Before even he can believe it that he’s actually doing this, Won Bin finds himself running down the side walk of the university, not caring for the older students that he’s running into in the process. It’s cold and surely it will rain soon but no. He won’t stop. He has to make it up to them. He wrecked them, he hurt them and he almost ruined the band only having two days for the next round. And worse of all, his long-time y mouthed girlfriend hurt his friend so badly, and that all is somehow his entire fault. He has to stop her, he has to get his band back on the feet, to all that, though he can’t believe he’s thinking that way, though he doesn’t want to accept it that it has to be that way, but who they need is her.  Lee Joone. And that’s why he’s embarrassing himself running on the street like this, he’s going to get her back, he will get her back.  For the sake of the band, he will…

He’s almost too sure, by the way she acted back then that he will never succeed, he will be pretty useless even trying. She’s stubborn, yet strong that whatever the trick that anyone tries on her never works, because either she’s almost always right, or because she’s too stubborn to change her mind, he can’t tell. But this once, he won’t care. He’ll bring her, drag her back, no matter how badly she will yell at him, he won’t care but bring her back to the treasure.

By the time when he arrives before the Memphis, he’s completely out of breathe and exhausted, and somehow, the sight of it brings hateful memories into his mind. But he ignores them.  There’s no point of letting his mind toll on them now. No matter how bad her ‘issues’ are, he won’t care, because the issues that he has at the moment, are far more superior than whatever the issues that she has.

In taking deep breaths at a time, he walks in, and as it’s the late afternoon, the place is filled with students spending their free time after the lack of work and lectures they had. He doesn’t like the place the minute he enters, its dark somber and loud atmosphere make him dislike it even more, and also the very fact that Lee Joone is working here makes it even worse. He doesn’t want to see her, he hates it that he’s here looking for her on the first place, but he can’t risk putting his band on the edge anymore, no, just like he always thought, anything for the band, even if it means he has to get down on his knees and beg the most hateful person, he will take it, for the band…he will…

As he make his way through the crowd of older students, he starts feeling weird but hateful feelings rising within himself in a way that even he can’t tolerate. He can’t comprehend what they mean, maybe because of what Jong Hun said just before in the bus, or maybe it’s what Lee Joone said the last time they met that he feels so weird to see or more, talk to her. But what other options does he have? Hyun-a truly is ruining them, whereas, even though he hated to admit it, Lee Joone, was a lot more better than her. She was encouraging them, though he hates it, but surely, the others liked it, and at this point, that’s exactly what they want now.

His eyes make hurried movements over the crowd inside, and swiftly they land on the stage and for an unknown reason, he feels his anger rising even more. And for the mood he’s having now, it adds fire, and the urge to find her now gets even worse, because now he knows she’d get too attached to this smiling man on the stage, and if so, he will never get her back in the band, he never will.

And that’s when he sees it, the singer on the stage gives his usual disgusting smile, and Won bin follows his gaze, which leads him to the right corner, to the bar cabinet.

He won’t waste more time, now he’s got what he wants to convince her, to talk her out, good way or the bad way, he will get her back. No matter what it takes-

And the very sight of her makes his heart skip a few beats. He gulps; trying to bear the weird hatred signals he received by seeing her, looking happy as ever with her eyes frozen on the stage. He swallows’ hard, wanting to get rid of the odd feelings that he hates to get, and slowly makes it through the crowd towards the bar.

“Give me a minute So-young unnie! Let me see at least see the first part!!” He hears her voice squeaking  as he gets nearer and sees her staring at the man on the stage, her so called soul mate, dreamily like she’s never seen anything better in her life. It disgusts him. What does she see in him anyway? He only looks normal, only that he smiles like a jerk all the time-

Wait…why would it bother him anyway? He doesn’t care for whatever she does…

“Lee Joone! Stop drooling over him and work! You can get back to that later!!” He hears another girl saying out too loud, he walks even closer until he gets a better view of her from a side, and his heart starts making weird sensations in him that his anger raises up to his face. What is she? She doesn’t even know he’s here, how does she do it to him??

There she is, dressed completely different from how she normaly does. It’s some sort of a uniform, a light blue dress  through which, again, her stunning beauty shows so badly and it disgust him. Oh how badly she’s trying to get him notice her? How badly she’s convinced that man is truly a match for her! But doesn’t she know, more than that man, she’s gaining attention from other men…

He gulps again and shakes his head. No…he doesn’t care. Just tell her, yell at her, convince her and get her back to the band…afterwards, he wouldn’t care, he wouldn’t care for how hard she tries for that man or any other.

 And finally he makes himself up to talk to her. He has to, before the matters get any worse.

First she tries calling her by her name, but he doesn’t succeed. The music on the stage has already started and it has almost taken up the whole place. He slowly slips into a bar stool and covers his face after trying calling her for the second time, he’s making no use, she’s already attracted to whatever’s going on, on the stage.

“Student?” He hears another girl’s voice over the loud music being played, he removes his hand and see a girl, an older one dressed in a uniform as same as Lee joone. She smiles brightly and asks. “Is there anything you want?”

He looks up and makes a slight smile. “No..thank you..” And he sees her eyes widen. “You..do I know you…?”

Won Bin shakes his head, trying to search in his mind if he has any memories of seeing such a person.

