Pabo!
Like this....?
Kiseop pointed out Aly and Mir from backstage as they waited around for the okay to start their dinner show, “You know, as much as I don’t care for Mir, they make a really cute couple.”
Kevin in a long breath before he added onto it, “Yeah. It’s kind of gross.”
Soohyun frowned, looking at the girl from behind the curtain.
She had her half up, her curly hair cascading at the side of her head. She wore a long, yellow gown that almost reminded him of the dress she wore for their date. But that one was cutesy where this one really made it clear that she was a woman.
Kiseop poked at the boy, “Hey, wipe the drool off of your face before we go on.”
“Huh?” The brunette wiped his mouth with his sleeve, “Oh, I didn’t realize...”
Kevin smiled, patting the older boy’s shoulder, “Soohyun, if you don’t come out in public soon, she won’t be able to be with you.” The blonde boy nudged him, “You know we’ll all support you, right?”
Soohyun looked to Kevin, then at the others before he looked back out, “I... I can’t, though. What if we lose fans? Or if it doesn’t work out?”
“If we lose fans over something like that, they aren’t real fans, Soohyun.” Eli gave him a thumbs up.
Alexander sighed, “And it’ll definantly work out. She’s crazy about you.”
“Thirty seconds.” The stage hand smiled brightly at them, “Take your places, boys!”
---
Kibum looked around the group. Where was Dongho?
Just as he thought it, the youngest member slipped on stage, looking like he was feeling guilty about something. Before he could question it, Alexander stepped forward on the stage.
“Thank you all for coming tonight. We’re really excited about this.” The room was small, but full and well-lit, so he could see everyone quite well, “We’d like you to enjoy your meal while listening to us happily. Alright?”
---
Aly smiled as the group entered on stage, “I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen them perform live from an audience point of view.”
“Really? But you guys are so close?”
The girl blinked, forgetting that Mir was with her, “Oh, we are. It’s just, I’ve never seen them perform like this before.”
Mir smiled brightly, “I’m glad we could do this together, then!”
Aly frowned, “Listen, Mir. It’s not that I don’t like you-”
Before she could finish, the boy made a thumbs up at the stage hand, who giggled before taking away Eli’s microphone, “We have a special guest who would like to say something to his date.”
---
Asa stopped watching Sue and Taemin playing with sugar packets long enough to glance up at the stage, “Sue. Check it out.”
Sue blinked before opened, “Oh snap, he’s making a BIG announcement, then?”
Taemin cocked his head to the side curiously, “That reminds me, why was I asked to come along again?”
Asa shushed him, “To keep Sue busy while we conduct our master plan.”
“Oh.”
Mir stood, accepting the microphone with a thank you before turning to Aly, “Hey. Uh, as most of you know, I have a thing for Aly, the leader of H3@RT.” The crowd laughed a bit before he continued, “We actually had an altercation last night and it was then I realized I’ve been going about this the wrong way. Aly and I have actually not been dating this entire time. I wasn’t thinking about consequences when I posted that picture, and it eventually got so out of hand that I began pretending that we were dating, which wasn’t fair to her.”
Aly sat up a bit in her chair, hands gripping her dress in her lap. What was he doing?
The boy looked down, “I wanted to apologize for putting her through all of this, but I also wanted to thank her for breaking down and actually going on a date with me.”
Soohyun visibly tensed behind him with the rest of U-KISS. So that’s why they were together tonight? Aly had agreed to go on a date with him?
“But, I also know that the only reason you rejected me in the past was because of another guy who had his sights on you.” He paused to let it sink in, “But, I have reason to believe that he’s never confessed to you-”
“That’s not true.” Aly looked at her hands, “He did... kind of. Once before.”
“But did you accept it?”
“He had to leave.”
“Exactly.” He stepped down, moving towards the girl, “Can’t you see me? I’m right in front of you, confessing to you how much I like you. I like you so much, Aly, and I’m not going anywhere. I’ll say it before everyone here.” He stood, “I’m in love with Aly, everyone.” He looked back at her, “So please, just give me a chance.” His voice became desperate, “Please.”
She shifted uncomfortably, feeling the urge to cry. What was she supposed to say? Yes? Then she would be lying to herself. And Soohyun... what would he say? If she said no? The room would dub her a jerk for denying his public confession, and her reputation would be ruined.
In her silence, a fan brought it upon herself to stand, “Girl, don’t get emotional! Just say yes!”
The crowd voiced their agreement loudly.
Aly struggled, “Mir, I... I...” And just as tears began falling, a hand gripped her wrist and pulled her into a tight hug. She had assumed it was Mir, but it didn’t matter. She sobbed into his shoulder, gripping his shoulders tightly, “I don’t-”
An unexpectedly deep voice rang in her ear, “Mir, are you nuts?”
Aly looked up, “SeungHo?” She glanced at the stage where Soohyun was looking down in guilt. Her lips formed a thin line. So that’s how it was? She continued to cry, burying her face in his shoulder.
The older male held her head to his shoulder, “She’s already been through so much with this situation, and you’re going to do this to her?”
