Gayeon stared blankly at her phone screen.  The edge of her lips tightened down to a frown.  She wanted to put down the phone and pretended she had never received the message, but her grip was unwilling to let go.  When her resolve failed, she looked at the message again.

            Chanyeol:  Heard Americano here is really good…let’s go try it next time!

            The text message was followed by a picture of Chanyeol pointing to a café store sign.  She bit her lower lip.  It was just a simple message, she thought.  Chanyeol was just being Chanyeol as usual.  Even though she knew that there was nothing out of the ordinary, she found herself hesitating to send back a reply.  In fact, she found it a struggle to message him these days.  Lately, there was a sense of unsettledness glooming over her.  It was a mixture of butterflies dancing in one moment and then rockslides in the next at the pit of her stomach — and coincidentally, it all linked back to Park Chanyeol somehow.

            She did not want to admit it even though she knew, and for that, she hated herself all the more for it.  It was bizarre to feel that she was betraying someone even though there was nothing to being with, but she did felt that way every time she saw Minwoo.  Was he not the apple of her eyes for the longest while, longer than she could remember in her twenty-one years of living?  When did Chanyeol started to come into the picture, she wondered.  Perhaps it was that accidental kiss that made her heart wavered.  She smiled bitterly.  No, she knew somehow he had made his way to her heart even before then.  She was disgusted with how fickle her heart had become.  She felt even worse knowing that Sojin liked him, long before she did.

            “Gayeon-ah.”

          She felt a pat on her shoulder and turned around to find Sora with a concerned look on her face.  “Hi Eonni.” She greeted the supermodel and immediately turned off her phone screen.

            “I called you several times, but you didn’t respond.  Is there something bothering you?” Sora asked.

            “Nothing.” She then tried to ease the supermodel with a smile.

            “You sure?  Well, do tell me if something is bothering you.”

            “Thank you.” Gayeon expressed gratefully.  However, her dilemma got the better of her just when the supermodel was about to leave the room. “Eonni…”

            “Yes?” Seeing how nervous the young fighter was, Sora took a seat beside her and gave a reassuring smile.  “I’m all ears.”

            “Eonni, did you ever find yourself in a situation where you’re really sure about one thing and then something else came along…And you’re not so sure anymore?”

            “Hm…” Sora was giving more thought to the question especially since it was rare for the younger girl to open up like that.  Most of the time, Gayeon only kept to herself thinking that no one else would notice.  It broke Sora’s heart sometimes not knowing how much Gayeon was probably enduring at such young age.  “There were many instances…So much that I can’t seem to recall anymore.  But one thing that I do remember for sure is that I always follow my heart during all those times.  As I’m getting older, I’m glad that I did listen and follow my heart…Because I know whatever the outcome would be through the decisions I made, at least I can’t complain nor regret.”

            Gayeon saw a wistful expression on the supermodel’s face for the first time.  It was as if there was something that Sora was not telling and that was the reason Gayeon felt some sort of regrets in the older woman’s voice, contradictory to her words.  She wondered if there were actually some decisions that Sora would have went back to correct if given the chance.  ‘So even if one chooses to live by the words of her heart, regrets are still inevitable…Then where does that leave me, who am uncertain of the direction of my own heart?’ She thought in despair.

            Sora noticed that Gayeon had suddenly became gloomily quiet and then chuckled lightly, “Well, not all regrets can be eliminated.  Each decision will have some regrets attached to a varying degree.  However, because we will never know what will happen tomorrow as human beings, it’s always best to follow your heart.  You understand?”

            “Right.” Gayeon smiled.

            Sojin made her way towards the editing room with a basket full of baked goods after she visited her friend, Youngji, and the rest of the Kara sunbaes who happened to have a schedule at the SBS building.  When she stood in front of the doorway, she saw that only one editor was inside, busy looking through the segments on multiple screens.  In fact, there were enough TV screens that the editor didn’t bother to turn on the lights in the room.  Sojin knocked lightly on the door.

            “Hi Sojin-sshi.  What brings you here?” The editor looked pleasantly surprised.

