SING ME A SONG - CHAPTER 19&20
***
Before Lonnie could rushed towards Lani, she fell on the 152 inches plasma tv.
Like that, both she and the tv landed on the ground.
Lani stood up from the ground and when she saw she has damage the new tv he just got, she gave out a loud cry.
Even if they sell her, it won’t get to the amount he used in buying the tv.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to break your tv!” She said, crying sincerely.
Lonnie walked up to her and said. “Stop crying, Lani”
“How can I stop crying? I just damage your tv. Even if you sell me, the amount from trading me won’t be enough to replace it. I’m so sorry” She said going on her knees with her hands joined together.
Lonnie touched the back of his neck before helping her stand to her feet. Lani buried her head on the tiled floor, hiccuping in tears.
The way she was hiccuping, you’d think she was given a very bad beating by her grandmother. Why won’t she cry when she has no money in her bank account. Come to think of it, she doesn’t even have a bank account.
Lani clearly depends on her grandma for everything, cuz she was strictly told by her grandma not to involve herself in any part-time jobs. She hardly goes to to the restaurant to help her grandma out, because Eloise only tells her to accompany her to the restaurant once in every blue moon.
They may not to have enough, but she was pampered by her grandmother, maybe it’s because Lani lost her parents when she was just five years old. Even the chores at home were mostly done by her grandmother. All Eloise wanted was not to make Lani feel the absence of not having her parents with her.
“Look at me” Lonnie said to her when she was avoiding his eyes.
“I don’t want to” She said in a cracking voice with her head glued on the tiled floor.
“Just look at me, Lani”
“You’re angry with me. I don’t want to see your angry eyes”
Lonnie smiled and said. “I’m not angry with you. Why will I be angry with you just because of 1.5 million won” He said and Lani quickly looked at me.
“How can you 1.5 million won just? That can pay my entire tuition from kindergarten to high school and they will still be change left”
“You finally looked at me”
Lani was about burying her head again on the ground, but Lonnie stopped her from doing so.
Their eyes met with each other and they could even see their reflection on each other’s eyes
“I am so sorry” She apologized.
Lonnie used his thumb to clean his eyes, and Lani could swear that his touch felt electrifying.
“Don’t cry Lani. I won’t ask you to pay for it. You didn’t do it intentionally”
“If I haven’t gone to where it was, it won’t have happened”
“It’s fine. I will just get a new one”
“I am making you spend unnecessary. Don’t forgive me”
“I wasn’t even mad at you in the first place, so stop crying, okay” He said, cleaning her tears, and Lani nodded like a baby.
“I want to go home” She is afraid that she might break something else again.
“Don’t feel guilty, I am not angry”
“I know, I just want to go home. I don’t want to bring forth another unnecessary expenses”
“Lani”
“I am so sorry” She bows and leaves the house, and Lonnie could hear her sniffling on her way out.
“Why can’t she believe that I am not mad at her?” Lonnie muttered and called Mr. Kang.
“What’s up son? Do you need help in decorating your house?”
“Not at all. I want another plasma tv”
“What about the one I got for you?”
“It fell from me”
“You’re lying. The Lonnie I know it’s always careful. You hardly make mistakes or destroy things, cuz you’re not clumsy” Mr. Kang said.
“I am not Jesus, so I prone to always make mistakes sometimes. I will have the money transferred to you once I dropped this call”
******
•BOUTIQUE•
“How about this one? Do you like it?” Palmer said with a smile as she helped Sean pick out some clothes for his upcoming birthday.
“Do you think it will look good on me?” Sean asked.
“Absolutely. There’s nothing that doesn’t look good on my kid-brother” She said, playing with his cheek.
“Stop it, Palmer. You’re just three months older” He said and Palmer giggles.
Sean walked up to the lady clothes section and he smiled when he saw an beautiful yellow dress.
“I want this dress” Sean said to the attendant.
“You don’t have to buy me a dress Sean. It’s your birthday and not mine” She said with a smiling face.
“Who said I was buying this dress for you? You have lot of dresses in your closet, some of which you haven’t even worn, so why will I add more clothes to your closet”
“Then who are you buying it for?”
“It’s for Lani” He said smiling.
“Lani! Why?”
