The Thirteen Ways Hyukjae Tried to Confess (and the One Way He Sort of Did)
Shades of Love
A/N: Read the Foreword if you haven't already so you won't be confused. (:
One: Jungsu
“Confess with a heartfelt present.”
“Hyung?”
“Hm?”
“How should I confess to Hyoyeon?”
Jungsu spat out his water in a comical fashion as Hyukjae looked on in utter bewilderment. The leader recovered and wiped his lips with his sleeve, coughing slightly here and there. Hyukjae patted Jungsu’s back a few times, eyebrows furrowed in worry.
“Are you okay, hyung?”
“You like Hyoyeon?” Jungsu stuttered out.
Hyukjae nodded timidly. “I thought you knew!”
“I was not ever aware!”
“But you’re the leader, you should know everything!”
“You always said she was like your sister!”
“I was in denial!” Hyukjae complained.
“Since when did these feelings come up, Lee Hyukjae?” Jungsu poked his dongsaeng in the chest.
“I realized I liked her in Paris,” Hyukjae played with a loose thread on his shirt. “After that realization, I realized that I’ve actually liked her way longer.”
“Don’t tell me you’ve liked her since you met her or something mushy like that.”
Hyukjae started whistling.
“Lee Hyukjae!” Jungsu thundered. “You’ve been in love for over ten years and you tell me now?”
“Has it been that long?” Hyukjae chuckled awkwardly. “Wow...”
“Wow is right!” Jungsu continued, “How can you realize you love a girl only a few weeks ago?”
“I’m stupid!”
“You’re right about that.”
“Help me, hyung!”
The leader rubbed his temples. “Let’s see...how about you confess with a heartfelt present? Like a necklace or something?”
“Hyung, isn’t that just what you did with Taeyeon?” Hyukjae narrowed his eyes.
“...Maybe.”
-----
“Hey, Hyoyeon!”
“Oh, Hyukjae,” the blonde girl stopped in her tracks to smile happily. “What do you need?”
Hyukjae gulped.
So beautiful.
“I have something for you,” he began nervously.
“What is it?”
“Turn around.”
Hyoyeon followed his instructions and did so. She felt his arms come around her neck and unknowingly flushed. Something cold landed on her skin and she glanced down.
A necklace.
It was a little, shiny, gold star, on a silver chain.
“You know it’s not my birthday, right?” Hyoyeon laughed.
“Yeah, I know, but--”
“You remembered then?”
“Huh?” Hyukjae asked, completely bewildered.
“Our friendship anniversary! It’s been ten years, today!” she beamed.
“...O-Oh, right. That.”
“Thanks for this,” Hyoyeon smiled gratefully and hugged him.
Hyukjae hugged back slowly. “Y-You’re welcome?”
“You’re my best friend, you know that?”
Way One: Failed.
Two: Heechul
“Be direct!”
“So what should I do?”
“Just be direct!”
“Direct how?”
Heechul rolled his eyes, as if Hyukjae were being bothersome. “You idiot; walk up to her, put your hands on her shoulders so she can’t escape, and tell her.”
“Just...tell her? Like that?” Hyukjae paced back and forth worriedly.
“Yes, Hyukjae. It isn’t rocket science.”
“But--”
“Are you going to take my advice or not?” Heechul snapped angrily.
“Fine!”
-----
Hyukjae saw her.
She was walking around backstage, shuffling her feet relatively slowly. He steeled his nerves and marched up to her, placing his hands on her shoulders firmly, like Heechul had instructed him to do. He spun her around forcefully and took in some air.
“Hyoyeon, I--”
Then he noticed her tear-stained face.
“Hyoyeon?”
She said nothing and only cried harder, and it was the first time he saw her like this, so exposed.
And he knew that no matter what, it would be not be the right time to confess. Not now.
Not when she needed him as a friend.
Way Two: Failed
Three: Hangeng
“The way to a girl’s heart is through her stomach.”
“Hangeng-hyung, do you have any advice for me?”
“Is this about Hyoyeon?” Hangeng grinned all-knowingly, holding the phone between his ear and shoulder so he could cook properly.
“Yes,” Hyukjae said miserably from the other side. “But how’d you know?”
