“So do you like the campus so far, Chen Ling?” Mei Li asked as the two girls were walking back towards their dorm from the dining hall.

“I do, it’s so beautiful,” the new girl commented as she looked around the vast surroundings which looked even prettier with the moonlight shining brightly. To their left was a basketball court where a group of boys were engrossed in an exciting game.

“Oh hey! Isn’t that him?” she asked Mei Li noticing the handsome man.

“Who?”

“You know, your roommate’s boyfriend!”

“Boyfr.. oh you mean Siwon?” Mei Li grinned at her, “he’s not Xiào yuān’s boyfriend.”

Chen Ling looked confused, “But.. I thought….”

“Don’t worry,” Mei Li dragged her towards the dorm, “that’s what everyone thinks. He’s very touchy feely with her, isn’t he? But Xiào yuān tells me that’s just how he is normally to everyone he’s close to. And anyway, I’m quite sure Xiào yuān likes someone else..”

“Really?”

“Yeah, he’s…” Mei Li’s words trailed off as she looked up at the window of their dorm building expecting to see the light on. Hyoyeon was usually at home at this time on Wednesdays.. Motioning for Chen Ling to wait for a moment, she fished her phone out of her backpack and dialled Hyoyeon’s number.

“Yeobosaeyo?” a sleepy voice answered her.

 “Xiào yuān! It’s 8 pm already. Aren’t you going to be late?” Mei Li asked urgently.

Hyoyeon raised her head up with half closed eyes and stretched out her arms, the muscles in her back creaking from being hunched over. “Ah I’ve been asleep for an hour already?”

“Yes, an hour late! He must be waiting for you!” Mei Li reminded her again.

“Oh shoot!” Hyoyeon sounded awake now. “I’m coming home right now!”

“Crazy girl!” Mei Li giggled as she rejoined Chen Ling and led her towards her apartment.

“Is she late for a date?”

“Yea, “ Mei Li nodded, “kinda.”

“Stupid stupid me!” Hyoyeon yelled as she all but tripped over her own shoes while rushing through the door.

“Please be online. Please be online,” she chanted as she waited for her computer to start up. She felt terrible. This would be the third time that she will have missed their weekly chats.

Her face fell when the emoticon next to his name was   Offline.

“Ahhh Mei Li, I missed him again! I hate myself and I hate this stupid phone service that only lets me make local calls!”

“It’s so that you practise your Chinese otherwise you wouldn’t have improved so much in just 6 months,” Mei Li told her sensibly.

Their apartment was a cosy open concept 2 bedroom with a small living room and kitchen. The bedrooms were even smaller so everything but their beds and closets were spilling into the living room including their computer. Hyoyeon continued haphazardly signing in and out of invisible mode, hoping he’d come back online.

“Your boyfriend?” Chen Ling gave her a sympathetic smile while gazing at the pictures that lined the refrigerator, “You must miss him.”

A picture of Hyoyeon and a slightly taller boy sitting on the window sill dressed in fancy attire, his arm was around her.

“Boyfriend? No no, my best friend.” Hyoyeon’s face flushed a little as she automatically turned to Mei Li and repeated, “Don’t start! He’s just my best friend.” 

Chen Ling cast a confused glance at Mei Li but she simply grinned and mouthed “In denial” behind Hyoyeon’s back.

******************************************************************************

 “Hyoyeonnie~” Siwon sang out her name as he entered their apartment at close to 10. “I have good and bad news!” Spotting her by the kitchen counter, he walked over to give her a bear hug.

“Oppa!! You’re all sweaty!” Hyoyeon complained while trying to push him away.

“Wae? You don’t like your oppa enough to put up with a little thing like sweat?” Siwon pouted making her laugh. “Mian, I took a shower already but I can make you your favourite ma drink!”

“Chinncha? You’re the best Hyo!”

He settled down on the bar stool and watched her putter around the kitchen.

“Oh what’s the news?”

“Ah!” his eyes twinkled, “I just talked to the exchange students co-ordinator and we can leave right after exams are done - so this Sunday, after the end of finals party.”

“Are you serious? We don’t have to stay for that intensive evaluation thing?”

Siwon shook his head and they both shared thrilled looks. China had been great but the thought of really going home was exhilarating – it was easy not to miss home when they knew that they didn’t have the chance to go back but now that it was real, they couldn’t hold back their yearning.

“It’s going to be sad to say goodbye to everyone here,” Hyoyeon mused as they sat watching tv a little while later. “But China’s close enough, it’s just an excuse to come back for a visit.” Siwon finished her thought for her.

Finally going home…

***********************************************************

(In Seoul)

“Hey Fishie, what’cha looking at?” Junsu sneaked up on Donghae who was intently staring through the glass door of one of the SM practise rooms.

“Hyukjae,” he whispered, “he’s been in there dancing like he’s been possessed for like an hour!”

“An hour? That’s crazy! But you know what’s crazier.. you’ve been here spying on him for an hour!” Junsu teased his friend.

“Ya~ I have not! I went away and came back at least 10 times… I just don’t wanna go in there by myself. You know how he can be when he’s really mad.”

Junsu nodded, “Safety in numbers?”

At the count of three, the pair walked in.

“Hey Hyukjae, what’s up?”

“Nothing,” came the emotionless reply.

“Oh come on now, you can tell us everything. We are like the three musketeers, all for one and one for all,” Donghae added in a soothing voice, “Right Junsu?”

“Err exactly.” He wondered where Donghae got all these cheesy lines from.

Hyukjae slumped down against the mirrors and faced them. “Just in a bad mood is all.”

“Is this about the same thing as three days ago?”

Hyukjae shrugged.

“Weird! She didn’t even e-mail you to apologize? That’s really really weird. Maybe she’s dating someone .. you know girls always forget the rest of the world exists when they get a boyfriend and..” Junsu was babbling before Donghae, who was shooting panicked glances at Hyukjae, smacked the back of his head.

“Eh.. I’m sure she has an explanation. The Hyoyeonnie I know isn’t like that.”

Hyukjae wasn’t listening though.. he had spaced out as soon as Junsu mentioned “dating”.. ‘Why hadn’t he thought of that before?’ And why was his chest suddenly doing that weird murmuring thing. ‘Maybe I practised too hard?’

“Hyukkah.. um can I ask you something?” Donghae looked at him nervously, “Don’t bite my head off okay? I’m just asking because I’m curious.. and like, you know, I can’t help but know everything.. specially when it has to do with my friends..”

“Wow dude! Seriously out with it already,” Junsu gave him an exasperated look while Hyukjae merely nodded.

“Well.. do you.. like like Hyoyeonnie?”

“What?” Hyukjae looked at him like he had said the most incredulous thing ever, “Why would you ask something like that, Hae?”

“Uh.. we..ell.”

“No way, man! You know she’s my best friend!”

“No offense dude,” Junsu tentatively backed up Donghae, “but you do get really worked up about her.”

“Yeah, cause she is my best friend! In a freaking foreign country! I am allowed to worry about her – my best friend – aren’t I?”

“You are.. but you know, best friend doesn’t mean that you can’t like her as something more. Look at me and Sica!” Donghae argued. Hyukjae might kill him for this, but he just didn’t want to see his friend hide from his feelings forever.

“You and Jessica became friends after you started dating,” Hyukjae pointed out. “But either way, Hyo and I just think of each other as best friends.”

A/N: so this wasn't what i was planning on writing. i don't even know how the story turned this way but it did so please bear with me. there will be HyoHyuk next chapter. thanks for sticking around and commenting. will update this weekend.