The evening of the Gala arrived clear and cloudless, unusually warm for the middle of March, with just enough of a breeze to flutter the ladies' skirts when they stepped out of their slick limousines.

 

EXO had been riding in the same vehicle as TVXQ on the way to the banquet hall. Under other circumstances, they would have probably been ecstatic to be in the presence of their respected sunbaes and taken advantage of the opportunity to talk to them. However, each of the twelve boys though back to the day of their haircut, and suddenly felt awkward making conversation. Yunho had tried making small talk, telling them not to be nervous, that they'd be great, only to be met with a few nods and one word murmurs of thanks.

 

Tao cast a quick, worried look at the taller male beside him, who had not uttered a sound all day. Indeed, he couldn't remember if Kris had spoken at all since their time at the hair salon two days ago. At the moment, he was staring out the tinted windows at Seoul's brilliantly-lit nightlife with an emotionless expression.

 

Contrary to what Sooyoung had said about taking the rest of Wednesday off, EXO had found themselves on an extended vacation of sorts when you had called Suho Thursday morning to inform them that you wouldn't been joining them for the rest of the week, but that they would see them at the Gala. They were suprised, but also relieved at the luck of the situation, as none of them knew how exactly to face you right then, after what they had learned from Masako.

 

When you had left with SNSD, the spotlight had returned to Kris, who, upon deciphering the meaning of Tao's little rant, practically began to breathe fire. In what Chen called a mixture of self-defence, denial, and embarassment, the twenty-four-year-old had vehemently denied any form of attraction towards you, disregarding the fact that his raging hard-on thought differently. No amount of light-hearted teasing from Xiumin and Chanyeol, or gentle persuasion from Suho and Baekhyun, or Lay's exasperated, almost accusatory eyerolls could move him from his opinion.

 

Then Luhan suddenly remembered Kris' reaction to his embracing you the day Sooyoung had given them their invitations, and decided to make his dense duizhang see sense through another method.

 

"Masako-san, who was Jaejoong?"

 

That had gotten a reaction from him alright, along with the rest of the ten boys.

 

The Japanese woman had been most reluctant to share her knowledge, but after incessant flattery and wheedling from Luhan (with some help from Kai, whose suave ways came back to him as soon as he moved out of Kris' target range), she had given in and told them the story.

 

 

"Only because you boys seem to be good and trustworthy, and you won't be blabbering to anybody, understood?"

 

They all nodded in assent, rapt with attention. All except Kris, who withdrew from the conversation as much as physically possible. Which was, unfortunately, not much, owing to the fact that he was stuck in a chair, his hair coated with some sort of gel that was in the process of turning it from its orignal black to a shade of tawny. It was strange; he was burning with curiosity, just like his teammates, but at the same time apprehensive about the answer. The truth was, he had a sinking feeling he knew who Jaejoong was to you, and didn't particularly want that suspicion confirmed.

 

"Please, Masako-san, we only want to get to know Jinhye-ssi better," Luhan said coaxingly. Little did he want to admit it, but his...past experiences came in handy in situations like this.

 

"Very well, very well..." Masako cleared . "Kim Jaejoong was also a racer under SM. He was a part of the original TVXQ."

 

"Original?" D.O echoed.

 

"Oh, I suppose you might not know. SM doesn't really keep his trainees up-to-date with Circuit information. TVXQ was originally a team of five - Yunho, Changmin, Junsu, Yoochun, and Jaejoong. They were the best of the best in not only the Seoul Underground, but in the Internationals as well, at the time."

 

"But who was he, to Jinhye-ssi?" Lay pressed.

 

"He was Jinhye's fiancé."

 

He had expected her to say 'boyfriend', but still, the difference between the two words did not really justify the emotions that hit him like a fist in the gut. It did not justify why the words that had left the older woman's lips felt like daggers, embedding themselves hilt-deep into his heart. His hands clenched into fists and gritted his teeth at the sudden pain, and tried to ignore the elven pairs of eyes that had flicked to him at her statement.

 

Masako sighed.

 

"It was like something out of a movie, their love. They met when she was thirteen and he was seventeen, when she'd broken in to their garage to meddle with one of his cars. She was the mechanic's assistant of sorts back then, and said that she thought it was too good a model to waste, being driven around like it was. Obviously, he wasn't too happy about it. They hated each other in the beginning," Masako paused, and laughed, a little sadly.

 

"He used to complain to me, you know, Jaejoong did. Called her the annoying know-it-all brat. Then - and I don't even know how it happened exactly - they started dating, about two years later," she murmured as she snipped away at Chanyeol's curls. "It was Jaejoong who taught her how to drive, you know. I'd never seen two people more in love."

