CHAPTER IX

THE ALMOST KISS

“Don’t fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things.

The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, should have.”

Flashback


Hyoyeon and I were in the seventh grade (freshmen for middle school), standing beside our locker afterschool.

And that was when JJ—we called her-Jung Joori—one of the most popular girls in the middle school (but not the nice kind of popular, more the mean, feared kind) walked by us with her friend, the fat-belly-flat-face, Kim Shinyoung. 

Meanwhile, the popular-kind-of-pretty girl was somewhere next to Hyoyeon and my locker. She used to be member of my band in the fourth grade but I kicked her out. She couldn’t really sing that well. Her tone was... Horrible. Ehrm.

Back to the first target—JJ—with her nonexistent chin and thin lips, she really wasn’t that pretty at all, although at that time she somehow convinced a lot of students, including ME, that she was.

So when JJ and Shinyoung passed us, I looked at them, because they were popular seniors, and I was impressed, or at the very least, curious. I was sure I wanted to hear what they were talking about so that I could glean some insight about being thirteen and cool. I think it was only a casual glance to their direction, but maybe it was a stare. Maybe I stared at them too openly that they stopped walking.

Oh, no. This is what I called the epitome of trouble.

Here comes trouble.

The popular JJ gave me an exaggerated stare back, making her eyes pop out like a cartoon (you know, like when Tom found out that the bulldog was chasing him). And yet she looked way fearsome than the scary dog. She gave me a hyena like, lip-curling sneer and asked, “What are you looking at?”

I got a super goosebump that I felt like Hyoyeon could feel it too. I mean, the earthquake around me. Oh snap. Then, the fat KS looked upon me with a stoic face and chimed in with “Catching flies?”

My mouth was wide open as terrifying scenes crossed my mind. What if they took me to school's abandoned lab and kicked me till I died of bleeding?! What if they locked me up in toilet till it was dark?!

I snapped my mouth shut, mortified.

JJ laughed, proud to have scared me, the tall and pretty junior.
 

Hyoyeon, my chubby partner, was tongue tied too.

JJ then reapplied her pink lipstick, which she took from her pocket, and made one final glance at me for a good scaring gesture.

Remember the popular-kind-of-pretty girl I was talking about earlier?
She had been shuffling through books in her locker but clearly caught the glimpse of the exchanging stare between the duo and me (the victim). She suddenly spun to our direction and eyed the JJ-KS pair with disgust, a look she had mastered, it seemed for me.

She then imitated JJ’s ugly laughter, craning her neck unnaturally backward and then she was ready to fight. I stifled a smile while JJ looked momentarily stunned by the mocking. She then gathered herself, took a step forward to the girl who I kicked out from my band in our fourth grade—, and spat out the word “loner geek” in a light voice.

The pretty girl was unflinching as she stared right back at the giant and said, “It’s better than being an ugly troll.”

Can I complain? They have the guts to say ‘catching flies’ to me and to this cold pretty rich looking girl, all they can say was just ‘loner geek’. Geek is cooler than catching flies.

Back to the devils.

It was JJ’s turn to stare, mouth open, at her newly adversary. And before she could perform a comeback, the brave girl threw in another insult for good.

“By the way. That lipstick you’re wearing, it’s so last year. My maid at home use that.”

Everything about that moment is suddenly in sharp focus. I can see my locker decorated with nice delicious looking cakes, N'SYNC, BLUE, G.O.D, SHINHWA, and Britney Spears’ posters. I can smell that distinct, grilled meat scent of the nearby cafeteria. And I can hear this girl’s voice—Kwon Yuri—forceful and confident. More confident than Britney when she speaks—give me baby one more time!

Of course, JJ had no response to this Kwon’s statement, as it was clear to all five of us that she was right—she was far prettier of the two. High nose, long neck, sensual lips, big bright brown eyes, pretty jaw. Many money. What is she lacking?! She even came to school with a dazzling Mercedez Benz.

I suddenly want to do a rain-dance in the attempt of my salvation.

As unexpected as it could be, JJ and KS scurried off, leaving Hyoyeon, me and the savior alone in peace.

