"Good morning!" Matt greeted when he entered the practice room.

"Morning.." I muttered, too tired to be polite.

"You are even uglier when you frown, so please try to smile."

"Happy?" I asked after faking the brightest smile I could.

"Yes. Now start doing warmup, we have a lot of things to do today."

"Yes, sir." I saluted and sat down on the ground, stretching my legs.

~

"Good morning, hyung." Zelo greeted Daehyun when he entered the kitchen.

"Good morning." Daehyun greeted.

"Morning.." Youngjae entered the kitchen as well, sitting near the table.

"Hyung.." Zelo mumbled and both Youngjae and Daehyun looked curiously at him.

"Daehyun hyung." Zelo clarified his intention.

"What?" Daehyun asked curiously.

"I still can't believe we had that talk yesterday." Zelo said while sitting down next to Youngjae, placing his plate on the kitchen table.

"What did you talk about?" Youngjae asked, his curiosity rising.

"He thought I have a crush on Hyeri." Zelo said and took a bite from his toast. Daehyun's face became red and Youngjae grinned.

"I told you that you were just imagining things!" Youngjae told Daehyun happily.

"Shut up." Daehyun muttered.

"You're such an idiot!" Youngjae laughed. "How can you actually think he was interested in her? She is Yongguk's girl."

"Hyung, stop it.." Zelo told Youngjae quietly.

"You are really amazing.." Youngjae exclaimed, still teasing the older male.

"Guys.." Jongup entered the kitchen, taking his seat next to Daehyun.

"What is it?" Zelo asked curiously. Daehyun turned his attention to Jongup and Youngjae stopped teasing Daehyun and looked at Jongup as well.

"What does it mean if a girl gives you a nickname?" Jongup asked.

"Well, that depends who the girl is." Daehyun answered.

"Is it Yujin?" Youngjae asked.

"What nickname is it?" Zelo asked at the same time.

"Moonduck." Jongup answered shyly and the boys present started to laugh.

"You two are so cute." Daehyun cooed.

"The Pokemon couple!" Youngjae joined.

"Stop it.." Jongup asked shyly.

"Morning.." Himchan entered the kitchen and headed straight to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water.

"What's wrong with him?" Zelo asked Yongguk, who was trailing behind Himchan.

"We went drinking yesterday and the idiot got drunk after two glasses of wine." Yongguk said while sitting down on one of the empty chairs around the kitchen table.

"It's your fault we went drinking in the first place!" Himchan exclaimed.

"It's Jongup's fault." Yongguk retorted.

"What did I do?" Jongup asked, flustered.

"Nothing. Yongguk is just an idiot." Himchan answered, smiling.

"Who are you calling an idiot?" Yongguk frowned.

"You. And you'll stay an idiot until you work things out with Hyeri." Himchan stuck his tongue out.

"Yah! You little.."

~

"Hyeri, what did we say about the ribbon?" Matt asked.

"That it shouldn't touch the ground."

"So why did you let it fall?" he glared at me.

"It.. Slipped." I stuttered.

"If you can't catch it then do an extra move or kick it with your leg or something.. Don't let it fall to the ground."

"Alright. I'm sorry"

"Do that again."

"Yes, sir."

~

After the practice with Matt ended I took a shower and prepared for our next schedule. We have a busking event before we are heading to the music show. We didn't have any activities beside music shows in the last few days because the company wanted things to calm down a bit with the video scandal, so it's the first time after what happened that we are having a busking. I tried to shake off the worries about meeting people and focus on the schedule ahead of us.

"Are you excited?" Eun Hee asked me, placing her arm on my shoulder.

"I'm fine." I smiled. "Just like always.."

"Let's hope there won't be any erts today.."

"It's only a busking, so let's hope it will be fine." I tried to sound cheerful and confident so she won't worry.

"I hope so.."

"Girls.." Jinu called us when we stood in the company's entrance, waiting for our van.

"Oppa!" Sey called happily.

"We are trying something new today.." Jinu started talking.

"Everytime you want to try something new we are suffering. Why are you always making us do those weird things? We are not your guinea pig!" Sumi complained before Jinu could finish his sentence.

"You haven't heard it yet.." Jinu mumbled.

"I don't need to hear it to know it's going to be something weird." she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Sumi, let him talk." Sey scolded and Sumi stayed quiet.

"The busking today is not on the street." Jinu said.

"Then where is it?" Yujin asked curiously.

"Train."

"See?! I told you it's something weird!" Sumi exclaimed. "Can't you promote us properly? I don't see B.A.P doing those things!"

"You are not at B.A.P's level." Jinu said softly, trying not to sound too harsh.

"Because of your lousy management!" she continued to argue. Looks like she is not going to calm down or drop the subject..

"Sumi, stop arguing with him." I said.

"I'm not taking orders from you, pathetic creature." Sumi glared at me.

