----- Chapter Eighteen -----

 

 

"Woah!"

 

The boys gasped in appreciation as they arrived at the restaurant the Temptation staff reserved for the night. They all examined the venue with a glint of awe in their eyes. It was a cozy place, decorated with native materials and the furnitures were traditional. The seats were elegant foams, and the ambiance of the place was much like those in historical dramas. Though the place may not be that big, it gave them a comfortable atmosphere that would certainly make them feel at home.

One of the staff called on the boys, which in turn brought them out of their trance. The staff gestured the boys to come and sit, for the dinner would be served soon. The members of course nodded in anticipation.They were all starving anyway. They then went straight to the table, sitting on the nearest available seat they could find.

Not long after, Dara arrived in the venue. She politely bowed her head to greet the staff present there. She displayed her angelic smile, which never failed to mesmerize anyone. The boys could help but stare at the angel, unknown to them that they were already staring at her for too long and that there faces were already red.

Dara's eyes then started to wander, searching for an empty seat. Luhan noticed it, and he looked for a seat for her. And he found one, but much to his dismay, the seat happened to be right next to Baekhyun - which was three seats away from Kris. Luhan might be mischievous, but he still had a generous heart to help those in need. And he knew Kris needed help though the duizhang did not really ask him to. But what can he do? He wanted to make the two sit together, but that would be impossible. Might as well let this slide. There would still be a lot of opportunities coming along, right?

"Noona, sit here!" Chanyeol's deep voice boomed in the room, startling everyone unintentionally. He stood up from his seat which was right next to Kris, and offered her his seat. He had that infamous goofy smile plastered on his face. And his eyes were still on Dara. They all looked at the K giant suspiciously. Luhan was surprised at the younger's gesture but was happy nonetheless because that would mean Dara could sit beside Kris.

Sly snickers were heard and Chanyeol soon learned that those were from s. Baekhyun winked at him before he flashed him a 'thumb up' and a wide grin. Chanyeol couldn't understand why he was receiving those kind of stares.

Dara's pale face turned crimson red as soon as she realized what Chanyeol was up to. He was trying to get her sit next to Kris. No. She can't. She couldn't afford to be in that situation again when you try to deal with a ridiculously fast heartbeat and a very flustered face. She had enough of that during the presscon.

Chanyeol nodded at her, encouraging her to take the seat. Dara pouted cutely, begging the K rapper to stop. But the man just smiled at her in response.

Dara sighed in defeat. She mentally prayed for the gods to help her once more. With a huff of breath and a gentle smile, she accepted the offer and went straight to Chanyeol's seat. She looked at Chanyeol, with eyes full of hesitation. But Chanyeol just mumbled a soft 'hwaiting!' before giving her one last reassuring smile. Dara gave up and went back to her calm facade, although everything was going crazy inside her.

 

 

 

 

"Nice move, Chanyeol!" Baekhyun praised the younger as soon as he settled beside him. "Never thought you'd man up and start making advances on Dara-noona," he teased, nudging the giant on the side.

Chanyeol looked at the man with confusion. "What do you mean?"

Baekhyun rolled his eyes before rubbing his nape. "You know, doing stuffs like that. I know you did that to impress noona with your gentlemanly side."

Chanyeol wanted to shake his head in disagreement but opted not to because that would mean they thought he did it for himself, when in fact he did it to bridge Kris and Dara together. But oh well, at least Chanyeol was relieved that s still had no idea about the real thing going on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Noona, sit here!"

 

 

Kris almost choked on his own saliva when he heard what Chanyeol had just said. He gazed up at the younger with wide eyes. Heck, he intentionally sat between taken seats because he did not want Luhan to do unexpected things again like what he did in the presscon. He was so sure that Luhan was planning to get him sit beside Dara again, so he moved ahead and made sure it won't happen. But it backfired. He never expected Chanyeol to give up his seat for Dara. What he expected was other people giving up their seats just to make Chanyeol and Dara sit together, because Chanyeol's fanboying over Dara was already known to the members. But why exactly did Chanyeol do that? Kris's eyebrows furrowed. Probably to impress her. No wonder.

As soon as Dara approached the seat, Kris felt his body tense up. But of course, he did not let it show on his face. He tried to ignore her. He looked straight forward, well, he shouldn't have. Because right in front of him was Luhan teasingly eyeing him with that annoying smirk on his face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The dinner went well. The food was very delicious that it did not even take half an hour for them (most especially the boys) to finish it. All of them had their share of stories to tell. They were all enjoying the talks and the jokes. They even ordered another round of soju, just to keep the fun going.

