(FLASHBACK)

YEAR 2010

Victoria’s POV

“Wah I can’t believe what I’m seeing.” I mumbled. “My members are all awake before me, amazing.” I walked towards the living room where the girls were sprawled on the floor, busy with their laptops.

    “Oh Unnie, you’re up.” Luna said, her eyes locked on the screen.

    “Yeah I’m up… Why are you guys up already?” I asked as I plumped myself on the couch.

    “We’re monitoring the web.” Sulli said.

    “Oh, they think it could be someone from JYP!” Krystal squealed.

    “Really?” Luna looked over at Krystal’s laptop and turned back to hers. She started typing and gasped. “Wah daebak, they think it might be someone from 2PM.”

    “Okay, what are you guys doing?” I asked, frustrated with their odd behaviour.

    “I’m youtubing while those three detectives are trying to figure out who your husband might be.” Amber answered.

    “Most of the fan websites think your husband might be from 2PM. Wow!” Luna clasped her hands together with delight. I rolled my eyes at them and slumped back against the couch.

    “Who do you think it would be, if they’re right?” Sulli asked me but I just shrugged. I know how big fans of 2PM my members were but I didn’t know them much. I think I had met some of their members in shows or something. Heh, I didn’t really notice.

    “I’m absolutely positive that Wooyoung Oppa is not it.” Sulli confirmed.

    “Taecyon? Or Chansung maybe?” Krystal thought.

    “Nichkhun is the most handsome right? Maybe it’s him?” Luna proposed but they all shook their heads.

    “Won’t it be weird to have two foreigners as a couple.” Krystal stated and they all nodded in agreement.

   Oh, Nichkhun is a foreigner too? I remembered him. I met him for the first time on Star King. The song he sang at that time suddenly popped into my mind. Ever since I’ve heard him sing that, I’ve always wanted to hear it again.

    Too bad he’s not the one, if he was then I could hear him sing that song again.

I was pacing up and down the hall, waiting for my husband.

    “Relax Victoria, he’ll be here any minute.” The director said.

    “You said that half an hour ago.” I remarked nervously. I ran my fingers nervously through my hair and continued pacing. Why was he late? Oh no, what if he bails? Arrrgh!

    Ding

    I froze when I heard the elevator dinged. I saw an arrow going up on a panel placed above the elevator doors.

   “Oh my god, is that him?” I asked as I looked at the camera crew and staff.

    Ding

    I held my breath when the elevator door stopped on my floor. Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god! The elevator doors slowly opened and my heart was racing.

    My jaw fell open when I saw who was inside. Oh my god, is that… I laughed nervously and started pacing again. I suddenly felt the urge to hide.

    “Annyeonghaseyo.” I greeted first and bowed. “I’m F(x)’s Victoria.” I giggled when I noticed his flustered expression.

    He looked as nervous as I did when his eyes widened and a wide smile was now spread on his face.

    Who would’ve thought that Nichkhun would be my husband?

    Oh I have an extremely good feeling about this, I thought as I look into his big warm eyes.

Now it’s been over 4 months since me and Nichkhun got married. I was in my dorm with the girls after a long flight from Thailand back to Korea. Yup, Nichkhun brought me to his home in Thailand a few days ago. How amazing was that?

    “Unnie, this is really pretty!” Sulli squealed as she tried on the braided bracelet I brought back from Thailand. I was lying on my stomach on the couch as the girls rummaged through their souvenirs.

    “Khun Appa chose them.” I stated wearily, still exhausted from the flight.

    “Wah, daebak!” Luna said with astonishment as she tried on her bracelet. I groaned when I heard my phone rang in my shirt’s pocket. Who’s calling me right now? All I want is some peace and quiet.

    “Hello?” I answered lazily.

    “Victoria-ssi? It’s me.” I gasped when I heard the familiar voice on the other line. I scrambled to seat myself up on the couch.

    “Annyeonghaseyo Nichkhun-ssi.” I greeted cheerfully. The girls all stopped with what they were doing to stare at me, with smiles on their faces. They hurriedly went to sit around me.

    “Is that Nichkhun Appa?” Luna tugged on my arm.

    “Really?” Krystal squealed silently.

    “Speaker, speaker.” Amber urged playfully.

