He Liked Her Shoes

Chapter 20: Forever

Life moved forward slowly and at lightening speed. San and Melody had enjoyed a peaceful two week honeymoon on Jeju Island. It was the one place she loved the most, only this time they did share a room and a bed.

They did not leave their private room for the first four days, even ordering room service. Though honestly their first night they simply slept. After the excitement of the ceremony, reception, catching a flight and arriving at the hotel at almost 1am, they barely had enough energy to change out of the clothes they had worn for the flight.

But the days that followed were bliss and they never wanted to leave. Eventually they enjoyed the various activities on the island. There were nods of recognition and they were purposely placed in the background of a few selfies as fans were excited to see the couple. Even postings of the couple directly included sweet comments about them holding hands, or kissing, or laughing. They were the couple to envy. Thankfully those on the island allowed the couple time together without any direct interference.

Once they returned, they would be living in a suite on the 15th floor. As a married couple, it wasn't ideal for them to still live with the four bachelors. But being so close allowed them to spend so much time on the fifth floor that other than sleeping, it was almost as if they never left.

There was also serious discussion regarding the song the guys had performed at the wedding. The phone-grade videos that had been posted by guests were generating thousands of hits each. They estimated that all the videos together had been viewed almost half a million times in the two weeks since the wedding. With Melody, the American bride, and their international status, the viewers were not limited to the boarders of South Korea but had reached every continent.

Though the public was demanding an actual recording, they weren't entirely sure they wanted to alter its original purpose; a gift to Melody. But it was Melody who would eventually convince them to produce a studio version. She reminded them she was still a fan and, while she may be a bit bias on the subject, it really was a beautiful song.

They eventually heeded Melody's advice. To their amazement the song, simply title HeartBeat, would leap them into the Song of the Year and Artist of the Year categories. Not only was the song beautiful, but the story enamored those who listened. After hitting number one for the tenth week, KPK, along with Melody, were interviewed.

"Melody, you were ultimately the one who persuaded the group to record the song for release. Why?", the interviewer wasn't wasting time.

"The song is so very special to me. But I'm a fan of KPK. It is amazing and as a fan I didn't want it to be lost in wedding footage."

"Gi-beom, I understand that you and the group were reluctant to record the song." Since Gi was the main writer, he was probably the best to ask.

"We wrote it as a gift, so it was never our intention for it to go beyond that purpose. But Melody understands the wants of our fans and she knew it was something that we should do, and needed to do." He easily answered.

"San-hoon, I understand there's a lot of personal reference in this song for you, and for the rest of the band. Would you share one or two of those points?" He was looking for the juice, the information that would make the fans swoon.

San-hoon, who was holding Melody's hand, turned to face her, a questioning eyebrow lift. She nodded approval. They had already discussed the fact that this question may be asked. "The first stanza, which I sing, is the story of how we fell in love. We meet in the airport in Miami. The guys and I were flying home from our South American tour and she was flying to vacation here in South Korea. We spent 15 hours on that plane getting to know each other. The field of flowers is where I took her on our first date. It's the same field where we were married, but also where we first confessed our feelings for one another." He was talking to her, not the interviewer.

The interviewer turned to Joon-suk. He was going to make sure everyone had the opportunity to discuss. "Now that song has won you a nomination for Song of the Year and Artist of the Year, how are you all adjusting to that status?"

"We're thrilled, of course. The song has so much meaning for all of us. Our amazing fans appreciate the sincerity, so we're honored to have their support." He loved to thank the fans whenever possible.

"Ye-jun, we understand there's a video in editing for this song, but its quite different from most of your routines. You have actually included Melody into the production." He was spoiling the surprise, but the video was due out tomorrow and this was the interview to peak the public's interest.

"Melody is in the video. She's actually an amazing dancer herself. You would think a geek would have two left feet, but she practiced to make the performance perfect." He gave Melody a teasing glance, his partner in crime.

A question for Kang-dae. "Kang-dae, what do you have planned for the next few months while you wait out the results of the nomination?"

"We're excited that we will be guests on the variety show. It has been one of our goals almost from the beginning. We'll be taping in a couple of weeks. We're trying our best to be cool about it all, but once in a while the joy is too much to contain and we just start screaming."

He was't exaggerating. They would be quietly watching television, or each in their studies, or in the middle of practice when one of them would just scream, which would cause a ripple effect of exuberance.

"Gi-beom, we understand that the recorded version is not exactly the same as the one you sang at the wedding. Is this correct?"

"Yes. There were alterations. We felt this was the best way to honor the original intent of the song and fulfill the wish of our fans. We added a musical interlude and altered a couple of lines, so the essence of the story remains. Our fans' responses have been favorable."

The next day the official music video was released. It was partially filmed in the same field that held so much meaning for the couple.

San-hoon and Melody are holding hands, walking through the field. He's wearing dark blue, almost black, jeans with a light blue shirt, she's wearing a flowing blue dress just two shades darker than his shirt that hits just above her knee. She's wearing her custom KPK shoes, he's wearing his matching white shoes. They stop as she adjusts his tie, he twirls a lock of her hair then pulls her close as if to kiss her, but the image suddenly goes black as a bluish colored error message rapidly flashes on screen. Four of the band members appear, running down a darken hall to a room with one large security screen. They lean in, Gi-beom has both hands on the desk, the other three are posed behind him. Joon-suk picks up a remote, stretching his hand toward the dominating display. The screen switches from the error message to a low resolution video of San-hoon's standing alone in the field, hands in his hair in frustration, his head bowed. Joon-suk uses the remote to switch the view that is now spying on KPK with Melody enjoying a meal together, laughing. Another switch finds Melody in a wide darkened hallway, sitting against the wall, weeping as she hugs her knees close to her chest, head down. The image makes her appear small and isolated. The four men in the security room shuffle their feet, adjusting their postures as if uncomfortable with the image. Another click of the remote displays their practice room, the five members dancing, that fades to show Melody alone in the field performing the same dance in the light blue dress that flows as she moves. The final scene, Melody and San-hoon are reunited in the field, dancing together as part of the extended musical interlude. Joon-suk then turns off the screen and the four members walk out of the room into a brightly lit hallway. That light fades into the final shot of a crystal clear image of the couple in the field where they had started, him pulling her into his arm as they kiss, then fades out.

The video would be viewed almost a million times within the first five days. The love song, along with the visuals, told the story perfectly. Many were impressed by Melody's performance and her dance with San-hoon. She would thank everyone for their kindness.