The rest of 2011 was a blissful time for Seo Hyun and Yong Hwa. Although they didn’t have much opportunity to see each other, they were still very happy together. They saw each other at most once a month. They couldn’t risk anybody finding out. They were in it for the long haul so this small sacrifice was worth it for both of them. Yong Hwa continued to be busy with his music and band and also hosting. He slowly learnt how to control his reactions in public whenever Seo Hyun’s name was mentioned. He still slipped up from time to time but he was handling it much better than before. Seo Hyun on the other hand, had no trouble. Because of her calm demeanor, she always managed to catch herself before she reacted unfavorably.

“Hello? Oppa?” Seo Hyun asked cautiously. They were always careful whenever they contacted each other. Usually they would call and listen to the other’s response to see if they should continue their conversation. If either one of them were inconvenient to talk, they would only reply ‘Yes?’ instead of saying ‘Hello’. It was like a code language for them. “Ooo Hyu~n” Yong Hwa replied. Seo Hyun was relieved to hear that. “Oppa, I just finished the Happy Together filming. Tae Yeon, Yuri, Soo Young and I are on our way back to our place” said Seo Hyun. “Ooo.. How was the filming? Did anything interesting happen?” Yong Hwa enquired.

“Actually, that’s why I called…”Seo Hyun’s voice trailed off. She felt bad that she had to lie and she wanted to explain herself to Yong Hwa before he saw the episode or worse, if someone told him first. She was sure he wouldn’t have been able to keep a poker face then. “Hyu~n-ah, why? What happened?” Yong Hwa was worried now. “Oppa, I’m sorry… They asked me during the show if I liked you and I said NO. I just wanted to tell you before the show aired. Besides, it wasn’t really a lie. I don’t like you.. I love you…and…” Seo Hyun was rambling on and on, over explaining herself. Suddenly she heard Yong Hwa laugh, “Hyu~n-ah, stop worrying so much. I understand.. We both have orders to keep it low. So, relax! Besides, this is a good way to deflect suspicion. Fan the flames as far away as possible so that people will start to doubt if it’s really true. Great plan actually!”

“You really think so Oppa? But I still feel so bad to you and to everyone for not telling the truth. I think I can finally understand how you felt whenever you overreacted to questions about me” Seo Hyun groaned. Yong Hwa laughed again. His girlfriend sure was adorable. That’s why he loved her so much. “Hyu~n-ah, now you know you shouldn’t have been so hard on me before, right?” Yong Hwa teased. “That’s right.. I’m sorry for being so hard on you before” Seo Hyun said sincerely. “Oppa, where are you? What are you doing?” Seo Hyun asked. “Me? I’m in my room writing songs and practicing for the performance with IU” Yong Hwa replied.

“Mmm… Did you go to the gym to work out today?” Seo Hyun asked, sounding like a drill sergeant. “Ahhh.. No, I haven’t had the time. I was busy composing and practicing” Yong Hwa admitted sheepishly. “Oppa, you need to exercise! You spend too much time indoors that your blood circulation is not good. You said you’ll exercise” Seo Hyun nagged. “My blood circulates through my body a million times when I perform!! I sweat buckets too!’ Yong Hwa countered.

“Yong choding!!!” Seo Hyun exclaimed. “Araseo araseo.. I will hire a personal trainer ok? I will have six packs like Kyu Hyun and Jin Woon so that you will swoon over my body instead of theirs. Wait for it!” Yong Hwa joked.