"mingyu, tinatawag na tayo nung staff." wika ni seokmin bago tuluyang lumabas ng dressing room. sumunod naman dito si mingyu. hindi nila alam kung para saan pero silang tatlo lang nina minghao ang tinatawag.

pinapasok sila sa isang kwarto habang nis-shoot sila. laking gulat nila nang dumating din ang dalawang member mula sa laboum at isa mula sa berry good. lastly, isang member mula sa lovelyz, si sujeong.

minghao shot mingyu a glance. si minghao lang ang nakakaalam na may gusto (or 'hinahangaan' mingyu says) si mingyu rito. nagkakasalubong na sila dati pero hanggang batian at bows lang sila. hanga si mingyu sa boses ni sujeong. sa tuwing papakinggan niya ito ay nare-relax siya. it might seem weird pero mingyu has sujeong's covers downloaded on his phone. nagsisilbi itong pangpatulog at pangpakalma. laking tuwa nga niya nang mabalitaan ni mingyu na binanggit ni sujeong sa isang palabas na mahilig silang makinig sa mga kanta ng seventeen and that she liked the song 'fronting'.  maraming sumagi sa isip ni mingyu noong oras na yun. did she like my rap? may favorite member kaya siya? sana ako yun. he shrugged those thoughts off for he found it unhealthy. he also finds his eyes glued on sujeong sa tuwing napapanood nila ang stage ng lovelyz habang na sa dressing room. sa dorm naman, whenever he finds time ay pinanonood niya rin ang lovelyz in wonderland. mingyu likes seeing and hearing sujeong. he liked her. mingyu loved denying it, especially kapag tinatanong siya ni minghao. minghao was his best friend, pinagkakatiwalaan niya ito. pero it seems na kahit ang sarili niya ay hindi niya mapagkatiwalaan at ayaw niyang paniwalaan na sumasagi sa isip niyang magkakaroon ng namamagitan sa kanilang dalawa ni sujeong. he didn't want to fall in love.

mingyu was in awe noong pumasok si sujeong sa kwarto. pinagtabi sila ng staff because they complemented each others' height better than the berry good member. he felt giddy and nervous at the same time. 

when the filming ended, mingyu felt blissful. he was still in the same room as sujeong. without thinking, he walked up to her.

"sujeong..." mingyu started off, flashing her a timid smile.

"ay, hello!" sujeong exclaimed, giving him a bright grin.

"gusto ko lang sana hingin line id mo? kung meron ka man-" 

"ah, yes. meron."

they exchanged line ids. that moment was awkward for mingyu. hindi niya alam kung saan niya hinugot ang lakas niya para tanungin yun kay sujeong. he regretted it afterwards. sujeong might think of him as a creep  for asking her line id out of the blue. but being the positive person he is, he ignored the thought. mingyu was just beyond happy that she gave him her id.

✽✽✽

that night, he added her on line and sent her a message.

"hello! it's mingyu."

mingyu did his best to look as casual as possible. he didn't want to creep her out even more, if she was. his heart raced when the word 'read' showed up under his message.

"hi! bakit gising ka pa?"

he blinked at her reply. tinignan niya ang oras. it was 3am. 

'thinking of you.' he wanted to reply, but he didn't. he found himself stupid for that statement being the first thing to pop up on his mind after reading sujeong's reply. 

"practice. hahaha. ikaw din, bakit gising pa?"

"same! kapagod no?"

"yep. but we love what we do, right?"

their conversation grew longer. mingyu couldn't believe it. natutuwa siya dahil nagkakasundo sila sa mga gusto nila. they talked about music, food, training and all. their opinions matched a lot. 

the next day, they bumped into each other backstage. sujeong waved at him, he smiled and waved back. last night, naputol ang conversation nila dahil bigla na lang hindi nagreply si sujeong. the word 'read' wasn't there too. mingyu guessed she fell asleep.

they talked every night, every break time they get.

"hoy mingyu. nginingiti-ngiti mo diyan?" sita ni seungcheol sa nakababatang member.

"oo nga, pansin ko napapadalas ang hawak mo sa phone. tuwing break, phone ang hawak mo. are you dating?" wonwoo seconded.

