Say I Love U / Chapter 8

[aoza]

/I don’t know how you managed to get me to do this./

Changmin rubbed his forehead with his fingers and sighed to himself, unwillingly letting Yoona drag him to several boutiques to look at suits for a sudden formal comeback party he was going to have to attend now that they were officially acknowledged by her father. And he tried not to groan when Yoona shook her head at another suit she didn’t like fitted on him before pulling him out of the store with surprising strength the very moment the ill-fitting suit was off and he was wearing his over worn grey shirt once again.

He felt completely out of place in this area - where all the wealthy kids seemed to hang out and get their stuff. Changmin wasn’t much of a shopper to begin with (that was his sisters’ specialty; not his) nor did he put much thought on what he wore and not. This was alien territory, and he (despite his decision to stay mute and brooding) hated feeling of being left out. People like Yoona probably found this place comfortable, but for him - it was torture. And unknowingly, he kept trying to find an exit to the sea of people occupying this maze of a shopping district.

Changmin carried his whiteboard under one arm while the other was linked snugly with hers as they walked down the busy street. He tried to erase the words he’d written to ask her how much longer he had to endure the torture of shopping, however he only ended up pulling Yoona’s arm in the process and smearing black ink on her forearm.

“Changmin!” she exclaimed, pulling her arm away to rub the dirt away. Hitting him lightly on the shoulder, Yoona made a face and glared at him. “I know you’re not enjoying this - but could you at least try? I’m already freaking out as it is with organizing this party.”

Changmin grunted at her and rolled his eyes. /Then why did you offer a party to begin with? A dinner would have been fine!/ He wrote quickly, tapping the board impatiently as she read his reply. He only received another smack on the arm from her before being pulled down into a corner, her eyes bright as she continued to glare at him with a frown on her face. /Do you realize that a party would have to involve both of us trying to fool an entire army of people your father knows that we’re a couple?/

“Yes, I do know that, Changmin, but what was I supposed to do?” she retorted, crossing her arms across her chest in frustration. Yoona bit her lip as she turned her head to side to check if anyone was looking at them. She really didn’t want to cause a scene, but Changmin had been a pain since she’d pulled him out to get a suit for her father’s party and she didn’t need any thing else to screw with her mood today. Not since Donghae’s come back and made his presence in her heart known.

Her heart gave a little jump at the name and she frowned, stepping back once to breathe. She hadn’t told anyone yet about Donghae coming by her house days before and, thankfully, neither did he. Hyoyeon didn’t call her in a mad rage yet, so it was safe to say that Donghae hadn’t spoken to his best friend about their meeting either. It was just as well because she didn’t think she was all that ready to talk about it to anyone either…

Especially not to Changmin. Yoona looked up to him sighing under his breath and pressed her lips together. She didn’t why she hadn’t told him about Donghae yet… even though technically what they had together was just a sham; Yoona found it odd that they’d never really talked about the person who made her proposition him into pretending to be her boyfriend in the first place. He doesn’t ask… that’s why, her mind told her and she knew it was true. Changmin wasn’t interested to know any more than what she’d already told him; he was just paying her back for what she offered for his sister. That was it. They were friends… sure, but… Yoona sighed in her head, Yeah… there’s nothing more to that.

(She tried not to think about how disappointed she felt just a little bit knowing this.)

Taking a deep breath in an attempt to ease her nerves, Yoona continued in a calmer tone. “My father’s been cooped up in the hospital for weeks and I really want him to have fun when he gets home, okay?”

Changmin let out a sigh, his shoulders sagging in defeat.

Yoona had been acting strangely since she’d come to rescue him from her father days ago. She was civil for the most part, but he’d noticed how she would refuse to meet his eyes - as if she were hiding something from him that he didn’t know. Even today started out strange - with Yoona arriving at his doorstep with her lips pressed into a thin line and speaking in a business-like tone, telling him that the she was planning a party for her father and that it was semi-formal. This meant he had to wear a suit, but he - obviously - did not own one and so she dragged him out without warning to where they were going.

They walked around all day, unsuccessful at each store they stopped at. She snapped at the salespeople too, which was strange - because Changmin have never seen her act that way to anyone. He watched her once in the hospital; during one of her rounds while Sooyoung went up to her final check up and he accompanied his sister. Yoona was calm with all of her unruly patients, and she never raised her voice… so it was very strange, scary even, to see her so snappy at anyone.

