Yuri often wondered if Sunghoon really found her attractive or he was just trying to play around with her. He always paid special attention to her on some days and he wouldn't show much of a reaction on other days. He looked as if he fancied her on camera but it didn't seem so behind the camera. She never knew what in the world he was thinking or feeling and she wished she knew for once.

“Yuri-noona!”  

On the other hand, she had a good connection with Kang Minhyuk; they were like the most desirable pair of siblings ever seen on Cool Kiz. Minhyuk was vocal and obvious about how he pleasantly felt about Yuri; despite the tiny between them, he always showed his care and concern for her without fail. 

“Minhyukie!” Yuri smiled and opened her arms to welcome him with a hug, “it’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

Minhyuk grinned and patted Yuri’s back, breaking the hug. He wouldn’t deny how much he missed this beautiful woman in front of him; a part of him wanted to call Yuri out but he was afraid she'd find it weird to meet with him alone so he never called her out alone. It was no secret among the Cool Kiz cast that he fancied her anyway; he was grateful to them for always creating opportunities for them though.

Yuri was about to say something when she saw him staring at her absent-mindedly, almost as if he was in love with her or something.

“Minhyuk-ah, is there something on my face?”

“A-Ah!” Minhyuk berated himself mentally for not paying attention and felt his cheeks warm immediately. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and shook his head, “I… I was just spacing out.”

“I can tell.”

If only Yuri knew how effective that wink was on Minhyuk, she probably wouldn't have done it at all.

*

Sunghoon bounced excitedly on his heels as he waited for Yuri at the entrance of Lotte World. He sent her a message telling her that he wanted to bring her to the amusement park before she begin practice. He wasn't expecting her to agree so when she did, he practically danced around in his apartment before finally falling asleep. If he knew what this reaction meant earlier, perhaps the outcome would be different…

“Sunghoon-oppa!”

“Yuri!” Sunghoon waved happily. He thought he was the luckiest man on earth when he saw what she was wearing up close. “You came!”

A pout appeared on Yuri's face after hearing what he had to say; of course she would come after promising him that she would. She did receive several reminders before turning up to meet him though, especially from Tiffany. The girls always reminded her to do several things or behave in a certain way but it was different from what they would say when she was meeting Minhyuk instead. 

“How have you been, Oppa?” Yuri asked as they made their way inside the amusement park, her eyes lighting up like a child’s when she saw the various rides. She turned to him and smiled, “I recently watched ‘Passionate Love’ with my members; you were so good there…”

Sunghoon gulped at the smile Yuri was displaying; she looked ethereal and everything was so surreal. He didn’t know if he looked like an idiot but he was pretty sure he wasn’t responding too well to her words. Yuri didn’t seem to know how attractive or alluring she was, perhaps it was because of the dorky behaviour she had around both men and woman.

It was also no secret that Yuri was a lesbian symbol to many female idols too.

“You’re pretty…”

Yuri was caught off-guard but it didn’t stop her from blushing cutely; it was always nice to be complimented and not be compared to her members. She admitted that her members were all gorgeous but it wouldn’t kill to simply compliment without comparing. So when a person does it sincerely, Yuri just melts.

“T-Thanks, Oppa,” Yuri giggled and patted his lower back, “you’re really handsome too…”

If only you didn’t play push and pull with me…  

Having Yuri to himself for several hours was one of the best things that had ever happened but Sunghoon couldn’t help but notice her constant smiles thrown at her phone either. He knew she wasn’t that much of a technology freak compared to some of her members but it was a different side to her that he was experiencing. Well, a part of him was jealous but then it occurred to him that he didn’t have a right.

Sunghoon cleared his throat and rested his frame on his arms, “well, what do you feel like eating? There’s pizza, pasta and lots of Italian food here…”

Yuri finally looked up from her phone and she was yet again smiling broadly; there was obviously someone on the other end causing her excessive happiness. She felt horrible for paying more attention to her phone than the person she was with but she couldn't deny that she felt more excited talking to the person on the other end. It wasn't deliberate, neither was this whole thing planned...

She just missed his presence.

“Can we have pizza?” Yuri asked, her eyes practically beaming as she put down her phone for the second time today. Sunghoon felt himself stone for a bit before he regained consciousness, “a-anything you want.”

Sunghoon meant it; he would give her the stars if that’s what she really wanted. He knew that it would be like both a charm and a curse to fall for Yuri the moment he saw her on the day of his swimming audition. Yuri might or might not reciprocate but he was more worried of the fact that she got close to Minhyuk very quickly. The chances of Yuri falling for Minhyuk instead of him were pretty high but that's just a thought at the moment. 

