Moar fanfic
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, I don't own.
Chapter Two - My Brave Face (Paul McCartney)
A week or so later, Ha-neul was desperately trying to recall her father's words and control the knocking of her knees. It'll be fine, she told herself. It's just like making friends, only there's business involved. And if anything happens, Appa is somewhere around.
She tried to find her father in the darkened club, but all she could see were well-dressed young people. Ha-neul supposed that he was somewhere in the back with President Ahn, celebrating A.N.JELL's successful summer tour along with the other executives, and he wouldn't like it if she went looking for him instead of staying out here and socializing. Not only was it important to try and make good contacts, Mr. So had told her on their way to the club, but she was also a young woman who should just have fun and meet new people. Unfortunately, she wasn't doing well so far; Ha-neul had smiled at everyone who looked her way, but no one had spoken to her and she had no idea how to start a conversation.
Absently, she took a sip of her drink and grimaced. All the ice had melted, watering down her Coke, but at least ordering a fresh drink from the bar would give her something to do.
There was quite a crowd already gathered around the bar, placing orders and keeping the bartenders busy. Ha-neul decided this was the perfect opportunity to try and strike up a conversation with a complete stranger. "It's a pretty good party, huh?" she remarked to the pretty girl standing next to her.
To her delight, the girl responded. "It's OK," she said, looking around with (it must be admitted) a faintly condescending air. "Mine are a lot better, though."
"Oh, you throw parties like this, too?" Ha-neul asked, glad that she managed to think of a way to prolong the conversation. She noted the other girl's trendy clothes. "Are you an event planner?"
That was clearly the wrong thing to say, for a scowl twisted the stranger's face. "An event planner?" she scoffed. "Don't you know who I am?"
"I-I'm sorry, but I don't," she stammered, feeling her face grow hot. "Am I supposed to?"
"She's Yoo He-yi, Korea's fairy," a low voice said suddenly, startling Ha-neul. She turned to find Shin-woo standing behind her. He gave her a small smile and nod in greeting.
"Oh, Yoo He-yi!" Ha-neul blurted out. It sounded stupid, but it was the first thing she could think of to say. "A lot of my friends are fans of yours!" That sounded much better for salvaging the conversation, but it was too late; He-yi had spun on her heel and flounced away.
"If I were you, I'd tell your friends to find another idol," Shin-woo advised, leaning against the bar. "That girl may look sweet on the outside, but inside she's poison." Glancing briefly over his shoulder, he ordered two beers.
"That's a pretty strong thing to say," Ha-neul said. What was more surprising was that it was coming from Shin-woo; when they were in elementary school, he never said anything bad about anyone.
Actually, she amended, he hardly ever said anything back then, period.
"Yes, but it's true." When the bartender handed him the beers, he gave one to Ha-neul. "Are you OK?"
She nodded. "I feel really embarrassed at not knowing her," she told him frankly, "but otherwise I'm fine."
"You're lucky that you didn't know her," Shin-woo said. "She makes everyone around her feel terrible."
Ha-neul laughed. "Did you ever work with her?"
"Once." He took a sip of his beer and inclined his head towards the seating area. "The rest of the band is here. Come on, sit with us."
"If you're sure I won't intrude..." she demurred, even though it was the best idea she had heard all night.
"You won't." With a gentle hand between her shoulder blades, Shin-woo began to steer her towards the VIP area. "The others will be happy to see you."
***
Just as he predicted, a bright smile spread across Jeremy's face when they approached A.N.JELL's booth. "Ha-neul!" he exclaimed happily, flinging out his arms in welcome. "I didn't know you were here!"
"I saw her at the bar and invited her to sit with us," Shin-woo told his bandmates. "It's OK, isn't it?"
"It's more than OK," Mi-nam said, already moving aside to make space for Ha-neul to sit. "A pretty girl at this table is always welcome. I was getting sick of looking at this sourpuss all night." He jerked a thumb at Tae-kyung, who sat stiffly in one corner of the booth.
Tae-kyung sent Mi-nam a look that would have frozen a weaker person. "Go Mi-nam," he said crisply, "you're very lucky that I have a reason to put up with your making fun of me all the time."
The other boy grinned back unrepentantly. "Yeah, I know."
