The ride to Hongdae was quiet. Too quiet. I was sitting at the back of the van, staring at my phone. My screen saver was a picture of me and Yongguk from the spa date we had not long ago. He was kissing my cheek and I was giggling happily while looking at the camera. I know I was supposed to change the picture after that day, but I kept it because it reminds me of him, especially when we don't see each other, and I really like this picture. I guess it's time to finally change it..

I scanned the pictures in my phone. I decided to use a picture of me and the girls instead. It was from the day of our debut showcase and we were smiling happily, excited. I set the picture as my wallpaper and smiled when I saw the result. It's the first step of forgetting him.

"What are you doing?" Sey asked, peeking at my phone.

"Getting rid of things I don't need." I said dryly.

"Like Yongguk?" she questioned. I bit my lower lip.

"He was the one that didn't need me anymore.. I'm not clinging onto people who doesn't want me. These days are over."

"You should talk to him." Sey stated.

"What for? He has someone else now." I kept a cold tone, trying not to show my emotions. I can't show I'm weak or hurt, even if it's only in front of Sey. My gaze traveled to Sumi, who was sitting at the front, listening to music. I sighed quietly and turned my gaze back to Sey.

"I'm not defending him, but there might be more to that than what you think." she said and tucked her earphones in her ears, ending our conversation.

I shrugged. Either way, it doesn't matter. He already made his choice.

~

"Do you want to go eat something?" Daehyun offered.

"Sure." the boys agreed quickly.

"Where are we going?" Zelo asked curiously.

"Hongdae.." Himchan said, smirking. "There are really good restaurants there.."

"Restaurants or performances?" Youngjae questioned, smiling. All of them knew what he really meant.. It was quite obvious.

"Both?" Himchan smiled mischievously.

"Should we tell them we are going to watch?" Jongup asked.

"No way!" Daehyun exclaimed. "We are just going to eat. They won't know we are there, it will be weird if they'll find out. We'll just stay behind so they won't see us."

"Hyung, are you coming as well?" Zelo hesitantly asked, looking at Yongguk.

"What do you take me for?" Yongguk asked, looking at Zelo, who autometically shrank in his place. Yongguk can be scary when he wants to.

"It's just that.. Hyeri.." Zelo stuttered.

"Of course I'm coming. Besides, it's not like they'll know we are there, so it's all good."

~

Sey ran the conversation she had with Yongguk just minutes ago in her mind. She was mad at him and she wanted answers, but his answer surprised her. He really is putting her in a tough position.. She does understand him, but on the other hand, her best friend is hurt. She sighed quietly when her phone vibrated in her hand. It was a message from Himchan. A smile spread on her face while she opened it - "Please put an eye on Hyeri. Zico is after her again and she is more sensitive right now because of Yongguk..". Sey sighed again, this time louder, and typed a reply - "Sure. Thanks for telling me :)". Moments after she got another text- "No problem. I love you." she smiled and responded - "I love you too <3".

~

"We're here." Jinu said and stopped the van.

We got out of the car and looked around. The area had quite a few restaurants and there were many people enjoying their evening in the different attractions Hongdae could offer.

"Where are we performing?" Yujin asked.

"Over there." Jinu pointed at an empty space not far from us. It was in the middle of the street, but if that's good enough for them we can handle it. That's the point of busking, right?

"So do we just go over there and start singing? How is it going to work?" I asked.

"There are a few guidelines I need to give you before we start."

~

"Ah, things are sure different since when we debuted." Youngjae commented while the boys strolled down the packed streets.

"Yeah. We didn't do this busking thing when we debuted.. We didn't have to." Himchan said.

"The busking became a trend only after we debuted. Everyone started doing it all of a sudden.." Zelo added.

"The competition is tough these days." Daehyun stated.

"I actually like this trend." Jongup mumbled quietly, making the boys look at him in surprise. The shy Jongup doesn't seem like the type who will want to do this kind of things, especially not on a regular basis.

"It looks fun.." Jongup said quietly, shrinking under the questioning looks of his group members.

"Where are they performing?" Yongguk suddenly asked, scanning the area.

~

"So this is it. You should stay in this area." Jinu said and drew a circle in the air that represents our improvised stage.

"Isn't it too small?" Sumi asked.

"It's fine. Go fix your hair and makeup, we are starting soon."

