BGM: Dong Bang Shin Ki - I Wish (Because It's Yours)

"Shawols are fast!"

A very impressed Jung Jihye blurted out her observation loud enough to earn several judgmental stares and annoyed glares from the other passengers. The two of you, both covered in thick clothing from head to toe, were currently riding the subway to Apgujeong Station. You were originally given a week off by Ahjumeonie so you could enjoy your winter holiday, but after an unexpected and quite intriguing phone call from Yeonhee, you had no other choice but to cut your vacation short and head back to Happy Bubble that afternoon.

"Hush it down, will you?" you scolded, taking off one your best friend's earphones.

"But look! They've already uploaded some fancams from last night's concert! And in HD too!" Jihye reasoned, pointing to the search results featured in the tiny screen of her iPhone. "I bet we'll see Yixing in there somewhere. Okay. Pick a song."

You cocked an eyebrow. "A SHINee song?"

"What else?" she asked back, patting your thigh once. "Pick one song and we'll watch a fancam for that performance. So, what's it going to be? Lucifer, Ring Ding Dong, Juliette, or Señorita?"

"Hmm... let's just go with Señorita since I haven't seen them perform that yet," you decided, since that was the only song out of the bunch that wasn't officially promoted by the group. Putting on the left earphone, you waited as Jihye contemplated which 'Señorita' fancam the two of you will watch. "Ya! Choose the one with all of them! Not just the Minho-focused one!"

"Fine, fine," Jihye submitted. "Okay, here goes."

The fan who uploaded the video was probably too caught up in the moment that she forgot to record it right from the beginning. As soon as Jihye clicked 'Play', Jonghyun's voice instantly filled your ears as he sang the first line of the song.

"Oh my God! There are too many hip movements in this choreography!" Jihye noticed.

"Yeah, I noticed that too," you added.

During that part when Onew came forward to sing the second verse, the two of you momentarily forgot that you were in a public place with a bunch of strangers because you just couldn't hold in your excitement when Yixing was suddenly shown in the video.

"ZHANG YIXING!!!" the two of you chorused, immediately covering your mouths after you realized that you unintentionally yelled out the name of your friend.

"Oh my God! It's really him!" you tried to whisper.

Your best friend, who was suddenly in full fangirling mode, tugged on the sleeves of your coat. "I know, right? He looks like a millionaire's son with that black fur jacket on," she half-giggled, half-snickered. "And, if I may say so, our forgetful friend is totally rocking that eyeliner."

"I didn't know he was that good at dancing too," you commented, adjusting the yellow backpack sitting on your lap. "I mean, I already know that he was a good dancer, but I didn't know he was THAT good. Look! He's totally in sync with the rest of SHINee!"

Jihye agreed. "He's a much better dancer than Onew and Jonghyun, that's for sure!"

"Even Minho, I think," you noticed.

"It's almost funny how cool and how fierce he looks in this," Jihye remarked. "Or maybe I just got used to seeing him looking all dazed and confused most of the time - ooh! I love that clapping thing they're doing!"

"Doesn't it make you feel a bit weird, though?" you asked, taking off your share of the earphones. "I mean, he was just drinking bubble tea with us several days ago and now he's performing for thousands of SHINee fans in Yoyogi Stadium. Doesn't it feel a bit... I don't know... surreal?"

"The fact that we have friends other than each other already feels surreal to me," Jihye honestly admitted. "And they also happen to be boys - and not just regular boys - a group of very good-looking boys who will someday grace the television sets of very Korean household, hold concerts all around the world, and steal the hearts of over a million fangirls."

You nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I can't wait to see them perform at their own concert. Yixing had a lot of fun yesterday. They said he was more excited than nervous during the show. Probably less nervous than SHINee themselves. I think his short stint in that Chinese singing competition gave him a lot of confidence when it comes to performing onstage."

"Who told you that?" Jihye asked, her eyes full of suspicion.

"Well, uhm..." You contemplated whether you should tell Jihye the truth or just come up with an alibi, but since you weren't really good at lying, you just braced yourself for your best friend's inevitable teasing and ultimately revealed the person responsible for relaying you such information.

"Luhan," you answered. "Luhan told me."

Jihye's lips formed into a very mischievous smile. "I knew it! You two are secretly contacting each other, aren't you? I mean, how else would you know how that? It has been half a week since we last saw the boys and you already knew last night's gossip!"

"He called me, okay? Last night. He called me last night," you divulged.

"How long did you talk on the phone?" Jihye inquired.

"Is it really important for you to know?" you asked back.

Removing her earphones, your best friend pressed the 'Pause' button on the website's media player before tugging on your sleeves again. "Of course! I'm your best friend! I have to know these things! TellmeTellmeTellme!"

"Well, I don't know," you pondered. "About an hour or two?"

"Eeeeeeeeek!" Jihye squealed. "An hour or two?!? Oh my God! This thing between the two of you is really progressing well! Oh my God! Oh my God!"

