“______? You out here?” Yoochun’s voice calls.

I shrink behind a rack of clothes before I admonish myself. Being a coward isn’t going to help anything. He’s still Yoochun. The only difference is I’ve finally admitted I have a teeny tiny crush on him.

“______?” he calls again, getting closer.

Scratch that. Judging from the way my heart’s beating, it’s more than a crush.

Someone pushes aside the clothes, scaring a hiccup out of me. Yoochun’s smiling face looks down at me. “There you are. Why are you hiding? We’re leaving soon.”

“I wasn’t hiding-” I try to say more, but a hiccup prevents me. I glare at him. “You gave me the hiccups.”

“Not my fault you scare easy,” Yoochun laughs. He moves the rack out of the way and offers his hand. “Come on. I’m sure there’s water in the van for you to drink or something.”

“Water? You have to hold your breath,” I reply through hiccups.

As Yoochun helps me up, I become hyper aware of his fingers against my skin. I pray he doesn’t notice my racing pulse. Unfortunately, I have no such luck.

“Are you all right, ______?” he asks in a concerned voice, using his other hand to feel my forehead. “Your heart’s beating fast and you look flushed.”

“I’m fine. It...it’s probably just the stage fright just hitting me. I was really nervous and I started shaking after we finished. That’s why I came out here, where it’s quiet,” I say quickly, avoiding his eyes.

“Aw, you’re so adorable,” Yoochun laughs. He pulls me into a tight hug, cradling the back of my head. “You were really great out there. I almost forgot you were acting at all.”

I hug him back and close my eyes, temporarily allowing myself to enjoy his embrace. “I think I’ll still stick with interpreting.”

“That’s too bad. You could be my leading lady in a show one day. Maybe we’d even have a kiss scene.” Yoochun wiggles his eyebrows.

“Tempting.” I make myself step my back. “I’ll have to keep that in mind, but for now, I think we’d better go so we don’t get in trouble. You said we were leaving, right?”

“Soon. You know, I never did eat that orange. Let’s go see if Changmin didn’t swipe it.” Yoochun smiles and turns back down the hall.

I watch him walk away, part of me wanting call after him to tell him I wasn’t acting at all, not with him, but my mouth stays closed.

Yoochun looks back at me and shakes his head. “What am I going to do with you, _____? You’re always behind me when I want you beside me.”

I shake my head and jog to catch up. “Sorry. Daydreaming.”

“About what?”

“Nothing really,” I shrug. “Since Changmin chose last night, what would you like for dinner?”

“Hmm...I think I’m in a soup kind of mood. My throat’s been bugging me a little.”

“You’re not getting sick, are you?” Now it’s my turn to feel Yoochun’s forehead, even if I have to stretch to do so. “Are you drinking enough? You have been really busy.”

Yoochun laughs, gently pushing my hand away. “Don’t hurt yourself. I’m fine. Like you said, it’s probably just from all the talking I’ve been doing. Besides, nothing a little garlic shot can’t fix.”

“Shots.” I shiver. “Glad it’s not me.”

“Afraid of needles?”

“Kind of. I can give blood and stuff like that as long as I don’t see the needle.”

“You’re a little strange, you know that?”

“Not as strange as you are,” I laugh, poking him.

“That’s true. I have moments,” Yoochun admits with a laugh as we walk back into the green room.

Changmin freezes, two slices of the orange from earlier in his mouth, making him look like a chipmunk. He swallows and holds out half with an innocent smile. “Share?”

Yoochun hurries to claim it, making me laugh. I grab up another orange to peel and split between them, glad for the distraction.

    After we leave and finish the next two show recordings, the boys head for the concert arena while I go back to the dorm. I let preparing dinner occupy my entire attention, but that only lasts so long. While the soup simmers, I go back to my room and clean even though there isn’t much to clean up. Finally, with a small sound of disgust aimed at myself, I put dinner in a hot pot on low so it won’t burn but it’ll still be warm when they get back and leave a note.

