As always, special thanks to itssasa, who has not only beta-read & edited this chapter, but also has tried to put more emotions to this story. I'm forever grateful to have you as my beta, Sa!

Project: Cupid!

Chapter 18: What One Can't Deny

“Hello, Oppa.” 

Donghae was stunned upon hearing the voice. He did not need to lift up his head from the book he was reading to know whose voice it was. In fact, that very voice is something he would probably remember forever - that high-pitch voice, silent laughter, and slow speaking pace. It was none other than the Ice Princess herself.  

The café he was at happened to be less crowded than usual, and his lack of reaction to her greeting only caused an awkward feeling to arise. He finally responded when Jessica stared at him with an expectant look.  

“Hi… Jessica.”  

The said young lady revealed a small smile towards his unwieldy demeanor; after all, it was one of many attributes that attracted her to him in the past. Quickly shaking off the very distant memories - and feelings - she pointed to the chair in front of her and pointedly stated, "I want to have a talk with you." 

"A-Ah, yes. I'll get you another chair," Donghae stuttered as he clumsily got to his feet to gesture at the (now) open seat. It happened to be Heechul's chair that Jessica claimed while the previous occupant was in the restroom. However, Donghae very much wanted to avoid the possibility of Heechul's complaints when he returns to find his chair now stolen.  

"It's Heechul-hyung's chair, and he would probably be-"  

“Don’t worry,” said Jessica as she casually seated herself, “Heechul Oppa knows I’ll be sitting here.” 

Donghae blinked indifferently. Seconds later, a hard realization struck him. It was no wonder Heechul suddenly insisted on taking him out to that café that evening. This kind of scenario was very similar to what Yoona had schemed months prior - when she insanely tried to matchmake him with Jessica despite her own feelings.  

The younger man chuckled in disbelief. “This is plotted, right? Heechul Hyung and…you... planned this out, didn’t you both?” 

Jessica propped her chin on her hands and lazily nodded.  

In defeat, Donghae sighed and let out an inaudible murmur, “Hyung…” 

“I’m gonna be quick, Oppa,” she steered the conversation to her point. “What do you see Yoona as?” 

He knew he would be forced to answer it sooner or later. But, he had never expected that Jessica would be the one asking him that - so bluntly. That would be expected of the Ice Princess, he should have known better. Uncomfortably clearing his throat, the reply slowly flowed out of his mouth. “I… she... she is a kind dongsaeng.” 

“You seriously still think of her as a dongsaeng?” 

The frustration that was plaguing his mind lately was clearly expressed in the sigh he let out. “What do you want me to say, Jessica?” he asked back. His mind faintly drifted to the fact that he was copying Yoona’s method to answer question: run away from question with question. 

Jessica crossed her arms in front of her chest. Months prior, when Yoona tried to matchmake her with Donghae in the planned out meeting at the café, Jessica had decided not to interfere. Donghae and her had not talked about the issue of their past relationship and they had ended up mostly in awkward silence. Jessica did not intend to let him slip away this time. She knew why she was there; she knew the goal she wanted to pursue. Jessica was a persistent girl, and she would get what she wanted if she wished so. 

“I want you to speak the truth,” she stated firmly. 

He shook his head in response. His action was almost too immediate, like he had predicted it all along. “The truth… I… don’t know…” 

“Oppa –“ 

“I really don’t know, Jessica!” he nearly yelled. Quickly regretting himself for using that tone on her, he sighed and murmured his apology.  “I’m sorry. It’s just… I can no longer tell. I don’t know the answer.” 

“The answer is already there. You’re just afraid to admit that answer.” 

“No,” he denied. “You…I… all these years…” 

“You mean… our past relationship?” 

He nodded. “It’s not something I can disregard that easily.” 

Jessica agreed. “True. You are my first love, Oppa. I loved you back then. I truly did. And I still care about you now… only not in the same form. But then again, love takes different forms, right?” 

He diverted his attention from her and a low chuckle escaped his lips. “Rejection again, after years…” 

Jessica gave a small smile. “Do you honestly see this as a rejection? Do you even still have the intention to be with me again, if say, I want to?” 

He was silenced. 

Would he? 

Jessica tried a different approach. “Once, when we were still together, you promised that you would never lie to me, Oppa.” The blond-haired girl stared at his eyes, to search and to dig up the real answer he was afraid to let onto the surface. She began again, “Can you now look at my eyes and tell me the truth, Oppa?” 