“Heechul’s been keeping me updated. What’s up?”
“I like her.”
“Figured you did.”
“Eh?!”
“I was just wondering when you would come to terms with it. Go on.”
“How do I confess?”
“Good question.”
“Please help, hyung! Jungsu and Heechul couldn’t!”
“You know, I’ve always thought that the way to a girl’s heart is through her stomach.”
“Isn’t that the way to a man’s heart?”
Hangeng huffed irritably. “It can be for girls, too! Girls love food just as much as guys, and sometimes, even more.”
“True, but uh, I can’t cook very well.”
“Try your best! It’s the thought that counts!”
-----
Hyoyeon woke one Saturday morning to the smell of food, drifting into her room from the kitchen. She looked over at Seohyun’s bed, where the maknae was sleeping peacefully.
So who was cooking?
She crept out of bed and tiptoed to the kitchen. Sooyoung was still fast asleep, but Hyoyeon knew it wouldn’t be for long. She quickened her pace.
“Hyukjae?” she hissed, running over to the boy (she didn’t consider him a ‘man’ yet) and slapping his shoulder thrice.
“Ow, ow, quit it!”
“What are you doing here?! How’d you get in here? Who even let you in? How--”
“Hyoyeon,” he took her wrists gently and breathed in and out.
She did the same; then she exploded once more. “Now, what the flipping heck are you doing in here?!”
Hyukjae shielded his face, while she resumed attacking him. “Hyoyeon, quit!”
“Answer my questions!”
“I’m simply making you a nice breakfast,” he grumbled, massaging his shoulder.
“Are you really?” Hyoyeon’s jaw dropped and she peered over at the stove. “Oh, wow, you are.”
“Here, you sit,” Hyukjae led her to a chair, “And I’ll finish up.”
“What’s with this random kind gesture?” Hyoyeon laughed, turning her chair so she could watch him.
“Can we make a deal?”
Hyoyeon was taken aback. “Sure, but you didn’t answer--”
“If this food is good, you have to agree to something.”
“Agree to what?”
“Something.”
“So mysterious,” Hyoyeon rolled her eyes.
“And if it , then you can hit me, I guess.” Hyukjae turned the stove off and prepared the breakfast.
“I can hit you whenever, regardless!”
“Meh.”
“Meh!”
“How is it?” Hyukjae asked two minutes later, a hopeful expression plastered on his face.
Hyoyeon chewed and swallowed, indifferent.
“Hyoyeonnnnn! Answer me!”
Hyoyeon smiled, stifling a laugh. “I think I’m gonna go back to bed now.”
“Hey!” he chased after her, grabbing her by the arm.
She let out a laugh. “Hyukjae, you know I love you,” his heart raced, “But I think I’ll ask Seohyun to make me breakfast.”
“Fine, then.”
“Nice effort though?”
Hyukjae stuck his tongue out at her and exited the dorm with a sinking heart.
Way Three: Failed
Four: Yesung
“Tell her when everything’s perfect.”
“Why are you coming to me for girl advice?” Yesung’s eyes looked Hyukjae over skeptically.
“You’re the wisest hyung I have!”
His eyes narrowed. “Really?”
Hyukjae got on his knees and hugged Yesung’s legs. “Yes, really! I need your wisdom because you’re old!”
“Yah!”
“Uh, I meant--”
“I’m not good with girls and you know that!”
“Still, you should know something.”
“I have nothing to say to you, Hyukjae-ah.”
“Come on!” the desperate boy in love begged, well, desperately.
“Hm,” Yesung’s mouth formed a frown as he began brainstorming. “I think you need to find the exact right moment to tell her.”
“What do you mean?” Hyukjae returned to his feet.
“You need to pick the perfect moment. Tell her when everything’s perfect. The weather, her mood, your mood, and all the surrounding conditions. Understand?”
“I...I think so.”
“Don’t blame me if you fail, okay?”
“Nice to know everyone has faith in me.”
-----
The day came sooner than Hyukjae had predicted.
