Chapter 8

Sehun's POV

At first, I didn't process what Xiumin had said. I looked around to see everyone's expressions turn dark as Xiumin hung his head in shame. In front of him, Ling looked at Xiumin with a worried expression.

I made eye contact with Chen and he mouthed the name of the man I had felt most comfortable with in EXO.

I felt the anger burn through my senses and I gripped my hand into a fist, suppressing it. He had gone to visit Luhan without me, despite knowing how close I was with him. Lay stood up from the bed and moved to put a hand on my chest.

"Calm down," He whispered, his voice had always been so soothing.

I ran my hand through my hair and left the room without saying another word. I hear Chen, Baekhyung and Lay following and calling my name but I didn't care. I hadn't talked to Luhan for almost a year because of the agreement we had to sign regarding communications with ex-members. I had almost broken that agreement several times after he had left but always stuck to it in the end and Xiumin just. He just-

Suho stood up from the living room and moved in my way. "What happened?"

"Do you know," I bellowed. "Do you know why Xiumin went to China?"

Suho's eyes widened in surprise. "Sehun-"

"That bastard," I found myself holding back tears. "He went to see Luhan!"

-

Xiumin's POV

Sehun's voice echoed through the house, each word hitting me with guilt. I stood with my head down in front of Ling not knowing what to do next.

I felt her presence get closer to me and my hat came off of my head. She ran her fingers through my hair and fixed my bangs which were a mess. I looked away, I couldn't bring myself to look her in the eye, not after her seeing me like that. With no warning, she brought me into a hug and I found myself buried in her shoulder, the scent of her hair rushed to my head and I calmed down.

"You didn't tell the others?" her voice was barely a whisper. "You should've told them."

She didn't hesitate to tell me the truth. I stayed in her embrace as she whispered in my ear, some hurtful things, and some sweet. I closed my eyes and just listened to her careful pronunciations, and the song-like tone of her voice.

"It's okay, I'm on your side."

I couldn't help but hide a smile on her shoulder. She let go and looked me in the eye.

"Don't worry too much okay?" She beamed at me.

Despite everything that's happened, my heart wouldn't stop beating.

Ling's POV

Xiumin was smiling again after I hugged him. His cheeks blossomed like a flower and he stood straighter than before. He bumped his forehead against mine and rested his hand on my waist. I blushed but couldn't look away from his bold eyes and gorgeous smile. My mind went blank.
I watched as his eyes lingered on my lips and he leaned forward.

A kiss? No, but-

Luhan's face flashed in my mind and I had to push away. Xiumin stumbled slightly and looked at me a bit surprised.

I didn't really have a reason to deny Xiumin's kiss other than the fact that I was in love with Luhan. Yet, it was a lot harder to push Xiumin away than I thought. I felt more of a connection with Luhan than with him but at the same time, Xiumin had spent more time with me.

I brushed back my bangs and tried to untangle the thoughts in my head. I glanced at Xiumin who was undoubtedly also deep in thought.

Finally, he left the room without another word leaving me alone in my room with my luggage still in its case.

As I began to unpack, Baekhyung and Chanyeol decided to drop in. They helped me unpack while playing with my clothes like children. The two of them ended up finding my jewelry case and had started to look into it.

"Hey, isn't this-" Chanyeol held up a ring.

"Oh! Its Sehun's ring!" Baekhyung bellowed. "Hold on, you're the ring girl?"

"Woah, this is some coincidence right here." Chanyeol shook his head as Baekhyung darted out with the ring to find Sehun.

"Hey." I joined Chanyeol on the ground next to the bed. "Are you guys going to forgive Xiumin?"

I couldn't help but worry about their relationship. I didn't want this small mistake to ruin their friendship forever.

Chanyeol furrowed his brows. "Probably, we always end up as one again. We just need him to step up to it you know? We all don't mind keeping this a secret."

I nodded.

Baekhyung returned moments later dragging a still unhappy Sehun behind him.

"Ling, show him, no say the words you said to him that day, do you still remember them?

I repeated the words I had said to him that day. I still didn't quite understand what the big deal was with what had said.

"Ring girl!" He smiled and pointed at his short blonde fluffy hair. "How do you like my hair today?"

I gave him a thumbs up. "Not as great as the rainbow but, it'll do."

He laughed and moved to sit next to me. "So Ling is your name. Tell me, am I your bias in EXO?"

It surprised me how much they all wanted to be someone's bias. I grinned and nodded feeling kind of embarrassed for admitting it.

