Aeyeong stared down at Donghae, her eyes wide, heart quickening. She heard the excited squeals from her fellow members and then saw a flash of red leaving the room out of her peripheral. Her chest tightened as her eyes darted from Donghae on his knee to the door as Jaemi exited the room. Her eyes fell back to Donghae, the love of her life. She loved him more than anything in the world, but--

Her eyes darted to her fellow members, several faces were lit up with excitement. Minyeon's face was unreadable. Nell just stared, eyebrows slightly raised.

Her eyes flew back to the now closed door of the practice room before turning to see the members of Super Junior staring wide-eyed, mouths agape. Only one of the Super Junior members was not looking at her and Donghae, but at the door.

She looked back at Donghae, his eyes soft and gleaming with joy. His lips trembled nervously as he smiled up at her. "Will you marry me?" he asked.

Her chest clenched, every fiber of her being cried out to answer his simple question.

Her eyes darted back to the door.

Her heart sank.

"I-I'm sorry," she said, her voice faltering. "I-I'll be back, I promise." With that, she her heel and bolted for the door.

The members of Super Junior rushed over to Donghae, crowding around him.

"You've been dating her this whole time?"

"How long?"

"Have you two been living together?"

"How come you never told me, you punk?!"

"Wait... I've been hitting on your girlfriend this whole time?"

"Is this how you treat your hyung, you punk?!"

"If I wasn't happy for you right now, I'd kill you for not telling us!"

"Congrats!"

"So, we're all gonna be invited to your wedding, right?"

As the Super Junior members began to congratulate Donghae on his--almost official--engagement, the Starlets began chatting amongst themselves.

"Did you know that Aeyeong was dating Donghae?" Sijin asked the others curiously.

"Not at all," Minyeon said, glancing toward the door.

"Waahhh," Byulhee breathed out, eyes wide. "She's good at keeping secrets." Her eyes suddenly began to gleam. "Eeeeeep! She's engaged to Fishy!" She squealed. "Ae and Hae sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" She began to dance about the room, mimicking the rather provocative choreography of Hyosung's "Goodnight Kiss". She stopped in her tracks, eyes widening. She squealed again. "What if they have babies soon?! Yeeeeeeeeh! They'd be so cute!" She squealed again.

Minyeon stared at Byulhee's behavior. "It's probably too early to think about them having babies, Byul. Aeyeong didn't even say 'yes' yet."

Lìxúe clutched her hands to her chest. "That would be so cute though."

Sijin's eyes widened. "Are they allowed to marry?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "What if--" Her eyes glossed over with tears at the thought that the pair might be kept apart because of their separate agencies.

Nell sighed. "This is an interesting turn of events." She glanced over in Siwon's direction, catching his gaze. She sent him a small smile.

Minyeon nodded as she stared in the direction of where Aeyeong and Jaemi had fled. She had not be expecting this at all. Would such a close alliance with Super Junior be helpful or detrimental to their image?

****

Jaemi made her way through the corridors of the JJE building and out to a small courtyard for some air. The cool breeze felt refreshing against her warm skin.

She took a deep breath and let out a sigh.

She felt like such an idiot. She had a feeling that Aeyeong had been dating, but she never once suspected that it was Donghae.

How could she be so stupid?

Aeyeong was her best friend, yet her friend obviously did not feel comfortable with telling Jaemi of their relationship.

Why?

Jaemi scoffed aloud. She was an idiot. She had let her own personal experience with Super Junior come between her friendship with Aeyeong. Her feelings were too pointed, too clear in her bias against Super Junior--nay, Leeteuk--that her friend felt she could not open up to her about her love.

How long had this been going on?

Jaemi thought back on all the years she and Aeyeong had been friends. She and Donghae must have been dating a long time. It was obvious now--the lack of times she had visited Aeyeong at her own house, the secrecy Aeyeong kept about her personal life--Aeyeong had been dating him for years. She must have felt that she could not speak to Jaemi for fear that she would disapprove of her for it.

Jaemi clicked her tongue, wishing she had never vented her feelings regarding Super Junior or Leeteuk to her best friend. Maybe things would be different now if she had not allowed her own past to encroach upon their friendship. She was foolish. She should never have placed such a burden on her friend. It was wrong of her.

The door leading to the courtyard opened.

Jaemi turned and saw Aeyeong running out of the door. Her eyes widened.

"Jaemi, I--"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jaemi asked quietly, wishing that she did not already know the answer.

