#mintoria

“I am seriously running out of ideas here."Changmin admits. "Maybe we should just let time do its course. They will make up eventually.”

“We can’t.” Kyuhyun counters. “It was basically our fault why he snapped at her. I wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully at night knowing that two of my friends are not it good terms. Would you.”

Changmin shakes his head. “Of course not. But what can we do? We tried everything we can but all our plans seems to make things worse.”

Kyuhyun became silent at the moment, thinking back at how things ended up this way. It was a mere week ago that he was having dinner with Changmin, Minho and Victoria. They were just talking about anything and everything under the sun, when he stupidly asked Victoria to chose who she thinks would be a better lover between him and Changmin.

It was a common thing among them, either he or Changmin would ask the woman to chose between the two of them was better based on a random criteria. Victoria would often scold them for asking her such questions then refuse to give out an answer. The two of them would then turn towards the youngest and ask for his opinion. Minho would politely give them an answer just to satisfy them.

That night, however, Victoria played along and stated his and Changmin’s pros and cons. Unable to decide herself, she turned to Minho for help. All three of them were caught off gua rd when the youngest suddenly snapped at the woman.

Everything happened so fast after that. All he could remember was Minho walking out oft the restaurant, with Changmin following closely behind him. He on the other hand was left to console a teary and very confused Victoria.

The following day, he and Changmin met up to talk about the things that happened the previous night. Without going much into detail, Changmin explained the reason behind Minho’s outburst towards Victoria. Kyuhyun wasn’t surprised to be quite honest. He had noticed how the younger man acted differently whenever Victoria was around.

It was then the he and Changmin realized that they needed to do something to patch things up between their two friends.

Their first plan was to set up a romantic dinner just for the two. They hoped that the two could talk things over and maybe the setting would encourage Minho to confess his feelings.

Unfortunately for them, Victoria was suddenly unavailable at the time of their plan due to a sudden schedule. To top it all off, Minho got mad at them, specifically towards Changmin, due to their attempt on meddling with his affairs. He warned them to never do it again.

Despite this, the two were persistent in getting the two to talk. Maybe a romantic dinner was pushing thing a bit much, but a round of drink with friends seemed fine for them. They were also hoping that few glasses of alcohol in their system would make things easier.

Victoria arrived first and the three of them decided to order while they waited for Minho. They were well into their 2nd round when the younger man arrived. Kyuhyun watched as the man’s face turned from neutral to furious at the sight of them. He stopped his steps and quickly turned to leave. Changmin stood up immediately and followed the younger out while he was once again left with Victoria.

With their second plan ending in failure, the two friends were getting desperate and they knew they had to do something drastic, especially now that Minho refuses to cooperate.

Their finale desperate move was to get the two together and lock them up together in the same room and not let them out until they talked and worked things out. But things seemed to have gone from bad to worse.

Minho refused to take their calls and did not return a single message while Victoria decided to distance herself from the group. The Kyu-line was at the brink of collapse and Kyuhyun couldn’t think of anything to stop it.

“Hey! Isn’t that Qian and Minho?” Changmin’s voice snaps him out of his thoughts. He lifts his head up just in time to see their two friends enter the coffee shop together.

“It is them! What are they doing here? Are they in good terms again? I’m going to go up to them and ask!”  Changmin exclaims, standing up.

"This emergency f(x) meeting is ready to commence. I am Amber and I would be presiding this meeting."

"Where’s Vic-unnie?" Krystal asked as she looked over the room. Only the four of them were present.

"She won’t be coming." the tomboy answered.

"Why?" Krystal asked again.

"Because this meeting is about her." Amber plainly answered.

"What? Why? You’re not planning to kick unnie out of the group are you?" Luna panicked.

"No way! I won’t approve." Sulli stated.

"Neither will I." Krystal second.

"No! There won’t be kicking of members out." Amber clarified. "We’re here to talk about unnie’s love life or rather the lack of it."

"Why? We never bothered with each other’s love lives before, why start now?" the maknae asked.

"I know. But this matter has become a concern after I watched unnie’s recent guestings and interviews. She talked about marriage and settling down in almost every one of them." Amber placed her laptop on the table and showed her members the compilation of videos she gathered of Victoria talking about marriage.

"Wow!" Sulli eyes went wide and turned towards Amber. "Hyung, you have too much time at your hand."

"Don’t we all." Luna rolled her eyes. "Anyway, it seems like Amber-unnie is right. But what can we do? Set unnie up on dates?"

"Well…. Yeah." The eldest among the four nodded.

"Who do we set her up with? Do you have any idea?" Krystal asked.

"That’s why I asked you guys here. I have an idea with whom to set her up with but I also need your opinion on it."

The three girls nodded. “Who do you have in mind, hyung?”

"Uhm… well, what about Nichkhun-oppa? They already know each other well from filming WGM. They practically dated for more than a year because of the show. I think they have great chemistry and would fit well with each other."

