Sehun's POV

No. No. A thousand times no. I did not see what I just saw, did I? I couldn’t have. It’s not possible. How could she refuse me, turn down my advances at the last minute, but accept that er’s without even blinking an eye. I knew I was right to suspect him, ever since that time the two of them were alone in the kitchen together. Just the thought of him making her laugh the other day, his smile genuinely good natured, was making my blood boil. I didn’t know who I was more angry with; Min for kissing him before me, just when we had made amends, or Chen for taking my girl and not even having the decency to confront me about it first. What are you acting so high and mighty for, you were just ing his assistant barely an hour ago. I knew my inner voice was right but I just really didn’t need to hear it right now.

“O-oppa?” I heard a voice call out to me softly and I turned around to see that Hyungi was standing in the corridor, looking absolutely dishevelled. Could the girl at least fix her hair a little to make it not look like I just ed her senseless?

“What is it Hyungi?” I asked, not hiding the irritation in my tone. “What are you doing here looking like that?” She blushed and became self-conscious, pulling down the hem of her miniskirt.

“You’ve been gone for a while, Hunnie. I was just worried about you,” she whined, trying to sound angelic but that act wasn’t fooling me. Not today.

“Like hell you were. Just leave me alone, got it?” I pushed passed her with the intention of heading back to my dorm room but just as I was about to key in the code to the door, she s her arms around my waist to give me a ing backhug.

“Why don’t we just go back to your room oppa and pick up where we left off? It might help you, you know, relieve some stress.” Her giggle at her half assed innuendo made my blood boil a little. Why the hell did you even this anyway. She can’t hold a candle to Min. Once again my ing subconscious was right and now it’s too late. Thanks to Kim ing Jongdae.

“You’re the one who caused the stress in the first place, so don’t try and act like you’re doing me a favour,” I stated bluntly, not giving a damn about how she felt. I could see her eyes glazing over but to me they were just crocodile tears. She didn’t shout, or storm off or anything. She just quietly slipped away into the kitchen. I didn’t go after her. Something like that should make me feel guilt or something, but my heart is too cold for that level of emotion now.

So this is what being cheated on feels like. Stop being so dramatic she didn’t cheat on you she just kissed your friend. Besides, you were never together in the first place. I sighed, replaying the kiss over and over in my head. I don’t know why I was doing that to myself but I couldn’t stop. She kissed him. She really kissed him. I had always questioned how innocent they really were but seeing it happen in front of my very own eyes made my speculations a reality.

I shouldn’t have ed her. I shouldn’t have let my rule over my head. I shouldn’t have gotten into bed with another girl just because of some bull with the press. But Min doesn’t know that you ed Hyungi, does she? I smiled bitterly at this one silver ray of hope lining my cloud of misfortune. Maybe I can use this knowledge against her. Make her feel bad for kissing Chen so she’ll do everything she can to make it up to me. Even provide me a little service if that’s what I desire. I suppose I should feel wrong for wanting to manipulate her like this based on false pretences. But I’m not good. Morals don’t govern me. I lost those when I signed on the dotted line.

“Sehun? Sehun? Can you be a participating member of the human race for once and get your sweet perky in gear! Everyone is already at the press conference and it starts in 5 minutes!” shouted Suho, which finally snapped me out of my daze. I didn’t even realise that I had been sitting on the couch for hours now, doing nothing but plotting and scheming. I had completely forgotten about the press conference. I shouldn’t be nervous for it, I’ve done too many to count by now. Yet as I was walking through the maze of corridors that I knew like the back of my hand, my heart felt as if it was inching its way up so that it could lodge itself inside my throat.

When we got to the conference room, she was the first person I saw. I probably looked like hell, with dark circles under my eyes, wearing a shirt that I had ed a girl in and dishevelled hair which I didn’t care about enough to fix. But Min on the other hand, looked more stunning than ever. If that was even possible. Her outfit was well chosen, the colours complimenting her skin tone and the cut accentuating her flawless figure. The only imperfection was her face. It was not smiling. She looked completely void of all emotions. You’re to blame for that, Sehun. You did that to her.

“Sehun? Sehun? Hello are you listening to me? Sehun?” The person who was calling after me was manager hyung so I immediately nodded my head. I was already in deep with him. I certainly did not want to make it worse. “Well I was saying, your seat has been reserved on the stage and you will have me on your left and Choi Min on your right. Do I have to run through the rules again or has your pathetic excuse of a brain finally remembered them?”

“No sir, that will not be necessary,” I replied, almost robotically. I was used to his harsh words of criticism by now. All of EXO were. Besides, I’m too cold to feel hurt by anything.

Once he dismissed me I went on the stage to take my seat. Min was still being fussed over by the coordi noonas, yet no one came over to sort me out even though I knew I looked an absolute state. I gave the room a once over, realising I had never been in it before. It was bigger than the ones we are usually in when we are promoting our comebacks.

