“This world keeps spinning faster into a new disaster, so I run to you.”

- Run to You, Lady Antebellum

            Nighttime was a fascinating phenomenon. Scientists will explain its seemingly obvious existence due to the slow rotation of the Earth on its axis. Likewise, due to the position and shape of both the Earth, the sun’s radiation couldn’t possibly reach all corners of the Earth in the twenty-four hour periods humans had fit their days into. Therefore, as any scientist, or any person of esteemed second-grade intellect, would then explain that the period of darkness half of the planet was submerged into had been dubbed “night.” Humans had learned to live their lives while the sun, and their vision, was ripe, and then rest from the weariness of activity during the dark hours, where there would be virtually no difference in vision whether eyes were opened or closed. A scientist could explain all of this while eons of research to support his or her claims, which at this point in history had become universal truths.

            But perhaps there was another reason for the nighttime that dove deeper than the simple rotation of an earthen mass before a gaseous ball of fire. Nighttime could repair the damages of the daytime as if it held seemingly magical qualities. The consciousness wrongs of the day could almost always be righted with the passing of the night, when minds cleared and realization set it. Time was a dear friend of Night, and Night often prolonged its stay as long as it could to make amends, whether they were physical, mental or spiritual. There was essentially nothing that couldn’t be mended with the passing of time, as long as adequate time was given. The problem came with the lack of control over when enough time had passed to make an affect. Instant gratification was something people tended to take advantage of and applied its principals to every aspect of their lives. There was no rushing Father Time; his steps were lethargic and only a cane of devout patience could aid him. Still, the reality of being a subject to impervious pace of time was nonetheless a bitter notion.

            No one knew the feeling of bitterness better than Min Neul the following morning. Her eyelids were like anchors, just barely lifting to give her sight a chance. When she took her first breath, it felt like she was awakening the different person she had come since yesterday. Her eyes stung something fierce, and before she could even lift her eyelids all the way, they snapped back closed with a wince. Her hand flew to her head, which was throbbing. The light that streamed into her room was dull with the aftermath of the horrendous storm, but it was still too much for the girl to handle. Just being awake was even too much to take. She was still curled up on top of her bed, pale and lifeless like a porcelain doll someone had once given love to before mercilessly playing rough with to the point of its destruction. She was then left to a miserable lonesomeness, completely unwanted and unloved. Yet as wretched of a state as it was, Min Neul wasn’t quite ready to pick herself up and leave from it. The night had been more brutal than anything she had ever endured, and thought she didn’t quite refer to relive it, she still cursed the coming of the morning. For her, no amount of nighttime was long enough.

            Morning brought the cruel reality that the nightmare that was yesterday hadn’t been just a nightmare at all. She hadn’t woken up in a cold sweat, her heart pounding as she struggled to blink herself awake and calm herself down. Waking up with a dry lips, tear-stained sheets beneath her throbbing head and a suffering heart in her weak chest had only proved that yesterday had truly happened. Yet as awful as it had been, she didn’t want to slip any farther away from it. Just yesterday she had woken up in pure bliss after a perfect night with Jonghyun. How evilly it had twisted into the worst day of her young life, which pretty much as if it was over completely. How could something so beautiful turn into something so ugly? Sighing a tired sob, Min Neul cradled her swollen face in her shaking hands, unsure whether she should stay awake and face the drizzling day or slip back into a drowsy, heartbroken coma.

            After lying for a few moments in a broken heap, Min Neul’s eyelids lifted back open. Fatigue ran deep in her veins, but she would never be granted sleep again. Her sobs had probably exhausted her into a blackout all night rather than her fatigue lulling her to sleep. A frustrated groan ripped through her cracked lips, she pressed her palms flat against the mattress and attempted to pick herself up. It was a struggle, and she felt lightheaded when she was finally upright. Everything in her body ached: from choking up sobs, her shoulders from trembling and her eyes from crying. She gave her colorless face a rub, and finally opened her eyes wider. In her full field of view, she could see in the early morning light the broken widow and shattered pieces of her phone on the ground.

