Ch.11 Explanation 

Hyoyeon’s P.O.V

 He turned around to face the female, smiled, and put his arm around my shoulder, “This is my girlfriend, Kim Hyoyeon.”

I looked at Kris and gave him a half confused, half angry glare. As I was about to push him away and state that I wasn’t his girlfriend, he looked at me with what seemed like pleading eyes. I could see some sort of emotion in Kris’s eyes that I’ve never seen before. Then he suddenly leaned in close and whispered in my ear, “Please, help me.”

My eyes immediately got bigger and I was stunned for a few moments.

“She’s your girlfriend, Kris?” the female that was still facing us, asked.

“You should have told me before that you have a boyfriend. Then I wouldn’t have been afraid about losing Luhan to you. Made me worry for nothing,” Yuri sighed behind us.

Kris looked back at Yuri and Luhan. There was an awkward silence and tension going on for the last 30 seconds. I didn’t know what to do. ‘This doesn’t seem like Kris is joking. I would feel extremely guilty not helping Kris when he’s already pleading me like this, which I’ve never seen him done before so it must be serious, or I would feel troublesome to get involve with the two of them. Maybe they were a couple and Kris wanted me to help him break up with her? That would make me a bad guy >.< What should I do? Think fast, Hyoyeon!’

I turned towards the female for a split second. I didn’t get a good look of her before but now that I see her, she’s taller than me and looks older too. I assume that she’s in her sophomore year at university like Kris. (This is Victoria. Sorry to all her fans for making her play this role)

I turn back to Kris, smiled and turned to face her again. Then I took his hand and placed mines in it. “Yup, I’m his girlfriend,” I said and he clutched my hand tighter. 'It sent a static shock to me and my heart won’t stop beating rapidly.’

Behind us, I heard someone drop something. I turned around to see that Luhan had dropped his drink and his face looked sullen. He softly uttered without any emotion “Yuri, can you clean it up for me?” Without waiting for her reply, he slowly walked away with a gloomy face and as he was about to leave the shop, Yuri called after him, “Okay Luhan. I’ll do anything for you.”

Somehow my heart ached. ‘Oh no, did Luhan like that sophomore university student too? That’s why he seems lifeless upon seeing her? No, he already has Yuri. Right? Aish, I hate being involved in these types of situations.’

I seem to have spaced out because Kris shook me slightly and affectionately smiled to me, “Are you ok?”

“Yeah,” I answered back.

“Hyo, this is my friend ever since high school, Victoria. Vicki, this is my girlfriend Hyoyeon.”

Kris’s P.O.V

‘For a split second I saw Vicki mad as she clutches tightly onto her drink, then instantly she puts on a smile and waves her hand.’

“Hi Hyoyeon. Wow, I can’t believe Kris has a girlfriend. He’s always rejecting the clueless girls that confess to him ever since high school and now college. I thought I’d never see him settle down. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that he’s found someone. It just struck me suddenly to hear this.”

‘Her overly happy tone, her smile and laugh, fake. How did Vicki become like this?’  I look over to Hyo and see that she’s looking pretty nervous. ‘I guess I must have put Hyo in a tough spot.’ So I jump in to answer instead.

“Of course I’d find my one girl someday and Hyo happens to be the one.”

Hyo and Vicki are taken aback and they are speechless for a second. Suddenly Hyo’s phone rings. ‘Thank God, we’re saved.’  I fish it out of her jacket and answer on behalf of her.

“Annyeonghaseyo ah-bo-jee. I’m with Hyoyeon right now. Neh, I’ll bring Hyoyeon home now. See you in a bit.” I hung up the phone and gave it back to Hyo.

Hearing me say ah-bo-jee must have shocked both of them.

“Who was that?” Hyo softly asks.

“Your dad. He asked where you were. I think I should bring you home now. Sorry Vicki, we’ll talk to you again sometime later. I’ve got to bring Hyo home now.

“Neh,” she nodded. I guess she was too shocked to answer. Possibly she didn’t think that I was already that close with Hyo’s family. I held Hyo’s hand and guided her to my car. The minute we got into our car, Hyo bombarded me with questions, “What was that about? Who was she? Who said you could use me? Why did you kiss me out of nowhere? What is going on?”  

“Relax,” I said, “Let’s park somewhere else first so she wouldn’t see us and I’ll explain everything to you.”

“Fine,” she glared at me with a doubtful look and I could tell she was contemplating about everything in her mind.