"Then you have a reason to call me Oppa." He laughed evilly and smirked at Baekhyung who resumed whining.

A few minutes later, Suho called them down to go for their next schedule. I watched from the stairs as everyone filed to the couch including Xiumin. He sat alone in the corner of the room not talking to anyone.

I frowned. He should just talk to them like Chanyeol had said, they will forgive him if he just owned up to his mistake. Eventually, EXO had left the dorm, each waving to me as they left through the door. Xiumin was the last to go.

He ruffled my hair. "Don't worry, be good okay?"

"Talk to the members, they'll understand." I pleaded.

He said nothing and just smiled before leaving through the front door.

I couldn't go out and see them off as their managers were in the van. I looked around the dorm suddenly feeling extremely lonely.

At half past five, I started to read in the living room waiting for them to return. When it was 6, I decided to start cooking. I made enough for all the members and myself. After eating, I cleaned the kitchen and returned to my position in the living room. Their dinners sat at the dining table getting colder by the minute.

I don't know when I fell asleep, all I know is that I woke up to shouting. The time was 11 when I woke, the dinners were gone and the EXO members sat around the living room with Sehun and Xiumin standing in front of each other at the center. Lay put a finger to his mouth when he noticed that I had woke up and D.O who was sitting on the other side of me did the same.

"You know, this is just like you," Sehun was almost shouting. "You never share your opinion with us, and you never act your age."

"You think I didn't way to tell you guys?" Xiumin bellowed back. "We wouldn't be able to go see him at all if I told!"

"Not even me? You know how close I was with Luhan!"

"Not as close as I was."

Sehun snapped and raised a fist which was immediately stopped by Kai.

"That's enough." Suho stood up. "Xiumin has a point."

Sehun scoffed and lowered his fist shaking Kai off of him.

"It always ends like this, we always just end up agreeing to everything he says."

I watched Sehun walk off in anger and couldn't help but follow after him. From the corner if my eyes I saw Xiumin watching me.

무림학교 (Moorim School) - KBS

A pretty new drama that was released recently, it's up to episode 6 now and is scheduled to go up to 20 16 episodes. It is set in a modern world where there are K-pop boy groups and crazy fan girls, but also includes magic, and hidden martial arts schools. So a big idol by the name of Yoon Shi-Woo has a problem with his ears and eventually find himself at the hidden school for martial arts. There, he meets an equally obnoxious pretty boy by the name of Wang Chi-Ang and the two of them develops some heavy bromance. Oh and yes, there is the main girl lead, but so far, there hasn't been much chemistry, unless you count the second lead (Wang Chi-Ang) following her aimlessly because she saved him from drowning.

The drama was originally supposed to be scheduled for 20 episodes but recently KBS has decided to cut that number down to 16 due to the unpopularity of the drama. It was a big disappointment to me but I kind of see why they would do this. The plot itself hasn't revealed too much yet, but so far character development is there for the two main male leads. The casting is very good, but I have to say, kind of random for the students at the school. The only issue I have with the drama is that everything seems so stiff. I'm not sure if it's the script or what, but all of the actors seem really awkward in scenes. Don't get me wrong, I love the underlying story and stuff like that, but there's something that doesnt flow well in the story.

Now allow me to rant. The main reason why I watched this drama was because of the main male lead Lee Hyun-Woo. You might remember him from "아름다운 그대에게 - To the Beautiful you." where he was the second lead. Or from "적도의 남자 - Man from the Equator."

Yeah, he's the main lead. This boy's smile is absolutely adorable which makes me wonder why they didn't make him smile more in his role. I mean look at his smile, it's radiating.

So yes, I may be slightly obsessed with this actor, but please, who can blame me, he's adorable. Though in his new role, they made him less bubbly and took away most of his smiling. He just looks like this now all the time.

In the beginning I was overwhelmed by his acting as he really did get into the role of the abnoxious jerk idol. But really, you have to watch it to get the full experience of his character development. 

Ah and should I mention that the second male lead is Hong Bin from Vixx? My friend is a big fan of them which is why she's watching Moorim School where as I'm not that familiar with the group. His smile is cute but I find his acting a bit rusty, or it may just be his role of randomly chasing after the main lead. In the end I do think that this is a good drama to watch just to explore a new type of K-drama. It will take some time to get used to get into the main plot, but the story line is really good and will definately keep you on your toes, well, most of the time.

