“And if I was by your side, you'll never know one lonely night.”

- If I Was the One, Ruff Endz

            Choi Jonghyun was no musical prodigy. Despite what his fans believed, he hadn’t been born with a golden throat. The ability to sing had been a skill Jonghyun had worked on for quite some time, almost as hard as he had practiced his dancing. If everyone in the world had been gifted with a talent of some sort at birth, Jonghyun’s had not been the musical ability he currently possessed. More than likely, the natural talent he owned lied in his veins in his physical strength. As true as it may be, Jonghyun had been particularly fragile when he had been born. It had been a miracle he even gained enough strength to breathe alone. Once his sixth birthday had passed, his parents began to look upon their frail son with worry. With gulping throats and crossed fingers they dressed their son in a crisp, white uniform and him into the hands of a taekwondo instructor. After only a few hours did the small boy drop the jaw of the instructor. His ability to take commands had been impeccable. His style had already been evident. It was like the small boy had slowly begun to polish a gem of previously unrecognized talent. It was through years of taekwondo that Jonghyun gained confidence, muscle, and strength. Not only did he build strength in his body, but also his mind. Young Jonghyun found concentration came easier. He found his willpower increased. He became far more fearless as his frailness began to whither away. Every new color adorned around his waist was the beautiful manifestation of his sweat, tears and allegiance to amelioration, not just his natural ability. Only when did a thick band the intimidating color of the midnight sky knotted around his waist did he find himself truly accomplished. Black was a color that absorbed all others, just like the knowledge, skill and power Jonghyun absorbed to earn it. He prided himself on his black belt in martial arts, for it was his first prize for chiseling his skills to the sharpest point.

            Perhaps Jonghyun had developed the mindset of a perfectionist at the very moment an honorable black belt was looped around his waist. He then strived to become the best at everything he set his mind to, like a madman incapable of finding peace despite his achievements. Taekwondo had taught Jonghyun he had the ability to command his body to move any which way he wanted it to; especially his feet and legs. Dancing was a completely different from of expression, but possessed many of the same qualities as martial arts did. It involved performance, concentration, sweat, and power. With a nod toward his black belt, those were categories Jonghyun arrogantly but deservingly considered himself a master in. When Jonghyun became dancing just for fun in sixth grade, it quickly turned into yet another way of life. This time, Jonghyun wanted to make something of it. He thrived on the expressions of those watching him. Whether they were onlookers or admirers, they were floored by the way Jonghyun could dance. He credited the fluidness of his limbs, the power in each of his steps, and his sharp wit to learn choreography to his skills in martial arts. To Jonghyun, dancing was more physical than it was musical, but the musical side became more appealing to him with every praise he humbly received. He developed such a deep love of dancing that it slowly began to replace his zeal for a career martial arts; rather than protecting an idol, he found himself actually longing to be an idol.

            With a smile and a simple shake of his head, Jonghyun could hardly believe he had achieved yet another dream of his. This time around, it had been a dream that would influence his life much more significantly. For every page in his life martial arts had written him, dancing had written him a novel. At the young age of eighteen, Jonghyun had already been exposed to the world of the music industry for nearly four years, including his trainee years. In those four years, Jonghyun had been introduced to experts who were ready and willing to turn him into the musical perfectionist he craved to be. He developed a knack for singing, improved his dancing, and even began to rap. His instructors, mentors, and fellow trainees helped him get where he was today. He knew he was no expert, but he had enough skill to drop a few jaws and pass on what he knew to someone else.

            Likewise, Jonghyun was no world-class pianist. In fact, he hadn’t had even one full piano lesson in his entire life. However, the boys often hung around the room with the grand piano and plucked away at the keys just for fun. Often times, they’d plead and pester Byunghun into cracking his knuckles and sitting down to whittle away at the keys while they sang just for fun. Jonghyun remembered how Andy had told them to make sure singing didn’t become all business; it was a hobby and passion for the boys and should always remain recreational fun as well. However, when Jonghyun cracked his knuckles and sat down at the piano bench, it was all business.

            Jonghyun pushed up the sleeves of his slouchy, gray thermal shirt until they bunched around his bent elbows. He cleared his throat, cracked his knuckles, and turned to smile at the girl standing upright beside him. “I see you remember your posture,” he noted with a smile.

