“So, you and Myungsoo oppa have been doing great these past 3 weeks, right?” Jess asked when I finally had the time to plop myself on the couch. I've been cleaning the dorm since morning and it was already almost 4pm. I was exhausted.
“Yeah, I guess so...”
“You don't really seem convinced...”
“Well, if by saying “doing great” you meant that Myungsoo and I are taking care of Verah in a great way, yeah... We're pretty good... I don't have to be worried all the time now, because I know that there's always Myungsoo to rely on...”
“But?”
“But... If you were talking about the relationship between the two of us... I wouldn't describe it as great.”
“Why? You two look like you enjoy the company of each other, and I must say, you two look like a real couple. I mean, really real.” Jess said emphasising the last word. I looked at her confusedly.
“Why are you looking at me like? If like, a passerby sees you with Myungsoo and Verah, s/he would think that you are a happy family living together. Myungsoo and you act like a couple: most of the time you do things together--”
“That's because of Verah! And--”
“Let me finish! Every time I see you together, you both have a beaming smile spread on your whole face, and the way you look at each other... I'm really jealous! I know I'm still young, but... Do you think that I will be able to find a love like yours?”
“A-a love like mine? What are you talking about? We are not in love or something like that, we're only friends. And, about you, you don't have to worry, of course one day will come a guy who will love you. You're such a precious person, sweet and lovely, who wouldn't love you? Just a stupid!”
“Thank you.” Jess said smiling softly. “By the way, I don't think that your relationship as friends with Myungso will last... You're not only friends!”
“Yes, we are! How many--” I couldn't finish my sentence because out of nowhere Verah appeared walking in an unsteady way. Her medium length hair was tied up in two cute ponytails, her bangs was messy, probably because of the beanie that she wore. Her chubby cheeks were pink because of the cold and when she saw me, she smiled, making her eye smile appear. She was so cute and beautiful.
She's been out with Myungsoo since lunchtime. For the past three weeks, Myungsoo came every day at lunchtime, have lunch with us at the dorm or, if we were practicing, he would bring us some lunch boxes. Then, he would take Verah out with him. Sometimes he would bring her to his dorm or at the park. He's always careful about not being followed by paparazzi or fans. For now, not a photo of him with Verah came out.
“Verah ya, where's Myungsoo appa?” I asked. She stopped from moving toward me and stood still. She puckered her lips and lightly tilted her head to the left, a quirk that she must have seen while looking at me when thinking. Then, she lifted up her left arm, indicating the entrance, her movement was quite fast and made her lose her balance, she fell on the ground with her bottom. I got up to help her but she got up like nothing happened and went back to the entrance. I looked at Jess confused and surprised.
“Well, looks like she's learning quite fast.” Jess said, “A month and a half ago she couldn't even stand up for 2 minutes and now she gets up, walks a little, and if she falls, she gets up again. Sometimes I saw her running. She's so cute. I guess that the presence of her father is doing good to her.” Jess got up and went to the kitchen to get something. I decided to look for what was taking so long for Myungsoo to come in. At the door Myungsoo was standing between several bags, his expression in confusion. Verah was sitting in front of him with a curious face.
“Oppa, what are those things?” I asked pointing at the bags, “and don't tell me that they're bags.”
“Uhmm, I wanted to buy some stuff for the kid, and do some grocery shopping but, I think I bought too much...”
“Oppa! I told you not to buy anything nor for Verah, nor for us!”
“But I want to help!” He looked at me in the eyes, for the first time, since we started this friends relationship, his eyes looked very tired. They were red with really big eye bags.
“Did you go around carrying all this stuff by yourself?” Feeling now guilty for raising my voice, at the end, he didn't do anything wrong, but still... I didn't want him to spend his money for us. I got close to the father and daughter, and took Verah, placing her on my right hip and holding her with my right arm, with the other one I took one bag. It was heavy, very heavy. I don't know how he managed to go around with 5 of them.
