SBS Building

Slender fingers tugged at a sleek black glove to ensure it reached his wrist, the usual hubbub of backstage chatter surrounding the young man as he strolled down the hallway.

“Hello sunbae.” A small smile curved up the man’s lips as a girl dressed in a fluffy pink and white dress dashed by with a bow.

“Hello.” He replied before continuing on his way. Zhang Yixing tapped a finger against his wrist as he went over the dance moves to his solo portion of Exo’s comeback song in his head before he heard a girl’s voice calling out from further down the hall.

“Rui! Hurry up, it’s almost our turn!”

“I’m coming!” Another voice replied, before something collided into Yixing’s back with a soft thud. Yixing turned around and grabbed the person behind him before she fell, and found himself holding a girl clad in a light red and white dress. Her eyes widened, and Yixing froze as he slowly recognized the girl.

“Ruolan?”

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Ruolan

This had to be some sort of twisted joke. Zhang Yixing’s expression of shock was surely mirroring her own, and Huang Ruolan swallowed hard before righting herself and stepping out of his arms. She pursed her lips together and forced a civil smile.

“Long time no see, Zhang qianbei.” She said with a bow. Yixing cleared his throat and dipped his head in return.

“Yes, it has been a while, Ruolan.” He replied awkwardly, folding his hands in front of him. Ruolan it her lip as she thought of something to say, but her mind was completely blank. All she could hear in her mind was the last conversation they had had a few years ago.

“Is debuting all that matters to you? Enough to make you just stand by and watch a friend get crushed alone for a ridiculous reason?”

“I’m sorry Xiao Lan, but this may be my only chance to debut!”

“So you think that justifies destroying my dream? I can’t even stay here anymore after this, Zhang Yixing!”

“Rui!!” Thankfully, a familiar voice broke through the haze in Ruolan’s mind, and she looked past Yixing to see a familiar figure running towards her.

“Somi!” She said in relief as her fellow member darted to her side.

“Honestly, what’s taking you so long?” Somi scolded, “We have to get ready, come on!” Somi’s eyes spotted Yixing and she bowed with a grin.

“Hello sunbae! If you’ll excuse us, we have to go perform now!” Yixing nodded and waved them off. Somi dragged Ruolan towards the stage, but Ruolan couldn’t help but feel Yixing’s eyes watching them until they turned the corner and disappeared from his sight.

“What was going on there?” Somi whispered excitedly as they joined the rest of their members. Ruolan pressed a smile to her lips and shook her head.

“Nothing, I was just surprised to see a famous senior here.” She lied, averting her gaze. Somi frowned and looked like she wanted to ask more, but the MC’s voices announcing their performance interrupted her.

“The next performance will be...the comeback performance of JYP’s newest girl group, Eight for Fate!” Ruolan swallowed hard as she heard their group name called. This was the day she had been striving for since many years ago, and now it was finally here. Taking a deep breath, she ran forward with her members, and into the waiting spotlight.

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Yixing

Yixing crossed his arms as he watched the girls dancing on the stage. To a casual passerby, he only seemed to be looking curiously at a new junior group, but his gaze was only focused one person. Ruolan was dancing at the middle of the group, her bright smile lighting up the stage as she jumped and twirled. There was no doubt that she was the main dancer of the team. Her movements had grown more fluid since the last time he had seen her, her body moving effortlessly to the rhythm of the music. A faint smile pulled up the corner of Yixing’s lips.

You’ve improved, Xiao Lan.

A friendly arm looped around Yixing’s shoulders as Baekhyun approached and poked his head over Yixing’s shoulder.

“See something you like?” His fellow Exo member teased. Yixing huffed, his gaze still on Ruolan.

“Someone will misunderstand if they hear you say that.” He warned Baekhyun. His fellow member shrugged and followed the line of Yixing’s gaze.

“Well there’s someone who looks familiar.” Baekhyun commented. Yixing coughed and pushed Baekhyun’s hand off his shoulder.

“Your point being?” He asked. Baekhyun smiled wryly and punched Yixing’s arm lightly.

“It’s been six years.” He said, “Ruolan has found her own way back to the stage now. You should be happy for her.” Yixing sighed.

“Who said I wasn’t?” He answered.

“The look in your eyes.” Baekhyun replied simply, “Your face has regret written all over it.” Yixing rubbed at his eyes and pulled his gaze away from Ruolan.

“Forget it.” He said firmly, “Just focus on our comeback today, Baek.” Baekhyun sighed and waved their other members over to go over last minute details.

