Lets Talk (1/1)

Gwiboon bit her lip as her phone rang, afraid of the thought that Taemin would pick up. Or wouldn’t pick up. Either way, she was nervous. Jonghyun was chatting idly to Jinki on the other side of the room, surreptitiously glancing at her to see how she was doing. His presence was like a soothing balm and she was once again thankful that Jinki had somehow scraped up enough money to bring him here. The phone went to voicemail and her heart tinged with disappointment as she released the breath she had been holding. Opting out of leaving a message, she dejectedly clicked the end call button and set her phone down on her bed. Rolling over to face the wall, she was glad that her face was hidden from Jinki and her brother who would no doubt have been able to see right through her. Gwiboon wasn’t sure she could handle any more puppy dog looks from Jonghyun or those carefully guarded eyes from Jinki. Her phone chimed notifying her that she had a text.  She was happy to see a message from Amber asking if she wanted to meet up to study for their English final. Pleased by the much-needed distraction, she replied promptly saying that she would meet her at the library in 20 minutes. Gwiboon, shaking off her residual disappointment with Taemin’s lack of response, sat up and gathered her laptop and books from her side table before sliding them into her backpack. “I’m going to the library, I’ll see you guys later,” she said briskly, not wanting to play 20 questions for leaving the room. Jonghyun looked like he was about to protest, but Jinki wrapped an arm around his waist and smiled kindly at her, “See you later!” Gwiboon thanked her lucky stars that she had an awesome roommate and left the two boys alone. A little privacy was the least she could give them after everything they had done for her these past few days. Fifteen minutes later she was pushing through the front doors of the campus library and checked her phone to see if Amber had texted her, finding her phone devoid of new messages. Being surrounded by the bustling students who were characteristically quiet for being in the library made her feel like a normal college student again. They were all here for the same reason and that reason had nothing to do with Gwiboon’s personal drama and everything to do with graduating. It felt like a breath of fresh air to be in such company and she giddily began walking down the aisles looking for an empty table where they could study. She finally located one near the back and even though the surrounding area was a little crowded, she’d take it. Amber texted her just as she was unpacking her things and Gwiboon messaged back her location. She soon joined Gwiboon and began chattering happily about how good it was to see her. As they dove into their work, Gwiboon relished the sense of normalcy that washed over her at focusing on problems other than her personal life. They chattered on about the various texts they had read throughout the semester, referring to their books and copious amount of notes as they jotted down the most important information that would help them for their test. Gwiboon felt herself genuinely smiling for the first time in days and was glad that Amber had texted her. ~ Jonghyun was sad to leave New York as he hugged Jinki goodbye, opting to not give into the urge to give his boyfriend a kiss. He didn’t want to start crying and knew himself well enough to just give Jinki a quick hug before it was Gwiboon’s turn. Gwiboon smiled up at him as Jonghyun engulfed her in a bear hug, lifting her off her feet and twirling her around. Laughing at his antics, she slapped him good-naturedly on his back until he finally set her down and kissed her forehead. He hated leaving her when things were still up in the air with Taemin but he had his own studying to do and a plane to catch. “Have you heard anything…?” he reluctantly whispered, not wanting to bring it up and also needing to hear something. “No…” Gwiboon’s eyes began brimming with tears but she blinked them back rapidly. Jonghyun ran a hand soothingly down her back, pulling her into him for another hug. He hated to leave her but knew that she would be all right. They had stayed up late every night talking about anything and everything, and he knew that she was slowly starting to figure it all out. “Keep me posted, okay?” Gwiboon nodded in response, smiling up at him before she eventually pushed him away. “You’re going to be late for your flight if you don’t stop stalling.” Jonghyun smiled at her teasing, grabbing his carry on and giving a final wave to Jinki before he headed down toward the security check. “Love you, Jonghyun-ah!” He heard her shout after him. Turning, he smiled and yelled loud enough for the entire airport to hear him, “I love you too, Bon Bon!” Gwiboon’s indignant squawk at her nickname was followed by Jinki’s deep laughter and Jonghyun couldn’t help but turn around and witness the two. Gwiboon was red-faced and Jinki was almost bent in half with the force from his laughter. He chuckled to himself but his attention was forced back to where he was in line as he was called for the airport employee to check his ID and ticket. He moved quickly through to the security area where he had to remove his shoes and place everything in the bins. As it was his turn to step into the metal detector, he glanced back to see if he could still see them, only to be caught off guard by another figure that had joined them. ~ Gwiboon glared daggers at Jinki as he laughed hysterically. She loved Jonghyun and his nickname for her but not in public, where literally everyone and their mom can hear it. She stomped her foot in agitation, already resigned to having to scold him over the phone. Jinki was still trying to reign in his laughter next to her but had thankfully subsided to giggling cutely. Standing up straight, Gwiboon turned, ready to leave Jinki and his loud mouth behind her until she stopped dead in her tracks. Taemin was standing no more than ten feet away from her, sunglasses covering his eyes even though he was talking animatedly to some people next to him. Gwiboon