[SJFF] Stuck With You - Chapter 14
Title: Stuck With You
Characters: Zhou Mi, Sungmin, OC
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Drama, Comedy
Type: Novel
Summary: What happens when you suddenly get pulled out of a band that you've known for years, just to be placed with a trainee and is expected to help her rise to fame the fast way?
~ * ~
Chapter 14
“Thank you for your hard work!” Huiying and Zhou Mi chirruped brightly at the staffs that were busy cleaning up the recording studio as they made their way out of the booth, having finished their recording session for their newest mini-album. Their company decided that their project group had achieved substantial success in breaking into the Chinese market under a new concept, and had immediately whisked them off for another album release after their one-week break was over.
The moment they walked out of earshot, however, Huiying’s shoulders sagged at once. “Honestly, you’d think that the company would let us have a longer break from the activities instead of giving us a week off and continue to slave us away after that,” she made a face at Zhou Mi, whom merely laughed and shook his head at her comments.
“Rather, I’m inclined to believe that you should know better by now. An idol’s life isn’t as easy as you perceive it to be - haven’t you learned that already?” Zhou Mi commented, ruffling her hair at the same time. She brushed his hand off in an annoyed manner, wondering when he would stop messing with her hair. It wasn’t as though he doesn’t know she didn’t like being treated in such a way. Deciding that she would be a little childish for once, Huiying attempted to do the same to her senior’s well-styled hair, only to frown in response when she finally noticed the disparity between their heights.
“Why the heck are you so tall, Mi?!” Huiying lamented, still hopping around like an idiot while trying to land her hand on the top of his head. At times like these, she cursed the fact that she was only wearing her sneakers that day; she didn’t really see the need to put on heels, since they were going to be cooped up in the recording studio for the entire day anyway.
“Well, it’s not my fault that you’re vertically challenged, you know. And seriously, pay attention to where you’re walking instead of attempting the impossible. You’re going to crash into the door sooner or later,” Zhou Mi shot back, attempting to hold back his laughter while trying to focus on the path ahead of them. It wouldn’t do them any good if they accidentally walked into a pole while trying to mess around with one another, because that would lead to major embarrassment on both their parts. If anything, Zhou Mi was actually glad that their manager, Minseung wasn’t around, because as much as they both liked him, the older man was a little too uptight at times. They definitely wouldn’t be able to fool around like this if their manager was with them.
“Hey! That’s not ni-” Huiying started, only to be interrupted when she accidentally bumped into someone else the moment the both of them walked out of the main entrance of the SM Entertainment building. She immediately whirled around and gave a deep bow to the person, apologising at the same time. “I’m so sorry; I should’ve paid more attention to my surroundings. Are you okay?” she said, and the moment she straightened herself, Huiying froze in her position when she recognised the face staring back at her, feeling the remainder of her words leave her completely.
Seeing that the both his duet partner and the other person remained silent and were merely looking at one another, Zhou Mi tapped her lightly on the shoulder in an attempt to call for her attention. “Yah, Huiying, why are you standing there like a statue? It’s not nice to ogle at someone else so indiscreetly, especially after you just slammed into them,” he commented in a voice which was only soft enough for her to hear, before shooting an amiable smile at the other man whom nodded in response. He was definitely amused by the situation; it wasn’t always that he would see Huiying being so stunned by the presence of someone of the opposite gender - the first time it happened was when the girl met Kibum, and the latter had flashed that disarming smile of his at her. Kills a girl every single time.
Much to his surprise, Huiying didn’t even snap at him for his remark. She looked at him gingerly over her shoulder, and Zhou Mi noticed the surprise and another mountain of undecipherable emotions in her eyes, though he couldn’t really put a finger on the exact cause of it. “Mi, can you please go ahead without me? I’ll come home later. Tell Minseung oppa not to worry about me,” she breathed, and he immediately took it as the cue to leave. He had a hunch that the man standing in front of them was someone that she knew from quite some time ago; someone who was very important in her life.
