"Sorry for being late." Jongup apologized when entering the practice room the boys were gathered at. B.A.P decided to watch Peppermint's broadcast together, and Jongup was the last person to join.

"Where were you?" Daehyun asked curiously.

"I was at Jinu's office with Hyeri.. She is going to help me with something." Jongup said innocently while sitting down on the floor.

"With what?" Himchan asked before Yongguk could ask that himself.

"My dance show."

"Hyeri is a good dancer." Zelo stated, smiling. "Good choice, hyung." he patted Jongup's back approvingly.

"Speaking of Hyeri.. Zelo, why were you looking for her earlier?" Youngjae asked, remembering what Eun Hee told him earlier. All the boys looked at Zelo, surprised.

"Oh, I just wanted to know if she had free time. I wanted her to listen to my new rap." Zelo explained.

"Why didn't you come to me with your new rap?" Yongguk asked, slightly frowning.

"You are busy with the album and stuff, I didn't want to bother you."

"Are you sure Hyeri is the right person to consult about rapping?" Daehyun asked, chuckling.

"I don't need a professional advice, just to hear what she thinks about it." Zelo claimed defensively. "Am I not allowed to talk to her anymore or something? Why are all of you investigating me?"

"We are not." Himchan said softly. "Of course you are allowed to talk to her. You know how much all of us like her.."

"We were just surprised, that's all." Youngjae explained, finishing Himchan's sentence.

"I like spending time with Hyeri noona, and now that she is not dating Yongguk hyung I can spend more time with her." Zelo mumbled, unaware of Yongguk clenching his fists.

"Zelo.." Himchan hissed.

"The broadcast is starting!" Jongup exclaimed happily, diverting everyone's attention to the screen in front of them.

~

"One, two, three.." I counted as usual.

"We are 'Peppermint' and we are going to refresh your day!" we greeted together. We were standing in one of the practice rooms in the company, which turned into an improvised set for our v-app broadcast. There was a big sign at the back saying "Meet the Peppermints!" with our pictures and the time of the future broadcasts.

"Welcome to our new show, 'Meet the Peppermints!'!" Sumi exclaimed too happily and we all clapped excitedly.

"We are going to be here three times a week and we are going to do various things so you can get to know us better and so that we can interact with you more." Sey explained.

"You can also send us questions and suggestions through the v-app or our fancafe and our SNS accounts, we promise to check it!" Yujin added.

"So what are we doing today?" Eun Hee asked, looking at us.

"Today is our first corner!" I said. "It's called 'Song Of The Week' and it's going to be a regular segment every Friday."

"So what are we doing?" Sumi asked.

"This corner has two parts." Yujin said.

"Right!" Sey exclaimed. "The first part is us talking about songs we like, so you can get to know us better."

"And you can also send us song recommendations because we love listening to music!" Eun Hee exclaimed.

"In the second part we are going to cover a song we chose." I said.

"You can also send us requests if you want us to cover a specific song.." Sumi added.

"Shall we start?" Sey asked, excited.

We took our seats on the chairs prepared beforehand. I adjusted the nametag attached to the top of my dress. The stylist gave all of us clothes to wear, and we did our hair and makeup in order to look presentable. We also had nametags shaped like mint leafs so people can get to know us.

"Let's go by our sitting order?" Sumi offered and we agreed.

"There is a song I really like lately.." Eun Hee started talking because she was sitting at the edge. "It's Eric Nam's song 'Can't Help Myself'."

"Oh, I love this song!" Yujin exclaimed. "It's really catchy."

"Indeed." Sey agreed.

"Wanna be with you, you tonight. Yeah.." I started singing, doing the choreography as well.

"No more playin' cool, cool, you and I." Sumi joined me. We all started singing for a bit until we had enough.

"Yujin, it's your turn!" Eun Hee said when we were done.

"I chose 'Now' by Jongup oppa because I think he improved a lot since debuting and this song is really good."

"Please sing a bit from it." Sey asked.

"I'm not as good as him.." Yujin said apologetically.

"You'll do great!" I tried to cheer her up, patting her back.

"Alright." Yujin said shyly and started singing the first verse. When she finished singing all of us clapped.

"That was great!" Sey complimented.

"Thanks." Yujin blushed.

