Chapter 7

160103

***

"I didn't know you were dating someone, dongsaeng!" Taeil sat beside Ten and arched his arms around his shoulder.

"We were not dating!" He lied.

Star is just listening to them, feeling embarassed.

"Gosh. What am I doing lately? Ugh!" She thought.

"Let's just sit here." Johnny suggested, sitting beside Taeil.

The five others followed. Taeyong sat beside Star, followed by Yuta. Hansol together with Doyoung  and Jaehyun carried the table beside them to extend the table for them to be able to join the dinner.

"So, can you introduce us your secret girlfriend, hyung?" Jaehyun asked teasingly. Star blushed hearing that from Jaehyun. She wants to walk away but can't, trying not to look rude.

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"Then why are you with her?" Taeil asked.

"She's also a trainee of SM, we were together with her friends a while ago but they left us. So we will just eat together."

And the waitress came as if it was on cue. She served the ordered foods. Taeyong immediately grabbed the cider and drank it.

"Yah, hyung! That's not yours!" Ten blurted.

"Whoa! Makchang!" Johnny opened the fire at the center of the table to roast the raw makchang. And the others grabbed the rice and other foods that they ordered and started finishing it.

"Hey! Buy your own! I'll be paying that!" Ten shouted.

"Hey, calm down." Star said to him, noticing Ten's upset expression.

"But that's our food."

"Let's order again. I'll pay ours."

"No, you won't. I'm the guy here. It's not appropriate to let a girl pay on a date."

"What? Date?" Star again blushed."What is he saying?" She uttered in her mind.

Ten spoke with red cheeks, "F-Friendly date, I mean!" He scratched his nape.

"Hey, stop it. I think Ten is upset." Yuta said, noticing Ten's knotted forehead.

"I think it's okay with him as long as Star is here." Doyoung said then winked at her.

"Star? Ah! Right!" Jaehyun exclaimed as she remembered something, "You're the one whom we talked before! The new trainee!"

"Ah, ne." Star smiled shyly and bowed, "Annyeonghaseyo! Jeoneun Star-imnida!"

"Annyeonghaseyo!" They greeted back.

"So you're Ten's girlfriend?" Hansol asked. Ten held back himself. He knew he would be teased continuously and they won't stop until they got fed up.

"A-aniyo... we're just friends." Star said it herself. Ten looked at her. "We're friends because we're not yet a couple." He said in his mind then he flashed a smile while looking at the girl in his front.

They ordered new sets of foods. And the table was just filled with different dishes, not leaving a space.

"Try this, Star. It's delicious." Taeyong gave Star a beef soup. Star tasted it and did a thumbs up as an agreement.

"Masittda!" She added.

"Have you tried the hanwoo? Looks like you haven't eaten any piece of it yet." Taeyong said while looking at the hanwoo and to Star.

"I'm not fond of eating hanwoo."

"What? You're unbelievable!"

"Yes, I know." She agreed while laughing.

From the other side, Ten is watching the two funning around. He's wearing a frowning face while chewing the makchang lazily.

"Supposedly, that should be me." He said pertaining to Taeyong.

After eating and enduring the Taeyong-Star moments, he stood and grabbed Star's wrist and pulled her away.

"See you at the dorm, guys!" He just shouted without looking back and left.

"Hey, Ten!" Star is trying to pull her wrist but Ten's grip is tight.

"It's getting late. I'll bring you home." Ten said without looking at her and persisted walking.

"Yah! You should've let me bid a goodbye to them!"

"You don't have to."

"That's rude! Wait! Yah, Ten! My wrist is hurting! Walk a little slower! Yah!" And there they stopped walking.

Star pulled her wrist which turned red. She touched it with her other hand and looked at Ten with dismay.

"What?" Ten asked innocently.

"You're being inconsiderate again!"

"I just can't stand seeing you chatting with them eventhough we have a friendly date."

"Why out of a sudden set on a friendly date?"

"As an apology about what have I done in school?" He stated with an unsure tone. "Is it my mistake again this time?"

"Why are you being like that?" She answered a question.

"What 'like that'?"

"That. Acting..." "I don't know how to put this on." She said in her mind.

"No need to mention. I got it. I mean nothing. It's just a friendly date. Now, let's go home." Ten started walking and Star silently followed.

As they reached Star's house, Star faced Ten, "Thanks for bringing me home."

"My pleasure." He smiled.

"And I'm sorry for my actions a while ago. I shouted at you again."

"I must be the one to be sorry. So, I'm sorry." Then he bowed and smiled at her.

"Apology accepted." She smiled to.

"Hey, love birds!" Seomin interrupted from Star's back. "It's getting cold. Better get inside, Star unnie. And Ten-ssi," she smiled sweetly, "Go home safely!" She then pulled Star inside the house and closed the door.

Ten was left with a smile outside, remained staring at the door. But his smile swiftly faded when he remembered what Taeil said a while ago in the restaurant.

"Ten-yah, remember, we're about to have our debut. No girlfriends allowed. It's against the contract. You might be scolded. And worse, expelled."

He sighed and walked away worried.

**

It's already one in the morning, but Star's blood is still awake and alive.

She carefully slapped herself, "Will you please sleep now?" She asked to herself.

She closed her eyes and covered it with her pillow, covering her eyes and forehead. She stayed like that for some minutes, but still, she can't erase the 'disturbing' image of Ten at the back of her eyes.

She removed the pillow and sat hastily.

"Argh! You're such a disturbance!" She murmured then violently laid on the bed.

She rolled, and then rolled, tried different positions, tried making her mind blank and everything just to make herself sleep. But nothing worked.

"I guess I'll be going to school carrying three bags. One is my back pack and two are my eyebags." She stated then she frowned.

"What is happening to me?" She continued her monologue, "What are you doing to me?" She's pertaining to Ten.

She rolled then again talked. An idea suddenly popped in her mind. She sat and searched in herself if that idea is true.

"Am I? Am I?" She asked herself.

She then looked for her phone and searched on the internet.

'Signs that you're inlove'

She clicked different articles, looking for different answers.

But every answer strikes her.

When he/she is around, you feel very weird. Like butterflies in your stomach, blushing suddenly, feeling a sensation in your cheeks or feeling shy.

"I-It's happening to me." She commented.

You always want to see him/her. You look for him/her on the places where you usually see him/her.

"Well, he's the first person that you want to see whenever you step in the company and school." A voice whispered in her head.

"Aish!" She reacted with that thought.

You are always amazed at his/her smile. You always look at him/her.

"He's just so cute while smiling! Ah---no! I can't be!"

She turned her phone off and returned it at the side table then again laid. She violently closed her eyes and opened it again.

"It's just that he's kind to me since he talks to me eventhough we have a big gap. A-and it's also because he really do have a captivating smile that really captures girls' hearts. And uhm, ugh! That's all! I'm not inlove! I just like him as a friend! This is natural! This is ordinary! Ok. Keep calm, now."

She inhaled then exhaled then peacefully slept.

***