"That's enough!" Jinu raised his voice, glaring at Sumi. "And the schedule won't change, so you better do it right."

"How are we supposed to do it on the train? There is no room in it and it's moving." Eun Hee pondered.

"Well, first you'll perform on the platofrm until the train arrives and afterwards you'll just do quiet songs or acoustic versions of your songs. You can also do covers if you want to. You can walk between the train cars or sit somewhere and sing."

"Please tell me it goes for a variety show or something.. You can't be thinking that this pathetic thing is a good idea.." Sumi said.

"Our PR team tries hard to find original ways to promote you and we actually think it's a great idea, so stop arguing and just do it." Jinu said.

"How about they use normal promoting methods that actually works instead of thinking of weird ideas?" Sumi exclaimed.

"Sumi, please listen to him." Sey asked softly.

"So where are we going?" Eun Hee asked, trying to change the atmosphere.

"Yongsan station." Jinu said.

"And we are heading..?" Yujin asked.

"Seodaejeon. It takes about an hour to get there by train."

"I can't decide if you are just trying to save money or if you are really trying to ruin us." Sumi mumbled.

"Barbie can't take the train? Is it too cheap for you?" I mocked.

"Shut up." she hissed. "And don't call me Barbie."

"Yujin." Jinu called, stopping the fight before it escalates.

"Yes, oppa?" Yujin asked.

"It's your time to shine today." Jinu smiled and gave Yujin her guitar.

"Good for you, Yujin!" Eun Hee beamed.

"You have to help us, okay?" Sey asked and Yujin nodded shyly.

"We are counting on you!" I added.

"Pathetic." Sumi muttered while looking at us.

"SHUT UP!" all of us scolded her because we had enough of her annoying attitude today.

"Girls, let's go." Jinu ordered and we entered the van.

~

Clara entered the practice room in the trainees floor and watched the trainees practice on their routine.

"How was it?" Junsu asked when they finished, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Great." Clara smiled. "Are you ready for the evaluations?"

"Yes." Hyuk answered, smiling brightly. "I think we chose a great song."

"Then show me what you want to do."

~

We reached the train station and bought the train tickets. It was only us and Jinu because the company wanted us to look approachable.

"Oppa.. Isn't it dangerous if it's only us? What if a ert comes?" Yujin asked, trying not to sound too panicked.

"It will be fine, don't worry." Jinu smiled reassuringly.

"It's still a bit.." Sey said.

"Do you trust me?" Jinu asked.

"Of course we do, but it doesn't mean we are comfortable like that." Eun Hee said.

"Like someone would want to harass any of you.. It's surprising someone even tried to harass Hyeri since she is so ugly." Sumi scoffed.

"Sumi, watch your mouth, we are in public." Jinu warned.

"Fine." she stomped her feet.

"Before we start, I have something to give you." Jinu said.

"What?" I asked curiosuly.

"Here." Jinu gave us a bunch of our albums.

"What is it for?" Yujin asked.

"Promotion. Give it to the people watching."

"For free?" Sey questioned

"Yes. It will help promoting you."

"You have got to be kidding.." Sumi muttered. "We are not beggars. Do you want people to laugh at us even more?"

"People are already laughing at us, if you haven't realized it yet." Eun Hee said.

"This is so pathetic." Sumi mumbled.

"Your existence is pathetic as well." Sey retorted, glaring at Sumi.

"Girls." Jinu raised his voice, slightly annoyed. "Kill each other when you're alone. When there are people around please act like a united group."

"Yes, oppa." we said together.

"Let's go." he said and we started walking to the platform.

"It's so embarrassing wearing these clothes here.. Everyone is looking weirdly at us." Sey said and hugged herself, trying to hide the cheerleading outfit as much as possible.

"I know, right?" Eun Hee sighed.

"Unnie, I'm scared." Yujin said and hugged me.

"It will be fine, don't worry." I smiled, trying to reassure her.

"You want to be popular, right? It's a great way to attract attention." Sumi said proudly and adjusted her outfit, revealing more skin.

"Not when people are laughing at you." Eun Hee said and looked at a couple of teenagers that started laughing. One of them whistled when he noticed Eun Hee looking at him.

"Hot chicks! Where are you going?" the boy that whisteled asked.

"Let's go faster.." Yujin pleaded and tightened her grip on my arm. I tried to stay calm but I didn't like this situation at all.

All of us quickened our steps, trying to get to our destination. Unfortunately, those boys followed us to the platform. Of all days, why did the company decide to let the security go today? Such a bad luck..

"Good luck, girls. I'll be watching you from the side. You just have to perform here until the train arrives." Jinu said and disappeared into the crowd of people waiting for the train. Just great..

"I can't believe we are doing this.." Sey mumbled in frustration.

"Come on.. Since we don't really have a choice, let's try our best." I smiled.

"Stop pretending you're the perfect leader. If you were we wouldn't be here doing this ." Sumi glared at me.

