The next morning was hectic. We didn't wake up on time and everything was rushed.

"Damn it." I cursed while looking at my reflection in the mirror after brushing my teeth. My face was completely bloated, and I'm sure my endless crying yesterday had something to do with it..

I sighed and finished washing up and heading out of the bathroom so I can get dressed.

When Jinu came to pick us up we weren't ready yet and he scolded us for being late. What a good start for the day..

We reached the beauty salon and got ready. I also got scolded by the makeup artist, but I stayed quiet. I deserved it, and there wasn't really much I could do about it.. I just hoped that the swelling will go down a little before the recording so that my face will look normal.

I was waiting for the other girls to finish when Jinu called me.

"What is it?" I approached him.

"We need to talk." he stated and signaled me to follow him to a quieter room. I walked after him quietly.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes." I smiled. "Thank you."

"Listen.. About yesterday.." he rubbed his neck nervously.

"What about it?" I started to feel uneasy. Something about his tone and his body language told me I'm not going to like this conversation.

"I gave him money." by him he meant my brother. I started to get mad.

"Why? That's what he wanted."

"I know." Jinu said quietly.

"He has a problem, giving him money will only make things worse. It's like giving drugs to a druggie." I raised my voice.

"It's not like I had a choice!" Jinu raised his voice as well.

"You had one - Not giving him anything." I glared at him. "He is my brother, it has nothing to do with you."

"Then why did you run away yesterday instead of solving things?" he exclaimed. I look at the ground, defeated. He was right.

"I'm sorry.." Jinu said softly when he realized he said something wrong.

"You are right. I should have handled it better instead of running away like a coward." I looked up at him. "I can't really complain when I was the one at fault."

"Hyeri.." he called softly.

"I know you were trying to help. I'm sorry for bursting out on you."

"It's not like I wanted to do that.. I didn't have a choice." Jinu sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"He threatened to reveal you and Yongguk are dating." I sighed as well. Of course he did.. I should have realized he will try to do this kind of thing.. Hyesung tried to threaten me with it as well.

"It's his word against ours, and he is drunk most of the time. Do you think people will believe him?" I tried to reason.

"He had pictures." this took me by surprise.

"What? How? When?" I asked, utterly confused.

"I'm not sure, but do you remember the date you and Yongguk had a couple of days ago? At the resort?" I nodded. "It looks like he had pictures of you from there."

My face paled. This can't be happening.. Not right now.

"He will come back once he runs out of money." I muttered. Knowing my brother, he won't miss an opportunity to earn easy money, even if he destroys his own family in the process.

"I made sure he won't. I gave him enough money to give up on the stupid idea, and I made sure the photos are gone as well."

"How much did you give him?"

"It doesn't matter." Jinu shrugged.

"It does matter to me. Tell me!" I stared intently at him.

He told me the amount and my eyes widened in shock. It was a pretty big sum. Too big for that . He is not worth it.

"I'm paying you back." I declared.

"You don't have money." he reasoned.

"I don't care, I'll find a way to pay you back. It's a large sum of money and he is my brother so it's my responsibility."

"Hyeri.." Jinu tried to convince me, but I didn't budge.

"Fine." he sighed, giving up. "But pay me back only after you start getting paid."

"Deal." I finally smiled.

"Alright. Are you sure you are fine?"

"Yes."

"Good." a smile formed on his face for the first time since we started this conversation.

"Oppa.."

"Hmm?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because it will be a mess if the CEO finds out, and I don't want you to get kicked out. You are too good to let your talent go to waste." his answer made me smile.

"Thank you, oppa."

"Go back to the other girls, I need to make a few phone calls."

"Yes, oppa." I bowed and went back, leaving him by himself.

~

We reached the SBS building for "The Show" filming. Today we are doing "Hunted" in addition to our title song. Our schedules are a bit longer today because we are pre-recording "Hunted" and we are doing "Oppa is Mine!" live, and we have to stay for the ending as well.

"Are you excited?" Yujin asked me while we walked to our dressing room.

"About what?"

"First live today." she smiled shyly. Right, it's their first live because yesterday was pre-recorded.

"Yeah." I smiled.

"I'm nervous." she admitted.

"You did great in the showcase, you'll be fine. Just relax." I patted her back.

"Thanks, unnie." she hugged me and I smiled.

"Girls, we are starting the rehearsal!" Jinu informed us and we headed towards the stage.

After pratice we changed clothes and waited for our turn to record. This time we were wearing dresses and had a light makeup on. My hair was braided nicely and a nice hair clip was attached to it. The stylist's team really did a good job dressing us.

When it was our turn I heard cheers from the crowd. I looked around and saw a couple of fans holding our lightsticks in the air, waving it. It made me smile. I waved to them and they squealed, which made me laugh.