            “,” Min Neul cursed in a low croak, curiously surveying the damage she had caused last night. No wonder she felt so tired; all her energy had probably gone into hurling her phone against the window, giving enough power to shatter both. She scowled, wondering how she was going to inform her parents of the damage to her bedroom. Before giving it much thought, she decided on a whim to blame it on the storm. After all, it had been violent enough to cause a power outage. Tears stung her eyes at the remembrance of the moment her miserable world can turned black last night, but she quickly wiped her eyes and in a deep breath. She was couldn’t handle any more crying; her body and mind simply wouldn’t be able to bear it.

            Dropping her hands, Min Neul let herself collapse against the wooden headboard of her bed. She was still clothed in Jonghyun’s t-shirt and hoodie, the cuffs still stained with tears. She momentarily wondered what the rest of her looked like after weathering the storm outside the house and the inside her mind. Tiredly cur curiously, Min Neul crawled to the side of her bed. She slid from the wrinkled sheets and slithered to the purple-bordered mirror hanging on her wall beside her desk.

            Staring back at Min Neul was a version of her she had never witnessed before. She was a sullen girl with puffy, bloodshot eyes beneath with dark, weighty eyelids. Her normally round cheeks were sunken in, absent of all color. The tip of her slightly pointed nose was raw and red from running along with her tears. It almost frightened her how haggard misery had made her look. Gasping, she pinched her cheeks, desperate to bring color and life to her face again. However, when she locked sad eyes with the girl in the mirror, she scowled surrender to the heartbreak and turned away.

            As she slumped against the headboard, breathing rapidly, Min Neul knew she had a decision to make. She could either let the breakup ruin her dream to become an idol, or she could lift her head high and give Jonghyun something to regret. But at the thought of his face, Min Neul felt herself slip a little lower towards complete desperation. Wrapping her arms around herself the way Jonghyun always did, Min Neul bit her lip and tried to blink away the tears as she thought. She couldn’t tell if being an idol was still something she wanted after the sudden unfortunate turn of events. Her dream was a project she had teamed up with Jonghyun to fulfill, because he had wanted to see her succeed just as much as she had. As hard as she tried to remind herself that being an idol was all she ever wanted, she knew not so deep down that her dream had changed. Glancing at the acceptance letter still sitting on her nightstand, Min Neul swore she would trade it all away to bring Jonghyun back into her life.

            The decision was too great to be made alone on a miserably morning after an even more miserably night, but she knew she had a deadline. Whenever Min Neul needed help, Jonghyun had always ben the first person she ran to. Without him, Min Neul practically felt lost. But just because she was lost didn’t necessarily mean she was alone. Min Neul could already feel her eyes begin to dry of tears as she remembered the only other person in her life she ran to when she needed someone.

            Her older sister, Hyerin.

            Min Neul had gone to visit her sister at Hanyang University before. She was only in Ansan, which was a short ride by bus or subway from Seoul. Min Neul often requested to visit her sister, and her parents usually allowed the impromptu visit as long as it didn’t affect Hyerin’s busy schedule. And so far, she had never turned her younger sister away.

            Min Neul gave a tired glance at the clock; her exhausting misery had only kept her unconscious until a little past seven in the morning. She winced at the earliness of the hour, for it only made her want to crawl beneath the covers and whither away until at least the middle of the day. But this did make for the perfect opportunity to shower and get ready in peace, so after she asked her parents to visit Hyerin she could leave immediately. The more time with her, the better.

            Min Neul scooted to the side of the bed and let her feet land on the ground. She began to stand up carefully, wincing as a hand flew to her head, as if to stop the pain rushing to it. On her feet she teetered, feeling like it was the first time she had ever tried to walk. With a slouched back and shaky steps, she rubbed her tearing eyes and stumbled out of the bedroom. She closed the door behind her, locking it for extra security. With her back pressed against the bathroom door, she caught her reflection once more in the mirror. Remarkably, she subconsciously overlooked her pale skin, disheveled hair and sunken face and focused only on the clothes that covered her body. She had uncomfortably slept in jeans, no socks and Jonghyun’s gray t-shirt and striped hoodie. She didn’t ever want to take his clothes off. She wanted to wear them until Jonghyun came back to her, whenever that would be. When the bleak thought of him never returning to her arms settled like a gloomy cloud in her mind, she bit her lip and forced herself to look away just as tears stung her eyes. Before she could let them fall, she sprang for the silver dial and let warm shower water fall first.

