Chapter 27

It was a sweltering hot day in Singapore. Siwon sat down after almost an hour of filming a commercial. His attendants gave him something to drink, and then left him to rest. A group of fans were nearby, calling his name.

He waved and smiled at them. The response was as good as always. He was grateful for their love, but sometimes, it wasn’t enough.

 He picked up a magazine that was lying nearby and flipped through it. He couldn’t understand the language, but he still looked at the pictures.

He was about to put it down, when a poster in the middle of the magazine caught his eye. He noticed it at first, because of Sungmin.

“Wow, he looks really good here. I didn’t know he was modeling for this brand.” Siwon muttered.

He turned the page, jumped up, and nearly got a heart attack.

It was Donghae….and…Sara? It had to be. He couldn’t forget her face. He had been dreaming about her on and off since the plane ride.

Strings of jealousy quickly caught hold of him. It was a really intense picture. Their bodies were so close together. Siwon traced the angle of Sara’s face with his finger. He wanted to throw the magazine away, but at the same time, he missed seeing her.

He got out his cell phone, and sent a quick email instead.

“Sara, I saw your pictures in a magazine in Singapore. You’ve done really well. Kick Donghae for me, will you? Lots of love. Siwon.”

“There”, he said. He felt much better now. He couldn’t expect much after leaving her alone for so long, but part of him wished that when he met her again, they could start over as if nothing had changed.

But knowing human life, there were bound to be changes in both their lives.

He sighed, and sat back in his chair again. “It’s too hot today”, he muttered, covering his face with a damp towel.

“Ouch! What was that for?” Donghae asked while rubbing his leg in pain.

“Nothing, I just felt like it.” Sara replied cooly.

“Do you think it’s my fault that the members are acting this way? I had nothing to do with it!” He protested.

They were both sitting on the living room couch, watching as Heechul tried to open Sungmin and Kyuhyun’s room door.

“I’m tired of this. You idiots better open the door now before I break it down!” Heechul thundered.

“SARA’s NOT GOING ANYWHERE!” the boys shouted from the other side.

Heechul shook his head in irritation. “You can’t stop her from leaving! And anyway, it’s too dangerous to keep her here. Someone is going to find out.  Just let her pack her things so she can go!”

“But Hyung…” came a weak response.

“I SAID OPEN THIS DOOR NOW!” Heechul shouted.

The door banged open, and Ryeowook came running out. He stopped in front of Sara, and said “You’ll still come to visit, wont you Sarang-ah? You won’t forget us, will you?”

“Wookie, of course she won’t. She lives practically next door to us. We can even infiltrate her apartment if we want.” Yesung said with a smirk while tapping Ryeowook on the back.

Sungmin walked into his room, and found Kyuhyun sitting on the floor, stubbornly holding on to Sara’s suitcase.

“Kyuhyun-ah, that’s enough. Let go of it now”, Sungmin said tiredly.

“Why are you being like this? You don’t want her to leave either, why are you so calm about it?” Kyuhyun asked angrily.

“I don’t want her to leave, but I’m not going to be childish about it. She doesn’t belong to us. She’s free to make her own choices. Now get up, and stop making this hard for Sara,” he replied sternly.

Kyuhyun sighed, and slowly got up. He picked up the suitcase, and carried it to the lounge. He stopped at the front door, and everyone went quiet.

To ease the awkwardness, Sara said “Why don’t we all have a party at my place later tonight?”

The boys immediately took to the idea, and Sara was able to leave them with smiles on their faces.

Sungmin volunteered to help her back to her apartment, and everyone agreed to see her at 7pm.

 Sara looked around before leaving, and caught Heechul looking at her. He winked, and waved casually. Sara shook her head, laughed, and followed Sungmin out.

As they walked to her apartment, Sungmin said quietly, “I got a call from my manager today. Do you know about the press conference that’s coming up?”

Sara nodded.

“And?” he asked.

“And what?” Sara looked at him.

“What are you going to do about Donghae? He’s going to find out who you are.” Sungmin said concernedly.

“I think it’s time he found out. I’d rather he didn’t, but its unavoidable now.” Sara murmered.

“Are you over what happened?” Sungmin asked.

Sara didn’t say anything.

Sungmin stopped her, and turned her around to face him. “It’s ok if you’re not. But I want to know how you feel about him now. He’s really a good guy. He was just going through a tough time that day. I know it’s not a justification of what he did, but I just want this to be over.”

“Why?” Sara asked. “Why do you want it to be over?”

“Because I care for you, and him. Because he’s my dongsaeng,

And because I think he’s falling for you.” Sungmin said with a heavy sigh.

Sara raised her eyebrows, and let out a disbelieving laugh. “You can’t be serious.”

“I’m dead serious.” Sungmin said.

“How do you know?” Sara asked.

“He’s been hurt really badly recently. And I think spending time with you this past week has cured him a little; but Donghae rarely hangs out with girls, so being able to stay in your company for an entire week must mean that he really likes you.” Sungmin said quietly.

“I like him too now, but not in that way…” Sara said softly.

Sungmin looked at her intently. “Are you sure?”

Sara smiled, and nodded. “I’m sure. He’s just another Oppa now, like Yesung or Ryeowook. I care for all of them, but not in that way.”

Sungmin breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled back. “That’s good then, come on, let’s go inside, it’s cold out here.”

It was nearing 6pm. Sungmin had stayed and helped Sara get the apartment ready for the party.

She was busy preparing a cake mixture, while Sungmin was getting the stove ready.

Sara poured a little flour in, and was busy humming to herself, when she felt Sungmin’s hands around her waist. She looked down, and saw that he was tying on an apron for her. She paused her mixing, and stood rock-still.

He was standing right behind her, and she could feel his breath on her neck. Once he was done, he held her hands, and pulled off the head band that was tied around her wrist.

Gently, he lifted her hair, and tied it into a low bun. Sara felt a shock of electricity every time he touched her. Her waist, her hand, her neck, it was almost too much to bear.

She slowly breathed in until he said “There, all done.”

“Thank you,” she managed to say.

Her face was burning up, and she couldn’t look at him. She made an excuse to get something from her room, and quickly hurried to her bathroom instead.

There, she washed her face, and looked at herself in the mirror. “What’s happening to me?” she asked herself. She patted her cheeks a few times, and then said “Get a hold of yourself Sara.”

She walked back to the kitchen, but found Sungmin at the door, putting on his shoes.

“Are you going?” Sara asked him.

“The company called. They need me for something. I don’t really want to go, but I have to. Hopefully I’ll see you all later, ok?” he said hurriedly.

“Ok, take care.” Sara said disappointedly.

Sungmin heard her, turned around, and gave her a tight hug. “Don’t miss me too much ok, have fun with the members, just not too much fun,” he winked.

Sara smiled, and then closed the door behind him. She turned around and rested her back against it. “Right, the others will be here soon. I’ve got to finish that cake.”

She hurriedly sped through the baking, all the while trying not to think of Sungmin’s last embrace. She had more to worry about that night. Heechul would be there soon, and she’d have to avoid his kisses. She laughed to herself as she did the final touches on the cake.

It was going to be a long night.