Over The Seas [Kim Sunwoo The Boyz]

Ch. Twenty-Four

It's finally the weekend meaning no more school until January! I'm gonna make sure I take these next few days easy so I can relax and enjoy my break, even if it means not seeing the guys for about six weeks.
Hopefully, our Christmas outing will be fun. And hopefully I'll still be able to hang out with Sunwoo here and there, but I'm sure he'll probably rather spend time with his fellow members and family.

Since it's currently a Saturday afternoon, I usually take this time to either clean and do my chores or relax by reading a book or listening to music. This time, I chose to listen to music because ever since I listened to The Boyz's recent album, I couldn't get their voices out of my head. And the fact that I've met them already just makes me want to see what they're all about.

I can't get enough of Sunwoo's voice. His rapping skills are unlike anything I've ever heard. Though when I first met him I would've never thought of him as a rapper, with his voice, it really suits him...

As I listened to their other songs, I kept admiring all of their voices, especially Sunwoo. I started missing him more and more with each song. I really wish I could see him right now.
I open our messages and see that it's been a few days since we texted each other. It might not hurt to say something right not, that is if he isn't busy...
I tap on the message box and start typing.
Then, out of the blue, I see something pop up of the left side of the screen.

Sunwoo: is typing...

I immediately stop typing.
Waitwaitwait, what's happening?

Sunwoo: Hi, Riyae
Sunwoo: Are you free right now by any chance?

Without even reading the message, I become still, frozen completely.
Is this a weird coincidence? Am I just psychic?? How did we almost text each other at the same time...
I then read the message.
Does he want to see me? Why did he ask if I was free? I don't understand what's going onnnnn!! Okok, just calm down and answer him.

Me: Yes, I'm free right now
Me: Is there something you need?

Sunwoo: Yeah, there actually is something I really need right now

What could that be? And what does it have to do with me??

Me: What's that?

Sunwoo: Can we just meet somewhere?

Me: Of course!

It does sound a bit urgent...what if something bad happened?

We decided to meet each other at the park nearby my house. Since I was already in casual attire, I walked downstairs, left a quick note in the kitchens for Jihoon if he suddenly wondered where I was, and headed outside. Walking to the location, I had a sudden thought come to my head.
Could this be the day? Could this be the day he confesses his feelings??
The second I think those thoughts, I instantly regretted it.
No, there's no way that'll happen...
Unless......No, I don't want to get my hopes up.

I arrive at the park before Sunwoo, so I sat on the swings, patiently waiting for him.
Not long afterwards, I see Sunwoo walking towards me from a distance.
This could be it...
I stand up and walk towards him.
"Hey, Sunwoo!" I say with a smile on my face.
"Hey." He responds in a low voice.
I notice that he isn't smiling. He has his hands in his pockets, hood over his head, not even making eye contact with me.
Worried, I ask, "Is everything alright?"
He sighed.
"No, not really."
Without giving myself a chance to think what to say, I couldn't let myself hesitate to know what was wrong.
"What happened?"
It took him a bit to tell me his problem. I could already tell that it was really bothering him.
"I've been feeling pretty stressed lately.
I know it might sounds dumb but-"
"No, it's not dumb at all!" I interrupt.
He llightly chuckled.
"I just needed a bit of an escape,
And he thought of me to help him? My heart's totally not melting right now.
It wasn't a confession, but it's not the time to be sad by that. I give him a heartwarming smile, hopefully lightening the mood.
I walked past him and start walking on the sidewalk. I turn back and see that he's still standing there, starting at me.
"Are you coming or what?" I say to him.
He grins and walks up next to me.

The evening is slowly starting and the sky is becoming purple. Sunwoo and I are walking side by side, talking about different topics, from our favorite foods to why other planets exist. For a second, I begin to forget that Sunwoo is a k-pop idol and that I even have feelings for him; It feels like we're simply... existing. I didn't think my ways of distracting him from his problems were able to distract myself from mine. It's interesting how things work that way...

After about half an hour or so of walking around the city and talking about random stuff, we got a bit tired and hungry too. Sunwoo saw a nearby convenient store so we decided to stop there. We bought some ramen to eat, other snacks, and our drinks. It wasn't too cold so I chose to sit outside. We ate our food in silence, though it was only a long moment of silence because we both finished in about 6 minutes.
"I didn't think I was this hungry." I explained.
"Me neither, but it was really good."
We lightly laughed before it got quiet again. I examined Sunwoo's face for a bit to see if he was still feeling down, but I noticed that there's something circling in his mind.
As I was about to open my mouth to ask him about his troubles, Sunwoo sighed, then began to speak.
"Don't you ever feel bad for being aggravated and stressed about something?"
Though I was a bit surprised by his question, I thought hard about it.
"Depends on the situation." I answer honestly. "How come you ask?"
He takes a second to respond.
"You know how I've been a bit absent recently?"
I nod.
"We've been planning a lot of events for this upcoming year so we're all working a lot more. And we still have our normal practices, some of us have school, and other stuff we have to do...It's just been kinda stressful."
It makes perfect sense...I can't help but feel really bad for him.
"And you feel bad for getting stressed about it?" I asked him, considering his previous question.
He gave a subtle nod.
Choosing my words wisely, I decide to give him some advice.
"People can't help but get angry and stressed out; it's all in our nature. You shouldn't feel bad for feeling something your supposed to feel."
"Work can get hard and it can be a lot sometimes, but if you really think about it, it's all worth it in the end. I'm sure whatever you guys have planned for next year will bring a lot of joy and great memories for not only yourselves, but your fans."
"It's okay to take breaks here and there, take them as often as you need. I'm sure no one wants you to completely wear yourself out."
I take a short pause to catch my breath.
"To put it all into simple terms, don't feel bad for being a normal person and having normal feelings."
I should take my own advice...
Sunwoo sat still, not really saying a word once I finished talking.
Did I say something wrong?
As I sat there worried, Sunwoo sat up straight, rested his elbows on the table, and folded his hands together as if he was about to tell me something really serious. He subtly rolled his eyes and let out a sigh.
"You always know how to say the right thing." He says in a kind tone.
Thinking he was about to say something negative, I was taken aback by his words.
"You have such a way with words, it's frustrating." He said with a laugh.
Not even trying to hide my smile, I thank him for the compliments.
"I'm just trying my best to help you."

Once we had finished talking, we threw our trash away and fixed the table like we saw it before we used it. We both agreed that we tired ourselves out with all the chatter, so he decided to walk me home.
The night creeped upon us as we walked through the city of Seoul. We didn't have much left to talk about, so we slightly walked side by side. I looked over at him from the corner of my eye and began to wonder.
Could it be possible that he does have feelings for me? I mean, he went to me when he felt stressed, opened up to me about his problems, and he seemed so comfortable talked to me about all sorts of topics...
I looked down at my feet as I thought of the possibilities.
It could be true, but what are the chances of that? Kangji, Sewoon, and even the twins all agree that Sunwoo likes me. What more do I need to believe?
Suddenly, an idea strikes into my head.