He gulped. 

She mercilessly continued. “Do you still love me? Or are you already in love with someone else?” 

“I…” 

“Don’t lie. At least to me. You promised.” 

Donghae found his throat dry. He cursed himself. That promise he made with Jessica years ago was posing a trouble to him now. 

But then again… 

He was a man of his words. 

So, mustering up the courage, he told her the truth. 

Heechul tapped his fingers on the bar’s table in impatience. He wanted to go back to the dorm (and feed Heebum –that poor cat had a monstrous appetite), but he knew he had to wait more. 

Oh, how he hated to wait. Kim Heechul was not the one to wait people; people should the one to wait for him. If he had not continuously reminded himself of the aim of this project, he would have been in his room by then. But then again, this situation was an exception. And sometimes, she was an exception. 

At quarter to ten, the figure he had been waiting for showed up. Heechul’s eyes lit up once his blond-haired counterpart approached him. He posed her the question directly, “You got it?” 

Jessica pulled out a recorder from her bag and tossed it lightly to Heechul’s arms. Her proud smile was present. “Of course.” 

Im Yoona felt her heartbeat accelerated as she approached the studio. That day would be the last filming day of their season of Project: Cupid!. She was partially glad that the show would end soon. That would lessen her chance of meeting Donghae and probably, just probably, it would make her mind less stressed.  

However, another part of her also acknowledged the possibility of missing him. 

… 

Well, she had promised herself to move on. Eventually things would turn out better. Eventually, she would be able to nullify her feelings to Donghae. And one day, probably one day, she would be able to face Donghae normally, to see him as a friend, and only that. 

… 

Oh, she was fooling herself again.  

… 

But then again, she needed to. 

“Yoona-sshi, the PD wants to talk to you,” one of the female staff informed her.  

Get back to work, Yoona, she reminded herself. She nodded and placed her usual smile on her face. “Sure. About what?” 

“I don’t know. He only instructed me to tell you he wanted to have a conversation with you. He’s over there,” the staff said as her finger pointed out to the small recording room inside the studio. 

“Oh... Alright.” 

Her mind was not really on the job at the moment, but she knew she had to be a professional. She followed the staff’s direction and walked towards the room. Knocking the door, she heard Jae Won’s voice telling her to come in, and she obliged. 

“Hello, Yoona,” Jae Won greeted her. 

“Hello, Jae Won-sshi,” she said with a bow. “Is there anything I can help you with?” 

Jae Won stood from his chair and approached the female idol. “Yes. Just stand there for a moment, okay?” 

“Hm?” 

A second later, the door behind her swung open and then she saw… 

Donghae. 

His eyes widened at the sight of her, and Yoona bet her own expression showed the same surprise.  

“Yoona?” he spoke unsurely. 

She was about to say something, but then she saw two figures lurching behind Donghae. Before she could warn him of anything, the first figure, who turned out to be Eunhyuk, quickly grabbed Donghae’s body and held him firm. Donghae let out a surprised gasp and Yoona had no chance to help him, as the second figure, Sunny, also barged into the room and encircled her arms around her body. 

“Unnie!” Yoona exclaimed. 

Jae Won calmly approached the two struggling idols and forcefully raised Yoona’s left hand and Donghae’s right hand to… clasp them together in a handcuff. 

Both Donghae and Yoona shot frantic looks towards the grinning Jae Won.  

Sunny and Eunhyuk beamed in giddiness and they both pushed Donghae and Yoona deeper into the room. Before she and Donghae could protest, the other three people already made an escape out of the room. Donghae could still hear Eunhyuk’s shouting before the door was slammed shut. 

“Payback!” 

Eunhyuk laughed hard at the sight of the closed door. He then averted his attention towards Jae Won, who was asking a question to Sunny. 

“So, what’s next?” 

“Heechul Oppa and Jessica Unnie are taking care of it. Their plan should begin soon.” 

“Perfect.” 

Sunny posed her inquiry to Jae Won. “Why can’t this scene be recorded on screen too, Jae Won-sshi?” 

Jae Won shrugged. “With them, nothing will progress on screen. Off screen, however, it is a different matter.” 

“We heard that you were actually more rooting for us to be a couple,” said Eunhyuk. “Why the sudden change of target?” 

She feared her heart might explode. 

Trapped in a room alone with Donghae, with their wrists connected through the handcuff… Dear God, she knew she was doomed. 

