Dating an Idol

Twenty-Seven: A FRIEND'S MILESTONE

One week later.

Somebody rang the doorbell from the outside so I went to check who it was. To my surprise, it was Gianna.

Okay, I told her about the condo's address because she kept asking for it. But I never really thought that she was serious about coming over here tonight to watch the pilot episode of Mael's show with me.

"Tadahhhh!" She raised the chicken and some canned beers right on my face the moment I opened the door for her.

"I never thought you're serious about coming over here tonight," I told her.

"Of course, I am."

"But I thought you're too busy."

"We had a short break. Plus I really wanna watch the show's pilot episode with you." She went inside the unit. "Wow, Skye's place is so nice. Simple yet classy."

"I hope he won't get mad that I invited you here," I said as I followed her inside.

"I thought you asked for his permission already." She kept on checking the place.

"But I didn't get a reply from him. I'm not even sure if he read my message."

I haven't talked to Skye for about one week now. They must be so busy preparing for the comeback.

"Wow! This is one of my favorite group photos of Crest 88," she said while looking at the framed photo on the wall. "I still can't believe that I'm at Skye's place right now. Like everything seems surreal. Is this his room?"

She was about to open the door to the only bedroom in the unit but I was quick to stop her.

"This is beyond what is allowed to be explored." I held the knob firmly to prevent her from opening it.

Gianna looked at me suspiciously. "Are you hiding something from me?"

"Privacy. The fact that I allowed you to visit this place makes me feel guilty already. I cannot possibly make you go beyond this point," I said.

"Okay, okay. Relax." She winked at me before she spun around and headed to the sofa.

She threw herself on the long sofa, made herself comfortable on it, then grabbed the remote control to turn the TV on.

"The show hasn't started yet. We still have like thirty minutes before it starts," I said.

"Better early than late," she replied before she grabbed a beer from the center table and opened it. She brought it to her mouth to sip the bubbles before it spills to the floor.

"Are you even allowed to drink?" I asked.

"This is literally the first time that I drank since I came here to Korea. Plus this is only beer," she said. "And I also wanted to celebrate Mael's TV debut. Like, girl, can you believe that he's actually appearing on a national TV here in Korea?"

The realization dawned on me and it's making me soft. Yes, I haven't really realized that until now.

This is a big milestone to Mael's journey already. The first among the many steps he's about to take towards his dream. Our dreams.

"I wish I could talk to Mael right now," I said. "I suddenly miss him."

The fact that I haven't really talked to him after those viral photos was still making me upset. I really wanted to explain things to him and to sincerely apologize to him.

I checked my phone to see if he replied to my message earlier wishing him good luck. He didn't. I'm not even sure if he read it.

I sighed.

"Hey!" I heard Gianna called me.

When I turned to her, she tossed a beer on me. Though surprised, I was still able to catch it.

"Don't be such a mood breaker. Stop sighing and drink that instead," she said.

I opened the canned beer without hesitation and chugged it down my throat. It was so satisfying, like it drowned my unwanted feelings away.

The show officially started in a few minutes and I was shocked when the hosts announced two surprises for tonight's episode.

First, the guest judges for tonight's episode turned out to be Crest 88. Second, the group is going to have a comeback stage on the show. They were going to perform their comeback single for the very first time on the show.

That made Gianna ecstatic. She was frantically clapping her hands after she heard that.

I got excited, as well.

Crest 88 released the MV for their comeback single the other day and fans love it. And now, we are going to see them perform the song live.

"Go, Mael! Go, Mael! Go, Mael!" Gianna chanted when the participants were introduced through a performance. They all sang and danced together. And Gianna would shriek everytime Mael appeared on screen.

I couldn't help but get excited, as well. Nervous, too, since as far as I know, they're being judged tonight. Although there will be no elimination yet, their score would affect the elimination after a couple of weeks.

I got even more excited when Crest 88 performed their comeback single. Gianna was shrieking and clapping like some diehard fan. She was also begging me to introduce her to the other members.

I couldn't possibly do that. It's not that I am close to everyone.

And here comes the most crucial part where the judges get to choose their favorite participants. Each judge got to pick ten participants who, for them, stood out during tonight's episode.

I was expecting Skye to pick Mael not only because he knows Mael but because Mael did really well. But to my surprise, Mael wasn't among Skye's picks.

The other members, as well as the other judges, chose Mael though. He was, in fact, one of the strongest participants during tonight's episode.

"What's wrong with Skye? Why didn't he choose Mael?" Gianna pouted.