Aeyeong's face fell. "I know how you feel about Super Junior, and I--"

Jaemi shook her head and sighed self-deprecatingly. "You thought I'd feel betrayed." She sighed, knowing just how much her actions had caused her friend pain.

Aeyeong felt her heart clench. "Jaemi, I--"

Jaemi pulled her friend into a hug, causing her friend to halt in her speech.

Aeyeong blinked in surprise.

"Ae, if you're happy, that's all that matters. I'm so happy for you."

Aeyeong felt Jaemi give her a squeeze.

"You found someone that you love and can spend the rest of your life with." Jaemi pulled away with a smile. "Don't let my past or my own personal problems get in the way of that, okay?" She chuckled. "Trust me, I care about your happiness way more than anything else. So, don't let me stand in the way of that." Her face softened. "I'm sorry though that I made you feel like you couldn't tell me." She gave Aeyeong another hug. "Don't ever feel like you have to hide anything like that from me again. I'm a grown woman, I can handle it." She chuckled, pulling away again. "So--" she paused, smiling at her friend expectantly. "--Wha’d’ya say?"

Aeyeong's eyes widened. She left poor Hae in the dance room without a definite answer.

Jaemi, catching Aeyeong's expression, opened in surprise. "Wait, you-- you didn't tell him 'no', did you?"

Aeyeong shook her head, chuckling. "No, no. I just didn't give him an answer yet."

Jaemi scoffed. "What are you still doing here, woman? That poor guy must think you ran out on him."

Aeyeong shrugged. "He's used to having the mood killed," she said with a chuckle.

Jaemi raised an eyebrow.

"The Fishy and the cat don't get along," Aeyeong said, tilting her head slightly.

"Ah," Jaemi said with a nod. "So, I take it's hard for Donghae to romance you with Berlioz always trying to get your affection?" she asked with a slight chuckle, winking as she elbowed Aeyeong in the side.

Aeyeong smiled. "Something like that."

“Well, don’t let me be the mood killer,” Jaemi said with a scoff. “We better get back.”

The two hurried back up to the dance practice room, bolting back through the door. Everyone turned to look at the newcomers.

Donghae waited with bated breath. He gulped down the saliva in his mouth. "So?"

Aeyeong sent him a disarming smile. "Yes."

The room erupted in whoops and "awhs" as Donghae ran over to Aeyeong, scooping her off the floor and pulling her into a kiss.

After a few moments, Donghae put Aeyeong back down, his eyes shining, and a wide, happy grin playing across his face. Aeyeong looked up at him with warm, loving eyes as Donghae took the ring once more from his pocket and slipped it around her finger.

Donghae's arms slipped around her once more as he pulled her into an embrace. "We'll have to continue this at home," he whispered in her ear before pulling away from her, a cheeky grin on his face.

Aeyeong shook her head ever so slightly, before both the Starlets and the rest of the members of Super Junior surrounded the couple to congratulate them.

As the commotion began to die down and everyone began to stretch to learn the choreography, Siwon and Nell exchanged glances. Nell nodded gently in return. Siwon cleared his throat, trying to get everyone's attention.

Leeteuk noticed this and clapped his hands. "Okay, everyone!" he called in his MC voice. "Siwon has something he wants to say!" As everyone turned their attention to Siwon, Leeteuk gestured for Siwon to continue.

Siwon bowed politely, palms together. "With everything that has happened today, I think it's time for me to share with the Starlets something. As the rest of Super Junior know, Nell and I have been secretly dating for a couple of years now. I hope you can accept our relationship," he said graciously, bowing in the direction of the Starlets.

The Starlets looked between Nell and Siwon, various forms of surprise on their faces. They knew that Nell was dating someone by the couple's ring she owned, but they never imagined it would be Siwon.

Byulhee squealed and bolted for Nell, throwing her arms around her dongsaeng. "This is so exciting!" she said, giving her dongsaeng a squeeze. "You're dating Siwon?!" She released Nell and ran over to Siwon, pulling him into a big bear hug. "You're dating Nell?! This is like the best news ever! After Fishy and Ae's bestest news! This is second best! Yaaaay!"

As everyone began to voice their congratulations to the couple, Aeyeong turned to Jaemi, chuckling quietly. "Is this what you meant by 'sleeping with the enemy'?"

Jaemi giggled, shaking her head gently. "Not at all. But it's funny how things turn out."

Byulhee, who had just come back from dancing about the room briefly, overheard them. "Wait..." She froze in her step, staring at Jaemi. "Are you saying that you--"

Jaemi groaned, slapping her forehead. "No."

