May 26 - Departure for New Caledonia

Bin rushed out of the room he shared with Eunwoo in a state of panic. He was so distraught that he didn't care if his hair was standing on end and a thin line of drool was drying on the side of his face.
"Where's Eunwoo?"
Jinjin looked at him in disbelief and mild disgust at his disheveled appearance. "What do you mean? He already left."
"Left? For where?" Bin demanded, simultaneously smoothing his hair down and wiping at the drool on his face.
Myung Jun looked up from the book that he was reading. He had classes in the afternoon at university and did not appreciate being disturbed, especially by someone so incredibly clueless it hurt. . "To the airport, idiot. He's leaving for New Caledonia today, duh?"
Bin gasped.
Oh no! 
Months before Eunwoo had received an offer to go into a popular reality TV show called Law of the Jungle. Their company sunbae, Seo Kang Jun, had recommended him after coming off his own stint in the program. The company thought it was a good idea and a great way to get more attention for ASTRO.
"Why didn't you guys wake me up?"  He grumbled, stomping his foot like an irate child in the living room.
"Were we supposed to?" Jinjin asked, confused and a little bit annoyed as well. "Besides, Eunwoo tried but you were dead to the world. So he just left."
Groaning, Bin smacked himself in the head. How could he have overslept when his best friend was leaving to travel half-way around the world today?

May 27  - UClean Concert Practice

Bin made a mistake. It wasn't altogether an unusual occurence. Making a mistake that is. But this was his forty-second -up of the day - a number gleefully recited by Sanha as the youngest had taken to ticking off every wrong move he had made at practice.
"Yah! Bin-ah!" The group's manager was gesticulating angrily. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Bin felt ashamed. He bowed with his apology but as the music started for Puss In Boots, his mind wandered to the conversation he had with Eunwoo the night before he left.
"I'm nervous about this show."Eunwoo had been worrying at his lower lip even as his hands kept busy shoving things into his over-sized backpack. It was the only luggage he was going to be allowed to take for the five-day shoot. "I mean, I don't know how to do variety!"
Bin smiled, "Really? With all the research you did online about reality shows you still don't know what to do?"
Eunwoo  scratched at the back of his head, looking peeved at being found out. He was too much of a geek for his own good, often resorting to research online to satisfy his curiosity or his lack of experience.
"What if I do something to embarrass the band? Oh god, I can't live with that guilt." He buried his face in his hands.
"Well, if all else fails just look into the camera and turn on the charm." Bin quipped. "The viewers will take one look at your face and they'll forget anything you've done."
"Shut up." Eunwoo mumbled, always touchy about the fact that people thought him good-looking. But there was a small smile playing at his lush lips, being secretly pleased at the compliment.
He really is gorgeous, Bin thought as he observed his friend from the corner of his eye. He knew that once the tv program aired, Korea would have no problem falling in love with Cha Eunwoo just like...
"YAH, MOON BIN!"
"Nae?" Bin snapped out of his reverie, blinking his eyes as his consciousness focused on the present. He looked around and found his fellow members shaking their heads at him. He was still standing where he was but the others were already in different parts of the room, glaring at him. "Did I miss a move again?"
The manager was seething. Pointing a stiff finger at his direction he drawled, "That's it. 50 laps around the room until you get your head on straight! The rest of you - practice!"
With his head down in shame, Bin began hoofing it around the practice room.

May 28 - UClean Concert

ASTRO was waiting in a secured holding area for the artists. Secured being a fancy word for having steel barricades separating them from the crowd. The boys were bouncing on their feet, trying to wake up their limbs after having slept inside the company cars on the way to the event. 
It was a good-sized crowd and it comforted the group to see a lot of the familiar white and purple cheering towels their fanclub used. Bin had been bent down at the waist, arms extended backwards when Rocky slapped him from behind.
"What?" Bin yelled, frowning.
Rocky nodded stiffly to the side, looking panicked around the eyes even as his lips  stretched into a welcoming grin. Behind him, the other members of ASTRO also came into attention. The bouncing stopped and they turned to a group of police officers that were approaching them.
Bin cautiously turned to the newcomers and almost choked on his own spit. Standing right in front of him were second generation Kpop legends  - Choi Siwon, Lee Donghae and Shim Changmin.
Bin had not laid eyes on Changmin since that Star King appearance with TVXQ when he was eight.
"I can't believe this is our little Yunho." Changmin exclaimed, looking genuinely pleased at seeing him. "How long has it been Moon Bin?"
"Nearly 10 years, sunbae-nim." 
"This is the Balloons kid you were talking about?" Siwon asked. "Wow, he's grown."
Donghae gave the other members an appraising glance. "Good looking group. ASTRO, right?"
"Nae. Kamsahamnida." ASTRO automatically replied, bowing to their seniors in gratitude, thoroughly pleased these legends knew who they were.
"Where's the pretty one though?" 
"I'm sorry?" Jinjin blinked up at Changmin, not really sure what he meant.
Changmin frowned, visibly searching for someone else in the group. "You have six members right? Where's the tall, pretty one? The one that looks like a human doll? What's the name again?" He turned to Siwon.
"Erm...Eunwoo?" Siwon volunteered. "That one?"
Myung Jun supplied the answer. "Ah. He left a few days ago to shoot for Law of the Jungle in New Caledonia."
"That far away? Sad."
Sad was an understatement. 
Bin thought that the exitement of the upcoming performance would drive out the thought of Eunwoo being so far away from his mind. But it all it did was highlight what was now missing from his life...

May 29  - KBS Open Concert Broadcast

Whenever they had time to spare, ASTRO would gather together to watch and critique their performance. The large TV screen inside Fantagio's meeting area served their purpose as they tuned in to watch the broadcast of a prerecorded performance for KBS. Jinjin was sounding off on the bits that needed tweaking. Myung Jun was positively ecstatic at how good everyone looked on screen.  Rocky was trying his best to give equal attention to the food he had in front of him as well as Jinjin's running commentary. And Sanha? The poor thing had his head on his arms on the long table snoring softly.
"Do you think he's eating well?" Bin suddenly suddenly murmured, chewing at a piece of tonkatsu thoughtfully.
"Who?" Myung Jun asked, still not taking his eyes off the tv screen.
"I feel so guilty that we're here having food and he's...