Taecyeon looks both ways of the door as Yuri stands behind him. No sign of them here. He turns back to look at Yuri. “They’re not here. You ready?”

She nods. “Yeah.”

He opens the door and leads the way out.

They’ve been in the same place for almost an hour and finally, he decides to let her go after much debate and exchange. This time, the exchange for this escape is for her to invite him to her dance performance at her school with VIP passes. He knows about this upcoming performance from Eunhyuk and Hyoyeon when they had stayed the night.

As they walk out, she keeps looking both sides as she’s afraid one of them will just suddenly pop out of nowhere.

Finally, they’ve passed the entrance. They exit the building but continued walking to the driveway. Taecyeon is waiting until Yuri has found a taxi for a ride home. They stand waiting outside, under a lamp post.

“Thank you, Taecyeon ssi,” Yuri says, not looking back, focusing on getting a Taxi’s attention,

Taecyeon smiles. “It’s not Taecyeon ssi. It’s Taecyeon oppa.”

*

Hours later after a long and unsuccessful search for Yuri in the building, the idols gather in the main floor’s lounge for dinner and news about what happened in their own floor respectively.

“Don’t be so down, Minho, for missing her.” Taecyeon assures Minho. Though, I should be the one getting reprimanded for lying when you’re trying your best. “We did what we could.”

Minho continues to look down at his food. He hasn’t taken a bite at all ever since he’s sat down. “It’s…it’s not that that I’m...worried about.” Sorry, Taecyeon, but right now, I don’t want to talk about it.

Jonghyun loudly sneers. “Taecyon hyung, don’t worry. If he’s not upset about not being able to find Yuri, he’s probably thinking about how he feels.” He touches his heart and does a cute sigh.

Minho becomes alert and almost whacks Jonghyun in the head for blurting it out.

Everyone, but Minho, gasps.

So, he is finally told about it. Taecyeon secretly nods his head. Wish I were there to have seen his reaction. Key is pretty accurate about it. What is he, a psychic?

Jessica pouts as she worries for Minho. Don’t worry. You’re not the only one who was surprised when you heard about this. She looks at her man. How did he tell him anyway?

Yoona takes a bit of her salad and glances at Minho. I wonder how he’s taking this.

“Don’t worry. It’s nothing about that.” Minho stares at his food and grabs a fork and pokes at it. “I’m thinking of talking to the President about this tomorrow.”

*

Although it took some time for Yuri to open her house’s door, she manages to get in without any problems. She turns on the hallway light, takes off her shoes, and enters the living room.

Oh, how I miss this place! She rushes to the kitchen as she brings along the grocery bags she got from the late-night grocery shopping. While washing the rice cooker’s pot, she checks the time. It’s a bit passed eleven. I better have a quick dinner and go to sleep for tomorrow!

She cleans the pot and goes and grabs some rice. As she counts for how many cups, she catches herself grabbing more than what she usually gets for when it’s just her eating by herself.

I forgot. Appa…he’s not here tonight. Or forever.

*

Jonghyun sees Taecyeon’s text telling him that he has left something in Taecyeon’s car, and Taecyeon will be waiting in the front entrance of the dorms for him to come and get it. He is already in his dorm, entering with Minho.

I don’t think I left anything, though. He starts searching himself as he puts on his jacket that he has just tossed to the side right before reading the text.

Minho comes from the hallway with his toothbrush in his mouth. “Where are you going?”

You changed fast. “Taecyeon hyung said I left something, so he’s waiting downstairs for me to get it.” Jonghyun heads to the door. “Can you wait up, and open the door for me. I don’t want to bring the key.”

Minho takes out his toothbrush. “Why didn’t he just bring it to you tomorrow or on Monday instead?” He walks towards Jonghyun and the door, getting ready to be on standby for when Jonghyun comes back.

Jonghyun shrugs. “I don’t know. Oh well.” He thanks Minho and walks out the door and heads to the stairs.

Down the stairs, he sees the elevator and heads towards it. It’s been so long since I’ve head out this late all by myself. He presses a button and waits for the doors to slide open. I can’t believe Jessica likes me, too! He hugs himself in delight. His little action is caught by Jessica when the elevator doors slide open.

She is in a pink hooded jacket and long black pants. Her hair’s covered by the hood. By the way she’s standing, she’s probably cold.

“Sica? Where are you going?’ He enters. His question is in a curious tone. No more Mister mean guy, but Mister Jessica’s guy.

