[SJFF] Stuck With You - Epilogue
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?
~ * ~
Epilogue
The woman in the television screen gave a brief smile at the camera which was recording her, as the flashes from the other professional cameras were triggered one after the other. Next to her, an older man in his early thirties sporting a pair of thick-rimmed spectacles and short-cropped hair tapped on the microphone in front of him, clearing his throat in order to command the attention of everyone present.
“Dear members of the press, thank you so much for joining us today,” he said. A brief pause ensued, allowing the commotion to die down a little. When the venue was silent enough - save for the fervent clicking of the camera shutters - he started again. “As you may know, this press conference has been specially called for by Miss Lin Huiying here.”
“Minseung hyung is really awkward in front of the cameras, isn’t he?” Henry snickered as he watched the proceedings of the press conference. He wasn’t able to attend the actual function as it clashed with his schedules, and he was thoroughly bummed by that fact.
“You better not let him hear that, Henry. Who knows what he’s capable of doing?” Kyuhyun pointed out with a smirk, though that expression fell when a certain long-legged male shushed him up for no particular reason. He sank into his seat on the sofa, sulking like a child who had just been grounded by his parents.
The whole dorm quieted down when the girl in the television - their beloved friend - started to speak after taking in a deep breath to calm her nerves. “I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude for your participation today,” the Korean words rolled off her tongue smoothly, leaving no room for others to criticise her for being unable to speak in the language.
She was sure that the general public held such a perception about her, considering the fact that she was a foreigner from China, and that The Sapphire Project hardly ever did any interviews in Korean - if ever. She had relayed the frustration to Kyuhyun the other time, and he challenged her to prove her own abilities in speaking the language.
She accepted the challenge and did just that.
“I know that many of you were shocked and appalled by my past, which was revealed on a particular newspaper about two months ago. I would like to sincerely apologise for taking such a long while to step up and clarify about the matter, and I will not give any excuses for my failure to do so.”
“Are you out of your mind? You have every right to explain yourself!” Donghae cried foul at the television screen, feeling outraged at the girl’s apparently docile words.
“Hae, calm down. I’m sure she has her reasons for doing so,” Hyukjae intercepted, a look of dismay on his own expressions. He, too, was curious about Huiying’s intentions, but figured out that he might be able to discover the answer eventually if he watched on.
If he doesn’t, he could always grab the girl and force her to confess.
“That’s probably the reason why she banned the rest of you from attending the press conference,” Zhou Mi snickered into his palm, wrapping his arm around the shoulders of the person who was seated next to him. His gaze was still fixed intently on the television, however. “You guys are probably going to submerge the hall in chaos.”
“Does this ‘chaos’ you speak of include you dashing onto the stage and wrapping your arms protectively around Huiying? Because I definitely can envision that happening,” Kyuhyun retorted, smirking victoriously when the Chinese man turned a deep shade of red and silently continued to watch the reporters throwing question after question at his duet partner. Kyuhyun had been itching to get even for quite some time now.
The other boys also chortled in response at Kyuhyun’s snide, though the noise level fell drastically when it was finally their friend’s turn to speak up again.
“I don’t have any intentions in concealing any facts or denying anything, so yes, it’s true that I used to smoke and take drugs when I was young-” she said, though she was momentarily interrupted when the hall was submerged in a frenzy of murmurs, phone calls, and fingers rapidly dancing across the laptop keyboards. The reporters were evidently trying to outdo each other in being the first ones to get the news out.
There was a flicker of dismay on Huiying’s expressions at the scene, but the smile rapidly took its place as she resumed with her speech. “I know this might sound clichéd, but I was young and troubled by my father’s passing back then, and even mixed with the wrong group. Again, I maintain that being of a young age isn’t a decent excuse for me to indulge in such activities, and I have learned from my mistakes. However, the most important thing is that I was checked into a rehabilitation facility by my mother and my then-boyfriend. I assure you, my addictions have been kicked for years now, and I no longer dabble with them in the course of my career, and have no intentions in getting into such habits again.”
