They were currently in the middle of being interviewed for KBS’s Entertainment Weekly. With today being their last day as Music Bank hosts, they were asked about their journey during the past fourteen months, as well as their thoughts regarding their last episode. They just did the pre-recording of their goodbye stage about half an hour ago so they were still wearing their pink couple outfits.

            “So what’s the interesting story behind it? Your outfit, I mean.” The MC continued to ask.

            Bo gum gave her a quick glance before turning to the MC. “Aniyo, there’s nothing of the sort.” He answered, waving his hand dismissively while trying to suppress another laugh.

            “Nothing?” the MC looked unconvinced. “Based from your reactions, it seemed like there was something,” he added.

            Unable to get a satisfying answer, the MC turned to her. “Irene-ssi?”

            She shook her head. “There’s no story to tell, really. His stylist just thought that it would be better if his suit matches the color of my skirt so they opted for a darker shade.” She explained.

            “Is that so?” The MC was obviously disappointed and unsatisfied with her answer.

            They nodded in unison.

            If they were to be honest, there was actually a story behind Bo gum’s outfit change. A funny and embarrassing one. After they finished the recording of their very first episode, she went back to the waiting room to search for the compact mirror she misplaced. In her haste, she did not see the person coming from the other hallway. She couldn’t contain her horror and remorse that time when her cup of Shikhye spilled on hers and Bo gum’s clothes. The skirt that she was wearing right now was the only one that survived without a stain.

             That was the most embarrassing moment she had with Bo gum. She couldn’t even look at him in the eye for a couple of weeks after that incident. It’s a good thing he was considerate and acted as if nothing happened. He was easy to talk to and fun to be with so they were able to break the ice afterwards.

            She was glad when the MC didn’t pursue the matter and moved on to the next questions.

            “Bo gum-ssi, what do you think of Irene?”

            She instantly broke into a laugh, mentally pinching herself. Why on earth did she laugh?  The question nor the way he said it wasn’t even funny to begin with.

            She was beginning to feel a little tensed all of a sudden. It’s a good thing years of training enabled her to hide it.

            “What do I think of Irene-ssi?” Unlike her, Bo gum was relaxed. It seemed like the question didn’t threw him off. He appeared to be in his thoughts, searching for an answer. A harmless one most likely.

            “Why are you asking him that? Ask him something else instead. It’s embarrassing.” She piped in, in attempt to save Bo gum from being forced to answer, and most especially in hopes to change the subject.

            Anything will do as long as it’s not about her, or something that will make them targets of certain crazy and possessive fans. Although their love line was adored and loved by many, some were still against their tandem. It’s one of the main reasons why they’re careful when it comes to skin ships.

            “She’s pretty isn’t, she?” The MC added, earning a mental glare from her. If only she knew that the questions were like this, then she shouldn’t have agreed to do the interview.

            “Ne, Irene-ssi is very pretty and kind hearted.” Bo gum answered politely, sending a concerned look in her direction. He must have sensed she was getting uneasy.

            “Okay, let’s proceed.”

            She sighed in relief when the MC moved on to the next part. It’s a good thing the interview was time-limited due to their busy schedules that day. Other than the thought of being targeted by crazy fans, she somehow felt awkward and strange whenever those kinds of questions would come up. Their relationship was close, but it was just friendly and never romantic.

            Yes, their most talked about chemistry was there. Being the persons who had experienced it first hand, they were very much aware. A spark like that was something very natural. Two people could simply stand next to each other, and in a spur of a moment, feel that instant connection. But despite that spark, that attraction, some remained friends. Just like them.

            The interview ended after an hour of questions and watching highlight videos of their past episodes. Hours of rehearsals and artist pre-recordings followed soon after. The event was extra special for it was Music Bank’s mid-year special. Aside from comebacks and promotions, Idols from different groups collaborated for special performances. Red Velvet was even invited to perform.

            The evening was filled with energetic and all-star performances. The next thing she knew; they were already giving their farewell messages. She only gave a short one and let Bo gum do most of the talking. She was teary-eyed the whole time and on the verge of crying.

            Bo gum turned to her with a comforting smile. “Irene-ssi, shall we end this in a happy note?”

            Returning his smile, she blinked back her tears and nodded. On his cue, they delivered Music Bank’s ending catchphrase for the last time.

            “When music is needed, broadcasting live, Music Bank!”

            She found herself standing in front of the backstage room that became her own during Fridays. It’s a shame the room wasn’t hers today. They put her in a slightly bigger room that could accommodate Red Velvet.

             Music Bank ended almost an hour ago, and more than half of the performing artists already disappeared. Most left in a hurry, probably to attend another schedule, while some decided to call it a night and went home. Only a few others, like Red Velvet, were left behind.