Dara of course was enjoying the company, laughing then and now, sharing some stories of her own. She was all smiles, but she couldn't help herself from glancing at a certain someone from time to time. She was able to see him so up close again, and obviously, he never failed to mesmerize her.

 

 

 

 

 

The night was still young, so the crowd decided to play some games. First they had charades which ended up a mess, because all they did was laugh at the failed act each was doing. They barely even guessed one right. But they were very much enjoying it.

 

 

 

 

 

"I suggest playing 'Truth or Dare'!" Jongdae, who looked like he was half-drunk said, raising his hand.

The others looked at him, considering his suggestion, since the charades were getting themnowhere anyway. Some nodded after thinking about it. But some were reconsidering other games.

"Truth or Dare, again?" Tao whined, knotting his eyebrows as he rested his head on his hands. He sighed deeply. "Can't you think of other games, hyung?"

Sehun hummed in response. Tao had a point in there. They had played that game a thousand times already and they're getting bored of it.

"I guess you're right," Jongdae breathed out, slumping his back unto the mat and thought of another game to play.

Luhan just waited for other suggestions to pop up. He played with his glass, running his finger on the brim of it, making a smooth sound. It was not long after when he lifted his head and his gaze landed on the M leader, who seemed uncaring beside Dara, when he knew that deep inside he was feeling uneasy.

The doe-eyed member chuckled, his eyes still fixated on Kris. He smirked once again. A plan popped in his head. And he hoped it would work out. But he knew it would, all his plans work after all.

"Hmm, but I do think Truth or Dare sounds good," Luhan suddenly spoke up, making the others turn to his direction. He rested his head on his hand, busy playing with his glass. "I mean, Dara noona is here. I think it would be fun," he continued, not sparing any glance to them.

The boys mouthed a 'o' before they realized that he also had a point. Usually, the members only played Truth or Dare by themselves,and they grew tired of it. But tonight would be different, considering Dara to be part of it too. That would mean a chance of getting to know her more. And probably have a closer relationship with her.

"I agree with that," Kyungsoo nodded, and the others followed.

"Noona, I hope you're fine with that," Lay asked 2ne1's visual hopefully. The boys also looked at her, hoping that she would agree with it.

Dara couldn't say no to them, especially with those pleading faces they've been throwing at her. Though she was kind of hesitant, she still agreed. Honestly, she had no problem with the game at all. In fact, she loved it. But she just felt uneasy this time, thinking that she would be playing it with EXO - with Kris. And she just hoped that everything would be fine. And she hoped Chanyeol would be there to help her when she needed it.

"That's great then!" Luhan chirped as he squirmed on his seat, finding a more comfortable position before his eyes landed on Kris, who was glaring at him hardly. He chuckled before winking at the duizhang.

"Okay! Let's start! Let's start!"

 

 

 

 

 

"Dare," Jongin confidently stated as soon as the tip of the soju bottle pointed him. He had his trademark smirk on his face as he eyed the others.

The members also wore the same face, unfazed with the younger's confidence. Jongin tapped his fingers against the table, waiting patiently for them to give him a dare. The boys shot each other a questioning gaze.

"What now?" Sehun asked his hyungs impatiently. He wanted to brush the smirk Jongin was wearing, because he knew it was for the sole purpose of impressing Dara.

Of course, Baekhyun knew of it too. And it would be really fun to embarrass Jongin. It would be fun seeing him so flustered. He looked at the tanned male slyly, assured that his plan would somehow work.

"I dare you to do a y dance for Dara noona."

The tanned male had his mouth hung open. And his eyes were as wide as his mouth. And the others were as surprised as he was as well. Kris and Chanyeol even froze on the spot, because what on earth was Baekhyun thinking? They all darted the diva a protesting glare.

"Just what are you thinking, Baekhyun?!" Chanyeol managed to whisper at the smaller male, scooting closer to him so that the others won't hear, especially Dara.

Baekhyun just rolled his eyes. "Relax. I know what I'm doing,"he said before he locked eyes with the giant. "I'm pretty sure Jongin won't go that far."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Okay."