            Carefully, she peeled off Jonghyun’s clothes and set them down on the countertop. She vowed to crawl right back into them after her shower, though she knew they would only make her feel worse. Sighing deeply, she stepped beyond the shower curtain into a scalding but hopefully cleansing rain. In time, she lost the differentiation between the shower water and her tears.

            Min Neul’s skin seared pink, but she didn’t mind. She gave her eyes a rub, trying to wake herself up even more. She stretched out her arms and lathered her rosy skin with vanilla soap. She gathered her mess of hair in a heap of shampooed bubbles and thoroughly rinsed it, prolonging the feel of the warm, refreshing shower. She contemplated drowning herself in the burning water, but when it ran cold she had no choice but to turn the dial off. The steam wrapped around her body, keeping her warm as she blinked, sighed, and finally pulled a towel around her.

            Drying herself off, she tried not to remember how she not too long ago ran her wet hands down Jonghyun’s dripping body as they shivered together in the cramped stall of the T.O.P Media shower room. He had pulled a towel around her body and helped dry her off, hugging her dearly to warm her up. Between drying her arms and legs, Min Neul was drying her eyes. When she was dry, she gathered Jonghyun’s clothes in her arms and stepped out of the sauna-like bathroom into the chilly air of the hallway, which sent shivers across her raw skin. She quickly and quietly slipped into her bedroom, which was beginning to feel all too much like a torture chamber.

            The armful of clothes was dropped on her bed with a sigh. She weeded through all the memories of lying with Jonghyun as they kissed like mad on those very purple sheets and gazed at his wrinkled clothes in a heap.

            “I wish you were clean,” Min Neul said gently to them, running her hands over the soft, striped fabric. She sighed and turned away, holding up the towel that was wrapped around her body as she shuffled to her closet. She pulled out the only other sweatshirt of hers that she owned, which was a deep, royal blue sweatshirt she actually hadn’t even meant to keep. Jonghyun had deliberately given her the striped one, and she had acquired one of his black t-shirts by spilling sauce on her own and wearing his for the rest of the night.  She had aimed to give him back the blue sweatshirt, but as she hugged the bulky item of clothing close to her she was thankful she hadn’t never gotten around to it. Pressing her face into its softness, she inhaled his comforting scent. She pulled the sweatshirt away only to find she had already stained it with her tears.

            It required much effort to pull on jeans and a plain tank top before slipping the oversized hoodie over her head, because Min Neul’s muscles felt unusually weak. After dumping the towels and Jonghyun’s dirty clothes into the hamper by her door, Min Neul turned around to survey the damage she had done to the window. The window hadn’t actually shattered in pieces on the ground, but there were deep fissures in a spider-web like pattern through the glass. Carefully, she picked up her phone, which rendered completely unusable now. Bits of glass had popped out from the fractured screen, all scattered below the window. Min Neul gathered and deposited them, careful not to cut her the tips of her fingers. As she held the broken device in her fingers, she gave a sigh. She had needed a new phone anyway, and hopefully she could get away with a simple assertion that it just stopped working. The window, she had decided, would be the fault of the tree outside her window.

            By the time Min Neul was busy drying her hair in front of her mirror, successful at holding back her tears, she caught sight of her door creak open. Her mother poked her head through, smiling sleepily at her youngest daughter. “Good morning,” she began when Min Neul set aside the hairdryer. “How come you’re up so early?”

            Min Neul swallowed hard, trying her best to make her voice sound as steady as possible. “Can I go see Hyerin today?” she asked innocently with a slight crack.

            Min Neul’s mother, Park Jaehwa pushed open the door farther and gave a shrug. “It’s early still. Have you talked to her yet?”

            “Yes,” Min Neul lied, only so she would be permitted to go no matter what. Even if Hyerin was busy, Min Neul just wanted to get away from everything and be by herself to think, and maybe cry. “I talked to her last night but I fell asleep before you got home.”

            “I know. Your father and I came home to a completely dark house and looked into your room and saw you asleep. It was early. We were surprised!”