Byulhee laughed. "Just checking, unnie. Though with everything that's happened today, I wouldn't be shocked if you said you and Leeteuk were-- Oooh! Let me see your ring, Ae!" she said, suddenly snatching up Aeyeong's left hand.

Jaemi shook her head gently and turned to Minyeon. "I think we need to get back to dance practice soon."

Minyeon nodded. "I agree. We're running behind now. Cameras are supposed to be here in an hour and we have not rehearsed this song at all."

Leeteuk, overhearing the two, clapped his hands together. "Let's practice!" he called, still using his MC voice.

Nell took her place in front of the mirror. "Let's get back to choosing partners."

****

With the cameras in place, partners chosen, and the remaining Super Junior members sitting on the sidelines to critique and film the rehearsals, the dance practice commenced.

Each Starlet had one partner from their standard groups in the show. Some were happy with their partners, others were not.

Minyeon wondered why Sungmin had wanted to be her partner. She thought for sure he would not participate in the dance and figured either Shindong or Ryeowook would be her partner. However, Shindong opted to help in the instruction and critique of the dancers, while Ryeowook chose not to participate once Yesung had volunteered to be Sijin's dance partner. Ryeowook seemed rather disappointed at not being able to be dance partners with Sijin, but said nothing about it. So, Minyeon was stuck with Sungmin.

After all those years of an on-and-off relationship with him, she still did not understand his actions.

"Let's start from the beginning," Nell said. "We'll sing along this time too."

Kangin cued up the music as the Starlets formed a line behind Aeyeong.

The Super Junior members who were the partners were spread out around the room, chairs in their hands at the ready.

"You don't love--," began Aeyeong, singing along with the demo into a vintage-style prop microphone.

The rest of the members fanned out from behind Aeyeong, backs turned away from the mirror.

"--me," finished Aeyeong, her powerful voice outmatching the pre-recorded track.

The tempo picked up and they began the dance, continuing with very little mistakes until Super Junior took to the stage.

"Just leave me," Sijin sang, holding the prop microphone. "You better go!" She stepped back from the microphone as the Starlets all began to clap in time to the beat as Super Junior slid their chairs into a wide circle surrounding the women. The men clapped too in time with the music.

Then as the tempo in the music shifted, each of the Starlets approached her Super Junior partner and waved a hand toward him before pushing him away flirtatiously. Each Super Junior member proceeded to fall back into his seat as if knocked out by the beauty in front of him.

"The sugar coated I love yous," sang Aeyeong turning toward the mirror, her imaginary audience.

"You don't love me," the rest of the members sang, dancing about their partners.

Aeyeong continued to sing. "I was deceived every--"

"Stop there!" Shindong gestured for Kangin to cut the music. "I think we need to spend time working on this section," he said. "This needs to feel ier."

"Agreed," Nell said, glancing between a few of her fellow members. "This part needs to feel more flirtatious. Some of you didn't have that vibe."

The Starlets nodded.

"I think we should go around to each group and see what we can do," Nell said. "We'll start with Sijin and Yesung."

Sijin felt her face heat up. She really did not want her and Yesung to be the first pair to be evaluated. It was embarrassing. She was not an outgoing and forward person by nature, so the task was not an easy one. Also, she was partnered with Yesung. They used to be friends back during their trainee days, and though they had been in a group during earlier shoots, she had not really had a chance to talk with him one-on-one. It was as if they were back to the just "acquaintances" phase again. She almost wondered if he remembered those trainee days.

Sijin fidgeted with her fingers, trying hard not to pick at her nails so that they would be nice for their debut.

She felt her heart hammer in her chest. This was so nerve-wracking. She hoped that they would not bring the cameras over to watch as she flailed about in her attempts to pass off some moves as “y”. She let out a sigh. Why did Nell have to single her out first?

Yesung, noticing her nervousness, placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump slightly.

She turned to look at him.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered. “It’s harder if you over think it. We’re friends. Just do as Nell tells you to.” He sent her an encouraging smile. “Fighting.” He raised a small fist.

Sijin nodded, a smile slowly crossing her face. She let out a breath as Nell and Shindong approached them, Henry following close behind with one of the cameras.

Yesung looked between the three approaching them. “Do we really need to film this?” he asked. “It might be easier if everyone practices with their partners without the camera until everyone is comfortable.”

Nell paused to consider his words. “I think you’re right."

Henry chuckled. “Oh, alright,” he said. “I was hoping to have some fun with this though.” He turned off the camera and headed over to where the remaining members of Super Junior were hanging out and observing the practice.

