You run backstage, panting and breathless. You cannot believe he--!

You look down at your chest, your s no longer concealed with bandages. You gulp down hard. Now everyone knows...

You slam your back against the corridor wall, tears beginning to stream down your face.

It's all over now.

Your career is over. 

There's no way on earth SM will keep you now. Everyone knows that you are a girl. 

That's it! There's nothing left for you!

You bite your lower lip in anger, trying to hold back the tears that have not fallen yet as you wipe away the ones that have with the back of your hand. 

You lean your head back against the wall.

What was he thinking?!

You hear footsteps down the hall and you see Heechul walking towards you. Angered, you push yourself off the wall and slam your fist into his chest, shoving him against the wall. "WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" you cry out in pain. 

Heechul shoves you off of him. "Don't pin this just on me," he says, shooting you a heavy glare. "Sungmin asked me to do it." 

You step back in surprise, your eyes widening and your face paling slightly as your anger is replaced with a whole different emotion.

Sungmin asked him to?

But... why?

You try to remain calm. "Why?" you ask with a lilt in your voice, clearly betraying your feelings.

"Try asking him yourself," Heechul replies, walking away.

You fall back against the wall, overcome with feelings.

Sungmin exposed you?

How...

You take a staggered breath as you try to fight back the tears that begin to fill your eyes.

...How could he?

You wipe away the tears quickly.

You like him...

...

You take another breath, pushing yourself off the wall. 

It's over now.

You pull your baseball cap low and keep your head down as you begin to walk down the corridor to the dressing room. Once you arrive, you open the door quietly, hoping to just grab your duffel bag quickly and leave unnoticed. However, as soon as you enter, you notice that the room is already silent and the atmosphere thick with tension. 

You keep your head low as you shut the door behind you. Several heads turn toward you as they hear the door shut. You keep your head low so as not to see anything you shouldn't as you begin to walk to the other end of the room to get your duffel bag. You cross your arms instinctively over your chest as you feel their eyes dart from Sungmin− who is sitting in a chair, bent over with his head in his hands− to you. 

You walk past him quickly, reaching your duffel and hoisting it onto your shoulder. You turn back, heading straight for the dressing room door.

When your hand reaches out for the handle, you hear Sungmin's voice behind you. "Jaehwa?" You ignore him, turning the handle and stepping into the corridor. "Jaehwa!" you hear Sungmin's voice once more before the door closes behind you. 

You let out a deep breath and then head down the corridor, your heart heavy, feeling like it will rip in two at any moment.

Keeping one hand on the strap of your duffel bag and shoving the other in your pocket, you begin to walk down the corridor, your eyes fixed on the floor below. You turn the corner, heading for the women's washroom. As soon as you do so, however, you feel the strap of your duffel ripped off of your shoulder. Your bag hits the ground with a loud thud. You turn your head and see a few of the makeup dongsaengs standing with their arms crossed in front of them, glaring at you.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself, you little witch?" one of them scoffs at you. 

You bend down to get your duffel bag, keeping silent since you know that is the best course so as not to provoke them more. 

Another one kicks it away from you. "Stay away from our oppas, you traitor!"

You take a breath, trying to remain calm, which is already difficult with thoughts of Sungmin exposing you still plaguing your heart.

The last one comes up to you and slaps you across the face. "Witch!"

You feel a tear start to well up in your left eye, not due to any physical pain, but from the pain that your heart is still trying to cope with.

"Excuse me," you hear an all too familiar voice say from behind you. "Is there a problem here?" Sungmin's voice continues as he draws close, stepping between you and them. You keep your head bent low, avoiding eye contact with him. 

The girls look down, either from shame or embarrassment. After a moment, they quietly mumble some sort of apology and walk away.

As their steps recede down the hallway, Sungmin turns around to face you. "Are you alright?"

You nod. "I'm fine," you reply quietly.

Sungmin bends down, picking up your duffel bag off the ground. "Here."

"Thanks." You hoist it up on your shoulder and begin to walk away.

"Wait!"

You feel a tug on the strap of your duffel. You stop, soon feeling his arms slowly envelope from behind, pulling you into a back hug. 