* * * * *
She fiddled with her fingers absentmindedly under the table, unsure of what to say to the man who was seated across her. Of all places, she definitely did not expect that she would run into the other party at the ground floor of her entertainment company. It didn’t seem as though it was a likely place for him to make an appearance; but yet he did, and she found herself in a huge dilemma over it even though the feelings weren’t necessary.
“It has been a long time, hasn’t it, Ying?” the man suddenly spoke up, momentarily shattering the silence that had unknowingly settled in between them from the moment Huiying’s duet partner took his leave, until they settled themselves into the chairs of the cafeteria and ordered their drinks. She could only flash a wry smile at him, though deep inside, Huiying was trying her best to suppress the many emotions which threatened to overflow. She was close to tears, that much she knew, but she kept on reminding herself that she made a promise not to cry anymore. Not for this man, at least.
“Yes, it definitely has… what are you doing here, Zhiming? And making an appearance at an entertainment company at that? You never told me that you came to South Korea,” she replied courteously, willing her voice not to tremble. She did not want to show any signs of weakness - or how much she missed him - in front of Zhiming. Huiying thought that she was over the phase of pining for him, but apparently not. He still had the very same effects on her, and she disliked it greatly.
“Well… I don’t exactly have your newest phone number to begin with, so it’s pretty impossible for me to contact you, isn’t it?” he quipped, smiling warmly at her. God, she missed that smile so dearly. “But anyway, as irony would have it, I was stated as the person-in-charge for the promotional activities for your duet group in China this time. That pretty much sums things up, doesn’t it?” he chuckled.
“I thought that you hated to be associated with the entertainment industry?” she queried again, heart wrenching at the memory of him breaking up with her a little more than a year ago. When Huiying had told him about her plans of participating in the auditions for SM Entertainment, Zhiming had strongly opposed her decisions, which resulted in a massive argument and an eventual break-up because they couldn’t reach a compromise. They were both very stubborn people who wanted to keep their stand no matter what after all, particularly if it involves their future.
An unmistakable sigh escaped Zhiming’s lips at her query, and he turned his focus on the cup of tea in front of him instead. “I don’t have much of a say in this, Ying. As much as I’d like to decline the offer, I couldn’t. Not when this project is supposed to determine whether I stand a chance to be promoted to a higher position or not,” he explained, then added quietly. “I see that you’re doing well with your career, though.”
“Yeah, but there are times where I just want to give up and live the normal life once again…” Huiying lamented without thinking through her words, covering her mouth at once when she realised what she had just left her lips. “Sorry, forget that I’ve ever said things like that. It’s not a big deal,” she quickly amended, hoping that Zhiming did not catch up with her words.
Unfortunately, he heard her loud and clear. “Are the schedules suffocating you? Or are the fans giving you a tough time?” he queried in a tone so soft and caring; it made her want to break down right then and there. For as long as she could remember, Zhiming always had a way of getting her to talk, no matter how much Huiying intends to keep part of her thoughts to herself. It was a charm that she both loved and hated, more to the former than the latter.
“A little bit of both, I guess. Like I said, it’s not a big deal. I’d rather not talk about it,” Huiying said, trying desperately to avoid the topic. She didn’t want to prove Zhiming right, considering the fact that he had warned her about the cutthroat nature of the entertainment industry right before they parted ways. There would always be someone drowning from the pressure and the expectations, and she was fast becoming a part of the pool. She knew that Zhiming opposed her decisions to be an artist because he cared for her and didn’t want her to suffer or suffocate because of her job, but still she went ahead with it because a singer was all that she could imagine herself doing. She wanted to believe that she was born to live a life on the stage, but her beliefs were beginning to get deluded by the things she went through for the past few months.
