Her mind was ready to let go and move on, because it was foolish to linger and dwell on something that could never be, but her heart –her stubborn, stupid heart just couldn’t let it go. Sooyoung had fallen hard for someone for once in her life, but ended up being the victim of a one sided love. Was she bitter about it? No, because life didn’t always give you what you wanted and you just had to accept it. He wasn’t meant to be hers, and besides wasn’t there a saying that went along the lines of ‘If you love them let them go, if they come back then that’s how you know’. She wasn’t a martyr of any sort, understand that, but there was something so wonderful –and heartbreaking –about seeing him happy. His happiness was worth a lot more than her feelings, and Seohyun was a good woman so it wasn’t exactly giving him up to future sadness.

“This could be considered stalking,” Changmin whispered in the tall brunette’s ear to tear her attention from the painful sight. Yes, who would have ever thought that he and Sooyoung could ever share anything other than food and sarcasm? A broken heart gained from a one sided love wasn’t something to boost about or bond over, but he guessed it was the super glue that worked to make them better friends. It wasn’t a secret, at least to him and Sooyoung, that he liked Seohyun a whole lot, but wasn’t able to confess due to his silent nature. And anyway, how was he meant to confess to a girl more reserved than he was? He didn’t hate or blame Kyuhyun for liking her and having more courage to do something about it, not at all –because at the end of the day his best friend didn’t have a clue about his affections for his now girlfriend.

Sooyoung rolled her eyes, “As opposed to the creeping you’re doing now?” she returned with a smile, tearing her eyes from the scene that did nothing but bring her pain. Aish, Choi Sooyoung, pull it together. “How are you doing oppa?” Since they’d become better friends, they’d began forgoing formalities and began treating each other as friends. Why not, Changmin didn’t feel slighted by it, and she wasn’t at all uncomfortable.

“Bored,” he stated, stealing the untouched glass of champagne from her hand and taking a sip, “and hungry. Have you seen any food?” He asked, noting her indignation at him taking her alcohol, but ignored it. If it was food though, he’d be making for the door lest she tear him apart. Besides, knowing her the way he did, she needed a good meal to forget and he did too.

“Other than the bread and cheese, no,” she scowled –where was comfort-food when you need it, “And if they are going by schedule, we won’t be fed for another hour.” It was a smart idea to make the dinner happen after the compulsory mingling, that way people like her and Changmin wouldn’t book it as soon as they were fed. That, however, didn’t mean she liked it.

“Think it was changed because of the last time?” Changmin asked, knowing that he’d done an eat-and-ditch the last time, and Sooyoung had done the same. Only to find themselves in the kitchen eating more and ranting about lost loves.

Sooyoung laughed at the memory of being caught by an angry, but slightly amused Yunho. Who’d proceeded to drag them back to the banquet hall as quietly as he could, “I doubt that?”

--~*+*~-:- o -:-~*+*~--

He knew he should be paying attention to his girlfriend and conversation going on around him, but as soon as his eye caught the scene happening across the room, everything else seemed to simmer to unimportant. No matter how much Kyuhyun tried comforting himself in the knowledge that he was doing the right thing by moving on, his feelings for the tall brunette currently laughing privately with Changmin had yet to fade. Over time perhaps they would fade into the platonic feelings they were intended to be, but for now it hurt. Was it selfish to still pine for someone his best friend loved so much, while he had a girlfriend? Of course, but when were emotions and feelings all that rational. Rational would be forgetting Sooyoung completely the moment he’d asked Seohyun on a date, but love just wasn’t all that rational. Besides, it wasn’t like he’d had a chance with the shikshin to begin with, no when she only liked him as a friend and Changmin as a man. The light touch on his arm from Seohyun, served as the reminder that what he was doing was wrong, and he needed to get back into the conversation. With a soft smile, and gentle hand place over his girlfriends, he returned to the conversation determined to ignore and maybe forget.

