Got7 Short Stories

You received a message in the mail from an old classmate back in the early teen years. It seemed there were talks of the school being rebuilt and before that, classes wanted to get-together to see how everyone had turned out. Some were dad and moms, some successful entertainers, others just living a quiet life. You really wanted to meet your old kiddy friends and see everyone again but at the same time, you knew it was gonna be awkward.
Sitting on the mail without indicating your attendance, you received a call this time, from your old Monitor.
"Hi is that Mandy?"
"Yes, may I know who’s this?"
"………………. Mandy?….. Its…… me…"
"(Irritated) Hi ME, you might wanna identify yourself before I - "
"Jaebum. Im Jaebum."
It was your turn to gasp in silence.
"He-hello? Do you remember me? I was in your class back in 2005… We sat together.." He quickly added.
You found no words to speak except a “Yes.”
"Well I… Was asked to gather the numbers for the reunion tmr and I wasn’t sure if I’d get through your old number. Glad you’ve not moved.. " his voice audibly relieved and friendly.
"Oh, I… Yeah, I didn’t move… So you kept my number all these years? Wow! That’s amazing of you!" You laughed and couldn’t believe your ears.
Jaebum was the monitor of the class for a good 4 years and although he wasn’t outstanding academically, he was heck of a popular guy from the day he started wearing the school uniform. You had a hard time for being the girl assigned to sit beside him, being the target of envy, for crazy fan girls who would write him love letters and ogle at his looks. It didn’t help that he was always trendy, the life of the party, the best sportsman, and the coolest b-boy that could serenade any song to sound like a confession.
Suddenly you had the biggest urge to go for the reunion, like right now, just to see how he had grown up to be.
"I didn’t exactly KEEP it but since I knew it by heart it wasn’t that difficult. So anyways, you haven’t indicated if you’d be there." He said.
"Yea sure, of course I’ll be there!" You replied, feeling excited and immediately wanting to plan a stunning outfit for your appearance.
"Great! Oh, hey… If you haven’t moved, that means we still live close by. Do you wanna head down together? I could swing by to pick you at say, 5pm?"
"That would be awesome. Thanks, I can’t wait to see how you’ve changed, seriously! Wow…" After you hung up, you decided that it was time you dolled up yourself for once, and pamper yourself, well, just in case one of the guys were still single and you pretty much wanted to look your best for the reunion. Heading to the salon, you spent the rest of the evening getting a new hairdo and picking up a new dress. Afterall, half the class were guys and you’d stand a good chance of them growing up well and fine.
The next day, you woke up early and went for a facial, feeling more excited as the hours past. Looking at the old photos you dug out to bring along, you laughed at the stupid poses you made.
"Sheesh, I wonder how Jaebum looks now… And Park Jinyoung!!!" Your best friend at school that always let you copy his homework in exchange for getting shoulder massages. Thinking back, it was a really strange deal but it worked anyway.
Slipping into the bright floral bodycon dress, with a racerback front, you put on your favourite white killer heels that were almost 5” tall, and stepped out confidently in your newly permed locks. You knew you were surely turning heads for this party and definitely dressed to kill. Not overly revealing but subtly saying “look at me I’m sexy”.
As you went to the main road to wait for Jaebum, you felt like a million bucks, with both men and women turning heads to check you out. After all, you did work hard for the body so why hide it?
A small convertible drove close by and stopped before you. Stepping out, it was a familiar face, one that you recognized from TV but weren’t sure who. It was just a very photogenic and chiseled face of a celebrity.
Just then, your phone rang and picking it up, you saw that the man put a phone to his ears too.
"Oh, hey Mandy I’m right at your place. You can take your time and-"
"Jaebum?????" You exclaimed a little too loudly in shock, and the man turned to look at you.
As your eyes met, his face turned from a smile, to a shock, and to bit of a fluster.
You quickly stepped down the curb to have a closer look, seeing that he didn’t move.
"SERIOUSLY, JAEBUM?????" Your heels made that glamorous walking sound as you walked around the front of the car to his side, in fast small steps and looked him from top to toe.