"Nope."

"That’s not gonna work."

"Who else do you have in mind?"

The three girls said simultaneously, shocking the tomboy.

"Hey, hey wait a minute! Why are you rejecting Nichkhun oppa right away?"

"Oh unnie, I would have agreed with you if not for the fact that Nichkhun oppa is already dating Tiffany unnie."

"Really?!" Amber asked, quite surprised with the news. "Since when?"

Krystal rolls her eyes. “For someone who says to be a fan of SNSD and who is constantly on the internet, I’m surprised you haven’t read the news about them.”

The tomboy shrugs her shoulders. “Ok. Then Nichkhun-oppa is out. Who else do you suggest?”

"What about Jongin?" Krystal suggested, earning her surprised looks from her other members. "What?"

"Why Kai?" Amber asked. "Isn’t he a little too young for unnie?"

"Well, yeah. But age is just a number. I actually think that they would look good together and add the fact that they are both great dancers. They have a lot in common and have great potential."

"Well, Jongin does seem to have a tiny bit of a crush on unnie…" Sulli added.

"Tiny bit?" Krystal laughed. "He’s so obvious with the way he tries to sneak a glance at unnie during SMTown ending stages. His signature ‘fix his hair’ method had been spotted by fans on many occasions."

"Okay… Kai may have interest in her, but I don’t think unnie would be interested in him." Luna puts in her two cents. "She did say on multiple occasion that she doesn’t prefer men who are younger than her."

The other three nodded. They were silent for a while thinking of other candidates when Sulli suddenly spoke.

"Minho-oppa!"

"Huh?!"Krystal tilted her head to the side in question.

"Minho-oppa! He once mention to me while we were filming the drama that he found Vic-unnie quite attractive. I think he has a crush on her! They would look good together honestly. When I saw the photoshoot unnie did with the SHINee oppas and they were paired up together, I really thought they fit well together."

"But we still have that age thing." Luna countered.

"Like Soojung said, it’s just a number. Besides, Minho-oppa and Vic-unnie are already quite close friends. It would be easy to transcend that friendship to something more."

"Then if we are talking about unnie’s friends, then I suggest Changmin-oppa." Luna said.

"Perfect!"

"Why didn’t I think of that?"

Sulli and Krystal said, respectively. Changmin, aside from Kyuhyun and ZhouMi, was a close friend of Victoria. They have observed how the two acted towards each other and they felt that their relationship is something that exceeds friendship. Every time, they would ask their unnie about their status, she would plainly answer that they are friends. Even if that was true, they knew that sooner or later it would develop into something more. And it seems that a little push from them would be needed.

"Okay! So Changmin-oppa, it is." Amber clapped her hands together. "How do you guys suggest we go about this?"

"Go about what?"

All four girls whipped their heads towards the source of the question and was surprised to see subject of their meeting.

"Oh… Unnie… that was… uhm…" Luna tried to utter an excuse but couldn’t come up with one. Luckily for her, Krystal noticed how the eldest was dressed and changed the topic immediately.

"Woah, unnie! You look really pretty! Are you going to a party or something?"

"Oh!" The girls noticed the older blush at the compliment. "No, there’s no party. Uhmm.. Actually, I.. I’m going out on a date… with Donghae-oppa."

"What?!" All four girls exclaimed.

"Are you guys dating?" Sulli asked to which Victoria responded with a shy nod.

"Since when?" Luna inquired further.

"About a month, a month and a half ago?" was Victoria’s unsure what respond. Her daughters were about attack her with more questions but was interrupted by an incoming call.

Minho sneaks a last glance at his now sleeping daughter before closing the door silently before him. He heaves a sigh of relief as he was finally able to make his baby girl sleep after more than an hour of crying.

He just got home from work when his panicked wife rushed at him at the door, telling him that their daughter needed him. He quickly rushed into the house and up the 2nd floor where their daughter’s room was located. He saw his only child inside her crib, face already red and voice sounding coarse from all the crying.

I wonder where Vic went… Minho thought as he walked down the stair and into their living room. He then went into the kitchen, thinking his wife was there, but saw it empty as well.

"Vic?" he called out as he exited the house through the back door leading intori their backyard. Although it was already dark, he was able to recognize his wife’s silhouette sitting on the wooden bench they had placed at the center of their makeshift garden.

"Hey, what are you doing her? It’s cold." he said as he sat next to her, noticing how her shoulders were shaking. Upon closer inspection though, he realizes tat her shaking had nothing to do with the cold weather.

"Why are you crying? Is anything wrong? Please Vic, talk to me." he pleaded, holding Victoria’s face in between his hands as he used his thumb to wipe away her tears.

"I-I’m a… a f-failure as a m-mom.." she whispered in between her sobs.

Shock and confusion was written all over Minho’s face as her words sank in. “Ridiculous! What even made you think of that?! You’re an amazing mom!”

