Kris Wu’s POV

 

“Come on Hyung,” my lifeless arm was tugged on like a chicken drumstick.

 

“Sehun,” I sighed, “I’m too tired.” I had been saying the same thing repeatedly for the last ten minutes.

 

“But it’s Friday,” he whined, his ministrations on my arm gradually roughening.

 

I massaged my neck with my free hand and took in a deep breath. “I don’t care if it’s Christmas Day, the answer is still no.”  The couch we were sitting on was not long enough for me to sit far away from him.

 

Sehun let go of my arm to fold his arms across his chest like a kid. His gaze intently stayed on me as I stared forward as Suho continued to model in front of the camera.

 

“Everyone else said they’re in,” the persistent maknae muttered.

 

I didn’t move an inch. “Then there definitely won’t be a shortage of people to buy snacks for you,” I replied heartlessly. I couldn’t have cared less if the rest of SMTOWN was going there.

 

Out of the corner of my eye, once scruffy eyebrows reached across a small chasm of skin to shake hands. “Yah. That’s not why I want you to come along to karaoke,” Sehun defended himself.

 

I cocked my head back in his direction. “I know that,” I smiled, “I just don’t want to go out tonight. Arasso?”

 

“The rest of us are tired too, but we’re still going out. Why can’t you just come along too?”

 

“Believe it or not Sehun-ah, I do sometimes value sleep over singing out of tune into a grubby karaoke microphone.”

 

“You could always actually try to sing well.”

 

“We do that for a living. What makes karaoke so much fun is getting to do the exact opposite of what we do daily,” I retorted without a second thought.

 

He looked stumped for a moment on what to say. “Yeah, well…” he started, “ugh! Can’t you just come with the rest of us? Please Hyung?” The desperation in his voice didn’t shake me.

 

I would have usually given in by now. However, I wasn’t in the mood to hit the town. The idea of returning to the dorm once the photographer was satisfied with Suho’s photos was all too appealing. We had been stuck in the photo studio for the entire day. We were finishing up the pictures for the photo book of our upcoming album.

 

“The answer is-”

 

An arm lazily s around my shoulder. “No Sehun,” a nasally impression of cartoon character’s voice finished my sentence for me.

 

I closed my eyes and took another deep breath in. “Hi Chanyeol.”

 

“Hey Mr Kill Joy,” Chanyeol replied chirpily. “Still no luck in convincing our leader to join us huh?” He asked Sehun.

 

“No. He’s being a stubborn ,” Sehun grumpily answered. “I hope you have nightmares tonight,” his expression darkened.

 

“Thanks,” I sarcastically smiled.

 

“I don’t get how modelling tires you out so much. Didn’t you once say that it was your talent or something?” The Happy Virus drew my attention back to him.

 

“I can only take so much pretending to eat food before I really want to sink my teeth into the stuff,” I yawned, watching Tao and Xiumin creeping closer and closer to the table of snacks we had been modelling with.  

 

“That hungry huh?” Chanyeol popped.

 

“Famished.”

 

“Me too,” he chuckled. “Guess what though? Because the managers are going to be in the restaurant next door, we’re going to order all kinds of magical fatty things to be delivered to our karaoke room.” His hinting was obvious.

 

I rolled my eyes. “Tempting,” I admitted. “But I’d rather go back to the dorm and eat a simple sandwich.”

 

“I think we’re out of bread though,” Kyungsoo chimed into the conversation.

 

“Then I’ll enjoy a nice bowl of rice and some of the fish that Lay made on Wednesday,” I shrugged, not bothered.

 

“I ate the last of that this morning for breakfast.”

 

I froze for a second and gave Sehun a quizzical look. “But there was so much leftovers,” I pointed out.

 

His expression remained unapologetic. “I was really hungry this morning, and no one else was up yet. I couldn’t wait for one of you guys to get up and make me something.”

 

“Dude, there’s a reason why we have cereal,” Chanyeol said.

 

I rubbed my temples and gritted my teeth. “Fine, whatever. I’ll find something else to eat when I get home.”

 

“Or you could come out with us and enjoy eating and singing. Oh! Not to mention tambourine banging and-”

 

“Okay! That’s a wrap! I’ve got enough shots of you now Suho,” the photographer’s pleased voice bounced off of the walls of the room.

 

Across the room Youngjun-hyung covered the mouthpiece of his phone and said something to Jaehyuk-hyung, his hand gesturing to the corner where all of us were seated. Minwook-hyung and Hyunkyun-hyung were missing again, probably out in the bathrooms secretly smoking. As for Yongmin-hyung, he was busy doing something on his phone- Tetris I suspected.

