"Hey Tao, could you come here for a second?" Kris called from the living room as he and Kris were seated at the table sipping coffee and chatting. Tao, upon hearing Lay's command, immediately put his cup down and went to where Lay was.

"What is it, Lay?" Tao asked as soon as he sat beside Lay on the couch. Lay then handed Tao an envelope with a smile.

"You earned it." Lay simply said, as he watched Tao's reaction. Tao, upon peeking inside the envelope, couldn't help but light up.

"Ah! My very first salary! Thank you!" Tao couldn't believe it. This wasn't technically his very first salary since he had taken odd jobs before, but this was the longest job he had held, and also the highest-paying one. He couldn't believe that he had actually earned so much money on his own, and it's all because of his own merits.

"No problem. You can have a break today, Kris is just going to the studio to rehearse without need for makeup or fancy clothes or anything, so you won't have anything to do. Filming won't resume until two days from now, so you can have tomorrow off as well."

"What! That's not fair, leaving me behind like this?" Kris pouted as he walked into the room and plopped on the couch beside Tao. "You can't even stay behind and watch me rehearse or something?"

"I've already seen you rap and dance so many times, ge." Tao rolled his eyes in amusement. "I'm going to go home and take care of the house for Lu Han-ge. We'd been so busy in the past month that I only managed to go back home twice."

There was that feeling tugging at Kris. Again. He always feels that whenever Tao mentions hanging out or taking care of someone else other than him, and he feels that especially about Lu Han. He wouldn't, no, refused to call it jealousy; why would it be jealousy when he didn't even like the other that way? Hell, liking him that way would be just too weird. He couldn't imagine himself ever being with a guy, even if it was someone he adored so much like Tao.

Yes, he adored Tao so much that he just wanted to keep him in his sight always. And whenever the other staff or even Lay touches him or goes too near him, he was always quick to subtly drive them away. He didn't understand his own actions, though; he chalked it up to mere… possessiveness? No, that's not the right word either. What right would he have to be possessive of Tao? But then again, Tao is his personal stylist. So in a sense, he kind of belongs to him, right?

Kris was so deep in thought that he didn't realise that he was nodding to himself. He was only shaken out of his reverie by Lay clearing his throat rather loudly (it seems he likes doing that).

"Hello, earth to Kris? What are you so deep in thought about?"

"Huh? Nothing." Kris waved a dismissive hand. Lay scoffed, and then rolled his eyes.

"Yeah right it was nothing. You were so deep in thought, you didn't even notice Tao get up from the couch. Usually you're so attentive when it comes to him, I was actually surprised you let him slip away like that."

"Eh? What?" Kris sat up straight and looked around the living room, searching for the aforementioned boy. Lay merely shook his head knowingly.

"Geez… He's in his room getting his stuff, calm down."

"I'm going." Tao suddenly peeked into the living room with a smile on his face as he waved goodbye. As if on autopilot, Kris immediately stood up from where he was to walk Tao to the door. Lay merely rolled his eyes at Kris' actions, and then waved goodbye at Tao before going back to looking over his papers.

"So I'm guessing you're not free tomorrow, either?" Kris asked as he leaned against the doorframe, watching Tao put on his shoes by the entrance.

"No, I'm afraid I won't be. Lu Han-ge said he was free tomorrow, so I'm hoping to hang out with him and catch up on things. I feel like I haven't seen him in a long while, because of how busy we were."

"Ah… alright then." There was a hint of longing in Kris' voice as he spoke, sighing softly as he leaned back further into the doorframe. Tao didn't notice this though, as he finished putting on his shoes and patted Kris on the shoulder with a smile as he went out the door. Kris caught his hand and held it for a moment, which took Tao by surprise.

"D-do you need something else, ge?" Tao asked softly, trying to catch Kris' eyes but to no avail. Kris couldn't bring himself to look straight into Tao's eyes. His intense, yet gentle gaze always made his head swim, even though he knew the other didn't really intend to give him those feelings. There was just something about Tao's eyes that made him feel… queasy, though in a good way. But he still hated the way that his heartbeat would quicken until his heart was about to fall out of his chest whenever he looks straight into the other's dark, twinkling orbs.

"No… I'm good. Just be careful on your way out." Kris replied in a soft whisper, almost in a daze, as he slowly let go of Tao's hand. Tao was confused, but he just smiled as he waved, and then turned to go. Kris followed his retreating figure with his eyes until he disappeared at the corner, and then went back inside with a sigh.

What the hell is happening to me?