            Words wouldn’t pass from Min Neul’s lips, so she simply shrugged. But the way her mother was analyzing her face made it difficult to keep back the sob about to break through. “Are you okay, dear?” Jaehwa asked slowly, her careful eyes reading right into Min Neul.

            There was no use hiding it, so Min Neul bit her lip and shook her head. Before she could spill what happened, her mother was already gathering her in her arms. “Jonghyun broke up with me,” her voice croaked in a whisper as she rested her chin against her mother’s shoulder.

            Jaehwa’s eyes widened with wonder. “You’re kidding,” she muttered, utterly surprised at the sudden break in her daughter’s steady, long-term relationship. Before eldest Hyerin had gone off to university, Jaehwa had braced herself for drama concerning her and her boyfriend, Minsoo. The only concerns Jaehwa ever had with Min Neul and her boyfriend had pertained to keeping them under parental supervision, considering she was only seventeen. Jaehwa hadn’t been too pleased when her daughters both wound up with idol boyfriends, and initially she had feared every day that they would get caught up in a scandal or ugly truths from their pasts would be revealed. More than anything, she just wanted to keep her daughters out of public scrutiny. In time she and her husband learned twenty-two year old Bang Minsoo and nineteen year-old Choi Jonghyun were as respectful as they were handsome. Jaehwa didn’t want to admit her maternal judgment that older, edgier Minsoo would be the one to act out over sweet, demure Jonghyun; she felt astounded and even troubled over the news. “When did this happen?”

            As mother and daughter separated, Min Neul gave a small nod. “Yesterday.”

            Jaehwa mouth gathered at the corner. “Did he give a reason?”

           The reason was burning in the back of Min Neul’s mind, but she didn’t feel like divulging the entire story twice in the same day. She would rather tell her older sister, anyway, rather than giving her mother the quickened version of the heartbreaking story without the obvious details of her day yesterday. “Kind of. But I don’t really want to talk about it, okay?”

            Jaehwa threw her palms up. “Say no more, I’m sure you’d rather tell your older sister than your mom.” Though she gave a lightheartedly chuckle in attempt to lighten the mood, her sullen daughter remained relatively unaffected. Jaehwa sighed. “Would you like me to drive you over?”

            Min Neul nodded, sniffling as she wiped her eyes dry. “Please.”

            “Alright,” Jaehwa smiled. Suddenly, her eyes travelled around the room until they landed on Min Neul’s cracked window. “What happened here?” she questioned frantically with an unhinged jaw.

            Min Neul swallowed hard. “It happened in the middle of the night while I was sleeping. It was really windy, and I think the tree hit the window and broke it.”

            Astounded, Jaehwa’s arched eyebrows heightened. “That’s peculiar,” she remarked. “I’ll have your father look at it today and we’ll get it fixed eventually. Just get ready and I’ll take you over soon. Okay?”

            Min Neul nodded once before thanking her mom and watching her depart from her bedroom. She sighed in relief that her mother had bought the story, probably because she didn’t want to trouble Min Neul any further in her fragile state. Turning back to the mirror, Min Neul took a deep breath and dabbed on a generous amount of makeup to bring some color back into her face. She leaned back, deciding that this was as good as she was going to look with a heavy sigh. No one wore heartbreak well, after all.

            Min Neul’s mother, who had traded her bathrobe for a simple cardigan, popped her head into Min Neul’s. “Ready to go, dear?”

            Min Neul turned away from the mirror. “Yes,” she replied as she stood up in her low top Converse. Before bobbing forlornly through the door, she picked up a black and white panda beanie from the top of her dresser. Her mind filled with remembrance of the moment she and Jonghyun had purchased the comically cute knit hats to celebrate their one-year anniversary. It pained her how perfectly sweet Jonghyun had looked with his dark hair waving from the bottom of the knit beanie, sweeping across his forehead just above his dark, sparkling eyes. Her own dark eyes threw one last glance at the bedroom as she sniffed, right before turning away to finally escape.

