★ Photo credit:http://artmonia.tumblr.com/tagged/Hajin-Bae ★

☆ I'm always looking for fanart to be used for visuals in my story! Leave a comment if you'd be interested in making one! ☆

◎    ◉    ◎

“You definitely stopping by later?”

“Yep! As soon as I finish my meeting with the big guys, I’ll be right over.”

I reread Anna’s last message to me as I crossed the street from our takeout restaurant on-property. I struggled to hold everything as I entered my residence building, telling security in the lobby to look out for Anna when she got there. It was nothing new to them as they waved me on my way, having already let Anna in for me multiple times before.

I gave them a gracious smile, in a particularly good mood. Maybe it was because not only had Anna’s second mini-album come out, a new milestone for her, but I myself had new music out that I was particularly proud of. The air at SKEES had been generally pleasant lately and it had definitely rubbed off on me.

I entered an empty dorm, not that it mattered much since all three of us had our own rooms. Plus, Anna was always warmly welcomed by Jimin and Hoseok, even when I wasn’t around.

I set the boxes of fried chicken out on our kitchen counter, all of which varied between our favorite flavors- garlic, barbecue, honey-glazed, you name it. We’d both been craving hardcore so it was safe to say I went a little overboard.

I’ll admit I waited for Anna a little longer than expected. I had just begun to invade her Netflix account, something she’d gotten me hooked on, when knuckles lightly tapped against my door. I almost didn’t hear them.

I knew something was off as soon as I opened the door for her. “Hey,” I greeted warmly, though I eyed her skeptically. “Why the pout?”

“I’m not pouting,” she mumbled as she pushed past me, aware she had been caught red-handed. I was quick to trail her.

“I beg to differ,” I argued, wrapping a hand around her wrist to gently pull her back to me. “Hey, look at me.”

She fought against me and my request but with the quick glances I was able to catch of her face, I could tell she was either angry, upset or both.

“Stop being a pest,” I complained, cupping her cheeks in my hands to limit her chances of avoiding my attention. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

She couldn’t resist me any longer, both physically and mentally. Her eyes finally met mine for the first time since she’d gotten to the dorm and still, I couldn’t quite read them. That was until she scowled dramatically.

“They’re shipping me off to America,” she whined, her face dropping.

“What?”

Her lack of specifics alarmed me. What did they intend on doing with her there? They weren’t sending her off permanently, were they? I mean, they couldn’t have terminated her contract over one bad Korean release- especially not when its English counterpart was such a global success.

“They're setting me up on an American tour for, like, weeks,” she finally elaborated and this time, I felt like scowling. Of course that was all this was.

“You’re kidding right?” I deadpanned, looking at her like she had lost it. “Anna, that’s great! That’s a big step in your career.”

“No, it’s a big step towards them sending me home for good.”

“Anna, this isn’t some competition show. You don’t just go home,” I pointed out, letting go of her and heading over to the chicken to heat it all up. My stomach refused to wait any longer over something so dumb.

“Yoongi, they gave me the reports for this second album,” she began, following me just so she could continue to prove her point.

“And?”

“And they were more profitable on the release as a whole when it was only released in English than they would’ve been if they released it in Korean, as well,” she explained, frowning just at the mentioning of that truth. “Like, drastically more profitable.”

“Half of that is just their projections,” I returned doubtfully. I’d been around long enough to know those weren’t always correct. “There’s no way they could know all that for sure. For all we know, a Korean album could've done really well. It's a very unpredictable process."

“But this is what they were testing!” She insisted, almost desperately. I couldn't believe she was really so worried about the whole thing. She huffed in dismay. “I told you how they wanted to test a theory- this was it. They wanted to see how much more profitable they would be without spending money on producing a Korean version.”

“So, they’re done,” I concluded. “They’ve finished their test, they got their answer. You don’t have to put out Korean releases to be successful, we know that well and clear. You don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

“But I do. You don’t test something for no reason. You test something to determine your next choice of action!”

“Honestly, babe, I think you’re looking too deeply into this,” I continued my efforts to dismiss her worries. They weren’t impossibilities but they sounded like far reaches to me.

“Don’t you ‘babe’ me now. Especially not when you only call me that when you want me to calm down, shut up or give in to you,” she sassed.

“Well, does it work?”

“No, because I know your motivation behind it.”

“I’ll call you babe more often, then.”

“Yoongi,” she whined, displeased at my clear attempt to steer the conversation in a different direction. I may have prided myself on how well I knew her but she knew me just as well.