"There, you see?" Shin-woo said to Ha-neul. "It's fine with everyone. Have a seat."
She smiled at the boys before sliding into the space that Mi-nam had vacated. "Thank you."
"Ha-neul, you must dance with me later," Jeremy told her.
"Jeremy, she just sat down," Tae-kyung pointed out.
"I know, that's why I said 'later.'"
"Please excuse Jeremy," Shin-woo said to Ha-neul. "They're used to a different kind of behavior in England, so some of the things he does may shock you."
"Shin-woo hyung, don't scare her!" the blond young man whined.
Ha-neul laughed to show that she wasn't scared. "How long did you live in England?" she asked Jeremy.
"Until I became a teenager," was the answer. "I came to Korea to go to high school, and almost after that I joined A.N.JELL. My parents still live abroad, so I guess you could say that A.N.JELL is my family here." He beamed at his bandmates, who reacted in different ways: Mi-nam with a comradely punch on the shoulder, Shin-woo with a fond smile, and Tae-kyung with a wry sneer (although his expression wasn't as sour as one would have expected).
"And you, Ha-neul," Jeremy asked then, "you knew Shin-woo hyung in elementary school, right?"
"Maybe you can answer a question for us," Mi-nam said when she nodded.
"That would depend on what the question is," Ha-neul answered. She glanced cautiously at Shin-woo, who shot her a faintly warning look. He had no idea what the question might be, but knowing his bandmates, it was most probably about something embarrassing.
"We were just wondering if you could tell us more about Shin-woo hyung's legend," Jeremy told her.
"His... legend?" she repeated with a confused frown.
At that, Shin-woo relaxed. "She doesn't know anything about that," he told the other boys.
"What kind of legend is that?" Ha-neul asked.
"It's silly," Shin-woo told her, hoping that the subject would be dropped.
"No, it's amazing!" Jeremy contradicted. "Shin-woo hyung's legend is that he once beat up 17 gangsters all by himself!"
She rounded on Shin-woo, wide-eyed. "Did you really do that?"
"All boys fight a little in school," he answered evasively. The legends were things that the A.N.JELL's management had thought up when the band was first starting out, to build an aura of mystery around the boys and get people to talk about them. They were a bit over-the-top so they really shouldn't be taken seriously, but there was always an element of truth behind the story and Shin-woo didn't want to discuss the one behind his.
To distract the others, he stood up. "Hey, Jeremy, didn't you say we were going to dance?" he asked brightly.
Fortunately, that did the trick. The blond young man jumped up and held out a hand to Ha-neul. "Yes, and I really like this song! Come dance with us, Ha-neul!" She smiled shyly and Shin-woo thought for a moment that she was going to say no, but Ha-neul stood up and took the offered hand.
Mi-nam rose, too, allowing Jeremy to get out of the booth and be reunited with his hand. "Are you coming with us, Tae-kyung?" he asked the only one who was still seated.
Tae-kyung shook his head. "I'm fine right here, thank you."
Instead of trying to convince him to join the rest of the group on the dance floor, Mi-nam said, "Good. You can keep an eye on Ha-neul's bag so that it doesn't get stolen." Grinning at the others, he nodded towards the dance floor. "Let's go!"
***
The good thing about dancing, Ha-neul thought, was that it was just like playing basketball - she didn't need to pretend that she knew what she was doing. "You're a great dancer!" Jeremy said, shouting to be heard over the pounding dance music. His hair, which stood up in gelled spikes all over his head, glowed an eerie blue-white under the club's blacklights.
She smiled back. "Thank you!" When she first became interested in basketball, her mother had made her take ballet lessons so that Ha-neul would have a ladylike activity, too. Ballet hadn't lasted as long as basketball, but she had taken lessons long enough to know that she enjoyed dancing and, it turned out, was quite good at it.
"Do you go dancing a lot?"
"Not these days, but I used to go out with my teammates!"
"Cool!"
Shin-woo smiled as he watched his friends dance. Ha-neul seemed to be over that unpleasant encounter with He-yi, and the rest of the boys in the band were relaxed and looking forward to getting some rest (even Tae-kyung, even though he seemed incapable of relaxing). Of course, A.N.JELL would still be holding fan events and putting together their next album, but at least they were going to do much less traveling.