“Are you really IM JAE BUM the kid that made my teenage years a living hell with your hoards of girl fans?” You laughed.
Finding his senses at the familiarity of your voice he laughed out Loud sheepishly, “and are you really the doll faced girl that always gave me the death stare every morning?”
You both could hardly believe what time had done to shape your lives and looks.
"Cmon get in, looks like we’ve got plenty to catch up on." He walked over the the passengers seat and held the door open for you.
"After you."
Impressed at his new found mannerisms, you kept your cool and played along with his cheeky advances, reminiscent of how it was like when you were still adolescent. Deep inside however, you were desperately hiding your loudly thumping heart that hadn’t stopped racing ever since you first saw him again.
He was definitely going to turn many more heads than you, with his sharp chiseled features and that killer eye smile. It didn’t help that he looked dashing even wearing such simple plain clothes, a contrast to your showy fare.
"Did you keep in touch with other classmates?" You asked casually.
"I guess you haven’t really been in the country lately, have you?" He replied.
"Well, yea but how’d you know and how does that have to do with being in touch with anyone..?" Puzzled as to how he derived to that conclusion you asked.
With a knowing nod, he just smiled and continued steering the wheel.
"You’ll get your answer later, when you see it for yourself." He smugly cocked his head to your side and gave you the sly smile - that SAME old smile that you used to find so annoying and return it with daggers in your eyes.
As you arrived, he stepped out first again, “I’ll get your door.”
Opening it, he even led you by the hand up the short flight of stairs.
"What a change, Jaebum, are you in the government service or something, haha never in a million Years could I imagine being treated like this by YOU of all people." You poked fun at him as both of you strolled into the fully packed school hall, the venue of the alumni gathering.
"I wasn’t that bad was I? I did carry your bag for you once when you twisted your arm, and I walked you home in the rain, That’s how I remembered the way to your place." He said emphatically, seeming to remember more than you did.
"Looks like you forgot my arm got twisted because of a CERTAIN SOMEONE that insisted to do some breakdancing with a partner and pulled me into your act without my consent! As for walking me home…that was because you didn’t want to go home when you failed your papers! And you conveniently followed me home!" You corrected him in a hushed voice but firm enough to make your point.
"OK OK chill babe, my fans gonna hear that." He spoke even softer, slightly moving behind you as you both walked down an aisle to look for your seats.

“Omo isn’t that JB???!“ You hear and saw other younger batches of the alumni taking pictures of him with their phones.
"How is it that it seems everyone knows u? have you been on tv or something?" You stopped in your tracks and turn to him to be answered.
"Well, something of that sort… " he mumbled, while trying not to draw too much attention, he picked up his pace and tried to push you along the aisle quickly, with his hand pressing on the small of your back guiding you ahead.
When you finally found the table labelled with your class year, you realise you were surrounded by semi-familiar looking individuals, busy chatting and laughing to each other. As you sat down, you tried to identify them by their faces.
Just then you heard a voice come up from behind.
"Oh Hyung - you made it! I thought you had a recording today!"
JB stood up immediately in response, “Yeah, I pushed it forward and came as soon as I could.”
You turn and saw who it was, taking a few seconds to register the face of another equally dashing male.
"OH!!" he instantly recognised you. "Mandy!"
"mmmmmm…….. Jin-youngie?" you weren’t 100% sure but it did seem like the resemblance was strong.
"OMO, omo…. look at you, you’ve become so gorgeous after these years!" His eyes literally widened and lit up.
A little pleased yet embarrassed, you hurriedly shift one seat down and told him to sit for a chat.
"Eyyy….. hajima….. you’ve grown so much that I couldn’t recognise you! You were such a scrawny and pale kid that looked like you would faint anytime. But you’re really looking good now, Park Jinyoung!" you gave him a playful punch in the arm, to your surprise, your fist was met with a firm touch of hidden muscle beneath the clothes.
