Do you remember how you and I were so young and small?
We were always together, do you remember our friends who were jealous of us?

 _{--So Long by Apink : Pink Blossom 4th Mini Album}

Starring  
Park Chorong 
Kim Minseok
Word Count : 1,969
Genre : Romance, Slice of Life.
Rating : PG-13+

"Are you sure, you'll be fine on your own?" 

"No I'll be alright oppa, come on my years of hapkido  won't be in vain you should get back or the members will get worried" her playful smack, had the older boy smiling again.

"Alright you chum, but make sure you'd drop me a text when you're at the dorm already okay?" with his final regards he lightly ruffles her head. Chorong automatically fixed her fringes. Minseok notices her the displeased look on her face, it was fun seeing her that way. He missed it. 

He missed her.

Them. 

Things have gone at a different course now, after middle school they went on separate paths to pursue different dreams and achieve certain goals. Even if they landed on the same profession, he was a member of a 12-member boy band named EXO while she got into a 6 member girl group APink. She still kept her birth name as a stage name. It was something he had least expected from the girl. All the while everyone perceived her as a tomboy who mercilessly bought down boys on training mats because of her deadly hapkido skills, and being the daughter of a man with mastery of the said field. She could have taken his father's footsteps. But  it seems God has another plan, she's turned into a fine young lady that make men scream and howl when she performs live on stage. 

Such transformation that he himself felt very proud of. She's blossomed indeed.

Chorong was a special girl to him, he was a precious sister, a childhood hero and once he thought of her as girlfriend material. That is, if he ran out of choices to date. Which was almost impossible, since way back he was the star player of their football team. And had his own cheering squad at every match. 

"Hey you're creeping me out with that smile. What's happening to you.... uh earth to Minseok!" Chorong waves a hand across his face. 

Minseok. he was somehow reminded of how rare it was to be called by his birth name. since he's widely known as 'Xiumin of EXO" since his debut. It snapped him out of his reverie, startling him at the extremely close space between them. He alarmingly grabbed her forearm, which causes them both to stop and stare at each other, for quite a while. Breathing became shallow and time as if slowed down, every second they got immersed into staring into each other's eyes. 

Until a flash of white light, blinded their sight, and snapping them both out of trance. 

"Aish--" before Minseok could speak more of his protests,  he froze once setting his eyes on the direction of the light. Chorong, which he still held onto her hand, shared no difference from his facial expression.

"This is bad" he hears Chorong's low raspy voice. She too was in state of shock, trying to absorb what was going on right before them, but knowing that they're getting into a bad situation. 

It was the paparazzi.

The media monsters, and it's not good encountering these people without the accompaniment of their managers. It's going to cause controversy, and they knew that had to make their escape be.

"Xiumin-sshi?! why are you meeting up with Chorong-yang secretly?" 

"Chorong-sshi! Are you two seeing each other now?"

"How long have you two been dating?" 

A louder reaction came from these people, hiding behind the lenses, and blinding flashes  of their camera. Even passersby caught their attention, trying to snoop their heads in behind the media mob. The two of them, were too shocked to answer, neither of them had experience this before and so instinctively, they both fled from the crowd. 

___________________________________________________

Before Minseok and Chorong had landed to their respective dorms, the news of them being seen together had spead all over Seoul and Korea and in a matter of hours, the entire planet.
 
"Well if you had at least told us that you're acquainted to APink's leader, we could have set some meeting for this and why do you have to sneak your way out of practice? Minseok you're the eldest yet you've displayed  misbehavior before your juniors?! And what about your fans? Now rumours are circulating all over the internet and we don't know If we could even come up with valid answers to everything they've concluded." His manager yelled.

"Hyung, I can't---It was something I promised to Chorong before even getting into the industry! I can't just bail out on that one, she's that important to me okay?"
 
"What promise? So you are admitting that she's your girlfriend?" 

"Hyung! It's not like that. I know my reason deemed invalid to cover up the faults I made, but... can you give me time to explain these things, for now I can assure you that she's not my girlfriend. or probably never will be." In frustration, Minseok lowers his head running his fingers over his brown locks, groaning inwardly as his mind couldn't take all the pressure kicking in.. 

Without a word, their managers left. Taking in his suggestion, and possibly are on their way to the agency.

Luhan, scoots beside him on the couch. Giving him a soothing rub on the back. "It's alright Minseok things will cool down on the way," he consoles with a closed smile.  

Minseok turned back sharing the same expression, trying to get his words to get his hopes up. "I know, I just hope Chorong is better at being okay with this"

"Aye, so there really is something going on between you?" his co-member couldn't help but throw a bantering look. 

His face slightly flushed, showing off a bashful grin. "I'm not really sure if I can trust you with this...."

Luhan playfully blew punches at him on the gut.