            “Hello editor-nim, I was just visiting my sunbaes and thought I should also drop by and show my gratitude to you and the rest of the Roommate staff.”  She said.

            “Thank you.  Too bad Woo sunbae is late.  I guess I will get his share too.” However, within a short moment, pain overwhelmed his face. “Actually, do you mind watching the room for a while?  I have to make an urgent trip to the washroom.”

            “No problem.” She agreed without hesitation.

            The editor shot her an apologetic look before he stepped out of the room.

            Bored, Sojin turned her attention to the various TV screens.  They were all filled with unpublished segments from Roommates.  Disappointedly, she only found a couple of segments with her in it from the numerous TV screens. 

            Her heart sunk when she saw several screen shots of Chanyeol and Gayeon either standing next to each other or seemingly chatting animatedly among themselves.  She clutched a fist when she saw a running segment of the group playing a game while Chanyeol seemed to be stealing glances in Gayeon’s direction.

            ‘Do any of his managers know about this?’ She was suspicious because she was certain with EXO managers’ notorious reputation for overprotecting the EXO members, something like this should not have escaped their minds.

            “Thank you for your hard work!” Minwoo bowed enthusiastically to the staff after his schedule.

            He picked up his bag and walked down the large empty hallway.  He immediately slowed down his footsteps when he heard a familiar voice behind an emergency exit to the staircase.

            “…Then I will trust you, sunbae.  Hope to hear from you soon.”

            Wanting to confirm, he was about to take a peek through the small door window when the door suddenly swung opened.  The voice belonged to Sojin just as he expected.  There was a shock of horror on her face for a split second before she recovered.

            “How long have you been standing behind the door?” She questioned with her arms across her chest.

            “Are you afraid that I might hear something?” He responded flatly.  He knew he should have just left it alone this time, but that brief moment of curiosity had got the better of him.

            Unconsciously, Sojin chewed her inner cheeks out of nervousness and annoyance.  She studied his expression for a brief moment and her heart calmed a little when she decided that he hadn’t heard anything in particular.  “Just want to say it’s rude to eavesdrop, that’s all.”  With that, she left without even giving him a chance to make a comeback.

            Now it was Minwoo’s turn to feel annoyed.  “Yah, is that any way to talk to your sunbae?” He shouted down the hallway, but she was long gone.

            The PD had decided to film for a Chuseok Special for the week and thus had asked the ladies to dress in traditional Hanbok.  At first, Gayeon was embarrassed at such request because it had been so long that she had to dress in something so respectable and formal, and of which restrained her movements.  The hot and humid afternoon weather did not help the situation much either.

            “Okay, everyone gather around the ring.  We will have a game of Ssireum — guys against girls!  The winners will receive 500,000 won.” The PD announced, leaving the cast dumbfounded.

            “PD-nim, it’s unfair.  How do you expect us to win against the guys?” Nana’s eyes opened wider as she complained.

            “Well, you got Gayeon-sshi on your team, right?”

            Gayeon smiled awkwardly at the mention of her name.  She hoped the PD didn’t expect her to take down the guys in a Hanbok.

            Suddenly, Nana’s face lit up.  “Alright! Gayeon-ah, make an ‘all-kill’!”

            The rest of the ladies joined in to cheer on Gayeon while the guys had a gloomy look on their faces.  Seho and Dongwook tried to make a complaint, but it seemed the PD was set on his decision.

            Easily, she took down the guys one by one and the cheering went on.  It was finally Minwoo’s turn.  He tried to hide his nervousness as he said, “Gayeon-ah, go easy on me.”

            Feeling bad for the guy’s team, she nodded, “Alright, I won’t attack for three moves.”

            That did not make Minwoo feel any better, but he also knew when to stop on pushing his luck.  Taking advantage with the chance he was given, he tried to flip her over in one go.  However, her feet were planted firmly on the ground.  It seemed as if only a bulldozer could move her.  When he was about to lurch an attack for the second time, he noticed Gayeon looking uneasy all of a sudden.