"I'm sure Jongup will be proud." I said, smiling, and I noticed she started to blush harder. She is so cute.

"Sey, you're next!" Sumi declared.

"Well, my song is 'Story Of Someone I Know' by San E."

"Of course our rapper will choose a rapper.." I smiled. "But I like it."

"Of course you do, you have affection for rappers.." Sumi teased.

"I have affection for kind-hearted people, regardless of their profession." I smiled, not letting her affect me.

"Hmm." Sey cleared , pretending to cough. Good save.. It's better to stop here before things gets worse.

"Back to Sey's song.." Eun Hee said, helping Sey brighten the atmosphere. "It's a great song choice."

"Agreed." Yujin said, smiling.

"Sey, our fans want you to rap!" I said after reading a few comments. She obeyed and rapped a few parts of the song.

"Hyeri, please tell us about the song you chose and why you chose it." Eun Hee said when it was my turn.

"I want to recommend 'Eat' by Zion. T and I want to dedicate it to our fans."

"Ohh that's so sweet!" the girls cooed.

"I know life can be hard sometimes, but please don't forget to eat your meals and take care of your health. You have to be strong in order to deal with the things happening in your life. And I hope it can give you energy to keep fighting even if it's hard."

"As expected from our amazing leader.." Sey commented, impressed.

"Hyeri, sing a bit!" Eun Hee asked. I started singing and somehow I ended up singing the whole song after the girls encouraged me to continue until the end. When I finished they clapped loudly and I blushed and bowed, thanking them.

"Now to the last but not least member, Sumi." Yujin said.

"I choose 'Pick Me'."

"Pick me, pick me, pick me up.." we automatically started singing.

"I.O.I is the trendiest girl group at the moment," Sumi started explaining when we calmed down after singing and fooling around, "And I think that programs like 'Produce 101' are good for public recognition and for getting your name out there."

"So you want to participate in something like that?" Sey asked.

"Obviously. If I had the chance I would have gone." Sumi answered.

"What if you were eliminated early?" Yujin asked curiously.

"Then I guess I was not good enough." Sumi shrugged and I was surprised by her mature answer. She usually have an attitude of 'I'm perfect and better than everyone else', and it doesn't seem like she'll accept defeat that easily.. But maybe she has grown up somehow.. I would be the happiest if that's the case.

"Our maknae has improved a lot!" Eun Hee exclaimed and ruffled Sumi's hair playfully.

"Stop messing my hair!" Sumi complained, pouting, and started straightening her hair with her fingers.

"And spoiled Sumi is back.." Sey teased.

"I'm not spoiled!" Sumi exclaimed, the annoyance obvious in her voice.

"Fine, you're not." Eun Hee said in order to satisfy her and calm her down.

"Well, that was the first part." I said, trying to change the subject before it escalates. "I hope you liked our music recommendations.."

"Our next part is a cover we are going to do." Sey explained. "Yujin, do you want to tell our viewers about the song?" 

"Sure." Yujin smiled brightly. "For our first show we chose a song of our sunbaes from the company, B.A.P. We wouldn't have been able to debut without their hard work, so we also want to thank them and show them our appreciation."

"We chose a song that is less known and more underrated, but all of us love it." Eun Hee said.

"The song is called 'Blind' and it's from the 'Matrix' album."

We sang the song without doing a choreography to it. We thought it's best to just sing it in our seats so people can focus on the lyrics and the message. For once I was glad about my situation with Yongguk at the moment because I could channel my emotions into the song.

"Thank you, everyone." we bowed when we finished singing.

We read some comments and communicated with our fans until it was time to finish the broadcast.

"Guys, we have to go.." Sey pouted.

"But we will see you soon in 'Music Bank'!" Yujin exclaimed.

"And we will do more broadcasts soon!" Eun Hee added.

"We were really happy to do this today and we hope you had fun watching us." Sumi said.

"Until the next time." I said.

"We are 'Peppermint' and we're going to refresh your day!"

~

"Hyeri is pretty today.." Daehyun commented when the broadcast started.

"Hyeri is always pretty." Yongguk declared.

"Today she is prettier than usual." Daehyun corrected himself.

"She looks sad to me." Zelo said.

"She does, doesn't she?" Himchan sighed and the boys continued watching the v-app quietly.