Mir frowned at the leader of his group, anger bubbling in his veins, “I just want to be there for her. See? Even HE isn’t moving to make sure she’s alright. She deserves better!”
“Mir, better may not be what she wants.” SeungHo frowned, continuing to cradle her face to his shoulder as he ushered her out of the room. He whispered for her to just keep crying and that everything would be alright.
---
Alexander shoved Soohyun. Hard. “There was your chance. Right in front of your face. You could have saved her from humiliation AND won her heart for good.”
Soohyun huffed from their dressing room, “I wasn’t ready.”
“Wasn’t ready? Really?”
Kiseop held the angry older boy back, “Soohyun, we set this up tonight to give you a chance to get her for real. We weren’t expecting SeungHo to be here, though.”
Soohyun frowned, “I just... wasn’t ready...”
Kiseop shook his hyung by the shoulders, “You’ve already been on a date with her, you’ve cuddled with her more times than I can count, and you even had confessed to her before we left.”
“But confessing in public-”
“The only difference is not doing it in front of people makes you a coward.” And with that, the members of U-KISS left their power vocals by himself.
---
Kibum took a breath before moving to the mic and reciting lines from a song that sounded strangely familiar to Asa. Her eyes shot open. Wasn’t this the song he had showed her so long ago? When he was looking for an excuse to come over that one time.
She tilted her head to the side, listening to the lyrics.
As Kibum ended the dance ballad, he smiled. The crowd cheered a bit, but he cleared his throat to get them to be quiet, “That song was written for a special girl. She’s actually here tonight. I’ve been looking for a good time to tell her this, because, well, we’re always in situations where it seems like we’re interrupted.”
Asa laughed a bit at this, but he continued, “While there was some drama earlier tonight, I thought I’d take this time to tell her that... I really like her too.” He smiled, “And in the future, I don’t care who interrupts us as long as you continue to like me.”
Asa blushed a little, smiling at his open confession. She knew neither of them really were ready to face the media about it, but, the fact that he was saying this out loud? It made her insides tingle.
Kibum winked at her before exiting the stage, proud of himself.
Kiseop smacked Soohyun over his head, “See? See how easy it is?”
Soohyun rubbed that spot tenderly, “Kiseop! That hurt!”
“Good! Maybe pain will get you to realize that you’re being thick-headed.”
Kevin wrapped his arms around Kiseop’s waist, “Kiseop-ah. Don’t hurt him too bad. We don’t want him to get amnesia. Then how will we save Aly from MBLAQ?”
Eli raised an eyebrow, “Save her? Is she in danger with anyone other than Mir?”
Kevin made an ‘O’ shape with his lips, “Duh! This is how all dramas work. There’s always the overbearing boy that likes the girl, but he’s so in like with her that he overshadows the shy like that the main rival love interest has.” He pointed to Soohyun, “He’s the main love interest, but there’s a rival! And he’s beaten...” He leaned forward and whispered, “Alexander” before he straightened up, “So, the second rival is going to pop up.”
The rapper winced, “And... who’s the rival?”
“DUH, ELI. Weren’t you here earlier?” Kevin huffed, “It’s obviously SeungHo. Did you see how he swept in and saved her?”
“...Okay?”
Kiseop frowned, pointing at him, “If he realizes he likes her as much as we think he does, he’ll do what he can to win her. And the rival love interest is almost always the one everyone is rooting for by the end of the drama.”
Soohyun ran a hand through his hair, “So... I can still win?”
Kevin placed his hands on his hips, “If you pull that stick out of your and go for it.”
“...Right.” He brushed his hands on his pants, “I’m going to find her.”
Kevin clapped, “Good luck! But remember! If you walk in on something you don’t like, don’t get angry! Fight for her love! Emotionally! NOT PHYSICALLY. SOOHYUN DID YOU HEAR ME?”
Kiseop in a nervous breath, “If someone dies tonight, I blame you, Kevin.”
---
The dinner show had ended, and Asa walked backstage to find Kibum. He had snuck behind her and hugged her around her waist, “Peek-a-boo.”
Asa laughed, turning around in his hug, “That song. I thought it was for your brother.”
Kibum looked up in thought, “Still is.” He pecked her nose quickly, “But to be honest, the melody popped into my head the moment I saved you from choking the first day we met. The words came along as we talked more.”
She blushed, “You are super sappy, you know that?”
He grinned, “What’s worse is I’m only like that around you. Doesn’t it make you sick?”
“Well.” She wrinkled her nose, “I think I can deal with it.”
The two laughed cutely before Kibum sighed, resting her head beneath his chin, “Asa. Dongho...”
She frowned at the name, “Yeah?”
“Dongho is really heartbroken over this whole thing. I’m happy we’re at least in mutual like, but... he’s been looking at me today and I don’t know if he hates me or is just confused about everything. We talked last night and then he’s been quiet ever since.”
Asa pushed away a bit, looking up at the boy, “What do we do?”
“I was about to ask you the same question.”
The two looked down in thought. What to do indeed.
---
SeungHo sighed from the couch of MBLAQ’s small and now empty one-bedroom apartment. Aly hadn’t let go of him since they had left the dining hall, and here she was, her sobbing finally ending, but her grip just as strong and desperate as it had been an hour before. He looked to her, “Hey. Are you going to stay the night?”