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"That strange man is outside our house once again, Xue Tao. Who is he?" Xue Tao's mother peeked from behind the curtain, a mixed look of worry and fear on her face, as she spotted the figure of a strange man standing outside their gates with flowers in his hands. He was leaning on the gate, trying to keep his hands warm by breathing on them. It was a stingingly cold morning, the snow having fallen continuously the night before. Xue Tao didn't even bother getting up from the table, as she was busy knitting something.

"It's that strange man named Wu Yi Fan. He has been courting me, but I clearly told him that I was not interested." Xue Tao replied in a firm, flat voice, not even looking up from what she was knitting.

"He looks terribly cold, though…" There was a hint of pity in her mother's voice, as she continued to spy at him from behind the curtain. Xue Tao didn't even move.

"Leave him be, mother. He'll come to his senses soon enough."

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Kris, even though he was tired from the rehearsals that went on until late at night the day before, immediately sat up as soon as the dream was over. It was weird how he could nowadays determine at what point of his dream he should wake up. He blinked furiously, trying to erase the sleepiness from his eyes, as he sat on the side of his bed and pondered.

The fortune teller said that I should observe myself and see what I'm doing and feeling whenever I'm dreaming those dreams. Let's see… what did I do yesterday? It was just a normal day. Wait… didn't the fortune teller said I was connected in some way to Tao? Destined or something like that? Could it be because he's not here with me? Come to think of it… I didn't really dream when he was here. Could that be the answer then?

He immediately jumped out of his bed and wasted no time preparing himself and putting on a disguise, getting ready to go out as if on a sleuthing mission. He was determined to get to the bottom of these dreams, so that he could stop seeing them already.

Picking up the phone, he immediately phoned Lay. "Hey Lay, tell me Tao's address."

"Hnngh… Wha? What'd you need that for?" Lay asked on the other line groggily, obviously rudely awakened from his deep slumber by the unexpected call.

"Just give it to me! I need to go to his house right now!" Kris growled impatiently, tapping his foot as he did so. Lay, in no position to argue as he was eager to get back to sleep, gave him the address which Kris quickly noted down, and then set off to Tao's house. He was going to get Tao to sleep at his house tonight, whether he liked it or not.

Once he got there, he marched towards Tao's door and was about to knock, when he heard indistinct but clearly different voices near the entrance. He didn't know why he did so, but he quickly hid behind the building and surveyed the two figures who emerged from the door, who happened to be Tao and Lu Han.

Dear lord… I feel like a stalker now. Kris thought dejectedly as he swiftly and as unnoticeably as possible, followed Lu Han and Tao to wherever they were going. With his disguise and the number of people on the streets walking at that time, he wasn't even remotely suspected of following them. He himself didn't even know why he was following them in secret and not just approach them; somehow he just felt the need to watch over what Tao was going to be doing with Lu Han.

"Where do you want to go today, ge?" Tao asked in a cheerful voice as he walked side by side with Lu Han, happy that they got to finally hang out after so long. Lu Han merely shrugged as he followed Tao along.

"You decide… Or we can just walk along the streets of Seoul and I'll teach you where things are."

"That sounds like a great ide-- Hey look! Food!" Tao suddenly grabbed Lu Han's arm and ran to a teokbokki cart, staring at the food with wide, childlike eyes. "What is it?"

Kris stood a considerable distance away from them, observing their movements with his hawk-like stare. He couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy watching the two of them together and being so close with each other. His eyes squinted dangerously as he spotted Lu Han feeding Tao a piece of tteokbokki. The thought of possibly ruining Tao's day and making him hate him was the only thought that kept him back.

Wait… why the hell should I even care? They're just friends, right? Of course they're just friends! They can't be anything else, that would be just weird. So why am I feeling this way? Kris shook his head and sighed, feeling a headache coming. I don't even know why I'm thinking so much about this… I just want to solve my problem with my dreams. That's it. I don't really need anything else. He's just my stylist, and a good friend. There's absolutely no reason for me to feel this way! And yet, it's weird. I feel weird whenever Tao's around. I just feel weird overall! Ack! I better stop thinking about this before my head explodes.

Kris continued to follow them from a distance, not really knowing why he's doing so, but it seemed as though his body moved of its own accord. He saw them enter a somewhat expensive looking boutique, and when he looked up at the sign, he saw that it was Gucci. Gucci? What expensive tastes. Kris managed to hide behind a bunch of clothes by pretending he's browsing them as he kept a sharp eye and open ears trained towards the two.

"I used to buy these a lot when I was in China. I really missed them." Tao was merely browsing through the products, a nostalgic look plastered on his face. The prices were way too steep for him to afford now.

