[PG-13] Wishing on Airplanes (21/28)
Title: Wishing on Airplanes
Characters: Donghae, Kyuhyun, Hyukjae, OC, Super Junior
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Friendship, Comedy, Drama
“What’s wrong with you today?” Jungsoo asked. He’d been talking to Jooyeon, telling her some things that went on in class but it didn’t seem like she listened to a word he said.
He sighed as he watched her text someone on her cell phone. She had a small smile on her face, a smile that she never once gave to him, not even when they used to be friends.
“Ya,” he called her attention, nudging her impatiently.
Jooyeon looked up from her phone and looked blankly at him. “Sorry,” she said, closing her phone and putting it in her bag. “What were you saying, oppa?”
“So you really weren’t listening?” he asked in disbelief.
“Sorry,” she answered guiltily. “I’m listening now.”
“Who is it this time? Donghae? Hyukjae? Or is it that Kyuhyun? You sure have a lot of guys wrapped around your finger. Eunhye was right. You didn’t waste any time,” he stated before he could stop himself.
She blinked. Ever since he came back into her life, she really had become miserable. He treated her like he was her possession, being always at his beck and call. Yet she never complained. The fear of her secret getting out was just too much. At the very least, she wished that he would respect her. The words that came out of his mouth stung her deeply. Because none of it was true.
“You’re not going to cry, are you?” He rolled his eyes.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked, biting her lip. She clasped her hands together and squeezed them tight, trying to control her emotions.
“Why am I doing what?” he questioned.
“Why are you purposefully hurting me?” she straightforwardly said, looking at him through watery eyes. “I didn’t do anything to you.”
He smirked. “See, that’s where you’re wrong.” He faced her. “Everyone’s talking about how I destroyed your life. No one’s ever talked about how my life was never the same, too. You weren’t the only one who was affected by what happened.”
“But I didn’t-,” she started.
“Don’t you dare,” he growled, making her stop in alarm. “Don’t you dare put all the blame on me. We were both there. We both know what happened.”
Jooyeon looked away and bowed her head, the tears finally streaming down her face. She was sure that their version of events weren’t the same. She was sure she had her facts straight. She would put her life on the line for that because she knew that it was the truth. Hearing him blatantly tell her that he was innocent, wounded her profoundly. Even after the time that had passed, the scars were still there. And now that he was around, she didn’t think they would ever fully heal.
“Stop crying,” Jungsoo harshly ordered, not looking at her. He really hated it when she did. It made him lose his resolve and that wouldn’t do. Not now, not ever. Not anymore. Things had changed so much. She had changed so much. Whatever he thought they could rebuild when they saw each other again was all out of the window now. Too much had happened. They could never erase that.
She instantly wiped her tears away with her hands. Suddenly, she felt her bag vibrating. Sniffing, she pulled her phone out of her bag and saw that Taeyeon had sent her a message. He gave her an irritated glance.
“I have some new rules,” he announced, giving her a look. “I don’t want you hanging out with those boys too much. Especially Donghae.”
“What?” she weakly responded.
“You’re with me. You don’t need them,” he directed.
“But I’m not with you,” she disagreed.
“You’re with me and you don’t need them,” he repeated forcefully. She looked away worriedly. “It seems I haven’t made myself clear so I’ll break it down for you. Stop talking to those boys. I want you to pretend like they don’t exist.”
She opened her mouth to protest.
“Or I tell them everything straight out.” He shrugged. “Your call.”
Jooyeon nodded submissively.
~ * ~
How do you pretend that someone you cared about very much didn’t exist? Jooyeon pondered at this as she absentmindedly doodled on her notebook. Jungsoo’s ultimatum came as a shock to her. She didn’t think he would resort to such measures. It was baffling really. He never really stated his real intentions. He never said what he really wanted from her. It hurt her head because it made her think too much. And it hurt her heart. How could she pretend that they didn’t exist?
