“Omg! I didn’t know you and Soo Jeong were close!” Baek Hyun exclaimed at the young dancer at the corner.

Jong In shrugged. Pride was flowing throughout his body, and he liked it.

Now that he was single, he didn’t hesitate in courting Soo Jeong. Jong In felt his life could only get better from now on.

At least, that was what he hoped for.

If there ever was a social rank for the boys, Jong In would have shot all the way up after scoring a chance with Soo Jeong, and Jong In took comfort in that invisible list.

Jong In and the boys had just finished practicing for their upcoming dome concert. To say it was tiring was an understatement, but they had learned to deal with all the exhaustion. After all, they were the ones who had chosen this path for themselves.

“Oh, girlfriend’s calling.” Baek Hyun cooed as Soo Jeong’s name appeared on Jong In’s phone.

“Psh, she’s not his girlfriend.” Chan Yeol dismissed the shorter guy.

“No, not yet.” Jong In said confidently before leaving the room to answer the call.

─

A few minutes later, Jong In found himself sitting in the company’s cafeteria, waiting for his princess. Not long after, Soo Jeong, however, arrived with a long face.

 “I’m so hungry.” She whined, plopping her head on the table.

“Do you want to eat something? I can get it for you.” Jong In offered sweetly.

“Nah, I’m on a diet, remember?”

Jong In nodded and pursed his lips together. He had no idea what to do next.

“Do you want something to drink then?” He asked again.

“No. I’m hungry, not thirsty.” She stated shortly.

“Well then you should eat something. It’s not good to starve yourself, Soo Jeong.” Jong In gave her a piece of his mind.

“Do you want to make me fat, Kim Jong In?” She scoffed.

Jong In simply shook his head and fell silent. What do you want me to do then if everything I suggested never pleases you, he wanted to say, but decided to keep it to himself.

 Dates with Soo Jeong rarely involved any food. In fact, Jong In would be the only one eating. At first, he didn’t mind, but after a while, he became uncomfortable that he ditched eating altogether. For a Kim Jong In to say no to food meant big deal, and that just showed how much he was willing to sacrifice for the girl.

Looking at the tired Soo Jeong in front of him, Jong In couldn’t help but to feel the exhaustion weighing down on himself. He knew she was preparing for comeback and that she was tired, but couldn’t she be a little happier to finally meet her lover?

Jong In and his group had been flying back and forth like nobody’s business, preparing for their unending concerts, yet the thought of meeting the girl motivated him to do better. Couldn’t she, at least, look more alive?

“Have you seen our new dance routine? It was very exhausting.” She whined, tossing herself sideways on the table.

“I’m sure it’ll all be worth it. You miss the stage, don’t you?” He smiled.

Soo Jeong simply shrugged, sitting herself up.

“Are you going to here much longer? I need to go home.” She said, indifferent.

“I think, Jae Won Hyung still wants to discuss a few things with me.” He told her honestly.

Soo Jeong rolled her eyes at the innocent boy.

“You just wasted a chance to drive me home, Kim Jong In.”

“See you when I see you.” She waved her good bye and left the poor boy by himself.

Jong In sat in silence as he tried to untangle the messy knots of his feelings.

What just happened? Did he say or do something wrong? Why did she leave me when she was the one who wanted to meet? It hadn’t even been ten minutes .

For the first time in his life, Jong In felt really stupid.

─

Days had passed and the two hadn’t met again. Soo Jeong and her girls were busy practicing for their mini concert, while Jong In had to fly to another country for a photo shoot. He had tried to message her numerous times, but she didn’t reply.

Jong In was in the airplane, on his flight back to South Korea from his photo shoot. He missed home. He missed feeling pampered and loved. He missed someone, but he dared not to pinpoint who. He feared his own answer.

The boy rarely felt the need to get someone’s affection, but today he craved for someone saying that everything is going to be okay, that it is okay to be tired, that they will always be there for him.

I’m so tired.

Jong In had texted his new girl before he flew for South Korea, and even until he reached his dorm, he still hadn’t received any reply.

He tried to text her again.

I miss you.

He was looking forward to her reply, but when the night came and she still hadn’t said a word, he became irritated. Just what could she possibly be doing to not reply to even one of his messages?

That was when he called her.

“What, Jong In?” came her reply.

She didn’t even greet him properly, and Jong In grew more annoyed.

“Where have you been?” He asked, trying his best to tone the frustration in his voice.

“I had a very long practice. Can we talk later? I need to sleep.” She told him.

But Jong In swore he could hear the other girls shouting and screaming in delight behind her. They were enjoying themselves, weren’t they?

Jong In didn’t know what had got into him, but he just hung up. Without saying a word, Jong In had ended the call. He was tired.

Soo Jeong always shoved it down his throat that she was exhausted. She always made it point that he noticed her discomfort, but did she know how many hours of sleep he was losing every day? Did she know how many nights he had to stay back to finish preparing for his concert? Did she even know the last time he had gone back home to his mother to just spend a quality time together with her?

And she dared to complain. And she dared to whine. And she dared to wish that life was so much easier. All the while when Jong In had it worse.

Wasn’t Soo Jeong just got back from London with her mother a few weeks ago?

Jong In tossed his phone on to the sofa, scoffing at how fate had played with him.

Please don't hate Nini. :-(