“Anna, I just want you to let these thoughts of yours go. You’re always your own worst enemy and overthinking things like this always gets you so worked up,” I explained to her honestly, allowing myself to take the conversation a little more seriously for her sake. “I hate seeing you get upset like this.”

She pouted at me, shuffling over to walk herself into my arms. “I know. I just can’t help it. I’ve always been this way.”

“I know. But they’re not gonna throw you out of SKEES,” I assured her, starting to feel like a broken record. Still, I squeezed her body, completely understanding why she’d come to worry about such a thing. She just needed to realize that she didn’t need to. “They’d be crazy to do that. Korean success or not, you still make them a lot of money.”

She chuckled sligtly, indicating that I was victorious in trying to calm her. She had a wildly wondering mind that could get carried away sometimes. I understood that, mind commonly was the same way.

“And forget this whole theory thing. I’m sure the only thing they were testing was whether or not just releasing English albums is the way to go for you,” I concluded, hoping to put a cap on that worry as well. “And just because it may be, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be working in Korea. English-language music gets as popular as K-Pop here so it’s about time we have an artist of our own releasing that kind of music under a Korean label. So, no more of this doubting yourself and your popularity here just because you’re not Asian, alright? Your time will come, just give people the chance to open their minds a little more. This is a brand new thing for everyone.”

She nodded against my chest, her previously tense body having eased into mine. She sighed, as if releasing many demons. “Thanks, Yoongi.”

“That’s what I’m here for as you’re almost-but-not-quite-boyfriend,” I joked, making her laugh more heartily. “Now, can we please have some chicken? Those boxes have been torturing me for nearly two hours now.”

She giggled once more, but not for the last time that night, and gave me a quick peck on the lips. She then look at me seriously. “Only if you got an order of honey-glazed.”

I smirked down at her. “I wouldn’t dare forget.”

She didn’t need to hear another word. In the blink of an eye, she was at the microwave, managing to have dragged me behind her the whole way there. And once the chicken was devoured, her attention was quickly stolen by the Netflix homepage I had left open on my laptop. Apparently, Netflix was home to quite a number of Disney movies I’d never seen.

“You’ve seriously never seen Lilo and Stitch?” She stared at me incredulously. “Never?”

“Never,” I confirmed, extremely amused by her level of disbelief.

“God, I have to save you ASAP,” she concluded, her fingers working furiously at my keyboard to open the movie up. “I actually think you’ll like it, it’s really adorable.”

To be honest, I really did enjoy the movie very much. But I may have enjoyed watching her previous frantic reaction even more. (Just don’t tell her that, she’d be highly insulted.)

Somehow, we’d both decided on watching yet another movie for that night. Anna demanded movie equality to us both and insisted that I chose a movie I’d genuinely like to watch. I was pleased when she ended up enjoying my choice as much as I’d enjoyed hers.

Well, she drowsily told me she enjoyed it as I walked her to my door. She had actually fallen asleep just before the end of the movie, her body still and curled up against mine. I considered letting her stay like that and just falling asleep with her. I knew she wouldn’t have minded it and I certainly wouldn’t have either. But I didn’t know what her schedule looked like for the following day and didn’t want her to risk showing up late or unprepared to her job.

So, she may have groaned and complained and even slapped me away once or twice but I managd to get her up and out of my bed. Like a child, she reluctantly allowed me to pull her over to my door. She only perked up at the dispense of Jimin, who had come home sometime during our movie marathon and was pouring himself a drink in the kitchen. The two exchanged bright hello’s before he excused himself to his own bedroom.

“So, the tour. Which is a great thing,” I felt the need to remind her. “When do you leave?”

“In two weeks.”

“Ah, soon,” I nodded. She gave me her millionth pout of the night.

“I know. They aren’t waiting a second to throw me out of here,” she said only with the intent to be annoying. And of course, it worked. Suppressing a grin, I pulled open my door.

“Get out of my dorm,” I joked, earning a mischievous giggle from Anna. She made sure not to leave without giving me a short but sweet kiss.

“Goodnight, Yoongi!” She called out from the hallway, probably waking up a few people in nearby dorms. She was really something.

“Goodnight, Anna,” I bid her quietly, chuckling as I shut the door.

◎    ◉    ◎

A relieved Anna texted me the following day, informing me that all three of her roommates would be joining her on the American tour, as well as four male Asian-American artists as their counterparts. At the same time, she was refusing to admit that she had maybe jumped to conclusions too quickly.

