“Oppa, you really shouldn’t have done that.” Sooyoung repeated for the nth time since that scandalous press conference. “My baby and I aren’t your responsibility.”

“Yes, you are.” Leeteuk shook his head, sitting on the spare bed in her room and running a hand down his face. “I told you that I’m taking care of you, right? So that’s what I’m doing.”

“But not this way, oppa! What about you?” She sat on her own bed, hating how the conversation wasn’t going in her favor. “You’re involved in a scandal that you’re not supposed to be involved in at the first place. Your fans are upset, oppa. The Super Junior oppas are upset with you too.”

He looked up and made a face at her. “I’m doing what I know is best for you and your baby, Soo. If we pretend to be dating, it’d protect your baby from being called a bastard.”

“I just don’t want you to risk so much for us. We’re not your responsibility, oppa. Even if you insist that we are, we wouldn’t be if it hadn’t for the time that you caught me vomiting.” The tall brunette sighed; her thoughts momentarily fleeting to that one painful memory when Kyuhyun had hurt her. “What you did will change your life forever. You’re not supposed to be dragged into this mess… even if you’re just pretending to be the father.”

“I said we’re pretending to be dating, not I’m pretending to be the father of your baby.”

Sooyoung blinked. “But you really aren’t the father of my baby, oppa.”

Super Junior’s leader rolled his eyes good naturedly. “I may not be the biological father of your baby, Soo… but I can be the father that he or she will grow up to know.”

“Oppa, you can’t do that.” She gasped. “That’s too much, oppa.”

“Your baby needs a father figure and you know that. He or she needs a dad who will be there to take care, protect and love him or her.” Leeteuk got up from the bed and kneeled down before her. “Since the real father is missing in action, I want to be the one to take his place.”

“T-That’s not fair to you…” Sooyoung mumbled as tears began to stream down her face. “You don’t have to do this, oppa. Think about yourself and your career. You still have so many things ahead of you. You don’t need my baby and I to be extra baggage.”

“YAH! What the hell are you talking about?” He frowned as he reached up to wipe her tears with his thumb. He really didn’t like it when she cried. “Soo, don’t cry! You’re not supposed to get stressed out, remember? Just please allow me to do this. I really want to do this, Soo. Please understand that.”

The brunette knew that she would never win the argument... without risking letting him know the painful truth in the process. “Thank you so much, oppa.”

o-o-o-o-o

            Leeteuk was already expecting that his fourteen dongsaengs would confront him sooner than later about him and Sooyoung and the mess that was the press conference. So when he entered the SM building and found everyone in the rehearsal room seated on chairs and, he knew that it was time for the said confrontation. He took a seat on the only empty chair in the room, feeling slightly uncomfortable under fourteen intense gazes.

“Go shoot.”

“Hyung.” Siwon spoke up first and Leeteuk took note that he had his bible with him. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Why didn’t you tell us that you and Sooyoung are dating?” Eunhyuk specified. “Why didn’t you tell us that you two are having a baby?”

Leeteuk stiffened a little, searching his brain for the right answer. “Guys, I know you’re hurt that hyung kept a very big secret from you. I'm so sorry. Soo and I just decided to keep our relationship a secret for the obvious reasons and when we found out that she was pregnant, we wanted to wait for the right time.”

“Don’t you trust us, hyung?” Sungmin asked; his voice mirroring all the hurt he was feeling… and Leeteuk knew that the others were feeling the same way.

“No! It’s not that, Min.” He began to hate himself for causing them this much pain but as far as he was concerned, he had no choice. “Sooyoung and I really wanted to tell you. But we didn’t know how. We wanted to avoid a huge scandal so we decided to keep our relationship a secret from everyone.”

“What a good way not to start a scandal.” Heech