~

"I'm nervous!" Yujin said while moving her feet nervously.

"Relax. It's just like we did earlier in the mall." Sey tried to calm her down.

"But in the mall we had our fans. Who said they will come here?" Yujin still hasn't relaxed.

"They will." Sey reassured her.

"So what about the other people?"

"Just like the mall - We might get their attention and we might get ignored. We won't know until we try."

"I hate this."

"You have to know what it's like to be in the bottom so you won't lose your roots once you get to the top." I said. I've been listening to their conversation and I felt like I had to interfere.

"I think we should go.. I see the staff talking." Eun Hee commented, looking at our stage - The pavement.

"Do you see people?" Yujin asked curiously.

"Yeah. There are a bunch of people sitting in a circle around our stage. Looks like the security pushed them backwards so we'll have room to dance."

"That's good.." I mumbled. At least people came.

"Girls, get ready to start." Jinu said.

"We have a special performance for you today.." the staff member that was appointed as the MC said. "They are a rookie girl group and they will be big someday.."

"Who told him to say this nonsense?" Sumi complained. This time I agreed with her. Why say stupid things like this? It can backfire him and us if we won't make it.

"Be quiet. People can hear you." Jinu scolded.

"Sorry.." she apologized.

"They just debuted a week ago and they found time in their busy schedule to be here today.." the MC kept talking.

"Jinu, who the hell told him to say those things?" I asked, pointing at the MC. "He is making us look bad!"

"I'll talk to him."

"Thanks, oppa!" I hugged Jinu, smiling.

"I'm really happy to introduce 'Peppermint'!" the MC finally finished talking and there was weak clapping and cheering. Jinu ushered us to the stage and the music for our intro song started playing.

~

"Found it!" Himchan said and pointed at a bunch of people gathered somewhere.

"I can't believe they got this dude to MC again.. He is really bad at it!" Daehyun exclaimed.

"Let's hope he will get lost when the girls show up.." Youngjae said.

"Zelo, what are you doing?" Jongup asked, looking at the youngest member, who took out his phone. The other guys turned their attention to Zelo as well. 

"Filming them." Zelo said sheepishly.

"You have some really good ideas sometimes." Himchan said and ruffled Zelo's hair lovingly.

"Guys, I think it's starting!" Youngjae said, excited.

~

"Hello, we are 'Peppermint' and we are going to refresh your day!" we chanted and bowed.

"We are really happy to be here right now!" Eun Hee said excitedly.

"Actually, we thought no one will come.." Sey said quietly. The crowd started to cheer.

"The song you just heard is our intro song from our debut album. It's called 'Peppermint', just like our group name." I said.

"Shall we introduce ourselves?" Yujin asked and the cheering got louder.

We did our introduction and it went smoothly. While the other girls spoke I examined the crowd. Our fans came, but there were also non-fans that gathered around us, which is a good thing.

"Shall we sing some more?" Sumi asked.

"Your title song!" someone from the crowd shouted. This person must be a fan.

"We will do that in a bit, we promise." I smiled.

"How about something more quiet first?" Sey offered.

"Our next song is called 'Hunted'. We hope you'll enjoy it." Eun Hee said.

~

"Make sure you film it properly!" Himchan told Zelo.

"Hyung, I know what I'm doing!" Zelo exclaimed, slightly annoyed.

"Himchan, leave him alone." Yongguk said.

"I'm just making sure he is doing it right!" Himchan retorted.

"You are being too much!" Daehyun told Himchan.

"Guys.. What are we doing with it afterwards?" Jongup asked curiously.

"Uploading it, of course. What else can we do with it?" Youngjae said.

"We can't tell them we were here." Jongup mumbled.

"They won't know it's us." Himchan smirked.

~

When we finished performing 'Hunted' we performed 'Sunshine' as well.

"Let's do some talking before we continue, okay?" I said, trying to stable my breath a bit.

"You know, Hyeri here has a special talent." Yujin said and put her arm on my shoulder.

"What special talent?" I asked, surprised. This thing wasn't planned.

"She can sing and dance every kpop song perfectly." Yujin said. "Want to see?" the crowd started to cheer.

"That's a great idea!" Sumi exclaimed. "Hyeri, dance for us." she said and pushed me forward, to the center of the stage. The cheers got louder while my face became slightly red from embarrassment.