Just then JB tugged at Jinyoung and whispered, “she doesn’t seem to know what we do for a living, she must’ve just come out of a cave.”
"Jin-jja??" turning to you, Jinyoung started asking about how you were and what you have been up to, while JB listened quietly at the side.
You noticed than in the short span of 15 minutes, he had to turn away a few requests of photo-taking or autographs, and was trying not to make too much eye contact with passerbys.
"Yah, Jaebum-ah, so what is it that you’re working as, are you an actor or a singer of some sort? Seems that everyone’s trying to take your photo."
Jinyoung politely explained in his eloquence, “we were asked to form a duo and we released a single some time back, after a few more years, we formed a boyband, then we went into acting and got casted in a few movies as well. Right now, JB Hyung has a few commercials and gets asked to appear on entertainment shows regularly. As for me, I’ve ventured into theatre and film.”
"Wait a minute, so both of you are celebs? and you’re a unit of your own???" feeling so tremendously stupid for not knowing, even thinking that everyone was coming over to sneak a peak at you instead,
"How come you don’t watch TV? Or are we that unknown??" asked JB jokingly.
The fact was that you were more of an English speaker and preferred the western entertainment hence you had never paid much attention to other countries’ celebs or programmes.
"You guys probably look too different from what I imagined you to be." you shot back at him.
As the evening began, lights dimmed down and Jinyoung stood up and went on stage to give an opening speech. You turned to JB, wanting to ask him why it was Jinyoung making a speech, but in a split second, he had also turned his head to you.
Faced with the world’s most awkward moment, your faces nearly grazed each other in the dark, as you could feel his breath in that split second before you both quickly pulled away in utter shock.
Staring straight ahead to compose yourself, you notice that he was doing the same, but head down with a stoned expression.
Breaking the awkwardness, you playfully hit his arm “YAH. stop acting like you just saw a ghost!”
He shifted a little in his seat, and slowly lifted his head, and looked directly into your eyes. There was just something in his steady gaze that was so strong, it just sucked you right in without you knowing.
Holding his eye contact for a good few seconds without saying a word, the corners of his lips started to break into a smile that you couldn’t help but realise how seductive he looked.
As much as you did not want to continue staring at him, you just were not able to tear your eyes away.
"Now you’re the one that looks like you saw a ghost." he said, while still holding the dead steady gaze into your eyes.
"uh.. Jaebum ah.." you mumbled, but still unable to look away. To your surprise, he leaned in towards you.
Your heart at this point, was in your mouth and beating hard like a pounding drum in your ears, blood rushing in and out of your brain like a million litres a seconds.
"shhh…….." he hushed you, as he was now just a few inches from your face, he whispered in a low voice,"don’t say a word, otherwise I might just end up kissing you."
You immediately pressed your lips together and swallowed whatever words there was. Nervously, excitedly, awkwardly, and most of all, cluelessly.
Again, with that wry smile that made his eyes turn into a thin line, he pulled back, and nodded towards the stage, indicated that it was time to turn your attention back where it belonged.
As if hypnotised, you followed and stared straight at the stage.
But not a single word was registering in your mind. All you could hear was JB’s voice looping over and over again, matched by the vision of his lips pressing forward onto yours. So surreal, and so near, yet so far.
While sinking into the pits of deep thought, the speech was over and Jinyoung had returned to his seat. JB shifted again to make way for him to sit close by, But nonchalant to the gesture, Jinyoung sat down next to you instead.
"Did you hear the speech I made? You’re the one I was referring to." He smiled a warm smile that could melt ice.
"Oh-uh… re-really???? Heh….. " you didn’t know what to respond since you didn’t hear a single word he said.
"Of course, is there anyone here you think that would take my breath away?" he asked, and at the same time, took off his muffler around his neck, and lovingly put it around yours, to the raised brows of those around you.
Rather taken aback again, you managed a thanks as you continued the night, hoping the ground would open up to swallow your chair and you on it, as you became the centre of attention - but for a very different reason, that you knew was going to be the start of a very complex but exhilarating ride.

Notes