| Fan Fiction |
by -n3ya08-
man, i missed winglin!!!!
so anyways, here's the latest chappie of Place your Bets!!!
Chapter 19:
“T-hish ish sshoooo gooowwd!!!” Seulgi exclaimed, stuffing some fresh bread into her mouth. It was the second day and everyone was eating breakfast.
JaeBeom, who was sitting across Seulgi, laughed at her cuteness. He grabbed a napkin and wiped some crumbs off her face.
Yunho, who was sitting next to him suppressed the urge to kill him on the spot. Jaejoong had dragged him to sit with them for breakfast that morning, and he just so happened to take the seat on his right.
“Good morning!” they heard a cheerful voice approach them.
Everybody looked at the person who said it and they all had different reactions when they saw Hyojoo and Donghae holding hands.
Seulgi choked on her food.
Boa just sat there, with her jaw hanging open.
Jaejoong had a dumbfounded look on his face.
Yunho spit out the water he was drinking and it (purposely) accidentally landed on JaeBeom.
And JaeBeom was just wiping his shirt with a napkin.
The newly-reconciled couple laughed at the various reactions. “Surprised?” Donghae asked.
Everyone silently nodded at the same time.
Eventually, they took the empty seats on the table and started chatting away.
“So, where are you guys going today?” Boa asked everyone.
The three guys told her that they were going sight-seeing together.
“Aww, c’mon, babe,” said Jaejoong when he saw the pout on Boa’s face. “We men need some bonding time, too. I promise I’ll be with you for the rest of the trip, Araso?”
Boa immediately brightened up. “Okay, I understand!” she said, and pulled on Hyojoo’s arm. “Hyojoo and I will just go shopping today!”
Hyojoo smiled and nodded before returning her attention to her boyfriend.
“So, that leaves you with no one to go with today,” JaeBeom stated, directing his statement to Seulgi.
“Hrrrmmphhpp?” Seulgi said, her mouth still full of food. Some soup even trickled down her chin.
JaeBeom laughed. Yunho hid his smile as he drank some water.
Seulgi swallowed her mouthful.”Well, it’s actually okay with me if I go alone today. I’m going to an art gallery anyway.”
JaeBeom brightened up. “I was planning on going there today, too!” he gave her a killer smile. “Wanna go there together?”
Yunho choked on the bread he was eating when he heard those words come out of JaeBeom’s mouth. He punched his chest and coughed loudly, as he tried to make the food go down his throat. Donghae passed him a glass of water and he gratefully gulped it down.
All this time, Seulgi was watching him with anxiety written all over her face.
“Gwenchanayo?” she asked as Yunho coughed a little more.
Yunho nodded. “That was –cough- a really big piece of bread.”
Seulgi heaved a sigh of relief. She had been really worried, for some reason. She mentally slapped herself and shrugged the thought off.
Yunho hid another smile as he realized she was concerned about him. It felt good to know. It was his turn for mental slapping as he thought about something else. Well, at least he tried to.
That afternoon, Seulgi and JaeBeom went to one of the art galleries in Venice.
The day after that, they went to Piazza San Marco.
And the day after that, they went to a local museum.
The day after that, they went sightseeing and to a local restaurant, where Seulgi ate like there was no tomorrow.
And after that, they went to another art gallery.
And then another museum the day after that.
Seulgi took in a deep breath of the Venice air. She was standing at the balcony in their hotel room, just admiring the view.
“Morning!” Boa chirped cheerfully. She had just finished taking a shower and Hyojoo was still asleep.
“Can you believe that we’re going home tomorrow?” Boa said. “It was only like yesterday when we first came here, and now we’re going back tomorrow!”
The balcony door suddenly opened and out came a blooming Hyojoo. Ever since getting back together with Donghae, she had been all smiles.
“So how are you guys gonna spend the rest of our trip?” asked Hyojoo.
“I’m gonna spend it with Jae, of course!” Boa said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Then we all know that I’m spending the day with Donghae oppa!” Hyojoo said.
“What about you, Seulgi?” Boa asked.
