After a few furious minutes of replying to those who responded to Changmin and my mass text, the boys and I settled back around the table with bottles in hand. I’d managed to get most of SNSD to shop for food before coming over and even Yeonhee was making a rare appearance.

I wasn’t sure who Changmin invited but we agreed that as long as they brought refreshments then it’d be alright.

My apartment was nothing spectacular, but it could hold a standing party.

Besides (after a very detailed and extensive pinky promise made)… I had the boys to help clean up anyway.

“So… you guys have successfully loosened my iron resolve with two bottles of soju and three cans of beer,” I announced, wiggling my eyebrows with a wide grin spread across my face, “Since we’re waiting on people, why don’t we talk about something interesting.”

I leaned forward on the table, my chin on my hand and drumming my fingers against my cheek. “Who’s going to start talking to me about girls?”

Everyone (save Ryeowook) turned their heads elsewhere all at once and I had to raise an eyebrow. I pointed my gaze towards Ryeowook and blinked at him, silently inquiring why they were all of a sudden so… quiet.

“They’re all in love,” he replied with a shrug. My eyes grew wide as I squealed in excitement. They immediately started complaining about the noise but I didn’t care. It’d been too long since I was around any of my Hallyu Wave colleagues (or Stephanie for that matter, she was gone on vacation again) and I needed to gossip!

“Oh ho! Really, now?!” I exclaimed, studying each presumably ‘indifferent’ men one by one with a Cheshire grin. Slapping my hand on the table, I eyed them all suspiciously. “Are you guys going to make me ask or should I just guess until somebody cracks!”

They stared at me like I was crazy until—

“Ah, geez,” Kyuhyun caved, bringing a hand through his hair in frustration. His eyes flitted to me and to everyone else around the table before he spoke again, his tone suddenly very soft and timid—“It’s Seohyun.”

I squealed again. “AHA! I knew it!” I exclaimed, wringing Minho’s sleeve excitedly until the poor boy wrenched away.

Kyuhyun sputtered, a terrible flush rushing to his cheeks as he spoke. I laughed at seeing him so embarrassed, frowning at me while I keeled over in hysterics. “How would you know! You don’t even go to the company so often!”

“I just do!” I said in between guffaws, wiping my eyes from the tears of joy spilling from my tear ducts.

“Noona knows,” Minho deadpanned and I turned to look at him expectantly. If he thought I would stop staring at him, he was dead wrong and eventually he conceded to my unspoken demand. He grimaced a little as he took a sip from his can of beer, thinking of what to say.

“Krystal. But—” he cut me off before I could breathe and squeal again, “she likes some other guy. Myungsoo, that guy from Infinite.”

“Yeah, yeah, the one who fanboys a certain J-named person.”

The groups laughed a little at this and agreed. “That’s the one.”

“Wow, ouch. But… I think you already know it’s a lost cause.” I said, patting his shoulder as reassuringly as I could. There was a look in his eye that gave it away. I didn’t know Krystal as much as her sister but if I had to guess, they were at least similar in regard of their feelings. That meant that if Krystal liked someone, she meant it sincerely. Minho couldn’t fight with that, no matter how hard he tries. And if the small smile he gave me was any indication, I was sure he knew he had his work cut out for him too.

“Alright, alright, let’s not dwell on Little Flaming Charisma’s heartache.” I said, ruffling Minho’s hair. He scoffed indignantly but I knew he didn’t mind the remark. I was a noona after all. He generally liked noonas.

“Who’s next?”

Donghae shifted in his seat beside me and I turned to him. “Oh, let me guess…” I drifted off, my eyes wide like saucers as I looked at him and Minho and back again. “Oh my God. Really? Until now?”

“Yeah.” He nodded in admittance, a blush staining his ears similar to Kyuhyun’s cheeks, “It’s still Sooyeon.”

The way he said her name made me swoon. That’s just gotta be the sweetest thing, I thought, giving him a sweeter smile than I’d given the others. I could understand how he felt—loving someone for so long was hard, but worth it when it was with the right person. Clearly Donghae though Jessica was the One for him. I had to be happy about that…

But there were other victims to be teased so after another reassuring pat on the back, I turned my wicked grin towards Jonghyun and Changmin. Jonghyun immediately flushed under my gaze, lowering his head in an attempt to hide his embarrassment while Changmin faced me head on with a glare glinting in his eyes.

I knew it was in Changmin to try and resist, but he often forgets how sneaky women could be.

Especially me.

MUAHAHAHAHAHA.

Wow. The alcohol’s really seeping into my head.

“Jong~hyun?” I singsonged, turning slowly towards the only non-SMTOWN member fidgeting in his seat. He met my gaze for a split second before blushing again, coughing into his fist as though he had something caught in his throat. Which in a way he did have something caught in his throat—a name.

“Are you going to make me call your name again?” I asked, my eyebrow already raised expectantly. I had a gut feeling whoever it was he liked was in SMTOWN—I mean, why else would he agree to hang out with a bunch of immature nitwits led by a brooding… er… giant?

Jonghyun’s lips moved so quickly I almost didn’t catch the syllables rolling off his tongue. My jaw dropped inexplicably because even though I’d been ‘on hiatus’ for awhile now, I knew at least who was dating the girl he’d just uttered. The rest of Kyu-line stared at both us quietly for a moment before the complaints began to arise louder and louder and—

“Stop!” I yelled, holding a hand up in the air and effectively shutting up the boys around me. Once satisfied, I looked back at Jonghyun and searched his face. His expression remained passive but I could tell he knew that I’d caught him—and before I could think about it, the words spilled forward just as my doorbell chimed:

“You know that Taemin and Sulli have been in love with each other since… forever, right?”