 

Sehun’s feeble attempts to sell me on a night out with the rest of the gang were forgotten as the photo shoot crew began to pack away their equipment. Jaehyuk-hyung pulled Suho aside for a moment and handed him what must have been money for the karaoke.

 

We had been changing in and out of typical high school boys’ clothes for the shoot. Right until the end where we were asked to try out a line of clothing with more of a ‘bad boy’ image than anything.

 

I was now wearing a printed black and white sleeveless V-neck with black leather pants and a matching jacket. Black and white wrist-wear adorned my wrists, while rings decorated my fingers- they left my piercings alone thankfully. I had already removed the washable tattoos they had rubbed onto my skin.

 

It was ironic really. The company was so strongly trying to keep my real tattoos a secret from the world, and yet they added their own random English phrases to my body.

 

Tao dropped down in front of me, changed out of his last outfit from the shoot, now only wearing an olive button down and washed out jeans. “Are you really not coming?” He questioned.

 

I shook my head. “Sorry. Not tonight Panda,” I confirmed my rejection of invitation.

 

“So you’re just going home?”

 

“Yep.”

 

He looked to his right, then his left. “So…” he lowered his voice, “you’re not going to see Yunji-noona?”

 

I deadpanned. “No,” I frowned, “why would you think that?”

 

A smirk formed on his lips. “Because, you know…she’s pretty. Not like goddess-pretty, but like oh-she’s-kind-of-cute-pretty. And she’s your ‘friend’.” He made little air quotations around the word ‘friend’.

 

I narrowed my eyes. Just when I was about to come back with something, Youngjun-hyung appeared behind Tao. He hadn’t heard anything, coming in just a moment too late. I steered my gaze in his direction, indicating to Tao that we weren’t alone.

 

“Hey Hyung,” I politely smiled.

 

He returned the smile and gave a nod of acknowledgement to Tao, who stood up promptly and scurried off to find someone else to bother.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to go with the rest of the band for karaoke?” He asked like a parent trying to encourage his kid to leave the house for fresh air.

 

How many people had asked me that question? “I’m sure,” I nodded. I pushed myself off the couch with my hands, suddenly looming over my manager.

 

“If you don’t want to go for karaoke, then you can join us managers for a meal at the restaurant next door if you’d like,” he offered. “There’ll be soju too. My treat,” he winked mischievously.

 

I laughed lightly and shook my head, stuffing my hands into my pockets. “Honestly Hyung, I just want to have an early night tonight.” I didn’t beat around the bush.

 

He pursed his lips and patted me on the back a few times. “I understand. You and the others have been working hard. Will you be okay by yourself? Do you want me to send one of the managers home with you?”

 

My eyebrows climbed up my forehead by a few centimetres. “I’ll be fine, thanks for the concern. I’m a leader too, remember? Not to mention a full grown man.”

 

It was his turn to laugh. “I just want to make sure that you’ll be fine. I get worried about the twelve of you guys. You’re like my kids,” he said. “Do you want us to drop you off at the dorm before going out?”

 

“I’ll just walk back to the dorm,” I replied. “I think it might be good to get some air.”

 

“Okay then,” he nodded. “Just make sure to not get recognised.”

 

We walked down the studio stair together and separated at the ground floor. Him, going down to the parking lot; me, pushing open the glass door that opened out onto the street.

 

I put on my sunglasses and took in my surroundings. It was dark already, not the faintest of sunset colours lingered in the sky. The area that we were in was pretty empty compared to what the rest of the city must have looked like. I knew that I would only have to wait 2 blocks before I’d be immersed in a sea of Seoul’s famous nightlife.

 

I crossed the street and walked down a small street of food stalls. The scent of a million different deep fried things wafted up my nose, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten a thing since the early morning. It was funny how sometimes we all just forgot about meals. I don’t think lunch ever crossed my mind during the photo shoot.

 

I walked past a deserted playground next. Swings stood still and leaves littered the bottom of a blue slide. An abandoned cup of ramyeon sat on a bench, steam still leaving its opening. Some kid must have forgotten his jacket too, as there was a bright yellow one stuck in between the metal frame of the single merry-go-round.

 

Growing up, I had loved playing at the neighbourhood’s playground after school- I remembered that vividly. Wreaking havoc in the sandpit with other rascals, hogging the flying fox just to annoy girls, begging my mom to let me stay just 5 minutes longer.

