W O N Y O U N G

I should be focusing on hitting those high notes right now, but honestly, vocal lessons are way less important than… well, him. What?! I shook my head to shut my thoughts. I bit my lower lip while fidgeting my fingers as I was attempting to bring my focus back to our vocal instructor. I quickly stole a glance at the clock. Only ten minutes left until our quick break. That’s my window to make my great escape and meet him outside.

My heart races just at the thought. Am I really going to ditch this vocal training just to meet him? I'm so doomed.

I glance at Rei, who’s seated beside me, casually flipping through her lyrics sheet. I poke her arm with my pen. "Psst. I need your help. Life or death situation." I tried to make that sound as urgent as possible to catch her attention.

Rei immediately dropped her lyric sheet upon hearing my statement. I can't help but chuckle as I picked up her lyric sheet that landed on the tiled floor. Rei shot me her questioning glare as soon as she grabbed the said sheet from my hand.

She would help me, right? I mean, it was her who pushed Sunghoon to visit me in the middle of the night for no justifiable reason at all. She'll help me get out of here for sure.

She looks at me with a concerned stare. "Is it your first day? I have an extra pad here, I got you!"

"That's not what I mean." I lower my voice. "I need to sneak out. I have…” I paused, my eyes wandered around as if this room would deliver the answer I needed.

“...an appointment." I continued and grinned awkwardly. Well, I'm technically not lying. I just don't want to tell her directly that I'll be going out with Sunghoon because she might create a scene.

Her eyes narrowed. "Appointment?" She repeats the word like it’s some kind of riddle. "With who?" Rei asked.

"You don’t need to know the details. Just please help me with this Rei, just this once.” I give her my best pleading eyes.

Rei smirks as she leans closer to me. “Nevermind, you don't have to tell me who it is because it's really obvious.” she giggled before pinching my nose.

Oh, she knew?

How?!

“But wait.” Rei crosses her arms. "What’s in it for me?"

"Unlimited bubble tea for a week," I say without missing a beat.

Her face lights up. "Deal. What’s the plan?"

"Simple. Cause a distraction, and I’ll slip out the back door. Easy."

Rei nodded with a slight chuckle. "Oh, I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life."

As the instructor turns back to the piano, Rei stands and dramatically clutches her throat. "I… I think I swallowed a fly!" she wails, her hands placed on her chest coughing violently.

Wow, that's some Oscar worthy kind of acting right there! I tried to stop myself from laughing upon hearing that her best idea of causing distraction is by her pretending that she just swallowed a fly. But just to be clear, no flies were harmed in the making of this distraction.

Chaos erupts. Everyone turns to look at her, including our instructor, who panics and rushes over with a water bottle. Meanwhile, I slide out of my chair and tiptoe toward the door, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. Once I’m in the hallway, I ditch the subtle act and take off in a full sprint.

That's right, I ran like my life depends on it. Gosh, that's some unexpected cardio workout.

Success! Step one: escape vocal lessons. Completed.

Alright, phase two: get out of this building without getting caught. Simple, right? Wrong! The company building is crawling with staff members. Every corner is a potential trap. I duck behind a wall, peeking around the edge like some undercover spy.

There’s a group of trainees walking toward me. Abort! Abort! I dive behind a large potted plant and crouch low. Don’t breathe. Don’t blink. Become one with the plant.

For a second, I thought one of them saw me, but she immediately looked away. I thanked all the existing gods as the trainees passed by without noticing my presence. I had successfully become one with the plant. As I stand up, I catch my reflection in a nearby glass door.

"Hold on. A little touch up won't hurt.” I mutter to myself, smoothing down my hair and checking my makeup. My lipstick is still intact. Good. My eyes look bright and sparkly — probably from all the adrenaline. Even better. Natural highlight, never thought that was possible.

I smiled at my own reflection before continuing my mission. I’m almost at the lobby when I spot our manager coming out of the elevator. I freeze. My brain scrambles for a solution. Run? Too obvious. Play dead? Probably too dramatic. And that's too weird! I'm not a dog to play dead.

