corner. James saw me mulling over there and approached me.

"One look and I know something's bothering you." He said. "What is it?"

He really could read me.

I sighed and shrugged. "It's nothing."

"Which of the members of DAY6 is he?"

I felt myself smile because of the question. "Brian."

He smiled teasingly. "Ohh…Okay. I guess it's not just a simple infatuation."

I laughed softly. "What do you think I am? A teenager?"

"If it's serious, then I'm happy for you." He ruffled my hair. "Just remember that I always got your back, okay? If he makes you cry, tell me."

In return, I hugged him. "He won't. By the way, I missed you, you know."

I heard him laugh. "Same, K. Same."

I had always been grateful for having a good friend like him. If it weren't for him, I was no longer probably alive.

We resumed the photo shoot, but I noticed Young Hyun's mood didn't get any better. He was smiling, but it would not even reach his eyes. It really worried me.

When I thought they were done, James suddenly asked Young Hyun to stay in front of the camera and then turned to me.

"Go there. I'll take photos of you."

My eyes went wide and I pointed to myself. "Me?"

He nodded. "Just for fun. I think you'll look good together."

Schemer. He winked at me while the other members of DAY6 started teasing and cheering me which Martin and his staff followed to.

I looked at Young Hyun and he was actually laughing. It seemed like he was enjoying it. So I just gave in to everyone's request. I stood awkwardly beside Young Hyun.

"Brian, pull her closer to you. Put your hands on her waist."

I wanted to glare at James who seemed happy at what he was doing, but I reminded myself to maintain my cool. I moved closer to Young Hyun and finally stared at him directly in the eyes. He stared back.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" I asked him under my breath.

He smiled and did what James said. I heard the guys cheered and teased us more.

"This kids, really." I muttered to myself.

"Looking good, guys." I heard James said. I really wanted to throw a shoe at him.

I heard the shutter clicked once, twice…then, he told us to do another pose.

Young Hyun's smile finally reached his eyes. He even joined the teasing series with me as the victim, but I let him. I was just glad that he was happy.