The next day, Nichkhun made a surprise visit to the f(x) dorm. The members were all in their pajamas, and were watching TV while eating breakfast that Victoria had deliciously made. It was so peaceful and quiet, but only 5 minutes after Nichkhun arrived, Victoria shrieked.

                “Are you crazy?” Victoria’s eyes were wide with disbelief. “You want to have a public date?”

                “In Dong-Dae-Mung, too,” Nichkhun added cheerfully, his face innocent.

                “You’re out of your mind. That’s probably the most public place a celebrity could go to.” Victoria ran into the kitchen. “I’m not going.”

                “Yes, you are!” Nichkhun lunged to get her, but Victoria got up quickly and nimbly sprinted to the other side of the kitchen counter.

                “No, I’m not!” Victoria ran, and he ran, and they switched positions.

                “What’s the matter? It’s no different from our dates in ‘We Got Married’.”

                “Yeah, but this is different,” Victoria insisted, her eyes not leaving Nichkhun in case he tried to get her. “That time it was just make-believe. Now, we’re a real couple and people know, and it’s so public and-“

                Nichkhun decided to go for it while Victoria was off rambling about her reasons. Quickly, he dashed to her side, and lifted her on his shoulders, making her yell in surprise.

                “Put me down, put me down!” Victoria helplessly hit Nichkhun in the shoulder, barely affecting him. He marched towards her room, and let her down.

                “Go get changed,” Nichkhun said. “I’ll be waiting in the living room.”

                “What if I don’t get changed?” Victoria crossed her arms and looked up at him stubbornly.

                “If you don’t get changed, I’ll change you myself-“

                “-I’ll get changed,” Victoria quickly interrupted, her face blushing. She shut the door behind her and Nichkhun chuckled to himself.

-

                Hey, isn’t that Victoria and Nichkhun?

                Yeah, it is. Did you hear about the news that they’re dating?

                It’s all over the internet, how can you not?

                This isn’t a ‘We Got Married’ recording, right? Wow, they have guts to gout in public on their own personal date.

                They actually look good together.

                Uh, no they don’t.

                Murmurs and whispering surrounded Victoria, and she felt suffocated. Crowds of people were circling them, but having enough manners to give them space to move. Victoria’s head hurt from all the glares, glances, and pointing fingers from the people around her.

                On the other hand, Nichkhun seemed perfectly fine. His head was raised high as if he was proud. He didn’t let go of her hand.

                Suddenly, the couple was stopped by a couple of school girls, probably in high school. The looks on their faces clearly showed that they didn’t approve of their favorite male idol’s girlfriend. They looked at her with such contempt and hate, that Victoria felt scared for a moment.

                Only one girl from the group of school girls talked. The rest just nodded and murmured agreements.

                “Nichkhun-oppa, how could you do this to us, your fans?” The girl cried loudly, catching the attention of many passing people. “We’ve been your loyal fans ever since you debuted, and we stuck with you since. We supported you when troublesome things happened in your life, and we always cheered for you when you performed.”

                The other girls murmured agreements, shaking their heads slowly.

                “But then, you go on ‘We Got Married’, and we were fine with you being a husband, because it’s fake. But now, you’re actually dating her?”  The girl pointed her finger at Victoria accusingly.

               “Hey-“Nichkhun tried to shut her up, but Victoria shook her head at him. Her eyes were slowly b with tears, but she nodded at the girl to continue.

               The girl scoffed. “She doesn’t match you at all, Nichkhun-oppa. She’s not all that pretty, and her Korean . Also, she’s such a fake.”

                Victoria in her breath.

                That’s harsh.

                “Even though your fans, including me, don’t want you to get a girlfriend, which you already did, we all rather you date YoonA, instead. She’s younger, and prettier.”

                Nichkhun looked angry. He opened his mouth to retort back, but Victoria hushed him. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she tried to find courage in her, so she could talk to this girl.

                “Do you really hate me being with Nichkhun that much?” Victoria asked the schoolgirl. The girl looked startled that Victoria was talking to her with no anger. But the expression faded from her face and was replaced with hatred.

                “Yes.”

                Victoria was quiet for a moment. The chattering of the huge crowd that surrounded her hushed.

                “You look like you’re in high school,” Victoria commented. “What are you planning to do after graduating?”

                The girl narrowed her eyes. “I want to be a singer.”

                “Really?” Victoria’s eyes widened in surprise.

                The girl didn’t respond to that. So, Victoria continued.

               “Since I’m a singer too, let’s do this. Pretend to be in my shoes for a bit. Try to see things from my view, my feelings. You’re a 24 year old idol, and you really like a guy who you do a reality TV show. And he likes you back. But, that guy is a very famous idol in 2pm. And you know that his fans are loyal and know what’s good and bad for him. But you’re so in love that you forget about that in the beginning. You go through so many hardships, and when you and he are both finally content and happy, the worst thing happens. Antis, hate, so much pressure is put on you that you seem to lose yourself. You starve yourself because his fans call you fat. You over practice because fans make hurtful remarks about you being lazy. You try to change yourself so his fans would approve of you. And even though it’s painful, you try not to think about it because being with that guy is more important than anything. He tells you one night that you don’t need to change, and that you’re beautiful just the way you are. So you stop trying to change, but you can’t get rid of the lingering feeling of non-acceptance. Now, finally, you’re out with that man, because he forced you to go here, no matter how much you whined and refused. You feel guilty while walking because he seems so confident about your relationship, yet you’re wavering and you’re scared.”

                Victoria took a deep breath, and was relieved to see that the girl had been listening to her every word.

                “What would you do if you were me? Would you give in to the negativity and leave him no matter how much you don’t want to? Or would you stick with him no matter what, even though it scars you every day?”

                The schoolgirl silently stepped back and out of their way. Her head was bowed down, along with her friends, and she was crying.

                “I’d stick with him no matter what,” the girl said, and Victoria gave a small smile.

                “And I’ll do just that,” Victoria bowed, her eyes tearing. “Thank you for listening.”