            “Time-out.” She called out.  Then out of some inner struggles, she explained, “I need to fix my Hanbok.”

            Minwoo tried to hold back his laugh when he realized the cause for her uneasiness.  When he straightened himself, he took the loosely ribbon in his hand and said, “Here, let me help you.”  Her clumsy way of wearing the Hanbok reminded him of his young cousins.

            Gayeon’s face was drowned in embarrassment.

            Off to the side and near the parkway, away from the main filming site, Chayeol clutched tight on his phone which he almost dropped.  He got back from his schedule earlier than expected, but he did not expect that he got back at such perfect timing.  He disliked the way she blushed around Minwoo.  He started to wonder if Park Minwoo was the only one who could make her heart skip a beat.

            “Chanyeol-ah, you’re back already?” Sungwoo called out happily when he spotted the idol was standing from afar.

            As if it was his cue, he resumed a smile on his face and cut through the filming crew to join with the rest of the cast.  “My schedule ended early.  What are we playing right now?”

            “Ssireum.” Seho sounded as if had to drag out ten tons of bricks at the word.

            “I guess Gayeon is winning?” Chanyeol looked to Gayeon’s direction, but she seemed to be paying attention to somewhere else.

            Instead, Sojin chirped in, “Yep, so far we are winning.  But it’s going to be a close one with Minwoo oppa on board now.”

            “Why’s that?” He asked, even though he didn’t really want to know the answer.

            “Isn’t it obvious?” Then she said in a lower voice that only he could hear, “Love is strong enough to tear down even the Great Wall of China.”

            His eye twitched, though he pretended he was not affected by her words.

            Coincidentally, as if Sojin was psychic, Gayeon lost to Minwoo shortly after the match resumed.  The outcome certainly left everyone in shock, particularly Minwoo who had been her opponent.  Soon after, the girls started to complain it was unfair for any of them to go up against the guy’s team now that Gayeon lost the match.  In the end, the PD only accepted the girls’ plead on the condition that they threw in the towel for the match.  The opposing team instantly got their energy back and cheered for their unexpected victory.

            Gayeon felt disappointed at her own performance and without a doubt in her mind, she knew she would have to face her Road FC brothers’ ridicules when the episode would get broadcasted.  She felt foolish for losing concentration at the match the moment she caught Chanyeol’s eyes.

            As the Ssireum segment came to an end, the PD announced the name of the next game which instantly made Nana’s face stiffened — Pepero Kiss.  Unlike the previous game, the girls would get to pick a partner of her choice to compete for a box of high quality beef.

            “Count me out on this one.” Sungwoo said.

            The PD nodded, understanding that Sungwoo was being considerate of his out of the industry girlfriend.  Inevitably, Chanyeol had to substitute for Sungwoo’s spot to make the number even.  Sojin smiled at the news.  Meanwhile, the last of fighting spirit seemed to leave Gayeon completely knowing the eventual outcome of the team formation.

            “Okay, let’s start this game —”

            “PD-nim!” Minwoo suddenly put up his hand and interrupted the PD.

            “What is it?”

            “There is one particular person I want as partner and I’m not sure if she would choose me at all…So would you please make an exception and let me choose her as my partner now?” Minwoo confessed.

            This perked everyone’s interest as Minwoo was never known to make such request before on the set.  He was usually the kind who followed the PD’s direction with almost absolute obedience.  Curious of the young lad’s suggestion, the PD went along with the exception.

            “Thank you PD-nim!” Minwoo bowed gratefully.  Then a devious smile played on his lips as he turned towards the girls and put out his hand in a gentleman-like manner.  “Sojin, would you accept me as your partner?”

            Through the sudden cheering and clapping, Sojin was utterly stunned by Minwoo’s behaviour.  ‘What is he trying to play now?’ Needless to say, she was frustrated.  She had no choice but to accept his hand with grace in order to keep up with her good girl image, especially with so many pairs of eyes staring at her.  “With utmost pleasure.” She smiled sweetly.

