“How about I rearrange your face first Minho and then you can explain?!”

Ryeowook and Jonghyun were physically straining to hold back an obviously fuming Changmin from Minho who was standing in one corner of the room. Minho looked somewhat scared but he held his place and stood upright, trying to look brave and accepting of his fate…like a martyr going to the guillotine.  

Kyuhyun sighed at the drama both his friends were pulling, “Enough of that Changmin-ah.” He knew that Changmin would never hurt a hair on Minho anyway, no matter what the provocation so he didn’t bother helping Ryeowook and Jonghyun. Pinching the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes on the headache that was threatening to become a full-blown migraine, he then cast an accusing look at Minho and commanded, “Alright, just explain what happened.”

Minho glanced at Changmin warily who had shaken himself free of the others before looking back at Kyuhyun. There was apology but also reproach in his voice, “I told you hyung. I told you I didn’t like Krystal and she doesn’t like me. I don’t know, we just seem to rub each other the wrong way. Anyway, when you gave me Krystal as my target, I- I tried…I really tried hyung. Honest! But Krystal knew at once that something was up when I started making the moves on her.”

Kyuhyun scoffed at that wondering if Krystal found out at once because Minho’s so-called moves would never fool anyone to believe he was interested.

Minho continued, “So she confronted me at once and asked if she was the target of a stupid bet because if she was, she said she was having none of it and would castrate me at once if I persisted on bugging her! She’s scary hyung, I tell you! You see, this has already happened a couple of times to her before.”

The others were surprised but after a few seconds of contemplating what Minho said, Ryeowook said thoughtfully, “Well, she is the Chancellor’s youngest daughter…”

“Exactly! She’s always been viewed as a challenge, a prize. Like she’s this trophy to be won. I- I think it’s kinda mean and hurtful, don’t you think?”

“Whoa, she told you that?” Ryeowook asked

“And you’re actually sympathizing with her,” Kyuhyun observed dryly.

Minho snorted and just flicked a hand carelessly, “Nothing like that, she confided that to me with her hands tightly grasping my neck and screaming angrily at me. I think I lost some of my hearing after that, not to mention, I almost choked to death. So anyway, you see my dilemma? I had to admit everything to her.”

Jonghyun just guffawed while the others had to grimace in sympathy… as well as amusement.

“Then one day, she sought me out at the locker rooms after varsity practice. Turns out, her father is intent on pairing her up with his godson from America and well, she doesn’t like him.”

“I didn’t know Chancellor Jung still holds on to those archaic views,” Kyuhyun said, “Didn’t they say he was a modern man? Besides, shouldn’t it be Jessica who’s to be married off first since she’s the older sister?”

“No, nothing like that. It’s not an arranged marriage or anything. It’s just her father being interfering and annoying,” all of the others looked at him in surprise and Minho hurriedly added, “That’s what she said. So where was I? Oh yeah, so she told me, well actually demanded that I should make it up to her for trying to fool her for a bet. I was to pose as her boyfriend so her father can get off her case. Apparently, her father gets on well with Appa and she thinks that if she says she’s starting to date me, her father will be sufficiently satisfied for now not to push her to his godson too much. And she said if I did that for her, she might just actually help me with our charm battle.”

Kyuhyun had to raise an eyebrow at that and Changmin’s eyes narrowed. Minho hastened to continue to clear up that he had never intended to cheat on their contest.

“I was like ‘no way’ but she blackmailed me saying that she’ll tell everyone what I tried to do and of course, I can’t afford that.”

“But other people still found out, didn’t they?” Changmin asked meaningfully and there was aggression in his tone.

“It’s not my fault, hyung. It really isn’t! Please believe me! I’m sorry, it was just…Krystal and I were discussing what to do. I thought everyone had already gone home but Siwon-hyung was still there and he overheard us. I didn’t know he did.”

“When did you find out?”

“During the Sigma Nu party. I was the only one who attended among us remember? I went with Krystal since her father’s godson wanted to visit their home and of course, she had to think of something that’ll get her out of the house. And Siwon-hyung didn’t tell me exactly. It just slipped out. He dropped by the party and asked if you were there,” Minho explained as he pointed to Kyuhyun. “Anyway, I said I was alone, or rather, with Krystal. And then he teased me! He asked me why I shouldn’t just go and date Krystal for real since her father liked me and we seem to be getting on well anyway. Krystal seems to have forgiven me for the deceit. That’s what he said and then he suddenly stopped! He stopped abruptly! And that’s when I knew! I knew that he knew!”