 

And Jongdae choked on his soju, spilling the alcoholic liquid on his pants. But the others did not spare a glance of disgust at the male since they were all too surprised to even care. And Baekhyun was the most surprised of all. He never thought the tanned male would agree to that. Contrary to what the public assumed, Jongin was really an innocent kid. He might look fierce and y onstage, but it was exactly the opposite offstage. And Baekhyun couldn't process what just happened. Jongin, the innocent Jongin, agreed to that kind of not-so-innocent dare. Heck, his plans backfired.

"What?! Are you sure?" Joonmyeon croaked. He grasped the younger's arm and shot him a pleading look.

"Wait, no you can't just do that!" Tao cried and desperately shook his head in solid disagreement. "I won't let you do that!"

"And I won't let Dara noona experience that kind of thing," Sehun retorted, his voice was stern.

Chanyeol on the other hand darted the eyeliner diva a glare. Baekhyun flinched, mouthing an I-didn't-know-it'd-turn-out-like-thislook.

Jongin felt like shrinking on his seat. He too did not want to do that. But he was one who never turns down a challenge - not in front of Dara. He wanted to make a good impression on her. And he knew they all wanted the same.

"Oh come on guys, chill? It's just a game, geez," Luhan said, eyebrows knotted in obvious annoyance.

Dara felt a bit uneasy with the dare at first, but seeing the boys argue made her feel terrible. She just wanted to have fun and get to know the boys better. And with all honesty, she had encountered a lot more daring dares before. It was nothing new. It's allpart of the game. That was what the game was all about - table-flipping revelations and out of this world dares.

"Come on! It's okay! I really wanted to see Jongin-ssi dance personally," Dara suddenly chirped in. She curled her fists in anticipation, and a soft smile was plastered on her face.

Luhan smiled at her open-mindedness. He admired how positive she is in all things and how she isn't a kill-joy type of person. He looked at the others, and saw their faces ease up, slowly reconsidering the situation.

"O-okay then. The floor is yours, Jongin."

As if on cue, Jongin stood up, with a hint of hesitation at first, but seeing Dara's excited face made him gain confidence. He strode in front the lady, rubbing his nape shyly, eyes glued unto the floor. The crowd was silent but not until Minseok blasted some random sensual music from his phone. It took a while before Jongin finally got himself into the beat and with a huff of breath, he lifted his head and started swaying his body smoothly with the music.

 

 

 

 

 

Dara's eyes lit up with awe as her eyes followed his every move. His movement were so flawless, and his body was so flexible that it could actually groove with the music so well. Her lips curved into an amazed smile. She knew Jongin was the dancing machine of EXO, but she never got to witness it up close. She was so engrossed with the dancing that she failed to notice the seductive stare the tanned male was giving her. He was performing a y dance anyway, and of course, facial expressions matter. The boys were impressed, as always, but there was still a hint of bitterness in their faces. Their pouts were visible, because they knew how Jongin attracts people with his dancing, and Dara was not an exception. They felt a little bit of jealousy, but that wasn't really serious.

When they saw Jongin nearing Dara as he swayed and ed his hips, they decided that this should stop. They did not want to taint their precious noona's innocence.

"Hold it right there! That's enough," Joonmyeon interfered, blocking Jongin with his arm. The tanned male then stopped. Looking down awkwardly, rubbing his nape.

"That was close!" The boys sighed in relief. Silence filled the room temporarily but was broken by cheers coming from the cute lady who was clapping her hands enthusiastically.

"That was awesome, Jongin-ssi! You're so amazing!" Dara couldn't stop herself from squealing like a fangirl. She was really amazed by his performance. And her wide smiles proved it.

Jongin snapped his head up hearing her compliments. He looked at her and it was his turn to get mesmerized with her beaming expression. She was beautiful, no one can deny that. And for sure, any guy who'll witness her like this would fall for her in an instant. And he just felt his heart skip a beat.

"Earth to Kim Jongin!" Sehun yelled, slapping the tanned male's back to bring him back to his senses. "You should've seen yourself, you're practically drooling!" The maknae laughed.

Jongin's face reddened in embarrassment as he gently pushed Sehun away, saying "I did not!" Before excusing himself and ran off somewhere away from them. The members just laughed at him, while Dara was filled with worries for the tanned male. Seeing her face, Kyungsoo patted her and flashed an assuring smile.

"Don't worry noona, it's nothing. I'll get him!" He said before running off. Not long after, he returned with the still-flustered Jongin on hand and the game continued.

 

 

 

 

 

"Ugh, t-truth?"

