"Good morning, girls." Jinu greeted when he entered our dorm.

"Good morning." I greeted, handing him a cup of coffee. It became a routine whenever he comes to get us in the morning. He never asked for it, but I know he needs it and I'm happy to do this because he takes care of us and he always buys us food and drinks.

"You look happy today." he commented, smiling.

"I just rested well."

"That's good, because you have a lot of schedules today."

"I thought we only had the music show?" I asked, confused. When I checked the fancafe yesterday it was only the music show recording..

"Things have been added to your schedules today." he replied.

"Good morning, oppa." Yujin came out of our bedroom.

"Ask the other girls to come here, we need to talk." he told her and she returned to the bedroom in order to gather everyone.

Shortly after, all of us were sitting in the living room, waiting for Jinu to speak.

"There have been a few changes to your schedules today." Jinu said. "You are busking in the morning, from there we will go to the music show and you will have a mini fanmeet when it ends. In the afternoon there is a baseball game and you are going to perform there. It's a good opportunity for you. Also, Hyeri, you are going to do the first pitch."

"Why Hyeri? I'm the visual of the group!" Sumi exclaimed in annoyance.

"Hyeri has the charm that can appeal to baseball fans." Jinu answered dryly.

"If you are targeting baseball fans, wouldn't it be better to go with someone y?" Sumi asked.

"Twice and GFriend are not y and they are doing well." Jinu said.

"That's different!"

"Hyeri is doing it and it's final." Jinu declared. "Hyeri is appealing to both men and women while only certain type of guys will find you attractive and y."

Sumi was hurt but tried not to show it. "Fine. If we flop it's Hyeri’s fault." she said and I rolled my eyes. She is always trying to find a way to put the blame on me even if I had nothing to do with it..

"The baseball game is important. We want to appeal to male audience and our main targets will be sports fans and soldiers because they love pretty much everything. If you fail with those two audiences you are pretty much doomed."

"Why do you have to be so negative?" Sey asked, frowning.

"I'm telling you the truth because you should be aware of this. You should treat every performance as an opportunity to gain fans but please do your best today. The game is also broadcasted on tv and there are a lot of people watching it. We are also trying to arrange performances in other games and in front of soldiers, but it might take some time. We are lucky we managed to get this gig."

"Let's just do our best and perform diligently. We should focus on the busking first so we could give our full attention to it and do our best." I said.

"Does it mean our schedules ends in the evening?" Eun Hee asked. She was worried because she was supposed to meet Youngjae today. They planned to go to the zoo but now it looks like they'll have to postpone it..

"Yes." Jinu confirmed. "After the game you still have practice."

"Okay." she mumbled, trying not to show that she is disappointed.

"Let's go." Jinu smiled and stood up and we did the same. This is going to be a long day..

~

"Can we postpone our date today?" Eun Hee texted Youngjae when they were in the car.

"Why? Don't you want to see me anymore? :(" he asked and Eun Hee frowned.

"It's not that. The company added some schedules so it's a bit complicated.. I have schedules until the evening and we can't go to zoo this late.." she explained.

"Then let's do something else today instead. We can go to the zoo tomorrow :)" he replied and a wide smile spread on Eun Hee's face.

"Let's do that. I'll call you when I'll finish everything."

"Deal. Good luck today."

"Thanks. You too."

~

"Guess who is going to do the first pitch in the baseball game today ~" I sent a message to my loving boyfriend.

"Sumi?" he asked, trying to annoy me.

"No."

"Then I have no idea who." he replied and I frowned.

"Congratulations babe! I'll make sure to watch you embarrass yourself with the pitch ^^" Yongguk added.

"Just admit that you are jealous." I teased.

"I'm really jealous, but I'm really happy for you. It's a good exposure."

"Thanks."

"Are you performing there as well?"

"Yes."

"I'll tell the boys to watch the game as well. We will cheer for you!"

"Thank you."

"Can you talk?" Yongguk asked.

"Yes." I replied.

Moments after my phone rang and I saw Yongguk's name on the screen. I smiled widely.

"I just wanted to hear your voice." he said when I answered the call and I blushed.

"I missed you." I said, feeling all the girls' eyes on me. I started to feel embarrassed but I tried to ignore it. They are probably just happy and curious.. Except for Sumi.

"I missed you too. I had a dream about you last night."

"What kind of a dream?" I asked curiously.

"You got a phonecall from Zico and then you disappeared and I was searching for you like crazy."

"Did you find me?" I asked carefully, afraid of hearing the answer. I know that it's just a dream, but it still scares me.