Just then, a bespectacled woman accompanied by a photographer approached them. "Excuse me, A.N.JELL members, I'm Lee Yeun-ja from Young Life magazine. Could we have a picture for our nightlife section?"
"Of course, noona!" Jeremy answered. Ha-neul tried to step out of the frame, but he took her arm to prevent her from leaving. "Ha-neul, you should take the picture with us!"
"But-"
"Come on," Shin-woo told her encouragingly. "It will look boring if it's just us guys."
Still a bit confused by what was happening, Ha-neul let herself be pulled between him and Jeremy and smiled obligingly for the camera, crowding close when the photographer asked them to do so. The flash was a bit startling in the near-darkness of the club, but she knew well enough not to blink.
"Where is Hwang Tae-kyung?" Reporter Lee asked after several pictures were taken.
"He's somewhere around," Mi-nam replied. "He's feeling well enough to celebrate with us here tonight, but the doctor said no dancing for a while."
She frowned in concern. "He is getting better, isn't he?" she asked, referring to recent news reports that Tae-kyung had shown signs of fatigue during the last part of A.N.JELL's tour. However, like the committed musician that he was, he hadn't missed a single performance.
"Oh, yes, he's getting better," Shin-woo assured her. "Now that our tour is over, he will be getting lots of rest." He smiled. "We all will!"
"That's good news for all of you, I'm sure!" To Ha-neul's surprise, the next question was for her. "Miss, could you give us your name, please?"
"This is our friend Ha-neul," Jeremy informed the reporter.
"Yes, my name is So Ha-neul," she said, bowing to the older woman. "Pleased to meet you, ma'am."
"She's a model," Mi-nam added.
"I'm not surprised, being as tall as you are," Reporter Lee said, looking over Ha-neul appraisingly. Then she laughed. "I'm also not surprised that a girl whose name means 'heaven' is friends with angels!"
Ha-neul laughed. "I guess there's a natural attraction."
"Well, it was nice meeting you, So Ha-neul, and nice to see you guys again," the reporter said. "Hopefully later, we can have a picture of all the members of A.N.JELL."
After Reporter Lee took her leave, they danced a little while longer before Jeremy declared that he was thirsty and it was time for another drink. The others heartily agreed and began to troop off the dance floor.
On their way back to their table, Ha-neul touched Shin-woo's arm to get his attention. "That reporter earlier... why did she ask for my name?"
He blinked. "So she would know what name to write when your picture appears in her magazine, of course. Haven't you had your picture published before?"
She blushed, embarrassed over asking such a stupid question. "I have, but those were articles about the basketball team, and advertisements. No one ever had to ask for my name."
Shin-woo grinned. "Exciting, huh?"
She nodded, smiling as well. "Thanks for inviting me to join you guys tonight."
"It's nothing," he replied. "We're old friends. We should look out for each other."
Ha-neul ducked her head. His idea of "old friends" seemed to be different from hers; they knew each other from school, but had not been close. Perhaps Shin-woo was just being nice. Whether or not he really meant it, she was glad he thought he should look out for her. Having a fairly familiar face around would help make this entire modeling thing a little less terrifying.
"What?" he asked when she made no reply. "You don't think we should look out for each other?"
"No!" She looked back up at him, laughing at the faintly teasing expression on his face. "I was just thinking that I like that idea."
"Oh. Good." He smiled. "I really mean it, too. If you ever see me or any of the others at events like this or if you need help with anything, don't hesitate to approach, OK?" He chuckled. "I promise Tae-kyung doesn't bite."
***
It was true; Tae-kyung never bit anyone, because biting was unsanitary. He was, however, less likely to even be tempted to bite anyone ever since very publicly declaring his love for Go Mi-Nyeo a year ago. Although Mi-Nyeo still went off to do missionary work in Africa, Tae-kyung was secure in the knowledge that he had made his feelings known to her; what was more, he knew that she felt the same way about him. Somehow, that brought him some peace.
It brought him a lot of inspiration, too, which was good for the band. That day, Tae-kyung demonstrated for the rest of A.N.JELL his new song, which was going to be the first single off the album that they were recording that fall. The song, called "Can't Wait," was a catchy pop number about someone missing his (or her) significant other and looking forward to the time when they would be together again.
