Fangirl

"I like you."

Hearing those words with sincerity in a foreign tongue made her heart flutter. So simple, so direct-it was such a heartfelt confession.

Too bad she could only see it in dramas. Groaning, she pulled out her earphones and paused the video on her laptop.

She still remembered yesterday night's events.

After profusely apologizing to him for spurting water in his face, he excused himself to the men's washroom.

Not only did he return with a stony facade but the last words he had said to her that night was, "Let's go."

The train ride and walk home was filled with awkward silence. She could feel the sulkish aura around him while she was still pondering on what he meant.

Groaning again in frustration, she buried her face in the pillows.

She really didn't know how many times she apologized last night.

Not just for the spill but also for everything that he said.

It wasn't that she didn't know. It was because she just wasn't sure.

'Come on, knock the door, self.'

But here she was, standing by her neighbor's door hesitant to confront it all.

After pacing for a few minutes, knocking on aîr, she finally breathed from 1 to 10.

She tried to sound casual as much as possible. "Neji, can you give me back my phone?" She bit her lips. "I-I need to show you something."

When he opened the door, she could see the uncertainty in his eyes as she still left his somewhat proposition unanswered. There was also a hint of fear in them but he still gave the phone to her.

Opening her phone, she started looking for that.

He was about to open his mouth when she shyly smiled at him. Passing her phone to him, she said. "Here, take a look at this."

Again, it wasn't that she didn't know but because she just wasn't sure.

Not until last night when he finally made it clear to her.

3 years and counting, that was how long she had been immersed in the K-pop realm. She had paved her way to follow her favorite solo artists, girl groups, boy groups and actors in the complete package--their music, dramas, movies and variety shows.

She was relatively new but it served her as the ultimate distraction in stressful environment of working with demanding clients and her non-existent love life.

Of course, it wasn't until she wanted to start attending concerts that she finally noticed some things.

After many arguments with her parents, he brought up the suggestion of driving her and insisted on it.

She definitely knew him as the type to not deal with favors that didn't benefit him in the first place.

At first, she figured he just wanted to return the favor. Afterall, they grew closer because she kept his fangirls at bay in college and at the workplace.

Or pity, because she had such strict parents and that he knew that out of all her friends, they trusted him the most.

Although, there had also been other things.

Like the way he'd look amuse at her concert get-up everytime or that one time she saw him after her fifth concert, as if glaring at the big poster in front of him.

And when she started watching dramas, she got infuriated on a certain episode and commented out loud. "How come the bestfriend doesn't always get the girl?!"

To which she softly heard a murmur of 'I ask myself that too.' She looked up from her phone to look at him and it turned out that he was on a business call.

"Yes, sir. We all have those questions..."

Surprisingly, he told her of his observation on her bias and bias wrecker at one point. "You prefer the intellectual types."

She couldn't deny the fact for a deeper reason.

Overall, he asked a lot of questions about her interests to the point that she would always end up ranting to him.

Most of the time, she thought her mind was playing tricks on her because of the dramas she watched. So instead of overthinking and losing sleep, she just succumbed herself to binge-watching romantic comedies.

It wasn't helping that he always texted her, reminding her to sleep. And every time, she would pause the video to reply to him.

Smiling as she watched him swipe photo after photo, his expressions turned from curiosity to puzzlement. "I actually wanted to collage all of that for your birthday but I think you'd get the wrong idea."

As much as a fangirl she was, there was no denying that she also had those tendencies especially when it came to him.

Actually, she wasn't sure what she looked forward to: the concert, him driving her or seeing him after the concert, patiently waiting for her. All in all, it was an opportunity to spend time with him. The ranting and all those recommendations were done on impulse.

Just because it was him.

In the album under his name were candid photos of him waiting in every concert she went to. Whether sitting inside a cafe, napping in his car, working on his laptop and standing in front of his car--all of the photos were of him.

Yes, he was the one who could bring her back to reality. After every concert, she always had those moments of just standing from afar...admiring him.

In fact, she could not deny being in love with the oppa in her life.

"This looks like photos taken by a stalker."

She snapped out of her thoughts and blinked at him. He was smirking at her.

A bit insulted, she retorted. "Correction, it's fangirl."

"Ah," He nodded at her, his eyes full of mirth.

That reaction brought out her feisty self. "I hate to admit it," She rolled her eyes. "I'm actually a fangirl of you." She then stared at anything but him.

A pause.

"I told you. Shouldn't you be the girlfriend?"

Annoyed at his amused tone and seemingly flustered all over, "If this is your way of asking me out, you should try harder." She scowled at him. "I've seen men do better in dramas than this."