"What is it?" Eun Hee clung onto my arm when she noticed I'm distracted.

"Fans." I said and pointed at their direction. She smiled brightly when she noticed them.

"Can we talk to them?"

"I don't know.. Wouldn't the staff be mad becuase we are supposed to record?" I pondered. There should be a manual to how to communicate with your fans and what you should or shouldn't do in recordings.. We are really clueless about it.

"But we are not recording now." she reasoned. "They are still preparing.."

"Your'e right." I said and Eun Hee beamed.

"Girls, come here!" Eun Hee called the others and they joined us.

"What is it?" Sey asked curiously

"Fans!" she declared and pointed at the direction of our fans, who were squealing because Eun Hee pointed at them.

"Wow, they are pretty.." Yujin mumbled while looking at them in awe.

"Let's go greet them before we start the recording." Sey said and approached the edge of the stage, near the crowd. We followed her.

Our fans made their way to the front as well so they can cheer us while we perform. Now I could see there were about 15 people there, and it made me happy. Better than having none..

I also noticed that most of them were girls, probably high schoolers.

We crouched down so we can be at their level.

"Our fans are so pretty.." Sey stated, smiling. They squealed. This is so cute.

"Did you wait long?" Yujin asked.

"Yes!" they chanted.

"What should we do.." I pouted. "We are sorry, it's not up to us, we are waiting as well." I apologized.

"It's okay!" the chanted and I smiled.

"You are staying for the live, right?" Eun Hee asked.

"Yes!"

"Alright. We will do our best to make you proud of us." she said, and I smiled.

"Don't forget to cheer loudly, it gives us energy!" Sumi said.

"Yes, unnie!"

"Do you know our fanchants?" Sey asked.

"Yes!"

"Our fans are really the best!" Sey beamed.

"Do you like our title song?" I asked.

"YES!" they screamed and I laughed. So cute.

"Who is your favorite member?" Sumi asked, teasing.

They started to yell different names, to our amusement.

"Girls, we need to start." the producer said and we nodded.

We waved to out fans and stood up, taking our places on the stage. It was designed like a garden with a couple of trees and a large bench was placed in the center of it. Pink petals were scattered everywhere. It was really pretty.

We recorded the song and our fans cheered when we finished. We smiled and waved to them when we left the stage, heading backstage.

~

"They are cute." Eun Hee said when we were in the dressing room again.

"They are." I agreed.

"I can't believe people came." Yujin muttered, sitting next to us.

"I know, right?" Sey said.

"We actually have fans.." Sumi muttered quietly.

"We actually debuted.." I mumbled.

"Yah, what's wrong with you?" Sey exclaimed, eyeing me and Sumi. We looked at her confused.

"We don't know how long it will last, so let's enjoy it!" Sey said cheerfully.

~

We had a long break until the live show, so we used this time to rest, eat and chat with one another and our staff.

I watched a couple of groups record their songs and I even texted Yongguk because he was still worried about me and he wanted to make sure I'm fine.

When the show was about to start we changed clothes and did our hair and makeup again. This time our cheerleading uniforms were black and mint color. I guess we are not going to get rid of this color anytime soon..

The best thing about our clothes is that we are wearing sneakers, and not heels for example, because our choreography is complicated and flat shoes is always more comfortable.

The show finally started and we were the second group to perform. We took our positions on stage while they showed the song we recorded earlier today. The stage was simple, the only effect we had was a screen with animation that fit the song.

We stood in position and the music started to play. Our fans started to do the fan chant and it made me smile. Other groups fans also clapped and tried to cheer us, and it warmed my heart. When I landed after my acrobatic stunt I heard loud clapping and cheering.

The song ended and we all sighed in relief because it went well. We bowed and walked off stage, back to our dressing room.

"Good job, girls!" Jinu complimented us.

"Thanks, oppa!"

"Go rest until the show ends.. You have time until the ending segment, but don't disappear for too long."

"Yes, oppa."

"Hey.." Yujin nudged my arm.

"What?"

"Do you want to go watch other performances? I heard Seventeen are performing soon.." Oh, right.. They made a comeback lately, so they are still promoting.

"Let's go." I smiled.

~

I was thirsty and I couldn't find Jinu, so I went to get some water. I walked down the hallway when I noticed a girl walking in my direction. She looked familiar, but I couldn't remember how do I know her.

"She must be an idol, that's why she is familiar.." I thought to myself. She was dressed like a fairy, which made sense if she is indeed an idol. That must be her stage costume..

She kept walking, closing the distance between us. When she was close to me she smiled and bowed without introducing herself. Who is she?

"I'm Peppermint's Hyeri, nice to meet you." I bowed.

"I know." she smiled. "I remember you." Huh?

"You don't remember me, do you?" she asked when I didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry.." I apologized and bowed, flustered.