She moves closer, he slowly moves back, not liking what she’s doing. She swiftly pulls away. “Hey! Did you perform on the battle of the bands stage last week?”

Won Bin nods. “Yes…I did..”

“So what is your band ?” She asks, handing a jug of beer to a student.

“Treasure” He answers shortly, and for some weird reason, the girl suddenly becomes animate and look s at him as though she’s looking at something which she’d been wanting to see for ages. At first, he thinks she’s another fan of them who goes hyper at the sight of the treasure’s vocalist, but later he feels there’s something more.

“The-the treasure…? You mean…?  Oh my god!” She exclaims and swiftly moves towards Lee Joone, surprising him. She moves closer to her ear and mutters something which makes her turn around, and her very glance makes him cold inside as his eyes lock on her. How much he hates her! That how much gives him the strength, an urge to give anything to get her back in the band, revenge, he thinks its revenge that he wants.

She gives him the same look, the look which she gave that day when she met her at her house which as he feels, says ‘Why are you even here’ but soon, she moves closer to him, and after one last glance at the stage, she turns to him. Now he will tell her…he will tell her every reason why he doesn’t care for whatever the issues she has, and why he wants her to be in the band again no matter whether she likes it or not.

“Hey frowny!” She greets with a slight smile which, again, does it, it makes his heart skip another beat.  “What do you want?”

Won Bin stares at her weirdly cheerful face for a split second, and answers. “You”

“Me?” She exclaims looking as if she was just called the nastiest thing ever.

“…get back in the band” He adds, and watches her face change.

“Which part of ‘I can’t work with you’ don’t you understand?” She asks calmly and waits for his reply, and since he doesn’t answer, she looks around, worriedly and turns back to him. “Come with me”

Soon enough, Won Bin finds himself inside the bar, in a dark, lonely corner, where nobody seems to approach. He’s feeling uncomfortable to have himself separated from the outer world and left alone with her. He doesn’t understand why he feels so, but then again, it’s hate…obviously it’s hate which is just so inexplicably complicated for him.

“I said, I SAID I can’t work in the band Won Bin, I just can’t!”

He intakes a deep breath. No, he’s not going home accepting a ‘no’ as an answer, if that’s what she expects.

“No you can, and you will” He answers harshly, staring down at her in a deep frown.

Lee Joone makes a straight face. “Once I say it’s done, it’s done, you can leave now”

He looks at her even sharply. “I wont until I get you back in the band. You’re coming back-“

“now what Won Bin? One minute you ask me to not to appear before you, the next you’re forcing me to come back! What do you think I am?”

She’s strong. Unbelievably she is. That’s how she convinces others. She has a power, a way to speak to people until it touches them deep down in their hearts, and he hates it. The power, the strength she has which will make any man  be simply discouraged, which makes any man hopeless before her eyes, she’s using it too much, almost always, and he can’t take it. He just can’t.

“I don’t care who the hell you are as long as the band’s supervisor, just take it back!”

“I am not, I have a better job, a good salary, good company and most of all, even though I’m upset inside, I have someone to keep me happy…So I don’t need anything anymore…”

Won Bin’s heart stops at what she just said in a way he can’t believe. He hates her, true. He can’t bear her, or what she says, but he never thought that what he does to her really affects her that badly. He has seen her so hurt but that was limited only for the moment….but, has it been that it’s only what he’s convinced? Is it that the issues that she has are…everything to do with him? Is it that she needs better company, better company like…her so called soul mate…? Is that the kind of issues that she has?

Won Bin sighs and steps back. Maybe there’s no point of even trying. She has got a better job, a better salary, and someone who’s not as hateful as himself to work with. She won’t come back…she doesn’t want to…she has no reason to…

But then again, what about the treasure? What about Jong Hun? He risked it, him dropping out of the band once back when Hyun-a was their permenant supervisor, and that now she’s back, and now that he can’t get Lee Joone back, he might have to risk it again, but he doesn’t have time to…they’re just too close for the big day,and if they carry on having Hyun-a in the band, they’ll be close to losing the battle as well…

So he takes another deep breath and looks straight into her big innocent eyes before he speaks.

“Jong Hun is not in good terms…he…he’s also….about to quit…”

At what he just said, her widened eyes lands on his face in a flash. “What? What did you do to him?”

He looks at her straight with his frowning eyes. “I didn’t do anything to him”

“Then the new supervisor probably? The one who called Minan a and you don’t care?”

Won Bin widens his eyes. “How do you know about her?”

She shrugs. “I…came to the treasure island yesterday, and heard another girl yelling at minan….”

Then she looks at him with pleading eyes which brings fire to his eyes, and she says. “Won Bin I can’t come back…that’s  good you’ve found a replacement…but don’t let her hurt them…please…that’s the least of what I can do…”

Won Bin’s anger rises to its edge. What? He ran down the road, went through all the humiliations just to get her back, and that’s the respond that he gets? When he made up his mind to come to this place, he told himself hundred times to not to yell at her even if he has to, but now, he can’t help himself doing so!

“The least of what you can do? That’s all you have to say?!?” He yells, stepping towards her which also makes her step backwards, but he doesn’t care. “You left the band leaving us hopeless without even telling us your reasons, do you know how many issues that the whole band is going through because of you-!?!”

“You guys are better off without me Won bin! You can make it through what you have going on, but me? I can’t ever make it through being with the band!”

