"What's going on?" I asked Jinu when we were out of the practice room. It must be serious if he is interrupting me in the middle of practice, and Jinu looked worried.

"Look." he said and showed me his ipad. The screen showed an article called "A rude idol at a fansign, recorded cursing her fans and her manager". I sighed. How did it get to this? I scanned the content of the article, hoping it wouldn't be as bad as I think.

Earlier today, a furious fan posted online a story about something that happened in a fansign she attended yesterday and it caused a commotion among fans and non-fans, who criticized the idol and demands a clarification.

A, the disappointed fan, wrote:

"Yesterday I went to a fansign of a group I like - Peppermint. It was their first fansign and it was held in a mall in Jamsil after they performed there. The place wasn't packed, but there were still several fans waiting for them. Not long after the fansign started, the leader, Hyeri, raised her voice and talked rudely to an elderly fan. It was bad, so the other girls looked at her, flustered, and one of the staff members had to go there and see what was wrong. Hyeri said something to the staff member, raising her voice again, and he looked bewildered and had to ask the elderly fan to leave. When the fan refused, Hyeri cursed. Her manager told her to stop cursing, but she just left the fansign in the middle, leaving everyone flustered. The other girls and the staff had to clean the mess she created and finish the fansign early. I'm a fan and Hyeri was my favorite member but I'm really disappointed. She looked like she was a nice girl, but this fansign showed that she is rude to her fans and her manager and on top of it, she was rude to an elderly person. This is so disrespectful and I'm ashamed of myself for wanting to support her and this group. The other girls are not at fault and I feel bad for them, but a delinquent like her shouldn't debut and have fans.. It sets bad example for the kids watching her. I'm writing this to let you know so you can be careful and so that you'll think twice before becoming a fan of this group. I have a video to prove my story and I also have proof that I'm a fan. I'm not making this up because I'm an anti or something."

After the post, the video started spreading around, raising suspicions about Hyeri's true nature and her relationship with the staff around her. A few fans that was there as well tried to defend the idol, saying the elderly fan bothered her before she reacted like that, but it was useless. Now the fans are demanding a clarification and an apology from the idol.

What do you think about the incident? Was Hyeri at fault or did the fan really bother her before that?

I finished reading the article, annoyed. That's not what happened. I played the video that was attached to the article. It was filmed during the fansign and you can see my discomfort with the ahjussi fan. It clearly shows I wasn't happy with something and I showed it to the staff member, who asked the fan to leave. The fan was mad, and then you could hear me curse. It was clear that I said "ing rude", but it wasn't clear from the video who the recipient was, meaning it could have been the staff or the fan. You could also hear Jinu telling me not to curse, and then I stormed off. The video continued, showing the girls and the staff trying to deal with the unexpected situation.

I returned the ipad to Jinu, speechless. This is really bad.

"As you can see, things are not good." Jinu said softly.

"The guy bothered me. I wasn't rude to him just because I felt like it." I explained, trying to stop the tears from falling.

"I know."

"The girls hate me at the moment, right? They probably saw the article as well.." I buried my eyes on the ground. How can I face them when I'm the reason we are getting bad criticism at the moment?

"Well, Sumi is happy, but the rest know what really happened."

"What do we do?" I asked, hoping he will have a magic solution to fix this mess.

"Write a handwritten apology and explain everything."

~

"Guys, we have a problem!" Youngjae said, storming into the room.

"What's wrong?" Zelo asked curiously.

"Hyeri.." Youngjae mumbled and Yongguk tensed.

"Did her big mouth finally got her in trouble?" Himchan joked and Yongguk glared at him. Youngjae paled, and the other guys noticed it.

"You are joking.." Daehyun said, hoping it really wasn't the case. Knowing Hyeri's temper, she tends to be extreme whether she is calm or angry, so if she got in trouble for her big mouth it means that the mess is big.

"I wish I was.." Youngjae sighed and showed him the news. The other guys gathered around Daehyun to take a look as well.

