“Hey did you hear about…”

“I know, right? But honestly I’m not all that surprised. I mean, if you really think about it…”

“You don’t think that…”

Tch. Trainee gossip.

Heechul slowly tunes the voices out as he passes through the corridor, coming to a halt when he hears his name.

“Poor Heechul sunbae, though. I always thought that he and Jessica sunbae were closer.”

“Yeah, but it seems that Donghae sunbae and Jessica sunbae have been really close lately.”

Heechul walks up to them, a threatening look on his face.

“I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t gossip about my friends.”

The group of girls jumps up in shock, and immediately bows in apology. “S-sorry, sunbaenim!” they shout before running off.

Heechul walks away, fists clenched.

“Heechul oppa!” Jessica walks up to him later that day while he’s sitting down, resting at the cafeteria. “There you are.” she says, plopping down on the chair across his. “I haven’t seen you in so long. Where have you been?”

He shrugs his shoulders. “Around.”

She lightly smacks his arm, annoyed at his nonchalant response. “Yah. Seriously. I mean, I enjoy spending time with your other members, but it’s a bit suffocating to be with them sometimes.” Jessica says, leaning back in her chair. “You know that I’m more comfortable with you and Donghae.”

Upon hearing her speak Donghae’s name, it’s as if something strikes a chord within Heechul, reminding him of the trainees’ words that he overheard earlier that day.

“Hey, Sica…”

“What is it?” she asks, confused by his uncharacteristically serious tone.

“How’s Donghae been lately?” he blurts, suddenly unnerved because of her stare.

Jessica shrugs her shoulders in response. “The same babo he’s always been. Shouldn’t you know more about that, though? You guys are always practicing together.”

“Yeah, I guess…” he replies noncommittally, thoughts trailing off.

“But he has been a bit more charming lately, don’t you think?” Heechul says after awhile, breaking the silence.

“Hm? Who?” Jessica replies, eyes suddenly focused on him as if he had snapped her out of a trance.

“Donghae.”

“Really, now...” she says, a bit weirded out by Heechul’s strange behavior.

“That kid is gonna be really popular once we debut, I can feel it.” he continues. “Before you know it, he’ll be taken.”

Maybe by you.

He continues going on about Donghae, not noticing how Jessica’s face turns thoughtful through his, admittedly one-sided, conversation with her.

Whenever Heechul and Jessica would hang out, it would always go on like this. They hang out as normal, but when Heechul suddenly starts feeling guilty over betraying Donghae, he immediately shifts the conversation into putting Donghae in a good light, frustrating Jessica to no end.

One day when the two are hanging out, Donghae passes by and is about greet his friends when he suddenly hears his name come up, prompting him to hang back.

“Donghae’s dancing skills have really been improving lately.” he hears the older boy say. Meanwhile, Jessica just nods along absentmindedly. “You should come watch one of our practices – you’ll see.”

At this, Donghae’s face contorts in confusion. Since when did Heechul praise people so easily?

“Hey guys.” Donghae says as he walks up to them, deciding to make his presence known to them. Heechul immediately scoots away from Jessica.

“Babo.” Jessica greets, nodding her head in acknowledgment, a warm smile on her face.

“Hey…” Heechul replies warily, further confusing Donghae.

What’s with Heechul?

The next time Donghae meets with Jessica, he decides to ask her about it.

“I don’t know what’s been going on with that weirdo. He’s been acting even weirder around me lately, and he’s always singing praises about you. He’s always complaining about how the company is such a slave-driver and how we don’t get to hang out anymore, but sometimes when he sees you and me together he just runs off. Weird, huh?”

Donghae’s eyes widen in shock.

It couldn’t be…

Donghae and Heechul are on their way from their dorm to the company building. As they walk, Donghae wracks his brain about how to approach Heechul regarding Jessica. After a few more minutes of silent travel, Donghae figures that now is a good time as any.

“Hyung…” he stops in his tracks, turning to face Heechul. “What do you think about Sooyeon? Do you… Do you like her?”

Faintly, Heechul feels a sense of déjà vu and recalls a time when he was the one asking questions along these lines.

“What are you talking about? That kid?” Heechul says, laughing forcedly. “As if.”

Oh, how the tables have turned.

The discussion ends there, but Donghae can see it in how Heechul’s eyes light up every time she walks into the room, just like how his own heart races when he sees her pass by. He sees it in how Heechul’s eyes trace her every move when he thinks that no one notices, just like how he himself sneaks glances at her every so often, committing all of her features, gestures, and quirks to memory.

And despite his recent closeness to Jessica, Donghae hates seeing Heechul reverting back to his previous, lonely self. He makes a resolve and decides to sacrifice his own feelings for his hyung’s sake.

“Hey… Jessica.”

She quirks an eyebrow at him. “Jessica? You don’t usually call me that. What’s up?”

Donghae shrugs his shoulders. “Just felt like it.”

“It feels… different.” she says, a strange expression on her face. “But do what you want, I guess. Doesn’t make much of a difference. Everyone calls me Jessica, anyway.”

I know. It made me feel as if I had a privilege – something special about you that only us two shared. That’s why I always called you Sooyeon. My Sooyeon. But I can’t do that anymore because…

“So what is it that you want?”

Donghae is snapped out of his thoughts.

“Oh, yeah. I was wondering… What do you think about Heechul?”

“You mean recently? I thought we already talked about this.”

“No, I mean…” Donghae pauses, unable to properly express himself. “Don’t you think that Heechul has been working especially hard lately? But he never forgets about us dongsaengs. He’s been doting on you in particular, I think, lately and – ”

Jessica listens to Donghae’s ramblings about Heechul, a slight frown on her face.

“Hey, oppa…” Jessica says.

Heechul immediately focuses on her upon her call.

“I’ve been wondering lately.” she continues, staring at the floor.

“Yeah?”

She suddenly looks up, her eyes piercing him with an intense gaze. “How come whenever I meet up with you, you always say something good about Donghae? And why does Donghae do the same thing, always going on and on about you? What’s going on with you two lately?”

He brushes it off as a joke, but is internally panicking. “Ha! So Donghae has admitted to my good charms, hm? Such a nice dongsaeng, don’t you think?”

He continues to babble about the younger boy, and Jessica begins to tune him out, frustrated at the lack of a direct response.

You’re doing it again, oppa. Jessica thinks quietly to herself.

I'll be honest; I'm not that proud of this chapter. I had a hard time writing it, and I think you can tell if you read through it. Haha. Anyway, next chapter is the last chapter! Look forward to a quicker update!