"I guess you can say that.." he said and I could sense the uneasiness in his voice.

"What do you mean?"

"I found you, but you were unconscious. When you woke up you didn't recognize me and you were all over Zico. It was like he took my place."

"I'm sorry.." I said and I could feel tears filling my eyes. I quickly wiped it away before the girls will notice.

"Hyeri."

"What?"

"Do you have to work with him?" he asked and I could feel how much he hates that idea and how worried he is.

"I don't have a choice.. The company already agreed to do it and it's not likely they'll give up on this opportunity." I said, feeling apologetic. I don't want to do this either, but what can I do? Zico is devious and he knew what he was doing and how to corner me so I won't have any other choice but to work with him.

"Did you talk to him lately?" Yongguk asked.

"Not after we met at the broadcasting station when we were together." I answered.

"Babe.. You'll tell me if anything happens, right?"

"Yes. I promise."

"Be careful."

"It was just a dream. Nothing will happen." I tried to reassure him even though I was worried. I don't trust Zico. "I will do my best to take care of myself and there is no way I'm going over to his side, no matter what tricks he will pull off. I'm staying in team Yongguk forever."

"Promise?"

"Yes. But you can't switch teams either!" I said and I could hear him chuckle. I was relieved because it means I managed to improve his mood, even if just a little bit.

"I'm not switching teams. I'm team Hyeri all the way."

"What if other teams appears?" I asked.

"Still team Hyeri." he said confidently and it made me smile.

"I love you." I said and I heard the girls squeal.

"I love you too."

"Bye, oppa."

"Bye, my love. I'll talk to you later." he said and hung up.

I placed my phone in my bag and turned my attention to the girls. All of them watched me intently, making me feel uncomfortable.

"What?" I asked, flustered.

"You two are so cute!" Yujin exclaimed and I blushed.

"Oh, are you blushing?" Sey cooed and pinched my cheek.

"It's really cute that you are still blushing every time we mention him around you." Eun Hee said.

"It's not cute, it's pathetic." Sumi said, a disgusted expression on her face.

"You are more pathetic." Sey told her and Sumi rolled her eyes.

"Girls, stop arguing. It's still early and I don't feel like spending the entire day with a headache because of you.." Jinu scolded.

"Sorry.." Sey and Sumi quickly apologized.

"Get ready, we are almost there."

~

We reached the busking site, which was a train station. Again. At least this time we are not riding the train but only performing on the platform in hopes of entertaining the people waiting. That can also explain why we are not having a fansign after the busking, like we often do.

"You should really stop bringing us to weird places like this.. It's not the way to get us famous." Sumi said, frowning.

"We know what we are doing." Jinu said dryly. "Fix your hair and makeup, you will start performing soon."

~

"Hyung." Jongup sat next to Himchan.

"What is it, Uppie?" Himchan ruffled the younger male's hair.

"When do you think we are going to promote?"

"Who knows.." Himchan sighed. "It can be a month and it can be half a year, depends on the CEO's mood swings and available money."

"I want to show a cool image of myself."

"It's for a certain someone, right?" Himchan teased, smirking.

"No." Jongup claimed and Himchan laughed because he could read through Jongup.

"Don't worry, you are already cool and I'm sure that she sees it as well."

~

"That was terrible." Sey complained when we sat in the van after the busking ended.

"The person who thought it was a good idea should be fired." Sumi exclaimed.

"It wasn't that bad.." I tried to stay positive.

"We got ignored and people laughed at us. How can you say it wasn't bad? We only annoyed people and became a joke." Yujin said.

"People are already making fun of us, so it doesn't really matter.." I reminded them. "Just ignore those idiots."

"Easy for you to say, you have steel nerves. You are not affected by anything." Eun Hee said.

"That's not true. I'm just focusing on the important things, which are our schedules for today."

"Hyeri is right. You should focus on your next activities instead of focusing on this and let it affect you." Jinu finally spoke.

"Fine."

~

When we reached the broadcast station I searched for a secluded place because I didn't want the girls to see me like that. I sat on the ground in the deserted corner and took my phone, dialing the familiar number.

"Hey, babe." Yongguk's cheerful voice was heard on the other side of the line. Looks like his mood has improved since the previous time we talked.

"Hey."

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly. I guess my voice betrayed me..

"I just wanted to hear your voice." I tried not to cry.

"What happened?"

"We are such a joke.." I said with a strangled voice from crying. My attempt not to cry failed miserably.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Yongguk asked softly.

