A black minivan was traveling along the busy night streets of Seoul. Inside were six beastly men sitting patiently as they head toward a small dinner gathering held for the cast and crew before the official release of Dream High which is in another week. Eventhough the original cast only includes Taecyeon and Wooyoung, the entire 2PM members were invited to join the gathering as well. Without doubt all other T-ARA members will also be invited.

Taecyeon sat at the very back row with Minjun in the middle and Chansung at the other side. He kept on looking out of the window as he waited patiently for Eunjung to pick up his calls. He had been trying to call her for almost a week but to no avail. For some unknown reason she had not been answering his calls and he was too busy to go look for her.

That’s why he had been looking forward for this day. She would definitely come to the gathering today. He could finally meet her.

Minjun kept on looking at Taecyeon who was fussing with his phone since a few days ago. He wasn’t being his normal goofy self, instead he had been loosing focus a lot and he kept going about like a lost puppy.

Practically all of the members know why Taecyeon was being like that.

“Yah, is she still not picking up?” Minjun asked.

Taecyeon turn to face Minjun. “Aniyo.”

“Did you fight with her or anything?” This time it was Wooyoung who posted the question.

“Mollayo. I have no idea if she was angry with me or if she deliberately trying to avoid me.” Taecyeon said solemnly.

“Gokjongmaseyo hyung, surely she have a reason behind this.” Chansung said. “She will be at the gathering right? Approach her and talk to her.”

“Yeah, you have to get your self straight hyung. It annoying when you’re not being yourself.’ Junho said.

Taecyeon smiled at that. “Yah, Junho ya, I thought you hate me being all goofy and cute.”

“I hate this side of you even more.” Junho mumbled and all the members started laughing.

Suddenly, Taecyeon’s phone rang and he answered it once he saw who the caller was.“Ah Eunha noona. You are coming tonight right?...okay I’ll see you there.” He hanged up.

“Taecyeon ah, did you invite Eunha-shi along?” Minjun asked?

“Ne. Since our manager could not attend, I thought why not invite her.”

“That lady gives me the creep.” Wooyoung said.

“Yah, she’s my best friend. And she’s actually a nice person once you get to know her.” Taecyeon said.

The minivan slowly came to a stop in front of an expensive restaurant. Apparently they have booked the entire place for the gathering.

All the members climbed down the van and made their way into the restaurant. The place was definitely crowded. Excusing himself, he breaks away from his bandmates and moves in search of Eunjung. Pulling his phone out he punched in her number and waited for her to answer.

As he whipped his head left and right something caught his attention. A familiar figure standing by a dark corner near the toilet. It was most certainly Eunjung. She plunged her hand into her handbag and withdrew her phone.

Yes. Answer it. Taecyeon thought as he moved in slowly toward her. A smile was formed on his face.

Eunjung looked at the caller ID and cringed inwardly. Why, why, why does he have to torture her like this? There is nothing more she wants than to answer his calls but right now she’s not in her right mind. She had been preparing body and soul to break up with him, but she could not trust herself to finish the task. Heaving an exasperated breath she switched off her phone and tossed it into her handbag. She was not ready to finish this off.

Taecyeon halted midway when he saw her switch off her phone and kept it inside her bag. It's true then that she was deliberately avoiding him. But why? The flash of hurt was swift and hard, like a mule kick in the chest. He wanted to approach her but he was glued to that exact spot.Gathering every ounce of his self-courage he moved closer to her.

“Jung ah!” He called out.

She spun as she heard his familiar voice. In that instand an unmistakable flickr of guilt crossed her face. She stood silently not being able to utter a single word.

“Why haven’t you been answering my calls?” Though he tried to make it sound like he was not hurt, the hollowness in his chest extended to his voice.

“I lost my phone.” She lied through her teeth. Her heart was thumping so wildly.

Liar. Taecyeon’s face hardened. His gaze bore into her as if searching for something. “You’ve seemed preoccupied the past couple of days.” He said. “Is something bothering you?”

“Aniyo.” She dropped her hand which she kept crossed in front of her chest and shook her head, taking a step back. The ramification of the choices she has to make bore on her like a ton of weight heaving her down to an exasperated moment of decision making. It’s either she told him the truth and risk him throwing her away and loose everything that’s important to her, or she could break away from him and live silently eventhough it means she could only love him from far away. For some obvious reason the second choice sounded less painfull.

Eunjung was about to open to say something when out of the corner of her eyes she spotted Eunha standing by a pillar with a wine glass in her hand and a curved into a malevolent smile, watching the both of them.

Eunjung went unnaturally still. Realizing she was staring, she shifted her gaze back to Taecyeon.

“Then why have you tried to avoid me all this time?” Taecyeon asked, cutting to the chase.

It's for the best. She thought. But then why i feel like i'm about to jump of a building? Why my heart suddenly  weight more than it should? “Can you please stop pestering me? Yes I did avoid you. I don’t feel like talking to you so I avoided, what’s the big deal in that?” Her face was stone-hard and her body stiffens as she said those words.

Taecyeon stood there dumfounded. It took a long time for her words to fully register in his mind. His jaw hardened, holding back his fury by a very thin thread. He grabbed her hand and dragged her gently away from the crowd through the back door in search of some privacy.

From afar, Nichkhun caught the angry whiplash on Taecyeon’s face before both Taecyeon and Eunjung disappeared through the back door. He sensed trouble. It’s better if he tell Minjun about this.

“What’s gotten into you lately Jung ah? I don’t understand. As a matter of fact I don’t even know what’s going on with the both of us. Care to explain it to me?” Taecyeon asked in frustration.

“This is what I hate about you. Do I have to justify everything that I do? Don’t I get to do anything without informing you every five minute?” She half shrieked.

