Seohyun awoke to the insistent ringing of something…the doorbell? Her alarm clock? Or was it the phone? She opened one eye and d for it on her bedside table. She pressed the receive call button without looking at the screen.

“Hello?” she croaked sleepily.

“Hello…,” a male voice from the other line answered. “Cinderella, I’m glad you’re awake.”

“Oh…Kyu oppa…” she opened both of her eyes and slowly sat up on the bed.

“You ran away from the ball last night and you didn’t leave a shoe for me,” Kyuhyun said in a teasing tone.

“Oh…” Seohyun groaned inwardly. “I’m really sorry…I…”

“It’s okay. You’re really not the one at fault with what happened last night but that…that Jung Yonghwa.”

Seohyun winced upon hearing Yonghwa’s name and as memories from last night began to flood her brain.

“I’m just happy you got home safe,” Kyuhyun said rather tenderly that she began to feel awkward.

Seohyun didn’t answer and silence fell over them.

“So…” she heard Kyuhyun sigh from the other end of the line. “May I see you this afternoon?”

“I…” she really didn’t want to see Kyuhyun or Yonghwa at the time. She bit her lower lip as she thought of a thousand alibis.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and before Seohyun could even blink, it opened and Yuri barged in, carrying her laptop.

“Oppa, Yuri unnie wants to talk to me now. I’ll just get back to you later, okay?” Seohyun told Kyuhyun.

“Okay. Bye. See you this afternoon.”

Seohyun shook her head as she hit the end call button of her phone.

“Who was that?” Yuri demanded. “Fiancé number  1 or fiancé number 2?”

Seohyun frowned. “It’s not funny, unnie.”

“Well maybe you’ll find this one funny,” Yuri said sarcastically as she put the laptop before Seohyun. “But I doubt it.”

Seohyun took one look at the screen and abruptly averted her gaze. She tried to suppress a frustrated scream. She knew this would be happening but she didn’t know how terrible it would feel.

Mustering all the courage she had, she turned to look at the photos on the screen again.

The first one was that of her and Kyuhyun dancing. The second one was…her and Yonghwa kissing. It was perfectly captured, as if both of them had posed for a poster of a romantic movie. On the third picture, Kyuhyun and Yonghwa were playing tug of war with both of Seohyun’s arms.

She read the short article that went with the picture.

It seemed that model Han Seohyun isn’t what she appears to be. In a ball for the Make-A-Wish Foundation last night, she had been caught seeing two men at the same time: leader of the popular CNBlue band Jung Yonghwa and a young physician named Cho Kyuhyun. It was revealed that both men had proposed to her and each was claiming to be her fiancé. But whose marriage proposal did she really accept? Or if she hasn’t chosen yet, whose proposal is she going to accept?

Seohyun wanted to die with shame. Besides that, she also felt frustrated and angry. Her love life was publicized. And to think she didn’t really have a love life.

“What am I? A prize horse?” Seohyun cried.

Yuri rubbed her sister’s back. “I know. I’m so sorry, Hyun. I know this won’t help but I think you have to know. The public is going crazy with the news. They’re already watching out who you would choose.”

Seohyun wiped the tears from her eyes. “What is this, some kind of a contest? Maybe we should make a reality show out of this,” she said sarcastically.

“Well, actually two TV networks already called this morning,” Yuri informed.

Seohyun got out of her bed. “God! How did it come to this? Trust Yonghwa to ruin everything for me.”

She wondered if he was gloating over the fact that he had brought her humiliation.

………………………..

 Yonghwa rubbed his temples. His head was throbbing and what he saw and read in the internet didn’t help. There it was…his love life being publicized and criticized. People from mass media and some friends had been calling nonstop that he had to turn off his mobile and unplug all the phones in his pad. A million fans had already expressed their disgust or their excitement regarding the issue. Seohyun must hate him more than ever. How is he going to win her with this? She wouldn’t listen to him, wouldn’t believe what he says. If only he could get her to be with him even for just a few months or weeks…then he would get the chance to make her see that he knew he was wrong in his decisions and that he regretted everything…he would get the chance to show her how much he loves her…but how? And there it was again, a ridiculous idea that Krystal had unintentionally put in his mind. He began to recall their conversation after he had poured everything out to her last night.