And the savior, Kwon Yuri the loner geek, just shrugged off our (Hyoyeon and my) thanks to her as if JJ and KS were tonly a breeze that passed by. Which they were. It just took me a lot to realize that at thirteen.

I…somehow felt guilt to our savior.
I kicked her out of the band because sometimes she went off-tune. And now she just saved my from further humiliation.

So I turned to Hyoyeon, and she knew right away what I was thinking. Buddies understand each other even when we don’t speak. We chased the girl, as I grabbed her shoulder and this halted her movement by 100%.

She looked straight to my right hand, which at the moment, on her shoulder.
She stared at it like it was so sinful she would have been delivered to the depth of hell at that instant.

But then again, her silly expression had somehow made me laughed. “Do you want to eat lunch together?”

As we waited for her to answer the offer, Hyoyeon and I were giving our best smile of the year to her. But then again she looked like we were a bunch of strangers who are going kidnap her. I drew my hand back. She looked calmed down somehow.

“I don’t accept invitation from strangers. It’s forbidden.” She coolly answered. Even like this she looked so cool and pretty.

I can’t help but to think that she was funny.

Sometimes cutting, even downright mean. But that only made her funnier and attractive.

I offered my hand. “Choi Sooyoung.”

Don’t you remember the one who kicked you out? That’s somehow relieving.

She glanced up at me (I am taller than her) and down to my hand. She took my hand and then turned to Hyoyeon. “You? Don’t remain nameless.”

“Hi! I’m Hyoyeon! Kim Hyoyeon. The dancing queen.”

“Dancing queen?” Kwon Yuri raised her eyebrow high. “So you’re an ABBA fans?”


The next day 

We invited her for a lunch together.

I brought sardines with me, and I offered if she wanted some. If she had not saved me the other day I would not even shared her even the tiniest bit of my rice. But she did. So I did too.

She gave me a stoic look that fits well with her. “I don’t eat sardines.”

Hyoyeon and I both asked why. Fishes are good for health. God created fish to be eaten! I laughed at her and then she glared at me. Even so, I am still trying to mock her with offering my sardine to her. She coldly shook her head. I didn’t give up yet.

She looked at me like I’m kind of alien.
Her answer is still no. I didn’t know where the courage to mock this girl came from when I didn’t even brave enough to say a single word to JJ and KS who were afraid of this girl. “Come on! God creates sardine to be eaten!” I tried to convince her.

She grunted at me, showing a bit of her teeth. “I said no.”

“You’re weird.” I sighed.

She grimly stared at me. “You're such a Na Soo.”

“Na Soo?” I repeated her words. Was it a pet name for me?

“Yeah.”

Hyoyeon, who was observing the cool Kwon and me, had been mouth open at the scene in front of her. She joined up. “Anyway you should eat it. Sooyoung never shared food—even to her mom.”


The next day

The next day, we went to get her for another lunch together at her class, but she was nowhere to be found. We asked other people, but they just answered with a shrug or shook their heads... Like Yuri had never existed.

Where is Kwon Yuri?

The next day, she didn’t appear into school again.

Even the next three days.
And one week, after another, she did not appear.

And by the time Hyoyeon and I had finished our middle school, Kwon Yuri never came back.

She disappeared just like that.

Even the teachers could not provide us with a decent answer or explanations.

I was a bit upset with her at that time.

Why did she disappear just like that? Aren’t we friends? Why wouldn’t you say good-bye or send us letter?

Did she hate me because of the sardines? Or because I wa ssuch a Na Soo to her?

Sometimes my head says, “Who cares?" But then my heart whispers, “You do, stupid.”

I stopped ranting about her ignorance behavior towards me and Hyoyeon, as one day, I heard something I couldn’t believe and had never ever imagined of. I heard from the teacher’s lounge (I wasn’t eavesdropping—I just suddenly walked in quietly when the teacher talked about something), that Kwon Yuri, whom I had considered as one of my friends some years ago, was kidnapped.

What’s worst, it wasn’t the first time for her to be kidnapped.

She had been kidnapped for twice.

And something to be relieved of, she was rescued, and was soon transferred to foreign country—the United State.

My legs wobled.

“Let’s stop talking about this." One of the female teachers said. "This wasn’t something supposed to be a gossip stock. We’ll get trouble if anyone heard about this.”