"It's okay." she chuckled. "We met when you were a backup dancer for B.A.P a while ago.."

My mind drifted to that time. The only person I met back then was Daehyun's girlfriend.. Who is indeed an idol.

"You are Daehyun's girlfriend?" my mouth opened in shock. How can I not remember her? Stupid Hyeri.

"Yes." she smiled. "I'm Narae. I'm in an idol group called Lollipop." she introduced herself and bowed.

"I'm sorry for not recognizing you.. I'm just bad at remembering people." I scratched my head, embarrassed.

"It's alright." she smiled warmly. "I actually wanted to apologize to you.." she shifted uncomfortably in her place.

"What for?" I asked confused.

"The day we met.. I was rude and falsely accused you. I just had a big argument with him that day and I was still mad at him. I just took out my anger on the wrong person."

"It's okay, I understand. And it wasn't such a big deal anyway." I tried to reassure her.

"Hmm.." she said, and I looked curiously at her.

"I want to thank you for taking care of Daehyun and feeding him. He always talks about how well you cook and how much he likes it.. I can't really cook, so I'm happy you are doing this for him." she said shyly and buried her gaze on the floor.

"Well, I love the boys and I love to cook, so it's my pleasure." I smiled. "I'm actually surprised you are so cool about it.. I probably wouldn't have liked it if another girl kept making food for my boyfriend.. I mean, beside the food support from fans of course." she chuckled.

"Well, I trust him and I know you don't have weird motives.." she looked at me.

"I don't." I smiled. "If you want, I can teach you to cook something.." I offered and I saw her face lit up.

"I'm really bad at this.." she scratched her head nervously.

"I can teach you something easy to cook.. I'm sure Daehyun will be happy if you make food for him."

"Alright." she smiled.

"Great. Then we'll do this when I finish promoting."

"Deal."

We looked at each other a few moments, smiling. I examined her appearance. She really is pretty. And she seem like a nice person.

"Hyeri.." she broke the silence.

"What?"

"I know it's a bit weird, but can I have your phone number? I swear I'm not a stalker.." I laughed.

"Don't worry, I know your'e not." I smiled. "And of course you can."

We exchanged phone numbers and talked for a little bit more until I had to go back to the girls. We said our goodbyes and I headed back to my dressing room.

"What took you so long?" Sumi asked when I entered the room, annoyed.

"I met a friend." I said.

"What friend?" Sey asked curiosuly. She knows I don't have that many friends, and the few people I know from the industry are not promoting at the moment.

"A girl group member." I said, keeping it vague. I don't want to expose Narae and Daehyun. Sey looked weirdly at me, but didn't say anything about it.

"I want to talk to you." she stated and dragged me to one of the couches in the room.

"What is it?"

"Did you make up with Yongguk?" she asked.

"Kind of.."

"What do you mean?"

"We didn't talk about it, but I think we are fine now."

"Do you know why he was mad?"

"No." I admitted.

"Did he say anything?" she asked.

"No."

"Give me your phone." she stretched her hand.

"Why?" I asked, suspicious.

"I want to see your conversation." she smiled inncoently.

"No. It's private." I kept my phone close to me.

"Come on.. You can see my conversations with Himchan." she tried to convince me.

"I'm not interested in it. You probably talk about all the time." I claimed and her face reddened. Busted.

"It's better than being a nun like you." she retorted.

"I'm fine like this." I stated.

"I was just trying to help you!" she exclaimed.

"Fine." I sighed and showed her our texts from yesterday.

She looked at my phone for a few moments before talking.

"You are an idiot." she stated.

"I love you too." I said sarcastically.

"He told you what bothered him, how can't you not know why he got mad?"

"He didn't." I claimed. I would have noticed if he said something about it..

Sey showed me the specific text and I still didn't get her intention. We were just messing around. There was nothing serious in our conversation, so he was not supposed to get mad about it.

"You are terrible." she sighed.

"What did I do?!"

"Look.. I know you really like him and I know he drives you crazy, but he won't know that if you are not telling him that."

"But I do tell him I like him. Quite a lot."

"It's not only that.." she said and I looked curiously at her. "You need to compliment him once in a while. How do you think he feels if he keep telling you nice things while you don't do the same?" I stayed quiet, thinking about what she said. He does compliment me all the time, but I am complimenting him a lot as well. "He needs to feel loved as well, or just that you care." 

"Alright." I said quietly. I guess I can tell him things like this more often.. It wouldn't hurt.

"When we get back to the company tell him how handsome he is, it should help. He will probably be in cloud nine." she chuckled while trying to imagine it.

"Okay." I smiled. "Now can I have my phone back?"

"Yes." she handed it back to me.

"Thank you."

"No problem." she smiled. "I'm always helping nuns in trouble." she teased.