"h-ha? hindi ah." mingyu chuckled as he quickly turned his phone off dahil sa kaba. leaving sujeong's message unreplied.

it was midnight when he found time to reply to her message. nagulat siya nang may follow up message ito.

"tuwang tuwa nga ako sa rap mo sa 만.세...  you're my favorite."
"joke lang. binabawi ko na. di mo ako nireplyan. tampo na ako bes."

napangiti siya at agad nagtype ng reply.

"wala nang bawian! hahaha. sorry na, huli ako na pangiti-ngiti sa message mo kanina eh. favorite din kita. wag ka na magtampo..." bes.

mingyu felt neutral. he liked that sujeong treats him as a best friend. damn, he liked it so much; but it irks him at the same time. in the future, he wouldn't want to be just a best friend.

he was afraid. was it even a good idea na nakipagkaibigan siya kay sujeong? lalo lang niya nagugustuhan ang dalaga. hindi yun mabuti. it was too early for him to fall in love; and it's going to be hard for him to control himself once he does.

✽✽✽

"labas tayo? sunduin kita. "

"saan naman tayo pupunta?"

"basta. malapit lang. alis ko na bukas eh."

sujeong ended up agreeing. it was 1am but mingyu managed to sneak out their dorm. he wore a hoodie and a face mask. mabuti na lang at walking distance lang ang dorm nina sujeong mula sa kanila. 

nadatnan niyang nakahoodie at nakaface mask rin si sujeong. natawa na lamang siya.

"matchy matchy tayo ah?" mingyu chuckled.

"eh ano pa bang dapat suotin?" sujeong replied as she followed mingyu.

they walked towards a nearby playground. umupo sila sa swing at saka nagkwentuhan.

"saan ang first stop ng tour niyo?"

"singapore. mami-miss mo ako?"

sujeong's forehead creased as she chuckled at mingyu's question.

"bakit? hindi mo ba ako ime-message?"

"i'm not sure. busy eh, but i'll try."

"don't push yourself too hard. get enough sleep. i'll miss you though."

napalingon si mingyu sa sinabi ng dalaga, lumingon din ito pabalik sa kanya. agad namang iniwas ng binata ang tingin.

"get enough sleep? matapos mong sabihin sa akin na mami-miss mo ako? baka hindi na ako matulog para lang makausap ka." mingyu replied, smiling.

"sira ka talaga." sujeong laughed.

"sorry na. mami-miss din kasi kita eh. pero we get short breaks naman every two stops. i'll make sure na ime-message kita."

sujeong nodded in reply, looking up the sky to admire the stars afterwards.

"alam mo mingyu, gustong gusto ko yung group niyo."

"tapos?"

"pati yung favorite member ko."

nanlaki ang mata ni mingyu. tama ba ang narinig niya? tama ba ang intindi niya?

"a-ako?" nilingon siya ni mingyu sabay turo sa sarili. sujeong looked back, smiling as she nods.

hindi makapaniwala si mingyu. ito na nga ba ang sinasabi niya. wala siyang ibang gustong gawin ngayon kung hindi yakapin ang dalagang kasama niya. hindi niya na kayang kontrolin ang sarili niya. niyakap niya si sujeong.

"paanong gusto?" bulong niya habang yakap niya ang gulat na si sujeong. he felt sujeong shrug bago siya niyakap nito pabalik.

matapos ang ilang segundo ay kumalas siya sa pagkakayakap. naupo muli si sujeong sa swing at saka nagiwas ng tingin.

"sorry. galit ka ba?" wika ni mingyu. natakot siya. baka iba naman ang ibig sabihin ng dalaga nang sabihin nitong gusto niya ang favorite member niya.

"hindi ako galit. sorry."

"bakit ka nagso-sorry?"

"for feeling something i shouldn't feel for you." sujeong mumbled. after hearing her words, mingyu mustered up his courage. he needed to be brave enough for her.