            Gayeon’s head perked up in surprise at Minwoo’s out of blue confession and Sojin’s unanticipated acceptance.  Suddenly, she became even more nervous to play the game.

            With Minwoo’s sudden interruption to the flow of the game, she ended up on the same team as Chanyeol since Nana had to act her role with Seho and Soohyun preferred Kangjoon as usual.  As well, Sora had picked Dongwook right from the start.

            “You look different today.” Chanyeol commented while the rest of the crew focused on Soohyun and Kangjoon who were starting off the game.

            Gayeon merely nodded in response.  For some reasons, she was afraid that her voice would not sound like her own if she was to speak.

            “You look pretty in it.” He added, while awkwardly taking a quick glance at her.

            Her eyes quickly fell to the ground when their eyes met.  “T-thanks.” She managed to mumble out the word.  Just when she tried to come up with an excuse to get out of the game, their team was called up.

            Sungwoo positioned the Pepero stick in mid-air as Chanyeol held on one end of the stick in his mouth.  Gayeon finally mustered her fighter courage and sat herself in game position as well after some initial hesitations.

            Chanyeol tried to keep his face straight when he saw how Gayeon kept her eyes tightly shut.  In his mind, it looked as if she was an adorable princess waiting for a kiss.

            However, much to Chanyeol’s dismay and to everyone’s surprise, the game ended quickly when she bit off her end of the stick as soon as Sungwoo shouted out the word“start”.

            “Sorry, it was an accident.” Gayeon apologized.  Secretly, she was relieved that their turn ended.

            “That’s alright.” Chanyeol was secretly disappointed that their turn ended so early.  He looked at their Pepero stick that had almost the identical length as it was when the game started.  “At least now I know this kind of games is not your forte.”

            She smiled shyly in response.

            When it was finally Minwoo and Sojin’s turn, Sojin eyed the older boy warily before they got into positions.  It did not take long for Minwoo to make his way through the half-way point of the Pepero stick.  As the stick’s distance shortened down to just a couple of inches, Sojin eyed Minwoo urgently to end the game.  Though, it came as no surprise to her when he decided to ignore her.  She didn’t understand what was the point of him choosing her as partner?  If it was simply to irritate her, then he had certainly done a great job up to this point.

            When there was just an inch left of the Pepero stick, Sojin finally got fed up and decided to take the matter into her own hand.  However, just as she was about to bite off the stick, she felt a strong force pushed her head forward.  Her eyes widened in shock when she felt a pair of soft lips pressed against hers.  She jumped back when a round of cheering erupted.  She saw that Minwoo only stood calmly opposite of her as if nothing had happened.

            “Wow, what a bold move!” Dongwook clapped, still in awe of the scene he had just witnessed.  “Way to go, Minwoo!”

            “Does that mean they will become our first couple in Roommate?” Nana looked her roommate, Soohyun, with confusion in her eyes.

            Gayeon was speechless.  However, ‘astounded’ should not be the only word to describe her state of mind.  She thought she should have felt more than that — she should be sad, dejected, and jealous.  But she wasn’t.  She was disappointed in herself, more accurately, at her fickleness.  The question — ‘How does one know if it’s love?’ — played in her mind.  Suddenly, she thought Minwoo looked different than before and that there was a great distance between them.  The line was never meant to be crossed after all.  She decided it was delusional to trust her heart.  She thought what happened with Minwoo would happen again — all her silly feelings could not be trusted. 

            Chanyeol noticed how quiet the Deadly Beauty had become.  He regretted that he was not able to turn her away from the scene in time.  Though unwillingly, he said, “Don’t mind too much about it.  It’s just a game.”

            “Huh?” Gayeon looked up, confused.

            “Minwoo hyung probably isn’t interested in Sojin in that way.  It’s probably all just for the show.” He tried to comfort her, but ended up wanting punch himself instead when the words escaped.

            “It would be nice if Minwoo oppa has a girlfriend as nice as Sojin eonni though.” She said, before wondering if her own selfishness had caused her to make such remark.

