17th☀ 

The day slowly deepened until it welcomed the nighttime. As Mijoo suggested, we all went out to the veranda of the building and enjoyed the nighttime scenery as some took pictures, which then led to a silly photo shoot between Yejun and Myeong.  

I sat on one of the homey-looking chairs and stared at the pitch black skies with a few stars that weren't shinning as bright. Crossing my legs, I whispered, "I'm enjoying my time here, Mom. I hope you're at peace right now. Please take care of Dad back in Seoul. Make sure he doesn't overwork, okay?"

The waves created a soothing rhythm and I almost couldn't hear the others who were laughing and simply having fun. I was in my own world, relaxing on this trip to Jeju. 

"You seem to be at peace," said a voice. 

I opened my eyes and turned to my right, where the voice seemed to be coming from. Before me was Hansol, overlooking the scenery ahead, though it was too dark to see anything clearly. "Yeah? Just enjoying my time."

"I'm glad I get to enjoy my trip with you and your friends. I don't really get along well with the students in my school," Hansol openly told me. 

I raised an eyebrow. "You don't?"

He shook his head, confirming it. "I may have grew up here, but the people there still see me as some foreigner. I'm culture-ly more Korean, but they're afraid of me speaking English out of nowhere. I have no idea why."

"That's really sad," I said in response. What was wrong with some students there in his school? He was basically Korean. His Korean was too good for a foreigner, even. 

Hansol shrugged. "I'm used to it. Autumn was all I had back then. I used to hang out with her guy friends, too. But ever since we broke it off, I barely see them around." 

"Oh," I answered, "it's okay, Hansol. At least you're friends with us, right?" 

"Yeah." He smiled. "I'm glad for that."

Silence. 

"They seem to be having fun," Hansol said, breaking the silence between us. He seemed to be staring at Mijoo and the others. "Do you want to join them?"

"No," I replied, shaking my head. "I'm too tired to right now. Give them their moment. All three candidates are there."

"Even Myeong hyung?" Hansol asked. 

Right. I had totally forgotten that Myeong used to have a 'thing' for Mijoo. Shivers. "Oh, wait, count him out. I don't ship him with Mijoo. He's too old."

"Just by two years," he specifically counted with a smile. "Nothing's wrong with that."

"He's legal and she's not. There. Now it makes better sense," I said back with a smile. Turning back to the group, I randomly asked, "Who do you ship her with?"

"Are we playing cupid now?" Hansol amusingly asked with a short, low chuckle. 

"I do this all the time. I've been shipping her with Wonwoo most of the times, until Yejun oppa showed up. Now I don't know who to ship her with." I fixed the collar of my shirt, feeling like it was choking me a little. 

"Hmm..." Hansol started to examine both Yejun and Wonwoo carefully. "Yejun compliments her personality better. Wonwoo just looks more like her best friend. But we don't know who she'll really pick in the end. We're just the spectators, after all."

Well, that was true. "But it's fun to play cupid at times when there are possible chances everywhere, don't you think?"

"True," he answered, his eyes flicking over to the dark scenery in front of us once again. "I don't know what to expect from this trip, really. We still have thirteen more days until we return to Seoul."

"That's the fun thing about trips, Hansol. You don't know what to expect, but whatever happens on that trip, good or bad, when you remember it, even the bad memories will turn into happy ones," I said, leaning back against the support of the chair I was sitting on with my arms crossed over my chest. 

"That's true," Hansol agreed, nodding his head. He reached for his pocket and fished something out—his phone. "Hey, since they're also taking pictures, why don't we take one of our own?"

"What?" I asked, surprised. There goes my heart, creating that off-beat rhythm once again. 

Hansol held his phone higher up until the angle was perfect. I had no choice but to lean in closer and make sure I looked presentable in the picture before Hansol finally snapped the picture. He stared at his phone and smiled. "I will forever remember this trip."

"It's not even over yet, Hansol," I knowingly told him, feeling my face go warm. Great, I must be blushing again. 

Hansol laughed to that. "It isn't. But I like the start of it. I have a feeling it'll have an even better ending. What do you think?"

Clearing my throat, I recited, "Like I said, trips can be unpredictable. I can't reply to your question right now."