I drove a few blocks down and parked in a supermarket parking lot. I turned off the engine, sighed, and leaned back in my chair. I looked over to Hyo and she seems to have zoned out again. I tap her gently on the shoulder. Shocked, she kind of sprung from her seat.

“My kiss was pretty powerful eh? To shock you from time to time,” I teased as she composed herself and turn toward me.

“Bleh. I..I.I waa..was just confused for awhile. Don’t imagine things.”

“Then why are you stuttering?” I continued to bully the choding and leaned in closer to her and her cheeks flushed a light pink color.

“Yah! Hurry up and explain to me,” she urged and pushed me away from her.

I chuckled at how adorable she is and how she can always lighten my mood.

I leaned back in the chair again and rubbed my hands as I contemplate where to begin, “I guess I should start at the beginning.” I glanced over at Hyo and she nodded.

“I had a childhood best friend, Mike, we were always together and he was like another brother to me. He was the most outgoing person I’d ever met. He would talk to anyone and everyone but I was his closest friend. We went to the same high school together. Yours and Luhan’s school right now. It was our first year in high school and we met Victoria then too. She had just transferred here from China. Mike was totally hooked on her the moment he saw her.”

“Oh… I think I know where this is go-o-o-ing…” Hyoyeon intervened and dragged out the last word as she mouthed the o shape. Then she nodded as if she understood everything and patted my shoulder reassuringly.

“Nope, you don’t know where I’m heading. I know what you’re thinking and it’s wrong.”

“Yea I do. You both fell for her then fought for her and that destroyed your guys’ friendship right? See I totally understand and it’s alright Kris. You don’t have to be ashamed.”

I shook my head, “Tsk tsk. As expected from Kim Choding. You only think like a 10 year old. Your deduction is incorrect. Try again?”

She stuck out her tongue, “Nah, just tell me already,” and she pouted slightly. Again, I couldn’t help but grin.

“So Mike was totally captivated the moment he saw her and he dragged me along to go introduce ourselves to her. We became friends after that. Mike would always be a little bit shy around her than what he was normally like.” 

Hyoyeon had to comment again, “Awww, that’s so cute.”

I smacked her gently on the head, “Pay attention.”

“Kay. Go on.”

“We were all close to each other by the 2^nd year of high school. She would go support our basketball games and we would volunteer to help her out for her club. Mike was absolutely in love with her by this time and I would keep on urging him to ask her out on a date but he would give me a number of reasons like: he doesn’t think she wants to date yet, he wants to wait til they’re closer, or he’s afraid of being rejected. Eventually, he agreed that he would confess to her before we graduate high school. By our last year in high school (Korean system only has 3 years) and 2 weeks before we graduated, Mike confessed to her and she accepted.”

I glance over at Hyoyeon before continuing and notice she’s drawn into the story and has her head propped up one hand and the other hand waving for me to continue.

“Well, we all got accepted to a university in Canada and moved to Canada together. My friends are dating, we’re going to the same college together, and it’s Canada, what more can I want. Anyways, they dated throughout our first year in college but one day, a couple of months ago (around May), Mike called me up over to his dorm (we had separate dorms) and he was drinking constantly. He looked sober and dejected. He pulled me down to sit and drink with him. At that moment I thought something bad has happened. Mike has never done something like that before. He was always energetic and outgoing even if he was hurt. After a few insists, he spilled it out to me: Victoria and him broke up. Victoria claimed that she never liked him. It’s just that she’d feel horrible if she rejected him back then. Surely I couldn’t believe that. They seemed so in love and happy together. I told him I’ll try to patch them up together and he looked at me with the most pitiful expression I’d ever seen, uttering, ‘She likes someone else.’

Flashback

At Mike’s dorm. Mike is drinking and he’s in a total mess. Bottles of wine and his clothes are sprawled all over the floor.

He looked at me with the most pitiful expression I’d ever seen, uttering, ‘”She likes someone else.”

“That can’t be!” I replied, “You guys were in love and anyone could see that.”

“No Kris. She likes someone else. A couple of times in the past, she would ask me to break up with her saying she didn’t find herself fit to be my girlfriend. But then yesterday I accidently read a page of her diary…”

“What did it say?”

“It said, ‘I don’t think I can handle being Mike’s girlfriend for another day. Yet he just won’t break up with me. As for my crush, he won’t even take the hints I throw out there and he doesn’t seem to be jealous with me being with Mike. Aish, what should I do?’ So what’d ya think” Mike laughed sarcastically. 