I didn't say anything although I felt the same. I was disappointed in him for not choosing Mael, too.

"He should learn how to set aside his own personal feelings and be professional," Gianna added. "Gosh, it's annoying. It's your fault for making him jealous.

Here we go again.

"Stop it," I said.

"I'm telling you, that punk is really jealous towards Mael. It shows how he glared at him."

"He looked at everyone that way."

"Nah, nah. I disagree. There's definitely something on the way he stares at Mael. Jealousy was written all over his face. Like if looks could only kill, Mael would've been dead by now."

"You and your wild imagination," I said as I stood up from my seat and picked up the remaining chicken from the center table and brought it to the dining table in the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Cleaning up."

"But I am not done eating yet."

"But the show just ended and it's getting late so you need to go home already," I said. "You still have your training tomorrow, right?"

"But let me finish this one last beer yet."

I took the last beer from her hands before she could open it. "Stop it. You don't wanna get drunk. You still need to go back to your dorm."

"Oh, c'mon. Three cans of beer won't get me drunk," she protested.

"C'mon, Gianna, you need to go home now. It's getting late," I said.

"Alright! Alright!" She raised her hands. "Why are you throwing me out of the house already? Is Skye coming home tonight?"

"He never sleeps here."

"So can I spend the night here instead?" She gave me puppy eyes.

"Seriously, Gianna. Stop it. Don't create trouble and go back to your dorm now. Wait." I took some bills from my wallet and gave it to her. "Make sure to take a cab on your way back to the dorm. It's getting late already."

"Awwww. Thanks, girl. I owe you a lot already. I'll make sure to pay you back someday."

"That's why you need to go back to your dorm now and do well on your training so you can debut and be able to pay me back in the future." I didn't mean it, of course.

"Alright, alright. I'm going home now," she said. "But make sure to tell Skye that I'm disappointed in him for not choosing Mael."

"Okay, I will," I replied just to pacify her.

"And tell him to come clean with you, too. It's unfair to take out his frustrations on Mael just because he doesn't have the balls to tell you what he truly feels."

I rolled my eyes. "Stop saying that. Skye doesn't like me that way."

She rolled her eyes, too, before she picked up her bag and headed to the door.

"You be careful on your way home, okay?" I said as I escorted her towards the door.

"I will, don't worry."

"Make sure to call me once you're in your dorm already."

"I will, I will." She went out of the door.

I watched her blow me a kiss before she got into the elevator.

I went inside the unit and was cleaning up the mess when my phone suddenly rang. My heart skipped a beat when I saw that it was Mael.

"Hey! Congratulations on your TV debut!" I said as soon as I answered the call.

"How was it?"

"You did really well, I'm so proud of you," I said.

I heard him chuckle. "Thank you. I was really nervous."

"But you did really great. I watched it together with Gianna, by the way. She came over here so we can watch it together."

"I'm glad to hear that. I really wish you were both here with me." There was a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Don't worry, we'll be able to watch you perform live one of these days," I said.

Then Mael went on talking about his experience. He sounded so excited that I couldn't help but feel happy for him, too.

I didn't even notice that we were talking for more than thirty minutes already. We talked like nothing happened. Like there was no misunderstanding between us the past week.

But I couldn't let it pass so before we ended the call, I told him again that I was sorry.

"Nope, it was me who should say sorry. I shouldn't have acted that way. I know you have your reasons. Plus you don't really owe me any explanation," he said.

"But I wouldn't feel better unless I have explained things to you," I insisted. "So you need to listen to what I had to say. Please."

"Then do it tomorrow. How about eight in the evening? Are you free by then?"

"What do you mean?"

"We're allowed to leave the dorm tomorrow night. Will you meet up with me?"

I suddenly got excited. "That sounds cool! Sure!"

We set the time and place before we ended the call. And I felt like a heavy load was lifted off my chest after our conversation.

But then I saw a notification from Skye. It looked like he had sent me messages while I was on the phone with Mael.

Why is your phone busy? I was trying to call you.

Who are you talking with?

Seriously, you're not yet done?

C'mon, Yuri. I only sneaked out. We were not supposed to be on our phones right now.

Seriously, who are you talking with? Are you talking to that trainee again?!

He was referring to Mael, I know. And while reading his messages, I couldn't help but think…

Is Gianna right? Is Skye really jealous over Mael? Does he really like me more than a friend?

Ohhh, Yuri. You shouldn't think that way. Gianna was just talking nonsense, don't let it poison your mind, I told myself as I tried to drive those crazy thoughts away.