Sijin glanced at Yesung. Thank you, she mouthed.

He sent her a small nod in return.

Nell drew closer to them, taking a breath. “So, I was thinking that for you, Sijin,” she began. “I think it would be best if you draw close to him, like you’re going in for a kiss, but then you pause for a moment. Then you will take his hat, like everyone else does.”

Sijin nodded.

“Do you want to practice or do you want me to demonstrate it first?” Nell asked.

Sijin glanced toward Yesung, who gave her the slightest nod. Steeling herself, she looked at Nell with a determined look. “I’ll try it.” She let out a small breath, trying to keep her nerves at bay.

Shindong hummed the tune while Nell began counting the moves.

Sijin drew close to Yesung, her eyes meeting his. She held back a gulp.

“Closer,” Nell said gently.

Sijin drew a little closer and then paused, her face just inches from his. Her heart quickened and her eyes seemed to dilate. Feeling embarrassed, her eyes flickered down to avoid meeting his look.

“Hold his gaze,” Nell commanded.

Sijin glanced back at him and then reached up to take the fedora off of his head as the cue came for that part.

“Good,” Nell commended with a smile. “Just practice that a few times and that will be perfect.”

“Thanks,” Sijin replied as Nell and Shindong moved on to the next pair, Sungmin and Minyeon.

Yesung sent her a smile. “Nice job. It’s hard though, but you’re doing really well so far.”

Sijin’s eyes crinkled as she smiled. “Thanks,” she said, feeling a sense of relief that he did not think she was too awkward.

“Ready to practice again?” he asked.

Sijin nodded.

As the two began to rehearse, Nell and Shindong moved to the next pair, leaving Sungmin and Minyeon to practice.

Minyeon let out a small sigh once Nell and Shindong parted from them. She loathed working with Sungmin like this. It was already hard enough to work with the man she loved, but to do so in this manner, made her heart skip a beat and feel as if it would tear in two at the same time.

"Let's practice," she said, keeping a neutral face as she turned to Sungmin. "Five, six, seven, eight," she counted under her breath. Her eyes narrowed seductively and sent him a disarming smile as she brought her hand to his chest and began walking her fingers up toward his shoulder. Still counting the beats in her head, she snatched up the hat from his head and proceeded to hold it over her own head, popping her hips a couple times. She then bent slightly forward, tossing the hat back toward his head so he could catch it mid-air.

She repeated the moves, trying to keep her mind only on counting the moves and beats so as to avoid thinking about the man in front of her. It was difficult, running her fingers up his chest with her eyes staring into his. It reminded her too much of the old days when she was dating him.

As she went through the moves again, her fingers once again trailing up his chest, Sungmin placed his hand over hers, causing her to start. Her eyes widened and she clamped shut to keep from gaping at his sudden action. Her heart quickened and began drumming in her ears. What was he doing?

She looked down at him, staring at his face searchingly.

Sungmin looked up at her, biting his lower lip slightly. "Min," he whispered. "Can we talk later?"

Minyeon held his gaze, trying to ignore the ever increasing beating of her heart. "Why?" she replied in a hushed tone.

"Please," he said, his eyes gazing into hers imploringly. "Just for a few minutes."

Minyeon stared at him for a moment, trying to gauge his feelings. He eluded her though. She could not make heads or tails as to why he would have any desire to speak with her privately. She found herself nodding her head slightly to his entreaty. "Yeah," she breathed out, scarcely believing that she was actually consenting to meet with him. "Where?"

"Here. Ten minutes after everyone's left," Sungmin replied.

Minyeon nodded. "Alright."

"Thank you," Sungmin said, removing his hand from hers.

Minyeon tried to keep a straight face as she began to practice again, attempting to ignore the ever quickening beating of her heart. She scarcely was even aware of the laughter coming from where Byulhee and Eunhyuk were practicing with Nell and Shindong watching them.

Nell took a breath and kept her face neutral as Byulhee continued to laugh.

"I'm sorry, Belle," Byulhee said between laughs. 'I just--" She broke out laughing harder, bending over and placing a hand on Eunhyuk's shoulder for support. "I--" Tears streamed down her face as she continued to laugh.

Eunhyuk started laughing as he tried to steady Byulhee's teetering body as she shook with laughter.

"It's just s-so f-funny," Byulhee struggled to say between giggles.

Nell let out a breath. "Fine," she said with a shrug. "You figure out what you want to do for this," she continued. "Just make sure it's not too distracting. And keep it to the beat." She turned, shaking her head slightly as she and Shindong moved on as Byulhee finally began to compose herself a bit.