He wasn’t entirely sure what the reason was for her to be suddenly so riled up (he wanted to ask but thought against it in the end) but, more or less, he understood her current predicament. It wasn’t easy to juggle school work, her dad’s health and a fake boyfriend all at once - but even he had to admit that things were getting more complicated by the minute. A lie to one person was already hard enough to tell, and to do so to a number of others? At a party? That had disaster written all over it.

He leaned back against the wall and began to write, taking time with his words in order to give Yoona some air. She looked like she needed it - she was sickly pale when she came knocking at his door, and he wasn’t used to seeing her that way.

/I understand that, but this is getting out of hand and you know it./ He wrote, catching her eyes seriously. She read for a moment, taking the words in consideration. Yoona looked pensive for a moment, as if she was weighing options in her head.

“It’s not going to get out of hand,” she replied, smiling a little (probably in hopes to ease his worried thoughts). It didn’t work entirely well, but a happier glimmer in her face was enough to make him feel a little less troubled. “It’ll be okay... You’ll wear a suit we pick out today, walk into the party and impress my dad the way you did all by yourself in the hospital. It won’t be a disaster, I promise.”

Yoona then clasped her hands together and pouted, pleading with him telepathically. “So could you please just go with me on this? It’s not so bad picking out something to wear, Changmin. You might actually enjoy it if you’ll let yourself.” She said, looking at him with a smile. She folded her arms in front of her and smirked. “You know… if I didn’t know any better - I’d say that you just didn’t want to shop with me.”

/I don’t want to shop, period./ he wrote, rolling his eyes at her. Yoona scoffed at him and hit him lightly on the arm, shaking her head. The smile on her face was more natural now, Changmin noticed and he felt relieved about that. Maybe I should just go along with this then more smiles would come my way-He blinked, surprised by himself and acting impulsively by pulling Yoona out of their corner and into the light again, walking freely now towards another store she’d pointed at before they stopped midway.

Her hand was warm, and when she instinctively squeezed her fingers around his - Changmin’s heart leapt. He remembered his conversation with Mr. Im, his thoughts about love (and Yoona, for that matter) and grinned to himself, letting her pull him into another store without much of a fight.

Whether or not he would eventually admit to himself that things with his pretend girlfriend were progressing at a rate that he couldn’t quite understand yet, Changmin knew at least one thing was true: Yes. He liked her… a little more than he should. He hasn’t had this much interest in a girl in - well, ever as his sisters would say. And for once, Changmin was actually enjoying himself for the first time in six years.

He scrawled on his board quickly, tapping Yoona (who was pointing at a dark blue suit on the rack) on the shoulder with a grin. Her eyebrow rose in mirth as she read his words:

/You owe me lunch./

“You’re going to choke if you keep shoveling food to your face.” Yoona observed, shaking her head and popping a fry into her mouth. She watched as Changmin took another big bite out of his monster burger and rolled his eyes at her, grunting with his mouthful. She half-expected him to tell her off without his full cheeks but then remembered that Changmin didn’t like to talk (he hasn’t spoken in years according to his sisters), and she held her laugh in.

She wondered about it a lot; ‘it’ meaning the reason why her pretend boyfriend refused to use his voice in a normal conversation. She wondered about how his voice would sound like… would it be deep like her father’s? Or would it be smooth like Donghae’s? She thought it would be neither - she thought he would have more of a baritone. The type of voice that was pleasant to the ears and would relax her… Changmin looked like the type to have that kind of tone in his voice.

She shook her head at the though and picked at her own burger, munching on morsels at a time. The more she wondered, the more Yoona wanted to hear him speak - and that was a little strange on her part. Especially since… well, his business isn’t mine to wonder about.

He pushed his whiteboard in front of her, tapping it with his index finger. Changmin didn’t look up from his food at all, but he had felt her staring in silence. /What’s on your mind?/

“Nothing.” Yoona replied easily. “Did you really think the suit we picked was okay? Because we can always take it back if you don’t like it.”