It was finally Dara's turn, and the poor bunny couldn't relax. It was her turn and who knows what will happen. Usually, she would choose dare in this game. But today was an exception. She's playing this game with Kris after all. And she would never want to embarrass herself in front of him, doing dares that might make her look like an idiot. So, she decided to go with Truth, thinking that it was the safest option she could choose.

"Dara-noona, do you have someone you like already?"

And that caught her off guard. Oh no. Double oh no. She definitely did not see that coming. She glanced at the boys'faces. And the said males were already leaning closer, obviously curious on the topic. Their eyes were all fixated at her, and Dara felt her breath hitch at one point. How she wanted to melt off and be one with the floor this instant.

"Eh, Dara-ssi do you have someone you like?" She heard the staff giggled at her, teasingly.

Dara felt her sweat trickled, and her eyes began wandering, avoiding their gazes. "Omo, what to do?" She thought before her eyes landed on Kris, who was surprisingly looking at her. She immediately withdrew her gaze and looked somewhere else. "Oh my gosh, did he just caught me staring at him? Pabo Dara! Pabo!" she mentally scolded herself. She then looked at her trusted Chanyeol, who just gave her a nervous smile.

"Noona?"

"Yes? Uh I mean no!" Dara stuttered, laughing nervously. Chanyeol on the other hand mentally face-palmed himself. Oh dear, Dara was really a bad liar. And the K rapper couldn't hold his laughter that he chuckled in his seat.

"You're lying, noona!" Tao playfully accused her, pointing a finger at her. And Dara being gullible and innocent, she waved her hand 'no' desperately  and pouted.

"I-I'm not lying, it's just, ugh."

"Now, you're being obvious, noona!" Jongdae butted in, attempting to push her into telling the truth.

"You're already caught, noona. And remember, you chose Truth," Baekhyun supported. Damn, they really were eager to find it out.

Dara pressed her lips into a thin line and pouted, shooting one last pleading glance at Chanyeol, but the latter just gave her a sorry look in response.

"Okay," Dara sighed in defeat. "Yes, I do have someone I like," she said in a very soft tone, hoping they did not hear it. But unfortunately, they did.

"Jinjja?! Who? Who?"

Kris's ears perked up upon Dara's confession. She had someone she likes. And his heart sank down. She likes someone. What a bitter truth. What a way to slowly break his heart. She likes someone. And he's way too sure it's not him. Kris looked down, keeping up with his poker face. Damn, he knew it. He knew he'd never stand a chance. He knew that from the very start, and might as well give up right now. His eyes were glued to the floor when he felt a tap on his back. It was Luhan. He gave him an encouraging look, but Kris just rolled his eyes. The elder did not have to worry. He knew he never really had a chance to begin with.

"Who is he, noona? Do we know him? Do we know him?"

"Dara-noona who's the lucky guy?"

Now, Dara began to panic. No, she did not plan on confessing too soon. Heck, she never even planned on doing it. Not now. Not ever. But right now, she's trapped. And she had to save herself.Think, Dara. Think.

"W-wait that's a lot already!" Dara blurted all of a sudden, silencing the boys."I only need to answer one question, which I already did!" She reasoned, with a tone of obvious desperation. She forced a smile at them. Oh my gosh, brain you finally worked! I love you!

"Eh? That's not fair, noona!" Tao whined almost instantly, stomping his feet like a child.

"Noona don't leave us hanging!"

"So mean!"

Childish whines were heard but Dara just gave them an apologetic smile. Who knew they'd look so cute and adorable whining like children?

"Okay, okay, let's go on with the game," Chanyeol finally interfered, putting an end to the complaints of the others. He smiled at Dara and mouthed, "That was good!" To her. Dara smiled back at him in relief.

The game went on, and when it was Minseok's turn, he chose dare. Wrong move though, because they had him drink a deadly 'concoction' consisting a bit of soju, vinegar, soy sauce, lemon, sugar and pepper that they just randomly mixed in. The poor eldest member puked almost instantly on an empty bowl. The members gave him pitiful looks and still laughed nonetheless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Dare."

Kris nonchalantly said as soon as the bottle pointed him. His face was just blank, since he really wasn't into the game to start with. The members snickered, and began to think of what they want to make the duizhang do, while Dara was secretly staring at him, with eyes still full of unwavering admiration, while hugging her knees closer to her.

"Be my slave for the night!" Tao suggested happily. Oh how he wanted to boss Kris around! That would be so fun and totally new. But his smile turned into a frown when his idea was quickly turned down.

