Eighteenth Verse

Love hurts
like nothing else you've ever felt in your life
Love burns
like a flame inside that won't go out
Love makes me happy
like sunshine on my face
And love hurts...
-translated from “Exquisite Torture”
from Future Colors' first mini-album Love/Pain

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Seoul, four days ago...

“Well then, you're recovering quite well. There's no reason why you can't go home in the morning,” Minha's doctor said. “You have to take it easy for a while, of course-- remember to eat regularly, and get at least six hours of sleep per day. Eight, if you can manage it. Your mother asked me if honey and ginger tea would help your throat. It wouldn't hurt. But for the most part, just keep hydrated, eat more vegetables, avoid alcohol, and again, rest.”

“And my voice, Doctor?” Minha cleared his throat experimentally. He still felt like there was something coating the insides of his throat, and there was this fear that his vocal cords might not respond as well or as willingly as they used to. But at least he had his voice back again. He could make himself heard.

“Ah, yes, that.” The doctor took off his glasses and polished them. “You can talk normally, of course, but don't strain your vocal cords more than that for a while.” He put the glasses back on and stared sternly at Minha. “Throats, like other parts of the body, can only take so much abuse before giving way.”

“How long is a while? Can I still sing?”

“Avoid singing for at least a month. Then come back here for a checkup, and we will see.”

“A month?!?” Minha's voice rose, and was broken off by a glare from the doc. “Sorry.”

“And after I just finished telling you...”

“Sorry, Doctor.”

“Be glad it isn't six months. Or a year.”

“Yes, Doctor. Thank you, Doctor.”

“Someone will be by to pick you up tomorrow, I presume. Well, then. I will see you in a month.” 

* * *

Philippines, present day...

“...I got a call from Manager Oh that he would come and get me and take me home. I didn't wait for him... I walked out of there early the next morning and went straight to the airport. Good thing I hadn't given my passport back to him or... or Jungkyu.” Minha continued his story.

“So you just went? Does Jungkyu know where you are?” Bea asked. He shook his head.

“Let him worry for a while. The traitor.” 

“Jungkyu's your friend.”

“He just let me be replaced. After he promised me he wouldn't.”

“Good thing for you there were available seats on the plane,” Bea said, hastily steering the topic to something else since Minha was scowling so fiercely.

“I booked in advance. On the Internet. I was not so lucky with the local flight though--- the only seats left were on the late afternoon flight. So I had to wait in the airport lounge for a long time. And then the flight was delayed because of traffic. Heh. Didn't know there could be traffic in the air too.” The corners of his mouth turned up at the memory. “Anyway, I fell asleep on the plane, and the flight attendant had to wake me up when we landed. And then I was sort of in a daze, good thing someone noticed me and helped me to get a taxi with a nice ahjusshi driver. And that's why I got here only in the evening.”

“Good thing you still remembered the place.”

“Bebeh-ya, I've got the address memorized. It's No. 3 Rose Lane, Princess Heart Village. You think I can forget an address like that?” He slid down until he was lying on the couch. 

“What... are you doing?”

“I'm sleepy,” he murmured and closed his eyes. “I think I'll take a little nap.”

“Hoy. It's late in the evening already. You go to your own room and sleep.” Bea shook him.

“Later...” Minha turned on his side and curled up. “Later, okay? Later.”

* * *

Minha felt parched. The summer sun beat down relentlessly on the crystal white beach and there was no breeze. It reflected off the waves right into his dazzled eyes. The white pants and shirt he wore for the “Hello is the Same as Goodbye” shoot didn't help.

That hurts. I wish Jae sunbae would give us a break soon. 

We're shooting this again? I thought we were done with this long ago...

He waited for his cue again for this take. The off-beat rattle of Myung-seok's drums and cymbals contributed to his headache, as did the monotone twanging of Junhee's bass. Sangmin and Jungkyu suddenly segued in with discordant chords. The end result was surely not music.