"At least something good came out of hyung's not being able to speak to Mi-Nyeo on the phone last week," Jeremy chuckled, tapping out a random beat on his high hat.
"Don't tease him," Mi-nam chided, for once not taking the lead in needling Tae-kyung. "He's still a bit grouchy about that."
From his seat behind the piano, Tae-kyung sent his bandmates a narrow-eyed glance. "What did you think about the song?"
Jeremy raised his hands to give a double thumbs-up. "I think it's great!"
Shin-woo nodded in agreement. "It's perfect for our first single."
"Yeah," Mi-nam said. "Even though I still think it's weird that I'm singing songs about my sister."
Having garnered his bandmates' approval, Tae-kyung turned to the men in the engineering booth. "What do you think, President Ahn?" he asked.
"Do I have to say it, Tae-kyung?" Their manager thrust his arms in the air. "Marvelous! Number One! If you guys do a rough recording today, I can start thinking up a concept for the music video!"
"Are you up for it, Tae-kyung?" Shin-woo asked him.
The vocalist nodded as he handed out copies of the sheet music. "I can rest my voice while you learn the song." Although his vocal chords still weren't as good as they had once been, having another strong singer in the group helped Tae-kyung's condition improve to the point where he didn't have to lip-synch during live performances anymore. Nevertheless, the band remained cautious and made sure he didn't over-exert himself. "And maybe," Tae-kyung suggested, "you could write a little rap or something for the instrumental? I feel like it's too long, but don't want to shorten it."
Shin-woo smiled, happy to have an opportunity to contribute. "I'll do my best to come up with something."
Mi-nam sat down on the couch with his copy of the song. "This makes me wonder what kind of songs you'll write when Mi-nyeo finally comes back for good next month," he remarked, and grinned. "Make sure they'll turn out to be just as good, OK, brother-in-law?"
Tae-kyung glared even as the ghost of a smug smile flickered across his face at the playful nickname. "Get to work, Go Mi-nam."
"Yes, sir!"
Previously:
Chapter 1
Chapter Two - My Brave Face (Paul McCartney)
A week or so later, Ha-neul was desperately trying to recall her father's words and control the knocking of her knees. It'll be fine, she told herself. It's just like making friends, only there's business involved. And if anything happens, Appa is somewhere around.
She tried to find her father in the darkened club, but all she could see were well-dressed young people. Ha-neul supposed that he was somewhere in the back with President Ahn, celebrating A.N.JELL's successful summer tour along with the other executives, and he wouldn't like it if she went looking for him instead of staying out here and socializing. Not only was it important to try and make good contacts, Mr. So had told her on their way to the club, but she was also a young woman who should just have fun and meet new people. Unfortunately, she wasn't doing well so far; Ha-neul had smiled at everyone who looked her way, but no one had spoken to her and she had no idea how to start a conversation.
Absently, she took a sip of her drink and grimaced. All the ice had melted, watering down her Coke, but at least ordering a fresh drink from the bar would give her something to do.
There was quite a crowd already gathered around the bar, placing orders and keeping the bartenders busy. Ha-neul decided this was the perfect opportunity to try and strike up a conversation with a complete stranger. "It's a pretty good party, huh?" she remarked to the pretty girl standing next to her.
To her delight, the girl responded. "It's OK," she said, looking around with (it must be admitted) a faintly condescending air. "Mine are a lot better, though."
"Oh, you throw parties like this, too?" Ha-neul asked, glad that she managed to think of a way to prolong the conversation. She noted the other girl's trendy clothes. "Are you an event planner?"
That was clearly the wrong thing to say, for a scowl twisted the stranger's face. "An event planner?" she scoffed. "Don't you know who I am?"
"I-I'm sorry, but I don't," she stammered, feeling her face grow hot. "Am I supposed to?"
"She's Yoo He-yi, Korea's fairy," a low voice said suddenly, startling Ha-neul. She turned to find Shin-woo standing behind her. He gave her a small smile and nod in greeting.