/It’s fine. Dark colors work on me./

She rolled her eyes at his answer and threw a French fry at him. It hit him on the fringe of his hair and Changmin looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. She only grinned simply in response and reached over to pat the specks of salt stuck to his forehead. “I’m just saying… you can write that you like it and all for my sake but if you really-”

Yoona was cut off by the loud shrill of her best friend’s voice from the restaurant door. “Im Yoona! I didn’t know you were shopping today!” Hyoyeon cried, grinning widely as she walked towards them - ignoring the people staring at her in surprise while her boyfriend, Eunhyuk, followed closely behind (laughing and apologizing on his way).

The pair looked at each other with wide eyes and simultaneously lowered their heads as Hyoyeon approached. Yoona hadn’t told her about suit shopping with Changmin particularly because she had an aching feeling that she would want to tag along. And with the amount of teasing remarks her best friend had swung her way over the past weeks since they’d told her of their arrangement, Yoona simply didn’t feel like putting up with anymore of Hyoyeon’s casual innuendos between her and Changmin’s so-called relationship.

“Hey, Hyo. I see you’ve decided to take your monkey out for a walk.” Yoona greeted, smiling at her friend as the blonde slid next to her in the booth. Eunhyuk scoffed at her teasing him and tapped his foot at her. She rolled her eyes and gestured towards the tall, resigned man in front of her, “This is Shim Changmin.”

/Hello./ Changmin wrote on his board, rubbing his temple with his index finger before giving her a look. Yoona kicked him under the table to straighten in his seat and he did so, after a flurry of incomprehensible sounds flushed out of his mouth. Hyoyeon laughed and shook her head at him and pulled her confused (but amused) boyfriend down to sit.

“Broody here is Yoona’s new boyfriend of a something number of days.” She explained, grinning and winking at Changmin’s glare. “I told you about him. He doesn’t talk - like at all - and only communicates with us through that whiteboard.”

“Why in the world would you not want to talk?” Eunhyuk exclaimed, raising an eyebrow at him while Yoona stifled a laugh. Lee Hyukjae (or Eunhyuk, to which he preferred to be called) worked under her father’s company and was the best in the company’s public relations section. He was charming and thoroughly entertaining, able to crack even the iciest of royals in the information and technology business. She had been introduced to him through Donghae and in turn, she had introduced him to Hyoyeon. It was a love-hate relationship the first time her best friend and Eunhyuk had met, but eventually things blossomed into a pure love. It was one of Yoona’s better plans - and at the moment, she felt the same about introducing Eunhyuk to Changmin as well. If anyone was going to get stoic Shim Changmin to talk (or loosen up, rather; the first option was a high and almost impossible reach) - it would be Eunhyuk.

“I mean I personally love the sound of my voice. Who wouldn’t really? I am an excellent speaker,” Eunhyuk was telling him now, nodding here and there and patting him on the shoulder as if they’d been friends for longer than ten seconds. Changmin looked confused by Eunhyuk’s friendly demeanor but was listening all the same, replying with his whiteboard and fast-like-lightning writing.

“It’s nice to see your trips to the top dogs in the US haven’t changed your ego, Hyuk. It’s endearing - almost.” Yoona said, rolling her eyes at him for launching into a monologue of how amazing he was. It wasn’t conceited of him - that was just the way he was: confident in his abilities and had enough proof to show for it. “Please don’t corrupt my boyfriend’s mind. I don’t need him to start looking at himself in the mirror like you do.”

“I am wounded, Yoona.” Eunhyuk replied, putting a hand over his heart in mock pain. Yoona noticed how his hand reached for Hyoyeon’s from across the table and she smiled to herself, happy for her friend. (She remembered that kind of unconscious display of affection. She missed it, even.) “I was just talking with your boy here, you know. And he’s writes pretty fast - I’m kinda surprised.”

“What are you two doing here anyway?” Hyoyeon asked, turning her head towards Yoona. “Picking out a suit for Changmin for your dad’s party?”

Yoona nodded, smiling. “It took us awhile, but we finally found one that was perfect.”

“That’s good. But how about you? Have you got a dress already?” she asked, eyes wide and shining (Yoona wasn’t particularly sure if she liked that shine on her best friend’s eyes).

“I haven’t. I thought I’d just wear something from my closet.”

