My J - SNSD

Envy

“So, like what you’ve heard,” Sehun said, eyeing his friends, who sat on the stone stairs by the Haeundae beach, with a smile. “Aerin and I are together now.”

With big and expecting eyes, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Kai, Kyungsoo, and Suho, looked at Sehun in return. “By together… you mean…” Turning to Aerin, the girl stared at them blankly for a couple of seconds, raising the anxiety even more. However, once a smile appeared on her face, the boys immediately went wild by shouting and howling—even throwing grains of sands towards Sehun.

Aerin thought that their reactions were really unnecessary, but knowing how exaggerated they always act, she paid no heed nonetheless. It was different for Sehun, on the other hand, for a scowl had managed to replace his smile, obviously irritated for having sands inside his shirt. “Ugh, we shouldn’t have told you about us if this is how you’re all going to act.”

The boys, including Aerin, laughed at his sudden retraction, but they knew their limits so they quickly returned back to their civil states—relieving Sehun utterly. “We were just happy for you, that’s why,” Suho said, grinning at Sehun before turning to Aerin. “And of course, we’re happy for you as well, Aerin.”

“You two look good together,” Kyungsoo added as the rest nodded.

It has had been a while since Aerin last heard that sentence, and it made her a bit wistful as it reminded her of the past. Seeing the embarrassed smile on Sehun’s face though, she came to realize that she too, was beginning to blush. Discreetly hiding her face by looking at the ground, Aerin bit her lip and fought back a smile—one of which was threatening to come out any moment. So a simple sentence like that makes me embarrassed now…

“But if you and Aerin are together now,” Baekhyun suddenly spoke, gaining the attention of the rest as he raised an eyebrow towards Sehun who did the same. “Then what about Luhan-hyung?”

Before Sehun could even get a chance to speak, Aerin immediately turned to Baekhyun with a blank expression, the inhibited feeling she was having long gone. “What about him?” She asked.

Baekhyun shrugged. “I was just thinking, if you and Sehun are together now, then what would he become? A third wheel?” Aerin’s expression didn’t falter at his question, and it caused Baekhyun to rub his neck awkwardly. “What I mean to say is…”

“Does hyung know about this already? About you two?” Chanyeol asked, sensing the difficulty of Baekhyun. The latter nodded in agreement, whereas the rest just waited for Chanyeol to speak again. “’Cause, he might get shocked or something, especially since you’re his brother, Sehun,” Chanyeol then turned to Aerin again. “And you’re his best friend, Aerin. I think he has the right to know about it.”

Aerin knew that sooner or later, Luhan would know about her and Sehun, and knowing of that, she didn’t really want to give much care; however, it was easier said than done. Just imagining the scene, where she and Sehun would finally tell the older male about their relationship, made her feel tensed. It annoyed her inwardly even, for there wasn’t really anything to be bothered about. Luhan was just her best friend and the older brother of her boyfriend; even if he was to know about the real situation, nothing would or should change.

Despite the stillness of Aerin’s face though, her uneasiness wasn’t missed by Sehun. “He doesn’t know it yet, but we will tell him once he comes back from Seoul.” Realizing that the male has spoken on her behalf, Aerin gave Sehun a smile as the latter responded all the same. “But don’t worry, nothing much has changed anyway,” Sehun paused, unsure whether to continue his words or not. Albeit, seeing the questioning looks of his friends, he breathed heavily and pulled out a big grin. “Even if Aerin and I are in a relationship, we’re still like friends.”

Sehun’s words brought an unexpected silence in the atmosphere, and it wasn’t long until the awkwardness finally sunk in. Being the eldest out of the group, Suho eyed Baekhyun and Kyungsoo knowingly, as if telling them something. “Baek, why don’t you go buy us some watermelons and drinks? Bring Aerin and Kyungsoo with you.”

Fortunately, the two quickly understood him and soon, Aerin found herself being pulled up from the ground by them. Seeing this, Sehun creased his eyebrows a tad. “Maybe I should go—“

“Don’t worry, we’ll be back in a jiffy.” Aerin told him, giving him a reassuring smile before following behind Baekhyun and Kyungsoo.

