"You know what, I don't even care," Woohyun said to me, smiling brightly to show how little he really cared as he patted his neck with a towel during their rehearsal break. Yes, Woohyun, you're very careless. How can you carelessly hand out dazzling smiles like that?! "You've had to put up with me and the luggage I haul around so I won't complain to you. I like you enough to be patient."

"Y-you...what will you do?" I asked, my heart starting to flutter like crazy from his cheesy grin. He sat down beside me again and tilted his head.

"I don't want to leave you and I don't want to wait for you either." He shuffled closer and nudged my shoulder with his. "Whoever's the lucky guy isn't going to like me when I say this but, I want to act like you just said yes to me before."

I frowned, slightly confused and he pouted when he saw my expression. He looked like an abandoned puppy when my eyebrows knitted together as I thought about what he said.

"What does that entail, exactly?" I finally smiled. Woohyun's face lit up again instantly. He moved even closer and wrapped one arm around me and the other arm held out a polaroid camera he'd just got out to take a picture. I didn't have a chance to protest as he snapped the photo.

"Stuff like this..." he mumbled happily as he took out a marker from his jacket and scribbled a caption on the photo: 'Day #1 of the official WooNeul couple! ^^ <3' I blushed and bit my lip, trying to hide how much that little gesture made me happy. It was embarrassing to accept that silly things Woohyun does had finally made me fall for him. Woohyun didn't buy my nonchalance though. "Hey...I call you Neul-ii....so shouldn't you give me a nickname too?"

"What?! You want a nickname?! Ugh, um...." I stuttered, panicking over the sudden demand. "You want one now?! I have to think of one on the spot?!"

"Hey, calm down, Haneul. You don't have to-"

"Okay...umm...you call me Neul-ii......so I'll call you...Hyun-ii?! Hyun-ii?! Is that good enough?!" I gushed, afraid I'd just made myself look stupid. Woohyun frowned with a pout and turned away.

"Hyun-ii...Hyun-ii.." he mumbled, playing with the name on his tongue. "I don't know...it sounds a bit girly-"

"I knew it!" I cried, burying my face it my hands. "I can't do this."

"No! It's nice! I like it! It has a ring to it...sounds like something cute. Very suitable since I am the cutest guy in Seoul..." he soothed. I paused for a second. Did he really just say that?! I looked at him with a playful smile and saw his frustrated expression.

"What did you say? Cutest guy-"

"Nothing," he murmured, rubbing his neck. "Aish, I was just making you feel better! Don't make fun of me."

I smiled and gave him a back hug as he turned away. He froze for a moment before softening to my touch. "No...you just secretly like the name. Hey you know, Hyun-ii sounds like the English word 'honey', doesn't it? Omo! Shall I call you Honey?!" I laughed. I felt his chuckle vibrate on my cheek as he laughed.

"Okay, now you're really being crazy."

"Woohyun is overly sweet and sticky just like honey!" I laughed as he pretended to be upset and puffed his cheeks out.

"Guys, sorry to interrupt your little moment but TOP-saem said he's got an emergency appointment right now and has to take off," Sunggyu said to us. "So you're allowed to leave for now." He stood there awkwardly with a look of confusion and slight disgust for a while. He frowned and tilted his head as we looked at him expectantly.

"Yah.... What are you staring at, Grandpa?" Woohyun said, looking at him directly as Sunggyu scrutinised me. He shook his head and laughed quietly and nervously.

"I'm not staring! I'm just standing here like an innocent citizen. Can't I do that?!"

"Ye~es, Leader-nim," Woohyun replied in a patronising tone. He turned around again and put his arm around my waist. "You can stand there for as long as you like."

"Haneul!" I turned my head to the new voice and my face quickly dropped. I hated the tension that had grown between us without me noticing and I really wanted it to be like how it was when our last dispute happened. Somehow we managed to casually and mutually get by along side each other as if it was no big deal, but he just doesn't change. I still feel resentment because he'd never given me a chance... "Haneul-ah, what are you doing?" Myungsoo said, strolling to us with a confused and hurt expression.

Sunggyu narrowed his eyes, if that could even be possible, and looked at him with more cluelessness. Woohyun's arm around me never even reacted the slightest though, which I brushed off quietly. He's probably being hopeful. I shouldn't feel worried. "What do you mean 'what am I doing' ?" I retaliated. Myungsoo gritted his teeth and looked away.

"I thought I told you-" he began, but stopped to take a breath. With a hushed tone he said, "I thought I warned you that you shouldn't be doing this. He's just playing with you....not that I care or anything."

Sunggyu gapped at Myungsoo with his eyebrows pressing together into a hard line. "What did you say to her?! You can't-"

"You're a strange kid, Myungsoo," Woohyun interrupted with a chuckle. He didn't even sound the slightest bit mad at him. "I'm not playing; I'm deadly serious about Haneul. I've even quit this stupid wife hunt so I could be with her, even if it's her who's now turned it around."

