“All he wanted was to introduce me to his little brother!?!” Sulli cried, coming to a halt and facing Sehun with a large frown on her face. Sehun nodded.

“What..? How..? That’s…? Urghhh!!” She screeched, stomping her foot angrily. “I cannot believe I practically lived in fear for a whole week for that! This is ridiculous!!” She ranted.

Sehun just watched as Sulli vented her frustration, sipping his Almond Bubble Tea every few minutes. He understood her anger, but at the same time, it was hard not to find it a little funny. And in a small part of his mind, he couldn’t help but notice that Sulli was pretty when she was mad, too.

After a few more heated comments, Sulli calmed down. They had started walking again, and in a much smaller voice, she said, “Sehun-ah, thanks for… uhh… clearing all that up and helping me today… sorry it turned out to be nothing… I’m pretty stupid, huh?”

“No, you were smart to be suspicious and stay away. Until he told me, I thought he was really creepy too.” Sehun noticed that Sulli was leading them into an apartment complex. They headed for the entrance of the first tall building, surrounded by rows of cars and other identical buildings behind it. “Now that we’ve resolved everything, you can go get Bubble Tea anytime you want, right?” he added.

“Yeah, I guess,” Sulli remarked, stopping and turning to him again at the glass doors of the apartment building, “Well, this is where I live, thanks for… uhh… everything.”

“I’m glad I was able to help! And I’m not lying this time,” Sehun said.

Sulli chuckled as she raised her hand to wave. “Okay, bye!” She said cheerfully, her eyes curved in gentle, round lines. She began to walk backwards, waving at Sehun fervently, looking behind her every few steps a little clumsily so she wouldn’t bump into the door. Finally, inside the glass doors, Sulli waved one last time before disappearing up a flight of stairs. Sehun watched until the very last trace of her left before turning and walking home himself, shaking his Bubble Tea cup, most of its liquid contents gone and only a few tapioca pearls visible through the clear plastic. It wasn’t until he was well outside Sulli’s apartment complex that he recalled the odd feeling he had experienced when he had kissed Sulli. Looking at the remnants of the Bubble Tea in his cup, Sehun all of a sudden wanted to taste that sweetness again. He wondered if the feeling would go away soon, because the only way he could possibly feel that strange sensation again was if he got another chance to kiss Sulli.

That night at home, Sehun got a call from Jongin, asking how everything went. Sehun decided that he didn’t care if Jongin was a bad listener or not, he had a lot to tell.

The Monday after, Jongin texted Sulli, telling her to meet him at the soccer field after school. He had mentioned something about Sulli needing to repay Sehun for his big favor.

Sulli spotted Jongin standing on the edge of the soccer field with his arm around Sehun, grinning like a maniac. Sehun, on the other hand, had a weird look on his face, evidently not as happy as his goofy friend.

“Annyeong Sehun-ah!” Sulli greeted excitedly. “Annyeong Kim Jongin,” she said to Jongin, making the contrast in her greeting very blatant.

“Sulli-yah, Sehun has something he wants to tell you,” Jongin said, the wide smirk on his lips slightly getting on Sulli’s nerves. He was poking Sehun in his side, while Sehun just quietly stared at the ground.

“Hurry up!” Jongin nagged. Sehun then threw Jongin’s arm off of him, putting both of his hands on his cheeks and letting out a long sigh.

“I can’t do this,” Sehun muttered, turning his back to Sulli and gripping his head frantically.

“What? What’s wrong?” asked Sulli, confused.

“Yah, just say it!” Jongin pestered, pushing Sehun with a hand. “You!” Sulli shot back, “Leave him alone!” She slapped Jongin in the arm, a scolding scowl on her face.

“What?!” Jongin whimpered, playing innocent, face plastered with that annoying smirk.

“Sulli-yah,” Sehun spoke up, finally turning to face Sulli properly, “Do you remember at the café, when we were trying to prove to that guy that we were really dating, and I… uhh… you know… we… I… kissed you?” he stammered.

“Pffttt!!!!” Jongin snickered noisily, standing in between Sehun and Sulli, watching them as if they were the most entertaining television show.

Sulli felt herself reddening. It didn’t help that she was really itching to smack Jongin. She glared at him menacingly, before answering, “Yes.” She tried to focus her attention on Sehun, the much nicer, much sweeter, and much warmer friend of the sniggering clown next to them.

“Well… I…” Sehun kept stuttering and looking away in different directions. Sulli was beginning to worry she would never hear from him what he wanted to say to her.

“Go on Sehun, tell her what it tasted like~” Jongin chimed in. Sulli had had enough of that boy. “Yah, you,” she pointed at Jongin, her tone harsh and threatening, “Get away from us, so we can talk in piece. NOW!!”

Sulli seemed about to chase Jongin away with a pitchfork if she could get her hands on one. Still sporting his infamous smirk, and half sticking his tongue out at his two friends, Jonging backed away from them slowly, sneaking in his last garish comment, “Sehun-ah, get on with it, you chicken!”

Finally, when Jongin had backed away far enough from Sulli and Sehun for them to have some privacy, Sulli turned her warm and undivided attention to Sehun. He had stopped stuttering and stammering and was trying to calm himself down. He stood there, giving Sulli a helpless, candid smile. In response, Sulli smiled back as brightly and as encouragingly as she could, not wanting to interrupt the guy any longer, eager to hear what he’d been trying to say to her.