“If you insist, Yixing.” He replied, “But you have to move on at some point.” Yixing kept his gaze firmly away from the stage and towards s.

“Just stop thinking about it.” He repeated firmly. Still, his mind wandered to Ruolan again as he heard the crowd erupt into cheers at the end of the song. At one time, Ruolan’s bright smile had been reserved for him alone, dazzling his eyes and setting his heart aflame. But now, he knew all he could expect from her was a cool and composed greeting, polite but maintaining a very careful distance from him.

You have no one to blame but yourself, Zhang Yixing.

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Ruolan

As much as Ruolan wanted to avoid seeing Zhang Yixing again, it was completely unavoidable, at least while she was still in the SBS building. As rookie idols, it was customary for them to greet their seniors, especially those who had not been promoting when they first debuted. And so, she followed reluctantly behind her members as they visited Exo’s dressing room and gave their greetings. She could feel Yixing’s gaze on her even as she bowed and kept her gaze pointedly away from him. A few of the other Exo members gave her a cheerful wave as they saw her, and she gave a tiny smile in return. The girls gifted their seniors with a copy of their comeback mini album, and Ruolan was almost at the door, eager to leave, when a voice stopped her.

“Huang Ruolan.” She stiffened as Yixing spoke her name. Ruolan gritted her teeth in frustration before forcing a smile to her face and turning to face him.

“Yes, sunbae?” She queried, her hands clasped politely in front of her. Yixing’s gaze was irritatingly calm.

“Do you have a minute?” He asked, “I’d like to talk to you. In private.” Ruolan swallowed hard, trying to ignore her members’ confused looks.

“I have a radio schedule to attend very soon.” She replied firmly, keeping her gaze steady. Yixing raised an eyebrow.

“Which means you can spare a few moments for me.” He answered coolly. Ruolan spluttered in protest, but found that no words could form properly on her tongue.

This man does not know how to take a refusal!

Still, it was rude for a junior to refuse a senior’s request to speak, especially with so many eyes watching. Indeed, there was not only the idols, but also many staff members inside the room. One slip of a tongue could lead to a complete disaster. Yixing paused by the door and turned to look back at Ruolan, who stood frozen in place.

“Aren’t you coming?” He asked. Ruolan bit her lip and sighed deeply.

“Yes, sunbae.” She replied quietly before following him out.

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Ruolan kept silent as she followed Yixing down the hallway, skillfully dodging the eyes of reporters that had sneaked their way into backstage and the attention of other idols that had been performing today. Ruolan couldn’t help but look up at Yixing’s toned figure in front of her as they walked. From this angle, his body was perfectly slender and sleek, but at the same time, she could see the slight ripples of well toned muscles below the thin black cloth of his shirt. It was the result of many, many years of hard work, much of which Ruolan was well familiar with. She had seen the way he practiced hard by himself in the dance rooms, often late into the night in order to obtain perfection. Indeed, his persistence was one of the things that had drawn her to him, until...she was jarred out of her thoughts as Yixing led her into an empty dressing room and shut the door with a loud bang behind her. Ruolan swallowed hard as he locked the door behind them.

“What do you want?” She asked coldly, mentally shaking herself out of a stream of rising memories. Yixing crossed his arms and levelled his gaze at her.

“Perhaps I should be the one asking that.” He replied, “How long do you intend to treat me like this?” Ruolan frowned.

“Like what?” She asked. Yixing frowned in irritation.

“As if even looking at me would make your eyes burn.” He replied simply. Despite the situation, Ruolan found herself laughing.

“Oh? And how do you expect for me to look at you?” She asked, stepping forward, “As if these past six years didn’t happen? As if that incident never occurred? As if I was still the foolish girl who admired you and looked up to you?” She stopped as she reached him, their positions so close, the tips of Ruolan’s heels just lightly touched against the front of Yixing’s shoes.

“Is that what you want...Xing gege?” She finished, drawing out the old nickname that she had long discarded from her vocabulary. A sense of satisfaction rose in her chest as she saw Yixing flinch, the look in his eyes showing her that her words had hit a nerve. He took a deep breath before continuing.

“I don’t need any of that.” Yixing said at last, “But we are both from large companies, and it is inevitable that we will run into each other often as your popularity rises. At the very least, we can act neutrally civil towards each other. Surely, you can at least do that much.” Ruolan thought for a moment. Yixing had a point, she had to admit that. At the same time, it would be all too easy for him if she agreed to his request immediately, regardless of how she decided to act in the future. Now that they were away from the public eye, she had no reason to fear a third set of eyes and ears. Her lips quirked up into a small smirk.

