Mi Sun’s POV

                I sat on the edge of the stage, swinging my legs back and forth aimlessly. The auditorium was deserted, as it usually was at this time, and I once again found myself mentally thanking the theater teacher for letting me rehearse here whenever I wanted to. My well-worn copy of the script sat on the polished wood next to me, and I sighed when I realized that the notes I had scribbled in the margins were beginning to fade. All that work I had done on character development… I rubbed my eyes in frustration. I would have to go over them with a pen sometime in the near future.

                The sound of soft footsteps crossing the stage made me jump in surprise. Who else was here at this time of day?

                “Mi Sun-ah, what are you doing?”

                I sighed as the familiar sound of Onew’s voice echoed throughout the room. I grabbed my script and leafed through the pages without really seeing them.

                “Oh, uh, I’m…rehearsing…”

                I heard him laugh lightly as he sat down next to me. “Doesn’t look like it. And why aren’t you rehearsing with someone else? It’s a bit difficult on your own, isn’t it?”

                I shrugged. “I usually practice on my own, you know that.”

                “But you’re usually doing smaller pieces.” He reached over and tapped the script. “This one’s pretty daunting.”

                “Well, you’re the other lead.” I stuck out my tongue. “Why don’t you rehearse with me? We’re technically supposed to be doing this together.”

                He smiled. “You didn’t tell me you were going to be here, or I would have come to rehearse hours ago.”

                “How did you know I was here, anyway?”

                “I was helping Park Seonsaengnim with some paperwork and stuff, and he told me that I should come in here to keep you company.” He laughed again. “He says you’re always here after school these days.”

                I shrugged again and stood up. “Opening night is soon, and I don’t feel even remotely prepared.”

                “Opening night isn’t for another month.”

                I waved a hand dismissively. “Soon enough.”

                He shook his head. “You’re overworking yourself, Mi Sun. You need to take a break.”

                “I’ll take a break when the play is over. I don’t have anything to do after that. Now are you going to rehearse with me or not?”

                He sighed and fished his neat, clean script from his backpack. I made a face when I saw that he had taken notes in pen.

                “What’s that look for?” He stuck his tongue out at me.

                “Your script looks so nice,” I muttered. “Mine’s so…” I waved the packet in his direction.

                He glanced at his script and shrugged slightly. “I’ve always been more organized than you.”

                “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” I flipped through to a page near the end. “Can we work on just this scene here? I’m really having a lot of trouble with it for some reason.” My voice came out laced with more of an annoyed tone than I had intended, and I scowled. I always became frustrated extremely easily when it came to lines, and I had been wishing for years that I could be as laid back as Onew always was.

                He raised an eyebrow. “Are you all right?”

                I nodded. “Ne, ne. Come on, let’s go.”

                He glanced at me worriedly before taking his place on the stage. I watched him as he effortlessly remembered line after line, infusing each word with the raw emotion and reality that only naturally skilled actors could conjure up on such short notice. He was the male lead in this play: a kindhearted prince who had left his kingdom to search the surrounding lands for a mythological object that was rumored to cure all sickness and end all strife. With it he would heal his ailing parents and put a stop to the wars that plagued the kingdom’s outer cities. His journey was interrupted, however, by countless adventures and unexpected run-ins with new and interesting people. In a poor, rural village high in the surrounding mountains, he met a beautiful young girl who was also searching for the object to end the plague that had struck her fellow villagers. That girl would be played by me.

                In this scene, the prince and the girl had stopped after two days of nearly unbroken travel. They had found the location mentioned in the ancient texts and were preparing to face the onslaught of traps and vicious beings that were said to guard it. They both knew that they might not make it out alive, and the scene was heavy with tension, suspense, and the unspoken love between the two.

                Onew stepped closer, and I felt my breath catch slightly. The bright lights were reflected in his eyes as he stared at me with the complete adoration the scene called for.

