Warning: This has not been beta'd. You have been warned!

“Did you say something to her?”

It’s been a few days since Minho last visited Song Qian. He glances up from the digital camera he’s holding at his cousin who is standing tall and fixed at his doorway. Lowering his eyes back onto his camera casually, Minho shrugs and says, “More or less but I talk to her all the time so I’m not sure what you might be inferring to.”

“Did you tell her about Zhang Liyin?”

“Oh, your fiancé?” Minho smiles as he starts playing the fool, “No, not really.”

Sighing— and Minho can only guess that it is out of relief— Changmin enters the room and sits down on the edge of his bed. “She hasn’t responded to any of my text messages these past few days.”

“I don’t blame her,” Minho answers.

Changmin raises an eyebrow. “What exactly did you say to her?”

“That I was sorry to have introduced the two of you to each other.”

Although there could be many underlying messages beneath that simple response, Changmin can pick out the very one that Song Qian must have interpreted. “So she knows?”

“Not about Zhang Liyin,” Minho tells him, “but she’s got a general gist that it’s pretty much a done deal between the two of you.”

“You—“

Minho glances up at him with still eyes. “You should thank me, really,” he says calmly, “I made it easier on you, didn’t I?”

“I should have told her myself,” Changmin replies.

The slightly younger boy smiles as he says, “don’t worry; I don’t think it makes much of a difference to her.”

“How could it not?” Changmin wants to know.

Yet, Minho doesn’t exactly have an answer for his question. “Actually, she’s done a lot more for you than she’s ever done for Kris. That should be comfort to you enough, Changmin.”

Changmin is silent.

“You’re going to be marrying someone else so you shouldn’t even be thinking about Qian anymore. She’s thought things through and she has no intention of changing your lifestyle or hers so there’s nothing that’s holding you back from receiving your family duties,” Minho tells him, “you’ve always been keen on satisfying your parents, anyhow.”

“I don’t want to hurt her,” Changmin says.

Minho laughs. “Isn’t it a little too late for that?”

Isn’t it a little too late for such pitiful regrets that cannot be made up for?

To be honest, Minho really likes his cousin Changmin.

Growing up, Minho has seen Changmin at least twice every year, usually at their family gatherings in South Korea. However, quite a few years ago, Minho visited Changmin in Shandong and fell in love with the city and the lifestyle; it was so different from South Korea but it was so comfortable.

His cousin was quiet but he knew and understood everything—Changmin was always best at keeping secrets, so Minho was at ease spilling all of his thoughts out to his cousin whenever he was unhappy or upset.

This is why he decided to introduce his best friend to Changmin, because he believed they would be the perfect match for each other.

However, as luck would have it, Minho wasn’t entirely right for once.

Zhang Liyin is sitting in the Shim household family room, right between Changmin and Minho, and she can sense the coldness emitting from her good friend.

“Are you mad at me?” She asks quietly.

Minho shakes his head. “You’re not in the wrong. You didn’t ask for any of this to happen.”

“Do you think Qianqian will be mad at me?” Zhang Liyin asks again.

He can’t help but laugh a little at her ignorance. “No one will be mad at you,” he tells her, “because you haven’t done anything wrong, right?”

Although his words are supposed to be comforting, they are like thorns prodding into her ears. Zhang Liyin tenses, her fingers clenched into fists in her lap. Seeing her unease, Changmin reaches over and places a hand over hers.

He can hear their conversation, yet, what right does he have to interrupt?

Minho can see the gesture out of the corner of his eyes and he smiles to himself bitterly. Very well, he scoffs to himself, very well done.

Perhaps it is because Changmin has always been that older brother figure; amongst all of their peers and family, Changmin has always been the guardian and the protector. Each and every single child is cared for by him in his presence and no one really gets left behind.

He might be cold and reserved, but that doesn’t stop him from caring.

This reality might even be the reason why Changmin was so easy for Song Qian to fall for.

“She will probably hate me,” Liyin sighs, mostly to herself, “it’s the first time I’ve actually seen her like someone so much.”