            They were currently waiting for their manager to come and pick them up. They were told that he would arrive in twenty minutes, but judging from the rate of traffic, he might probably need another twenty minutes or so to arrive.

            She stood by door, staring at the small white board attached to it. The board that usually had her name written on it was left blank. It seemed like no one had been assigned to the room.

            She reached for the door handle and looked around to see if someone was around. When she was sure no one will see her, she hurriedly went in. Using the wall as a guide, she searched for the light switch.

When the lights came on, she was greeted by the same white room with purple chairs and big vanity mirrors.  Nothing's changed. Everything's in place where they’re supposed to be at. 

             Her eyes landed on the dark couch by the wall. She smiled as she remembered the hours she spent there memorizing her lines. She even took naps on it on several occasions. Her busy schedule, especially during Red Velvet's album promotion period, prevented her from having adequate amount of sleep. 

             She walked towards the vanity and pulled out a chair. She sat down and kicked off her shoes, grimacing as she looked at its high heels. Standing five feet and three inches, she had to wear high heels if she were to stand next to Bo gum who was six-foot-tall in order to avoid looking like a dwarf.

            She remembered how hard it was for her to walk in those five inch heeled shoes. The hardest part was when they had to take the stairs leaving and going to the stage. It's a good thing Bo gum was kind enough to look out for her. He would stay a step behind whenever they had go up the stage, and he'd walk ahead and wait at the end when they had to go down. He even caught her during the multiples times she slipped and almost fell to her doom.

            Fan-taken photos of those unfortunate moments made their rounds online evoking laughter and admiration from fans. Laughter for obvious reasons, and admiration for Bo gum for never once failing to catch her.

            She scanned the room, reminiscing the memories and emotions she felt in this room. She took a deep breath and sighed loudly.

            "I guess this is goodbye, then."

            With a heavy heart, she reached for her phone in her pocket. She wanted to find out if their manager was still stuck in traffic. She was busy typing a message when she heard the door handle move. She shot a panicked look towards the door as she jumped from her seat. She hastily put on her shoe and was skipping towards its pair when she heard her name. 

            "Irene-ssi?" Called a familiar voice. 

            She already had an idea on who it was based on the voice but she wasn’t sure. Her mind might be making things up. Hesitantly, she turned to the door. 

            A feeling of relief washed over her when she saw Bo gum poking his head inside the room.  

            "Oh, it's you." She said, releasing the breath she had been holding.

            "Weren't you in a different room with your group?" He asked with a puzzled look. He widened the door and stepped in. 

            She stared at her shoe lying on the floor. Should she reach for it? She contemplated for a second before deciding to ignore it. She held her barefoot up, seemingly frozen, trying to keep her balance as stood with only one shoe.

            "Well, I... I was," She searched for an answer but her mind was going blank. She was self-conscious all of a sudden. There she was, standing with only one shoe, trying not to fall face down on the floor. 

            “I just… ended up being here?” She finally added, feeling the warmth on her cheeks. It’s true, though. She was just walking around until her feet brought her there. 

            "Hmm…I see." He said, nodding his head.

            Her eyes curiously followed him he sauntered towards her. She wondered what he was thinking. His unreadable expression made her unable to guess what’s coming next. It felt exciting yet alarming all together.  

            "Bae Joohyun..." He called, staring intently at her.

            He was about a foot from her which was less than appropriate. If someone were to see them right now, a scandal would no doubt arise.

            She took in a shaky breath as she felt a tingly feeling inside her, the very same reaction she had the first time he called her by her full name. The first time was worse for it was live on national television. 

            She expertly masked her reaction with a questioning look. "What?" She asked, faking the tone of annoyance in her voice.

            He said nothing.

            She watched in disbelief when he bent down and reached for her other shoe. He then placed it next to her feet and motioned her to put it on. 

            She silently complied and clumsily slipped on the shoe. Seemingly satisfied with himself, he looked up and smiled.

            "Are you playing Cinderella right now?"

            "W-What?" 

            She was slack-jawed. She couldn’t get herself to talk for a while until she heard him laugh. It finally dawned to her that he's being his playful self.

            Scowling, she hit his arm without second thoughts, causing him to break into another laugh. She had a love-hate relationship with this side of him. He would do something nice then say something unexpected the next to . His unique choice of words, sometimes, made her unable to think of a comeback.

            "You should have seen the look on your face!" He said, trying to suppress another laugh.

            "Whatever." She glared at him and marched to her previous seat, leaving him still down on his knee.

            "Why are you here anyway?" She casually asked, hoping to divert the topic. It seemed like changing subjects were lately becoming her habit.