"What do you want me to do? I can't tell Jinu we won't do it." I argued.

"Of course you can. You are supposed to protect us." she retorted.

"Sumi, stop it." Sey ordered.

"Why are all of you taking her side? She is not a saint and she is not perfect." Sumi said and I tried my best to ignore her comments. She is just mad and grumpy like always, there is no reason to get annoyed by it more than usual.

"Because she is better than you." Sey answered, glaring at Sumi.

"In your dreams.." Sumi scoffed.

"Yujin, how about you start playing something?" I asked a little louder, trying to change the atmosphere before Sumi and Sey will start fighting for real and we'll get noticed for other reasons rather than the reason we are here.

"Sure." Yujin smiled and sat on the ground, taking her guitar out of its case. We sat down next to her, forming half a circle. Sumi cooperated as well, realizing she doesn't have much choice left.

Yujin started playing "Ugly" by 2NE1 and we started singing. Slowly people started paying attention to us and when we finished the song some of them clapped while others remained expressionless.

"Oh, the chicks can actually sing." the boy from earlier commented and I could feel Yujin tense next to me.

"Let's get up." I said and the girls obeyed.

"One, two, three.."

"We are Peppermint and we are going to refresh your day!" we greeted and there was silence. Several people even started to laugh. The girls looked at me in panic and embarrassment, silently pleading for me to do something to change the weird atmosphere. I know we are not popular, but it's really embarrassing and no one deserves to be treated like this.. Not to mention that it's really discouraging.

"Who are they?" someone mocked.

"So lame!" another one commented.

"Hey, everyone.." I said, trying to sound confident. "We're sorry to disturb your busy day but we hope we'll be able to entertain you a bit while you are waiting for the train to arrive.."

"We don't need it. Go back to where you've come from." an old man said.

"Yeah, go back!" other people joined. The girls panicked and I was at a loss of words. I scanned the crowd, searching for Jinu, but he disappeared. I thought he'll probably know what to do, but I guess I'm on my own now since it doesn't look like the girls will get out of their trance soon..

"You can keep going." the two teenagers yelled from their spot. "All of you are hot." they said while ogling us and I felt disgusted. They were looking at us like we are pieces of meat and I could see them undressing us with their eyes. I hate it. It's actually one of the reasons I hate doing y concepts. Beside the fact that I'm bad at it, I hate feeling like a ual object. It's so degrading and disrespectful towards women. I know male idols are suffering from that as well, which is also wrong, but it feels like it's easier to objectifies women, almost like it's the norm.

"We are really sorry to bother you, but since we are already here and we can't really go anywhere, we would like to.." I started talking again, trying to stay polite and not show my annoyance.

"You can go. Just leave." the old man stated angrily before I finished my sentence. "Kids these days.."

I took a deep breath before speaking again. "Sir, I understand your frustration."

"Then leave. Stop bothering people."

"It's a public space, you can't just tell us to leave!" Sey muttered.

"Sey, be quiet." I asked quietly.

"Sir, is there perhaps a song you like and you would like to hear?" I offered, approaching the man. "We just want to make your waiting pleasant.."

"I like A Pink." the old man said and it made me smile.

"A Pink it is." I said, smiling brightly. "Is 'No No No' fine?"

"Yes." the man said and a few people from the crowd started to cheer.

I looked at the girls, who seemed relieved that the man was starting to soften. I took out my phone and played the instrumental track. Luckily we practiced it in the past and we even performed it in the bathhouse, so I had it prepared.

We took our places and the music started playing. Since it's a popular song it got a reaction from the crowd and a few people sang with us and clapped and cheered. We did the song well and when we finished the crowd seemed happier and even the old man seemed relaxed and he wasn't frowning like before.

"Thank you." we thanked the crowd and bowed when the song ended.

"Good job!" the two boys cheered. Aren't they going to leave? But on a scond thought, we need the crowd.. It's nice having people who actually seem happy to watch us among all the frustrated and expressionless people here.

"Actually.. We are a rookie idol group." I started talking again, seeing the other girls still looked shocked. "Can we introduce ourselves?" I asked and my gaze wandered to the old man. He nodded and I smiled.

"My name is Hyeri. I'm in charge of singing and dancing and I'm also the leader of the group." I introduced myself first and the people gathered around us clapped politely.

The other girls introduced themselves as well, according to our standing order. It looked like they started to cooperate more and I was relieved. It's hard doing everything by myself.

"After you got to know us, we want to show you one of our songs.. It's our debut song and we are currently promoting it in music shows and various events, like this one for example." I said after the girls introduced themselves. The crowd cheered and I took it as a good sign. We started doing our song and I noticed that more people came to watch. There were also more people on the platform at the moment, so I guess the train is arriving soon..

