It’s already the second week of SM’s training program and she still can’t get the buildings and halls straight. It’s like the places keep changing somehow and she always wounds up at the right time but shamefully at the wrong place.

“Damn it.” She curses inwardly, spinning around, squinting her eyes to get a better overview of her current building. She’s got a map clutched in her hand (one she was handed when she first arrived) and yet it hasn’t been able to prevent her from getting lost.

“Lost?” Someone speaks up from behind.

Yoona whirls back, taking in the sight of Shim Changmin. He’s a newbie like her (arrived promptly 5 minutes after her in the foyer on that fateful day). Unlike her, though, he’s already put his name on the map. She remembers hearing girls gossiping and giggling idiotically over him in the bathroom. Pathetic.

“I’m fine.” She says curtly, shutting down any possibility of him offering her help. It’s not that she doesn’t need it, it’s just that it would be better not to get involved with every girl’s favorite. She doesn’t want to end up in anyone’s black book.

“Alright, Yoona.” He says nonchalantly, shoving his hands down his pockets while narrowing his eyes at her. He studies her for a while until a smile gives him away. “Go down this hall and take the exit on your left. Walk straight ahead for a few minutes and you’ll see it on your right.”

He turns on his heels and leaves. The words ‘thank you’ are somehow stuck in .

-

Funny how out of all people, Changmin is the one running after her when things go down the drain in the common room to find her sobbing her heart out on the staircase at the exit area.

When the door swings open, both stare at each other in utter disbelief. Yoona wipes her tears away, rises from where she’s sitting and attempts to leave when Changmin blocks her way.

“Let me go.” She pleads and dares to look into his eyes for the first time. The only result she gets from it are tears threatening to spill over.

“I heard what they said.” Changmin explains slowly, touching her elbow lightly. It takes everything in her not to back away. It’s almost like he scalded her with one single touch. “It’s mean and not true. Why do you let them get into your head? They’re just a horde of mean girls trying to sabotage you and devalue your talents.”

“That’s easy for you to say. You’re already a golden boy and everyone’s favorite on top of that.” She shoots back with a glint of anger flashing in her eyes. 

“I’ve seen you dancing and I’ve heard you singing. You’re anything but just a pretty face.”

It almost gets a smile out of her.

“Stalker.” She manages, stamping down the urge to grin.

-

Changmin is the closest to a friend Yoona has during her first months there.

She ignores the side-eyes some girls give her when she takes the seat opposite him at lunch and places her tray on the table. He doesn’t bother looking up from his sandwich and half-finished soup.  There’s only a slight upturn at the corner of his lips.

-

“You’re a stalker. A creepy one at that even.” Yoona protests with a hint of a smile, crouching down to tune the music off resonating from the radio.

It’s well past midnight and Yoona has once again occupied his practice room. (Level 0, R07) He’s been leaning against the door frame for almost half an hour when Yoona finally decides to acknowledge his presence.

“You’re a thief. A shameless one, indeed.” He counters, taking a few steps closer. “It’s obviously my practice room and you know it.”

“Nothing is yours.” She says matter-of-factly and throws him a pointed look.

“Oh and by the way, you’re doing it all wrong.” Changmin brushes past her, leans towards the small radio set on the floor and turns on the music. “You’re dancing like a robot.”

“Really?” She rolls her eyes but takes his hand when he sticks it out to pull her up.

“I’ll show you.” Yoona feels like bursting out laughing. He’s never been that exceptionally good at dancing himself and here he is offering her a tutor lesson.

“Alright, Shim. Show me what you’ve got.” 

-

Somewhere along the way she just stops giving a damn about what people think. She starts living her life without boundaries, despite fear and beyond fear which is when people start noticing her instead of passing by her like she’s invisible.

She might not be the queen but she’s surely climbing her way up to the throne.

-

After hundreds of her post-it notes stuck on his personal locker, endless shared practice sessions and thousand speculations of will he- won’t he (which she makes every other day), Shim Changmin debuts in a group of five named DBSK.

He comes back from his first TV performance to another note stuck on his locker.

-

“What if I won’t make it?”

“I’m sure you’re going to be the first one called in.”

“You’re not the one to make the decision.” She points out, heaving an audible sigh. “Even if you were, it would be invalid. You’re biased.”

“Fair enough.” Changmin bumps his shoulder against her all the while grinning.

They found themselves in their practice room again. It’s 2:03 am in the morning. Yoona should be getting ready for her next training session while Changmin should get some rest before he heads out for the shooting early that morning. In the end, they are still sitting on the floor, back against the wall, staring at their own terrifying reflections from the mirror.

“No but honestly, there’s like a chance I won’t make it to the final cut.”

“Stop saying things that won’t be true. You’ll jinx it.”

“Will you run away with me?”

“Like in those romantic movies where the main leads are desperately in love but can’t be together?” Changmin throws his head back, laughing.

“You know it won’t be in that sense.”

“I’m positive you will make it and if you don’t I am happy to run off with you.” Changmin says earnestly.

“You’re only saying it because you think I will be chosen.”

“Won’t you?” Yoona pinches his arm for that.

-

Yoona turns into SNSD’s Yoona.

She debuts on August 5th 2007. Changmin doesn’t show up at the showcase (only leaves her a voice message that’s five minutes long). It would be a lie to say she wasn’t disappointed not having him wishing her good luck backstage before getting on stage. It feels strange being there without him because he’s been such a huge part of this journey.

Changmin surprises her with a congratulatory cake, candles and flowers when she enters the familiar practice room.

“Too bad we’re trapped here, the get-away plan has got to wait.” He jokes, holding out the bouquet of flowers.

-

Despite everyone’s on-going theory about Changmin and Yoona being in love and whatnot, it’s Donghae she holds hands and goes on dates with.

(Dates with Changmin don’t count. They casually meet in their practice room once in a while, call each other to eat out and decide on who has to pay by making absurd bets. They go to the movies a couple of times but romantic movies are always a no-no.)

-

‘I know what kind of face you would make when you wake up tomorrow to this voice message.’ A nervous laugh escapes his lips. ‘Funny how we started with five and now it seems like we will end with just two. All those promises, memories together seem to be fading into dust.’

There’s a long pause before he continues with a trembling voice.

‘I wish you were here Yoona. I–’

Beep.

-

Yoochun, Junsu and Jaejoong submit an application to the Seoul Central District Court to determine the validity of their contract with SM Entertainment, signaling the end of an era of DBSK.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out the ending. It goes official not long after that, DBSK has two members, not five.

Changmin’s heart breaks into million pieces, not even Yoona can pick up the pieces for him.

-

Time, the only cure for a broken heart, will be able to heal the wounds. At least, that’s what people keep saying.

He goes on stage with Yunho, trying not to let the aching void the past members left behind get to him. He occasionally has to stop himself from making foolish calls or sending absurd messages (deleting phone numbers doesn’t help, at all).

He learns the hard way that time, in fact, doesn’t have such a magic power. He can’t bring himself to forget that DBSK has always been (and will always be in a way) a group of five. He does learn how to accept it though.

He decides to call the one person that deserves to know he’s made it out alive first. He feels a lump forming in his throat when the call goes through on the third ring.

“Changmin–’ He can hear her smile from the other line already.

-

Ironically, Changmin starts dating Qian around the same time Yoona breaks things off with Donghae. 

Out of all this mess, he isn’t sure what irritates him more- the fact that