- - -

            Park Hyerin stared down at the anatomy textbook open before her, keenly reading in her mind the black text that contrasted against the yellow stripe of highlighter. With one hand, she pushed her front bangs away from her eyes as she twirled her pen with the other. Momentarily, her curious eyes wandered to her hand, inquisitively watching the way the joins and ligaments meshed perfectly together and hoe the skin stretched so flexibly over it. Reading her anatomy textbooks always peaked her interest and left her to marvel at her own body. Just yesterday she spent a good fifteen minutes watching the joints in her feet; today, the extremity of the day seemed to be hands. She felt slightly silly being so fascinated with something she had worked with all her life, but ever since she began studying scientific terms and explanations, the future doctor in her was already showing.

            Realizing she should get back to work, Hyerin dropped her hand from in front of her face. However, outside the window above her desk, another sight caught her eyes. She caught a silver SUV that looked an awful lot like her mother’s pull up in front of her residence hall. Twenty-year-old Hyerin leaned forward, her eyes narrowed with curiosity as she watched the passenger’s door open. Out stepped a girl in a blue sweatshirt and long, dark hair topped with a black and white beanie. Slowly, the quizzical expression on her face melted into a smile. Undoubtedly, the girl was none other than her younger sister Min Neul.

            Only one of Hyerin’s three roommates was in the dorm with her: Hwang Jaekyung, the tallest of the girls. “Is he here?” she asked, peeking over the top of her magazine at Hyerin.

            “No,” Hyerin reported without turning around, watching as Min Neul disappeared into the building. “But my sister is.” Smiling, Hyerin pushed the wooden chair away from the desk, momentarily ignoring her anatomy work. “I’m going down to get her. I’ll be back later.”

            “Okay,” Jaekyung responded nonchalantly, turning her eyes back to her magazine to read up on the possibility of a DBSK reunion.

            Hyerin grabbed the lanyard that held her room key and card to the residence building. She bounced down three flights of stairs to the main floor, flying past the lounge where a few students were chatting and rounded the corner to the front door. Sure enough, standing with her arms folded over her chest was Min Neul, looking peculiarly worn-out. However, her face light up with relief when she saw her sister come to her rescue and open the locked door.

            “Min Neul?” Hyerin asked. “What are you doing here?”

            “I really have to talk to you,” Min Neul gushed, her voice sounding oddly distant. “I’m sorry I didn’t call. But this is really important.”

            Hyerin blinked nervously. “Is everything okay? Are Mom and Dad okay? Are you okay?”

            Frantically, Min Neul shook her head as the tears she had been trying to hold back on the way over pooled in her eyes. Hyerin’s heart softened as she reached for her younger sister’s hand and pulled her in the building. “Come on. Let’s talk.”

Min Neul followed her sister, who was dressed sweetly in woven gray leggings and an oversized black sweater. Her shoulder-length hair was straight and glossy. She looked as if she was ready to go somewhere or be with someone, but she was more than ready to spend time with her sister. Min Neul loved how Hyerin could just put her life on pause and give her all the attention in the world when she knew something was wrong. Unfortunately, Hyerin had no clue of the severity of just what was wrong.

            Hyerin pushed open the door of her dorm and dumped her lanyard and keys carelessly on the desk. “Ah, Jaekyung, do you think we could have some privacy for a little bit?” Hyerin asked, stopping before her lounging roommate as Min Neul sniffed and took a seat on her bed. She hadn’t wanted to start crying so soon, but the moment she saw Hyerin’s multiple Teen Top posters pinned above her bed, Jonghyun was all she could focus on.

            Jaekyung’s eyes shifted to Min Neul as she gazed at the posters, but didn’t think anything of it. “Okay,” she shrugged, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. “See ya later.”

            Rather than answered her, Hyerin sat on the bed beside Min Neul and offered a sheepish smile. As soon as the door clicked closed and the sisters were alone, Hyerin spoke. “What’s going on, Min Neul? Why are you crying?”

            Min Neul sniffed and took a deep, shaky breath; it came back out as a sob. “Jonghyun b-broken up with m-me,” she wailed, tears spilling from her eyes.

            Hyerin’s eyes widened in complete shock. “What?” she snapped, suddenly feeling defensive over her little sister.

            Min Neul continued to cry, trying not to choke on the explanation. “He thinks I was cheating on him,” she sobbed, shaking her head. “I would never do that, unni, I would never cheat on Jonghyun!”

