Theirs was not an extraordinary story. It happened very slow, it happened very casually—but it happened. Living in the same building, running with the same crowd, schedules that just happened to cross frequently...

What drew them together was shared interests, mutual respect, and a red string of fate—if you believe in that kind of stuff.

What they revealed wasn't obvious; a cute face, fair skin. Monolid eyes, and a nice smile. They matched each other's tastes seamlessly—and it wasn't even orchestrated... not at first.

They didn't fall in love until after a few years. Before that they knew each other, but they don't actually know each other, if that made sense. She was one of many girl group member, and he was far too busy for them to actually sit down and socialize.

Music shows made it easier. Backstage, no one sees what they don't want to see. The cameras are few and selective; backstage they had time, and they had privacy. It happened then, officially, during the spring of 2014.

She was at the peak of her popularity, while his was just rising and rising and there seem to be no limit to what they could achieve. Focusing on anything but their careers then seemed difficult—impossible, even, but they had experience. They were professionals already. With the way she juggled her idol profession and her acting career, and him making public appearances after appearances without fail; a relationship wasn't a distraction, it was deserved.

They told no one, but their members and managers and stylists all knew eventually. It was inevitable, since an idol always comes with a package deal. But it was good, that their companies were small, and close, and their bosses didn't have much of a problem with it if they keep it a secret. Which what they had planned to do in the first place anyway.

Public dates were almost nonexistent. The rare times they could actually go out on a normal date like a normal couple could be counted in one hand. The idol type of dating in secrecy however, they've had plenty. Meeting up was actually easy, but considering they live in the same place, it was to be expected. He was the type of guy that would be content with a 'date' where they just do nothing but talk and maybe cuddle a little—as long as they're alone and they're happy together. She, however, do prefer those kinds of dates where they could go out and do fun stuff around the city—but she wasn't unreasonable, and she was willing to settle for something less, when she knew the repercussion far outweights the risk.

He's a traditional romantic. He remembers anniversaries, celebrates Valentine's Day and his gifts for her include flowers, chocolates, and jewelry. He loves her homecooked meals and treasures it whenever she says I love you, rare as it is because she's embarassed by that sort of thing.

Her tough exterior melts whenever he does these boyfriend things; she wouldn't ever admit it but she loves it when he treats her like a queen. Loves it when she's being pampered because she's so used to being the one who mothers everyone. For all the confidence that she shows, she could act rather shyly when someone she really likes pays so much attention to her. It wasn't like this at first. She didn't like him that much and he didn't like her like that. It took her admitting that he may be her type on broadcast television that really opened his eyes. That made him consider the possibility.

She never expected her innocent admission to blow up in her face like that. Didn't know how the entire world took her comment so seriously until it was all over the gossip sites. She could swear up and down that she didn't mean for it sound like a confession. (Although he did caught her offguard when he said, “I'll consider your love confession.”) She was only given two choices, and she told the truth.

Things didn't become awkward as people had came to suspect. Behind the scenes, they were as comfortable as they had always been before. They didn't talk about it, but they didn't let it hang over them either.

The dynamic of their relationship changed gradually. It wasn't a sudden revelation or epiphany; there was no heartstopping confession or big damn kiss... it was something unspoken. Shown in tiny little gestures. When she touches him she lingers, and she laughs more with him. When she gets a little nervous her voice gets louder and she tends to cover her face with her hands; he notices this eventually.

When he looks at her his gaze was a little intense. In contrast, he speaks to her in low tones, head duck low as if shy. And he probably was. Even the way he said her name sounded different, Deepening the Eun and shortening the Ji. Her only guess as to why was because he was as nervous around her as she was around him.

Even so, they managed to take that next step almost without effort. They had known each other for a long time. It was just as well that they could tell what the other wanted. She could recall with clarity the turning point was probably the moment where she reached out and took his hand. It wasn't even something she thought of doing; he was telling her something, and her eyes just happened to land on his hands. Those hands were busy peeling off the label of a water bottle, just something he was doing absent-mindedly. She could remember thinking his hands looked really nice, how lovely and long his fingers looked, how it would compare with hers—if the skin on his palm was soft or roughened, if it was warm or clammy. It was something she didn't think twice about; she just did it.

It helped that they were already standing quite close to each other, as they talked quietly about work and nothing in particular.

She could've told by the way his words stumbled a little that he had not expected her to do that, but he hadn't pulled away. It was a sign. It was the gates opening to something unknown in the beyond.

It was the beginning of their love story. Their real one, which is amazing and real and unlike this one, will probably go forever untold. One could only imagine, and hope.

So even if they never talk on camera, never give one single clue to make people think they were involved, even if they kept their distance—they know their own story. It was alright if no one else knows, because a story needs only two leads anyways to end in a happy ending.

It's enough, and they're happy. What else needs to be said but--

The end.