Byulhee's laughter slowly began to subside and she raised herself from off of Eunhyuk's shoulder. "That was funny," she said with one last giggle. She took in a deep breath, steadying herself. "Now, what should we do?"

"How about Nell's first idea?" Eunhyuk suggested.

Byulhee chuckled. "It is better than the last idea. I've been married before, and that doesn't work." She laughed.

Eunhyuk's eyebrows raised. "You were married before?"

"Yep," she replied, clicking her tongue. "Wouldn't recommend it for everyone," she said in a sing-song voice. She giggled. "I think Aeyeong and Donghae will be happy though." She let out a contented sigh. "It's so wonderful," she said, placing her hands on her heart.

Eunhyuk chuckled. "He better make me the best man."

Byulhee's eyes widened and a grin fell upon her face. "That would perfect!" Her face fell. "Though I am a little sad that EunHae is not real then."

Eunhyuk threw back his head, laughing.

Nell turned her head toward the pair, sending Byulhee a pointed look.

"Oops," Byulhee said, catching Nell's look. "Guess we should practice."

Eunhyuk nodded. "Yeah. Good idea. Do you know what you're going to do?"

"Yep," Byulhee replied with a determined nod. "I've got a better idea now." A smirk began to play across her lips. "It's something I used to tease my ex-husband with."

Eunhyuk raised his eyebrows, but Byulhee could tell by the way that he pursed his lips he was trying not to smile at her. "Okay." He counted down the beats and then Byulhee began.

She drew close to Eunhyuk, her eyes gleaming and slightly agape in a devilish smile. She watched with amusement as Eunhyuk's eyes widened at her approaching him like that. As she drew ever closer to him, she raised a hand slowly towards his face. "Boop," she said as she tapped her finger to his nose.

Eunhyuk's face fell and he looked rather disappointed.

Byulhee threw her head back in laughter. "You should have seen the look on your face," she said quietly between giggles. He definitely had a cuter reaction than her ex-husband ever did.

Eunhyuk chuckled, sending her a wide, gummy smile.

As Byulhee’s giggles faded, her eyes met Eunhyuk's and she suddenly froze, realizing just how close she was to him. Darn. Why was Eunhyuk so handsome? Eeesh! It was so tempting to just--

She pulled away, her heart pounding gently in her chest. She was going to have to keep her distance from him as much as possible. He was too much of a temptation for her.

"I like that. Want to practice again?" he asked, his warm eyes looking up at her.

Byulhee nodded, too stunned to speak. Yep. She was definitely attracted to him. Darn. He was such a great friend too. And so funny. It was going to be hard to avoid him.

Meanwhile, Nell gave a satisfied nod after observing Lìxúe and Zhoumi perform. “I think that’s perfect,” she looked at Shindong. “What do you think?”

“Waaah,” he mumbled. “They make it look way too easy. You can tell they both do modeling.”

Nell smiled at the pair. “Practice that and you’re fine,” she said before moving on to see how Jaemi and Leeteuk were fairing.

Lìxúe turned to Zhoumi with a grin. “Yes!”

They both clapped hands together in victory.

“Ha!” Lìxúe said with a triumphant smile. “We didn’t need any help.”

Zhoumi chuckled, watching Lìxúe’s eyes sparkle mischievously. It was both amusing and intriguing observing Lìxúe when that competitive side came out of her. Devil Lì had not fully made her appearance at the moment, but there was a hint of it.

Lìxúe counted down the timing and then began to practice. With her eyes shining, she brought a hand to her lips and then tilted forward, sending a kiss toward Zhoumi. Then, she acted as if she were about to turn away from him and then reached out and took his hat, continuing with the rest of the choreographed dance.

She practiced several more times, Zhoumi snapping the beat as the choreography required of him.

Satisfied with their work, the two decided to take a little break and began to glance about the room, observing everyone else as they began to chat quietly.

“So,” Zhoumi began in a hushed tone. “I didn’t know that Donghae and Aeyeong were dating. Did you?”

Aeyeong shook her head gently. “No. None of us did.” She turned to him with a smile. “It’s pretty exciting though.”

Zhoumi nodded in agreement. “It is.” The two exchanged glances before shifting their gazes hastily to the others in the room. “So…” Zhoumi began, his ears tinging a shade of pink. “I was wondering—” he dropped his voice lower.

Lìxúe eyes widened slightly, her heart quickening in her chest. What was he going to say?

