Seunghyun looked at his watch just as the car turned into YGE. It was 9p.m. and he was tired from his shoot earlier today. But he still had one important meeting before he could rest. He made a detour to the recording studio first and sure enough, he found Jiyong and Seungri there. He greeted the members casually and saw that there was a new song written with Hyomin's lyrics again.

"She's been working hard," Jiyong said softly so that Seungri wouldn't be able to hear. "She stayed with me in the studio last night so we could complete this. She's hardly rested since she started here." 

Seunghyun didn't say anything but lay the music sheet on the table again. It was almost time for them to meet to discuss their comeback and they left the room. The lift came and they were surprised to see Youngbae and Hyomin in the lift. They were both solemn but Hyomin's eyes were red and she was sniffling. Youngbae greeted s with smiles and so did Hyomin. No one said anything at first. 

They reached Hyomin's floor first. Before she left, Youngbae smiled sadly and said,"Don't think too much and rest early today." Hyomin smiled and waved goodbye as the lift doors closed between them. Everyone was looking to him for an explanation. Especially Seunghyun - he had felt his heart sink when he saw Hyomin's tear-streaked face and it pained him even more to know that he couldn't just reach over and comfort her. 

"She found out today that her ex-boyfriend's new girl is a trainee here and Hyomin saw their photo in the girl's phone. Talk about drama!" Youngbae said, "and it didn't help that some trainees were saying Hyomin is too old to train to be an idol. She got so pissed off but she was even more pissed off knowing that she was attending training without a specific purpose... She never intended to be an idol anyway."

Seunghyun had never expected that Hyomin might like someone. As painful as it had been to see her teary face, Seunghyun could now confirm that Hyomin had no boyfriend currently. "She shouldn't take it too hard. When our album is released and people find out she contributed to it, that guy will know he missed a great girl." Jiyong said as they reached their floor. "And as for the trainee-ship, Hyomin already said she's just doing it for fun. But there must be something else..."

The meeting had taken sometime but it was finally over and the guys were discussing what to do next. Seunghyun was tired so he told the guys to go ahead with supper. While driving home, he found his mind wandering to Hyomin's sad face again and within minutes, found himself rolling quietly to a stop at Hyomin's apartment building. He looked up and saw that her light was still on. 

Ring Ring... Ring Ring... "Yeoboseyo?" 

"I'm in the area, you want to meet for a while? I'm hungry..." Seunghyun said casually, even though his heart was threatening to leap straight out of his chest. He could hear Hyomin laugh softly and he imagined her eyes wrinkling up into smiley slits. "Oppa! Are you trying to fatten me up?" Hyomin whined, "I'm already in my PJs and I really don't want to wander out into the cold again... Sorry!" 

Seunghyun chuckled - it was the first time he had been rejected by a girl for a meal; well, ever since his debut anyway. Hyomin had grown to be a real friend to the group because of their work and he was happy to see her mingling naturally with them. "Really?? But I'm right here at your building already!" he said as he peered up at her window. He could hear a flurry of activity and sure enough, Hyomin was at her window looking down at his car. He winded down the window and stuck his hand out to wave. "Aigoo, Oppa! If you don't mind kimchi fried rice, come on up!" 

When Seunghyun reached Hyomin's apartment, he was happy to see that she had left the door unlocked for him. He savoured the warmth of her place and even as he shrugged off his coat, he could already smell the delicious smell of the fried rice coming from the kitchen. "Oppa! How did you know I wasn't asleep yet! Aish..." He smiled as he went to the fridge and pulled out a can of beer for himself. Hyomin was glaring at him and Seunghyun took another can for her. "Aren't you getting a little too familiar with my place?" 

Seunghyun laughed as he sat down at the table. "Your apartment has become Big Bang's brainstorming headquarters!" It was true that they had been hanging out at her apartment a lot recently - writing songs until late at night, dropping by after dinner at the quiet eatery where no one would disturb them, hanging out with Gina and Anri - the only two other girls in the world who had not bat an eyelid at the idols. It was a warm, comforting place where they could feel like regular young people.