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Don't get ahead of yourself! We were just talking!" you insisted, fixing the striped beanie on your head. "Can't two people talk on the phone without being mistaken for a couple? I mean, we were literally just talking-"

"-and flirting, that's for sure!" Jihye assumed, a bright smile still plastered on her lips.

"Flirting?!? I don't even know how to flirt!" Poking Jihye's arm, you asked, "What about you, then? Don't you exchange text messages with Moonkyu often? I'm pretty sure he's called you a lot of times too."

"Yeah, but that's only when we need to say something important to each other. Like asking questions, requesting favors, confirming information, and stuff," Jihye pointed out. "We never contact each other for leisure purposes," she added, her eyebrows waggling teasingly. "I'm sure you can't say the same thing about you and Luhan. I mean, before he gave you an update about Yixing, what were you two talking about? What was his reason for calling you?"

Biting your lip, you tried your best to act as cool and casual as possible, so that Jihye wouldn't start accusing you of liking Luhan again. "Well~ he just asked me how my Christmas went," you honestly admitted, fumbling with the loose threads of your scarf as you spoke. "Like what food did I eat or what kind of presents did I receive... those sorts of things."

Jihye nudged your arm and winked. "Told you. Leisure purposes."

"Serious question-"

While you were preparing the equipments you will use for making bubble tea, Jihye, who you thought was in the middle of making another one of her weird lists again, suddenly put her blue pen down to ask you something.

"-why are we opening the bubble tea shop in the middle of winter? Two days after Christmas, to be exact. It's not like people are going to rush over here for a cup of bubble tea to adapt to this freezing weather. I mean, personally, I'd rather have a bowl of soondae soup or ramen instead."

"8g of Fat would," you replied, and as if on cue, the front door of Happy Bubble was pushed open by the grumpy-looking ulzzhang who is addicted to chocolate bubble tea. "Speaking of the devil..."

Sehun settled on the stool beside Jihye's and took off his California Angels baseball cap. "Who'th the devil?" he asked, brushing off the snow off his coat.

"You," you responded.

Ahjumeonie's favorite customer, however, just ignored your answer and proceeded to order a cup of his favorite chocolate bubble tea. "With an extra thcoop of pearlth, pleathe," he requested, placing his baseball cap on top of the counter.

"Don't you guys go on breaks?" you asked, as you added chewy pieces of tapioca into Sehun's plastic cup. "I mean, it's the holidays, right? Are you guys still required to attend classes at SM even if you're basically on vacation?"

"We don't have training today," Sehun revealed.

"But you're going to practice anyway?" you assumed.

When Sehun nodded to confirm it, Jihye rested her chin on one hand and asked, "Why? Don't you want to rest even just for a few days? Is the competition amongst SM trainees really that tough or is it because you don't have anything better to do?"

He shrugged. "The hyungth wanted to."

"So, what is it? Like peer pressure? If one of you wants to practice, the rest of you will just do the same thing?" you supposed, before disappearing into the kitchen to get some milk from the fridge - specifically something with only 8g of fat.

"Or maybe it is the innate competitiveness among men," Jihye chipped in. "I noticed that in my SuJu oppas. Their friendly rivalry is so ridiculous sometimes that they would rather endure the painful hotness of jolokia peppers for a second time than admit that the members of Dong Bang Shin Ki are much better at eating spicy food." Suddenly turning to look at Sehun, your best friend asked, "Are you guys like that with SHINee as well?"

Instead of answering Jihye's question, Sehun just voiced out his dissatisfaction with your bubble tea-making speed. "Bubble Tea, you're taking too long!" he complained, pursing his lips at the same time his eyebrows creased.

"Sorry, sorry," you apologized, pouring the chocolate milk tea mixture into one of the stainless cups before attaching it to the shaking machine. "I'm doing it as fast as I can, I promise!" you insisted, pressing the green button to finally turn the equipment on. "Why are you in such a hurry anyway? I thought you don't have any formal training today?"

With an impish smile on her lips, Jihye looked at Sehun and said, "You didn't tell the other boys you were coming here, did you?"

Just like Jihye assumed, the other boys had no idea that Sehun had temporarily left the building premises of SM Entertainment to walk all the way to Rodeo Street just to satisfy his never-ending craving for bubble tea. About ten minutes after Sehun excused himself for a trip to the toilet, however, Kyungsoo finally realized what the maknae had done, so he took a quick trip to Happy Bubble to catch him red-handed.

"THERE YOU ARE!" Kyungsoo called out as soon as he pushed the front door open.

"Oh look! Sunbae's here!" you exclaimed, flashing Sehun a bright but mocking smile as you handed him his freshly-made chocolate bubble tea.

More annoyed that you took so long in preparing his drink than the fact that he was actually caught playing hooky by his hyung, Sehun shamelessly glared at you before taking a sip from his drink. Although you weren't gifted with the super-ability to read other people's minds, you were quite sure that 8g of Fat was already silently throwing curses towards your direction.

Jihye cocked an eyebrow. "How did you know he was here?"

"Where else would he go?!?" Kyungsoo loosen up the scarf wrapped around his neck and occupied the other barstool beside the one Jihye was sitting on. "If it was up to him, he'd probably lock himself up and live here forever."

