stars × cnblue kangminhyuk

12 : I Can't Be Known

"Are you fluttered?" Kang Minhyuk laughed whole-heartedly, right in front of my face. His hands moved to his stomach as if it hurt from laughing too much. Ah, this childish Kang Minhyuk—what else did I expect?

"You wish," I stuck my tongue out at him, trying to cover my burning cheeks. "I already saw this coming."

"There's nothing wrong though," he teased, still grinning from ear to ear. "We're officially boyfriend and girlfriend—a month ago." His smile widened, showing off those pearly white teeth that fans all over the world adored.

I reached up and patted his cheek lightly, forcing myself to sound casual even though my chest was tightening. "Fake dating, in case you forgot."

With that, I stood up from the couch and walked off toward my room. The hunger I'd felt earlier disappeared, along with the fleeting desire to cuddle beside him. All of it flew out the window the moment he started laughing at me. He called out my name, but I ignored him—just the same way he ignored me when he'd put my heart through that cruel test not long ago.

"One month left for you, Hyojin," I whispered under my breath, shutting the door behind me. "You killed his sister... he won't accept you if he knew."

I wrapped myself tightly in my fluffy blanket, as if it could shield me from the stabbing guilt pressing against my ribs. Shutting my eyes, I prayed that this suffocating weight in my chest would vanish if I just forced myself to sleep.

But of course, the universe wasn't about to let me off so easily.

Suddenly, Minhyuk's smooth voice filled the silence—his song Stars echoing from my phone speaker. Ah, seriously? He changed my ringtone again. My lips curved into a helpless frown. Dragging myself out from under the blanket, I reached for my phone on the bedside table.

The name flashing on the screen made my eyebrows shoot up.

Jonghyun.

Weird. Why was he calling me? For a moment, I hesitated. Maybe he dialed the wrong number. But when my phone rang again almost immediately, I decided it might be something urgent. Maybe he couldn't reach Minhyuk, so he called me instead.

"Hello," I greeted cautiously.

No answer.

"Han Hyojin speaking. Who's there?" I asked again, pretending I didn't already know whose name had flashed across my screen. I'd saved Jonghyun's number secretly—without him knowing—so of course I had to act like I wasn't aware.

Finally, his voice came through. "Ah, Hyojin! Jonghyun here." He chuckled. "Why so formal?"

Relief and nervousness twisted inside me all at once. "Is there anything you need to talk about, oppa?" I asked politely. With Jonghyun, I always had to be extra careful—polished even. He was kind, yes, but he was still older, my senior, someone I respected.

On the other end, I could almost feel his smile. "First, let's meet outside. I'm hungry."

His words sent a chill down my spine. CNBLUE had been the apple of my eye since high school; sitting down to eat with them was still something surreal—even now. My heart fluttered, but it wasn't the same way it did around Minhyuk. Jonghyun felt... untouchable.

"Okay, where then?" I asked.

He gave me the address of a restaurant owned by his brother. After we hung up, I quickly changed into a pink pullover sweater and black skinny jeans. I brushed my hair loosely, staring at my reflection for a moment before leaving my room.

The moment Minhyuk spotted me dressed up, he immediately stood from the couch. His eyes narrowed as he grabbed my wrist. "Are you going anywhere?"

"I'm meeting a friend, oppa." I smiled sweetly, adding a playful wink, hoping that would soften his mood. Ever since the sasaeng incident, Minhyuk had been overprotective—always watching over me like a shadow.