Yoochun pulled the chair roughly and sat without a word. He played with the spoon set in front of him, not wanting to look up at all although it’d make him look impolite. Everyone who sat at the same table with him were chatting and laughing quietly. The calmness in the restaurant was suffocating him that he wanted to excuse himself to the restroom again if it wasn’t because of his mother’s hand on his thigh.

“Smile, Yoochun-ah,” his mother whispered in his ear with a smile. So, Yoochun looked up and tried a smile at their conversation.

Lee Nara, sitting right across of him on the same table, was starring at him while daydreaming. He stared back. When she finally came to her sense that they were starring at each other, she looked away, and Yoochun smirked. Interesting.

“Yoochun-ah, why don’t you ask Nara for a dance?” his father asked him.

Yoochun and Nara shook their heads immediately.

“I am not good at dancing,” Yoochun said.

“Me too, uncle,” Nara welcomed the rejection either.

Her mother laughed richly. “Oh, please. Nara learned ballet when she was young and I really don’t want to believe that Park Yoochun, a handsome pilot that charm the girls easily, is not good at dancing until I see it.”

“Got you guys,” his mother said and then laughed, “go dancing. Now.”

“It’s an order to ask my daughter for a dance, Yoochun-shi,” Nara’s father said firmly.

Yoochun chuckled. “Okay. Lee Nara, would you like to dance with me?” he asked as he stood up. Nara was looking at Yoochun and their parents before standing up too and nodded.

They both walked to the dance floor. Nara’s hand was on Yoochun’s in a polite manner. They both faced each other. She put her other hand on Yoochun’s shoulder while Yoochun put his hand on her lower back. When Nara felt like his hand was too low on her back, she stomped on his feet intentionly.

“Ow!” Yoochun yelped quietly. They stopped dancing and he bent down a little to his foot.

“Oops,” she said with impudence and smirked, “I told you I’m not good at dancing, especially when your hand is too indelicate.”

Yoochun mimicked a mocking laugh for her and looked away, across the room, wherever that was not the person who stood so close to him at the moment. He led her again on the dance floor. Slowly, his expression was melting and he smiled softly, pitifully.

“Why are you smiling?” Nara asked softly.

Yoochun looked down and she was trying her best to look cold to him. Yoochun chuckled warmly, the first time that night. “I danced with a lot of women—“ he started and then she responded it with a scoff. He stared at her until she behaved again before continuing softly, “None of them ever stomped on my foot.”

Nara looked at him. This time her trying-to-act-cold attitude was gone. She wasn’t smiling or frowning. She just stared at him. “Good to know I’m the first one,” she said and after a while, she cleared , “sorry.”

“For stomping on my foot?” he asked and laughed a little, “It was a good experience, so it’s alright.” He shrugged casually.

Nara sighed. She couldn’t bear looking at Yoochun’s eyes for a long time. He had this strong aura whenever she looked at them. But, she braved herself to. “I’m sorry for what I said at Changmin-shi’s studio. I didn’t think the words through.”

“It’s alright,” Yoochun replied, “we’re used to people doing that.”

Nara stopped dancing abruptly and Yoochun frowned at her. “No. You can’t be used to that. You have to stand up for yourself.”

“I stood up for myself that time,” Yoochun held up a hand, “seriously though, just a few weeks ago you were the one who said those words to me and now you suddenly told me to stand up for myself?” Yoochun laughed. “You are weird, you know that?”

“I am not!” she defended herself, “I just felt really guilty about it that I think no one should treat you like that! Not even me!” she finished before walking away toward the exit door.

“What’s with this girl seriously,” Yoochun mumbled and tried to catch up with her.

She stood outside the front door. The wind was blowing strongly that night and she put her hands on her arms. She looked at the cars passing by. She was too embarrassed to face Yoochun, she didn’t know why, maybe because of her words back then, or maybe because she felt like she had no pride anymore in front of Yoochun. She said she wanted to do it. She wanted to be in an arranged relationship with him. He probably saw her easy like that, definitely no pride.