So I made my smooth escape, to find Hyoyeon as soon as possible.

She was kidnapped.

My weirdo savior was kidnapped. And here I was, complaining about her ignorance for yearswhen she could have been badly hurt and even tortured in a dark room, filled with bad people who might possibly want her head—or money. I wanted to cry.

I felt a great burden on my shoulder.

This explained well about how she reacted when I first touched her. When I withdrew my hand off her—that expression, I should have known.
And why she was being such a loner in the first place.

I really wanted to cry.

Paris, inside Hotel
Presidential Suite


“How do you feel?” Lee Soonkyu watched the emotions play across Kim Taeyeon's face as stared down at her boots.

Sunny's heart twisted in her chest.

Kim Taeyeon wouldn’t quite meet Sunny’s eyes when she said, “Does it… even matter. My feelings won’t change anything.”

Sunny sighed and looked at Taeyeon who stood near the window, crossing her arms. “Your feelings changed things, Tae.”

“I don’t know, Sunny.” Taeyeon shrugged her tiny shoulder, unable to face Sunny. “I don’t know…”

“What about Sica?”

The manager dropped her hands, a weak smile on her face, and turned to her president’s direction. She looked lost—Kim Taeyeon was lost.

The young CEO got up and went to approach the lost-in-thoughts manager. She leaned on the wall right beside Taeyeon who had been her best friend for some years. She smiled knowingly, “Tae, if I ask you—who do you love more, can you provide me the answer…?”

A lazy smile twitched Sunny's lips, noticing how her friend still couldn't answer the long-given question. “Okay, I was joking.”

“No you were not.” Taeyeon grunted.

"You should love me more than you love those two, you know." Sunny gave Taeyeon her little-girl smile that was designed to melt the coldest heart.

"You know I love you," Taeyeon turned an angelic look up to the young blonde CEO.

"Confession accepted," Sunny laughed more likely to herself. “Let’s talk about the hot gossip. What about Yoona?”

Kim Taeyeon pouted. “I just want Yoona to live with no regret.”

"You look like a ready-to-start-a-war-kind-of-mom whenever we talk about Yoona."

"I have this kind of urge in my blood, she's like my real sister."

"I know, I know..." Sunny said calmly. “What if it risks her career?”

Taeyeon opened and clamped it back shut. She looked from Sunny and to the floor. It had been one of the questions she had encountered so many times—back then in the past. The same old question which was directed to herself.

She used to hate that question.

But now, knowing that both Yoona and Yuri could do more thanwhat she could—back then—eased her heart. She wondered for a brief moment, if she had accepted to sign a contract from the previous president as a solo singer for SME, would things change? Would she have power to overcome all the obstacles?

“Taeyeon ah, I’m just saying,” Sunny took Taeyeon’s arm and squeezed it, trying to reassure her of something.

The touch brought Taeyeon back from all her own thoughts.

“If you ever think of them as just a sweet, idol and the fans relationship—then, I’m telling you, Taengoo, that you’re wrong. There is something else.”

Taeyeon smirked upon the statement. She played dumb. “Really?”

“Of course. Why do you think the shippers grew that much?”

Taeyeon rolled her eyes. “Is it… that bad for them?”

Sunny chuckled. “You use ‘them’ instead of ‘her’, huh Taengoo? That means you are really sure about both feelings…” Sunny’s eyes trailed down the beautiful scenery of Paris’ street, “It’s been long time for Yuri, eh…”

Taeyeon nodded.

“Not as bad as you and Fany back then, clearly.” Sunny shook her head. “No, not yet to enter the ‘bad’ category. Most of the shipper will think that they’re just very close friends who cherished each other.”

She continued, wagged her finger to Taeyeon. “And it will be your job to make the audience feel that much. Only that much. Don’t show anything else beside that.”

It was silent before Sunny speak again, matter of fact-ly. “Of course, if things get serious—you’ll have to discuss it with Yoona—and me.”

"As you wish,” Taeyeon put an arm on Sunny’s wrist.“Can I pair them again together in a show...?"

"Again?" Sunny’s eyes got wide.

"Yes. Again."

"You really like to show off their chemistry, don't you?!"

Kim Taeyeon laughed.