"Will you reply to it in the future then?" Hansol was tilting to the side as he looked at me with that bright smile of his. He was making me feel nervous and jumpy. Also stiff. All at the same time, too.

"Yes?" I replied, unsure. 

"Yes?" he repeated, still with that smile. He should stop. I don't know how long I can keep my composure in front of him. 

"Yes," I replied again, with sureness. 

Hansol didn't say anything in return, but he was smiling. This silence didn't feel awkward. It felt more like a tranquil type. Like when you've been practicing the piano for far too long and all you've been hearing were the keys of it, and when silence finally take over, it gives you a relaxing atmosphere. 

Mijoo finally came over, giggling way too much as she put a hand over me. "What are you two doing here alone? Come join us."

"Too wild over there," I said, looking past her shoulder, "I just want peace and quiet right now."

"Are you sure?" Mijoo asked. Turning to Hansol, she asked, "What about you?"

Hansol kindly smiled back. "I think I'm doing fine here. I'll keep her company."

Mijoo gave me a meaningful look and a smirk—which Hansol did not catch, luckily—before she went back to the group, who seemed to be singing their hearts out. Mijoo liked singing, I knew that. But she was always singing without seriousness. Always trying to make it sound funny. 

Hey, maybe I should snap some sense into her and get her to sing. There's an upcoming talent show in our school, if I'm not mistaken. She would never do it, I knew that by heart. Looks like I have a new mission. 

I could imagine it already. During the talent show, she'd be singing and I'd be dancing. What song should I dance to, though? That was the question. 

Turning to Hansol, I randomly asked, "Have you ever entered a talent show?"

Hansol was surprised but smiled back in return. "No. Have you?"

I shook my head, leaning back against the supporter of the chair I sat on again. "Nope. But there's one in my school, I don't know when. I'm thinking about joining one. Actually, I was supposed to join one last year, in my old school in Japan. I chickened out, though."

"You lived in Japan?" Hansol sounded surprised again. He shook his head. "You never stop surprising me, Sarang. Don't forget, I'm still convinced you're secretly a superhero."

"The one without a cape, got'cha." I let out a laugh. "Seriously speaking, if I did join that talent show, what song should I dance to?"

"Dance, dance..." Hansol tapped his chin and tried to think about it. "I don't know. Is there anything on your mind?"

I shook my head in response. "No, that's why I'm asking you."

Hansol shrugged continuously, looking playful. "I don't know. Maybe you can ask Mijoo when we all go to sleep."

I pointed at the group. "They're far from looking tired."

"They'll tire out soon, don't worry," he assured with a smile. 

The silence took over once again. I didn't mind it at all. Instead of being in forceful conversations with others, I'd rather be in a silent atmosphere with Hansol.

☀

Back in our rooms, I sat on my bed, eyeing my phone as I tried to learn a new dance. There were a bunch of YouTube videos of dance covers and tutorials. I liked learning new dances, so I was currently trying to learn one. 

The bathroom door inside our room opened before it was closed again by Mijoo, who came out in an oversized white t-shirt—she hated fit t-shirts—and pink shorts. She plopped onto her bed while combing out the tangles in her hair and looked at me. 

"What are you doing there?" she asked, pulling her legs together until she sat cross legged on her bed. 

"Trying to learn a new dance here," I replied, eyeing the movements. I tried to drill it into my mind. 

"Again?" Mijoo asked with a slight giggle. "You're working way too hard, Sarang. Get some sleep. A trip is not the right time to learn a new dance. It's to relax and enjoy."

"Dancing relaxes me and I enjoy it," I simply replied without looking at her. My eyes were glued on the screen.

"Whatever you say," Mijoo said in response. "Oh, by the way, I noticed you were mostly with Hansol when we were out by the veranda. What did you two talk about? Your undying love for him?"

I dropped my phone onto my bed as I looked at her. "Seriously? Of course not! Why would we talk about that?"

"Ooh, look at your cheeks. Red and all," Mijoo teased, placing her comb onto the bedside table. 

"What?" I touched my cheeks and felt the warmness of it. "Gosh, Mijoo!"

