The partners were arranged by how each person's individual visuals corresponded with one another. The two dance instructors, one being the female trainees' teachers and one for the male trainees, had had them line up beside each other to see who matched with who, which made most of the girls blush at the thought of being compared to actual idols.

The first pair had been an easy decision, and everyone had seen it coming despite the lack of knowledge they had on each other. It really was no surprise when the youngest, Kyla, was paired up with Seventeen's rapper, Choi Hansol, seeing as their caucasian looks and particular 'Western' aura made them look like siblings, and no one had any complaints to this particular choice. Afterwards, the instructors decided to get rid of the next 'problem', which was Lee Jihun. His small size had surprised Kyungwon, seeing as she herself was taller than the older man, though she had heard rumors about the small idol that shocked everyone. Naturally, he had been joined up with their own smallest which happened to be Yebin, much to her slight protests against the mocking of height, though their visuals worked better than his and Sungyeon's. This then paired up Sungyeon with Lee Seokmin, the instructors saying that the contrast between the male's sharp features with the girl's softer ones made a pairing that stood out. This went on: Yewon with Boo Seungkwan, Siyeon with Lee Chan, Kyulkyung with Kwon Soonyoung, Eunwoo with Yoon Junghan, Nayoung with Choi Sungcheol...

Kyungwon rocked backwards and forwards on her heels as she stood between the two remaining males, Minkyung on the other side of Wonwoo and kept repeatedly glancing at her for aid. Not that she herself could do much anyway because these decisions were not up to her. She really didn't know why the instructors were struggling so much, she could just volunteer to pair up with Wonwoo, seeing as a certain tall male had been shooting her cold looks the whole time they were there.

"Kang, can you move next to Kim for a second?" Their usual dance teacher asked, motioning with her head to stand beside Minkyung.

When she did so, she immediately felt the girl's hands grip around her arm as if to anchor her, a worried look on her face. Kyungwon recalled Minkyung's last trauma, and it was all a coincidence that it had to be her previous dance partner was one of the only remaining people left. In fact, both men had been their dance partners a couple of years ago, and the thought amused her beyond belief. Was this all a set up? Or perhaps something to do with looks?

A chuckle escaped her, however, as she saw Minkyung's eyebrows furrow together when the instructors pushed the two idol group memebers together and then observe the pairs from a few steps away while the other pairs either discussed their plans with one another or watched the last pairs. Gently lifting one of her hands, Kyungwon pressed a finger in the space where there was a crease beginning to form due to the stress on the skin, dragging it across the left eyebrow to help it relax.

"You're gonna get wrinkles." She giggled, shrinking when Minkyung hit her shoulder harshly and proceding to tease the latter. She tried her best to get a rise out of the other girl, poking her sides and mocking the way how a lump had formed in her hair which made it look like she had an extra ear--Kyungwon really found it adorable, even though it wasn't that noticeable to others. When she pointed it out, however, Minkyung flushed a deep shade of red and frustratedly tugged at the hairband holding her hair together and let the dark brown locks fall loosely to frame her face.

Biting her lips, Kyungwon couldn't help but stare in amazement at the other's effortless beauty as she struggled fixing the already messy hair when they hadn't even started the actual training session. Though she quickly shook herself out of it and offered to help her when she saw that the flustered girl had gotten her hairband stuck in her hair.

"Shut it, Kang." Minkyung growled frustratedly, her face impossibly red as Kyungwon laughed. Her hands reached around Minkyung's head to help untie the strands that had attatched themselves to the pretty band, her eyes focused entirely on helping the girl without hurting her too much. Though her hues distractedly met the other's sheepish ones and she paused, heat beginning to travel up her neck and tinting her ears unhelpfully. She bit her lip to get herself through the close proxemity and let out a breath that she hadn't known she was holding and made her way behind Minkyung, who was now communicating with a curious Yebin.

