‘Soo Min! I love you!’

Screams, yells, desperate people trying to get to her. Well, no one could. That was ironic. Everyone wanted her, but no one could actually get to her. She was like a stone. She was a goddess to everyone, that is how she was seen by the rest of them. The simple people.

She was used to this. The flashing of the cameras, the screams, the wanton of others, the fame. It didn’t matter to her. Nothing mattered to her. Maybe there have been times where all of this would have mattered but she got used to it, and learned not to care. She was the ice queen now, and she didn’t need anyone. Too many people have told her those I love you’s, and now the meaning for her was lost.

Being a player, a goddess, it was all part of her. Soo Min the wanted actress.

Entering the building she rolled her eyes and loosened the smile that seemed to be carved forever on her face. Her muscles started to hurt.

‘My dear Soo Min!’ a woman in her mid fifties pinched her cheeks and smiled warmly at her. ‘My dear it’s good to see you again!’

Ae Chun, someone who has been like a mother to Soo Min. They hadn’t seen each other in such a long time, and for Soo Min it was like a breather. Something fresh and new. Ae Chun had moved to USA before Soo Min could get to school, so they have been apart for a long time.

‘Shall we seat and order something to eat?’ Ae Chun suggested and Soo Min agreed sitting down and taking the elegant pose.

‘Ah, I see, forever the lady’ Ae Chun smiled warmly and sat down.

They ordered and started talking. About anything, everything. Mostly about Ae Chun’s life in USA, and how it was so different from Korea. Then the dreaded moment came.

‘So my dear child, how is your life. I saw how big you have gotten. The princess dream of yours came true, you must be very happy’ Ae Chun watched Soo Min closely, but the only thing that the latter could do was present a half-smile and avert her eyes.

‘Yes, it is very good. My life I mean. I have everything I have ever wanted’ Soo Min took a sip from the water she ordered and coughed awkwardly.

‘Then-‘ Ae Chun aproached her seat and lowered her voice. ‘What about the princess’ other dream?’

‘I do not know what you are talking about’ Soo Min thanked the waiter for the food and stuffed before Ae Chun could ask her anything else. It was all a lie of course, Soo Min knew everything about the other dream that Sonsaengnim was talking about. But it had been long forgotten and it was nowhere near the ‘dream’ etiquette.

‘Sonsaengnim, where are you staying?’ Soo Min asked after they left the restaurant and they were in the car. ‘I could ask my driver to take you’

‘My dear child, I am not going back home right now. I have another visit to make right now, so if you could just let me off at SM Entertainment, it would be wonderful’

Soo Min froze. What could her Sonsaengnim want with SME? For Soo Min it was a closed subject. She had left that company a long time ago, and all because of a few misunderstandings. ‘Excuse me Sonsaengnim, but what could you want at SME?’

‘Oh, I have an old acquaintance there, and it would be rude not to pass by and greet them properly, although it has been quite some time, I think he would like to hear from his brother’ Ae Chun answered sincerely then smiled. Soo Min once again averted her eyes and watched the scenery closely. This actually it gave time to the old woman to observe her quietly.

Soo Min had changed. She was no longer the happy girl she knew back then, she was more mature now, but not how she was supposed to grow up. A stray cat, hurt and scared of the reality, which instead of fighting it head on was running away from it by all means. And Ae Chun actually doubted that the little one had forgotten about the dream. It was still there etched into her heart.

‘Madam, we have arrived’ Soo Min woke up from her daze and looked at the imposing building in front of her. She couldn’t help the butterflies in her stomach. She had sworn not to get close to this building ever again, but here she was getting inside. The cold appearance that was etched onto her face was just a mask to hide her nervousness.

‘Are you okay child?’ Ae Chun asked her only getting a nod. She knew nothing about Soo Min’s past with SME, and Soo Min didn’t plan to tell her more.

The inside was just as she remembered it. Grand and cold.

‘Ah, annyoenghaseyo Sonsaengnim and…Soo Min?’ Hye Sun an employee greeted them, appearing surprised to see the young woman entering the building again.

‘Annyoenghaseyo Hye Sun-ssi’ Soo Min greeted nodding her head slightly. Walking towards the elevator they intercepted another person who was waiting for it. The last person that Soo Min wanted to see. Kim Junsu, on of the many reasons why Soo Min was avoiding this building, not the main one, so she was safe.

‘Annyoenghaseyo’ he politely greeted. But he changed showing surprise to see Soo Min accompanying the old woman. ‘Ah, Soo Min-ssi, annyoenghaseyo’ he smiled warmly and Soo Min nodded her head coldly.

‘Soo Min, you seem to know the people here very well. So maybe you know the person I am looking for?’ Ae Chun turned towards the young woman, her gentle expression never leaving her face.

‘Well, I have passed this place a few times’ Soo Min answered watching Junsu with the corner of her eyes. He seemed surprised by her answer but did not say anything else and Soo Min was thankful for that.

‘Oh, I see. Young man’ Ae Chun addressed Junsu directly. ‘Do you work here?’ Junsu composed himself and smiled nodding.

‘You could say’

‘Well maybe then you know someone by the name of-‘ but the old woman couldn’t get to finish because the elevator’s door just opened and someone stepped in pressing the 22^nd floor button. Junsu smiled in recognition then coughed nervously remembering that Soo Min was also with them in the elevator. How would she react when she recognized the person that walked in?

‘Xiah’ the person called and Soo Min perched her ears. That deep voice, how could she forget something like that? Rising her eyes she came face to face to ‘the reason’ how she liked to call it. Her downfall.