She stared at his shoulder like she had for the past hour before nodding slowly. She didn’t want to run into anyone on the street, “But... Is Mir going to be here?”
He her hair, “Nah. He called me earlier and said that his mother wanted him to stay with her for the next few nights.”
“Then, alright.”
He shifted a bit, “Okay, let me get you something to sleep in so you can clean up a little. You look like you want to clean up a bit.”
“Yeah.”
After a minute of waiting, the older male handed her a pair of his sleeping pants and a large jersey, “Here. I’ll let you sleep on my bed, it’s the only one without a bunk. I’ll sleep in Mir’s.”
She took the clothes, “Thanks.”
“Sure thing. The bathroom is that door right there. Just yell if you need something.”
---
Aly wandered out a good half hour later only to end up right where she had started: curled up to SeungHo’s side, gripping him tightly.
He sighed, patting her dry curls, “Your hair is really cute curly. How come you don’t keep it like this?”
She looked up at him, “Because a boy I really liked in school told me he preferred girls with straight hair. And I got so many compliments when I changed that I decided never to wear my hair naturally ever again.”
“Oh.” SeungHo bit down on his bottom lip, “Have you called Asa to let her know where you are?”
“No.”
“...Are you going to?”
She shifted, “Probably not.”
He looked at her for a minute, “So... the way you looked at Soohyun when I saved you. You seemed like you felt betrayed a bit.”
Aly shot up, moving away from the older male, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m talking about how you really like Soohyun, but that he didn’t cut in when Mir was pulling what he was, it hurt you a lot. Right?”
Aly gripped the material of the pants, her frown increasing, “Why wouldn’t he do something?” She sighed in frustration, leaning back on the couch, “I just.... can’t believe him.”
SeungHo smiled, “Maybe he just feels like, there’s someone showering you with all this affection, and he couldn’t keep up with it. And so he felt scared that you didn’t like him anymore.”
“I didn’t think about that...”
The boy laughed as a knock at the door sounded loudly, “Well, while you were in the bathroom, I called Asa and gave her a heads up. So that’s probably Soohyun now.”
Aly shot up once again, “Wh-what? Why would you do that?”
He shrugged, moving to answer the door, “Because I felt like it.” He opened the door to reveal a panting Soohyun, “Just in time. Come on in.”
He closed the door behind the boy and then wandered into the bedroom, “Just yell if you need me.”
Soohyun pointed to the man who just left the room, “Do either of you like the other?”
Aly raised an eyebrow, “Uh, no? That’s kind of really gross. What makes you think that?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the fact that you’re in a house alone with the guy who just risked his reputation as an idol to get you out of that situation with Mir?”
“He did that because we’re friends, Soohyun.”
“Oh, really?” He knocked on the bedroom door only to grip SeungHo’s arm when he opened the door. He pointed to Aly, facing him seriously, “Do you have feelings for this girl?”
He laughed awkwardly, “Psh. No. Feelings? Me?” He looked away, scratching the back of his head.
Soohyun shook the boy, “Great answer, now tell the truth.”
The blonde boy looked at Aly with guilty eyes, “...Yes.”
She blinked in confusion before she got slightly angry, “What?”
SeungHo looked away, trying to pry himself out of Soohyun’s grip, “It’s not a big deal. I would never do anything or act on it.” He bit his lip, “I just wanted to be close to you. Even if it meant I was more like a brotherly figure for you.”
Soohyun let go, turning to Aly, “See?”
The girl stood and raised herself on her tiptoes in order to get on eye level with the boy, “Great, now SeungHo’s humiliated. What are you trying to prove to me?”
Soohyun sighed in frustration before gripping her shoulders, “You are so naive! I just want you to realize that people much less gentlemanly than SeungHo are going to like you, and if you don’t start realizing that, you’re going to get hurt worse than you can imagine.”
She struggled in his grip, “What do you care? It’s not like it phases you when people come onto me. You obviously didn’t move when Mir was on my case earlier.”
“Aly... that was me being stupid and scared.”
“Yeah. That sounds about right.”
He growled again out of frustration before picking her up. He glanced at SeungHo, “I’ll make sure your clothes get back to you as soon as I can.”
The leader of MBLAQ opened the door for them, “Thanks. Good luck.”
Aly huffed, kicking her legs and smacking him as hard as she could, “PUT. ME. DOWN.”
And she continued doing this despite the strange looks they were receiving from onlookers, and Soohyun kept walking.
---
Asa smiled at Kibum after pulling on her jacket, “Ready?”
Despite the fact that they had just finished dinner at a dinner show, Eli had suggested that they go out for celebratory drinks. The group promptly agreed sans Dongho, who was still underage.
Asa and Kibum were the last ones to leave and as they were walking down the main hall, giving one another cute glances from the corners of their eyes, there was a loud screech from the other end of the hall.
Asa blinked, hoping those two weren’t who she thought they were.
“ASA. MAKE HIM LET GO.”
Ah. They were.