            He stared at her as if she had gone insane.  He thought that she must be terribly upset at Minwoo’s shocking antic.

            Feeling the atmosphere had become awkward, she decided to change the topic, “It seems the filming is wrapping up.  I’ll go and change out of this Hanbok…It’s getting uncomfortable.”

            As he watched her disappeared up the staircase, he wondered if there was anything he could do to sooth away her sadness and heartaches.

            Sojin immediately pulled Minwoo by the arm to a camera blind spot after the filming crew left.

            “Yah, Park Minwoo!” She could no longer contain her anger.  “Did I touch your precious Gayeon? Or, did I murder your entire family?  What was that all about?”

            “Finally tired of keeping up with the disguise, I see.” Minwoo remarked.

            “Don’t change the topic.” She now crossed her arms. “Explain yourself.”

            “You were going to choose Chanyeol.”

            She stared at him blankly.  When he did not elaborate further, she said sarcastically, “Don’t tell me you’re jealous.”

            “I just don’t get it…” Although his eyes were locked with hers, she felt as though he was saying this partly to himself.

            “Park Minwoo-sshi, I’m sorry, but you’re not my type at all.” She said when she could no longer handle his deliberate silence.

            Suddenly he chuckled. “Likewise.”

            She felt insulted.  She started to wonder why did she even bother wasting her time here talking to him.

            “I just don’t get why you would try to create anti-fans for yourself when you have yet to debut.” He finally confessed.  “You should be thankful that I stepped in.  Maybe now you will get your debut faster.”

            She thought he was ridiculous through and through.  “I should be thankful to you?” She scoffed.

            He nodded, while holding back a smile.

            “You’re crazy!” She pushed him aside and stormed off.

            He thought that she was right.  He was crazy for helping a crazier person like her.  If it wasn’t for the fact that she was reminding him so much of himself during the pre-debut days, he would not have even bothered to step in today.

            “Hyung.”

            Minwoo turned around from the fridge and smiled. “Chanyeol, want some orange juice?”

            “No, it’s alright.” Chanyeol politely declined the offer.  “I just want to talk with Hyung.”

            “Aigoo…what’s with the serious face?” For a second, Minwoo thought Chanyeol’s aura was unfamiliar. 

            “Hyung, what does Gayeon mean to you?” The young idol knew there was no going back now that he put the question forward.

            Minwoo was taken aback by the question.  He realized that the young idol’s expression did not falter one bit.  “A good dongsaeng, but scary at times.” He said, particularly grinning at the last part as he remembered all the times she threw punches at him.

            “Really?” Something in Chanyeol’s eyes glinted.

            “Now you’re doubting me? Okay, is this a hidden camera prank?” Minwoo searched his immediate surroundings.

            “Nope.” Chanyeol shook his head and smiled.  Suddenly he felt as though a ton was lifted off his shoulders at the older boy’s words.

            Minwoo raised one of his eyebrows at him.

            “Hyung, if she’s just a dongsaeng to you, then would you please keep a proper distance from her from now on?” Then he continued, “No matter if she’s happy, sad, healthy, sick, in a hardship, or triumphing…Would you please just keep a proper distance from her?”

            “Why are you saying this…” Then a realization hit him. “You…”

            There was a strong conviction that Minwoo never thought he would get to see in the young EXO member’s eyes.    

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Author's Note:  I'm sorry for the delay, but believe me I'm really trying to update as fast as I can.  I just wish summer hasn't ended yet.  Right after my huge assignment, my mom made me fix various household items and it was only the past couple of days that I got around to write anything. T__T  Don't worry, no matter what I AM NOT GOING TO ABANDON ANY OF MY STORIES (but it might just take a bit longer for me to update with school around).  I should be able to complete this story before Christmas since there are about less than ten chapters left, more or less...as long as I don't deviate from my blueprint again.

Alrighty, I will stop with my blah blah blah.....Hope you enjoy this chapter and continue to anticipate the next (hopefully, I won't keep you waiting for too long).  Thank you so much for your patience!!