"I.. We had a schedule.." I stopped because of the tears filling my eyes, wetting the rest of my face. Yongguk waited patiently until I continued talking. "The company keeps sending us to weird busking places.." more tears came. "This time it was a train station and everything was really bad. People kept complaining and cursing us and it was terrible." I cried again. Why do I have so many tears?

"Everything went wrong and the girls are in a bad mood because of it. I tried to cheer them up and stay positive but it really . I can't tell them it's okay when it's not.. I feel so useless." I managed to finish my speech between all the tears and whimpers.

"You are not useless. And you are allowed to feel bad. You are human as well." he said calmly.

"But they are looking up to me. If I'm falling apart they will as well."

"Babe."

"What?"

"Look, happens. I'm sorry you had to go through that and that I can't do anything to help you, but you are strong and you can get over it. Just focus on your next schedules and try to have fun as well, okay? I know you can do it. Every bad experience will help you become a better person and a better artist and performer so don't worry about it."

"But we messed up.."

"It doesn't matter. I'm proud of you regardless of the result because you did your best and that's what matters. The most important thing is the process and not the result because the process is going to help you grow."

"People are only looking at the result, not at the process." I said bitterly.

"They are superficial and you shouldn't waste your time on them."

"I can't." I hugged my knees to my chest. "They said I'm a crappy singer and that I shouldn't have debuted." I cried again.

"Babe, why are you letting a few idiots who probably know nothing about music determine whether you are a good singer or not? You are stronger than that, so please pull yourself back together.. You still have schedules today and your fans should see your smiling face. I know you can do it."

"Yongguk."

"What?"

"Send me a selfie of you. I need motivation for the day." I asked cutely and Yongguk chuckled.

"Everything you want, my love." he said and I could hear he was smiling.

"Thank you."

"If you want to thank me, do well today. And don't cry because of those idiots. They are not worth it."

"I'll try my best."

"That's my girl." Yongguk smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too." I said and finished the call.

A few moments later I received the desired selfie. He was smiling his signature gummy smile and did a 'Fighting!' pose. I smiled brightly. He is so cute. I decided to take a selfie as well and sent it to him.

"It's good that you are smiling. Keep that smile on your face for the rest of the day :)" he texted after receiving the picture. I smiled and stood up, ready to go back to the girls after being energized. I should definitely keep smiling today.

~

"Guys." Yongguk entered the practice room.

"What?" Youngjae asked curiously.

"Talk to your girlfriends." the older male ordered but immediately felt embarrassed and lowered his gaze to the ground.

"Are you getting shy?" Himchan teased.

"Just talk to them. Their buksing didn't go well today and their moods are down." Yongguk mumbled while moving his feet nervously.

"You are so sweet." Himchan pinched Yongguk's cheeks, earning a glare from the oldest male.

"Thanks, hyung." Youngjae said and took out his phone, calling Eun Hee.

Soon, Himchan did the same and even Jongup sent Yujin a message.

~

"One, two, three." I counted.

"Hello, we are Peppermint and we are going to refresh your day!" we greeted our fans. The music show went well and now we are meeting our fans outside the broadcasting station. Our fans cheered and it made us smile.

"How are you doing today?" I asked.

"We can't hear you!" a guy seated at the back yelled. Jinu immediately gave us megaphones to use.

"How are you feeling today?" I tried again. This time it was heard loud and clear and I smiled.

"Good!"

"Happy!"

"There are so many of you here today.." Sey mumbled, surprised. Usually we have ten or twenty people coming, and today there were thirty people attending. Even the fanchants during the show were louder and it made us happy.

"Of course, it's the weekend." Eun Hee said. "Are you spending it well?"

"Yes!"

"It's a little more than a month since we debuted.." Sumi said.

"How are you feeling about that?" I asked her.

"I'm happy." she answered and smiled.

"Actually, we have some good news for you!" Sey declared happily.

"We know that you wanted to see us more on tv.." Yujin said.

"So we have a few surprises for you." Eun Hee finished Yujin's sentence.

"First of all, there is a baseball game today." I said. "We are going to perform at the game so please watch us!"

"Hyeri is also doing the first pitch." Sey said and our fans cheered. I felt embarrassed and hid my face behind my hands.

"Don't hide, you should be proud of it." Sey removed my hands from my face.

"Please look forward to leader-nim's pitch." Yujin said cutely.

"It's going to be bad.." I mumbled.

"Who cares? Nobody really expect you to do well.. It's an honor to serve the first pitch even if you mess up." Eun Hee said.

"Please don't laugh at me if I'll do badly.." I asked the fans.