Mijoo giggled and fixed her position on the bed, lying flat on her stomach. "I'll anticipate the day you two confess your undying love for each other. Will it be overly scripted, like the ones in a fanfiction? Or a movie? Under the stars and the perfect moment. Yes?"

"No!" I denied, shaking my head at her. My cheeks were what encouraged her to go on, since they showed a positive response. 

"Are you sure?" Mijoo wiggled her eyebrows and grinned at me. "It looked like you were thinking about it. You were, weren't you?"

"No," I denied again, but deep in my head, I knew I was imagining scenes already. What was the perfect moment? 

Mijoo giggled before she went on her phone. 

"Hey, Mijoo," I called, disregarding my phone. I could learn dances on my own free time. 

"Yeah?" Mijoo asked without giving me a glance in return. "What's up?"

"Remember the talent show? In our school?" I asked her. 

Mijoo finally looked up from her phone. "Yeah? What about it? Are you thinking of joining it?"

"Yes," I answered. It has been my plan ever since they announced it recently, about a month ago. "I am. But I want you to join as well."

Mijoo's eyes immediately widened. "Me? Why me? I have no talents."

"You can sing," I suggested. Slowly, I'll convince her. We have thirteen days left, after all. 

"Sing?" Mijoo sounded like she would faint any second. Then, she started shaking her head vigorously. "No. No, no, nope! Not going to do that. I can be a supporter of yours. I'd do better in that job than actually singing on stage."

"But you sounded great," I encouraged her. "Remember in the mini van? When Seungkwan played a CD track with you singing? You sounded great!"

Mijoo kept shaking her head and changed her position from lying flat on her stomach to sitting cross legged on her bed. "No, I can't. I get stage fright. I'd be too scared to sing in front of a crowd. Heck, I can't even sing in front of a small crowd of people! I'd freak out!"

"But your voice is amazing! People needs to hear it," I kept encouraging her. "Don't you like singing?"

"I do," she replied, sighing, as if it was almost hopeless. "I love singing so much, but I can't even be proud of my own voice. I'm scared of people judging my voice, in case I'm trying too hard it sounds horrible."

"Trust me, it doesn't." I smiled. "What do you say?"

"I can't, Sarang," she said.

 I frowned. "Why not?"

"I lack confidence," she softly whispered, sighing once again. "I do have dreams of going up on stage and singing in front of a crowd but in all of those imaginations, I have confidence there. And it's something I don't have at the very moment—or ever, as a matter of fact."

Frowning, I stood up from my bed and ran across the room to sit next to her on her bed before I threw my arms around her and gave her a smile. "Don't worry, we can fix that. If it's confidence you need, it's confidence you'll get!"

"And how do I do that?" Mijoo asked, looking at me. 

Maybe I should have searched beforehand. 

How To Boost Your Confidence. 

I'm short on research. 

Smiling back at her, I suggested, "How about we try to get you used to singing in front of spectators? Let me hear your voice first. Sing in front of me and don't get nervous."

"What?" Mijoo looked at me oddly before she shook her head. "No, I can't. I'm too nervous."

"Aw, come on," I encouraged her. "Look, if you have a dream, you go after it, am I right? If you have a dream of singing in front of a stage but you're lacking confidence, what do you do? You try to gain confidence. Whatever negative thoughts you're having in your head right now, clear them off. What other people think don't matter to much to you. Remember? As long as you know who you are and your worth and talents, that's enough."

Mijoo smiled in response before she nodded and grabbed her phone, scrolling through her songs. She finally picked one and in no time, the lyrics started rolling as she sang, "Before the dark night traps me in

Don't leave me
Do you still love me?
If you feel the same, don't leave today
Don't ask why it has to be you
Just stay with me
(It goes a little something like)
I don't expect a lot right now
Just stay with me."

I got too excited and ended up squealing and said, "That was amazing! Oh, my gosh! I had goosebumps, but don't worry! It's the good type! Mijoo, you need to showcase your voice!"

Mijoo showed a good response by smiling, but it was the shy type. She was obviously not used to compliments, I could see that. "Really? But I'm still not sure. I still get nervous. Like, a lot."

"Don't," I advised with a sweet smile. "Okay, how about we have a mini concert? I don't know when, but soon. On the veranda. With the others. Does that sound cool?"