“In just one day?!? We can’t make it through in just one day we will lose-!”

“And it has nothing to do with me I’m not in the band!”

“No you ARE in the band don’t be a jerk!”

Lee Joone sighs hard and steps towards him. “Do I have to knock on you head to bring you to your senses Won bin? I left the band three days ago, remember..?”

“You are a coward Lee Joone, a coward to do it”

The tough, stubborn look on her never seems to leave. “Yeah…I am, and you too, Won bin, you’re a coward to thing I would actually come back”

Won Bin sighs. Why is she doing this? Why is she so stubborn and unmoving? And he can’t make himself yell at her for some reason, how can he ever convince her?

“Is he that important to you that you can’t leave him behind?” He asks, eventually, and watches her as she stares at him unbelievingly. Her eyes are wide and full of wonder and surprise, her lips part and press together again, and she turns to him with a sharp look in her eyes.

“Who is?” She asks.

“Your soulmate…Lee Joone, you can stare at him all you want, you can work here just the same, but at least this once help save the band before I lose it-“

“Won Bin! It’s not that!” She yells harshly. “Do you think I’m that stupid? Do you think I’d leave the band just for him? True, I really like him, I like him a lot more than I like you, no, I hate you so there’s nothing, but that’s not the reason why-!”

“Then what IS IT? If it’s not that why the f***can’t you be in the band anymore!?!”

She sighs and stares down at her feet, looking completely hopeless, and surprising him, he sees tears in her eyes as she looks up.

“Just go, Won bin…this is no use, you will never make me, you will never force me…just go, and never come back!”

“Lee JOONE!”

“JUST GO!!” She screams, tears springing out, and soon, she turns away, returning through the darkness, leaving him behind all alone. He remains, feeling lost, rejected and defeated. And she did it again. There’s a tight knot in his stomach, and his head is not clear anymore, and also the thought that he made her cry, bothers him like never before. Now he’s hopeless, he’s lost. She’s not coming back, it’s now an obvious fact that she wont, and it’s an obvious fact that they’d lose, and that he’d lose them, his friends and the band, on which his whole life depended on. It will be soon all gone.

I am so pissed off. Seriously! What’s with him anyway? I just hate it, hate him all, and all of his odd, inexplicable attitudes which just always make me mad. Why is he always like that? Why doesn’t he ever give any thoughts on what he’s saying, and to whom he’s speaking to? What makes him be so…egotistical? I know that he’s in a depressing situation right now, at least I know a part of it, but what does he know about me? Absolutely nothing! And even when I came around that day to explain it all, he was being all weird around the new supervisor who was a complete , calling maknae a , and he doesn’t even care…what point did I have telling him everything that I was going to, if he’s that comfortable being around her? And now what? Only now he understands that she’s hurting them that he wants me back in the band? And truly it’s not being sincere, I know. He will never be so. It’s just for the sake of the band, only and only that. Which means he’s using me. What an idiot to think I’d actually fall into the trap of his smooth talk, yeah right, like I don’t know him. What other best mood shifter do I know of? Does he really think if he just come around with that weirdly innocent face and smooth talk me will actually, truly work? I can’t believe it! He’s such a fool!

But then again…what is it that Jong Hun’s going to leave…? He’s the leader, he can’t leave the band for goodness sake! If he leaves, the band will surely fall apart! What does he think he’s-

God! Is it that…is it because of something that that y mouthed supervisor has said? Unless he’d never jump into a decision like that! He’s smart and strong, and even after being with them for a week or so, I know that he’s never so breakable, and it can’t be something that Won Bin has said, because even though he’s a harsh speech, he’d never say anything that bad to his friends,  even if he does, it wont be harsh enough to break Jong Hun…

And if she’s capable of breaking someone that strong, how badly must’ve she treated the maknaes? They must be really upset by now!  Just thinking about them brings a sudden vision of them in my head. Jea Jin, he’s not that fragile, he’s yet so strong, but how can I bear it if he’s hurt too? And Minan? He’s so tiny and fragile, he’s so easily hurt, and how dare she make herself to scold him looking at his adorable face? The memory of her saying such nasty things to him makes me want to put an end to her useless life. That ! How can she ever do that to him??

“Are you still thinking about what just happened?” So-young unnie asks when we were busy cleaning the place. It’s just the two of us and some other working unnie’s here today, the triple left saying that they need some late-night practice. I take a deep breath and look at her.

“Unnie…the kids must be really hurt…” I say, longingly. I’m feeling guilty of my doing. What am I doing here? I must be there protecting my maknaes!

“Lee joone…” She mutters, but I continue without any response.

“And Jong Hun…he’s…so strong, what did she do to him that he suddenly wants to leave…?

“Lee Joone…” She says for the second time, but I still continue.

“And Won Bin…now I come to think of it..he looked desperate…”

“LEE JOONE!” Now unnie yells loudly which immediately grabs my attention.

“oh?”

She’s watching me with her hands on her hips. She gives me a weird look and says; “You know what? Even you look desperate just now”

“Eh?” I ask, surprised by what she just said.

“You look desperate! You want to be with them, don’t you…”

I sigh. Maybe I am…When I come to think of it, now I truly feel like half of me has gone missing.

I nod. “I think I do…”

So-young unnie gives me a smile. “Honey, if that’s what you want, then go for it! There’s no point of remaining, longing for something that you love this badly”

“but-?”