And, when a jacket was wrapped around her shoulders, she felt her heart beating faster and there was this funny feeling in her stomach. She turned around and Yoochun was no longer using the jacket that was resting on her shoulders. She felt even more embarrassed.

“I’ve been thinking,” Yoochun smiled softly, “let’s…give it a try.”

“What—why?” she asked panicky.

“Relax, Lee Nara,” he laughed.

“Why?” she asked again sternly this time. How could he laugh like that when she was panicking? A guy that she thought would think her cheap actually wanted to give it a try with her.

He leaned forward while putting his hands inside his pockets. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?!”

He laughed again and stepped back. “I like you, that’s why! You’re bold and honest and you’re brave to say sorry and that no one should treat people badly, not even you! And,” he looked at her teasingly, “you’re cute when you’re panicked,” he whispered.

“Yah! I’m not panicked!”

“Oh! And you have so much pride, woah!” he yelled putting both hands up in a surrender manner.

“I do not!” she hit his left arm.

“Did you…?! Did you just hit the arm of a man who gave you his jacket in this cold windy night?! You are so impolite!” he .

She took the jacket off and threw to his face. “Fine! Don’t ever give me your jacket!” She walked inside the restaurant again, pouting.

“Yah! Lee Nara!” he called her while laughing.

“Oh, oh, oh! So, hyung is engaged now?!” Changmin asked with full of excitement.

Yoochun sat down on the kitchen table and rolled his eyes. “No. We’re just giving it a try. I mean, our parents’ choice wouldn’t be that bad, would it?”

Changmin shrugged and sat across Yoochun with a plate of toast in his hand. “My parents never set me up with anyone, so I don’t know,” he mocked.

“Yah,” Yoochun almost leaped over the table to slap Changmin’s head, “this kid.”

Changmin only laughed quietly and went to pick up the phone when it was ringing. “Hello?” he answered. He listened for a while before saying, “Oh, hyung! Yoochun hyung is eng—” he said with a giggle but soon his giggle was cut and replaced with a frown. He hung up quickly and looked at Yoochun. “Yunho hyung’s father was arrested this morning. Junsu hyung is on the way to his apartment.”

Yoochun froze for a moment while Changmin was fidgeting on his seat. “We should go there too.”

“No. You have to fly in four hours, hyung,” Changmin said.

Yoochun nodded. “I can drop you off at his apartment and meet him for a bit before heading to the airport.”

“Alright. Let’s go there,” Changmin decided.

Yoochun stood up and took his jacket. “Text Jaejoong, make sure he doesn’t hover over Yunho too much.”

“Yeah, he hates that,” Changmin answered, taking his phone and walked away.

When Jaejoong got there, Yoochun was standing by the door, folding his arms and watching Yunho walked back and forth furiously, while Changmin and Junsu were sitting on the couch and did almost the same thing like Yoochun. Yoochun looked at Jaejoong worriedly but tried to greet him casually with a nod. Changmin and Junsu looked to Jaejoong’s direction. Yunho did too.

“Hey,” Jaejoong greeted softly. He looked to Changmin, Junsu, and Yoochun confusedly, before turning around to Yunho.

Yunho smiled. “I’m fine,” he said, “just worried for my father.”

Jaejoong nodded. He turned around to Yoochun. “Aren’t you supposed to be working this afternoon?”

“You are?” Yunho asked guiltily.

Yoochun scratched his hair awkwardly. “Yeah. I actually should report  in an hour.”

“Well? What are you doing here now?!” Yunho asked. He tried to say it like nothing happened. “Go. I’ll be fine.”

Yoochun stared at him. “Will you really be fine?” he asked gently.

Yunho laughed. “You know me. I’m strong. I’ll still be around when you get back. Trust me.”

Yoochun nodded. Of course he trusted Yunho. Of course Yunho wouldn’t do anything stupid, he was the sanest person among the five of them. But, because Yunho only wanted to look like the strongest, no one would really know what he felt inside of him.