Instead, I flatten myself against the wall like a badly rendered video game character and shuffle sideways until I reach the hallway leading to the exit. Somehow, it works. I make it to the lobby, heart pounding, and push open the front doors like I’ve just won a marathon. I did great for a first timer, I must say. I wore my mask before welcoming the busy streets of Seoul. It's hard not to get recognized by the people, but it's better to be safe than sorry I guess.

As soon as I stepped outside of our building, I immediately spotted a familiar car nearby. Oh, crap! It's him. Why am I nervous? Come on, Wonyoung. It's just Sunghoon. He's just a great pal of yours, why are you so nervous to see him? There's nothing to be nervous about here. 

“Sunghoon?” I called his name as I knocked on his car window. Not long after, he stepped out of the other side and met my gaze. He paused for a moment before walking towards my direction and offered to open the door for me.

I nodded and took a step back as he did his thing. He signalled me to go inside and so I did after thanking him. I didn't expect him to bring his car, he told me that we're just going for a, “walk” after all.

“Hmm, I thought we'll be going for a walk?” I pull down my mask and toss it into my bag, finally able to breathe properly. When I glance over, I catch him staring at me—a little too long to be casual.

Have you ever looked at someone and wondered, what is going inside their mind? That's exactly how I feel right now.

"What?" I ask, raising a brow. "Is there something on my face?" I quickly check my reflection in the side mirror. Nope, no smudged lipstick, no rogue mascara.

Sunghoon eyes flick back to the road, a small grin playing on his lips. "No, it’s nothing. Just… you look different." he said.

Uh, is that a compliment? Should I be flattered? Gosh, I'm overthinking things!

"Different how?" I narrow my eyes at him, pretending to be suspicious.

I saw him smile before shrugging his shoulder. "You know… prettier than usual." he bit his lower lip as he placed both of his hands on the steering wheel.

"Careful, Mr. Driver. Compliments like that might distract me from making sure you don’t crash this car," I tease. Sunghoon took the keys and started the car's engine. Have I told you that he looks so cool when he's driving? Well, I think I just did.

He laughs, glancing at me again before focusing on the road. "Alright, alright. I’ll keep my eyes where they belong." Sunghoon pinned his eyes back on me again so I had to tilt his head back on the road using my bare hands.

“Alright, I'm sorry.” he chuckled softly as he started driving.

"Eyes on the road, Park Sunghoon." I lean back in my seat, smirking. "I’d like to make it to our destination in one piece, thank you very much."

A song starts playing on the radio, and my eyes immediately light up. "Oh my God! I love this song!"

Now Playing: She Looks So Perfect by 5 Seconds of Summer

"Really?" He raises an eyebrow. "You know all the words?"

"Do I know all the words?" I scoff dramatically. "Please. I own this song."

You look so perfect standing there
In my American Apparel underwear

Without waiting, I start belting out the lyrics, complete with exaggerated hand gestures and head bobs. He chuckles at first, then surprises me by joining in during the chorus, his voice deep and surprisingly good.

Your lipstick stain is a work of art
I got your name tattooed in an arrow heart
And I know now that I'm so down

"Okay, I see you!" I laugh. "Am I having a free concert from Enhypen's Park Sunghoon himself right now? Is this a dream?”

"I'll charge you for the ticket later." he says, giving me a playful nudge.

The next song comes on — a cheesy throwback hit — and we both scream-sing it at the top of our lungs like we’re headlining a concert.

Now Playing: Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer

By the time the song ends, we’re both breathless from laughing.

"Wow. I think we just nailed that duet," I say, fanning myself. "We should start a sub-unit or something."

“Do you still remember our first duet?” Sunghoon suddenly said in the middle of his laughter. “Of course! How am I supposed to forget about the Butter performance?” I replied, still in the middle of our laughing session.

“Damn, I was so awkward.” Sunghoon shyly whispered while tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.

“Remember how the both of us are staring at the empty space during the intro because you can't hold eye contact.” I recalled. “And when you over-explain yourself that it has nothing to do with me, but it's just you and your introverted side taking over your system.”

“Stop it, Jang Wonyoung.”

“Why would I, Park Sunghoon?”

We both laughed as we recalled our memories during our days as Music Bank hosts. I can't believe how far we've come now. And the fact that we are still friends after that. It's cool. I love having Sunghoon around.

—

Happy Hearts Day! ♥️🫶🏻