            Min Neul nodded, her back perfectly straight and her head up. Jonghyun had coached her into standing up straight to give her voice adequate breathing room, and thus, adequate support for her breath. She was dressed comfortably in black sweatpants, white sneakers, a skinny-strapped tank top in a bright shade of white covered by a gray striped hoodie. The sleeves had been pushed up, and it looked slightly bulky on her. The hoodie looked like it belonged to someone much taller and wider than she was; in fact, it looked as if it could perfectly fit the raven-haired boy seated on the piano bench, smiling at the sight of her in it.

            One of Jonghyun’s fingers struck a key. “Ready for scales?”

            By now, Min Neul knew her scales perfectly. Jonghyun always insisted on starting with scales to warm her voice up, and considering she had been undergoing vocal training by him for two months now, she knew his lesson techniques well. In all honestly, Jonghyun was a wonderful teacher. Perhaps he owed his strategies to his own vocal teacher, but his patient temperament he owed to his own nature. It took a lot to get someone as stubborn as Min Neul to cooperate, and she knew it. There was something special about Jonghyun that made him know exactly how to handle her to get what he wanted from her. All he wanted was nothing but the best, and he knew that was what Min Neul was capable of.

            “Ready,” she answered affirmatively.

            Jonghyun pressed down on the C, filling the air with the unique sound only that key could unlock. He glanced at Min Neul, waiting for her to mimic the sound with her voice. She took a deep breath, opened , and matched the note perfectly. Jonghyun’s fingers slowly crept across the following keys, listening for his girlfriend’s voice to match the pitch. She did it flawlessly nearly every time. A few times, he gestured for her to increase her volume and give a little more, power and she always obeyed. Together, they climbed the scale and went back down twice. At the end of the fourth round, Jonghyun sat back and grinned proudly. “Your voice has gotten much more powerful at the high notes,” Jonghyun complemented with honestly.

            “Really?” Min Neul squeaked, bringing her fists to her cheeks.

            Jonghyun smiled at both her cuteness and her modesty. “You’ve gotten so much better, baby.” He scooted to the left and gestured for Min Neul to sit beside him on the piano bench. She seemed to slide perfectly into him, as he wrapped his arm around her and held her close. “Remember the first time I asked you to sing for me?” he asked, pressing his forehead against hers.

            Min Neul giggled as she gazed into her boyfriend’s deep brown eyes. “I was so scared,” she recalled with a small chuckle.

            “It took a lot of convincing, but you did it,” Jonghyun continued, lovingly her arm with his thumb.

            “I thought you were going to laugh at me,” Min Neul admitted with a bitten lip.

            “I would never!” Jonghyun sweetly assured her. “You weren’t even as bad as you thought.”

            Min Neul shrugged. “Hyerin had always been the singer in the family. I never thought I could be like her.”

            “Well, I’ve heard Hyerin sing before. And trust me, baby.” Jonghyun nuzzled his nose against Min Neul’s ear as he whispered, “I think you’re better.”

            His warm, soft breath tickled Min Neul’s sensitive skin. She let out a giggle and gently pushed on Jonghyun’s chest, as if to push him away. “Stop, that tickles!”

            “What, this?” Jonghyun pressed his nose into against Min Neul’s ear once more. “This tickles?”

            “Stop!” Min Neul laughed, trying to pull herself away. Her resistance did her no favors, because Jonghyun was holding her against him too tightly.

            “I’ll stop when you kiss me,” Jonghyun responded with a playful grin.

            “I’ll kiss you when you stop!” Min Neul returned with a laugh.

            “You have to kiss me first,” Jonghyun insisted. “Or else I’ll bite you.” With that, he leaned forward and pretended to bite into his girlfriend’s neck. She shrieked playfully as she felt his teeth brush against her skin, even though she loved the feeling.

            “Okay, okay, fine!” she exclaimed, turning her head to face him. He pulled away from her neck just in time to catch her whisper, “If a kiss is all you wanted, you should have asked.”

            “Do you promise it’ll be a long one?” Jonghyun asked innocently.

            Min Neul rolled her eyes. “You’re silly, Jonghyun.” She lifted a hand and brought it to her boyfriend’s face, lightly caressing his jaw as they tilted their heads perfectly to finally kiss. Jonghyun didn’t even have to question the length of the kiss, for Min Neul held her lips locked against Jonghyun’s as long as she pleased. He let her tongue slip through his lips as the kiss deepened.

            After a few more moments of bliss, Jonghyun reluctantly pulled away. “We’ve got work to do,” he replied almost sadly, mentally converting from boyfriend mode to teacher mode.