“I really hate seeing you in such a condition, Ying…” Zhiming spoke up quietly again, so soft that she thought that she was just imagining things. She looked up from her drink and quirked an eyebrow at him, seeking an explanation for his words. She did not expect him to say such things, and would rather have him hurling “I told you so” in her face above anything else. At least she wouldn’t hang on to the futile hope that he still had feelings for her.
“What are you trying to get across, Zhiming?” she questioned. Huiying was taken aback when he suddenly took hold of her hand which was rested on the table.
“Despite what you may perceive about me, I still care about you, more than you or I can ever imagine. I don’t want to see you suffering so much, even though you’re supposedly pursuing something that you love,” he commented, piercing her soul with a gaze so intense that it made her squirm. After going on their separate ways for more than a year, she wasn’t used to hearing such kind words from him anymore.
“Even so, there’s no way we could end up together again, is there? Especially if I still remain as an artist?” she laughed mirthlessly, shaking her head incredulously. While Huiying had thought about giving up her musical career on several occasions, she knew that the people around her - the new family she had found - would always be right behind her, and pulling her up whenever she would fall. Sungmin and Kyuhyun were two such people, particularly the former.
“I can’t deny that that’s the only thing in the way,” he said again, this time letting go of her hand and averting his gaze.
“I just need to know one thing - what were you doing with Fu Jingxi at the hilltop restaurant the other day?” Huiying skirted around his answer, and brought up the lingering question in her mind. She had been trying to figure out the relationship between her ex-boyfriend and Zhou Mi’s girlfriend for the past week now, and still remained clueless about it. She didn’t know the other woman well enough to begin with, and she did not have the courage or intentions to bring the matter up to her duet partner either. It was a dangerous topic to tread upon in Zhou Mi’s presence.
“What- how did you know about that?” Zhiming blurted, surprised at the mention of the other woman’s name.
“Just answer the question, please,” she reiterated, ignoring his question yet again.
“She’s just my colleague at work, that’s all,” he replied, looking up in confusion when Huiying stood up and turned to leave after responding with a curt “Thanks, I’ll see you around”. The girl baffled him every single time.
* * * * *
Having being woken up by someone ringing the doorbell of the dorms, Sungmin groggily stumbled in the direction of the door and answered it, thinking that Hyukjae probably forgot to bring his keys along - again. He was sure that Kyuhyun, Ryeowook and Jongwoon wouldn’t be home at this time of the day, considering the fact that they were doing a recording for a soundtrack of a new drama. He was thoroughly surprised when he saw Huiying with her head lowered standing right in front of the gate, and was momentarily stunned in position before he scrambled for his own bunch of keys. Needless to say, the sleep completely left him.
“Did you get locked out of your own dorms or something?” Sungmin commented as he allowed the girl to walk past him, glancing worriedly at her. She seemed oddly out of it, as though something was bothering her a lot.
“No, I just don’t feel like going back in there right now…” came the silent reply. Huiying wasted no time in occupying the sofa in the middle of the living room, sitting in a dejected manner on the piece of furniture.
“Did you have an argument with Mi again? Let me just go and give him a piece of my mind,” Sungmin started, whirling around when he felt Huiying’s hand on his arm. He noticed the expression she was wearing, realising that it had nothing to do with his other friend. “Seriously, Huiying, what’s bothering you? You’re worrying me a lot,” he said again as he took a seat beside her, grabbing hold of her shoulders so that she couldn’t avoid his eyes.
“I’m seriously pathetic aren’t I, Sungmin sunbae?” replied Huiying, causing Sungmin to frown in surprise
.
“Didn’t I tell you not to add ‘sunbae’ behind my name anymore? And no, you’re not pathetic Huiying. What happened?” Sungmin berated her half-heartedly, not wanting her to feel even worse than she did at the moment.
“I quite literally bumped into my ex at the SME building earlier… I thought that these stupid feelings for him would have been reduced by now, but I still get affected by his presence just as easily,” she laughed dryly, wiping away the single tear that finally managed to escape her eye. It was too difficult for her to hold it all back in, and now that Sungmin was giving her such an immense amount of attention, she felt her inhibitions - and resolution - crumble little by little.