Fingers slipping through Minkyung's silky, smooth hair, Kyungwon tried not to spend too much time admiring the back of the unaware girl, feeling dirty just silently praising a female's visuals. But Minkyung did have great, long hair, and the feeling of her hands running through it so effortlessly put not so appropriate thoughts in her mind that made her duck her head in shame.

A pur was what made her jump from her thoughts, and she stared at Minkyung with wide eyes. "What the hell?" She asked out of surprise, Minkyung flashing her an embarrased grin over her shoulder that made her heart flutter even more.

"I like it when people massage my head." She explained, helping Kyungwon come to the realisation that her fingernails had been scraping the girls head unconsciously.

Unnerved, Kyungwon quickly tied Minkyung's hair and made sure to check her from the front, putting up her thumbs in a way to tell her that it looked okay now. She was seriously going to need to start watching what she did from now on, because if she got too close then it would definitely seem suspicious and people might start catching onto her. That was the last thing she wanted to happen. People finding out how she really felt. This was mostly because of the fear that had been installed into her with all the stories of people like her getting bullied which then lead to depression and much greater consequences. Though she couldn't really do much with the former problem, seeing as she was already fighting in that war.

As if by fate tugging strings, her eyes met Eunwoo's across the room. She could feel the younger girl's questionings from all the way in the front of the room, consequently sending an unsettled sensation inside of her as she avoided the curious gaze.

"Alright, we have decided now." The male dance instructor announced, garnering most of the room's population's attention. "This was based purely because of aura and personality, but we struggled because visually any of you could match with one another."

Kyungwon reflexively exchanged an uncertain look with Wonwoo, who stood closely beside Mingyu. Minkyung's hand slipped into hers casually, though her reaction was not so casual.

"We decided Jeon Wonwoo to go with Kim Minkyung and Kim Mingyu to be with Kang Kyungwon." The teacher announced, causing a mixture of reactions.

She felt Minkyung let out a sigh--though she couldn't tell if it was out of disappointment or relief--beside her as her grip on her hand loosened. Wonwoo's jaw momentarily slacked in surprise, though he quickly recomposed himself and gave the girl beside her an uncertain smile after shooting her a sad glance. Mingyu's jaw did the opposite of his friend's and clenched instead, giving Kyungwon an uncertain once over before coldly turning his head and pretending her existance did not exist. Meanwhile she felt discouragement flooding her whole body as she watched Minkyung and Wonwoo talk amongst each other, possibly getting to know each other a little before actually getting started.

Kyungwon was uncertain whether the jealousy she felt was aimed at Wonwoo or Minkyung, but she quickly set it aside as she cautiously walked towards the tallest member who stood with a set jaw.

"Hello," She began quietly, deciding to stare at his nose instead of the cold, hard eyes belittling her this very moment. "my name is Kang Kyungwon, it's nice to meet you. P-please take care of me..." She added the last part in a spur, though she immediately regretted it as soon as it left .

The idol hummed in aknowledgement. "I'm Kim Mingyu." He shared pitilessly, not even bothering to uncross his arms to shake her outstretched hand, which she quickly placed beside her once she realised that he wasn't going to take it. "But you probably already knew that..." He muttered, making Kyungwon scowl at the egoistical jest. But she quickly schooled it into a blank look when the man glared at her.

Why did I even bother to get my hopes up? She sighed as everyone gathered to listen to the dance instructors. This is going to be hell.

It was finally Sunday when she got a break from constant training and practicing, though her whole body was aching and was sore from using it too much. They let everyone go home at five after being trapped in the building since seven that morning and all of them let out sighs of relief at the thought of finally being released, most of them too tired to even function.

Kyungwon wrapped herself up in a thick coat that was a little too big for her, meaning she had taken the wrong one this morning and instead used her father's, but she knew he wouldn't mind too much. The sun was already beginning to sink down behind the tall buildings of Soeul, the soft breeze a biting cold one that left her nose red and fingertips frozen. She had never been someone that enjoyed the cold, and especially not winter, though she sometimes could see why everyone was so crazy about snow and hot bevarages and spending time with your family at Christmas.