 

Kris wished he could shut his ears as easily and completely as he could shut his eyes.

 

"Jinhye was a natural with the mechanics of cars, and proved the same behind the wheel, too. She made a name for herself pretty quickly on the tracks. Lee Sooman was very happy with her, with the pair of them. They were the Circuit's golden couple, and it promised to be the biggest wedding in Seoul's racing history when Jaejoong finally proposed. I had the wedding dress all planned out. Jinhye was so happy..." she sighed again, after trailing off.

 

"...what happened?" Sehun asked in a small voice, dreading the answer.

 

"He passed away, in a car accident, the winter before their wedding."

 

A short silence followed this announcement as they took in the irony of the situation.

 

"Jinhye was heartbroken, of course. She left the tracks as a result. It probably reminded her too much of him. Junsu and Yoochun left as well, most likely for the same reason."

 

 

As much as Kris had sworn he did not feel anything for you which he knew was a lie, but he squashed this thought each time it came up, he couldn't help the small bubble of relief and hope that had formed when he heard that Jaejoong was no longer part of your life. Immediately, he felt disgusted with himself.

 

'Besides, she's obviously not over him yet.'

'Why do you even care, anyway?'

 

"I don't," he growled in frustration, raking a hand through his hair.

 

"Hyung? We're here..."

 

Chanyeol's deep voice shook him out of his reverie, though his thoughts were still a rampant mess. Even as he stepped out of the car to wait with the rest of the team, he dreaded the moment when he would see you again, not knowing how he would act.

 

 

--

 

 

"Okay. Thanks again, Jungsoo. Yeah. I'll phone before I pick him up. Mhmm, right. I will. Bye."

 

You snapped the phone shut and slipped it into the pocket on the side of your seat. 

 

"You know, I'm surprised Jinyong hasn't rebelled against you yet or something," Yuri mused from her seat across from you.

 

"Nah. He understands why I'm doing this. It's for his own good. Plus, he's not really the type to rebel."

 

You had sent your brother off to Jungsoo's for the night. You weren't expecting something to happen, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Also, you didn't know how late you would be out afterwards, and you didn't want him to worry.

 

You weren't looking forward to the night at all. You knew that although you weren't exactly returning to the tracks, you would still be expected to mingle and greet sponsors and other companies and their teams. You didn't look forward to the questions that would surely come your way. Unfortunately, it wasn't something that you could talk your way out of, as you knew your presence would definitely help reel in sponsors and recognition for EXO. This was really a double-edged sword, since more sponsors would make Lee Sooman happy, but more recognition meant that they were in more danger of being offed for being too much of a threat. You hoped that the crazy old man would at least give them better security.

 

Sooyoung saw the discomfort on your face, but misplaced it as nervousness about your appearance, as you were fiddling with the front hem of your dress.

 

"Chill, Jinnie. You're stunning," she said soothingly.

 

"Yeah girl. Wait till they see how their little Princess grew up," Hyoyeon snickered.

 

You smiled at them, your annoyance with their meddling on Wednesday having long vanished. Though it wasn't your appearance you were worried about, you'd be lying if you said that their words didn't give you a little confidence boost.

 

"Thanks guys, but it's all on you and you know it," you said, the fabric draped over your thighs. "I could have never put all this together."

 

"We missed using you as a dress-up doll, so don't worry about it," Jessica replied as the limo slid to a stop beside the curb.

 

"Let's see what the boys think, shall we?" Yoona said with a wink as she opened the car door and stepped out.

 

Suddenly and unexpectedly, a wave of self-consciousness crashed over you. You didn't know why, but you immediately wanted to curl up under a pile of blankets and never come out.

 

Seohyun caught your sudden hesitation while the rest of SNSD got up to get out. She moved over to where you sat frozen, and whispered quietly.

 

"He'll love it, unnie."

 

You stared at her, about to retort that you didn't care what he thought, but the words died when you saw the gentle, knowing smile on her lips. Instead, you blushed, since she'd hit the nail on the head.

 

For when Yoona said the words 'the boys', Kris's face had flashed in front of your eyes.

 

 

 

 

--

 

...I know that some of you are going to hate me for ending it where I did. But I figured you had enough to digest in that chapter~

 

OBLIGATORY KRISUS SPAM

 

 

 

(I still haven't recovered from this ing photoshoot ok. DAMNIT. EXO + EYELINER = OTP)

(see what I mean)

 

...also requisite Jae pic because. He was mentioned ok. And I killed him. So. I feel bad. YES.

 

(ing intermodulation I cannot anymore)

 

I leave you with this thought though: Things are not always what they seem.  OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO LET YOUR MINDS RUN WILD M'DEARS. 

 

Comments and subscriptions would be adored~ <3

 

- Ace