“How am I going to make her listen to me, much more believe me?” he had wondered aloud.

Krystal nodded sympathetically. “It’s really hard. Why don’t you take it slow? Court her…send her gifts, flowers…call her every day, send her love notes, see her every chance you get. We girls love to be showered with attention you know. She’ll fall in love with you again.”

“The problem is, she doesn’t want anything from me, doesn’t want to hear from me, doesn’t want to see me. And besides,  Kyuhyun and her other suitors do that, too. Where’s the advantage if I do that?” Yonghwa asked.

“Tsk, you’re so negative, oppa,” Krystal shook her head. “But you do have a point. If only everything is easy and you can do anything…” she mused. “Like this novel I read once…this guy loves this girl so much but she hates him. So he blackmailed her into marrying him and made her fall in love with him. And they lived happily ever after.”

Yonghwa laughed. “That’s quite far-fetched. Blackmailing Seohyun? I can’t do that. I’ve been through so much deception already.”

Krystal shrugged. “Well, she loved you once. It might work.”

“Are you serious?”

“I’m just kidding if you don’t like the idea then,” she smiled.

He smiled back. But what she said got him thinking…

Yonghwa shook his head as his mind went back to the present. Stop it, he told himself. It’s ridiculous.

He found himself turning on his mobile phone and dialing a number.

………………..

Krystal excitedly got off the car, bringing some men’s clothes with her. She had been assigned by Yoona to supervise the wardrobe on SHINee’s music video shoot. She grinned to herself. She already love fashion designing but interacting with Minho is a big bonus in her job. Really. It’s one proof that she and Minho belonged together.

The staff and crew for the music video were already there when she and some assistants from Lee Yoona’s fashion house arrived at the location of the shoot. She saw Key on a chair, his makeup being done. She immediately looked for Minho. She spotted him with the other guys, rehearsing the choreography of their dance. He caught her eye and she smiled and waved enthusiastically. He made a small gesture with his hand, acknowledging her.

“Hello, coldness,” Yoon Bo Ra, one of the staff from Lee Yoona’s fashion house elbowed Krystal.

“What?” Krystal turned to her.

“Couldn’t you tell? He’s really not happy to see you,” Bo Ra said, referring to Minho. “You look like a fool so stop grinning and drooling over him. It’s obvious, he’s not into you.”

“Really?” Krystal’s face turned sad.

“Yeah, I’m sorry for telling you that,” the other girl apologized. “But, you deserve more, you know. You deserve better than him. Mean-ho. He’s so mean to you.”

“Don’t be so negative, unnie. He just doesn’t realize that he could like me,” Krystal said, smiling widely again. “And that, I will do.”

“Do what?”

“Make him realize that he could like me,” Krystal answered and hurried over to the guys, leaving a perplexed Bo Ra shaking her head.

“Hi guys! Hi Minho oppa!” Krystal greeted them cheerfully.

“Hey, Krystal-ssi,” Taemin and Kim Jonghyun greeted back.

“Yo, what’s up?” Onew said, playfully punching Krystal’s shoulder to her surprise.

Minho only nodded his head.

“Yah,” Onew playfully whacked Minho’s shoulder with the back of his hand. “She singled you out when greeting us and you’re just like…” he imitated Minho’s expression and nodded his head exaggeratedly. It made Jonghyun, Taemin, Krystal and even Key, who just joined them, laugh.

Minho shrugged his shoulders. “I’m just a little tired from last night.”

“Why? What did you do? You’re the first one among us to leave the party,” Taemin pointed out.

“Oooh…didn’t you took the girl of your dreams back home last night? What did the two of you do that got you tired, huh?” Jonghyun wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“Yah! Stop that! Seohyun’s not like that,” Minho defended.

“Well, then maybe you were up all night thinking about her, huh?” Key teased. “What did you two talk about?”

“Man, they talked about you and your super cute girl group dance imitations,” Onew answered Key sarcastically which made everyone laugh, including Key.  Even Krystal giggled a little, despite listening to the guys teasing Minho to Seohyun.

