As soon as your name was announced, tears sprang forth from your eyes. Turning to your fellow members, you held each other tightly and cheered. Success was finally yours. You had won. The crowd hollered loudly around you, a sea of mint before you clattering with the sound of your fan’s bell-clad bracelets. Fellow celebrities grabbed you in tight congratulatory hugs and patted you enthusiastically on the back.

The elation followed you backstage, and you smiled brightly at the sight of your manager Dongshin. You and your other members tackled him in a crushing hug, thanking him for the time and effort he put into making Elemint the powerhouse it had become.

Your other members squealed in excitement and surprise, noticing the visitors standing behind Dongshin. They ran forth to their parents who stood with open arms and pride on their smiling faces. They greeted you warmly as well, but began to talk animatedly with their children.

You sat politely at a card table nearby, resting your chin on top of it. Your parents lived in an entirely different county, and it wasn’t often that you were able to see them. It would have been nice to be able to share the excitement and pride of winning with your family, but it simply wasn’t possible. Most days you stifled the nagging sense of homesickness, but times like this made you want nothing more than to hop on the next plane back to your country.

Looking up from your seated position, you smiled half-heartedly at you boyfriend who had just walked in. Not wanting to burden him with your unhappiness, you tried to plaster a smile upon your face. The two of you had only been dating a short span of time, yet he sensed the melancholy aura and sat down beside you.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his eyes deep with concern.

“Nothing…” you mumbled, glancing at the girls and their families. He turned his head, realizing the source of your gloomy attitude. Leaning forward, he scrunched his eyebrows together, unsure of what to say or do. Cautiously, he reached his hand towards yours that was extended on the table and placed his palm on top of yours. He gently ran his thumb over the back of your hand as he interlaced your fingers together. Silently he comforted you, bringing your face back into a shy smile.

When it came time to leave, your hand remained tightly in his until the very last moment. As you walked in separate directions to your respective rides home, he clasped your hand until the two of you were standing as far apart as possible with your fingers entwined. Laughing, one of his band members ran forward, pretending to karate-chop you apart. He hit is band mate playfully on the head, sending the boy running back to the van.

Before leaving, he pulled you closely by the wrist into a tight hug, whispering his goodbye softly in your ears for only you to hear.