Minyeon stepped out of the JJE building into the cool, night air as the last few rays of sun faded into blue and purple hues. The evening breeze nipped at her face and hands, causing shivers to run down her spine. Her heart hung heavy in her chest, as she pulled her jacket closer to her frame as she trudged her way toward her car, her mind weighed down with the events that had taken place just minutes before.

She took her keys out of her purse and unlocked the car doors, heaving a sigh before getting into the vehicle. As she shut the door, she slumped forward in her seat, her chest rising and falling with another heavy sigh.

What had she just done?

She had willingly kissed a married man.

No. It was not just a kiss.

She had rationalized it too. While she knew in her very being that Sungmin no longer loved Saeun, he was still married. She could not change that. It was true that Sungmin hinted that the marriage may soon come to an end, but it was still standing as of the moment. Who was she to come between Sungmin and Saeun when their marriage was still intact to some degree?

Even if the marriage was to be dissolved soon, it was not her place to take a position with him yet. He was not free to be hers, even if he wished to be.

She gulped as ran dry.

She loved him. But--

What if she were to throw herself into a relationship with him, only for him to decide to stay with Saeun? Or what if once again their relationship became tumultuous and poisonous? Where would that leave her?

Alone once again; with only a broken heart to show for it.

Did she want that for herself?

But--

What if things changed? What if Sungmin and Saeun divorced and he was free to be with her?

Her heart quickened at the thought.

Would they finally be able to work things out for the better? No more secrets between them. No more secrets to hide from the public eye. They could finally be able to make their relationship public instead of allowing the secrecy of their intimate understanding between the couple to destroy them.

Minyeon let out a heavy sigh as she started the ignition.

It seemed too good to be true...

...but if it wasn't? What if things actually did work out?

Her eyes stared blankly out the window as she kept the car parked.

Even if she decided to wait for him, would she be able to stand seeing him day in and day out on a constant basis without falling into temptation, knowing he loved her equally?

Her mind darted to all of their secret rendezvous during her time at SM. It would be all too easy to slip into that pattern of secrecy between the two of them.

She shook her head.

No. She did not want those types of actions to be ingrained upon her conscious. The secrecy between the two of them before had been a cause of distress and heartache in the past. She loathed how secretive their relationship was before, so that he could still maintain his "idol status". If they were to slip into that pattern once more, it would surely drive a wedge between them again.

Minyeon's jaw tightened.

She would not allow herself to be dragged into that again.

There was too much at stake. Her debut was approaching fast.

She blinked.

What if he stayed with Saeun?

She would be forced to see him almost every day for over the next the year.

Her chest tightened.

She did not want that kind of pain wrecking even more havoc on her being. She loved Sungmin too much. And he loved her. It would surely crush her very soul. She would be like a walking zombie, going through the motions as usual, always guising her true thoughts and feelings.

What would be the point?

Sure, she would be able to debut, but at what cost?

She remembered the terms of her contract. In just a little over a year, the contract with SM would be null and void, and she would be free to do whatever she wanted to in the music industry.

Perhaps...

Steeling herself, she put her car into drive and began to head back to the dorms, taking the long route home as she continued to mull over the dilemma ahead of her.

****

Jaemi, Byulhee, Lìxúe, and Sijin sat around the living room, bundled in blankets and cozy sleepwear and sipping milk and hot chocolate.

Byulhee perched atop the arm of one of the sofas, staring down at Jaemi with a glint in her eyes. "I bet there's really no cat," she said.

Jaemi shook her head, chuckling. "No, believe me. There's a cat. Berlioz." She took a sip of her milk. "I've seen him before. Also, I believe I heard Donghae approach Heechul today during practice to see if he would watch the cat tonight." She chuckled, thinking about what Aeyeong had told her earlier that day about the cat always getting in between Donghae’s and Aeyeong’s romance.

"A likely story," Byulhee said, her chin.

Lìxúe laughed. "Do you really think Jaemi and Aeyeong would lie about Ae owning a cat?"

"It's the perfect cover for Aeyeong to leave the dorms at night so she can be with her hubby," Byulhee said. "It's probably a code word for--"

Jaemi slapped Byulhee's thigh. "Don't even go there."

Sijin's eyes widened and she took a sip to hide the blush forming on her face.

Byulhee made a face at Jaemi. "The truth shall be revealed!" she cried, raising a fist.

Lìxúe giggled. "Byul, I really don't think Jaemi knew about Ae and Donghae. She seemed surprised when she left the room."

Jaemi held up a hand. "I swear, I found out about their relationship this morning when you guys did."

Byulhee looked up, tapping her chin. "Hmm..." Her eyes widened. "Why did you leave this morning anyway? Unless--" She whipped her head to face Jaemi, her face filling with sympathy. "Maybe EunHae wasn't the only ship that died this morning."

Taken aback, Jaemi began laughing hard, holding a hand in front of as she did so.

"Oh, no," Byulhee breathed out. "She's in denial."

Jaemi continued to laugh harder as both Sijin and Lìxúe began giggling over the matter. Jaemi wiped a stray tear from her face. "You're funny, Byul. We're best friends, not soulmates."