The nervousness was equally apparent on Donghae’s side. Both of their nervousness combined made the atmosphere of the room got to a point of absurd awkwardness. The silence was choking him, her. Both were aware that either one of them had to start talking, but one wrong word could drive everything into a (further) mess.  

So they stood there in silence. 

His hand began to sweat. 

got dry. 

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

To –

“Hello, foolish lovebirds!” a familiar voice suddenly echoed in the room. Yoona quickly darted her eyes around to search for the source of the voice, and she found out that Heechul’s voice came from the speaker that was positioned at one of the corner of the ceiling. From the opposite corner of the ceiling, Yoona could also see the CCTV camera was directed at them. 

“Hyung!” Donghae shouted towards the camera. “What’s this all about? Let us out!” 

“No way, Oppa,” said a feminine voice that Yoona would recognize anywhere as Jessica’s voice. “We won’t let you out until this ends.” 

“Wha…” 

“Both of you are so… frustratingly dishonest. So we decided that third parties interference is necessary,” explained Heechul. “Since neither of you will face the truth, we will slam the truth to your face. Is it ready, Jessica?”

From the speaker, Jessica’s voice that was slightly obscure exclaimed,“Yes!”

“Okay, enjoy, lovebirds. Bye! We want full report after this!” instructed the Kim guy.  

A loud sound of beep was heard from the speaker. Muffled sound was heard and Yoona wrinkled her eyebrows, trying to decipher the sound. Her right hand immediately covered her lips once she realized what Jessica’s plan was. 

Yoona’s own recorded voice was played through the speaker. Her face paled. She remembered, it was one of the conversations she had with Jessica the night before. 

“I really, really don’t understand you, Yoong,” said Jessica. “Why do you prevent yourself from a chance of happiness? Is it because you’re not sure of your own feeling? Because to you, your feeling is only for the purpose of the show?”

Yoona chuckled. “If it’s only for the purpose of the show, I won’t be this frustrated, Unnie,” she paused. “The line between the show and the reality might be obscure at first, but…”

“…But?”

“What I feel for Donghae Oppa is different from any other feeling I’ve ever had, even with my other male co-actors. It is something…”

“Real?”

“…I love him. For real…”

Yoona felt like she wanted to bury her head towards the ground. She knew that her confession and her feelings to Donghae was no longer something doubted (nor was it a secret anymore). But to keep hearing herself like that, like a madly-in-love schoolgirl… it was still… weird.  

And what about her confession, really? Why did it need to be replayed again and again for Donghae to hear? So that she could feel rejection for the umpteenth time? So that she could really give up? To know the real truth? 

The recorded sound of her confession was then muted. But a second later, a new recording was being played.  

It was Jessica’s voice again. 

“Can you now, look at my eyes, and tell me the truth, Oppa? Do you still love me? Or are you already in love with someone else?”

“I…”

Yoona gulped. It was Donghae’s voice. She slowly turned her attention to the man beside him. Donghae had his head bowed down and his left hand covering his face.  

Jessica’s voice from the recorded sound began again in the speaker. 

“Don’t lie. At least to me. You promised.”

There was a long pause.  

A very long pause. 

Yoona’s heart beat quickened. 

The seconds were killing her. She felt like she wanted to shout towards the CCTV camera and told Heechul and Jessica to stop this cruel torture. She could not bear it. She could not bear Donghae’s voice saying things that would make her heart weep; she could not bear having to – 

“I am already in love with Yoona, Jessica.”

… 

Yoona drew her unbound hand to her lips. was gaped open. Her heart…her dear, dear heart… 

Donghae’s recorded voice from the speaker reverberated in the room. 

“I don’t know how it starts. I don’t know how she seeps into my mind, into my life, into my heart… It just happens.”

Yoona was silenced and her head shook in disbelief. 

“I don’t even know how she can slowly replace your position in my heart. I-I thought… I thought I would love you forever. I thought my eyes would never be able to see other women but you. But…she…Yoona…easily, so easily, she is there. Always there…And I can’t help… I can’t erase her out of my heart anymore…”

The recorded sound ended.  

Silence ensued. 

Dear Lord… 

Her voice suddenly returned to her again. “I-is that… true, Oppa?” 

Donghae was silenced. 

Slowly, she turned her head to look at him. She was a bit surprised to find that Donghae was staring at her. Looking at her.  

And like the first time she fell for him, she could see that it was her image that was reflected on his eyes. 

Donghae’s face formed a small shy smile. 