Much to her surprise, the man suddenly pulled her into his embrace, and Huiying reflexively fisted the material of his shirt, still trying to push the tears back to where they were threatening to come from. “It’s normal to be affected by things like that, Huiying, so stop saying that you’re pathetic,” he mumbled quietly, holding the girl that seemed to be so fragile in his arms. However, he couldn’t stop himself from asking the next question that popped up in his mind. “Do you still have romantic feelings for him, though?”
He visibly heaved a sigh of relief when he could feel her shake her head in response. “I think I wouldn’t be able to let myself live it down if I did… but still, I hate the fact that I can’t look him in the eye even though I’m supposedly over him,” Huiying replied, only to gasp in astonishment when Sungmin moved to cup her face in his hands.
“Where’s this stubborn Huiying that I know? You were never someone who would bow down so easily to someone of the opposite gender. Don’t start doing that now,” he breathed.
“I-” Huiying began, only to feel her heart beating as though she had just completed a marathon when she noticed how close her face was with Sungmin’s. She turned scarlet at the situation, and almost reluctantly turned her gaze aside. Sungmin also snapped back into reality at her actions, clearing his throat awkwardly when he realised what he was about to do.
“I- um, sorry for that,” he blurted, covering his mouth with his hand to hide the blush. Sungmin mentally chastised himself for acting out of impulse, and nearly jeopardising his friendship with the girl seated next to him.
“Don’t worry about it… and uh, thanks, Sungmin. I think I should return to my own apartment now…” Huiying randomly pointed at the general direction of her dorm even though it was futile, not knowing what else to say. In the end, she bowed in appreciation at him, and quickly took her leave, face still as red as a tomato. The moment the door clicked behind Huiying, Sungmin groaned outwardly and ruffled his hair in frustration, wondering what the hell he was thinking about just moments ago.
Characters: Zhou Mi, Sungmin, OC
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Drama, Comedy
Type: Novel
Summary: What happens when you suddenly get pulled out of a band that you've known for years, just to be placed with a trainee and is expected to help her rise to fame the fast way?
~ * ~
Chapter 14
“Thank you for your hard work!” Huiying and Zhou Mi chirruped brightly at the staffs that were busy cleaning up the recording studio as they made their way out of the booth, having finished their recording session for their newest mini-album. Their company decided that their project group had achieved substantial success in breaking into the Chinese market under a new concept, and had immediately whisked them off for another album release after their one-week break was over.
The moment they walked out of earshot, however, Huiying’s shoulders sagged at once. “Honestly, you’d think that the company would let us have a longer break from the activities instead of giving us a week off and continue to slave us away after that,” she made a face at Zhou Mi, whom merely laughed and shook his head at her comments.
“Rather, I’m inclined to believe that you should know better by now. An idol’s life isn’t as easy as you perceive it to be - haven’t you learned that already?” Zhou Mi commented, ruffling her hair at the same time. She brushed his hand off in an annoyed manner, wondering when he would stop messing with her hair. It wasn’t as though he doesn’t know she didn’t like being treated in such a way. Deciding that she would be a little childish for once, Huiying attempted to do the same to her senior’s well-styled hair, only to frown in response when she finally noticed the disparity between their heights.
“Why the heck are you so tall, Mi?!” Huiying lamented, still hopping around like an idiot while trying to land her hand on the top of his head. At times like these, she cursed the fact that she was only wearing her sneakers that day; she didn’t really see the need to put on heels, since they were going to be cooped up in the recording studio for the entire day anyway.