"It does but..." Mijoo let out a sigh as she let out a weird, inhuman noise. "I'm too nervous! Thinking about it already makes me nervous! You heard how shaky my voice was when I sang a moment ago. You think I'm up for it?"

"With lots and lots of practice, you will be! Don't worry, it's part of the process. Also now my mission. We have thirteen days until we return back to Seoul and I'll use all those days to help you gain confidence," I told her confidently, grinning. 

Mijoo ended up giggling. "You believe me that much?"

I nodded happily. "Yup!"

"Maybe I should try dancing while I'm at it. And audition in SM because Xiumin oppa is there. We could probably meet. Oh, let's not forget Lee Jeno, my one and only true love."

"If that's what you want," I said, giggling. "I can teach you how to dance!"

"Thanks, but no thanks. I can't dance. Trust me, I've tried and I've failed in learning it. Let's just concentrate on my confidence and singing." Mijoo smiled. 

"Wait, I just remembered that Yejun oppa knows how to play the guitar," I said out of nowhere. I was really getting into this mini concert. I really wanted Mijoo to know that she had a great voice, and that she should showcase it without belittling herself. 

"So?" Mijoo asked, raising an eyebrow. "No way... Sarang, you don't mea—"

I nodded back to answer her question. "He can play the acoustic version of Stay and you can sing to it! We should plan it. When will you be ready? Five days from now? Will you be doing it next week? Three days before we leave for Seoul? The night before we leave for Seoul?"

Mijoo looked at me before she finally calmed me down. "Sarang, calm down. I'll be the one who decides it, okay? Slow and steady. Step by step."

"I know, I know but..." I let out an excited squeal. "I'm sorry! I just really want to perform for the school's talent show with you. Not really with you but I want you to participate with me."

Mijoo smiled. "I'll definitely do a lot of thinking about that. Dancing is easier. As long as you got the moves down and enjoy it, there's nothing to be afraid about. Singing is different. If you don't have a great voice, no one would listen to you singing and it'd be like a waste of breath. It shatters my confidence."

I gave her a tight squeeze. "Oh, don't think that way. You'll be amazing, trust me. Let's just concentrate on that mini concert as of now. Stay is definitely those type of songs you would perform during a campfire. Will there be a campfire?"

"We can't have a campfire out by the veranda, sadly," Mijoo told me. "But we can have it out by the beach."

"Ooh, you're prepared too." I grinned back at her and let out a yawn, my eyes suddenly feeling heavy. "I think we'll have to discuss this topic more tomorrow. I'm really tired."

Mijoo smiled back at me and patted the top of my head, suddenly inviting a favourite memory of my favourite person, currently. "Okay. Go to sleep. Good night."

"Good night, Mijoo," I said in return, getting up from her bed before I crashed onto my mine. I pulled the covers up and finally let myself fall asleep. 

Mijoo

It was quiet in the pension and the only sounds that were heard were the crashing waves of the beach from outside. Though it was early in the morning—around three a.m.—Mijoo was still awake. She didn't know what was wrong, but she has always been waking up in the middle of night. 

She lied in her bed, staring at the ceiling that couldn't even be seen since it was only pitch black darkness that came into her view. She reached for her phone located on the bedside table and saw that the WiFi was already off and she had no phone connection here. Her aunt always thought that it'd be the best to shut it off when everyone was asleep. 

"Geez, Aunt," she muttered under her breath, throwing her blankets aside as she blindly grabbed her jacket that she had always placed next to her on her bed. Finally, she exited the room and walked into the hallway that was dimly light. 

She pulled her jacket closer to her body before she walked past two doors until she reached the double glass doors to the veranda. Quietly, she opened it and headed outside. Coldness was what welcomed her as she neared the railing of the veranda, enjoying the pitch black darkness. 

It was so quiet. So peaceful. Until the soft melody of a guitar playing startled her. She didn't dare to turn back, for obvious reasons. If you heard something playing softly while you were alone at three in the morning, it obviously will creep you to the very core. 

"Please don't kill me, estranged ghosts who are up tonight," Mijoo whispered with her eyes closed as she slowly turned around to see where the sound was coming from. With her eyes opened, she was surprised to see a boy's silhouette sitting in one of the chairs, blending in with the darkness. "Hello?"