"don't be sorry," mingyu gently let his hand hold sujeong's as he spoke. "sujeong, i feel like i've fallen in love with you. i sound so weird right now but it's true. tangina, ang cheesy pero hindi ko na kaya itago. pakiramdam ko ang mali nito. may dating ban tayo. i hate feeling this way. pero how can this be wrong if i'm talking about you? ryu sujeong, you make my everything turn out right."

she smiled while admiring his face. sujeong adored him so much. from his laugh, his face, his personality, the way he talks and raps, his jokes, his cooking; just everything.

"thank you, mingyu. naiintindihan kita. sorry for being sorry. natatakot ako. but still, it feels like i'm willing to take the risk."

"we'll take it then. no fears, no regrets. we'll get through this."

✽✽✽

nagulat si sujeong nang pumasok siya dorm nila, nakaabang sina mijoo at yein sa sofa nila. huling pagkakaalala niya ay tulog na ang lahat ng members noong lumabas siya.

"saan ka galing?" tanong ni mijoo na nilingon siya.

"you sound like my dad." tinawanan ni sujeong ang tanong ni mijoo.

"saan nga?"

"nagpahangin lang ako sa labas."

"kasama si?" nakisali na si yein sa usapan. 

sujeong kept mum. sasabihin niya ba ang totoo? mijoo raised a brow noong hindi agad sumagot si sujeong. nanatili ang tingin ni mijoo sa nakababata. 

"i was with a friend." sujeong sighed in defeat.

"si mingyu ba?" mijoo questioned.

yumuko si sujeong at saka niya ginulo-gulo ang kaniyang buhok. mahirap magtago. noong isang beses kasi ay nakita ni mijoo na magkausap sila ni mingyu sa line. pinagsabihan na siya ni mijoo pero hindi niya ito pinansin, thinking na mapipigilan niya pa ang nararamdaman niya.

for her, mingyu wasn't hard to love. he was almost perfect; kaya naman hindi talaga mapipigilan ni sujeong ang mahulog agad.

it's dangerous. bata pa sila. they haven't even reached the peak of their careers at kapag tinuloy nila ang 'secretly dating' na status, talagang malalagot kapag nahuli sila. sujeong thought that they just have to be extra careful. they just have to avoid going out together. pwede namang magtiis nang magkausap lang through sms diba?

"hayaan mo, this is going to be a secret between the three of us." wika ni mijoo na siyang nagpaangat sa ulo ni sujeong.

"basta, ingat lang kayo. naiintindihan ka namin." yein reassured, patting sujeong's back before standing up to head to her room.

'am i too transparent?' sujeong thought. she hugged her knees at itinuon nalang ang atensyon sa tv.

"hindi ka namin isusumbong. tandaan mo lang na sinabihan na kita." mijoo said before leaving as well.

✽✽✽

smooth-sailing ang relationship nina mingyu at sujeong. they still talk through line. sometimes they'd do phone calls or video calls, send each other selfies and voice messages. occasionally, lumalabas din sila nang madaling araw. they were more than happy with that kind of set up, but of course it wasn't enough.

mijoo and yein became friends with mingyu too. kahit noong una ay hindi sang-ayon si mijoo sa set up nila, kinalaunan ay tinanggap niya rin ito; because she's never seen sujeong so blissful except when she's with mingyu. paano nila natago sina mingyu at sujeong nang matagal? hindi rin nila alam. pero siguro nga, basta para sa mahal mo ay magagawan mo lahat ng paraan.

the four of them also celebrated sujeong's birthday together. nagprepare si mingyu ng surprise. he also gave her a ring with the infinity symbol engraved on it. nagulat si sujeong nang meron ding suot si mingyu na singsing. they were couple rings.

✽✽✽

it was september 2017 when lovelyz reached the peak of their careers. they recently had a comeback at nag-number one ito sa lahat ng charts. it's like the best thing that ever happened to them.

matapos ang promotion period nila, lahat ng members nagkaroon ng individual activities. baby soul was a radio dj, jiae, jisoo and yein were casted in dramas, jin was a singing osts, mijoo and kei were mcs, sujeong was casted on we got married with taehyung.

a lot were excited about we got married's new couple. they anticipated it a lot. sujeong was very happy, of course. she was happy about lovelyz finally getting recognition, she was happy about getting an individual activity. mingyu wasn't.

don't get him wrong. he was proud of lovelyz's success. he was also happy for sujeong, but that happiness didn't last long. 

