Chapter 72 - Barbed Wires

His phone rang and his treacherous heart skipped a beat or two. Quickly grabbing his phone, he felt disappointted that it was the pinkette idol, then he slapped his cheeks to wake himself up.

‘Of course, it wasn’t Suu Jin! Suu Jin the stupid cheater was probably with Lisa and kissing and ugh!’

Scowling, he huffed and picked up the phone.

“Manager Bon?”

“You will be dueting with Suu Jin tomorrow.”

“…”

“Hello, Shun? Xiong Shun? Hello?”

If Manager Bon could see Xiong Shun, she would see how pale and then how red, then back to pale, then red he was. Face frozen, Xiong Shun’s own body didn’t even know what it wanted to do. He was… He was going to be dueting… with Suu Jin? Suu Jin who broke his heart! Suu Jin who cheated on Lisa by kissing him! Him! Suu Jin who said he liked him but not enough to- to be anything more than AQUANTAINCES!

“Why?” He finally was able to say.

“It would help your image to see both you and Suu Jin on speaking terms. Also, it would boost Symmony too. Don’t want to do it?” The female questioned and he didn’t reply. He heard the sigh from his manager and prepared himself for reasonings.

“Look, you went on live saying you and Suu Jin are friends. Then the guy says ya’ll are not even friends. You alright? We could postpone it.”

“… Can’t we cancel it?”

“…”

“Hah, just kidding. What time?”

“Shun. Are you alright?” Manager Bon with her kind motherly voice questioned and his nose itched and eyes watered.

“Huh, of course. I will be ready.”

“Alright. Tomorrow, 9:00. After, come to the studio to record your part, ok?”

“You got it!”

“Enjoy your rest. You sound better so that’s good!”

“Yup all good.”

“Good, bye.”

“Bye!”

Shun hung up and his smile fell. He was going to see Suu Jin again. How was he going to handle himself? Rubbing his eyes, he groaned loudly and fell onto his bed. He let out a sigh and stared up at the ceiling, only to see an image of the idol prince.

‘Geez… I need to stop think about him…’

The memory of what Suu Jin had told him in the beginning, when he was still learning from the handsome idol, returned to him. The saying… the one where he should not let anything come in between his dreams, not anything, not anyone.

“Can’t let it stop me from finishing my mission!”

“That is good to hear, Prince Shun.”

Turning to the sound of Prince Peter’s voice, he picked up his phone to see the handsome prince smiling at him.

“Task completed: Leave the hospital. Earned points. Health 76%. Stress 72%. Singing ability 65%. Dancing ability 58%. Confidence 79%. Charisma 55%. Memory 42%. Fans accumulated fans 210,459/ 1,000,000. Wish to see task?”

Shun sighed and nodded his head.

“1. Hit top charts for 1 month. 2. Make a single duet with Gina. 3. Do not fall in love with Suu Jin.”

“Prince Peter,” Shun sighed and laid on his side, “Why… Why is there a task to not… fall in love with Suu Jin?”

He questioned softly and watched the prince’s lips turned downwards. He saw narrowed brown eyes and the dipped of the brows from the handsome prince. Why was Prince Peter acting so strange? Why did the raven haired prince looking so angry, upset? Shun didn’t understand and he wasn’t sure if he could even not fall in love with the pinkette.

His heart hurts, but it still yearns for the idol prince.

“It is a task.”

“…”

“Wish to see star meter?”

“Tell me more.”

“More?”

“Why is it a task?”

“Unavailable.”

“Why?”

“Unavailable.”

Shun frowned and shut his eyes. He supposed it was a task for a reason. He wasn’t sure if it was a good thing for him or a bad thing. Was the witch trying to save his heart or hurt it more? How was not falling in love with Suu Jin helping his mission?

‘So I don’t get distracted…’

“Alright. What is my star meter?”

“49%.”

Shun hummed in acknowledgement and stared at his phone. Prince Peter… handsome, kind, beautiful. So much like Suu Jin… but Suu Jin was a cheater and Prince Peter…

He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as his memories returned to him. A princess and a prince stood under the moonlight holding hands. Whispers of love, of the future, of new beginnings were all he heard for many years afterwards. There, at the spot that only Prince Peter and he knew, the princess stood where he would.

“Ah Shun,” the voice of the prince whispered softly, “You are almost there. I believe in you.”

Shun, even when he tried to think nothing more of the prince, he found his heart fluttering and his cheeks warming. His lips curled and he let out a soft laugh. A stupid fool he was.

“Can you stay on? I don’t want to sleep alone…” He whispered.

“I will always be here, Ah Shun. Sleep well.”

He continued to watch Prince Peter, smiling so nicely. Shun smiled back and his lids slowly got heavy the more he continued to blink. Before sleep took over, he saw Prince Peter’s smile fall and those kind eyes faded away to a blank stare. Eh, maybe it was because he was just too tired. He must be seeing things.

==

Suu Jin was in the recording studio waiting for Shun. What terrible luck that they were going to duet after having that fall out. He was holding his phone in his hand, idly looking at the records on the wall. Letting out a deep exhale through his nose, he looked over to the recording room. He was alone in the studio because he asked for it. It wasn’t new that he made his own music sometimes, but maybe he jumped the gun to quickly this time.

Would Shun be okay knowing that he would be alone with him? Would Shun leave him again?

There was a knock on his door and he went to open the door. There stood the silver haired boy, the one who taken over his heart and mind. Xiong Shun, handsome and beautiful, barely wanted to look into his eyes. Stepping to the side, Shun walked in cautiously and stood in the middle of the room. Once the doors closed, Suu Jin reached out and touched Shun’s hair.

Blue eyes looked at him and stepped back.

He stepped forward.

Shun stepped back.

Jin stepped forward.

“What are we singing?” Shun questioned sidestepping away and walking toward the table of knobs.

“Do you want to sing with me?”

Shun gritted his teeth and pushed and moved knobs, trying to keep his emotions in check. He did want to sing with the idol prince. He wanted to do lots of things with Suu Jin, but after what he had learned… He felt so dirty.

“We’re just acquaintances, so there are no hard feelings.”

Even saying that, Shun felt his mouth was spewing out barbed wires.

It hurts.