Changmin wonders how it is so easy for Zhang Liyin to say such things around him. Time and experience eventually help him understand that Zhang Liyin is a girl without qualms; she doesn’t quite process anything before she speaks and she never means any harm to anyone.

This girl sitting beside him, Zhang Liyin, is simple. She is so simple minded that it is sometimes endearing but is mostly a flaw.

Glancing over at Changmin, Minho bites down on his lip. “Qian’s not that narrow minded.”

“You say that because you don’t understand women,” Liyin argues.

Minho laughs aloud. “Just how well do you understand Song Qian? Better yet, how well do you understand anyone else?”

He hadn’t meant for those words to come out as an accusation but the bitterness in his chest has finally spread over his tongue. This is their best friend that they’re talking about, not just any other person, so he can’t help but feel a little upset.

Of course, there are personal reasons, too.

As the adults come rolling in, Minho finds a good time to excuse himself.

“Where are you going?” Changmin asks him.

“Out for a breather,” Minho replies while waving at him over his shoulder, “don’t call me if things get out of hand; I won’t be able to help.”

The slightly older boy watches as his cousin leaves, step by step, and wonders what the future ahead of him carries. However, this much he knows: his future will no longer encompass a girl named Song Qian.

How exactly does one go about describing Shim Changmin?

There is a song that he really likes recently and it goes “from a place that has nothing to a place has nothing; we walk our own paths on the street as though nothing has happened. The people that we’ve forgotten are like bubbles, popped easily with the soft touch of both hands.”

Sometimes, Changmin thinks that that is the type of life he wants to live. Or, at least, he used to.

However, after he met Song Qian, things slowly began to change. Changmin never had any deep desire to claim someone as his own but Song Qian brought out that vain side of him—her smile, her touch, her every word was something he wished he could call his.

After months of getting to know her and growing closer, he knew that it wasn’t impossible; if he wanted her, he could have her. Not because she was easy but because she believed in him; he was probably one of the few people she has ever truly relied on.

When it came to Song Qian, Shim Changmin had privilege. That scared him.

And now… now there’s nothing for him to be afraid of anymore and that seems even worse.

“You actually like Qianqian too, don’t you?” Zhang Liyin asks him out of the blue.

He doesn’t say anything in reply.

“I could tell from your eyes the first time I saw you,” Liyin says. “There’s something about Qianqian, isn’t there? You can’t help but to like her.”

“She’s a very nice girl,” Changmin agrees.

Liyin smiles, “yes, she’s very, very nice; too nice, in fact.”

“Don’t think about stuff that can’t be helped,” Changmin suggests to her, “it won’t make things any better for any of us.”

She chuckles. “Why are you so willing to marry me even knowing that you have to give up on the one that you actually love?”

His answer is simple. “Unless it is absolutely necessary, my parents wouldn’t ask this of me; for a majority of my life, they have been extremely lenient with my every wish. However, this time they are nearly begging me to comply with this arranged marriage...”

“Just because of that?” Liyin asks with eyes wide.

Changmin takes a deep breath. “I can’t just turn a blind eye on my parents.”

“You and Qianqian are a lot alike,” Zhang Liyin tells him. “The two of you would have been perfect together.”

He keeps his silence.

“Maybe you can—“

“Are you thirsty?” Changmin interrupts her. “I’ll bring you a drink.”

Zhang Liyin bites down on her lips and nods, watching as he leaves her.

There is no maybe for Shim Changmin. Water that has been thrown out cannot be retrieved; Song Qian is now a past that Changmin can only attain through his memories.

Perhaps they can still be friends, if given enough time. That would be good.

He has only just reached the kitchen when his father follows in after him, expression heavy. Changmin can tell that he must have overheard their conversation.

“Changmin, I’m really sorry,” Mr. Shim apologizes.

He shakes his head at his father. “Don’t be.”

“Liyin is a really good girl, I think you’ll like her,” his dad tries to convince.

There is no comfort received from those words, however, Changmin nods and asks his father if he wants a drink as well. They exchange a few more words and some pats to the shoulder before Changmin returns to the family room, handing Liyin her drink.

“Your mom asked whether we wanted to hold our wedding here or in South Korea where the rest of your family is,” Liyin tells him, accepting the glass.

