“I’m old…,” Heechul whined as he stared into the bathroom mirror poking and pulling at the skin on his face. “There’s wrinkles under my eyes.”

     “You’re right, you are old.” Gunhee teased, throwing his arm around his friend’s shoulder and smiling at their reflections. “We make a cute couple.”

     “Very funny,” Heechul huffed, shrugging his best friend’s arms away. “Just do my hair so we can go. People are probably waiting for us.”

     “It’s your birthday, act more excited.” Gunhee scolded as he ran his fingers through Heechul’s dark hair, rearranging each strand with his skilled hands. “Happy 32^nd, Big Space Star.”

     “Don’t remind me how old I am. I’m trying to pretend I’m turning twenty-nine instead.” Heechul groaned, “I refuse to become an Ahjussi.”

     “First of all, we’re the same age, so if you’re old, I’m old too. Second, thirty-two is far from Ahjussi age.”

    “Not if most of the fans these days are like twelve. I could be their father.”

    “But, you’re not.” Gunhee chuckled, using some gel to hold Heechul’s hair in place, before taking a step back and inspecting his work. “Perfect, as always.”

     “What did you expect? I am the perfect canvas.” Heechul boasted, approving of his reflection.

    “Come on, perfect canvas, your party guests are waiting for you.”

    Heechul was silent on the ride over to the club where his friends were holding his party this year. He stared out the passenger’s window of Gunhee’s car and just watched the lights go by. Heechul’s silence was worrisome to Gunhee. His best friend was rarely silent for very long and serious even less of the time. Aging was a sensitive subject for the idol. His job was based on being young and beautiful, things Gunhee felt he was, but Heechul saw it differently. With each small wrinkle his face acquired, the idol became more and more worried about losing the looks he’d based his entire existence on.

    “Are any of the members coming tonight?” Gunhee asked as the pulled into the parking garage under the club and he turned off the engine.

    “Zhoumi is coming,” Heechul confirmed, “Everyone else had to work, or has an early schedule. I did get messages from everyone, though. Ryeowook cooked me breakfast this morning and Donghae gave me a birthday card before he left. Everyone’s so busy these days, it’s kind of hard to keep track of each other.”

    “I’m still amazed you all have stayed relatively intact all these years,” Gunhee pointed out as they slid out of the car and shut the doors. “Did you hear from HanGeng, as well?”

     “He texted me,” Heechul confirmed, “He texts me every year. I invited him to the party, but he said it was best not to come. I don’t think he wants to cause a stir.”

     “What did you expect? He lives in another country. No one is attached to you so much that they’d fly hours just to spend on night with you.”

     “I guess,” Heechul shrugged, “Come on, let’s go collect my presents, drink too much, and then go home. I don’t feel like being around people tonight.”

    “Cheer up, Old man,” Gunhee teased, “No being grumpy.”

    “It’s my party, I’ll be grumpy if I want to.”

    The VIP room of the club had been packed with a couple dozen of Heechul’s friends and a couple family members. Heechul greeted everyone sincerely before taking up residence in one of the booths and moping over a bottle of soju. Gunhee sat next to him and fended off the masses that kept trying to speak with him, or about his age. Heechul tried to smile and take everything in good humor, but inside, he was screaming.

    “I want to go home,” Heechul groaned, running his finger around his shot glass and staring at the clear alcohol inside it as he spoke. “I think I forget to feed Heebum.”

     “You just want to go home and sleep through your birthday,” Gunhee pointed out, “Stay and have fun with your friends.”

    “I don’t want to,” Heechul pouted, scooting closer to his friend and laying his head on the shorter male’s shoulder. “Take me home, Gunhee-ah.”

    Gunhee took a deep breath and let it out slowly through his nose as he placed his hand affectionately on his friend’s knee beneath the table. Heechul was very clingy when he was drinking, a fact Gunhee appreciated, for he’d had a crush on his best friend for several years and enjoyed the contact. Heechul was completely oblivious of his feelings. He spent each day just acting like he always did, touching and laughing with him, all the while not knowing the feelings he was causing in his best friend. Gunhee knew Heechul didn’t realize the affect he had on people with his behavior. Despite all his erse ways, Kim Heechul could be quite innocent inside.

     “Alright, I’ll take you home.” Gunhee conceded, Heechul’s hot breath on his neck causing his heart to beat rapidly in his chest.

     “Thank-you, you’re too good to me.” Heechul answered, snuggling his face in the crook of Gunhee’s neck. “You can stay the night if you want. You’re right, I shouldn’t be alone on my birthday.”