'bakit we got married pa?' mingyu thought. alam ni mingyu na palabas lang ito. malaki rin ang tiwala niya kay sujeong. pero hindi niya pa rin maiwasang magtanong. seloso? siguro. oo. malamang.

✽✽✽

mataas ang ratings ng we got married episodes nina taehyung at sujeong. lagi niya rin itong pinapanood. hindi niya nga rin maiwasang mapansin na bagay nga sila taehyung at sujeong. madalas din kasi siyang makabasa ng comments ng netizens tulad ng: 'they look like a match made in heaven' o di kaya ay 'sana maging sila na talaga'. he would be lying if he says na hindi siya nagseselos. pinipigilan lang din ni mingyu ang sarili niya dahil ayaw niyang magaway sila ni sujeong. napagusapan na rin nina mingyu at sujeong ang tungkol dito na trabaho lang ito at wala nang iba. mingyu felt reassured.  still, hindi pa rin niya maiwasang maging insecure. hindi ba sila bagay ni sujeong? hindi ba nila maisip na meron pang iba na mas bagay at mas magma-match kay sujeong at siya yun? 

kakatapos lang ng practice ng seventeen para sa nalalapit rin nilang comeback. lumabas si mingyu ng practice room at saka tinawagan si sujeong. 

"hello? sujeong?"

"mingyu? napatawag ka?"

napangiti si mingyu pagkarinig niya sa malambing na boses ni sujeong. he's never gonna get tired of hearing her voice.

"wala. mangangamusta lang. kakatapos lang ng practice namin eh. dinner time kami."

"ah, ayos naman ako. magshooting na rin kami. dinner date daw... final episode! kumain ka ng marami ha?"

"talaga? final na? sige, umayos ka ha. papanoorin ko yan. kumain ka rin nang mabuti." mingyu chuckled.

"yes po, boss! bye na."

"i love you."

"i love you too."

✽✽✽

natapos na ang we got married nina taehyung at sujeong pero nabuhusan sila ng maraming projects. iba't ibang guestings, interviews at magazine shoots. 

mingyu understood. kahit ayaw niyang intindihin pa dahil selos na selos na siya, he had to. 

"kaya mo pa?" biglang nagsalita si wonwoo at umupo sa tabi niya habang nakatingin din sa video na pinapanood ni mingyu. maliban kay minghao, alam din ni wonwoo ang namamagitan kina mingyu at sujeong. suportado siya nito, basta lang ay huwag siyang masasaktan.

"she's an amazing wife. i like her." sagot ni taehyung sa mga nangi-interview sa kanya.

"are the both of you dating?" tanong ng isang media. ngiti lang ang sinagot ni taehyung sa nagtanong.

mingyu frowned at taehyung's cryptic answer. napasimangot din si wonwoo.

"anong yun?" wika ni mingyu habang nakatitig pa rin sa screen ng tablet kahit tapos na ang video na pinapanood. agad kinuha ni mingyu ang phone niya mula sa mesa.

"bro, kalma ka lang. wag mo pagbuntungan si sujeong." sambit ni wonwoo habang pinapanood ang nakababata na madiing pumipindot sa screen ng phone nito. hindi siya sinagot ni mingyu at nagpatuloy ito sa pag pindot sa screen. tinawagan niya si sujeong. hindi pa agad nakasagot si sujeong kaya lalo siyang naubusan ng pasensya. 

"tangina." bulong ni mingyu nang naka-apat na tawag na siya at hindi pa rin ito nasagot. napabuntong hininga siya nang sa wakas ay sinagot ito ni sujeong.

"hello?"

"sujeong."

"bakit? nags-shoot kami para sa magazine."

"akin ka diba?" napapikit si mingyu sa sinabi niya at saka sinapo ng kamay niya ang noo.

"ano? oo naman," matawa-tawang sagot ni sujeong. "ano bang problema?"

"wala. kausapin mo 'yang partner mo. umayos-ayos kamo siya sa pagsagot sa mga interview. ingat ka diyan. bye. love you." mabilis na binaba ni mingyu ang tawag. hindi niya na naman nakontrol ang sarili niya. agad niya ring sinendan ng message si sujeong, saying sorry.