“I hope you enjoy yourself today, Yuri.”

“I hope so too, Oppa.”

*

*

Yuri never received a text or a call from Sunghoon afterward even though she was pretty much confident that he fancied her like her small crush on him. She was disappointed, of course but she couldn't say that she didn't expect such an outcome. She had already gone through a couple of these incidents of Sunghoon hinting to her that he'd bring her out again and nothing came out of it. 

“Are you okay, Yul?” Tiffany asked softly, rubbing the younger’s head on her lap gently, “don’t be too disappointed, okay? Maybe he’s just busy with work.”

Tiffany was the only one who’d remain so optimistic after this was repeated so many times; the other members had lost their patience with him already. She didn't want Yuri to get her hopes up either but she had watched their shows more than once; there was a clear sign that Sunghoon had some sort of feeling towards her member. Although Yuri said she wouldn't be too affected, everyone knew she was.

Yuri nuzzled her face even deeper into Tiffany’s lap when she saw her phone light up, “man… can’t I catch a break?”

Tiffany knuckled the back of Yuri’s head tenderly and took her phone, reading the message with a smile growing on her face. She always thanked God for sending this particular boy to Yuri even though she was always disappointed by Sunghoon. Yuri should have kept her eyes on this young one instead of getting her hopes up all the time; most of them would prefer it that way.

Kang Minhyuk was going to be Yuri's saviour.

With a mischievious eyesmile, Tiffany peeked at the younger one and hurriedly typed out a reply that would do Yuri some good.

To: Minhyukie 🙈

yes im free tonight!!

pick me up at 8?

“HWANG MIYYOUUNNNGGGGGG!!!!”

Yoona and Sunny lay on the conjoined beds in the middle of the room as they watched Yuri throw a tantrum in front of them; one being the current and the other being the former roommate - they decided to come in so they could wait for her to get ready. Yuri should have realised that those two members were not going to help her get out of this in the least, not when they were all for Minhyuk winning her heart eventually.

“Look, Fany just wants you to stop moping around,” Sunny rolled her eyes as she continued spamming the buttons on her Nintendo DS, “and if Minhyuk can stop it, I don’t see why you should reject the chance to cheer yourself up.”

Yuri wasn't angry because Tiffany agreed to Minhyuk's request immediately; it was more of because it would seem as if she was taking Minhyuk as Sunghoon's replacement, which is definitely not the case here. Yuri was so grateful for Minhyuk all the time; it was like he knew when she was feeling down or upset and he magically appeared in front of her with that cute smile of his. 

“I don’t want to use Minhyuk,” Yuri plopped down on the bed and rested her legs on Yoona’s lap, “I feel as if he’s going to be a rebound for my one-sided crush and I don’t want that. He’s going to get hurt.”

Yoona finally looked up from her laptop and put it away, sitting up so she could face her best friend properly. She obviously knew this was the reason but there were several ways Yuri could stop herself from taking Minhyuk as a rebound. Yuri wasn't even sure of her own feelings towards Sunghoon so it couldn't be called one-sided just yet. In fact, she seemed to have more chemistry with Minhyuk than anyone else on the show.

Cupping Yuri’s face, Yoona turned it to face her, “you should be seeing Minhyuk as himself and not Sunghoon-ssi, right? If you’re afraid, tell him. It’s obvious that he has a huge crush on you, Yul. Don’t break his heart that way.” 

Minhyuk shivered as he wrapped his arms around himself; he had been waiting for such a long time in the cold weather that his hands had already gone numb. He wanted to bang his head on the ice for suggesting ice skating in this freezing weather; all he thought about at that moment was thinking of a sweet idea. He really should have known better – Yuri could end up freezing in this weather too.

“O-Oh my God…”

“K-Kang Minhyuk!”

Yuri was walking towards him with her arms wrapped around herself tightly too, her teeth chattering due to the cold air. She was thinking of getting snow cones after this but that idea had flown out of her head the moment she stepped out of the house. She swore she would knock Minhyuk's head for suggesting ice skating but her heart involuntarily softened after seeing him shiver. 

“Noona,” Minhyuk walked towards Yuri and threw his long arms around her immediately, rubbing her body to give her some warmth, “I’m so sorry… let’s go to the café.”

Yuri hid her face in the collar of her coat to hide her blushing cheeks; she never expected him to be so bold and open about skinship. She cowered slightly and wrapped an arm around Minhyuk’s waist, trying to warm him up too. It wasn’t something she’d usually do for someone of the opposite but Minhyuk was different; he was always busy taking care of her and paying extra attention to her. It was hard for her to pretend as if she couldn’t fall for someone else.