When we finished our song we bowed again and people clapped. I smiled, happy that people are reacting and that they are not mad anymore. From the corner of my eye I could see the train approaching the station, which means we can't perform anymore songs. Well, the only song that we actually need space for is our title track because the choreography is what makes the song better, but we can manage without it if there is no choice.

"Everyone!" I called, gathering everyone's attention. "If you liked us, we have albums."

"Boo!" a few grumpy people from the crowd called. "Go away already!"

"You can be nicer, you know.." I muttered. I know I shouldn't have, but it's really discouraging hearing those things.

"You brat, how are you talking to an elderly?" an old lady called in response.

"I'm sorry." I bowed.

People started to disperse as the train reached the station and everyone took their seats inside. On the train Jinu finally approached us.

"Where were you?" Eun Hee asked Jinu.

"Watching you from the side." he stated dryly.

"We needed help with that old man.." Yujin said.

"Hyeri seemed to handle it well." Jinu complimented and I started to blush.

"I tried.." I said quietly.

"But you should have helped her. All of you froze when you didn't perform. Why are you letting Hyeri do all the talking?" he asked while looking at the other girls.

"We were embarrassed." Sey admitted shyly.

"Hyeri always do all the talking.. And she likes being in the center of attention." Sumi said.

"Help her more next time." Jinu ordered.

"Yes, oppa." they chanted together.

"We have an hour ride until our station, so move around and talk to people and entertain them if they want to be entertained. You goal is to sing your songs but since it can't fill the whole ride, you can do covers as well. Stay together and let Yujin play."

"Yes, oppa." all of us said.

"And give your albums to people. If you develop a fanbase from now it will help you in the future, even if it seem small and insignificant."

"Alright."

"Good luck." Jinu smiled genuinely. "I'll be in my seat." he said and pointed at an empty seat at the end of the train car we were standing at.

"So what are we doing now?" Eun Hee asked.

"Let's explore the train." I smiled. "If life gives you lemons, make a lemonade out of it."

"How is that related?" Sumi asked.

"We are stuck here anyway and we have to perform, so let's just have fun." I answered and Sumi rolled her eyes.

"How can you be so cheerful and optimistic?" Yujin asked.

"Because it won't help to get mad, it'll only ruin your mood and won't bring any good." I poked her forehead lightly.

"You're the best, unnie!" she exclaimed happily and hugged me. I hugged her back when we heard whistles. I released Yujin from the hug and sighed, identifying the source of noise. Not them again..

"You said you have albums?" one of the teenagers asked and I could feel Yujin squeezing my hand almost too tightly.

"Yes."

"Give me four." he said and stretched his hand.

"Here." I smiled politely and gave him the albums he wanted.

"Hey, chick.." he turned to Eun Hee. "Add your phone number on it."

"In your dreams, kiddoh." Eun Hee snorted.

"Who are you calling a kid?" the boy exclaimed, slightly annoyed. "I'm a man."

"If you're a man then be a gentleman and stop bothering them." the old man showed up from behind the boys. "Can't you see they are uncomfortable?"

"Why are you getting involved, old man?" the other boy finally spoke, approaching the old man in a threatening way. It looked like he is about to hit him.

The boy raised his hand, aiming a punch toward the old man. Out of an instinct I jumped and stood in the middle, getting hit instead of the old man. I was punched in the face, but I'm lucky the boy hit my mouth and not my nose because I'm sure it would have been broken if he hit it. I touched my lips, wiping the blood from it. I'm going to get scolded again for getting in trouble and making the makeup artist work harder to cover the damage to my face, but I can't watch old people get hit, especially when the old man just tried to help us.

"Hyeri!" Sey called, rushing over to me.

"Pathetic attention .." Sumi muttered.

"What the.." the boy mumbled, bewildered.

"Is everything alright?" Jinu approached us, finally sensing there was a commotion.

"Everything is fine." I said, trying to hide my face.

"You're bleeding, how is that fine?" he said after noticing the blood on my hand. .. I forgot to cover it.

"It's nothing." I said and tried to smile innocently, even if Jinu couldn't see it because my hand covered my face.

"Here." the old man gave me a handkerchief he took out of his pocket.

"Thanks." I thanked him and turned around, my back facing Jinu now, so I can wipe the blood from my face and my hands. I didn't want Jinu to see the damage to my face even if it's stupid because he'll probably see it anyway.. It's not like I can hide it.

"I'm sorry, I'm the reason for this mess." the old man told Jinu.

"The boys over there were bothering us." Yujin told Jinu, pointing at the two boys.

"We didn't!" they lied shamelessly.

"They did." Sey and Eun Hee confirmed it together.

"You two, get lost before I call the security." Jinu told the boys, who hurried to leave, not before ogling Eun Hee once again.

"So pathetic.." Eun Hee muttered and rolled her eyes when they left.

"Hyeri." Jinu told me.

"Yes?" I turned around, still covering my face.

"Show me your face." he ordered dryly.

