What Now?

"So how was class?" Zelo asked as he munched on a club sandwich. He and Junri decided to meet on a cafe.

"It was nice. The pianist is really friendly!" Junri beamed.

"Friendly or a plain flirt?" Zelo raised an eyebrow.

"That's mean." Junri frowned. "Anyway, we're close now."

"Oh, really?" Zelo asked disinterestedly.

"What's gotten you down in the dumps?" Junri gave him a look.

"I just don't think you should go to that training facility anymore..." Zelo said. "There are other places in Seoul that can teach you-"

"No. I like this one." Junri cut him off. "It's near to the malls in case I need anything and I like the people there." She reasoned.

"But-"

"No. I'm not going to back out. That's final." Junri dismissed.

*But I heard HE'S there.* Zelo frowned.

"Yixing? You're still here?" Mr Song, the dance instructor, blinked.

"Oh? I didn't notice the time." Lay stopped the music and wiped his face with a towel. "Am I a bother? I'll go then."

"No. Not like that." Mr Song shook his head. "It's just that, it's already 4 o'clock and you've been here since morning. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Lay smiled good-naturedly, showing his dimple.

"Come on," Mr Song sat on the stool he uses to judge the dancers. "I'm here as a friend. Tell me what's bothering you."

"Well..." Lay hesitantly bit his lip. Mr Song always was there for him. So... why not?

"Is it about your engagement?"

Lay froze.

"Aha. I knew it!" Mr Song proudly exclaimed. "No one's forcing you in that engagement, Yixing. You can always back out. Well, at least, that's what your parents told me. Don't push yourself to love someone. It's not worth it."

"It's not that..." Lay mumbled.

"It isn't?" Mr Song blinked.

"No. Well, partly-but that's not the point." Lay put the towel around his neck. "You see, before the engagement, I had a girlfriend."

"Uh huh." Mr Song nodded.

"And that girlfriend, I don't know if she still loves me or not, but I think I still love her. When she got into an accident, I was worried sick." Lay started blabber. "And then, the engagement thing happened. And the person I'm supposed to be engaged to is my childhood crush. And... we're friends. So, I thought, that it's best to be wed to someone you're close to than to someone you don't know you can trust or not, right? But that doesn't mean I don't trust my ex-girlfriend, it's just that-I trust her! I really do! It's me, who can't be trusted-but I did nothing wrong! Well... I think I did nothing wrong... But, everybody hates me now! I don't know what to do..."

"Yixing..." Mr Song shook his head. "I don't know what you're trying to say here..."

"I... I agreed to the engagement because I could trust the person I'm going to be wed to. And even though I don't feel that way for her anymore, I know she won't hurt me." Lay started to explain more slowly.

"And...? What's this got to do with your ex?" Mr Song asked.

"I... I think I still love her. But... the engagement! And I don't think she would want me anymore considering I agreed to an engagement when we were still together..." Lay drifted off.

"So, do you love the person you're going to be engaged to, or not?" Mr Song asked, and Lay shook his head. "Well, that's your answer right there. You can't be wed to someone you don't love. That's the whole point of a wedding, to be with someone you love forever."

Lay frowned.

"And your ex... You should leave things be for a while and let your feelings sort themselves out. But call off the wedding, okay? It's not a good thing to marry someone just cause you're afraid to get hurt." Mr Song patted Lay's sweaty head.

"But-who said anything about afraid of getting hurt?" Lay made a confused expression.

But Mr Song was already long gone.

Lay sighed to himself and laid down on the wooden floor of the dance room.

He took out his cellphone and dialed his father’s number.

"Bà? Call off the engagement. Sorry for causing trouble..."

"It's no trouble at all, Yixing! Your mother and I have been wondering when you'll go back to your senses anyway."