“Well, it’s not my fault that you’re vertically challenged, you know. And seriously, pay attention to where you’re walking instead of attempting the impossible. You’re going to crash into the door sooner or later,” Zhou Mi shot back, attempting to hold back his laughter while trying to focus on the path ahead of them. It wouldn’t do them any good if they accidentally walked into a pole while trying to mess around with one another, because that would lead to major embarrassment on both their parts. If anything, Zhou Mi was actually glad that their manager, Minseung wasn’t around, because as much as they both liked him, the older man was a little too uptight at times. They definitely wouldn’t be able to fool around like this if their manager was with them.
“Hey! That’s not ni-” Huiying started, only to be interrupted when she accidentally bumped into someone else the moment the both of them walked out of the main entrance of the SM Entertainment building. She immediately whirled around and gave a deep bow to the person, apologising at the same time. “I’m so sorry; I should’ve paid more attention to my surroundings. Are you okay?” she said, and the moment she straightened herself, Huiying froze in her position when she recognised the face staring back at her, feeling the remainder of her words leave her completely.
Seeing that the both his duet partner and the other person remained silent and were merely looking at one another, Zhou Mi tapped her lightly on the shoulder in an attempt to call for her attention. “Yah, Huiying, why are you standing there like a statue? It’s not nice to ogle at someone else so indiscreetly, especially after you just slammed into them,” he commented in a voice which was only soft enough for her to hear, before shooting an amiable smile at the other man whom nodded in response. He was definitely amused by the situation; it wasn’t always that he would see Huiying being so stunned by the presence of someone of the opposite gender - the first time it happened was when the girl met Kibum, and the latter had flashed that disarming smile of his at her. Kills a girl every single time.
Much to his surprise, Huiying didn’t even snap at him for his remark. She looked at him gingerly over her shoulder, and Zhou Mi noticed the surprise and another mountain of undecipherable emotions in her eyes, though he couldn’t really put a finger on the exact cause of it. “Mi, can you please go ahead without me? I’ll come home later. Tell Minseung oppa not to worry about me,” she breathed, and he immediately took it as the cue to leave. He had a hunch that the man standing in front of them was someone that she knew from quite some time ago; someone who was very important in her life.
* * * * *
She fiddled with her fingers absentmindedly under the table, unsure of what to say to the man who was seated across her. Of all places, she definitely did not expect that she would run into the other party at the ground floor of her entertainment company. It didn’t seem as though it was a likely place for him to make an appearance; but yet he did, and she found herself in a huge dilemma over it even though the feelings weren’t necessary.
“It has been a long time, hasn’t it, Ying?” the man suddenly spoke up, momentarily shattering the silence that had unknowingly settled in between them from the moment Huiying’s duet partner took his leave, until they settled themselves into the chairs of the cafeteria and ordered their drinks. She could only flash a wry smile at him, though deep inside, Huiying was trying her best to suppress the many emotions which threatened to overflow. She was close to tears, that much she knew, but she kept on reminding herself that she made a promise not to cry anymore. Not for this man, at least.
“Yes, it definitely has… what are you doing here, Zhiming? And making an appearance at an entertainment company at that? You never told me that you came to South Korea,” she replied courteously, willing her voice not to tremble. She did not want to show any signs of weakness - or how much she missed him - in front of Zhiming. Huiying thought that she was over the phase of pining for him, but apparently not. He still had the very same effects on her, and she disliked it greatly.
“Well… I don’t exactly have your newest phone number to begin with, so it’s pretty impossible for me to contact you, isn’t it?” he quipped, smiling warmly at her. God, she missed that smile so dearly. “But anyway, as irony would have it, I was stated as the person-in-charge for the promotional activities for your duet group in China this time. That pretty much sums things up, doesn’t it?” he chuckled.
“I thought that you hated to be associated with the entertainment industry?” she queried again, heart wrenching at the memory of him breaking up with her a little more than a year ago. When Huiying had told him about her plans of participating in the auditions for SM Entertainment, Zhiming had strongly opposed her decisions, which resulted in a massive argument and an eventual break-up because they couldn’t reach a compromise. They were both very stubborn people who wanted to keep their stand no matter what after all, particularly if it involves their future.