                “If you make it out before me,” he said, his voice soft and serious. “Don’t wait for me. I want you to take it back to your village and heal everyone.”

                “No,” I whispered. “If you don’t come out right behind me, I’ll go back for you-” My voice rose.

                He reached up and placed a hand against the side of my face. I shivered slightly and prayed that he would think I was simply caught up in the scene. “I won’t have you risking your life for me. I’ll do everything I can to protect you-”

                “Well maybe I don’t want you to risk your life for me!” I cried, covering his hand with mine. “Don’t you know how much I care for you?” I felt my face heat up as I realized that I was no longer in my character’s mindset. Those were words I had wanted to say to him for years, and even if it was on a stage and everyone around me thought it was an act, I knew the truth behind it all.

                His eyes widened slightly at my intensity, and he also seemed to slip out of character for a brief instant. He cleared his throat softly.

                “Uhm…” he whispered. “I… I forgot my line…”

                I exhaled quietly as he took his hand away from my face and reached to pick up his script.

                “You ruined the moment, oppa,” I muttered.

                He sighed. “I know, I know, it’s just…” His cheeks flushed a bright shade of red as he hastily flipped through the pages.

                “It’s just what?”

                “Nothing…” He cleared his throat again. “I’ve got my line, let’s keep going.”

                I rolled my eyes and repeated my line quickly, with much less emotion.

                Onew stepped even closer and brought his hand up to my face once more. “I have no idea how much you care for me.” His voice was low. “Why don’t you enlighten me?”

                It was my turn to lose my train of thought. I hastily scanned the bits of the script that I had committed to memory, but the words were lost in the haze that his proximity sent across my brain.

                I suddenly remembered a phrase that my theater teacher in middle school had always said to us: When all else fails, improvise. I drew in a shaky breath.

                “I’ve loved you ever since this journey began,” I whispered. “We’ve been through so much together, and I don’t know what I would do without you…”

                His eyebrows rose and his lips parted in surprise. I continued quickly before he had a chance to say anything.

                “You make me happy, and I love being with you more than anything else. I adore your laugh, your smile… The way you sit and talk with me when I’m upset… You’re the only one who’s ever cared so much…” I averted my gaze and played with my fingers nervously.

                I started in surprise as he brought his hand up underneath my chin and gently forced my eyes to meet his. His gaze was unreadable, and I bit my lip worriedly. It was obvious that I had deviated from the script, and I knew he was smart enough to realize that I wasn’t speaking as my character. Was he about to reject me? Was he about to walk away awkwardly and never speak to me again? The thought made my stomach twist into a knot of anxiety.

                “Why didn’t you say something before?” He said softly.

                I swallowed. “I… I didn’t know how to say it… I didn’t know… how you would react…”

                He laughed quietly. “This is nothing like the Mi Sun I know. I’ve never seen you so nervous before.”

                I stuck out my tongue. “Well, I’ve never confessed to anyone before. I bet you’d be nervous, too.”

                “I am nervous.” His voice was low and soft again. “But I’m going to do it anyway.” I felt my breath catch as he stepped even closer. “Mi Sun, you are the most wonderful, talented, amazing, beautiful girl I’ve ever met in my life, and I’ve been madly in love with you since middle school. How you didn’t see it is completely beyond me, to be honest.”

                I blinked several times as his words began to sink in. The knot of anxiety in my stomach abruptly changed to a swarm of butterflies, and I bit my lip again, at a complete loss for words.

                He grinned. “Definitely nothing like the Mi Sun I know. Where’s the attitude?”

                I folded my arms. If he wanted attitude, I would give him attitude. I reached up and wrapped my arms securely around his neck. “Just shut up and kiss me, oppa.”

                He grinned again. “That’s more like it.”

                He leaned down and pressed his lips softly against mine, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer. The butterflies in my stomach increased tenfold, and I twisted my fingers into his hair. My lips parted against his without my conscious approval, and I heard his breath catch in response. He pulled away slowly.