"Oh, Yoo He-yi!" Ha-neul blurted out. It sounded stupid, but it was the first thing she could think of to say. "A lot of my friends are fans of yours!" That sounded much better for salvaging the conversation, but it was too late; He-yi had spun on her heel and flounced away.
"If I were you, I'd tell your friends to find another idol," Shin-woo advised, leaning against the bar. "That girl may look sweet on the outside, but inside she's poison." Glancing briefly over his shoulder, he ordered two beers.
"That's a pretty strong thing to say," Ha-neul said. What was more surprising was that it was coming from Shin-woo; when they were in elementary school, he never said anything bad about anyone.
Actually, she amended, he hardly ever said anything back then, period.
"Yes, but it's true." When the bartender handed him the beers, he gave one to Ha-neul. "Are you OK?"
She nodded. "I feel really embarrassed at not knowing her," she told him frankly, "but otherwise I'm fine."
"You're lucky that you didn't know her," Shin-woo said. "She makes everyone around her feel terrible."
Ha-neul laughed. "Did you ever work with her?"
"Once." He took a sip of his beer and inclined his head towards the seating area. "The rest of the band is here. Come on, sit with us."
"If you're sure I won't intrude..." she demurred, even though it was the best idea she had heard all night.
"You won't." With a gentle hand between her shoulder blades, Shin-woo began to steer her towards the VIP area. "The others will be happy to see you."
***
Just as he predicted, a bright smile spread across Jeremy's face when they approached A.N.JELL's booth. "Ha-neul!" he exclaimed happily, flinging out his arms in welcome. "I didn't know you were here!"
"I saw her at the bar and invited her to sit with us," Shin-woo told his bandmates. "It's OK, isn't it?"
"It's more than OK," Mi-nam said, already moving aside to make space for Ha-neul to sit. "A pretty girl at this table is always welcome. I was getting sick of looking at this sourpuss all night." He jerked a thumb at Tae-kyung, who sat stiffly in one corner of the booth.
Tae-kyung sent Mi-nam a look that would have frozen a weaker person. "Go Mi-nam," he said crisply, "you're very lucky that I have a reason to put up with your making fun of me all the time."
The other boy grinned back unrepentantly. "Yeah, I know."
"There, you see?" Shin-woo said to Ha-neul. "It's fine with everyone. Have a seat."
She smiled at the boys before sliding into the space that Mi-nam had vacated. "Thank you."
"Ha-neul, you must dance with me later," Jeremy told her.
"Jeremy, she just sat down," Tae-kyung pointed out.
"I know, that's why I said 'later.'"
"Please excuse Jeremy," Shin-woo said to Ha-neul. "They're used to a different kind of behavior in England, so some of the things he does may shock you."
"Shin-woo hyung, don't scare her!" the blond young man whined.
Ha-neul laughed to show that she wasn't scared. "How long did you live in England?" she asked Jeremy.
"Until I became a teenager," was the answer. "I came to Korea to go to high school, and almost after that I joined A.N.JELL. My parents still live abroad, so I guess you could say that A.N.JELL is my family here." He beamed at his bandmates, who reacted in different ways: Mi-nam with a comradely punch on the shoulder, Shin-woo with a fond smile, and Tae-kyung with a wry sneer (although his expression wasn't as sour as one would have expected).
"And you, Ha-neul," Jeremy asked then, "you knew Shin-woo hyung in elementary school, right?"
"Maybe you can answer a question for us," Mi-nam said when she nodded.
"That would depend on what the question is," Ha-neul answered. She glanced cautiously at Shin-woo, who shot her a faintly warning look. He had no idea what the question might be, but knowing his bandmates, it was most probably about something embarrassing.
"We were just wondering if you could tell us more about Shin-woo hyung's legend," Jeremy told her.
"His... legend?" she repeated with a confused frown.
At that, Shin-woo relaxed. "She doesn't know anything about that," he told the other boys.
"What kind of legend is that?" Ha-neul asked.
"It's silly," Shin-woo told her, hoping that the subject would be dropped.
"No, it's amazing!" Jeremy contradicted. "Shin-woo hyung's legend is that he once beat up 17 gangsters all by himself!"
She rounded on Shin-woo, wide-eyed. "Did you really do that?"