Heechul carefully watched Jooyeon. He had sat across from her and observed as she stared off into space, writing circles on her notebook. Somehow, he couldn’t put the pieces together. How could the present Jooyeon be the same as the one that Eunhye had described to him? Things just weren’t adding up and it confused him.
At first he didn’t believe Eunhye. The girl had acted in plays and always got her way. But she had evidence. Pictures and even videos. They weren’t pretty. They weren’t what one would expect from someone like Jooyeon, who seemed so innocent and pure. It really puzzled him. Not having told anyone, he was left to deliberate on these things by himself. He wanted to be completely sure. They say pictures-and videos-paint a thousand words, but he wanted to see it for himself.
“I’m throwing a party,” Heechul suddenly proclaimed.
Everyone on the table looked at him in surprise. It was September. It was too late for a birthday bash, which he already had, and too early for a Christmas celebration.
“What for?” Siwon curiously said.
“Can’t I throw a party just because?” Heechul asserted, looking at everyone, including Jooyeon.
“But you just had your party,” Hankyung prompted him.
“That was weeks ago,” Heechul corrected. “So what do you all say?”
“Oppa,” Taeyeon chuckled. “Why so suddenly?”
Heechul shrugged. “I just want us to have a good time. We’re all stressed with school. Think of it as a party welcoming Christmas break.”
“That’s three months away,” Kangin pointed out, making Tiffany giggle. Heechul glared at him to shut up.
“I’m game,” Shindong declared, happily raising his fists in the air.
Soon, everyone agreed. They all started talking about it. Taeyeon and Tiffany started talking about what they were going to wear.
“You’re going to be there, right, Jooyeon?” Heechul then asked Jooyeon, who hadn’t said anything.
“Of course she’s going to be there,” Hyukjae said, taking a seat beside her, putting an arm around her.
Jooyeon smiled uncomfortably. She was supposed to be telling them that she wouldn’t hang out with them anymore. But how could she? “I…” she hesitated.
“You’re not saying no,” Kangin suddenly said, joining the conversation. “You’re going to be there.”
“Bring Jungsoo if you want,” Heechul suggested. Everyone froze.
“What?” Donghae huffed. “Why do we need to invite him?”
“He’s Jooyeon’s and Taeyeon’s friend,” Heechul jogged their memories, glancing at Taeyeon, whose smile was frozen on her face. “Well…?” He looked at Jooyeon for her confirmation.
Jooyeon nodded. She would just have to talk to Jungsoo about it.
~ * ~
“Hey.”
Jooyeon looked up and found Kyuhyun suddenly walking beside her. “Oppa,” she greeted him back uncertainly, looking around.
“Were you hoping I was someone else?” Kyuhyun posed, looking around as well.
“No,” Jooyeon said, shaking her head. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have basketball?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” he told her, raising his eyebrows. When she didn’t reply as he expected, he continued, “Where are you off to?”
“I’m going to buy some stuff for omma,” she told him. They had just been dismissed from classes and she was on her way to the grocery.
“Where’s Taeyeon?” he inquired. “Or should I be asking about Jungsoo?”
She stiffened at the mention of his name. “Taeyeon has a meeting.” She paused. “Jungsoo oppa… I don’t know.”
“I wonder what he’d think about me going with you to do errands,” he mused, watching her reaction.
“You don’t have to go with me,” she said at once, shaking her head. She didn’t want to get into trouble. He got upset that she got invited to the party but, since he was also invited, he let it slide. “I’ll be fine.”
Kyuhyun ignored her request and walked to the grocery with her. The whole time he was with her, pushing the cart and carrying the bags, he wondered about her and Jungsoo. She seemed so much more relaxed when he wasn’t around, so much more herself. But when his name was brought up, he could almost see the mask that she put on, like she was protecting herself and everyone else around her from something. It bothered him because he knew that even if he asked she wouldn’t tell him.