    “Nichkhun-ssi, I’m turning on the speaker. Our daughters want to speak to you.” I said to Nichkhun as I the speaker.

    “Our daughters?” He chuckled on the other line.

    “Appa!” The girls yelled in unison at the phone.

    “Appa, thanks for the presents! We love them!” I laughed when the girls took the phone out of my hand and started harassing Nichkhun with questions about the Thailand trip. I was too tired to tell them about it when I got back earlier.

    I grabbed a magazine on the coffee table and flipped through them as I waited for my phone back.

    “Are you done?” I asked Krystal as she handed my phone back.

    “Yup! Oh he’s still on the other line.” Krystal giggled and winked at me. I scowled at her.

    “Hello?” I heard him chuckled. “Sorry about the girls, you must be really tired right now.” I apologized and giggled.

    “It’s okay. Our daughters were just curious about their parents’ trip.” He said teasingly and I laughed. “What are you doing later?” He asked. I leaned my head against the couch and stretched my toes.

    “Sleep, maybe? I’m still tired from the flight. You?”

    “I have a schedule later.” He sighed.

    “You’re always so busy.”

    “We’re pretty occupied lately, with the comeback and all.” Ah, Nichkhun’s comeback! Its next week.

    “Oh really?” I said indifferently, purposely making him think I forgot about it.

    “Yeah, I told you before.” A small smile spread across my lips when I heard his tone slightly rose and sounded upset. “It’ll be great if you can come.” He almost whispered but I could still here him clearly. My smile grew wider.

    “We’ll see. I think I have a schedule on that day.” I said nonchalantly.

    “Really?” He sounded disappointed.

    “Yeah…” I trailed, making him more anxious. I could almost imagine his sad expression when he didn’t answer.

    We later chatted some more and then hung up.

    “Omma, how is it? Marriage life?” The girls asked and smiled teasingly at me. I rolled my eyes and looked away.

    “I don’t know.” I shrugged and sighed as I slumped myself back against the couch again. To be honest, I loved spending time with Nichkhun for the last few months but there was still something bothering me.

    The past days with him in Thailand was really different. Maybe it’s because we were travelling together but the atmosphere was all different. It didn’t feel like we were recording for WGM.

    When he took me to his house, I was extremely nervous because I was going to meet my husband’s family for the first time. It really felt like we were all a real family. I love that, that warm feeling when I was at his house. I also love how Nichkhun took care of me and guide me along when I had problems. I felt like he was really my husband.

    We had gotten a lot closer during the trip. We could talk to each other more openly and I was now a lot more comfortable with him. Little by little we started showing our true selves to each other and I liked seeing the real Nichkhun, just an ordinary boy from Thailand rather than the Thai Prince.

    Something changed in me and it was a bit irritating to be honest. I didn’t like this feeling I was developing.

    “I thought you like him.” Amber pointed out.

    “I do, he’s really a great person.” I admitted.

    “Then what’s the matter?” Luna asked me worriedly.

    “He’s weird.” The girls snickered and looked at questioningly. I played with the couple keychain Nichkhun gave me strapped to my phone. “I never met a guy who treats me like he does. Don’t you think it’s weird? He barely knows me yet he treats me like I’m the closest person to him.” I let out another frustrated sigh.

    “But Unnie, isn’t that a good thing? He cares for you, so what?” Krystal asked. I shook my head at the girls; they didn’t understand.

     “It’s not that it’s wrong…” I trailed as I stared at the couple bear keychain. “He’s too sweet and caring. He might even be acting for all I know.” I said in a frustrated tone. I lay my head back and closed my eyes.

     And the worst part is, I think I’m starting to fall for him, my inner voice admitted and I groaned.

Nichkhun’s POV

I was panting with exhaustion with the rest of my members in the practice room. We’d just finished practicing for our comeback showcase tomorrow. I was nervous and excited about the comeback but right now all I feel is the pain in my back.

    “Are you okay?” Wooyoung asked as he handed me a water bottle. I thanked him and gulped down all the water. I felt the cool liquid washing my dry throat.

    “Yeah, I’m fine.” I said as Wooyoung sat down next to me.

    “I just hope you won’t hurt yourself tomorrow.” Wooyoung placed a hand on my back and gently placed pressure on it. I winced. “You hit your back a lot when practicing the acrobatic routine.” I slowly pushed his away and smiled.