                “Sorry,” I whispered.

                He pulled me closer still and kissed my cheek lightly. “Don’t worry, I liked it.”

                I felt my face heat up again. I averted my gaze to the polished wooden stage in an effort to hide my embarrassment. I untangled my fingers from his hair and wrapped them around his waist, resting my head on his shoulder.

                He sighed softly. “Do you want to rehearse more?”

                I shook my head. “Let’s just stay like this for a while.”

                He laughed quietly and kissed the top of my head. “Aren’t the lights starting to bother you?”

                I glanced up at the bright stage lights distastefully. Even after years of acting, I wasn’t used to their blinding white glare and the waves of heat they constantly radiated across the stage. “Ne, let’s move.”

                I stepped back and grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the carpeted steps that led from the stage to the main auditorium floor. I sat down hastily on the top step and gestured for him to follow. He sat next to me and promptly wrapped one arm around my shoulders. I sighed in contentment and swiftly kissed his cheek.

                “Now you know how much I care for you, your highness,” I said with a smirk.

                He grinned and assumed the tone he used on stage. “Well, my lady, I must say it was quite a surprise. Will you accompany me throughout the rest of my journey?”

                I rolled my eyes. “Sure, oppa.”

                “If I don’t make it out of high school alive, I don’t want you to come back for me.” He nodded seriously. “Go back to your home village and save yourself.”

                I shoved him gently. “You’re so weird, Jinki.”

                He pouted. “Don’t call me Jinki.” He shoved me back and stuck out his tongue.

                I laced my fingers through his and grinned. “I’ve never understood why you don’t like it.”

                “It reminds me of this one American children’s cartoon I saw once.” He made a face.

                I giggled. That was the last thing I had been expecting. “Which one? My younger brother loves American cartoons. My umma plays them to help him with his English.”

                “I don’t remember what it was called. It had a talking dog in it, I think. And they went around solving mysteries.”

                “Scooby Doo?” I laughed again, louder this time. “Because one of the characters always says ‘Jinkies’? That’s why you don’t like your name?”

                He pouted again. “I saw the cartoon when I was really young and everyone in my family made fun of me for it for years. It was traumatizing, really.”

                I shook my head. “I can only imagine the trauma that must have put you through.”

                “Sarcasm not appreciated.” He scowled.

                I giggled again and pressed my lips against his lightly. “Well, Onew, I adore you no matter what you’re called.”

                He smiled and pulled me closer. “I hope someday you’ll understand how happy that makes me.”

                I rested my head on his shoulder once again. “And I hope someday you’ll understand how happy you make me.”

                “If you stay by my side forever, I’m sure I’ll get there eventually.”

                I grinned. “I shall stay by your side, sire, and accompany you on your treacherous journey.”

                “Now should we ride off into the sunset on some valiant steed?” He stuck his tongue out.

                I stood up quickly and ran down the stairs, pulling him along behind me. “Actually, I think I’ll just take the bus.”

                “Wise choice, my lady.”

                I shook my head and pushed open the auditorium door, stepping out into the dimly lit hallway. With Onew’s hand held securely in mine, we stepped out of the building, crossed the parking lot, and made our way to the bus stop to begin the next part of our journey.

         Hey, guys~~ I'm back, finally >_<

With a short, fluffy, filler-ish chapter to tie up the loose end of Mi Sun and Onew's relationship~

I know it's not JongKey or 2Min related, but I really like these two and I couldn't just leave them apart XP

ONEW NEEDS LOVE TOO

So sorry if you didn't like this chapter, but it had to be done XP

Now everyone is truly happy ^_____^

And I promise promise that the next chapter will have JongKey fluff. Keke ^_^

If, you know, my life ever slows down enough for me to write the next chapter -_-;

I hope you liked this chapter and weren't too disappointed~~

Let me know what you thought ^___^

Comments are love and happiness, like always <3

And, like always, I love you all *hugs every reader*