Seulgi thought for a while. Throughout the whole trip, she was hanging out with JaeBeom. Everyday for the past week, they would just meet up and he would take her to a place where she would usually want to go. It was really fun, going to the museums, art galleries, and other places, but because of that, she never even got to ride the gondola boats, which was the one thing she wanted to do in Venice. Although, throughout the trip, JaeBeom was really sweet. And he made her blush countless times.
“I guess I’m gonna hang out with Beom again,” she said. She mentally sighed. It was the last day. JaeBeom or no JaeBeom, she just had to ride that boat.
Her phone rang and she received a message it was from JaeBeom.
“Meet me at the water village later at 5…=)”
Seulgi beamed. She was finally going to ride a gondola boat!
…
JaeBeom tiredly rolled around his bed, after texting Seulgi. He was saving the gondola ride for the last day, partly because he hated boats, but mainly because he wanted it to be special he was finally going to confess to Seulgi and ask her to be his girlfriend once and for all. He had been keeping his feelings for her since she stayed with him in the States, and he really thought it was time for him to speak up.
His legs felt like jelly as he stood up from his bed and his head was throbbing. He fell down to the floor.
“JaeBeom!” called his roommate, Leeteuk. He ran forward to his side to help him up.
“You’re burning, dude,” he said, as he dragged him back to his bed. He then picked up the phone and called Ms. Park’s room.
Ms. Park came in and checked his temperature. She clicked her tongue. “You have a really high fever, JaeBeom. It’s not that serious, and I think you’ll get better in a few hours, but I suggest you stay here and rest for the day.”
JaeBeom was too weak to listen. Thinking about Seulgi, he sank into sleep.
…
Seulgi stood by the canal, where the gondola boats were at five o’clock. She was excitedly waiting for JaeBeom.
Five minutes passed and she saw no sign of him coming.
“He’s just a little late,” she told herself, still smiling.
Ten more minutes passed by.
“Okay, maybe more lat than I expected, but that’s fine.”
Twenty more minutes passed.
“Maybe he’s having a hard time finding the place,” she reassured herself nervously.
Seulgi waited and waited for him at the water village. Thirty minutes passed. Then, it stretched into an hour. And then, it became two. And she was still waiting.
At a distance, she watched a couple arrive and get on one of the boats. She sighed as she looked after it, rowing away.
Yunho stood at the bridge, watching the gondola boats pass by. A couple had just hopped in one of them and was enjoying a romantic ride.
Yunho remembered what he said to himself when he was a kid,
[Flashback]
Little Yunho sat with his mother and father in a gondola boat. They were taking a vacation in Venice.
He looked around and saw another boat, with a couple in it. When they passed under a bridge, they kissed.
Yunho’s face crinkled in disgust. “Eww,” he said, as he pointed at the couple.
Mrs. Jung chuckled. “What’s so gross about that, son?” she asked, amused.
“They’re doing it in public!!!” he exclaimed.
Mr. Jung laughed and said, “What else would they do? They’re in love.”
“Well, I still think it’s disgusting,” Yunho said stubbornly, crossing his arms and looking away, huffing.
His parents smiled affectionately at their son, and they eventually went under the bridge.
Yunho’s eyes grew wide as his parents had a PDA moment in front of him.
“Omma! Appa! Stop that!” he scolded.
His parents laughed again. “Well, like your father said, we’re in love,” his mother told him. “You’ll be in love someday too, y’know that?”
Yunho looked at her as if she was crazy. “But girls are gross! They have cooties!”
His father wrapped an arm around his wife’s waist. “If all girls have cooties, then why did I marry your mother? Besides, they say it’s a tradition to kiss under the bridge.”
Mrs. Jung took her son’s hand in hers.
“Y’know, son… I think you should take the person you fall in love with here, someday.”
Yunho gave her a look. “Who told you I was even gonna fall in love?”
Mrs. Jung laughed again. “Just do it!” she said.
Yunho looked around at the surroundings. It looked like everything a girl would like. Maybe it would be a good idea.
“Okay,” he smiled. His parents hugged him.
“But I won’t guarantee that I’ll fall in love!”
[End Of Flashback]
Yunho laughed at the memory. He still planned to keep that promise.