"Eat up!" Hyomin said as she opened her own can of beer. As he ate, Seunghyun casually spoke about his day and entertained Hyomin with his little anecdotes. She laughed until her sides ached when Seunghyun deftly turned the conversation to her. "Why were you crying just now?" Hyomin hesitated but soon found herself telling Seunghyun everything. Her calm gave way to hurt and then to anger. "Seriously, what does she have that I don't?!" 

"You know, someone out there is probably thinking the same as you... 'what does that guy have that I don't?' and he's probably hurting to see you crying." Hyomin was stunned by Seunghyun's words and her emotions evaporated for a moment. Seunghyun was staring at her and cleared his throat when he felt that the awkward silence might choke them. "Isn't there any guy in your school who might seem interested?"

Hyomin laughed and that awkward moment was gone. "Oppa! You're really kind but nope! There's no one dying to profess his love to me just yet. But thank you, I feel better already." He smiled as he polished off the last grains of the rice. "And your training?"

Hyomin grew quiet again, as though she was wondering how best to tell him. "I don't think I want to train anymore. I'm not intending to be an idol anyway, I just go for fun. But I think, I might be wasting another trainee's slot by doing that... My love still lies in stage productions and writing... I don't even need to act, I might actually do better off-stage - doing designs and all that. I did that a few times you know! And the satisfaction is far greater than being in the spotlight... Because, whether the actor can shine, depends on the people who put the stage together!" Seunghyun was humbled by what she had just shared and reflected over her words. It was true that Big Bang will not be able to shine without all the crew and staff who busied themselves backstage.

"University was meant to be a time for me to discover what I want to do... Maybe that's why the trainees don't like me. I'm just aimlessly living day to day even though I'm older. But they have already found their goal and I'm one more competitor... Imagine the horror if I surpass them one day?!" This reminded Seunghyun of the time when they had first formed Big Bang. Jiyong and Youngbae had already been trainees for years at that time and they must not have felt oo good to know they would have to debut with the rest of them who had just started training months before. 

Seunghyun stared at the girl he liked and he smiled to see her thinking so seriously. Her brows furrowed and her glasses were slipping down her nose. "Oppa, I think fate needs to give me a better sign... What should I do?"

"That XX is not supposed to be a loud and fast song!" Hyomin argued as Seunghyun let himself into the studio. He could hear the demo playing and it seemed like there was a difference in views between Jiyong and her. "You didn't say how to arrange it so I just did what I thought fit the lyrics! You're writing about a 'bastard' here, isn't it supposed to be an angry song?!" 

Seunghyun raised a brow at Youngbae and Daesung who were trying to calm the both of them down. Hyomin was upset that her song got misrepresented while Jiyong was annoyed that she was dissatisfied with his arrangement. Both were headstrong people. It was a recipe for disaster. "Cool down, both of you," Seunghyun said, standing between the two. He did a quick scan of the music sheet and turned to Hyomin, "Seriously? With this lyrics?" Hyomin rolled her eyes and whined, "Yes, I did write 'bastard' in it but you have to listen to how I intended for the song to be! It's supposed to be reflective and sorrowful!" 

Jiyong was about to protest when Seunghyun held his hand up. "Let's see what Hyomin can do - if it , we'll just arrange it the way we deem fit, ok?" Seunghyun said. Hyomin picked up the guitar that was nearby and started strumming and singing. As she sang, Jiyong's frustrated expression relaxed and Seunghyun saw how he was giving in to the beautiful song. Her simple, sincere voice conveyed the pity and regret while her lyrics were straightforward with the story. Hyomin too realized that the guys were enjoying her version and she smiled. She lifted her eyes to meet Jiyong's as she neared the rap part. Jiyong held up a sheet of paper and right on cue, he came in with his rap. When he finished, Hyomin's eyes were glistening with excitement but still, she sang. Jiyong was smiling by now and singing together with her. When they ended the song, Daesung was the first to clap and cheer.

Seunghyun was touched by the song but had noticed very quickly that Hyomin had been singing about her ex-boyfriend (although from a guy's perspective). He had a new respect for her - for taking that first step into actually writing a full song, and standing up to Jiyong who was notoriously picky about the songs he produced. In just two months since she had signed with YG, she was growing as a lyricist, and now, possibly as a songwriter. 