"All boys fight a little in school," he answered evasively. The legends were things that the A.N.JELL's management had thought up when the band was first starting out, to build an aura of mystery around the boys and get people to talk about them. They were a bit over-the-top so they really shouldn't be taken seriously, but there was always an element of truth behind the story and Shin-woo didn't want to discuss the one behind his.
To distract the others, he stood up. "Hey, Jeremy, didn't you say we were going to dance?" he asked brightly.
Fortunately, that did the trick. The blond young man jumped up and held out a hand to Ha-neul. "Yes, and I really like this song! Come dance with us, Ha-neul!" She smiled shyly and Shin-woo thought for a moment that she was going to say no, but Ha-neul stood up and took the offered hand.
Mi-nam rose, too, allowing Jeremy to get out of the booth and be reunited with his hand. "Are you coming with us, Tae-kyung?" he asked the only one who was still seated.
Tae-kyung shook his head. "I'm fine right here, thank you."
Instead of trying to convince him to join the rest of the group on the dance floor, Mi-nam said, "Good. You can keep an eye on Ha-neul's bag so that it doesn't get stolen." Grinning at the others, he nodded towards the dance floor. "Let's go!"
***
The good thing about dancing, Ha-neul thought, was that it was just like playing basketball - she didn't need to pretend that she knew what she was doing. "You're a great dancer!" Jeremy said, shouting to be heard over the pounding dance music. His hair, which stood up in gelled spikes all over his head, glowed an eerie blue-white under the club's blacklights.
She smiled back. "Thank you!" When she first became interested in basketball, her mother had made her take ballet lessons so that Ha-neul would have a ladylike activity, too. Ballet hadn't lasted as long as basketball, but she had taken lessons long enough to know that she enjoyed dancing and, it turned out, was quite good at it.
"Do you go dancing a lot?"
"Not these days, but I used to go out with my teammates!"
"Cool!"
Shin-woo smiled as he watched his friends dance. Ha-neul seemed to be over that unpleasant encounter with He-yi, and the rest of the boys in the band were relaxed and looking forward to getting some rest (even Tae-kyung, even though he seemed incapable of relaxing). Of course, A.N.JELL would still be holding fan events and putting together their next album, but at least they were going to do much less traveling.
Just then, a bespectacled woman accompanied by a photographer approached them. "Excuse me, A.N.JELL members, I'm Lee Yeun-ja from Young Life magazine. Could we have a picture for our nightlife section?"
"Of course, noona!" Jeremy answered. Ha-neul tried to step out of the frame, but he took her arm to prevent her from leaving. "Ha-neul, you should take the picture with us!"
"But-"
"Come on," Shin-woo told her encouragingly. "It will look boring if it's just us guys."
Still a bit confused by what was happening, Ha-neul let herself be pulled between him and Jeremy and smiled obligingly for the camera, crowding close when the photographer asked them to do so. The flash was a bit startling in the near-darkness of the club, but she knew well enough not to blink.
"Where is Hwang Tae-kyung?" Reporter Lee asked after several pictures were taken.
"He's somewhere around," Mi-nam replied. "He's feeling well enough to celebrate with us here tonight, but the doctor said no dancing for a while."
She frowned in concern. "He is getting better, isn't he?" she asked, referring to recent news reports that Tae-kyung had shown signs of fatigue during the last part of A.N.JELL's tour. However, like the committed musician that he was, he hadn't missed a single performance.
"Oh, yes, he's getting better," Shin-woo assured her. "Now that our tour is over, he will be getting lots of rest." He smiled. "We all will!"
"That's good news for all of you, I'm sure!" To Ha-neul's surprise, the next question was for her. "Miss, could you give us your name, please?"
"This is our friend Ha-neul," Jeremy informed the reporter.
"Yes, my name is So Ha-neul," she said, bowing to the older woman. "Pleased to meet you, ma'am."
"She's a model," Mi-nam added.
"I'm not surprised, being as tall as you are," Reporter Lee said, looking over Ha-neul appraisingly. Then she laughed. "I'm also not surprised that a girl whose name means 'heaven' is friends with angels!"
Ha-neul laughed. "I guess there's a natural attraction."
"Well, it was nice meeting you, So Ha-neul, and nice to see you guys again," the reporter said. "Hopefully later, we can have a picture of all the members of A.N.JELL."