She moves closer and hit me gently on my head. “Don’t be that so silly Lee Joone, O know that you want it, and if he also want you there, why not? Plus they will obviously understand if you explain…”

I look down at the table I was cleaning and take a deep breath. Of course they will understand, but only I don’t want to be pitied by the others, and looked down at by Won Bin, it will hurt even more…

But this is hurting even badly…

God!This is so frustrating!!

“So?” So-Young asks, as if I’m responding to her about a wedding proposal.

I look up at her with a slight smile. “I want them unnie…I really do..”

She smiles even wider and holds up her hand fith her hand clenched in a fist. “Then go for it Lee Joone! Fighting!”

I smile, feeling relieved and very satisfied. It’s my band after all, and the members are also mine, no matter if they hate it or not. I will go back, and I will comfort them. If they’re hurt so badly, that’s only what they need, I will treat them wisely as I could and show them that I’m the best supervisor that they’ve ever had.

Later that night, I find myself skipping towards the bushault feeling rather happy and light, feeling relieved that I’ve made a great decision. Even oppa will love it that I’ve done some thing fabulous, following my heart just as he always say, and they will always understand if I try explaining it, and maybe I can ask for a raise in my salary…

I don’t care if I look like a jerk in others eyes while skipping around on a public road, I just carry on, carry on until I arrive by the bus stand, and stop dead, surprised by the sight before me.

Seated in a stool of the bus stand, looking abominable as ever is an unmistakable silhouette of a man, the man being none other than Won Bin, who looks surprisingly hopeless in a way that I never expected him to be. His head is lowered, his hair fallen over his eyes and his hands tightened around himself despite the cold atmosphere of the spring. The sight, it just simply surprises me. And it occurs to me, just then, though I thought he was not, he has been sincere, trult sincere. Otherwise he will never be like this.

Slowly, so slowly, afraid that I’d break his trance, I move closer to him, and slowly move my face closer to him, ignoring the beautiful aspects of his ever perfect face.

He looks up in a swift movement and looks at me with his eyes filled with surprise. “What the-?” He exclaims, moving back. I smile slightly. “Hey frowny? Why? The bus never came?”

He turns away before saying. “What are you doing  here?”

I step back. “Why? Do you think I fly away home? I came for the bus…but how come you’re still here?”

He says nothing but continues to stare ahead. I shrug and put my hands in my pockets. “Well, if you intended to get rid of your stress by missing the bus, I’m here to clear it out…glad you stayed back”

Finally he gives me a response by looking up at me with surprised eyes. I smile. “That’s right! I’m coming back to the treasure! Happy?”

He slowly looks down and hangs his head. “Oh~”

“But I have one option” I say and move to the stool  which is next to the one next to where Won Bin sat. I notice his eyes watching me, and he looks at me, questioningly. I know what he’s waiting for. I answer with a smile.

“You have to wait here until my bus comes, usually I have Hong Gi with me, but he left early tonight…so it’s you, agreed?”

I see him look ahead, and slowly, he nods. “Great!” I say and sit back, feeling rather light, and look up at the sky which is now cloudy, showing pre-rain aspects. I fear the rain, I hate it when it rains, I hate it even it’s before the rain, but for my wonder, I feel rather light, happy and secured, probably because now I have someone by my side, even though he doesn’t care for my very existence.

But why on heaven’s sake do I feel that I constantly have somebody’s eyes on me?

The next day after school, I find myself riding my bicycle towards the treasure island, feeling rather nervous if they’d accept me. I sent a message to So-Young unnie and Hong Gi that I will be late to come to work today, and So-Young was so happy to hear it  that she sent ten messages which only said ‘fighting’ or a smiley face, Hong Gi didn’t give me any response, I’m kind of disappointed that maybe he’s totally against me joining the band back again, but then again, what fantasies am I making in my head? He must be busy getting ready for tomorrow.

I take in a deep breath as I arrive before the old door of the treasure which I’m seeing after a long time. Okay, this is it then. I’m going back for them…

“I say we put the scene at the end of it than putting it in the middle” I hear Jae Jin’s voice say as I step down the dark staircase. “You know, we have to keep the curiosity until the end” I pause on the track for a second, what are they doing? Are they making a film?

“No…it should start from the very beginning, going step by step” Jong Hun’s deep voice adds, and trough that, Won Bin’s tuneless guitar can be heard. I sigh. How relieved am I to be in this place again?!?

“But hyun, you think Hyun-a noona will like it?” Minan’s childish voice asks. There’s silence when I climb down to the last step, and Jong Hun answers. “This is mine, she can’t change it the way she wants to…”

“But hyun!”

I take a deep breath. Now here I go…

“Honey, listen to your hyun will you?” I say loudly, intending to make a grand entrance, and I do succeed because all the eyes inside the hall turns to me, even Won bin looks at me, but he’s not surprised, he knew I’d be coming today.

For a minute, the whole place is silent, only that all of them are staring at me as though I’m not real. And suddenly, surprising me, Minan gets up on his feet and runs towards me. “Noona!” He yells as he approaches me, and swiftly throws his hands around me. I step back, trying to keep my self from falling by his force, and laugh, patting lightly on his back. Does he also comprehend the fact that I’m equally as thrilled to see him again?