Soohyun nodded at them, still ignoring her savage struggling, “Hey Asa. Hey Kibum.”
Kibum held Soohyun’s shoulder for a moment, “What’s going on?”
He smiled, “I’m just doing something I should have a long time ago.”
Asa gagged, “Wear protection.”
He turned a bright red, “N-not that!”
Kibum laughed, letting the boy go, “Have fun.”
“ASA. NO. DON’T LEAVE. MAKE HIM PUT ME DOWN! ASA. ASA. ASAAAA!”
Asa waved as they rounded the corner, sighing up at Kibum, “Those two are going to kill me.”
He wrinkled his nose cutely, “That’s what all mommies say.”
She slapped his arm playfully, “Stop it! If you keep calling me mommy, I’m going to sprout grey hair. And then how will I live?”
Kibum smiled, “I promise that even when you’re wrinkly and old and I’m still beautiful, you’ll be the only one for me.”
“...You’re older than me.”
“Only in age~”
Asa rolled her eyes, “I changed my mind. You’re going to kill me.”
“Ahh~ That just means I’m doing my husband duties well.”
---
Soohyun nodded to Dongho as he carried Aly with one arm instead of two, “Hey. Ignore us the best that you can. Sorry.”
Dongho blinked, but watched as the older boy threw Aly onto his bed and as Aly shot up to run, he closed the door.
The maknae curiously cuddled up by the door, listening to the lover’s spat closely.
---
Soohyun leaned forward as she continued to hit him as hard as she could, “Aly, stop.” When she didn’t listen, he grabbed her wrists and forced them down, “Listen to me. I know not coming to your rescue was a big mistake, and I regret it even more because I’ve let SeungHo come one step closer to replacing me.”
She furrowed her eyebrows, “You really are stupid.”
He let go of her, coiling back at the hurtful remark.
Aly sighed, “You just don’t get it.” She frowned and placed her hands on his face, causing him to flinch a bit. She ran her hands through his hair, “I don’t want anyone to replace you. I don’t want to like other guys. I don’t want other guys to like me. I just want you.”
He began to tear up at her words, “Aly... I’m so sorry. I just didn’t know what to do.”
She let go of him and sighed, leaning back, “I feel like I’m running in circles. I do what I can to be understanding of how you feel, but then when I feel like you should step up, there’s nothing.”
He huffed, “What do you mean? I feel like every time I go to do something to show you my feelings, someone else is showing you theirs.”
“What?”
“Like... The day I asked you to go steady with me, Mir took that picture. At the last concert, I came to bring you flowers, and he kissed you. Earlier, I wanted so badly to punch Mir and get it over with, but SeungHo cut in. And I don’t know. It’s really discouraging.”
She looked at him, “Is that really how you feel?”
“Well, liking you is really intimidating when everyone else likes you too.”
Aly slapped him over his head, “Why didn’t you say something?” Tears rolled down her face slowly, “I like you so much. When you asked me to go steady with you, my heart felt like it was going to burst. I was so upset when Kibum took you away, because I couldn’t answer.” She sobbed a bit, “And then you came back and never mentioned it again, and I felt like maybe because of what happened with Mir, you changed your mind and didn’t like me anymore. Or you forgot that you had asked me. Which was worse.”
He began wiping her tears, “No, no. Neither of those is true. I was scared that if I mentioned it to you, I’d be hearing about how you had forgotten or how you liked someone else, and it was easier on me to just not say anything.”
“Idiot.” She raised her hands to her face and sobbed harder.
He embraced her and shushed her before beginning to rock back and forth, “I’m... really happy to be here. With you.”
She hiccuped and he laughed, poking her nose as they pulled apart, “Stop crying. I’ll get you some water.”
The girl nodded, hiccuping again.
---
Dongho scurried away from the door, jumping over the couch to pretend like he was just laying around watching television. Soohyun walked over, checking on him, “Hey.”
Dongho looked up, “Hey! Since Aly’s here, do you want to break out the ice cream? We could make sundaes!”
Soohyun thought on it, “Yeah, let me ask her. Good idea.”
Dongho in his bottom lip before getting up to set the stuff out. He decided to himself that he would try with Asa one more time. Maybe he just needed to get her alone like Soohyun had done with Aly. He swallowed a bit, but was happy with his choice.
---
Dongho opened his mouth cutely, “Feed me, mommy~”
Soohyun huffed, opening his mouth too, “No! Feed me~”
Aly picked her spoon up and played like she was going to give it to Soohyun, but then maneuvered it to Dongho, “Soohyun, babies need to eat first.”
She took another spoonful and fed it to Soohyun, “But daddy will get his fill too, I promise.”
Soohyun smiled, leaning in to give her a kiss, but Dongho gagged loudly, “Please don’t turn this into a lovey dovey fest. The last time you did that, Aly busted her nose.”
Aly frowned, touching her nose, “He’s right. I’d really prefer not to bleed this time.”
Soohyun laughed, “I’d help you all over again, though.”
Dongho rolled his eyes, “You guys are gross."
Kevin in a long breath before he added onto it, “Yeah. It’s kind of gross.”