“Oh God, no. You are not going to wear anything old from your closet, Yoona. We are going to find you the perfect dress to go along with Broody’s perfect suit.” Hyoyeon announced, grinning at her mischievously before turning her attentions to Changmin. The latter met her gaze head on and waited for her to speak, looking as thought he already knew fully well where this was going. Yoona had to stop herself from laughing at how calm Changmin was in handling her best friend’s impromptu bursts of ideas. (She felt a little proud, knowing that he was not as serious as he was brooding.)

“Hey, Broody, what would… well, write if we all go out and pick Yoona’s dress for the party?”

The silent man could tell she was teasing him; pointing the spotlight on him just to see how he would react to the thought of seeing Yoona try on dresses for him the way he had worn suits all day for her. And if he had bitten the bait, Changmin knew that he wouldn’t be able to hear the end of it from Miss Hyoyeon Kim.

But then again - it wasn’t a bad idea either.

/Sure./

Yoona’s eyes widened at his reply (she’d half-expected him to write ‘no’ and say that he was tired). “Are you serious? After all that walking we did today, I didn’t think you’d want to go… shop again.”

Changmin shrugged, downing his water in one gulp before writing again. /I don’t mind. I have time to spare./

“Alright! That is what I call good cooperation, Broody. Go you! You’re actually less of a bore now.” Hyoyeon said, standing up almost immediately in glee. She grabbed Eunhyuk’s hand and grinned happily at the pair rolling their eyes at her as they carefully stood up as well.

“We are going to have fun, people,” she announced, winking at Yoona before linking her free arm to hers. She caught a peek of her friend tugging on Changmin’s hand beside her and said nothing, grinning to herself mysteriously. Pulling her boyfriend and friend towards the exit, she added,

“At least… it’s going to be fun for me and the guys.”

“How long are both of you going to be in there?”

Forty-three minutes had already passed since both Hyoyeon and Yoona disappeared into the dressing room with each an armful of dresses in hand. Changmin stared up at the ceiling, mystified almost at the bright lights shining from there while Eunhyuk moaned and whined for his girlfriend to hurry up. A woman’s dress boutique was a mysterious cavern; a place that should not be ventured into by a man for a long period of time (in their case forty minutes was already a century)… and they’d already gone to several boutiques since his meal that day. He was sure that he’d lose his mind if he had to go to another one after this.

(Although, of course, seeing Yoona in a number of beautiful dresses were worth all of the waiting involved in the girls’ ardent dress shopping. Seeing her step out, looking beautiful and wearing a different gown every time made his heart jump for more times than necessary - and he decided he liked this part of shopping. Changmin had even went as far as thinking he’d make it a point to make her go shopping for a new dress any time if she ever thought of throwing a party again.

Of course, he’d thrown the idea down the drain. Tempted as he was, he knew this arrangement of theirs was going to end eventually - sooner or later. And it was best not to get too close than they already were as friends.)

“Kim Hyoyeon, you get out of-”

“Shut up, Hyukjae!”

Changmin swallowed back a burst of laughter from escaping his lips and instead buried his face into his hands, shaking as his mirth overtook him. He’d only met both Hyoyeon and Eunhyuk recently, but even he could tell just how perfect the two were for each other. They were an interesting pair, both full of energy and life.

/You’ve got a feisty woman there, Eunhyuk./ He wrote, raising an eyebrow at the exasperated man beside him.

“Tell me about it. I swear if I didn’t love her so much, I’d-” Eunhyuk made a show of strangling someone in thin air. Changmin could only grin and shake his head.

“You and Yoona look pretty good together,” he said suddenly, leaning back against his chair. “When Hyo told me that Yoona had found someone new already, I was surprised. Yoona isn’t the type to date often, and when she and Donghae-you know about Donghae, right?”

/Ex-boyfriend./ Changmin felt a pinch in his heart but he ignored it. He knew about Donghae, that was the truth. Not every little detail, but he knew of him and that was enough…

Right?

Eunhyuk nodded, grinning easily from his seat. “Yeah. He’s my best friend; great guy, really - just a little stupid. Anyway, I thought it was a little fast - her moving on to a new guy and all.” He shrugged, oblivious to the slight apprehension scurrying on Changmin’s face. “But then again, I can’t blame her.”

“She seems to genuinely like you though. I don’t think she would have stayed with you for a something number of days if she didn’t.” Eunhyuk observed, speaking more to himself than to the man beside him.

