Nineteen

"Junniel noona! Where are you? How could you leave Sehunnie without saying anything?" Sehun was so surprised when he saw the caller on his phone. After almost a month he didn't hear any news from her, now she called him.

Luhan pulled Sehun out from their line. They were actually queuing to buy their bubble tea. But Sehun's voice was so loud that he attracted people to look at them.

"No, noona. We understand that. But please come back here first, we can still discuss about it. We missed you, noona. Did you see the sign that we all did for you during our Wolf performance?" Secretly, they always made the sign that only Junniel and they knew in their choreography. They hope that when Junniel saw them in the TV, she will reach for them.

Fans have been commented about their unique hand’s gesture. But the one that attracted a lot of comments was Kai. They said something about how his face expression was different from the usual Kai that they always see. He's still the charismatic Kai on stage, but his face looked like he's longing for something, or in his case, someone.

"Kai?" Sehun looked at Luhan.

Luhan shrugged. Junniel must be asking for Kai's whereabouts. She was probably calling him before but he didn't pick it up. Kai has always been one of his group members that rarely pick up a call and especially after the incident, he doesn’t even care about his phone.

"I'lI send your regards to him. But you need to come back here, noona. Don't go away from us anymore. I need my noona. Yes. I know. You too, take care noona." With that, Sehun ended the call.

"How's noona?" Luhan asked him when they get back into their line.

"Noona said she's fine, she missed us and noona still sounds as warm as before." Sehun smiled to his ear. Suddenly, he felt like his day becomes brighter at instant.

"Where is noona now? Did she say when she will come back?" He's really curious on her whereabouts. After all, Junniel is still a girl and it worries him every time he remembered that she's out there alone. But he's still happy to hear that she's fine.

"Hyung, you know how stubborn noona is. She will never disclose her location no matter how many times we asked her about it, but she promised me that she will come back home soon."

"Just now what did she ask about Kai?"

Luckily Luhan reminded him on that. Sehun took his phone from the back pocket again. "Noona said she tried to call Kai earlier, but that boy off his phone. I thought all the while he was waiting for her, but when she called him, he didn't pick up." Sehun sighed.

Luhan laughed at Sehun's complaint. Their maknae really nags a lot more than his hyungs.

~~~

"Kai, take a look here. Fans have been flooding our website since you confessed that Junniel noona is your ideal type."

They were taking an hour break from their group practice. Only Kai, Baekhyun, Kyungsoo and Chen left in the room. Everyone else were going somewhere, doing things that they need to do.

Baekhyun, who loves to check their website in free time, was surprised when they received a lot of comments from their fans. Though some of them didn't like it, but a lot of them were actually praised and commented that Kai and Junniel would make a pretty couple if it really comes true.

Since they're busy with promotions of their new album, Kai has used this opportunity to confess his feelings to Junniel using his own unique way. Often when the camera captured him, he sent a hand signal that has always been Junniel's trademark when performing. Also, whenever they have interview with any of the magazines or radio programme, whenever people asked him about his ideal type, he will straightly replying them with Junniel.

Though the news related to Junniel's scandal has slowdown, but apparently people are still guessing around about the identity of the guy in the picture. Kai was never in the list, but ever since he kept on mentioning Junniel's name, fans have been wondered the possibility of him being the guy.

Slowly, the netizens collected, compared and matched up the clue that they have with Kai. When they do the comparison of Kai with the guy in the picture, they found a few similarities, such as the height and the way he dressed. But they are still fifty-fifty about it. They don’t know whether to believe or not to believe it since Kai is Junniel's junior and they are six years apart in age. It was a known fact that since Junniel is always not in Seoul, she rarely associates herself with her juniors, especially the boys.

Kai smiled. He cannot think of any other way on how to tell the world about his feeling for her. Even if his confession is very little compared to what Junniel did for their relationship, but he still want to do it that way. That way he can protect her using his own way and sooner or later when the netizens found out that he is the guy, at least he has made it clear to them that she's his beautiful angel.

The only thing left for him to do now is to wait for her to come back to him. When Sehun told him that Junniel tried to call him, he felt an instant happiness. That way he knows that it's only about time before he gets to see her again. He promised himself that this will be the one and only time she took the blow alone. He will never let her decides anything on her own ever again.

Chen and Kyungsoo couldn't hide their happiness when they saw that Kai started to act like himself again. No one was happy when Kai was avoiding people.

Kai lay down on the floor, shut his eyes close; imagine that Junniel is here with him. "I was mesmerized by the mysterious you and stared at you and had my one soul stolen." He hummed his part in Don't Go, the one sentence that he badly wanted to tell her.

"Looks like someone missed me so badly?"

Kai stopped humming. Did he just hear Junniel's voice? He still had his eyes closed, thinking that he was probably dreaming that Junniel's here. He didn't want to open his eyes as he afraid that tears will flow down his cheek if the voice that he heard just now was just his imagination.

"You're not dreaming, Kai. Noona is here now, with you." She whispered in his ear.

Slowly he convinced himself to believe. He opened his eyes and Junniel was sitting right beside him, smiling brightly at him. At that time, only both of them were left in the room. Baekhyun, Chen and Kyungsoo were no longer in the room, probably giving them the chance to be there alone.

He quickly sat down and Kai blinked his eyes a few times. ‘Am I dreaming? Is this real?'

Junniel laughed looking at his expression. Gently, she put both her palm on his face. "Breathe. It's noona here, for real."

Kai hugged her, tight. So tight that Junniel whining she cannot breathe. In the end, he only loosens his hug a bit, still not willing to let her go. "Never ever leave me without permission again, noona."

Junniel hugged him back, and then she nodded. "I won't."

"You're getting skinnier, noona. My poor girl."

Junniel smiled to herself. She did lose a few kilos while being away from her loved one. She lost her appetite. She also couldn't sleep well which resulted in further weight loss.

"My Kai doesn't like it? Noona will eat more after this."

He chuckled. "Where did you go, noona? Why I can't find you anywhere?" He did try looking for Junniel at few places including their favorite spots, but she's nowhere to be found.

"Jeju."

Kai sighed. He totally forgets about that. Junniel did tell him once that whenever she's feeling down or when she wanted to be alone, Jeju Island is the place where she hides herself. It's the place that never failed to calm her.

"Don't hide from me again, noona. Don't even go anywhere without me next time. If anything like this happened again, let me be the guy that protects you."

Junniel breaks the hug and she looked straight into his eyes. "Noona hurts you, isn't it? I'm sorry. If I ever do things like this again, I will.."

Kai pulled her towards him and his lips landed on top of hers. The kiss was soft. It was passionate and filled with love. They breathed their souls into each other in that kiss. In that one kiss, she knew that no other boy will love her more than that.

"I love you, Junniel noona."