"Well I guess it's fine." Sunny nodded. "It is advantageous for both of them, in some term of publicity. Just don't get carried over. Beware of behind and after the scenes. Its the most relevant one when a fan account spread mouth-to-mouth."
 

Meanwhile

“She’ll get over it.” Lee Hyori perused the menu. “What shall we order? How about salad?”

“Yeah, salad,” Hyoyeon said. “That sounds good.”

“I’ll have the burger while you goats can eat grass,” Sooyoung said, sneering. “I will have burgers, and chips. And cookies. And fries…”

Hyoyeon looked at her. "It's salad, don't call it grass! God eater.” 

When the food came, Sooyoung ate the burger wholly and most of her cookies chips and fries. As soon as she pushed her plates away, the other two, who’d already eaten their salads, pounced on her leftovers and wolfed them down.

“Chips and mayonnaise,” Lee Hyori murmured happily as she took a bit of long golden brown French fry dipped in mayo. “How delicious.”

“Unnie if that’s what you wanted, why didn’t you have it?” Sooyoung asked. Hyoyeon and her exchanged looks.

“Because I have to stay thin!” Said Hyori. “I can’t pig out on chips. I’ll turn into heifers and no one will want me to advertise their stuff.”

“Oh.” Sooyoung frowned. That made sense, she supposed. “Back to our main topic. Unnie,” she said quietly to Lee Hyori. “We should not follow boss around again anymore. Unnie should not too, again.”

Lee Hyori beautifully rested her chin on her hand. “Why are you so concerned over it? We’re just following them to see what they were doing!”

“But you see, boss doesn’t like it… She doesn’t like the idea of being followed.” Sooyoung tried to explain.

Hyoyeon joined to the rescue. “And besides, unnie, what do you want to see from them? They’re kind of close. That’s all.”

“Really?” Lee Hyori raised one eyebrow.

“Really.” Both Sooyoung and Hyoyeon answered smoothly.

“Why are you so interested in them?” Hyoyeon crossed her arms, curious.

“I don’t know, I’m just sensing something else from those two.”

Hyoyeon and Sooyoung shared a meaningful glance over Lee Hyori’s statement.
“Is this Yoona really a good person? Or was she just using Yuri to get into another different level?

“Unnie," Sooyoung said, "Yoona idol is a very nice person. She cares for boss more than you can imagine.”

“How do you know if she’s faking it or not? She’s a professional actress, both of you. She acts well.”

“Unnie—“ Lee Hyori stopped Hyoyeon with her hand. “And I’ve seen how she exploit her closeness with Yuri. We’re YoonYul and she’s my vitamin—? Gosh. That’s a bit too much for me.”

“Unnie…” Sooyoung said weakly. “Unnie, we can guarantee with our life, that Yoona idol is sincere with boss.”

Hyori stared at the two closest person of her cousin in the world. “I’m sorry for being a bit dramatic, but really—when you are rich—people would mostly see you as a big, green dollar sign. Fake friends will be everywhere. Enemies stabbing from behind—you can’t live peacefully with being rich.”

Both Sooyoung and Hyoyeon knew it. They knew how Hyori must have felt, but they were really sure and content about Yoona. Hyoyeon was the first to speak her mind: “You don’t know how happy boss is since she knew Yoona idol, unnie."

Sooyoung nodded. "You can see her smiling often. You can see spark in her eyes, you can see boss enjoying more of her life rather than to live only for work and LakeWood.”

Lee Hyori huffed, and glanced at her buzzing phone in surprise. “Wait—a phone call from little bro. I’ll be back.”

Watching the back of Lee Hyori as she walked to exit the cafe, both Sooyoung and Hyoyeon looked at each other.

"Sooyoung. Text Yoona idol, now. I'm worried about boss."

"I know. I'm worried too. Do you think we should go and take care of boss?"

Hyoyeon frowned. She did not approve. "Listen, buddy. Let's say, you're sick."

"Okay, I'm sick." Sooyoung followed.

"Who's the person you'd want to see the first time you opened your eyes?" Hyoyeon paused, thinking of the options. "Jessica or me."

"Sica." Sooyoung shortly answered. But then she shook her head again, "Umm, no. Wait, I prefer JETI."

