[CONTENTID1]Chapter 10[/CONTENTID1][CONTENTID2]Consequences[/CONTENTID2][CONTENTID3]

"Tao."

"Tao?"

"Tao!" someone shouted.

Startled, Tao looked up and saw Kris. "Hm?"

"Are you okay? If you haven't noticed, everyone finished eating a while ago," Kris noted.

He looked around and realized that he was the only one left at the dining table with his half-empty bowl of noodles.

"Oh..." Tao mumbled.

"Are you sick?" Kris asked.

"No."

"Well, alright then," Kris turned to leave. "If you need anything, just---"

"Gege," Tao called him.

He stopped and turned back.

Tao took a deep breath and asked him seriously, "Do you think I did the right thing?"

"What exactly are we talking about?" Kris looked at him, confused.

"Admitting to everyone that I'm dating Anne, and making that the company's official statement in regards to the scandal," Tao replied softly, scared that Kris was mad at him for not telling him.

Kris sighed and took a seat across from his dongsaeng. "First of all, you told the truth. So what's wrong with that?"

"You know how there are situations where people say the right thing to do is lie instead," Tao pointed out.

"Like when?"

"Like this morning when Baekhyun hyung asked if his outfit looked cool and I said yes," Tao answered seriously.

Kris just laughed.

"Gege, I'm being serious here," Tao whined.

Kris controlled his laughter before speaking again. "Okay, in this situation you know that there will be mixed reactions. It's a sensitive topic to all idols out there. A lot say it should be kept secret because we have a duty to our fans, and for safety reasons as well. Others say they should tell the truth because the fans deserve to know, and we shouldn't be embarrassed about it."

"That doesn't help," Taoo narrowed his eyes at Kris.

"Well I think the fans should love us unconditionally if they were truly our fans. Anne clearly makes you happy, and if some fans don't want you happy, then honestly they're not your true fans," the leader stated. "Luhan would agree as well."

"I know," Tao sighed. "But I'm more worried about the consequences of all this."

"What do you mean?" Kris questioned.

Tao bit his lip. "What if... what if Anne gets hurt?"

"Hurt?" Kris raised his eyebrow.

"You know that not every fan will accept it..." Tao trailed off.

Kris paused. "Why? Did Anne tell you that something happened to her?"

"No..." Tao hesitated, but decided to tell him. "I think Mei Li noona knows something though."

He waited for me to explain so I continued. "At the photoshoot before, I asked her if anything bad happened to Anne at school, and I could tell she was hiding something. You know how noona can never control her expression."

Kris thought about it for a moment.

"Well..." he started, "if anything really bad happened, Mei Li would tell you. She wouldn't want her sister to get hurt."

Tao looked down, contemplating.

"And even if she doesn't tell you, I'm sure she'll tell Luhan," he added and joked, "and you'll definitely be able to weasle it out of him."

Tao laughed a little. "Okay, gege."

He smiled a little. "Don't worry, Tao. I'm sure everything will be okay."

I hope so. Tao wished.

"You lost again, Jiyeon," Anne laughed and took a sip of her bubble tea.

Jiyeon pouted. "Aish, no fair."

"What should we make her do this time, Joongki?" Anne asked him, smiling evily.

He looked at her and smirked. "How about making her go to school tomorrow with her bangs up?"

Anne grinned and glanced at Jiyeon immediately. Jiyeon's jaw dropped and she shook her head. "No!"

She had a huge complex about showing her forehead.

"Too bad, Jiyeon," Anne smiled. "You lost."

Jiyeon slapped Joongki and yelled at him. "Hey! I'm going to make you go to school in a dress when it's time for your punishment."

He chuckled. "But I'm not going to lose," he teased.

Jiyeon just pouted and crossed her arms. "Why do you give Anne such easy punishments like buying us bubble tea, and then you make me do the one thing I hate the most? It's not fair!" 

"Because it's fun to tease you," he admitted, smiling.

"Meanie," Jiyeon huffed.

Anne watched the two interact and she couldn't help but smile. "You two are so cute," she cooed.

They both stopped, blood rushing to their ears.

Thankfully for Jiyeon, her phone suddenly rang. "Yoboseyo? Umma?"

Joongki and Anne just sat there quietly, waiting for their conversation to end.

After a while, she hung up and put her phone back in her bag. "Apparently I have to leave now," she frowned. "Mom and dad are going somewhere and I need to look after Soyeon. Aish,