Author's Note:  This feels like an extra long chapter... please enjoy, dear readers!

Oh PS. Down the bottom is Jungshin's photo shoot. Whenever Yonghwa and Hyoyeon are reliving something in the past, it's in italics. I hope it's not too confusing!

Yonghwa felt like he’d just opened his eyes for the first time.

But he didn’t know what it meant.

'Thank you for coming to see us today, you were great! We'll see you again soon!' Yonghwa grinned out at the crowd.

He always felt so much more alive during their gigs. He wiped the sweat off his forehead with his wristband and headed backstage with the rest of his band members.

The end of summer music festivals meant that each weekend they were travelling somewhere, and school was taking a back seat.

Yonghwa didn't mind though.

He realised that he wasn't quite ready to accept or even discuss the thoughts that started to enter his head during the beach trip. He didn't want to have to bump into Hyoyeon and try and talk it out.

Good God, he hated talking.

'Hyung, you look like you're deep in thought,' Minhyuk commented, from across the table in their compartment on the train back to Seoul.

'Me? Not really,' he shook his head.

'Oh yeah, hyung!' Jungshin clicked his fingers, remembering something, 'I have a photography assignment for school-- seeing as though you're our visual, will you be in it?'

'I thought I was the visual?' Minhyuk teased.

'I'm pretty sure the last newspaper that covered us said that I was the visual,' Jonghyun added, tilting his head to reveal his translucent skin.

Jungshin laughed, 'I guess so, but you have only one character in your emotional range-- "thoughtful musician". The theme requires more angst and love than that, so I'll have to go with Yong-hyung for this.'

'Hey!' Jonghyun protested, 'I know what love is, I-- ,' his eyes met Yonghwa awkwardly, 'you know what? Nevermind.'

Yonghwa wondered if he was about to say something about Hyoyeon. He was so preoccupied by that idea that he wasn't focusing on Jungshin.

'So hyung will you do it?'

'Yeah, yeah, that's fine.'

'Sweet! By the way, I also asked Seohyun-ah to be your partner. This should work out well since you've got the past history,' Jungshin looked satisfied, and as though he didn't just say something very important, he went back to reading his comic book.

'Jungshin,' Yonghwa said threateningly.

'Hmm?' Jungshin looked up innocently, 'what is it, hyung?'

'Kindly remember that I've known you for years. I know all your secrets. So this assignment of yours better be legit, it better not embarrass Hyun or me... or there will be hell to pay.'

Jungshin only looked marginally worried before relaxing his features and grinning, 'Of course, hyung! You can count on me!'

+

Hyoyeon was also glad that CN Blue were mostly on the road these days. Not for the same reason as Yonghwa though. She was glad for the simple fact that she could have a rest from the tiring project that was "Operation Yongseo" (and Jungshin and Minhyuk).

Instead of going around hatching plans, she got to stay at home and watch some of her favourite variety shows. Running Man was definitely at the top of her list, and there were enough back episodes to keep her occupied.

She was going to watch the one with Park Ji-Sung and IU tonight and-- suddenly, as though sensing her complete contentment-- her phone buzzed.

'Seohyun-ah!' she automatically smiled when she saw the name flash up on her screen.

'Unnie, you have to help me!!'

'What is it?' Hyoyeon immediately leaned forward, ready to do whatever she could for her best friend.

'I just got a reminder from Jungshin-chingu! I forgot that I said I'd help him with a photography assignment-- I'm due for a team meeting in an hour. We were going to finalise the project today and--,'

'Seohyun-ah, calm down. You call Jungshin to explain and I'll try and get a hold of Tiffany or Sooyoung to stand in for you,' Hyoyeon grinned, 'it'll be fine. If anything, he'll be glad to see Sooyoung again.'

'Thanks unnie, you're the best!'

Hyoyeon ended the call and began to ring around, but while Seohyun's voice was a lot more relaxed after reaching an understanding Jungshin, Hyoyeon didn't have the same luck, 'Sooyoung is at an audition and Tiffany is at a rehearsal. Neither of them can get away.'

'Then you do it, unnie!'

'Me?' she looked down at herself, messy blonde hair, baggy jogging pants and t-shirt, having just done two hours that morning at the dance studio and scoffed, 'Not going to happen. Seohyun-ah, I smell.'