 

How are you doing Mom? Is Dad making sure you’re eating?

 

I ended up on Minwook-hyung’s street. He had once brought me along with him to run a few errands and we had stopped by his apartment to grab a file of his. I knew that I was now only 15 minutes away from the dorm. The street was the polar-opposite to what I had seen when I first ventured out of the photography studio. There were plenty of clubs on this single street alone.

 

I always wondered why Minwook chose to live here when it was never quiet at night.

 

I steadily walked up the slight slope, pushing past crowds of desperate partygoers. Alcohol was heavy in the air, along with musk and over-perfumed girls- I wrinkled my nose. When Minwook’s apartment building came into view across the street my eyes instantly shot up to the eighth floor, where I knew he lived.

 

You know how you can somehow pick out familiar voices, even amongst a flood of jabber? Well, I heard her voice crystal clear. Though, for a minute, I thought I had just imagined it.

 

That was, until I saw her for myself.

 

“I said no thanks.” Her hair effortlessly tumbled down from her shoulders in loose waves.

 

She was wearing a black dress that wasn’t necessarily too short, but did make me look at her legs longer than what could be considered innocent. The cut-out of her dress revealed creamy skin and delicate collarbones. During the day, I would’ve thought she was dressed up classily. At night though, I would’ve thought she was ready to go out somewhere.

 

“Just get in,” a man of average height and somewhat broad build said. He was most likely a bouncer by the looks of it.

 

My vision zoomed in on his hand that was wrapped around her elbow. I felt a knot twist up in the pit of my stomach at the sight. It bothered me. I wasn’t jealous, I just didn’t like how he was handling her.

 

 “No.” Her reply was very firm. I could tell she was trying to remain calm, but the nervousness in her eyes was something that I would never miss.

 

I felt my pace fasten.

 

I knew what was going on from being a trainee for a few years in Seoul. I didn’t understand what made club bouncers think they could force girls into their joints just to attract more patrons. If something like that happened in the West, lawsuits for this kind of stuff would be thrown right back in their faces.

 

Though I had never interfered with a case like Yunji’s, despite witnessing many, I simply couldn’t walk by quietly and pretend not to know what was happening to her.

 

I was just a metre away when it happened. “Stop being stubborn and get inside,” the bouncer rolled his eyes, jerking Yunji roughly forward.

 

As if on natural reflex, my hand flung out and curled around her other arm, jolting her back in my direction.

 

The words that tumbled out of my mouth were beyond my control. “I think you should let go of my girlfriend now.”

 

The bouncer’s eyes widened. I knew he was shocked, not to mention unsure of what to do. I kept my gaze steadily on him, even though he couldn’t see my eyes past my sunglasses. Despite all of this, I didn’t miss Yunji’s jaw dropping. It was sort of cute, but not enough to bring me out of the mood I had suddenly fallen into. I was pissed.

 

“Like, right now,” I said, since he didn’t move.

 

He let her arm go, his eyes weirdly going back and forth between the two of us. He was probably wondering where I came from. I hadn’t been there a moment ago. I was expecting an apology or something, but he just turned around and left.

 

I wanted to go after him and squeeze an apology out of the rude guy, but more than that I wanted to see if Yunji was okay. So I led her away from the crowd. Back down the street we walked together.

 

I hated how the bouncer manhandled her like a dog. She didn’t deserve that. She hadn’t been rude to him, only assertive. She didn’t have to go in there if she didn’t want to. He was an , who deserved to be punched.

 

The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to go back and act out some of the thoughts I had brewing up in my mind.

 

We turned into an empty alleyway. It was dark, the only light we had came from a lamppost out on the street.

 

I removed my glasses. She was staring at me while trying to catch her breath. It looked like she had heard me call her my girlfriend loud and clear.

 

 “Don’t look at me like that. I only said you were my girlfriend so that he’d let you go,” I explained myself.

 

She blushed, I don’t think she even realized that she did. It made me smile on the inside.

 

I leaned down so that her features would become clearer. She wasn’t wearing heavy makeup, so it was unlikely that she had been planning to go out anywhere.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

Childlike, her eyes fluttered. “Uh, yeah,” her voice was soft. “Thanks for saving me back there.”

 

I wouldn’t have minded if she hadn’t thanked me at all. The fact that she seemed unharmed was enough for me. But I wasn’t going to let her off so easily, there had to be a reason why she was lurking around on this street.

 

“Just what exactly were you doing around this area?” I asked.

 

“Going home,” She replied. She looked at me with a frown.