“—are you still going to give everyone those bracelets you made them?” he asked quietly. “You still have them, don’t you?”

Lìxúe wanted to smack her own head for her own foolish thinking. “Yeah,” she replied with a soft chuckle. “I still have them. I was planning giving the bracelets on the day we debut,” she continued in a hushed voice.

Zhoumi sent her a warm smile. “I’m really proud of you, Lì,” he said gently. “I know it hasn’t been easy, but it’s amazing that you finally can live your dream.” His eyes gazed at her with affection. “I’m really glad that I can be a part of the journey,” he continued sincerely. 

Lìxúe’s lips curved up into a smile. “I’m glad to have a friend like you with me,” she said earnestly.

Zhoumi smiled and then opened his mouth to say something when, Nell clapped her hands, signaling for everyone’s attention.

“Let’s start from the top,” she said.

All the men got up from their seats and moved to the side, chairs in hand.

Aeyeong took her place in the front of the line.

“This time, just dance,” instructed Shindong. “No singing along with the track. I want to see how the whole thing looks.”

Kangin cued up the music and the choreography commenced.

****

Pink and orange light spilled through the windows of the dance room as the sun began to set.

Nell, Shindong, and Eunhyuk sat around the laptop, replaying the past several recorded dances of the day, taking notes and reviewing them so that they would know how to proceed with the next day’s practice.

The Super Junior members who were not a partners in the dance had left hours before, after having recorded some needed commentary and advice regarding the practices. The remaining Super Junior members and the rest of the Starlets stretched after the long hours of practice and began to gather up their stuff, preparing to leave.

Aeyeong glanced around at her fellow members. “So, who is going to ride with me back to the dorms?” she asked politely.

Byulhee, who was nearby, chuckled and leaned closer to Aeyeong. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” She winked.

Donghae, who was busy gathering up his duffel bag, tried to suppress a smile, but failed miserably.

Aeyeong opened to speak. “I—”

“No ‘buts’!” Byulhee interrupted, pinching Aeyeong’s side, causing Aeyeong to yelp slightly in surprise. Byulhee giggled. “Have fun tonight,” she said, slapping Aeyeong’s behind.

Aeyeong held back a sigh. It was not in her nature to be so open about her private life, but it seemed that Byulhee had no qualms about hinting at what she and Donghae ought to be doing that night. She had not presumed that she would go home with Donghae at all, but it seemed that it had been decided for her.

“Kiss on my, kiss on my, kiss on my lips,” Byulhee began to sing quietly as she bounded away, her hair bouncing behind her as she shook her hips.

Jaemi chuckled as Byulhee kept on singing. She shook her head slightly as she slung her duffel bag over her shoulder and approached Aeyeong. “I hope you have a back-up plan for Berlioz tonight,” she whispered. “I don’t think you have a choice in whether you want to come to the dorms or not.” She chuckled. “If you show up at the dorms, I have a feeling Byulhee will lock you out.”

Aeyeong shook her head ever so slightly. “And I was going to be polite and just sleep at the dorms tonight,” she said in a low voice so that only Jaemi could hear.

“Don’t let your fiancé hear that,” Jaemi whispered with a smile as Donghae began to walk over to the two.

Donghae approached them, his face completely lit up with that boyish smile of his. “So, are you going to take anyone back to your dorms or are you coming straight home?”

“Let me see if everyone has a ride,” Aeyeong replied. She looked toward Jaemi. “Who brought their own cars and who needs a ride?”

“We’ll see,” Jaemi said. She cleared . “Hey,” she called, trying to get the other Starlets’ attention as Nell, Shindong, and Eunhyuk began to approach, having just finished reviewing the footage. “Who brought their car? Who needs a ride? I have my car, which seats five. So I can take three or four.”

“I have my own car, but I have to run a personal errand,” Minyeon replied, keeping her face impassive. She had to meet with Sungmin after and she did not want the other Starlets to suspect a thing.

Jaemi nodded. “Alright.”

Byulhee turned to Nell with a sly smile. “Are you going to the dorms? Or are you gonna have some alone time with Siwon?” she asked, elbowing Nell’s side.

Nell pursed her lips. Did Byulhee really need to do that? “I was not planning to stay at the dorms tonight,” she said primly. “I was going to drop by my dance studio to pick up a few things.”

“Suuuure,” Byulhee said with a chuckle, sending Nell a wink.

Nell pursed her lips, refraining from letting out a sigh. She was not sure if she liked the idea of Byulhee knowing that she and Siwon were dating. Byulhee had no discretion at times.