"It's ugly, you don't want to look at it." I mumbled, hoping he will buy it.

"Hyeri." Jinu said sternly.

"Fine." I sighed and removed my hand from my face, revealing my now injured mouth.

"Why are you always getting in trouble?" Jinu sighed. "You know what's going to happen if the CEO finds out.."

"Yeah, I know. He'll threaten to kick me out. The same as always.." I muttered.

"Oppa.." Yujin said softly.

"What is it, Yujin?"

"She was trying to protect the man from getting hit." she explained and pointed at the old man.

"That's true." the old man said.

"Hyeri, does it hurt?" Jinu asked softly.

"A little.." I admitted, burying my gaze on the ground.

"Go wash your face and come back." he ordered.

"Yes, oppa."

~

"Yongguk hyung, you're making mistakes again." Zelo stated softly.

"Sorry.." Yongguk apologized, scratching his head.

"Do you want me to explain the moves again?" Zelo asked.

"No." Yongguk shook his head. "Sorry, I'm just not focused.."

"Let's take a break." Himchan offered.

"It's fine, let's do it again. I won't mess up." Yongguk said and Jongup turned the music on.

~

"She is such an attention seeker." Sumi said when Hyeri was out of sight.

"You are worse." Sey stated.

"Girls, stop fighting." Jinu ordered.

"Sorry.." Sey and Sumi apologized.

"Oppa.." Yujin called.

"What?"

"What if they'll come back?"

"They won't. I'll keep an eye on you from now, so don't worry too much." Jinu smiled and patted Yujin's head.

~

I scanned my appearance in the mirror. I had a cut in the corner of my mouth, but it didn't seem too deep nor serious. That's good. This way the makeup artist won't have to work that hard to cover it and maybe I won't be scolded too much for it..

I washed my face and cleaned the wound as much as I could in the current circumstances. When I was done I joined Jinu and the girls.

"It looks better now." Jinu stated after examining my face.

"I tried.."

"I won't tell the CEO anything as long as you don't get into more trouble." Jinu said.

"Really?!" I exclaimed.

"Yes." Jinu smiled. "You know I'm on your side, right?" I nodded. "And you did well." he ruffled my hair.

"Thanks, oppa!" I hugged Jinu tightly.

"Yah, you should hug young and handsome guys, not old and ugly men like me." Jinu joked.

"You are the best." I stated and hugged him even tighter.

"I need to breathe, you know.."

"I don't care." I leaned my head against his chest.

"Alright, alright." Jinu patted my head. "Now please get back to the original plan and go sing."

"Yes, oppa." I released him. "But there is something I want to do before that."

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

"I want to give the old man a signed album." I said shyly.

"Thats a great idea!" Eun Hee exclaimed.

"We should definitely do that!" Sey said.

After we signed the album I searched the old man in the nearset train cars. In the third one I finally noticed him sitting near the window, looking outside.

"E.. Excuse me.." I said.

"Yes?" the old man turned around. "It's you." he smiled when he saw me.

"Yes.." I said shyly. "I'm sorry for bothering you, I just wanted to give you this." I said and showed him the signed album.

"Oh. That's nice of you." the old man smiled warmly and took the album from me. "Thank you. I'll listen to it well."

"Thank you for earlier.."

"No problem."

"Then, I'm sorry for bothering you, I should go. Have a nice day." I said and bowed. After that I joined the girls.

~

"I'm tired.." Hyuk said while sitting down on the floor.

"Let's do the dance again." Junsu said.

"Let's take a five minutes break?" Hyuk offered.

"Alright." Junsu agreed and sat down next to Hyuk. Both of them tried to bring their breaths back to normal after rehearsing the intense routine for a while.

"Hyuk.." Junsu said after a few moments of silence.

"Hmm?"

"What do you think about Sumi?" Junsu asked after taking a sip from his water bottle.

"She is.. Complicated."

"In a good way or in a bad way?" Junsu looked at Hyuk.

"Bad." Hyuk answered immediately.

"And Hyeri?"

"Complicated as well, but she is the opposite from Sumi."

"Those two are really like day and night, aren't they?" Junsu sighed.

"Yeah.. It's more like the angel and the devil."

~

We searched for a random train car that looked relatively empty so there will be place for all of us. We sat down in the empty seats and I examined the people in the car. There was a girl in her twenties with earphones tucked in her ears, a woman that was reading a newspaper, a man looking at his phone and a couple that was holding hands. They looked so cute. Yujin started playing '3.6.5' by EXO and we sang along. The people in the car looked uninterested, but we didn't have much choice but to keep singing.. It's not like we want to do this.

When the song ended we didn't get any reaction out of them but Yujin kept playing. In the third song the couple finally clapped and started to show interest. We sang one more song and bowed, thanked them and headed to the next train car after giving the couple an album.

The ride continued like this, without much reaction from people. Most of them looked uninterested, just like in the first train car.