She points to the button for the main floor. “Are you going to the main floor, too?”

He nods. What does she mean by, ‘too’? “Why aren’t you in your dorm?”

Her shivering mouth answers. “Taecyeon oppa says that I forgot something, and that he’s waiting downstairs for me to get it.”

He jumps up in surprise, surprising her. “What, you too!? He wrote the same to me, too!”

She looks up at him. “Really?” She takes out her cell phone and checks the message. “Do you think it’s a joke, then?”

Jonghyun looks straight again as he his head to the side. “I don’t know. He isn’t really the type who likes to play jokes on people, though.” He glances at his girl who is trembling and shivering. He sees her small fingers are a little bit out of the sleeves of her jacket. She’s so cute! Why is she always wearing such thin and light clothes? Just then, his hand reaches out to the stop button to halt the elevator from continuing the ride.

She blinks a few times. “Why-why’d you—”

Jonghyun’s huge arms covers Jessica as he hugs her tightly from the side.

“Are you okay?” She brings her hands to tap him.

He chuckles as he places his chin on top of her shoulders. With a childish smile, he answers, “I’m okay, but this Ice Princess isn’t.”

“Huh?” He’s talking about me, right?

He pulls back from the hug. “I’ll warm you up.” He tightens his grasp around her waist.

She blushingly hugs him back.

“There’s one thing Yuri made me remember to say when I saw the video today.”

“What is it?” She asks, still hugging him.

He looks down as his smile disappears. “I’m sorry.”

Silence.

What does he mean? What is he apologizing for? She becomes a bit worried as she feels her heart beat louder and faster. “What for?”

He pulls back from the hug again. His hands hold her shoulder firm, keeping her in place.

They lock eyes.

“For all those times I’ve treated you wrongly, I’m sorry.” He brings a hand over to the side of his neck and starts massaging it to calm himself down. “To be honest, I’ve always liked you since I first saw you as a trainee. When you debuted, I was your number one fan.” Look at her while you speak, dimwit! He lectures himself as he notices his gaze is slipping off.

Jessica smiles at this heart whelming confession. He has more to add from that day of his confession?

“I thought you disliked me because you always seemed so…cold.” He chuckles as he finds it funny. “But now I know that it’s just your outer appearance, and not how you really feel.”

She grabs Jonghyun’s free hand on her shoulder and wraps her hands around his hand. “You’re not the only one. I was, too. Actually, I thought you didn’t like me because we never really had a conversation before. I also liked you ever since I saw you as a trainee. I was quite impressed with your vocals and how unique it sounds.”

The two finally and actually resolved their issue and laugh it off in the stopped elevator.

Jessica turns around and reaches to presses for the elevator to continue but is stopped by Jonghyun.

“May I?” Jonghyun holds onto one of Jessica’s hands. He brings that hand to his lips as he kisses it while looking at her intensively. His other hand turns her to face him. As he finishes kissing the hand, he raises his head and decreases the distance between them. His hand that lets go of her hand gently slides up from her arm to the side of her neck and he places them there. His other hand holds her free hand at the bottom as they both interlock. He leans inward, hoping he can finally get the kiss he’s always wanted to do.

She tightly holds onto his hand. Her free hand on the other side slowly goes up and reaches for his jacket, just holding onto it, squeezing it out of happiness, fear, and excitement. As she sees him lean inwards for a kiss, she slowly closes her eyes when he tilts his head as he nears her.

Slowly and carefully, his lips touched hers.

Both of their lips are moist.

He steps in closer, making their lower bodies touching one another.

She gasps at the sudden intimacy, opening unintentionally.

Taking this chance, he gradually enters her and begins exploring her even more as all the previous kisses weren’t enough to make him happy.

A few moments later, Jessica is on par with him.

A while later, the two leisurely back away from the kiss and perk up to look at one another. They laugh at their sudden change of relationship and kiss. They cuddle against one another.

Jonghyun eyes the button. “Ready to go?”

Jessica smiles shyly, still red from the kiss. “Yeah, ready to go.”

*

“They’re here.” Yoona scrolls down the window. “Oppa, eonni, get inside the car.” She tells them when they are near.

Taecyeon and Yoona see the perplex faces of the Jongsica couple as they listen and get onto the van again quietly.

Yoona subtly smiles. Oh, they’re holding hands. I guess they’re going out? As Taecyeon is talking to the Jongsica couple, she steals a quick look at Taecyeon and then at his hands. Will I ever get to hold that hand again?