    “Don’t worry about it.” I laughed it off to convince Wooyoung I was fine. He just shook his head at me.

    “Hey guys, I’m kind of hungry right now. Let’s stop and have a late night snack before we go back home.” Chansung suggested as he walked towards the padded benches to grab his towel.

    “It’s amazing how that stomach of yours is always empty.” Junsu teased. Chansung laughed and just shook his head. He pulled the towel from the benches and wiped his drenched face and neck. “Oh, what’s this?” He suddenly said, looking on the floor. He bent down and picked something up. It’s probably a nickel or something, I didn’t care.

    “What is it?” Taecyon hopped to Chansung’s side and snatched the nickel from his hands. “It’s a ring.” My eyes shot a glare at their direction. I shoved my hands in my sweatpants’ pockets—they were empty.

    Ignoring the pain in my back, I got up and snatched the ring roughly from Taecyon’s hands.

    “Whoa, what the?” Taecyon looked at me quizzically. I gave him a sheepish smiled.

    “Sorry about that.” I apologized. I stared at the turquoise beaded ring. “It’s mine.” I stated as I slipped it back on my third finger. It must have fallen out from my sweatpants’ pocket during practice.

    “I didn’t think you like this sort of style.” Junho said as he grabbed my hand and examined the bohemian-style turquoise ring. I quickly pulled my hand away and all the guys were staring at me, eyebrow raised.

    “Common,” I clasped my hands together. “I’m hungry, let’s eat!” I said with as much enthusiasm as I could.

    “Yes!” Chansung cheered excitedly and we all laughed.

Today’s the big day. Me and the guys were in our dressing room, changing into our outfits.

    “How do I look?” Junsu said after the make-up artist finished doing his make-up. He widened his eyes and fluttered his eyelashes. The guys all laughed.

    “Yah, do we have to wear this much of eye make-up?” Taecyon yelled at the staff around. We all laughed when the make-up artist called Taecyon for his turn and he cringed.

    “Nichkhun-ssi, put this jacket on.” The stylist said to me. I stretched out my arms as she helped me slipped them on. The stylist looked at me from head to toe and fixed anything that was flawed. “Okay, you’re good.”  I took a look at myself in the mirror; I look pretty cool.

     I wonder how Victoria would react if she sees me in this…

    I sighed and shook the thought away. I wished Victoria would come to see my big comeback but she said she has a schedule. I was a bit disappointed but I also understand that she has other obligations than being here to support for me. But still, it would be nice to hear her cheer for me.

    When all the guys were fully dressed, the head-stylist asked us to line up for a last minute check-up, in case they were any wardrobe malfunctions.

    “Ah Nichkhun-ssi, you need to take that ring off.” The stylist said as she took my left hand. I quickly snatched my hand back and everyone was staring at me with shock. I just smiled.

    “It’s okay, I can do it myself.” I gave a smile towards the dazed stylist and after a few seconds, she smiled back. The guys were still looking at me confusingly. I just smiled weakly at them.

    I pulled the ring slowly off my finger and placed it inside one of my pants’ pockets.

    “Okay guys! Let’s make this the greatest show on earth!” Taecyon yelled with enthusiasm. We all cheered and pumped ourselves with energy before heading out on stage.

    During the performances I hurt my back once during the acrobatic routine, but besides that everything was a success. We did some interviews backstage when we were done and now were heading back towards our dressing room for another interview.

    As we walked down the hallways back to our dressing room, I pulled my ring from my pants’ pocket and slipped it back on my finger.

    “What is it with you and that ring?” I was startled by Junho’s sudden comment. I quickly hid my hands behind my back and acted all innocent.

    “Huh? What do you mean?” Junho laughed and shook his head at my false innocence.

     Once we were settled in our dressing room, the interview started. After interviewing my members it was now my turn to be interviewed. While I was answering the interviewer’s question, someone knocked on the door. It was Minho.

    It was really unusual for him to barge in and interrupt an interview like this but he said it was important. He showed me a video that a ‘fan’ took. I wondered if anyone noticed my lips curving upwards.

    Victoria, her name popped straight into my mind. She’s here! I suddenly felt giddy inside. When Minho left to bring the ‘fan’ over, a smile kept playing on my lips.

    “It’s Victoria, no doubt about it.” The guys stated obviously. And I was dead glad when they were right.