I paused, “Who do you think is the crush?”

“I don’t know but..” he burst into laughter, “I’m such an idiot, aren’t I? I ignored your warning about Vicki back in high school when we first met her and you told me she gives you a bad feeling somehow…”

‘That was true. Vicki did give me a bad feeling the minute I first met her. But I thought I was being prejudiced against her so I gave up those feelings.’

“Let me go confirm whether she does like someone else. I’ll go see how she’s coping with this,” I left him alone and went over to Vicki’s house.  

End of flashback

“So I visited Vicki and as I opened the door, I saw her immediately hide a book under her bed. She went to go make us some tea and I look under the bed and realized it was her diary that she shoved under her bed a minute ago. I debated for a while whether I should look at it or not. Individual privacy vs. your best friend’s happiness. I went for the latter. I skimmed the diary exceedingly fast and read something I shouldn’t have…”

Hyoyeon didn’t urge me to continue. Instead I think she understood and gently took my hand as she massaged it softly.

I sighed, “the entry dated 2 years ago, ‘I am officially in love in Kris. But he doesn’t seem to notice me…’ “Another entry dated a year ago,” ‘Mike suddenly confessed to me. On the spur of the moment, I accepted. I think I’ll take this opportunity as an advantage to make Kris jealous.’ At that moment I was extremely angry, confused, betrayed… I don’t know. All sort of emotions filled my mind. Then she came back from making the tea and I shoved the book under the bed instantly. I commanded myself to act as if I saw nothing.”

Flashback 

Victoria’s apartment. Victoria just came back from making the tea in the kitchen.

“Hey, so what’s up?” she asked in a cheery tone.

“You broke up with Mike?” I tried to ask as coolly as possible.

“uh..” she hesitated, “Yeah.”

“Why?”

She pretended to look hurt and sad, “I wasn’t happy in our relationship. I think he deserves someone better and I found out he liked another girl so I decided to withdraw for the both of them.”

“That’s not true. You know it’s not true. Mike loves you clearly.” I shook her gently.

“I’m sorry Kris. I don’t want to be the third wheel.”

I was disgusted by her at this moment.

“Ok do whatever you want,” I said as I got up and leave.

“Wait, aren’t you going to help cheer me up after my heartbreak?” she called after me.

“I think you’re doing fine,” I replied without looking back and left.

End of flashback

“For the next few months I encouraged Mike to be active and happy again. Competing in sports with him, introducing a friend to him, etc. But I could tell he hasn’t forgotten about Vicki. I’d avoided her ever since then and I couldn’t bring myself to tell Mike what I found out… And now for summer vacation before our second year in college, I decided to forget about everything and spend a little time back in Korea. But today I saw her again after that day and she had the gut to tell me that she had a hard time forgetting about Mike and moving on. How she missed me and wanted to hang out with me again. We were talking in that smoothie store before you came in. I was just so disappointed in her and you showed up out of nowhere so I had no choice but to pretend that you were my girlfriend…”

I look over to Hyoyeon to see her reaction. She has her gaze on the ground. She opens and looks over at me, “That was. That was so deep and meaningful!” she grabs hold of both my shoulders and shakes it vigorously.

“What?”

“Wow. You’re such an amazing friend. I didn’t know you had this side to you. At first I thought you were irresponsible with admitting Victoria’s feelings or something.. But I was wrong. I sincerely apologize for assuming,” she let go and bowed to me.”

“So you’re not mad that I pulled you into the situation?”

“Not anymore; after hearing all this. You have the most legit reason to have me pretend to be your girlfriend. I will help you no matter what.” She gives me a wink.

‘This kid… always know what to say.’

I grinned and raised my eyebrow, “Or are you just elated that I’m giving you this opportunity to at least be my fake girlfriend.”

“You wish! Now even though I’m willing to pretend, there are a set of do’s and don’ts. First off, I don’t know how long I will have to pretend but it can’t exceed more than 5 months.”

“Yea, Vicki is going to be around here for a while so we have to continue the act. However, I doubt that it will exceed even 3 months because next month we have to return back to school.”

“Oh… Well, I’ll come up with a list and tell you later.” 

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I'm back! Sorry for making you all wait this long. I had a lot to do after coming back from my trip but here it finally is. Sorry if it isn't up to par. This will be just an explanation chapter for now. I'm going to put up a poll so tell me who you guys ship and I'll write accordingly. :)