 

It was my turn to be surprised. “You live around here?” I couldn’t really believe it. She looked like more of the type to live in an old building somewhere with courtyards and flowers. Not in the midst of a club scene.

 

“Yes,” she nodded, “I live right across from that club.”

 

“The one I found you being man-handled outside of?” That was the same building as Minwook-hyung.

 

“What other club would I be referring to?”

 

Her tone was a little snappy. Had I said something to make her mad? I pursed my lips together.

 

Something in her changed, like a switch. “Sorry, I’m just tired.” She whispered.

 

“It’s okay,” I replied.

 

She looked down at the ground again, it was a habit of hers. Did she only do it around me? Or was it something that she always did?

 

Yunji cleared . “Uhh, Kris?”

 

I didn’t like the way it sounded when she called me by that name anymore. Maybe it was because of the memory of the way she said ‘Yifan’. Maybe it was because it made me feel like she was less familiar with me when she called me by that name. There could have been a million explanations out there that could be used to explain why I didn’t like her calling me ‘Kris’, but none of them mattered. The fact would always remain, that I just didn’t like it- end of story.

 

I frowned and stared down at her. She still had her gaze fixated on the ground.

 

When she finally looked up at me, she only added to my irritation. “Kris?” She repeated.

 

I felt my forehead wrinkle up more. Had she already forgotten about the night where I told her to call me by my real name? 

 

I guess my silence must have forced her to remember. “Yifan?” She tilted her head to the side.

 

My stomach flipped, but I remained cold. “Took you long enough,” I said. “What?”

 

She moved her head around, signalling me to look down at the ground. Why couldn’t she just say what was on her mind? I inwardly rolled my eyes and looked down at where she wanted me to.

 

Ahhh…

 

We were holding hands. I hadn’t even realized that we still were. I bit back a smile and looked back up at her. She looked embarrassed as she waited expectantly for me to shy away from her.

 

I decided to a little and instead of releasing her small hand, I gave it a light squeeze. Her eyes popped.

 

“You get flustered so easily,” I whispered. Slowly I untangled our fingers, I wanted to drag out the torture. Her face was priceless.

 

 “Aren’t I allowed to get flustered?” She fidgeted when we were no longer touching.

 

“You are,” I admitted, “because you’re a fan.” I lowered my sunglasses back onto my face, thinking that we should move soon.  “But you shouldn’t be, because you’re my friend.” I added on.

 

I would never tell her, but secretly, I hoped that she’d never stop blushing around me.

 

“Friends like us don’t hold hands,” She retorted defensively.

 

I don’t know why the playground came to mind, but it did. And I wondered if once upon a time, Yunji and I would have ever been friends if we had grown up together. “They did in kindergarten,” I edged towards the entrance of the alleyway, farther away from her.  

 

“We’re not in kindergarten,” She snapped back. Holding my hand must have been a really big deal to her.  

 

“True,” I’d give her that, “but we once were.”

 

I left her in the alleyway, just to provoke her. I wanted to see if she’d panic. I waited just out of her sight against a brick wall. Surely enough, she came running out after me.

 

“Worried that I had left you?” I played it cool, even though I felt like cackling with a pack of hyenas.

 

“No,” she blurted, “just excited to go home.” She tried to cover up her mistake.

 

With an injured pride, Yunji crossed the road without me. I decided to follow after her. Originally I had planned on going straight home to sleep, but now things were different. I caught up to her effortlessly, but kept my distance. I could tell she was still hung up on the whole holding hands thing by the way she kept her hands by her sides like a soldier. She was so determined to make a point.

 

We stopped in front of her apartment building that I had once only associated with Minwook-hyung. I thought we were going inside, but we continued standing there. Why we weren’t moving was beyond me.

 

 “Aren’t you going to go inside?” I asked.

 

“Aren’t you going to say goodbye?” She replied.

 

“I was actually planning to walk you to your door,” I said. A thought entered my mind right after I said that. “You may get yourself into trouble on the way up.” I joked.

 

“I’m not that helpless.” She didn’t seem to catch onto my joke.

 

“After tonight’s events I wouldn’t say that so boldly.”

 

“Ugh.” She facepalmed herself. “You’re annoying.”

 

You only realized this just now?

 

“If you’re going to be like this every time I try to act gentlemanly we’re going to have problems Yunji,” I sighed. Why was she so slow sometimes?

 

 “I’m sorry if I seem rude and ungrateful right now Kr-” I felt my heart stop for a second. “Yifan.” She corrected herself. “But I don’t think I need you to me to my door.”