Yoochun walked to Yunho and hugged him firmly. When he was done, he smiled to Yunho. “Don’t be a fake, alright?” he said, not expecting an answer, just hoping that it would be planted deeply in Yunho’s mind.

“Be safe, Yoochun-ah, don’t worry about anything. I’ll handle it from here,” Jaejoong whispered. Yoochun nodded and smiled, then he left to the airport.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in the office, Junsu-yah?” Yunho asked.

Junsu shook his head. “I need a break.”

Yunho laughed. “Again? We just had ten days of break a few days ago. You should go. Your company needs you.”

Junsu shrugged and instead he leaned back on the couch. “You need me too. Beside, I can work from right here.”

Jaejoong and Yunho both smiled at Junsu’s stubbornness.

“Have you heard…?!” Changmin suddenly said, making everyone to look at him, “Yoochun hyung said he wants to give it a try to the arranged relationship his parents set him up?”

“Really?!” Jaejoong asked. He walked to Changmin quickly and sat next to him. “Tell us everything.”

Yunho smiled, and then sat across of them while Changmin chatted about the story Yoochun told him this morning. He knew everything would be okay as long as they were around. He might not talk straightforwardly about what he felt at the moment, but he knew, whenever he would like to speak about what was bothering his mind, they would be there and listened. He just had to be honest, to himself and to them.

Yoochun was at Sydney when they made the call that night from Yunho’s living room, only an hour different.

“So, you’re serious with this girl?” Jaejoong asked.

Yoochun snorted from the other side. “I don’t know. We decided to just get to know each other and go with it. If we’re comfortable, then, yes, maybe, we’ll see.”

Junsu clapped his hands. “I always thought I’ll be the one to get married.”

“I thought I will,” Yunho replied.

Changmin shook his head. “No. No. I will,” he said, “Yunho hyung was too busy with his job. Junsu hyung was just too childish,” he stopped a while when Junsu slapped him on the back of his head only to get a chain slap by Jaejoong who defended Changmin, “Yoochun hyung plays—“

“Played!” Yoochun corrected himself.

Changmin rolled his eyes before continuing, “And, Jaejoong hyung was too pretty. I’m the most normal one. I’ll be the one who get married first.”

Jaejoong scoffed. “Seriously, you rascal.” He shook his head.

Changmin laughed. After a while, his laugh was gone and he leaned back on the couch. There was a smile on his face, a sad kind of smile. Everyone in the room knew exactly what he was thinking. “At least, I thought I will,” he said softly. Everyone got quiet.

“Be…cause I will, right?” Yoochun sounded through the silence, “I will be the one who get married first.” And, everyone chuckled.

“Only if you manage to work it out,” Yunho reminded him.

Yoochun scoffed. “Oh, I will work it out. She’s a nice girl. In fact, why don’t you guys meet her tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?” Junsu asked.

“Yeah,” Yoochun answered while chewing something, “I want to meet her tomorrow after landing back in Seoul for lunch. You guys should meet us. I’ll introduce you guys to her. Tell me what you think about her.”

“Alright,” Jaejoong said, “challenge accepted. I wonder what she’ll be like.”

“I think I gotta check up on my father first,” Yunho spoke quietly.

“You want me to go with you?” Jaejoong asked. Yunho looked at him with uncertainty, like he knew he’d need someone with him to check his father up but he wasn’t sure if it was necessary to bring one of them with him. So, Jaejoong waved a hand. “I’m totally free tomorrow.”

“You want me to go with you too, hyung?” Changmin asked sympathetically.

“No! You have an appointment with your doctor tomorrow morning, right?” Yunho shook his head, “No. I don’t want my problem to ever bother your treatment, promise me that.”

Changmin nodded. “Promise, hyung.”

“I have a board meeting tomorrow morning,” Junsu said timidly, more like he didn’t feel comfortable. He wished he could cancel his meeting but it was a very important one.

Yunho laughed richly, like it was okay, everything was okay. “Then, you should definitely go! Don’t be sorry for me. You know I hate that, Junsu.”

“Sorry I can’t be there, hyung,” Yoochun said.