“I cannot run away from you anymore, Yoona…” 

Her doe eyes widened.  

“N-no,” she wakly retorted. “Y-you’re lying…” 

The Lee guy’s smile faltered upon her reaction. “I’m not.” 

“You love Jessica Unnie! Y-you always do. Y-you –” 

He shook his head. “I loved her. But now  –“ 

“That’s impossible!” she argued. 

He was getting impatient. He was very sure of his own feeling now, why did she always have to make it difficult for him?  

“Yoona, I’m not lying, okay?” 

“You are!” 

“Am not!” 

“Oppa, just please stop all of this and –“ 

Her words died on her lips. 

On his lips. 

He silenced her with a kiss.  

If words could not express how he truly felt, he would let his action convinced her so. 

His handcuffed hand slowly reached out to hold her equally bound hand. His other free hand s to her face, cupping her chin, and adding more gentle pressure on the kiss. He kissed her as if she was a delicate flower, something he had to protect, something that he promised to always protect. He poured all his feeling into the kiss, to show her, to make her his, to erase the painful memories, to start something anew… 

Together. With her.  

Always, with her. 

He reluctantly ended the kiss, drew back and stared at her hazed expression. 

“You believe me now?” he questioned. 

Something warm poured up inside her heart. Her eyes glistened with happiness. She did not respond, she could not say a word. 

But words were not important anymore. 

In silence, she only dragged her body closer to him and pulled him into an embrace. 

She would never let go.

Donghae smiled and hugged her just as gently. 

The last episode of Project: Cupid! was aired a few days after. Heechul munched on the pop corn as he watched the screen. Leeteuk announced the result of the voting. The EunSun couple had gathered the majority votes as “The Couple of the First Season” and they were immediately dubbed as the losing team. Yoona and Donghae were crowned as the successful Cupid.  

Things that had happened off screen were not revealed. 

And in Heechul’s opinion, it should never be revealed. 

A small hand dug into his bowl of popcorn. He was about to protest (he never liked to share anyway), but knew that his words would not have effect on this spoiled little princess. 

“Your dorm is so silent. Where’s everybody?” asked Jessica as she sat beside Heechul on the couch. 

“Don’t know. But one thing for sure. Donghae is in another phone call with you-know-who.” 

Jessica laughed and then joined Heechul in watching the re-run last episode of Project: Cupid!. Sunny and Eunhyuk were completely bullied on screen. Audience’ attention was surely focused on the EunSun couple.  

But her keen eyes could see further. 

At the back of the crowd, the stealing glances one Mr. Fish and one Miss Deer were casting towards each other. 

Those hidden sparks.  

The spark that had seemed to be so insignificant, but had gotten more visible due to one woman’s loyalty and one man’s (eventual) courage. To wait and to move on. He probably fell in love with her devotion and she fell in love with his determination. Something bound to be. 

Project: Cupid! show clearly had a great influence on them, but Jessica sometimes thought that perhaps, just perhaps, the sparks did not begin there. Soulmates are bound to each other, no matter how long the route they had to take, no matter how one (or two) tried to deny.  

It was something effortlessly there, something that was always there. 

But then again, Jessica thought. Slight pushing could never hurt.

Glancing at her other ‘twin’, Jessica snickered. “We are the real Cupid, aren’t we?” 

Heechul smirked and his hand joined Jessica’s in a high five. 

The End 

Author's Notes: Thank you for staying with this story until the very end. You guys have been very patient and supportive, I couldn't thank you guys enough. I hope this will be quite a satisfying ending for you guys. 

And now, I'm going to do a shameless advertisement, hahaha:

For those interested: I'm already writing a new Super Generation fanfiction. The main character is Jessica, and the genre is horror/mystery/suspense/thriller/drama/mild romance.

For Pyros (as I presume most of you who stick with this story has the Pyros blood within), there will be YoonHae in that new fanfic. However, as I'm focusing more on plot there rather than my shipping blood, I will have to warn you that the fic will contain HaeSica and YoonChul (and many other Super Junior - SNSD pairings). YoonHae might or might not end up together in that fic. I think I'd just have to warn you that now. Hehe.

Here's the trailer to my new fanfic:

Here's the 2nd version of the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8ZLdn5FWYs&feature=g-upl&context=G2f51d67AUAAAAAAAAAA

And here's the link to the story : Das Marchen Club 

End of my long advertisement. Thank you for sticking with Project: Cupid! until the very end!