He was suddenly pulled away from his thoughts as he saw a lone familiar figure in the distance.
Seulgi sighed as she watched another boat with yet, another couple rowed away. She stared after it longingly.
Just as she was about to take off, she heard a familiar voice call her.
“Yah, pabo. What’re you doing here?” Yunho asked.
Seulgi gave him a look. “What do you care?” she said sadly.
“Where’s JaeBeom?” he continued to ask.
Seulgi sighed. “Anywhere but here.” She gave another longing look on the gondola boats.
Yunho, who saw this, sighed and walked toward her. He pulled her by the wrist and dragged her towards one of the boats.
“What are you doing?” Seulgi asked, alarmed by his action.
“You wanna ride the gondola, don’t you?” Yunho guessed.
Seulgi didn’t say anything and Yunho took her silence as a confirmation.
They boarded the small boat, and just when Yunho was about to row it himself, Seulgi stopped him.
“Isn’t someone else supposed to row the boat?”
Yunho shook his head. “They don’t usually mind. Just as long as we bring it back, it’s fine with them.”
Seulgi nodded in understanding and Yunho carried on rowing the boat.
Seulgi observed as Yunho expertly maneuvered the boat with ease. He turned whenever they were greeted by curves along the canal, and he seemed to know where he was rowing.
“Have you been here before?” asked Seulgi in curiosity. “It seems like you know the area pretty well.”
Yunho nodded. “I used to go come here all the time when I was a kid.”
Seulgi nodded in understanding as she looked around.
Venice was certainly beautiful, especially at this time of night. Even though cool breezes passed by, Seulgi felt a sense of warmth inside her, followed by a very familiar feeling. She hadn’t felt this way for a long time. For the first time in almost a year, she felt her once-lifeless heart thump back to life. But this time, it was thumping as if it was making up for lost time. As if it was paying back for all those months that it wasn’t moving.
Even when she was with JaeBeom, she never felt this way when she was looking at him.
Yet, as she stole a glance at the boy sitting in front of her, her poor heart beat even faster.
“Why do I feel this way?” she asked herself as she continued to stare at Yunho, whose concentration was directed into rowing the boat.
“Has he really changed into the jerk he once was? Or has he really kept on being the boy I fell in love with?”
Yunho continued on rowing the boat. All the while, his heart rate was high, all because of the person sitting with him in the boat. He did his best not to feel that way. And the romantic ambience of Venice wasn’t helping.
He rowed on until they went under the bridge.
It was perfect timing.
It was as if mother nature was watching them and was waiting for the right moment.
Because as soon as the whole boat was under the shade of the bridge, an extremely heavy shower began to pour down, making the two stuck under the bridge.
Seulgi sighed with relief as she saw that rain didn’t soak them.
“I guess we’re stuck here until the rain stops, huh?” Yunho said awkwardly.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Seulgi answered.
“So what are we gonna do now?” he asked, trying to ease up the awkwardness.
“I think we just have to wait ‘till the rain stops,” she said simply.
The atmosphere was wrapped with another layer of discomfort.
Along with the rain, strong winds suddenly blew and they soon grew cold.
Seulgi opened her backpack and took out the scarf JaeBeom bought her. She wrapped it around her body and welcomed the warmth.
Beside her, she heard Yunho’s teeth chatter. She turned to look at him, with his arms wrapped round himself.
Seulgi took the scarf off and stretched it out. The fabric was thick and it was big enough for two people. She nudged Yunho and offered him the scarf. He refused, but she insisted.
And with that, Seulgi scooted closer to him, and wrapped the huge scarf around them, like a blanket.
…
Boa and Hyojoo got back to the hotel, just in time for the storm to kick in.
They went into their room and saw that Seulgi wasn’t there.
“Where could she be?” Boa asked anxiously.
Hyojoo thought for a while and said, “She said she was going to ride a gondola with JaeBeom today.”
The two headed out of the door and saw JaeBeom running towards them.
“Hey girls, have you seen Seulgi?” he asked worriedly.
Boa and Hyojoo looked at him in surprise. “We thought she was with you!” they said together.