"How about, we make him our slave for the night?" Sehun improvised, smirking. The maknaes of EXO are evil after all.

The others hummed unquestioningly and were about to agree when someone cut them off.

"Wait!"

And they all turned to Luhan, who was raising his hand.

"I have a better idea," he said as he slowly put his hand down. Kris froze. He sensed that this wasn't going to be good. He glared at the elder in attempt to stop him from doing whatever he was planning to do,but Luhan did not spare a glance to him. He was probably ignoring him on purpose.

"You see, I never really saw Kris talking to Dara noona..."

And with the mention of their names, Dara and Kris stiffened and their breathing came to a temporary halt.

Luhan squirmed a bit on his seat, before continuing. "I thought that it would be really nice if every one in EXO has a good relationship with noona," he then gazed at Dara with a caring smile. "I mean, I really want us to get close toher. And I see us getting there but thenthere's this one person who stays behind." And with that he lookedat Kris, acting all innocent. "I want Kris to bond or at least talk to noona for some time."

. Luhan, you are the most evil bastard I have ever known. Kris mentally cursed, trying his best to look unaffected when in fact he was actually sweating a lot, all tensed up. Dara's eyes widened. Oh no. Was this karma already? This is worse than karma. Oh my gosh. This couldn't be happening.

 

"So, I dare you, Kris, to do 7 Minutes in Heaven with Dara noona."

 

This seriously couldn't be happening. Oh my gosh. Dara forced her eyes close,praying for the gods to help her out of this.

I swear I'm gonna kill you in your sleep, Luhan. Kris swore he'd be doing that to the sly doe-eyed hyung who always wanted nothing but to see him suffering. If glares can kill, Luhan would probably be dead by now.

 

 

 

 

 

"Why don't we just simply let them talk with each other? We don't need to lock them upsomewhere for seven minutes," Chanyeol pleaded the older Luhan, who was seemingly not listening to him. Luhan was busy dragging the unwilling Kris who was actually trying his best to not get dragged by the much stronger elder. Dara, on the other hand, obediently just let Luhan lead the way. Chanyeol as well as the other members except for Jongdae, who passed out from drinking to much, tagged themselves along.

"Chanyeol-hyung's right! Who knows what Kris-gecan do to noona!" Tao cried, clinging unto Luhan's arm in attempt to stop him.

With that, Dara blushed madly at the thought and luckily, she managed to duck her head down, hiding her flustered face. "Aigoo, Dara byuntae! When did you become a byuntae?!" She mentally scolded herself, unconsciously hitting her head in the process.

"I could hear you, just so you know, Tao," Kris hissed, but not sparing a single glance at them. He was to busy pulling himself out of Luhan's grasp after all.

"Oh come on, Luhan-hyung!" Jongin tried his luck on convincing the deer as well, but it did not seem to work, like how the others failed.

Luhan finally stopped on his track and faced the upset members. "Look, you're actually making me the bad guy here when in fact, I have a good intention. I just wanted every single one of us to get along with Dara noona, is that bad?" Luhan reasoned out, sounding calm, trying to make everyone understand. Yes, what he said was true. But of course, that wasn't the whole reason. Being agood gege to Kris, he wanted to bridge the two. He wanted Kris to man up and confess. Or if he couldn't, he should at least make friends with. After all, friendship is the starting block of romance, isn't it?

"I understand his point," Joonmyeon finally spoke up. He looked at the others, hoping they too would understand. "Why are you guys so against it?"

The handsome males then looked down, lips pressed into a thin line, eyebrows furrowed, avoiding the leader's gaze.

"Because it's unfair!" Tao finally mustered courage to voice out his mind. He looked at the startled leader, pouting strongly. "I want to spend some time alone with noona too!" He said, pointing to himself. Silence followed in a while before chaos erupted.

"Me too!"

"I want to be with noona too!"

"I won't lose to any one of you!"

"I should be next!"

"No, it should be me!"

"Shut it. I bet Dara noona would not want to spend time with you!"

"Says who?!"

Dara stared at the bickering males. They were so cute, they acted like children. And Dara found it so adorable that she couldn't hold a giggle that was equally cute as they were. She finally was able to relax a bit.

Chanyeol turned his attention to the giggling lady, and he couldn't help but smile at the beautiful sight. It was indeed an honor seeing Dara like that. It made her lovelier than she already was.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Are you gonna be okay, noona?" Chanyeol asked, whispering as softly as possible. He stood closer to her eyeing her with concern.