Yongguk watched the video intently, clenching his fists when the ahjussi showed up. Hyeri seemed extremly uncomfortable and bothered by something related to this man, but he couldn't tell what it was. When Hyeri lost her composure he wanted to hit something, preferably that man who made her feel anxious. Hyeri has a temper, but she knows how to control herself when she has to, so it means that this ahjussi went overboard with whatever he tried to do if she reacted like that. And it can also explain why she was in a bad mood when he saw her after the fansign..

The boys looked worriedly at Yongguk. He was mad and it was understandable, but there was something else there that caught their attention - Regret. They couldn't exactly figure it out, but it looked like their leader was suffering, and maybe even blaming himelf.

"Is everything alright?" Himchan gathered the courage to ask Yongguk.

"No." Yongguk growled.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they will work something out and fix this.. It's obvious that that guy bothered her." Zelo tried to cheer him up and brighten the mood.

"Shouldn't you make sure your girlfriend won't attack your ex girlfriend?" Daehyun asked Yongguk.

"What are you talking about?" Yongguk asked, confused. Hyeri is his girlfriend, even if she doesn't acknowledge it at the moment, and she is not the type to attack others unless she has a good reason to do it.

"I heard Sumi is going around saying you two are dating and that she won over Hyeri.." Daehyun said, the annoyance obvious in his voice.

"That piece of.." Himchan muttered.

"Don't curse." Yongguk scolded before Himchan could finish his sentence.

"That piece of uneducated collection of cells.." Himchan changed his original sentence, smiling innocently.

"What is this?" Youngjae started to laugh at what Himchan said. The other boys chuckled as well.

"It sounds like something Jongup would say.." Daehyun commented, trying to hold his laughter.

"I can do better than that." Jongup argued. "The evil barbie, The witch that pretends to be a princess, Cinderella's stepsister.."

"Stop it." Yongguk said sternly, looking intently at Jongup.

"Sorry, hyung.." Jongup apologized quickly.

"Why are you defending Sumi?" Youngjae asked.

"I'm not." Yongguk shrugged.

"Well, you did kiss her, didn't you?" Daehyun asked, glaring at Yongguk.

"Daehyun.." Himchan warned the younger male.

"Let him." Yongguk told Himchan and turned his attention back to Daehyun. "I did, but it was a mistake and I can explain everything. Regardless, that's not the reason Hyeri and I are not together at the moment."

"I don't think she agrees with that statement." Daehyun shrugged.

"She does. She was the one breaking up with me before the Sumi thing happened."

"What the hell did you do to make her leave you?" Youngjae asked, bewildered.

"I don't know." Yongguk admitted.

"What are you going to do now?" Zelo asked.

"I'm going to make things better."

~

Hey, this is Peppermint's Hyeri.

I'm writing this letter to explain a few things because there are some misunderstandings regarding the fansign my group had yesterday.

We had our first fansign yesterday, in the shopping mall in Jamsil. All of us were excited and we wanted to do our best and create great memories with our fans. During the fansign there was a man that bothered me. He was acting rudely and offered me to sleep with him for money. I got annoyed and unconsciously raised my voice, which caused a commotion. The staff that came to check what happened asked the man to leave because he was bothering me, but the man refused. At that point I lost my calm and I cursed and stormed off when the man refused to leave. The curse wasn't directed towards my manager, the staff or the fan, it just happened because I was frustrated from the situation and I was overwhelmed by the man's offer, hence I wasn't thinking straight and I didn't control my actions. I have a good relationship with my group members and with the staff around me, including my manager, and I will never be rude to them intentionally.

I know I was wrong and I apologize if someone got hurt from my actions. I acted carelessly and unprofessionally and I'm taking responsibility for it. I'll monitor my actions better from now on and I'll make sure things like this won't happen again in the future.

I feel sorry towards the fans who wanted to see me and didn't get the chance to because I left before the fansign ended. I will make it up to you, I promise!

I also want to apologize to my group memebrs, who were taken by surprise by the situation and now they are affected because of it as well. I'll work harder to repair our iamge and fix everything.

The fans who were disappointed by this, I'm sorry. I'll gain back your love and appreciation, if you'll give me a chance.

I'm sorry once again if I hurt you or disappointed you, it wasn't my intention and I'll make sure it won't happen again in the future.