"That was a good one," sajangnim's voice shocked everyone in the room. "Hyomin ya, I heard you put togehter theatre productions in school before. I'm giving you a project now - be the project coordinator for Big Bang's comeback stage. Show me your proposed plans next week. I'll tell the department to expect you and to make sure you have all the resoures you need. See me later at 3p.m."

Hyomin's face was white with fright and she turned to see uncertainty all over the guys' faces. "Did we do something wrong? Why is he entrusting our stage to her?" Seungri complained. Everyone else was quiet and avoided Hyomin's eyes - all except for one. "Hyomin, don't worry. I believe in you so just do it," a warm and deep voice piped up beside her. "We will do whatever we need to on that stage, so just do it and remember that I believe in you." Hyomin smiled and finally saw that the other members were nodding in agreement too. 

Seunghyun's words gave Hyomin the confidence that she never knew she could muster. She shamelessly introduced herself to anybody and everybody who might be able to teach her and guide her to put the comeback stage together. She worked late till at night at YG and left the building only long enough to attend school and get fresh clothes from home. As this was all new to her, she ended up busier than the idols themselves and relied on Daesung and Jiyong to feed her. They would take turns to remind her to rest, buy her food and even send her to school. Due to Seunghyun's filming schedule, he wasn't able to see Hyomin much but he found himself heading to YG after a gruellng day of filming, just to see her for a few minutes before sending her home to rest. 

"Oppa, the presentation is tomorrow..." Hyomin said sleepily. "Thank you for taking care of me all this time... i feel bad that all of you had to take care of me. I must have done something right in my previous life." Seunghyun chuckled at her sudden corniness. "We want to make sure you're still alive to write songs for us. Dont' even think for a second that all this is pure goodwill!" 

"If I fail at this and have to leave YG, I guess I will just have to get married and have kids," Hyomin sighed. "That's not too bad too..." Seunghyun glanced at her. "Aren't you too young to give up on life and think that you should just get married?" Hyomin smiled and looked at Seunghyun, "Oppa, do you know why I decided that maybe I shouldn't be a stage actress afterall? Because I want to get married and have kids one day... Not immediately but soon." Seunghyun was surprised to hear that but was solemn again after Hyomin's next words.

"I'm not like you all. I grew up without a family... that's why I want to form my own family soon. I missed out on that for so many years, I don't want to wait too long to experience it properly," Hyomin said as a tear rolled down her cheek. "It's been 15 years since I lost them and today, I just couldn't bring myself to see them. Because I realized that I've not done much with the life they gave me yet, and I don't know how to face them. I just realized that I've been coasting all this while and I need to buck up." 

Seunghyun had stopped the car by the side of the road and turned to look at her. Hyomin was frantically apologizing and trying to dry her tears. He reached over and pulled Hyomin into a tight hug. He was glad when she didn't reject him but to hug him back and sob into his chest. Seunghyun could feel the softness of her hair and kissed her forehead gently. "You have a lot to be proud of. The songs you wrote, the lyrics you wrote and the stage you're preparing for us... You are contributing to our career - that's five lives you've touched on already. And I am thankful that your parents gave us you." 

Hyomin stared at Seunghyun through her tears and blinked, trying to make sense of what was happening. Her heart was beating very fast and she felt like she couldn't breathe. "Oppa?" Seunghyun reached over again, this time Hyomin was startled a little but he was only trying to put her seatbelt on. They drove in silence and when they reached Hyomin's building, Hyomin thanked him quickly and got out of the car. Seunghyun was about to drive off when he changed his mind and chased after Hyomin. 

"I won't do anything else today because I don't want to take advantage of your vunerability. But... But I care for you. And I don't like to see you sad... So... What I'm saying is... I want to see you smiling all the time... I'll do whatever you want me to, so just be happy... And..." Hyomin was blinking and surprised by Seunghyun's nervous spiel. "We'll go together to tell your parents that the stage you created for us was a success. Understand?" 

Hyomin nodded silently and Seunghyun smiled as he saw her into the lift. When the doors closed, Seunghyun skipped happily back to his car while Hyomin started hopping up and down, blushing.