"You'll do well!" they yelled and I smiled. It's cute that they are trying to cheer me up.

"We have another surprise for you!" Sumi exclaimed.

"You probably saw pictures of it already, but a while ago, me and Hyeri filmed 'Hello Counselor'.." Sey started talking.

"Oh!" the crowd exclaimed.

"Tomorrow is the broadcast, so please watch it well." I asked.

"Will do!" they yelled.

"There is one last surprise." Yujin said shyly.

"Wow!"

"You know chuseok is coming, right?" Eun Hee asked.

"Yes!"

"And there are a lot of tv specials.." Sey said.

"Some shows already released pictures from the holiday specials.." Sumi said.

"We saw pictures of Hyeri from the dance program!" a female fan said and I blushed.

"Jongup asked me to dance with him so I gladly helped." I explained shyly.

"You should look forward to their dance because it's amazing." Yujin said. "It will show you a different side of her for sure."

"It was awesome!" someone shouted from the crowd. He must be one of the few fans that came to the recording..

"Thank you." I bowed.

"How many of you were in the ISAC recording?" Sumi asked curiously and most of the fans raised their hands.

"We have dedicated fans.." Eun Hee said in adoration.

"ISAC is going to be aired as well." Yujin said and the fans cheered.

"And there are two more programs!" Sey exclaimed.

"There is the cooking show.." I said.

"Why would tell them that? We embarrassed ourselves!" Sumi scolded me.

"Please look forward to Sumi almost burning the set." I said, smirking, and the fans laughed.

"But seriously, you should look forward to it because there are some surprises. All of us auditioned and you know how good Hyeri's cooking is.." Sey said.

"We know!" the fans said.

"The last show is actually related to our next schedule.." Eun Hee said.

"It's a program dedicated to the first pitch and we participated in it as well." Yujin said.

"How many of you came to watch us recording that?" I asked and a few fans raised their hands.

"Alright, I think that's all the good news we have for you today.." Sumi said.

"No, there is something more!" Yujin exclaimed and we looked at her curiously. What is she talking about?

"We actually wanted to ask what do you want to see from us in the future." she said cutely. "It can be tv shows or musical collaborations."

"Oh.." we were relieved it was that. There are a few things that are not confirmed yet so we can't really talk about it.. We don't want to disappoint our fans if it won't happen eventually.

Minjae raised her hand.

"Yes, Minjae?" Eun Hee asked.

"We want to see you on 'Weekly Idol'!" she said and the other fans agreed.

"Alright. What else?" Sey asked and Minho raised his hand.

"Yes, Minho?" Sey asked.

"Hyeri, please collaborate with Yongguk again." he said and I blushed furiously. He and Minjae thought there was something going on between the two of us when we filmed ISAC so it's not cool to put me in this position now.

"Look at Hyeri blushing.." Sey teased.

"I'm not!" I exclaimed, covering my face with my hands. Everyone laughed because it was obvious I'm lying.

"The real question is why Hyeri is blushing so much.." Sumi teased. That fox..

"Stop pushing me to those corners." I said when I thought my blush faded a little and I felt more relaxed, removing my hands from my face.

"You are pushing yourself there.. We didn't do anything." Sumi retorted, trying to look innocent. I'm really going to kill her afterwards.

"Why is it so hot here suddenly?" I asked, fanning myself with my hands.

"Don't avoid the question." Sumi said, seeing through my attempt to change the subject.

"Okay. What was the question?" I asked, trying to keep a straight face and a steady voice.

"Why are you blushing when we mention his name?" Sumi asked, smirking.

"I'm just nervous around him because I look up to him a lot. And we didn't have a good relationship at first so I'm still a little nervous now even if our relationship got better with time." I explained, trying not to reveal too much.

"Did you really have a bad relationship at first?" a female fan asked, surprised.

"Yes. We used to argue a lot. Everyone around us knew that there can be an explosion when we are in the same room."

"Why did you argue so much?" someone else asked.

"I don't know. It just happened.."

"How did you improve your relationship?" the guy continued asking.

"We worked together and at some point we realized we can't continue fighting all the time so we slowly found a way to work together and now our relationship is great." I smiled.

"So do you want to collaborate with him again?" Minho asked. "You had a lot of chemistry when you promoted together."

"And ." someone commented from the crowd and everyone laughed, including my group members. My face became even redder.

"That's not funny!" I scolded. "Don't make things awkward between the two of us.. I still see him a lot because we are in the same company."

"Sorry.." the person apologized.