An unmistakable sigh escaped Zhiming’s lips at her query, and he turned his focus on the cup of tea in front of him instead. “I don’t have much of a say in this, Ying. As much as I’d like to decline the offer, I couldn’t. Not when this project is supposed to determine whether I stand a chance to be promoted to a higher position or not,” he explained, then added quietly. “I see that you’re doing well with your career, though.”
“Yeah, but there are times where I just want to give up and live the normal life once again…” Huiying lamented without thinking through her words, covering her mouth at once when she realised what she had just left her lips. “Sorry, forget that I’ve ever said things like that. It’s not a big deal,” she quickly amended, hoping that Zhiming did not catch up with her words.
Unfortunately, he heard her loud and clear. “Are the schedules suffocating you? Or are the fans giving you a tough time?” he queried in a tone so soft and caring; it made her want to break down right then and there. For as long as she could remember, Zhiming always had a way of getting her to talk, no matter how much Huiying intends to keep part of her thoughts to herself. It was a charm that she both loved and hated, more to the former than the latter.
“A little bit of both, I guess. Like I said, it’s not a big deal. I’d rather not talk about it,” Huiying said, trying desperately to avoid the topic. She didn’t want to prove Zhiming right, considering the fact that he had warned her about the cutthroat nature of the entertainment industry right before they parted ways. There would always be someone drowning from the pressure and the expectations, and she was fast becoming a part of the pool. She knew that Zhiming opposed her decisions to be an artist because he cared for her and didn’t want her to suffer or suffocate because of her job, but still she went ahead with it because a singer was all that she could imagine herself doing. She wanted to believe that she was born to live a life on the stage, but her beliefs were beginning to get deluded by the things she went through for the past few months.
“I really hate seeing you in such a condition, Ying…” Zhiming spoke up quietly again, so soft that she thought that she was just imagining things. She looked up from her drink and quirked an eyebrow at him, seeking an explanation for his words. She did not expect him to say such things, and would rather have him hurling “I told you so” in her face above anything else. At least she wouldn’t hang on to the futile hope that he still had feelings for her.
“What are you trying to get across, Zhiming?” she questioned. Huiying was taken aback when he suddenly took hold of her hand which was rested on the table.
“Despite what you may perceive about me, I still care about you, more than you or I can ever imagine. I don’t want to see you suffering so much, even though you’re supposedly pursuing something that you love,” he commented, piercing her soul with a gaze so intense that it made her squirm. After going on their separate ways for more than a year, she wasn’t used to hearing such kind words from him anymore.
“Even so, there’s no way we could end up together again, is there? Especially if I still remain as an artist?” she laughed mirthlessly, shaking her head incredulously. While Huiying had thought about giving up her musical career on several occasions, she knew that the people around her - the new family she had found - would always be right behind her, and pulling her up whenever she would fall. Sungmin and Kyuhyun were two such people, particularly the former.
“I can’t deny that that’s the only thing in the way,” he said again, this time letting go of her hand and averting his gaze.
“I just need to know one thing - what were you doing with Fu Jingxi at the hilltop restaurant the other day?” Huiying skirted around his answer, and brought up the lingering question in her mind. She had been trying to figure out the relationship between her ex-boyfriend and Zhou Mi’s girlfriend for the past week now, and still remained clueless about it. She didn’t know the other woman well enough to begin with, and she did not have the courage or intentions to bring the matter up to her duet partner either. It was a dangerous topic to tread upon in Zhou Mi’s presence.
“What- how did you know about that?” Zhiming blurted, surprised at the mention of the other woman’s name.
“Just answer the question, please,” she reiterated, ignoring his question yet again.
“She’s just my colleague at work, that’s all,” he replied, looking up in confusion when Huiying stood up and turned to leave after responding with a curt “Thanks, I’ll see you around”. The girl baffled him every single time.