-O.F

Chapter 7

Ling's POV

I woke up the next morning before sunrise and packed up my belongings for the trip ahead. Luhan and Xiumin had reassured me that I didn't need much as they will provide me with the majority of my needs. Still, being the kind of person I am, I packed a bunch of clothes and necessities for the road. I really did not want to burden the two if them, after all, it has only been a short time since I first met them.

I had told my parents about my trip the night before, and to my surprise, they had expected my return to Korea. They wished me a good trip and told me to come back safely.

I left my apartment with a final glance at my home. Small but cozy, it looked so empty as I was preparing to leave it. I opened the door to find Xiumin standing there.

His hair was down today and his eyebrows were partly covered by it. He had on a red snapback, a black graphic t-shirt with a pair of ripped blue jeans followed by a pair of red Nike high tops to complete the look.

Together we left for the airport. I gave Xiumin the sunglasses that he wore at the coffee shop and helped him conceal his identity. At the airport, a few people had recognized him. They came over took a picture and left whispering excitedly. No one asked about me which I was relieved about. If word got out about Xiumin with a girl, the fans would definitely not be happy.

The plane ride was short and sweet, about three hours or so. Xiumin fell asleep beside me. I took many photos of his sleeping face and reminded myself to send them to Luhan.

It took no time at all to arrive at the dorm from the airport. It was a basic townhouse situated in a very deserted community. We walked through the gates and entered through the front door. My heart heated loudly, I couldn't wait to see the EXO members, I was a fan after all.

"Welcome home!" The entrance exploded with the cheers if the EXO members.

Chanyeol and Baekhyung were standing on the far left holding what looked like noise makers. Suho, D.O and Chen stood on the far right hands waving in the air. Lay stood in front of them with Kai, a single cupcake sat in his outstretched hands.

"Oh, this must be that friend of yours." Baekhyung bounced towards me and peaked under the snapback at my face.

"Hello." I blinked at him and smiled.

He pulled the hat off my head and placed it on his own head. "Hello! What's your name?"

"I'm Ling, nice to meet you Baekhyung."

He grinned at me and put his arm around me. "I like her, is she staying here?"

Xiumin glared at him and took the luggage from my hands.

"Tao's room is still furnished right?" Xiumin asked Suho who nodded. "Common."

"Am I late?" What I presumed to be Sehun's voice bellowed down the stairs. "Xiumin?!"

He stopped at the foot of the stairs and stared at me. "A girl?"

"Her name is Ling," Chen said impatiently.

I felt my heart flutter as Sehun approached me. Today his hair was a white blonde and it looked surprisingly great on him.

"You look familiar." He placed a finger to his lip.

I watched him bite his lip deep in thought. I opened my mouth to remind him but Xiumin cut in.

"Ling."

I maneuvered around Sehun and joined Xiumin up the stairs.

Tao's old room was roomy. The two bed stood at the corner of the room right across from the table which still had a plant sitting on it. Xiumin sat on the bed and asked me to join him.

"You can stay here for the time being, I already told the others and they don't mind. Oh and don't worry about the manager, they don't live here anymore. They actually barely come into the house."

I nodded and tucked my hair behind my ears.

"Only thing is, no one can know that you're staying here. Especially not our managers."

I glanced up at Xiumin's face which was staring hard at me. "Should I just stay at a hotel then? I don't mind."

Xiumin stood up and shook his head. He bent down to be at the same level as me and ran his hand through my hair. "You're staying here, I already went through the trouble of asking for their permission."

I smiled back at him and nodded my head. "Okay, Oppa."

The door to the room burst open and Baekhyung, Chen and Lay fell in. Baekhyung looked up from the ground.

"O-o-o-Oppa?" He choked out.

Chen joined Xiumin to kneel before me. "Woah, what's the situation here? Are you proposing?"

Xiumin flushed and pushed Chen over. "You can't just come into a girls room like that, where are you manners."

Lay moved around Xiumin and Chen.

"Hello!" He said in Chinese and shook my hand. "These excuse these two, they're always so annoying." He pointed at Chen and Baekhyung who frowned and interrogated him on what he had said to me.

I laughed. EXO members are so lively.

Baekhyung pushed Xiumin over.

"Yaa." Xiumin bellowed at him, but he ignored him.

"Me too, call me Oppa too!" He said quickly pointing a finger at himself.

I bowed my head a bit overwhelmed. "Oppa."

He laughed and looked at Lay. "She called me Oppa."

