Jinwoon rapped his hands on the surface of the hospital bed impatiently, tapping a frantic beat that sounded nothing like the gentle ballads his group usually sang. He glanced at his watch, then rolled his eyes, swinging his feet up onto the bed as he waited. 

“Get your feet off my bed!” The abrupt shriek made Jinwoon jump, nearly tumbling out of his chair. He straightened up, glaring at his label-mate. “Damnit Suzy, was that really necessary? It’s not like this is going to be your bed any longer, you just signed out of the hospital. And I’ve been waiting for you for nearly half an hour.” 

Suzy rolled her eyes. “Please, like you’re all that busy. 2AM hardly every has comebacks, and you’ve probably got nothing better to do anyway-”

“Keep on like this and I’m just going to leave.” Jinwoon warned. “Stop wasting my time, anyway. What did you call me here for?” 

“I want you to talk to Im Nana.”

Jinwoon’s brows shot up, surprised by Suzy’s words. “Talk to Nana-sshi? Why? I’m not that close to her, even though we hang out with the same group of friends and-”

Suzy gave a sneer. “Please, I don’t care how close you are to her, that’s not why I want you to talk to her. Have you forgotten? We’re supposed to be breaking up JB and Jiyeon, and Nana is the best, easiest way to do so.”

Jinwoon’s eyes narrowed. “Exactly what do you want me to talk to her about?”

“You need to warn her about Jiyeon. Tell her that Jiyeon isn’t trustworthy.” Suzy instructed, the gleam in her eye malicious and cruel. Jinwoon frowned. “I think I could probably pull it off more easily if I was to tell her that you’re not trustworthy.”

Suzy glared at the 2AM member, who laughed, sneering. “Why, can’t take a little honesty? The fact remains that Jiyeon is a nice person, unlike you. No one who knows her is going to believe those kind of lies about her.” 

“That’s the point. Nana doesn’t know Jiyeon. They’ve met a couple of times at most, and to Nana, Jiyeon’s just the girlfriend of her brother. Surely you can make something up to make Nana be less trusting of Jiyeon.” Suzy explained. 

Jinwoon hesitated. “What’s the point though? If we’re going to break JB and Jiyeon up what does Nana have to do with it? I doubt JB would break up with Jiyeon just because Nana told him too.” 

Suzy rolled her eyes. “That involves my part of the plan, so you have no need to worry yourself over that. Just do as I tell you and make sure Nana becomes suspicious of Jiyeon.” 

Jinwoon paused for a moment, doubt shadowing his face. He may not have been close to Nana, but he knew her, and she was a good person, honest and trustworthy. He actually liked her as a person, and the way Suzy was smiling...He didn’t know just what Suzy was planning, but whatever it was, she suspected that it would be terrible for Nana as well. But Jiyeon and JB...

I don’t know her plan at all. All I’m involved in is making Nana distrust Jiyeon, and that’s not all that bad, is it? After all, it’s not like Nana really knows Jiyeon anyway, so there’s no way she even trusts her that much now. And I don’t know what Suzy’s planning to do, so whatever she intends, it’s none of my business, and not my fault, is it? There’s no way Jiyeon would blame me for something I don’t know about...

After a moment, Jinwoon gave a curt nod. “I’ll find a way to do it.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jiyeon leaned over Eunjung’s shoulder, her head tilted to the left, eyes narrowed as she scrutinized Eunjung’s handwriting. “Is that the new song you want to submit to the CEO?” 

Eunjung chuckled. “Yeah, it sure is. I hope he’ll accept it this time and let us use it as one of the songs on the album, it’s getting a bit frustrating to have all my songs rejected over and over.” 

“The important thing is that you tried.” Boram pronounced. “And you’re getting better with every song, so that’s great, right? Sooner or later the CEO will realize how great your songs have become and we’ll be able to sing them in our next album.”

“That’s right, soon you’ll join the ranks of all the other famous singer-songwriters like Jonghyun-sshi from SHINee and Junhyung-sshi from BEAST.” Jiyeon agreed, pushing Eunjung’s shoulder playfully. 

Eunjung tossed her pen to the side, too distracted by her members to continue with her song. “All right, enough about me, what about you? You’ve been cooped up at home for the past two weeks, hardly going out at all. Is something up with you and JB? You guys used to go out every other day. You haven’t broken up with him, have you? It’s only been a month since you started dating.”

Jiyeon frowned, pushing the older girl. “Hey, of course we haven’t, don’t curse us like that! It’s just that he’s busy preparing for his re-debut, if that’s even a word. You know, with that new group of his, GOT7.”

Hyomin, sitting at the sofa reading a magazine, made a face at Jiyeon’s words. “No offence to your boyfriend Jiyeon, but that is one truly horrendous group name. JYPE really has an affinity with the numbers, don’t they? 2AM, 2PM, 15&, now even a “GOT7”.”