Kim Hyoyeon glared at her partner. "Now should we see boss and take care of her or no? You get my point?"

"But, but I'll feel better if you were there along with JETI too!" Sooyoung protested. "You can first hide behind JETI's back and then taadaa~ you appear! I'll be happier like that."

Speechless Kim Hyoyeon could only stare in disbelief and amusement.

"Sooyoungah~ that's sweet of you, you know that buddy?"

Sooyoung grinned. "Hey, buddies never leave each other, you know that right, buddy?"

Hotel
Kwon Yuri’s room

Yoona lifted her head. She was still lying in bed—Yuri’s bed— even though she’d been awake since four o’clock in the morning, just staring into Yuri and wondering what had happened to her that she became so scared yesterday.

Yoona managed to pick up the phone by the bedside and ask the concierge to bring breakfast for two people; orange juice, tea, and some toast. Their flight back to Korea will be 4 hours from now. Finished with ordering the breakfast, she grabbed her iPhone on the desk next to the bed. She scrolled down the inbox and caught the analog watch on the device: it was 7 AM.

From: Choi Sooyoung
Yoona idol, has boss awaken yet…?

She replied the worried secretary.

To: Choi Sooyoung
Not yet.
You guys really should take some rest, Sooyoung. You and Hyoyeon have been awake the whole night.

The idol was glad and relieved that Yuri had such caring friends by her side. Both Sooyoung and Hyoyeon have been very worried about their boss since yesterday night. They kept texting her, even sometimes called her with video call just so that they could see their boss’ sleeping face.

Yoona turned to see Yuri who was still sleeping before she locked her phone.

She neatly covered the bit-messed-up blanket for Yuri.
The idol smiled upon the sight.

She then reached her hand to Yuri’s forehead, contemplating whether if it was hot or not. Noticing that there was nothing to worry about fever, Yoona stayed still, sitting on the bed, looking at the other girl quietly.

Minutes passed, and she finally noticed Yuri’s moving gesture, and assumed that the girl would wake up soon—and she was right.

“Good morning,” She announced, smiling to Yuri who just opened her eyes. “Feeling better?”

Yuri looked at Yoona. She blinked and shut her eyes. She opened her eyes again, and was about to confirm her vision again, “Yah, you’re not dreaming.” The idol laughed. “So did you dream about me?”

Kwon Yuri covered with the blanket, looking somewhat red.

Yoona clapped her hands, and the alligator laugh echoed.

Yuri stretched out one long leg, and looked up to Yoona. “I feel so much better, thanks to you, Yoona.”

Yoona replied the thanks with a grin. “So what do you want to do for today? Can we spend the remaining time together?”

Yuri removed the blanket from covering . “You… still want to hang out with me, Yoona?” she spoke somewhat reluctantly.

The idol frowned. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“I scared you for good yesterday.”

Yoona frowned. “I was worried about you—not scared of you.”

Yuri glanced up to the idol’s eyes, a small smile appeared. “Say, are you hungry? I somehow think of ice cream despite the cold weather. This is weird.” Yuri soon added as the idea went crossed her mind.

“Let’s buy ice cream!” Yoona replied, tossing aside the blanket. She got up and shuffles across Yuri’s room. She surveyed the luggage.

“Looking for some disguise?” Yuri stood up from bed, and went to Yoona, who was standing in front of the LV bags, hands on her hip.

Yoona watched Yuri, who at the moment, was ping the bag. “Did you bring any cap?”

Yuri squatted and with efficient movements ran her fingers over the stock of clothes, and began unpacking, laying her things out in neat stacks: shirts, jeans, blazers, and coats.

Yoona's gaze wandered over Yuri's belongings, lingering on her briefs. Some of the shirt were plain, white cotton, but labeled with fancy designers. The sudden image of Yuri with nothing but white shirt and jeans seemed to the idol like one of the iest scenes ever to cross her imagination. And how graceful Yuri when she ran her fingers along her hair... with parted lips.

Heat swept over her.

Yoona unconsciously her dry lips.

“Oh, you brought one?” Yoona asked, shooting her glance over Yuri's shoulder after regaining her composure.

But Yuri was having second thoughts before handing it over to Yoona. “Umm. I don’t know if this… is the right item.”

