“So how was it?”

Yawning, I look over at Changmin as we lean against one of the abandoned cars the next night. “How was what?”

“Our diversion,” Yunho explains with a small chuckle, poking his head out from the inside of the car. “Sorry we weren’t able to make it longer.”  

“What’re you two talking about?” I ask, frowning. “Make what longer?”

“Your time with hyung,” Changmin explains, wiggling his eyebrows.

“My time with...” My mouth drops open a little. “You guys planned that?”

“For the most part. Danny took care of Julian, Yunho hyung and Jaejoong hyung of Tyler, and I was going to get Junsu away, but then you left so I just said something about you being gone a long time and off Yoochun hyung went.”

“As you knew he would,” Yunho laughs.

Changmin gives a satisfied nod. “So, noona, how was it?”

“The four of you are ridiculous,” I reply, folding my arms and trying to keep my eyes from wandering to Yoochun, who’s just across the way. As I think about the past few days, I realize how the three of them and Danny have kept subtly pushing Yoochun and I closer whenever possible and inwardly groan.

“Aw, look at her,” Yunho reaches out to poke my sides. “She’s blushing. I’d say it was very good.”

“So it worked?” Jaejoong grins as he joins us with water bottles.

I quickly grab one and start drinking to avoid answering.

Changmin accepts his with another grin. “We think so. Did he try to kiss you?”

Water bursts out of my mouth, making me choke. As I struggle to breathe again, Yunho pats my back a few times to help. When I can manage words, I splutter, “What the hell kind of question is that?

“Just wondering. If that’s so, you’re probably lucky it was Yunho who found you two.”

“He didn’t kiss me, he just...almost did.”

The three guys raise their eyebrows.

“Almost?” Jaejoong prods.

“He just kissed my cheek really close to my lips because this boy wouldn’t leave me alone,” I explain, looking at the ground.

“Gentlemen, I think we are making progress,” Yunho says proudly, stretching out his hand for and getting high fives from the other two.


I roll my eyes.“Seriously?”

They just laugh.

“Changmin, Jaejoong, your turn,” Yoochun announces, taking off his hat and putting it on the hood of our car. “What’s so funny?”

“Just noona’s denial of the inevitable,” Changmin shrugs, walking away with Jaejoong.

“The inevitable?” Junsu asks, taking up Changmin’s spot.

“I don’t want to admit I got sunburned,” I lie.

“You are a little pink,” Yoochun says, brushing some of my hair away from my face. “I know you’re tan already, but you have to protect yourself too.”

“I will.”

“Especially tomorrow when we’re at the Grand Canyon,” Junsu smiles. “It’s going to be so cool!”

“What’s your obsession with this place?” Yunho asks.

He just shrugs. “I don’t know. It just sounds like it’ll be...grand.”

I chuckle for his benefit while Yunho and Yoochun just roll their eyes and smile.

“_____,” Julian calls, beckoning me over.

I cap my water and hop off the car. “Back to work. Be back soon, guys.”

“But I’ll miss you,” Yoochun pouts.

I shake my head and stick out my tongue before walking over to the set to help with Julian’s directing.

“It’s so...so...amazing. Can’t we get out now?” I ask, pressing against the window to get a better look at the teasing snatches of the Grand Canyon.

“We’re going a little bit further down, away from most of the tourists,” Julian replies, chuckling at my enthusiasm and trying to keep quiet for Tyler, who’s napping.

With the need for more filming, Yoochun had to go with the other four this morning so it’s only the three of us in the car.

“That makes sense.”

“So, _____, I never got the chance to ask, but if you don’t mind me asking, are you dating anyone back in Korea?”

“No. I don’t have time,” I reply, chuckling to hide my sudden heart prick.

“Interested in anyone?”

“Only someone I can’t have,” I mumble.

“What was that?”

“Um-”

“Julian, I already interrogated her,” Tyler interrupts, sitting up with a yawn. “She’s clean.”

“Gotcha,” he laughs. “We’re here anyway.”

    As soon as the truck stops, I hop out, eager to escape. Following the beaten dirt path down the small slope, I lean against the railing and look out. The canyon stretches into the distance, farther than my eyes can see. Reds,yellows,browns and purples blend together in the rocks to tease the mind by not letting it decide where to focus.

“_____, be careful, okay?” Julian calls, standing at the top of the hill. Some places are steep so stay on the path.”

“I will.” I give him a quick salute and look back at the canyon before walking back up to join him.

“Daebak!” Junsu shouts, almost pushing Yunho out of the way as he bounds out of the van and runs to the hill’s crest.

“Careful, Junsu. You’re going to get dust all over your clothes,” Jaejoong scolds lightly, following Changmin to stand beside Yunho.

“You guys look really good,” I tell them, looking them all over.  

“At least they’ll keep us cool,” Changmin shrugs, adjusting the light, flowing scarf around his shoulders.