Back to his serious facade, he replied. "Most of them don't exist in real life." He smiled, "The fact that I tolerate and enjoy your fangirling tendencies is already too good to be true. But here I am, actually existing."

She pursed her lips together. 'How should I even respond to that?'

"Ugh," Still at a lost for words, she covered her face in a muffled tone, "You're making me embarassed."

Having so much reaction on K-pop was easier than dealing with this confession slash confrontation.

She heard a bit of a shuffle before she could feel his hands remove them from her face.

"They call it D-Day, right? Then it starts today." He smiled as he intertwined his fingers with hers.

The fact that he was so composed about it all made her fluster even more.

--

"Ten," Neji handed her his mobile phone. She looked at it and instantly slapped his shoulder in response. "What!"

He just waited for the fangirl spirit to take over. 'Insert squealing here.'

She did and then started glancing around, calculating in her head before tapping her foot and looking at him. "I can file for leave on that day. I should buy tickets."

She handed him back his phone and forgot him altogether.

Until he said, "Buy two. I'm coming with you."

"Yeah, sure." She said dismissively.

After a few moments, "Wait, you want to see a girl group perform?"

He looked up from his book. "Yes, why?"

"Nothing, just..." She frowned, "Should I be jealous or concerned? Or you're just annoying me?"

Shrugging, he returned to his reading hiding his smirk. "Are you jealous? Do I need permission to go?"

"Well, I don't ask for one and you don't give me one. I just find it...surprising."

"It's their anniversary concert, right?"

"Yes, how come you know that?"

"Your links to me affect my ad preferences and it says so on the description."

She changed the topic. "I'm actually thinking of signing up on their fan cafe after finally watching them live."

"Hn."

--

"Come on, Neji!" She grabbed his arm as they fell in line at the venue entrance.

Grinning to herself, she gave her boyfriend a once over. He looked normal so as to speak. He turned heads as usual due to his looks but the fact that he was carrying her lightsticks (both of them were hers at this point) felt good. Attending the event felt even better because he also paid for their lightsticks and their concert tickets.

Officially, he was the best boyfriend a Tenten-fangirl can have.

"Hn."

"So, while we wait...you've got minutes to be honest and let the fanboy out. I will still accept you." She teased him.

"I only came here because I wanted to see how accurate your choreography is with theirs."

"Denial." She lightly jabbed him.

"I wanted to go on a concert date with you."

"That's sweet but I know there's more."

"Their music isn't bad."

"And?" She waited for more.

Exasperated at her interrogation, "Fine, they're attractive."

Knowing it was his last comment that clearly translated to her as 'they're pretty and they have talent', she rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm so glad you've become one of us."

"You're contagious."

"Contagious is better than jealous."

"Hn."

"I know, Hyuga. I know."

Clearly, it was still a bit of an insult to his controllable jealousy of her boy groups and her favorite actor, Rock Lee.

--

A few clicks here and there and Tenten finally landed on the last web page.

ANBU Fan Cafe Registration

Most unforgettable moment with ANBU (Optional):

'It's not exactly a moment with them but a moment in their concert. It's the first concert I attended with my boyfriend. I'd like to think that I unintentionally made him into a fan which he refuses to admit (denial, we've been there at one point) and since we decided to take things slow...It's the first time he kissed me during Yugao's solo, Moonlight. Still reeling of the fact that it was our first concert together and he made it all the more special.'

Feeling that someone was peering over her shoulder, she heard him say, "I should write my success story then: from best friend to chaperone to boyfriend to fanboy."

She grinned at his deadpanned expression, "Be my guest."

-

A/N: There's one lovely guest here who reminded me I left something unfinished again. Guest22, this is for you. :D

Sorry I left you guys hanging. In a strange turn of events, I've moved to Hong Kong from Philippines for work so it took awhile to adjust. I got into the K-Drama zone and the anime zone so yes, I'm ruining my life altogether haha. I'm always lurking here too. By the way, I also watched Her Private Life and it's the ultimate fangirl inspiration. The K-pop industry also includes Japanese people now so I figured Yugao plus ANBU (I like 2NE1 still) is a K-pop girl group in this fanfic. Lee can be mistaken as also a Korean surname, no? xD Haha Rock Lee as a Kpop-icon, I'm just messing with you guys. My humor, please laugh. Though if you've noted the surname paragraph in the previous chapter then yes, it's that one.

About the fact that guys think K-pop is gay ha!, someone made a meme after Twice had a concert in Manila. The fans who attended are 99% guys and I know that my former classmates in university attended it with light sticks, videos posted online and their IG curated just for Twice.

So hope you guys like it. The draft has been stuck in my phone for over a year. Finally.