‘Park Yoochun?’ but this wasn’t Soo Min. It was Sonsaengnim. How could she know Yoochun? Suddenly Soo Min was feeling like in some kind of cheap drama. She was starting to feel lightheaded and the blood suddenly rushed to her head.

‘Sonsaengnim?’ Yoochun smiled in recognition. ‘Annyoenghaseyo. What brings you here in South Korea?’

‘I came to visit two old friends. And how small is the world, we are all together now in this small elevator. Not that small, Soo Min wanted to say, but it would’ve been inappropriate and also stupid. Finally realizing that him, Junsu and Sonsaengnim weren’t the only people in the elevator Yoochun looked at Soo Min and his appearance changed. He became rigid like a statue and when their eyes met he frowned.

‘My boy, this is-‘ Ae Chun started but Yoochun rudely interrupted her. ‘Park Soo Min’ he stated coldly.

‘Hello again, Yoochun’ she simply stated then returned to watching the numbers change.

‘Ah you two know each other?’ Ae Chun inquired.

‘We have met before’ Soo Min quietly answered. She feared to let Yoochun answer. Who knows what he might say. The atmosphere in the elevator suddenly changed into an ice cold one. No one spoke until the elevator’s doors opened with a ping showing that they have arrived at their destination.

Junsu stepped out and waited for Ae Chun and the rest of them. The problem was, after Ae Chun stepped outside when Soo Min wanted to follow her steps Yoochun also made a move to get out and they bumped into each other. Soo Min glared at him, but was surprised to see him smirk actually.

‘Still as clumsy as ever’ he snorted.

‘Still a gentleman’ Soo Min retorted and stepped out before Yoochun could say anything else. The hall was large, just as Soo Min remembered and Yoochun offered them to go to a place where they could talk in peace.

Junsu quietly excused himself not wanting to intrude, and Soo Min was about to also excuse herself also and go wait in the car but Ae Chun didn’t want to hear about it. ‘Nonsense. You are part of this reunion, I want to be with the two of you together, and it is even better that you two know each other. What good fortune!’

What good fortune indeed, Soo Min thought bitterly, and after Yoochun’s face she could clearly see that he was thinking something along the lines. The entered a deserted room and sat down to talk.

‘Sonsaengnim, it is so good to see you. How are you?’ Yoochun seemed to relax forgetting everything about Soo Min’s presence in the room and she stood quietly by the window watching the people outside giving them a little privacy, but quietly listening in to their conversation. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was curious.

‘Well, my dear, everything at home is really good. Every one misses you, especially your brother’ then it got quiet and Soo Min could tell that this was still hard for Yoochun.

‘Well, I miss him also…’ then the conversation deviated into something else. Whilst watching the city with her back turned towards them, Soo Min missed the quiet and short stares that Yoochun was giving her, but the old lady didn’t, but she wanted to find out more about this with each of them. Time passed by quickly and soon it was time for Yoochun to leave for a photo shoot with the band so they had t part but not without a hug and a few promises to see each other again while Ae Chun was still in Seol.

Hopefully not with my by her side, Soo Min thought and immediately felt sorry for being so mean, but it was actually hard for her to keep up with her act with Yoochun this close to her.

‘See you’ she quietly said keeping her fingers crossed, a childish act she had to admit. Yoochun stared at her but nodded, not like she could see him.

While walking down with the elevator Ae Chun watched Soo Min closely. ‘He is interested in you’ she simply said and Soo Min froze. She almost laughed in bitterness but refrained herself. She couldn’t act rude.

‘No, it is just an impression. I-‘ but Ae Chun smiled knowingly nodding quietly to herself. She had a slight hunch of what happened, she hasn’t been living for fifty years for nothing.

Finally arriving to the ground floor Ae Chun hugged Soo Min lovingly. ‘Well child I will be seeing you around’ and just like that she left leaving Soo Min staying there in confusion and speechless. So she had waited for her Sonsaengnim for nothing? And she had suffered a blow in the ego just for…nothing?

She got into the car quietly taking one last look at the building behind her, and her heart stopped when she saw Yoochun behind her staring at her intently. They watched each other tense like two lions waiting for the other one to attack. But before Soo Min could say that she was leaving Yoochun grabbed her arm roughly and dragged her into the building’s café.

‘We need to talk’ he simply said. Soo Min tried to pry her arm off, but his grip was strong. A thing she missed about him. She shook her head in disapproval. She couldn’t think like that right now.

‘I have nothing to say to you’ she snorted angrily still trying to get him to let her go.

‘Do not cause a scene. After all you are a public face also, and this could ruin your reputation’ Soo Min froze.

‘Just…leave. Us, being like this, it is just…making me nervous’ she yelled at him.

‘What do you mean?’ he sounded hurt and confused.

‘…it might ruin my reputation’

It hurt her to hear him repeat the words that she had said to him then. But she deserved that and she knew it.

‘And I beg to differ. You were the one that entered the building after you swore not to’ another blow. Yoochun stared at her waiting for her response but she stood there examining her shoes quietly.

‘What do you want me to say? If you were so hurt, and you hate me so much right now, why do you want me to say something to you? What difference could it make?’ her mask was slowly falling off, but she desperately tried to put it back on. She took a deep breath and recomposed herself. ‘I am sorry but I have nothing to say’ she stood up.

‘I think it would make quite a difference. Oh, and how big’ he said quietly. Soo Min turned around. The hurt that she heard in his voice was too much for her to bear.

‘I do not think so’ she wanted to sound tough, but her voice cracked. She took a step towards the exit her heart receiving quite a blow with Yoochun’s last words.

‘And yes, I am hurt. But I don’t hate you, never did, never will’