He also wondered about the time Jooyeon spent with them. She had started spending less time with them when Jungsoo arrived in their school out of the blue. But, recently, she seemed to be overdoing it. It seemed like she was really making an effort to not even bump into them in the hallways. If, by accident, they happened to see her, she would make up some lame excuse and hurriedly leave. Hyukjae, who had been treating Jooyeon like a younger sister, felt very much hurt by this. Donghae, even more so. And the others… they were just befuddled. Even Taeyeon didn’t seem to understand what’s going on. All Jooyeon told her was that she was busy with school. But, it seemed like she was the busiest person in her year. No one else was that busy.
“Are you okay, oppa? I told you, you didn’t have to go with me,” Jooyeon said, interrupting his thoughts with a smile.
“When did I ever follow what you said?” he retorted, smiling back. They were already on the counter, paying for their purchases. She laughed at this.
On the way home, they walked in silence. The sound of their feet trudging the gravel road was the only thing they exchanged.
“Thank you for coming with me, Kyuhyun oppa,” Jooyeon suddenly told him. “It’s nice to have company.”
“Tell me,” Kyuhyun replied even though he wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to say at such a time. “What does that Jungsoo guy have on you that you’ve started ignoring us altogether?”
She stopped walking, a look of total distress on her face. Averting her gaze, she immediately began thinking of what to say.
“Please don’t make up some excuse this time,” he insisted, closely studying her.
“I don’t…” She sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“You should learn how to lie better if you’re going to carry on with this because, really, you’re not fooling anyone,” he conveyed frankly.
“I don’t want to fool anyone,” she quietly disclosed. She hated lying, especially to people she greatly cared about and had grown to love.
“Then why are you doing it? Your words don’t mean anything since you actually are deceiving us-or trying to,” he commented. She seemed to struggle at what to say. He wondered what was so hard about telling the truth.
“I can’t… Things are just too complicated,” Jooyeon finally said, glancing at him with pleading eyes.
But Kyuhyun wouldn’t have any of it. He was tired of her games. “You’re the most uncomplicated person I know. At least you used to be. What’s going on now? Why not make it uncomplicated? Just tell us what’s going on.”
Characters: Donghae, Kyuhyun, Hyukjae, OC, Super Junior
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Friendship, Comedy, Drama
“What’s wrong with you today?” Jungsoo asked. He’d been talking to Jooyeon, telling her some things that went on in class but it didn’t seem like she listened to a word he said.
He sighed as he watched her text someone on her cell phone. She had a small smile on her face, a smile that she never once gave to him, not even when they used to be friends.
“Ya,” he called her attention, nudging her impatiently.
Jooyeon looked up from her phone and looked blankly at him. “Sorry,” she said, closing her phone and putting it in her bag. “What were you saying, oppa?”
“So you really weren’t listening?” he asked in disbelief.
“Sorry,” she answered guiltily. “I’m listening now.”
“Who is it this time? Donghae? Hyukjae? Or is it that Kyuhyun? You sure have a lot of guys wrapped around your finger. Eunhye was right. You didn’t waste any time,” he stated before he could stop himself.
She blinked. Ever since he came back into her life, she really had become miserable. He treated her like he was her possession, being always at his beck and call. Yet she never complained. The fear of her secret getting out was just too much. At the very least, she wished that he would respect her. The words that came out of his mouth stung her deeply. Because none of it was true.
“You’re not going to cry, are you?” He rolled his eyes.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked, biting her lip. She clasped her hands together and squeezed them tight, trying to control her emotions.
“Why am I doing what?” he questioned.
“Why are you purposefully hurting me?” she straightforwardly said, looking at him through watery eyes. “I didn’t do anything to you.”
He smirked. “See, that’s where you’re wrong.” He faced her. “Everyone’s talking about how I destroyed your life. No one’s ever talked about how my life was never the same, too. You weren’t the only one who was affected by what happened.”
“But I didn’t-,” she started.
“Don’t you dare,” he growled, making her stop in alarm. “Don’t you dare put all the blame on me. We were both there. We both know what happened.”