For those who sent me encouraging messages - Thank you! I appreciate it and it means a lot to me.

I'm really sorry for my behaviour. I'll take this incident as a lesson and learn from it so these kind of mistakes won't happen again.

Sincerely, Hyeri.

I finished writing the message and took a picture of it so I can upload it online. I also attached photos I took with Jinu and other staff members from the time I was a trainee and from the last days to prove that we have a close relationship, or at least not a bad one.

When I finsihed I showed it to Jinu, who approved the content. I hope it will help..

~

"Come in." the CEO said when there was a knock on his office's door. Yongguk entered the room, standing in front of the CEO's desk.

"Can I help you?" the CEO asked.

"I want to talk about a few things." Yongguk said.

"If it's related to Hyeri then leave."

"It is related."

"The door is over here." the CEO said, pointing at the wooden door.

"I'm not leaving until we talk." Yongguk insisted and the CEO sighed.

"You have a minute, starting from now."

"First of all, what are you going to do about the video?"

"She'll apologize and if it won't help she'll take a short break until things calm down." the CEO answered dryly. "Anything else?"

"Get rid of Matt."

"Not going to happen."

"He is not treating Hyeri well."

"That's not your job to decide that, and if I remember correctly, I allowed you do date in condition you won't get involved in things that are related to the girls."

"Matt is an ."

"Watch your mouth." the CEO warned.

"When he'll watch his actions." Yongguk retorted.

"Yongguk." the CEO raised his voice. "He is staying and that's final. Say one more thing about him or Hyeri and B.A.P's comeback will be delayed or cancelled."

"You need the money."

"I'll just overwork Hyeri until she makes enough money to make up for the loss." the CEO smirked, satisfied with his solution.

"You can't do that!" Yongguk exclaimed, annoyed.

"I can do whatever I want, it's my company." the CEO laughed. "Stay out of this if you don't want the boys to be affected."

"We are not over yet."

"We are over. Now get lost."

~

Unfortunately, things didn't seem to go the way I wanted them to and instead of making things better it only got worse.

I received a few comments saying I should have agreed to the ahjussi's offer because I can't succeed in being an idol and a few more comments calling me ugly and that that man has no taste in women. Other comments were calling me unprofessional and childish.

I sighed. It looks like no matter what I do I can't win.. If I don't explain what happened I get criticized and if I do explain and tell the truth I still get criticized. It's a lose-lose situation.

I scrolled down the page and reached a few positive comments, encouraging me. A small smile appeared on my face. At least not everyone are targeting me.. There are still a few people supporting me. Maybe things will be fine after all..

~

Yongguk was resting in his studio when his phone signaled he got a new message. He opened it only to see a text from Zico - "I guess I'm not the only one interested in Hyeri.. It's honestly surprising she is this popular among men. You better keep an eye on her before someone else gets to her.. You don't want another ert bothering her, right?". Yongguk stared at his phone angrily when he recieved another text from Zico - "This game is between you and me, so make sure no one else gets in the middle".

"Like I need your advice.." Yongguk snorted and threw his phone on the couch. The device landed on the black leather sofa and jumped a couple of times on the fabric before landing farther away from Yongguk.

While he looked at his phone a thought crossed his mind - What was Zico actually talking about? There were no other guys making a move on Hyeri as far as he knew because he always made sure people knew she is taken and out of limits, so what did he miss?

"Yongguk.." Himchan stood at the entrance.

"What?" Yongguk turned to him, forgetting for a moment about Zico and his riddles.

"Read Hyeri's apology."

~

"Hey.." Jongup approached Yujin when he saw her in the hallway.

"Hey.." she smiled shyly.

"What are you doing?" he asked curiously. Her eyes were glued to her phone and she almost bumped into something because she was concentrating on the screen in front of her eyes instead of the road.

"Reading some article.." she mumbled and Jongup thought he saw a faint blush spreading across her cheeks.

"About what?" he tried to peek but she hid the screen, bringing her phone closer to her.

"It's a secret."

"Why? I want to see." Jongup pouted cutely.

"No."