Manager Oh's voice echoed across the water.

“Jeon Minha! What's the matter with you? Didn't you hear your cue? Again!”

What cue...? Minha shook his head. His bandmates stopped, and then started up again. He still didn't know where his cue was supposed to be, but he found himself opening his mouth anyway. Why is Manager Oh the one giving the orders? Where's Jae sunbae?

“Annyeong...  that was the first word you said to me...”

Or at least that was what he tried to sing. But his voice refused to obey him. The sound that emerged sounded like a cross between a screaming monkey and an angry cat, and the words flew away on the wind before he could grasp them. But no one told him to stop. To his horror, he found out that he couldn't even if he wanted to.

He looked down at his feet, bare on the rough boards of the floating wooden platform they were standing on. A raft? Weren't we on the beach...? Water lapped over his toes as he watched.

The raft is sinking.

He looked around frantically, still caterwauling words that made no sense. No one else noticed that they were sinking. Myungseok was still busy drumming, the other three were still busy strumming, eyes closed and heads bobbing to the awful din they were making as if it was the most beautiful music in the world. And then beyond them, he caught sight of movement. Fins. Coming in and circling them.

Sharks!

Can't you guys see? We're all going to die!

But the words refused to emerge.

And then Jungkyu opened his eyes and looked at Minha and smiled-- and still playing, they were all moving back from him on the water, receding farther and farther until he was left there all alone in the middle of the ocean on a sinking raft as the sharks closed in.

Minha finally found his voice.

“NOOOOOOOOO!!!!”

...and sat up, heart pounding and mouth dry, only to fall off the couch, all tangled up in the light blanket that had covered him.

* * *

Awakened by a loud scream and a thump, Bea sat up abruptly in bed.

“What... where... what happened... where's the fire?” she sputtered, running her hands  through her hair and looking wildly around. Oh. I'm in my room. A grey light was seeping through the lace curtains; it would soon be dawn. She finally spotted a vague shape rolling around on the floor by the couch, and stared at it in horror. And then she remembered, and jumped out of bed.

“Minha! What happened?”

Minha finally succeeded in extricating himself from his cocoon, and glared up at her. 

“I fell,” he said, taking the hand she offered him and hauling himself up. He dusted himself off, patting himself for sore spots. Bea sighed and picked up the blanket to fold it.

Someone knocked at the door and they both froze.

“Bebeh? What happened? I heard a scream,” Manang Ading called, rattling the doorknob that Minha had locked last night.

“I-- I – I fell off the bed, Manang!” Bea called hastily. “But... but I'm okay! No problem! Did I frighten you?”

“I was on my way back after turning off the outside lights,” Manang Ading answered. “Are you sure you're okay?”

“Yes, Manang.”

“All right then. You can still sleep a bit longer, you know, since you don't have classes-- breakfast won't be ready till seven.”

“Okay!”

Minha let out the breath he didn't know he was holding when the housekeeper's footsteps faded away down the hall. Bea glared at him.

“Now that you're awake, maybe you'd like to go to your room now, before Manang Ading comes back and catches you?”

“Aw, Bebeh-ya...” Minha whined, flopping back on the couch and closing his eyes.

Bea whacked him with the folded blanket.

“The only reason you got to sleep there last night is because I couldn't wake you up after you fell asleep, so I left you alone.” She whacked him again. “But that's not gonna happen again, okay? Because if anyone found out, we're both dead.”

“But nothing happened!” Minha complained, looking pleadingly at her.

She shot him a yeah-right look and marched to the door, opening it and poking her head outside to look up and down the corridor for signs of Manang Ading.

“She must be back in the kitchen,” Bea said, turning to look at Minha. “You can go out now.”

Suddenly she felt his arms go around her waist, his cheek pressed to hers. 

“Bebeh-ya...” he whispered.

