People look at me funny when they see me now. Besides the guys, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Sehun, Junmyun, Jongdae, Minseok, and Yixing, and Kyungsoo. But everyone else wonders why I look so pale now. Why I dance my off harder than ever before. Why I've been singing my off, to the point where my voice is hoarse. They wonder why I can only make fake smiles.

During the first nine months, I was a mess. I couldn't eat. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't even cry myself to sleep anymore, my eyes became so dry. It's hard for me to laugh, now. The only time I laughed or smiled, for real, was when I could call or video call Kyungsoo.

My sister, Youngmi, had to move to China. She got a job there, and it supposedly paid good money. I sold off the house I grew up in, and moved in with Sehun, until I could rent a place of my own. On the nights I actually did cry myself to sleep, he would sleep in the same bed with me to calm me down. He'd let my face burrow in his chest, and he'd my hair, telling me it's okay. I probably shouldn't have, but I imagined him as Kyungsoo, lying in the bed with me. I just missed him that much.

|•~•||•~•||•~•|

I couldn't sleep. Sehun wasn't beside me. His aunt was hospitalized earlier, so he left earlier. I was all alone, in the quiet, dark bedroom I slept in. I grabbed my cell from my nightstand, and unlocked the screen. I saw a text message from Kyungsoo. A smile rose in my face. I tapped it, and it read; Sweet dreams, Nini. Love you<3

Then I realized how much I wanted to hear his voice. I dialed his contact and held my phone up to my ear. It rang twice.

"You're supposed to be sleeping." Kyungsoo answered in a motherly tone.

"I know." I smiled, "I can't sleep though. I'm deprived of you singing me to sleep."

He snorted. "Are you now?"

"Yes I am. Please, for me?"

"Alright, but I have a photo shoot in fifteen minutes, so I'll make it quick."

I whimpered, "But I want to talk to you longer..."

Instantly, he began singing. I kept my mouth shut, and listened to his deep, soothing voice. He sang the song Jongdae, Kyungsoo, Baekhyun, Junmyun, Minseok, Chanyeol, and Yixing had worked so hard on. Promise, we all decided to call it. We wanted to record it, but not without Kyungsoo. But we still wanted to, nonetheless. Kyungsoo's high notes weren't as powerful and high as Jongdae's, but they were still beautiful.

A soft smile appeared on my lips when he finished. "Thanks, Kyungie."

"Hey. I wouldn't say no to you, if I had to sing you to sleep. You know I would never."

My smile widened. "We are both whipped..."

He let out a laugh. "I'll say. Ah, , Jackson's calling me. I gotta go. Love you, Jonginnie."

"Love you too. Video call me later."

"Will do."

The line went dead, and I felt myself finally drifting off into a deep sleep.

|•~•||•~•||•~•|

I was panting, sweating, after I had danced harshly. I was alone in the practice room. The song ended. I went to the speakers, shutting off the music from my phone. I grabbed my water bottle, uncapped it, and drank down some of the cold liquid. It dribbled a bit off the corner of my lips. I wiped them with the back of my hand. Feeling sticky and gross, I removed my tee and threw it into my bag. No one was around anyway.

Before I could start the song again, I saw Yixing walk in. And he had two other boys(?) with him. The first boy was tall, about as tall as I was, and had tanned skin much like my own. The second, which I assumed to be a boy, was slightly shorter than me, but a bit taller than Yixing. He had a, I mean really, feminine face, and small build.

"Hey, Jongin." Yixing smiled at me, revealing his dimples. He cocked an eyebrow up. "Dancing shirtless?"

"I literally just removed it, it's so goddamn hot in here."

Yixing laughed. Then realization came over his eyes. "Oh! I almost forgot!" Typical..., "This is Huang Zitao," he gestured to the tanned boy, "and Luhan." Then he gestured to the feminine boy. He spoke in Mandarin to the boys, and I heard my name in the midst of it.

The tanned boy smiled widely at me. "Hey. Just call me Tao."

The other boy, Luhan, just smiled meekly. "It's nice to meet you, Jongin." I noticed pink tinging Luhan's pale cheeks. But I thought nothing of it.

"Can we watch you dance, Jongin? Please?" Tao begged me.

"Sure. I don't mind." I said with a shrug of my shoulders, "Yixing, you want to practice with me?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

|•~•||•~•||•~•|

At the chorus room, I sat with Chanyeol and Sehun, just talking before Jongdae and Baekhyun were to arrive. The others, Minseok, Junmyun, Yixing, and along with the new Chinese students, Tao and Luhan, were around as well, holding their own conversations among each other.

"Jongin." Chanyeol called me out quietly, all of a sudden.

I glanced at him, and saw the worrying expression on his face. "What is it, Chanyeol?" I furrowed my eyebrows.

"That boy over there." He pointed in the direction towards the piano. His finger was directly pointing at Luhan, who was smiling and laughing with Minseok.

"What about him?" I asked.

The worrying look became worse. "He's looked at you, I've counted many times. I mean, not just quick looks, but longing stares."

"I'm sure it's nothing, Yeol. Luhan seems really nice. Let's not jump to conclusions." I said.

"Sure doesn't look like nothing, Jongin." Sehun piped up. "I've noticed too. He's looking at you right now."

I turned my head to see Luhan's sparkling eyes piercing through me. The same pink from earlier appeared on his cheeks, and he immediately looked away from me.

"You see?" Sehun crossed his arms.

"Guys," I protested, "it's normal for things like this to happen, especially to people like me." Yes, I wasn't denying I was attractive, because I knew very well I was. The amount of confessions and chocolates on Valentine's Day from girls says it all. "Don't worry, I have Kyungsoo, and Kyungsoo is my only one."