    Dressed all in pure white, the five of them stand out against the blue sky above the canyon like the gods of their name. If there were anyone else around, they’d probably have to stop and stare to believe they weren’t seeing a beautiful mirage.

“You look like angels,” I smile, reaching up to fix Yoochun’s hair.

As I lower my hand, he catches it and lays a gentle kiss on the back. “You’re the only angel here, _____.”

“Ridiculous,” I giggle, pulling my hand away and blushing. “Come on. We’ve got work to do.”

    As soon as the rest of the crew piles out, we all follow Julian to the first specific shooting location, a bend in the path that jets out into the canyon. While the cameras and lighting are arranged, I join the guys and lean against the railing to enjoy the scenery more. When shooting begins, time flies despite the increasing heat as the sun rises higher. Once we’re done, we move further up the path to a small kind of hollow with a set of stone seats, surrounded by small grove of weathered trees.

    I sit down out of sight of the cameras, needing to rest while relaying Julian’s directions to the guys. The shade offers a little relief from the sun, but not much. I’m almost tempted to dump the contents of my water bottle over my head instead of down my throat.

“Yo, sis. Let’s go,” Tyler calls, waking me from my heat induced sleepiness.

“Coming.” I pure some water into my hand and quickly splash it onto my face.

    I stand up and try to move quickly as everyone else is almost already out of the grove on their way back to the vehicles for a break. In my haste, I misjudge the distance to the next step and trip. I try to catch myself, but my foot lands funny and I tumble to the dusty ground, feeling something pop.

“Of all the stupid things,” I mutter, wincing as I begin brushing dirt and tiny pebbles out of my scraped knees.


“_____, what’re you-” Yoochun’s eyes widen with worry as he runs back to me and kneels beside me as his hands flutter around me, unsure of what to do. “What happened?”

“I just tripped. Nothing new.” I smile to reassure him I’m fine.

“You sure?” Standing up, he reaches down to offer his hand. “C’mon. They should have some first aid stuff in the van.”

“Figures I wouldn’t be able to not injure myself,” I joke, accepting his hand and trying to stand, only to crumple to the ground again as pain stabs my ankle.

“____, what did you do?” Yoochun bends back down and carefully feels his way down my leg, stopping at my muffled yelp when he gets to my ankle. “Can you move it?”

I manage to move my foot around a little, biting my lip from how much it hurts.

“Good. You didn’t break it.”

“Brilliant,” I reply sarcastically.

Shaking his head, Yoochun moves so his back is to me. “Get on. There’s no way you’re going to make it back.”

I look at his white clothes reluctantly. “I’ll get more dirt or blood on your clothes. I can walk if you help me.”

He stubbornly stays put, ignoring me.

“Oppa...” I sigh and reach to link my arms around his neck.

Yoochun leans back a little to put his hands under my thighs and shift my body more onto his back. With a grunt, he stands up and readjusts his grip before starting back the way we’d come.

Resting my head against his back, I whisper, “Thank you.”

“Gotta take care of my angel,” he replies, smiling back at me.

As we round one of the curves, I hear Julian’s voice. “____? What’s wrong?”

“She fell back at the steps and messed up her ankle,” Yoochun explains.

“Here, I can take her,” Julian offers.

“I’ve got her.”

“I’m fine,” I assure Julian as Yoochun walks past him, forcing him to keep pace with us. “It only hurts when I try to put weight on it.”

“Do you need to go back to the hotel? Tyler can take you in the truck. I’ll just hitch a ride with someone else.”

Shaking my head, I remind him, “I’ve got a job to do. I have my personal transporter here anyway.”

“Whatever you need,” Yoochun says, briefly rubbing his cheek against my head.

    When we get back to the parking lot, Tyler and the other four rush over to begin fussing over me despite my protests that I’m fine. Tyler takes over after Yoochun carefully sets me on the truck bed with a towel underneath me so it doesn’t burn my legs. He confirms Yoochun’s suspicions of a sprained ankle, wrapping it and putting some ice from one of the coolers on it. After a short argument about me leaving to get it checked, which I win, the guys and Julian try to make me comfortable and bring me all sorts of things. Yoochun retreats a short distance away when I make him go get something to eat, but I still feel his eyes on me.

+++++++++++++++

“Here.”

Yoochun looks up in time to catch the sweating water bottle Tyler tosses him. “Thanks.”

“Don’t want anyone else collapsing,” Tyler replies, sliding down on the blanket beside one of the vans. Keeping his eyes on his sister as she sits under the umbrella, giggling at Junsu and Yunho’s antics, he says, “It’s good to see _____ happy. I was worried about her.”

“Why?” Yoochun asks, watching ____ as well.

“Even though she’s older than me, I can’t help it. Not only is she far from home, but ______’s sometimes too innocent for her own good.”

“What’d you mean?”

Tyler glances at Yoochun.“You know as well as I do how generous ______ is with basically everything.”

He smiles and nods. “She’s the sweetest person I know. She always puts others before herself and gives her all.”