* * * * *
Having being woken up by someone ringing the doorbell of the dorms, Sungmin groggily stumbled in the direction of the door and answered it, thinking that Hyukjae probably forgot to bring his keys along - again. He was sure that Kyuhyun, Ryeowook and Jongwoon wouldn’t be home at this time of the day, considering the fact that they were doing a recording for a soundtrack of a new drama. He was thoroughly surprised when he saw Huiying with her head lowered standing right in front of the gate, and was momentarily stunned in position before he scrambled for his own bunch of keys. Needless to say, the sleep completely left him.
“Did you get locked out of your own dorms or something?” Sungmin commented as he allowed the girl to walk past him, glancing worriedly at her. She seemed oddly out of it, as though something was bothering her a lot.
“No, I just don’t feel like going back in there right now…” came the silent reply. Huiying wasted no time in occupying the sofa in the middle of the living room, sitting in a dejected manner on the piece of furniture.
“Did you have an argument with Mi again? Let me just go and give him a piece of my mind,” Sungmin started, whirling around when he felt Huiying’s hand on his arm. He noticed the expression she was wearing, realising that it had nothing to do with his other friend. “Seriously, Huiying, what’s bothering you? You’re worrying me a lot,” he said again as he took a seat beside her, grabbing hold of her shoulders so that she couldn’t avoid his eyes.
“I’m seriously pathetic aren’t I, Sungmin sunbae?” replied Huiying, causing Sungmin to frown in surprise
.
“Didn’t I tell you not to add ‘sunbae’ behind my name anymore? And no, you’re not pathetic Huiying. What happened?” Sungmin berated her half-heartedly, not wanting her to feel even worse than she did at the moment.
“I quite literally bumped into my ex at the SME building earlier… I thought that these stupid feelings for him would have been reduced by now, but I still get affected by his presence just as easily,” she laughed dryly, wiping away the single tear that finally managed to escape her eye. It was too difficult for her to hold it all back in, and now that Sungmin was giving her such an immense amount of attention, she felt her inhibitions - and resolution - crumble little by little.
Much to her surprise, the man suddenly pulled her into his embrace, and Huiying reflexively fisted the material of his shirt, still trying to push the tears back to where they were threatening to come from. “It’s normal to be affected by things like that, Huiying, so stop saying that you’re pathetic,” he mumbled quietly, holding the girl that seemed to be so fragile in his arms. However, he couldn’t stop himself from asking the next question that popped up in his mind. “Do you still have romantic feelings for him, though?”
He visibly heaved a sigh of relief when he could feel her shake her head in response. “I think I wouldn’t be able to let myself live it down if I did… but still, I hate the fact that I can’t look him in the eye even though I’m supposedly over him,” Huiying replied, only to gasp in astonishment when Sungmin moved to cup her face in his hands.
“Where’s this stubborn Huiying that I know? You were never someone who would bow down so easily to someone of the opposite gender. Don’t start doing that now,” he breathed.
“I-” Huiying began, only to feel her heart beating as though she had just completed a marathon when she noticed how close her face was with Sungmin’s. She turned scarlet at the situation, and almost reluctantly turned her gaze aside. Sungmin also snapped back into reality at her actions, clearing his throat awkwardly when he realised what he was about to do.
“I- um, sorry for that,” he blurted, covering his mouth with his hand to hide the blush. Sungmin mentally chastised himself for acting out of impulse, and nearly jeopardising his friendship with the girl seated next to him.
“Don’t worry about it… and uh, thanks, Sungmin. I think I should return to my own apartment now…” Huiying randomly pointed at the general direction of her dorm even though it was futile, not knowing what else to say. In the end, she bowed in appreciation at him, and quickly took her leave, face still as red as a tomato. The moment the door clicked behind Huiying, Sungmin groaned outwardly and ruffled his hair in frustration, wondering what the hell he was thinking about just moments ago.