“I invited her to my birthday party and she accepts to be there. She isn’t born with a silver spoon, so I want to make sure she stands out when she comes to my birthday party. I want mom and dad to see her”
“You’re joking right?”
Sean ignores her question and look at the attendant.
“Do you have the perfect heels and bag that can go well with this dress?”
“Yes. Do you know her shoe size?”
“It’s Lani we are talking about here. I know everything about her. She is my crush” Sean said showing the attendant Lani’s picture on his phone. He used it as his wallpaper.
“She is so cute. Is she your girlfriend?”
“No, but she will be soon. I want the best for her, cuz she is will be coming to my eighteenth birthday party” Sean said, maintaining the exciting smile on his face.
“If that’s the case, I can show you more beautiful dresses than this, but it’s quite expensive”
“For Lani’s sake, money is not a problem” He said and left with the attendant.
“Is he in love or just being stupid?” Palmer muttered.
She shook her head and went to the jewelry section. She picked out a male wrist watch and smile.
“I will send this to Miles, saying it’s from his favorite fan. It’s a good thing Lonnie is suffering from a disease, my Miles can shine a little” She said with a smile.
Going to Seoul wasn’t a problem, cuz her stepdad is very wealthy and always gives her what she wants.
******
•STEWART HIGH SCHOOL•
Dami, Rory and Posy continues dragging Lani until they got to the quiet area of the school. Nobody goes to this particular area, so they made it their meeting place anytime they want to gossip or talk about something secretive.
“Why did you bring me here?” Lani asked, and Rory raised up his phone to her eyes.
“What is this about?” She asked.
“I know you’re dumb but you can read, so read the headlines” Dami said.
Lani sighed and took the phone from Lani.
“Ever-hills entertainment wants to debut young teenagers, all you need is to be talented and come for the audition. If you pass the audition, you only need a one year training before making a debut. Auditions will be held in three months time. Train as a group for three months and come for the audition” Lani read aloud.
“What’s this for?” She asked.
“I thought you read it? This is an opportunity for us, Lani” Posy said.
“Opportunity as in how?”
“Don’t be a dummy. You and I know that after high school there’s any hope for us out there. With our dull brains, we can’t make it to any college in Seoul or even Busan. So we came up with a new strategy” Rory said.
“What have you three come up with?”
“Being a k-pop star!” The three of them said at the same time, posing like how K-pop idols normally pose when their music come to an end, but theirs was done in a funny way.
Lani walked closer to them and touch their foreheads one after the other.
“Your temperatures are normal, so why are you three misbehaving?”
“We’re not misbehaving, Lani. This is a big opportunity for us”
“Okay let’s say it is, but what can the three of you do? Being a k-pop idol requires talents, and even if I have a nice voice, I still need to work hard, and the only way to achieve it, is training four to five years in popular entertainment industry in Seoul. Do you have the money for it? Well I will answer the question myself. The answer is capital N and capital O”
“Stop being a vibe ki||er. Dami acts like an evil spirit sometimes, but she is a good dancer and can rap a little too. Posy sings well too even though you’re better than her. As for me, I can rap few lyric songs and dance pretty well too, even if Dami dances better. Isn’t that called talent? We have it in us, it’s just that we’re not serious with life” Rory said.
“Bingo!” Dami and Posy said.
“Let’s say you have it in yourselves. Who is going to train you to do better? Cuz we need it for the audition”
“Is that even a question? Who is going to train us? 1, 2, 3….”
“Lonnie!!!” Dami, Rory and Posy said at the same time.
“Are you three crazy? Why him?”
“He has been in the k-pop world for almost ten years cuz he debuted when he was 14. What this means is that he has more experience than us, and he is a perfect person to train us for the upcoming audition. I thought you wanted to be a star, this is the perfect opportunity to say goodbye to poverty and welcome to fame and wealth” Rory said, spreading his hands to the sky.
“I am hiding from Lonnie” Lani said.
“Why?”
“I broke his 152 inch plasma tv. Even if he said he not mad at me, I am being eaten up by guilt. Even if they sell the four of us, it won’t be up to the amount he bought it”
“Will they even buy us? Have you forgotten we don’t have sense? They won’t even buy us for free” Rory said and Dami hit his head.