            Hyerin was nearly at a loss for words as she reached forward and pulled her shaking younger sister in for a much-needed hug. “I know, you would never,” Hyerin assured her, rubbing her back. “Why does he think that? What happened?”

            “Hyowon stated tutoring me because my grades have been slipping and Mom and Dad are always up by about it because I don’t study, I’m always at dance lessons with Jonghyun.” A sob tore from her quivering lips the moment she spoke his name. “I had to keep leaving to get tutored by Hyowon and work on this project together and I guess Jonghyun thought something was going on but didn’t tell me. So then two nights ago I spent the night with him but I had to leave the next day because I was supposed to go work with Hyowon and I accidently left my phone at the dorm and Jonghyun went through my phone and saw my messages from Hyowon and…and…”

            She was crying too hard to even relay the rest of the story to Hyerin, but luckily she didn’t have to try. Hyerin could put together the pieces of Min Neul’s story as if she were watching a montage of her sister’s worst nightmare. She shook her mind clear and focused on finding the right words to say to comfort her, but Min Neul began slurring her words a mile a minute.

            “I mean, what the was he thinking? He knows I love him and I would never do that, unni, he has to know that! Just before everything happened we spent all night together kissing and having and just being together and it was amazing and he told me how much he loved me and everything was perfect and then the next day we just got in this huge fight and we were screaming and cussing and…and…I slapped him—”

            Hyerin’s eyebrows were high on her forehead. “You slapped him?”

            Min Neul’s lip quivered and her cheeks turned pink. “Well…yes…but I didn’t mean to, it just kind of happened, I was just so pissed off and wanted him to shut up and I had to do something—”

            “Well, good!” Hyerin exclaimed. “He deserved it!”

            Min Neul shook her head. “No, he didn’t. I just got to mad and…”

            Hyerin shook her head. “Min Neul, listen to yourself. Jonghyun was a complete douchebag to you.  Anyone could tell how much you loved him, and everyone knows you would never cheat on him. It was just a stupid misunderstanding. You didn’t do anything wrong; he did.”

            “But if it’s that obvious that I loved him, then why didn’t he believe me? Why didn’t he trust me?” Min Neul whined, letting the tears continue to pour.

            Hyerin took her younger sister’s hands and held them tightly. “I don’t know, Min Neul. He just snapped and overreacted. I don’t know what happened. I believe you that you didn’t do anything wrong though,” she assured.

            Min Neul’s eyes narrowed. “I hate Hyowon. I hate him so much. If he never came into my life then Jonghyun would still be in it.”

            Hyerin watched with a pained expression as her sister cried. She reached up and wiped the tears away from Min Neul’s face. “It’s okay, Min Neul. Everything is going to be okay. You don’t need Jonghyun. He was an to you! I’m actually mad at him for what he did! He had no right to accuse you of cheating.” She sighed deeply. “I know it’s really hard to deal with right now, and it’s going to be hard for a while. It’s a breakup, and all breakups need time to heal.”

            Min Neul sniffed, sadly glancing down at the ground. “I don’t want to deal with it. I want it go away. I want Jonghyun back.” She pulled the sleeve of Jonghyun’s sweatshirt over her hand and brought it to her nose. “I miss him so much,” she squeaked, beginning to cry again.

            Watching her sister so broken up was positively excruciating for Hyerin to watch. She loathed Jonghyun for what he had done to her; braking up with her wasn’t something she had ever pictured him doing. Minsoo told her all the time how Jonghyun spent every second of his free time with Min Neul and constantly brought her home to the apartment. Hyerin had always been assured that Min Neul was in protective, loving hands with Jonghyun; to think he would do something as heartless as break up with her when she had done nothing wrong was hard for Hyerin to comprehend. She wrapped her arms around Min Neul once more and hugged her dearly. “Is there anything I can do? Do you want me to have Minsoo talk to him?”

            “He won’t listen, Min Neul whined. “I tried to talk to him, he won’t listen.” She in a shaky breath. “What am I supposed to do now?”