“The last time I was here was last year when the about me and Taeyeon came out,” Baekhyun said out of nowhere. I didn’t even know he was there, and quite frankly I was surprised that he was even speaking to me. He had defended Min at a point too, and I was almost certain that he was on her side and not mine. “But she knew what she was getting into. She was a member of the game too. But Min didn’t. Not really. Yet you let her fall. Fall until she got caught and now you’re in that net with her.” I wanted to shout at him. Pop him one and defend my corner. But I didn’t have the willpower to do so. A mousy whisper was the best I could do.

“But we didn’t even do anything. We were never together. It was all a big misunderstanding.” He laughed but there was nothing jovial about its tone.

“Are you naive enough to think they care about the truth? They care about what will get them a good story. What will get them promoted, what will get the bills paid. They can twist anything into a lie, you should know that well enough by now. They’re so good at it that even you will start questioning what really happened. This press conference is just a formality, a procedure if you will. What you say here means nothing unless it’s absolutely outrageous and unexpected. Journalists have no moral compass, or sense of loyalty. They’re power hungry, money chasers. After the press conference manager hyung will offer each reporter some ‘exclusive’ time to ask any other questions, where he will end up paying them some decent amount of money so that they write that the dating rumours are false and before you know it you can go back to your regular life of ing any girl dumb enough to say yes.” He walked away before I could even attempt to say anything in rebuttal and made his way over to his assigned seat in the audience.

It was starting to fill up in there now with both SM family and reporters. I sat there on my own on the stage, feeling so cut off from everyone else. Manager hyung was busy rushing around checking that everything was running smoothly, while Min was having the last finishing touches done to her makeup and hair. I looked down on them all, but it did not make me feel confident or superior. This is a courtroom, not a conference hall. I am the defendant in front of a jury. I am on trial, and I’d probably be found guilty.

The time was 4:55PM, and finally Min was making her way over to her assigned seat on the stage. I hoped that she would smile at me, look apologetic or at least do something to acknowledge my presence. But nothing happened. She just took her place and didn’t even say a word. This was understandable of course, given that she probably had the same set of rules to abide by as I did. But I was willing to break them for her, so shouldn’t she want to do the same for me? She’s already moved on to someone better you idiot. You know, someone who actually believes in monogamy and true love? Once again my ing subconscious was right. I don’t believe in true love. But I believe that Min is as close as it gets.

“Hey.” I could almost slap myself for starting off my conversation with her in such a lame way. She kept looking straight ahead, not even sparing me a glance. I hate being ignored, I guess that’s what happens when you become an idol. But of all people, I didn’t think it would be my own assistant who would blank me and pretend that I didn’t say a word. Well, ex-assistant. So I breathed in deeply and tried again. “So I saw you kissing Chen,” I started off, hoping that maybe I could guilt her into talking to me.

“Yeah I did,” she admitted, still not looking at me. She was so nonchalant about it that it actually pissed me off a little. Was that maybe not even the first time they’ve kissed?

“Is that all you have to say?” I asked, probably slightly too accusatory given what I did. However, it meant that she finally looked straight at me in the eye,

“Oh don’t think you’re so high and mighty, Sehun. I wasn’t the one ing a girl in the middle of the day because I couldn’t think of any other way to pass the time,” she snapped before having a sip of her water. So she did know what I did with Hyungi. Great. Now I really didn’t have a leg to stand on. Well done Oh Sehun. Once a up, always a up.

Min’s POV

I really shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t mean it, not really. Sure I was pissed at him for having the audacity to make me sound like the bad guy when he knew full well what he did, but the fact is that we aren’t a couple. He can screw whoever he likes it’s none of my business. Just like how you can kiss whoever you want and it’s none of his business.

It was almost 5pm. Almost showtime. From the corner of my eye I looked at Sehun and saw how much of a state he was in. This was really affecting him badly and it almost made my heart swell to know that he did care about me. Almost. My feelings for him weren’t the same anymore. Before today’s drama I thought that the next time he would lean in to kiss me I would let him. But now I know that the moment any obstacle comes between us, he just goes off and s the first woman he comes across. And I should have regretted kissing Chen, but I don’t. I could see in his eyes that his heart was pure and sincere when he asked permission to kiss me.

“Alright everyone can you all please be seated. The press conference will start in due course,” manager oppa announced and it made me suddenly tense up. I looked into the audience and sitting there was Chen, smiling at me and giving me a ‘fighting’ fist pump that it made my heart flutter. But even as I was looking at him, there was only one person who was on my mind. Oh Sehun. K-Dramas are my guilty pleasure, but I always thought of them as mere stories, nothing more. I never knew the whole ‘love triangle’ concept would become a reality for me.

The cameras flashing at us constantly were practically blinding me, but Sehun didn’t even flinch. I suppose he was used to this sort of attention but I wasn’t. It was terrifying. Manager oppa indicated that one of the reporters could ask a question and he stood up.

“What do you have to say about Sehun engaging in an inappropriate workplace relationship and kissing his assistant Choi Min?”