Yonghwa walked out of his father’s office while in a pensive state. He toyed with his mobile phone for a while and finally took up the courage to dial Seohyun’s number which he got from Jonghyun.

She answered on the second ring. His chest somewhat tightened upon hearing her voice from the other end of the line.

“Hello? Who’s this?”

He swallowed before answering. “Hello…ahm, Seohyun-ah, this is…this is Yonghwa. How are you?”

There was a pause and it seemed like eternity before she spoke again. “I’m fine.”

It was a curt answer and he couldn’t tell from the sound of her voice if she was mad at him. He couldn’t quite imagine her expression while she was taking his call.

“I’m sorry…” he said, his voice barely a whisper.

She heard. And he heard her sigh. “I don’t know what to say. I can’t tell you it’s okay, because it’s not.”

“I know.”

There was a pause again. Yonghwa tried to compose what he wanted to say in his mind but before he could speak, Seohyun did.

“Hey, I’m kind of in a middle of doing something so if you have said everything, may we end this conversation?”

“No,” he abruptly answered. “I mean, yes. No. I wanted to see you. I wanted to talk to you in person. That’s why I called.”

It took a while before again she answered. “No. I can’t. After what had just happened I don’t feel like seeing anyone today. And I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Oh,” it was all he could come up. He had expected her to refuse, but still, it doesn’t feel good to be rejected…again.

“Sorry. Bye.”

“Wait, I…” Yonghwa didn’t even finish what he was about to say. She hung up.

……………….................................

Seohyun stared at the screen of her phone after ending Yonghwa’s call. “Okay, I’m changing my number,” she muttered.

Sue-ji stared at her from across the table with one eyebrow raised. “That was Jung Yonghwa,” it was a statement, not a question.

Seohyun nodded mutely.

“I find it strange, Hyun. You’re not in love with him and yet one phone call would get you upset,” Sue-ji pointed out.

“I am not upset,” she denied.

Her best friend continued staring at her, the raised eyebrow still in place.

“I just…it’s just I don’t want to do anything with him anymore and he’s just so…” she tried to find an appropriate adjective.

“Persistent?” Sue-ji offered.

“Well, no, not that persistent but…”

“Annoying?”

“That, and he’s so…”

“Handsome?” Sue-ji teased.

Seohyun rolled her eyes. “So? I don’t care. I’ve seen a lot of guys more handsome than he is.”

“So you find him handsome?”

“Yah! Stop that!” she reprimanded and Sue-ji tried to suppress a giggle.

Seohyun looked through the glass window of the café, her thoughts in a jumble when all of a sudden she saw Kyuhyun sauntering casually toward the entrance of the very café she and Sue-ji were in at the moment. He was already looking at her and when their eyes met, he smiled and waved.

Seohyun smiled and waved back, trying to look enthusiastic.

“Uh-oh,” she said under her breath and Sue-ji turned to stare. Kyuhyun was already inside the café, making his way to their table.

“Hi,” he smiled and bowed to the women.

“Oppa!” Sue-ji greeted as she and Seohyun nod their heads. “Have a seat!”

Kyuhyun sat on the empty chair beside Seohyun. He turned and stared right at her. “I knew I’m going to find you here.”

“Really? This is the first time we picked this café,” Seohyun wondered aloud.

Kyuhyun’s gaze grew intense. “Maybe it’s destiny.”

Sue-ji coughed, trying to cover a laugh that had just escaped from her.

Seohyun turned red and glanced sharply at Sue-ji. Really, Kyuhyun just got worse. Maybe his persistence comes from the threat of Yonghwa’s presence? He was sweet and caring when they were in the US but he was never this cheesy and he hardly brings up the subject of his more-than-platonic feelings for her.

“Oh my, I just remembered…I have to pick up my mom at the market,” Sue-ji suddenly announced.

“You didn’t tell me that earlier,” Seohyun accused.

“Because I just remembered…didn’t I say so?” Sue-ji answered, smiling sweetly at Seohyun.

She just shook her head. One…two…three… she counted in her mind.

“Okay, I’m out of here,” Sue-ji stood up as Seohyun just finished saying ‘five’ in her head.  Oh, well, just as she predicted.

