The Piano and The Past. /Johnny/

Chapter 12

The music finally stopped and Youngho released her hand. Nara then found Youngjin was staring at her. She just noticed that a girl was sitting next to him.

Nothing but silence was between them. She clenched her fist and ran outside, holding her tears. Youngho ran after her, leaving his friends confused.

"Park Nara, you stupid!" Nara kicked random things on the street when she was outside. She kept recalling the fact that Youngjin was with a girl there, the image kept replaying in her head. Tears started to roll down her cheeks. She squatted down and covered her face to make it less embarrassing.

"Get up." Youngho nudged her shoes lightly with his shoes.

"I just want to be alone right now."

"You can, but cars will bump into you. In the middle of the street." He looked around as his hands were inside his jacket. "It's indeed a good place to dump a dead body." He tried to joke.

"Just go."

"I have stopped you, you know."

"I know. Just go."

Youngho thought for a while and he clucked his tongue. "This won't do." He pulled her up to stand straight. He stood in front of her and grabbed her by the back of her knee, to carry her on his back.

"Tell me that you're joking right now, about the dead body and kidnapping thing. Put me down!" She wailed but his grips got tighter.

"That was a joke." He went to his motorbike and sat her on the back as he sat in the front. He unlocked the helmet and gave it to Nara.

"I can go home by myself."

"With that face?"

"Well, no. A bit later maybe." She noticed that her face was swollen.

"How about you stop refusing my offer..." He put on his helmet. "...and you can cry all you want on our way?"

Nara was silenced by his words.

He turned on the engine. "Put your helmet on."

"I can never get to say anything about this, can't I?" She stated with a hint of smile on her lips.

"Try it again when you're as tall as I am." He drove away from the alley.

--

/Flashback/

"Oppa, isn't this café cute? Let's go there this weekend!" Nara showed an article on her phone to Youngjin, who was resting on her lap.

"This weekend... I think I have something to do. I'll let you know if I can squeeze in my schedule." He playfully poked her nose. "But we went on a date last week."

"I know. I just want to visit this cute café with you. We always forget to take pictures."

"Okay, okay. Don't get upset." He sat down as his phone vibrated. There was a call. "Hello? Yes? Ah... Sure. But I already have plans this weekend. Will Friday night just do? ...okay, sure. Nee."

"Who is it?"

"The broadcast club president. He said MBC is casting people from college level broadcasting clubs." Youngjin stared at her. "But he wanted to meet on Saturday. I can't, can I?"

Nara smiled. "Are you talking about our date?"

Youngjin leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Ding dong deng."

Her cheeks were flushing red after his peck. "But is it okay? It sounds important."

"But you will be mad if I cancel our date."

"It's fine. You can go. We have other days to go on a date." Said Nara.

"You're not regretting this, right?"

She thought for a while. "I hope not."

"Let's eat something. I'm hungry."

"Me too."

/end of flashback/

--

Nara let out her tears inside the suffocating helmet.

'I wish I didn't let him go to that stupid casting.'

The motorbike stopped at a red light. In the reflection from the car next to them, Youngho saw Nara was still crying.

"Are you steaming something in there? You need some air."

She knew he meant well but she just couldn't stop crying.

Youngho turned to the front as the light turned green. He stopped at the nearest mini mart in the alley. Nara automatically got off the bike as the engine stopped.

"I'm thirsty. Wait a second." He went inside the store.

Nara leaned on the motorbike, with helmet was still on. After a minute, Youngho came out from the mart and immediately lifted her helmet's visor. "Ooh, that looks pretty bad..." He said in english, meaning her face was swollen bad. "Keep the helmet on. People might think I'm the one who makes you cry. I don't like that."

She just nodded after sobbing twice.

"Here. Your weird juice drink." He handed her the juice, which she gladly took. "Wait. But then you have to take the helmet off." It was a full-face type, she couldn't drink unless she removed her helmet. "Ah, I might have a way..." He searched the compartment under the seat.

She rolled her eyes, almost stopped crying because of his foolish action. "You bought me drinks but-"

Youngho took off her helmet.

"-can't you even ask me firs-"

And then he put on his baseball cap on her.

"There you go." He wrinkled his nose. "Your eyes don't look swollen this way."

Nara almost dropped her juice drink. Her hand was shaking, side effects from her heart beating fast.

"Why? You're not drinking it?" He asked. She was still grasping what happened. He took the juice drink from her and poked the straw in, returning the drink to her hand. "Here. You can drink it. But drink slowly, we want those tears to dry first..." He wiped some of her almost dried tears on her cheeks.

But it only backfired on him. A part of him wanted to let go of his hand from her face, but he wanted to stay like that longer.

His contemplation only fell short after a phone call disturbed him. His phone was ringing. Nara avoided his stare and drank the juice.

"Hm?" He noticed it was his house number.

'Hyung, Jaemin is fighting with Donghyuk- the new kid next door...' Chenle said, panting. Youngho could hear her mother's voice and the other kids in the background.

"Wh-" He scratched his head. 'I still want to be with her... Ck these kids.' He fought his inner side after he heard the kids quarrel again. "Fine. Fine, I'll be home in twenty minutes."

'Hurry, hyung!' Chenle hung up the phone.

"What's happened?" Nara asked. She could hear the noisy backgrounds.

"Those kids.. They're fighting with the new kid." Youngho put his helmet on. "Let's go. I'll drive you home."

"But your brothers said to hurry. Shouldn't you be there?" (Or be square ㅋㅋㅋ)

"I don't want you to go home by your own."

"Then I'll come with you. They know me anyway."