Love in the Air

Chapter 3

The next morning I wake up in an unfamiliar bed that continues to fail to bring me the comfort my old bed did. Mom makes porridge for breakfast and I decide to take a walk around the neighborhood to get some fresh air and start familiarizing myself with my new habitat. I step outside and look towards my left where SangHyuk had come from. "Ehhhhh it's probably better to get as far away as possible from that house," I think as I take off toward the right. Even though I grew up in a Korean household, everything seems so different and strange to me. I read every sign saying that there's a park nearby so I decide to walk there.
There are not many people there when I arrive so I sit on one of the swings and take out my phone to see if anyone has tried reaching me yet. I scroll through Instagram trying to see how my friends are doing when I hear the swing next to me squeak. I figure it's just some kid so I continue scrolling without bothering to look up in the hope of avoiding conversation. I feel like I'm being watched.... I can feel the stranger's eyes on me and soon I can feel his face getting closer. I finally decide to look up this creep only to find a beautifully full-lipped and big nosed boy staring back at me. "What the hell? Why is he beautiful? Ugh he looks like a baby but he's probably older than me too, isn't he."
"Hello~~" he sings
"What the heck are you doing?" I ask
"I'm looking at you."
"Yeah I figured that one out, genius. Why are you staring at me, please stop."
"I didn't recognize you. I know pretty much everyone in this neighborhood and there aren't many young people around here so I wanted to see who you were." He pauses to take a look at me and I feel much more uncomfortable that I already did. "You're pretty," he smiles.
"Okay I'm leaving." I get up to walk away and try not to show how much I'm freaking out at the moment. I've never been good with compliments and now I have a gorgeous creep I've never met telling me I'm pretty. I don't know whether to be freaked out or ecstatic about this.
"No, don't leave," he calls out. I hear his footsteps approaching me but I keep walking and try not to pay any attention to him. He quickly catches and and walks beside me. "What's you're name?"
I hesitate for a second then decide it's better for me not to be too rude, "I'm RiGi."
"Ah! You're RiGi?! I'm Jaehwan! I live next door, Hyukkie told me all about last night. I'm glad to finally meet you. I don't know why I didn't automatically know it was you," he laughed.
"Is he always this excited," I think.
"Uhh nice to meet you too, Jaehwan. So... You're in Hyuk's band?" I ask tentatively.
"Yup!" He exclaims
"This kid has too much energy. Are they all this beautiful?" I think to myself somewhat frustrated. "How many of you are there?" I ask.
"Six, but I'm the best looking," he says while winking.
I roll my eyes and search the neighborhood hoping to see my house already but it's still not quite in sight.
"You should come over and we can perform for you, then you'll see how amazing I look in action," he says.
"Hyuk invited me over too, I'll see if I can stop by sometime," I say only half heartedly. I'd love to see Hyuk but this Jaehwan guy is a little too much for me even if he is beautiful.
"Why don't you come by right now? I'm sure the guys wouldn't mind and you don't seem to have too much planned right now seeing as though you only seemed to leave the park to get away from me," he laughs. "Was my beauty too much for your eyes to handle?" He smiles and winks again and I try not to let him see that he's phased me.
"Sure, let's go with that."
"So is that a yes, you'll come over right now?"
"Umm actually I should be getting home before my mom starts worrying about me."
"No problem, we'll stop by and let her know you're coming over."
"Crap, that's definitely not what I meant," I think to myself. "Well I'm pretty tired since I'm still pretty jet lagged so maybe now isn't the best time," I say still trying to wiggle my way out of it.
"Once you see all of us performing, you'll be invigorated. Come on, please come," he pleads and gives me the most intense puppy look I had ever seen in my life.
I groan before I finally reluctantly agree.
"Yay!" exclaims JaeHwan.
We get to my house and Jaehwan starts tuning toward it. "No no, it's okay Jaehwan I'll just run in and let her know I'm going over, you can go in to your house or wait out here if you like," I say rapidly.
"Oh RiGi that would be rude of me. I must go introduce myself to eomeoni eventually," he says tauntingly. "Let's go," he says in his singsong voice.
"Oh man... This is not going to be good," I groan to myself. We walk in and say, "eomma, I'm home!"
"Eomeoni~~ Jaehwan is home," Jaehwan calls.
Mom walked out of the kitchen just in time to see me shoot a very annoyed look in Jaehwan's direction. She gives me a quick angry look before turning to Jaehwan, smiling and saying, "oh hello Jaehwan, you must be one of the neighbors."
"Yes eomeoni, I am Jaehwan, it's very nice to meet you," he says politely yet still somewhat singsongy.
"Would you like some tea?" she asks.
"Oh no thank you, eomeoni. RiGi and I just wanted to let you know that the boys and I would like to have RiGi at our house right now so she could see us perform, would that be alright with you?" he asks.
"Oh of course, just don't be out too late okay RiGi."
"Will do eomma."
"I'll have her home before supper, eomeoni," Jaehwan says firmly with a small smirk on his face. "Let's go."
"Bye eomma," I call and I close the door.
"This is going to be to much fun," Jaehwan says happily. He seems like such a puppy to me. "Let's just hope Hakyeon doesn't mess anything up," he says.
"Oh please don't let this Hakyeon and the rest of them be as beautiful as Hyuk or JaeHwan," I think to myself. I begin to hope that this Hakyeon does mess up and I can escape quickly.
Jaehwan and I reach the door. "You ready for this?" he smiles down at me.
"I guess."
Jaehwan opens the door and wraps his arm around me. "Hey everyone! Meet RiGi, our new neighbor."