Sehun just nodded in response, a smile threatening to come out from his lips. While he was watching the girl’s figure fade from afar though, three pair of eyes had already focused on him, all showing a hint of playfulness.

“It really feels good to be in love, huh.”

Sehun nodded. “It sure is—“ Realizing his words, he quickly turned back to the three, only to see Chanyeol, Kai, and Suho smiling creepily at him. It looked disgusting in the eyes of Sehun, but the irritation was more. “What now?”

“We know that you’re quite bothered about the fact that you and Aerin don’t really seem like a couple.” Chanyeol stated, whereas Kai and Suho nodded. Placing an arm over Sehun, he then pulled the male closer and patted his back. “But rest assured that it’s just normal, acting like friends and stuff…” Realizing his words, Chanyeol then added. “That is for Aerin, at the very least.”

Raising an eyebrow in confusion, Sehun spoke. “What do you mean?”

“Well, we knew Aerin since way before so we are very sure that she’s just like that.” Suho answered. “She likes you, don’t worry. It’s just that… she’s not very open about her feelings.”

For the past month and a half that Sehun had spent with Aerin, he did notice that the girl wasn’t very vocal and open. It wasn’t really something to be worried about, but a part of him can’t help but still be perturbed. Maybe it was a mild insecurity or unsureness, Sehun himself didn’t know, but he was sure that part of the reason was also because he wanted for Aerin to accept him, to move on with him, and love him back.

“I-is that right?” Sehun asked, giving Suho a doubting look.

Seeing this, the three eventually roared in laughter. They knew that Sehun was their cute youngest friend, but they never knew that he could even be more adorable when he’s in love. Not caring about their initial plan anymore, Chanyeol ruffled Sehun’s hair in pure fondness before patting Kai’s arm. “If you’re so curious then why don’t you ask Kai? I’m sure he has something juicy to tell you.”

As soon as Kai heard Chanyeol’s suggestion, his eyes immediately widened in alarm. “What—why—I thought no one’s going to bring that up?!”

“That was the initial plan,” Suho spoke, shielding Chanyeol—who only kept on laughing hysterically—from Kai’s long arms. Successfully managing to pacify both males with the help of Sehun, Suho then shrugged. “But you do know that Sehun has the right to know, being that he is Aerin’s boyfriend now.”

“I know,” Kai huffed, not really wanting to speak. “But everything’s in the past now, hyung—“

Eyes widening in utter annoyance, Sehun eventually snapped. “Kai, just tell me what the hell you three are talking about!”

Chuckling a bit, Chanyeol nodded. “Yeah, just tell him, Kai. There’s nothing really wrong about it.”

Having no escape route from the three especially Sehun, Kai eventually heaved a sigh. “Fine, but promise me that you won’t get mad at me.” Sehun nodded half heartedly. He wasn’t going to promise for he himself, wasn’t sure about his friend’s request. Kai was perfectly well aware of this, but he continued nonetheless. “Actually, Aerin and I… we went out before.”

The atmosphere became silent again. Almost a whole minute had passed with Sehun just staring right back at Kai, whereas Chanyeol and Suho tried their best not to laugh. Breaking the stillness by clearing his throat, Sehun shook his head to regain his focus. “By went out… you mean…” He trailed off, still focusing on Kai.

Kai nodded warily, not really sure how the younger male would react. “Yeah, we dated before. We were boyfriend and girlfriend, in a relationship, or whatever you want to call it.”

Confirming that it was indeed the case, Sehun averted his gaze from Kai before creasing his eyebrows. Thinking that the male was infuriated about the sudden revelation, Kai quickly spoke again. “But we only went out for a week! It was only a dare from Chanyeol-hyung!”

Sehun then turned to Chanyeol, his eyebrows still in knot. Seeing this, Suho chuckled whereas Chanyeol glared at Kai. “Well, you just have to drag me down with you, huh.”

Kai raised his hands up in the air defensively before turning back again to Sehun who only heaved a sigh. “I’m not mad or anything, you guys. I mean, it’s all in the past; what’s the use of getting angry over something which was already done?” Sehun said, kicking a pebble on the ground. “It’s just that, now I know why Aerin seems closer to Kai than the rest.” He then turned back to Kai with a probing look. “But you said that it was only a dare, does that mean that you really didn’t like