Sue-ji leaned over the table and gave Seohyun’s cheek a peck. “Bye,” she said before turning to Kyuhyun. “Yah, take care of my Hyunnie.”

“I’ll guard her with my own life,” Kyuhyun said.

Seohyun despite being in a state of embarrassment turned to Kyuhyun to see if he was serious. Geez, he looked earnest and when Sue-ji squealed Seohyun wanted to whack her head. But her best friend was gone before she even had the chance to say “bye” back.

“Hyun…,” Kyuhyun started when they were alone. “I really, really wanted to talk to you.”

Here we go, she thought nervously, fidgeting with her hand bag. Sue-ji’s gonna pay for leaving her with Kyuhyun. She doesn’t want to talk about what she thinks he wants to talk about. She remained silent and waited.

“I know you were upset last night. I really didn’t mean to add up to the intrigue and your humiliation. I’m sorry. I know how you hate to have your private life publicized and much worse, sensationalized. But we can’t stop gossip anymore at this point, Hyun. The fire has spread,” Kyuhyun said.

She nodded. “I know.”

“My point is…” he paused and Seohyun looked up at his face. He was staring right at her but he no longer looked confident, but rather unsure. “I wanted to offer you…” he fished out a tiny box from his pocket.

Seohyun stared at it wide-eyed. Oh, God, no…no…not this and not here. She looked around. Everyone inside the café seemed to be oblivious and going about their business. It was a place for the upper class that doesn’t really know or care much about gossip in the entertainment industry…well, the customers at least, but then the staff of the café are another story. Right at the moment she and Sue-ji entered the café, the waiters and waitresses have tried to act nonchalant but they kept on stealing glances at their table and at times whispering to each other. Seohyun had been thankful that they were polite enough to keep their distance and to never ask her outright. But with Kyuhyun’s appearance, Seohyun was afraid someone might take pictures or call the paparazzi or something disastrous like that. She had noticed one waitress who could barely take her eyes off them. She couldn’t anymore tell if it is true or if she was just being paranoid.

“What do you say, Hyun?” Kyuhyun asked and Seohyun saw the waitress’ eyes widening while some others turned to look their way.

“What?” Seohyun focused on Kyuhyun and blanched when she saw the velvet box being held in front of her, already open, and inside was a ring with a rather large diamond stud. Oh, God, did he say it? “W-what did you say?”

“I said will you-“

“Shhh…!” Seohyun interrupted what he was about to say. She began to stand up and pulled Kyuhyun to his feet. “Let’s get out of here.”

……………................................................

Krystal entered the dressing room and found Onew seated on a chair, his eyes closed.

“Oppa, I’ve heard you needed your shirt fixed,” she began but she was beginning to doubt what that model had told her. Everything about Onew’s outfit seemed okay.

He opened his eyes and stared at her. “Yes, Krystal-ssi?”

“I was told that your shirt needed mending,” she said.

“What? No, it’s fine. You heard wrongly,” Onew answered.

Krystal’s face turned red. Damn, I’ve been tricked. She smiled at Onew. “Oh, that’s good to know. Well… I’ll be going. See you later,” she turned around, her thoughts on how to get back to “Miss Avatar.”

“Yah!” Onew called. “Are you okay? You look really…red.”

Krystal turned back to Onew. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just the…the lights.”

“Oh,” Onew nodded. “By the way…”

Krystal stopped on her tracks.

“I think Minho is really blind and stupid not to see your charm,” he said.

Krystal didn’t know what to say. What does Onew mean?

“Do you want me to tell him that?” Onew chuckled.

Krystal stared at him. “Uh, no thanks. I’ll show him myself,” she turned to go for the third time.

“He hated your guts,” Onew continued. “But I like it.”

Krystal smiled. “Thank you.”

“Fighting!” Onew pumped his fist in the air. Krystal let out a laugh before she left the room.

………………………........................................

Yonghwa opened his phone and looked at the picture that appeared on its screen. It was Seohyun with Kyuhyun at her side. The place they were in looked like a restaurant.  They were side by side yet face to face and both looked serious. The picture was from Minhyuk. He read the text message Minhyuk sent him.

Hyung, I just saw this in the internet and it was posted a minute ago. Thought you might want to know. They said he proposed to her again.

