Call My Name by the Stars

CHAPTER 4 pt.2- His Prayer: The Three Things

"Our youngest finally put his soul for what felt like the first time in forever. Good job," Kitae teased as the group laughed when the van was starting to take off, the cheers of fans still heard inside.

Then the vehicle was back in silence. The vibrations of the air conditioner and engine felt loud, and so is Jaeryeong's soft hums to the same song they just performed, "The way you talked always put a smile on my face, Do you still talk like that?~"

Daehyun had fallen asleep, Kitae was on his phone, and Chunyoung was being wary of the view, of the manager who kept eyeing the rear mirror at Min in good spirits

"Something really good must've happened today, that you've been acting weird from just now," Wooshik suddenly questioned, the most surprising conversation he ever brought up in the month where all he used to ever only say was their upcoming schedules.

"What?," Jaeryeong was caught off guard. Daehyun has woken up from his short nap, and Kitae looked up from his phone. Chunyoung flinched, afraid he had other intentions instead of just trying to be friendly, and might have known at least something that he was just putting Jaeryeong on the spot.

"Oh, uhm well it's a good day, the sky is pretty so, who wouldn't be in a good mood, Manager Hong." To Chunyoung's relief, he responded well.

"Yeah that makes sense I guess, I was also wondering the same," Kitae said without calculations.

"What were you thinking, Kitae? Do you think I'd be dating?" Jaeryeong, another member who talked without having the slightest thought, said casually out loud.

The stressed Chunyoung immediately looked at their manager. Fortunately he remained unfazed, unless he was just pretending to. Chunyoung just had to make him seem less suspicious, "Don't make jokes like that, we're still rookies-"

Jaeryeong was no longer paying attention to their conversation as he broke out into a big smile at the windows, looking through it to see Jooah and her friend emerging out of an alley that led them to the same street the van ran on. They were heading in the same direction.

Jooah smiled with her cheekbones and laughed as she chatted to her friend about something exciting. While freely hanging her camera strap on her shoulder, her eye smile flashed sweetly.

Kitae put his hand on Jaeryeong's shoulders, "What's with that sudden smile? Hey. What's so funny?" His words filtered on Jaeryeong's ears as blurred noises.

Jooah looked around the street and looked at the windows of the van, right when Jaeryeong felt like their eyes must've met, even without her knowing that through its opaque outer surface. His face fell out of a smile and looked out in a confused daze.

He was suddenly reminded of a lot of things. Of his most exciting memories from that dull month. Coming to his mind, Jooah attempting to pretend-steal his drink, and him catching her with her hoodie and not letting her go, despite the embarrassment. Then their bickers when he comes back to the cafe. Her surprised expression when he showed up in front of her as Park Jaeryeong, instead of the broke guy. Her happy face as she received Chunyoung's signature. Them, walking side by side under the streetlamps of the night. Accompanying, bickering, treating snacks, removing his mask, and now her, as she happily skipped on the streets home. His heart pounded on his chest, slowly.

Chunyoung shook him, "Hey Park Jaeryeong."

Jaeryeong snapped back to the present, "hm?"

Daehyun peeked from the back seat, "You smile and stop abruptly for no reason. Are you sick?"

"Or possessed?," Kitae asked with a straight face.

The van stopped to a red light. Jooah kept walking, crossing paths with the van, moving forward as he stayed in one place. She turned to another street, a point where they now go separate paths.