"Idiot."

~

We filmed the ending segment where they announced the winner. We stood at the back and I even saw Narae's group.

After we finished we headed back to the company. It was already night when we reached there. I immediately went to the studio, knowing Yongguk will be there. I had a plan of thanking him and making sure he is not mad at me anymore. Besides, I missed him.

As expected, he was working. I entered the room quietly and locked the door behind me after making sure he is alone in the studio. We don't need any interruptions..

"Oppa." I said cutely. He turned around, smiling brightly.

"Hey there.."

"Are you busy?" I approached him slowly.

"I always have time for you." he showed me his gummy smile.

"I missed you." I sat in his lap and pecked his lips a couple of times.

"I missed you too." he pecked my lips again.

"Oppa.."

"Hmm?"

"Let's move to the couch." I offered and he got the hint.

We sat on the couch and I sat next to him. He gave me a confused look because he thought I was going to sit in his lap again.

"Let's do things a little different today.."

"What do you mean?" he asked, confused.

"Just relax and let me do the work." I smirked and pushed his chest with my finger. He leaned backwards until his back hit the couch. I changed my position so now I was sitting on top of him. My legs locked his body in place underneath mine, and my arms were on the couch, on both sides of his head, keeping his arms in place.

"Babe, what are you doing?" he asked.

"I want to be on top today." I smiled innocently. He is usually the one on top when we make out, so I want to try something else today.

"Alright." he said. Hyeri was a little weird today, but he didn't mind. She looked happy and confident, so he let her do whatever she wanted.

"So, captain, what are we doing today?" Yongguk asked.

"What do you want to do?" I asked suggestively.

"You." he smirked and my face became red as a tomato. That idiot! He didn't have to be that explicit.. He knows I'm getting embarrassed easily.

"Be quiet." I ordered, trying to stay composed.

"Yes, captain." he teased.

I took a deep breath before speaking again. "I really missed you." I said while staring into his eyes. He smiled and I started to feel the butterflies in my stomach.

I moved a few hairs from his forehead and planted a soft kiss on his nose. From there I moved to his lips, pecking it a couple of times. He smiled and I moved to his chin and jawline, making my way to his right ear.

"You look incredibly good today." I spoke in a low voice, letting it vibrate in his ear. He was dressed casually, but he always looks amazing to me.

Yongguk growled, and I smirked. I moved to his earlobe, teasing him, and then nibbled it. He groaned and I was satisfied.

"You should make those sounds more often.." I mumbled while working diligently on his neck.

"Yes, captain." he said and I bit his neck to shut him up. He chuckled.

When I reached a certain spot on his neck he moaned loudly. I continued to abuse it, drawing more noises from him.

After doing the same thing on his left ear and the other side of his neck I admired my work. My eyes traveled down to his shirt. It was a buttoned casual shirt, navy color. All the buttons were closed, so I started undoing them slowly. On the second button I realized he is wearing a shirt underneath. I frowned.

"What is it?" Yongguk asked when he noticed my expression changed. He was watching Hyeri the whole time, and he enjoyed it. She is y when she acts like that.

"Why would you wear a shirt underneath?" I pouted.

"Feisty, aren't we?" he teased me.

"Shut up." I muttered.

"How was I supposed to know you'll want to do things today?" he retorted.

"Forget it." I moved to sit on the couch, getting off of his body.

"Babe.." he called softly, looking at me.

"What?"

"It's not a big deal."

"I'm not in the mood anymore." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Come here." he pulled my hand and I fell on top of him.

"What?" I looked into his eyes.

"I love the controlling side of you." he smirked.

"Idiot."

"You are extremly y when you are focused like that, and what you do is amazing." he caressed my hair gently. I started to soften, but stayed quiet.

"I thought you wanted to take control today? And to hear me groan?" Yongguk continued talking, tucking a few hairs behind my ear. "I'm all yours today."

"I'm not doing it."

"Maybe you can't do it.." he dropped his hands to the couch.

"Of course I can!" I exclaimed, annoyed. I haven't started yet, how does he know what I can or can't do?

"Then show me what you got, captain!" he smirked.

Author's Note:

A fast update! Longer than usual, but shorter than the last chapter.

I'm sorry for stopping in the middle of the heated scene, but if I continue it will be too long, so I'll let you guess how far they'll go until the next chapter ;)

I know I said that Daehyun's girlfriend is not important and that she probably won't appear again, but I changed my mind lol. She appeared in chapter 23.

I use real groups most of the time, but her group (Lollipop) and the group of the guys they met in the past (RED) are fictional.

I'm not going to describe all the music shows like that, don't worry. I think I'll only do the first week this way and afterwards I'll focus on different things and speed things up a little.

Anyway, let me know what you think :)

Thanks for reading, commenting, etc.!

M.