Uki’s POV~

“So you mean to tell me that you’ve been doing mixed martial arts all this time?” Sungmin asked me.

I nodded slightly.

“Why did you keep it a secret?” Leeteuk asked.

I gave him a look and slightly smiled. “Because I know Siwon. He would have gone all older brother protective mode on me and tell me not to do it and not to get hurt and yada yada yada. You know how he gets.”

“Okay, talk about me as if I’m not right here in the room, why don’t you,” Siwon said, a pout forming.

“Aish. What is it with boys and pouts in this house? Every single guy has at least pouted once since I was here. This one especially,” I said with a laugh, shoving Sungmin slightly.

“Hey, now. I have an image to keep up. These guys here just wanna be like me is all,” Sungmin said with a smug smile.

All the guys started teasing him saying things like “Oh shut up, Sungmin” and “Yeah, we really wanna be just like you.”

I laughed and finished eating the rest of my vegetable soup while watching them argue. Did they really think I would go and start cutting myself? What a ridiculous suggestion! And did Leeteuk tell me earlier that Alex had gone to talk to him about it? Alex hates me at the moment. Why would she be concerned about me? Ugh. That girl needs to make up her mind about me because I’m getting so many mixed messages. Hmm…I suppose that’s how Donghae feels all the time? Ehh. It was his own fault. Who told him to go off and cheat on me for? I sure didn’t.

Flashback;; Two and Half Years Ago;; Uki’s POV~

“I wonder if Donghae would like these earrings better or these earrings better,” I said, holding up two different earrings to my ears.

“I thiiiiinnnkkk…The ones on the right,” Michelle said, looking up from the magazine she was reading on my bed.

I laughed and went with her choice. I was all about ready. New dress and new look. I was ready.

“So,” Michelle said, a sly smile spreading across her face, “two years, eh? Special day, special day.”

I smiled giddily. “Yeahh,” I said, standing up to look at my reflection in the mirror. “Can you believe it? Donghae and I are about to celebrate two years together. Two years.”

“What I can’t believe is that you guys have been together since you were fourteen,” Michelle commented with a laugh. “I’d much rather have had you go for Seungri, but that’s my personal opinion.”

“Of course. ‘Cause you’re practically in love with the guy, too,” I told her with an eye roll accompanying my words.

“Can you blame me? Look at how all successful he is and everything. And he’s closer to your age. Donghae is freaking six years older than you!”

“My parents are seven. And besides, Donghae’s a gentleman, he wouldn’t do anything.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about, Uki. I know you could beat the guy up if he tried anything. I’m worried that a guy his age and of his stature is gonna get bored with you.”

“Bored with me?! Michelle, either you’re insulting Donghae or you’re insulting me.”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant!” She sighed at me after I gave her an annoyed glare. “Look, you haven’t even turned sixteen yet. The guy is already twenty-one. Can you blame me for being worried? I know that he wouldn’t try anything, but I’m afraid that he’s gonna go look for someone his own age soon. I know how much you like the guy and I know that if he were to do that, you’d be heartbroken. And if you end up heartbroken, someone’s gonna end up with a black eye, just sayin’.”

I gave her a little laugh. “Thanks for being so worried about me, Chelle. It’s refreshing to know that there’s someone like you in my life.”

She gave me a little smile. “I’m just warning you ahead of time. He does anything to hurt you, anything at all, I’m sending him straight to the hospital. I don’t care how many of his fan girls try to kill me afterward.”

I laughed at her and grabbed a jacket, but my phone rang. I looked at the ID. “It’s Donghae,” I said to Michelle. She shrugged her shoulders, motioning for me to answer. “Hey, Donghae. Are you on your way already?”

“This is Jessica,” I heard a snide voice say.

Huh?

“Jessica?” I asked. “Jessica who?”

“You don’t needa know that. Anyway, Donghae just wanted to let you know he might be a little late.”

“A little late? What’s going on? Who is this?”

“Goodbyee,” she said in a sing-song voice.

“Wait, what?!” But she had already hung up. I looked to Michelle. “Michelle, get your keys. You’re driving me over to Donghae’s.”

We both quickly headed to Michelle’s Civic—she was two years older than me, so she already had her license—and drove to Donghae’s hotel he was staying at while he was in the States.

“Who was on the phone?” Michelle asked as she was frantically weaving through traffic. Cars were honking and cursing at her while I was inside holding on for dear life.

“I dunno. Some chick named Jessica,” I answered, a stormy look in my eyes.

“Mhmm,” was all Michelle said.

“Oh shut up and drive.”

A few minutes later, we arrived at the Hilton and I rushed in, going straight up to his floor. I probably just looked like another crazed fan girl to security, but the head of security knew who I was, so he just turned the other way, acknowledging me with a little nod of his head. I banged on his door.

“Lee Donghae, you open this door right this instant!” I yelled.

The door opened, but it was most certainly not Donghae who was facing me. It was one of the singers from SNSD! I recognized her because she and I never got along in the days I had worked for SM. What was her name again?

“Can I help you?” she asked snidely.

That voice.

Jessica.

“You’re the Jessica from the phone?” I asked incredulously.

“That’s right,” she said, a smug look on her face. “You haven’t changed a bit since we’ve last spoken.”

I gave her a sarcastic smile. “Oh, but you have! You look so beautiful!”

She faltered and blinked at me, a cautious and suspicious look on her face. “I-I do?”