At that moment, Jungshin's number flashed on her screen as an incoming call, 'I've got Jungshin on the other line. I'll call you back.'

'I understand, unnie. Take care!'

'Noona, did you get a hold of Tiffany or Sooyoung?' Jungshin's voice was more haggard than his usual calm self.

'Both of them are busy, I'm sorry Jungshin-ah. Maybe you can reschedule? You should check if Seohyun's free tomorrow.'

'No I can't,' Jungshin said worriedly, 'Yonghwa-hyung is busy tomorrow, and even Jonghyun-hyung can't make it. I was trying to match this with Yonghwa-hyung's and Seohyun's schedule. It's a couple shoot!'

'Tell me this isn't one of your plans again,' Hyoyeon groaned. Foolishly, she expected that they were too busy playing in the band to be plotting.

'Noona, can you come and do it? Please, I need you!'

+

A quick shower, a blow dry and a hurricane in her wardrobe later, Hyoyeon looked down at description that Jungshin wanted her character to be, and decided she would have to do.

A simple young woman, at the start of autumn, but still with the last echoes of summer.

She didn't realise he was so deep with his words, and was quite impressed by it. Not that she understood it first go, Jungshin had to explain that it was about a young man bumping into a woman that used to mean the world to him, when she was about to enter a new stage of her life.

Knowing that that man was Yonghwa, and that Jungshin had based it to potentially salvage his relationship with Seohyun...

Hyoyeon didn't feel good about it.

'There you are, noona!' Jungshin looked up from where he was playing with his different lenses on the picnic blanket he'd laid out, 'hey, you look great!'

Hyo felt a smile tugging at her lips. Jungshin didn't give compliments out readily to girls. But just as she was about to say thanks or something equally humble, a voice cut in.

'Took you long enough!'

She didn't realise that Yonghwa was sitting in the shade, against a tree, and he had an annoyed expression on his face. Probably regretting that he had to take pictures with her instead of Seohyun.

'Moody today, are we?' she bit back, before sitting with Jungshin on the blanket.

He ignored her, 'Jungshin-ah, tell us what your concept is already so that we can get going.'

Jungshin looked between the two of them, but as though sensing danger, he cleared his throat and resisted the urge to comment, 'Ok, so the theme was 'lost opportunities'. Mine was about a man and woman meeting again for the first time in awhile after they'd gone their separate ways.'

He paused.

'It doesn't have to be a romantic relationship, but one that meant something significant. It's a five frame assignment-- the first one is 'recognition', 'the second is 'hope', the third one is 'history', the fourth one is 'despair' and the last one is 'release'.'

He showed them the little sketches that he'd done, just basic figures in the poses that he wanted.

'Of course, I want you guys to be fluid. We're always encouraged to find something we didn't expect,' Jungshin said.

He let his explanation trail off as he saw that neither Yonghwa nor Hyoyeon was reacting.

'Can you do this?' Yonghwa asked, looking up hesitantly and meeting Hyoyeon's gaze for the first time.

She didn't quite understand what he was asking her, or the context of it anyway. Could she pretend to be in a relationship with him? Did she have the capacity to act? Or did she even want to?

Whatever he meant, she was going to meet it head on, 'Why not?'

+

Recognition

This was the simplest shoot. Yonghwa was supposed to be looking out onto the bridge and then suddenly turn his head. He would then see Hyoyeon coming from the opposite direction.

Hyoyeon's only direction was to freeze the moment that her eyes met with Yonghwa's.

Just like that she remembered the first day she met him in high school.

They were in the same class, but he was three weeks late coming because he transferred from a school in Busan.

She was running around being a fool, making her friends laugh and trolling her classmates when she turned around and saw him smiling. He wasn't disapproving like some of the guys who thought she was too loud and crazy, but looking at her as though he appreciated her happiness.

She wondered if that was when she started to like him.

Hope

They were leaning against the bridge, talking and laughing.

Jungshin instructed them to reminisce about old times.

Yonghwa didn't realise just how many memories he shared with Hyoyeon, which shouldn't have surprised him because she was one of the first people he met when he moved to Seoul for school.