"Why?" Yoona parroted absentmindedly, her attention riveted on the wayward strands of brown hair falling across Yuri's forehead. Yoona's fingers itched to brush them back. She bit her lower lip.

The idol laughed whole-heartedly when she finally saw the cap. “You bought this cap?”

It was SPAO 530, the navy blue edition.

Yuri frowned cutely. “Excuse me, don’t you know that I’m your fan?” She defended herself.

With a grin, Yoona put on the cap. It fits well on her head. "Does it look good on me?"

Kwon Yuri speared a hand back through her colored hair impatiently. "I can't think of a moment when a stuff does not look perfect in you," she held up a hand to cut her idol off when she opened to protest. "Since anything you wear makes them perfect." she said, her warm brown gaze trapping Yoona.

"Now that's a comfort." The idol chuckled, her cheeks growing warm.

“Come on, let’s get changed. Ice cream awaits us!”


Some minutes later

The two of them exited the room and the lobby without a problem of being recognized, but then again there were few people who would glance curiously at Yuri for a matter of fact. The Kwon was wearing a ripped jeans and a plain Alexander Wang jersey t-shirtcovered with black blazer, but Yoona knew that the plain stuff would look stunning when Yuri wore them.

Just like how she had imagined it.
Even the simplest things looked perfect.

The thought of them praising each other brought a gentle smile into her face.

They crossed the street, walking in a slow pace, as Yoona moved closer to Yuri, and as silly and as lovely as it could be, they caught each other’s arms.

Yoona took Yuri to the ice cream parlor near the park, and on their way there, they made a small talk—she told Yuri about the concert, her next schedules, how she had booked a seat right next to Yuri for later—but their glances said a lot more than they could about the attraction burning between them.

When they had picked their own flavor for the ice cream, they walked back to the hotel’s direction.

“Is yours delicious?” Yuri raised her eyebrow at Yoona.

Yoona nodded, the sweet stuff. For a moment Yuri was lost in thought at the sight.

They were about to sat on a bench near the pavement, before something happened.

“The y vitamin!” Yuri stared in wide shock to the ahjumma who just slapped her with a happy grin.

Shock immobilizes the Kwon. She stared, jaw dropped, eyes wide. "Ahju-Ahjuma."

"You two really can't be separated, eh?" The ahjumma teased. "Eating ice cream together in winter morning, aigoo~"

Yoona nodded with a wide grin as she saw how funny Yuri was, at the moment.

Yuri remembered the person. It was the same ahjumma who wore that SMTOWN shirt, and now she walked passed them with that knowing kind of smile, and bid the farewell.

In the brief pause that followed, Yuri had a mental flash of all the potential things that could have gone wrong, but once again, Yoona laughed. It was more than a laugh—she sounded downright giddy.

It was when Yuri realized that her ice cream had fallen to the ground. She stared into the ground as if something precious had gone missing.

Yoona watched Yuri’s expression fell, a half smug smile curling her lips. "The ahjumma really likes you."

Yuri’s hand went automatically to her hair and she ran her fingers through it anxiously. "She likes my ."

Yoona laughed loudly until Yuri couldn't see the idol's eyes. “You know what?” Yoona asked, her eyes sparkling, a smile of anticipation was playing around her lips. “I’ll share mine to you.”

Yuri stared at Yoona for a moment and then shook her head. “No.” she said through her still freshly wet lips.

Yoona frowned. She offered her ice cream closer to Yuri’s side. “Its okay, really.”

Kwon Yuri’s face and answer didn’t change.

“Come onnnn.” Yoona pleaded, not taking her eyes off the girl. “Pleaseeeee~”

Kwon Yuri shook her head.

“Ah jinjja why do I have to beg for you to eat my own ice cream?” Yoona murmured slowly. "You should appreciate my kind offering."

Kwon Yuri glanced at Yoona warily, not wanting too see the idol pouted and frowning. With no more thoughts, she reached out for the stick—or to say Yoona’s hand—and she took a bite of the ice cream.

The idol watched silently.

"Is it delicious?" She asked curiously.

Yuri turned to Yoona. "It is delicious,"

Yoona smirked, and leaned closer to Yuri to whisper, “We just had an indirect kiss.”