“Noona…you came…?” Sounds Jae Jin’s voice, and as Minan pulls back, he also puts his hands around me and hugs me tightly. “I did…the life without you guys was hard for me…” I say, trying hard not to end up crying.

“Really…?” He asks, pulling away from me. “Then why did you leave? You didn’t even say good bye!”

I sigh and smile slightly at him. “I know…I’m sorry, I had…unavoidable issues…”

“Oh,” he says, looking concerned. “Are they over now, that you’re here?”

I shake my head and swallow before I answer. “Not quite…they’re still there…” Then I look up at him, forcing a smile. “But I came back…for you guys..”

“You did…? That’s…great…unexpected too..”

I smile. Oh how wonderful it feels to be around them again! It’s like I just got the missing part of my life back!

Then I turn to Jong Hun, and proceed towards him. “You’re not leaving are you?”

He looks at me, and smiles. “You stay, as long as you do, I will too”

My face must’ve gone crimson by what he just said, he soon gets up from where he sat and he too, gently hugs me. “I’m so glad you’re back, Lee Joone…without you, we’re nothing..”

“Don’t be like that, Jong hun…with or without me, you’ll always be perfect”

He smiles. “Thank you for letting us feel that way, because the last few days, we’ve been hearing only that we’re not…”

I shake my head, and step away. “Don’t feel down by whatever she says, she’s a that’s all I know”

Then suddenly Jong hun’s eyes fills with surprise, and they slowly turn to the right. I follow his gaze and end up landing my eyes on Won bin who stares at me looking completely blank. Did I just say anything bad?

I make a face at Won bin’s unconcerned gaze, he then returns to his guitar and I too turn back to Jong Hun who looks thunder struck.

“Phew” I hear Minan say, “That was close…I thought you’d be killed”

I turn to him, surprised, I mean, why would I be killed?

“eh?” I ask. Minan waves me off. “Never mind”

“Anyway” Jong hun says and clasps his hands together. “Let’s work now…” He turns to Won Bin. “We’ll start with playing the song now, so that Lee Joone can say if we have any mistakes”

And soon, I find myself seated in my usual seat after a long time, and staring at the biggest transformation ever before me.

Oh god! Is that…is that Won Bin…for real?

‘Day by day, even if I live without you
day by day, even if I live forgetting you
That I can live without love
that I can live without you…’

And as he sings, I stare at him completely dumb founded. Where did he find them? All the emotions that he’s showing just now..? He’s just so real, so genuine…

‘After leaving what is discovered is love
After sleeping what I expect to come is you...
Even if you hurt me, even if you make me sad
there’s no someone like you…’

Gosh! I feel like he’s actually grieving for…me…how…how is he doing this? How does he give this feeling into it? Into words? He...he has always been such a moody bug head…but this? Where has he been keeping it all before? The song…the lyrics, even the lyrics have such a great feeling that I can’t help it other than letting it touch me, deep down in my heart. The feeling that it’s actually giving me…it’s simply just not explainable, no, it can never be put into words, it won’t be fair even trying to…

I find myself on my feet, clapping by myself as they end the song with the chorus. There’s a tight knot in my throat, and hearing it live before me, I think all my weird feelings came to the surface that I have this huge urge to end up in tears myself. I hide it away with a smile.

“Guys! That was beautiful! Simply just so beautiful!! Oh god! How can I explain this…?” I say and cover my mouth with my hand, and move it down to my chest. “It just touched me…here…”

Jong hun smiles. “Guess that’s perfect then…”

I look at him with my eyes filled with wonder. “Not perfect! It was more than that! It was wonderful…and Won bin, you surely have changed, a lot! Oh excuse me for saying this since you don’t like it...but, you, you truly touched my heart…”

He stares at me for a few minutes, his eyes holding the weirdest look instead of his normal frown, and he quickly turns away without giving me any response. I’m shocked by what he just did, but continue with my praising.

“And the lyrics…they’re beautiful…so genuine and real…”

“But I thought it was horrible” Jong hun says, I give him a sharp look, feeling offended. “What made you think like that?”

“Nothing…just…”He again looks at Won Bin which irritates me. I’m about to say something bad to Won bin, who apparently has something to do with this new supervisor, but I’m interrupted by Jae Jin. “Jong Hun hyun actually wrote it for his girl…”

“Really?” I say and turn to him who’s staring down at his feet, looking dark. I’m slightly concerned. What made him be this way all of a sudden?

“Jong hun, are you…?”

“There’s a long story behind it…” He says looking at me with a smile, but his eyes are still dark. “Anyway, now we’ll see about the act…Won Bin?”

Won bin nods. Jong hun nods back and turns to me. “I’m sure you heard it…”

I nod in response. “The guys of FT TRIPLE told me so….what well we do…?”

Jong Hun sits on his stool and turns to Jae Jin. He also nods as if he received the message that Jong hun just passed, and he speaks to me. “It has to be like an MV live on the stage…and we’ll be acting the real story behind this song…which is actually….a true experience of jong hun hyun”

I’m sure my eyes widened at what he just said. “Really? Wow…that must be beautiful….”

Jae Jin nods….”That is…and we need your help...”

“Anytime” I say in agreement, and Jong hun looks straight at me, which surprises me. “This was planned with the…new supervisor…but, I want you to do it…to be fair for her….”