"Nah," you disagreed, resting your elbows on the counter, intertwining your fingers. "What's the use of staying inside Happy Bubble when he doesn't even know how to make bubble tea? He may have all the ingredients and equipment that he needs, but he would never be able to satisfy his constant craving because he wouldn't know what to do with them."

Sehun, however, has a solution to that predicament. "I'll jutht kidnap you and forthe you to make bubble tea for me any time I want."

"WHY ME?!?" you blurted. "Why can't you just kidnap Sunbae instead?!?"

"Because I'm his hyung, that's why," Kyungsoo pointed out. "Besides, he can't lock me up in here because I'm needed in the practice room. You see, I'm one of the lead vocalists of our group."

Jihye tilted her head. "Really?!? You're the lead vocalist?"

"I hope so," Kyungsoo admitted. "Better me than Chanyeol, right?"

Totally distracted by thoughts of being kidnapped by Sehun to have the slightest interest in Kyungsoo and Jihye's 'lead vocalist' conversation, you came up with another suggestion. "What about Yeonhee unnie, then? Just take her instead. She's a much better bubble tea maker and she's really pretty too, so I guess that's a plus. And she's really nice too, so you probably wouldn't be so grumpy whenever you're with her."

You half-expected Sehun to retort with an insult or even a joke about Luhan, but he did neither of those. Heck, he didn't even glare or scowl at you. He just bowed his head and went on to have another sip of his chocolate bubble tea as if he didn't hear anything. So when you noticed Kyungsoo and Jihye disappointingly shaking their heads, you felt the need to ask them why your joke was received with such a negative reception.

"What?!? What did I do now?" you asked. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Tsk tsk tsk," Kyungsoo uttered. "I'm quite disappointed in you, my dear hoobae. I honestly thought you were the most sensitive among my friends, but clearly, you have moments like this as well."

You looked at your sunbae bewilderingly. "I still don't get it."

"Oooh~ that's right! Jaemi wasn't there when the whole thing happened!" Jihye exclaimed, tapping the counter once a la Chanyeol. "She was in the restroom when Kyuwan oppa and Yeonhee unnie announced their relationship!"

"I already know that they're dating," you said. "Wait, wait. How is that related to what we're talking about anyway? It's not like 8g of Fat is in- OH MY GOD! It's Yeonhee unnie, isn't it?!? The girl Jongin Chingu was talking about! You like Yeonhee unnie!!!"

Kyungsoo's eyes widen. "Jongin told you?"

"He once hinted that 8g of Fat likes someone, but he didn't tell me who it is. Well, it really doesn't matter now because I already know! He likes Yeonhee unnie!" you replied, a bit too excited about your recent discovery that you temporarily forgot to take Sehun's feelings into consideration.

Sehun took his baseball cap from the counter and got up from his seat. "Hyung~ I'll go back-"

"-nah, practice's over," Kyungsoo quickly interrupted, causing the maknae to retreat back to his seat. "For most of us, at least. Joonmyun hyung has your bag. I'm sure he'll bring it here for you."

"What do you mean practice is over for the most of you?" Jihye asked, picking up her phone to check if there were new messages. "Is somebody taking the 'hard-working' route way too seriously by tiring himself out?"

"I bet it's Jongin Chingu," you guessed, but Sehun instantly debunked your theory.

"It'th actually Luhan hyung," he said, a-matter-of-factly, a bit relieved that the current topic of conversation was finally steered away from his unrequited feelings for Yeonhee. "He'th been practithing really hard thethe dayth you'll probably think he wath poththeth by Yixing hyung."

Quite worried that your ears might be playing tricks on you, you leaned in closer to Sehun and tried to confirm whether you heard him correctly the first time. "Luhan?!?"

Kyungsoo cocked an eyebrow. "Why do you act so surprised?"

"I am surprised," you quickly answered.

"You should really start giving him more credit," Jihye remarked; and although she thought she did it as discreetly as she could, her smirk didn't go unnoticed by Kyungsoo. "If I were you, I'd date him already."

"DATE WHO?!?"

When he finally arrived at Happy Bubble with the other Korean boys, Minseok was thrilled to find Jihye in there with you; but when he heard your best friend declaring that if she were you, she'd date whoever-it-is-you-were-talking-about already, he just couldn't help but dash towards the counter to confront her about it.

"WHO ARE YOU GOING TO DATE?" he repeated.

"SIWON OPPA! I'm going to date Siwon oppa!" Jihye replied.

Sehun, however, was determined not to let your best friend get off the hook. "Luhan hyung. They were talking about Luhan hyung."

"LUHAN?!?" Minseok exclaimed. "Now, that's going to be really complicated," he said, sitting melancholily on one of the vacant barstools. Scratching the top of his head, he continued, "Luhan is a really good friend of mine, much like a brother to me, actually, and probably the best football buddy I could ever ask for; and he likes Jaemi-"

Jihye rolled her eyes at the chubby-cheeked boy before turning back to you. "As I was saying before Mins