"Oh, look, your girlfriend is talking!" Daehyun teased Yonugjae when Eun Hee started talking.

"Shut up!" Youngjae hit Daehyun's head.

"But you didn't deny it!" Daehyun exclaimed happily and the boys smiled while exchanging looks between them.

"JUNG DAEHYUN!" Youngjae raised his voice, annoyed.

"Fine, fine, you rascal. I won't tell her you want to date her." Daehyun pretended to be disappointed and turned his attention back to the screen.

"Oh, look, you have a new fan!" Youngjae teased Jongup when Yujin chose his song.

"She is probably the most important one.." Himchan teased while Jongup just smiled happily.

"What is actually going on between the two of you?" Yongguk asked, looking curiously at Jongup.

"Nothing." Jongup said innocently.

"That's how it starts." Himchan teased and the boys chuckled.

"But she actually sings well.." Youngjae commented when Yujin started singing. "Their song is just not doing justice to any of them.."

"Besides Hyeri. Somehow she is the only one that comes out well in their song.." Daehyun said.

"Because it's Hyeri. She is always shining." Yongguk said, a sad smile on his face. Now she is not shining for him because he messed up. If only he didn't kiss Sumi that day..

"Narae's song is not that good either, why are you criticizing the girls?" Zelo exclaimed, glaring at Daehyun.

"How is that related?" Daehyun exclaimed.

"Narae's songs are not that good as well, but you are only criticizing the girls." Zelo raised his voice a bit.

"Zelo, calm down." Yongguk said in a low voice and that was all it took for Zelo to shrank in his place.

"Why are you defending Hyeri so much?" Youngjae asked Zelo. "It's weird."

"Because it's Hyeri noona." Zelo admitted quietly.

"And?" Youngjae insisted and Daehyun elbowed him.

"What was that for?!" Youngjae asked Daehyun.

"I think it's puppy love.." Daehyun whispered without Zelo hearing and Youngjae hit Daehyun's head again.

"What was that for?!" Daehyun imitated Youngjae while rubbing his head.

"You are an idiot. Are you even listening to yourself? Does that makes sense to you?"

"What am I even expecting from a person like you? It's obvious you won't understand." Daehyun sighed and shook his head.

"Yah! What do you mean a person like me?!" Youngjae exclaimed, even more annoyed.

"What are you two fighting about?" Himchan asked while looking at the bickering couple.

"Nothing." Daehyun smiled innocently while Youngjae kept frowning.

"Be quiet, I want to watch Sey." Himchan shushed everyone.

"You're hopeless." Youngjae sighed.

"You are more hopeless." Daehyun muttered.

"That's it." Youngjae hissed and threw a pompom he found nearby at Daehyun. Somehow the whole company is filled with pompoms because of the girls, so there are pompoms everywhere, especially in the practice rooms.

"You did not do that!" Daehyun said after removing the pompom from his face and glared at Youngjae.

"I did. Now shut up." Youngjae muttered.

"I'm still older than you!" Daehyun claimed and threw the pompom at Youngjae, aiming his face.

"Would you stop? I'm trying to watch!" Himchan exclained while the two continued bickering, but it was useless. They were too busy fighting that they didn't hear him.

"Stop interfering in my business!" Youngjae demanded.

"The only reason I'm getting involved is because you can't do anything on your own!" Daehyun claimed.

"I can't do this.." Himchan sighed and rubbed his temples. He looked hopelessly at Yongguk, Zelo and Jongup, who did nothing to help. Instead, they just watched the scene in front of them in amusement.

In the meantime, Sey finished her rap.

"Great, Now I missed it thanks to you." Himchan hissed. He looked at the bickering boys and hit both of them on their heads, making them stop their pompom fight.

"HYUNG!" they exclaimed together, rubbing their heads.

"I missed her part thanks to you." Himchan pouted.

"Great, now he is going to complain about it for hours.." Daehyun sighed.

"That's it. No food for the both of you tonight. Go eat outside."  he said and crossed is arms over his chest, turning his back to them.

"Hyung, we're sorry.." Youngjae apologized, but Himchan didn't react. Youngjae looked at Yongguk, looking for help, but the oldest male only shrugged.

"You're on your own." Yongguk mouthed and Daehyun and Youngjae sighed, looking hopeless.