“It’s amazing that it’s the four of us going,” she beamed as I walked with her over to the dance studios, as I had practice downstairs and she had rehearsal upstairs. “Director Jung thinks the American fans will love our chemistry since we all live together.”

I listened quietly as she gushed, giving her uninterrupted freedom to do so. I watched as a lightbulb went off in her head.

“Do you think he put four American girls in the same dorm for a reason like this, then? You know, on purpose?”

“I wouldn’t put it past him or any of the other higher-ups. Everything they do here is so thoroughly thought through.”

“Trust me, I know,” she commented as I held the door for her.

“Right,” I noted, following her inside. Although a few gazes did linger on us, it seemed that most people had gotten over the fact that we were seeing each other. It was no longer the fresh, juicy news that a good number of artists could never seem to keep their noses out of. “So, what’s on the rehearsal schedule today?”

“The same, boring solo stages,” she revealed. I knew she was about to start going on about her latest desire to be put in a group like Seulgi’s when a certain 17-year-old stepped off the elevator and into the lobby.

“You sure you’re rehearsing solo stages?” I questioned as Chun Hwa’s eyes landed on us, leading her to bound over in our direction. Anna didn’t even get the chance to respond.

“Anna!” Chun Hwa called out, her wide eyes bubbling with excitement. “The duet we wrote’s been approved! We’re set to perform it on the tour!”

“What?” The older girl gasped. “Really?”

“Yes!” Chun Hwa practically yelled, earning more stares than she had already been getting. “I was rehearsing my solo stages when a choreographer showed up with choreography for it! He wants us to learn it ASAP!”

“Choreography? For a ballad?” I questioned, finally making my presence known to the younger of the two girls. She frowned at me.

“Ballad? Who said anything about a ballad?”

I glanced between the two quizzically before shrugging. “I don’t know. When I hear duet, I just think of ballads. Plus, Chun Hwa, you’re a ballad singer.”

“Gosh, oppa. For someone so smart, that was pretty dense of you,” she teased, a grin spreading on her lips. “Besides, you underestimate me. I may be a ballad singer but give me a song and I’ll give it everything.”

“She’s not kidding,” Anna added, a look of pride on her face. “Wait until you hear it, Chun Hwa totally killed it. She sounds like the eonnie, not me.”

“Is that so?” I mused, charmed by their attitudes. Anna hummed and nodded in approval. “Well, then I guess I might’ve underestimated you. But I’ll fully believe it when I hear it.”

The younger girl hummed, looking at me challengingly. “Deal,” she agreed confidently before turning back to Anna. “Anyway, I tried texting you but I guess you were too distracted.”

She adorned such a mischievous, -eating grin as her eyes landed on me, it was almost ridiculous. Anna rolled her eyes before grabbing her hand and pulling her along.

“Alright, let’s not keep the choreographer waiting,” she concluded, dragging her towards the elevator up to the rehearsal studios. She turned to wave back to me, a motion that I returned. “I’ll see you later, Yoongi!”

Unfortunately, tour preparations for Anna and the others got so intense that the next time I actually did get to see her was the morning of her flight to America. And when I say morning, I really mean morning. Anna was lucky I was so anxious to see her off before I’d have to make due without her for a month, otherwise I wouldn’t have forced myself awake.

I couldn’t go with her to the airport for obvious reasons so I waited outside her residence hall until she was exiting it, dragging a large suitcase behind her. She looked tired yet exhilarated, ready to take on her home country now that she knew she wasn’t being sent there for good. When her eyes landed on me, her face brightened.

“You came,” she said in delight, reaching out with her free arm for a hug. With spectators already beginning to line up outside the gates for their daily glimpse at the inside of their favorite organization, we couldn’t do much more without initiating an endless string of scandal rumors. It was only because artists here had always been so outwardly friendly, whether authentically or for publicity, that we could do this much without suspicion at all. “But it’s so early!”

“Never too early for you,” I commented casually, making her raise a brow at me.

“Did I just hear a shameless one-liner leave your lips?”

“Yes, I’ve been known to pull one of those out on occasion,” I informed her playfully, helping her lift her suitcase into the trunk of the van parked in front of her building. “But they’re rare so count your blessings.”

She brought her hands up into prayer position in front of her chest, momentarily putting on a serious face before giggling. I grinned at her.

“So, is that it? Just one suitcase for a whole month?”