"As for Minho's question, I would love to but I don't know if it'll happen." I answered.

"Wait, you said that he is your ideal type, right?" Minjae asked and I blushed again. Looks like they are not going to drop the subject..

"Why are you so interested in my relationship with Yongguk?" I asked.

"You look good together." Minho said.

"Okay, no more questions about Yongguk even if you really like this topic. It's embarrassing talking about it and it feels wrong talking about him when he is not here." I said confidently. "If anyone has a different question, please ask."

"I have a question for Yujin." Jonghyun said and I noticed that Yujin tensed even though I didn't know why. The guy was flirty but he didn't behave rudely, at least not to me.

"What is it?" Eun Hee asked when Yujin kept silent.

"Don't you think you should improve your dancing more?" he asked and Yujin paled. I noticed that Sey squeezed Yujin's hand tightly and I was relieved that someone is cheering her up.

"Don't you think you should be more respectful?" I asked before Yujin reacted. "What kind of a person comes to a fanmeet in order to insult the artist?"

"I'm worried about you. She is making you look bad." Jonghyun stated dryly. The nerve..

"The one making us look bad is you actually. Yujin's dance is fine and she improved a lot since we debuted. She keeps improving and she is doing our choreographies well."

"Go hyeri!" Sey cheered and the other girls joined her. I noticed that Jonghyun kept quiet and I was satisfied. I saw a few fans glaring at him but I don't think it will escalate. He deserved the glares.

"Thanks." Yujin said and I smiled, happy that the problem is solved and that she is feeling better.

"Does anyone has another question? A nice one?" Eun Hee asked.

"How are all of you so pretty?" a female fan that looked like a teenager asked.

"Makeup." Yujin answered immediately and the fans laughed.

"Seriously, we are not that pretty in real life.. You saw our bare faces in the v-app." I said.

"Speak for yourself.. I'm always pretty!" Sumi exclaimed.

"Alright. Except for Sumi, all of us are not that pretty without the staff working on our appearance." I said.

"Hyeri is pretty as well." Eun Hee said and I blushed.

"I don't think I'm pretty." I admitted.

"You are pretty, inside and outside." Sey commented. Looks like she and Himchan thinks the same because he told me this exact sentence when we filmed the cooking show..

"Next question!" Yujin exclaimed. A few fans raised their hands and Yujin's gaze landed on one of the male fans. There was something about him that made her think of Jongup and that's the reason she focused on him. "The one with the striped shirt. What's your name?"

"Joohyuk."

"What is your question?"

"Do any of you have plans of going into acting or musicals?" Joohyuk asked.

"I do!" Sumi said happily. "I want to act in a drama."

"What kind of a drama?"

"Something about a princess that everyone falls for." she answered confidently and I had to force myself not to laugh. She should be casted as the evil witch, not as the heroine.

"What about the other members?" Joohyuk asked.

"I don't have any plans for acting at the moment. I just want to sing and dance on stage and focus on the group activities." I answered.

"I don't want to either. But doing an OST for a drama would be nice." Sey replied.

"I want to try, I don't care if it's a musical or a drama." Eun Hee said.

"I don't want to." Yujin was the last person to answer the question.

"Okay, we need to end the fanmeet soon so we'll have one last question." I said and looked at the people raising their hands.

"Da Hee, what did you want to ask?" Sumi asked.

"Who is the member that you are the closest to and why?" De Hee asked curiously.

"Sey because she was the first trainee I saw when I got accepted to TS and we had an immediate click." I answered first.

"Yujin because she is the closest to me in age." Sumi answered.

"Hyeri because we bonded immediately." Sey answered.

"Yujin because she is like a younger version of me." Eun Hee answered.

"Eun Hee because we are similar in a lot of ways." Yujin answered. "But I also lean on the other girls a lot and Hyeri is like a mom and dad to us."

"Don't exaggerate." I said, embarrassed.

"I thought I was the mom?" Sey asked, pretending to be hurt. This comment made everyone laugh. "I take care of you as well!"

"And she is Hyeri's other half in the group.." Eun Hee added quietly. "They balance each other."

"How about we take a picture together?" Sumi offered.

"That's a great idea." we agreed and sat down in front of the fans with our back facing them so we could take pictures.

After the picture taking session ended we said our goodbyes and entered our van, preparing for our next schedule.

~

"Himchan." Yongguk found the younger male in the playroom, enjoying their break.

"What's up?" Himchan asked curiously.

"Can we talk without you talking to Sey afterwards?"

"Is it about Hyeri?"