“Perhaps I could.” Ruolan answered, “And perhaps I can’t.” Yixing stared at her, surprise briefly flitting across his face.

“Huang Ruolan!” He snapped, “Do you have to make things difficult?” Ruolan grinned slyly and turned to go.

“I hope we will not meet again, sunbae.” She stated simply, her hand resting on the doorknob.

“Lan’er.” Her heart skipped a beat as Yixing called out to her before she could go. Ruolan turned her head ever so slightly towards him to show that she was listening. Yixing sighed.

“I truly am glad that you are doing well.” He said quietly, “You were able to create your own stage.” Ruolan smiled faintly, and opened the door to the room.

“Goodbye, sunbae.”

____________________________________________________________________________

Later that night, Ruolan carefully clasped a white mask over her face and slipped on a black cap before stepping out of the car she had taken to her destination. In front of her, the sparkling sign of the Hilton hotel shone in the dark night, lighting up the street below. Ruolan blew out her breath slowly before heading inside. Ryujin’s voice echoed in her head as she headed up the elevator.

Remember, the director for Hwang Chi-yeul’s upcoming mv is very popular. No one knows that he is in this country right now. Don’t let anyone see you! If he likes you enough to pick you to star in the mv, this will be a major chance for exposure to both you and our group!

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At the same time, Yixing parked his car and walked to the entrance of the Hilton hotel. An excited smile spread over his lips as he entered the hotel and headed up the elevator. His steps grew faster as he headed down the chosen hallway, and he peeked around carefully before knocking on one of the room doors.

“Ge! It’s me!” He whispered loudly as he heard the sound of footsteps walking towards the door. The door cracked open, and a pair of dark brown eyes peered around the hallway before opening the door fully and pulling Yixing in.

“You’re sure no one saw you?” Luhan asked as Yixing pulled off his cap. Yixing grinned.

“Of course!” He declared, “I’ve been in this business long enough to know how to avoid prying eyes! No one knows you are here or that I came here to visit you.” Luhan smiled and pulled Yixing into a warm hug.

“I’m so glad.” He said softly before pulling him towards a table laden with small snacks.

“Come.” Luhan said, “We have a lot to catch up on!”

____________________________________________________________________________

The next morning

“Ruolan!” Ruolan paused as she entered the JYP building, and smiled as she greeted her manager with a bow.

“Good morning!” She chirped, but her smile quickly faded as she saw the worried look on her manager’s face.

“What is it?” She asked. The manager shook her head and pulled her towards the elevator.

“The Executive wants to see you.” She answered. Ruolan frowned.

“This early?” She asked, “But I still have to go practice with my members and then there’s a whole day’s worth of schedules to complete!” The manager shook her head.

“You haven’t seen it, have you?” She asked. Ruolan frowned.

“Seen what?” She asked. The manager handed her a phone, and Ruolan’s eyes widened as she read the headline blazing across the screen of the article pulled up on the phone.

“Rookie idol and top idol’s secret dating life exposed! Secret meetings in hotels are how they avoided media attention!”

_________________________________________________________________________

At the same time, Yixing found himself sitting in front of Lee Soo Man, staring at the same article. Under the headline, both his photo and another girl’s photo were splashed across the page. Both of them had been photographed leaving the same hotel, with their faces carefully covered. And at the angle that the photo was taken it, it was quite obvious that it was him and Huang Ruolan. He felt his throat go dry as he looked up at Lee Soo Man’s stern face.

“What do you have to say for yourself?” His boss asked. Yixing swallowed hard.

“I’m not dating her, or anyone for that matter.” He answered honestly.

“Then why were you both at the hotel?” Lee Soo Man demanded.

“It was  a coincidence!” Yixing protested, “I didn’t even see her there! I was only there to visit a friend who was in Korea for a little bit and didn’t want to attract attention!” Lee Soo Man sighed.

“And you didn’t notice any reporters following you at all?” He asked. Yixing shook his head and bowed his head in shame.

“I’m sorry.” He mumbled. Lee Soo Man sighed again.

“Well, no one is going to believe us if we say that you are not dating her now.” He said, “I have spoken to Park Jin Young already before you came, and we came to a conclusion on what to do.” Yixing peeked up cautiously, afraid of what the answer was going to be. Lee Soo Man crossed his arms and levelled his gaze with Yixing.

“We are going to tell the public what they want and expect to hear, and you are going to date Huang Ruolan.”