“Miss Jang, you have made it quite far in this show. Did you know you were gonna reach this point?”   A ghost smile lifted the corners of Hyunmi’s lips. The twinkle in her eye was a pretentious cover to the true hollowness hidden beneath. No one knew.   “Not really,” she uttered a small reply, all the while maintaining her feigned smile. “But I know I have given up too much to stop now. I have yet to reach where I'm supposed to be.”   The MC of The Golden Mic, known as Byun Baekhyun, was quick to voice out a hearty chuckle. The sadness in her tone did not go unnoticed, and he had a momentary dilemma whether he should dig out some scoop to create more on-show drama, or leave her be. This was showbiz after all.   “The final mission of the show is to sing an original composition. Songwriters usually channel their inner emotion to express themselves. Can you give us a small sneak peek of your song?” He dug deeper, but was met with the girl’s stern gaze. It only lasted for a split second and he wondered whether the camera captured it.   “You will have to find out during this week’s broadcast,” Hyunmi answered with the slightest hint of playfulness. Her inability to show the song was only because she hadn’t started on it despite the approaching deadline. It wasn’t that she didn't want to start, but she was unable to come up with something satisfactory.   She then turned her head facing the camera, her long fluffy black hair bouncing along to the movement. “I will do my best to deliver a song that people can relate to. So please vote for me during the final performance.”   She maintained the smile that had been etched to maintain her lips in its joyous state. Her eyes watched the red light on top of the camera flicker before it went completely off. They were done with filming. She was done displaying a fake smile.   “Hey,” Baekhyun softly called out when she was gathering her stuff from the room. He always dismissed the showbiz tone when the cameras were off. “You did well today. How about getting some coffee?”   “You know I hate caffeinated drinks,” she said, putting her bag strap over her shoulder and shooting him a sighing smile. Maybe he didn’t know, and that was fine. There was only one person in this entire world who knew everything about her than she herself probably did.   But he was no longer there.   “Right.” Baekhyun chuckled at his simple mistake. He picked up his bag and jacket, matching her pace as he walked her out of the studio building. “You can’t keep rejecting me forever, you know. All I’m asking is to get some drink.”   She laughed at his bluntness. “You know I have a contest to prepare for. See you later, Baek.”   Without waiting for his reply, she stepped into her car to return to her lonely apartment at the downtown of Sand Haven, the place she had chosen to stay at. Many times, she wondered whether she had made the right decision. And every time, she received no clear indication of an answer.   The reason why she would forever reject Baekhyun’s innocent coffee date offers wasn’t because she was too busy. No. She simply couldn’t. The moment wanted to answer a “yes,” there would be a still small voice of guilt in her heart. It didn’t feel right.   Hyunmi closed the door of her apartment, dropping her keys on the counter besides her. She looked over the place. It wasn’t that big or spacious, but why did her loneliness expand over the boundaries encapsulated by the apartment walls? Her queen sized bed felt like an endless ocean she would drown in with solitude. There were two chairs against her dining table, though she always ate dinner for one.   Was a part of her, perhaps, hoping he was still there with her?   When she laid in bed, sometimes she could still feel his hands hovering over her waist as he pressed himself closer against her back. The warmth was comforting. He was her warmth. And without him, the entire world was covered in thick layers of cold.   She quickly shook her head in the hope to erase those memories from her mind. Her long strands of hair tickled the side of her cheek, and she never quite got used to it.   “Do you like girls with long hair or short hair?” She had asked him one time.   “I like you, isn’t that enough?” He replied with his signature mischievous grin. If he had thought she would blush and be in awe of his answer, he was right. But she wasn’t letting this one go.   “Long hair or short hair?”   He watched her hair momentarily, trying to search for an answer. “Would you consider your current hairstyle long or short?”   “It’s medium.”   “I like medium.”   Just like that, he won the moment she let a scoff escape her lips. He gently pulled her by her hand afterwards so he could wrap his entire arm around her small body.   Ever since that day, she had always kept her hair medium length. It was only after joining The Golden Mic that a stylist suggested her to grow her hair long to create a more feminine and sophisticated look.   She wondered what he would’ve thought of it. He used to love twirling her hair between his fingers. He used to tell her all sorts of comforting words she needed to hear when anxiety got the best of her.   Her smartphone had unknowingly made its way to her hand, and her fingers searched for his name. He was still her number one speed dial. But for two whole years, she never dialed him. Would it be okay to call him after she had left? Was she allowed to hear his gentle honey-like voice?   No.   So her fingers dialed another number. The one number she could easily dial in the hope that maybe, just maybe, he’d be the one picking up instead.   “Hello?” A female voice answered.   Hyunmi frowned, taking a minute to identify the voice. Then she remembered the neighborhood girl, all grown up. “Jisoo?”   “Oh, auntie! It’s you.” The girl’s voice showed so much excitement.   “Aren’t your parents home?”   “No. They decided to take uncle out since he is…” Jisoo trailed off rather awkwardly.   Sad. Depressed. Stressed. It did not take Hyunmi a second longer to guess the possible trigger to his poor condition. Her.   “So how are you doing, auntie? I saw you on TV and you look really pretty with long hair.” The words made Hyunmi smile genuinely. “Uncle agreed with me.”   Her heart stopped beating for one second. The fact he had been watching her and still had the audacity to say she was pretty was sweet in a heart wrenching way. Every time he showed signs of his inability to move on, a nail was pierced into her heart, just waiting for moments to have it hammered into small broken fragmented pieces.   It was unfair. She was constantly on TV where he could see and hear her anytime. But Hyunmi had no other way than to check his social media for updates. She was relieved to know he never uploaded a photo of him with some other woman. It calmed her heart a little.   “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that,” Jisoo continued and hummed a little. “I wish you all the luck with your contest, auntie. Maybe you can come visit us back in Riverbond when you’re famous.”   “You know that’s the first thing I shall do when this is over with.” Hyunmi chuckled before starting to tease the other. “By the way, why are you at home on such a nice weekend? No date?”   “Johnny is on his way here.”   “Oh, so it’s Johnny and not Jeonghan?”   “Auntie!” Jisoo yelled, and Hyunmi could’ve sworn seeing the girl’s cheeks flush red in her mind. They both laughed until it was cut off by Jisoo’s voice. “It’s funny though.”   “What is?”   “You said the exact same thing uncle did.”     Knowing this couldn’t go on, she figured she needed to be elsewhere. She had gone off to The Wednesdays, the club where Sungyeol and his band would often perform at. She used to perform as a guest singer on certain nights in the hope that a producer would scout her. It was a month after her move to Sand Haven when they announced a new talent show called The Golden Mic. The winner could get an exclusive three year contract with Sony Entertainment. Of course she’d jump in the opportunity.   “Hey Sungjong.” She seated herself at the bar where she found the bartender drying off some shot glasses. It was still an hour before the club opened and things were rather quiet. The band was setting up their instruments, but didn’t start their sound check yet.   “Hello, our star performer,” he greeted her with a wide grin crossing his features. “What are you doing here? I thought you had an award winning song to write?”   “It’s not an award winning song,” she corrected him, plopping her head unto her hands. “I am too distracted to find the right inspiration.”   “Seems like you need a drink. The usual?”   “Yes, please.”   Sungjong smiled again and mixed her favorite cocktail. She was a girl of constant routine, which became apparent through her never changing order of Sunrise Tequilas. Sungyeol had reasoned it was because of this loyalty she could never move on from her past, and maybe he was right.   “Maybe you should let this distraction inspire you,” he suddenly suggested, placing the red colored cocktail in front of her. He even added a cherry for display.   “And write about him?” Hyunmi asked and scoffed at the ridiculous idea. She wrapped her fingers around the glass and gulped down the tequila.   “Maybe not necessarily about him, but for him.”   She stared at him with creased eyebrows, and he continued.   “Clearly you still have things you want to tell him. Maybe you should use that to write the song for the contest.”   He had a point and she considered the idea. But her explorations did not get far when a sudden unannounced presence hopped on the empty barstool beside her.   “Hey yo, Hyunmi. Why the frown?” Sungyeol had appeared, looking extra cheery than usual. The grin on his face was creepily wider than they thought was ever possible to the human anatomy.   “You are radiating with joy. What happened?” She asked, pretending to be blinded by his invisible ray of light.   He softly slapped her hands and they all laughed. “I just returned from Riverbond. You know the place always leaves me with such giddy feelings,” he explained.   “Thanks for rubbing it in my face.” She gulped down another drink.   “Your fault for leaving the town two years ago. Besides, you’re on your way to stardom. Isn't this what you always wanted?” Sungyeol questioned with a laugh. He soon sensed the seriousness on her face and exchanged a worried look with Sungjong.   “I thought so too,” she whispered quietly. “But now I’m not too sure.”   The road to her dream stretched into the furthest horizon, and the path leading to it was narrow. No one ever said it was going to be easy, she figured she had enough perseverance to endure it. This was the sole reason she braved herself to leave Riverbond. To spread her wings towards her passion even at the cost of leaving everything she held dear to herself—especially him.   “Hey, if it helps. I heard he might be visiting here for the show’s final episode,” Sungyeol announced.   “Who?”   “You know who.”   Her eyes widened and her heart began pounding louder against her chest. She looked alerted, and there was no way to hide the small smile about to slip from her lips.   “Woohyun?” She rolled the name from her tongue with so much nostalgia. Everything about saying his name felt right, and it bore the power to set her heart off into a nervewrecking rampage.   “Obviously you aren’t over him,” Sungyeol noted.   To be fair, she never said she was.   He was watching her pack her luggage that morning. His body silently leaning against the doorframe and his hands buried in the pocket of his pyjama pants. His lips were jutted inwards.   “Aren’t you going to help me pack?” She asked, knowing he had been watching for the past few minutes. Usually he’d require her to ask him nicely before he went down to aid her. This time, however, she read his reluctance.   “And help you run away from me?”   “Precisely.”   “I am too busy thinking of ways to run after you.”   Hyunmi halted her movements and got up on her feet