“You know what. All of you stop! I’m fine—“ Yunho rolled his eyes, “Okay, well, I’m not fine, but I’ll be fine. You know me! Everything always works out for me in the end. Even if it doesn’t, I’ll learn that as a lesson.”

“It is not just another case, Yunho, it’s your family,” Jaejoong said.

“Look. I knew this for a year. I’ve heard the rumor about my grandfather and I knew that if they get my grandfather, my father would be the next. Everyone in my family knew that. And, guess what? I am ready for that, for people’s judgments. I’m ready if you guys are ashamed of me.”

“What?!” Junsu asked in surprise.

“Of course not!” Yoochun yelled through the speaked.

“Wow,” Changmin shook his head, “do you really think we’re that low, huh?”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that, Changmin,” Yunho sighed, “just…I’m ready for the worst. And, if you guys want to stick with me, I suggest you to be prepared too, for the worst.” Yunho leaned back. “I can’t change the blood that’s flowing in my body. I can’t choose my family and what they did in the past. But, you can. You can choose your friends.”

Junsu shrugged. “You’ll stick around if it’s one of us,” he stood up and took his glass on the table, “I don’t about those guys,” he pointed to Changmin, Jaejoong, and the phone with his chin, “but, I’ll stick around until you’re sick of me.” He left to the kitchen.

“Yah,” Jaejoong said, “of course we’ll stick around! Right, Changmin?”

“Until you’re all sick of me, hyung.”

“So, lunch, tomorrow, anyone else than Jaejoong?”

Yunho smiled softly. “I guess I’m in too.” He shrugged.

“Me three!” Junsu yelled from the kitchen.

“Me four. You’ll like this girl,” Changmin pointed his finger and smiled.

“Do you think it’s a good idea?” Nara asked while straightening his pink dress. She tried to synchronize her pace with Yoochun’s who was already three steps ahead of her when she looked down to check on her shoes. “I’m not sure they’ll like me!”

“Oh, please,” Yoochun opened the restaurant’s door for her only to be greeted by the waiter that led them to their table, “as long as you’re a normal girl, they’ll like you.”

“Yah, Park Yoochun-shin,” she called.

Yoochun rolled his eyes and turned around for her.

She pouted. “They’re your friends since you were a baby. They are the most important people in your life and it has only been two days! I’m not ready to meet them!” She stomped her feet to the ground.

Yoochun sighed and walked to her. “This isn’t a game. We really do try to work it out. I don’t need you to be ready to meet them. I just need you to be you, the real you. Can you do that?” he asked gently.

“This is one of the hardest first test in an arranged relationship,” she said, still pouting. Yoochun laughed. She smiled slowly. “Fine. Just make sure they’re not mean to me!”

Yoochun nodded his head at the same time someone called his name.

“Are you going to bring her to our table already?”

Yoochun turned around and stuck out his tongue to Junsu who stood by the salad bar. “Are you trying to live a healthy life?”

Junsu shook his head. “I’m trying not to die before you,” he said and smiled when he finally got to see her face. “Wow, she’s pretty.”

“Back off, you ,” Yoochun said as he slipped his hand gently to hers and led her to their table.

Changmin was sitting, reading the menu. “I am really confused between Cajun salmon on asparagus and chili baby octopus stir-fry,” he said without looking up and checking who had come.

“The lamb chop looks nice,” Junsu said from behind Nara and sat on the chair next to Changmin.

Changmin finally looked up. “Oh, hyung, you came! No wonder I smell a something that is not Junsu.”

“Not Junsu?” Yoochun asked.

Changmin shook his head. “Junsu’s smell is different. Different worse,” he said before changing a high-five with Yoochun. Junsu only rolled his eyes carelessly. “Oh, you’re here too, Lee Nara-shi,” Changmin greeted her cheerfully when he noticed her behind Yoochun’s back.

Junsu cleared his throat. When Yoochun and Changmin looked at him, he pointed his fork right to his face.

Yoochun snorted. “Lee Nara, that is Kim Junsu,” he pointed Junsu with his chin and then he moved to Changmin, “and, that is your boss, Shim Changmin.”