Panic suddenly flashed across Myungsoo's face. "But you- I thought you'd at least...." He looked dumbfounded. He stiffly turned to me and I coiled back in response, not wanting to hear whatever insult he had for me next. He bit his lip and closed his eyes before speaking. "At least I tried." Without another word he his heel and walked out of the dance room.

Itchy silence flooded the room as the door shut and I noticed the other members of Infinite were now watching us cautiously. Sungyeol caught my eye and smiled weakly which I tried to return. Sunggyu scratched his head and took a sharp breathe in, peering at me cautiously through calculating eyes. "What happened with you and him? Seems like he's not approving of you and Woohyun..."

"Haneul and me really isn't any of his business," Woohyun said quickly without giving me a chance to explain. "It doesn't matter what happened in the past. Let's go, Haneul." He got up and extended his hand for me to take. With a nod to the others, he walked me to the door.

"See you in two days time, Noona!" Sungjong called. I gave him a quick wave before we left.

____________________

(Two Days After)

"We're allowed back here, aren't we?" Soyeon asked as I gripped her hand. We walked through the back door cautiously, as if we were treading on eggshells, and searched around with our eyes. The place was very noisy and busy: people with headphones talking loudly, producers flipping frantically through clipboards, and technicians busy sorting out audio and lighting. Out of the four of us, Jieun was the only one brave enough to take the initiative.

"Um, we're friends of the performers. Do you mind telling us where Infinite are right now?" she asked a manager politely who was sitting down eating a bagel sandwich. She looked up at Jieun and their faces both became very shocked. "Oh, hi."

"Well, well, look what I've found walking about out of her fishbowl. Of course I wouldn't mind," Geumji said, hopping off her seat and throwing her food away. What did she even say? Fishbowl?  "But unfortunately the boys are very stressed right now and I think it's best to leave them alone for a bit. You might be able to see them later," she said happily, though the hidden malice was there. Jieun huffed and made a face as Geumji tottered off to some other place. She frowned and shook her head.

"I suppose it's better to see them after the show. But maybe if we catch a glimpse we can wish them luck," she said.

"That's not fair. We should at least give them some encouragement before it starts-" Hyosung complained before Jieun stopped her and pushed her to the audience seating area. But I didn't really want to sit there just yet, I still wanted to wish Woohyun and the rest of them luck.

"Haneul, come on," Soyeon said, pulling my hand. I looked at her disappointedly and she returned the expression. "Do you want to wait for them?" I nodded.

Suddenly, I heard a sharp gasp from behind me and I turned around in surprise to find a young boy with very fluffy hair staring at me with wide, glistening eyes. He looked to be about my age but I couldn't quite tell since what happened next was he dramatically dropped onto one knee in front of me. Soyeon giggled.

"Princess! What great deed have I executed in a past life that I am blessed by the magnificent presence of such a beautiful creature!?" the fluffly haired boy exclaimed out of the blue, closing his eyes and touching his forehead. I bit my lip with wide eyes and frantically looked around to make sure no one was staring. "Could you be... my heaven sent angel come to bestow light upon my life that was so hollow as of this moment?"

"I'm sorry but I have no idea what you're talking about," I said to him as politely as I could. He looked up at me with sparkling eyes and a timid smile.

"What is your name, fair and beautiful maiden?" he asked, suddenly taking my hand with a gentle touch. I winced and tried to smile.

"Haneul-"

"Princess Haneul!" he proclaimed, giving the back of my hand a soft kiss. I looked at him in horror as he stood up again. "It is an honour to meet a lady so stunning as yourself, Princess Haneul."

"Neil...fans don't like that kind of stuff, it just scares them," someone said as they walked up behind him. The voice was familiar and I recognised his red hair. Fancy seeing them here... The fluffy haired boy turned to him with a frown and crossed his arms.

"Then what hyung? I thought they like it..."

"Chunji's right, fans aren't interested in that," another boy said, barging in between the two and slinging his arms over their shoulders. I recognised his voice but his hair colour was purple now. "You know what they really like? A little thing called....," Byunghun chuckled. "Isn't that right, Chunji?" he said, making kissy faces at Chunji who was leaning away and putting his hand on Byunghun's mouth.

"Eww stop that! Hyu~ng!" Neil whined, watching the two. I laughed at the odd kids that were once strangers but quickly became my friends a while ago on a whim. We had bonded over a terrible competition of ice cream eating: I was the victor. Byunghun huffed after his long struggle trying to steal a kiss from Chunji.

"Yah! Chanhee! Why are you doing this to me? It's fanservice so just give me one kiss. Just give me a kiss!" he forcefully demanded, sounding quite scary. Chunji shook his head, his eyes tightly shut. He opened one eye and spotted me.