In reality, it wasn’t really all that far-fetched. The chosen stylists for the trip in question typically dealt with packing and bringing along most the trip's fashion. Besides basic necessities and personal fashion choices, there wasn’t much responsibility put on the artist to pack important clothing items.

But I really wanted an excuse to get Anna in private, even just for a minute or two. There was no way I was getting any privacy out on the street like that and with each of her roommates exiting the building after her, I knew we’d have her dorm to ourselves. Thankfully, it seemed she’d caught onto my hidden agenda.

“I just have to get my carry-on,” she revealed, looking at me knowingly. “You mind taking a trip upstairs with me?”

I couldn’t keep the corners of my lips from quirking upwards. “It’d be my pleasure.”

“I’m sure it would be,” Chun Hwa chimed in as she passed us. Anna rolled her eyes at her before leading me inside and upstairs.

As soon as we stepped into her dorm, I grabbed Anna by the waist and planted a nice, long kiss on her lips. She quickly retaliated, bringing one hand to the side of my jaw the way I loved so much. She hummed before both of her hands slid down to push me away by my chest.

“Wait, seriously, let me get my bag before I forget,” she told me, proving that her excuse to get us alone up there hadn’t been a lie. She broke free of my hold and hurried off to her bedroom.

“Don’t you have your phone and wallet in there? And your passport, more importantly? How could you possibly forget?”

“You’d be surprised,” she argued, finally reemerging with not only her bag hanging from her arm but with a neck pillow resting on her shoulders. “Thank god I had to come back up here. I would’ve left this.”

“The horror,” I teased as she stepped right back up to me.

“Now, I have data in America so you can call or text me whenever you want,” she began, rummaging through her bag to make sure she had everything. “Make sure you tell the others that, too.”

“Yes, mom,” I joked, only because she truly sounded like one. She lifted her head to give me a look.

“I’m just saying. I’m gonna be gone for a month, if not a little longer depending on whether we get booked for extra interviews or other stuff like that. I don’t want to disappear.”

“You won’t, I’ll make sure to bombard you with messages multiple times a day,” I told her, my voice dripping with sarcasm. Sure, we were about to be the furthest we’d ever been from each other for the longest amount of time but I was sure it was something we could manage.

“Glad to hear it,” she retored, playing along as usual. “Now, come on.”

She motioned towards the door but I grabbed her wrist before she could open it to leave. Just from that motion, a month suddenly seemed like forever. “Wait.”

She turned back to me, looking at me expectantly before smiling. She dropped her bag onto the ground so she could properly walk into my arms and kiss me. It was sweeter than the first, the two of us savoring our last kiss for an entire four weeks.

There it was again, that number. Four weeks. One month. Before Anna, I would’ve considered that amount of time to be nothing. I could handle such time apart from anyone but her.

She ended up pulling away just to sink into my arms, our bodies clinging onto each other for as long as possible. We exchanged our goodbyes right there, despite the fact that I’d be accompanying her back downstairs in a few seconds. But we couldn’t be as sentimental and sincere as we wanted to be down there.

After reluctantly pulling away from me, Anna skimmed over the dorm one last time. She then double-checked the lock before we both went off towards the elevator at a slow pace, her arm linked through mine. We weren’t much of hand-holders; we much preferred this.

“Why are we so sad?” She asked rhetorically, laughing at our own dispenses.

“Because we’ve made each other too soft,” I continued the comic-relief, earning another appreciative chuckle from Anna.

Once outside, the whole thing seemed to go by so fast. Our timing proved to be impeccable as the other three girls were just beginning to load themselves into the van. She was about to follow when I pulled her back yet again. With the inability to give one last kiss, she was confused as to what I wanted.

“Namjoon said he’s been hearing about a lot of violence happening in America. He asked me to tell you to be careful,” I relayed the message, though we both knew it was coming from me as much as it was coming from him. She gave me a soft smile.

“I will,” she nodded. “I’ll see you when I get back, okay?”

“Yeah,” I agreed, giving her the same sentiment in my own sad and simpler way.

I didn’t once tear my eyes from her until she closed the van’s door behind her, hiding herself away from the outside world. But even then, I watched as the vehicle pulled away from the curb and headed off down the street at a slow pace. Per routine, it stopped and waited until the front gate was cleared and opened for them before it rolled out onto the public streets of Korea. After it finally disappeared around a corner, I sighed.

It was time to make myself as busy as possible for a month.