"Yah! Is that a way to treat your oppa?" he tried to use his age to convince her. What could have been so important that she couldn't take her eyes off of it? She could have gotten hurt if she bumped into something..

"I should go.." Yujin mumbled, blushing furiously, and walked away, still hiding her phone.

"Wait up!" Jongup tried to call after her but she was already out of his sight, leaving him confused.

"That was close.." Yujin sighed in relief when Jongup was out of her sight. "I almost got caught."

"It could have been embarrassing if he saw what I was looking at.." she mumbled while glancing at her phone screen. A picture of Jongup from a recent photoshoot appeared on the screen and Yujin smiled shyly while looking at it. "You are more handsome in real life, oppa."

~

"The comments to her apology are bad." Yongguk stated.

"I know.." Himchan sighed.

"I want to be there for her.." Yongguk said quietly, almost whispering.

"Then go."

"She'll only get mad at me and close herself even more if I go now.." the older male sighed heavily. The frustration was evident on his face.

"Do you want me to talk to Sey?" Himchan offered, not sure what else he can do. After Yongguk, the person Hyeri trusts the most is Sey, so it seemed like the best option for now.

"Tell her to be patient, Hyeri can take a while until she starts talking.."

~

We reached the set for "The Show" recording. The ride there was quiet. No one said anything, but Sumi was smiling brightly the whole time, which I tried to ignore. It's better to stay silent than saying something I'll regret afterwards.

After doing our hair and makeup and getting dressed in our cheerleading uniforms we went to see our fans. Somehow it felt like there were less fans coming today compared to last week, but maybe it was just my imagination. The video couldn't affect us that much, right?

"Minjae!" Sey greeted happily when she noticed the shy girl in the crowd. Minjae blushed and waved her hand shyly, which made me chuckle. She is so cute.

"Why are you only greeting her?" one of the guys in the crowd asked. "We are here too!"

"Sorry.." Sey apologized and bowed. "Hey everyone." she greeted awkwardly.

"Was your day okay? Did you eat?" Eun Hee asked, saving the situation. I looked at Sey, who looked relieved that Eun Hee changed the subject.

"Yes!" they answered.

"Did you eat?" Minjae asked quietly. Luckily she was standing close to us, so we could hear her question.

"We are on a diet, so we ate.. Something." Eun Hee answered, avoiding the topic elegantly.

"Hyeri, why are you quiet?" Yujin asked me quietly without the others hearing. "It's not like you.."

"Sorry, I'm just tired." I lied, hoping she will believe it.

"Wait, didn't the red haired girl over there claim she was harassed so she could get away with being rude to her fans? Like anyone sane enough will want to harass her.. She is really ugly." A fan of another group told his friends while passing by us and the group of boys started to laugh loudly. I froze, burying my gaze on the ground. I couldn't bear to look at my group members or my fans, it's too embarrassing.

"Yah, don't you have anything better to do then bothering people?" Sey yelled at them.

"Sey, leave it. Don't cause trouble." I said, nudging her arm.

"No." she released her arm from my grip and turned back to the offenders. "Kids, come back here and apologize."

"What are you? A teacher?" the guy that made fun of me mocked. "Go back to your lame fans and your lame group."

Sey started to get mad and I grabbed her tighter, preventing her from moving and doing something careless. The problem I caused is enough, we don't need more troubles.

"Let's go, leave them to rot with their pathetic fans.." one of the guy's friends told him and started pulling him away.

"Yah, what group are you a fan of?" Sey asked.

"RED." he said proudly and I tensed. Not them again.. But I guess that like idol like fans, right?

"Go do something useful with yourselves instead of disturbing others." she ordered and the guy and his friends left, laughing.

"Idiots.." Sey hissed while watching them leave.

"I'm sorry.." I apologized to the girls and to our fans when the guys were out of our sight. "It's my fault.."

"It's not your fault, stop talking nonsense." Sey exclaimed while straightening her clothes.

"They are idiots." Eun Hee stated and Yujin agreed quickly. Sumi looked awkwardly at the girls and then said that they are idiots as well so she won't look weird.