I watched him giggle and spin around the room like a child.

Sehun strolled in and joined the noise. "Call me Oppa too!"

I laughed. "Not a chance."

Everyone turned to look at me. "Why not?" Chen asked sitting up.

"We're the same age," I said confused at their silence.

Sehun was the first to laugh. "Is that what you thought you were using that word as?"

Xiumin joined in with the laughter followed by the others. I sat staring at them, extremely confused.

Lay sat down next to me. "Oppa can be used in two ways," He explained. "One is the one you're thinking about, the age thing. The one they want you to calls them by means-"

"The man that you like." Chen and Baekhyung said in unison.

I blushed furiously and looked at Xiumin. Is that what I have been calling him all this time?

He tilted his head sideways and grinned at me. "Either way, I'm still your Oppa."

Chen held his hand up. "Same!"

Baekhyung pouted and started to whine. "It's not the same."

"You can call me ge." Lay smiled at me. "Don't worry about Baekhyung, he just hasn't had a conversation with a girl in a while."

My eyes wandered around the members of EXO who were in the room, they were all such great friends. My eyes lingered on Sehun who stood there smiling at the company of his friends. Knowing how close each and every member of EXO was made me feel so welcomed to their dorm.

Xiumin stood up in front of me, cutting my view of Sehun. "Let's go do something fun."

Sehun patted Xiumin on the shoulder. "Hey, you should probably go see the manager, he was pretty pissed at you."

Baekhyung returned my hat and fixed my hair for me. "It's true Xiumin, they were really mad. Especially hyung-nim after he came back from finding you yesterday."

"That reminds me, he told us something interesting yesterday. Did you really go to China to find Luhan?" Chen pressed.

I could see how uncomfortable Xiumin was feeling from the way he hunched his shoulders.

I opened my mouth and racked my brain for something to say to save him from this situation.

Xiumin spoke before I could do anything.

"Yes."

The room flooded in silence and everyone stared at Xiumin.

어린왕자 (The Little Prince) - Ryeowook (Super Junior)

So this song came out a few days ago:

Now let's just take a moment and just marvel at the music video, I mean, look at it, it's amazing. I've read and thoroughly enjoyed the novel of "The Little Prince" and this MV just made me want to read it again. The artistic mind behind this video is amazing, absolutely love the burning words and the significance of the rose. (kind of reminds me of R.O.S.E - Wooyoung of 2PM near the end)

And just wow to his voice, I mean it suits this song so much that I want to cry. The I found out that he's 28!? Excuse me? No, sorry okay, his face is that of a teen. I mean not even the teenagers at my school looks like him, then again, let's be real: No one looks like Kpop stars.

All that aside, this song's composition is absolutely stunning. That piano really ties the whole song together and brings his voice and the instrumental together. At first listen, I had thought it would be a mellow song, but then in the chorus, that quirky little half beat slapped me in the face and told me otherwise. After the bridge, the beat really picked up and everything just clicked together. The ending was beautiful, really showed the range to his voice and what it could do, but I do feel like it was a bit typical of a Kpop ballad (end with sustained vocal) though I can't imagine it to end any other way.

Overall, I enjoyed the music video and I will be humming the song for a couple of days/weeks. I'm not that big of a Super Junior fan but this song is lovely and it's definitely going on my playlist.

-O.F

Chapter 6

Ling's POV

Just as I moved towards the fruit stand, Xiumin ran over to me waving my phone in the air.

"I'm keeping this for now!" He laughed playfully.

"What why!" I reached for it from his outstretched hand but it was way too high.

"Alright, "

We walked together to the orphanage, making short stops at corner stores to take pictures and joke around.

We ended up buying a bag of lollipops for the kids at the orphanage, purchased with Xiumin's money.

When we arrived at the orphanage, a few of the older girls, 16, 17 or so rushed out and greeted their Oppa

"I thought you said they wouldn't know me." He glanced at me sideways while signing their books and bags.

I shrugged and entered the small building leaving Xiumin by himself outside.

He joined in after a while and we greeted the owner, a kind-hearted old man who goes by the name Huang. He patted Xiumin on the back and welcomed him to the orphanage. Xiumin smiled and bowed to him.

We joined the kids in the playroom where naturally the boys attracted to him. He took his hat and gave it to the children to wear and played tag with them. His face was as happy as the children he was playing with which relieved me.

After saying our goodbyes to the orphanage, we headed to a street parlour for a big bowl of ice cream.

