Chapter 26

Sara didn’t know how, or why, but Kim Heechul was there, walking around her apartment, humming to himself as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

She hadn’t exactly invited him in. After their initial confrontation in the elevator, he had somehow persuaded her to let him walk her home, to make up for his behavior towards her earlier on.

She had hesitantly agreed, and when they had reached her door, and she had opened it, all he had said was “Oh Sarang-ah, this is your apartment?”

A second after that, he had walked in as if he owned the place.

Sara had gone to the bathroom to put a plaster onto her hand, since she had scratched it when she had bumped into him, but he walked in on her, without knocking or anything. He made her sit on the edge of the bathtub, and applied the plaster himself.

“Heechul-si…can I ask you why you are being so nice to me? You don’t even know me.” She said hesitantly.

“Its “Heechul Oppa” from now on my sweet, and I do know you! I’m a huge fan of yours!” he said enthusiastically.

“You’re a fan? Of what?” Sara asked confusedly.

“Well, you’re danc…*cough* I mean, you’re modeling. I saw you modeling that day during Seoul fashion week. And ever since then, I’ve been a big fan”.

“Really? Well, thanks, I guess…I don’t think I’ve ever had a fan before”. Sara said while laughing.

“Aigoo…so cute!” Heechul pinched her cheeks and laughed with her.

Usually, Sara would have felt awkward with all the skinship. But with Heechul, it felt so…natural. Maybe it was because he was so sincere. There was no awkwardness between them.

“So tell me, exactly why were you in our dorm? I’m really curious about that”. He said to her.

“The boys asked me to stay”. Sara replied.

“Which boys? The members?” Heechul said in alarm .

Sara nodded.

“How long have you been staying there?” he asked.

“About a week”, Sara replied.

“And why haven’t I ever seen you there?” He asked heatedly.

“The members, sorry Oppa…the members told me that I should avoid their older hyungs upstairs, because they are too dangerous around girls…”

“I’m going to kill them!” He said while standing up, and punching his fist into his hand.

“Which one of them said it? Kyuhyun? Or Eunhyuk? Just wait till I get my hands on them!”

Sara laughed at his sudden outburst, but calmed him down by saying “Its ok now, I won’t be living there anymore. Then elevator here is finally fixed, and my injuries are all better.”

“Injuries? You were hurt? Where?” He asked concernedly while sitting down again.

“I fell after modeling that day, and I hurt my leg, so I couldn’t walk up these stairs, that’s why the boys asked me to stay with them.” she said.

“But how did they know you in the first place?” he asked confusedly.

So for the second time, Sara retold the story of how she had met the members. She left out Donghae’s part in the story, because she felt that in this short week, he had redeemed himself. She wasn’t afraid of him anymore, and the time that she had spent with him had slowly eased away her hurt feelings.

Heechul listened quietly, and after she was done, he came closer, and stared straight into her eyes.

“So, which one of them have you fallen for?” he asked .

“S…sorry?” Sara stammered.

“Is it Siwon? Or Yesung? It could even be Sungmin too.”

“O…oppa, what are you talking about? What makes you think that I like any of them?”

“Well, to begin with” he said while crossing one leg comfortably over the other.

“When you spoke of Siwon, your had this longing look in your eyes, as if you wanted to see him again.

Then, when you spoke of Yesung, your voice softened, and became warmer.

And finally, everytime you mentioned Sungmin, your face brightened up.”

“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about…”Sara said evasively.

“Or…maybe you’ve fallen for the ones you haven’t told me about. You said that you took care of Kyuhyun when he was sick. Have you been spending time with him? Don’t fall for him, he’s got a doctor/patient complex, he goes crazy for any woman who takes care of him.” He said seriously.

“And you’ve been cooking with Ryeowook, haven’t you? That guy is hard to resist when he’s in the kitchen, trust me, I know.” He said while shaking his head.

“But the one thing I’m curious about, is why you haven’t mentioned Donghae. He’s always a favorite with the girls…” Heechul watched Sara closely as he said this, and broke into a grin when he saw Sara’s awkward expression.

“So you do like him! Donghae it is then.” He said confidently.

“No! It’s not like that…” Sara said hopelessly.

“Anyway, I don’t care who you like, because from now on, I’m going to be the only Oppa who will get to capture your heart.” Heechul said while smiling at her.

Sara giggled, and said “How are you going to do that?”

“Let’s see…have any one of them held your hand like this?” He said while locking her hand with his.

“No…” she said while staring down at their hands.