✽✽✽

buong magazine shoot nabagabag si sujeong dahil sa pagtawag ni mingyu. ano bang ginawa ni taehyung? may kahindik-hindik bang sinagot si taehyung sa isa sa mga interview niya?

pagkatapos ng magazine shoot ay agad nilapitan ni taehyung si sujeong bago pa ito makaalis.

"sujeong!" tawag ni taehyung habang papalapit sa dalaga.

"hmm?"

"pwede ka maaya mag dinner ngayong gabi?"

tumingin si sujeong sa relo niya. 7pm pa lang pala. wala namang masama na samahang mag dinner si taehyung diba? gutom na rin naman siya kaya pumayag siya sa alok ni taehyung. 

dinala siya ni taehyung sa isang mamahaling restaurant. romantic din ang ambiance rito. sujeong disregarded the feeling. baka dito lang talaga hilig kumain ni taehyung. tinanong siya nito kung ano ang gusto niyang kainin at saka ito in-order. 

sujeong was never awkward with taehyung. she treated him as her best friend. pero ngayon? she was bothered. bothered sa ambiance, bothered sa sinabi ni mingyu, bothered kay taehyung na kanina pa nakatitig sa kanya. sujeong distracted herself by drinking the glass of water na inilapag ng waiter kanina sa mesa nila. hindi pa rin inalis ni taehyung ang tingin niya kay sujeong.

"uy, baka matunaw naman ako niyan." nakangiting sambit ni sujeong. taehyung blinked twice, as if someone woke him up from his daydream.

"ang ganda mo kasi eh." sagot ni taehyung at saka uminom din ng tubig.

"may ipapalibre ka ba? nangbobola ka yata ngayon ah?" natatawang wika ni sujeong. she felt odd but she shrugged it off. maraming beses na naman siyang sinabihang maganda ni taehyung. it's just that it felt a lot more sincere now.

"grabe ka naman sakin. totoo naman yun." sambit ni taehyung, giving her sa sweet smile afterwards. tinanguan na lamang ito ni sujeong dahil dumating na ang in-order nila at nagsimula sila agad kumain. they had short talks habang kumakain. nagusap sila tungkol sa mga members nila, sa pressure ng idol life. 

noong patapos na sila kumain ay bigla namang nagtanong si taehyung na ikinagulat ni sujeong.

"are you perhaps, dating?" 

"hindi no." kinunot ni sujeong ang noo niya. of course, that was her initial answer. kahit pa best friend ang turing niya kay taehyung, mas mabuting kaunti lang ang nakakaalam ng sikreto nila. besides, hindi naman ito kailangang malaman ng binata.

"sujeong, i like you."

agad napatingin si sujeong kay taehyung. hindi pwede.

"like? as in?"

"i like you. i want to date you." umiling si sujeong. nakatoon lang ang atensyon ni taehyung sa kanya.

"taehyung, i'm sorry. hindi kasi pwede kasi-"

"you're rejecting me?" ibubuka palang ni sujeong ang bibig niya upang sumagot pero sinundan ni taehyung ang tanong niya. "you're dating someone else, right?"

"no. hindi mo naiintindihan. i don't have time for that, taehyung."

tumango nalang si taehyung. he knew that sujeong was dating mingyu. he accidentally overheard their phone coversation while they were preparing for a we got married shoot. taehyung just thought that he'd just give it a shot because he does like sujeong a lot. he'd really date her if he could. he also understood that sujeong had to lie to him. 'mingyu is one, damn lucky guy' he thought.

taehyung offered sujeong a ride home. he also apologized to her dahil sa sudden confession niya. sujeong nodded and said that it was fine and that nothing would change between them. he thanked sujeong for accompanying him to dinner and they bid goodnight's.

✽✽✽

pagkatapos magshower ni sujeong ay tinignan niya ang line niya. she read mingyu's messages.

