"I'm hurt when you rejected me on national TV."
Hwang Bo was startled to hear someone suddenly spoke to her left ear. She looked up to her side. She almost jumped again when she was directly face to face with Marco who was bending down looking at her. Hwang Bo leaned back to put a distance between her and Marco.
Marco smiled at the shocked expression on Hwang Bo's face. "Are you afraid to be caught with me by your Shillang?" he asked, grinning. He upright himself and gave his hand to Hwang Bo.
Hwang Bo pretended not to see his hand. Slowly, she got on her feet and dusted off the sand on her pants. She returned Marco's smile. "Shillang will pretend he doesn't know about this," said Hwang Bo. Her unique 4D Shillang was unpredictable. "Why are you here?" she asked, looking around. Hyun Joong would come soon. They promised to meet at the beach after everyone went to bed. It was almost midnight hence she was surprised to see Marco at the beach. How did he know she would be here?
Marco shrugged. "I saw your silhouette on the beach and thought you might need a company." He stared at her, trying to look at her eyes.
She looked around again, looking for Hyun Joong. He was late. Hwang Bo pouted. As much as she enjoyed Marco's company, she was a bit nervous being alone with him on the beach. Especially when she was supposed to meet Hyun Joong here. "What?" she asked, still keeping her gaze towards the house beach, anticipating Hyun Joong to appear from there. "You knew it's me?" She frowned.
Seeing Hwang Bo was on a look, Marco imitated her. "You are waiting for someone, right? Hyun Joong?" he asked, feeling jealous. He had a crush on Hwang Bo since working together with her in a program a few years back. Since she had a boyfriend at that time, he never approached her. When he knew she had broken up with her boyfriend, she was already in We Got Married, married to Hyun Joong. Seeing her caring for Hyun Joong in the show, he felt a jolt of jealousy. He did ask her to go steady with him but she had told him she could not date while participating in the program. "You like him, don't you? I was expecting.." He paused for a while. "I'm so thrill to be offered to star in the program because you are in it too. I thought it's a good opportunity to get close to you."
Hwang Bo laughed. "Yes, but I'm Hyun Joong's Buin. You know what the program is about, right?"
"Yes." Marco nodded. "But at least, when we have mission like this, I can see you. We'll be in the studio together too, right?"
She had known Marco for years now. She knew how persistent Marco was. Hwang Bo chuckled. "Ya! Marco! You are married to Son Dam Bi. Why are you still chasing after me? Didn't my Shillang say he like you?" Hwang Bo teased him. She boxed his shoulder playfully. "Do you want to be in trouble with him?" Marco was a nice person but to Hwang Bo, he was a friend. She could not see him as more than that.
Marco winked at her. "I've been watching you. You do like him, don't you? A lot."
Hwang Bo laughed. She might have blushed but it was dark. She doubted Marco could see it. "Hyun Joong is nervous around strangers. He takes time to adjust to them. Don't push yourself to him too much, OK?" She waggled her finger at Marco, playfully warning him. "He felt burden by you."
He knew it. He was devastated. There was indeed something going on between Hwang Bo and Hyun Joong. "So.. He told you things like this. You really care about him. You do like him," he concluded, answering his own question. It looked like he had lost his chance. If only he knew about the break up before Hwang Bo joined the program, there would be a possibility for Hwang Bo and him. Marco heaved a sigh of frustration.
Hwang Bo hugged herself and hopped on the sand to keep herself warm. The sea breeze at night was colder than during the day. She glanced to her side. Hyun Joong better came soon or else, she would be very upset. Marco left the beach a while ago and she was alone again. "Arh.. I'm going crazy. When is he coming?" she asked herself out loud.
"Me?"
She was suddenly down on her knees with one hand on her forehead. "Omo! Omo!" she screamed, trying to stand straight again. "You frighten me!" she accused Hyun Joong as she turned around to face him. Why did everyone have to sneak up on her like that?
Hyun Joong gave her a warm smile. He extended his hand towards her, grabbing her wrist and pulled her down to sit on the sand with him. Hyun Joong pulled his legs up and rested his elbows on his knees. Hwang Bo curled herself into a ball, hugging her knees closer to her chest. "Buin.." Hyun Joong called Hwang Bo, sounding upset. "I saw Marco Hyung coming from the beach just now."
Hwang Bo leaned backward as she laughed. She did not expect their meeting to start with that question. "You saw him?" As Hyun Joong bobbed his head to answer her, she asked again, "Why? Is this another jealous moment I should be happy about?" She had told Marco that Hyun Joong would pretend he did not know yet she was concern he would feel bothered about it. He definitely did.
He lowered his head, randomly touching his hair to hide his embarrassment. His Buin seemed to be friendly with a lot of people. It was her nature to embrace people with kindness. It was natural for people around her to fall in love with her warmness. In fact, Hyun Joong was one of those people. He was proud that Hwang Bo was this kind of person. "Yes," he answered briefly.
Hwang Bo's eyes dilated with disbelief. "Yes? Yes for what?" she asked, seeking for a definite answer.
"How could you ask? Of course I'm jealous. You are my Buin."