Yonghwa clutched the phone tightly in his fist. He looked at the picture again. Kyuhyun seemed to be holding something in his hand. He zoomed in the picture. Ah, just as he thought. It looked like a small velvet box. He was sure it was. And it doesn’t take a genius to know what it contains. Did she accept it? He browsed the internet on his phone and searched for an article related to the picture.

He exhaled forcefully and looked out of the car’s window after reading the short article. It had said that Seohyun and Kyuhyun left the café in a hurry after the so-called proposal. She told Yonghwa she didn’t want to see anyone at the moment and yet she met with Kyuhyun. He didn’t know how much pain he could take. He wasn’t giving up, though. He strongly believed Seohyun is the woman for him.

“Chung Ho-ssi, please take me back to YJ Corporation’s main office,” he told their family driver. He is definitely talking to his father again.

………………………................................

The cameras started to roll and SHINee began to shoot the scene where the girl, who is really Minho’s love interest in the video (of all members, Krystal had thought) comes running toward the boy she loves, who is about to leave and gives him a back hug.

Krystal watched silently at the corner as the shoot resumed. She watched as the girl and Minho began to act. They were arguing at first. Minho turns around and starts to leave. The girl runs after him and hugs him from the back. Minho pauses. He turns around and faces the girl. He holds her face, stares deeply into her eyes…

“Omo!” Krystal shouted and she went right into the whole scene. “Excuse me for a while, Mr. Director, sir,” she said to the surprised director then turned to a bewildered Minho and a rather annoyed Miss Avatar.

“I think you need more style,” she told Minho. “She put on a scarf on him and fixed it on his neck and shoulders. “There.”

“Krystal, what are you doing?” he hissed at her.

“What the hell are you doing, Miss…” the enraged director barked.

“Just making sure he looks good for the camera,” Krystal smiled sweetly at the director. “Okay, you may continue,” she ran back beside Bo Ra who didn’t know whether to be annoyed or to be amused with her.

“Thank you for ruining this for me,” the director hollered at her. “What is this fan doing in here, anyway?” he asked the staff.

“Oppa, she’s not a fan. She’s their stylists’ representative,” a staff answered.

“Whatever,” the director waved his hand. “Again.”

They began to replay the scene. Krystal watched as the scene progressed to the point where Minho was about to kiss the leading lady.

Krystal screamed and the people around her stopped and stared at her. “There’s a huge hairy spider that climbed up my leg,” she squeaked.

“Would you mind?” the director shouted.

“That’s it! I’m not doing this scene over and over again! It’s either she leaves or I leave,” the model said heatedly.

“Leave! Now!” the director told Krystal rudely.

Krystal bit her lower lip. She knew she was at fault. But she couldn’t stand it. She couldn’t stand Minho kissing another girl even if it’s just for show. She might as well leave. She started to but stopped when Onew spoke.

“She can’t. She’s our stylist.”

“Very well, I’m out of here,” Miss Avatar announced.

No one tried to stop her.

“I said I’m out of here!” she announced again, louder this time.

When no one paid attention she stomped out of the studio.

“Well, that just went great,” the director huffed, staring directly at Krystal. “Now we don’t have a leading lady for this video.”

“Actually, we do,” Onew said.

Everyone looked at him questioningly.

“Her,” he pointed at Krystal.

“Me?” Krystal pointed at herself. Well, wouldn’t you know it? Maybe she did the right thing after all.

………………………….....................................

Seohyun just got inside the house when her father greeted her. “Seohyunnie, how was your day?”

“Good evening, appa,” she kissed her dad on the cheek.

“Tired?”

“A bit,” she answered.

“Can you still do me a favor?” her father smiled at her.

“Of course! Anything for my beloved appa,” Seohyun said, wrapping her right arm around her father’s waist. “What is it?”

“I’ll be having some kind of a business meeting with Jung Yong Sik and he asked me if I could bring my family to dinner with him.”

Seohyun froze. Jung Yong Sik? Isn’t he Yonghwa’s dad? Why is he doing business with her dad all of a sudden? What kind of business?

“Well? What do you say? I can only bring you and your umma since your unnies have something else to do tonight.”

“I…” she looked at her father’s pleading eyes and realized that she couldn’t really bear to disappoint him.

“Besides, he specifically wanted your presence there, Hyun,” her dad continued.