By then, the host of the entertainment news began commenting on the incident, while the footage from the press conference was muted and faded into the background. Someone reached for the remote control then, switching the channel with a barely-concealed huff.
“Remind me to give that prick a piece of my mind when I pay a visit to KBS. He should learn how to keep his annoying comments to himself,” the person growled, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Zhou Mi laughed as his grip around her tightened. “I’m sure you will, Ying. Promise me you’ll not be too harsh on him though.”
“And risk having him rat the hell out of me on his segment again? No thanks,” Huiying shuddered, though she sat up in attention when something clicked in her mind. “Wait, why are we watching my press conference again? I wanted to be rid of that memory…”
“Because Henry hasn’t seen it yet,” Ryeowook pointed out with a grin. The rest of the boys secretly wanted to have an opportunity to tease Huiying, and reminded the violinist about the time of the broadcast.
“And Mi obviously wouldn’t pass up a chance to brag and gloat about his insurmountable amount of pride and joy in you,” Kyuhyun exclaimed dramatically, eliciting roars of laughter from the rest - except said person, naturally.
“Is it wrong to do so?” Zhou Mi whined in response. “We haven’t even said anything about how much you dote on Jin Ri. Don’t get us started, brat.”
“What’s the entire ruckus about?” A new voice joined the group who was lounging around in the living room, having heard the heated discussion while he was trying to focus on his composition. He had a frown on his face when he noticed how Zhou Mi and Huiying quickly jumped apart at his appearance.
Nevertheless, before he could comment about it, Donghae disrupted his train of thoughts. “We were just watching Ying’s press conference. Sorry for not informing you, Sungmin hyung, but I thought you didn’t want to be disturbed.”
Sungmin laughed. “Don’t worry about that. I’m not upset. I was there at the press conference with her anyway, don’t you remember?” he mentioned, smiling fondly at the memory where Huiying insisted that he went along with her for the press conference. He hesitated at first, saying that Zhou Mi should be the one accompanying her instead, but she had convinced him eventually.
“Boy, you have no idea how jealous Mi hyung was,” Henry said animatedly. “He kept on disturbing me and flooding my phone with text messages even though I told him I was recording.”
The violinist groaned painfully when Zhou Mi surreptitiously dug his elbow into Henry’s side for exposing his secret. They made a pact for Henry to keep the incident between the two of them, but the younger man had just violated that promise.
“Really now…?” Sungmin glanced at Zhou Mi, the amused and teasing smile playing on his lips. The latter duly ignored it, though his face was burning up with embarrassment. “Seriously though, the both of you should stop acting like a pair of criminals. I told you, I don’t mind that you guys are in a relationship,” he admitted.
“It still doesn’t sit well with me that we might be picking on your wounds,” Huiying spoke up meekly. Zhou Mi nodded beside her.
“I would’ve kicked his ass badly if I were bothered by it,” the older man shrugged nonchalantly, smirking when Zhou Mi reflexively shifted backwards. He loved throwing empty threats at Zhou Mi, just to observe his response. It has never failed to amuse him. “Haven’t we talked about this, Ying?”
“We have, but-”
“But what? As long as it’s understood, then it’s fine. Let me tell you this one last time - I’m really not perturbed by the fact that the two of you are seeing each other now,” he reprimanded his ex-girlfriend.
While it may be true that he would still occasionally feel the dull ache in his chest, Sungmin had told himself to man up and get over it; her happiness was his priority, and if she was happy with Zhou Mi, then so be it.
Unexpectedly, several concerted groans erupted from the other members. They had conveniently forgotten that the other members were still seated in the living room. That reaction obviously meant that the boys had witnessed every second of his exchange with Huiying, and thought it too cheesy to bear with.
Smiling, Sungmin pulled Zhou Mi and Huiying off the sofa, and started dragging them to the door by their hands.