            Min Neul gave another eye roll. “Yes, teacher.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder and straightened her back. “What should I sing today?”

            Min Neul performed an entire repertoire of songs she had learned to sing skillfully thanks to Jonghyun. He made her do a few rounds with little to no accompaniment just to sharpen her pitches even further. Not only that, but it gave him the opportunity to hear his girlfriend's voice pure and raw. There were no words he could use to express the pride and fulfillment he felt watching Min Neul's eyes dance across the wrinkled sheet music clutched in her hands as she sang beautifully for him. Her voice had a certain flexible quality to it that made Jonghyun curious to push its boundaries. He pushed up-tempo songs onto her such as "Crazy" in an attempt to teach her how to properly breath and keep up with the pace of the song. He challenged her wit ballads such as "The Back of my Hand Brushes Against" to teach her the dynamics of soft and powerful. Perhaps hi favorite song to hear her sing, though, was "Angel." Above all, Min Neul's voice was melodic. He loved when she softened her voice and sang slower, for it gave him a chance to watch her naturally express emotion.  She astounded him with how much feeling she conveyed as she sang, for that was often difficult for singers to accurately do. He liked to think she could sing a love song like "Angel" so soulfully because ever time she did, she looked at him with soft eyes and a small smile like she was singing from her heart.

            On the day Jonghyun had introduced "Angel" to her as the next song she would learn to sing, he brought in a guest mentor. Who better to teach Min Neul the fundamentals of ballad singing than Teen Top's own heavenly-voiced Chunji? Chanhee had been more than willing to offer his pearls of wisdoms and golden throat to help train the young, aspiring girl. He too saw a world of potential before Min Neul that she could only immerse herself in with the proper training, just like Jonghyun.

            Min Neul had been shy to sing in front of anyone other than Jonghyun, especially someone of Chanhee's vocal talent. However, he proved to be just as patient with singing as Jonghyun was with dancing. Not only that, but he seemed to be impressed with both Jonghyun's teaching and Min Neul's natural talent. Min Neul often forget that Jonghyun's primary position in Teen Top was to dance, though he did posses the coveted skills of a singer and even a rapper. However, Jonghyun knew he could only offer so much advice to her when it came to the other two aspects of performing, so he didn't hesitate to bring in experts. He wanted Min Neul to be a well-rounded performer. A triple threat, just like he had been deemed when he first auditioned for T.O.P Media. He believed that given him an appealing edge, and he felt obligated to give Min Neul the same. So, Chanhee helped train her in singing and Minsoo and Byunghun gave her pointers about rapping. Though she could hold her own in all three categories, Jonghyun could tell with proud eyes where her strong suit was. He believed wholeheartedly that his girlfriend had been born to be a dancer just as he had been, and that connected them on an even deeper level.

            Just as Min Neul finished out her own impressive rendition of 2NE1's "Ugly," Jonghyun paused the background music playing from his laptop. His skin was still tingling with goosebumps as he crossed his arms and took a good look at Min Neul. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other beneath the scrutiny of his uncomfortably perplexing expression. She couldn't tell if he was pleased or unsatisfied, so she silently begged for him to vocalize his opinion.

            "I'm curious," he stated finally. "You dance flawlessly. You sing beautifully. What if we combine the two?"

            Min Neul bit her lip. "You want me to sing and dance at the same time?"

            "That's exactly what I want you to do," Jonghyun nodded. With a smile, he dove for his laptop to scan through his extensive collection of songs. Eventually he shot Min Neul an excited but sly grin. "'Nu ABO.' Get ready."

            "Jonghyun, I can't do this!" Min Neul gushed in alarm.

            "Yes, you can," he assured her. "I know you can. You know the dance. You know the song. I know you can put the two together. You're going to have to if you want to be an idol; it's about time you practice it." He glanced up at Min Neul from beneath his eyelashes, warning her with his gaze to get in position.

            Min Neul took a deep breath and took the proper stance. Her eyelids slowly closed like they were curtains closing. Behind them, she was transforming. Her mindset was converting into one of a dancer. At the blaring start of the song, the performer within Min Neul had been awakened. The simple practice room became a stage, and Min Neul became the sole performer. Rather than becoming a member of f(x), she became her own stage persona as the sole performer of the song. Min Neul had a remarkable way of making each song she performed her own, which was what made her so thrilling to watch.