“Yeah but as long as a group has good music, most people don’t care how awful or uncool the group’s name may be. Take U-Kiss, for instance. They’ve got a pretty weird name, but they have loads of international fans.” Boram pointed out. “GOT7 just has to produce good music and they’ll have fans, all right.” 

“Speaking of which, I’m going to give him a call just to check in with JB, make sure he’s not overworking himself.” Jiyeon remembered, reaching over to grab her phone from her bag. 

Eunjung and Hyomin exchanged a look, grinning at each other, more than pleased. It was good to see Jiyeon cheerful and back to normal again. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nana jerked awake at the sharp, echoing rap on the door. She groaned, burying her face into the crook of Lizzy’s shoulder; the younger girl was completely unconscious, not even responding to the pressure against her back. 

There was a grunt, and then a series of rapid, impatient knocks on the door, getting faster by the second, accompanied by Kahi’s loud voice. “Yah, Im Nana! Get your up! 2AM’s Jinwoon-sshi is here to see you!” 

Nana turned over, her head slamming into the pillow as she stared up at the bright yellow ceiling - Lizzy’s choice, not hers, because it was “cheerful”, apparently - blinking blearily in an attempt to clear her head and wake up. “Coming!”

Nana struggled to wrestle herself out of Lizzy’s grasp - that kid has a killer grip, even in her sleep, but the younger After School member only mumbled something and snuggled even closer to her girlfriend. Nana rolled her eyes, exasperated yet amused at the same time; she carefully extricated herself from Lizzy’s hug, taking so long that Kahi began to knock on the door again. “Yah, Im Nana, did you fall asleep again?” 

Nearly fifteen minutes later, Nana emerged from her room, fully dressed and already impeccable despite the early hour. Jungah, still dressed in her Powerpuff Girls pajamas and nursing a cup of coffee, her hair messy and tangled, shook her head. “I don’t know why you bother, Nana, we’re at home. It’s not like Jinwoon-sshi is going to whip out a camera and start snapping unglamorous photos of us to post on the internet.” 

Nana spotted Jinwoon and smiled, a polite, somewhat overly formal smile. “It’s not good to appear too formal in front of those we aren’t that familiar with.” 

Jinwoon stood up, just as awkward and formal. “Nana-sshi. I was wondering...well I was wondering if I could have a private word with you.” 

Nana paused, exchanging a look with Jungah and Kahi. The two older members of After School shrugged; there didn’t seem to be any harm in having a “private word” with the 2AM member. 

“Just be careful not to get snapped by any of those paparazzi or sasaeng fans, god knows we don’t want any dating scandals in our group.” Jungah reminded, thinking of that one time she and Onew had been photographed on a simple outing as friends, with the end result being that everyone thought they were dating, and legions of fans after both their heads. 

“Don’t worry about it, unnie. Everyone thinks Jinwoon-sshi is dating Nicole, anyway.” Nana teased cheekily; Jinwoon flushed, reminded of all his unfounded rumours with Nicole. 

“Well, Lizzy’s still asleep in my room so...how about we go to this cafe nearby? It’s got good coffee, and there aren’t many people around at this hour.” Nana suggested. Jinwoon concurred, having no better idea than her. 

As they made their way to the cafe, Nana commented. “So, what did you want to talk to me about? I mean, no offence, but a “private word” sounds pretty serious, which is strange given that the two of us...well, we don’t exactly know each other very well, do we? I mean, we have mutual friends, but I don’t think we have any common topics that would require a “private word” discussion.” 

Jinwoon gave a tight smile. “Maybe not, and maybe I’m being more than a little nosy, but this is honestly just friendly concern on my part.” 

Nana shot the 2AM member a quizzical look as they sat down inside the cafe, in a little corner with their backs to the entrance, where it was nearly impossible to make out their faces. 

Jinwoon coughed, a little awkward. “This might be...well, I think upsetting is too strong a word, but I don’t think you’ll like what I’m about to tell you. It’s about your brother’s girlfriend.” 

Nana’s gaze sharpened. “My brother? What do you know about my brother? How do you know about him?” 

Jinwoon shrugged. “I know that JB is your brother. We’re from the same company, and you and I have a lot of mutual friends. I know you and JB don’t spread the word around much, but based on things I’ve heard, I could put the pieces together and figure out your relationship. Besides, you two actually look quite alike with blond hair, you know.” 

Nana fought back a slight smile. “So, this is about Jiyeon-sshi then? What about her?”

Jinwoon hesitated. “Have you ever actually...you know, spoken to her? Do you know her?” 

“I’ve spoken to her, yes. The contents of our conversations are private. And I don’t know her very well, but she seems like a pleasant enough person.” Nana mused, thoughtful. 

“She’s not.” Jinwoon said bluntly. “She’s not a nice person. I’ve heard...well, I’ve heard things.”