He knew Yoona for as long as his relationship with Hyoyeon has been on and always thought that she was a level-headed and conservative girl. When she’d been with Donghae, her reserved personality had shone through with every chaste kiss they shared. He knew that Yoona loved his friend dearly, and was the type to love someone for long before slowly moving on. He’d expected her to wait half a year before jumping into another relationship or even longer than that - and so it was a surprise when Hyoyeon suddenly told him about Yoona’s relationship with Changmin. They’d met at the hospital while she was visiting the president (her father) and apparently there was some instant connection. It wasn’t entirely impossible to happen, but… he stole a glance at Changmin drumming his fingers on his whiteboard, waiting patiently for the girls to come out of the dressing room.

He’s pretty cool though, he thought, intrigued by the idea of someone who chose not to speak and instead spoke through words on a white board. The fact that he’s able to pique Yoona’s interest for so long can only mean that he’s pretty special to her. That’s better than moping.

“Okay, we’re done!” Hyoyeon said, stepping out of the fitting room with a big grin on her face. She rushed towards her boyfriend and piled herself into his lap, wrapping her arms around him before continuing with a wink towards Changmin. “I made her put on all the dresses first before picking out best one. It’s up to you now, Broody, to say if it’s perfect or not.”

/You do realize that I’m a guy, right?/

“Yeah, so?”

Changmin rolled his eyes at her. /Women’s fashion isn’t my forte./

Hyoyeon laughed loudly. “Of course not! Brooding’s your forte - but kidding aside, just go with your gut. If you think this one is what makes your heart stop, then we’ll go with it. If not, we move on to another store.”

Changmin started to write a retort to Hyoyeon’s mere suggestion of going to another shop when Yoona’s voice suddenly drifted out of the room. “Can I come out now?” she asked, her tone almost anxious for waiting too long. And when Hyoyeon shot him a look, he decided against writing a reply and let things be. She grinned at him and called out for her friend, clasping her hands together in excitement as the curtains slowly drew open-

Oh… my… God.

He stared wide-eyed, his legs pulling him out of his chair without a command from his brain. He hadn’t even known he was standing until he was right in front of her, entirely entranced by her that he’d dropped his whiteboard on the floor without a care.

“I told you we picked the right one!” Hyoyeon cheered, laughing along with her boyfriend who was leering at Changmin with catcalls and suggestive innuendos.

Changmin didn’t seem to really care about what Eunhyuk was saying, and that was a golden sign for Hyoyeon to grin and shoot her best friend a thumbs up of approval. She had to keep from laughing at the fact that Broody himself was pretending more naturally as a boyfriend than she’d originally put him down for. She remembered her solo conversation with him at the hairdressers and grinned to herself, knowing fully well that the feelings Changmin had denied that day were definitely showing now. And whether or not neither of them had any idea of what was building between them was more than just amicable friendship, Hyoyeon knew it was best not to rush.

But - she stole a look at the silent eye-exchange Changmin and Yoona were sharing at the moment and grinned - at the rate they’re going, spending their free time together and learning more about each other… it’s only a matter of who will confess first. “Yo, Broody! Say something!”

Changmin blinked distractedly, completely unconscious of whatever it was Hyoyeon and Eunhyuk were talking about behind him. He shrugged at them for a moment before turning back to Yoona and at how beautiful she looked.

She smiled at him nervously, wringing her hands about and flattening the front of her attire. It was a fine-looking dress, strapless and emerald green in color that went perfectly well with her fair skin. It ended just below her knees, the skirt of it fitting over her legs in a pencil-like cut. With her long, brown hair loose about her shoulders and Yoona staring at him with those doe eyes and pink lips - Changmin felt like leaning forward and kissing her.

“What do you think?” she asked, blinking at him curiously. His reactions to the past dresses she’d tried on at the other shops were more or less the same: a nod here and there, a wrinkle of the nose when he didn’t like the cut or color, an oblivious rally of blinks… she was almost sure he’d do any of those again, but he didn’t. Instead, Yoona found him staring openly - standing on his feet, completely entranced.

Changmin looked at her like she was most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

And she didn’t know whether to tell him off or blush furiously.

He felt the air around him for his whiteboard, his eyes never leaving hers for even a second. Noticing this, Yoona didn’t know how to react and she felt a blush coming to her cheeks immediately when Eunhyuk (finally and laughingly) handing him his board and he looked away so he could write a response to her question.

