“Cha, let us start now. I’ll do the count off. Hana, dul, ses, sijakhaeyo!” The staff member snapped the clapboard down signaling the start of the filming for the interview. Every single Infinite member was close to passing out due to stress and lack of sleep, but nobody was more sleep deprived than the leader Sunggyu. Yet all seven idols slapped on their smiles and adapted their cheerful attitudes once the cameras started rolling.

“Good morning everyone, I am Choi Jaehee, and today we have with us Infinite, famed for their scorpion dance, and known for their highly synchronized dance movements!” The interviewer yelled her greeting obnoxiously to the silent cameras in a high falsetto.

“Annyeonghaseyo, uriga Infinite imnida!” The seven members chorused in unison, smiling at the rolling tapes with glassy eyes. Dongwoo wished there had been time to eat breakfast; there was a slight throbbing starting behind his left eye and his stomach didn’t feel too hot.

Then the leader took over. “Yes, we are currently working to bring a more mature image to our music and explore new styles of music. We hope to show a new and cooler side to our beloved fans in the year 2013. We will continue to work harder.” Sunggyu tried to put as much life as he could into it, but there was a slow drowsiness settling behind his eyes, and he couldn’t shake it off.

“When we all think of Infinite, we think of dancing. Could the members show us some of your dance moves?” The interviewer continued in her fake voice and tried to open her eyes as wide as they could go. Hoya felt a wave of dread wash over him as he stood up to give her what she wanted. This was not going to be a fun morning.

“Yes, I will show everyone the Scorpion dance.” Hoya went through the motions as he had done millions of other times for almost every other show. He sat back down to the other member’s applause.

The interviewer hungrily looked at her script, eager to wring out Infinite as much as she could. Or that’s what is looked like to Sungjong. He didn’t like her; her smile was sickeningly sweet but didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Wah, Infinite is really cool. Your fans have some questions for you…”

The interview went on in a boring fashion, and it was obvious that Infinite was not into it, so the managers called a short break for the boys. Jungryoul, Geonam, Hyoan, and Youngjun had been with the boys since debut, and almost all of them could be looked at as a second father for the seven Infinite members. Of them all, Sunggyu was closest to Jungryoul, and they shared a special bond. Geonam and Hyoan were lax most of the time but kept the boys in line when they had to. All three managers were slightly wary of Youngjun manager, since he seemed to be like a right hand man to the CEO, and had eagle like perception. Fortunately, Youngjun didn’t travel with the boys like the other three managers, and only rarely stayed with them in the dorms.

Jungryoul pulled Sunggyu aside quietly. “Yah, I know you are really tired, but just put a little more effort in. Araso? Hyung will take care of the rest so that you can sleep on the way to our next schedule. Please just do this for me. The main producer of this interview show will be coming soon to watch the ending. Don’t give him a reason to yell at you. Jebal, Sunggyu.” The manager begged Sunggyu.

Sunggyu guiltily nodded, even though he felt irritated as well. “Mianhae hyung.” The other members had clustered around him and the manager.

“It’s not just him, hyung. It’s all of us. We’ll work harder.” Sungyeol pitched in, with Woohyun nodding furiously in agreement.

The staff called for the members to come back to finish up the interview. Just then, the main PD walked into the filming set. He was a large, unsmiling, bald man, emitting a sense of no-nonsense.

“Hurry up! We have to do three more interviews this evening.” He bellowed at the staff whom scattered in several different directions, fearful of the PD’s harsh words.

After Infinite greeted the unmoved man with 90 degree bows, the interviewer and Infinite resumed their previous positions and started to wrap up the interview. “Infinite, if there was one member that you would kick out of the band, who would it be and why?” The PD looked up with a distant, cold interest at the boys. He had picked this question personally.

There was a slight, uncomfortable pause between the boys. They looked at their managers uncertainly. Jungryoul and Hyoan were walking furiously to the main PD, while Geonam seemed to be in shock that such a question would be included in an interview. Whatever the managers were doing, it wasn’t working. The main PD simply pulled out his phone and pulled up a contact. The only contact that could kick the managers’ butts. The CEO.

Sunggyu and Woohyun exchanged glances. They had to find a way to get out of this situation. Fast. “We are like brothers, like an inseparable family.” Sunggyu firmly said to the interviewer.

“Without even one of us, we wouldn’t have the right to call ourselves Infinite.” Woohyun stated, staring down the interviewer lady with the gross smile.

“We are each the reason that all of us have risen to fame.” Sungyeol said, while Sungjong smiled and nodded at the truth of the statement.

“But there must have been some moment where you felt as though one member wasn’t good enough.” The interviewer pushed as she received a signal from the PD to continue. “Perhaps you were jealous that one of the handsome members was getting a free ride even though he lacked talent.”

Hoya and Dongwoo almost immediately refuted the absurd statement, understanding where she was trying to go. “Myungsoo is an extremely talented friend, and he puts in the most effort wherever he can.”  Dongwoo told the woman, a slight hint of annoyance in his voice. Hoya put his arm around L defensively.

“All seven of us are bonded together. Kicking one person out is like cutting off a vital body organ.” Woohyun delivered yet another cheesy line, but leader Sunggyu backed him up.

“Choi Jaehee ssi, let us move on. We’ve told the truth.” Sunggyu told her quietly, aware of the cameras and PD staring blankly back at him. Thank goodness this isn’t live, he thought.

Oddly, the interviewer didn’t say anything. There was an icy silence, and then the main PD cleared his throat. “Sunggyu-ah. You seem to be just the arrogant self-conceited leader you paint yourself to be. Why are you evading the question?” The large man’s dark black eyes fixed themselves on Sunggyu. “Answer the damn question, you bastard.” He growled out.

Sensing that there was something weird going on, the members looked to their managers, and the managers looked back helplessly. “Well…” Hoya started. “One friend is especially weird on shows and interviews…and sometimes he gets very loud and obnoxious.” Hoya promised to himself that he would apologize later. Infinite just had to get out of this bad situation right now.

Dongwoo’s head suddenly started pounding again. He squinted his eyes to bear the pain.

L and Sungjong slowly nodded to Hoya’s statement, understanding what he was doing.

Woohyun thoughtfully said, “Yes, this friend usually is a little too optimistic and can’t tell when the mood is not right. We’ve gotten into some sticky situations because of him…”

Dongwoo’s headache began to get worse. Yet each word the members were saying seemed to ring as loud and clear as a bell in his head.

Sunggyu looked up at the interviewer, cutting to the chase. “We would probably kick out Dongwoo from Infinite if we had to.” He glared with his tiny eyes at the greedy woman and the PD smirking behind her. Happy? Are you satisfied?

Dongwoo tried to keep himself together, but he was falling apart. He couldn’t tell whether his head or heart hurt worse, though.