“Why are we friends with that guy?” Sehun said, shaking his head. Sulli shrugged feebly, trying to ignore Jongin out of the corner of her eye, standing too far away from them to hear what they were saying, but nonetheless observing every single one of their movements.

“What I want to say is,” Sehun continued steadily, pausing for a small moment to gather himself before he started stuttering again, “Would you mind me being your real boyfriend, instead of just your fake one? That way I can… you know… protect you from any potential stalkers at any time, or even from being set up with some bookworm brother of some random waiter.”

Sulli was sure her heart had just skipped a beat. Her cheeks, her ears, and even her neck were burning from the heat rising inside her. She felt helplessly restless, her response stuck in the back of . “No!!” she finally bellowed out, her high-pitched voice loud and clear.

“What?"

“No, I don’t mind you being my real boyfriend, at all!” Sulli beamed, watching as Sehun’s fretful expression transformed into a bright smile, his half-moon eyes forming thin crescents as he let out a relieved sigh.

“So does that mean you’ll come with me to get Bubble Tea anytime I want? Like, today?” asked Sulli, still blushing crazily.

“Yes. Every day,” Sehun answered, and as if he were again unbearably embarrassed, he turned away from Sulli again, crouching down with his hands on his knees for support.

Jongin came running toward them. “You guys done yet?” He said, as he took Sehun’s head in a headlock.

“You know what Jongin-ah, thanks for setting us up,” Sulli remarked, coming to a realization that if Jongin hadn’t asked Sehun to replace him for Krystal’s plan, she would never have met Sehun, and she would never be blushing so much because of him, at the moment.

“So Sulli, seriously, what did it taste like?” Jongin asked, bursting out in obnoxious laughter all by himself. Sulli crossed her arms, waiting for him to go on. “This guy wouldn’t stop talking to me about it all weekend,” Jongin pointed, as Sehun managed to free himself from Jongin’s grasp.

Jongin might have set up Sulli and Sehun, but how they had come to like each other had all been up to the two of them. Sulli was not willing to let Jongin have the last laugh. She looked at Sehun, a small grin curving at the ends of her lips.

“Sorry Jongin-ah, but you’ll never get to know,” Sulli provoked. She started dragging Sehun away by his hand, looking back at Jongin teasingly as the two walked off into the soccer field in the direction of the street. The Exotic Café would be open as always, and Sulli was having a sugary craving. She smiled at Jongin all too innocently, while Jongin stared at them for a moment, processing the fact that his two friends were now leaving him behind. Sulli felt Sehun intertwine his fingers into her hand, and in response, she edged closer to him, their arms grazing as they strolled.

“Yah, wait for me!” Jongin yelled from behind them. Sulli and Sehun looked at each other, and mentally decided that they were not looking back at Jongin again. Sulli hoped Heechul was working at the café that day. She needed to give him an apology. It was a good thing Heechul was never going to know, that two days ago, Sulli and Sehun were just a fake couple, because they were a real couple now.

Sulli sipped her Almond Bubble Tea. The taste was amazing, sugary, nutty, and gentle on her tongue, the cool liquid soothing her, a few boba pearls popping into . The pearls were the best. They gave Bubble Tea a splash of surprise that other drinks didn’t have. She felt Sehun inch closer to her, putting their linked hands behind them so they could be closer to each other. The combination of Bubble Tea and her new boyfriend made Sulli want to throw imaginary confetti into the air.

“This might sound weird,” Sehun said, glancing at Sulli shyly, “But this Almond Bubble Tea, tastes a lot like that time we kissed… at the café.”

Sulli felt the heat tingling her cheeks. She couldn’t believe Sehun had told Jongin, Kim Jongin, about their kiss. He was going to make fun of them for it, forever. But at the moment, Sulli couldn’t get angry at anything. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” she agreed. Just saying so made her heart flutter, and she let out a giggle.

Sehun was walking Sulli home. They had left Jongin at school alone, had visited the Exotic Café and chatted with Heechul for a bit, and then left with their orders of two Almond Bubble Teas. And with a sigh, Sulli realized that they had already reached her apartment complex. The walk was too short. They had just started being in a relationship, less than an hour ago.

“I can’t wait to tell Krystal,” Sulli said, trying to ignore the fact that they had nowhere to walk anymore and continuing conversation. “But I’m not going to blab to her about unnecessary details, unlike you. That’s private.” She wiggled her eyebrows at Sehun, and Sehun burst out laughing.

“Yup. Private,” he mumbled. Suddenly, he loosened his grip on Sulli’s hand. Sulli let out another disappointed sigh.

She didn’t expect his hand to move up and place itself on her neck. She didn’t expect him to lean in and kiss her. She definitely didn’t expect the blast, as if sugary happiness had exploded in , when they kissed. It definitely resembled the taste of the Almond Bubble Tea, except better. She also didn’t expect Sehun to run off, after having stolen her lips like that, for the second time.

“See you tomorrow at school!” Sulli called after her boyfriend, a sparkling smile luxuriously drawn on her lips.

Sehun raised his hand in a wave, not looking back, running off the way they’d just come.