“Yeah! Great to know that those surgeons are doing their job right,” I replied caustically, a look of mock admiration on my face.

“Look here, little girl, I’ll have you know—”

“Jess? Who’s at the door?” I heard a voice ask.

I looked past her to see Donghae coming into view, buttoning up his dress shirt for our dinner tonight. I shoved past Jessica.

“What’s this all about, Donghae?! What’s she doing here?” I asked angrily.

“U-Uki! Wh-what are you doing here?” he asked me, a scared look in his eyes.

“That one over there called me.”

“You called her?!” Donghae yelled at Jessica.

Michelle at this point shut the door, knowing that a huge fight was about to take place. We all looked at Jessica, who came up to Donghae, sliding her arms around his waist.

“I figured now would be the best time to tell her that she has no chance,” she said, giving me a nasty glare. “Don’t you agree, Donghae oppa?”

I blinked at both of them in disbelief. “Donghae, tell me right now that what she’s leading me to believe isn’t true and we can go head out to dinner.”

He just looked at me, his mouth open but no words coming out. I chuckled slightly.

“Of course,” I said, nodding, my eyes closed in anger, “of course it’s true!”

“Uki, please—”

“I don’t wanna hear it, Donghae!” I shouted. “This is the kind of thanks I get? From both of you?! I busted my to get you to debut and I quit my job for you to debut and this is how you thank me?!”

No one answered. Of course, I wasn’t expecting an answer, but it’s nice to know that all of my suspicions were being confirmed right before my very eyes.

“Fine,” I said simply.

“Fine?! No! This is not fine, Uki, this is far from just fine,” Michelle protested indignantly.

I ignored her and said instead, “You two have a good life. Two backstabbing traitors. Whatta perfect couple.”

“Uki, I—”

“It’s great to know that everything I had done for you meant nothing, honestly, it is, Donghae,” I interrupted once more, “so you two have fun. Really. I wish you the best of luck.”

And with that, I turned my back on both of them and walked out, dragging a feuding Michelle after me. Despite all the yelling protests coming from Donghae, I just simply walked out. So Michelle was right after all.

Donghae and I were over.

Present Day;; Uki’s POV~

I smiled sadly at the memory, swirling my soup around in my bowl. I snuck a glance up at Donghae, who was telling some story and laughing with Eunhyuk about it. I can’t believe how far we’d come, from that day with Jessica in the hotel room, to now, where I’m still hopelessly in love with the idiot fish. And then Troy suddenly popped into my mind. He’d done the same thing as Donghae had. He cheated on me, too. But why is it that I know I’m not willing to forgive him?

-It’s because you love Donghae, you idiot.-

Oh great, this one again. Look, I don’t need your quote unquote guidance, alright?

-Well, obviously you do, because you’re sitting here questioning yourself.-

You’re being ridiculous. I already know I love Donghae. I don’t need you to tell me that.

-Well, obviously you do, because you’re sitting here questioning yourself. Jeez, you’re clearly stupid if you make me repeat myself.-

But it’s just not like me. I mean, Troy had the guts to tell me he cheated. Granted he was trying to get me to break up with him to avoid telling me, but he did tell me. Is it because he cheated on me with Michelle? Is that it? Is that why I can’t forgive him? ‘Cause Donghae cheated on me with someone I hated. And he didn’t have the nerve to tell me. So why is it that I can forgive him so easily?!

-Easily? From what I remember, you called him out in front of all the rest of the guys your very first day here.-

He walked in on my shower! What else was I supposed to do?!

-Forget it. Arguing with you is like arguing with a brick wall.-

Right back at you.

-Like I said. You’re just arguing with yourself here.-

“Hey, Uki, you still alive over there?” a voice asked me.

I shook my head slightly and looked up to who was talking to me. “Oh, Ryeowook.” I gave a small laugh. “Y-yeah, I’m fine. I was just remembering some stuff.”

“Stuff like what?” Siwon asked me.

“Um…College stuff. Just remembered I was supposed to call the dean. Heh. Excuse me!”

I fluttered out of the kitchen and went into my room.

I don’t know why, but an uneasy feeling was just in the pit of my stomach, and I felt like if I didn’t leave the room immediately, something was gonna happen.

Alex’s POV~

“Why’d Uki leave?” I asked.

“She had to call the dean. Duh,” Yesung said, feeding his turtle one of the carrots from his stew.

I rolled my eyes at him. “Do you really think that was true? Jeez, you guys needa learn how to read girls better.”

“And what would you know about that?” Eunhyuk asked. “You’re just another guy.”

Hangeng looked at me, eyebrows raised in question. I shrugged my shoulders. He finally acknowledged me! And then there was a knock on the door.

“Um, I’ll get it,” Kyuhyun offered, getting up to get the door.

A second later, a guy with really blue eyes,—I mean really blue eyes—dirty blonde hair, and athletic build came into view accompanied with a beautiful girl that looked like a halfie. The girl had jet-black hair with clear, light blue eyes. Now that was a refreshing sight. A girl with black hair and light blue eyes. Not very common. Her skin looked like cream. Again.

NOT.

FAIR.

I noticed her brilliant blue eyes were filled with worry and trepidation.

“Who…?” Siwon asked.

“Um…Sorry, we don’t understand Korean,” the boy said in English.

“Who are you?” Henry and I asked at the same time. We looked at each other and smiled.

“Oh thank goodness someone speaks English,” the girl said. “I’m Michelle Parker, and this is Troy Burchett. We’re here to see Uki.”