It was the day SNSD would make their long-awaited comeback with “The Boys”. Hyoyeon--and the other eight girls--were especially psyched, energetic, and happy on this particular day. The weather wasn’t too bad; at least it wasn’t raining. And Hyukjae had put himself in a good mood by starting his morning off with a delicious breakfast made by none other than top-notch chef, Kim Ryeowook.
He was unstoppable. At least, he felt that way.
To his luck, he caught Hyoyeon exiting one of the practice rooms.
“Oh, what are you doing here?” Hyoyeon greeted him with a jab in the arm.
“How are you feeling?” Hyukjae asked, rubbing his arm with a grin.
“Amazing,” she sighed, giving him a grin of her own.
“Can I...Can I tell you something?”
“What’s wrong?” Hyoyeon automatically placed a hand on her forehead. “Are you sick or something?”
“No, no,” Hyukjae pushed her hand away. “I’ve been meaning to tell you something for a really, really, really long time.”
“How long?”
“A few years?” Hyukjae smiled sheepishly.
“You--a few years?!” her eyes bulged.
“I lo--”
“Hyoyeon, there you are! We need to go to the hair salon; now!” one of SNSD’s managers rushed over and dragged the girl away.
“Text me?” Hyoyeon called, cupping her hands around .
Hyukjae weakly gave her a thumbs-up.
He guessed he didn’t check the “surroundings” very well.
So much for that ingenious plan.
Way Four: Failed
Five: Kangin
“Friends can help.”
“So you’re in love with Kim Hyoyeon, eh?”
“Yeah,” Hyukjae rummaged through the refrigerator for a snack and found, to his delight, a box of strawberries. “And since you’re awesome with girls, you can help me, right?”
“I went through a hard day’s work here at the military and then you rudely demand for my help?”
“Hyung, I love you!”
“This kid,” Kangin muttered, cracking open a can of soda on his line.
Hyukjae grinned adoringly.
The sound of him taking a swig could be heard. “Okay, I think you’ve been going about it the wrong way. You should get a wingman to go and break it to her.”
“Wingman? Repeat, please?”
“Friends can help,” Kangin stated dryly. “Get Donghae or one of Hyoyeon’s friends to tell her that you love her.”
“So it’s not me confessing?”
“Precisely.”
“So then I can’t possibly screw it up!”
“Exactly.”
-----
“I am putting my entire life in your hands, Tiffany.”
“Aw, how sweet! Hyoyeon’s your entire life?” Tiffany sighed dreamily, placing her hands over her cheeks.
“Don’t push it,” Hyukjae glared, pinching her.
“Maybe I just won’t help you--”
“No, wait! I need you!”
“I appreciate the thought, Eunhyuk, but I think you should reserve that line for Hyoyeon.”
“Shut up!”
“I can’t believe you’ve loved her for so long! It’s like one of my romance novels coming true!”
Hyukjae facepalmed and pinched Tiffany again. “You’re pushing it.”
“You gotta admit it, it’s really romantic, this whole thing!” Tiffany clapped excitedly.
“Yeah, yeah, now go!” he gave her a hard push forward and hid behind the wall.
And now, to eavesdrop...
“Hyoyeon!”
“Hey, Tiffany--why so perky?”
“Aren’t I always?”
“True, I guess. Have you seen Hyukjae? He was trying to tell me something the other day, and I swear I just saw him.”
“He told me what he wanted to tell you, actually.”
“What? I thought it was something private for my ears only!”
“Hyoyeon, wait!”
“How could he tell something to you before me?”
“It’s a misunderstanding, Hyoyeon, he lo--”
“Well, I’m finding his sorry and kicking it! I’ll be right back, Tiffany.”
Way Five: Failed
Six: Shindong
“If you like her, nothing matters.”
“What kind of advice is that?” Hyukjae moaned miserably.
“If you like her, nothing matters.” Shindong reiterated coolly.
“How is that supposed to give me an idea of how to say it?”
“If someone interrupts you, you grab her arm and refuse to let her leave before telling her your feelings.” Shindong explained. “If she wants to hit you, you block the hit and confess first. If she wants to talk first, don’t let her. You have to talk first.”
Hyukjae began nodding. “I see...”
“Good luck, buddy,” Shindong added with a small chortle.
-----
“Pick up, pick up, pick up,” Hyukjae murmured to himself.