Soohyun frowned, looking at the girl from behind the curtain.
She had her half up, her curly hair cascading at the side of her head. She wore a long, yellow gown that almost reminded him of the dress she wore for their date. But that one was cutesy where this one really made it clear that she was a woman.
Kiseop poked at the boy, “Hey, wipe the drool off of your face before we go on.”
“Huh?” The brunette wiped his mouth with his sleeve, “Oh, I didn’t realize...”
Kevin smiled, patting the older boy’s shoulder, “Soohyun, if you don’t come out in public soon, she won’t be able to be with you.” The blonde boy nudged him, “You know we’ll all support you, right?”
Soohyun looked to Kevin, then at the others before he looked back out, “I... I can’t, though. What if we lose fans? Or if it doesn’t work out?”
“If we lose fans over something like that, they aren’t real fans, Soohyun.” Eli gave him a thumbs up.
Alexander sighed, “And it’ll definantly work out. She’s crazy about you.”
“Thirty seconds.” The stage hand smiled brightly at them, “Take your places, boys!”
---
Kibum looked around the group. Where was Dongho?
Just as he thought it, the youngest member slipped on stage, looking like he was feeling guilty about something. Before he could question it, Alexander stepped forward on the stage.
“Thank you all for coming tonight. We’re really excited about this.” The room was small, but full and well-lit, so he could see everyone quite well, “We’d like you to enjoy your meal while listening to us happily. Alright?”
---
Aly smiled as the group entered on stage, “I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen them perform live from an audience point of view.”
“Really? But you guys are so close?”
The girl blinked, forgetting that Mir was with her, “Oh, we are. It’s just, I’ve never seen them perform like this before.”
Mir smiled brightly, “I’m glad we could do this together, then!”
Aly frowned, “Listen, Mir. It’s not that I don’t like you-”
Before she could finish, the boy made a thumbs up at the stage hand, who giggled before taking away Eli’s microphone, “We have a special guest who would like to say something to his date.”
---
Asa stopped watching Sue and Taemin playing with sugar packets long enough to glance up at the stage, “Sue. Check it out.”
Sue blinked before opened, “Oh snap, he’s making a BIG announcement, then?”
Taemin cocked his head to the side curiously, “That reminds me, why was I asked to come along again?”
Asa shushed him, “To keep Sue busy while we conduct our master plan.”
“Oh.”
Mir stood, accepting the microphone with a thank you before turning to Aly, “Hey. Uh, as most of you know, I have a thing for Aly, the leader of H3@RT.” The crowd laughed a bit before he continued, “We actually had an altercation last night and it was then I realized I’ve been going about this the wrong way. Aly and I have actually not been dating this entire time. I wasn’t thinking about consequences when I posted that picture, and it eventually got so out of hand that I began pretending that we were dating, which wasn’t fair to her.”
Aly sat up a bit in her chair, hands gripping her dress in her lap. What was he doing?
The boy looked down, “I wanted to apologize for putting her through all of this, but I also wanted to thank her for breaking down and actually going on a date with me.”
Soohyun visibly tensed behind him with the rest of U-KISS. So that’s why they were together tonight? Aly had agreed to go on a date with him?
“But, I also know that the only reason you rejected me in the past was because of another guy who had his sights on you.” He paused to let it sink in, “But, I have reason to believe that he’s never confessed to you-”
“That’s not true.” Aly looked at her hands, “He did... kind of. Once before.”
“But did you accept it?”
“He had to leave.”
“Exactly.” He stepped down, moving towards the girl, “Can’t you see me? I’m right in front of you, confessing to you how much I like you. I like you so much, Aly, and I’m not going anywhere. I’ll say it before everyone here.” He stood, “I’m in love with Aly, everyone.” He looked back at her, “So please, just give me a chance.” His voice became desperate, “Please.”
She shifted uncomfortably, feeling the urge to cry. What was she supposed to say? Yes? Then she would be lying to herself. And Soohyun... what would he say? If she said no? The room would dub her a jerk for denying his public confession, and her reputation would be ruined.
In her silence, a fan brought it upon herself to stand, “Girl, don’t get emotional! Just say yes!”
The crowd voiced their agreement loudly.
Aly struggled, “Mir, I... I...” And just as tears began falling, a hand gripped her wrist and pulled her into a tight hug. She had assumed it was Mir, but it didn’t matter. She sobbed into his shoulder, gripping his shoulders tightly, “I don’t-”
An unexpectedly deep voice rang in her ear, “Mir, are you nuts?”
Aly looked up, “SeungHo?” She glanced at the stage where Soohyun was looking down in guilt. Her lips formed a thin line. So that’s how it was? She continued to cry, burying her face in his shoulder.
The older male held her head to his shoulder, “She’s already been through so much with this situation, and you’re going to do this to her?”
Mir frowned at the leader of his group, anger bubbling in his veins, “I just want to be there for her. See? Even HE isn’t moving to make sure she’s alright. She deserves better!”
“Mir, better may not be what she wants.” SeungHo frowned, continuing to cradle her face to his shoulder as he ushered her out of the room. He whispered for her to just keep crying and that everything would be alright.