"Oh, it's Hyeri's turn!" Jongup commented and all the boys turned quiet.

Yongguk stared at the screen, never taking his eyes off of Hyeri. Daehyun was right.. She is prettier today. But like Zelo and Himchan mentioned, she looks sad. Maybe a stranger wouldn't notice, but to him it was obvious. He felt his heart break. He knew that her sadness was his fault and it tormented him. He promised her that he would take care of her and make her happy, but he did the exact opposite.

"I want to recommend 'Eat' by Zion. T and I want to dedicate it to our fans." Hyeri said, bringing him back to reality. Yongguk unconsciously smiled.

"I know life can be hard sometimes, but please don't forget to eat your meals and take care of your health. You have to be strong in order to deal with the things happening in your life. And I hope it can give you energy to keep fighting even if it's hard." Hyeri continued talking and Yongguk's smile grew bigger. He is so proud of her. She is so mature and thoughtful. She has a big heart and she always think of others before thinking about herself. A part of him wondered if she thought about him as well, but he shook his head when the thought crossed his mind. She doesn't want anything to do with him at the moment, so there is no way she thought about it. It's just his wishful thinking.

"Bang.." Himchan said quietly. "You should listen to her and eat."

"I'm fine." Yongguk shrugged. Hyeri should be the one eating, not him. She is getting thinner and paler every day, but it's not like he can do something about it.. Especially if she doesn't want his help. He just hoped that she won't forget taking care of herself, but knowing her, he wouldn't trust that. Looks like he is going to keep worrying about her as she get busier..

"If you say so.." Himchan dropped the subject, not wanting to pressure Yongguk more. He has enough to deal with as it is.

When Hyeri started singing, Yongguk felt himself smile. He loves hearing her voice. To him, it sounds like an angel's singing. He closed his eyes, imagining her singing it to him. He felt his heart beat faster, enjoying the thought. He let the lyrics sink and once again, admired her musical choice and her maturity. She is so similar to him in a lot of ways, but also different. When the song ended he opened his eyes, a sigh leaving his lips.

"It will be alright." Himchan smiled, patting his back. "Don't worry."

"I hope so.."

"Pick me, pick me, pick me up.." the girls started singing.

"Did she really have to choose this song?" Youngjae asked, a disgusted look on his face.

"I didn't think she can choose a song more annoying then her, but she just did.." Daehyun commented.

"Somehow, this song actually suits her." Jongup said while staring blankly at the screen.

"Yeah, it is annoyong like her." Daehyun said.

"Pick me, pick me, pick me up.." Himchan sang along while doing the dance.

"Not again.." Zelo sighed, knowing what's about to come next.

"You look like an ahjussi." Youngjae commented, teasing Himchan.

"An ahjussi who can't dance." Daehyun added.

"Do you want to sleep outside as well?" Himchan threatened, glaring at the two.

"Yongguk! Himchan hyung is bullying us!" Daehyun and Youngjae whined.

"You started it, don't complain." Yongguk said dryly.

"Hyung!"

"Guys, the girls are doing our song!" Zelo said, grabbing everyone's attention.

"They are great." Daehyun said, smiling.

"Hyeri is really into the song.." Jongup commented and Himchan hit his head. Jongup gave him a confused look and Himchan eyed Yongguk, who had an unreadable expression on his face. Jongup opened his mouth, forming an 'O' shape, and gave Himchan an apologetic look. Himchan smiled in understanding and turned his gaze back to Yongguk.

"They are sweet for choosing one of our songs." Youngjae said, smiling.

"They are." the boys agreed.

~

"Hyeri.." Sey grabbed my arm in the hallway next to the practice rooms after the broadcast ended.

"What?"

"I'm sorry about earlier.. I should have been more considerate and more careful."

"It's fine. It's not like you said anything wrong.." I shrugged.

"Just ignore what I said. You and Yongguk are different from me and Himchan and I might not be the right person to give you advices on it.."

"It's fine."

"Are you okay?" she asked, examining me.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I know it's hard on you.." she said softly.

"I'm fine." I insisted.