    Gunhee swallowed nervously in response to his friend’s offer. He knew Heechul wasn’t offering him anything ual, merely an evening of soft conversation and innocent touches, but even that was enough. As Gunhee opened his mouth to answer Heechul, his words died in his throat as he noticed a familiar femail face approaching them.

     “Cherry Oppa!”

     “Xue Fu!” Heechul exclaimed, tearing himself away from Gunhee and sitting up straight with a huge smile on his face. “What are you doing here?”

     “For your birthday,” Puff informed in her simple Korean, an equally as bright smile on her face. “Happy birthday, Oppa.”

    Gunhee narrowed his eyes as Puff slid into the booth next to Heechul and they embraced one another. Heechul’s demeanor had suddenly switched from depressed and grumpy, to bright and cheery with one single smile from his former virtual wife. This bothered Gunhee considerably, for he himself hadn’t been able to cheer up his friend and Puff had been able to do it in less than ten seconds. There was an excitement to Heechul’s words as he and Puff chatted in their special way, only understanding half of what the other was saying, yet knowing the exact way to respond.

    Puff was one of the few people in Heechul’s life that constantly made him smile. She was like a bright light that brought out sides of the idol no other person could. When the show had stopped filming, Gunhee had hoped all contact with the Taiwanese singer would stop. Unfortunately, that hadn’t been the case. Heechul and Puff texted each other constantly and kept track of each other’s SNS accounts.

     Gunhee could still remember the last day of filming when Heechul had refused to let her go. When the cameras had been turned off, the fake couple had disappeared for hours, causing the whole staff to worry. Heechul had appeared in the wee hours of the morning at Gunhee’s door with lipstick stains on his face and a goofy smile. Gunhee still didn’t know what happened that night. His friend refused to speak of it with him and told him not to worry.

     Downing a shot of soju, Gunhee looked up just as Puff was pulling Heechul out of the booth. Heechul made a shushing gesture at him and smiled widely as he allowed his former TV spouse to pull his across the room.

    “Wait!” Gunhee called out, shooting out of the booth and chasing after them. “Where are you going?”

     “Xue Fu is going to give me my present,” Heechul answered with a smile, “Don’t wait up, I’ll find my own way home.”

     “Are you drunk? Where are you going?”

     “Oppa?” Puff spoke with a confused look, her eyes darting back and forth between Heechul and Gunhee. “Are you coming?”

     “Yes,” Heechul answered, “Go home, Gunhee-ah. I’ll be fine on my own. You’re not my babysitter.”

      Heechul waved to his friend and allowed Puff to guide him out of the room. Seeing Puff tonight felt like a dream. He hadn’t seen her in over a month, each day apart feeling like an eternity. True to her words on the last day they’d met, she’d flown to see him. Despite her busy schedule, she’d taken time to fly to another country just to be with him on his birthday, which is more than some of his friends did for him. As they reached the parking garage under the club, Heechul could hear someone calling after him. He knew it was Gunhee, but he ignored his best friend and followed puff inside her van instead. If they only had one night together, he wasn’t about to let anyone ruin it.

    As soon as the van doors slid shut and the driver started the engine, Heechul instantly felt more at ease. Though he loved his friends, he’d rather spend his birthday quietly. All the party did, was remind him that he was getting old.

    “Cherry Oppa?”

    “Hmmm?” Heechul answered as he relaxed in his seat with his eyes closed.

     “Don’t fall asleep,” Puff ordered.

     “I’m not asleep,” Heechul yawned, “Wake me when we get there.”

      As the van pulled out onto the street, Heechul could feel his phone vibrating in his pocket. He just let the device be, for he was too tired to deal with any calls right now. It was most likely his manager or possibly Gunhee. Neither person mattered right now, for he wasn’t working tonight and he didn’t feel like speaking with his best friend at the moment. There was no doubt the hair stylist was panicked over his departure from the party. Heechul couldn’t blame his friend for worrying, but it was his birthday, if you wanted to leave his own party, he would.

    “Oppa, we’re here.” Puff informed as the van came to a stop and Heechul opened his eyes.

    They were in another parking garage. Heechul glanced about to try and figure out where his former fake wife had taken him. Though he had no clue where they were, he trusted Puff enough to follow her from the van and into an elevator. As the doors shut in front of them, Heechul could have sworn he saw Gunhee’s car pulling into the parking garage. The elevator climbed high into the building, until it reached the tenth floor and Puff pulled him off it into a long hallway lined with doors. They were at a hotel. Heechul glanced about nervously, making sure no one was around to see them together, as Puff produced a room key and opened one of the doors near the elevator.