I know the girls had good intentions, but it didn't help me feel better. I'm still at fault and it happened because of me. Now both the group and the fans are feeling uncomfortable..

"I should go.. I'm sorry again." I mumbled and bowed. I should go back to our waiting room so I won't cause more troubles.

"Don't be sorry!" A male fan screamed and other fans supported him.

"See? Even they agree with us!" Sey exclaimed, trying to convince me.

"Thanks." I smiled shyly, blushing.

"Don't go fighting with those idiots, that's what they want. Just ignore them." Eun Hee told our fans.

"But they insulted you.." the male fan mumbled.

"We can handle it, so don't worry." Yujin reassured him and the others, smiling.

"Hyeri.." Minjae said quietly.

"What?" I looked at her curiosuly.

"You know it's not your fault, right?" she smiled warmly.

"Of course it's not her fault!" Sey exclaimed and I felt embarrassed. Can't we change the subject and just forget about this whole thing?

"Hyeri! Hyeri!" the fans chanted, with the encouragement of Sey, in order to make me feel better. I blushed and bowed again, thanking them.

"Girls, the rehearsal is starting soon." Jinu announced.

"We should go.." Eun Hee told the fans, pouting.

"You are going to watch us rehearse, right?" Yujin asked happily.

"Of course!"

"Then we will meet soon!" Sumi exclaimed.

"Once more, I'm sorry for everything." I apologized again.

"Stop talking nonsense, will you?" Sey nudged my arm. I could see Minjae and other fans laugh and I smiled. At least they are not mad at me..

~

"What are you doing?" Daehyun sat next to Youngjae on the couch in their dorm.

"Nothing special.." Youngjae said and changed channels in the TV.

"Then let's talk." Daehyun smirked.

~

After the rehearsal I went to get some fresh air. I messed up the dance a bit because I was nervous and it stressed me out even more, so I had to calm myself down before the show starts. I can't make any more mistakes.

"What's up, sailor mouth? I haven't seen you for a while.." A manly voice said. I looked up and saw the annoying guy from RED, I can't remember his name.. He also bugged me when I was promoting with Yongguk until Yongguk came to my rescue. Yongguk.. I wonder what he is doing right now. If only he was here to give me a reassuring hug and tell me it will be alright. Wait, why am I thinking about him anyway? He has Sumi now and I should solve my own problems. Like this guy. What was his name? Tae something maybe?

"I need to go." I said dryly and kept walking, trying to bypass him.

"Not so fast, sailor mouth." he smirked, grabbing my arm. I tried to release myself from his grip, but he held onto me tightly.

"Get lost." I muttered angrily.

"Is the princess mad?" he mocked. "Why don't you curse me as well? You are pretty good at it."

"Why don't you get lost and stop bullying people?" I heard Sumi from behind me. Did I hear wrong? Is she talking to someone else by chance? But there is nobody here beside us.. Why would she help me?

"Oh, pretty girl. Nice to see you again." the guy smiled cheesily.

"Listen here, whatever your name is.." Sumi stood next to me and removed his hand from my arm. "I'm the only one that can bully her, so get lost before I get mad."

"I see it runs in your group.. Does all your group members have sailor mouth?" he asked me.

"You have seen nothing yet, so get lost before I get mad." Sumi threatened before I could say something. Honestly, I was still shocked. Why is she helping me?

"You're lucky I need to go, pretty girl. But we'll meet again soon." he told Sumi and winked. Sumi made a disgusted face and so did I.

"Pathetic idiot. No wonder his fans are like that." Sumi mumbled when he left and we were left by ourselves.

"We're late, move your fat already. I know I'm pretty, but you don't have to stare at me like a psycho.. It's creepy." she muttered when I didn't react. Evil Sumi is back, which surprisingly enough, actually calms me down because I know what to expect when she is evil. It's way scarier when she tries to be nice because it means she is probably plotting something dangerous behind the nice mask.

"You helped me." I mumbled, still trying to figure out what just happened.

"If he and his fans bother you it affects me as well. It affects all of us." she shrugged. "And I meant what I said. No one is allowed to bully you beside me. You are my own little pet." she smirked. Of course.. What was I expecting anyway?

