“Wonder if you’ll understand, it’s just the touch of your hand.”

– Only You (Joshua Radin)

A/N: Hello beautiful people! You might get confused because there’s still the same number of chapters. It’s because I decide to merge my update with the last one. It didn’t seem appropriate to separate them so this turned out to be longer than imagined. It will also be more serious than the previous chapters. You've been warned. To those who have read the previous update, you can start reading after the -&- mark. Thank you and enjoy reading!

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Now for all the more colorful his life turned out to be with a certain fairy godmother in its midst, Yoochun began to acknowledge that she has become more than someone he enjoys working with. His friends clearly like her, if the hanging outs and her constant presence in the group’s dinners were any indication. She fit in a way that the line separating their supposed circles are blurred. His mother thought the same; even appreciated her enough for him to tell the elder Park that under no circumstance will they be paired together.

But why not, son? She’s perfect.

He had grinned, Exactly, Mother. You wouldn’t want her ruined, would you?

His mother had blessedly dropped the topic afterwards. Maybe she saw merit in his argument. It could have hurt, because that in itself was almost an admission that he really was capable of doing such a thing. There was a time he could have sulked about it, when he was brooding and inebriated and lying on his bed beyond any form of personal restraint, but he wasn’t about to fool himself. She is good, fiercely so. He was going to appreciate it even if it killed him.

When news of Cassie and Jaejoong’s engagement broke several months later, she was the first to come in attempt to share the happy occasion. But there was only silence in the grand space of the Kim mansion and Cassie wasn’t smiling. Putting two and two together, Sophie had soon moved into the mansion and declared she was not going to budge until this mess breaks over. She had a clue on how to handle things. What she didn’t foresee was how long it would last.

Within months the wedding preparations were well under way. As time passed, tension rose. The group respected the couple’s dynamic in that they are two people who grew together and got pulled into a scheme neither of them wanted. Cassie was fighting for her family and Jaejoong hated her for being dedicated enough to sacrifice them to the cause. There are differing ways to deal; they would find common ground sooner or later. But when after the wedding she began to isolate herself and he drank until he’s unconscious, they had to step up to protect one from the other. The silence was deafening, the bitterness too much. A week later Jaejoong left and they knew their intervention had been late.

Still, Cassie’s change prompted their work. Everyone saw her regress to aloofness, one she never was but kept a good hold of, and it was Sophie who saw how it happened and stubbornly drew her back out. Sophie forced her to eat, demanded rest when she buried herself in work and went as far as teaming up with her secretary to manage her schedule. She was almost literally stuck to her side for a while. Yoochun was thankful for that. They all were.

“This is all Jaejoong’s fault. He shouldn’t have left.”

He stared at her from across the kitchen, peeling an orange while she cooked stew. Dinner was to be at the Kim mansion tonight and this was the first the group was going to come together since the scandal. Dongwan, Cassie’s twin, is on his way too.

“He had to deal with it his own way, Sophie.”

“He’s a coward. That’s what he is,” she muttered, dumping the vegetables in the pot and giving it a stir more forceful than needed.

“Some people are not good with confrontations. They’d rather think about things first before talking them over. And distance helps them do it.”

“You know where he is, don’t you?”

He did. They received Jaejoong’s message a month ago and have taken turns flying out to see him. The bastard was in Australia raising cows, for goodness’ sake. He understood, but that doesn’t mean he’s not frustrated.

“He’s away, that’s all I can say.”

“Why won’t you tell me?”

“Because at the next available opportunity, you’re going to drag him back here.”

“And what’s wrong with that?” She turned, hands akimbo on her hips. “He’s been hiding long enough. Did he really expect Cassie to deal with all of this while he gallivants wherever he wants to?”

“god, Sophie, he’s not gallivanting. Like Cassie he just needs time.” He didn’t think it was good to mention that their friend did it herding cows.

“The jerk ran away, Yoochun! Why are you defending him?“ She was incredulous. “The least he could have done was write a letter saying, Hey! I hope you’re having fun getting grilled out there because i’m having quite the time wherever I am!”