/We’re going to take this one./ He wrote simply, showing the board to Eunhyuk and Hyoyeon for a moment and then back at her. Yoona felt herself smiling as she nodded and her friends stood up knowingly, leaving them almost immediately to ring up their purchase and give them some privacy.

“Finally, you picked one! I was afraid we’d have to go to another place.” She said, turning her back towards him to face the mirror. His reflection was on the glass when she turned to look at herself, looming behind her in an almost protective stance. Yoona smiled at him and blinked at her reflection. “I’m glad you like this though… this was the most comfortable out of all the dresses I put on today.”

Changmin stepped towards her and leaned against the mirror beside her, facing her with a quiet smile. He raised his whiteboard for her with new words already scrawled onto it.

His words surprised her. /You’re beautiful./

“You’re beautiful?” Yoona echoed, taking the board into her hands. She looked up at him, eyes wide. “You’re serious?”

He nodded.

“Oh.” She bit her lip, fighting off a smile coming to her face. She wasn’t sure why she had to fight it off, but somehow Yoona felt like she had to. She handed the board back to him and nodded. “Thank you.”

/You’d don’t believe me?/

“It’s not that… I just didn’t expect to read it from you.” She replied, shrugging. “You usually just roll your eyes at me when we hang out. You don’t have a lot of facial expressions, you know. That’s why Broody’s your nickname.”

Changmin laughed, shaking his head. He’d always found her beautiful whenever they saw each other. She dropped by the café he worked at before class every day to say hello, and each time he had to stop himself from smiling too much or doing anything stupid. His friends were around and ever since he’d told them about Yoona, neither Minho nor Kyuhyun had stopped giving teasing backhanded comments. She looked and smelled like sunshine, and it was only natural for him to find her attractive during the course of their ‘relationship’.

But then again, he understood what she meant. He wasn’t the type to say these types of things to anyone; not to any girl he’s dated, not even his sisters.

Changmin erased the words on his board and wrote again, /I always think you’re beautiful. I’m just not good at stuff like that./

“Compliments?”

/No. I’d rather show what I think than write anything embarrassing./

Yoona raised her eyebrow at him curiously, turning towards him with her arms folded in front of her. “Really? And what does that mean exactly?”

Changmin regarded her for a moment. Do you really want to know? He asked her telepathically, his eyes staring into her eyes before dropping his gaze onto her lips. It would be a lie if he told himself that he hadn’t thought of kissing her for a while now… but - You’re not really together, Shim. You won’t even admit to anyone that you like her yet.

“Changmin…” her voice trailed off as he leaned towards her. His face was so close to hers, their lips inches away from meeting… her heart began pounding in her ears, and she wondered for a brief second why she wasn’t pulling away at all. The warmth of his breath touched her cheeks and she shivered, gulping a little bit as he inched closer and closer-

“So I charged it to Eunhyuk’s card and-woah!” Hyoyeon suddenly burst into the room, shocking them out of their trance and they jumped apart. Her eyes were wide in surprise while a small broke out of her face. Still denying those feelings, Broody? Yeah, right!

“I guess I ruined a romantic moment, huh?” she said, laughing as the couple straightened themselves and apart. “Your arrangement’s really authentic these days.”

“Hyoyeon, stop.” Yoona shushed, blushing furiously. She threw a cautious glance at Changmin and gulped visibly when she found his eyes trained at her once again. There was something different in those dark eyes now… something - oh. Her heart trembled in her chest and she turned without another word, disappearing into the fitting room to change.

Changmin exhaled loudly, slumping back against the mirror. In front of him, Hyoyeon only laughed - “Hey, Broody. Remember what I told you, okay?”

/What?/ He wrote, rubbing his fingers across his temple. This is getting out of hand. I’m not supposed to like her for real.

Hyoyeon shrugged, grinning at him as she skipped off towards the fitting room curtain. She covered one side of her mouth with her hand and whispered:

“Say it, don’t write it.”

And when she disappeared to help Yoona change, Changmin decided didn’t feel like defending himself anymore.

Author's Note: I know it's late... like, very very late. But it's here now, so... yeah, enjoy? This is the fluffiest fic I'm writing right now - it's very strange.