"Alright." I said shyly. "What song do you want me to do?" I asked the crowd.

"Cheer Up!" a guy from the crowd yelled.

"That's easy." I smiled. I sang and danced the chorus perfectly, and the crowd sang with me. When I finished I bowed and the cheers got stronger. I also noticed that more people started watching us.

"Choose another song!" Sey goaded the crowd.

~

"One Shot"! Daehyun shouted, trying not to disclose their location.

Yongguk immediately hit Daehyun's head, who whined and rubbed the hurting spot.

"Don't speak nonsense. They might hear you if we're not careful." Yongguk scolded.

"Sorry, hyung."

~

"I think I heard someone asking for 'One Shot'.." Eun Hee mumbled.

"Who was that?" Sumi asked and scanned the crowd. There was silence.

"You heard wrong. Or he might be embarrassed that we heard him.." Sey tried to joke.

"Do 'Marionette' by Stellar!" another guy yelled.

"That's a bit too y.." I mumbled, embarrassed. I'm sure my face was starting to get redder.

"Are you embarrassed?" Sumi teased.

"Then how about you do it? You are good at things like this." I smiled.

"It's your time to shine, go for it!" she answered in fake sweetness.

"I can sing without doing the dance." I offered. This actually went smoothly, to Sumi's dissatisfaction. I'm not going to do a y dance.

~

Not so far from there, someone was watching the performance intently. He was hidden among the people watching, a big hat covering his face. He can't get discovered.

Zico flipped the lighter in his hand several times and waited for the perfect opportunity. His gaze was still focused on Hyeri, not leaving her. He will get her, one way or another. She is his.

~

"Okay, I'll do one last song because we need to continue with our own songs and the other members have special talents as well." I said.

"Oppa's Car!" a girl yelled.

"That's a rap song.." I mumbled. "Our lovely rapper Sey can do it." I said and pointed at her.

"Stop slacking off!" Sumi scolded. "Just rap."

"If I rap we'll lose fans." I reasoned and the crowd started to laugh. At least they think it's a joke..

"If they are still here after your failed attempt to be y they won't run away." Sumi said and the laughter got louder. I ignored her comment.

"So either Sey will rap or I'll sing another song. What do you say?" I asked the audience.

"Sing something!"

"Now I'm hurt." Sey commented and made a sad face.

"You can help me out.." I said, trying to cheer her up. The crowd started to cheer louder and Sey nodded shyly.

"Alright, how about we do 'I Am You, You Are Me?'" I offered.

"Do it"! the crowd cheered. I looked at my watch in order to check the time.

"We still have time, so let's do the whole song. Sey, please help me with the rap part." I asked.

"Sure!" she beamed. Suddenly an idea came to my mind.

"Wait, I have a better idea!" I said, smiling brightly. It's better than letting the other girls stand like sculptures while me and Sey sing.

"What is it?" Sey asked curiously.

"How about we do A Cappella?" I offered.

"We never tried it before with this song.." Eun Hee mumbled.

"We can try now.. There is always a first time." I smiled. "Besides, it's not the first time we are doing A Cappella.."

"Let's do it!" Sumi exclaimed. I saw that the other girls still hesitated.

"Do you want to hear an A Cappella version of this song?" I asked the crowd watching. They cheered and the girls slowly softened.

"Relax, I'll do the singing and Sey will do the rap. You just have to harmonize. And you all know the song." I told the girls without the crowd hearing. I could see them relax, and I was more relaxed as well.

"Why are you doing all the singing?" Sumi asked, trying not to raise her voice too much.

"It's her turn to show her talent. Be grateful you can participate." Sey whispered angrily.

"Ready?" I asked the crowd and the girls. The crowd cheered and the girls nodded.

"Three, two, one.." I counted quietly and we started performing the song. 

~

"What is wrong with Hyeri?" Daehyun asked no one in particular.

"I know, right?" Youngjae sighed. "Why does she think the girls can do A Cappella? She is the only one there that sings decently."

"Sey can rap well." Himchan stated, glaring at Youngjae.

"The protective boyfriend has woken up.." Daehyun chuckled, earning a glare from Himchan.

"We talked about singing, not about rapping, so no one attacked your girlfriend." Youngjae told Himchan.

"But wouldn't it be okay if Hyeri does most of the singing?" Jongup asked.

"Either it will be really good or they'll fail miserably." Daehyun said.