________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile in Apink's dormitory, it wasn't any different from Minseok that she went through all the scolding and reprimands from the managers. She felt like a rebel teen who went out to party without parents' consent. But she's a full grown woman though, yet she's constricted within the agreements of their working contract as k-pop idols. A dilemma that just came to her after that meeting with Minseok. She never expected this kind of situation to come to her. 

"He said what to you!" it didn't take long before Chorong's hand was clamped over Eunji's mouth

"Shhhh, Oppa might hear you" she whispered looking around in caution of their Manager possibly eavesdropping, while the Busan girl groans in muffled protests.

"If Xiumin-sshi confessed that he likes you, then you should be happy. It's been so long since you liked him and that means he just faked you the last time you confessed.." 

Chorong tipped her head down at her statment, chewing on her lip "I'm not sure Ji..I want to but tons of things are holding me back.."

_____________________________________________________

It's 3am in the morning and Chorong is wide awake after the incident last night. She was reading articles that were already released on the internet and she might have wet the entire bed with overflowing tears. Very much hurt from all the bashing that netizens were saying about her and right now in Korea, she's like a criminal in the eyes of Minseok's fans. All those pictures of her and Minseok made her want the ground to eat her up and never come out again. Even the titles they put on in made her want to slit someone's throat. It really looked wrong, like they were some couple caught in a scandal. Well. they already are dubbed as a scandal, which adds up to the inner demise.

She understood their sentiment but couldn't get angry at them because she knew that they were only clueless of what really happened, and what really is between her and Minseok. Though He had already made things complicated before even the press ambushed them. 

"Unnie, please get some rest. You're taking in too much of those comments. Don't mind them" Eunji soothed, before side-hugging her unnie. She decided to sleep beside her for the night, knowing that their leader is going through a hard time. 

They were the only ones in the dorm, since the four members will be going back by morning due to their personal schedules, Chorong had already received numerous calls and texts from the people she's close with. Her parents and siblings called her and told her things that will lighten her mood up, and leaving a word of advice. Some of their celebrity friends from other groups had sent in voice-mails and texts as well, cheering her on. This made her heart feel more light, relieved, eased. 

"Aish, look at these girls shamelessly eating sweets " Eunji scoffed in disbelief at the messages from Bomi, along with it was a selca with her eating a platter of cupcakes and Naeun photobombing from behind. Chorong smiled at the sight.

Bomi :
Tell Chorong unnie that we bought home a box of these babies~ they're really good.
And we'll hang out at this place together sometime okay?
P.S.
Eonni pls cheer up! You're a strong woman! 
 

Her dongsaengs were always the sweetest, even they had times of misunderstandings,  mischief that makes her leader responsibilities more stressful. Later on Namjoo and Hayoung individually left text messages; telling her to get a rest they've been texting for quite a long while and not to mention her eyelids are starting to feel heavy with all its red and puffy state. this convinced her enough to roll herself up over the sheets and brace herself for tomorrow.

But even before she can rest her head on the pillow, her phone vibrated again. And it was a text message from Minseok and it was long enough to drive her sleepiness away.

XiuMinseok-Oppa :
Rongie, I know you've seen the news, and the comments from the fans.
I'm sorry you have to go through it. I really am... And I know you're probably reading
this right away. Please get some sleep. And about what we talked on last night, 
I really do like you, until now you're still the girl who I wish to be with.
I know it's all on the wrong timing but I'm not asking you to give me an immediate 
answer. I just couldn't help myself that I 've kept silent about my feelings all along. 
Our talk was too short, I wanted to tell you more stuff. I was never able to tell every
thing that I was to say personally. Things happened so fast. TT.TT
 It's really hard being an idol. But don't quit!
I'll always cheer you on, I'm still here...
Nothing has ever changed. 
 

She found herself stained with tears again, greatly moved by his message. Every emotion inside her kept stirring up in confusion, she's like happy, sad, angry, and frustrated at the same time. There were so many reasons that sprang up in her mind, and the circumstances that surrounded them had made things really difficult. She knew she wanted to be angry at him for telling him the truth at this season of their life, it's really critical for them to be involved with romantic relationships and falling in love, being a celebrity is equals to less privacy, and most likely their career is on the line. But she was overjoyed by the fact that she wasn't alone with that feeling all the time, her love for him was meant to be reciprocated after all.   
 

XiuMinseok-Oppa: 
If you're not convinced enough. Wait 'til I make that 
public statement to get us casted in "We Got Married"
as a couple. ;-)

Chorong, with her phone on her hand firmly placed over her chest, drifted off to sleep, without even realizing how wide her smile is.
 

[Author Notes:] Okay this wasn't the ending i planned, but I think this is better. lol. my head is just burning in pain right now. I hope the person who requested this liked it, this was the best I could come up with. 

I won't be taking in requests, until I'm done with like 5 chapters?? haha. Sorry guise. I learned that having two-ongoing stories and constant updating is really hard + a complicated life situation. xD 

But again, I'm always thankful to the readers and subscribers and comments. It will forever bless my heart. <3 Thank you. I'll see y'all in a bit!