"You did? Really? You know, come to think of it, you've never really told me about your family." Lu Han dropped the hint as casually as he could. He had really wanted to know more about the mysterious younger boy (even though they had lived together for almost a year now, he barely knew anything about him), but he never wanted to ask because he didn't want to seem prying. Tao, though, merely shrugged.

"It's complicated. Really, really complicated. And a really long story." Tao didn't seem like he wanted to pursue the matter further, so Lu Han left it at that. He was sure Tao would tell him eventually. They browsed in silence after, Kris still following them closely without them noticing.

"Ge! Look at this!" Tao's mood completely changed as he pointed to a black backpack that caught his eye. He had always wanted to get a new bag since he wasn't able to bring any of his with him when he moved to Korea, and this seemed like the perfect one. It was square and black with a shiny finish, and definitely looked sleek. Lu Han looked at the bag and nodded, definitely agreeing that it was Tao's style.

Both of them gasped at the price, though, as they peered at the price tag. "…I'll wait for next month's salary." Tao uttered sheepishly. He used to just buy these bags in the blink of an eye without even looking at the price… but alas, that wasn't the case anymore.

Kris decided to stay behind at the store as he watched Lu Han and Tao leave. He then went to look at the bag Tao was eyeing. Hmmm… This isn't bad. He has nice taste. The price is a bit too steep, but it should be oka-- Wait, what am I even thinking. No, I'm not buying this expensive bag for him! Why should I? Kris began to walk away from the bag, but ended up looking back at it. But I want to do something nice for him… I'm sure that when he sees this, he will be ecstatic. But what if he asks how I knew? I can't just go 'Oh, I heard that you wanted it when I was stalking you yesterday.'

Kris continued his inner battle with himself for a few minutes, before he was approached by one of the clerks who had noticed that he was staring at the bag for a long time. He was startled out of his wits as the clerk called out to him to get his attention.

"Sir, may I help you with something?" The clerk raised an eyebrow at Kris' reaction, obviously not recognising him. Kris turned away from him ever so subtly, afraid that his cover might be blown.

Before he even knew what he was saying, though, he had blurted out his spur-of-the-moment decision. "I'll take that bag."

"Alright sir, let me wrap it up for you." The clerk bowed with a smile as he took the bag to the counter. "Would you like to pay by cash or by card?"

"Card, thanks." Kris' hands moved automatically to his wallet, pulling out said card and handing it to the clerk. He didn't even know why. His brain wasn't even finished processing all the pros and cons to make the decision. He just knew that the moment the clerk asked him if he wanted the bag, all logic was thrown out the window as he realised he really wanted to do something nice for Tao.

Oh god… how the hell am I going to answer all the questions that will surely arise from this. Kris sighed as he walked out the store, bag in hand. He half-regretted buying the bag, but the look of happiness on Tao's face as he imagined it quickly erased those regrets away.

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Kris opened the door with a wide smile on his face as he stepped aside to let Tao in, his excitement almost betraying his surprise. Tao chalked it up to him being in an unusually hyper mood as he went straight to the dressing room, Kris disappearing out to the veranda for dramatic effect. He had already envisioned how this scene would play out in his whole mind, and he couldn't wait to see the younger boy's reaction to his little gift. The thought of making Tao happy delighted him so much, though he really didn't know why.

Tao picked out the clothes as usual, and then went to Kris' room to lay them out on his bed. Puzzled as to why Kris wasn't in his room preparing yet, he went to the living room to check on him, but saw that he was standing outside. Ah… maybe he's getting a whiff of fresh air. Tao smiled to himself as he went back in the dressing room to prepare the makeup he needs to use.

He saw a little slip of blue paper on the vanity with his name on it, in Kris' sloppy handwriting. Figuring it was for him, he opened the note and read it.

"Tao~ Look in your room, there's a surprise for you there- Kris." He did as the note told him, opening the door to his room carefully. Just then, he noticed a big dark brown paper bag smack dab in the middle of his bed. His breath hitched in his throat as he entered the room slowly. Is… is that what I think it is?

He couldn't help but let out a happy gasp as he saw the big, capital letters of the brand he so loved etched on the front of the paper bag. His hands were shaky as he reached into the bag for a dark brown box, and when he opened it his face lit up like a kid's opening his present on Christmas and realising he had gotten what he wanted.

How… did he know? Happy tears glistened in his eyes as he clutched the bag closer to himself as if it was the most precious thing in the world, and to him right now it is. The fact that Kris could think of doing something so meaningful for him really touched his heart.

Putting the bag carefully back in the box, he quickly ran out to where Kris was, and in his happiness he jumped onto Kris. Kris, who was innocently standing out in the grass, was surprised at the sudden 'attack' that came from nowhere, and as a result wasn't able to catch Tao properly. They both landed on the grass, laughing, Tao lying on top of Kris as Kris was sprawled out under him.