            Hyerin bit her lip, determined to soothe Min Neul’s worries as best she could. “You’re going to be fine, Min Neul. You don’t need him. We’ll find someone else to tutor you if you don’t want Hyowon anymore and you can get your grades up and could can come visit me when you’re lonely—”

            “No, that’s not what I meant.” Min Neul pulled away from Hyerin to look her in the eyes. “I have something really big to tell you.” She took a deep breath as Hyerin leaned in closely, hoping to hear some news that would actually make her sister smile. Luckily, Min Neul gave a small, proud smile and a faint chuckle and she shrugged. “I passed my audition.”

            For the second time, Hyerin’s eyes widened at the news her sister had told her. But this time, it wasn’t in disbelief, but amazement. “Min Neul! I’m so proud of you!” She threw her arms around her sister and hugged her tightly, squealing an extra deal to coax some excitement and even a smile from her clearly miserable sister. “I knew you could do it!”

            Min Neul giggled at her sister’s enthusiasm. The wider she smiled, the dryer her eyes became. “Thanks, Hyerin.”

            “Tell me all about it!” Hyerin gushed, hoping to take her mind off Jonghyun for even a few moments.

            “Well, it was on Friday, and I kind of skipped school to go to it,” Min Neul explained. “And at first I was really nervous but after watching some really awful people I thought maybe I had a chance so I just went out there and tried to calm down and give it everything I had.” Her eyelids dropped dreamily, and she could practically see every sight and feel every emotion from that beautiful, defining moment in her life. “It was amazing, unni. I can’t believe it happened. Andy judged the contest himself, and I was so nervous when he called the names of the contestants accepted into the trainee program.”

            “Of course you would get accepted,” Hyerin giggled. “You’re an amazing dancer!”

            Min Neul chuckled. “Well, I didn’t just get accepted,” she smirked proudly. “I won the entire competition.”

            The elated expression on Hyerin’s face was something Min Neul would never forget. Her jaw dropped, her eyes bulged and she squealed in delight before hugging Min Neul once more, shaking her enthusiastically. “YOU WON? OH MY GOD! I’M SO PROUD OF YOU!”

            She gushed on and on, which only made Min Neul smile wider. “Thanks, Hyerin. It means a lot. I won first place and got a scholarship to the trainee program and this little trophy and everything.”

            Hyerin brought her hands to and gasped. “Did you tell Mom and Dad yet?”

            Min Neul in a deep breath. “Well, no,” she admitted, feeling hesitant. “I’m scared. I don’t think they’re going to let me become a trainee even if I passed the audition. But I don’t even know if I should become a trainee under T.O.P Media anyway…”

            Hyerin narrowed her eyes. “Do you hear yourself right now? Being an idol is all you’ve ever wanted, and now  that you have the opportunity to become a trainee, you might not accept it just because a stupid boy ended a relationship?” Smirking, she reached up and plucked the couples’ hat Min Neul wore in mourning of her relationship. “That’s not the Min Neul I know. The Min Neul I know would say to hell with stupid boys! And she’d chase after her dreams and fight for them until they came true. Because I know you, Min Neul, and I know you’re passionate and headstrong and don’t take no for an answer. And you definitely don’t let other people control you.”

            Min Neul had winced when Hyerin plucked the knit hat from her head, and quickly smoothed down her hair as she listened to her sister speak. Slowly, she began to smile. A pep talk from Hyerin was exactly what she needed to hear; there wasn’t anyone who knew her better than her own sister, and certainly no one who could pick her up from being so low. Not even Jonghyun’s love could replace the love Min Neul felt from her very own sister. She dropped her hands from her hair and wrapped her arms around Hyerin in a surprise hug, burying her face in Hyeirn’s collarbone. “Thank you, Hyerin.” She lifted her chin to her shoulder. “Are you too busy to come home with me and talk to Mom and Dad about the trainee thing? I’m afraid they won’t listen to me, but they’ll listen to you.”

            Hyerin bit her lip as she pulled away from her sister. She did, however, keep strong, loving hands on her shoulders. “I don’t think so, Min Neul. This is something you really need to do on your own; you don’t need me. If you don’t think Mom and Dad are going to say yes, then you’re not planning on trying hard enough. Don’t stop fighting for your dream until they say yes. You deserve this.”