Changmin shrugs. “Whichever you prefer.”

“I don’t have a preference,” she tells him.

He thins his lips. “I think we should hold the wedding here. Most of your family is here, right?”

Zhang Liyin nods.

Liyin’s mother eventually joins them. “We’re going to make this wedding big!” She exclaims.

Zhang Liyin sighs. “Mom, we really don’t want to make a big deal out of it. Something small and simple will do.”

The elders all frown at her rejection and turn away, chatting happily amongst themselves. Liyin sighs and recoils back into her seat, drinking exhaustively from her glass.

Suddenly, Changmin asks, “then why are you willing to marry me?”

Liyin doesn’t know how to respond. Does she tell him that she’s lost hope in love after breaking up with Kris and whoever it is she ends up marrying makes no difference to her?

He doesn’t bring up Song Qian this time and it makes her wonder even more. Had he expected her to reject this wedding proposal because of her best friend?

Honestly, she really should have, now that she thinks about it…

“I…”

Realizing her discomfort with the question, Changmin smiles encouragingly at her and waves a hand. “It’s alright. You don’t have to answer. It was just a question asked out of boredom.”

Yes, this is the type of person that Shim Changmin is. He is understanding, accepting, and has no sense of selfishness; he doesn’t force anything upon others and never wishes for anything to be forced upon himself.

In so many ways, Shim Changmin could be considered the perfect man. He is only imperfect when it comes to the puncture in his heart called Song Qian.

Not too long after Song Qian returns to Nanjing, Luhan calls her up and asks to meet with her at a nearby café.

“Is something wrong?” Song Qian asks him, a little worried by how rushed he sounded over the phone.

Luhan gapes at her as though she had just asked the most ridiculous question in the world. “That’s what I should be asking you! Are you alright?”

She laughs a little helplessly. “What could be wrong?”

“Didn’t you hear about Changmin?”

“Oh, that,” Song Qian smiles, “yeah, I’m fine.”

“Their wedding will be held in the fall,” Luhan tells her. Song Qian nods. He clenches his jaw. “Aren’t you the least bit sad?”

One talent Song Qian never expected herself to have is her acting abilities. Did it really seem like nothing was wrong with her? There’s a small storm raging inside, though. “As long as they are happy,” she replies to the other boy.

Luhan takes a deep breath. “You’re so stupid.”

“Are you pitying me?” Song Qian laughs. Then, she points at her chest and says, “If so, why don’t you date me to fill in this hole?”

He stares into her eyes very seriously. “I’m almost better looking than you are. Why else do you think I find my girls in clubs at night? It’s because I can’t see their faces under all that makeup, lighting, and alcohol. You’re not my type, Song Qian.”

“Ouch,” she hisses playfully, clutching her heart, “but I always see you staring at my legs.”

Luhan can’t hide his smile. “You do have very nice, long legs.”

“Date my legs then,” she teases.

He then sticks his tongue out at her, turning away and approaching the barista to order their drinks. When he returns and sees her staring out the window, he sighs and slides her drink over to her. “I don’t date girls that my friends have dated before.”

“I was just joking,” she assures him.

“I could make an exception,” Luhan offers, winking an eye at her.

Song Qian laughs a little harder than before. “It’s okay, really.”

Suddenly Luhan leans across the table with his elbows on the surface, peering up into her face at a slightly lower angle. “Do you know what Changmin’s biggest goal is?”

She shakes her head.

“He wants to be a winner at life.”

“What does that mean?” Song Qian wonders aloud.

Luhan smiles and there’s a dancing light in his doe-like eyes. “What do you think it means?”

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New Story Intro: Misty on the Riverfront, [Kai/Victoria], Genre-- AU, Horror, Suspense

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A/N: So, I have a feeling a lot of you are going to hate me ;___; I swear to every single superior being out there that I'm trying my best to make this a happy ending, though! I'm trying! Also, seems like Maybe We Won isn't all that popular. There was a comment that mentioned it progressing kind of slow so maybe that's wh =/ Hmm. And... I really miss Victoria... TT_TT ♥Xue