Byulhee shrugged. "I had to ask though." She clicked her tongue. "Okay then, next question." She narrowed her eyes again to the eldest Starlet. "We all know Aeyeong lived in Australia for some time--" She paused dramatically. "--was she a rugby star?"

Jaemi giggled. "Really, Byul?"

Sijin chuckled. "Do you really think Aeyeong would play rugby? She's always so polished and put-together. I can't imagine her doing anything so 'unladylike'."

"Why would you think Aeyeong played rugby?" asked Lìxúe curiously, tilting her head slightly.

"Don't all Aussies play rugby?" Byulhee replied with a shrug.

Sijin shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

"Hmm." Byulhee hummed. "I bet there's more to that polished and polite exterior than she lets on," she mumbled, her chin once more. "She acts like a mother... and all mothers have their secrets."

The other Starlets giggled.

"I bet she was a party girl in her younger days-- or at least hit the clubs every so often," Byulhee continued, ignoring the giggles. "She's probably a social media star too. Like on Instagram or something like that."

Jaemi shook her head and stood up. "Well, let me know when you figure her out, Sherlock," she said with a chuckle as she began to head to the kitchen to wash her emptied mug. "I'm going to take a shower and get ready for bed, so goodnight!"

"Goodnight!" they called back.

"Hmm," Lìxúe hummed as an idea struck her. "Speaking of Sherlock, I'm a little wired from today. Anyone want to watch Sherlock to wind down before bed?"

"Oooh!" Byulhee bolted up from the couch. "That's a great idea! Oh! And we can all camp out here in the living room too! Like a sleepover!"

"That sounds like fun," Sijin replied, getting up from the couch to gather some more pillows and blankets.

"Good thing Jae's going to bed," Byulhee said as she began to dig through the cabinet of Blu-ray discs and DVDs. "She hates that show."

Jaemi scoffed as she entered the room. "I never said that. Stop putting words in my mouth." She chuckled. "I like the first season and the 'Hounds of Baskerville' from the second."

"But what do you think of the rest?" Byulhee retorted with a knowing look.

"No comment," Jaemi replied with a cheeky grin as she began to head toward the hallway. "Goodnight!"

"Pfft. You just don't like Sherlock solving the mysteries! Just like how I will discover the truth behind the Jung Sisters' Conspiracy!" Byulhee called back.

Jaemi chuckled as she made her way toward her shared room. Her phone began to vibrate in her pocket. She fished it out and looked at the screen. Minho was calling her. Furrowing her eyebrows, she quickly entered her room and closed the door. "Hey Minho, what's going on?" she asked, answering the phone.

"Jaemi, we uh, there's something I need to talk to you about now. It's urgent."

****

Nell sat on the sofa in Siwon's apartment, holding her boyfriend's script in hand as she helped him rehearse his lines for a drama he was currently shooting. "What did you want to tell me?" she said, reading the lines aloud.

Siwon faced away from Nell, turning to the window. "It's about the new plans," Siwon continued in a pensive state. "They've been stolen."

"What?" Nell continued to read. "What do you mean they were stolen?"

"I--"

Nell's phone began to vibrate against the coffee table, interrupting them. Nell set down the script and took up her phone, her eyes widening when she realized who it was that was texting her. "It's Jaemi," she said aloud as she opened up the text. Her eyes narrowed. "What?" she mumbled aloud.

"What is it?" Siwon asked, crossing over to the sofa and taking a place next to her. Suddenly, his phone vibrated as well, several times, indicating that he received a few different text messages. He picked his phone up from the table and began to read through the messages.

"Jaemi and Minyeon have a meeting tomorrow and won't make it to rehearsal until later," Nell said. "She says we can either schedule dance rehearsals for later or just to go ahead and continue without them until they arrive." She looked over at Siwon as he put down his phone.

He turned to her with concerned eyes. "Leeteuk just texted, saying that he has a meeting tomorrow as well. Shindong and Eunhyuk also are wondering if we should postpone rehearsals or just go ahead and practice. They wanted to know what you thought."

Nell looked down between her phone and the look on Siwon's face. Her heart quickened. "What do you think is going on? Is it bad? Do you think it has something to deal with Donghae and Aeyeong's engagement? Or just some business matters?"

Siwon shook his head, wrapping an arm around Nell. "I don't know."

Nell let out a breath. "Well, why don't we just start a little later that way they won't miss too much of rehearsals. Maybe just an hour later."

Siwon quickly texted his fellow members back as Nell texted Jaemi to inform her of the decision. They both sat back onto the sofa, feeling a sense of dread wash over them.

Nell nestled her head into Siwon's chest, letting out a breath.

"Don't worry," Siwon said in a hushed voice as he ran his fingers through Nell's hair consolingly. "Everything will be alright."

****

Jaemi tiptoed into the living room to find Byulhee, Lìxúe, and Sijin sprawled out on the living room floor on cushions and wrapped in warm blankets. She smiled at them gently before creeping up to the TV to turn it off as it continued to play through the last episode of the third season, 'His Last Vow'. She switched off the TV and turned off the Blu-ray player before making her way over to the little side table by one of the sofas. Opening the drawer quietly, she pulled out a sticky note pad and a pen. She scribbled down a note for her sleeping members to inform them of the change in schedule for the next day. Then she placed the note over Byulhee's phone, knowing that Byulhee would be the first to awaken in the morning.