Changmin seemed to have such an ease and comfort around her unnie, than he ever did with her. With her he was polite, stiff and on edge, never comfortable and teasing like he was with Sooyoung. Seohyun put it down as being her fault, because for such a long time she’d placed a barrier between her and the male colleagues around her that it seemed impossible for many of them to find ease around her, and therefore treating her with the same distance she afforded them. At first she’d assessed him as being just reserved as her, but he was so relaxed and friendly with Victoria-Unnie, the other f(x) hoobaes and even some of her Unnies as well, with her though he remained so formal and stiff. So to even think he could see her in the light she wanted would be impossible, and she’d decided to let go of whatever affection he had for him in favor of Kyuhyun, who didn’t seem as distant from her. So why did she feel a twinge of something sour when she saw Sooyoung and Changmin? Weren’t those emotions suppose to fade as soon as she learnt that Changmin’s affection for her unnie wasn’t at all one-sided, and she’d agreed to date Kyuhyun. Placing a hand on Kyuhyun arm, she comforted herself in her decision. Kyuhyun liked her, and he wasn’t a hard person to like –why dwell on someone who didn’t feel the same way.

--~*+*~-:- o -:-~*+*~--

Whenever Changmin and Sooyoung got together at one of these corporate SME dinners, trouble and possible ditching was bound to ensue. Yunho just didn’t trust his maknae’s word that he would stay put until the end after the last time, especially when he was around his co-conspirator. Who knew those two becoming friends would result in constant pranks and escapes to search for food? But even if it gave him a bigger job, he was happy to see them not being as awkward as they used to be. Seeing them then, almost made him forget the time his maknae hadn’t been able to even look at the SNSD shikshin.

“Should I be worried that you two are trying to devise another escape plan,” Yunho asked, placing and arm round Sooyoung’s shoulders and looking pointedly at his maknae.

Changmin scoffed, “Can you blame us hyung? They feed us bread and cheese and expect it to tide us over –no happening.” He couldn’t exactly hide all that much from his hyung these days, the guy knew him too well not to know what he was up to something, and yes he and Sooyoung were thinking of making and escape to search for the kitchen so they could eat. “It makes me wonder if someone talked, and that’s why they changed things around,” raising an accusing eyebrow at the TVXQ leader.

“I think the hunger, and champagne are getting to your head Min,” Conspiracy theories? Kid was seriously hungry if he was getting paranoid. Fine, his maknae was the evil little bugger that he was, but when had he ever not let the guy get away with most of what he did?

Sooyoung was comforted by the arm around her shoulders. Even if her friend didn’t know, it helped a great deal. “Don’t look now Min-Oppa, but I think they heard our prayers. They are bringing out the food.” Sure they were setting up and would take another 15 minutes or so before they open the buffet, but it was still a good sign.

“Smells good too,” Changmin agreed, not needing to turn around to smell the delicious aroma of the food floating around the room. He didn’t care what it was, just as long as it was tasty and edible he was good to go.

Yunho could see how easy Kyuhyun had been mistaken into thinking the two were more than friends. Their informalities and similar qualities were hard to ignore and misled many into believing their familiarity was out of love. There was affection there, because Changmin and Sooyoung weren’t the type to befriend others without there being some aspect of it, but it was a brotherly-sisterly affection. He did feel sorry for Seohyun who had like his maknae for so long only to give up on the same misleading assumption as Kyuhyun.

“Oppa, the foods ready let’s go,” Sooyoung playfully poked him in the ribs, to bringing out of thought. Changmin had already made a beeline for the buffet table –the greedy pabo.

But, with all that he knew was it wrong for Yunho to hope that the shikshin would look at him again like she used to? “Let’s,” he agreed leading her toward the line, as she grumbled about greedy sunbaes.

A/N: was better executed in my head, but what the hell, here you go. Comments would be lovely,  Constructive Criticisms is welcomed.