“And you didn’t even warn me?” Kyuhyun was visibly angry now.

“I did hyung! I tried! I had a hard time getting ahold of you and remember I called you a lot of times? But I knew I had to tell you and explain in person. But you started hanging out a lot with Siwon-hyung, I couldn’t get near you.”

“So when exactly did Siwon know about this? When did he overhear you and Krystal?”

“Well, it was actually around a few days before his party.”

Everyone was stunned into silence.

“Before his party?!” Changmin was the first to get over the shock of Minho’s announcement, “What the actual ?! You mean he’s practically known it almost from the start?”

The others started talking all at once. Each one had something to say. Everyone was taking guesses on what was Siwon’s plan and how come no one noticed. Then Ryeowook innocently remarked that Siwon had even started hanging around Kyuhyun recently and that started a fresh round of debate whether that was all planned.

But Kyuhyun wasn’t listening anymore. He knew it! There had been those warning bells in his head and he had chosen to ignore them. He had been that confident that Siwon was interested. His mind had drifted back to that night when he slept in Siwon’s guest room. Siwon had come in and he had been almost sure that Siwon had kissed him while he had pretended to be asleep. And after that? Siwon had invited him out a number of times, letting him hang out with his friends, making an effort to get to know his friends. It was as if…

Kyuhyun realized that the others had gone silent and were now all looking at him. Waiting for him to say something.    

“What exactly does Siwon want then?”

“I don’t know, hyung. I really don’t know. When I confronted him about it he just told me to go on ahead with my part of the game and he’ll do his part. As for Yunho-hyung, he said that Yunho-hyung has already decided what to do,” at this, Minho looked apologetically at Changmin who had a stiff expression on his face.

Then Minho faced Kyuhyun again, still with that forlorn look and entreating expression, “Siwon-hyung told me to just let it all play out because the one who falls first is the loser. Those were his exact words.” Minho paused and there was abject apology in his eyes as he added, “I don’t know if that was a joke or a threat but I’ve never seen that expression of his face before. I’m really sorry, hyung”

***************

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.

Kyuhyun couldn’t remember who exactly said those words but he was pretty sure the person who said that didn’t intend it to be invoked in a situation like this.  Because this wasn’t a test of courage, it was more a practice of dogged stubbornness and idiocy.

But he was Kyuhyun and he’d be damned if he didn’t step up to the challenge. Siwon wanted to “let it all play out” huh? Then fine by him. He’d see this game to the end and win it all.

Although of course, even with that pep talk he kept saying to himself, he’d be lying if he said that he didn’t feel a little nervous in actually facing Siwon again. He was actually a bit thankful that it was reading week this week and it was finals for the next two weeks with the Follies’ Night wrapping up the semester.

So there were no more regular classes, fewer chances that he’d bump into Siwon around the campus, less whisperings and murmurings of the students around him about the status between him and Siwon because that was predictably what happened as soon as he stepped into the corridors of his college and it was all due to that Friday night date.

Soccer practices were another matter however. He and Changmin still need to attend club practice this week and of course, the varsity would be there. And there was one right this afternoon and Kyuhyun was mentally preparing himself for the inevitable meeting with Siwon.

And if he could be more honest with himself, he also needed to stuff down that prickling, annoying feeling of hurt. It was his pride which had taken the blow and he had to conquer that instinct of lashing out at Siwon.

There was after all no reason to feel that distressed.

But first, he needed to know why it was that the first thing he saw when he walked into Changmin’s dorm room was Jonghyun comforting a weeping Seohyun. Then he remembered that this was Seohyun’s dorm too but he was pretty sure that the girls’ wing was waaaaay on the other side of the building and weren’t the girls and boys not supposed to be found in each other’s respective wings?  

“What’s going on?” Kyuhyun whispered to Changmin who was on one side of the room and was holding a glass full of water and didn’t seem to know what to do with it. Kyuhyun’s question seemed to wake him up from his stupor.

Changmin approached the pair and timidly offered the glass of water to the audibly sniffing Seohyun. Then he went to back to his friend’s side and whispered back, “I don’t really know but Jonghyun said he met her in the lobby on his way here and-… and well, that.” He gestured helplessly to the two who were occupying Changmin’s desk area.