“That leaves only four of us,” Jaemi said, looking between Byulhee, Lìxúe, and Sijin. “So, I guess we’re set.” She turned to the members of Super Junior, who were almost ready to leave. “Thank you all for your help!” she said with a bow.

The other Starlets followed suit. “Thanks!”

Jaemi handed her car keys to Byulhee. “Wanna start the car? I’m gonna finish cleaning up in here and will be down in a minute.”

“Alright,” Byulhee said, taking the keys. “See ya. To the Starlet-mobile!” she cried, raising a fist.

As everyone began to file out of the room sporadically, Nell and Siwon had already slipped away and had entered into the elevator alone.

Siwon took a breath and smiled at Nell. “Are you okay with how things turned out?”

Nell nodded, smiling gently. “Yes, I’m glad they know,” she said, leaning against him lightly, as he wrapped an arm around her. She gently played with the necklace about her neck with their couple ring dangling on the chain. She really hoped that Byulhee would stop acting so flirtatiously around Siwon now that she knew about the relationship.

She felt Siwon give her arm a light squeeze. She looked up to see him smiling softly at her. She smiled up as he bent forward, kissing her gently on the forehead. She felt her heart flutter.

It was definitely going to be a weight off her shoulders now that she did not have to hide the relationship from her fellow members. In fact, they could now help her protect the relationship from being discovered by the public. They could offer up a lot of support for her and Siwon. She no longer had to shoulder that burden alone.

As the elevator reached the ground level, they pulled apart. The elevator doors slid open and they both stepped out separately, pretending that they merely were sharing an elevator and nothing more. Siwon bowed politely, sending her a warm smile.

She smiled in turn, sending him a silent promise to see him soon as they both exited the building and parted to head to their own cars.

Within the next several minutes, all the others had exited the building. As Jaemi left the elevator and began to head toward the front doors, Minyeon hurried back through the front doors, walking straight over to Jaemi. “Do you have the keys to the practice room?” Minyeon asked. “I think I left something in there.”

Jaemi pulled the keys from her purse. “Yeah. Here ya go.”

“Thanks. I’ll give these back to you when I get home,” Minyeon replied as she took the keys from Jaemi. “Byulhee seems impatient to get home now. She said something about wanting to interrogate you.”

Jaemi chuckled. “What?”

Minyeon shrugged. “I don’t know. She was mumbling something about the ‘Jung Sisters’ Conspiracy’.”

Jaemi laughed harder. “Oh, no.” She shook her head. No doubt Byulhee thought that she had known about Aeyeong and Donghae’s relationship and wanted to know the full story.  “Alright. I’ll see ya later. Don’t leave me alone too long to deal with Byulhee’s interrogation. See ya.”

“See ya.” Minyeon her heel, heading back into the elevator. She quickly pressed the number to the floor where their dance room was located. As the doors drew to a close, Minyeon felt her heart began to quicken. She felt a knot form in her stomach, unsure of whether she should be dreading her meeting with Sungmin or if she should be excited.

She let out a breath as the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open. Steeling herself, she headed toward the dance room where Sungmin was waiting.

He shifted from one foot to the other, looking rather anxious. As she drew near, he looked up, probably hearing her footsteps. He sent her a small smile, but his eyes could not meet hers.

Minyeon unlocked the door to the dance room. Sungmin held it open for her and they proceeded to enter. Minyeon turned to him, keeping her face neutral. “So. Why did you want to speak to me?” she asked in a measured tone, holding an even gaze.

Sungmin drew breath. “I—” He looked down for a moment and then returned his gaze back to her. “I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting,” he said slowly. “I just—” he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

There was a long pause and it seemed if Sungmin would not speak up, so Minyeon cleared . “What? You just what?”

“I’ve been going about this all wrong,” he muttered, looking down. “I was trying to forget you,” he said, lifting his head to meet her measured gaze. “I thought—” He clicked his tongue. “I thought I’d forgotten you. Forgotten that I loved you, but—” He drew closer instinctively.

Minyeon felt her heart both leap and tear at the same time. He still loved her? But why— Her mind reeled with what had transpired between the two of them during the whole course of the trying to prepare for their debut. She thought about the way the public reacted to their show, because of the way he reacted to her music. “Why have you treated me like this?” she spat, her mind whirling with the events of the past few weeks. “Why do you do this to me?” she continued, trying to keep her jaw set. “You suddenly tell me you still love me? After all this? Are you trying to mess with my head? Now that I’m finally going to d-debut?” she cried, her voice suddenly cracking.