She glanced down at her own phone. It was nearly 12:30 a.m.

Where was Minyeon?

She bit down on her lower lip as she carefully began to make her way out of the living room once more.

The lock on the front door clicked and the door opened. Minyeon stepped inside slowly, carefully removing her shoes so as not to be loud. She shut the door quietly.

Jaemi crossed over to her, trying to keep her exterior calm. "Did you eat?" she whispered.

"Yeah, I went out for dinner," Minyeon replied in an equally hushed tone.

Jaemi gave a quick nod. "If you need something from the kitchen, get it and then meet me in our room. We need to talk."

"I need to talk to you too," Minyeon replied. "I've been thinking." She let out a breath and began to head toward the kitchen. "I'm going to grab a drink."

Jaemi her heel toward their room, letting out a breath. This was not what she wanted to be doing right now. She never would have suspected this from her unnie.

She gulped down as she entered their shared room and sat on her bed to wait for Minyeon, a knot forming in her stomach as her heart drummed in her ears.

Minyeon entered the room and shut the door, taking a sip of soju.

Jaemi let out a sigh. "Min, I got a text from Minho tonight and we have a meeting first thing tomorrow. And--"

Minyeon held up a hand, cutting off Jaemi. "I already know what this about, but there's something I have to say first."

"Alright. What?"

****

The early morning light peeped through the curtains, causing Aeyeong to stir in her sleep. The air was chilled and sent shivers down her spine. She edged herself closer to Donghae, draping an arm around him as she nuzzled her head onto his bare chest. She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath of contentment. As her eyes flickered open once more, they fell upon her hand which was on Donghae's chest. A smile slowly danced its way upon her face as she stared at the ring that now adorned her left hand. It was a simple, yet elegant ring. It perfectly portrayed her relationship with him too. They had a thirst for simple things and greatly enjoyed the precious time spent together.

She felt Donghae's arms wrap around her, and she looked up to see Donghae smiling sleepily down at her.

"Good mornin'," he said groggily, his eyes slanting to small crescent moons as he smiled boyishly.

"Morning," she replied, smiling gently at him as she slid her head off of his chest and back onto the pillow so she could see his face more clearly.

He bent forward, kissing the tip of her nose gently.

Her heart quickened in ecstasy as her eyes flickered to a close as she felt his lips trail from her nose to her cheek then to her lips. "I love you," he whispered between kisses.

He kissed her lips gently.

Aeyeong returned the kiss, feeling herself melt into it as Donghae gently held her in his arms.

After a few blissful seconds, they both broke away, Donghae lightly resting his forehead against hers. He let out a sigh. "Wish we could stay like this longer," he mumbled.

Aeyeong nodded. "We should get ready for dance practice," she said, pecking him on the cheek before pulling away. She reached for her phone on the nightstand, her eyes narrowing when she realized that Jaemi had texted her the night before. She quickly opened the text. "Huh. It looks like dance practice is postponed for an hour today," she said.

Donghae looked at his phone too. "Yeah. I got a text too from Leeteuk." He put down his phone, a boyish grin crossing his face. "Well, we have an extra hour..." he whispered suggestively.

****

Jaemi stood in front of the SM building at the unearthly hour when the sun has just yet to rise and the sky pales from a dark blue into a lighter hue. She let out a sigh as she waited for Minyeon, her co-manager Minho, and JJE lawyer Miyoung to arrive. She had left before Minyeon, wishing to have some time to reflect on what Minyeon had spoken with her the night before.

She shook her head gently, wishing things had turned out differently. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath of the morning air.

Things were definitely going to be different from here on out.

She felt a knot form in her stomach.

How was she going to do this?

She once again was taken back ten years ago when she was twenty years old, the leader of the project group, 스타레트. She recalled the day when Byulhee was dropped from the group for partying. She failed Byulhee as a leader. And then later she failed the rest of the members when their group was disbanded. She failed to protect them.

Her chest rose and fell with a heavy sigh as she opened her eyes.

Once again, here she was, on the steps of the SM building, feeling that once again, she was faced with a task that was too difficult to mount.

This time though, it was up to her to make sure that the actions of others did not damage their chances at debut. She could not--would not-- fail them again.

Two cars drove through the gates and into the parking lot.

Jaemi began to walk over to the cars, immediately recognizing Minyeon's car among the two.

Minyeon stepped out of it and greeted Jaemi with a simple, "Hey."

"Hey," Jaemi replied in a neutral tone. She sighed. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked, her eyes filled with concern.

Minyeon looked at Jaemi with her shoulders straight and head tall. "I'm sure."

Jaemi nodded stiffly. "Then let's go," she said, turning toward the building. As they mounted the steps, Jaemi felt that all too familiar feeling of dread come over, knowing that once again the fate of the Starlets had changed.

Author's Note
Thank you for reading! And don't forget to comment every one or two chapters. :)