“Stop hitting my head!” He whines, Posy looked at him and smile.
“There’s no need selling ourselves just to pay for his TV. We’re experts when it comes to begging. Have you forgotten how the four of us pretended to be beggars to pay for Rory’s fees? The four of us always do silly things together, so this isn’t a big deal” Dami said, standing in akimbo, acting all boyishly.
******
The four friends fell on the ground and began to cry the moment Lonnie opened the door for them. They came to his house.
“What’s with the crying and begging for?” He asked.
“Forgive us for breaking your tv” They said.
Their friendship is so strong that they always bear the cross of one person’s mistakes, together.
“Lani, I thought I told that it wasn’t a big deal. I already got a new one”
Dami, Posy and Rory quickly stood up to their feet after he said that, and they went inside his house without his permission.
“Wow, this is heaven”
“Looking at your house, reminds me of a saying; in this life have money”
“Let me take a picture and post it on my instagram account that I have gone to Paris” Posy said, bringing out her phone.
Lonnie smiled and looked at Lani who stayed glued on the wall. She wasn’t moving an inch from where she was as if she was a status.
“Loosen up, Lani”
“I don’t want to break anything”
“You won’t, and even if you do, I won’t ask you to pay for it. I want the lively Lani back” Lonnie said and Lani quickly smiled and walked towards a landscape frame.
“It’s so beautiful. Can I have it?” She asked.
“Sure” Lonnie answered with a smile.
“I want this headphone” Rory said
“I want this table” Dami said.
“I want this fan, my own has spoil” Posy said.
Lonnie laughs to their demands and he nod his head with a smiling face.
“You all can have it”
“Yes!” They shouted in excitement.
“Cop cats” Lani frowns and her friends sticks out their tongues for her.
Lonnie smile.
***
“You want me to train you all for an upcoming audition?” Lonnie asked few minutes later.
“Yes” They answered.
“What are your specialties?” He asked and the four of them look at him.
“Korea isn’t an English speaking country, can you break it down. We don’t understand what’s your spesi… we don’t understand what you just said” Posy said and the rest nod.
“What I mean to say is what are you good at in terms of dancing, rapping or singing!”
“Was that what it means? You shouldn’t have said too much English. I know how to rap”
“I can sing”
“I can dance and rap”
“I can….”
“I already know you can sing Lani. You always sing every night” Lonnie winks at her. Lani blushed and quickly covered her face.
“Let’s see what you got”
“Huh?”
“You three claim to be talented, so show me what you got so that I can know where to help you” Lonnie said.
“That so easy” Rory said.
Posy, Dami and Rory formed a horizontal line.
The first five seconds were quiet, but the scream that Posy gave out as an intro song took twenty lives out from Lonnie.
RORY; We re back again, back again, back again
DAMI; Oh yeah, back, back, back
POSY; oh oh oh oh oh
RORY; We re here to sing, sing, sing
DAMI; Oh yeah, sing, sing, sing,
POSY; oh oh oh oh oh oh
RORY; We re here to burst the stage, stage, stage
DAMI; Oh yeah, burst, burst, burst
POSY; oh oh oh oh oh oh, stage yeah, burst, oh oh
Lonnie was just looking at them in dismay as they did their rubbish all in the name of they were rapping, singing and dancing.
POSY; Sing!!!!!!!
Posy screamed, calling it the closing part of the song. Lonnie had to cover his ears so he won’t get deaf.
“How is it? We’re great, right?” Dami asked, smiling.
Lonnie rubbed his hand on the back of his neck and was about saying something, but Lani beat him to it by clapping.
“You’re all incredible. You sang, dance and rapped better than most popular bands in Seoul” She said and Lonnie looked at her wondering if she finds what they just did amazing.
“What do you think? We can be K-pop stars, right?” Rory asked.
“No, you can be K-pop moons and K-pop suns, or even K-pop clouds. The four of you should just leave, I’m already having headache” He said, touching his forehead.
“We have other songs, good songs that we wrote. We can sing it for you”
Before Lonnie could say No, they already starting singing their rubbish again, Lani even joined, making it more worst.
“Jesus, come and take me, I am ready” Lonnie said covering his ears.
……
TBC