They watched confusedly for a few more minutes as Jonghyun seemed to say something to Seohyun before she nodded and dried her tears. Then she thanked him as she took a drink of water.

Jonghyun looked at the other two and said, “Hyung broke up with her,” and Kyuhyun wondered if that was expected to explain everything to them since they then both stood up and Jonghyun gently guided Seohyun to the door, “Sorry, I can’t go with you guys. I need to fix something first.”

Kyuhyun and Changmin just both nodded dumbly while Seohyun managed to smile at them although her eyes were a bit puffy. They continued to stare for a few more minutes at the closed door that the pair just exited before they looked at each other.

“So Jonghyun’s out of the game, I guess.”

“Can’t you be a little more sympathetic?”

Kyuhyun snorted, “It’s your fault anyway. You’re the one who gave Seohyun as Jonghyun’s target.”

“Hah!” Changmin retorted, “And just look what happened with you pairing Minho with Krystal!”

Kyuhyun fell silent because well, there really wasn’t a counterattack to that. He then sat down on Changmin’s bed and recalled Changmin as to why he called for them. Ryeowook was still at his parent’s house and Minho had said his dad wanted the varsity to meet early before practice for his “talk” whatever that meant but apparently, Coach Choi always did that before finals, reminding his players that they still need to pass their classes so they could actually play for the team. And now Jonghyun was…occupied so that only left Kyuhyun.

“Oh that. I just found out something from the council,” then at Kyuhyun’s raised eyebrow, he added, “Don’t give me that look! Of course, I still went to the student council office. It’ll be much more suspicious if I suddenly stopped going there.”

“Suspicious because Yunho will know that you know he knows?” Kyuhyun asked even as he also acknowledged that he just made a rhyme, or Yunho will be suspicious that you saw the kiss and you’re jealous? he added silently in his head. 

Changmin didn’t quite meet his eyes as he agreed, leaning nonchalantly on his wardrobe as he examined his shoes, “Yes, exactly. Anyway, Yunho will be announcing shortly that there’ll be a fund-raising event to be held on Follies’ Night. The Student Council is organizing it and everyone will be charged an entrance fee. But there’ll be bands and almost free drinks. Proceeds are going to that techno-centre project that everyone wants.”

“So?”

“So? Don’t you get what this means? He’s breaking the tradition that only couples will attend it.”

Kyuhyun was silent for a few moments because this was not just breaking tradition. There would then be no pressure for two people attending together to be perceived as seriously dating. And that was what had been the Follies’ attraction (or liability depending on who you asked) for all these years. “Setting up the stage of the play?” He looked at Changmin seriously.

Changmin just bit his lip, “I don’t know but he’s made sure that everyone will attend. He practically made it a post-finals party and no one says no to fun after taking exams.”

Kyuhyun’s eyes narrowed, “He’s making it easy for us.”

“Or easy for them to turn up whatever trump card they have hidden and humiliate us in front of lots of people. I don’t know. Take your pick.”

“Do we just fall into the trap?”

Changmin just looked at him silently, he straightened up from his position and grabbed his jacket and keys and tossed Kyuhyun’s jacket to him. He then grinned but the merriment didn’t quite reach his eyes as he opened the door, “Who says we’ll fall?”

***************

Act Two. Scene 1.

Kyuhyun had only acted in a play once and that was during high school but he had been the lead and he was channelling that experience now. The coach had called for the break and there was therefore, no escaping that showdown.

The other players were now walking around the field, stretching, making a move to go back to the lockers, chatting…

All a charade. Kyuhyun sneered in his head. The grassy field was a stage. The other players were the supporting cast, the extras, as well as the audience. Their coach and his assistant were the real (clueless) audience. And here were the lead actors, about to start their script while everybody else surreptitiously watched from the sidelines. Waiting. Wondering if the rumours were true about the two of them.

Well technically not everybody since there were a few who weren’t really into gossip, had better things to do or were just that oblivious. Donghae was the latter and the team captain was actually advising two varsity members about their footwork. They may or may not be actually listening to him.

Kyuhyun could see from the corner of his eye that Changmin and Yunho were on the other side of the field. But he didn’t have time to be concerned about Changmin. His best friend could take care of himself.

Siwon slowly approached him, that smile of his very much in evidence and shyly offered Kyuhyun a water bottle. The younger boy gritted his teeth, Lights, camera, action!

