May 2015

Krystal was waiting for Woobin to come pick her up for dinner. She wore a simple grey Tee that she tucked into a pair of black jeans to match with it.

She didn't put too much makeup on as it was just a simple dinner with a bunch of close friends. She was not really self conscious about stuff like that, so it didn't matter to her anyways.

Her sister was coming back from Jeju island in two days, and her brothers were both busy, so it was the perfect night for a dinner like that. She couldn't wait to see all of the familiar faces she worked with for six months, in 2013. All those people who became like her second family and that genuinely took care of her.

Her phone went off, signaling an incoming call, so she picked it up.

"Eo, Oppa?" She said.

"I'm here, so you can come down. I'm at the back of the building." Woobin replied.

"Arrasseo! I'll be down in a minute!"

Krystal gathered up the rest of her stuff and exited her apartment. On her way out in the hallway, she met BoA.

"Soojung-ah, how are you?"

BoA asked when she saw her. BoA was alone, and she was wearing casual clothes, so Krystal assumed that she was coming back from the company.

"I'm good. How are you, Eonnie?"

"I'm good, but I am a little tired. I came straight from the studio, so now I need to sleep."

She smiled at the younger girl and Krystal returned the smile back, feeling sympathetic for her Sunbae but envious at the same time.

"It still must be fun to record a new album. It's been so long that I can't wait for us to get back in the studio."

"It will happen soon, don't worry! Is your sister home?" She asked her.

"No, she is not."

Krystal replied before quickly checking her phone.

"Ah. Give her my greetings later, okay?"

"Alright, Eonnie."

Her phone buzzed, and she checked to see who the text message came from. Woobin was asking her if she was coming down anytime soon, or if he should come up and wait for her to finish getting ready instead.

"You have to go, right?" BoA asked, seeing Krystal's expression.

"I am sorry Eonnie. I am meeting my friends for dinner."

"Oh, go ahead! Have fun with your friends!"

She patted Krystal's back before leaving. Krystal waited for BoA to get into her apartment, before leaving.

Woobin was patiently waiting for her in his car. He smiled as soon as he saw her walking out of the building, and he immediately unlocked his car door for her.

Krystal looked around to make sure that no one was there, then she got in the car.

"Annyeong, Oppa!"

She exclaimed after she closed the door behind her.

"How are you, Soojung?"

"I'm doing great. It's so good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too, Soojung-ah!

He genuinely smiled at her before turning around to start the car and drive off.

The pair talked during the whole ride, catching up with one another's lives. He was surprised to hear that she was still single while she congratulated him on his relationship news.

When they got to the restaurant, Woobin parked his car at the back and they walked together into the establishment. They kept talking as they waited for one of the employees to come get them. While walking them to their table, the employee told them that two of their friends were already here.

Upon hearing this, Krystal started feeling nervous about the dinner once again, and she had a hard time hiding it.

"Kwenchana?" Woobin asked her, as they were walking to the table.

"Mm." She simply replied.

"Here we are." The employee said as he showed them to a table of six.

There, was sitting Lee Minho and Kang Minhyuk. When Krystal saw Minhyuk, she felt her heart pound hard against her chest.

Minho had his back facing them, but Minhyuk looked up from the menu and smiled as soon as he saw them.

"You're here!" Minhyuk said, making Minho turn around too.

"Oh. Welcome!" Minho added.

"Come on, Soojung." Woobin said, letting her pass first.

She quickly got back to her senses and walked around the employee to get to the table.

"Hi!" She said and smiled afterwards.

Woobin sat down next to his best friend, leaving the spot next to Minhyuk, free. Krystal had no choice but to sit down next to him, which made her more nervous than she already was.

"Hi." Minhyuk said, turning to her.

He showed her the warmest smile she had seen in a long time.

"How are you, Oppa?" She asked him.

"I'm good. It's been a while." He added, before smiling at her, again.

"It's been a while, Soojung-ah." Minho told her before she could answer.

"I know right? How have you been, Oppa?"

"I've been good. You get prettier as the days go by." He said, complimenting his young friend.

"Nae malhi!" Woobin interjected.

"Ani, Oppa. How is Suzy doing?"

Krystal asked, trying to change the subject as she was feeling her face turning red.

"She's good. She told me to say hi to everyone." Minho replied with a smile on his face.

You could tell that those two were very happy and living peacefully despite the fact that many people didn't have faith in their relationship, Krystal thought. She wanted to experience that kind of confident love.

"It's been a while since I talked to her." Krystal said, referring to Suzy.

During the entire conversation, Minhyuk was looking at Krystal from the side, but she didn't notice. He felt nervous sitting down next to her after so long.

It's been quite a while since they talked or seen each other, so he did apprehend this moment, but now that he was really next to her, his heart couldn't stop beating fast.

"Where is Eonnie?" Krystal asked, as she pointed at one of the empty seats next to her.

"She is on her way. She had to go pick Jongsuk up, because his car is in repair." Minho informed them.

Whenever they had dinners like this, Jongsuk would come too. For working with almost everyone around this table, he was pretty close with the bunch. It was just a bonus that Shinhye and him were 'dating'.

They never did put a label on their relationship, but they go so well together that it wasn't even a question for their friends. Their complementarity was of two soulmates. It was that powerful.

When Krystal thought about it, she reckoned that Jongsuk had a lot to do with their relationship working so well. For working with him and being so close with him, she knew that he was a very considerate and honest man. He didn't hold back when someone was important to him, and he never stopped himself from showing his closeness to someone, even to the public.

Sometimes in the past, she used to wish that Minhyuk was like that.

As that thought went through her head she turned around to look at him, only to find him looking at her already.

Because he was caught doing so, he just smiled in embarrassment before rubbing his neck with his hand.

"Annyeong!"

Shinhye and Jongsuk walked towards their group of friends, with huge smiles on their faces.

"Aigo, it feels good to see everyone! My baby!" Shinhye exclaimed, rushing to Krystal's side.

"Eonnie!" Krystal replied with the same tone.

The two girls hugged as if they hadn't seen each other in years when in fact they had lunch together just two weeks ago.

"Girls. Aren't you happy to see me too, Soojung-ah?" Jongsuk asked his dongsaeng.

"I am, Oppa! Always am!" She replied while smiling from ear to ear.

She extended her free hand towards him, and he reached out for it before holding it tight for a few seconds.

"Now that everyone is here, should we order?" Minho suggested.

Everyone agreed and Minho called one of the waiters.

As they all ordered their food, they began to chit-chat and have a laugh together. Krystal and Minhyuk were feeling more relaxed, and they were even talking to each other from time to time.

As they meals came in, Shinhye started questioning the boys about their relationships. She has always been to curious type, with her close friends. She liked to know the little details of their love lives, and innocently tease them like an older sister would do.

She started with Minho but the experience and age of this old folk never betrayed him. He always knew what to tell her to calm her down, or at least send her away towards another prey.

"How is Eonnie doing, Oppa?" She asked as she looked at Woobin next.

Everyone around the table started laughing at her straightforwardness. Woobin chuckled and shook his head at her.

"At least just tell me if everything is going good?" She said, desperately looking for a piece of gossip.

"Everything is just fine." He said, before laughing.

"What about you and Jongsuk? When will you be official?" Minho asked, all of a sudden.

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