Jonghyun cuddles beside Jessica as they face Taecyeon and Yoona, who are also turned to face them, too. “We didn’t forget anything, hyung.”

Taecyeon apologizes. “But there is a reason for tonight’s secret meeting.”

Yoona, Jessica, and Jonghyun open their mouths in confusion. In sync, they ask, “‘Secret meeting’?”

*

In the car, Taecyeon has the heater on.

He and Yoona both aren’t looking at each other. They have already arrived at Yoona’s dormitory. She’s looking on the window of her side, whereas he’s looking around in case something curiously happens.

He glances at her.

She doesn’t notice.

He decides to just stop and look at her, but he is startled when she suddenly speaks.

“Do you want to say something?” She isn’t looking at him, but at his reflection from the window. She points at it. “You’ve been staring at me for a while now.”

He chuckles. She’s so sneaky. “You’re beautiful.”

She slowly puts her hand down onto her lap, surprised at this sudden cheesy line from him. As she carefully turns to face him, she is stopped when he suddenly plants a kiss on her cheeks.

He stays there, wanting to remember how it feels to have his first cheek kiss with her.

She embarrassingly backs away immediately. “We might be seen!”

He gives her a confident smile. “There’s no one here.” He looks around the driveway. “I checked it already.”

She hides her smile as she looks down. She plays with her hands, trying to keep down the excitement.

He notices and he reaches for her hands, holding onto it. “I’ve always wanted to hold your hands.”

She shyly looks at him. “We held hands that day too, remember?”

“Yeah, but I want to be able to hold your hands whenever I want to.”

“Sorry.”

“Why can’t we tell the Presidents about the situation?”

She exhales. “Because we don’t want to worsen the situation.”

“How could it?”

She turns her upper body towards him.

He brings a hand to brush the sides of her face.

“Because when news broke out about Minho and me going out, we both had a lot of people who started fan wars or became our anti-fans. I—”

Taecyeon plants a sudden kiss onto Yoona’s lips to stop her from saying anymore.

Her eyes flicker as she can’t believe she’s finally got to kiss the man she’s always wanted. She can’t look at him. She’s too scared and too shy, so she looks straight ahead.

He moves back a few centimeters, his face still closer to her. “Close your eyes.”

She covers with her hand. She stutters behind the hand blocking , “No. I...we...”

He smiles. He slowly removes her hand as he clasps it with his hand, bringing it down, interlocking them together. This time, he comes in slower.

She can’t resist, so she closes her eyes just seconds before he plants another kiss onto her lips.

It is a long sweet kiss.

After the kiss, he goes up near her ears and whispers, tickling her. “You don’t have to worry about what others say...as long as we’re together.”

*

It’s been a week since Yuri has ‘officially’ stopped working for SM Entertainment. She hasn’t stepped in the building ever since she had left that day. All her stuff and belonging was sent to her house two days after she had requested for it to happen in exchange for something with her father, Lee Soo Man.

The exchange is to spend one day with him and his wife as a family this Saturday.

Today is a Thursday, so she has a day to spare and to think of what to do. For the days she’s been back at her house, she’s been keeping herself busy with cleaning the house, doing homework and rehearsing for the upcoming simultaneous festival, dance competition, and ‘dance graduation.’

That’s right.

Yuri has officially given her two friends word that she has the time to resume her activities again. When this news was said over in the intercom, everyone in the school shouted with cheers. At lunch time, a lot of students came to visit Yuri in her class, bombarding her with questions, giving her courage, and becoming more excited to be in the festival.

Now, it is lunch time.

She closes her books and puts down her pen.

As she is about to get up, Hyoyeon gently slams her hand on Yuri’s desk, making Yuri stare at her in confusion.

“Eonni, you’re blocking the way. We have to go—”

Hyoyeon shakes her head side to side. “You’ve been really weird ever since a few days ago.”

Yuri giggles as she tries to smile. “What do you mean?” She clasps her hands and puts it on top of her books. “I’m the same old Yuri.” She looks at the door and points at it. “Aren’t we going to go? Leeteuk oppa and the others are waiting for us to practice.”

Hyoyeon sighs as she frowns. She asks the person whose desk is next to Yuri to move so she can sit there.

The person happily gives her seat to Hyoyeon as she thinks that Hyoyeon and Yuri a