"She sure is fearless.. I would have been scared trying it if they're not at Mamamoo's level." Youngjae said.

"Just trust Hyeri, will you? She knows what she is doing." Yongguk growled.

~

We performed the song well. Yujin did some beatboxing and the other girls harmonized well, including adding some backup vocals when needed. Sey did her rap perfectly and everything just fell in place. I was nervous at first, but as the song progressed I felt more relaxed and happy. The cheers and clapping got louder, and there were more people coming to watch us.

When the song ended I sighed in relief and smiled, happy it ended well. It could have gone really bad because we haven't practiced this song before, so it was a huge risk. The loud cheering cut me off from my thoughts and brought me back to reality.

"Thank you." I said and bowed, and the girls did the same.

"I showed you my personal talent, so I think now is a good time to move on to the next member.." I said.

"No!" the crowd protested.

"Don't be mean." I scolded lightly. "We are a group and the other girls are talented as well, like you could see until now."

"Our youngest member, Sumi, also has a special talent." Yujin said, trying to lighten the atmosphere. "She is in charge of being y in our group, even if she is the youngest. Go show them." she pushed Sumi forward.

~

The special talent segment ended after everyone showed something they can do. Sumi entranced the crowd with her appeal, Sey did a fast rap, Eun Hee was being funny and did a few imitations and Yujin did some aegyo.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Sey exclaimed.

"What is it?" Yujin asked curiously.

"Hyeri have another talent!" Sey said happily.

"Yah, it's not a 'Let's promote Hyeri' day! It's enough." I said, trying to show the girls I'm serious without making it too obvious to the rest.

"No no, you really want to see this talent!" Sey insisted, turning back to the people watching. The crowd started to cheer and Sey pushed me to the center of the stage again. I sighed and tried to smile.

"Hyeri is very flexible. She can do everything." Sey said proudly. "Do some splits!"

"I do splits in our choreography." I reasoned. "Besides, you can do splits as well. It was part of our training."

"You want to see her do some splits, right?" Sey asked the audience, ignoring my silent protest. The crowd clapped and cheered.

"If you want her to do it you have to scream her name and cheer for her." Sey exclaimed, trying to wake up the audience.

~

"What are they doing?" Youngjae pondered while watching the girls.

"I'm not sure anymore.." Himchan mumbled.

"Why is she cooperating with that?" Daehyun asked when Hyeri did some splits.

"She is just trying hard." Youngjae said.

"I actually feel sorry for her.." Zelo mumbled.

"Why?" the boys asked curiously.

"Can't you see she is overly happy and cheerful? She must be so hurt because of Yongguk hyung."

"Zelo, shut it." Himchan said, glaring at the youngest member. He didn't want Yongguk to feel uncomfortable, he is going through enough as it is.

~

"Alright, let's continue our performance!" I cheered happily when I finished doing the splits.

We performed 'Mystery Guy' and 'Dreams' and it went well. We talked a bit more and tried to interact with the crowd and soon it was time for our last song.

"We have one more song left.." Yujin said.

"Can you guess which song is it?" Sey asked.

"YOUR TITLE SONG!" our fans shouted.

"That's right." I smiled brightly. "You were waiting for this, right?"

"YES!"

"Okay. Do you know the fanchants?" Eun Hee asked.

"Yes."

"Show us a bit. Let's practice together!" Sumi asked and started chanting, setting an example. Our fans joined and it was nice to see.

"You are awsome!" Sumi exclaimed when she finished and we clapped.

"This song is our title song and it's called 'Oppa Is Mine'." I said and we took our places.

The music started playing and we did our routine. Around the middle of the song the music stopped. It was my part so I continued singing my lines like nothing happened, but I saw that the girls panicked. The crowd gasped, which stressed the girls out even more. I tried to act normally, hoping the girls will do the same if they see me doing our routine like usual. Sey's turn to rap came and I saw that she was nervous. She started to stutter. Dammit. Why did the music had to stop now? We actually need it for this song.

"Head, shoulders, knees and toes.." I said Sey's line with her, trying to show her it's fine. I'm not a rapper and I will never rap because I know what I'm good at and what things I should give up on, but desperate times requires desperate means.

"Perfection is written all over my body." Sey continued, and the crowd cheered loudly. I smiled and did a thumbs up. She smiled and continued rapping without music.