"baby, sorry."
"don't be mad please. sorry for hanging up. "
"i was really pissed lang kanina. i don't want to lose you. akin ka lang diba? i don't want to see you dating anybody else. i'll be the best for you. just don't look at other guys."

sujeong smiled. she liked that mingyu was possessive. he was possessive in a cute way, not in a suffocating way. but she was worried about him. sujeong doesn't want a jealous and insecure mingyu. hell, she couldn't even imagine herself dating anybody else but mingyu. sujeong sang a bit from zion.t's eat and sent it to mingyu as a voice message.

"don't be jealous. i'm only yours. i, ryu sujeong will always come home to mingyu's arms." she added at the end of her recording.

"i can't wait for the day that i could tell everyone that you're mine. i'm so lucky to have you, you have no idea. don't leave me. ever.  always wear the ring i gave you, okay? go to rest. you must be tired. i love you dearly, sujeong."

✽✽✽

the next day was normal for the both of them. mingyu was busy the whole day preparing for their new album. sujeong's day and night was booked for a running man recording together with taehyung.

little did they know that the whole korean internet was talking about them already.

mingyu was making his coffee dahil pagabi na at aabutin na naman sila ng madaling araw kaka-prepare sa album. bigla siyang tinawag ni minghao. agad siyang lumapit dahil hindi na maipinta ang mukha nito.

"ano yun?" tanong ni mingyu. hinarap ni minghao ang tablet sa kanya.

maraming litrato ito ni taehyung at sujeong na magkasamang kumakain. meron pang pasakay sila sa kotse ni taehyung. nakalagay sa headline: 'bts v and lovelyz sujeong finally dating?' mingyu couldn't believe it. he also didn't know what to feel. his mind was clouded with questions. are they really dating? bakit hindi ito nabanggit sa akin ni sujeong? hindi niya na ba ako mahal? was taehyung better? 

agad kinuha ni mingyu ang hoodie and cap niya at saka lumabas ng practice room. tinawag siya ng mga members pero hindi niya ito pinansin. tumakbo lang siya palayo. wala na siyang pakialam kung mapagalitan siya o mahuli sila. gusto niya lang mahanap at makausap si sujeong. sinubukan niyang tawagan ito pero naka-off ang phone nito. nagaalala na siya. totoo ba talaga ang mga nasa litrato? hindi talaga siya makapaniwala. he trusts sujeong so much. alam niyang hindi ito kayang gawin ng dalaga sa kanya; but he was flooded with so much doubt, anger and jealousy. 

mingyu bought two bottles of soju all for himself. umuwi muna siya sa bahay niya at napagisa. natutulala na lang siya sa kakaisip at maya't mayang umiinom. it was all too hard to believe. it was 11pm when he finished drinking one bottle and a half. wala na siya sa tamang pagiisip sa dami ng nainom. he fished his pocket for his phone and called sujeong. it was ringing.

sujeong picked up the call. hindi pa siya nakakapagsalita dahil hindi niya alam kung paano sisimulang magpaliwanag. she just got home at kakaalam niya lang din sa balita. agad siyang naluha nang marinig niya ang boses ni mingyu.

", ryu sujeong."

hindi niya alam ang isasagot niya. should she explain? tanungin kung nasaan si mingyu? tanungin kung bakit parang lasing siya? she knows he was mad. it was obvious, and sino ba namang hindi magagalit sa ganoong balita? 

"mingyu..."

"sujeong, bakit? wasn't i enough? tangina, saan ba ako nagkulang?" mingyu was almost yelling. pinigilan ni sujeong ang paghikbi niya.

"mingyu, nasa bahay ka ba? pupuntahan kita." 

"bahala ka."

dali-daling lumabas si sujeong at nagbike patungo sa bahay ni mingyu. she didn't know how to explain dahil in the first place, hindi niya rin nabanggit kay mingyu ang tungkol sa dinner nila ni taehyung. she hated herself for that. sujeong fumbled on her keys at agad binuksan ang pinto ng bahay ni mingyu. it was a mess. mingyu was sitting on the floor, watching the television lifelessly. great, dating issue pa nila ni taehyung ang nasa news. mingyu ignored her presence kaya kinuha niya ang remote at pinatayan ito ng tv.

"bakit mo pinatay?" mahinang tanong ni mingyu. napa-buntong hininga si sujeong at saka pinunas ang kamay sa sariling mukha.