Lee Nara bowed to the two of them when something—or someone—hit the Yoochun’s back. “Yah!” Yoochun yelled at Yoochun’s only friend that she was most familiar with other than Changmin.

Yunho laughed at Yoochun and fist-bumped with him. He then looked at Nara. “Oh, is this the most sensational one that finally melt our Casanova’s heart?” Yunho asked.

“Lee Nara, this right here is Jung Yunho,” Yoochun introduced her.

Yunho bowed politely and Nara bowed back to him. “Nice to meet you, Lee Nara.”

“Where’s Jaejoong hyung?” Junsu asked.

“Oh, he’s parking the car in front of the restaurant,” Yunho answered. He walked to Junsu and mumbled “yummy.”

“Wait,” Nara whispered to Yoochun, “Jae…joong-shi? Why is it so familiar?” To be honest, she didn’t really remember where she heard that name first, but it seemed familiar to her, like someone had said it to her.

Yoochun nodded excitedly. “Maybe you heard his name from the TV? He’s a supermodel, you should know him!” he laughed at her before pointing to someone at her back, “There he is. Jaejoong hyung! I brought her.”

“Ah, seriously? Let me see her face,” Jaejoong said as he put his hand on her shoulder.

When Nara turned around, Jaejoong’s face changed immediately. She bowed to him. “Jaejoong-shi,” she greeted him with a smile and then she recognized him, “oh! You’re that guy I bumped into in the middle of the street? The one who asked my name…? Right?”

Jaejoong froze. He stared at her face, her beauty, still the same from the last time he remembered her. But, she wasn’t alone. Just two days ago, his best friend decided to go with this whole arranged relationship, with her, the girl of his dream.

“Bumped into him in the middle of the street?” Yoochun chuckled, “When?”

“I was running really late from a quick workout after meeting you and your mom, heading to Changmin-shi’s exhibition and then I ran into him. I spilled my coffee all over his coat. I was so rude back then because I was in a hurry and you’re a guy I just met accidently on the street. That’s why I couldn’t tell you my name. If I knew, oh my God, if I knew… I’m really sorry, Jaejoong-shi. And, like what I promised back then, I’m Lee Nara,” she asked for a handshake.

Jaejook shook her hand slowly, still too dazed with everything.

Slowly, something made sense in Yoochun’s mind. He remembered. He always remembered what his friends told him, every single thing stuck in his head, every words rung in his ears. Lee Nara was the girl Jaejoong was bragging about before Changmin passed out, before everything that happened.

“Oh, you are Jae—“

“I don’t remember that incident actually,” Jaejoong laughed awkwardly as he cut what Yoochun was about to say, “I ran into so many girls and I’m a smooth talker. I don’t really remember you, but, hey, you’re here! It’s nice that you’ll be joining us, Lee Nara-shi,” Jaejoong said. He patted her left arm before walking to the table.

The other three was watching the whole scene quietly. They remembered too and they just didn’t know what to say. So, they sat, awkwardly, there, eating and trying to melt the tension that was going around, especially since both Jaejoong and Yoochun didn’t say a word during the lunch.

Lee Nara laughed at Yunho’s joke and she held Yoochun’s hand while looking into his eyes, thanking him because she feel welcomed among the five of them. Yoochun smiled to her slightly then looked to Jaejoong who sat between Junsu and Yunho. Jaejoong was playing with his food. When he looked up, Yoochun was staring at him. There was sympathy and he knew Yoochun felt sorry for him. So, Jaejoong smiled to Yoochun, reassuring him that he was fine.

But, Yoochun heard it. Yoochun heard the sound of his best friend’s heart broken right there.

If the last one doesn't make sense to you guys because you don't remember Lee Nara and you don't understand the relationship between her and Jaejoong, please read chapter 2 and chapter 5 when Yoochun was at Changmin's studio if you want to understand what Yoochun and Nara were talking about in the beginning :)) Aha...get the story line now? ENJOY :)