"Yes. But I really need you to keep this conversation to yourself."

"Hey, you know that you always come before my girlfriend, right?" Himchan asked, staring at Yongguk. "My friends and family are above everything."

"I know and I appreciate it. I just wanted to make sure this conversation stays between us."

"What did Hyeri do this time?" Himchan asked and Yongguk took his seat next to Himchan, sighing heavily.

"I'm really worried about her."

"What happened?"

"Remember what happened yesterday at the BBQ dinner? When I went after her.."

"Yes.."

"When I went inside it sounded like Hyeri was talking to someone but when I approached her she was on her own. When I asked her about it she said she was alone all the time." Yongguk said.

"Maybe she talked to herself out loud.. I mean, it happens to all of us from time to time." Himchan reasoned.

"It didn't sound like a normal conversation you usually have with yourself.. She was arguing with someone." Yongguk claimed.

"So you think she is imagining things?" Himchan tried to understand where Yongguk is going.

"I don't know what to think anymore." the older male sighed. "I'm scared that the pressure is getting to her.."

"Do you want to my honest opinion?" Himchan asked and Yongguk nodded. "I think that she is sensitive and taking a lot of things to heart, hence being the leader may be too much for her even if she tries her best. She is a good leader, but it might take its toll on her. The fact that she cut herself says a lot about her mental state even if she didn't repeat it and maybe what you saw was another warning sign. But I don't think Hyeri will tell you anything if she doesn't want to so there is nothing much you can do besides supporting her and being there for her."

"That was what I was thinking.." Yongguk said quietly. "But she won't give up the leader's position. If I'll try talking to her about it she'll think I'm telling her she is bad at it and blame herself for failing. She is a good leader. I don't think I would have done a better job if I were in her position.. Sumi alone is hard to handle, and if you add their lack of popularity and the CEO's caprices to it, I think she is amazing."

"She is the best person for the position." Himchan agreed. "But I'm worried about the consequences."

"I don't know what to do." Yongguk sighed. "I'm really worried about her.."

"How about you'll talk to Jinu?" Himchan offered. "He is there with her most of the time so he'll probably be able to help."

"Maybe I should.."

~

We reached the baseball court an hour before the game started. This time our uniforms were suited to the event and we were dressed like baseball cheerleaders. We had baseball shirts with the home team's logo on it and it was pretty. It was a nice change from our usual stage outfits.

"Hyeri." Jinu called from his spot. He was talking to one of the staff members.

"What?" I jogged towards him.

"Do you need someone to show you how to throw the ball?" he asked.

"It would be nice. I don't think I remember how to do it from the demonstration before the tv show.."

"Alright, I'll ask one of the players to show you."

"Thank you."

~

"Guys, the game is about to start!" Youngjae called excitedly.

"Look at you." Daehyun took the empty seat next to Youngjae.

"What?" Youngjae asked, confused.

"You used to make fun of me for being head over heels for Narae and now you are doing the same with Eun Hee."

"That's different." Youngjae claimed.

"How?" Daehyun questioned.

"I'm not as cheesy and pathetic as you."

"Ouch." Jongup sat on Youngjae's other side.

"You are the same, you are just not aware of it yet." Daehyun claimed. "And as for you.." he turned to Jongup, "At least I made the first move to actually hit on her."

"It took you forever to hit on her, mister follow and unfollow." Jongup retorted and Youngjae started laughing.

"Daehyun, he is right." Youngjae managed to say between laughs. "Besides, I thought that she asked you out because you were indecisive?"

"I was the one making the first move!" Daehyun exclaimed.

"Following her on Instagram doesn't count." Jongup said.

"What are you arguing about?" Zelo asked, joining the guys.

"Daehyun claimed he made the first move on Narae." Youngjae filled him in quickly.

"Following her on Instagram doesn't count as making the first move." Zelo stated and Youngjae and Jongup cheered while Daehyun frowned.

"Said the one who never dated?" Daehyun teased the youngest male.

"I know at least that, hyung. You really had no spine even before you started dating.." Zelo retorted.

"Ouch." Youngjae exclaimed, making fun of Daehyun.

"Don't worry, hyung. I still like you, even if you are indecisive at times." Jongup commented, patting Daehyun's back.

"I'm not indecisive." Daehyun exclaimed, fuming.

"Yeah, yeah." Youngjae teased. "How many times did you follow and unfollow her until she had enough?"

"It was a way to get her attention!" Daehyun argued.

"Well, it worked because she thought you are weird." Jongup mocked and Youngjae and Zelo started laughing.