"미안합니다 [Mianhamnida]," you hear his voice whisper quietly in your ear. You feel your mind go numb as he begins to tell you how he never meant to hurt you by his actions. He actually was trying to prevent you from hurting yourself any more by binding. He did not like the idea of you suffering, because-- "I like you," he whispers. "I love you, Jaehwa. I don't want you to hurt yourself any more. 미안합니다 [Mianhamnida]." 

You pull away from his grasp, surprised by what he has just said. You turn to face him with wide eyes.

He likes you?

A look of remorse wears heavily on his face. 

He loves you?

A warm sensation fills your body, sending a smile to your lips. 

He--!

You let instincts take over and soon find yourself holding him in a tight embrace.

You feel Sungmin's chest rise and fall quickly as he chuckles. "Does little Jaehwa- 언니 [unnie] like me?" 

You scoff at the cutesy tone he just used and look up at him, shaking your head slightly. 

Sungmin scrunches up his face cutely. "Is little Jaehwa- 언니 [unnie] getting tongue-tied around her 오빠 [oppa]?"

You chuckle. "아니 [Ani]. I can speak just fine..." You smirk. "...오빠 [oppa]." 

His eyes widen and before he can make any sort of response, you wrap your arms around his neck and claim his lips with yours. You feel his arms around you tighten, pulling you closer to him.

You both break away. Sungmin looks down on you with a cute grin. "You may not be good at 애교 [aegyo], but you are a good kisser." You feel your cheeks grow hot in embarrassment. Before you can make any sort of retort, however, Sungmin leans forward, kissing you tenderly, showing you just how much he truly loves you. 

****

Later that night, he tells you that he did not think you could even care for him, until that one day when Taemin brought over the lie detector. He confesses that after you had went to bed and were talking with Amber on the phone that night, he snuck outside your door to eavesdrop on the conversation.

He then tells you how he confessed later to Suho over text that he thought you were more than just pretty the day of the bet and even let it slip out that he has feelings for you.  

****

The news about your true identity circulates quickly, and you are put on hiatus as Super Junior continues their World Tour. SM does not know what to do with you. The fact that a girl is cross dressing in an all boy band is a scandal in itself. However, add the fact that she's been living in an all men's dorm... Well, that's an even bigger scandal on their hands.

Your father tries to explain things, but little can be done. You are put on hiatus until further notice. 

However, this does not prevent you from going to every Super Show on the tour, sneaking in as either a crew member or a member of the audience, your father, supporting you in this every time.

He is not the only one who supports you though. Your fans, your ever loyal Heart Breakers and Heart Throbs, rally to your aid as well, sending you encouraging comments and letters of support. 

****

You sit in the section reserved family, watching another concert. A smile tugs on your lips. You know that the next performance is your boyfriend's solo.

As the lights come up softly on stage, Sungmin's figure comes into view. Soft music begins to fill the stadium. Sungmin lifts the microphone to his mouth and begins to sing.

"Your hand on my hair,
Because I can't forget it,
I need to drown my pained heart 
in your familiarity again..." ["Stained" by Sungmin]

As he sings, you reflect on the past few months since he had Heechul expose you. Despite the busy schedules he has had with the rest of the members, he has made sure of your well-being. The day after he exposed you, he took you to the doctor to make sure that everything was alright with you after binding yourself so much. Needless to say, the pain and bruises you had been experiencing, came from your bruised ribs, which needed rest. Without schedules to contend with, you were able to heal, making sure to wear only the most comfortable of bras you owned.

You smile, thinking about how every day, even when he was strained because of schedules, he would make sure that you were doing alright.

"The moment your hand touched me
I started to be stained
with your color, with your familiarity..."

You watch as Sungmin begins to walk slowly across the stage, something he has never done during any of his other solos during the tour thus far.

"...While forsaking everything that is me,
Stained∼
I'm stained inside your love..."

Sungmin heads for the direction of the family zone. 

Your eyes widen. Is he--?

He looks up into your area and his eyes connect with yours.

"Stained∼
With your love I can't escape..."

He is. 

He begins to make his way up the steps toward your seat, his eyes never leaving you.

"...While forsaking everything that is me
Inside your ever-growing love, I am now
Engraved by the fingertips, as the wound that grazed my neck..."

He reaches your seat and bends down to one knee as he continues to serenade you. You shake your head at him ever so slightly, feeling a bit awkward that your '형 [hyung]' is sere