            “Remember, only sing the parts you know you can,” Jonghyun reminded, slowly pacing before the female dancer. “If you were an idol, you would only sing the parts assigned to you. Save your breath. Focus on dancing.”

            It was extremely difficult to dance, sing, keep a steady beat, and listen to Jonghyun’s commands at the same time. Min Neul tried her best, though, as she always did. “Nu ABO” had always been her strongest dance, but perhaps not her strongest vocals. Luckily for her, she wasn’t expected to be flawless at singing and dancing simultaneous. Idols that had been around for years still found it hard to do, especially depending on the vigor of the dance and the rigor of the vocals. Rather than worrying if she was perfectly accurate with her dancing and vocals, Min Neul acted as if she was really performing. She displayed impeccable dancing when the choreography was to be highlighted, such as the verses, and took the moves easy and focused on her singing, such as during Luna’s powerful bridge. Jonghyun watched her with arms folded tightly across his chest, giving off the appearance of a tough critic. If his demeanor was supposed to intimidate Min Neul, it hardly did.

            By the time the last refrain rolled around, Min Neul was feeling breathlessly tired. Her heart had been pounding during her entire performance, shortening her breath but filling her veins with an exhilarating rush. When it was all over, her forehead was gleaming with beads of sweat. Jonghyun was, as usual, applauding the private show she had just put on. Panting heavily, Min Neul leaned forward and balanced her hands on her bent knees. “Well?”

            “Well what?” Jonghyun chuckled, snatching a water bottle off the top of the piano and handing it to Min Neul. “Can’t you tell how amazing that was?”

            Min Neul smiled proudly, yet almost in disbelief. “Really?” she asked, uncapping the water bottle to take a long, deserving drink.

            Jonghyun nodded enthusiastically. “Really, Min Neul, that was great! You danced when you danced, and sang when you sang, and did them together almost perfectly! It’s like you’ve been doing this all your life!” He dropped his hands, which he had been talking vivaciously with in an expression his excitement. Suddenly, a smirk spread on his handsome face and he rested his hands authoritatively on his hips. “I think it’s time you seriously start considering auditioning for T.O.P Media.”

            Min Neul’s incredulity widened her eyes and nearly prevented her from swallowing her gulp of water. “Are you serious?” she asked, covering .

            “Min Neul, think about this, you’re amazing with just my guidance. Think of what you would be like if you could train professionally. You have the potential to be the best dancer in all of k-pop,” Jonghyun spoke with a confident smile.

            All while he spoke, Min Neul had frozen with disbelief. She stared up at Jonghyun with wide eyes, seemingly unaware of her abilities. “You can’t be serious…”

           Jonghyun reached for her hands and gently took them. “Look at me, Min Neul. I really think you’re ready to audition. This is what you want, right? Can we look into it? Please?”

           The shocked, almost scared look on the girl’s face slowly began to melt into a poised smile. “Yes,” she admitted with a gasp. “Yes, I’ll audition!”

            Jonghyun hollered in excitement as he scooped his girlfriend up in his arms and spun her around. She laughed jovially, gripping on to his shoulders dearly as she spun around in the air. The couple laughed as Jonghyun set her down on the ledge of the sleek, black piano and leaned towards each other to kiss in celebration.

            Their joyous shouts and laughs had echoed down the hallway, where Changhyun happened to be walking with fatigued steps. He had just been come from the work out room, huffing and puffing from a nightly workout. Unlike the rest of the boys, Changhyun had to be cautious about what he ate and how much physical activity he got. Byunghun and Daniel could shovel in all the food they wanted and not gain a single pound from it. And then there were Minsoo and Jonghyun, who gained muscle just by doing a single push up. Changhyun always cursed his round stomach, for it didn’t help his already youthful appearance. He started spending more time in the workout room of the T.O.P Media building, switching between cardio on the treadmill to muscle building with weights to slimming and t with push-ups and crunches. Not only did he feel better, he thought he was beginning to look better as well.

            Changhyun wiped his forehead of sweat before slinging the hand towel over his shoulder. His ears perked and his heart leapt at the sound of a girl’s laughter coming from one of the practice rooms, which he heard over the sound of his upbeat music. Curiously, he pulled the ear bud out of his ear and listened closer. After hearing her giggle once more, he was positive it was Min Neul. Smiling broadly, he peered into the piano room and caught a glimpse of Min Neul sitting atop the piano, being sweetly kissed by Jonghyun. Changhyun tried not to let the image sting by taking a deep breath, taking in patience. Slowly, he lifted his hand and knocked on the open door, discreetly announcing his presence. “Min Neul? Jonghyun?”