She couldn't help it-- she put up a hand to touch his jaw, rough with stubble. Then she went out the door, pulling him with her. Outside, she broke away.

“Now go to your room, okay?” She pointed down the hall. “Hurry up and go.”

He suddenly grinned and dropped a kiss on her lips.

“Arasseo. Saranghae,” he said, and went, leaving her open-mouthed mid-scold.

* * *

Bea was printing the latest draft of her thesis after breakfast when she heard a car horn. Moments later, the big gate creaked open, and a car came in, stopping in the driveway. And then she heard Manang Ading's voice raised in welcome.

A high-pitched voice called “Tita Bebeh! Are you here?” Its owner, a tiny little girl with a curly ponytail, ran in, followed by her mother-- Manang Mia's younger sister. Bea went to kiss them both.

“Hello, Nissa. How big you've grown! Hello, Manang Mitch. How early you both are.”

“Yes, well, we're on our way to the bank,” Manang Mitch said. She was as small as Bea, with dark skin and long brown hair even curlier than her older sister Mia's. “We really just dropped by with your monthly checks. Have you heard from that sister of mine lately? I never manage to catch her online these days.” The check came from Manang Mia's share in the bookstore and cafe that the sisters owned, and was meant to cover monthly expenses like utilities, food, and Manang Ading's wages. “Here's the expenses, and here's your allowance.” Although Nanay and Tatay protested that they could give Bea an allowance-- and they did-- Manang Mia insisted on giving her one as well. Bea usually kept it for extra expenses like projects, sudden contributions, and lately, her thesis. 

“Thank you, Manang Mitch,” Bea said, accepting the checks. “As a matter of fact, Manang Mia might be here soon. I don't know exactly when, though. Don't tell anyone else yet-- I expect she'll go over and visit when she arrives.”

“Oh? That's good. Mama and I want to see how far along she is already. I suppose Jae's coming with her-- he's not going to let her travel alone, surely?” Manang Mitch didn't call Manong Jae by an honorific because they were the same age. 

“I don't know—- maybe? We'll know when they get here.” Bea reached for the ledger she kept for the household accounts and recorded the check.

“Hi! Who are you...?”

Both Bea and Manang Mitch looked around to see who Nissa was talking to. She was standing at the foot of the stairs, looking up at Minha who was at the top, clearly undecided whether to go back or go down.

Manang Mitch's brows drew together in a frown. 

“Who is this?” she demanded, looking from Minha to Bea and back again.

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Vocabulary:

Ahjusshi - polite term for an older man, like "Uncle."
Arasseo. Saranghae. - Okay. I love you.

Trivia: 

So holders of Korean passports apparently can go visa-less in a lot of countries, like the Philippines. The things you learn while doing research. XD Anyway, that explains why Minha was able to fly over at short notice, okay.

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Author's Note:

Sorry for the delayed update! Real life got in the way again. I seem to be incapable of writing when I've got RL work to finish. The moment I was done with what I had to do, I found myself just writing like crazy-- even while sitting in the tricycle at the terminal, waiting for it to fill up so we could be on our way home. XD Anyway, I know "Snow on the Sahara" is totally not an FT Island song, but it's what I was listening to while uploading this and it seems to fit, so why not. :D Also, this chapter is dedicated to winterstar5, thank you so much for reading!

Funny thing. Lee Hongki's new drama Modern Farmer just aired. It's completely different in plot and premise, but one thing reminded me of I Hope Love Is... Hongki falling into a rice paddy. Hahaha. Guess someone else had that idea too. Another funny thing, his character in Modern Farmer is named Lee Minki and the first thing I thought of was "OMG it's totally a combination of Minha and Hongki!" Heh. Deelooshunal, that's me. Anyway, if you like wacky dramas like You're Beautiful (which, let's face it, really made me a Lee Hongki fangirl) or you just want to be able to put a face (and facial expressions) to Minha, then you might want to go and watch it. It totally starts my week with a smile!