"Good job, girls." Jinu said when we got off the train in Seodaejun.

"What now?" Sumi asked.

"We go back and you perform in the station and in the train as well."

"This is ridiculous."

"Can we eat first at least?" Yujin asked. "I'm starving.."

"Alright. Let's go buy something to eat."

~

"Sohyun." B.A.P's manager called the secretary.

"Yes, oppa?" Sohyun asked cutely.

"Is the CEO busy?"

"Depends what you want from him." Sohyun smiled.

"To talk about a few things regarding B.A.P's comeback."

"Hmm, let me check." she said and turned to her computer. She opened the calendar and skimmed the CEO's schedule for the rest of the day.

"Can you come in an hour?" Sohyun asked after checking.

"Sure."

"Great." she smiled. "Is half an hour enough?"

"Perfect." B.A.P's manager smiled.

"Then I'll see you later."

~

We went back to Seoul and headed straight to "Show! Music Core" recording after changing to a different cheerleading uniforms for the live show. The makeup artist fixed my face pretty well so now the cut wasn't visible.

While we were waiting for the ending segment I searched for Yujin because there was something I wanted to ask her. I found her in the hallway, talking to Eun Hee.

"Where were you?" I asked curiously.

"We went to see UP10TION's performance." Yujin answered.

"That's nice." I smiled.

"What are you doing?" Eun Hee asked.

"Actually.. I was looking for Yujin. Can I borrow her for a few minutes?" I asked.

"Sure." Eun Hee smiled and Yujin followed me back to our dressing room.

"What is it?" Yujin asked when we were alone.

"It's about Jongup.."

"What about him?"

"You know his dance show, right?"

"Of course I do." Yujin smiled.

"Well, he asked for my help for the chuseok special.."

"That's great!" Yujin exclaimed happily. "You are a great dancer and I'm sure you'll do well."

"Actually.. I wanted to talk to you about that.." I hesitated, unconsciously biting my lower lip.

"What is it?" Yujin asked curiously.

"Our dance is.. Quite y and intimate." I buried my gaze on the ground, embarrassed.

"So? Are you scared you won't do well or something?" Yujin was confused.

"No.." I looked at her and tucked a few hairs behind my ear. "I was just wondering if it's fine with you because.. You know."

"You're cute." Yujin chuckled. "Me and Jongup are not dating, so you don't have to ask for my permission or anything like that. And even if we were dating, it's just work. If we were dating I would have trusted him and I know you only have eyes for Yongguk anyway, so.."

I tensed when she mentioned Yongguk but I tried not to show it. Well, it's not like she is wrong..

"Thank you." I smiled.

"No problem." she smiled. "Thanks for asking. That's really nice of you."

"Well, friends come before guys, right?"

"Obviously." she exclaimed and both of us chuckled.

~

Yongguk stared at his phone, bewildered. He opened the message from Sumi because he thought she actually wanted to tell him something meaningful, but like always, it was nothing like that. It was a picture of Sumi barely wearing clothes, captioned "It must be hard surviving that long without , right? I'm always waiting for you if you change your mind."

"Not interested. I'd rather die from not having than lay a figner on you." Yongguk typed furiosuly. He was harsh, but she deserved it.

"You still haven't gave up trying to win Hyeri back? It's over between the two of you, just admit it already." the reply came shortly after.

"That's none of your business." Yongguk answered.

"Your business is my business, honey." he read Sumi's text and he could imagine her saying that with her high pitched voice, which made him feel nauseous.

Yongguk closed his eyes and took a deep breath before typing his answer - "Stop sending me messages. It's the last time I'm warning you."

"What is so good about that ?" Sumi sounded annoyed and Yongguk smiled at the thought.

"For the millionth time - She is not you. And stop calling her a , that's your nickname."

~

"So what were you up to today?" a husky voice echoed in Sey's ear as a hand slipped under her shirt, caressing her stomach on the way up.

"I missed.." Sey started talking until the hand reached her and started massaging it.

"You." Sey moaned the rest of the sentence.

"Say it again." Himchan ordered, keeping his voice low because he knew it drove Sey crazy.

"I missed you.." now Sey moaned the whole sentence as Himchan worked harder on pleasuring her.

"I missed you too, honey." Himchan said and kissed her cheek, taking his hand out of her shirt and bringing it back to the side of his body.

"Yah!" Sey turned around and glared at Himchan, annoyed that she was left unsatisfied.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Why did you stop?" she crossed her arms over her chest.

"We're in the company.. Someone might come and catch us."

"It didn't bother you the last time we did it here.." Sey retorted.

"I just wanted to see you because I missed you."

"I missed you too." Sey said shyly and approached Himchan, planting a kiss on his lips.

"Hmm.." Himchan moaned as she bit his lower lip. "I need to go soon."

"Why?" she asked while plating several kisses on Himchan's neck.

"I have plans with Yongguk."