“What do you want?”
“Hyoyeon, before you scream at me and threaten to rip my throat out, listen.”
“I don’t wanna listen to what you have to say!”
“Listen to me for like ten seconds.”
“I’ll be counting.”
“I’m sorry.”
She said nothing, so he decided to go on.
“I’m just an idiot.”
“Five seconds.”
He clutched the phone more tightly, “Because I love you.”
Time was up, if he calculated correctly in his head.
“Okay,” her voice came through at last.
“Okay?”
“You’re forgiven.”
“I am?”
“Back to friends?” he could almost hear her smile.
“Back to--huh?”
Didn’t he just confess?
“Yeah; you’re an idiot, just like you said, but I’d be an idiot myself to stay mad at you.”
“Right, of course.”
“What were you going to tell me? The other day?”
“Uh, about that, Donghae’s calling me, so I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Click.
“What was that?” Donghae peered into the room, amused.
“Donghae, Hyoyeon may just be more oblivious than you are.”
“Oblivious? What?”
Way Six: Failed
Seven: Sungmin
“Turn up the romance.”
“You should have come to me first, my good friend.”
“Probably,” Hyukjae shrugged.
“What you need are grand gestures that make her know your ‘I love you,’ doesn’t mean you love her as a sister or a friend.” Sungmin tapped his chin thoughtfully.
“So what now?” Hyukjae blinked dumbly.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.”
“For real?”
“For real.”
“Sungmin, I love you!” Hyukjae cried, overjoyed, smothering his longtime friend in a hug. “You’re the best, I swear!”
“What is this?” Donghae appeared and gawked, appalled. “What about me?!”
-----
Hyukjae could describe the park in only two words.
Lee Sungmin.
A path was lined with little pink post-its, notes scrawled on them in fancy writing. The messages were as followed: “If this is the prettiest blonde girl in Seoul, keep walking.”, “Guess who this is?”, “Have you guessed yet?”, “If you haven’t, it’s Hyukjae.”, “I’ve been meaning to tell you something for a long time.”, “It’s the reason for my stupidity lately.”, “I wanted you to know that...”
He had to give Sungmin a bit of props; the messages sounded like Hyukjae. He assumed that at that point, he would have to say the magical words. The notes led to a secluded area where Sungmin had set everything up. Red ribbons were tied around the trunks of trees and twinkly lights were strung about the place. Red and white rose petals were scattered on the grass. A red picnic blanket was in the middle. A basket of what Hyukjae hoped contained food was nearby.
“Psst!”
Hyukjae noticed Sungmin peeking out from behind a tree. “Hey, what the heck is this? It’s a confession, not a proposal!”
“If you’re gonna do it, you might as well do it right.” Sungmin smiled smugly. “Besides, you should thank me. This is foolproof.”
“Are you positive?”
“Absolutely,” Sungmin winked.
“Well, what if--”
“I hear someone coming!” Sungmin shushed, jumping behind his tree.
Hyukjae swallowed a large lump in his throat.
Here goes nothing...
“Sunny?!” Hyukjae exclaimed.
“Eunhyuk-oppa?”
“Sunny?” Sungmin gasped, running out.
“Sungmin?” the petite blonde girl gasped.
“You messed up so badly,” Hyukjae nailed Sungmin in the arm.
“That wasn’t for me, was it?” Sunny asked hurriedly.
“No!”
“Thank goodness,” she breathed easy.
“What went wrong?” Sungmin turned to Hyukjae. “You texted her, right?”
“Wait, what is this about?” Sunny looked at Hyukjae, then Sungmin.
“...You told her to meet you at Olympic Park.” Sungmin stared in incredulity at Hyukjae’s phone.
“...Did I really?”
“This isn’t Olympic Park!” the confession planner yelled furiously.
“It was an honest mistake!” Hyukjae yelped.
“Oh, this was meant for Hyoyeon.” Sunny figured out, being the smart girl she was.
“There goes my hard work.” Sungmin glared.
“Sorry?”
Way Seven: Failed
Eight: Siwon
“Be a gentleman.”
“Siwon, this may be the worst advice I’ve gotten so far.”
“Hey, it hasn’t failed me yet.”
