“You should’ve not said that,” Soojung grumbled, her head on Chanyeol’s lap. It’s been three days since Chanyeol’s stupid confession and last night, Jongin got message from his manager that both Jongin and Soojung should come to the company dinner which invite all SM artists.

“I have no idea that it would turn out like this. I’m sorry for interpreting your signal in wrong way,” he hissed, looks regret as well. Chanyeol firstly thought that Soojung would speak out his name as her boyfriend when Soojung was staring at Chanyeol for a bit long time. It turned out that Soojung was asking his help to cover the lie, to convince Baekhyun that she had one.

“It’s nice to see you guys are getting along very well,” Jongdae said fatherly. He plops himself on the couch and puts down a carton of orange juice and three glasses on table.

“Oppa, what to do?” Soojung wakes up from Chanyeol’s lap. She is in the middle between Jongdae and Chanyeol, “I told you that Taeyeon is a witch, right? She cannot be trusted. Look here, she baits me to the lion cage,”

“You think that our company is a lion cage?” Jongdae chuckles, ruffles her hair softly. Soojung only nods in return.

“We have meeting once in a month for intimacy. The artists don’t usually bring their boyfriends/girlfriends but you are the special case. It’s because of Taeyeon noona. She seems dragging you, even flooding Baekhyun’s phone to ask you to come. She seems to be unbelieving, or maybe, jealous? I don’t know. She seems that she needs a convince for herself,” Chanyeol explains, unsurprisingly making Soojung gets more and more uninterested.

“What a good girl,” sarcasm.

“It’s easy, you should just do lovey dovey with Jongin, and problem is solved. Kissing is highly prohibited, it’s improper thing to do in front of public,” Jongdae warns her, only to earn her bored face. She looks pissed off as hearing the word ‘Kiss’.

“But I need to prepare for my exam, I don’t think I’m going to go,” she shrugs her shoulders.

“I beg you to be considerate to Jongin. People in our company look forward to see you. Taeyeon noona has spread the news all over the artists, she exaggerates it a bit, well. They seem to be curious, a bit mad of Jongin’s behaviour, but they all are so supporting,”

“Junmyeon hyung is also attacked by huge headache too due to this news. He hasn’t been suffered from Baekhyun’s news, and Jongin’s case just makes everything….worse?” Jongdae wondered to himself.

“I’m very sorry for causing the mess,” Soojung inhales a bit of air deeply, then exhales again. She seems to be very regretting her own decision to brag that she has a boyfriend.

“Don’t say things like that. It’s my fault too,” Chanyeol pats her head, she gets softened by the touch.

“You look calmer today, what’s going on? Is typhoon gonna come to Seoul?” Jongdae teased Soojung who had a super bad temper for past week.

“I’ve been passing my period,” she shortly explains. Chanyeol and Jongdae mouthed ‘Ooo’ as if they understand that it’s just a common thing of Soojung’s.

Brakkkk—the door’s sound being closed is heard from the common room. Jongdae, Soojung, and Chanyeol are turning their heads to see who’s coming. Chanyeol raises his eyebrows casually and Jongdae offers a high five as soon as they see the subject.

“Oh Sehuuuun,” Jongdae’s hand is still in the air, waiting for the latter’s respond. But Sehun only looks at Soojung, without any wink of an eye. He doesn’t even bother to see Chanyeol nor Jongdae.

“Can I talk to Soojung for some seconds? Only two of us?” Sehun suddenly said, looked all serious. Jongdae puts down his hand in disappointment, Chanyeol has his eyebrows knitted together, asking what in a gesture.

“Hyung, please,” his eyes look beseeching, Chanyeol shakes his head ‘cause he doesn’t understand, while Soojung quickly stands up without bothering him any question. She holds Sehun’s hand and drags him to her room.

She quickly closes the door and locks it from inside once they got in.

“What’s so bothering you?” she suddenly said, plopping herself on her bed while reading to a calculus book. Sehun’s only keeps quiet. It takes five minutes until Soojung realizes that Sehun doesn’t reply her question at all, he still even stands up. She puts down her calculus book, and pats the space on her bed beside her. Sehun is sitting there, looking at Soojung who laid herself on bed.

“Don’t come to the company dinner. I beg you,” he finally said, finding his own words.

“Why?” she asks, suddenly gets interested with the talk.

“I just… I think.. I don’t know but.. well, I think…, ah…,” he seems flustered, before finally he takes a deep breath and finds his sanity, “I think I can’t see it,” Sehun rubs his own temple, looks nervous with what he said. He decides to plop himself beside her, left hand is still handling his temple.

“Can’t see…what?”

“I don’t know. But I just… I can’t. You have to put a good scene of being couple with Jongin and it just seems…not right for me? Like, you two are going to hold hand, or maybe Jongin will land a kiss on your cheek or simply leading you to the chair. I don’t know. I prohibit you to do that, as a good bestfriend of yours,”

“I see,” she nods, unknowingly what she nodded for.

“So you’re not going to come?”

“What about Jongin?” she suddenly remembered Chanyeol’s word, her head turns to face Sehun. Her face looks so concerned of Jongin, now.

“Then what about me?” he points at himself, looking for justice.

“I can just be with you two, attached as trio for the whole time of company dinner. Quite fair, right? Jongin is safe, and you’re not going to be left,”

Oh Sehun shakes his head in disagreement, “I don’t think we are going to be three all the time. People will try separating us as they want to see you and Jongin only,” he turns his head to Soojung and takes a deep breath before continuing, “Furthermore, I don’t like sharing, Jung Soojung,” his gaze looks all serious right now.

“You’re so mean. I belong to my brothers, who are you to think that you’re sharing—or even owning me?” she frowns her forehed, making Sehun rolls his eyes.

“You’re right,”

“I never want to go either, to be honest. Our exam is so unpredictable, and I predict that the exam for the rest of the days are going to be very hard. I just want to learn and work hard. I have to