I awoke to the sound of my phone’s alarm ringing sharply in my ears.  I drowsily clawed at my nightstand on the side of my bed as I searched for the source of irritation.  Once I had succeeded in locating the phone, I pounded my finger on the screen several times before finally locating the spot that would shut the noise off.  I dropped the phone by the side of my head and lay in the dark for a few seconds longer.  I let out a deep sigh and forced my body up into a sitting position.  With my eyes still half-closed I made my way to the bathroom adjoining my bedroom.  It wasn’t until I had the light and stood in front of the mirror that the memories of the night before came back to me.  My eyes snapped open and a silly grin was immediately plastered onto my face.  I stood facing myself in the mirror and the fatigue from only a few seconds ago instantly disappeared from my face.  Today was the second performance of our Return concert!  I quickly washed up and made my way into the kitchen.  I began the process of making myself breakfast and then paused, I checked the clock on my oven and it read 6:30.  The other members and I had agreed to meet at the venue by 7:30 to start rehearsal.  Knowing my lazy leader and neighbor, he’d still be snoozing away at this time.  I snuck over to the wall we shared and pressed my ear against it.  I listened for a second and heard nothing that might indicate that he was up.  I stood back and placed my hands on my hips.  I my heel and marched out my front door.  I reached my neighbor’s door and began pounding.

              “Eric!  Wake up!” I yelled at slightly above an acceptable volume for 6:30 in the morning.  After about a minute I ceased my efforts and slipped my hand into my pocket for the key to his door.  I unlocked the door and waltzed into his apartment.  I made a b-line for Eric’s bedroom and found the dummy sprawled out on his stomach still snoozing soundly in his bed.  I felt anger surge through me and I ripped the sheet off of Eric.  I waited for a second with the sheet held above my head.  Eric stirred, turned over, and resumed snoring.  I growled and dropped the sheet.  I jumped on top of Eric and began hitting him with his unused pillow.

              “Wake…up!” I yelled out each word with each hit.  The snores underneath me quickly became yells of surprise.

              “What the- Hyesung?  Ow!  Stop!” He yelled back at me.  I quickly jumped off and glared at him.

              “Every morning.  Can’t you just invest in an alarm that will actually wake you up?” I huffed out, a bit calmer after releasing my frustration.

              “Doesn’t mean you have to wake me up by beating me,” Eric looked up at me incredulously.  I sighed and looked down with me hands on my hips and leaned on one leg.

              “Guess I was a bit excited, after all, it’s our second concert today,” I looked up at him.

              “Since I’m in a good mood, I’ll make you breakfast.  But hurry up, we all agreed to be there at 7:30,” I continued as I walked out of his room.

              “Come over when you're ready!” I shouted over my shoulder as I exited the apartment.

              “I quickly finished making breakfast and left two servings on the table for Eric and I.  I made my way to my bedroom closet and picked out a comfortable tracksuit to wear for rehearsal.  I then straightened my hair and grabbed my favorite cap and shades.  By the time I had finished my preparations and had returned to my living room, Eric was there clothed in a similar outfit to mine, munching on the breakfast I had made.  He glanced up at me and grinned.

              “Hyesungie, this breakfast is amazing,” he commented.  I ignored him and sat in the seat across from him.  I didn’t have much of an appetite after thinking about the excitement ahead.  Despite it being the second concert, I still felt just as nervous.  After a few bites of food, I stood up and dumped the rest in the trash.  I checked the time on my phone and gasped, 7:15.  I turned and looked at Eric as he finished the last of his meal.  I marched over and grabbed the empty dishes from him.  I practically threw the plates into the sink and grabbed Eric as I ran out the door.

              “Oh, we’re so dead,” I mumbled as Eric followed behind.

              “Relax, a few minutes doesn’t make much of a difference,” Eric reassured me as we reached the parking structure.

              “Hyesung, lets go together today,” Eric remarked as we separated to go to our own cars.  I hesitated and then nodded.  It would be much more convenient if we took one car.  I followed Eric to his car and jumped into the passenger seat.  I fidgeted and glanced at the clock every five seconds.  It was currently 7:29.  I looked out the window and then glanced back to the digital clock again, 7:30.  My phone rang and I looked at the caller ID.  Junjin.  I answered.

              “Yah!  Hyung, where are you?  It’s 7:30!  Are you with Eric?  He’s late too!” he shouted into the phone

              “Jin-ah, sorry, and yeah, I’m with Eric right now.  We’re almost there,” I answered and then quickly hung up before the younger man could start lecturing me.