JaeBeom shook his head. “I was sick for the whole day and couldn’t get out of bed, and I just got better!” he said.
He looked around worriedly. Where could Seulgi be?
They couldn’t tell their teachers, because it would cause them trouble.
They couldn’t look for her themselves, because students weren’t allowed to go out during the storm.
Jaejoong and Donghae suddenly came into view they ran towards the three, anxiety written on their faces.
“Have you seen Yunho?” they asked at the same time.
“He’s missing too?!” Boa exclaimed.
Now all of them were worried.
And all they could do was wait and pray that their friends would be safe.
Meanwhile, back under the bridge, Seulgi and Yunho were still huddled together in the boat. The rain hadn’t stopped and it was still as cold as ever. It didn’t help that the showers were heavier, too.
Seulgi suddenly fell asleep and her head was bopped down.
Yunho stared at her before he chuckled and put her head on his shoulder.
She looked so peaceful when she was sleeping. So angelic.
Yunho remembered the words his father had told him.
” Besides, they say it’s a tradition to kiss under the bridge.”
Yunho looked at Seulgi’s calm face again and he couldn’t help himself.
“Well, you can’t break tradition,” he thought, as he leaned in to plant a sweet kiss on her forehead.
She stirred a bit, but didn’t wake up.
“Jung Yunho, who are you trying to fool,” he scolded himself. “Of course you still love her.”
…
The rain had finally stopped when Seulgi opened her eyes. It was already morning.
It took her a while to realize that she was leaning on Yunho’s shoulder and his head was rested on top of hers.
She woke him up and they returned the boat then set off for the hotel afterwards.
Boa and Hyojoo ran to their friend as soon as she entered their hotel room.
“Yah! Where the hell were you last night?!?!?!” Boa half-screamed. Hyojoo didn’t say anything and just looked at her, thankful that she was safe.
Seulgi plopped down her bed. “You wouldn’t believe it.”
Boa and Hyojoo cocked their eyebrows as Seulgi sat up and told them the story.
Then, there was a long silence.
“Wow,” Hyojoo finally spoke up.
“Wow,” Boa repeated.
“Yeah,” Seulgi agreed.
They were all looking into space, Seulgi still absorbing what had happened to her the night before, and her two friends still taking in what she had told them.
“So…how do you feel about the whole thing?” Boa asked after a long moment of silence.
It took Seulgi a long time to answer.
“I don’t know,” she finally said.
And they just sat there as another layer of silence wrapped the atmosphere.
…
That afternoon, the students said goodbye to the hotel staff and left their hotel rooms (after stuffing all the complimentary hotel gifts into their bags of course), and set off to the airport.
“Seulgi!” she heard JaeBeom call out. She saw him running towards her in the lobby.
“Look, I’m really sorry for what happened yesterday! I cam down with the flu, and Ms. Park told me to stay in bed, and I got better, then there a storm, and you weren’t in your room, and-“
“It’s okay,” Seulgi cut him off.
JaeBeom smiled and heaved a sigh of relief. “That’s good,” he said. He then pulled out his arm, which was hidden behind his back, to reveal a bouquet of daisies.
“Please accept my humble peace offering,” he said.
Seulgi laughed and accepted them anyway. Truth be told, she always hated daisies. There was something about them that she didn’t like.
Yunho was watching the scene from afar and scoffed. “Her favorite flowers are roses.”
…
Seulgi woke up the next morning, feeling dazed. She was still thinking of the boat ride she shared with Yunho when they were in Venice.
Questions began to swim in her head.
“Do I still happen to have feelings for this guy?” she asked herself. “But what about JaeBeom? Aren’t I developing something for him, too?”
She looked at the ceiling.
“I’m confused,” she said aloud.
But one thing was for sure.
All the sweet and kind things that JaeBeom did to her while in Venice was nothing compared to that one boat ride she shared with Yunho.
But was a boat ride even enough?
<3--------------------------------
~~~~****SNEAK PEEK****~~~~
COMING UP NEXT!!!
“What did you wanna talk about?”
“I wanna talk to you about Seulgi.”