"Then you should go." Sey stopped kissing Himchan.

"Are you sure?" Himchan hesitated. Sey didn't look mad, but she released him too easily without asking for anything in return and without complaining.

"Yes. He needs you."

"But.."

"But I'll see you tonight." Sey said and placed her hand on his chest suggestively. Himchan started to breathe more heavily. She didn't really do anything and it still affects him.

"You are going to make it up for me then, right?" Sey asked in a seductive voice while her fingers traveled along his shirt, teasing him.

"Whatever.. You.. Want.." Himchan tried to control his breath.

"Great." Sey smiled, pulling her hand away. "I'll see you tonight, oppa!" she called happily and planted a kiss on his cheek before storming out of the room.

"Why do I always let her win?" Himchan shook his head but still smiled brightly.

~

"Are you sure it's fine with you?" Jongup asked before trying the new combination we thought of.

"Yes. We are just trying to see if it works and I'll tell you if it's too much." I reassured him.

"Alright." Jongup said quietly and went to his position.

~

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" Himchan asked.

"Yes." Yongguk answered.

"Maybe we shouldn't.."

"I'm doing it with or without you." Yongguk said and started walking to their destination.

~

I was laying on the floor, trying to release myself from the tight ties. I kicked my legs endlessly but it didn't help. I was trapped. He looked at me, smirking. He looked like a psycho and I felt a shiver running down my spine. His hands started to travel along my face and my body and I flinched ftom the foreign touch. I don't want to do this.. I want to be home. At least there no one is after me..

I need to get out of here.. But how?

I could feel the tears stream down my face and I unconsciously started shaking.

"No.. Please don't.." I mumbled and he seemed bewildered. He stopped touching me, his eyes turning soft and worried.

"I don't want to.." I started crying harder, moving my body frantically on the ground in a desperate attemp to release myself. I didn't realize I was already free.

"I don't want to.." I kept mumbling repeatedly like a mantra.

"Hyeri.." Jongup called softly.

"Don't.." my body moved on its own, rushing out of the room. I didn't realize I bumped into two other people on the way out.

~

"Hyeri.." Yongguk called after her when he noticed her rushing out of the practice room. He and Himchan wanted to visit Hyeri and Jongup during practice, but they didn't expect to see Hyeri starting to cry like crazy while practicing with Jongup.

"Hyeri!" he called again and quickened his steps in order to stop her. He can't let her handle it by herself, whatever it is that is bothering her at the moment. She looks too fragile and hurt to be left alone.

To his surprise, Hyeri stopped and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest. He honestly thought she'll keep running away from him until he'll forcefully stop her and get her to talk.

"What's wrong?" Yongguk asked softly, hugging her gently so he won't scare her.

"Zico.." she mumbled and hugged him tighter. His heart clenched. That can't be bugging her again, right? If he is, it can explain Hyeri's reaction..

"Did he bother you again?" he asked, his eyes not leaving her.

"He is in the practice room.." Hyeri mumbled, panicked. Yongguk sighed but tried not to show it. Not that Hyeri would notice anyway, but still..

"Hyeri, calm down."

"He is here.." she kept repeating, her voice getting higher and more frightened. She also started shaking.

"He is not here." Yongguk said softly, rubbing her back gently in order to calm her down and to get her to stop shaking.

"I'm not a liar.. He is really here!" she exclaimed, crying harder. "In the practice room.." she whispered.

"Alright.." Yongguk tried to calm her down. Annoying her won't help, it'll just make things worse.

"I'm scared." Hyeri held onto him tighter. He tried to ignore his heart beating faster because of her closeness and his excitement because of it. It has been a while since she was standing close to him, not to mention hugging him, so he couldn't help but feel excited and think how much he missed her.. He missed it, everything related to her.

"I'm here. You don't have to be scared, I'll protect you." Yongguk said and caressed Hyeri's hair gently. It was messy from her practice with Jongup, but it didn't matter.

"It's scary.." she mumbled, burying her face even deeper in his chest. He could smell her shampoo and it drove him crazy. He tried to ignore it so he could be there for Her. It's definitely not the time to get excited over those small things, even if he doesn't know if and when he'll get another chance to be this close to her.

"Why is he after me again?" she asked and Yongguk frowned.

"He is an ." Yongguk muttered. He figured it will be better cooperating with her than telling her the truth.

"Help me.." she cried and Yongguk's heart broke. That .. The only reaosn she is like that right now is because of Zico.. And because Zico is after him, so eventually it's his fault as well. He ruined her life..

"I'll protect you." Yongguk said, even if he wasn't exactly sure how he is going to do it. But he is definitely going to try.

"Promise?" she asked in a tiny voice. He almost missed it because it was so weak.

"Yes. Just trust me." Yongguk tried to talk in the calmest tone he could master and hugged her tightly. He could feel her soften under his touch and he was relieved.

"I can't."