"Wah! Noona!" he said, his eyes lighting up. Byunghun paused and turned around.

"Haneul noona!" they both said. I smiled and did a small wave. "You're here?"

"Yup! We meet again."

"Oh, you guys know her? So she's not a fan...?" Neil said, his voice getting smaller and smaller. He dropped to the floor again and sat sulkily with his knees up and his face buried. "I'm just embarassing myself."

"Aww, don't be like that," Soyeon soothed in a singing voice. She squatted down and patted him on the back. "It was very sweet of you."

Chunji and Byunghun snickered and I shot them an icy glare to which they ceased. "I had no idea you guys would be in this competition. You never told me."

"Don't you know? We're the best at performing in our whole school," Chunji smiled. "I'm in fact an incredibly good singer."

Byunghun chuckled again which earned him a punch on his arm from Chunji. He rubbed the spot before giving me a wink. "And I'm an incredibly good dancer." 

"Hey, Haneul-noona! So you didn't come for us?! You came to support us, right?" Chunji said with a puzzled face. Before I could answer, a voice from behind me did so.

"Nope. Sorry kids but Haneul came to cheer me on," Woohyun said obnoxiously, walking to us. He put his arm around my back and grined down at me. I smiled at him as the others stared in surprise. "Look what we have here! My competition seems to be my two little hubaes! It's been a while, Chunji, Byunghun."

"It's L.Joe now, Hyung!" Byunghun protested. "I have a stage name!"

I noticed Chunji's face was completely different from Byunghun's fuming one. Chunji looked like he just witnessed something amazing; his face was shining as if an enlightening realisation had just hit him. He snapped out and closed his gaping mouth for a second to smirk smugly. "Hyu~ng...I knew it! That day at the ice cream shop, you went off to look for the girl we had just met. That girl was Hanuel noona. Haha I knew it."

"Wow, you're right!" Byunghun, or as he'd prefer, L.Joe said, nodding with Chunji. They both looked like they'd just solved a murder case and were very pleased with themselves. I looked up at Woohyun puzzled. He bit his lip as he looked back at me and frowned.

"When you first met these two, I saw them on the same day. They're friends of mine so I had a chat and realised that they had just met you so I took their advice and searched for you. Well...." Woohyun trailed off. He let his arm fall back down as the others had quieted to listen. I didn't think he really wanted them to hear. "Actually I ran after you because they told me Sungyeol was with you that day." For a moment my heart clenched, knowing that at that time I really did like Sungyeol and was only trying to hurt Woohyun as payback. I never realised how horrible I was then. I felt like crying.

"Oh..." was all I could pathetically say. If I had known the true Woohyun those days, I would never have tried to hurt him. But did I ever succeed in what I went out to accomplish long ago? For Soyeon, my bestfriend who Woohyun hurt, I had asked the help of Sungyeol who I had a crush on but was Woohyun's bestfriend to get revenge. Did that plan ever work? The beginning of this crazy rollercoaster ride, did I really finish it with what I planned out to start with? Well for starters I fell in love with the enemy...or so I thought...

"Haneul, I'm going to have to go for a bit," Woohyun said, walking away. "But I'll see you later, when I'm on stage."

I looked at him weakly and said without much thought, "Okay, good luck!" From that moment onwards I was distant from my present. I drifted with Soyeon to the audience with my mind months back in time. I was remembering things I really felt ashamed of. Soyeon didn't even care anymore about revenge, she stopped ages ago, and yet I had held on because of my stupid moral beliefs.

As I sat down, I let the busy and noisy hum of the audience around me drown me out of where I was, as I emersed myself in the past. Woohyun was such a good person. All that time, he was truely a nice person but would never let that side of him show. Who was it who brought him out of that shell and made him like he is now...? Who made him this annoying greasy tree that bugs me relentlessly...?

The lights began to dim and the audience applauded as the MC walked on stage with a gleaming pearly white show smile. I clapped along halfheartedly, thoughts far away. He began speaking but I wasn't tuned in to hear it.

"Welcome... young girls here today and... because behind these curtains... are many young idol boys waiting eagerly to steal your heart...." the MC said, drifting in and out of my conscience. What was he talking about? Young girls....like Soyeon and me?

"They've been working very hard...show for you..." Working hard...like Woohyun and Infinite?

"Please show them lots of love..." Lots of love...like me and Woohyun? What is the MC trying to say?! I don't get it! I closed my eyes shut as he continued. "Here are our first...please...U-Kiss!" I opened my eyes again and watched a group of guys walk on stage in sparkling white suits and slick hair. As they got into their positions and the lights flashed on and the music started, a burst of energy and power came from each member as they drove life through their limbs. Then they began to sing and rap as if their life depended on it. I watched through looking glass eyes without confession as they poured their heart out performing.

When was Woohyun coming on...? I want to see him.