    Victoria came in with Minho, wearing sunglasses and a scarf to hide her face. I laughed at how cute she was. For some reason I had this unbearable urge to hug her. I was really happy that she came to support me on one of the biggest days in my life. And the homemade Phat Thai she specially made for me was definitely the icing on my day.

    I couldn’t help but smile and gaze at her as we chatted. We were just talking but it felt really special to me. As much as I love her surprise event for me, I also had a surprise for her but she already found out about it. She already saw the ‘Thanks To’ in my newest album and looked really happy about it.

    The album maker was a bit surprised when I added Victoria’s name to my ‘Thanks To’ but I told him it was alright. The guys were a bit stunned as well but I just said it was to show her my appreciation. Victoria, in a way, had really helped me a lot in these few months we spent together. She didn’t just become my virtual wife, she also became my friend.

    After sending her off to her car since she has a schedule later, I walked back to my dressing room. It was just the guys in the room. They were exchanging looks with each other as I took a seat and continued eating Victoria’s delicious Phat Thai.

    “Did you know that Victoria was coming?” Junsu asked. I shook my head as I took another bite of the Phat Thai. “So it wasn’t planned or scripted by the writers?” I look up at him with a confused expression.

    “What do you mean?”

    “So do you two just do your own thing and the staff would just record you?” Chansung asked before I can get an answer for my question.

    “So everything you two say on the show isn’t scripted?” Taecyon asked with disbelief.

    “What’s wrong with you guys? Of course this show isn’t scripted. There’s a reason why they call it a reality TV show.” I snapped. Their odd behaviour was setting me off. The guys just looked at me worriedly.

    “Hyung… don’t tell me…” Wooyoung said slowly. “Do you actually like her?” I was a bit startled at his question. The rest of the guys were just as curious. I looked away, ignoring them and continued eating.

    Taecyon clasped his hands together. “I saw Victoria wearing the exact same ring Nichkhun is wearing.”

    “That’s why you were so obsessed with it. They’re couple rings, aren’t they?” Junho said in an accusing tone. I put down the chopsticks in my hand and stood up.

    “Why are you guys acting like this?” I said in a frustrated tone. The guys never asked me about my relationship with Victoria or about anything regarding WGM. They were never interested in what I did on the show, but why are they so concerned by it now? They exchanged looks again with one another.

    “Calm down Hyung.” Wooyoung said warily. “We were just curious about you and Victoria.” I sighed and started pacing.

    “Victoria… she’s really weird okay!” I groaned frustratingly. The guys snickered.

    “I didn’t expect to hear that.” Taecyon muttered and the guys tried stifling their laughs.

    “I’m being serious. She’s not like what I expected her to be. She doesn’t react like how girls normally would when I surprised her with events, like in Busan; her face showed no expression at all. And why do I keep messing things up around her? People keep telling me how perfect I am in whatever I do but when I’m with her, things just turn upside down. And aren’t I supposed to be taking care of her? Not the other way around? She keeps taking care of me more than I could take care of her. It’s really frustrating, really. I can never figure her out…” I suddenly burst into frustration as I let out all of my thoughts that I had been keeping in for a while now. I enjoyed spending time with Victoria and get to know her better but at the same time, I felt oddly irritated by her.

    The guys were a bit stunned by my sudden explosion. When I finally calmed down, I took a seat and massaged my temples. I felt like I had just been riding a roller coaster for a couple of times.

    “So you don’t like her?” Chansung asked confusingly. I shook my head. I looked up at them with a weak smile on my face.

    “It’s not that I don’t like her… It’s just, when I’m with her, I’m never satisfied with myself. It feels like she gives me so much more than what I give her. I keep making her upset without even trying yet she still smiles and laughs like she likes this side of me.” I sighed. I ‘d always known that there were times I would failed in being the perfect husband for her but she didn’t care about it. It made me feel even more uneasy. “She needs to have the best of me.” I murmured under my breath.

    I heard the guys sighed. I looked up and saw their apologetic expression.

    “We didn’t think you were stressed out about all of this.” Junsu said.

    “So I guess you do have feelings for her.” Taecyon said as he shook his head in astonishment.

    I sighed.

   "I don't know..." I breathed as I leaned my head back against the couch. Everything was starting to get confusing.