"Gah! Sorry, ge!" Tao was still laughing as he quickly got up and sat beside Kris on the grass, a huge smile on his face. Kris laughed as he managed to sit up, ruffling Tao's hair.

"Forgiven. So I guess it's safe to assume that you liked the gift?"

"I loved it very much! It was exactly what I wanted… How did you know that I liked that brand?" Tao couldn't help but latch onto Kris' arm as he laid his head on his shoulder, his admiration for the older shooting high to the skies right now. Kris flinched a bit in surprise at such an intimate contact, but he quickly relaxed.

"Eh… I was walking along yesterday and I happened to pass by a Gucci boutique, so I just went in and picked a random gift for you." He made it sound as though it was entirely accidental, since he wasn't about to reveal the truth.

"Thank you, ge… really." Tao whispered softly as Kris ruffled his hair in response. They stayed like that, silent for a few moments, when suddenly the scene was broken apart by Lay's entrance.

"Yo, I hate to break you lovebirds apart, but schedule's going to start in an hour, so you guys better get ready. Oh and Tao, we're going until 5 am again today." Lay didn't even bat an eye at the scene as he quickly retreated with a mischievous laugh, avoiding the flowers that Kris threw at him in his flustered state. Tao just smiled and shook his head, thinking nothing of Lay's words, as he stood up and dusted himself, before helping Kris up. Kris, however, didn't let go of his hand as they went back into the house, hand in hand.

"Are you ready to learn some more stretching techniques today, ge?"

"What?! We have to do those again!?

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"Did I ever tell you that you're as beautiful as the fully bloomed flowers in the field, more shining than the radiant sun?" Yi Fan reached for Xue Tao's cheek, but she calmly blocked his advances.

"Yes, you have, kind sir. Multiple times, in fact." It was her way of subtly hinting Yi Fan to invent a new pickup line, basically. She continued to plant rice in the fields, Yi Fan helping her even though it wasn't in his place to do so.

"Why won't you just accept me? Is there something wrong with me?" Yi Fan sighed, following her around the field as she planted, exasperated and tired at her pushing him away. Xue Tao stopped planting for a moment, then looked at him straight in the eye.

"Tell me, with your status… Did you ever stop and think whether our love, if it did exist, would be okay in the eyes of society?"

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Argh, Tao sleeping over here wasn't the answer either! Kris almost pulled his hair apart in frustration as he had dreamt again the previous night, even though he thought that the answer was Tao sleeping over. He did sleep over (and was still sound asleep at this time, though it was about time for him to wake up), but the dream still came to him!

Making a mental note to go to the fortune teller later today if he got the chance, he flopped on the couch and lied down, shielding his eyes from the natural light peeking through his curtains as he tried to sleep again. At the same time, the alarm clock was distinctly heard ringing from within Tao's room. In a few minutes he frantically ran out of his room, and then stopped when he saw Kris lying on the couch.

"Ge! I didn't get up late, did I? I just realised it's 2 pm! I accidentally set my snooze alarm too late!"

"No, no, you're fine. We don't have anything until 5." Kris mumbled out in reply, not moving from his position on the couch. He was so frustrated with the whole dream and fortune-teller thing right now.

Tao was just about to go over and ask what was wrong when his cellphone suddenly rang. Thinking it might be Lu Han, he quickly picked up his phone without looking at the name.

"Huang Zitao!" Tao suddenly froze at the voice on the other phone. He knew full well who it was. How did she get this number?

"You… have the wrong number." He replied in a shaky voice as he pressed the end call button. His phone rang again, the shrill, loud tone hurting his ears not because of its loudness, but because he knew full well who was on the other line.

Kris stood up from the couch and looked at Tao questioningly, gesturing to his phone. "Aren't you going to get that?"

Tao didn't reply as his lips were set in a firm line, his hands shaking as he reached for his phone once again. He didn't answer, he merely pressed the phone to his ear.

"Huang Zitao, I know this is you! How did you get to Korea?! Did you really think we weren't going to find you just because you moved into a new country?!"

"…" Tao closed his eyes in frustration, trying to calm himself down.

"Why are you calling? I thought you had disowned me."

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A/N: Gosh Tao, so dramatic over Gucci. xD My iTunes is awesome- while I was writing that part where Tao opened up the Gucci bag, my iTunes started playing Can't Help Falling in Love on Piano. xD

Anyways, writing chapter 6 now. Hope this chapter wasn't revoltingly bad. >.<