Hi guys,
Hope practice went well. Dinner’s in the pot on the stove and the plate on the top shelf of the fridge. Rice cake soup and kimibap. I needed some fresh air and shouldn’t be gone long, but left this just in case.
Love, ________

    I put on my sneakers and walk out the building, not really caring where I’m going. Since I’ve admitted to being in love with Yoochun, no matter how impossible I think it is, I better figure out what I’m going to do about it. I really wish my mom was here. I can talk with her about anything. I could call Ayako, but I’m not sure how she’d react. Should I follow the suddenly wise Daniel’s plan and wait until I’m done working with him to tell him? Should I tell him at all? Could it really work out? Could Yoochun like me back? Ugh, it’d be too easy to fall for a normal guy, right?

    As I walk, I finally come to my conclusion. I’ll do like Daniel said and bear with it. It shouldn’t be too hard. I proved I can act today and I can still be by Yoochun’s side. With a nod and a satisfied smile, I stop and turn around ready to go back. Belatedly, I realize the sun has almost set so I begin walking faster.

    Unfortunately, my usually good sense of direction is failing me. As the sky gets darker, I’m still unsure of where I am and silently curse when I remember I left my phone in my room charging in my haste to leave. Way to walk around and get lost. In a foreign city. At night. Very smart.

“Hello, pretty lady. Where’re you going?” a slurred voice asks from the shadows.

I jump, stepping back towards the way I’d come. Half stumbling, a man in rumpled clothing pushes himself away from the alley wall on my left. I cover my nose as reek of alcohol precedes his approach.

“You free?” he repeats, leering as he walks towards me.

“Sorry, I’m on my way to meet someone,” I reply, going to walk past him.

As I move around him, he snakes out an arm and clamps it around my shoulder. “They can wait, can’t they? We’ll have fun.”

I squirm, trying to push his arm off me, but he’s too strong. He starts pulling me down the street. Suddenly, another arm comes around my waist to jerk me away from the man. I look up to discover Yunho is my rescuer, his face illuminated by the street lamp.

“Who do you think you are?” the drunk asks, wobbling where he stands. “The lady and I were just having a conversation.”

“One she clearly didn’t want to have,” Yunho says calmly. Glancing down at me, he asks quietly, “Are you all right?”

I nod, realizing I’m shivering and unable to stop it.

“Hey,” the man says, raising his voice. He moves closer, making Yunho shift me behind him so his body acts as a shield. The man leans in, poking a finger at Yunho’s chest. “I’m talking to you. Who do you think you are?”

“I’m a rising god of the East,” Yunho says with an easy smile, belying the tension I feel in his back muscles. “We’re going to leave. I suggest you go home and sober up.”

    Taking my arm, Yunho turns to lead me away, leaving the man standing with his mouth open. The sound of shuffling makes both of us turn in time to see the man already swinging at Yunho’s head. Yunho releases his grip, quickly moving away from me. He easily ducks the next few sloppy punches, waiting until the man tries to grab him. With a practiced toss, Yunho uses the man’s momentum against him to slam him into the sidewalk.

As the man gasps for air, Yunho, who’s barely winded, says, “Remember this next time you think about bothering a woman.”

I glance back as Yunho puts a protective arm around my shoulder, steering me across the street.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” he asks again once we’ve turned the corner.

I nod. “A little shaken, but otherwise fine.” I move closer anyway. “Thank you, oppa, for saving me.”

“I’m just glad you’re not hurt,” he replies, a genuine smile coming onto his face. “What’re you doing out so late?”

“I was out walking, thinking, and I lost track of time. And how to get back to the dorm,” I admit sheepishly.

“Must’ve been something important.”

“Not really. Just anything and everything. Did you get out of practice early?”

Yunho shakes his head. “No, we got out on time. I just had Choi-ssi drop me off before the dorm to pick up some hot packs for Changmin. He’s been complaining about his neck hurting and I wanted a walk anyway.”