When they were this close, her heart pounded in a rhythm she didn't recognize, and her heart filled with cotton candy. Yuri was so pretty, so cute and attractive that often times Yoona almost lose her control.

Yuri felt her cheeks grow hot and hotter by the seconds. She had never been able to maintain her equilibrium around Yoona. That magnetism of her has made Yuri's personal filed of life energy go haywire.

Kwon Yuri hit Yoona’s lap repeatedly, covering and her blush. “Yoona yah~!”

Paris Airport


Choi Sooyoung tried to focus on the magazine she just bought some minutes ago near the elevator, as she looked down the glossary to find anything JETI related—and of course, Yoona related for her boss. She walked through the corridor slowly behind her boss' back.

Hyoyeon had decided to accompany Lee Hyori's shopping frenzy for two days in Paris, while Sooyoung and the rest would go back to Korea today.

She looked at the first pages, which has Super Juniors’, followed by SHINee, and finally, JETI pictures. She spread her thin lips back from her white teeth and smiled when the thought of something sweet reappeared. She decided for some nice teasing moment.

“Why did you buy it, boss?” She glanced over to her boss, walking in a cool kind of way.

The cool looking boss replied, “It has… Yoona’s scent on it.”

“Oh... Your memory of a night together with Yoona idol.” She nodded mischievously. "What a nice memory."

Kwon Yuri stopped walking and glared. “You—" she wailed, mortified. Her face flushed a furious shade of red. She lowered her voice to an embarrassed hiss. "Do you have to bring that up?”

"Who else would buy a hotel's bed-sheet...? Yoona idol's power is really overwhelming...."Sooyoung shook her head and cast a woeful glance to the boss. She was enjoying the scene.

The bed-sheet was the reason to why they were the last to arrive at the waiting room. As soon as Yoona went back to her own room, Yuri had immediately ordered Sooyoung to do a mission: to buy the bed-sheet on her room, secretly.

Now the treasured bed-sheet was wrapped inside one of her boss' LV luggage, safely.

Sometimes her boss was such a freak she could not help but to mock, Sooyoung giggled. But she had something more to be seen by her boss. She believed by now Hyori and Hyoyeon were about to see this soon too.

“Boss, see this page." She explained as her boss read the catchy title above.

'ImYoona Steps Out Holding Hands With Mystery Person-Is It Her New Boyfriend?'

"They got a picture of you two holding hands together that night."

Kwon Yuri read the first paragraph:

Is it a friend? A co-star? A boyfriend?

The 24-year-old actress got some free time after the awesome SM-TOWN concert, when she stepped out in a popular street in Paris with a person on her arm, holding hands with the slim figure... Wait, it wasn't a guy- it was none other than her recently close pal-the fearful cold Kwon, a.k.a Kwon Yuri, LakeWood's one and true ultimate heiress.

The both famous friends-or should we say besties-were walking down the crowded street in disguise, wearing smile on their faces.

Wonder if they picked up any gifts for family and co-stars?!

The thought of her and Yoona being linked in the papers was positively thrilling. She was careful to always keep it as secretive as she could, but now all of Paris would be obsessing over them.

"Media's titles are always tricky... Right boss?"

Yuri couldn’t complain, though. Not really. "Yeah..."

Just this made her wondered how would Yoona feel.


 

“Yoona idol, my boss, she has a kidnap-phobia. No one knew this except of me, Hyoyeon, and the great grandpa Kwon. Now it’s four people including you, Yoona idol. And I believe you’ll keep this secret securely.”

“Boss will be like that every time she's aware that someone or some people followed her from behind. This trauma often happens at night. This is one of the reaosns why she never walks outside at night anymore. We always drive in car for her.”

“She should not be able to sleep. But you made a miracle, Yoona idol. You managed to make her sleep… I must say my gratitude to you. Thank you very much for caring for my boss so dearly, Yoona idol. Hyoyeon and I thanked you from the bottom of our hearts.”

Yoona frowned a bit, upon remembering her recent conversation with Sooyoung. The girl had told her something she had never thought of, something which rarerly occured around her life. Something shocking and painful to be thought of. Yuri was kidnapped when she was a kid.

Kidnapped.
She covered and tried to regain her composure.

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