didn’t recognize the people and was slightly confused as to how Taemin might know them, especially since they all looked to be ten or so years older than they were and were wearing fancy business suits. “Taemin-ah?” She said his name before she could process what it was she was going to say. She just knew that she had to talk to him. His head snapped towards her at hearing his name in the crowded airport. He looked somewhat startled but it was hard to tell because of the sunglasses he was still wearing. Gwiboon walked toward him before he could begin to move and he mirrored her, taking a few steps toward her until they were face to face, the men in suits and Jinki both left behind. “Taemin-ah, what happened? Where have you been?” Gwiboon asked breathlessly, trying not to sound hurt or dejected even though she knew it was probably useless. Taemin knew her too well for her to pretend like she wasn’t upset. “Gwiboon-ah, w-what’re you doing here?” Taemin nervously ran his hand through his hair, looking behind him at the men in suits to signal that he would be a minute. Gwiboon watched the interaction with curiosity, not exactly sure what was going on. Feeling a little unsure of herself now that she had come face to face with Taemin, Gwiboon wrapped her arms around her waist and waited for him to once again face her. She felt that familiar sense of unrest come over her and she didn’t like how it seeped throughout her body, settling over her like a sudden shiver you get from a harsh, cold breeze. “Taemin-“ “Gwiboon-“ They both started speaking at the same time, stopping abruptly as they noticed the other had begun to say something. Gwiboon bit her lip and nodded for Taemin to continue. “Gwi, listen. I’m sorry I left like I did. I was just…” he glanced around him as if something in the airport would help him find his words. “I couldn’t handle the thought of losing you again, even after coming all the way to New York.” Gwiboon opened her mouth to reply, wanting to explain herself, but Taemin held up his hand asking her to wait. She nodded and he continued. “I came to New York to win you back. I can’t deny it. I know it was foolish and I didn’t think it through fully, I get that now. But…I just couldn’t stay back home and do nothing. I…I love you and it kills me to know that I’m not what you want…. What you need…” Taemin’s voice trailed off as he finished, looking down at Gwiboon with a look of longing and love that broke her heart. “Oh, Taemin,” she cried, rushing toward him and throwing her arms around him in an impromptu hug. He clung to her as she cried, whispering soft words into her hair as she felt her heart break and the wall that had come between them solidify with an aching finality. “I…I can never tell you how much I love you or how much you mean to me,” Gwiboon whispered into his shoulder, not daring to step away so that their gazes would lock.  “I’m so sorry I hurt you and ran away, but…please know that I wasn’t…” she paused, wanting to make sure that the next part came out right. “Please know that I wasn’t running away from you. I was running away from me.” Tears were rolling freely down her face as she finally stepped back and looked Taemin in the eyes. His look of acceptance and love was enough to calm her nerves at her confession. It had taken several long night conversations with Jonghyun, and sometimes Jinki, to help her process exactly what she was thinking and feeling, and she was glad to be able to finally share it with the one other person who needed it the most. Taemin, her first love, her first everything, deserved to know everything. “Taemin-ssi?” A low male voice called out to Taemin from behind them, breaking through their little bubble and causing Taemin to break eye contact with Gwiboon. “Taemin-ssi, we have to go now if we want to make our flight in time.” The man said, a look of confusion on his face as he glanced from Gwiboon back to Taemin. “I’ll be just a minute, sir,” Taemin replied, nodding slightly before looking back at Gwiboon. He saw the questions in her eyes and smiled wryly. “Uh…remember my dream of becoming an idol?” Taemin asked slowly, beginning to look somewhat sheepish as a faint blush spread over his face. At Gwiboon’s slow nod, he continued, “Well, I had an…uh…impromptu audition the other day and am now heading back to Seoul to begin training. If I do well, they think I can debut in a year or two.” The excitement in his voice made Gwiboon smile, but she was still confused as to what exactly was happening. “What do you mean you had an impromptu audition? I thought you…” she stopped, not wanting to bring up the rough part of their earlier conversation. “Well…it’s hard to explain really….” he glanced behind him anxiously, trying to gauge how much time he had by the look on the men in suits’ faces. “After I left your room, I need to get some air and just think about everything. You know how I am when I get upset, I just need to dance…. Anyway, I was walking and came upon a park where there was a street performer and, well, one thing led to another and I just started dancing. Right there in the park. I don’t even remember what happened after that really. There were a bunch of people that started clapping and, before I knew it, this guy approached me and asked me if I could sing…” Taemin trailed off, glancing over his shoulder again to point at the guy who must have initially approached him. “It all happened so fast, I don’t even know what to say.” Gwiboon smiled up at him, pleased that he was so happy. “That’s great, Tae. You’re going to be amazing.” He returned her smile, giving her another hug before the men in suits called out to him again, signaling the end of their time together. “I love you Gwiboon-ah,” he said as he picked up his duffle bag, giving her his famous shit-eating grin. “I love you, too, Tae,” she replied, reaching up to give him one last kiss, brief but full of everything left unsaid between them. He sighed into the kiss, returning pressure for only a second before stepping back and breaking contact. He smiled sheepishly at her, as if shy that he had got caught up