"How about coming to Korea to visit?" He asked with a spoonful if ice cream in his mouth. "I can show you around Seoul."

I laughed. "You? Show me around Seoul, how? Are you going to wear a face mask and talk in a different pitch?"

He blushed and stuffed his mouth with another spoonful if ice cream.

"I've been to Seoul, I had an exchange program there." I smiled. "You know at that time I was actually a big fan of EXO-k."

"Wow, really?" His eyes lit up suddenly and smiled broadly. "Who was your bias. It was me wasn't it."

I shook my head. "Sehun."

I watched his face drooped into a pout, his cheeks puffing out.

"I met him at a fan signing," I chuckled remembering me back then. "And I said some nice words to him and he gave me his ring."

Xiumin groaned and tilted his head back in his chair. "That was you?"

I stared at him blankly and moved closer to him. "Why, did he talk about me."

Xiumin stared at me and smirked at me. "I'm not telling you."

I thought about it. "I'll tell you what I said to him."

"Deal."

"Okay, I said that I was a big fan and that I liked his hair from last week a lot better," I paused. "Remember his rainbow hair?"

Xiumin looked at me blankly.

"Give me my phone, there's a picture we took together."

"Say something nice to me, and I'll give you something too." He looked me in the eye, his expression was serious.

"You are so cute." I poked his cheek and he waved my hand off.

"I hear that one all the time."

I thought about it. And looked into his eyes.

A flood of emotions came to me when I thought about Xiumin. He was cute, sure but also strong as a human being. He was someone that I wouldn't mind entrusting my life to, someone that would make a good husband.

I stopped my thoughts. Not my husband of course.

"I like how direct and honest you are. You never fail to surprise me with the things you say. Being around you is always so fun, but at the same time," I paused, reluctant to say the next few words. "I also feel safe with you."

I let my mind do the talking while my eyes stared at the bowl of half eaten ice cream.

We sat in silence and the only thing that I could hear was the sound of my heart beating against my chest.

-
Xiumin's POV

She didn't look at me when she talked, but the words that came out of her didn't need her to look at me to make me feel butterflies in my stomach. I realised then just how much I adored the girl that sat across the table from me. Every facial expression she made and everything she says.

She looked up at me after a while and smiled cheekily. "You know I'm still curious about what Sehun said about me."

The butterflies in my stomach died instantly. I frowned at her, not wanting to tell her.

"Oppa!" She whined, hitting my weak spot with no mercy at all.

"He didn't say anything in particular. He just couldn't stop talking about you when we mentioned his hair." I said quickly, then had to repeat it because she didn't understand me. "We nicknamed you ring girl."

She giggled. "If I come to Korea, will you introduce him to me."

That stung. "When are you coming?"

She giggled again and leaned in closer. "Luhan has a concert in Korea, and he asked me and Zhang-ge to go with!"

My heart raced in excitement. "Really? Really really?"

She nodded and laughed at my reaction.

Just then, a car pulled over on the side of the road and a masked figure walked out. He walked towards us and sat down on the seat next to Ling.

I stood up and pulled Ling over to my side of the table. I opened my mouth to say something then closed it realising that I didn't know any Chinese. Ling, however, didn't look scared at all.

"It's Lu-ge," She whispered in my ear. "He has my hat see?"

Her hat? Why does he have her hat?

Ling returned to her spot next to the figure and continued to eat the ice cream.

The figure removed his mask and lowered his hood. It was unmistakably Luhan.

My heart sank. As much as I liked Luhan, he really didn't need to be here right now.

"What are you doing here?" I asked picking up the spoon to eat with Ling.

He reached over and grabbed my spoon. "Finished my shoot quickly, and came to find you."

"What how?"

"Her phone," he said mid-bite. "Ling why didn't you reply any of my texts."

She shot me a glare. "He took my phone."

I laughed and returned the phone back to her. That is after I gave her my number.

"So you're taking Ling to Korea?" I asked Luhan.

He nodded smiling. "I'm going to get her to be my assistant and Zhang-ge to be my personal barista."

"Oh, that reminds me." Luhan straightened up abruptly and reached in his pocket. "Aish, Ling in my right pocket could you grab the ticket. Yeah, that's yours and I already gave Zhang-ge his."

I looked at the back of the ticket to see a date.

"Wait!" I yelled, and everyone around us glared making Luhan and me to duck our heads in impulse.

"That's the same flight I'm on tomorrow morning," I whispered.