"None of you can criticize me with the way you are acting.." Daehyun retorted. "Jongup, if you are that great, how are you going to ask Yujin out?"

"I haven't thought about it yet." Jongup shrugged.

"I think that Himchan hyung was the best if we are talking about asking someone out.." Zelo commented. As on cue, Himchan entered the room, followed by Yongguk.

"What are you gossiping about, old ladies?" Himchan asked while sitting down.

"You." Jongup answered sheepishly.

"You should, because I'm awesome." Himchan smirked and the rest rolled their eyes.

"The game is starting." Yongguk informed them and everyone turned their attention to the tv screen.

~

"We are going to start the game soon so please take your seats." the announcer said and people finished settling down. The stadium was half empty but the stadium is not always full at baseball games so it's okay. Besides, we should be grateful for every chance we get to perform, even if only one person is watching.

After the players entered the venue it was time to the ceremonial first pitch.

"Please welcome Peppermint's Hyeri." the announcer said and I approached him, bowing to the crowd. I was nervous but I tried to do my best. After I did my greeting the mascot led me to my spot and I heard the crowd cheer. The catcher and batter of the home team were already in their place and I prepared to throw the ball. The ball landed on the ground near the catcher, but it was close enough so I'm satisfied. There are idols that did worse than me.

The crowd cheered and I bowed once again and joined my team members and Jinu in our seats.

"You did well." Jinu said when I sat down.

"Thanks." I smiled.

"When are we performing?" Sey asked curiously.

"Between innings. We got one of the luxurious time slots for you." Jinu answered.

"How did you get this opportunity in the first place?" Yujin asked curiously.

"There was another group that was supposed to perform but they cancelled their participation yesterday."

"So we are only a replacement.." Eun Hee said bitterly.

"You are still rookies and you just debuted. You are lucky you got this chance in the first place because most rookies takes time until they get this position. You should be happy you have the opportunity to perform here regardless of the reason and you should take advantage of it because the people here can't go home so they have to listen to you." Jinu said.

"Why am I not feeling better after hearing this?" Sumi grumbled.

"Let's just enjoy this moment because we don't know if we'll get another chance to perform here." I said, trying to stay positive.

~

"When are the girls performing?" Jongup asked.

"I'm not sure.." Yongguk answered.

"The game is kinda boring today, don't you think?" Youngjae asked.

"Yeah.." Daehyun answered.

"How did they even get this gig?" Himchan pondered. "I mean, the company are kinda bad at promoting the girls and they are not popular enough to be invited there.."

"Maybe a slow week? And nobody wanted to perform so they didn't have a choice but to invite the girls?" Youngjae suggested.

"I think that the company is actually trying to promote them.." Zelo said. "And chuseok is their chance to get popular with all the special shows, and especially Hyeri's."

"I think they are about to perform!" Jongup called and the boys turned their attention back to the tv.

~

"Girls, you're up." Jinu said.

"Good luck." we did a cheer and got up on stage, standing in line.

"One, two, three." I counted quietly. "Hello, we are Peppermint and we are going to refresh your day!"

There was an awkward silence after we did our greeting and the cheers calmed down. Sey elbowed me so I'll say something.

"Hello, I'm Hyeri, the leader of the group. We are very and excited to be here today." I said and the crowd clapped, but it was weaker than before. "We just debuted and we are going to sing our debut song. Please take care of us!"

I noticed Jinu was signaling us to keep talking a little more before singing so I tried to improvise.

"Before that, why don't you introduce yourselves as well?" I asked the girls.

"I'm Sey, the rapper of the group." Sey said and bowed. The other girls did the same in their turn.

"Now we are really going to perform our song, it's called 'Oppa Is Mine'." I said and we took our places. The music started and we did our best. When the song ended we bowed and left the stage.

"Good job!" Jinu smiled.

"Can we go now?" Sumi asked.

"Yes." he answered and we quietly followed him to the van.

~

"Are you going home?" Hyuk asked Junsu. They just finished practice but they usually stay in the company to practice on their own after their official practice ended.

"Yes. What about you?" Junsu asked.

"No. I want to practice some more." Hyuk said.

"You shouldn't wait for her because she already has someone doing that, and she doesn't see anyone else but him."

"I know." Hyuk sighed. "I'm keeping my distance."

"Fighting!"

"Thanks. Rest well at home."

~

"Zelo-ya." I found the tall male in the practice room next to ours.

"What's up?" he asked, smiling.

"I'm tired." I tried to stifle a yawn. This day was too long.

"You did well at the baseball game."