An arm looped itself through hers, and she immediately glanced to find a serene looking Eunwoo. The younger girl had a blank expression on her face and had been wearing one all week, though Kyungwon never had enough time to sit down and have a conversation with her about it what with all the deadlines that had been set for your projects. But now that she had time, Kyungwon looked down at the smaller girl and saw the way her eyes relayed a melancholy feeling, she pursed her lips tightly enough for the usual pink color to drain from the pressure, there was this conflicted air around her that made Kyungwon think that perhaps Eunwoo wasn't in such a stable place at the moment.

With that thought in mind, she unhooked their arms and wrapped her around Eunwoo's defeated shoulders, also dragging her body into the open coat to share with her. "Lets go somewhere." Kyungwon offered, smiling knowingly at her and squeezing her shoulder as if to say 'I'm here for you'.

The two walked through Soeul, ignoring the loud sounds coming from the cars stuck in traffic or people arguing about this and that. Instead Eunwoo wrapped her arm around the taller girl's waist and pulled her body closer, making a light smile dance around Kyungwon's face at the affection. No words were exchanged between them as the older of the two led them to their destination.

kept tickling, making her constantly cough or clear to get rid of the annoying sensation that she knew would be there for a while. The two songs she had been practicing all day were 'Who Are You' by Boa and 'Bye Bye My Blue' by Yerin Baek, and by the end of the first song when she had gone to do a rerun over both songs, her voice wouldn't stop breaking whenever she had to sing a high note. She had requested to do two Korean songs instead of a pop song, and to convince them she offered to add piano to 'Bye Bye My Blue', which had left her hands and wrists even more sore than they were. Their own version of 'Adore U' was coming along, and with Seventeen visiting one or two times they managed to improve the formation a little better, but they still hadn't managed to get through the whole song without one single mistake. And when the idols did visit, it wasn't always pleasant and lovely. Mingyu was colder than ever, speaking bluntly and monotonously while being snappish about getting things done because he had things to do. Kyungwon suffered the times he was actually at the company.

"How are things going with Junghan-sunbaenim?" Kyungwon asked when they arrived at the small restaurant-cafe-bar a few streets away from her own apartment. She usually stopped by here to get some hotteok or when she was lucky, some of their tteokboki. It was a small, family business that wasn't crawling with annoying university students or drunks fighting in the bars, and on top of that she was friendly with the owners: a nice middle-aged couple who personally ran the store.

Eunwoo shrugged, taking the seat beside Kyungwon instead of the one in front so she could rest her head on her shoulder. "Fine, I guess." She mumbled, snuggling up to the older girl when she was done removing her coat. "He's okay... a little bossy though."

Kyungwon hummed, patting the younger one's head caringly as she observed the ambiance today. It was decently busy, the busiest it could be for this business, so there were one or two waitors bustling around taking or serving orders to respective tables. There was a window that allowed the customer to peak into the kitchen, and it was there that she caught sight of her favourite cooks rushing around the kitchen as they tried to keep up with keeping the orders intact.

"Why do you wear turtlenecks, unnie?" Eunwoo chuckled lifelessly, poking her neck that was indeed covered. "They're so out of style."

Kyungwon huffed, pushing the girl's head of her shoulder in annoyance and proceding to glare at her. "If you actually knew anything about style, you would know that they are very much in season." She shot back at the smirking girl beside her and instead shoved a menu in her face, telling her to read it.

After a few minutes of light conversation, a waitor rushed to their table with an apologetic look on his face.

"Yah, Taewoon-oppa, you really need to up your game." Kyungwon scolded playfully at the man who was beginning to break a sweat due to the rush.

