Ha Neul’s POV

After oppa’s call Terrorist Kiddy had been forced to let me attend my lectures. But he strictly forbade me to let anyone know about him! *sigh*

I had no other choice but to tell both Hyo Rin and Woohyun oppa that I had been sick and somehow forgot to call her. Hyo Rin was satisfied with that but oppa still demanded an explanation for the screaming. Obviously…

I told him I had wanted to play a prank on him with a recorded male voice and he partially bought it. Lame, I know! But what else should I have said?! It took all my convincing skills to get him to believe me! Well, in the end he announced that he’d be coming to Seoul in a month because of business matters anyway and that we’d have a good talk then… -__- I wasn’t going to worry about that yet, though. I had more pressing issues. Like the agreement with Hyo Rin about telling her in a week, which was now in three days…

Although Terrorist Kiddy had stated his opinion on the matter very clearly I wasn’t going to give up that easily!

But that was easier said than done. During the day we barely saw each other; he was busy with SHINee activities and I kept hurrying back and forth between work and lectures. How do you convince someone of something, if you never get to talk to him?

At night I did get to see him but there was still no chance to talk to him. You see, we had developed a somewhat little peculiar routine at night… Ever since the time he had been drunk, I would wake up every night only to find him either sleepwalking or tossing around in his bed. And every night I would stay with him holding his hand and eventually falling asleep beside his bed. In the morning I’d awake with him gone and a blanket draped over me…

I know this probably sounds strange… considering that we were practically strangers and all… But I didn’t think much about it; to me it seemed the most natural thing to do… I just couldn’t ignore him… seeing the pain he was in…

But that had nothing to do with the Hyo Rin problem… Which needed to be solved urgently. Hyo Rin’s pestering had gotten unbearable and besides, I really didn’t like keeping secrets from her…

So I looked up Terrorist Kiddy’s schedule. Seeing that he had a reality show on without the other members this afternoon I took the chance and hoped onto the next bus to the studio. They were still filming when I arrived so I sneaked in and hid myself in the audience.

They asked him to do some funny stuff and sing something. Well, the just the usual. In fact I was more interested in the cameras and lights than the show itself… I had never been to a set before so I was quite impressed. All the wires everywhere and the people handling the equipment. It was a miracle that they never appeared on the final cut!

As soon as the director shouted ‘cut’ and announced that the filming was over, Terrorist Kiddy was surrounded by fans asking for an autograph or a picture. I sighed. What were all these girls going to do once it got out that their adored idol already had a woman he cared about to the point of dreaming about her every single night and buying her an engagement ring? Korea will drown in a sea of tears!

Slowly, veeeeery slowly the crowd dispersed and Terrorist Kiddy bowed his goodbye to the director and the filming crew. Then he left and I hurriedly followed him. He went to the parking lot and I actually managed to go unnoticed until then. Only when we both reached his car he saw me. Immediately the irritation crease, as I called the crease between his eyebrows that always appeared once something was bothering him, showed itself.

“What are you doing here?” He unlocked his car and I sat onto the passenger’s seat at once. He raised his eyebrows at me but got in as well. “So?”

“I… err… need to talk to you…”

He started the engine and we left the parking lot. “Fine… I’m listening.”

“Um… I’ll treat you to something! I know a nice little café around here!” I blurted recognising the neighbourhood we drove through.

When he didn’t reply anything I just told him the directions and he actually followed them. “Here it is!” I said shortly after and pointed at a little café in the side alley.

He eyed it sceptically while donning his scarf, sunglasses and hat. “You sure you remember correctly?”

“Positive!” I was already standing in front of the shop window and admired the delicious looking pastries with a watering mouth.

“Stop drooling,” Terrorist Kiddy muttered through his scarf and pushed the door open. I secretly wiped my mouth.

“Welcome, customer!” The lady behind the counter greeted us. “Omo, Ha Neul-ah, is that you?”

“Anyonghaseyo, ahjumma!” I smiled widely. “How’s the business going?”

“Aigoo, it really is you!” Ahjumma walked around the counter and pulled me into a hug. “Since you’ve stopped working here there are only old men and women coming! Aigoo, it's so good to see you again! Oh, and who might this young man be?” She asked with a glint in her eyes. “Your boyfriend, maybe?”

“Ahjumma!” Him, my boyfriend?! Never!! “He’s just a… um, friend…” And even that was an exaggeration!

“Anyonghaseyo,” he greeted her politely with a bow. I guess he did have some manners somewhere…

He got himself a coffee and a cake while I settled with my favourite tea and some cookies. We took a table besides the shop window.

“So, you’ve worked her before…” He looked around the shop while stirring his coffee.

“Yes. That’s why I can guarantee that the food and drinks here are all handmade!” I smiled brightly thinking of how he disliked instant food. I guess he hadn't expected me to notice that because he stopped moving the spoon for a few seconds and blankly stared at me.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” He finally said while putting the spoon down and grabbing the fork for the cake instead..

I fiddled with my cup. “Err… I…”

“It’s about telling that friend of yours, right?”

I looked up surprised. “How did you know?”

He just shrugged his shoulders and and ate some cake. He smirked. "you were right; it's good."

“Why can’t I tell Hyo Rin?” I ignored his remark. “I can guarantee that she won’t tell anyone else!”

He scoffed. “How do you know?”

“Because she’s never do that! Never! Hyo Rin may be a lover of good gossip but she knows the difference between gossiping around and spilling a secret! I’ve been friends with her for years now and she never told my secrets to anyone!” It was the truth. Hyo Rin just wasn’t that kind of person.

“Once is always the first time…”

I frowned. “Why are you this suspicious of her? Didn’t I just say that she’s reliable? Why can you still not trust her?”

“…”

“Why?”

“…because she’s a girl…” He said it so softly I almost missed it. Because she is a girl?

“What does her credibility have to do with her gender?” This was getting more complex than a differential equation.

“Nothing… forget I ever said that…” He looked out the window.

“Kim Jonghyun, I’m trying to solve a problem here! Can’t you just cooperate a—“ I cut myself off when I understood what he’d just said. “You don’t trust… girls?”

He didn’t answer.

“You don’t trust women in general?” I asked again looking at him intently.

This time he gave a small nod.

Woah! THE Kim Jonghyun, the playboy of the nation, distrusts girls?! “Wae?”

“You don’t need to know,” he said briskly.

“Then what about your girlfriend? You don’t trust her either?”

His head snapped into my direction. “My girlfriend?”

Aigoo, this was embarrassing…! “Well, you know, the one you mistook me for that night… the one you keep telling to not to leave you in your dreams every night… the one who broke up with you the day after your members came for a sleep-over…?“

“Girlfriend? …well, I guess one would think like that… but you got it wrong.” He looked straight into my eyes. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

-----------------------

Well, here's the second chapter...

hehehehe...