“You don’t have a girlfriend.”
“I’m too busy!” Siwon made an excuse hastily.
“Sure, sure.”
“Think No Other,” Siwon suggested. “Go on a walk with her and tie her shoe or something.”
“What if her shoelace isn’t untied?”
“Er, I’m not sure what to tell you.”
“How about, guidance?” Hyukjae remarked sarcastically.
“Be a gentleman,” Siwon smiled, patting his friend on the back.
“That’s not helpful!”
-----
“Any particular reason you wanted to go for a walk?”
“Not really,” Hyukjae responded truthfully.
They strolled down the same path Hyoyeon should have walked two weeks ago.
Then I wouldn’t be in this mess.
Their arms swayed back and forth, hands just barely touching. Hyukjae wanted to hold hers so badly, but he was afraid of how she’d react. He suddenly remembered.
Be a gentleman.
Would it be so wrong to hold her hand?
Closer, closer, closer--he stretched his fingertips until they grazed hers slightly. Summoning all of his courage, he took her hand at last, intertwining his fingers in hers.
Hyoyeon looked down at their hands; she looked back up at him. “What...are you doing?”
“Do you mind?” Hyukjae smiled hesitantly.
“No,” Hyoyeon smiled back, more confident, “But what if someone sees us?”
“Oh, well,” Hyukjae shrugged nonchalantly, squeezing her hand tightly.
He never got around to confessing that day. But he felt like he was almost there.
Way Eight: Failed
Nine: Zhoumi
“Surprise her.”
“I say, surprise her.”
“Hm, I do like surprises,” Hyukjae mused. “What kind of surprise?”
“I don’t know,” Zhoumi admitted. “All I know is that girls love when good, unexpected things happen.”
“I have a plan, but it’s sort of risky.”
“Don’t we need to take risks in love sometimes?” Zhoumi said wisely.
“You’re right, you’re right...”
“Well, I hope things go okay. If you’ll excuse me, I have a shopping spree to go on with Key.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Hyukjae laughed.
“Because you shouldn’t be!”
-----
“No, you absolutely cannot do that.”
“Why not?” Hyukjae whined.
Jungsu scoffed in disbelief. “Well, hm, Hyukjae, let’s see the possible outcomes here. One, you’ll get in trouble with Sukira. Two, you’ll get in trouble with our managers. Three, you’ll get in trouble with Soo-man. Four, you’ll get in trouble with SNSD’s managers. Five, you’ll cause unnecessary publicity for both Super Junior and SNSD. Six, the ELFs--”
“Okay, I get it; there’re a lot of possibilities!”
“You can’t seriously be thinking of confessing to her on a public radio show.”
Hyukjae shook his head. “No, it’s like this. I pretend to read a fan letter from some SONE, to Hyoyeon. And it’s like some love letter, okay?
Jungsu cut him off. “Hyukjae, just promise me you won’t do something incredibly stupid.”
“I’ll try my hardest?”
-----
“Hyoyeon-sshi, what do you want to say to this SONE?” Hyukjae asked after reading the fake letter.
“I love you, SONE!” Hyoyeon grinned cutely, making a heart with her arms.
“I thought you liked someone else,” Sooyoung joked.
“What is this? Hyoyeon-sshi has another idol crush?” Jungsu jumped in, ecstatic to get the scoop first on Sukira.
The other girls giggled and hooted and hollered.
“Not really,” Hyoyeon denied with an unconvincing laugh.
And Hyukjae could no longer go on with his intended scheme once he heard she liked someone.
Way Nine: Failed
Ten: Donghae
“Play hard to get!”
Hyukjae had decided that even though Hyoyeon liked someone else, he would still at least tell her his feelings. Perhaps then, the feelings would subside and he would stop feeling guilty.
So he made the choice of asking Donghae for some tips.
“Really, Donghae?”
“Yeah! Play hard to get!”
Hyukjae rolled his eyes. “How is that working out with you and Jessica?”
“...It’s not working out very well, now that you bring it up.”
“So what makes you think it’ll work for me?” Hyukjae smacked the boy’s head.
“Don’t girls like the chase? Running? And all that?”