“Things?” 

“Well, some people say she’s quite mean, actually. She may not be as bad as that cheater Myungsoo, but she’s no innocent either, which is why I worry for JB dating her. And, apparently, she’s not exactly...trustworthy. That they don’t dare to tell her any real secrets, because there’s no way she’ll be able to keep them. Have you confided any secrets in her?” Jinwoon queried, brows raised. 

Nana’s eyes narrowed. “Exactly who are you referring to when you say “some people”?”

“I can’t give names.” Jinwoon said apologetically. “As an idol, you should understand why that information is confidential. Suffice to say I know a few ex-CCM trainees, and I’ve been asking around Jiyeon’s old friends, too, about what she’s like.” 

“Why would you do that?” Nana demanded, clearly suspicious. 

“I was worried for JB. He’s my hoobae, you know, and I like him. After the things I heard from my friends who used to train in CCM, I got more than a little concerned, so I decided to make some queries. It’s all rumours, of course, it’s hard to pin any evidence on Jiyeon. But when there are so many similar rumours about that one person...well, one wonders.” Jinwoon explained, his face appropriately worried. 

Nana tilted her head to one side. “I’ll consider everything you told me today very carefully. Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?” 

Jinwoon had the distinct feeling that Nana didn’t quite believe his words, but he didn’t dare to push his luck any further. He only hoped Suzy was satisfied with his attempts. “That’s more or less it, Nana-sshi. Please do think carefully about what I’ve told you. JB...he’s a headstrong fellow, and he won’t take any advice from me, but if that advice came from you, his older sister...well, I think he’d be more likely to heed it.” 

With that, he headed out of the cafe, careful to shield his face from any passers-by so they would not recognize him. 

Nana sat in silence for a while, pondering Jinwoon’s words. Like she’d told him, she had spoken to Jiyeon, and Jinwoon’s assessment of her sounded nothing like what she’d seen from the T-ara idol. Jiyeon had seemed pleasant and genuine enough, but why would Jinwoon have any reason to lie and spread all these rumours about Jiyeon? They weren’t in the same company, and they barely circulated in the same crowd, other than that one drama they did together, but Nana knew that even then there hadn’t been much interaction between Jinwoon and Jiyeon - JB had told her that he and Jiyeon pretty much stuck to each other throughout the filming of Dream High 2, which was also how they had begun to date in the first place. And yet, even though Jinwoon had no reason to lie, all those accusations...

Nana shook her head, confused. Just what was the truth?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

JB grabbed the towel Jackson tossed his way, wiping the sweat from his face. He was exhausted from practising handstands all day, although he knew it was probably nothing compared to Jackson and Mark, who’d spent the entire day flipping left and right. He stretched, a lazy grin spreading across his face. At least now he had some free time to go and meet Jiyeon...

The joy on JB’s face was familiar enough for Jr to recognize. “You’ve got a meeting with Jiyeon-noona, don’t you?”

The other GOT7 boys turned around, all grinning and nudging each other. Jackson tossed his arms back, holding his hands behind his head. “Just you wait, JB. With my manliness I bet I’m going to get a girlfriend after debut much faster than you did!” 

“Don’t wait on it, hyung.” BamBam teased. “I think Mark-hyung’s more likely to attract girls than you are.” 

Mark held his hands up, not wanting to be dragged into the argument. “Don’t bring me into this!” 

JB laughed, hurling the towel right into Jackson’s face. “At least try to hide your jealousy, man, you’re starting to make me feel bad!” 

The other boys collapsed in laughter while Jackson fumed. 

Just then, Jr’s phone vibrated. He flipped the cover open, scrolling rapidly through the phone. And then he froze, blood draining from his face in an instant. 

Mark looked up, alarmed. “What’s wrong, Jr?” 

Jr looked up, face pale, at JB. “Hyung...it’s all over the news. Everyone knows that you and Nana-sshi are...are siblings.” 

JB shot to his feet, face stunned. “You...what?”

The other GOT7 boys were just as shocked. Yugyeom gaped. “How in the world did they find out?” 

Jr hesitated, gulping. “Well, it wasn’t so much “found out” as it was told...” 

JB could feel his head pounding, and he struggled to rein in his temper. “What the hell is that supposed to mean.” 

Jr paused for a moment, eyes darting from his phone to JB and back again, before he turned his phone around so the other GOT7 members could see the screen. “Jiyeon-noona’s twitter account. She’s the one who told everyone about you and Nana-sshi.”

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Here’s the next chapter guys! I’m sorry it’s taken so long, I’ve been really busy with my studies and focusing on my other stories on Fanfiction and AO3, but I’m finally back, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! 

Let me know what you guys thought about it! I’ll be updating More Than Meets the Eye within the next few days, while the next update for My Coactress will probably be next week, so please anticipate it!