Kyuhyun smiled as he said his thanks and drank from it. Taking his time to gulp down the water, he could feel Siwon’s eyes on him. Actually, he could feel a lot of the others’ eyes on him…them.

He was glad that he had been mentally preparing himself for anything because his first instinct was to jump ten feet in the air when Siwon suddenly reached out a hand and gently arranged the wayward locks on the top of his head, still smiling all the while.

Kyuhyun couldn’t stop the momentary stiffening of his body though because of the surprise and Siwon felt it. His hand stilled and he retracted it at once. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-…”

Kyuhyun shook his head, “That’s alright. I probably look so dishevelled…”

“Not at all!” Siwon hastily assured him but at Kyuhyun’s mocking look, he said, “You look really, real-…cute,” Siwon finished lamely and there was a suspicious red tinge around his neck.

Not to be outdone and fuelled by a sudden inexplicable rage, Kyuhyun reached out and wiped the sweat from Siwon’s brow. And it was Siwon’s turn to be taken aback. He flinched but then he relaxed and smiled wider at Kyuhyun. It was a very pleased smile. The kind that you give when you’re very satisfied when things fall into place.

And Kyuhyun just returned that smile. He ignored that slowly creeping heavy weight on his chest. Pulling it down. Taunting him what a fool he had been to actually get his hopes up…

No. He didn’t expect anything but to win the game. That was all. So yes, he had been fooled but there was no way he would actually let himself be made more of a fool.  

***************

At the other side of the field, Yunho sighed in mock exaggeration, “Alright, what did I do wrong again this time?”

Changmin ignored him and kept bouncing the soccer ball alternately on both knees.

“Are you giving me the silent treatment now?”

Changmin instantly stopped what he was doing and put both hands on his hips as he addressed the older boy, “Look, I’m practicing here. Can you go and bother someone else?” The words “silent treatment” had shaken him somewhat. He had spent the last few weeks annoying Yunho and suddenly clamming up just because he was jealou-… no, he was irritated! Yunho was bound to notice something was amiss.

He took the ball again and continued to dribble it with his feet.

After a few more seconds of silence, Yunho ventured to say, “I suppose you know what I planned for Follies this year?”

Changmin just grunted.

Yunho wasn’t deterred but continued, “It’s for that new building,” he chuckled self-consciously, “I know many people will probably get pissed at me for breaking the holy tradition of that event but hey, they’d forgive me if it’s for a good cause right?”

Silence except for the bouncing of the ball.

“Or it was really arrogant of me to hijack the event and I should have instead organized another event for the fund-raising?”

Changmin finally stopped dribbling the ball on his knees and said irritatedly, “Good of you to admit that you’re arrogant.” Yunho just smiled but Changmin continued, “But no, I think it was a good idea to have that kind of activity after the finals. It lets everyone in on the fun.”

Yunho smiled wider, “So how about it then?”

“How about what?” Changmin demanded.

“How about you go to Follies’ Night with me?”

Changmin was taken by surprise. Of course, this was the objective of their charm battle but he didn’t expect to be asked right now. He stared into Yunho’s eyes and reminded himself that Yunho was in on the bet. They were both play pretending now.

This was just a game.

He gritted his teeth and answered, “No.”

***************

Siwon was talking now, his words in a rush, “I know this is a bit early but you’ll probably be busy preparing for finals. And you might get asked-… I mean, you might have other plans. So I was wondering if you’d like to go to Follies’ Night? I mean, the Student Council is holding a charity event and Yunho would be glad of the attendance and-…”

Kyuhyun cut him off, remembering at the last moment to be gentle about it, “What exactly are you trying to say?”

“I-… well, I want to ask if, if-,” Siwon stopped and took a deep breath as he tried again, “Kyuhyun, would you go to Follies’ Night with me?”

Kyuhyun was taken by surprise. Of course, this was the objective of their charm battle but he didn’t expect to be asked right now. He stared into Siwon’s eyes and reminded himself that Siwon was in on the bet. They were both play pretending now.

This was just a game.

He gritted his teeth and answered, “Yes.”

----- TBC

A/N: LJ has been down for DAYS and I couldn't access most of what I wrote :K Had to retype most of this from memory. ;_; I didn't expect this chapter to get this long and this is supposedly half of what I wanted to put in the chapter.  Anyway, I tried my best to tweak it and make it look complete. *bites nails* Thanks everyone for the lovely comments on the last chapter. I hope to finish the last two chapters before Valentines. ^^