 

“You know, you’re acting really weird,” I frowned, “most fangirls would kill for the night that you’re having.” I just wanted to walk her to her door, was there anything wrong with that?

 

“But I’m your friend too…Yifan.” She threw my point right back in my face. “And friends know when to stop.”

 

“Stop what?” I was confused. What did she mean by that?

 

She didn’t answer my question. “Goodnight Yifan.” Out of character, she left me. Disappearing into her apartment building.

 

I didn’t understand Lee Yunji that night. I trailed behind her and managed to slip into the elevator with her before it could close on me. But that didn’t solve anything. She stared at me with a face that only a kid would sport staring at his first algebraic equation in class. What was she thinking? What was wrong? I wanted to throw so many questions out her way.

 

But I knew better.

 

“Yunji, are you okay?” Instead, I’d settle for one.

 

She blinked and sighed. The elevator’s bell saved her from having to answer me, providing her an escape at the perfect time. She walked past me and out into the corridor. I took note that she lived on a different floor from Minwook-hyung.

 

“You know I was just teasing you earlier right? I didn’t mean to insinuate that you couldn’t handle yourself. I know you can most of the time.” I thought she might have been offended by what I said earlier.

 

I didn’t get a response out of her to my frustration.

 

We stopped outside of a door which I assumed to be hers. “I just wanted to walk you to this door,” I sighed.

 

“Why?” She abruptly turned around to face me, causing our eyes to lock.

 

My heart stilled for a moment. “I don’t know. Do I really need a reason why?” I averted my gaze to the ground. The carpet was navy blue.

 

“I’m sorry for whatever I’ve done to make you like this,” I murmured.

 

I heard her sigh and open her door.

 

“I’m sorry too.” She spoke just as quietly as I did. “Have you eaten?”

 

My neglected stomach decided to announce itself. A low rumble sounded from the depths of my body. I cringed and looked up at her. It was my turn to be embarrassed.

 

I swear my body’s reaction to her question earned a smile from her. “I’ll take that as a no.” She said, stepping into her apartment. She didn’t close the door nor did she say anything to me.

 

I kept to my spot, and I stared at her. “Do you want to come in?” She awkwardly questioned.

 

I felt my body tense. “You don’t have to feel obligated to do anything Yunji-” I started.

 

“Are you hungry or not?” She cut me off.

 

The thought of being inside Yunji’s apartment made me undeniably nervous. I didn’t know what to say to get out of it. Reluctantly, I nodded.

 

“Then come inside.”

 

I obliged, walking through the door into the darkness. I slipped off my shoes, keeping my eyes on the ground. A click sounded, followed by the lights turning on.

 

I lifted my head and took in the scene. The apartment was small and simply furnished with what I would have imagined a girl’s apartment to house. There wasn’t anything too out of the ordinary about it.

 

I watched her as she washed her hands in the kitchen sink, her clutch now abandoned on the dining room table. It was the first time I had seen her without shoes on, she was shorter than ever.

 

“Make yourself at home.” She called over her shoulder.

 

Cautiously, I walked over to the dining room table and pulled out a chair. As I sat down the chair squeaked under my weight. I cringed, hoping that it wasn’t as loud as it sounded. I glanced up, only to lock eyes with Yunji.

 

It had definitely been as loud as it sounded.

 

She bit her lip and turned her attention back to whatever she was doing in the kitchen. I silently cursed the chair for making me seem so lame. I felt like I was going to make a fool out of myself as I sat there in her apartment. The fear of having her laugh at me was suffocating.

 

It took me a while to realize what was wrong with me that night EXO visited Black Pearls. When I look back on it now, it should have been evident to me from the start. But I guess that was my naïveté tripping me up.

 

The more I thought about Lee Yunji, the more I smiled; and the more I thought about her with other guys, like Chanyeol, the more jealously bubbled down at the pit of my stomach.

 

Luhan was right, I did like Yunji.

 

I was an idiot to ever think it’d never happen when it already had.  

---

Writer's Notes:

BAM! There you guys go, Kris' POV. I didn't post it up yesterday, but it's up now- so that's all that matters.
What's going to happen next guys? He knows he likes her, she knows she likes him and is trying to stop, and they're eating leftovers together! xD
I would have uploaded this chapter earlier, but I went on a picnic today...
Have a great day everyone!
Thanks for reading/commenting/subscribing/upvoting/supporting/being wonderful readers :D

Lots of love,
xoxoxo,
HEARTACHES <3