Jooyeon looked away and bowed her head, the tears finally streaming down her face. She was sure that their version of events weren’t the same. She was sure she had her facts straight. She would put her life on the line for that because she knew that it was the truth. Hearing him blatantly tell her that he was innocent, wounded her profoundly. Even after the time that had passed, the scars were still there. And now that he was around, she didn’t think they would ever fully heal.
“Stop crying,” Jungsoo harshly ordered, not looking at her. He really hated it when she did. It made him lose his resolve and that wouldn’t do. Not now, not ever. Not anymore. Things had changed so much. She had changed so much. Whatever he thought they could rebuild when they saw each other again was all out of the window now. Too much had happened. They could never erase that.
She instantly wiped her tears away with her hands. Suddenly, she felt her bag vibrating. Sniffing, she pulled her phone out of her bag and saw that Taeyeon had sent her a message. He gave her an irritated glance.
“I have some new rules,” he announced, giving her a look. “I don’t want you hanging out with those boys too much. Especially Donghae.”
“What?” she weakly responded.
“You’re with me. You don’t need them,” he directed.
“But I’m not with you,” she disagreed.
“You’re with me and you don’t need them,” he repeated forcefully. She looked away worriedly. “It seems I haven’t made myself clear so I’ll break it down for you. Stop talking to those boys. I want you to pretend like they don’t exist.”
She opened her mouth to protest.
“Or I tell them everything straight out.” He shrugged. “Your call.”
Jooyeon nodded submissively.
~ * ~
How do you pretend that someone you cared about very much didn’t exist? Jooyeon pondered at this as she absentmindedly doodled on her notebook. Jungsoo’s ultimatum came as a shock to her. She didn’t think he would resort to such measures. It was baffling really. He never really stated his real intentions. He never said what he really wanted from her. It hurt her head because it made her think too much. And it hurt her heart. How could she pretend that they didn’t exist?
Heechul carefully watched Jooyeon. He had sat across from her and observed as she stared off into space, writing circles on her notebook. Somehow, he couldn’t put the pieces together. How could the present Jooyeon be the same as the one that Eunhye had described to him? Things just weren’t adding up and it confused him.
At first he didn’t believe Eunhye. The girl had acted in plays and always got her way. But she had evidence. Pictures and even videos. They weren’t pretty. They weren’t what one would expect from someone like Jooyeon, who seemed so innocent and pure. It really puzzled him. Not having told anyone, he was left to deliberate on these things by himself. He wanted to be completely sure. They say pictures-and videos-paint a thousand words, but he wanted to see it for himself.
“I’m throwing a party,” Heechul suddenly proclaimed.
Everyone on the table looked at him in surprise. It was September. It was too late for a birthday bash, which he already had, and too early for a Christmas celebration.
“What for?” Siwon curiously said.
“Can’t I throw a party just because?” Heechul asserted, looking at everyone, including Jooyeon.
“But you just had your party,” Hankyung prompted him.
“That was weeks ago,” Heechul corrected. “So what do you all say?”
“Oppa,” Taeyeon chuckled. “Why so suddenly?”
Heechul shrugged. “I just want us to have a good time. We’re all stressed with school. Think of it as a party welcoming Christmas break.”
“That’s three months away,” Kangin pointed out, making Tiffany giggle. Heechul glared at him to shut up.
“I’m game,” Shindong declared, happily raising his fists in the air.
Soon, everyone agreed. They all started talking about it. Taeyeon and Tiffany started talking about what they were going to wear.
“You’re going to be there, right, Jooyeon?” Heechul then asked Jooyeon, who hadn’t said anything.
“Of course she’s going to be there,” Hyukjae said, taking a seat beside her, putting an arm around her.
Jooyeon smiled uncomfortably. She was supposed to be telling them that she wouldn’t hang out with them anymore. But how could she? “I…” she hesitated.
“You’re not saying no,” Kangin suddenly said, joining the conversation. “You’re going to be there.”