Hwang Bo laughed again. That tone. He was using the same tone he used on her when he scolded her at the farm. "Who are you getting married with? Who are you marrying again? Who?" He had asked her those questions at the farm. "When we went to the farm.. You said 'If I ever get married'.. I was upset then," he had confessed to her when they were painting their Ssangchu Olympic vest at home. Hearing this tone again, Hwang Bo knew he was upset again. "Shillang, I'm sorry," she said. Although she had laughed at him before but she knew how he felt.
Hyun Joong smiled. "He's the model who asked you out, right?" He paused. "Marco Hyung is a nice person. Should I be worry about him?" His forehead wrinkled. He looked straight as if the matter needed a deep thinking.
The serious expression on Hyun Joong's face prompted a laugh from Hwang Bo. "Hyun Joong ah, don't you know how I feel?" When Marco had asked her to date him, she had slipped that out to Hyung Joong during one of the filmings.
"He's a model," Hwang Bo had explained to him when Hyun Joong seemed to be a bit confused. "He called me up and asked to meet. I did. I thought it was just a friendly lunch outing with a friend. But before we parted, he asked me to date him."
Hyun Joong had listened attentively when she explained that to him. He was quiet and had a serious expression on his face. That was why Hwang Bo was taken aback when he said, "I know who Marco is. I don't know why you tell me this." He sounded cold and distant when he had uttered those words to her. "Buin," Hyun Joong said after a slight silence. "Between a singer and a model, who do you like most?"
Hwang Bo blinked her eyes a few times, trying to grasp the question.
"Between a singer and a model, who do you like most?" Hyun Joong had repeated his question. "Marco is a model and I'm a singer," he said, putting both hands on his chest. "Me? Or Marco Hyung?"
"Are you.." Hwang Bo frowned. She tilted her head to a side to look at Hyun Joong. She was doubtful. Hyun Joong loved to tease her. Although he might look and sound serious, he might also be pulling her leg at the same time. She laughed, clapping her hands too. "You are joking with me. For a while there I thought you want to ask me out too." Hwang Bo chuckled between her words.
Hyun Joong pondered for a while. He glanced towards Hwang Bo. "But I am." There and then, Hyun Joong had suggested to her they should go out for real, not just get married for the show. "You never really give me an answer," Hyun Joong told Hwang Bo, glancing at her on his side. His finger randomly moved on the sand.
"But you know how I feel, right?" Hwang Bo insisted. Comparing between Hyun Joong and her, she was actually more shy than Hyun Joong. Hyun Joong had blushed when he suggested they date. Hwang Bo had blushed because she could not answer him. However she did, in her own way, hinted to him she shared his feeling.
Of course Hyun Joong knew how Hwang Bo felt about him. Honestly he wanted to hear it from her. He knew Hwang Bo was shy to say it out loud. One day, he knew she would. He anticipated that day. "We better go back. In Young Noona will be looking for you." Hyun Joong looked at his wristwatch. He was late because he could not find the excuse to leave the beach house. Crown J was explaining the plan for tomorrow in detail to him until he fell asleep by himself.
Despite what Crown J said earlier about the couple sharing one room, Hwang Bo actually shared the room with In Young. Crown J and Hyun Joong took the sofa outside. Crown J meant it as a joke. Just as he joked about the fee. "In Young will not bother. I told I had diarrhea after the BBQ," said Hwang Bo, vaguely smiled.
Hyun Joong grinned. He loved all the little chats they had together. When other people seemed to define a relationship on a bigger scale flowers, gifts, dinners, vacations and other they defined theirs with small and sometimes meaningless chat. "Crown J Hyung snored until the whole resort can hear him when I left. He'll not notice I'm gone. I think we should stay longer. What do you think?"
Instead of answering him, she threw her hands up and slowly let herself fell on the beach. She laid down like that for a while. Then she lifted her head a bit to talk to Hyun Joong. "The new brides have the largest bed. In Young and I shared the other bed. All the grooms are sleeping on the sofa." She paused. "The Ssangchu couple has the whole beach to themselves."
Hyun Joong chortled. His eyes lightened with amusement. "Arh.. You have become like me now," he casually told Hwang Bo. He laid down next to her.
"Like what?" Hwang Bo bit her lips, peeking at him.
"Funny."
Hwang Bo laughed. She placed both hands on her forehead and ran them down her face. She had been with him for five months now. She too felt she had becoming more and more like him. It was something she truly loved. "I like it too. I like you." She muttered the last sentence. She herself barely heard it.
Hyun Joong bolted upright from where he was lying down. He looked at Hwang Bo with widened eyes. "What did you say?" he asked, fearing that he had misheard her.
"Arh! Why do want to make me repeat it again?" she sighed, feeling annoyed. She lowered her head, hiding her pout and her blush from Hyun Joong's view.
Hyun Joong laughed. He felt slightly giddy. He heard it. Hwang Bo said it to him.
When he laughed like that, Hwang Bo wanted to tell him that he had becoming more like her too. Before she could say it, Hyun Joong suddenly gripped her wrist and pulled her up. "Buin! Let's celebrate with firework!" he said, sounding excited like a kid with ice cream. He did not mind Hwang Bo slapping his knees. He heard Hwang Bo telling him that she liked him. He was too blissfully happy.
- the end -
[COMEL] 2008. All rights reserved. Distribution of any kind is prohibited without the written consent of [COMEL].