“Why are you still there? Come inside.” I turned around and saw Jess leaning on the wall, at the end of the corridor with a cup of ice cream in one hand and a spoon on the other. She looked at me smirking.
“What?”
“And you said that you're not a couple. Please! You look like one of these couples that have this kind of little fights and the second later they're all lovey dovey.” She said sticking out her tongue and turning around, going to her room.
“What was she saying?” I suddenly heard Myungsoo's voice so close to my right ear that it startled me, Verah, thinking that it was because of a game started to giggle.
“Uh, no-nothing.” I don't know why I felt embarrassed but I felt my cheeks becoming hot. I put down Verah on the couch telling her to stay there and went to the kitchen to see what Myungsoo brought. The bag that I took contained mostly fruits and vegetables, at least he bought healthy food. Like he could read my mind he appeared behind me, saying “Yeah, you don't have to worry, I know that the kid has to eat healthy food, and you too!” And poking my side, making me jump a little.
“Myungsoo! Stop appearing behind me without making noise! You scared the cr--”
“Don't say bad words!” He pointed his index finger in front of my face.
“Oh my! Don't yoou two really look good together? Jess wasn't wrong. Ugh, I'm so jealous.” This time it was Kim's time to mock us. “Anyway, your cellphone's been ringing for the past 10 minutes, seems pretty urgent. This Mark is so insistent!”
When Myungsoo heard Mark's name, his head snapped from Kim direction to mine. He didn't have an happy expression, and the fact that he's about 20 cm taller and he still had his index finger pointed towards my face, made me quite nervous.
“Mark? You mean the Mark you met at the café? The one I answered with a text that said 'Stop bothering my girlfriend?”
“No?” I answered, not sure. He had an expressionless face, his lips pressed together making a straight line. His jaw clenched. Wrong answer. “Maybe?” He glared at me. “Yes?”
He didn't say anything, he just nodded. With the corner of my eye I saw Kim who mouthed a “sorry” and sneaked off, probably sensing the tension in the air.
“So, you've been keeping in contact with this Mark... Since that day?”
I looked at his face before answering, I tried to figure out what was the best answer, but he kept his face straight, no movements and no expression. “Yeah...”
“What's between you two?”
“Why are you asking?” That's right, why was he asking? Just because of curiosity? I don't think so. He doesn't ask just because.
He shrugged, not giving me an answer. “So?” I asked again.
“Do you think that it's right to, like... Flirt with other guys when the father of your child is always next to you helping you out? After he told you that he still has feelings for you?” He asked with a cold tone and so much sarcasm.
“It's not that we flirt! What's wrong about messaging with a friend? And, the father of my child and I are not a thing, I made it clear: we're parents but not a couple. So I don't know what's wrong about it.” I snapped and crossed my arms on my chest. “And, I think that if I get your cellphone, it will be probably full of texts and incoming calls from lots and lots of girls. So--”
“Do you want to look at my phone? I don't text or call any girl except you, my family members and the coordi noonas. I have no interest in other girls exce--”
“You've probably delete them all, that's why you don't have any records or message.”
“Why can't you let me finish talking?”
“Well, you didn't in the first place, so why would I?” My stubbornness started to show up, and since Myungsoo's stubborn too, the result isn't always good. When we were still together, we fought for days and didn't talk for weeks because of our obstinacy and pride character. But we always made up at the end.
“Why are you so stubborn?”
“Me? Why are you so stubborn!?” I couldn't let Myungsoo win this argument. I wasn't going to back up. He didn't answer me but he just got closer. As he got closer he looked even taller, I had to bend more my neck so I could look at him in the eyes. I felt so small.
“Do you even know him that well?” His tone became sweeter.
“We're getting to know each other.”
“Do you know what hedoes? Is he a student? Or else?”
“He's in high school, why are you asking?”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, but why are you asking?”
“Nothing, just curiosity... But, please, don't meet him again, at least... Don't go around with him just the two of you.” His eyes now looked a little.. hurt? Maybe? He looked me in the eyes like he was searching for something.