~

"What happened?" Jongup asked, confusion written all over his face. "I didn't do anything to her.."

"I know you didn't." Himchan tried to calm Jongup down and put his hand on the younger male's shoulder.

"It was her idea to practice this part.." Jongup mumbled, trying to convince himself he didn't do anything wrong and get rid of the guilt that started to eat him mercilessly.

"Jongup!" Himchan raised his voice, realizing Jongup is not listening to him.

"What?" Jongup finally looked at Himchan.

"It's fine. Yongguk is taking care of her now and you did nothing wrong. Hyeri just has a lot of baggage from her past, so sometimes it can pop up when you least expect it. She needs to deal with it and she'll come back stronger. You didn't do anything wrong. It's not your fault."

"But.." Jongup started to protest but Himchan stopped him.

"No buts." Himchan said sternly. "Stop blaming yourself. I'm sure she is not blaming you either."

~

It felt so real..

If you asked me what happened in the practice room I would have told you it was Zico tying me up and that we were in the cabin or something..

And it only makes sense that I'll go to Yongguk afterwards because when there is Zico as the devil, there is Bang Yongguk as my guardian angel. That has never changed, no matter how bad our relationship was at that time.

Well, there is one thing that has changed.. He is not mine anymore.

Funny enough, I went back to reality when he hugged me. His scent and his touch reminded me that he is here and how much I missed him and that's when I realized what's actually going on and how stupid and pathetic I must look at the moment.

"Just trust me."

"I can't." I tried to hide the tears falling from my eyes. Most of it was because of Zico, but there was a small part that was because of him.

"Hyeri.." Yongguk sounded hurt. I couldn't lift my eyes to look at him because I was scared to see how much he was hurt.

"I'm sorry for bothering you, I'm fine." I quickly wiped my tears and released myself from the hug, showing him my back.

"Hyeri, please.." he pleaded.

"I need to go." I started walking but I stopped when I felt his hands gripping mine. He hugged me, burying his face in my neck.

"Please don't leave me.." he mumbled, sniffing my neck. "I missed your scent.."

"I'll give the perfume to Sumi, she can use it." I said, ignoring the first part of his sentence. I can't handle this.. It hurts too much.

"I want you, not Sumi." he said and turned me around so I'll face him. Before I realized what's going on he kissed me. My brain yelled at me to get away but my body did the opposite and kissed him back. While our lips touched I could feel new tears making its way down my cheeks, and I'm sure Yongguk could feel it as well.

"I can't do this." I said while breaking the kiss.

"Hyeri.." he whispered, his forehead leaning against mine.

"You deserve better." I stated dryly and finally left.

~

"." Yongguk cursed and kicked the nearest wall.

"Why are you so stupid, Bang Yongguk?" he sighed while messing his hair in frustration.

"I'm going to get you back and I'll never let anything happen to you again."

~

"Hey.." I entered the practice room after washing my face and getting rid of the dry tears. I was hoping Jongup was still there so I could explain everything to him.

I'm such an idiot.. I'm supposed to be a professional. And I told Jongup it's fine doing this concept and I was the one offering doing the dance move we practiced, I can't back down now.. And I can't disappoint him either. I'm going to do my best to make it work.

"Hyeri!" Jongup smiled happily when he noticed me. He was in the practice room with Himchan, who kept looking worriedly at me.

"I'm sorry for earlier, I'm just not feeling well." I lied.

"Are you feeling better now?" Jongup asked.

"Yes, thank you."

"How about we'll practice again tomorrow? And we should change this dance move, it's not working well.."

"Sounds great." I smiled. "Don't worry, I won't mess up again."

"I'm not worried."

~

"Bang." Himchan found Yongguk in his studio, as usual. The only difference was that this time he buried his head in his palms instead of actually working.

"Yongguk?" Himchan tried again.

"I ruined her life." Yongguk muttered.

"What are you talking about?" Himchan asked, sitting next to Yongguk.

"You saw her at the practice room, right?" Yongguk looked at Himchan.

"Yes.."

"I'm the reason it happened.."

"It's not your fault, stop blaming yourself."

"Well, I'm the reason Zico is after her."

"It's not your fault Zico is a psychopath , and you know Hyeri would do a lot to protect you.."

"It doesn't help me feel better.." Yongguk sighed and rubbed his temples.

"I know.. But please don't blame yourself. You need to be strong so you can support her."

"How? She doesn't want me anymore. I got rejected again."

"Give her time.."

"Easy for you to say.."

Author's Note:

This is the longest chapter I wrote until now :O

I hope you'll enjoy it and it's also a bonus because I didn't update often like I promised I'll do.

Happy belated birthday, Moon Jongup! <3

I hope your dreams will come true this year and that you'll keep surprising us with your angelic vocals and talents that just keeps getting better.

Thanks for reading, commenting, subscribing, etc. It means a lot to me!

M.