Luhan nodded. "Could you take care of her for the time being, I still have some stuff to do here then I'll head over."

I smiled. "Lu-ge, thank you!"

He stared at me, his eyes wide holding the spoon with his mouth. "For what? You have to take care if her."

He reached over and ruffled Ling's hair. I watched as her face glowed red. "Ling, you have to be good to your Oppa okay?"

She nodded and looked up at me. Her facial expression was one that I didn't recognize, one I've never seen before. "Oppa, please take care of me."

She looked like a girl in love, and the one she was in love with was not me.

It hurts.

Chapter 5

Xiumin's POV

"Hello, Minseok." He spat at me.

I took a step back subconsciously and bowed at him.

"H-Hyung" I didn't dare look up at him, to be fair, I'm surprised he hasn't leaped over the counter and slapped me.

"Minseok, what are you doing?" He continued in the same manner. "Do you know how many schedules we had to cancel because if you?"

I bowed even lower. "Sorry, I'm really sorry."

"Ha! Doesn't seem like it." He slapped the counter, instantly silencing the whole shop.

Ling came running out from the back room.

"What's happening?" Her confused voice was firm and confident.

She looked at me, then at my manager and pulled me behind her. Her grip was hard and her hand was cold from fright.

"If you want to talk, let's go to the back room." She said with no hesitation, but her hands were shaking.

We moved into the backroom where Ling pulled us all a chair to sit on.

"Here's your flight for tonight." He threw a booklet at me. "We're going back to Korea."

I opened my mouth to object, but Ling cut in.

"He can't, not tonight." She blurted out.

My manager tilted his head at her. "Oh? And why not young lady? Do you know who he is?"

Ling nodded. "Xiumin is suppose to sing live for a charity event tonight."

I stared at her. What?

"He has to be there, it'll ruin his image if he doesn't go."

Ling's hand had begun to fidget violently. She pushed her hand between her legs and smiled at my manager.

"And what charity is this?" My manager smiled in amusement, crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

Ling stared at him blankly for a brief second before smiling again. "A surprise event at an old orphanage."

My manager did not look convinced and glanced at me which I avoided eye contact with. "Right, okay. Tomorrow morning, you'll go back. That ticket will still be valid."

I stood up and bowed 90 degrees. "Thank you, hyung-nim."

Ling sighed a breath of relief joined me in bowing at my manager.

"I'm counting on you to get on that plane tomorrow morning Minseok." My manager stood up and pointed a finger at me. "I have to go back now, I spent way too much time here looking for you."

"Yes, hyung-nim," I said head still down.

He stopped midway to the door and turned. "By any chance, did you come to China to meet up with Luhan?"

My heart stopped in its tracks. We EXO members were forbidden from having any form of contact with ex-members. If he found out-

"He was here to visit me." Ling blurted out. "We're old friends."

My manager said nothing and left the back room leaving Ling and me to stand in the heavy atmosphere that followed after.

I looked up at her to see her face as pale as a sheet of paper and with no hesitation, I pulled her into a hug and ran my fingers through her brown medium length hair.

-
Ling's POV

To be honest, Xiumin's manager wasn't that scary. What was scary was that Xiumin completely cowered before him. After he had left I felt relief run through my body, but my hands were still cold and shaking.

Did I do alright? Was that lie too bold?

Xiumin walked over and pulled me into his arms and once again I found my face on his shoulder.

"Thank you," He whispered in my ear.

I nodded and said nothing. I felt his breathing next to my ear and blushed violently. My heart sped up to the point of suffocation. I bit my lip and tried to remind myself of Luhan, the one I loved.

Or did I?

We didn't pull apart from the hug in what felt like forever. Xiumin had buried his face in my hair and I was starting to worry if he had fallen asleep.

"You smell nice." We pulled apart.

I blushed. "Y-you too?" I mentally kicked myself for the stupid response.

He smiled, showing his teeth and puffy cheeks. "So about that charity event."

"Oh, that, my family helps out at an orphanage every week, so that's where I got the idea from."

He nodded. "Should I actually go then?"

"Haha, you could, but none of them would know who you are." I smiled at him.

He pouted and nodded sadly.

"How's this," I put on hand on his shoulder. "You can come and visit the orphanage then I'll take you around the city tonight. A gift for your departure"

I watched his face light up in excitement and smiled. Xiumin was like a child, so easy to please and so caring. Yet I couldn't help but wonder what my heart felt during the hug. Something that made me doubt my feelings for Luhan. I shook my head and resumed work with Xiumin at my side.