“Do I look like a girl to you?”
Donghae opened his mouth. “Don’t you dare answer my question.” he closed it.
“The Mnet Asian Music Awards are tonight,” Donghae nudged his pal. “It gives you a chance to ignore her.”
“I already know this won’t work.”
“Tenth time’s the charm, right?”
“Third, Donghae. Third.”
“Third? Is that really the saying?”
“Yes.”
-----
Playing hard to get was no easy task.
Especially when the girl you had to not associate with was a talkative, bubbly, funny, pretty, beautiful, dancer.
Hyukjae learned this quickly. During the ending, all the artists gathered on the stage and mingled around. Thankfully, there was no sign of Hyoyeon.
But then, there she was, in the flesh, looking stunning in her stage costume and her curly blonde ponytail.
She started to dance next to him. And he shortly apprehended the fact that she was trying to get him to dance with her. He mentally punched himself and walked away from her, going over to Sooyoung instead.
“Why aren’t you with Hyoyeon?” she posed her question.
“I’m not obsessed with her, you know!”
“...”
“Is it obvious?” Hyukjae lowered his voice.
“Not at all,” she grinned mischievously, swiveling her head around. “But you know, she’s over there talking to Doojoon.”
“Where?!”
“Kidding,” Sooyoung snorted. “I don’t think playing hard to get is your thing.”
“I agree."
“Don’t beat yourself up about it.”
“There goes number ten...”
“What?”
“Nothing!”
Way Ten: Failed
Eleven: Ryeowook
“Sing to her or in your case, dance for her.”
“Okay, maybe eleventh time’s the charm?” Hyukjae muttered to himself, walking into Ryeowook’s open bedroom.
“Hyung!” Ryeowook glanced up from his laptop happily.
“I--”
“I was actually wondering when you’d come, and I’ve been thinking about it all morning!”
Hyukjae let out a laugh. “Oh, okay, let’s hear it then.”
“I think you should sing to her,” Hyukjae paled so Ryeowook quickly fixed the situation, “Or in your case, dance for her.”
“But she’s seen me dance like a hundred times!”
“Well, why can’t you just be able to sing?” the younger male pouted.
“Yah! Stop hanging around Kyuhyun; you’re becoming so rude.”
Ryeowook cracked a smile. “Sorry, hyung. That was the only thing I could think of, though.”
“Really? The only?”
The oldest in the maknae line--not counting Jungsu; he was too old--bobbed his head up and down. “Yep, the only.”
-----
“Cool dance!” Hyoyeon commented with a grin and a thumbs-up.
She noticed Hyukjae’s disappointment and her grin faded. “What’s wrong? Did you mess up?”
“I guess you could say that.”
Way Eleven: Failed
Twelve: Kibum
“Girls like guys who do old-fashioned things in these modern times.”
“You want me to write a love letter?” Hyukjae asked incredulously.
Kibum nodded silently.
“Isn’t that cliché?”
Kibum nodded once more.
“And really cheesy? And corny?”
Kibum shrugged.
“What if she punches me? Or laughs in my face?”
“Listen, she won’t laugh in your face. She’s not that kind of person. Girls like guys who do old-fashioned things in these modern times, you know.”
Hyukjae snorted, “So you want me to rent a horse-drawn carriage and--”
“Not that kind of old-fashioned! Writing a letter, remember?”
“Right, writing a letter, got it.” Hyukjae took quick strides away.
And returned a moment later.
“Whatcha need?” Kibum wondered.
“How do you start a letter?”
-----
Dearest Hyoyeon,
Hi, Hyoyeon,
Dear Hyoyeon,
Lately, I’ve been feeling very confused.
I wanted to tell you that I
How are you?
Okay, I’ll just come right out and say...
Hyukjae crumpled up the piece of paper in aggravation, tossing it to the floor.
Way Twelve: Failed
Thirteen: Kyuhyun
“Be rude to her.”
“You want me to what?”
“Be rude to her.” Kyuhyun smirked.
“Why?” Hyukjae gave the maknae a, you-are-seriously-stupid-if-you-think-I’d-do-that look.
“Chicks dig bad boys.”
“No, they--” Hyukjae stopped short.