The guitar stopped playing and it sounded like the silhouette got startled too. "Mijoo? What are you doing out here?"

"Wait, you know my name? Are you a ghost?" Mijoo asked. She had recently watched a drama called Goblin and Mijoo didn't want to know whether she was just like the character Eun Tak, who could see ghosts. 

There was a chuckle that escaped their lips and Mijoo saw the silhouette stand up, walking into the light. "Obviously, Kwon Mijoo."

Mijoo eased up when she saw it was only Yejun. "Oh, hi oppa. What are you doing here? At this time?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Yejun said, smiling as he put his guitar down on the chair. "Can't sleep?"

"Yeah," Mijoo answered. "I don't know why, but I keep waking up in the middle of the night. I hate it."

"Oh, that's horrible," Yejun said, walking up to where she was standing and filling the empty space next to her as his hands traced the railings. "Are you feeling okay now?"

Mijoo shrugged. "I still don't feel sleepy. But this is relaxing. I can hear the waves."

"That's true. This is a nice place to go to," Yejun commented, overlooking the sea, though it was too dark to see it. 

"How come you're up too?" Mijoo asked, giving him a side-way glance. 

Yejun smiled before his head lowered and he was staring at the railings. "I couldn't sleep. I don't know why, either. I guess I'm just not used to sleeping somewhere else. I'm used to my own room and bed, you know?"

Mijoo smiled back. "Understandable. That's why you're out here playing your guitar?"

"I just borrowed it. It's not exactly mine," Yejun replied, his head turning around to look at the guitar. Turning back to Mijoo, he asked her, "Want me to play you something?"

"Sure. Maybe it'll sooth my mind and make me feel sleepy," Mijoo said in reply, following Yejun to the seats. 

Yejun took the guitar and rested it on his thighs. He began picking a few strings before he made a clear strum, making Mijoo smile in response. His fingers were placed on different bars, holding down different strings and he began strumming a song. 

Mijoo hummed along to the song, instantly realizing what song was playing. She was smiling and before she knew it, she was singing along to the song.  

Yejun's eyes were stuck on her as she sang. Mijoo had no idea—her eyes were closed as she continued singing, trying to be natural and pretending Yejun wasn't there listening to her. 

The song slowly came to a end and the melody of the guitar lingered in the air for a few more seconds before it silenced. Yejun couldn't stop staring at Mijoo, clearly amazed that she had such a wonderful voice. 

Clearing her throat, Mijoo opened her eyes but she didn't look at Yejun; she was too shaky to. She just sung in front of him. Mijoo didn't think she had enough confidence to meet his eyes after that. 

"Your voice..." Yejun said, still amazed. He's heard of her voice before because of Seungkwan playing that CD in the mini van but hearing it live, it was all too different. 

Mijoo crinkled her nose and finally took the risk to look at him. "It sounds off, doesn't it?"

Yejun shook his head, still smiling. "No, not at all. It sounded great. How come you've never sang in front of a crowd before?"

Mijoo sighed and stared down at her thighs. "I have no confidence and I'm scared of the crowd."

"Really?" Yejun asked in response. He moved his chair closer and gave her an encouraging smile. "Don't be afraid. There's nothing to be afraid of, really. You singing in front of a crowd isn't for them to judge you singing, but it's for you to enjoy what you love doing and having fun. The crowd is nothing. They're just there to fill the empty seats."

Mijoo eased up after being tensed and finally smiled back at him. "Thanks for that. You know, Sarang did suggest I have a mini concert out here with all of you. She also said you knew how to play the guitar and told me that you should play the guitar for me while I sing."

"That isn't such a bad idea," Yejun said. 

To gain confidence, you'll need to step one step at a time. There's no need to rush because accomplishing something is worth all that hard work and wait. And before Mijoo knew it, she was taking the first step. 

~Author's Notes~ 

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. School started so I won't update as much. Hope you guys are wiling to wait tho :( and thank you for 2.32K views! Hope you guys are enjoying every word <3 Thank you for all the support as always <3 I love you my wonderful Kimichies <3