"gago ka ba? bakit mo pinapanood yun?"

"ah, ako pa gago? kaya ako nanonood ng balita para alam ko! para hindi ako nagmu-mukhang tanga sa mga bagay bagay na dapat ay alam ko pero hindi!" nabigla si sujeong sa biglang pagtayo at pagharap ni mingyu sa kanya. he was drunk and fuming mad.

"listen, mingyu. we're not dating! kumain lang kami ng dinner. i forgot to tell you because i was dead tired and i didn't want you to get jealous! bakit ka ba naglasing?! hindi mo man lang hinintay yung explanation ko!"

"you don't want me jealous? tangina, ang tagal ko nang selos na selos! hindi mo man lang nadama?! ni hindi nga kita matawagan kanina! hindi ko na alam gagawin ko kanina! ano tingin mo sakin? tingin mo makakapaghintay pa ako ng eksplanasyon mo?!"

"wala nga kasi yun! kumain lang kami. that's all! hindi mo naman kailangan magselos. ilang beses na ba natin to pinagusapan?"

"hindi mo ako masisisi, sujeong! there's too much thoughts clouding me up. yung interviews ni taehyung, yung pictures niyo. i can see the way he looks at you. hindi ako bulag!"

"but i never looked at him back the same way! umamin siya, he said he liked me but i rejected him. why does it seem like it's so hard for you to believe me?!"

"umamin siya, he said he liked me." it echoed in mingyu's mind. he ignored everything. he only heard those words. selos na selos na talaga siya.

"sujeong, iwan mo muna akong magisa. please lang. umalis ka na." tinalikuran niya si sujeong at saka bumalik sa kanyang kinauupuan. lalapitan sana siya ni sujeong kung hindi lang tumunog ang phone ng dalaga. tumatawag ang leader nila. 

"eonni?"

"sujeong, nasaan ka na ba? hinahanap ka na dito. bilisan mo."

"sige, papunta na ako."

binaba niya ang tawag at saka nilapitan si mingyu para yakapin. no words said. niyakap niya lang ang binata at saka umalis.

✽✽✽

the next morning, news articles were everywhere. 

"they just started dating. please watch over and take care of them. thank you."

woollim and bighit agreed na palalabasin nilang taehyung and sujeong are really dating since it's a win-win situation for them. the nation loved the pairing. the idols can't really do anything about it. some fans were happy, some fans were broken, mingyu was broken.

mingyu just found himself crying and being consoled by his co-members. he didn't want to see sujeong for now so he turned his phone off. he looked like a whiny and stupid kid but he was hurt. he was still blinded by the news, the pictures, the people's reaction that it was so hard to listen to sujeong's explanation. the seventeen members were worried enough to actually let him take a day-off and sleep for the whole day.

that night, napagdesisyunan ni mingyu na maglakad patungo sa playground kung saan sila nagkaaminan ni sujeong. baka sakaling maramdaman niya ulit kung bakit napagdesisyunan niyang mag-take ng risk. his mind was already flying off when he saw a girl walking towards his direction. she was the girl he loved the most. mingyu stood up and walked towards sujeong, quickly wrapping her into a warm hug.

"sujeong, i'm sorry. i was wreckless." he whispered while caressing her back lightly. sujeong bursted into tears. mingyu hated seeing her cry, especially when it's because of him.

"naiinis ako sayo! i hate that i still come back to you matapos mo akong palayasin kagabi!" sujeong hit mingyu's chest, trying to free herself from the hug.

"i won't let you go. kahit ano pang mangyari. we'll get over this, tama?" mingyu answered, tightening his grip as he brushed sujeong's hair. he felt sujeong nod before hugging him back. it was enough for him. just as long as sujeong loves him, it is bliss. as long as it is with ryu sujeong, it is bliss.

"sujeong, mahal na mahal kita."

"mahal na mahal din kita, mingyu."

---

a/n. oo. tapos na. tangina. sad ending. kasi alam ng buong mundo na taejeong ang dating when sa totoo naman ay minjeong talaga. for mingyu. pero. wala eh. love. hays. kung sad na to, , may mas malungkot pa. pls see next chapter. alternate ending naman.