            Min Neul pressed her lips together skeptically, but she knew Hyerin was telling the truth. If she really wanted this dream, she would fight for it with all her heart. After losing Jonghyun, there wasn’t much left for Min Neul to hold on to. This dream of being an idol couldn’t leave her like Jonghyun could, so it was ultimately up to her and only her to make something of it. For the first time in far too long, Min Neul smiled a genuine, grand smile. “Thank you, Hyerin. I’m going to make Mom and Dad say yes.”

            Hyerin grinned broadly. “That’s the spirit. Now, until Mom comes back to get you, why don’t we watch a movie and talk about how much boys ?”

            Min Neul grinned. “I’d love to.”

            The Park sisters popped in a chick flick, the type of movie neither Minsoo nor Jonghyun was ever apt to watch. The two laughed, cried, and talked about everything. It was refreshing for Min Neul to spend quality time with her sister. She was thankful she hadn’t gone to university too far away, because she needed Hyerin now more than ever.

            Unfortunately, the time came when the silver SUV rolled back up to the residence hall, and Hyerin walked Min Neul down. “Remember,” she whispered as the embraced goodbye. “You deserve this. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

            Min Neul smiled appreciatively. “I love you, Hyerin-unni.”

            “I love you too,” Hyerin smiled. She gave Min Neul a motivating punch in the arm. “Good luck.”

            Min Neul climbed into her mother’s car and waved goodbye as they rolled away from Hyerin and headed home. Though she may have lost her panda knit hat, she gain a renewed spirit. And for that beautiful moment, nothing could take that away from her, thanks to Hyerin.

            Hyerin was still standing on the sidewalk nearly fifteen minutes after they drove away. She gave her hair and clothing a quick smoothing and pinched her cheeks to bring a little color to her face. Three more minutes of anticipation ticked by, until she finally caught sight of a sleek, black Hyundai pull into the parking lot before her dormitory. An enthusiastic smile spread across her face as she watched the car park and the driver step out of the vehicle in chunky black sneakers. When the driver’s head turned in her direction and offered a wave, Hyerin fought the urge to run right up and throw her arms around him.

            His steps to her were quick, and the moment they neared he opened his arms to engulf her in a hug. “Hey, baby,” he said in a smooth, deep voice. The way he spoke had a natural beat to it, almost as if he were rapping continuously.

            Hyerin gazed up at the concealing sunglasses that covered his smiling eyes. “Hi, Minsoo,” she coaxed, lacing her fingers between his as she stood up on her toes to give him a quick kiss. “How have you been?”

            Minsoo shrugged and gave a sigh. “Decent. A lot’s been going on.” He bit his lip and tilted his head. “Did…uh…Min Neul tell you anything?”

            Hyerin swung their hand as she lead Minsoo into her residence hall for some quality time just the two of them, which was long overdue. “She told me everything,” she admitted softly. “He really broke her heart. You know she almost decided to decline the trainee offer because of this?”

            Minsoo let out a deep exhale as they climbed the steps. “What do you think she’s going to do?”

            Hyerin shrugged, yet smiled as they strolled hand-in-hand down the hall. “If I know my sister like I think I do, I know she’ll make the right choice.”

            Minsoo smiled as he leaned against the doorframe. “You Park sisters don’t let anything stop you, do you?”

            Hyerin chuckled as she slipped the key in the lock. “No we don’t. When we see something we want, we’ve got to have it.” As she pushed open the door, she gripped the collar of Minsoo’s leather jacket with a smirk and pulled him in. “And right now, I want you.”

- - -

            Standing just outside the archway that led to the living room, Min Neul closed her eyes and tilted her head to the ceiling. She took a slow, deep breath, internalized it until it gave her strength, and released it along with all her doubts. Her parents were in there, waiting patiently on the couch for their youngest daughter to give them a grand proposal, which she planned on throwing her heart and soul into. She knew if she wasted any more time, they would grow impatient and she would lose the confidence Hyerin had instilled in her. As she took another deep breath, she recalled everything Hyerin had told her. If she really wanted this, she would have to fight for it. Only when she was prepared for combat did she open her eyes and step onto the battle field, fully equipped with a firecracker in her heart. It was now or never.

            “Mom? Dad?” she finally spoke, running her fingers along the smooth edge of a large, prize-winning envelope that could either make or break Min Neul’s future. “There’s something I want talk about…”