   As soon as they stepped inside the hotel room, Heechul pinned Puff against the wall and attempted to steal a kiss. Puff turned his face away from him and smiled shyly in response. Heechul kissed her cheek instead and took a step back. Puff smiled at him and moved deeper into the room, leaving him near the door. He’d expected this reaction, for despite their time together, Puff was still shy when it came to physical contact.

   “Oppa, sit here.” Puff ordered, pointing to the bed. “Wait for me, ok?”

    Heechul simply nodded and did as he was told. Taking a seat on the bed, Heechul watched puff move over to her suitcase on the table and dig through it. Her hands were shaking with nervousness as she sorted through the contents of her bag, causing Heechul to smile. He found Puff shyness sweet, and her determination to overcome it cute.

     “Where is it?” Puff mussed, her features frustrated when she came up empty handed. “Sorry, Oppa…,”

     “Sorry?” Heechul repeated, with quirked brows.

     “No present,” Puff answered, “Lost it.”

     “Oh.., I guess I’ll go then…,” Heechul teased his former costar, standing up from the bed.

     “No!” Puff panicked, moving over to him and pushing him back down on the bed. “I find new present!”

     Heechul smiled at her as she took a deep breath and pushed him back onto the bed.

     “I’ll be present,” Puff declared cutely, “Oppa relax, ok?”

      Laying back on the pillows, Heechul stared up at Puff curiously. He was interested in what she was going to do next. Just lying there looking at her nervous smile was enough of a present for him.

    “Close your eyes,” Puff ordered, “No peaking.”

     Heechul did as he was told, only teasingly peeking at her once and causing her to laugh. Relaxing atop the bedspread, Heechul lay still and waited. He was exhausted from the party and filming all day and the quiet in the room almost put him to sleep. Yet, he couldn’t even think about sleeping. His heart was pounding in his chest just being near Puff again. Her presence was calming and exciting all at the same time. Heechul felt the bed shift as Puff scooted closer to him. A few seconds later, he felt her breath on his face as she prepared to kiss him. Before their lips could meet, someone started banging on their door.

    “Wait here,” Puff ordered, standing up from the bed. “Don’t move.”

    Annoyed at being interrupted, Puff left Heechul lying along on the bed and stomped over to the hotel room door. Peeking through the peephole, Puff groaned in annoyance when she recognized the person in the hallway. Daring to open the door, Puff stuck her head outside and frowned.

    “He’s in there, isn’t he?” Gunhee asked, slightly out of breath.

     “Gunhee, Oppa.” Puff greeted, “Cherry Oppa is fine.”

     “He needs to come back to the party. It’s rude to leave guests and…,” Gunhee rambled, trying his best to get Puff to let him in.

    She just stared at him with a confused look, clearly not understanding what he was saying.

     “Let me in,” Gunhee commanded, reaching out and taking hold of the door.

     Puff’s eyes widened at the action and she started to pull the door closed, clearly not pleased with his presence.

    “Go away…,” Puff pleaded, in fear her plans were going to be ruined. “Oppa is fine.”

     “Hee…,” Gunhee started to shout for his friend, but stopped. It wasn’t smart to start yelling out celebrities names at a busy hotel. If Heechul was caught here alone with Puff, things could go very bad for them all.

    Using Gunhee’s distraction to her advantage, Puff jerked the door out of his hands and slammed it shut. Gunhee continued to knock loudly on the door as Puff bolted it shut. She wasn’t about to open it again. He would leave eventually. After several long moments of knocking, the room went silent and she moved back to the bed where Heechul was now sitting up with a confused look on his face.

    “Is something wrong? Who was at the door?” Heechul asked as bit too quickly for Puff to understand.

    “Lie down,” Puff instructed, ignoring whatever he had just said to her. “Relax.”

     With a final shrug, Heechul lay back down and shut his eyes just as his phone began to vibrate again in his pocket. Reaching inside his packet, Heechul pulled out his cell and blindly switched it off before tossing it on the nightstand. Remaining still, Heechul waited for Puff to make the next move. It felt nice letting her take control for once. Sometimes it was exhausting trying to guide all the conversations and activities.

   Soon, Heechul felt warm breath on his face one more. His heart began to hammer in his chest as Puff’s soft lips brushed his own. She placed a chaste kiss on his lips before moving on to place another on his cheek. Puff peppered his face with light kisses, each one sending a surge of emotions through him. Her kisses were hesitant and sweet, and Heechul cherished each one. A soft sigh left his lips as he felt Puff kiss his neck and felt her shaking hands start to his dress shirt. With each button that was released, Heechul could feel her lips on his skin become firmer and her movements bolder.