“Hyung, what are you doing?” the Chinese man asked, confused.
“Throwing the both of you out of the house for being such a lovey-dovey pair in front of me,” he feigned being upset as he blocked the entrance with his spread-out arms. “I’m just kidding. Couples shouldn’t be cooped up at home, especially after you’ve busied yourselves with suing Jingxi for blackmail in the last couple of weeks. Go out and spend the day together instead of being stuck in the dorms with the loners in there,” he then said, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder at the direction of the boys who were sprawled around the living room. They all growled in protest at the adjective used to describe them.
Huiying giggled a little at that, though her facial expressions turned slightly more serious as she turned to gaze at him. “Are you sure you’re completely okay?” she asked, genuinely concerned about Sungmin’s feelings. She would still feel a pang of intense guilt whenever she watched Sungmin, though he refused to let her fuss over him.
She never really knew what he thought about her relationship with Zhou Mi, or whether the smiles he flashes whenever he sees them together were sincere. She couldn’t blame him if they weren’t, however.
“I am,” Sungmin reassured her. “Now go before I change my mind,” he threatened, though the smile that broke out on his face indicated that he was just fooling around.
“Thank you,” Huiying said sincerely, moving forward and pulling him into an embrace. He gladly returned the hug, secretly feeling relieved that his heart no longer skipped a beat at their contact. It was a new milestone in his quest to completely get over her.
Huiying threw another brief glance at the man who had sacrificed his happiness for her sake, smiling at him when they broke the hug. Zhou Mi also took the opportunity to thank him, of which Sungmin replied with a wave.
Neither of them moved a muscle until Sungmin disappeared into the dorms, but when he did, they exchanged a knowing look at each other and linked their hands together.
They were definitely going to cherish this relationship until the end of their lives, come what may.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Author's notes:
If you're slightly confused with the timeline of this Epilogue, here's a little explanation. The press conference they were watching was filmed two months after Huiying's disappearance. They were watching a rerun of the event, give or take several weeks after that.
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?
~ * ~
Epilogue
The woman in the television screen gave a brief smile at the camera which was recording her, as the flashes from the other professional cameras were triggered one after the other. Next to her, an older man in his early thirties sporting a pair of thick-rimmed spectacles and short-cropped hair tapped on the microphone in front of him, clearing his throat in order to command the attention of everyone present.
“Dear members of the press, thank you so much for joining us today,” he said. A brief pause ensued, allowing the commotion to die down a little. When the venue was silent enough - save for the fervent clicking of the camera shutters - he started again. “As you may know, this press conference has been specially called for by Miss Lin Huiying here.”
“Minseung hyung is really awkward in front of the cameras, isn’t he?” Henry snickered as he watched the proceedings of the press conference. He wasn’t able to attend the actual function as it clashed with his schedules, and he was thoroughly bummed by that fact.
“You better not let him hear that, Henry. Who knows what he’s capable of doing?” Kyuhyun pointed out with a smirk, though that expression fell when a certain long-legged male shushed him up for no particular reason. He sank into his seat on the sofa, sulking like a child who had just been grounded by his parents.
The whole dorm quieted down when the girl in the television - their beloved friend - started to speak after taking in a deep breath to calm her nerves. “I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude for your participation today,” the Korean words rolled off her tongue smoothly, leaving no room for others to criticise her for being unable to speak in the language.
She was sure that the general public held such a perception about her, considering the fact that she was a foreigner from China, and that The Sapphire Project hardly ever did any interviews in Korean - if ever. She had relayed the frustration to Kyuhyun the other time, and he challenged her to prove her own abilities in speaking the language.
She accepted the challenge and did just that.
“I know that many of you were shocked and appalled by my past, which was revealed on a particular newspaper about two months ago. I would like to sincerely apologise for taking such a long while to step up and clarify about the matter, and I will not give any excuses for my failure to do so.”