“What? My presence? Appa, didn’t you find it strange?”

“Not at all. Aren’t you friends with his son, Yonghwa?”

Seohyun could just nod. Her parents don’t know anything at all. Maybe Yonghwa’s dad doesn’t know anything, too. When she and Yonghwa were in high school, Mr. Jung had always been kind to her and he would always tell her how thankful he was that she was able to help his son. Maybe he just wants to know how she is. But despite what she thought, there seemed to be a strange feeling about this whole thing nagging at her.

“You see, Hyun, I’m really eager to please Yong Sik. He means to help me with our family business. You know how it is these days, and you know how it means to me,” her father explained.

“I know, Appa,” she pulled away from her father. “I’ll just get dressed.”

……………………..................................................

In the end, the director had no choice but to follow Onew’s suggestions. Besides, he could see Krystal’s potential. The camera loved her face. And she knew acting.

Krystal found it funny, exhilarating, embarrassing…she didn’t know how she felt. She was sure her Jessica unnie would eat her alive once she sees this music video. For someone who had lived in the West, Jessica could really be conservative when it comes to boys, relationship and kissing. What would she do if she knew her little sister had her first kiss in front of a camera with a lot of people watching? Krystal felt a bit apprehensive and shy but the fact that she will be kissing the boy she loves overpowers those negative feelings.

“And action!”

Krystal tried to imagine herself and Minho all alone, in a beautiful beach…and the people around them started to disappear. She started to internalize the role. She was his girlfriend, and they were arguing. Maybe someday, when they really are together, there would be times like this, Krystal thought dreamily.

She watched as Minho turned his back to her and started to walk away. She ran after him and hugged him from the back. Gosh, it was what she had dreamed of and more. It felt so good and so right. And he smelled nice. Just then he turned around and cupped her face in his hands, making her look at him. His gaze on her was so intense. Is he acting or is this for real? With great anticipation, she waited as he slowly brought down his lips to hers.

Surprisingly, when he kissed her, it was nothing like she thought or imagined. It was way better and she allowed herself to be lost in that kiss.

“Cut!” the director hollered. “That was perfect!”

Indeed, Krystal thought.

………………………..............................................

Seohyun walked nervously beside her parents as they entered the restaurant. A waiter ushered them to the back where private rooms for those who prefer to dine in private are located.

She saw Yonghwa seated on one of the six chairs surrounding the huge, round table the moment the double doors opened. He and his parents stood up and bowed upon seeing them.

She watched as his father and her father shook hands and exchanged greetings while their mothers exchanged pleasantries.

“So, this is the adorable Seohyun,” Yonghwa’s mother turned to Seohyun, her face beaming. She seemed to look genuinely pleased in seeing her.

Seohyun bowed and managed to calmly speak a greeting despite her drumming heart. She didn’t so much glance at Yonghwa.

The staff started to serve dinner and as they dined her father talked about business with Mr. Jung. Mrs. Jung and Mrs. Han started talking about random things, with Mrs. Jung occasionally asking Seohyun a question or two about her career.

Mr. Jung dropped the bomb during dessert. “I have another condition to make with my business proposal,  Dong Soon-ah.”

“What is it, Yong Sik-ah?”

“Wouldn’t it be better if, aside from being partners in business, we could merge our families as well?”

Seohyun’s father looked confused but Seohyun grew numb, guessing what was to come.

“How about if you have your youngest daughter marry my son?” Jung Yong Sik said pleasantly.

Seohyun almost stood up and walked out, but out of politeness she managed to sit calmly on her chair and listen. She glanced accusingly at Yonghwa, though, who kept his gaze on her face, his own face quite expressionless.

It was a while before what has been said began to sink into Seohyun’s dad. “I don’t know, Yong-Sik-ah. I don’t think the children will like it if we run their lives for them. Especially in this matter.”

Yonghwa’s dad shrugged. “My Yonghwa has no choice. I will disinherit him and will destroy his beloved band if he doesn’t do what I want,” he said ruthlessly.

Seohyun’s mouth dropped open. She couldn’t help herself. So that was why Yonghwa was so intent on winning her back. Furious, she stood up and left the room. He was too much. And it’s time for him to pay. She will definitely get back at him.