When the broadcast ended Yongguk wanted to try and talk to Hyeri once more. He is not giving up this easily. He walked out of the practice room and headed towards the practice room next to the one he came out of, knowing the girls fimed their v-app there. In the hallway he saw Sey talking to Hyeri. Hyeri's back was facing him, so she didn't notice his presence. He appraoched them quietly, still keeping a distance from them so he won't be discovered but standing close enough to hear their conversation. He knew eavesdropping is wrong, but he couldn't help it. He need to find a way to appraoch Hyeri. The only person that can break Hyeri's walls at the moment is Sey, so he is going to use it to his own advantage.

"I know you are not fine. It's written all over your face." Sey said.

"Then what do you want me to do about it?" Hyeri exclaimed, raising her voice. "I can't hide my feelings, okay? It hurts too much!"

Yongguk listened carefuly. Hyeri's voice cracked when she said the last sentence and he could have guessed that a tear started making her way down Hyeri's cheeks.

"I'm sorry.." Sey said softly, hugging her. Hyeri leaned her head on Sey's chest, snuffling. Now it was evident that she was crying.

"It's supposed to get better after a while, right?" Hyeri asked, sounding miserable.

"It is. It will be alright." Sey reassured her, rubbing Hyeri's back softly.

"Then why does it still hurt?" Hyeri cried harder, and it broke Yongguk's heart. He can't watch people cry, and he can't watch Hyeri cry. He wants to destroy the source of her unhappiness, but in this case it's him.

"I'm sorry." Sey hugged her tighter.

"Hyeri." Yongguk said while approching the girls. He didn't plan on doing it, his body just carried him on its own. It's like his body couldn't bear to see Hyeri cry and he had to approach her. Hyeri evidently petrified, wiping her tears quickly and hiding her face in Sey's embrace. Yongguk froze in his spot, alarmed. Since when did he start scaring her? He used to be the person protecting her from whatever bothered her and scared her, not the source of it.

"Hyeri, please.." Yongguk tried again, using the sofetst voice he could gather.

"Go away." she mumbled, clutching Sey's shirt tighter. Yongguk looked at Sey helplessly, pleading for help. This is not what he expected to happen.

~

"So you have to try and talk to her again. You can use the time while you are preparing for 'Music Bank'." Daehyun told Youngjae when they left the practice room. Jongup and Zelo left the practice room shortly after them, absorbed in a conversaton about a new video game. Himchan was trailing behind the group, thinking about Yongguk.

"Guys.." Himchan suddenly said after looking around.

"What?" they asked, bewildered. Himchan signaled them to look ahead, and they realized Himchan's intention. They all stopped in their places, trying to grasp the situation in front of them: Hyeri was clinging onto Sey for dear life, a terrified expression on her face. Yongguk was standing there helplessly, silently asking for help from Sey. Sey hugged Hyeri in an attemp to calm her down while looking utterly confused and at a loss for words. Her expression told them that she wanted to help Yongguk, she just wasn't sure what to do.

"What the.." Youngjae mumbled.

"Shh!" Himchan shushed him, signaling everyone to stay quiet and watch without exposing their presence.

"Hyeri." Sey said softly while caressing Hyeri's hair.

"Tell him to leave.." Hyeri whispered. Her mind was in chaos. Her heart beat faster when she noticed him, but shortly after panic rushed over her from the thought that he heard their conversation and that he saw her cry. She can't handle it. Not right now..

"Why are you not doing anything? Tell him to leave!" Hyeri raised her voice as the panic took over her. She started crying and hugging Sey tighter, hoping it will help her disappear. If she hug Sey tight enough maybe they'll become one and she could disappear. If she is not there she doesn't have to face Yongguk.

"Hyeri noona.." Zelo mumbled, clenching his fists. He was ready to act, but Himchan put his hand on Zelo's shoulder, preventing him from moving.

"Let them solve it on their own. She has Sey." Himchan said. He wasn't sure himself what's going on at the moment because he has never seen Hyeri like that, but he had to try. If Zelo gets involved it will only make things worse.

"Yongguk, I think it might be better if.." Sey started talking, but Yongguk cut her off.

"Hyeri, look at me." Yongguk ordered, trying to stay composed. Hyeri was now shaking, and his body moved without waiting for orders from his brain. Hyeri didn't budge, but he decided to keep trying.

"Breathe. We did this before, you can do it again. Just take a deep breath." Yongguk said calmly, trying not to appraoch Hyeri too much so he won't scare her even more. Hyeri was still shaking, but it seemed like it calmed down a little bit as time passed, which is a good sign. Sey encouraged Hyeri to take deep breaths and showed her what to do since she wouldn't listen to him and Yongguk could see it affected her.

