I’ve been with SM Entertainment for a decade now and have seen my share of drunken merriment at company parties. Admittedly I’m not much of a party-goer without Stephanie or Sunday forcing me out of my quiet cocoon of a home, but tonight I’ve had to make an exception. It was my birthday after all—my 29^th birthday, to be blunt—and I (was) am having fun but if parties meant having to fend off drunken idols and their ridiculously awkward inquiries, I think it’s safe to say this will be the last party I’ll throw for a very, very long time.

“Ji~yeon~ah!” Dongwan is drunker than I’ve ever seen him and quite frankly it’s beginning to get on my nerves. As much as I adore the guy, the fact that I’ve been trying to escape his rampant Q&A about my and Eric’s quiet ‘rendevous’ (as he declared it cheekily) out on the hall—I thought it’d be obvious that I really, really don’t wanna talk about any of it.

“Nothing happened, Dongwan!” I said for the umpteenth time, weaving my way through the bodies of people occupying my usually spacious living room.

Where the hell did all these people come from?

Did I actually miss the barrage of people coming over while I was humming to myself outside?

Or was I just so preoccupied by Eric’s face that I hasn’t noticed anything—or for that matter, anyone?

I felt like knocking my head on a wall. This party was quickly becoming a very bad idea and I couldn’t locate any Kyu-Line member anywhere!

“Pssh! I don’ believe that one sec’nd!” Dongwan slurred, laughing loudly as he finally caught up with me and pulled my arm. I tried not to yelp at the force he exerted on his grip but I couldn’t stop it in time as he managed to make me sit on an empty chair.

I forgot how deceptively strong Drunk!Dongwan was. But I wasn’t too worried about that—instead I fixated on the chair I was sitting on. Where did this chair come from?

“Stop look’n at the chair and look a’me.” Dongwan said, snapping his fingers in front of my face to get my attention. I glared at him as he fumbled over a chair Junjin magically pulled out from behind him and sat down, huffing a little at the fact that my own colleagues—my supposed friends!—would do this to me here and now and in front of my secret crush!

My secret crush who was, coincidentally, chatting with my ex-boyfriend less than two meters away from where I was.

Greaaaaaat.

I should have NEVER drunk tonight. This is all Changmin and Kyu-Line’s fault.

(Okay so, fine, I was the one who insisted on a party and invited Shinhwa over. It’s still their line’s fault!)

“Why is this such a big deal?” I groaned, covering my face with my hands. Junjin laughed loudly as I stomped my feet on the ground like a child throwing a fit, while Dongwan simply patted my head.

“It’s been waaaaaay too long since we hung out, Jiyeon,” Junjin began, the laughter in his voice still evident even after he’d cleared his throat, “but that doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten all about your little crush.”

I felt my cheeks burn at the word and I lifted my head to scowl at him.

He simply grinned in response, shrugging. “You should know that I totally called Eric-hyung to come over right after I received your text.”

“I hate you.” I told him, feeling embarrassed and fuming at the same time.

Junjin smiled, patting my head in the same manner Dongwan did just awhile ago. Reassuring, but condescending at the same time. Ugh. I shoulda never invited you little— “Ah but you’re secretly grateful for intuitiveness in helping you with your lovelife.”

“I don’t need help!”

Dongwan made an awful snorting sound at this. “Yeah, you do.”

I was going to reply but then he gave me a look that told me that I should know better than to argue with him.

And while I wish I could say I don’t—I actually do. You don’t spend a decade in a company and not become good friends with your colleagues. Even if they did do a lot of promotions apart from you and promptly left the company together once their contracts were through.

My cheeks burn even hotter as I catch both of them look over at where Eric and Yunho were talking and grin in unison once they turned back to face me again.

I bury my face into my hands again and groan louder this time. “I regret ever admitting my crush to you guys back in ’03.”

“Don’t worry so much,” Junjin replied, shaking his head at me, “We think he has a thing for you too anyway.”

“Shut up!”

“No, seriously!” Dongwan interjected—the slur completely gone miraculously as he laughed at my disbelieving expression, “Eric’s a homebody like you. He dotes on his puppy for God’s sake! He wouldn’t have left his dog at home for just anyone’s party, you know.”

“Maybe he found a dog-siiter!”

“Maybe he just wants to see you.”

“No, he doesn’t!”

“Pssh!”

“Shut up, Dongwaaaaaan.”

“Whatever. You still like him—and believe me, he likes you too.”

I opened my mouth to disagree—“I do not—”

Junjin and Dongwan gave me an all-too knowing look and I sighed in defeat.

“Fine. Yeah, I do. I still like him.”

My heart fluttered traitorously as the admittance sunk in and I frowned at how easily swayed it was being at the moment. Yes, I do still like Mun Jeonghyuk. I like Eric a lot, in fact, even when I was with Yunho all those years ago. Some crushes just don’t die, ok?

HA! That’s a crush?

Dongwan must have had the same idea as my conscience because he replied with the same -eating grin he gave me and Eric when he found us outside my door. “And he likes you! Just wait, I swear it, he will ask you out by the end of the party!”

I shook my head at him, disbelieving and fanning my cheeks as I deliberated on responding to that preposterous suggestion before my eyes landed on the kitchen door.

The still locked kitchen door.

My eyebrows shot up to my hairline as I remembered locking Changmin and Yoona in there almost—

I checked my watch and squeaked at the time!

They’ve been in there for an hour!