Kwon Taewoon was a university student who was two years older than her, and though she dispised most university students due to their 'I'm better and richer than you' attitude, she knew the male well enough to know he wasn't anything like that. In fact, his parents couldn't really afford to pay for his tuition but he was lucky enough to get a scholarship thanks to his soccer skills, which reminded Kyungwon that she hadn't seen him play in a couple of years and should really do some catching up. He was had a handsome, boyish face, though it definitely wasn't at the level of 'idol standards'. His body was well built thanks to the exercise, though a little lanky due to the unnecessary height that towered over most of the Korean population and Kyungwon always that he had chosen the wrong sport. And despite his slightly douchey personality, he was almost the perfect man which Kyungwon wouldn't mind dating if she ever caught feelings for him.

Which she wouldn't.

" you, Kang." He scowled playfully, though allowing the younger girl to wipe away his sweat stricken face with one of the napkins on the table. "Now tell me your order or you're getting out of here."

Feigning a pout, Kyungwon slumped back down in her seat. "And I thought you'd be glad to see me alive and well," She sighed, earning herself a shove in the forehead from her old childhood friend and a laugh from Eunwoo who was just amusedly watching them bicker over nothing. "Can I have two servings of ddeokbokki, four uhmooks with odeng, two bowls of jjajangmyeon, one hotteok and two bottles of sprite." She listed without having to look at the menu in Eunwoo's hands that was pretty much useless.

"Unnie," Eunwoo whined as soon as Taewoon left with their order--though not before muttering something about her being fat--and slapped her shoulder. "we need to watch our weight, why are you ordering so wrecklessly?"

Kyungwon rolled her eyes, shoving the younger girl away. "The last meal I had was yesterday lunch, I think I deserve this." She plucked the menu from Eunwoo's hands and purposefully placed it back where it belonged before turning her body to face her friend. "Plus, who said the uhmook was for you?"

After a small fight, the two finally settled down and began to relax in the warm, comfortable atmosphere the restaurant provided. Kyungwon adored the way the lamps hung low from the ceiling so they lit up the customer's faces with the cosy, orange light and the music that very much suited her tastes playing from the speakers placed on the four corners of the room so there was never an awkward silence. She got a feeling that Eunwoo shared her views as she saw the younger girl's posture relax in the casual atmosphere they had been starved from after spending most of their time in the practice room. Though she could easily tell there was something bothering the girl and she couldn't help but jump to conclusions.

There was no way she had noticed the way she looked at Minkyung, right? Because Kyungwon was obvious, but she was positive that she wasn't that obvious due to constantly watching the way she behaved around her crush. Or perhaps she had questions about why she disappeared from the practice room last week on the verge of a panic attack and then not coming back for three days straight. Not only that, but when Eunwoo came to visit home she had seen the wounds on her hands and legs and had also asked about them. To which Kyungwon only vaguely answered without preparation about how she was going to dodge the young girl's curiosity.

"Eunwoo, there's something bothering you." She blindly approached the topic and immediately winced at her harshness.

A certain light haired girl twisted in her seat to look at the older girl, a surprised look adorning her features. Kyungwon watched as her shoulders immediately folded inwards and her arms that were previously splayed on the table came to cross over one another in a protective stance, a forced laugh leaving the sleep-deprived girl. "Yeah... but I shouldn't be bothering my unnie with my troubles." She batted away the statement, eyes leaving Kyungwon's curious ones and instead fixating themselves on the rough surface of the old table.

"Hey, you won't be bothering me," Kyungwon frowned, taking hold of one of Eunwoo's hands to make sure she didn't leave marks on her arm for squeezing it too hard. "You're my best friend, Nunu-yah. You can trust me, I promise."

The troubled girl's mouth opened, though she hesitated and the words she was about to spew out lodged themselves in and were quickly pushed back down. "Okay." She nodded, ducking her head in thought while Kyungwon rubbed soothing circles on the back of the small hand. "To be honest, I've been thinking about quitting."