“Really?” Key turned to Minho and slapped his back. “Gee, thanks. I know I’m the cutest.”

“Didn’t Seohyun already have two fiancés? Really, hyung, what are your chances?” Taemin said.

Minho shook his head. “I’ve read about that this morning. I think they’re just rumors.”

“Ah, ever the love struck boy,” Jonghyun teased. “Did she tell you about it?”

Minho tutted. “No, but I can tell she was really upset last night.”

Onew looked at Krystal and was puzzled by her expression. She was biting her lower lip really hard, as if trying to hold back a remark. She didn’t like the topic, obviously. “Seriously guys, let’s go get changed. Krystal-ssi, you have the clothes, right?”

Krystal smiled. “Of course! That’s what I’m here for,” she chirped enthusiastically, handing each guy his clothes.

…………………………..

“I’ve had it with your friend!” Yoona fumed. She just walked in her office from meeting with a client and found her husband lounged on her chair.

“Yeobo-yah, what are you so angry about?” Lee  Jonghyun stood up and went to his wife.

“Why did he humiliate my sister?”

“Yonghwa didn’t really mean to do it. He didn’t like what it all came to, too,” he answered, rubbing his wife’s back.

“I’m so angry at him now,” Yoona said.

“No, please don’t be like that. I mean, it isn’t entirely his fault—“

“And whose fault is it? Seohyun’s?” she said, cutting off her husband.

“No…” Jonghyun answered. “I mean, there were also Kyuhyun and the media.”

“It was Yonghwa who kissed her, not Kyuhyun,” Yoona hissed.

“Well, Seohyun kissed him back,” he calmly answered.

“What are you talking about? She didn’t! She hates him!”

“You’ve seen the pictures,” Jonghyun shrugged. “She did.”

“The interpretation of those pictures could be quite subjective,” Yoona insisted.

Her husband shook his head. “Maybe…but her eyes were closed and she was clinging on to Yonghwa instead of pushing him away.”

Yoona’s mouth hung open for a moment before she spoke. “So you’re saying that I’m wrong?”

“What?” Jonghyun stared at her, baffled by her reaction. “Honey, of course not!”

“Then why do you keep on insisting that Seohyun kissed Yonghwa back when I said she didn’t?” she was now on the verge of tears.

“Because…because…aish, this is stupid!”

“Now you’re saying that I’m stupid!” Yoona wailed.

Jonghyun groaned. He hugged Yoona while she struggled in his arms.

“I hate you…I don’t want to see you anymore…” Yoona gibbered while sobbing.

“Yoona-yah…hey, hey, listen to me. Look at me,” he held her face and tried to meet her gaze. He wiped her tears with his thumbs.

She looked at him.

“Let Seohyun and Yonghwa solve their issues, okay? Let’s not argue over this, please. Look what this is doing to us,” Jonghyun pleaded.

Yoona didn’t answer.

“I don’t want to see you like this. Seeing you crying hurts me.”

Yoona nodded, touched by what he said. “I’m sorry. I love you,” she threw her hands on his shoulders and kissed him passionately.

The couple was kissing when the door to the office opened and in popped Seohyun and Jin-Ah.

“Ooops… sorry,” Seohyun said, turning red. She pulled Jin-Ah back, went out and closed the door behind her.

Seohyun rolled her eyes when she heard the soft click of the door being locked. She’s happy for her sister, really. But she was also envious of her. Why couldn’t Yonghwa be more like Jonghyun? Jonghyun was so loyal to her sister and she could see how much he loves Yoona. Why can’t Yonghwa love her the same way? She shook her head. There’s Kyuhyun and she can tell he really loves her. And they were good friends; they’re comfortable with each other. Maybe it’s really not hard to love him. Maybe if she chose to marry him, life would be so much easier than if she let Yonghwa in her life again. It would be so much peaceful and painless.

Now more than ever she needed sisterly advice. She went to Yoona’s office for that, but her sister turned out to be unavailable. And Yuri was with her fiancé. Their mother had already gone out to help their father with their small business downtown. She knew the two of them would be busy.

She took out her cellphone and dialed Sue-ji’s number.