"Thanks." I smiled. "Are you practicing?"

"Yes. What about you?"

"Yeah. We are on a short break."

"You are working hard." he patted my head.

"Hard work never betrays, right?" I asked.

"Exactly." he poked my forehead.

"Zelo-ya."

"Hmm?"

"What do you think of dating?" I asked.

"It looks like fun."

"You know, someone from Narae's group asked me about you."

"Are you trying to play matchmaker now?" he teased, pinching my cheek.

"No. I was trying to help.. If you want."

"I'm okay. And I'm not having a crush on you, so tell your boyfriend to calm down." he poked my forehead playfully.

"Yah, that's not it!" I muttered, my face was red from embarrassment.

"I know what the hyungs are thinking even if they don't tell me anything and you are easy to read." Zelo said sheepishly.

"I was serious about the girl, if you are interested. She is a good kid."

"I can manage on my own, so don't worry." he smiled, ruffling my hair again.

"Okay."

"Go practice, you'll be late."

"I'll buy you dinner tomorrow!"

"Treat your boyfriend instead. If you want to thank me, just do well."

"Thank you, Junhong."

~

"Yoo Youngjae."

"Hey." Youngjae smiled brightly when he saw Eun Hee approaching him. "Did you finish your schedules for today?"

"I did." Eun Hee smiled as well. "Did you watch the game?"

"Yes. You did well." he ruffled her hair.

"It was weird, though."

"Why?"

"It's nothing." Eun Hee shook her head but Youngjae noticed something is wrong.

"What is it?" he tucked a few hairs behind her ear.

"Jinu told us that the only reason we were there was because someone else cancelled."

"Well, it happens. But it's a good opportunity for you and you did well." Youngjae smiled warmly.

"Really?" she sounded unsure.

"Really. You were great and who knows, your album sales might go up tomorrow because a lot of people watched the game."

"Let's go on our date." Eun Hee smiled and grabbed Youngjae's hand, leading him towards the cafeteria.

~

Practice ended and I headed to the studio to see Yongguk. He was having a break so I just sat next to him on the couch. He grabbed my legs and lifted them, placing them in his lap. He quickly undid my shoelaces and removed the shoes from my feet. Afterwards he started massaging my feet.

"My feet are sweaty after the practice.." I said and tried to pull my legs away but he held them in place.

"I don't mind. And you worked hard today, so you probably need a massage." he said while massaging my feet diligently.

"Stop being so nice to me." I said but I couldn't stop the smile on my face.

"I don't want to." he said while staring intently at me. I could feel I was drowning in his gaze.

"You know, someone in the fanmeet today asked me about you." I said.

"What did they ask?" Yongguk asked curiously.

"If I want to work with you again, but Sumi started teasing me and it became bad." I pouted. "I had to explain why we were awkward at first and how things are now, but without getting into details."

"I'm sure you handled it well." he kissed my nose. "And Jinu wouldn't have let it get out of control."

"Maybe you are right.."

"What did you answer?"

"To what?"

"To the question."

"That I want to work with you again but I'm not sure it'll happen."

"Why not?"

"I don't think that the CEO will let us work together again.."

"You can never know." he poked my forehead and returned his attention to my feet. He was actually good at it and I could feel my sore feet getting better. It felt heavenly.

"I also talked to Zelo. He knows that you think he has a crush on me, but he assured me that it's not the case."

"Why would you tell him that?" Yongguk asked, stopping the massage in the middle.

"I didn't. He realized that on his own."

"Of course he'll tell you that."

"He seemed sincere."

"Babe." Yongguk sighed. "I really appreciate your attempt to help, but maybe this wasn't the way."

"You are mad at me, aren't you?" I asked, pulling my legs from his lap.

"I'm not mad."

"You know what? I'm tired. I should go back to the dorm." I stood up, quickly putting my shoes on.

"Don't run away again."

"That's what I do." I shrugged. "And for the record, this time it's because I don't want to make things worse."

"Babe.."

"Don't 'Babe' me. We'll talk tomorrow when I'll be able to control my temper better. Thanks for the massage." I said before leaving the room. Yongguk stayed seated on the couch, rubbing his temples. This is really not what he wanted to happen..

Author's Note:

Sorry it took me longer to update, I had some things to deal with in real life. But I tried to make this chapter a little longer in order to make it up to you.

P.S - Bear with me a little longer, I promise it will be worth it. There is going to be a lot of action soon.

I really love this comeback and I'm happy that Himchn and Jongup gets to shine this time. They deserve it!

M.