in the moment, before he was waving and walking away from her. She watched him go through the security line until he was out of sight. She didn’t know when they would see each other again but the thought didn’t make her sad, it gave her hope. ~ Minho watched Gwiboon as she entered the commons, chatting animatedly with Amber as they both moved towards the soup and salad line for dinner. She looked happy today, happier than he had seen her before, and he couldn’t quite control the way his stomach dropped or his breath hitched when that radiant smile spread over her lovely features. Unlike previous relationships he had been in, he felt drawn to her, as if she was the sun and he was caught in her orbit. He should feel nervous about the way she affected him but he didn’t really care to. Leaving his conversation with Jinki, he got up from their table and walked over to join the girls in line. “Minho-goon!” Amber sang happily upon seeing him. Gwiboon smiled over at him briefly before giving her order for her salad. Minho waited for them at the end of the line and happily trailed after them as they made their way to the check out station. He watched as Gwiboon eyed the display of treats, her gaze lingering over a particularly large chocolate chip cookie before she was called to the front and paid. Smiling at her useless resistance to the sweets he knew she loved, he quickly paid for the cookie and pocketed it before finding them at the silverware station and leading them over to his and Jinki’s table. Minho listened as the two girls chatted back and forth about their English final they had just taken, complaining about questions they thought were too hard and excitedly sharing the answers they knew they aced. Jinki shared his time between listening and checking his phone, no doubt messaging Jonghyun. He wasn’t the only one who noticed where Jinki’s attention was as suddenly Gwiboon snatched his phone away, laughing. “Aw, look at the two saps,” she said, making a show of scrolling through their messages while not actually reading them. Knowing Jinki, Minho doubted that she would want to read some messages.... Jinki eventually snagged his phone back and Minho laughed at the blush that spread across his face. Gwiboon caved at the look, reaching out to pat his hand in apology. “I’m sorry, Jinki-oppa. I shouldn’t tease you, especially after how great it was that you flew Jonghyun in to see me…” The sincerity in her voice and the slight smile to her beautiful bow-shaped lips was enough to distract Minho so that he missed the last part of the conversation.  Jinki looked at her quizzically, causing a frown to cross over Gwiboon’s serene features and break through Minho’s daze. “Gwiboon-ah, I didn’t pay for Jonghyun-ah to come here…you know that right? There’s no way I’d have the money for that sort of thing…” He trailed off, confusion etched in his voice as he turned to Minho with raised eyebrows. Gwiboon and Amber followed suit, both staring intently at Minho as an awkward silence came over their little crew. Minho sat there speechless, not sure what to say as he tried hard not to kick Jinki under the table. She wasn’t supposed to know that he’d- “Minho-yah…did you…,” Gwiboon asked hesitantly, a look of understanding and something else Minho couldn’t name crossing her face. “Did you pay for Jonghyun-ah to come here? For me?” Minho gulped, not sure what to say. Amber kicked him under the table and Jinki squeezed his thigh, both silently urging him to answer Gwiboon’s question. “Y-yeah, I did. Well, I mean, technically my dad paid for it but it wasn’t a big deal really. I knew you needed your brother and-“ But before he can finish, Gwiboon is leaning over the table and kissing him speechless. “Uh-“ is all he can say when they break apart seconds later. His cheeks hurt from grinning as he takes in Gwiboon’s flushed face and her glistening eyes. “Thank you, Minho-yah,” she says, her voice quite clear in spite of her heavy breathing. He nods in response, watching as she slowly sits back down and begins picking at her food, an embarrassed flush to her face that doesn’t fade as the silence at their little table becomes deafening amidst the noise surrounding them in the large cafeteria. Jinki eventually clears his throat and asks Amber a question, who happily answers. Minho is grateful for the reprieve as he feels his own face redden from the shock of what just happened and tries not to stare too openly at Gwiboon. His phone vibrates on the table and he quickly looks at it, happy for the distraction. He unlocks the screen and opens the message, only to see that it’s from Gwiboon. Glancing up across the table he sees that she’s smiling widely at him from under her hair, which is thankfully blocking Jinki and Amber’s view of their little interaction. Minho returns her smile and glances back down at his phone. [from] Boonie ^o^: Thank you… for everything. I hope you know how truly grateful I am Minho quickly types a response. [from] Minho-goon: You’re very welcome… I hope you know how much you mean to me. As a friend and Unfortunately, he pressed send before he could finish his thought – or erase it as he had not meant to send that last part. Panicking, he avoids looking up at Gwiboon and is shocked to get a quick response. [from] Boonie ^o^: And…what? He gulps at the message, quickly glancing up at her to find her staring back at him intently. Her eyes narrow slightly before she looks back down and types something on her phone. [from] Boonie ^o^: Well? I’m waiting… [fromt] Minho-goon: Let’s talk about it later ;) The bold message is sent before he can give it a second thought. It takes a few minutes before Gwiboon replies. By this point it must be obvious to Jinki and Amber about the silent conversation that the other two are having, but they are excellent friends who keep up the charade and let the two figure it out. Minho tries to control his movements when his phone finally buzzes, but his palms are sweating and his nerves are on edge. [from] Boonie ^o^: Sure, let’s talk ;) A/N: okay, the epilogue is really next. hopefully will post tomorrow!