“Are you out of your mind? You have every right to explain yourself!” Donghae cried foul at the television screen, feeling outraged at the girl’s apparently docile words.
“Hae, calm down. I’m sure she has her reasons for doing so,” Hyukjae intercepted, a look of dismay on his own expressions. He, too, was curious about Huiying’s intentions, but figured out that he might be able to discover the answer eventually if he watched on.
If he doesn’t, he could always grab the girl and force her to confess.
“That’s probably the reason why she banned the rest of you from attending the press conference,” Zhou Mi snickered into his palm, wrapping his arm around the shoulders of the person who was seated next to him. His gaze was still fixed intently on the television, however. “You guys are probably going to submerge the hall in chaos.”
“Does this ‘chaos’ you speak of include you dashing onto the stage and wrapping your arms protectively around Huiying? Because I definitely can envision that happening,” Kyuhyun retorted, smirking victoriously when the Chinese man turned a deep shade of red and silently continued to watch the reporters throwing question after question at his duet partner. Kyuhyun had been itching to get even for quite some time now.
The other boys also chortled in response at Kyuhyun’s snide, though the noise level fell drastically when it was finally their friend’s turn to speak up again.
“I don’t have any intentions in concealing any facts or denying anything, so yes, it’s true that I used to smoke and take drugs when I was young-” she said, though she was momentarily interrupted when the hall was submerged in a frenzy of murmurs, phone calls, and fingers rapidly dancing across the laptop keyboards. The reporters were evidently trying to outdo each other in being the first ones to get the news out.
There was a flicker of dismay on Huiying’s expressions at the scene, but the smile rapidly took its place as she resumed with her speech. “I know this might sound clichéd, but I was young and troubled by my father’s passing back then, and even mixed with the wrong group. Again, I maintain that being of a young age isn’t a decent excuse for me to indulge in such activities, and I have learned from my mistakes. However, the most important thing is that I was checked into a rehabilitation facility by my mother and my then-boyfriend. I assure you, my addictions have been kicked for years now, and I no longer dabble with them in the course of my career, and have no intentions in getting into such habits again.”
By then, the host of the entertainment news began commenting on the incident, while the footage from the press conference was muted and faded into the background. Someone reached for the remote control then, switching the channel with a barely-concealed huff.
“Remind me to give that prick a piece of my mind when I pay a visit to KBS. He should learn how to keep his annoying comments to himself,” the person growled, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Zhou Mi laughed as his grip around her tightened. “I’m sure you will, Ying. Promise me you’ll not be too harsh on him though.”
“And risk having him rat the hell out of me on his segment again? No thanks,” Huiying shuddered, though she sat up in attention when something clicked in her mind. “Wait, why are we watching my press conference again? I wanted to be rid of that memory…”
“Because Henry hasn’t seen it yet,” Ryeowook pointed out with a grin. The rest of the boys secretly wanted to have an opportunity to tease Huiying, and reminded the violinist about the time of the broadcast.
“And Mi obviously wouldn’t pass up a chance to brag and gloat about his insurmountable amount of pride and joy in you,” Kyuhyun exclaimed dramatically, eliciting roars of laughter from the rest - except said person, naturally.
“Is it wrong to do so?” Zhou Mi whined in response. “We haven’t even said anything about how much you dote on Jin Ri. Don’t get us started, brat.”
“What’s the entire ruckus about?” A new voice joined the group who was lounging around in the living room, having heard the heated discussion while he was trying to focus on his composition. He had a frown on his face when he noticed how Zhou Mi and Huiying quickly jumped apart at his appearance.
Nevertheless, before he could comment about it, Donghae disrupted his train of thoughts. “We were just watching Ying’s press conference. Sorry for not informing you, Sungmin hyung, but I thought you didn’t want to be disturbed.”
Sungmin laughed. “Don’t worry about that. I’m not upset. I was there at the press conference with her anyway, don’t you remember?” he mentioned, smiling fondly at the memory where Huiying insisted that he went along with her for the press conference. He hesitated at first, saying that Zhou Mi should be the one accompanying her instead, but she had convinced him eventually.