“Ah… this is so much better,” Yuri heaved out a contented sigh as she took off her outer layer, “we can just stay here instead; I don’t think the weather’s going to get better anytime soon.”

“Sure... what would you like?”

“The same as you.”

Minhyuk nodded and took out his wallet, checking to see if he had enough cash for everything. He didn’t want to ask Yuri if she wanted to go dutch because he was a gentleman, and he would rather pay for it all, especially if he thought of it as a date. Yuri was the kind of person who'd offer to pay instead but he wasn't going to allow it this time; as friends, that's fine but he didn't want it to stay that way.

Dating was his goal. 

Yuri couldn’t bring herself to fall asleep; the smile didn’t want to leave her face just yet. She couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation they had when Minhyuk sent her home; he had asked her very specifically if he had a chance. She wasn’t going to lie, she told him about her true feelings and how her stomach always fill with butterflies at the thought of meeting him.

The genuine smile Minhyuk had on afterward, and the kiss on her forehead he placed… it was unforgettable.

Giggling softly into her pillow, Yuri didn’t realise just how fond she was of Minhyuk until what happened tonight. She was thankful that she was starting to get nervous around Minhyuk, because he was a wonderful person. He was the complete opposite of her; while she was outgoing and an extrovert, he was shy and more on the introverted side unless he was comfortable. 

Yuri hated push and pull, and Minhyuk didn't use that with her either. 

They were compatible in so many ways...

*

*

Yuri doused herself in body spray and looked at her appearance once more in the mirror; even she didn't realise when she started taking note of her appearance when she was meeting Minhyuk. She never used to bother because it was comfortable, almost as if she was meeting her younger brother. She didn't know when that changed, but no one was really complaining about it.

“Take care, babe!”

“Don’t let him you!”

“SOOYOUNG!!”

Yuri rolled her eyes at her bickering members, grinning unconsciously as she put on a pair of sneakers. She liked that she didn’t have to purposely dress like a model would just to impress Minhyuk because Minhyuk preferred her natural and comfy state – it was so difficult to find a man like that. Furthermore, her members were a lot happier when they realised that she was going out with him and not Sunghoon.

“I’m going! BYEEEE!!”

Not waiting for her members to respond, Yuri opened the door and hummed a song to herself, unaware of the unexpected visitor standing in the driveway. She was so cheerful and excited for her date with Minhyuk; they were going to grab some street food before going for seafood. Yuri could remember what Minhyuk preferred to eat so she suggested seafood, knowing that he wouldn’t bother about his own preferences.

“Yuri-ah!”

“O-Oppa?” Yuri couldn’t hide the shock on her face when she saw a rather familiar figure in her driveway, “what are you doing here, Sunghoon-oppa? Why didn’t you call me?”

Sunghoon’s smile faltered for a bit, knowing he had indeed come at the wrong timing. Unable to help himself, he scanned Yuri from head to toe and realised that it was indeed one of the worst timings ever; she was clearly leaving to go somewhere and he just popped up unannounced. No wonder she looked so shocked and not to mention a little apprehensive as well. 

“I… I wanted to give you a surprise.”

“Oh…” Yuri sighed and tightened her grip on the strap of her bag, “I’m sorry, Oppa… I’m actually rushing somewhere right now. Can we do this another time?”

Yuri couldn't stop looking at her wristwatch, hoping she wouldn't be too late for her date with Minhyuk. She didn't even need to check with him to know that he was probably at the junction waiting for her. He was either on time or ridiculously early, which Yuri admired because loads of guys didn't bother to be punctual. She loved that he was traditional in dating methods too; old dating methods were the best.

Feeling guilty for not being able to spend time with Sunghoon although he came all the way here to surprise her, Yuri turned around and walked towards him.

“Thanks for coming, Oppa and I’m really sorry that it’s not a good time but I’ll try to make it up to you,” Yuri tiptoed and wrapped her arms around him, “see you around.”

Just as Sunghoon wanted to say another word, Yuri took off running out of the driveway so she could make it in time to meet Minhyuk. He could literally feel his heart cracking as he was once again faced with the back view of Yuri walking away. He could remember the same scenario back when they were filming; Yuri and Minhyuk were going to grab supper after they ended filming.

It was the same. 

She walked away with the same guy she did two years ago.

i tried guys :( i wanted to focus a lot on Sunghoon but sigh pie my shipping problems with Yuri and Minhyuk caused a lot more fluff than planned :)