Upon A Time (JoongNine AU)

Upon A Blot On A Perfect Picture

Nine

I watched all the drama series that he was in. In a year, he had grown both physically and also better in acting. I had decided not to focus solely on acting, as an all rounder entertainer was more in demand nowadays. The company had decided to send me for a tryout in an international auditioning program that search for people to debut as an international group. I really hope that I would be chosen, not just for me to reach my dream, but also, to grow as an artist too. 

As I waited together with other hopefuls, a call from Joong came in. Since the night that he kissed me, a year had passed. We put no label as of yet, but also couldn't turn back to become just friends too. Heck, the kiss  mark that he left just enough to be covered by my shirt collar, and the one that I left at the back of his right shoulder; were just one of many such kisses; which was too intimate to be done, between 'friends'.

We had yet gone beyond that and the reluctance was coming from me, actually. Although his personality was more matured beyond his years, in reality he'd just turned the tender age of twenty, this year. I remembered, that during the transition period from teen to young adulthood, some changes in personality, and new interest might start to develop. Take myself for example, who used to not really bother for appearances, just liked other teenagers in that age. I started to take better care of my body in my 20s, both in fitness and skincare, after realising that the entertainment industry, relied heavily on appearances, and not just talent alone, for you to be able to shine, more than others, in any screentest, audition or product endorsement opportunities.

Thus, our relationship was still rather undefined. Some of the time I felt that we were not yet ready, as works kept us separated more than being together; but then, whenever the distance started to grow, Joong would always tried the hardest, to pull us back together. Though it pleased me, it was also rather telling, that he had this unfounded fear, of losing, us.

Whenever I wanted to talk about his agitation, he would divert the topic towards other things, and thus, we never really got the chance to clear things up. I never said anything to Joong, but I had been thinking lately, that, if things was progressing well, by next year, when he'd reached a legal age of twenty one, maybe we could have a serious talk, to take one step further, towards a stable relationship, and hoped that it could give him more assurance, that I wouldn't go anywhere.

"Hello Joong...", I said and though he couldn't see me, he must be able to sense the curve of smile on my lips.

"Nine, are you done? The shooting finished earlier than scheduled; so, I wanted to go there and fetch you", he said, as he's now already could drive on his own. I told him when we had a call last night, that I wouldn't be driving to the audition, as it would be difficult to find a parking space in the city and might cause me to be late. Sometimes, I did miss the time when we would go and come back together for the same schedule, but of course, when there're too many drama of the same genre popping up in the scene, the longest that the popularity and scores of fan meeting for a series could last, was a year. That's why, we started to move on to other ventures; to grow and be more active as an entertainer too.

"Not yet, there seemed to be more hopefuls than what they'd expected. I am nervous, Joong", I said while rubbing my chest to release the tension a bit.

"Oh, you don't have to worry. You'll get this, and...so much more! World famous! Trust me!", I could hear the emphasis he put in his words. The crease appeared on my forehead, as once again, he told me something liked he'd already known the consequences of some happenings. Just liked when we're scouted a month ago by one of a well known artists, to star in his music video. At that time, before any agreement was even made, Joong really insisted that we should be ready, to act as ourselves; best friends who's one of them, fell for the other, who didn't. He laughed and teased that, I was the one with the heart of stone, while he was hurting, pining hard for my love, only to be silently, rejected. When the storyboard that was presented to us, turned out exactly as he said, a feeling of uneasiness, started to bud in my heart.