A/N: Early Christmas present. I know it's short but i'm lacking of inspiration lately. 

Sorry T.T

~KIKO~

Frankly speaking, it was implicitly physically exhausting and mentally draining when you were always being painted as the sly fox in the eyes of the public, the that used your beauty to seduce men or even the little gold digger who perceived men as toys, measured by their wealth, power and prestige.

I concurred that my image wasn’t exactly as pure as the driven snow. The word ‘pure’ didn’t come close to describe me as a person. Excluding my fans, friends and family, I was deemed the root of evil, a devil walking on earth dressing up in human flesh.

I fathomed that people chose to believe what they wanted to believe. They’d be judgmental in every single thing that I’d do. But for once, I wanted them to realize that there was still a trace of goodness inside of me but that didn’t necessarily mean I was an angel. I may have sin, but it didn’t give them even an inkling of proof to proclaim I was a devil.

Couldn’t they see I was just a small girl in a big world trying to fit in and finding my way in life?

I admitted I was a lost sheep, I partied hard, drank a lot till I dropped, smoke the dark tar inside my lungs and even get high occasionally but one thing I knew, I highly valued friendship more than anything. I put deep trust in that bond and I'd move heaven and hell, bend the earth and sky or even swim across an erupted volcano just for a friend.

Even if that friend was my ex, Kwon Jiyong, I'd do the very same thing.

Everybody chose to assume that when we parted ways, Jiyong and I would stop seeing one another. But what they didn’t know was, Jiyong and I may be an utter failure at being a couple but we made hella good pair of friends.

And now, that good friend of mine was in trouble and I regarded it as my responsibility to help him.

Based on the information I gathered from the people around Jiyong and Taeyeon, I managed to deduce I was the sole reason behind their breakup.

According to Jessica, through Hyoyeon, she was able to find out that Taeyeon thought Jiyong and I had made up since she stumbled upon us hugging in the private room in NB Club. And as a result of my interrogation with the chatterbox Seungri, I learnt that before Taeyeon spotted Jiyong and I in NB, she was the one who vocalized regarding breaking up with Jiyong on the basis that the dragon still had a lingering feeling towards me.

After finally having a grasp of the entire situation, I began plotting my plan to exonerate the misunderstanding that Taeyeon had put herself into and thus absolve the err and restore the broken relationship between Taeyeon and Jiyong.

I was done being a thorn in their romance and it was about time the venom became the panacea.

The first step in rehabilitating GTae was setting up a meeting with Lady Tae herself and for that matter, I'd enlisted the help from Choi Seunghyun to enable the wheel of my plan to spin.

Undoubtedly, Seunghyun himself was against the idea of me meeting Taeyeon, having strongly postulated that I would make matters worse between the pair. I didn’t blame him from having that kind of thought as he considered the well being of his friends and I respected him on that ground.

But I reasoned with him by saying, “How much longer are you going to let me be painted as the antagonist in their love story, oppa? I’m sure you and I both acknowledge that the nucleus of their problem would be none other than me. On that basis alone, don’t you think it’s about time for me to clear the wind of misunderstanding between them and set myself free from having to be viewed as the villain ever again?”

The visual of Big Bang found himself speechless upon hearing my logic.

“Ki…" He started. "...it’s not like I don’t want to help you. I just don’t want to complicate things.” Seunghyun said straightforwardly.

I laughed softly. “Oppa, that’s why I’m here, meeting you, asking for your help. I want to un'complicate' things between them.”

Seunghyun sighed exasperatedly as he avoided my gaze. “That doesn’t mean you have to meet Taeyeon.”

“I have to, oppa. It’s essential for Taeyeon and I to discuss this matter heart to heart, face-to-face. She has to realize how madly in love Jiyong is with her, that I’m no longer in the picture, that I was already a thing from the past, a close chapter in Jiyong’s life. And the best way to convince her is if I, the root of this entire mess, do so.”

A shadow of doubt casted on Seunghyun’s face. And both of us finally fell into a deep silent.

“I know I’m asking a lot from you…” I said as I played with the wine glass in my hand. It occured to me that Seunghyun's stand on not letting me meet up with Taeyeon was weakening. All it needed was a little push and I'd got what I came here for. Sipping the liquid slowly, I then continued, “But believe me, I’m doing this for a very good reason. For Jiyong’s sake.”

“I don’t mean to pry, Ki. And it isn't my call to tell you what you can do or can't do. But I'm expecting an honest answer from you.” Seunghyun’s gaze met mine and I could feel the air of seriousness engulf both of us.

“What are you trying to say?” I gave him a questioning look.

“Are you sure you’re over Ji?” Seunghyun inquired.

The notion of me still in love with Jiyong sounded so foreign and laughable in my ears.

Yet I understood the gravity behind the idea and that I wasn’t baffled at Seunghyun’s forthrightness. It was a valid question considering how Seunghyun was one of the people who had witnessed the rollercoaster ride of my relationship with Jiyong, understood the suffering we’d been through and even played the peacemaker to mend our fruitless affair.

I looked at him directly in the eyes and nodded in confirmation. “I am. And I’m glad I’m over him. If we were still together, we’d just end up destroying one another. And I don’t want that. We both deserve better. You know that. I know that. And Jiyong knows that too. And in all honesty, he and I suit more as friends rather than being a couple.”

The uncertainty on Seunghyun’s face faded away, replaced with a sign of relief.

“I’ll set up the meeting.”

“I shall wait for the good news.”

A warm smile decorated Seunghyun’s handsome face. “You know what?”

“What?”

“I’m proud of you, Ki.”

I couldn’t help but giggle at his comment. “And why is that, oppa?”

Seunghyun didn’t quickly reply. He thought long and hard as I patiently waited for his answer.

“For doing what you’re about to do. Mending the bridge between Jiyong and Taeyeon. I mean no offense, but I’d never imagine you as someone who’d willing to help her ex to get back the girl he loves. For me, I assume you’d stay away from this mess and want nothing to do with this matter. You definitely prove me wrong, Ki.”

“The devil is not so black as he is painted, oppa. And so does Mizuhara Kiko.”

“I guess even the devil is an angel.”

“You’ve got that right.”

And we both erupted with laughter.