Kyungwon wished Eunwoo had said it softer so she could trick herself into believing that she had misheard it and convince herself otherwise. But the girl had said it loud and clear--though with a tremor in her voice--and she had no other choice but to process the new information slowly and carefully, making sure she didn't overreact like she usually did. So instead she clamped shut and allowed the girl to explain herself.

"I'm planning to leave after this next evaluation. Ever since I turned down the offer from Mnet, I feel like I have no more windows left for me and maybe it's time to be real with myself and accept the fact that I'm not going to be an idol. I mean, I'm not even talented enough and I'm not undeniably pretty like celebrities are meant to be. And lets be honest, our company doesn't have very good reputation with girl groups - we all know what happened to After School... I thought that maybe I would be able to go to another company, but the more I thought about putting myself through more years of constant training with no actual goal up ahead, the more I started to hate the thought." Eunwoo was close to tears, constantly avoiding Kyungwon's conflicted gaze. "And this didn't come out of no where... I've been thinking this since last year. And I've finally come to the concrete decision that I need to stop dreaming like a little kid and start behaving like an adult."

Silence engulfed them, the air suffocating as Eunwoo waited for an explosion of anger and grief that Kyungwon wasn't going to give. Instead, Kyungwon wrapped her arms around the smaller girl and tugged her body to hers, tightly holding her as if she was going to leave her.

The older girl understood completely when the other burst out into tears. When you're close to breaking, you need someone to tell you ' you, get stronger' so then you can ignore the pain in your heart and get along with life like nothing actually happened. But when you get comforted, and someone tells you that it's okay to cry, you let your guard down and everything comes out at once. So Kyungwon planted a firm kiss on the top of the sobbing girl, just like when her mother used to take care of her after she hurt herself, and hum an improvised tune.

Kyungwon couldn't help but feel selfish as she cradled the younger girl in her arms. She didn't want her to leave her. If she left, then there would be no one to tell her to keep going. There would be no one to help her get out of the mood swings that struck her. There would be no one to silently walk with her through her struggles. Kyungwon decided then and there that if Eunwoo left the company, then so would she. The younger girl was an optimist, and even if the person with the brightest views saw there was no path to cave in this industry, then there certainly wasn't any chance to get to where they wanted.

But thoughts about when Eunwoo found her crying a couple of months ago flashed through her mind. So she put on a strong front and seized the younger girl's face. "You are not giving up." She stated firmly, wiping away the tears with her thumbs. "You are the most passionate, talented, beautiful person I have ever met and you have a heart made of gold, so there is no way I am letting you drown in your own self-pity and drop the path that you were made for." She could see the uncertainty in the lifeless brown eyes, which she fiercly stared back into with her own. "You were born for this life, Jung Eunwoo. And I'm dragging you by the hair if I have to."

Eunwoo let out a chuckle, pulling away from her grasp and wiping her nose. "Thanks, Kyungwon-unnie... but I've aleady made up my mind." She smiled bitterly, making Kyungwon's heart stop from the disappointment.

And even though Kyungwon nodded, there was no way she was allowing this to happen. She would do everything she could to stop this from happening to her best friend.

It was eight when she finally began heading home after dropping Eunwoo off at the bus station. They had both agreed to visit Taewoon at one of his games on a Friday night to cheer him on, much to the man's insistance that Kyungwon visit his university so he could show her off to all of his teammates, which Eunwoo had about on their way to the station. She still couldn't help feeling conflicted and in one of her lowest moods she had ever been in ever since that low she hit three months ago now. Her heart and head hurt along with all the sore limbs and throat, sadness practically radiating in strong waves.

She was only two streets away from her apartment now, she would be able to make it before her father got back if she kept up this pace.

Just as she was about to turn the corner, a body launched her backwards from the force, but luckily the person in front of her had enough reflexes to keep her steady so she wouldn't fall over. "Sorry." A rough, low voice apologised, but it was quickly cut off when their eyes met through the man's hood hanging lowly over his face.