“Why?”
“Just... Just don't...” His gaze never leaving my eyes. “For the media.” He added several seconds later. He then wrapped his arms around my shoulders, into a bear hug. My favorite kind of hugs. His scent invaded my nostrils and I closed my eyes, enjoying the hug. Then, I wrapped my arms around Myungsoo's torso. The movements seemed so natural. No awkwardness. I leaned my head to his chest and I could hear, even if softly, his heartbeats.
“Ugh, I thought you two were fighting! That's no fun!” Kim's voice ruined the atmosphere but made me come back to my senses. I opened my eyes wide and pushed away Myungsoo, who had a flustered face, his cheeks were bright pink. He cleared his throat and started to put in the fridge the things he bought. Then, someone rang the bell. “I'll go get it.” I sprinted out of the kitchen.
“Well, this is awkward.” I heard Kim's voice say.

“DESTINY! Have you decided yet?” My manager's voice was always so loud.
“I don't know! Do I really have to do it? Why me? Why not Kim unnie? Or Ji Sun unnie? They're older than me!”
“I already told you! They want it to be more like... A family, not just a married couple. It's like a mix of WGM and Hello Baby. It wouldn't be a bad thing, you know? It's not only them who gain something, us too! Since it's something new, and it's you to launch it it will be a success.”
“Unnie, it's not about me, I know that our group will be more acknowledged, but it's Verah. I can't take her to every shoot, I don't want her to feel uncomfortable or something. Then, there's her father. We also have to about it with him.” And right at that moment, Myungsoo came out from the kitchen.
“Since when was he here?” Sun Yung manager asked.
“Since a while ago, and while I was coming here in the living room I heard “her father” so I thought that you were talking about me and...”
“Yeah, Myungsoo ssi, come and sit here, please.” He looked a little confused but did what he's been told.
“Uhm... How do I tell you this?” Sun Yung started, “So, our little Destiny is going to record We Got Married-”
“What?” Myungsoo asked incredulous. He looked at my manager like he heard something wrong, then he looked at me. All I could was shrug.
“Yes, she's going to be in a virtual marriage...”
“No.”
“I'm sorry?”
“I said no. Noona, why does she have to? They're already recording their reality-variety show and it has quite high ratings. Why does she need to do it?”
“I'm sorry Myungsoo, it's been decided by the heads,” unnie answered pointing upwards, “we can't change their minds. And also, they want Verah to participate too...
“Are you kidding me?”
“I'm sorry, but I'm saying the truth...”
“I'll do something about it then. I won't let my child and her mother be in a fake marriage just for money.”
“It's not about money Myungsoo.” It was my turn to speak. “And I was talking with my manager about Verah: that I wasn't sure to let her take part of the recordings.”
“Still, I'm not letting you.” He glared at me, probably the 10^th time in that day. But this time, he didn't look annoyed by me but by something else.
“Why not?” I asked exasperated, throwing my arms in the air.
“Because you're MINE!” He shouted. He got up and took his coat. It took me a few minutes to get what he said. “I'm not yours!” I shouted back but he already put on his shoes and looked at me one last time before going out, slamming the door. Verah came out from my room running, “Appa?” She asked looking around. “Appa?” She asked again and looked at me with a frown on her face.
“Come here.” I said stretching out my arms. I was sitting on the floor and Verah came to sit in my lap.
“Destiny, you know that you have to do it with or without Verah, and with or without the permission of her father.”
“Ugh, yeah, I know...”
“You're in a really bad situation. Seems like Myungsoo is very stubborn, he will give a hard time to the CEO, if he will be able to contact him.”
“Yup.”
“Well, you're lucky to have a person like him by your side.” Sun Yung patted my shoulder and got up.
“Do you really think so?”
“Yes.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finally I made it! I'm so sorry for taking so long to update, I kinda had an author's block, and school wasn't helping at all -.-
I hope you liked this little update and I'll try to make it more interesting ;) I think it's becoming boring, or is it just me? :(