Slowly, Hyeri relaxed. Her shaking stopped and so did her crying. She only focused on breathing and soon she looked less terrified. Hyeri slowly relased her tight grip on Sey after getting her breath back to normal. When she did, her body hit the ground, startling everyone present.

~

After the girls left, Sumi stayed behind in the practice room in order to call her dad. When she finally left the room she noticed a commotion in the hallway. B.A.P and Sey were gathered around something she couldn't see well from her spot so she approached the group, her curiosity rising.

"Hyeri, please wake up. Babe, you can't do this to me. Please.." Yongguk pleaded, trying to wake Hyeri up. "I'll stay away from you, just don't scare me like that again.."

"No that attention again.." Sumi sighed when she heard Yongguk. "Why is he so wrapped up around her finger?" she wondered while adjusting her clothes, making her cleavage more obvious before reaching the group.

"Yongguk, stay away from her, it's your fault in the first place!" Zelo muttered, panicked.

"Why are you getting involved in this?" Himchan scolded Zelo.

Zelo started to answer, Himchan answered back, Daehyun and Youngjae tried to make them stop arguing and Jongup just stared blankly at the situation in front of him.

"All of you, shut the up, you are not helping!" Sey exploded, silencing everyone. Her head started to hurt from all the noise and she was stressed enough as it is because of Hyeri.

~

"What is going on?" I opened my eyes to a group of people hunching down next to me. For some reason I was laying on the ground and I could hear whispers I couldn't decipher. Everything just sounded like a bunch of gibberish. And my head hurt. Badly.

"God, you at acting." I heard Sumi's voice. She was standing behind Sey, glaring at me.

"If you wanted attention, at least try to work on your acting so it'll be believable. It's obvious you just wanted Yongguk to notice you." Sumi shrugged and it was the first time I noticed Yongguk's presence. I remember he was there when I was talking to Sey, but from there things became blurred. Now Yongguk was kneeling next to me, holding my hand between his hands. It felt warm and soft, and it felt familiar. I examined his face. I could notice a few dry tears on his cheeks and my stomach clenched. Was he crying because of me?

"Why don't you go spread your venom somewhere else?" Sey shot, glaring at Sumi. "You are not welcomed here."

"When that fake " Sumi stopped to glare at me, "leaves my property alone." she finished her sentence and placed har hand on Yongguk's shoulder, who shook it off the moment she touched him.

"And I'm welcomed wherever I go, you moron." Sumi added, glaring at Sey.

"Watch your mouth." Himchan said, glaring at Sumi.

"Like I'm taking orders from you." Sumi scoffed.

"Lets go, oppa. Don't spend your time with that pathetic loser." Sumi told Yongguk in the sweetest tone she could gather. I could see B.A.P rolling their eyes and Sey snorted. I stayed frozen, not sure what to do. A part of me wants Yongguk to stay, but the other part keeps reminding me I'm selfish because he is not mine anymore.

"I'm staying here with the pathetic loser." Yongguk mimicked the way Sumi said that, "I just love being on the losing team." he finished his sentence, smiling brightly, and tightened his grip on my hand. I automatically released my hand from his grip, to his surprise.

"You should go with her." I stated. "I'm fine and I'm not the kind of person to come between couples, so you should go." I smiled and slowly stood up, adjusting my dress.

"Hyeri.." Yongguk mumbled, his eyes not leaving me. I could feel my skin burn wherever his eyes landed and I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

"Thanks for worrying about me, everyone." I said and bowed. "I'm fine, it's probably because I didn't eat anything today. I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Hyeri.. Aren't you being too much?" Sey asked softly.

"We have schedules. Don't take too long or else you'll get scolded." I told her and walked away, leaving everyone behind.

Author's Note:

This chapter is a bit longer and I hope you'll enjoy it :)

And I have good news - After the next week you probably won't have to wait a week (or more) for a new chapter. I'll have more free time, so I'll try to update more often.

Tell me your thoughts about the chapter\story! I promise I don't bite and it helps me improve and this way I know what to fix and what I should work on.

Thanks for reading, commenting, subscribing etc.!

M.