"Mingyu-sunbaenim?" Kyungwon asked rather loudly, garnering the attention of the civilians enjoying their Sunday night.

There was this rather panicked look on the man's face, the bags under his eyes more prominent with the steeet light hanging directly above them and his hair spiking wildly around his face. His hoodie that he wore was a dark color, and his tracksuit bottoms were definitely black. He had come from the direction heading to her house, meaning that he had either been in the practice room or he was heading into the main street--which she easily canceled out seeing as he was by himself with no manager.

"Be quiet." He hissed, covering with his large hand--which she forcefully tugged away as soon as he put it there. "Some sasaeng fans found my location and I had to run from them."

They heard shouts and calls from the direction he had just come through, some of them mentioning the idol's name. Kyungwon's eyes widened, immediately thinking about the consequences of pictures of her and Mingyu together spiralling out of control and a possible dating rumor being created. She thought about running and leaving him behind to deal with his own problems, but the desperate look on his face made her pity him deeply so she let out a growl of frustration and she took off the coat she had been wearing.

"Put this on." She shoved it into his chest, feeling the cold air trying to take place of the previous warmth she had been envoloped in and instantly regreting it.

Mingyu made an offended face. "That is not how you talk to-"

"I don't give two s," Kyungwon scowled, pushing the coat further into him in urgency. "listen to me and do as I say."

Grumbling, Mingyu did as she asked and when he finally had the coat on, she pulled his hood up over his head for him and tugged him by the collar so he towered over her, her back positioned against the wall so his front couldn't be seen. He began to protest but she quickly slapped her hand over his mouth as footsteps neared where they stood. From any other angle, it would look like a couple getting intimate in the middle of the streets without any identity as the edges of the hood also covered her face, though the proxemity between them did bother her. To the point to where she scrunched her nose in disgust.

The small crowd rounded the corner and hesitated to walk past them, some of them lagging behind the group to make sure it wasn't actually Mingyu and some random girl he had been trying to meet up with. Her heart pounded against her chest as one of them began to adress them--making her confirm the fact that they were crazy, because really, who would ask a couple in the middle of making out if one of them was an idol--and her thoughts beginning to mix together in panic. So in a spur, she pretended to let out a low moan that generated from the base of and she grabbed the back of Mingyu's head forcefully and pulling it closer to hers, pretending to deepen the non-existent kiss.

She could see the man's face flushing at the sound and felt her own grow red from embarrassment. Did I really just do that? Kyungwon groaned internally, waiting for the footsteps to get far away enough so she could push the idol away.

"Get off me." She heaved the man off her, causing him to stumble a few steps away, completely avoiding his gaze.

Mingyu had seemed to recover faster than she did, a cheeky smirk on his face. "What the hell was that, Kang?" He asked, shrugging the coat off his shoulders and carelessly tossing it towards her, making it almost fall the the floor.

"Shut up, at least I got you out of your situation." Kyungwon quickly put the coat back on before shoving the taller man away from her again, making him stumble back a few more steps. But he quickly stepped closer to her, fear trickling past whatever cold front he had decided to put up. "Now leave me alone and go your way." The man huffed, grumbling insults and shoving her back for all the times she had done it to him. Kyungwon decided to ignore him and got on her way, hands deep in her pockets and head tucked into the collar of her father's coat, her scowl deepening further as she noticed the unfamiliar cologne tainting the usual smell. "By the way, your cologne smell like crap."

She heard Mingyu let out a dramatic gasp before his footsteps caught up with her. "You , I don't smell bad." He shot back at her, bumping her shoulder with his as he stormed past her. "And don't think that I'm following you, I'm going to my dorm."

With a sigh, she watched as the retreating figure of the tall male grew smaller and smaller down the small street, her thoughts even more messed up than they were before.

At least we didn't get our picture taken.

-

a/n: i guess you can call this a double update? sorry if it seems rushed