That night we agreed to meet at the entrance of the shop as it was the middle of my apartment and the hotel he was staying at. I showed up early as I always do for any arrangements. The streets were lit up by roadside markets selling groceries to pedestrians. My phone pinged in my jacket and I checked it.

What are you up to right now?-Lu

As expected, my heart skipped a beat.

I'm going to show Xiumin around the city.-Ling

Xiumin? Why now, it's late.

-Lu

He has to go back to Korea tomorrow morning.
-Ling

I waited for a reply, but it didn't come.

Should I not have told him?

"Ling! Did you wait long?"

Xiumin jogged towards me dressed in a sleeveless hoody, shorts and a snapback. Need I mention his face was displayed out in the open?

Naturally, I freaked out and quickly rotated his hat forward and pulled his hood.

He kept his hands in his pocket and just looked at me smiling. His face was now inches away from mine in my attempt to reach for his hood and pull it over his head. Xiumin wasn't as tall as Luhan, but he was still taller than me.

I blushed and recoiled 2 steps back making him howl in laughter. Just then, I received a call from Luhan.

"Lu-ge?" I spoke into the phone.

-
Xiumin's POV

I blinked at Ling as she answered the phone. What could be so urgent that she answers the phone now? I let my mind wonder about all the things we could do together tonight.

"Lu-ge?"

I jerked my attention on her and swiftly took the phone from her.

"Lu-ge?" I repeated in the mic.

"Minseok? Are you leaving China tomorrow morning? Why didn't you tell me?"

I frowned. "You haven't been coming to the shop lately with your busy schedule, I didn't want to burden you."

"Where are you now, I will postpone the shoot. Ling and I can both show you all the fun places."

I smiled. "Really Lu-ge, I really don't want to bother you, Ling can show me around, it's no problem."

"It's not a bother, I want to be able to see you off."

I glanced at Ling who had started to look at nearby groceries, chatting excitedly with the shop owners.

"No, it's alright," I persisted. "This isn't goodbye, you have that concert in Korea coming up don't you?"

"Yeah but-"

"Really Luhan, it's alright." I felt slightly irritated at Luhan's persistence to wanting to come show me around the city and in the back of my mind I knew exactly why.

I wanted to be alone with Ling.

Chapter 4

Luhan's POV

I had rushed into the back room after hearing Ling's shouting. Yet after entering the change room to see what had happened. I kind of wished that I didn't go in at all.

Before me stood a half naked Xiumin, and beside me, cowering next to the door, was Ling, red in the face and panting slightly.

"Ahem," I broke the silence. "What's the situation here?"

I forwarded the question to Xiumin, but Ling was the one that spoke. "I fell into the change room while trying to give him his dress shirt."

Xiumin looked puzzled for a brief moment then nodded hesitantly. It was pretty obvious that was not what had happened, but I didn't ask any further. My eyes lingered on Xiumin, he looked as good as ever. It had always surprised me to see Xiumin's toned body, as it didn't match his face and height at all. I took a deep breath, taking in the fact that he was actually there, standing in front if me. The friend I haven't had contact with since leaving EXO.

I pulled Ling out of the change room and closed the door behind me so that I was alone with Xiumin.

Sorry Ling, I need some time to take this in.

"Lu-ge." he said apologetically.

I rushed to him and gave him a great bear hug. "Minseok! What are you doing here!"

"To visit you!" His face broke into a smile. "Wow look at you, so different now."

"What really?" I laughed shyly, Xiumin always praised me at random times and I'm never prepared for them.

"We have so much to catch up on!" Xiumin pulled me into a hug again, this time, longer and a lot more passionate. I couldn't help but find myself hugging him back.

It really has been a long time.

- 
Ling's POV

I tapped on the counter waiting for the two love birds to emerge from the back room. They've been talking for hours, so long that the customers have all left and it was almost closing time. Zhang-ge passed me a latte with a drawing of a baozi on it.

"How's my skill, am I getting better at it?"

I groaned. "Zhang-ge, I've already drunk 4 cups of these, I can't drink anymore."

I pushed the cup back at him.

"Haha, jealous of Xiumin aren't you."

I glared at him.

"You drank all the ones without a baozi on it." He pointed at the empty cups.

I reached over the counter and slapped him on the shoulder.

"I don't expect Lu-ge to tell me everything, I mean we've only met each other 2 days ago. But really, to shut me out like that."

