They went on their second "date" two weeks later. They met on the rooftop of Taehyun's apartment. It was night, and the ink darkness swirled around them,  punctuated by the light of the moon and the stars. And they talked. For two hours staright, Taehyun and Taelyn talked about everything, from politics to the arts to their lives.

"Really? A tourist? You wanted to be a tourist? You thought that was a job?" Taelyn asked as she laughed.

"I was in second grade! I didn't know any better. Besides, traveling around the world, doing fun things, and getting paid for it sounds amazing," Taehyun said defensively.

"Sure. That's exactly what you do now though. You travel, you sing, you do what you love. It sounds a lot like a tourist to me," Taelyn said with laugh.

"Yeah, but in my dreams of being becoming a tourist there was never practicing until you passed out or pulling all nighters just so you could get a music video finished," Taehyun said.

"Is that really what it's like? I've always heard stories about being an idol, but I guess I've never really talked to one."

A silence ensued as Taehyun tried to think of an appropriate response.

"I'm happy. I am," Taehyun said, trying to reassure Taelyn.

"That's good to hear," Taelyn said, trying to lighten up the mood.

"But it really is hard. All the practicing and singing and writing. But it goes further than that. Like I love singing and performing and dancing, and even though it's hard, that's what I signed up for. I've prepared for years just to get a chance to do it. But the mind part of this job is so hard. No one can prepare you for it. The internet becomes a bit like... Pandora's box. You find so much evil, but you always keep searching for that little bit of hope," Taehyun said, trying to be as honest as possible.

Taelyn replied quickly with, "I get that. I deleted all of my social media years ago"

"Yeah, and any shred of normalness that you have in your life, I don't have it. I mean look. I'm on the top of a building at 2 a.m. so that I can have a decent conversation with a girl without anyone freaking out. I haven't been to the movie theater in two years, and I can't even remember the last time I went to an amusement park or something. I love the fans, and they're the reason I get to sing and dance and write and perform. But sometimes, you wish they would just leave. That sounds awful, doesn't it? I don't know," Taehyun said with a deep sigh.

"It doesn't sound horrible. You're human. You're allowed to love and hurt and hate. It's ok," Taelyn said.

Their third date was in Taelyn's apartment. Nothing fancy, just a dinner of take-out pizza and fried chicken. Taelyn had bought a bottle of wine, and the main attraction was a movie. Taelyn snuggled her head into Taehyun's chest, and watched the movie with wide eyes. This particular night, the movie was "Boyhood". Taelyn tore her eyes away from the ending credits to find a sleeping Taehyun whose head was leaning back at what looked like an uncomfortable angle. She gently tore her body away from his embrace, and stood up and watched him before shaking him and driving him home. 

The fourth date was in a parking lot. Taehyun and Taelyn sat there, their phones connected to the bluetooth. The two listened dozens of different songs, and the music flowed though the car. It pushed their conversation, which made the two feel like they had known each other for years. 

"We have awesome chemistry," Taehyun said, his voice slightly louder as he spoke above the song, right now it was "Abracadabra" by the Brown Eyed Girls.

Taelyn smiled before replying, "I know. It's like we've known each other for years."

Their conversation changed to the upcoming election as the song shifted to G-Dragon's "Crooked". It flowed to dreams of the future as "Come Back Home" by Seo Taeji and the Boys rang though the car. It went to TV shows, their childhoods, favorite books, weird talents, and fashion sense as "Happy" by Pharell, "Hug Me" by Jung Jun Ill, "I am the Best" by 2ne1, and at least ten other songs played. And the couple's first kiss was shared over "Youth" by Troye Sivan.

They lied during their fifth date.

"We're just friends! Shut up!" Taehyun shouted, blushing a bright red as Seungyoon and Seunghoon began their merciless teasing.

"Just friends? Friends with benefits? Friends with feelings for each other? Friends who kiss every now and then?" Seunghoon said.

"Wait no. Taelyn already kissed Mino. You're behind Taehyun," Jinwoo called from a different room.

"We're really just friends guys," Taelyn said as seriously as she could muster.

"Well we can't fight with her, since she's not part of our group," Seunghoon said dissapointedly. He walked into a different room, his attention diverted.

And so for the rest of the night, Taehyun and Taelyn are sure to stay friendly and only friendly. It's only in the car when they kiss again, their lips locking together and butterflies launching in both of their stomachs.

It was six months later when they got caught.

"Nam Taehyun. Do you know why I called you here?" Yang Hyunsuk, Taehyun's CEO, asked.

Taehyun fought down as twinge of worry as he replied, "No."

"You know. You're probably just praying that I didn't call you here for that," Yang Hyunsuk said curtly. "Now do you want to tell me what I did wrong, or should I tell you?"

After a pause, Taehyun said slowly, "I haven't done anything bad."

"But you're an idol. Doing something wrong and doing somthing bad have different standards than the average person," Yang Hyunsuk said as he pulled out multiple pictures of Taehyun and Taelyn together. "This is wrong and bad in the public's eyes, and they're the ones who will keep you and your group alive. You know what you have to do."

Taehyun stared at the pictures, his heart sinking into his stomach. "Nobody else has these pictures right? Please, we'll be more careful. We'll make sure that we're not caught. Just let us be happy. It's not a crime. Please," Taehyun said weakly,

"If we can get it, then so can Dispatch. In fact, Dispatch might already have these pictures," Yang Hyunsuk said. "You have to break up or put it on hiatus, Taehyun. Your group is still young. You saw what happened with Kai and Krystal. EXO and f(x) are so much more established than you, and you saw much the dating scandal hurt them and their groups. Winner cannot afford that."

Taehyun stared into his laps as his fingers danced around each other. Hi voice barely above a whisper he said, "If YG tries to help us, we can make it. Please. for me."

"YG can't stop Dispatch or the public. There's nothing we can do that will soften the blow. You have to stop the punch before it starts coming at you," YG said. Then in a softer tone he said, "I know it's hard, but you have to. For you, for Winner, and for Taelyn."

Taehyun raised his head as he said, "Don't pretend that you care about me or Taelyn or Winner. You care about the company stocks. You stuck us in a hiatus for seventeen months. Don't pretend you have our best interests at heart." His voice got louder towards the end, and the annoyance in his head grew into anger.

"Don't forget that I'm your CEO. I've seen dozens of groups rise and fall. Taelyn is under YG too. She signed the contract, and so did you. Trust me when I say this is better for both of your careers," Yang Hyunsuk said, his annoyance shining though his words.

Taehyun barely hesitated before firing back, "Is there any point of having a good career if I'm not happy?"

"Are you the only member of your group? You have four other people whose careers depend on the performance of every member. If you feel comfortable letting down all your members and all of your fans, then go ahead and date her. But you should know that if you choose that, it makes you a jerk," the CEO fired back, his temper firing up.

Taehyun stared down as his lap again, the full weight of his decisions crashing down on his shoulders. He walked out of the office rapidly, a tear slipping down his face unknowingly. As the door slammed shut, Yang Hyunsuk sighed.

Author's Note

Hello! I'm so sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I've been quite busy for a while, but it's been cleared up now, so hopefully I'll update more often now. Please subscribe, upvote, and comment! Thank you!