---
Alexander shoved Soohyun. Hard. “There was your chance. Right in front of your face. You could have saved her from humiliation AND won her heart for good.”
Soohyun huffed from their dressing room, “I wasn’t ready.”
“Wasn’t ready? Really?”
Kiseop held the angry older boy back, “Soohyun, we set this up tonight to give you a chance to get her for real. We weren’t expecting SeungHo to be here, though.”
Soohyun frowned, “I just... wasn’t ready...”
Kiseop shook his hyung by the shoulders, “You’ve already been on a date with her, you’ve cuddled with her more times than I can count, and you even had confessed to her before we left.”
“But confessing in public-”
“The only difference is not doing it in front of people makes you a coward.” And with that, the members of U-KISS left their power vocals by himself.
---
Kibum took a breath before moving to the mic and reciting lines from a song that sounded strangely familiar to Asa. Her eyes shot open. Wasn’t this the song he had showed her so long ago? When he was looking for an excuse to come over that one time.
She tilted her head to the side, listening to the lyrics.
As Kibum ended the dance ballad, he smiled. The crowd cheered a bit, but he cleared his throat to get them to be quiet, “That song was written for a special girl. She’s actually here tonight. I’ve been looking for a good time to tell her this, because, well, we’re always in situations where it seems like we’re interrupted.”
Asa laughed a bit at this, but he continued, “While there was some drama earlier tonight, I thought I’d take this time to tell her that... I really like her too.” He smiled, “And in the future, I don’t care who interrupts us as long as you continue to like me.”
Asa blushed a little, smiling at his open confession. She knew neither of them really were ready to face the media about it, but, the fact that he was saying this out loud? It made her insides tingle.
Kibum winked at her before exiting the stage, proud of himself.
Kiseop smacked Soohyun over his head, “See? See how easy it is?”
Soohyun rubbed that spot tenderly, “Kiseop! That hurt!”
“Good! Maybe pain will get you to realize that you’re being thick-headed.”
Kevin wrapped his arms around Kiseop’s waist, “Kiseop-ah. Don’t hurt him too bad. We don’t want him to get amnesia. Then how will we save Aly from MBLAQ?”
Eli raised an eyebrow, “Save her? Is she in danger with anyone other than Mir?”
Kevin made an ‘O’ shape with his lips, “Duh! This is how all dramas work. There’s always the overbearing boy that likes the girl, but he’s so in like with her that he overshadows the shy like that the main rival love interest has.” He pointed to Soohyun, “He’s the main love interest, but there’s a rival! And he’s beaten...” He leaned forward and whispered, “Alexander” before he straightened up, “So, the second rival is going to pop up.”
The rapper winced, “And... who’s the rival?”
“DUH, ELI. Weren’t you here earlier?” Kevin huffed, “It’s obviously SeungHo. Did you see how he swept in and saved her?”
“...Okay?”
Kiseop frowned, pointing at him, “If he realizes he likes her as much as we think he does, he’ll do what he can to win her. And the rival love interest is almost always the one everyone is rooting for by the end of the drama.”
Soohyun ran a hand through his hair, “So... I can still win?”
Kevin placed his hands on his hips, “If you pull that stick out of your and go for it.”
“...Right.” He brushed his hands on his pants, “I’m going to find her.”
Kevin clapped, “Good luck! But remember! If you walk in on something you don’t like, don’t get angry! Fight for her love! Emotionally! NOT PHYSICALLY. SOOHYUN DID YOU HEAR ME?”
Kiseop in a nervous breath, “If someone dies tonight, I blame you, Kevin.”
---
The dinner show had ended, and Asa walked backstage to find Kibum. He had snuck behind her and hugged her around her waist, “Peek-a-boo.”
Asa laughed, turning around in his hug, “That song. I thought it was for your brother.”
Kibum looked up in thought, “Still is.” He pecked her nose quickly, “But to be honest, the melody popped into my head the moment I saved you from choking the first day we met. The words came along as we talked more.”
She blushed, “You are super sappy, you know that?”
He grinned, “What’s worse is I’m only like that around you. Doesn’t it make you sick?”
“Well.” She wrinkled her nose, “I think I can deal with it.”
The two laughed cutely before Kibum sighed, resting her head beneath his chin, “Asa. Dongho...”
She frowned at the name, “Yeah?”
“Dongho is really heartbroken over this whole thing. I’m happy we’re at least in mutual like, but... he’s been looking at me today and I don’t know if he hates me or is just confused about everything. We talked last night and then he’s been quiet ever since.”
Asa pushed away a bit, looking up at the boy, “What do we do?”
“I was about to ask you the same question.”
The two looked down in thought. What to do indeed.
---
SeungHo sighed from the couch of MBLAQ’s small and now empty one-bedroom apartment. Aly hadn’t let go of him since they had left the dining hall, and here she was, her sobbing finally ending, but her grip just as strong and desperate as it had been an hour before. He looked to her, “Hey. Are you going to stay the night?”
She stared at his shoulder like she had for the past hour before nodding slowly. She didn’t want to run into anyone on the street, “But... Is Mir going to be here?”