Taecyeon breathed out to steady himself. “I’m sorry okay? Can we not fight? I don’t like fighting over something so small.”

“And I don’t like you!” She said, Her face was expressionless as the word stumble out of .

Blood drained from his face and his heart faltered.

The back door opened again and Minjun, Nichkhun, Wooyoung, Junho and Chansung came out. One look at the both of them and Minjun knew they were in deep .

“Yah, what’s going on between you guys?” Minjun asked in his satoori dialect. He hadn’t thought to in, however he had never seen Taecyeon so ashen before. Something was definitely not right.

Taecyeon throw his hands up in desperation. “I have no freaking idea!”

“Taec, calm down.” Minjun took a step closer to the both of them. “Eunjung, you might be going through a rough situati..."

Before Minjun could finish, Eunjung cut in. “This has nothing to do with you. This is between me and Taecyeon, who are you to come in between us?” She was talking at the top of her lungs.

Everyone was immobilized. None dared to say a word. Wooyoung looked frantically between Eunjung and Taecyeon as his hyung’s face started to turn crimson. He could not believe his eyes at the change in Eunjung who never even raised her voice or say anything hurtfull to anyone during their time together as Dream High casts. Guess you can never judge a person too fast.

“What the hell are you saying?” Taecyeon asked uneasily. Minjun stood dumbstruck, so are the other members. “Tell me what I heard was wrong. Tell me this is not really you.”

Say something. Deny it. His heart cried. But she didn’t say a word, not a single word. He took a step toward her, but she jerked away. He searched her face of any sign of yielding but she looked as hard as ice.

“You wanted to know the truth? Fine.” Another lie. “I only wanted to get back at you for playing around with me. You thought I would have forgotten it, but no…I hate the fact that you could fool me so easily with that stupid bet of yours. I wanted you to hurt just like I did. That’s all.”

“Aniyo, you’re lying. You really loved me. Why are you lying to me right now?” Taecyeon asked.

“That’s what I wanted you to believe. Look, I’ve already get what I wanted. Now there is nothing left between us. Let’s make this a clean break up. We are even now right?” Eunjung said. Despite the fact that her features were tranquil, only god knows how much of a tornado was swirling inside of her. She could feel her heart shatter at her feet like a dropped pane of glass. And she had hurted Minjun as well. She hated herself so much right now. But the only thing that consoles her is the fact that soon after this whole conundrum, all of them will forget her. It will be as if nothing had happened between them and she could live in peace with her dignity and her love for this man, sill intact.

"Nothing left between us? How could you still say that after all those nights we spent with each other?" Taecyeon brought his voice down into an angry whisper.

Eunjung laughed halfheartedly. "They meant something to you? I thought it was only us trying to exploite benefits out of each other."

“Neo micheoseo? Do you even realise that half the things you are saying right now doesn't even make sense. Jung ah please, we’re not breaking up.” Taecyeon said this time he sounded resolute. He turned toward his bandmates. “Tell her…” But all of them remained silent.

“I’ve told you everything that matters. My feelings for you were true in the beginning but later it just festered into an open wound that I only wanted to heal, nothing more and nothing less.”

Taecyeon could not believe this. It changed everything he had trusted in. Is it really true that Eunjung had used him, manipulated him in the worst way and made him love her? No she’s not that type of woman. If there is anything he was sure of, it's the fact that she had very much loved him. Could there be something else that she is hiding from him?

She turned to leave but he gripped her arm, not letting her go even when she tried to wrench herself free. “Jung ah don’t do this.”

“Let me go.” She wailed. She was already so close to breaking apart. Not in front of him. Just not in front of him.

“I won’t until you tell me what’s causing you to behave like…”

Paaangg!

Eunjung’s hand flew and landed squarely on Taecyeon’s jaw. She slapped him. In front of his groupmates. She quickly pulled her hand away. She knew she had gone too far. Way too far.

Taecyeon released her hand in a moment of flabbergastness. He stared at her in disbelieve.

Chansung's temper snapped as he could not take it any longer. He moved in closer toward his hyung and stood in front of him in a protective manner. “That’s enough.”

Junho came forward too. “You better get the hell out of here.” Nickhun stepped in closer, but Minjun and Wooyoung stood their ground.

Eunjung felt as if she could die right then. She had hurt him more than she intended to. Her chest was heaving up and down as if there was no enough air in there. Dropping her head she walked away from that place leaving behind those six beastly men, all hurt and wounded. Instead of going through the restaurant, she moved around the building to the front and took a cab.

*****

Eunjung stood in front of an apartment door. She knocked a few time and stood motionlessly waiting for someone to open the door. There was a loud crack when the door swung open and Park Gyuri stepped out. The moment she looked at Eunjung her heart fluttered in happiness. She hadn’t seen her best friend in ages.

“Jungie!” she moved in close to hug Eunjung but halted mid way as she saw the tears that fell mercilessly from her best friend’s eyes. “Yah, noe waeguerae?” She asked concerned.

Eunjung dropped on her knees and started wailing. “He’s gone! What have I done?...” She cried harder. “…I killed him. I made him stand in front of me and I killed him with my words…aaahhh….I’m a monster Gyuri ah…I don’t deserve to live…!” She grabbed her chest with her petite fist and cried her heart out.

Gyuri kneeled beside her and hugged her tightly. “It’s okay…it’s okay…I’m here for you. Let it all out sweetheart.”

“I killed him…help me…what am I to do now…Gyuri ah…help me!” Eunjung kept on weeping

“It's okay...Come I’ll make you something to eat and get you showered, then you can tell me what happened okay?” Slowly she carried Eunjung until both of them was standing and brought her into her house.