“For who?” I ask uncertainly, no body answers, and after a moment, I receive a reply from the most unexpected of all. “For his girlfriend…she’s not of this world anymore…” answers Won Bin, in a deep, low voice.

I gulp hardly at what he just said. Jong hun? He has…such a sad history…? He never showed it…he must be very strong…and that must be why the song is full of emotions…why it’s so genial, so heart felting… so real…because it is for real…and Won Bin, he must be being fair for his friend that he puts so much effort into it…just like I have to…to be fair for her…

I smile at him sincerely. “I will…don’t worry Jong Hun…anything for you…”

It’s finally the Valentine ’s Day. The day that lovers exchange flowers, that they exchange chocolates and sweet mellow kisses, the day that they share their love and affection for each other...
But for Won Bin…it’s the day when they perform for the battle of the top eight.

How fabulous. He thinks as he arrives at the suite given for them, after Lee Joone. How fabulous that his valentine’s day, the day that he’d have spent with Hyun-a` at a sophisticated restaurant, got wasted on spending it with her who he hated the most, instead. He had his plans, which has no difference from those from the year before, but they went into waste, and the effort he had to make to convince her to not to come was immense, but her fear to be on stage made it easier. Otherwise if it’s her who plays the part of Han Yun Soo, Jong Hun’s long lost girlfriend, he will never forgive him. So even he’s glad that Lee Joone’s actually doing it, but not quite much, because being the vocalist of the band, he has to play Jong Hun’s part himself.

He wishes if he can switch the positions just for tonight.

“Okay…pirates!” Lee Joone says with that forever sweet smile of her plastered on her face. “Are we ready to make the audience cry tonight?”

“Dae!*”   (Another form of ‘yes’ in Korean) Yells Minan and Jae Jin pathetically.

“Are we going to let them feel what the valentine truly is?!?”

“Dae!” They chime again.

“You promise me?” She asks again. The two magnaes gives her the same reply. Then she clasps her hands together. “That’s my boys! Now rest well until I settle things and come okay? And be good boys! Don’t bother your hyuns, understood?”

Minan and Jae Jin starts laughing at what she said, she makes a face and swiftly runs out of the door  like a child, which he watches, trying his best to tolerate the weird feelings arousing in him, which always starts within him whenever she’s around. He hates it, the weird feeling of having his heart bit rising and stopping at some points such as when she gives him this heart felting smile of hers, when she says weird, irrelevant things, when she skips away like a child, when she laughs, and also when she talks, it just feels like she’s saying the best thing that he’s ever hearing though he hates to hear it all…..

He shakes his head so hard, not believing what’s happening to him. It’s still hate, anger it still is…he says to himself, trying to convince himself. It’s just all that… just ignore it…

“Treasure 3224?” says a familiar female voice, and soon he finds the same girl, the make-up artist from the other day approaching them. “Hello” She greets again. “So we meet again…”

Since I have experience from the previous time, this time the work is not hard. Yeasterday I had to come here with jong hun to set out the stage decos, and tonight, I go check on them, and they’ve made it just so beautifully. After that,  I go to get the food, and on the way back, I meet Hong Gi and my heart starts fluttering like a butterfly at the sight of him.

“Hey Joonie!” He greets with his usual charm as I walk into him. “Guess we always meet each other before performances…”

I smile widely. “Maybe it’s good luck…”

He looks at me with a slight smile. “For you or me?”

I shake my head. “For the both of us…so you ready…?”

He nods. “As all as I’d ever be…and the treasure? They must be relieved that you’re back...”

I nod. “Very…they’ve had lot going on without me…”

He smiles at me appraisingly. “Then that’s such a good decision that you made…or they’d been hopeless”

“Thank you…now I feel a lot better…I thought you were pissed off yesterday when you didn’t reply yesterday” I say, looking down at my hand. I look up, surprised when he starts laughing. “Of course not dummy! So-Young noona told me that you were upset after having someone from the treasure speaking to you…I’m actually very proud that you made such a decision at least on the last minute”

I smile, feeling rather hearty at what he says. He really makes me feel good, always, and that simply keeps me falling for him even more and more. “Thanks…I thought…”

He reaches over and messes my hair. “I never get mad at you dummy”

I smile. But he has got to stop it, otherwise I’d ruin the performance tonight…

And later, after giving him a good bye, I find myself hurrying across the corridor, leading my co-star, a guy named Sung-Yeol, a friend of Jong Hun from school, to our room. I feel uncomfortable being with him though I hardly even know him because in the act for the battle tonight, we’d be a marrying couple…and trust me, I have no desire to end up marrying him, and that’s exactly why I feel so weird, but then again…maybe it’s just paranoia which is on the toll within me.

“Room 13 D, just go after the numbers” I order him with a smile, he nods at me in response  before I hurry away to find the dancers who will not be dancing in the act tonight, They will be actually playing the parts of people at a very emotional wedding reception. As soon as I’m done settling them out, I hurry to the backstage, and settle things down with the stage arrangements and also with the sound track, and when I’m done settling it all out, I return to my band.

There I find them already dressed and settled, the Make-up artist has stayed for me with her assistant and soon as I’m in, panting like a dog, she greets me with a smile. “Here is our bride! Lovely!”