            The kiss between Jonghyun and Min Neul broke apart at the sound of Changhyun’s knocking. Yet when he saw Changhyun, Jonghyun smiled. “Changhyun! What are you doing here?”

            “Andy advised me to start working out a little more to stay fit,” Changhyun admitted, blushing slightly. “Are you practicing? I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I heard celebrating.”

            “You’re not interrupting, Changhyun!” Min Neul exclaimed, pleased to see him so unexpectedly. She threw her hands up in the air and beamed elatedly. “I’m going to audition for T.O.P Media!”

            Changhyun’s face, gleaming with sweat, gleamed with a brilliant smile. “Min Neul, that’s great!” he exclaimed. “I would give you a hug, but I’m pretty sweaty.”

            “It’s okay,” Min Neul giggled as she hopped down from the piano. “I’m so excited! But I’m so nervous. When are auditions?”

            “I’ll find out from Andy tomorrow and let you know. We’ll pick a great song and dance for you to audition with. I’ll coach you and everything,” Jonghyun promised.

            “You should perform for Teen Top. We can give you advice for auditioning,” Changhyun suggested, secretly curious to see Min Neul dance and sing. If Jonghyun believed she was good enough to audition, she must be pretty talented. Changhyun already knew she’d be accepted into T.O.P Media for pretty looks alone; if she had talent, she’d be debuting in a group in no time.

            Min Neul gasped, giggled. “I need to practice more before I do that!” she exclaimed, sounding almost nervous.

            Changhyun waved his hand. “You’d be great, I know it,” he beamed at her, enthralled by the angelic sound of her laughter and her sincere humbleness.

            Suddenly, Min Neul’s phone began to beep wildly. She sprang for it, and gave a little gasp as she silenced the noise. “It’s already eight! I really have to get going!” she scurried to the piano side and began to gather her practice attire in her duffle bag and pull on her coat. Jonghyun and Changhyun watched in silence as she slung her heavy bags over her thing shoulder.

            Jonghyun only stepped forward to give her a quick hug and a soft kiss. “Good work today, babe. I love you.”

            “Thanks. I love you too, Jonghyun,” Min Neul replied genuinely before stepping away from him. “See you tomorrow, Jonghyun! See you later, Changhyun!” she cried optimistically before scurrying out the practice room door alone.

            When Min Neul’s footsteps had disappeared completely down the hall, Jonghyun hummed absentmindedly to himself as he pulled the cover over the piano keys and closed his laptop. Changhyun simply watched him, folding his arms over his chest in annoyance. “You’re just going to let her go?”

            Jonghyun’s eyebrows narrowed in confusion. “Huh?”

            “Min Neul. It’s dark outside. You’re just going to let her walk home alone?”

            Jonghyun shrugged. “She’s seventeen. She knows how to get home alone.”

            “She could get kidnapped, Jonghyun, she’s a teenage girl walking alone in the dark.” Changhyun tried not to let his voice shake with gravity, but looking at Jonghyun’s completely unconcerned expression was infuriating. “You should be walking her home.”

            Jonghyun placed his hands on his hips. “Changhyun, I can’t go walking outside with a girl. Someone could see me, and our relationship could be made public. You should know that; you’re an idol too.”

            Changhyun wasn’t convinced. “Even if I was the richest, most famous man in the world, I wouldn’t let my girlfriend walk home alone. I’d walk with her and make sure she made it home safely. Every time.”

            Jonghyun placed his hands on his hip, squinting his eyes at Changhyun. “No offense, Changhyun, but I’m the one with a girlfriend. I think I know how to treat her,” he informed harshly.

            “Alright, whatever,” Changhyun scoffed. He took a step out of the room and stuffed his ear buds back in his ears. “All I’m saying is, if I had a girl like Min Neul, I’d protect her with my life. And it’s pretty surprising that you don’t.” Before Jonghyun could even spit back a retaliation, Changhyun stormed out of the room. Down the hallway, he pulled out his phone and typed a quick message to Min Neul, telling her to have a safe journey home and to make sure she told him when she got home safely. Slipping his phone back in his pocket, Changhyun shook his head in secrecy at Jonghyun. Their conversation may have been over, but in his mind, he continued to chastise Jonghyun for the way he treated the gem of a girl Min Neul was.