“Why are you so riled up over this?” He frowns, leaving the half-peeled fruit over the counter, hands now crossed over his chest.

“Why aren’t you? You’ve been friends almost your whole life. Cassie’s going through hell alone when it’s much his fault as hers!”

“If that’s so then maybe she could also find half the effort to pull herself out of it,” he said, finding the issue tiring.

“She’s trying! Cassie’s doing better now than she did months ago and we see that. But Jae ultimately has to come back and fix this. And don’t tell me he’s not ready because that’s just bull.”

Her outburst surprised him. She had been quiet the past months, and her being so vocal about this now is a one-eighty. Yoochun came here looking forward to eating with friends, maybe even have a lengthy conversation about good things. An argument over poor choices and stubbornness isn’t that.

“Where is this coming from, huh? Did something happen?”

“No. I’m just not sure I could do anything else to help. What is he even doing out there anyway?”

“No one forced you to do this, Sophie.”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” she frowned.

“You’re doing more than us. It could be pressure, I understa-- ”

She stared incredulously at him, “Cassie’s my friend! And don’t patronize me.”

“Jaejoong’s your friend too.”

“His leaving tells me he isn’t as bothered with this as she is.”

“Okay, you have to stop there.” Yoochun was having none of this. “You don’t know that. You don’t know Jaejoong or Cassie or how things will turn out.” He sighed. “Can you just not involve yourself too much?”

He knew by the gradual changes in her expression that he’d said it wrong. There were flashes of hurt and anger before her lips thinned into a line and her face closed off. She had never been like that to him.

“Is that how you really see it?”

“You know that’s not what I meant --”

“Then what?”

This is becoming more and more of what he didn’t want to deal with. Why couldn’t they just have dinner and keep things simple?

“Listen, Sophie. We’re both obviously stressed about this --”

“No, that’s not it. I’m concerned. You’re.. something else.”

“Don’t you think I’ve worried over Cassie the last few months? Damn it, Sophie, we’ve all been pushed into this far enough. We’re just trying to deal on our own. I lost two of my bestfriends!”

“It doesn’t look that way to me.”

“You know what, that’s it.” He points a finger at her. “I’ve had enough of whatever this is. Don’t put your frustrations on me for something you couldn’t do, Sophie. I’m sorry if things are not playing out according to your grand counseling plans but you’re going to have to deal with this one way or another and leave Cassie and Jaejoong the way they are now.”

She’d gone rigid, and the silence that permeated the space between them was almost palpable. Yoochun felt a right

Had the stew not boiled over that time, he wouldn’t have known what to do next. Fortunately she heard it too and tended to the spilling liquid. Sophie turned the fire out but she had become the proverbial ice. Her soft You’re right almost didn’t make it to him. She had started to pile the ladle and chopping board onto the sink when he rounded the counter. He was a few steps to her side when she goes for the opposite direction and without meeting his eyes said,

“I’m going to get Cassie. You call the guys. They’re taking a while.”

“Sophie,” he tries, but she seemed intent to create a larger distance between them. “You’re walking away from me.”

“Yes.” She was already at the foot of the stairs and was making no effort to slow down despite their conversation. “I’m hungry. Let’s just get this dinner over with.”

He had wanted to talk, but she found every reason to avoid him. The dinner proceeds, and the only good point is that Cassie seemed to be a little more herself. She was laughing at Yunho’s joke and was even teasing him back. She still looked tired and has to regain weight, but there was some of her previous energy now. He wished it would get better from then.

Sophie was pulled in between Yunho and Dongwan which meant sitting across him. She diligently avoided any interaction - not even to return his jokes when he makes one for the sake of eliciting a reaction. She goes through the meal almost methodically and excuses herself to go upstairs when considerable time had passed to be polite. The guys had looked at him when Cassie asks what happened and he shrugs.

His attention often strayed to the direction of the stairs that night but she doesn’t come down again.

He doesn’t follow her.