Dara pouted cutely, her eyebrows curved upwards, contorting her face in worries. "Omo, I don't k-know. I hope so," she sighed honestly. She's gotten a lot more nervous than before.

Chanyeol felt really bad for her that he couldn't do anything. "Just think of this as a chance to get closer with hyung," he shot her a sorry look, trying to comfort her by patting her shoulder.

 

A chance to get closer with him...

 

Dara automatically covered her beet red face with her small hands at what Chanyeol had said. Get closer to him? That's impossible. Especially when Kris doesn't even spare any attention to her. How could she possibly get closer to him. Dara tried to get her breathing even before looking back up. "I hope time would go really fast," she prayed silently.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Seven minutes starts now! Have fun," Luhan announced with a suspicious look before he reached for the door and closed it, the members shooting the poor girl on last apologetic glance.

And the door was shut, and a clicking sound was heard. They really did lock it. No kidding.

 

Dara's POV

 

And now we're alone. In the washroom. With Kris. Oh no. This was it. I still couldn't believe this was happening. Can somebody pinch me hard right now?

 

In the first few seconds, everything was silent. I barely heard any sound at all - not from him, and most certainly not from me. I slowly neared the sink, turned my back against it, and then carried myself up, so I could sit on it. I let my eyes wander carefully, in search for Kris, and in almost an instant, I saw him sitting on the clean floor (I swear the washroom was so clean I could barely see a spot anywhere!) with his back leaning against the wall. He had one of his legs stretched out, and his other leg bent. One of his hands were on the floor, while the other was rested on his bent leg. And he looked really cool. His face was blank, and it was impossible to read what was on his mind. He looked so mysterious, in an attractive way. And I failed to notice I have been staring at him for too long.

 

 

Dugeun. Dugeun. Dugeun.

 

 

Wait. What was that sound? I snapped back from my reverie, then closed my eyes, listening very intently at the surroundings. It was weird. All I could hearwas the deafening silence and...

 

 

Dugeun. Dugeun. Dugeun.

 

 

Then realization hit me. I snapped my eyes open and immediately clutched my chest. Omo, my heart. My heart has been beating quite madly and loudly? No. Please stop. What if he hears it? Omo it'd be so embarrassing?! Now, I clutched my chest with both hands, thinking it could cover up the sound. I looked at him again, but he was still the same, uncaring and indifferent. Perhaps I was just too paranoid. It's probably just me hearing my own heartbeat. Of course. Pabo, Dara!

I heaved a sad sigh. Well, it has been awkward, so far. And we never spoke a word. "Omo, Dara! You should initiate a conversation with him! You're the older one, aish." I mentally scolded myself. I took deep breaths, trying to draft some topics in my mind. I closed my eyes, focusing on what I'm doing, but my trail of thoughts was cut off by a husky and deep voice.

 

 

"I'm sorry you had to get stuck with me."

 

 

Oh my gosh. Did I hear it right? Or am I just hearing things? Or my ears were just playing tricks on me? I opened my eyes in an instant, then turned to Kris, who was also staring at me with those serious yet attractive dark orbs of his.

 

 

 

 

 

"...Eh?"

 

"Aish! Dara you're such a pabo! You're so embarrassing!" I couldn't believe all I said was that! Omo. I'm so stupid. Aish! I heaved an annoyed sigh as I turned the other side before hitting my head. I'm being so clumsy again. Why do I always embarrass myself to him? How I wanted to bury myself and just be one with the floor. But no. I can't just give up. Comforting myself, I took a deep breath before I turned back at Kris.

"Y-You were saying?" Gosh you're a total failure, Sandara Park.

I swear I saw Kris widened his eyes a bit before clearing his throat out, shifting hisgaze to somewhere else.

"I said, I'm sorry you had to get stuck with me."

And once again, my heart did a Summersault. I froze. He just apologized, even when there's nothing to apologize for. And he did not fail to make my heart flutter. Unconsciously, a smile crept on my lips. I knew I'm falling for him harder.

"W-why are you apologizing? There's nothing wrong with this!" I said as cheerfully as possible, hoping to ease the gloomy atmosphere up. I swung my legs forward and jumped out of the sink, standing on my feet. I did not know why but I suddenly felt at ease and not tensed anymore.

Kris looked up, perplexed but still surprised. And I could almost faint with that look. I hesitated at first, but now, I suddenly became determined to make friends with him. I wanted to make friends with him. And I thought this was the perfect opportunity for it.