              “Who was that?” Eric asked beside me.

              “Just Junjin wondering why we’re late, I should have told him it was because I had to get you up,” I glared at him but he kept his eyes forward.

              We finally reached the venue and parked.  I made Eric run through the halls with me so that we could reach the stage faster.  We arrived and I hunched over out of breath.

              “Yah!  Where were you two?” I heard Minwoo approach.  I stood up to face him.

              “Sorry, I had to wake Eric up,” I gestured to the retreating figure of Eric as he made his way to where Andy was sitting.

              “What’d we miss?” I followed Minwoo to the front of the stage.

              “We just finished practicing our entrance for the encore,” Minwoo glanced back.

              “Hyesung!  I missed you!” The air was knocked out of me as Dongwan’s solid form slammed into my body.

              “Yah!  We said by 7:30!  What’s so hard about that?” Junjin accused as he looked up at me from where he was lying on the floor.

              “You wake Eric up in the morning then!” I countered and he grinned.  He quickly jumped up and adjusted the beanie on his head.

              “Let’s get started now, then,” Junjin yelled as he walked away from us, completely ignoring me.

              “Yah!” I tried to follow, but Dongwan still had me in a tight hug.

              “We’re starting now,” a monotone voice called over the stereo system.  I sighed in defeat and followed the other members to center stage.

              After a successful rehearsal, we all made our way to the dressing room to prepare for the concert.  My pulse picked up as the performance drew closer.  I quickly began warming up my voice as the stylist worked on my hair and makeup.  The room was a buzz with the other members making their own preparations or simply fooling around.  As the stylists finished on me, Eric called us together.  We formed a circle and all leaned in.

              “Okay, we’re on in ten so let’s start making our way towards the stage,” I nodded along with the other members and we made our way into the hall.  Dongwan and Minwoo were jumping around excitedly while Eric and Junjin walked calmly in the front.  Beside me, Andy was nervously wringing his hands and I was desperately trying to control my escalated heartbeat.  As we drew closer, we could hear the roar of the crowd and we all became visibly more agitated.  After we reached the very back of the stage, Eric called us together once again.  He put his hand out and we all placed our hands on top.

              “Let’s have a great performance and make sure no one gets hurt!” he yelled over the noise.

              “Shinhwa-San!” All six of us yelled together and then separated to prepare for our entrance.

              “We are SHINHWA!” We all yelled together and were lowered down on our individual stage lifts.  We all kneeled down in preparation for the encore entrance.  I felt my pulse quicken again as I remembered that I wasn’t able to practice the jump due to my tardiness.  I quickly pushed the thought to the back of my mind and mentally reassured myself.

              “1, 2, 3, 4!” Minwoo’s voice blared and the lift propelled me upward.  The sight of the crowd filled my vision and time seemed to stop.  I looked out at the Shinhwa Changjos proudly waving the color of Shinhwa, orange, in our support.  I climbed upward into the air and glanced down.  I had already reached a ridiculous height.  My mind blanked as I realized that there was no way I would safely be able to land.  The ground came closer and closer and I braced myself.  I tried to bear most of the weight on my right knee because I was fearful of damaging my left knee again.  I landed hard and pain immediately shot through my right knee.  The pain was sharp and numbed all of my senses, before I knew it I was laying on the ground wondering how I had got there.  I clutched the source of my unimaginable pain and shouted my discomfort.  I squeezed my eyes shut in an attempt to block out the pain.  After what felt like an eternity, strong hands were grabbing me and loud voices called out my name.

              “Hyesung, are you okay?  Hyesung!” I opened my eyes and felt tears welling up.

              “Ahh!  It hurts, my knee,” I grunted out.  I ignored the men as my manager instructed them to move me carefully.  Strong yet gentle hands gripped me and lifted me from the ground.  I was rushed off stage to the stairs.  Despite the staff’s efforts, my leg was slightly jostled on the way down the stairs and I yelled out in pain.  The staff placed me on the ground and I sat there with my forehead rested on my left knee and my eyes once again squeezed shut.  I heard someone in the distance yelling for the medics and a few seconds later I heard the rushed wheels of the gurney stop next to me.  I was gently grabbed once again by the staff members and lifted onto the bed.  I leaned back and draped my arm over my face to hide the pained grimace.  I was rushed through the back halls of the venue and out the back door where I was hoisted into an ambulance and rushed off to the nearest emergency room accompanied by my managers.