They spoke of the cultural festival during the first year of school.

They'd been the first year representatives for the festival and had to work long hours together. Because they were the youngest, the other committee members said they should have more stamina and often left them to do an extra hour's work.

It's funny what he remembered now, Yonghwa thought, how her eyes still crinkled in the same way when she was being mischievous and found ways to get out of their extra work. How her laugh was awkward even when she wasn't actually feeling awkward.

'Yong-HWA!', He could still hear her voice calling his name to drag him away from his friends so they could go to meetings.

They walked home together because their boarding houses were the same way and more often than not ended up eating ramyun or something equally cheap for dinner.

History

Jungshin wanted them to remember something that had changed that high point of their relationship.

Yonghwa was acting.

He imagined Hyoyeon as Seohyun, and remembered that they were just different people, with different interests.To him, Seohyun was an etheral, pure, kind person-- and sometimes he felt like such a jerk because he resented the fact that he couldn't be the same. He always knew that she was going to surpass him and eventually he wouldn't be able to meet her needs.

Hyoyeon wasn't acting.

To her, their friendship had changed when Seohyun had come into the picture. Seohyun was such an etheral, pure and kind person-- there was no way that Yonghwa wasn't going to fall for her. She'd been there the moment it had happened, when suddenly no one else existed for him.

Deep down she told herself she was glad that two of her good friends had found each other, people she could trust to take care of the other, but a part of her was devastated because she knew that she couldn't remain as close to Yonghwa as she was.

Even though in the picture they were her holding hands, Hyoyeon was already pulling away and protecting herself, even if it wasn't too noticeable.

Despair

'Do you want us to start crying?' Hyoyeon teased lamely, trying to lighten the mood from the last frame.

Jungshin shook his head, 'no, I wan't to do it differently. Noona, hyung, you've shown me something different today and I think it could work... I want you to kiss.'

'WHAT!?!?' Both Yonghwa and Hyoyeon yelled.

'Hey, you don't need to sound so outraged about it!' Hyoyeon glared at him.

'You yelled too!' he yelled back at her.

'That's not the point,' Hyo said in typical girl behaviour.

'Let me explain,' Jungshin broke in hastily, preventing a fight, 'I want you to be leaning in for a kiss. But Hyo, I want you to be sad. There's something eating you up, but at the same time you want to kiss him.'

'Yeah right,' Hyo scoffed.

'Seriously, just let's do this so we can go home,' Yonghwa snapped.

'FINE!'

'FINE!'

Yonghwa started to move in but stopped. He wasn't in the right zone. He tried to think of Seohyun, but all he could see was Hyoyeon in front of him. She wasn't even look at him, but he could tell that she was also trying to find the right mental space.

Suddenly he remembered a moment, right before he had asked Seohyun to be his girlfriend and Hyoyeon was in the exact same pose as she was now. Smiling lightly, but preoccupied with something else.

He wanted to tell her first, because he'd been confiding his feelings to her for awhile now.

He was so happy and so determined, and the energy was infectious. But somehow Hyoyeon wasn't as bouncy and bubbly as she always was. She was smiling, but he was curious as to what was behind that smile.

'Hey,' he tilted her head lightly to get her to look at him.

He was going to ask her what was wrong but was caught off-guard. He had known she wasn't a troll, and as a dancing machine had a lot of followers at school, but still...

Back then he didn't have the guts to do what he was doing now.

He started to lean into her, and her eyes were steady as ever, watching him edge closer.

In his peripheral he could hear the sound of Jungshin's camera clicking, but even that started to fade into insignificance.

All he could hear was his and Hyoyeon's light breathing.

Their lips were so close.

And then he felt it, the wetness on his hand that was cupping Hyo's cheek gently... and he realised that it was her tears.

He froze.

And then Jungshin yelled "CUT! That's a wrap! I think I've got the "release" shot in there as well!! You guys are awesome. Hyung, noona-- hurry, let's pack up and I'll treat you to dinner!'

Yonghwa watched, waiting pensively for what Hyoyeon would do next.

But all she did was wipe her face hastily and, as though she didn't have a worry in the world, smiled, 'Woo hoo! Free food!'

Then the spell was broken and he was left wondering just what exactly she had been thinking the whole time.