He her hair, “Nah. He called me earlier and said that his mother wanted him to stay with her for the next few nights.”
“Then, alright.”
He shifted a bit, “Okay, let me get you something to sleep in so you can clean up a little. You look like you want to clean up a bit.”
“Yeah.”
After a minute of waiting, the older male handed her a pair of his sleeping pants and a large jersey, “Here. I’ll let you sleep on my bed, it’s the only one without a bunk. I’ll sleep in Mir’s.”
She took the clothes, “Thanks.”
“Sure thing. The bathroom is that door right there. Just yell if you need something.”
---
Aly wandered out a good half hour later only to end up right where she had started: curled up to SeungHo’s side, gripping him tightly.
He sighed, patting her dry curls, “Your hair is really cute curly. How come you don’t keep it like this?”
She looked up at him, “Because a boy I really liked in school told me he preferred girls with straight hair. And I got so many compliments when I changed that I decided never to wear my hair naturally ever again.”
“Oh.” SeungHo bit down on his bottom lip, “Have you called Asa to let her know where you are?”
“No.”
“...Are you going to?”
She shifted, “Probably not.”
He looked at her for a minute, “So... the way you looked at Soohyun when I saved you. You seemed like you felt betrayed a bit.”
Aly shot up, moving away from the older male, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m talking about how you really like Soohyun, but that he didn’t cut in when Mir was pulling what he was, it hurt you a lot. Right?”
Aly gripped the material of the pants, her frown increasing, “Why wouldn’t he do something?” She sighed in frustration, leaning back on the couch, “I just.... can’t believe him.”
SeungHo smiled, “Maybe he just feels like, there’s someone showering you with all this affection, and he couldn’t keep up with it. And so he felt scared that you didn’t like him anymore.”
“I didn’t think about that...”
The boy laughed as a knock at the door sounded loudly, “Well, while you were in the bathroom, I called Asa and gave her a heads up. So that’s probably Soohyun now.”
Aly shot up once again, “Wh-what? Why would you do that?”
He shrugged, moving to answer the door, “Because I felt like it.” He opened the door to reveal a panting Soohyun, “Just in time. Come on in.”
He closed the door behind the boy and then wandered into the bedroom, “Just yell if you need me.”
Soohyun pointed to the man who just left the room, “Do either of you like the other?”
Aly raised an eyebrow, “Uh, no? That’s kind of really gross. What makes you think that?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the fact that you’re in a house alone with the guy who just risked his reputation as an idol to get you out of that situation with Mir?”
“He did that because we’re friends, Soohyun.”
“Oh, really?” He knocked on the bedroom door only to grip SeungHo’s arm when he opened the door. He pointed to Aly, facing him seriously, “Do you have feelings for this girl?”
He laughed awkwardly, “Psh. No. Feelings? Me?” He looked away, scratching the back of his head.
Soohyun shook the boy, “Great answer, now tell the truth.”
The blonde boy looked at Aly with guilty eyes, “...Yes.”
She blinked in confusion before she got slightly angry, “What?”
SeungHo looked away, trying to pry himself out of Soohyun’s grip, “It’s not a big deal. I would never do anything or act on it.” He bit his lip, “I just wanted to be close to you. Even if it meant I was more like a brotherly figure for you.”
Soohyun let go, turning to Aly, “See?”
The girl stood and raised herself on her tiptoes in order to get on eye level with the boy, “Great, now SeungHo’s humiliated. What are you trying to prove to me?”
Soohyun sighed in frustration before gripping her shoulders, “You are so naive! I just want you to realize that people much less gentlemanly than SeungHo are going to like you, and if you don’t start realizing that, you’re going to get hurt worse than you can imagine.”
She struggled in his grip, “What do you care? It’s not like it phases you when people come onto me. You obviously didn’t move when Mir was on my case earlier.”
“Aly... that was me being stupid and scared.”
“Yeah. That sounds about right.”
He growled again out of frustration before picking her up. He glanced at SeungHo, “I’ll make sure your clothes get back to you as soon as I can.”
The leader of MBLAQ opened the door for them, “Thanks. Good luck.”
Aly huffed, kicking her legs and smacking him as hard as she could, “PUT. ME. DOWN.”
And she continued doing this despite the strange looks they were receiving from onlookers, and Soohyun kept walking.
---
Asa smiled at Kibum after pulling on her jacket, “Ready?”
Despite the fact that they had just finished dinner at a dinner show, Eli had suggested that they go out for celebratory drinks. The group promptly agreed sans Dongho, who was still underage.
Asa and Kibum were the last ones to leave and as they were walking down the main hall, giving one another cute glances from the corners of their eyes, there was a loud screech from the other end of the hall.
Asa blinked, hoping those two weren’t who she thought they were.
“ASA. MAKE HIM LET GO.”
Ah. They were.
Soohyun nodded at them, still ignoring her savage struggling, “Hey Asa. Hey Kibum.”
Kibum held Soohyun’s shoulder for a moment, “What’s going on?”
He smiled, “I’m just doing something I should have a long time ago.”
Asa gagged, “Wear protection.”
He turned a bright red, “N-not that!”