 ”No, I’m not! Don’t even deny the obvious!” she responded angrily., pulling away from his touch. “I can’t even make my own daughter stop crying? Do I even deserve to be called a mother?!”

Minho opened his mouth to respond but was cut off as Victoria was not yet finished with what she had to say.

"But you! One look from you, one touch from you, she stops crying. During meal times, she becomes so agitated when I’m the one feeding her but when you do it, she instantly becomes an angel. My own daughter hates me and you say that I’m an awesome mom? I’m not an idiot for your information Choi Minho!"

Minho sighed as Victoria ranted. It seems that his job for today is not yet finished. After his baby girl, it seems it’s now time for him to baby his main girl.

"Hey, that’s not entirely true." he said, pulling Victoria closer to him once again. "She absolutely hates it when I bathe her. She struggles out of my grip every time I try to dress her. She throws the biggest tantrums whenever I try to change her diapers. She’s always asks for you when she’s sick…"

Victoria makes a face. “That’s all the dirty work!”

"Yes! Exactly!" Minho exclaims, making Victoria even more confused with what point he is trying to make.

"What I mean to say is that we are a couple that complete each other. There are things that you can’t do that I can and there are things that I can’t do that you can. We compliment each other that is why we’re perfect together." he explained. "If you can do everything on your own, why would you even need me in your life?"

"That’s ridiculous!" she exclaimed. "Of course, I need you."

"As I need you." he answered. He placed a hand on her chin, lifting her face up and placing a lingering kiss on her lips. "No more of these ‘I’m not a good mom’ thoughts, okay?"

Seeing a lone person sitting on the table supposed to be shared by 10, Minho just knew they had been set up by their band mates. Coming from an individual schedule, he came a little late for the supposed dinner he was to share with his members and their hoobaes, f(x).  He should have seen it coming a mile away when Jonghyun suddenly called him earlier about the meet up.

His members knew he had feelings for the older woman. Ever since the time she featured in their debut MV, he knew she was different, special. He once thought it was merely a physical attraction. He wouldn’t be the first since she has caught the eyes of a lot of men in their company, including most of the members of his Super Junior hyungs.

It was only later though, when he was finally able to hang out and talk with her through the Kyu line, did he realize that his feelings for her rand deeper than he initially thought. His feelings for her only grew deeper as he got to know her more while working with her during  joint performances, photo shoots and endorsements between their groups.

Ever since finding out about his admiration towards the Chinese woman, his members have bothering him to confess his feelings. Not confident about his chances, he always declined them and reasoned out that this wasn’t the right time for either of them to get involved in a relationship. He knew the others didn’t buy his alibi but it was the best that he could come up with.  But it seems that his members are no longer buying his excuse and was going out of their way to push him to confess.

Not wanting to keep the woman waiting alone, he took a deep breath before approaching the table.

"Noona?"

The woman sitting alone on the table looked up from her phone to look at the person who had joined her. A smile appeared on her face as she recognized who it was.

"Minho!" she greeted brightly. "Nice to see you. It seems that my members are running a little late. Where’s yours?"

"I’m not really sure." he answered honestly. "I was at a schedule when Jong hyung texted me and told me about the dinner. I came here right after my schedule finished."

Victoria only nodded in response and Minho could already feel the beginning of an awkward silence between them. Luckily for him, both their phones buzzed at the same time. They both excused themselves and answered the incoming call from their respective members.

"Krystal"

"Onew hyung"

They said at the same time when they finished their calls.

"Let me guess they’re not coming, aren’t they?" Victoria asked to which Minho could only respond with a nod. The older woman sighed. "Looks like we’ve been set up."

Completely unknown to Minho, Victoria had been receiving the same treatment from her member as he was from his. Her daughters knew she liked Minho more just a co-worker or a friend. They thought Minho would be a perfect fit for Victoria. Even though he is younger that her, he is mature and would be able to take care of their beloved Omma. They knew Victoria would never make a move to confess her crush on the younger man, being conservative as she was. So with the help of the SHINee members, they had devised this plan to set up the two.

"Looks like it." Minho replied, feeling quite nervous.  His and her members worked hard to set this one up and he felt that he should take advantage of it. When will he get another opportunity like this to spend time with her alone? Probably never.

"Noona?" he began, feeling his voice shake with nervousness. "Since we’re already here. W-would you mind if… if eat together before leaving?"

"I wouldn’t mind that."

To be honest, age is not a good defense at all in Krystal and Sulli’s case.

At 19 years old, you’re already considered a legal adult in my country. You should be old enough by then to think maturely about your actions and the consequences it has. You should be old enough to not think selfishly and be more considerate and sacrificing if it’s for a greater good. With Krystal and Sulli, this can’t ring any more true especially since they’ve been in the entertainment business since they were children. They, of all people, should know better than anyone else of the do’s and don’t in the business.