Letters to Hae

Chapter 7

 Hae's POV

Something strange happened while at the restaurant. A waitress discreetly delivered a 'soy chai latte with no froth' to his table. More specifically, to him. The waitress was quick to give him a small note without drawing attention to the simple gesture. Hae thanked the waitress and his Super Junior team members didn't think much of it. They were used to Hae ordering a coffee at the end of his meal.

Hae gently opened the note after some minutes. He was careful to open it in his lap. Its message read "enjoy the rest. You did well tonight". He recognised the handwriting. It was in Rachel's style of speech. He smiled at this beautiful gesture. He rubbed the back of his neck again and licked his lower lip several times. He tried to hide his embarrassment that she has seen him but he still did not now who she was. He folded the little note and discreetly popped it into his jacket pocket.

The boys now headed back to the hotel. The one little gesture of the hot beverage and note left him too hyper and with too many thoughts that ran through his mind. Hyukjae noticed his mood and suggested a pool visit to clear his mind. Hae accepted the advice and made tracks as soon as they were dropped off at the hotel.

A lonely figure in the hotel pool, Hae is quietly floating beneath the water. No waves just arms stretched out and enjoying the silence and calm. He has been here for a little while but suddenly hears footsteps and under the dim lights, decides to occupy a corner of the pool where he can stay unnoticed while he continues to unravel his thoughts. "Why does this small matter bug him?" he asked himself. He saw every picture she posted. He was surprised to learn that she was in the same city as him but more shocked at the thought that she was in the crowd tonight and he didn't know. He would have made a point of singling her out by making a small statement that only she would understand.

While sifting through his thoughts, he noticed that a young woman had entered the pool area and was talking softly on the phone about personal matters, the concert, shopping tomorrow and home. The young lady finished her phone call and entered the pool, staying close to one end, much to his relief. She looked like she had a lot on her mind. She seemed to be breathing in the stillness of the night like he was. A few minutes more and another female entered the pool area. They seemed to know each other he noticed. Just as the second female entered the pool, she heard her phone ring and leapt out again to answer it. The woman on the phone has begun to pace the pool while on the phone, oblivious to the shadow in the pool.

At times, while on the phone, the woman looked like she had sensed a movement near her but brushed it off as waves her friend in the pool made. He half-hears the woman on the phone making plans to meet up with a boy tomorrow. She commits to 8pm at the nearby Sugis Markets. Hae is slowly taking in his surroundings and as he turns, he discovers the woman on the phone is the very same lady in the Instagram photo and who was also in the restaurant earlier that night. He exhales deeply at the realisation that Rachel is the woman in the pool at the other end. Hae's ears have now pricked up and he is listening intently to the woman on the phone. Hae stops floating and moves deeper into the corner of the shaded pool. He has no intention of being spotted or heard.

He began to rationalise meeting up with Rachel "that sounds like a nice plan... wouldn't mind visiting the markets... Wait.... What...??! ......Why do I want to visit the markets all of a sudden??...... I have a second concert to perform....... Argghhh ..............how do I get a glimpse of her??.......... Markets are open till late... I'll see her there after my concert...... Wait...... Where exactly??......Markets aren't small... can't I just take a gamble and go for a walk in the markets anyway??.......how am I going to do this without Leeteuk and the boys knowing??... an innocent stroll among the crowd with my disguise won't bring any attention as it will be night anyways", he kept fighting with thoughts.

Rachel's friend seemed to be making plans. And now that her friend was off the phone, he could her them both discussing tomorrow night. Hae hears that Rachel will be at the markets as well and will be roaming alone for a few hours. "Oh well. I'm not afraid to go it alone" he proudly stated to himself. Then he heard Rachel ask her friend where exactly will she meet her male friend and what time? It turned out to be a spot easy to find, for both the girls and their male friend as well as Hae. The two women decided to go together to the markets and then meet up again after her friend's date. Their conversation continued... "Markets close at 1am so plenty of time to mingle and shop. Let's go have a late drink before bed". Rachel reached for her phone and took another photo. He watched Rachel as she appeared to be posting it to her SNS. He seems to have gone unnoticed by the two women. He breathed a sigh of relief once they left the pool water. He still had a lot of thoughts to sort through. He had noticed that the two women were caught up in conversation whilst drying themselves off. He noted that Rachel left her phone behind.

After waiting for 20mins or so for the phone's owner to return, Hae decided to head out of the water. As he passed the row of pool side chairs, he swiftly picked up the phone that was left behind. Once he reached his room, he decided to have a quick hot shower and run down and drop off Rachel's phone at the reception desk.

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Hae got up early the following morning with very little sleep. With not much sleep and no appetite he met the Super Junior boys for breakfast down stairs. He was blind to all their looks and stares. They were a little alarmed at Hae's sudden change in behaviour. They asked him if he was sick? He assures them that he was ok and that he just felt like having a quiet day but he also knew that that couldn't happen. "Ok time for promotions" Leeteuk prompted them to head out after they finished their breakfast.

Hae's concentration during that Sunday wavered. "She is in my thoughts. I don't know her age nor her face. She is travelling and she hates selcas of herself. She likes to take memory shots without herself in the picture. I am curious to know why!!!... Nothing will become of this I know. Just another fool who looks into the crowd wondering if love will find Its way to me... We shared the same scenes and the same music. We were in the same crowd... except she could see me and I don't know who she is right now...Just an outline of a person I saw from behind... Her voice though... sounds mature, maybe late twenties or early thirties". He kept going in and out of thoughts about her. "Where will she be after tonight? Is she an outspoken or a quiet soul? Hmmm" He sensed she was a bit of both. "Ok my day is running smoothly. No hassle from the boys today. They must be enjoying the weather" he thought to himself.

Hae was now stage ready and waiting to perform his second night in Singapore. Yes, he survived the day unscathed from the boys teasing.