Fan Service [Yunho]

16

"What are you doing here?" I asked excitedly with a gasp.

Bo reached over and hugged me like he always did. I allowed it since I hadn't seen him in so long, and tried to avoid the stinging on my bruised sides.

"The better question is, what are you doing here?" Bo asked with a curious expression. I realized we must've been in Pennsylvania where his family had moved to all those years ago.

At one point, he'd been my neighbor and only confidant, but he moved away when I turned 12. I'd had no way to contact him without a phone back then and a house that had eyes and ears everywhere. My family had hated Bo...he had encouraged me to aspire for more. He'd even promised to kidnap me one day and take me far, away from them.

"I'm actually on the clock right now," I laughed and pointed out Yunho who was in line for the register. He looked over with a concerned expression when he saw the man beside me, but I have Yunho a thumbs up to calm his nerves.

He had no reason to worry. Bo may have been 6'3" and massive, but he was a teddy bear compared to the monsters I grew up around.

"What's he got ya doin'?" Bo asked, though I sensed some judgment in his voice. It wasn't uncommon for people in our neighborhood, especially women, to fall into a certain lifestyle.

"I'm his assistant," I told him proudly. "I'll be helping him out while he's on tour."

"Oh yeah? Helping him how?" Bo scoffed. "Thought you were gonna stay out of that biz Charlie."

"Bo, it's not like that," I rolled my eyes and put away the fuel nozzle. "He's on tour, and I'm going to help fix costumes that get messed up and..."

"Costumes? He's got you wearing costumes?"

"Bo, can you listen to me? He's a real musician and a genuinely nice guy. I'm literally just doing some backstage stuff for him."

"Oh yeah? Where are ya headed now?"

I crossed my arms, suddenly feeling very defensive of Yunho and my job. "Toronto."

"You don't have a passport," he laughed rudely. It was so unlike the Bo I used to know.

"You haven't seen me in years. How would you know what I do and don't have?"

"I know you don't have your morals like you used to," Bo argued, his face reddening in anger before suddenly softening with an idea. "Come with me. Ma and Pa will let you crash until we figure out somewhere else to go," he grabbed my hand, but I pulled it away harshly.

"No," I fought.

"Charlie," he said firmly as he reached for my hand again, gripping it tightly over the recent bruises. I winced and tried to pull back but couldn't.

"Let go!" I pleaded as he began to drag me towards his motorcycle. "We're not even doing what you think. He's good."

"Nobody is good, Charlie," Bo reminded me, a painful tinge in his voice. "Now come on."

I dug my heels into the ground and whipped my head around as he tried to put on a helmet. We must've looked ridiculous, but then suddenly I heard a shout.

"Hey! Let her go!" Yunho dropped his bag and sprinted across the parking lot. He used his strength to help me free my hand and examined my wrist for any new bruises.

"Really Charlie?" Bo scoffed. "You're really doing this now?"

"I'm not doing what you think I am," I told him again for the seventh time. "I'm just his assistant."

I could feel Yunho's hand settle on my shoulder protectively. Bo eyed it with a disbelieving shake of his head. "Whatever Charlie. You've changed," he muttered before revving his engine and pulling out of the parking lot.

I pulled away from Yunho once he was out of sight and sulked back to the car.

"Hey, Charlie?" Yunho asked as he picked up the items he'd discarded in his haste to make it over to me as quickly as he could.

"I'm okay," I lied. It actually hurt a lot that at one point, Bo had been my only friend, and now he hated me too.

"Who was that?" Yunho asked as he clipped on his seatbelt. "It seemed like you knew him, so I didn't want to bother you but then..."

I settled back against the seat with a heavy sigh. "He was just someone that I used to know," I explained. "And now someone that I'd rather forget," I mumbled.

"Are you okay?" he asked, reaching over to place his hand on mine on the center console.

I snatched it away. "I'm fine Yunho. Can we just drive?"

His expression was full of sympathy as he removed his hand and offered me the snack bag instead. Looking inside, I could see it was full of a bunch of different variations of chips and candy with a few drink options too.

"I didn't know what you liked," he explained softly. "So I grabbed a little of everything."

I once again felt horrible for speaking to him the way I did. I took a sip of the Gatorade he'd gotten and mumbled a quiet and embarrassed, "Thank you."

Yunho didn't respond and started the car back up. I chose the BBQ Fritos and put the others in the backseat. When I opened it, the bag popped, spilling them onto my lap.

Yunho gasped and looked over worriedly, but as if it were the last straw, I could do nothing but laugh hysterically. I had tears streaming down my cheeks, finding this mundane incident incredibly amusing.

Yunho joined in, laughing more at my reaction than the situation. I even fed him one of the chips from my lap which he choked on from laughing so hard which only made us laugh more.

It was hours before we found anything remotely unfunny...a hearse carrying a casket to a funeral was driving slowly with the procession behind it. For a brief two seconds, we held our breath... until we saw a billboard for a trash pick-up company. "We'll haul your junk in our trunk!"

"That's someone's grandpa you're talking about," Yunho gasped in faux shock.

And once again, everything was funny again.

I realized that whether it was something good or bad, Yunho could find a way to make it okay. And it was in that moment that I first felt my heart flutter.