Kibum laughed, letting the boy go, “Have fun.”
“ASA. NO. DON’T LEAVE. MAKE HIM PUT ME DOWN! ASA. ASA. ASAAAA!”
Asa waved as they rounded the corner, sighing up at Kibum, “Those two are going to kill me.”
He wrinkled his nose cutely, “That’s what all mommies say.”
She slapped his arm playfully, “Stop it! If you keep calling me mommy, I’m going to sprout grey hair. And then how will I live?”
Kibum smiled, “I promise that even when you’re wrinkly and old and I’m still beautiful, you’ll be the only one for me.”
“...You’re older than me.”
“Only in age~”
Asa rolled her eyes, “I changed my mind. You’re going to kill me.”
“Ahh~ That just means I’m doing my husband duties well.”
---
Soohyun nodded to Dongho as he carried Aly with one arm instead of two, “Hey. Ignore us the best that you can. Sorry.”
Dongho blinked, but watched as the older boy threw Aly onto his bed and as Aly shot up to run, he closed the door.
The maknae curiously cuddled up by the door, listening to the lover’s spat closely.
---
Soohyun leaned forward as she continued to hit him as hard as she could, “Aly, stop.” When she didn’t listen, he grabbed her wrists and forced them down, “Listen to me. I know not coming to your rescue was a big mistake, and I regret it even more because I’ve let SeungHo come one step closer to replacing me.”
She furrowed her eyebrows, “You really are stupid.”
He let go of her, coiling back at the hurtful remark.
Aly sighed, “You just don’t get it.” She frowned and placed her hands on his face, causing him to flinch a bit. She ran her hands through his hair, “I don’t want anyone to replace you. I don’t want to like other guys. I don’t want other guys to like me. I just want you.”
He began to tear up at her words, “Aly... I’m so sorry. I just didn’t know what to do.”
She let go of him and sighed, leaning back, “I feel like I’m running in circles. I do what I can to be understanding of how you feel, but then when I feel like you should step up, there’s nothing.”
He huffed, “What do you mean? I feel like every time I go to do something to show you my feelings, someone else is showing you theirs.”
“What?”
“Like... The day I asked you to go steady with me, Mir took that picture. At the last concert, I came to bring you flowers, and he kissed you. Earlier, I wanted so badly to punch Mir and get it over with, but SeungHo cut in. And I don’t know. It’s really discouraging.”
She looked at him, “Is that really how you feel?”
“Well, liking you is really intimidating when everyone else likes you too.”
Aly slapped him over his head, “Why didn’t you say something?” Tears rolled down her face slowly, “I like you so much. When you asked me to go steady with you, my heart felt like it was going to burst. I was so upset when Kibum took you away, because I couldn’t answer.” She sobbed a bit, “And then you came back and never mentioned it again, and I felt like maybe because of what happened with Mir, you changed your mind and didn’t like me anymore. Or you forgot that you had asked me. Which was worse.”
He began wiping her tears, “No, no. Neither of those is true. I was scared that if I mentioned it to you, I’d be hearing about how you had forgotten or how you liked someone else, and it was easier on me to just not say anything.”
“Idiot.” She raised her hands to her face and sobbed harder.
He embraced her and shushed her before beginning to rock back and forth, “I’m... really happy to be here. With you.”
She hiccuped and he laughed, poking her nose as they pulled apart, “Stop crying. I’ll get you some water.”
The girl nodded, hiccuping again.
---
Dongho scurried away from the door, jumping over the couch to pretend like he was just laying around watching television. Soohyun walked over, checking on him, “Hey.”
Dongho looked up, “Hey! Since Aly’s here, do you want to break out the ice cream? We could make sundaes!”
Soohyun thought on it, “Yeah, let me ask her. Good idea.”
Dongho in his bottom lip before getting up to set the stuff out. He decided to himself that he would try with Asa one more time. Maybe he just needed to get her alone like Soohyun had done with Aly. He swallowed a bit, but was happy with his choice.
---
Dongho opened his mouth cutely, “Feed me, mommy~”
Soohyun huffed, opening his mouth too, “No! Feed me~”
Aly picked her spoon up and played like she was going to give it to Soohyun, but then maneuvered it to Dongho, “Soohyun, babies need to eat first.”
She took another spoonful and fed it to Soohyun, “But daddy will get his fill too, I promise.”
Soohyun smiled, leaning in to give her a kiss, but Dongho gagged loudly, “Please don’t turn this into a lovey dovey fest. The last time you did that, Aly busted her nose.”
Aly frowned, touching her nose, “He’s right. I’d really prefer not to bleed this time.”
Soohyun laughed, “I’d help you all over again, though.”
Dongho rolled his eyes, “You guys are gross."
Hey!! I am back from my trip in New York, and I get to post more chapters Whooo!
It took us forever to right this chapter because we were lookin at a whole bunch of U-KISS gif and pictures..... we arent fangirls or anything... nvm xD
Whole lot of drama in this chapter specifically with Soohyun and Aly!! DRAMA! haha
Comment if you liked it and subscribed if you haven't yet!!
Luv u guys!! Thanks!!
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