“Bring Jungsoo if you want,” Heechul suggested. Everyone froze.
“What?” Donghae huffed. “Why do we need to invite him?”
“He’s Jooyeon’s and Taeyeon’s friend,” Heechul jogged their memories, glancing at Taeyeon, whose smile was frozen on her face. “Well…?” He looked at Jooyeon for her confirmation.
Jooyeon nodded. She would just have to talk to Jungsoo about it.
~ * ~
“Hey.”
Jooyeon looked up and found Kyuhyun suddenly walking beside her. “Oppa,” she greeted him back uncertainly, looking around.
“Were you hoping I was someone else?” Kyuhyun posed, looking around as well.
“No,” Jooyeon said, shaking her head. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have basketball?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” he told her, raising his eyebrows. When she didn’t reply as he expected, he continued, “Where are you off to?”
“I’m going to buy some stuff for omma,” she told him. They had just been dismissed from classes and she was on her way to the grocery.
“Where’s Taeyeon?” he inquired. “Or should I be asking about Jungsoo?”
She stiffened at the mention of his name. “Taeyeon has a meeting.” She paused. “Jungsoo oppa… I don’t know.”
“I wonder what he’d think about me going with you to do errands,” he mused, watching her reaction.
“You don’t have to go with me,” she said at once, shaking her head. She didn’t want to get into trouble. He got upset that she got invited to the party but, since he was also invited, he let it slide. “I’ll be fine.”
Kyuhyun ignored her request and walked to the grocery with her. The whole time he was with her, pushing the cart and carrying the bags, he wondered about her and Jungsoo. She seemed so much more relaxed when he wasn’t around, so much more herself. But when his name was brought up, he could almost see the mask that she put on, like she was protecting herself and everyone else around her from something. It bothered him because he knew that even if he asked she wouldn’t tell him.
He also wondered about the time Jooyeon spent with them. She had started spending less time with them when Jungsoo arrived in their school out of the blue. But, recently, she seemed to be overdoing it. It seemed like she was really making an effort to not even bump into them in the hallways. If, by accident, they happened to see her, she would make up some lame excuse and hurriedly leave. Hyukjae, who had been treating Jooyeon like a younger sister, felt very much hurt by this. Donghae, even more so. And the others… they were just befuddled. Even Taeyeon didn’t seem to understand what’s going on. All Jooyeon told her was that she was busy with school. But, it seemed like she was the busiest person in her year. No one else was that busy.
“Are you okay, oppa? I told you, you didn’t have to go with me,” Jooyeon said, interrupting his thoughts with a smile.
“When did I ever follow what you said?” he retorted, smiling back. They were already on the counter, paying for their purchases. She laughed at this.
On the way home, they walked in silence. The sound of their feet trudging the gravel road was the only thing they exchanged.
“Thank you for coming with me, Kyuhyun oppa,” Jooyeon suddenly told him. “It’s nice to have company.”
“Tell me,” Kyuhyun replied even though he wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to say at such a time. “What does that Jungsoo guy have on you that you’ve started ignoring us altogether?”
She stopped walking, a look of total distress on her face. Averting her gaze, she immediately began thinking of what to say.
“Please don’t make up some excuse this time,” he insisted, closely studying her.
“I don’t…” She sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“You should learn how to lie better if you’re going to carry on with this because, really, you’re not fooling anyone,” he conveyed frankly.
“I don’t want to fool anyone,” she quietly disclosed. She hated lying, especially to people she greatly cared about and had grown to love.
“Then why are you doing it? Your words don’t mean anything since you actually are deceiving us-or trying to,” he commented. She seemed to struggle at what to say. He wondered what was so hard about telling the truth.
“I can’t… Things are just too complicated,” Jooyeon finally said, glancing at him with pleading eyes.
But Kyuhyun wouldn’t have any of it. He was tired of her games. “You’re the most uncomplicated person I know. At least you used to be. What’s going on now? Why not make it uncomplicated? Just tell us what’s going on.”