Sungmin’s eyes widened, as if he was taken back by her statement. “What? What are you talking about?”

Minyeon’s chest rose and fell with a heavy sigh. “All you’ve been doing since the show started is making it harder for me, making me look bad in front of the camera. Then you say that?” She shook her head, recalling the recording session with him replaying her lyrics over and over. “I don’t understand it,” she said plainly. “I can’t read you. Every time I think I understand you, you just—” She turned away from him, pacing a few steps. “I don’t know what to believe.”

She could hear Sungmin sigh. “I thought by treating you that way that maybe—maybe I would start feeling differently toward you. That maybe I could forget—” his voice broke off with another sigh. “—forget that I still have feelings for y-you,” he continued, his voice cracking.

Minyeon turned around and saw that Sungmin was staring down at the floor, a tear cascading down his cheek. Her eyes widened upon seeing him like this.

He wiped the tear from his face and lifted his head to look back at her. “I’m sorry.”

Minyeon stared at him, her heart clenching in her chest. He still loved her? But— “What about—” she broke off, her voice parched and dry suddenly. She shook her head. “A ‘sorry’ can’t undo what’s happened.”

“I know,” Sungmin said, drawing closer. “But I want to start over. I want things to change between us.”

Minyeon knew she should draw away from him, but her feet remained glued to their spot. “You have a wife though,” she said slowly, watching his eyes.

He continued to draw closer to her, his eyes saddening all the more. “Not for much longer,” he said quietly. “I only married her to—” He stopped short, realizing just how close he was to her.

Minyeon felt her heart beating wildly within her chest. She could hear Sungmin’s own breathing began to quicken. They both stared at each other, feeling the tension in the room.

Minyeon did not need him to continue explaining. She knew it all. Sungmin married Saeun so suddenly after their breakup because he wanted to forget her. He was on the rebound and had become infatuated with Saeun. Now that the infatuation had cooled off and problems now arose with the fans, there was a rift in his marriage, a deep one.

Her mind reeled back to all the times that they had spent together and how much she loved him. She missed him so much. The only thing she wanted right now was to—

As if reading her thoughts, Sungmin’s eyes flashed and then—

Instincts took over. Before she could even comprehend the situation, Minyeon already had her fingers laced in his hair as Sungmin’s hands cupped her cheeks, their lips meeting.

Her heart raced. Feelings of happiness danced through her being. Shivers ran up her spine as Sungmin’s hands left her cheeks and his fingers began trailing down her back, pulling her into a tighter embrace. As their kiss deepened all the more, she felt as if she would melt in his arms.

They both broke away, panting for breath.

Sungmin’s eyes crinkled in delight as a warm smile adorned his face.

Minyeon felt her heart skip a beat.

He was still as adorable and as manly as ever. If only—

She froze, suddenly pulling away from his embrace, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. “Wait! Wait,” she said between breaths. “I— You have a wife still. I—I—” She looked into Sungmin’s eyes and knew that he did not want to hear what she had to say, but she had to say it. “I—I need some time to think about this. Us. Everything. I—” She felt the tears burn in her eyes and quickly wiped them away, replacing the look on her face with a neutral one to guise her feelings. “Let me think about everything and then we’ll talk.” She took a breath. “Rationally,” she added under her breath as she tried to put the thought of their heated kiss out of mind as she turned to leave the room.

“Alright,” she heard him say quietly behind her.

As they proceeded to exit the room, Minyeon halted in her step, realizing that they had forgotten to shut the door during their conversation. She felt her heart hammer in her chest. Did anyone overhear their conversation? Or worse; see their moment of passion?

Her eyes darted to the left and right, looking for any sign of life in the corridor, but there was none, except for Sungmin’s retreating figure heading toward the elevator.

She took a gulp and locked the door behind her. As she began to walk towards the elevator, resolving to get on the next one, she felt a horrible dread wash over her. Not only did she have to figure out what to do about her relationship with Sungmin, but she could only pray that the two had not been seen by anyone else during their little “talk”.

Author's Note
Hey everyone! Thanks for reading! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. :) I can't wait for some of the upcoming chapters, (so much that happens!) so I hope everyone's still onboard with this story. :) Oh, and please remember to comment at least once every one to two chapters so I know you're still onboard, otherwise your character may be written out. 

Anyway, I hope you all are doing well and enjoying SJ's comeback as much as I am. lol (I swear, their new album has me d-d-dying.) ^^

Have a good day!