After Reporter Lee took her leave, they danced a little while longer before Jeremy declared that he was thirsty and it was time for another drink. The others heartily agreed and began to troop off the dance floor.
On their way back to their table, Ha-neul touched Shin-woo's arm to get his attention. "That reporter earlier... why did she ask for my name?"
He blinked. "So she would know what name to write when your picture appears in her magazine, of course. Haven't you had your picture published before?"
She blushed, embarrassed over asking such a stupid question. "I have, but those were articles about the basketball team, and advertisements. No one ever had to ask for my name."
Shin-woo grinned. "Exciting, huh?"
She nodded, smiling as well. "Thanks for inviting me to join you guys tonight."
"It's nothing," he replied. "We're old friends. We should look out for each other."
Ha-neul ducked her head. His idea of "old friends" seemed to be different from hers; they knew each other from school, but had not been close. Perhaps Shin-woo was just being nice. Whether or not he really meant it, she was glad he thought he should look out for her. Having a fairly familiar face around would help make this entire modeling thing a little less terrifying.
"What?" he asked when she made no reply. "You don't think we should look out for each other?"
"No!" She looked back up at him, laughing at the faintly teasing expression on his face. "I was just thinking that I like that idea."
"Oh. Good." He smiled. "I really mean it, too. If you ever see me or any of the others at events like this or if you need help with anything, don't hesitate to approach, OK?" He chuckled. "I promise Tae-kyung doesn't bite."
***
It was true; Tae-kyung never bit anyone, because biting was unsanitary. He was, however, less likely to even be tempted to bite anyone ever since very publicly declaring his love for Go Mi-Nyeo a year ago. Although Mi-Nyeo still went off to do missionary work in Africa, Tae-kyung was secure in the knowledge that he had made his feelings known to her; what was more, he knew that she felt the same way about him. Somehow, that brought him some peace.
It brought him a lot of inspiration, too, which was good for the band. That day, Tae-kyung demonstrated for the rest of A.N.JELL his new song, which was going to be the first single off the album that they were recording that fall. The song, called "Can't Wait," was a catchy pop number about someone missing his (or her) significant other and looking forward to the time when they would be together again.
"At least something good came out of hyung's not being able to speak to Mi-Nyeo on the phone last week," Jeremy chuckled, tapping out a random beat on his high hat.
"Don't tease him," Mi-nam chided, for once not taking the lead in needling Tae-kyung. "He's still a bit grouchy about that."
From his seat behind the piano, Tae-kyung sent his bandmates a narrow-eyed glance. "What did you think about the song?"
Jeremy raised his hands to give a double thumbs-up. "I think it's great!"
Shin-woo nodded in agreement. "It's perfect for our first single."
"Yeah," Mi-nam said. "Even though I still think it's weird that I'm singing songs about my sister."
Having garnered his bandmates' approval, Tae-kyung turned to the men in the engineering booth. "What do you think, President Ahn?" he asked.
"Do I have to say it, Tae-kyung?" Their manager thrust his arms in the air. "Marvelous! Number One! If you guys do a rough recording today, I can start thinking up a concept for the music video!"
"Are you up for it, Tae-kyung?" Shin-woo asked him.
The vocalist nodded as he handed out copies of the sheet music. "I can rest my voice while you learn the song." Although his vocal chords still weren't as good as they had once been, having another strong singer in the group helped Tae-kyung's condition improve to the point where he didn't have to lip-synch during live performances anymore. Nevertheless, the band remained cautious and made sure he didn't over-exert himself. "And maybe," Tae-kyung suggested, "you could write a little rap or something for the instrumental? I feel like it's too long, but don't want to shorten it."
Shin-woo smiled, happy to have an opportunity to contribute. "I'll do my best to come up with something."
Mi-nam sat down on the couch with his copy of the song. "This makes me wonder what kind of songs you'll write when Mi-nyeo finally comes back for good next month," he remarked, and grinned. "Make sure they'll turn out to be just as good, OK, brother-in-law?"
Tae-kyung glared even as the ghost of a smug smile flickered across his face at the playful nickname. "Get to work, Go Mi-nam."
"Yes, sir!"
Previously:
Chapter 1