     As the last button was undone, Puff smoothed his soft hands over his bare skin and brought her lips down to his chest. Heechul kept his eyes shut and just allowed himself to feel each caress and press of lips. He was afraid to move, in fear of scaring her away. Puff wasn’t the most confident person when it came to intimate physical contact, leading Heechul to normally guide their exchanges. He was curious about what she was going to do now that everything was left in her hands instead.

    “Xue Fu….,” Heechul panted softly, his hands finding Puff’s hair as she brushed her lips across one of his s.

     Puff smiled against his chest and slid one of her hands lower to start working on his belt. Heechul tugged gently on her hair and guided her face back towards his own. Their lips met for another kiss, but this time it was long and deep. Puff kissed him thoroughly, her hesitant lips surprisingly skilled. Heechul felt his belt being undone and his pants fall open as they continued to kiss, their lips fitting perfectly together and tongues dancing in each other’s mouths. Just as Puff’s hand dipped under the waistband of his boxers, the door to the room was flung open.

    “Get off him!” Gunhee’s enraged voice sounded in the room, followed by the slamming shut of the door. “This is not happening.”

    Puff jerked away from Heechul and turned red in embarrassment at being caught in such a compromising position with her former costar. Heechul sat up and glared at his friend across the room, clearly upset at being interrupted.

    “How did you get in here?” Heechul demanded, “Was that you at the door earlier?”

    “I swiped a passkey from one of the maid carts,” Gunhee explained, “Heechul, this isn’t right. You need to leave before someone catches you two like this.”

     “We’re in a locked hotel room, or so I thought, who would catch us?” Heechul asked, venom in his voice. “I understand your concern, but as I said before, you’re not my babysitter. I can make my own decisions.”

    “Apparently you can’t, because this is a wrong one.” Gunhee pointed out, “You can’t sleep with her!”

     “Why not?”

     “Because you just can’t! Now, let’s go home before you do something stupid. isn’t a game, you know?!”

    “This isn’t our first time, just so you know!” Heechul informed, “Xue Fu and I have already crossed this line, so don’t worry about it anymore. Go home, Gunhee-ah.”

    “You already slept with her before? When?! Why didn’t you tell me?!”

     “After out last night of filming,” Heechul answered, “And, I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d react like this. You’re like a jealous lover when I’m around Puff, and I don’t like it.”

     “I can’t believe you lied to me! I thought you liked men?”

     “When did I ever say that?” Heechul asked, “Just because I told you about HanGeng-ah and I, doesn’t mean I like all or only men! I like Xue Fu a lot, so please stay out of it?”

     “Cherry Oppa, I…,” Puff began to apologize, but was silenced by Heechul’s hand on her shoulder.

     “It’s alright, he’s leaving…,” Heechul reassured, “I love you dearly, Gunhee-ah, but I’ll be fine. Don’t worry so much. I’ve been dating for years without once getting caught by the media. I can handle this.”

     “I know, but…,” Gunhee stammered, “What about your fans? What would they think?”

    “I’m sure some would be upset, but they can handle it. I’ve been telling them for years I want to get married. If things develop that way, then I’ll tell them. If they don’t, then they will never know about this.”

     “But! What about me!?”

     “What about you?”

    “I…, I…,” Gunhee stammered, “I can’t do this right now!”

    Tossing the passkey onto the floor, Gunhee his heels and stomped from the room. He spent the rest of the night drinking himself under the table at the hotel bar while Heechul did who knows what ten floors up. When Gunhee awoke the next morning, he could only remember bits a pieces of what had happened the previous night. He remembered going to the party, Puff showing up, and then a blur of images he didn’t like.

   As he turned over in his bed and tried to shake off the horrible feeling in his stomach, Gunhee jumped in surprise to find Heechul sleeping soundly next to him. His best friend was dressed in a pair of pajamas and his face was peaceful as he slumbered, as if he’d been there the entire night. Rubbing his eyes, Gunhee blinked a few times in surprise. Had it all been some horrible dream? Was everything just some twisted nightmare in his mind? As Heechul stirred and snuggled closer to him, Gunhee reasoned to himself that it had all been his imagination, despite the feeling in the pit of his stomach and the smudge of pink lipstick he spotted on Heechul’s neck.

    “Was it a dream…?”

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