I smile and hurry towards the boys to see if they look fine. I make them stand in a row; they follow my orders like kindergarten kids. I walk to them, to each one of them, rearranging their hair-dos and cloths, and finally come to Won Bin, the star of the night who looks as beautiful as ever in a crisp white shirt and a navy blue coat with his hair neatly combed to a side with his usual frown on his face. I smile at him, reaching over on my tip toes to mess his hair a bit to make him look appropriate for his part, and slowly undo the top button of his shirt, revealing a thin golden chain shining against his creamy white skin. I swallow hard. He’s too beautiful, and he doesn’t even try to be so from the inside…and if he ever does, I’d have truly fallen for him…

“Done” I say with a clap, feeling very satisfied. “Now… Tonight I won’t be here taking you and leading you because you wanted you poor supervisor to play a part…the staff will lead you…ours is the last act, so take plenty of time and rehearse, okay?”

Jae Jin and Minan yells out their usual ‘yes’ before I follow the Make-up artist and her assistant out of the room, feeling nervous to be separated from my group.

“Oh! That’s beautiful! Such a lovely bride!” Says the assistant as I walk  out of  the dressing room in a simple white wedding dress that Jong Hun has hired for Hyun-a`, which surprisingly suits me well. I feel so odd to be in it, I feel so cold and so different, I mean…I HAVE had these little fantasies of my own to be dressed as a bride one day…but I never expected to have them coming true this soon…

“Come here…let’s have your make up and hair done” She says, and leads me down to a saloon chair. I carefully sit down and it surprises me, the reflection of my very self on the mirror. It then really occurs to me, I really truly am being a bride….oh my god! If my granny and oppa ever knew…

Soon I find myself before the mirror through which I saw my normal self in a wedding dress, now seeing a completely different person in it. I’m holding my breath myself…I, the ugly little thing transformed into this…a beautiful bride….gosh! I can’t believe they made me look so gorgeous…I can’t believe I’m this so beautiful…I can’t believe I’d be walking on the stage this way…

“Done” says the make-up artist, after putting the sweet smelling net over my face, and she helps me step down on the heels that the guys bought for me with their own money, and also which are so beautiful, I keep few slow steps, and smile at the assistant as she hands me a beautiful bouquet of  daisies, also which Jong Hun has made for Hyun-a, now being taken by me. “Perfect…” says the make-up artist with a wide smile… “Honey, you’re really beautiful!!!! You’re so going to steal their hearts tonight!”

I smile wider. I hope I will…and I hope my soul mate will be there, watching me among the crowd…I just hope…

He hates waiting, yes, now that many of what he hates is mentioned, it’s another one of them, he just hates waiting.

He doesn’t know what is that which keeps him so impatient, why, the last time he waited so patiently, though he hates doing it, he just so nicely did. But tonight…what’s wrong with him…?

“Noona must look so pretty tonight” He hears Minan say. They’re all sitting in the sofa laid in the middle of the room, all except Won  Bin contributing on praising her. He doesn’t want to. In fact, he doesn’t have anything to contribute with. She’s just a girl….that’s what he always thinks. She’s just another one of the million girls he has met in his life…what is so special about her anyway?

“I’m very glad it’s her who’s doing it…” Jong Hun says, adding to the conversation. “If it was that Hyun-a`, I will regret it throughout my life…but I’m very satisfied now…”

“But hyun…the ending…we kept it from her…will she be alright?” Jae Jin asks.

Won Bin stops in the middle of playing something tuneless and looks up. The ending….he hates to reminded of it…he hates to think that it has to happen…it scares him, because every time he’s closer to her, she does it…she makes his heart get hateful but when he will….what will come of him?

“She won’t flunk it…I’m pretty sure she won’t…”

“Me too…but what about…?”

Won Bin feels that who Minan indicates just now is him. He gives him a sharp glance which stops him speaking, and soon they just return to discussing something useless to which Won Bin doesn’t pay any attention.

It’s not long before two staff people break into the room.

“3224 treasure?”

It’s not natural for Won Bin to feel this so nervous before a performance, but tonight, he feels so weird and paranoid. What if he…what if he truly flunk it? What if he truly does just like what Minan nearly said before? He clenches his fists and closes his eyes tight. He wishes for his anger to not to rise at her sight. No, don’t. When she’s there before you, never let it take you down…this is one big promise that you made for your friend…

The four of them are still backstage, waiting for the second call, waiting for the host to stop blabbering. She truly is annoying. Whoever she is….at a time like this, she so truly is annoying.

Soon, the lights go off. The whole place is overtaken by the darkness and he feels people running by him, but it’s too dark that he sees nothing. The darkness remains in the place for a minute or two until the stage is being set up for a wedding. Won Bin intakes a deep breath at the thought of the very word. A wedding with a bride that he actually hates more than anything else on this whole wide world.

It doesn’t take long for the lights to come up again, and this time, being backstage, the stage has been given the aspects of a real heaven on earth. There’s no wonder that the hall is filled with people’s sounds of wonder. Of course the settings must be wonderful…

And soon, they get the second call to start. It’s so weird to be singing and playing being steer clear of the respected audience, but that’s the plan after all.

The story is that a young boy of a small, high school boy band is actually in love with an older girl with rich household, the girl, who’s been only a friend is getting married by an arranged marriage to a rich man, and the boy band with whom the young boy plays, has been hired to play at her wedding as her wedding band. What will happen tonight on the stage is the wedding reception to which the band will arrive, and as the young man sings his love, as he confesses his love to the girl, her mind abruptly changes, it occurs to her who her true love is, and will finally proceed to marrying the young boy instead.