“Oh. I guess it’s later than I thought then. Do you know how to get back?”

“Yeah. The store’s just down the street.” He points out the sign. I recognize it as the one I went to with Ye Jin.

“Wow. Why didn’t I see that before?”

“It tends to happen when you’re thinking about anything and everything. See, you weren’t as lost as you thought.” Yunho smiles and opens the door for me.

    Yunho’s easy manner calms my nerves and I’m soon back to normal. Together we find Changmin’s hot packs and get some cold ones just in case. Yunho gets excited when he discovers more Ramune and buys some of them as well. As we’re walking back, my curiosity gets the better of me.

“Yunho oppa?”

“Yes, ______?” Yunho looks over at me, shifting the bags on his shoulder.

“I hope you don’t think I’m being impolite, but have you all not had girlfriends before?” I look at my feet. “I was just wondering from Junsu’s reaction with Ye Jin.”

Yunho laughs. “It’s okay, _____. You don’t have to worry about insulting me. You’re our friend so of course you’ll want to know about us. As for your question, Yoochun’s the only one to have had one. Actually, more than one. More like a few.”

“Really?” I gulp.

“Yeah, but they usually only lasted a few months. Sometimes I worry about him,” Yunho says, looking into the distance. “I’m not sure how attached he ever got to them. He never introduced them to his parents or his brother, which says something. I think sometimes he felt so alone that he thought he needed one, you know?”

“I guess. His family never met a single one?”

He shakes his head. “Never. Yoochun’s very careful about his family. Things are still a little rough with his father, but family means the world to Yoochun. The rest of us have just been too busy with everything being DBSK entails. That and Changmin’s already taken,” Yunho chuckles.

“What type does Yoochun usually go for?” I ask.

“They’re always very pretty. He likes girls who are thrifty and laid back, but half the time his girlfriends weren’t either of those so I’m not sure he really has a type.” Yunho suddenly starts chuckling to himself.

“What?” I ask, smiling in spite of myself.

“I’m just remembering this one radio interview we had a year or two ago,” he laughs. “Cassies sent in questions for us and one of them, inevitably, was about our ideal girl. The rest of us took it semiseriously, but Yoochun put a model who looks good wearing an apron.”

Yunho laughs again and I join in halfheartedly, looking down at myself. Besides that being an incredibly stupid image, I don’t know if I look good in an apron and I’m certainly not model material.

“The day that happens I want to be there,” Yunho hoots, holding his side.

“Yeah. Oppa...”

“Yes?” Yunho stops outside the door to the dorm.

“Can you not mention what happened earlier? I don’t want anyone worried about me,” I tell him.

“That’s what friends do,” he replies, opening the door and going up the stairs.

I follow and it’s not until we walk into the guys’ room that I realize he didn’t answer me.

“Hey, guys, look what I found!” Yunho shouts.

“It’s that stuff noona got us before,” Junsu says happily, getting off the couch to snag the box from Yunho. “Thanks, hyung.”

“Changmin-ah, you feeling any better?” Yunho asks as he reaches to hand the hot and cold packs to Changmin who’s lying on the couch.

Changmin opens his eyes. “Kind of. Thanks.”

“Are you all right? Did you eat something?” I ask, using my hand to take his temperature. “You are a little warm.”

“I ate. It was really good,” he smiles.

“See, _____? We know Changmin’s sick when he doesn’t eat so he’s fine,” Yoochun jokes from the kitchen where he’s washing dishes with Jaejoong. “Where’d you go?”

I smile as I sit on the edge of Changmin’s couch. “I just wandered around. Felt cooped up. Did you like dinner?”

“Hit the spot.”

I turn my attention back to Changmin. “Yunho oppa said your neck hurt. Do you want me to take a look? I use to give my friends massages when we were studying late and got stiff necks.”

“Is there anything you can’t do, noona?” Junsu asks as Changmin nods and sits up.

“Some things,” I laugh. I fold my legs underneath me and start on Changmin’s neck.

