“And for our surprise guests, please welcome Yoon and Baekhyun!” The MC, Jungsu oppa, says gleefully and I clap my hands together with everyone until I realize that I was called just moments ago. I suddenly looked at the LED screen on the right side of the stage and there I was on half of it, Baekhyun on the other. I could tell that he was caught off guard as well. Having no choice (and being used to being called on the spot in various ways), I stood up and went to the stage only to be joined by Baekhyun on the way. We were sitting halfway through the crowd, and obviously we weren’t sitting next to each other. Why would we? As far as I can remember, we haven’t made up yet. And if you’re wondering, well, it’s still last week’s fight. It was the first in a long time and we really got on each other’s nerves.

“Did you know about this?” Baekhyun asks. He and I are only being civil to each other because it’s inevitable for us not to interact with each other, especially on this trip. I mean, squads gotta stick together, don’t they?

I shrug. “Maybe it’s a surprise for the surprise guests themselves.”

“I starting to hate being called on the spot for things concerning us,” he says. “Why does it always happen to us?”

“You’re Baekhyun and I’m Yoon and we’re together. Who wouldn’t wanna talk to us?”

Baekhyun offers a hand as we reach the small flight of stairs ascending to the stage. I grab it, and smile at him in gratitude. He smiles back too sweetly, and I know we’re on the same page: act like we’re okay.

We were given two microphones before we went on stage. We take a seat on the couch and smile at the crowd. Other than the trainees and volunteers, at least it was only familiar staff, our friends, and fellow artists at our company in the audience.

“I bet you’re surprised, too, aren’t you?” Jungsu oppa asks us and turns to the crowd.

“Honestly, it’s been put in the program last week, but we were told that Yoon and Baekhyun were purposely not informed about this.” He chuckles. He regards the trainees and the ones who signed up for this workshop as he speaks again. “If you have any questions for Baekhyun or Yoon, don’t hesitate to raise your hands, kids!” Some of the girls in the front row eagerly nodded their heads and I was sure they were fans of Baekhyun.

While Jungsu oppa was talking, Baekhyun took off his leather jacket and secured it on my lap. It was cold but not too cold for me to cover myself, so I knew Baekhyun was doing this on purpose—to show everyone else that we were okay. I muttered a small thank you, glancing at his eyes. He smiled at me and my heart skipped a beat. I dismissed it and turned to Jungsu oppa who wasn’t finished yet.

“So, let’s start with a simple question: how are you two?” Oppa asks the both of us. I look to my right to see if Baekhyun’s going to answer, and he lifts his microphone to his lips.

“We’re doing well. Quite busy preparing for our comeback, but it’s been fun,” Baekhyun says. I nod at this.

“SKY actually had its comeback last week, right? Promotions are still ongoing, and yeah, it’s been fun all in all,” I add.

Jungsu oppa nods. “Yes, yes. SKY’s comeback was a blast, as usual; EXO’s comeback is already being anticipated.” Oppa tilts his head a bit. “But I meant to ask, how are things between the both of you? Almost everyone ships you; you’re aware of that, right?”

I chuckle because he looks genuinely curious. “Are you, perhaps, curious yourself, oppa?” As soon as I asked the question, laughter rose from the audience. I smile. “Well, if you’re really curious, I’d have to say that things between Baekhyun and I are well. We’re happy, if you wanna know.”

“I’m excited to have our comeback because not only does it mean I’d meet our aeris often, but also because SKY’s promotions are ongoing and Yoojin and I will be seeing each other often, too,” Baekhyun tells everyone. This, I know, is true. Tagging along to each other’s comeback promotions before was fun, but it’s different this time because we’ll both be promoting.

I smirk as I remember something. “I’m actually excited to see if we can beat EXO at music shows. We’ve been number one for the last two weeks but if EXO comes into the picture,” I pause and sigh dramatically, “we might lose it to them.” Baekhyun chuckles beside me and I automatically turn to him. In a fight or not, I love hearing him laugh. He catches my gaze and twirls the ends of my hair behind my back. For a second, I know that wasn’t part of our act.

“The reason why you two are our surprise guests for tonight’s event is clear: you’re the power couple. Baekhyun here, is sought after by billions of girls around the globe; Yoojin is dreamed of by thousands of millions of guys out there,” Jungsu oppa pauses as he looks at the crowd before looking back at us, “the both of you have been open about your relationship, and the number of supporters you two have is no joke. Of course, you worked hard to show everyone how happy you were and eventually, they couldn’t—or rather we couldn’t help but fall in love with the two of you.”

I tense a little, and I breathe a teensy bit sigh of relief when I remember that Taeyeon unnie didn’t come to Jeju for the workshop. We’re civil and all, especially because she’s my senior too. In fact, we’ve grown a little close af