Zhang-ge laughed at me. "Don't think on it too much, Luhan may not look it, but he values his pride a lot, he probably just don't want you to see a weak side of him."

I groaned again. "Ahh, I don't care. I'm going to go for my next part time."

Zhang-ge looked over at the dishes which were already done. I laughed at him. "I already cleaned everything up."

I left the change room and realised that they were still in there. I hear Luhan laugh through the door and instinctively peaked through the small opening of the door.

They're having fun.

I grinned idiotically. The two of them together has got to be the cutest thing ever. The two of them were sitting on the floor of the change room leaning against the wall. They were making hand gestures at each other, which I assumed was some sort of inside joke. I looked at the two of them one last time and headed for the washroom when suddenly, my name came up on their conversation.

I stood with my ear against the door, trying to hear what they're saying.

"She's cute," Xiumin said.

"She is, she calls me Lu-ge you know?"

"Really? Do you think I can get her to call me Oppa?"

Luhan paused. "Are you-"

"No! I'm just thinking, if she calls you Lu-ge, she should call me Oppa. That way we'll be equal, the two of us."

There was a pause and Xiumin spoke once more.

"Why, are you?"

I bit my lip.

What on earth are they talking about?

"Ling is cute," Luhan spoke with a clear voice making my heart beat impatiently. "But she's just like a little sister to me."

I scowled and straightened up, my heart slowing down.

What had I expected? How could Luhan, a national celebrity, the prince if China, fall in love with a simple fan he met 2 days ago? That's right, love, that's what I'm in and for him.

I looked longingly at the change room, finally realising what I had thought of Luhan and left for the bathroom in the worst mood ever. I felt terrible. To be honest, I don't even know how I should act the next time I see him. I really wished that I had not eavesdropped on their conversation.

As the weeks passed by, Luhan came to visit less and less often as he schedule became more and more busy. In his place, however, was Xiumin. Still acting as the runaway idol, he had become an apprentice under Zhang-ge to become a barista.

I found myself talking to him a lot during my spare time, sharing with him my life stories and him his to me. Often times, just picking on each other and playing around.

"Ling," He said one day when Zhang-ge had to run an errand. Xiumin was pouring an espresso into a cup.

"Hmm?" I flipped a page in my book, not looking at him.

"You call Luhan, Lu-ge right?"

"Yes?" I peered from my book at looked at him. His ears were slowly turning red and his big brown eyes blinked profusely behind his shades.

"Oppa," He muttered. "Call me that."

I smirked, leaned into his face and decided to tease him a bit.

I whined. "Oppaaaaa."

I smiled as cutely as I could and he toppled backwards spilling the hot espresso over the counter and all over himself.

"Are you alright!?" I shrieked.

I rushed behind the counter. And wiped him off with a napkin.

"Hold on." I went to the back door and returned to his side with the first aid kit.

I treated his burns while being very aware that he was staring at me.

"Am I doing it wrong?" I looked up at him to see his clear eyes directly in front of mine.

He had a goofy smile that made his cheeks puff up, like a baozi. We stared at each other motionless, on the floor behind the counter which was hidden from view.

"Your burns are going to leave a mark," I whispered at him. "What are you going to do if they scar. Your fans-"

He looked away abruptly and said nothing.

I stopped as he evidently did not like what I said and continued to treat his wounds.

-
Xiumin's POV

Her face was inches away from mine, of course, I made it that way. I wanted to see what her reaction would be if I put my forehead to hers. I adjust my head ready for forehead contact. However, my eyes had different plans. I lingered on her lips and my heart exploded.

I prepared myself to lean in and peck her on the lips but she broke the silence as well as my emerging confidence.

"Your burns are going to leave a mark," she whispered to me. "What are you going to do if they scar. Your fans-"

My fans. In this situation, she decides to think about my fans?

I pouted and looked away from her. Immediately regretted in doing so, my heart tugged for me to look at her again.

She said nothing the rest of the time while bandaging my burns making the atmosphere feel stuffy. I glanced at her from the corners of my eyes to see that she was deep in focus, lightly blowing on my arm.

I grinned and I felt my face soften. Ling was someone that I just couldn't stay mad at.

She finished bandaging me up with a smack on the back of my head.

"Idiot," she looked at me right in the eyes. "Be careful!"

She left quickly to put the first aid kit back. I stood up smiling and began cleaning the counter.

The bell at the entrance chimed and I looked up only to stare straight into the displeased face of my manager.