"Besides, I can't stand the guy.. He is so full of himself." Sumi said and walked away. I snorted. Like she is the one to talk about feeling above other people..

I followed her quietly, shaking my head. I was expecting too much.

~

"I'm not doing this!" Youngjae exclaimed.

"Why not?" Daehyun asked.

"Because I don't want to."

"Yes you do, you just don't want to admit it because you're an idiot."

"Thanks." Youngjae said sarcastically. "That's not the way to ask for a favor, you know.."

"Who said it's a favor? I'm only trying to help you!" Daehyun claimed.

"I don't need help!" Youngjae exclaimed.

"Fine, then stay as far as I care!" Daehyun exclaimed, annoyed, and got up from his seat, walking away.

"Yah, I'm not a !" Youngjae called after him.

"As if." Daehyun snorted.

~

After we finished our group schedules I had practice with Matt again because they wanted to use every free time I had in order to make up for the time we lost because of the late submission.

When I got back to the dorm I took a glass of water and sat at the kitchen table, drinking the cold liquid. My mind slowly drifted to thoughts about the commotion with the video. What else can I do beside apologizing again? I'm fine with every punishment I get if I messed up, but I don't want the girls to be affected.

I was deep in thought so I didn't hear the door open. I noticed Sey's presence only when she sat in front of me, sighing heavily.

"Is everything alright?" I asked. She wasn't home when I got back to the dorm and I thought she was with Himchan, but now that I look at her closely it seems like she cried. Hey eyes were red and puffy and she was paler than usual. She also looked tired, but it can also be a result of our packed schedules.

"Sure." she snuffled.

"Were you with Himchan?" I tried to get some information out of her.

"Yes."

"Did you have a fight?" I asked and she shook her head.

"Is everything okay?" I asked worriedly. She doesn't look okay. If Himchan has something to do with it I'm going to kill him.

"Perfect." she said dryly.

"Sey.." I called softly. "Talk to me."

"I can't." she mumbled. There is nothing more she want to do at the moment than tell Hyeri the truth, but she promised Yongguk she'll keep quiet. If she tells hyeri she went to visit Hana it will put Yongguk in a difficult position because Hyeri will put the pieces together and blame herself for not being there for him when he needed her. Yongguk wanted to hide it from Hyeri so she'll be able to focus on her work without worrying about his well being.

"What do you mean you can't?" I asked. Maybe she didn't want me to hear the last sentence, but I did, and I was going to get the truth out of her one way or another.

"Nothing. I'm talking nonsense because I'm tired, don't listen to me." she smiled innocently.

"Do you want me to kill Himchan?" I offered, trying to cheer her up.

"No. He is sweet." she smiled.

"If you need me to kill him, you can just ask.. I'll gladly do it."

"I know, thank you." she squeezed my hand.

"We should go to sleep, it's late." I said and stood up.

"Hyeri.."

"What?"

"Can you sleep with me? I don't feel like being alone.."

"Sure." I smiled, but I was still worried. This is not like her.

"Thank you," she said and headed towards the bedroom.

We laid in her bed while her back is facing me. I didn't know it then, but she just wanted to hide the tears sliding down her face.

I patted her back gently, listening to her breathing slowly becoming heavier. When she fell asleep I kept laying there, trying to figure out what was wrong. My mind was filled with theories and thoughts and I knew that it was going to be another sleepless night.

A sigh left my mouth. Maybe it's better to stay awake anyway.. I know what's waiting for me when I fall sleep.

Author's Note:

It's a long chapter.. I hope you'll enjoy it :)

As for the weird guy that bugged Hyeri - he appears in chapter 12 and in chapter 29.

I'm going to skip some days from now on because it's repetitive and this story will never end if I keep describing each and every day, so the pace should be a bit faster in the next chapters.

And I have a few surprises in the near future :P

A bit late, but happy 2017! I hope you'll have an amazing year, and I hope it'll be B.A.P's year because it's about time they'll get the recognition they deserve.

Thanks for reading, commenting, subscribing, etc., it means a lot to me <3

M.