Won Bin sings, his eyes closed as he plays his guitar, unbelievingly ending up thinking of the saddest memory of his life just as she has asked him to. And he can’t believe it, how it works so perfectly well, how his voice sounds filled with emotion. He’s not going to scold at her for doing that to him, just for tonight, he can’t risk her dropping from the band again…

On the stage, on a big screen, he knows that the video they recorded before is being played, they had to edit it the last minute with clips taken with Lee joone yesterday, replacing those with Hyun-a` which looked so unnatural, whereas those with Lee Joone are surprisingly realistic. It shows how the members of the band remember her company, and how they walk down the road together towards the hotel, what they have to do on the stage is doing the part where they arrive at the reception at the bridge part of the song. And when it gets closer, the band stops playing, letting the recorded music go on and gets rid of their instruments. The staffs go through them again, and finally release them on to the massive stage through an equally huge entrance. Won Bin’s nervousness rises as he walks in front, being followed by the rest of the band. They all walk through the colored mist effect on the stage which gives them an angel like aspect, and soon, Won Bin carrying on with the singing, they arrives up on the stage, on the separate mini stage settled out for the drama act going on, live.

The wedding reception is so heaven-like, there’s no wonder as long as the fabulous decos are there, but as Won Bin sings there, as the guys play the instruments they have settled up there, he can’t help thinking that what which makes it all look so wonderful is her…the bride, Lee Joone. The stage is made a heaven for real, Jong Hun’s friend is playing a great part as the groom, but just as he expected before, his anger rises, envying that man. And if this had been for real, if this is him seeing Lee Joone marrying another man for real, singing his confessions will not have been what he’d be doing. Jong Hun must have had a lot of courage to tolerate that back when they played the same scene the year before for real. As it is planned, the groom and the bride are standing in the corner surrounded by angel like invitees, the groom, looking arrogant and proud, and the bride looking somber and sad to see the man she loves grieving for her on her wedding. Just as she was said, she’s playing the part perfectly. Just seeing her face, her angel like beauty concealed beneath the net bothers him, because his heart beat just rises like nothing, and now, as he stares at her, as he sings for her, having his eyes locked only on her, he feels it. He feels as though everything is real, and the urge to feel her for real overwhelms him, it scares him. She’s just too much of an angel for him to bear. And his heart beats crazily, his mind starts getting blurry when it really starts, he tries hard to keep his voice steady, but it sounds different as he starts stepping towards her direction, and even though he’s walking, he can’t feel it, he can feel nothing to be frank, only just the crazy urge to lay a hand on her, to see if she’s real…

And she too, slowly approaches him, she’s so beautiful, in his eyes, he has seen nothing so overwhelming. She approaches him, in fast steps at first as they have practiced it yesterday a million times, and she slows down beautifully as they get closer, and when they’re, his breathing starts malfunctioning, his heart beats rapidly, so rapidly that he can’t tolerate the pain, his throat tightens as he reaches the last few words of the song, the closer they get, the closer the song is to its end, and when he’s close enough to her, when her god-like figure is up on the mini stage where he stands, glowing beautifully like marble, he slowly takes her tiny cold hand in his, it makes his heart suddenly stop dead, and he’s afraid if he’d die. She unclenches it, her slim beautiful hand, and on her palm, he finds a glittering golden ring. He carries on his singing as he slowly takes it between his fingers, and slowly, so slowly as though it will hurt her, he takes her left, and slips the ring on her finger. Oh how wonderful! Oh Won Bin’s married to this wonderful angel that he hates the most! And slowly, he put her hand to her side, it swiftly wraps around the bouquet of daisies. He now takes a deep breath, here it goes, the final line of the song…

As he sings, his fingers slowly moves to the soft material which is covering her stunning beauty, and slowly starts lifting it, his heart has stopped so it doesn’t worry him anymore. Gently as possible, he lifts the net over her head, revealing the stunning beauty which immediately takes his breath away. Now he can’t take his crazy, hateful urge of feeling her anymore. It has come to its , and even his breathing has stopped as he sings, the very last line of the song. He moves closer, slowly without wanting to surprise her or scare her. This step, she doesn’t know, but soon, she will…the song has reached its final words, the music is now getting lower, and he too, is closer to her, their eyes crossing, him watching only her, her big innocent eyes, her beautiful rosy lips…he’s now closer, and soon, his lips lets out the very last words of the song, and he closes his eyes, running his trembling left hand around the soft skin on her neck, he places it under her jawline. The other runs around her waist, slowly pulling her towards him, and soon before he knows it, his lips presses onto hers. It’s soft, sweet and mellow. The sweet subtleness of her lips overwhelms him, he suddenly feels it all for real, and the feeling of reality becomes a great force to explore her even more, that slowly, his lips start parting hers, and catch her lower lip between his and gently pulls on it. He likes it, he likes it too much that he pulls her to him even more, and he lets it go on. He ignores the loud cry of the audience responding to the kiss, he ignores the fact that everyone around are watching them, he ignores it that her so called soul mate is watching them. No, he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care for any of it, and lets his urge fulfill by letting the passionate kiss go on…and surprisingly, he’s loving it, he’s loving it to kiss Lee Joone, the girl he hates the most…