“Boy, you have no idea how jealous Mi hyung was,” Henry said animatedly. “He kept on disturbing me and flooding my phone with text messages even though I told him I was recording.”
The violinist groaned painfully when Zhou Mi surreptitiously dug his elbow into Henry’s side for exposing his secret. They made a pact for Henry to keep the incident between the two of them, but the younger man had just violated that promise.
“Really now…?” Sungmin glanced at Zhou Mi, the amused and teasing smile playing on his lips. The latter duly ignored it, though his face was burning up with embarrassment. “Seriously though, the both of you should stop acting like a pair of criminals. I told you, I don’t mind that you guys are in a relationship,” he admitted.
“It still doesn’t sit well with me that we might be picking on your wounds,” Huiying spoke up meekly. Zhou Mi nodded beside her.
“I would’ve kicked his ass badly if I were bothered by it,” the older man shrugged nonchalantly, smirking when Zhou Mi reflexively shifted backwards. He loved throwing empty threats at Zhou Mi, just to observe his response. It has never failed to amuse him. “Haven’t we talked about this, Ying?”
“We have, but-”
“But what? As long as it’s understood, then it’s fine. Let me tell you this one last time - I’m really not perturbed by the fact that the two of you are seeing each other now,” he reprimanded his ex-girlfriend.
While it may be true that he would still occasionally feel the dull ache in his chest, Sungmin had told himself to man up and get over it; her happiness was his priority, and if she was happy with Zhou Mi, then so be it.
Unexpectedly, several concerted groans erupted from the other members. They had conveniently forgotten that the other members were still seated in the living room. That reaction obviously meant that the boys had witnessed every second of his exchange with Huiying, and thought it too cheesy to bear with.
Smiling, Sungmin pulled Zhou Mi and Huiying off the sofa, and started dragging them to the door by their hands.
“Hyung, what are you doing?” the Chinese man asked, confused.
“Throwing the both of you out of the house for being such a lovey-dovey pair in front of me,” he feigned being upset as he blocked the entrance with his spread-out arms. “I’m just kidding. Couples shouldn’t be cooped up at home, especially after you’ve busied yourselves with suing Jingxi for blackmail in the last couple of weeks. Go out and spend the day together instead of being stuck in the dorms with the loners in there,” he then said, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder at the direction of the boys who were sprawled around the living room. They all growled in protest at the adjective used to describe them.
Huiying giggled a little at that, though her facial expressions turned slightly more serious as she turned to gaze at him. “Are you sure you’re completely okay?” she asked, genuinely concerned about Sungmin’s feelings. She would still feel a pang of intense guilt whenever she watched Sungmin, though he refused to let her fuss over him.
She never really knew what he thought about her relationship with Zhou Mi, or whether the smiles he flashes whenever he sees them together were sincere. She couldn’t blame him if they weren’t, however.
“I am,” Sungmin reassured her. “Now go before I change my mind,” he threatened, though the smile that broke out on his face indicated that he was just fooling around.
“Thank you,” Huiying said sincerely, moving forward and pulling him into an embrace. He gladly returned the hug, secretly feeling relieved that his heart no longer skipped a beat at their contact. It was a new milestone in his quest to completely get over her.
Huiying threw another brief glance at the man who had sacrificed his happiness for her sake, smiling at him when they broke the hug. Zhou Mi also took the opportunity to thank him, of which Sungmin replied with a wave.
Neither of them moved a muscle until Sungmin disappeared into the dorms, but when he did, they exchanged a knowing look at each other and linked their hands together.
They were definitely going to cherish this relationship until the end of their lives, come what may.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Author's notes:
If you're slightly confused with the timeline of this Epilogue, here's a little explanation. The press conference they were watching was filmed two months after Huiying's disappearance. They were watching a rerun of the event, give or take several weeks after that.