“Exactly. The problem with my sister is she believes the best of everyone. That means people can easily take advantage of her and her feelings. They could manipulate her like a puppet and she’d never realize it.”

“We wouldn’t let that happen,” Yoochun immediately replies. “We watch over her.”

“But for how long?” Tyler says casually, looking away out over the endless canyon. “She’s strong enough on her own, but _____ needs someone who will always be by her side, both to protect her and just love her for her. Someone who only looks at her. I don’t want to see her hurt anymore.”

“Hurt anymore?” he asks, frowning as his gaze flicks to ____’s smiling face. His frown deepens as he notices it’s Julian making her smile.

“Just things that have happened. Nothing big. She does get lonely relatively easy sometimes though, not that she’d let anyone see it.” Tyler smiles as he looks at his sister.“She deserves a good man, don’t you think?”

Yoochun nods. “Only the best,” he says quietly.

++++++++++++++

    Unfortunately, the eight men gang up on me and force me to a doctor’s to get my ankle checked and I end up on crutches for the remainder of the week. That week fades away all to quickly and I soon find myself back at Julian’s for a goodbye dinner. As I’m sidelined, I end up as the referee for the rematch game, but I’m happy to just watch them all play together. When the guys and I have to head back to the hotel because of our early flight, Danny and Tyler persuade me to spend my last night at the house so I can be with them longer. With my brothers promising to get me to the airport on time, DBSK bid me goodnight before getting into the van with my brothers. I return to the back porch to take another look at the bright stars.

“Mind if I join you?” Julian asks, pushing aside my crutches to sit beside me.

“Sure,” I smile. I return my attention to the sky, thinking of the memories we all created over the last few days.

After a few more minutes, Julian clears his throat and asks, “____?”


“Hmm?”

“Did you have a good time this week?”

“It was great,” I reply, turning my head to look at him. “I had a lot of fun despite the injury.”

“Good. Good.” He hesitates. “Will you miss your brothers?”

“Of course, but it was really good to see them in person after so long.”

“Will you miss me?”

“Course I will,” I laugh, bumping him with my shoulder. “Why wouldn’t-”

I freeze in surprise as Julian’s lips suddenly press against mine.

When I remain unmoving, he pulls back, trying to hide the disappointed look in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I’ve kinda liked you for a while and I just knew if I didn’t do that now, I’d end up regretting it.”

“It’s-it’s okay,” I stutter, looking at the ground.

“...Is there someone else?”

I nod, forcing myself to meet his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

Julian lets out a small, embarrassed laugh. “Don’t be. I should’ve known. I guess it wouldn’t have worked out anyway with the whole distance thing, huh?”

“Probably not,” I admit.

“It was worth a shot,” he sighs, resting his head in his hands. Running his fingers through his hair, he gives me a sheepish smile. “Plus, this has been the only time Danny and or Ty haven’t been around.”

I give him a small smile in return. “Probably a good thing.”

He nods and we sit in a semi-awkward silence for a few more minutes before Julian gets up and says, “Well, now that I’ve successfully embarrassed myself for the night, I’m going to bed. Good night, ____.”

“Good night, Julian.”

I listen to him walk to the door and hesitate.

“______,” Julian says softly, making me turn around and meet his sincere eyes. “I hope it works out with your guy. He’s a lucky man. Hopefully he knows that.”

I nod and watch him disappear into the house before turning back and drawing my knees into my chest. Sighing, I rest my head on my knees, asking myself why my heart can’t seem to work in my favor, just once.

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

Annyeong lovelies! So few comments this time. =( Is it because I was so late? Mianhaeyo. I carved out time from final papers and am putting this up at 2am so I wouldn't disappoint you all again. Then again, maybe the content of this update will make up for it? Anyway, going to go to sleep now so I can wake up early and write my papers. Good night, gomawo, and saranghae.

EhaaKevin: Yes indeed, but it was only a kiss near the lips, not on.Yoochun is still technically dating Jaehwa.If he admitted it now, the story would be over. Was this a good Chunnie moment? ^^

the3wishes_t3w:Thank you for continuing to read. ^^ Love you too.

nar12345: Well, a little restraint while near her brothers but they weren't around for the kiss&dance part so he didn't feel a need...

WhiteAutumn_x: Mianhae; I'll try not to be gone so long again. I had lots of coursework. We'll see.

hazel_marie13: But if I don't update weekly for y'all, I feel like I'm letting you down. Maybe they'll get there eventually...

Poison: It was to get a point across. Our one guy friend here will come up and do that(well,not so much grabbing as just a kiss on the cheek) to help us get rid of a creeper.

yellow14:All in good time, lovely.

PurpleangelSJ: It's ok; exams are more important. I'll see if I can fit something in since they'll be back in Korea, but I'll have something special for you outside of the story for sure. We're still in July in the story, so December is a way off, but like I said, there will be a seonmul. Love and miss you too.