Nakyung froze in place as his words s up and clenched her heart. Yunho? Dead? Is that why he never tried to get in touch with her? Is this the price she paid for isolating everyone? She suddenly felt very angry, angry at herself for toying with Yunho, angry at Yunho for letting this continue, and most of all angry at Junhyung for the trouble he causes. It was another game, taking a life. And at the center of every problem was Junhyung. Someone was dead. Not just someone. Yunho. Jung Yunho. And here Junhyung was, shifting blame.

Kikwang put his arm around her and true to unroot her from her place. "Kaja... Don't let him get to you." When she did not move, not even blink, he glanced back. "Junhyung, mwo haneun geoya?"

Junhyung picked up his belongings and hung his read low. "I didn't mean to upset her. I just thought she wanted to know since..." He did not finish his sentence. Instead, he headed towards the door and looked at her. "I'm sorry, Nakyung. If I would've known that... I've never wished death on anyone, even him."

"How did he die?"

His brows shot up. "Huh?"

"How did he die?" She repeated, otherwise still frozen.

Junhyung fidgeted uncomfortably. "He drowned. In the river."

Like a fuse, she snapped, hitting Junhyung hard in the chest. He reeled back in disbelief and she nearly swung again before he caught her hands. "I hate you Junhyung. Niga sirheo! You ruin everything!" She was breathing hard, trying not to cry.

"And you broke my heart," he let go of her hands, turned away, and disappeared through the door."

"Do you... Do you want to go home?" Kikwang asked in his soft voice.

Nakyung took a deep breath and shook her head. "No, I need to be out and doing something. Let's go get that coffee and you back to the dorm, shall we?" He watched her carefully and she forced a smile. "I haven't spoken to Yunho in months. I haven't seen him in months. I've left those feelings behind. I only need you."

Kikwang gave an unconvincing smile and followed her out of the studio.

Dongwoon was waiting with a cup of coffee for Nakyung and hot chocolate for Kikwang. He smiled as Nakyung slid into her seat. "How did the audition go?" She shrugged.

Kikwang bit hs lip. "Junhyung was her partner. He also told her that Yunho drowned in the Han Ricer and spewed some crap about a broken heart."

Nakyung took a sip of her coffee--with so much cream, it hardly tasted like coffee at all--and sighed. "Let's not talk about that. Dongwoon, weren't you dating that one girl? How'd that turn out?"

He shrugged. "She dumped me for some older guy. That's the game of love, I suppose. You love and then you're left." Kikwang's eyes widened and he gaped at Dongwoon. The maknae sat up and cleared his throat. "I mean... Noona, mianhe."

She shook her head and smiled. "Gwaenchanha. It's okay." She patted the maknae's shoulder. "You'll find someone else. Don't worry." She sipped her drink and glanced through the windows, only to see that the sky was crying for her.

"Nakyung?"

She averted her eyes from the puddles of rain to Kikwang as they stood outside of his dorm. She had spent the rest of their coffee time with Dongwoon in silence, piping in a "ne" and "ani" on occasion so that they knew she was somewhat mentally present. "Mworagoyo?" What did you say?

He held out the umbrella for her. "I said, it's okay if you need to find out about Yunho or talk to Junhyung. I understand. I promise I won't get mad..."

She grimaced. "Yah, babo! I'm okay. I'm fine. NIGA johahae!" And out of impulse, she dropped the umbrella, threw her arms around him, and pressed her lips to his. They were warm and soft and so inviting. When he reciprocated, kissing her back, putting his arms around her, it was like he was comforting some hidden part of her. From the death of the sea, it comes back to the surface. Anyone who sees the reviving feeling will feel happy, will feel blessed.

But she did call Junhyung. And she stood at his doorstep, still soaking from the rain. The resignation in his face said he felt nothing for her and her desperation. Never the less, he stepped aside and invited her in and she kicked off her shoes and followed him to his bedroom lounge. As he shut the door she said, "Help me make it stop."

He raised his brows, walked over to his bottle of water and took a swig. "Make what stop?"

She stared at the floor. "I say and I do things that hurt people, that I don't mean. You were only trying to help and I snapped and blamed you and even now, I just want to be happy but Kikwang is being punished for my misery."

Junhyung slid his hands into his pockets and leaned against the mantle. Very classy, almost like a model in a photoshoot. "If you want to stop hurting people, then get out of here and stop making Kikwang worry. Stop thinking about Yunho. It's pretty simple--

"It isn't--

"Why not?"

"Because I think about you too," she snapped. Junhyung broke eye contact but she kept staring at him. "I think about you a lot, okay? I'm sorry I broke your heart. I didn't know I could break your heart and I never meant to. I had fun with you. I thought that I could actually balance you out and make you a good person. I thought if I stayed away from you, I wouldn't feel bad. I thought it would make me stop thinking of you."

He pushed off of the mantle an began to pace. "Why are you telling me this?"

She stood, prepared to leave. "I figure if I let myself feel what I'm supposed to, then maybe I'll feel okay. If I tell you what I meant to, maybe I'll stop thinking about you. And I thought maybe you could try it too. You know, just feel what you feel instead of ignoring it." As she said this, she cut off his pacing so that they stood face to face.

He avoided her gaze. "I can't do that."

"Why not?"

He sat his hands on her shoulders and met her eyes. "Because you're in love with someone else." He pulled her into an embrace, arms wrapped around her, holding her frame, face nezzled in her soft, wavy hair. She felt his body shake as he let out a whimper and then broke into tears. And like the crumbling of a dam, she broke down too.

"Is it possible for us to just be friends? To help each other?" Nakyung asked, Junhyung's soft hair as his head rested in her lap. They were on the floor of the lounge and the sun was starting to rise.

He stayed silent for a long time before he said, "I can't just be friends with you."

She grimaced. "But Kikwang... He's like static, you know? He's always there for me. It's exactly what I need. Our relationship never changes."

Static is like family. Maybe you need someone to challenge you?"

"Are you the one to challenge me, Junhyung?"

He shifted on her lap, rolling so that his eyes met hers. "Maybe. You'll never know until you give me a real chance."

She glanced outside, at the pale pink light before the sun rose. "I should probably go. Doojoon will be worried." She dug into her bag and retrieved her cellphone, frowning at the six missed calls--two from Kikwang, one from Dongwoon, and three from Doojoon. There were missed texts too; CALL ME; WE HAVE A MAJOR PROBLEM; HAVE YOU SEEN THE BLOG SITES. Her phone rang again--Dongwoon. "Yeoboseyo?"

"Noona! Where have you been? We've been trying to reach you. Have you seen the blog sites?"

"Ani... Waeyo?"

" 'Lee Kikwang was spotted kissing an unidentified woman on the street outside of his dorm yesterday evening. It remains unseen the consequences of these actions, as Kikwang is under a dating ban from his company and his fans are thoroughly upset. Whoever this woman is, threats have been made by the dozen and Kikwang is under fire.' Noona, you should be careful--"

"But Kikwang--"

"Stalker fans won't hurt him. Don't worry about him. Promise me you'll be careful."

Junhyung sat up and watched her. "What's wrong?"

"We've been found out."

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Gah! No Internet and I wanted to update so I had to type this out on my iPhone. What do you think? ^^ byong~!