"I-ugh, I actually wanted to get to know you, Kris-ssi," Omo did I just say that?! Omo was I too tactless? I don't want to scare him away. Quick, think Dara. Think. "I-I mean, I want to be friends with you..." I said. I stopped on my tracks. "...you know, if that's okay with you," I caressed my hair repeatedly - a habit I had whenever I'm nervous and such - and gave off a nervous laugh. Now, what have you done?

 

 

 

 

 

"Sure."

 

I was in a state of shock that I jerked my head in his direction. Did he just say 'sure'? Omo. Did I hear him right? Oh my gosh. I felt my cheeks really hot and then I realized I was blushing madly. I ducked my head and hastily covered my red cheeks with my hair. I never want Kris to see me like this. It would be so embarrassing! And when I finally settle myself down a bit, I looked back at him, beaming with a wide smile.

"R-really?!" I asked in a slightly high tone, which made me cover my mouth instantly.

And then I saw him chuckle, though it was too soft and it actually looked more like a smirk, and I was once again mesmerized. He was so beautiful, especially with that smile on. No wonder he had a lot of fangirls.

"I'm sorry, I got too excited,"and I literally wanted to bury myself. Gosh, how I hate my mouth! I'm being tactless again. Omo, I'm really embarrassing myself.

"Sure," Kris then joked. He showed his killer smirk again. And that just made me calmer. I smiled at him. I decided that I really want to know Kris. I scooted closer to him, and with excitement taking over, I sat beside him. And I failed to notice hissurprised face. I bent my knees and hugged them, looking forward, still smiling.

Seconds passed and still there were no words exchanged, and I started to panic. I need to say something! I really need to. Think, Dara. Think.

"Ne, Kris-ssi. How's your idol life?" Where did that come from? But oh well, at least it wasn't a bad way to start a conversation.

Kris leaned his head back, before answering. "It's tiring. But cool. I like what I'm doing, so I guess it's fine."

"I'm glad you feel the same way," I agreed to him, leaning my back against the wall more comfortably. "I'm pretty sure you guys are always tired. I mean, with your rising popularity, I'm sure your schedules are tight!"

He smirked again, for the third time. And it was still as beautiful as the first ones, "Yeah. We barely have time for ourselves. We're always busy. But not as busy as 2ne1 sunbaes."

This time, I chuckled. "That's the idol life. It's exhausting but fun."

Kris just hummed in response. And unfortunately that was followed with another awkward silence.

 

Author's POV

 

Dara just stared at her fidgeting fingers.She disliked the silence. But she did not know how to break it. Her mind was blank. She did not know what to talk about next.

Kris on the other hand had his lips closed. He wore a straight face, uncaring and indifferent, yet deep inside he wanted to keep the conversation going, but he had no idea how to. And he did not want to annoy Dara with his talking, so he just kept his mouth shut, hoping that those seven minutes would be up soon.

Dara stole a glimpse of Kris through the corner of her eyes, and her lips formed a frown when she saw the uncomfortable expression the duizhang was showing. He seemed uninterested again, as if he was just waiting for everything to end already. Her frown deepened, and she looked down.

 

 

 

 

 

"Kris-ssi, do you dislike me?"

 

 

 

 

 

Kris's eyes widened at the random question that he quickly turned his head to Dara, whose eyes were glued to the ground, pouting and who seemed like she was sulking. He became confused with the question. And it terribly made him feel bad looking at the sad Dara. Was there something wrong with her? And why would he dislike her, when in fact he likes her a lot, more than a fanboy normally feels for his bias? Why was she asking this?

"I-I don't get you, Dara...noona," and he almost forgot to add noona on Dara's name.

"I don't know, I-I just feel it. I noticed that you're kind of avoiding me or is it just me, I really don't know, haha," Dara panicked that she just started to blabber and mumble things, and ended them with a nervous laugh. Oh how Dara wanted to cry in that very moment! She had no idea why she just blurted out that question. It felt so not right. Dara was really starting to get upset with herself.

 

 

"I'm sorry if you feel that way," Kris finally answered back. He looked away as he tried to find the right words to say. "I don't know where you got that ridiculous idea, but the answer is no. I don't dislike you, Dara...noona. I just don't know how to ugh talk to you."

And with that, Dara looked at him with a glint of hope in her eyes. So he doesn't dislike her! It was all a misunderstanding then! Dara couldn't hide a lovely smile upon hearing the duizhang's words.