“See? I’m right, as usual.”
“Well, what could go wrong?” Hyukjae murmured.
-----
“Hey!”
Hyukjae ignored her voice and put his headphones on.
“LEE HYUKJAE!”
Close your eyes, maybe you’ll disappear and won’t have to deal with her rage...
“Yah,” she yanked his headphones off roughly. “What the heck?”
“What?” Hyukjae blinked, pretending he had no idea what she was talking about.
“You’ve been purposely ignoring my phone calls, texts, and avoiding me.”
“What do you mean?”
She folded her arms, a bad sign. “You completely ignored me like I didn’t even exist, just now, when I called your name.”
“Sorry,” Hyukjae said a bit too casually.
“Can you even explain yourself?” Hyoyeon retorted hotly.
“...No.”
She stormed away, evidently pissed. Hyukjae buried his face in his hands.
Way Thirteen: Failed
Fourteen: Henry
“Just go for it, dude.”
“Okay, you’re seriously my only hope now.”
“Excuse me?” Henry put down his sandwich, chewed, swallowed, and gulped down some water.
Hyukjae sighed, not knowing how else to express his annoyance. “It’s a long story.”
“You love Hyoyeon, but you don’t know how to confess to her?”
“Maybe it’s not such a long story,” Hyukjae settled into the seat next to the Canadian and took a bite of the sandwich.
“Hey! That’s mine!”
“Mine now.”
Henry folded his arms. “Okay, so what do you need me for?”
“Aren’t you with Amber or something? Help your hyung out here!” Hyukjae commanded, mouth full.
“Psht, pfft, tcht, I am not with Amber!” Henry stammered.
“Of course you aren’t.”
“I don’t get how you haven’t confessed yet. Or how she hasn’t picked up on your totally obvious feelings.”
“I don’t get it either,” Hyukjae chomped angrily.
“Well, you’re probably beating around the bush too much.” Henry pointed out. “There is one simple answer.”
“And that is?”
“Just go for it, dude.”
“What do you think I’ve been trying to--”
“Call her, text her, scream it to the world, whatever you need to do, but you need to let it be known that you love Hyoyeon.” Henry enlightened his friend.
“Okay,” Hyukjae threw the sandwich down. “I can do this.”
“I want you to tell me you love her,” Henry pulled Hyukjae up.
“Say it?”
“Say it!”
“I love Hyoyeon.”
“With passion!” Henry encouraged.
“I love Hyoyeon!”
“Really? Well, so do eight other guys, not including almost all of SM.”
“I LOVE KIM HYOYEON!”
Henry smirked. “Atta boy.”
“Why do you look like Kyuhyun?” Hyukjae began to back away carefully.
“No reason,” Henry chuckled darkly. “Hyoyeon, you can come out now.”
Hyukjae’s jaw flew to the floor upon seeing Hyoyeon’s head poke from behind a wall. “Please tell me you just got here.”
“Nope, I’ve been here a while,” she smiled brightly, eyes shining like stars.
“So you heard--”
“Uh-huh.”
“When I--”
“Yup,” Hyoyeon was suddenly right in front of him.
“I’ll leave you kids to it,” Henry whispered, slinking away from the soon-to-be overly romantic scene.
“When did you figure out?”
“The necklace thing.”
“How did you figure out?”
“Leeteuk told me,” she punched his arm playfully.
“So much for keeping secrets,” Hyukjae sighed dramatically and gazed at the spot on the wall behind her.
“I had the right to know!”
“It was my job to tell you!”
“But you never did!” Hyoyeon taunted.
“I was about to!” Hyukjae said pathetically.
“You’re really a wimp!” Hyoyeon brought up in dismay. “You tried to confess fourteen times!”
“No,” he pushed her forehead gently with his index finger, “Thirteen times!”
“Fourteen, because you didn’t confess directly to me,” she shot back smartly.
“I still can’t win,” Hyukjae gummy grinned.
“And you never will."
He smiled and took her hand subconsciously. “So what now?”
“I think this is where you’re supposed to kiss me.”
They both smiled into the kiss, eyes closed, and her arms around his neck, his around her waist.
Way Fourteen: Success--sort of
Goal: Achieved
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