            He stood up and sat on the couch behind her. “I was passing by when I saw a light inside the room. I got curious,” he explained. 

            "I thought you left," she asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

           "Hyung was stuck in traffic," he answered, referring to his manager.

           "Our manager was, too." They shared a small laugh, imagining the frustrated looks on their managers’ faces.

            Laughing with him like this, like they normally would, made her realize that they had not said goodbye to each other. No matter how many times they were reminded, even to the point where it got annoying, they never said those words. To the audience, most especially their fans, they did. But never to each other. 

             "I feel tired. Joohyun-ah, wake me up in ten minutes."

            “Okay.” She nodded as she watched him closed his eyes. 

             Irene or Joohyun, which one was it? People around her gets confused sometimes. Should they call her by her real name or by her stage name? Most people call her Irene in front of the media and during public events, especially if they’re not familiar with her. Those close to her, like her friends, call her by her real name in private. But Bo gum is an odd one. Of course, he calls her Irene in public. But off cameras, he calls her either Irene-ssi or Joohyun-ah. Up to now, she’s still wondering if he was just mixing the two up.

            She studied him through the vanity mirror. He was still wearing the light blue dress shirt he had on earlier. Its sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and its first three buttons were undone. He was leaning comfortably against the back of the couch, his long legs sprawled out. She could tell he was tired, especially since she knew he was busy the whole day yesterday filming for his upcoming drama.

            "Bo gum-ah." She called ten minutes later.

            He didn’t respond.

            She tried again, louder this time. But still, she didn’t get a reaction. Feeling impatient, she got up and walked over to him.

            "Yah, your ten minutes is up.” She called, bending over.

            Then an idea came to her. Grinning, she took the pink lipstick inside the pocket of her skirt.

            "Bo gum-ah, are you awake?" She whispered, slowly twisting the lipstick cap. 

            "Mwohaeyo?"

            “Omo!” The lipstick slipped through her fingers and fell on his lap when his eyelids fluttered open.

            “What are you doing?” He repeated, his chocolate brown eyes staring keenly at her.

            "Uh…I was…" She bit her lip.

            "Yes, you were?" He looked at her expectantly. She couldn’t quite comprehend the tone of his voice.

            "As I was saying, I was..."

             She was panicking as searched her brain for an excuse. She finally got an idea when her eyes landed on her lipstick that fell. She picked it up and swiftly removed the cap.

            "I was trying to re-apply my lipstick!" She exclaimed. "See?" She added, and sloppily put the lipstick on.

            "Wait."

            She stopped and frowned. “Why?” She asked. She already swiped a second layer on her lips and was about to put on a third one when he stopped her. She silently thanked him for stopping her or else she would’ve ended up looking like a clown.

            "Your lipstick." He took the small plastic from her shaky hand and set it down on his side.

             She gave him a quizzical look when he brought his hand close to her face. Her heartbeat quickened when his fingers touched the side of her jaw before his thumb brushed one corner of her lips. It finally dawned to her that he was wiping some of the smudged lipstick.

             "Done,” he said shortly, putting his hand back to his lap.

            "T-Thanks." She whispered, unconsciously biting her lip.

            In an attempt to steady her heartbeat, she looked down to avoid his eyes. She then started counting the sparkles glued on her nails to distract herself. Much to her distress, her heart was still beating like she just ran a marathon.

            She heard him sigh. "Joohyun-ah, look at me."

            She flinched as he gently put his index finger under her chin and lifted her face. Speechless, she stared back at him. She watched as his eyes travelled to her lips. They stayed there for a while, before they went back up to meet hers.

            She waited for him to say something and like he did before but he didn’t. Instead, he pushed the weight of her hair off her shoulders and placed his hand on the back of her neck. He was close to her, awfully close. She could feel his warm breath fan against her cheeks. It was exhilarating but scary at the same time.

            She instinctively closed her eyes when he leaned in. His lips met hers slowly, gentle and lingering as if taking the time to memorize the feeling. He started kissing the edge of , continuing his kisses along her lower lip and then along her upper lip. Gently, she put her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

            They were momentarily lost in the moment when the door opened. The sound of something hitting the floor instantly made them pulled away from each other. They turned to the source of the sound.

            The look of surprise on Bo gum’s manager’s face was evident. His steaming cup of coffee was now lying on the floor.

            She turned to Bo gum whose face mirrored the shock in hers. She couldn’t help but notice the traces of her lipstick on his lips. It was then that she realized she was sitting on his lap.

            How? She had no idea. 

* * *

That's how their untold story will unfold. I hope you guys liked it. ^_^

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