So, technically, we haven't been talking for about a week or two now. The end of the year SBS music special is coming up and SM really wanted us to "debut" a tidbit of our special talents. Two of our Chinese friends are here rehearsing with us, one of them being Luhan-hyung of course. I have a special dance number with Taemin, and from what I heard from him, he hasn't spoken to you in days, either.

"I've been really busy and all," he says to me during one of our practices. "I mean, you would know, too, right? We have our comeback around the time you guys are going to debut. So, there really isn't enough time for me to spend with Hye Rin."

Taemin takes a swig of his water bottle and watches as Eunhyuk-hyung fools around with our choreography, chuckling every now and then when our senior does something hilarious. I nod somberly, taking in Taemin's words. Usually, I'd be pissed to hear that he isn't treating you with affection, but this is Taemin we're talking about. You and I know that being in a relationship with someone as busy and as famous as Lee Taemin would seriously have their downsides. Lack of communication and time for one another would definitely be on the top of that list. Why do you think Jonghyun-hyung from SHINee broke up with his gorgeous girlfriend, the impeccable Shin Se Kyung?

"After the Gayo Daejun, are you going to call her?" I ask him.

He shrugs. "Maybe not after. Probably before, you know? I don't want to keep her waiting for me."

Somehow, I feel utterly relieved that he cares about you like that. 

"So, um." Taemin shakes his sweaty fringe, wiping his wet fingers on his sweatpants. "Hye Rin told me you've been seeing someone."

My heart skips a beat. "Hye Rin told you that?"

"Yeah, man," he smirks. "You haven't been telling me anything lately!"

Because the last time I told you about the girl I liked, you stole her away from me.

"It's nothing special," I say half-heartedly. "I'm not that into her."

"Really."

"Yeah, it's just a side thing. You know, to get my mind off the pressure from debut." I take his water bottle and have a drink from it, too. Taemin looks at me with an expression I'm still unsure of deciphering.

"You really should focus on your debut than other girls," he says.

"You too with your comeback," I nod at him. 

"But this is different. When I debuted, I didn't have time for other things. I wanted to win the newcomer award alongside my hyungdeuls and guess what?"

"'All that hard work paid off.' Yeah, I get it, hyung."

Taemin snatches his bottle from me. "Just saying."

***

The aroma of just-cooked kimchi spaghetti wafts through our dorm when Luhan and I enter. I'm sweaty and gross from dance practice but I disregard that when I take a seat at the kitchen table. Kyungsoo-hyung places a pot of his dish on the middle of the table and helps himself with a plate. He does not bother to call out to the rest of gang knowing fully well that they'll come to their senses.

Which doesn't take long for Baekhyun and Chanyeol hyung, who are already racing each other to the kitchen.

"How nice of you to cook dinner for us, Kyungie-ah," Chanyeol coos mockingly as he reaches to get plates for him and Baekhyun high up on a cupboard. Kyungsoo remains silent, bobbing his head up and down as if to ward off Chanyeol's playfulness.

Luhan takes a fork and eats out of my plate. He usually heads to his own dorm after practice, but I had asked him to come along with me for a bit because I needed someone to talk to. About you.

The five of us eat Kyungsoo's cooking in silence. After finishing his plate and moving to get another, Chanyeol turns to me. 

"Oh, Jongin," he says, dumping a serving of spaghetti onto his plate. "I saw your friend here at the dorms. What's her name again? Hyo Rin?"

Luhan snorts, knowing that he makes the same mistake, too. "Hye Rin," I correct listlessly.

"Hye Rin, right," Chanyeol redeems, taking a bite of the spaghetti on his plate. "Anyway, I saw her and I thought, wow, okay what is she doing here? You know, because you can only get in the building if you know the key code and - "

That's when everyone at the table, including Lu Han hyung who knows me well enough, toss expectant looks at me. 

"I know the rules," I scowl. "I didn't give her the code to the building."

"Well yeah," Chanyeol continues. "I tried to say hi to her but she walked passed me without even looking up. Like she was in a hurry to get out of here."

"Weird," Baekhyun comments. Kyungsoo nods in agreement. Lu Han doesn't stop his stare on me, as if he's waiting for me to react. 

I don't know what to say. I feel the urge to take my cellphone out and text you about this, asking you what the hell are you doing here. But that would make me seem weak. That would make me feel like I can't handle my own issues with you. So, with heavy shoulders, I shrug it off. I pay no mind to it.

As we're well way into our meal, Sehun enters the dorm. He tosses his backpack onto one of the couches in the living room and joins us in the kitchen. The other boys look up at him with tauntingly coy grins.

"How was your date with Soojung?" Kyungsoo-hyung's lack of female action enables him to still act like an immature middle schoolers concerning matters of our existing lovelives. 

Sehun shrugs, taking a plate from the dish rack and helping himself with some of Kyungsoo's cooked meal. He bears no expression that could help us decipher how his date really went. Usually, we wouldn't press any further to show respect, but Chanyeol-hyung does otherwise. And it's not because he's rude and ignorant - because he really isn't - but because I think he's captured an iota of something that might explain why Sehun is the way he is right now. A twitch of the lips; a quiet, shallow sigh; or how he sets his eyes down so low might be what Chanyeol sees, because he soon asks "What's wrong?" all too seriously. 

The youngest boy leans agains the kitchen countertop, twirling his fork around his plate. He doesn't speak for a moment.

"Soojung wants me to buy her a promise ring," he says simply, not giving any eye contact to the rest of the group. 

"Oh, well." Kyungsoo looks around, as if he completely misunderstood the whole thing. He is, after all, the least experienced when it came to girls. "That's... great?"

I, too, am a little perplexed. "I thought you already did? Like, before you two began going out?"

"I did," Sehun throws his hand up in the air to back up his point with my statement. "I already did but she wasn't something 'solid', something that 'culminates our relationship', whatever that means."

Luhan chokes. "But you're only like what? Two or three weeks into your relationship right?"

"It's been a month," Sehun says. "Why? What does she mean by 'culminating'?"

Kyungsoo answers him this time. "I think she wants you to sort of up the ante of your relationship. She wants to get you whipped."

We all look at Kyungsoo hyung, clearly still confused. Luhan rolls his eyes.

"Soojung-ssi just wants you guys to reach another milestone," Luhan explains to Sehun before glowering at Kyungsoo for his terrible elaboration. "She wants you to go and get a promise ring so that you can reach a peak in your relationship. That's what 'culminating' means."

Sehun shakes his head, muttering, "How does this girl know all these things."

I pause and stare at my plate.

Maybe that's what I need to do, too. I need to culminate our friendship if I want us to get somewhere. I need to do something. 

A/N: AYO WADDUP. Sorry for the late update. Meh. I got carried away because my Kriseu feels were 'sploding and I started a new Kris fanfic (which has disappeared, apparently, as with other stories/datas/messages in the aftermath that is AFF's server move.......) But yes. Thanks to lovely Rora's (-aurora) encouragement, I have decided to go on with thisssss. And IDK what happened. I was losing feels for Kai-ssi, but just last night I had this incredible dream with him (and me, lololol) and I was like. Yes. Kai feels are back. Ok. /the end.