Music Practise Room No. 2, West Wing of Music Building - FK University

'Let's take it from the top,' Yonghwa said, flexing his fingers to relieve the cramps.

Minhyuk groaned, 'Hyung, I'm hungry! We've been at it for two hours now!'

Jungshin gingerly touched his callouses, 'I told you we shouldn't have transferred schools!'

But what surprised the three of them was when Jonghyun, notorious for being the one who easily handled long practice sessions, put down his guitar and began to pack up, 'Sorry guys, but I have an assignment due, I have to go back to school.'

They all stared at him as though he were an alien.

But he laughed, 'No I haven't gone crazy. But part of my parents agreeing to let me continue playing was that I wouldn't let my grades slip. Let's endure this for a little while, okay?'

The silence was broken by their leader who spoke up, 'Sure man, do what you have to do. Will you make it to practise tomorrow?'

'Definitely,' Jonghyun said, and high-fived the other guys before leaving.

Once he left there was a silence again.

'Well I guess things change,' Yonghwa said thoughtfully before returning to his determined slave-driver self, 'Anyway let's go from the top.'

Unfortunately Yonghwa didn't see the worried looks on his dongsaengs' faces before they took up their instruments again.

If he did, he would probably have save everyone a lot of hassle.

+++

In a small family restaurant, far far away from FK University

When Hyoyeon received the following text message from Jungshin...

HYO-NA SECR3T MISSION 8PM OLD PLACE 

* "Hyo-na" being short for 'Hyoyeon-noona'

... she was intrigued. She knew better than to get involved, but she just couldn't resist knowing. 

In hindsight,  the reason she always got in trouble in high school was because Jonghyun, Minhyuk and Jungshin-- regardless that two were her dongsaengs--  always managed to play their cards right and get her into trouble with them.

Because of Yonghwa and Seohyun dating, and the fact that Seohyun was incredibly shy and always begged her to come along, she founds herself passing time with the other members of Yonghwa's group as they played chaperone.

'You guys look ridiculous,' she stated as she sat down across from where they both sat, wearing wide-brimmed hats with sunglasses (at 8pm at night). The fact that they were both over 6 feet tall wasn't helping them.

'Noona, I'm glad you come. There's no time for chit-chat, we've got a massive problem,' Minhyuk said, looking very serious.

Hyoyeon tried not to laugh because he looked just adorable trying to look serious with his baby face, 'Okay, what's wrong?'

'Yonghwa-hyung is still in love with Seohyun!'

Dammit, Hyoyeon hated punches that hit straight to the heart, especially when she was unprepared for it. Even though the break up was already five months ago, and she had thought that Yonghwa's fans would definitely pull him out of the misery of the break up, it appears that it was just her wishful thinking.

'How do you guys know this?' she asked, trying to keep her voice neutral.

'Today at rehearsal-- he kept sighing,' Jungshin said.

'You make it sound like sighing is a crime,' Hyoyeon sighed, 'see I just sighed then-- what's wrong with it?'

'It was after Jonghyun-hyung said that he was going back to his school... where Seohyun is.'

Hyoyeon was not convinced... and her look said it.

'He told us last night that he hasn't written a new song in a week,' Minhyuk suggested.

She scoffed, 'They broke up five months ago! Isn't that a bit of a delayed reaction?'

'We only started school a week ago! He had final exams, and then graduation, and then during the school break we had gigs to keep us busy. He didn't need to write new songs. But now he has nothing else to concentrate on-- and maybe it's only just sinking in,' Jungshin argued.

Hyoyeon looked back and forth between the two of them, 'Are you guys for real?'

'Hyung never told us why they broke up, but maybe it was a mistake. Don't we owe it to them as their friends to try and give them another chance?' Minhyuk asked.

'Kang Min Hyuk,' Hyoyeon put on her best "noona-voice", 'you mean you want to meddle.'

'What's wrong with that?' he asked defensively.

'I don't want to,' Hyo crossed her arms, 'Yonghwa is a big boy-- he can make his own decisions, he can take his own chances. It's not our place.'

'You were never this much of a kill joy before,' Jungshin complained, irritably running his hand through his gorgeous long hair, 'will you take responsibility for us if CN Blue never becomes famous because hyung can't write a song again?'

'I have a family to support!' Minhyuk added.

'Stop trying to use a guilt trip on me,' Hyoyeon said, trying to remain cold, 'Jonghyun can write songs too. And the two of you should be contributing more to your band.'

They let that comment about band contributions slide, 'And about Seohyun, she's your baby. Are you sure she's happy without hyung?'

The Seohyun card. They knew just when to use it.

Damn them.

The truth was that Hyoyeon felt bad about the whole break up.

What none of the CN Blue boys knew was that Seohyun had come to her for some advice a few weeks before the break up. While it wasn't a direct 'yes' or 'no' question, Hyoyeon's selfish desires had definitely put a bias on the whole conversation.

So even now, months later, she couldn't shake the possibility that if it wasn't for her, Seohyun and Yonghwa might still be happy together...

She imagined herself at age 80 still feeling the guilt from this whole thing and decided that maybe if she did help out now, she would be able to wipe away the regret...

But still... you promised not to meddle...

But I don't want this hanging over me for the rest of my life...

She made a sound of irritation, 'Fine. What do you want me to do?'

The two guys high-fived each other and grinned deviously at her, 'You rock, noona!! No we just need to make a plan.'

+++

A few hundred metres away from the small family restaurant mentioned above

Hyoyeon's phone rang and she felt guilty when she saw Yonghwa's name flashing. She considered not answering it, mentally exhausted from talking to the two exciteable puppies, but in the end her foolish heart made her answer.

'Hello?'

'If you hadn't answered, I would've been offended.'

Hyoyeon turned around and found him standing behind her, backpack over one shoulder and a guitar case in the other hand.

'What are you doing here?' she asked him.

'This is the way home from uni...?'

'That's true,' she laughed awkwardly.

If he thought there was anything weird about the way she was acting, he didn't say anything, 'Are you on your way back? I'll walk you back part of the way.'

She nodded, 'Are you just coming back from practice?'

'Yeah, the other three all deserted me early. Not that I can blame them, they probably have other things more important in their lives,' he laughed.

She heard the twinge of sadness in his voice, and it caused her heart to clench. Maybe Jungshin and Minhyuk weren't wrong about Yonghwa's feelings. Maybe he was missing Seohyun... Suddenly she didn't feel so conflicted anymore.

'This feels like old times, doesn't it?' his soft voice broke into her thoughts.

She looked at him in surprise.

'When we used to walk home together,' he explained.

That's right, before the year the Seohyun and Yonghwa became "YongSeo", with Hyoyeon coming home late after practising hard in the dance studios, and Yonghwa practising hard in the music studios, they found themselves meeting on the way home at 8pm, way later than anyone else. At first it was convenience that he started waiting for her and vice versa, but in the end she liked to think that it was companionship as well...

She didn't want to remember those times though, because it was around that time when she started falling in love with him.

'I just remembered I have something else I need to do,' she said, stopping suddenly.

'Hyo...?' he gave her a questioning look.

'I need to go,' and she ran.

+++

Author's Note: Thanks again to all my readers and commenters and subscribers. You make writing fun. Next chapter will be the first attempts of the Hyo-JS-MH squad for operation YongSeo 2.