"You are a really great person, noona,"Kris stopped for a deep breath before continuing, "And again, it's impossible to dislike someone like you. In fact, I actually lik---"

 

 

 

Naega jaeil jalnaga ~~ Naega jaeil jalnaga ~~

 

 

 

Dara was listening very intently to Kris when her phone interrupted them, ringing so loudly that it startled them both.

"Omo sorry, I need to answer this for a while," she said as she excused herself.

Kris then heaved a sigh of relief as he placed his hand on his chest. "T-that was close," he breathed out, burying his head to his palms.

 

 

 

 

 

"It's already past seven minutes hyung," Chanyeol once again reminded Luhan, shooting the latter a worried look. He reached for the elder's arm and shook it, slightly pissing him.

"Okay, okay, I get it, geez," Luhan hissed before he brushed Chanyeol's hand away and stood up, dusting his pants.

"Calm down, will you? You're totally freaking out on a small thing," he patted the younger and chuckled. Chanyeol just bit his lip, embarrassed,before he stood up and followed Luhan to the washroom.

 

 

 

 

 

"I'm sorry, just got a call from Chaerin," Dara said as she neared the duizhang and sat beside him again. "And I needed to answer that because if I won't, she'll kill me!" Dara laughed, clutching unto her phone more tightly, reminiscing the times when she wasn't able to answer CL's calls which got her into trouble.

"U-um, Kris-ssi?" Dara shyly gazed up to Kris, who later stared back at her, with cheeks tinted with pink. "I-I just w-want to say thank you!" She blurted out though she stuttered a bit.

Kris was surprised, and at the same time, raised his eyebrow questioningly. "Why are you thanking me?"

And Dara bit her lip. She could literally feel her heart trying to jump out of her chest. And she could feel her hands cold. Omo, heart could you calm down? Juseyo?

"F-for not disliking me," she breathed out with all honesty. She looked at the ground, still with flustered cheeks. She hugged her knees tighter.

Kris momentarily stopped breathing. He looked at the shy Ssantokki with his mouth slightly opened, yet it was still very much attractive. His eyes trailed Dara's facial features, and noticed her all flustered. And a small smile escaped his lips. She was thanking him for not disliking her? Seriously? For him, it was just a small thing, something that didn't need to thank for. But this girl was different. She was really humble and sweet. And how in the world could someone dislike her? And how in the world could someone not fall for her? Kris then went back to his senses and was about to open his mouth to respond when they were suddenly interrupted with a clicking sound, followed by a loud banging on the door.

"Noona? Kris?" A familiar voice was calling them, and Kris knew it was Luhan's. "I'm sorry but I think the door got stuck! It won't budge," he said, as he tried to pull the door open. "Could you please push the door so it'll open?"

And Dara being her always-there-when-you-need-helpself rushed in to the rescue, dropping her phone on the floor in the process. Kris sighed and was about to help when his eyes landed unto the discarded phone. The screen was on, the impact must have caused that. His eyes caught a glimpse of it and they widened instantly. Kris blinked his eyes several times, checking if his eyes weren't playing tricks on him but to his surprise, they weren't. It was real. No kidding. He tried to focus on it, and he wasn't mistaken. It was there. On the screen. The big fat app of Chatpal.

"Could it really be...?"Kris still couldn't believe what he just found out. On Dara's phone laid an application he least expected to see - Chatpal.

 

 

 

 

Ssantokki00:                     I swear it was meant for my other chat mate. You see, we’re talking about Dara and EXO’s latest CF!

COOLduizhang:                 Dara and EXO have collaboration in a CF?

Ssantokki00:                    Yes! It was said that they’ll have a CF together! I’m so excited. ^.^

 

“About the CF, don’t say a word about it.”

“What do you mean hyung? The public doesn’t know anything about the CF yet?”

“I believed the companies were careful enough to keep everything a secret for now.”

 

Emotions are not an excuse to ruin someone...

 

 

 

 

"This....couldn't be...right?" Kris mumbled,eyes still fixated on the phone screen.

 

 

----- End of Chapter -----

 

< Author's Note > Sorry for the typos and such, I wrote this chapter on my mobile phone. I'm sorry for the super late update. I was pressured into updating, so I wasn't able to think well for this chapter. It's kind'a cliche and I'm really sorry. I'm still hoping you'd somehow like this chapter and continue reading this story. Anyways, thank you for your time.