- - -

            Changhyun’s message had light up the phone tucked in Min Neul’s grasp as her arms swung at her side. She was nearing her street when she pulled out the device and saw the message from Changhyun. A bright, endearing smile spread across her face as she typed a message back to him, kindly reporting             that she had in fact made it home safely. Normally, Min Neul would have considered that kind of caution an annoyance, for she was plenty old enough to make it home alone in the dark. However, she found her fingers typing a sweet message of gratitude to Changhyun. She found it strangely sweet that someone cared about her well being the way he did.

            When Min Neul looked up from her phone, her eyes fell upon the façade of her house. There was a paved walkway that lead up to three little steps that lead up to the wooden porch with a little matching railing. Normally, Min Neul headed up the steps and into her house without much thought, but on this particular evening, something stopped her. It looked as if there was a figure sitting nonchalantly on the steps. Min Neul found it hard to believe either of her parents would be sitting on the steps, and it couldn’t possibly be her sister Hyerin. Min Neul’s steps forward became cautious; she hoped she hadn’t spoken too soon about making it home safely.

            “Uh, hello?” Min Neul called hesitantly, slowing her pace to her house.

            The figure looked up, and rose from its seat on the steps. “Min Neul?” a young man’s voice responded.

            His voice sounded strangely familiar to Hyowon’s. Min Neul blinked in confusion. “Hyowon?”

            “Min Neul! It’s me, Hyowon!” As she neared him, his features became much clearer to her in the darkness. Hyowon wore a gray hoodie paired with jeans that were slightly too short for his lengthy frame. “I stopped over to see you and your parents said you would be home soon, so I decided to wait outside for you!”

            Min Neul was almost speechless at how inconvenient Hyowon always managed to be without even knowing it. “Oh,” she blurted, adjusting her heavy bags on her shoulders. “Uh, why are you here?”  

            “I just wanted to make sure you were okay after you ditched me yesterday,” Hyowon replied, sounding more optimistic than any normal person would. It actually annoyed Min Neul that Hyowon didn’t seem to have one bone of anger in his entire body. The only time he rose his voice was to express excitement, which he did far too frequently.

            “Oh, uh, yeah I’m fine. Sorry about that yesterday. Something came up that I just couldn’t get out of,” she lied rather convincingly.

            Hyowon shrugged. “Oh, no worries, I totally understand!” There was his wheezy laughter again.

            Min Neul shifted her weigh uncomfortably from one foot to the other. “Uh, how about we get together tomorrow to do some work?”

            “Really?” asked Hyowon, stepping even closer to her.

            “Yeah, sure,” Min Neul admitted hesitantly, arching her back to step backwards. Her foot landed on an indent in the pavement, which made nearly trip backwards when the weight of her bags swung behind her. Hyowon, however, grabbed her arm to steady her. Under her breath, she cussed him out; she would have preferred to fall flat on her back than have Hyowon catch her.

            “Whoa! Almost fell there, huh?” Hyowon chuckled sincerely. When he wasn’t trying too hard, his gentle laugh was almost sweet. Min Neul had never been that close to him before, and much her surprise, he actually smelled like sweet, enticing cologne.

            Shaking some sense into her head, Min Neul took a confident and quick step away from him, breaking from his grasp. “Uh, thanks Hyowon.”

            “You’re welcome,” he smiled grandly with a nod.

            “Well, I should probably get going inside,” Min Neul blurted, desperate to slip away from him.

            “Oh, yeah. I’ll let you go now.” Hyowon sounded almost regretful as he slipped his hands in his sweatshirt pocket. “Well, see you at school. And after school, come to my house at 5, okay?”

            “Okay,” Min Neul nodded quickly, trying to speed this parting right along. “Good night, Hyowon.”

            “Good night, Min Neul,” he said gently, bowing before he strolled away from her down the pathway. Min Neul didn’t even watch him leave; she sprinted up the pathway and disappeared into her house, desperately wishing she had gotten help from Jonghyun—or anyone—to get out of that uncomfortable situation with Hyowon. Maybe, just maybe if Jonghyun had walked her home like she always wished he would, her smile would have lasted a little longer into the night.

- - - - - -

What do you, my beautiful subscribers, think? Is Jonghyun right? Is Changhyun right? Does Hyowon deserve some sympathy too? Ahhh!!!