Sey finished all her lines successfully and now it was Eun Hee's turn to sing. She managed to do well and our fans helped with clapping to the rhythm and doing the fanchants. The non-fans just cheered, which also helped motivate us. I noticed a few people recording us, so I tried to do better.

~

"Wow." Jongup said.

"GO HYERI!" the boys screamed loudly when it was her turn to sing.

"I think the CEO knew exactly why he appointed her as the leader." Himchan said.

"She is doing great." Daehyun said and the boys nodded in agreement.

"I never thought she'll be this good." Youngjae commented, and Yongguk immediately glared at him.

"What? She is badass most of the time, but she can also break down because of stupid things.." Youngjae hurried to explain. "And not all of them", he stopped to look at the girls, "Are listening to her."

"Just shut up." Yongguk grumbled.

"Bang, you can be really proud of her." Himchan said and put his arm on Yongguk's shoulder.

"I am proud of her." Yongguk said while looking at Hyeri in adoration.

~

"Stay away from oppa!" the last words of the song were sung and I sighed in relief when it ended. I have no idea how it happened, but we actually finished the song without any big mistakes. The music wasn't there but we handled it. The crowd clapped and cheered extra loudly and it made me smile. During the song I think I heard my name being shouted, but I'm not sure because it was a bit unclear, like it was farther away.

"I'm really sorry for giving you a bad performance like this..It wasn't planned." I apologized and bowed. Sey followed and bowed as well. The rest of the girls did the same.

"IT'S OKAY!" the crowd started to chant. I stood up, smiling a little.

"You did great!" someone shouted, and my smile grew wider.

"Thank you." I said shyly. "I'm really sorry. I don't know what happened, but you deserve a better performance."

"Don't apologize!" one of the males shouted.

"Hyeri.." Sey nudged my arm lightly.

"What is it?" I asked quietly.

"Jinu is giving us signals to finish." she said and pointed at Jinu, who was standing on the side, behind the crowd.

"Oh." I turned to the crowd again. "Unfortunately, we ran out of time and we need to finish the performance."

"NO!" the reaction from the crowd amused me. It was mainly from our fans, but still..

"Let's greet." I said and the girls stood in line next to me. "One, two, three.."

"We are 'Peppermint', and we are going to refresh your day!" we bowed once more and left the stage.

~

"Did you film everything?" Himchan asked Zelo.

"Yes!" Zelo answered, trying not to sound too annoyed. "What do you take me for?"

"Great job, kiddoh!" Himchan smiled brightly and ruffled Zelo's hair.

"What is wrong with him?" Daehyun quietly asked Youngjae.

"He is just fanboying.. In a really weird way." Youngjae answered.

"I don't think I saw him this excited about our comebacks.." Jongup mumbled.

"Said the one who fanboys over Hyosung.." Daehyun teased Jongup.

"That's different!" Jongup claimed.

"Aigoo. Does Yujin know you fanboy about other female idols?" Youngjae asked and put his arm on Jongup's shoulder.

"I'm not dating Yujin." Jongup stated and moved Youngjae's arm.

"For now." Youngjae added.

"You are worse than him." Daehyun told Youngjae.

"Why can't you just confess like men?" Yongguk asked, looking at Jongup and Youngjae.

"Like it was that easy for you." Youngjae snorted.

"At least I told her at some point how I felt."

"So why aren't you doing it again?" Jongup asked.

"Because she is not letting me." Yongguk sighed.

"Guys.." Himchan said, interrupting their conversation.

"What is it?" Daehyun asked.

"They are coming in this direction. Let's hide."

~

"How did it go?" the man asked.

"I did as I was told." the younger male said.

"But it failed." the man stated, raising his voice. He was definitely mad.

"How was I supposed to know she will handle it?" the younger one tried to argue.

"Next time make sure nothing interrupts you. I want her down, in the most miserable way."

"Yes, sir."

"You." the older man called.

"What is it, sir?"

"You only have one chance, you know." a smirk appeared on the man's face. He cocked his head to the side before pulling the trigger of the gun in his hand. The disturbing smile on his face turned into a loud creepy laughter.

"Goodbye, idiot."

Author's Note:

Sorry for the late update :(

I was planning to update sooner, but I was sick :\

Thank you for reading, commenting, subscribing, etc.! it means a lot to me <3

M.