“And, had any one of them kissed you on the cheek like I did?” he said while raising an eyebrow.

“N…no, but I was unprepared for that!” She said accusingly.

“You still let me do it though, and I bet you wouldn’t do anything if I really kissed you now…” he said while slowly moving closer.

He was right in front of her. Moving closer and closer. Sara caught her breath. She couldn’t believe what was happening. Was this any different from what Donghae had done?

It was, she realized. Donghae had been rough, and uncaring. Heechul was just playful, but he was so honest with his feelings, that Sara found it hard to turn away from him.

When he was just a few centimeters away, Sara softly whispered “Oppa…”

He opened his eyes, smiled at her, and then softly kissed the corner of her lips.

“There, it’s not a proper kiss, but it’s ok for now.” He said gently.

The doorbell rang. Sara snapped back to reality, and got up to go answer it.

Heechul put his hand on her shoulder, and said “I’ll go get it.”

Sara slowly followed him out, and then went to sit in the lounge. She felt dizzy. What was happening to her? She always thought that love was finding an emotional attachment first. She thought about her feelings, and knew that she had gotten closer to Siwon, Yesung, Sungmin, and maybe even Donghae now, because of this. She definitely felt closer to them all because of all the time she had spent with them.

But with Heechul…it was different. She liked his attention. And she didn’t feel like she was being taken advantage off. After everything that had happened in this short month, his interest in her was a welcome distraction.

“Sarang-ah, it’s your manager”. Heechul called out.

Sara’s manager walked in. She sat down next to Sara and quickly whispered “Is that Kim Heechul?”

Sara nodded.

“Why is he here?”she asked.

Sara shrugged her shoulders in response and smiled. She really didn’t know, but she was glad that he was.

“Can I get you something to drink? Sara’s fridge is empty, so all I can offer is water”. Heechul called from the kitchen.

“Water is fine, thank you.” Her manager replied.

“Sara, tell me honestly, what’s going on? Were you staying with him all this time? Are you two dating?” her manager asked breathlessly.

“Well, you could say that”. Heechul said as he walked in. ‘We’ve already done everything that a new couple should.” He winked at Sara.

Sara’s manager coughed, and drank her water in one gulp.

Sara just stared at Heechul with open. He stuck his tongue out at her.

I guess that’s all for today then Sara, I’ll meet you tomorrow to go shopping for the press conference, ok? It’s going to be a big deal, since other Super Junior members were involved. Nice to meet you Kim Heechul-si.” Her manager got up, smiled at the two of them, and then left.

“Are we a couple then?” Sara asked once her manager was gone.

Heechul moved over, and sat on the coffee table in front of her.

“If you let me you to the press conference, then we will be.” He whispered.

“No, I hardly know you, and what about all the press? You’re famous here, it will cause a scandal.” She said while looking the other way.

“I happen to enjoy scandals. And if you don’t let me come with you, then I’ll just kiss you now.” He said teasingly.

He put his hands on either side of the couch, and leaned in.

Sara sat straight as a pillar, her heart thumping against her ribcage.

Just before he could move in, Sara held out her hand to his chest and said “Oppa, don’t.”

Heechul backed off abit, and then said. “Why? Don’t you like me? Or did you think of someone else just now?”

“I like you, but I think I would like you more as a friend for now. For some reason, I feel comfortable around you, and spending time with you is fun, but...”

The truth was, Sara had thought of someone else in that moment. Her feelings for that person had come rushing to her in an instant. His warm embraces, his kind words, his reassuring touch. Before, she had taken it all for granted. But now, she was sure of how she felt. But how did he feel? How could she be sure of his feelings towards her?

“Look, I’ll go to the conference with you Oppa, but this is just a test. I want to make sure of something before I give an answer to anyone. Do you think you can do this for me?” She knew that she was asking a lot. In essence, she was using Heechul, but since he knew it too, she didn’t feel so guilty.

“Hmm…you’re playing with me now, aren’t you? I’m really serious about you. But if you want to make me wait, then that’s ok. As long as we can have fun in the meantime. He said.

Sara smiled at him.

“So, are we a couple now?” he asked her.

“For now, I guess we are…” Sara said while laughing.

“Good, because fake couple or not, I’m still going to kiss you whenever I want.” He leaned forward and quickly kissed her cheek again.

Sara touched her face in surprise, and then hit him with a pillow.

He ignored her angry yells, grabbed her hand, and then said. “Yah, let’s go shopping. Your fridge is empty, and I’m starving.”

Sara had no choice but to comply. It was really difficult to argue with Kim Heechul.