Flashback to D-9

“There’s our star!” one of the men shouted. Friend A escorted Minseok to his seat. They immediately offered him a drink, but he rejected at first. “I came all the way from America just to see you guys again after a decade. And here you are rejecting the drink I bought for you guys. You owe me a shot Kim Minseok. Not just because you’re now a big star, you can just – “ Minseok took the glass on Friend B’s hand and drank it in one go, “Happy?” And the two hugged like they never did before.

“I missed you bro. We were worried that you couldn’t come. With all your schedules and other stuff going on, I thought you totally have forgotten about me.”

“Ha, that’ll never happen,” Minseok stayed for a while, enjoying the moment just like the old times. He did miss all those people and he would love to stay up all night with them. But he didn’t want to miss your dad’s party too - the party where he prepared himself for that night.

He knew that there’s no possibility of him escaping while his friends were still in their normal states. And so he waited for a few more until all his friends were starting to get drunk. He on the other hand was feeling a little tipsy already after only a few shots. But despite that, he confidently got up his seat and tried to escape.

“Hey hey hey! Where are you going?” Friend B asked. “Oh. I was just going to – ,” but before he could finish his sentence, Friend C got hold of his phone and pulled him back to his seat. “Oh no Minseok-ie, you’re not going anywhere.” Minseok tried to get his phone but he failed.

“Look guys, I really need to call someone,” he pleaded but he failed to get it back. “Who are you going to call? Your girlfriend?” his friend asked when he saw the name on Minseok’s phone screen.

Minseok shook his head telling them that what they’re thinking was wrong. “Then who is this Jiyeon girl you’re calling?”

“Come on dude, tell us! Is she a hooker you hired? Oh, do celebrities do that?”

“They have money dude. They can do whatever they like!”

“Hey Minseok, tell us now!”

“You coward, you never tell us your love stuff!”

“If you won’t tell us then we’ll all think you’re gay!”

“It’s not impossible dude. You’re living with eleven other beautiful boys. Who will not go gay for that, huh?”

“Guys, stop it. You’re all just drunk. Give it back.”

“We are so not giving it back! Gay gay gay!”

“Oh I know! Maybe this girl is one of your EXO boys’ sister huh? Calling her instead of him. Who is it huh? That Chinese guy, Luhan?”

“Oh my gosh, we have a gay friend. This is going to be hard here in Korea. Come with me back to America then. Your gay life will be much easier and free there,” Minseok’s temper is starting to rise. Even though he knew that his friends were just saying nonsense stuff just to convince him, he couldn’t stand the fact that they are using his other friends’ name, EXO in particular, to get to him.

So in the end, to shut them all up, he agreed and told them everything from the very beginning. “She’s a fan. Her bestfriend wrote an email to us for that ‘fan-event’ thing we’ve been doing.” Friend C who was still holding his phone, accidentally pressed the call button, without him realizing it, as Minseok was starting.

“I didn’t want to do it in the first place. I didn’t want to do it all. Ask me for anything except that. But our managers still insisted on that wish saying that it’s the best one for me. Then they asked me what I wanted just so I’ll do it. I told them something that I know is nearly impossible to happen. But guess what, they managed to accept it and said that it was a deal. I had no choice anymore but to say ‘yes’. Obviously, everything was just an act. If she believed any of it, I don’t know anymore –“ one of his friends interrupted him, “sorry wait. Can you elaborate more on the other details because we kinda don’t get everything here.”

“What is it that they made you do that you ended up agreeing on even if you didn’t want to in the first place?”

“And what is that impossible thing? Is there anything impossible in this world nowadays?”

After sighing, Minseok then repeated from the very beginning saying exactly everything from the smallest detail. “Everything was just an act and if she believed any of it, I don’t know anymore. But you know what, she didn’t. Instead, I was the one who fell for my own act. I don’t know when, I don’t know how. I just woke up one day thinking about her from the moment I open my eyes. I had something to look forward to everyday because I know I’ll see her and talk to her and be with her. She was supposed to need me, but instead I was the one who needed her as the days went by. And I was too much of a coward to admit that to myself before.” He was so immersed with his storytelling that he didn’t notice his listeners were already in dreamland. He let out a small smile when he saw how quietly his friends were sleeping.

“These kids. If only I had known that this will be my way of escape then I should’ve told the story from the moment I entered this bar,” he talked to a bar staff and left his friends to his care until they wake up. He on the other hand, despite the lateness and his tipsiness, went to your house to catch up on the party.

He arrived there silence echoing around, all windows of your house closed and lights off. He rang the doorbell a few times hoping that someone was still awake but no one answered. He thought of calling you but decided to do otherwise because he didn’t want to wake you and see him a little drunk.

Failed and disappointed, he went back to their dorm wasted. He was too tired to go up to his room so instead he laid on the couch and fell asleep right away.