~~~

"Noona, I heard they will lift the hiatus status from you after this. Is it true?" Baekhyun asked Junniel after he heard the conversation between their manager and Junniel's manager just now. He really hopes she can continue doing her thing again as everyone knows how much Junniel loves her work.

"But what actually happened, noona? Are you okay now?" Tao still couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw her waiting for them in their practice room. He thought he was dreaming since he missed her too much.

"How about the news? Have you settled it, noona?" Even though Junniel's here with them now, but Suho still worried about her. He doesn't want her to be hurt again.

"Guys. Guys. You all are suffocating noona with all the never-ending questions. Noona, you don't need to answer them if you feel uncomfortable." Lay stopped them all. Even he felt suffocate hearing all those. They just met her again and they still have a lot of time to ask later.

"Why?" Both Baekhyun and Tao protested at the same time. They were too curious and they need to know at least something from her. She's gone for a month and now that she's back, of course they wanted to make sure by now everything is fine.

Junniel chuckled. "Its okay, Lay." She took a deep breath before continued. "Actually, while I was away, there's a lot of petitions were passed around. JunnieS were asking to let me date and being idol at the same time. They said since this is the first time they saw the legit pictures of me going on real date, they said they loved this side of me. Before this, most of the rumors were only rumors. They even sometimes thought that I am not interested in guys at all and that somehow worries them."

The boys were speechless. Some of them even have their jaw dropped. The last one really caught them off guard. Not interested in guys when she always gets caught in rumors with different guys every time? They really cannot brain this.

"But why do I have feeling that noona is not here just because of that? Did our agency really let you off this time, noona?" Kyungsoo still suspicious after all the things that happened. He heard about how last time Junniel was put into hiatus for almost six months just because she kept her silence to the end.

"The management called me yesterday. They have a few things to discuss with noona."

"But that's not the real reason why noona is here, isn't it?" Luhan wanted a confirmation. He also had a feeling that things aren't that simple. He had been following her progress, her activity since before DBSK debut. When there's news about Junsu, there's also news about her. Junniel can be a sweetheart, but she can also be your worst enemy.

"Since when our Luhan becomes so suspicious with things around you?" Junniel .

"Our Luhan?" Kai raised his eyebrow.

All of them laughed seeing Kai like that. Kai used to be someone that is hard to be bothered, but when Junniel is around he always lose his composure.

"You're right, Luhan." Junniel ignored Kai that's still pouted. "Noona was planning to stay there longer. But this boy is giving me headache with his open confession." She looked straight at Kai.

Kai smiled right away. His instinct was right all along. Junniel did monitor them and she noticed all his messages. "Do you like it, noona?" He playfully winked at her.

"Do you know that the netizens are now suspecting you as the guy the in the picture?" Her tone turned to serious.

"I am the guy in the picture, noona." He said as a matter of fact.

"But they don't know about that."

"Then let them know, noona. What's the problem with that?" Kai started to raise his voice.

"Kai." Sehun called his name. He doesn’t like where this conversation is heading to. Both of them just meet again after a month and the first thing that they wanted to do is arguing with each other? Of course Kai had his point, but Junniel also had her very own reason why she desperately trying to hide him from the public.

"Noona, I know it was never my place to say anything. We understand that you don't want us to face the same thing that you went through before. We appreciate that. But noona, you also deserves to be happy. Instead of protecting us all the time, let us protect you this time around. We would be ashamed if twelve of us cannot carry the weight of someone as little as you, noona." Xiumin tried to persuade Junniel to listen to them this time. He needs to try something at least. Who knows if this time around she will listens to them.

"Xiumin-ah."

"Noona."

"Junniel noona."

All twelve of them gave the same look in their eyes.

Junniel took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and took her time to think for a moment.

"What does noona get if I listen to you guys this time?"

"We are yours, noona!" Baekhyun happily teasing her after he sensed that Junniel will definitely give in to them this time.