“I don’t believe it,” Jaejoong says, smiling. “How’s it feel, Changmin?”

“It feels good,” Changmin says slowly, a smile replacing his earlier frown.

Jaejoong laughs. “I’m guessing you don’t want to go out for a drink with us then?”

Changmin slightly shakes his head.

“Okay, so that means it’s just the four of us. Unless you want to come too, ______.”

“I’m fine,” I say.

“It’s probably better she stays,” Yunho says, ignoring my glare.

“Why?” Yoochun asks, looking at me.

“She ran into someone who’d had a little too much to drink and wouldn’t take no for an answer when she didn’t want to go with him.”

Everyone’s eyes fly to me.

“Are you all right?” Yoochun hurries to sit down beside me, looking into my eyes as Jaejoong and Junsu join him.

“I’m fine. Yunho oppa came in time. I was just a little scared,” I assure him.

“Do you need us to stay here?”

I shake my head. “You guys have fun. I have Changmin here.”

A light snore causes us to look at Changmin. He’s fast asleep sitting up. I get up and gently lay his head down on a pillow.

Glancing at Yoochun, I say, “Okay, I had Changmin here, but I’ll still be okay. Go on.”

“If you’re sure,” Jaejoong says slowly.

In the end, I have to shoo them out with repeated assurances that I’m fine and they need to have some fun after all the hard work they’ve been doing. As I find a blanket and extra pillow for Changmin, someone comes back.

“I changed my mind,” Yoochun remarks, hanging his jacket back up. “Tonight’s a stay in kind of night. Up for a movie marathon?”

“You really don’t have to do this,” I say as I put the blanket over the sleeping magnae.

“I know. I want to. Come here.” Yoochun points to the space beside him in front of the television.

When I sit down, Yoochun puts an arm around me and pulls me closer, right against his chest. “Thank you,” I say quietly, snuggling in.


“Anything for you,” Yoochun replies with a smile, my hair.

    He flicks through the channels until he finds a rerun of the anime ‘Fruits Basket’ for me. I can’t believe he remembers how much I liked that series. Closing my eyes, I listen to Yoochun’s steady heartbeat and smile. It’s strange how worried I was about being near him, but it’s back to normal now. Well, almost normal. My heart’s going a little faster, but I feel safe and warm nestled against Yoochun. Maybe I can get though the next few months after all.

================

Annyoung lovely subbies! So I just wanted to let you know that you all and the love you give me always makes me smile. Yes, even you, silent subbies because you're still here and reading and loving it...I hope. Don't worry, I love you all too. For the more vocal ones, your comments always make me laugh so keep 'em coming. Hope you enjoy this update and saranghae!

Jun_KOI_Mi: Ke ke, we shall see. I had fun writing the show.

PurpleangelSJ: Do you remember the name of the show? I love when the boys act, even if I didn’t like Yunho dying in Athena or the ending of Changmin’s Paradise Ranch. We’ll have to see how the reader handles it and hope she doesn’t do something stupid or let him slip away. Love you too, lovely.

SuperSHINeeB2STJr: Dawww, you’re making me blush. *winks* The reader excels at being cute without trying. I almost wish he had too, but Chunnie probably knew doing that on TV wouldn’t be the best idea. Might kill some fan girls, you know. ke ke.

ChinkyKayla: Ke ke. I started rereading the manga again because I absolutely LOVE it and thought, ‘Hmmm, I need Japanese names.’ It gave me an extra chuckle while writing since I actually made the two of them get along and switched their personalities a little, even though Yuki is more like his brother here....still funny, right?

MewNikkiChan: The two youngest are unbearably cure and yes, Changmin finally admitted his relationship. Fruits Basket is my absolute favorite manga ever! I just started rereading it.

nar12345: Ke ke, me too. Me too.

WhiteAutumn: Monsoon season is cold? Or the rain? Either way, you be safe, arasso? And thank you for your love! ^^