“Hyuna, what are you doing?” I said, nearly tripping over my feet as I was dragged behind her.  I could hear cheering and loud music as we approached the crowd ahead.  As we came closer, I noticed a stage and a banner hanging above.  ‘Korean Superstar Look-A-Like Contest.  First prize:  $100.’  I couldn’t believe a contest was going on and at such a random time of the night.

I was about to turn around and leave when Hyuna grabbed my arm.  “Amber, let’s do it.  It’ll be fun!  No one would ever suspect who we really are and look, there’s a cash prize; we could use the money to get home.  C’mon~,” Hyuna begged in a slightly whiny, yet very cute voice.  “Pleeeeeeease?” she said as she took my hand.  

I could never say no to those puppy dog eyes.  “Fine,” I said in defeat.  “But don’t come crying to me if you don’t win.”  I really didn’t want to do it; there was a part of me that feared someone would recognize us and all hell would break loose.  The last thing I wanted was to put Hyuna in danger.  

My stomach was in knots as we made our way to the stage.  Hyuna waved her hands in the air, pointing to the both of us as she tried to get the MC’s attention.  “Wait, what is this?  It seems we have two last minute entrants!” the announcer said as he helped Hyuna up on stage.  As expected, I was completely ignored.  I quickly ran up the side stairs and took my place next to Hyuna.  “Please introduce yourself and who you will be impersonating,” the MC said.

Hyuna instinctively pulled the MC’s mic toward her and spoke in a very enthusiastic voice.  “My name is Kim Hyuna and I will be performing as myself.  Nice to meet you all~,” she said, tilting her head while giving a peace sign and flashing one of her killer smiles to the audience.  This sent everyone into cuteness overload; fanboys screamed and fangirls shouted Hyuna’s name.  

“Well, I must say, you really do look a lot like 4minute’s Kim Hyuna.  You’re not really her pretending to be her, are you?” the announcer said as he looked suspiciously at Hyuna.  

“Of course I’m not really her.  Would the real Hyuna be here when 4minute just won their first mutizen not too long ago?” she said very convincingly.  I must admit, she did have a point.  I held my breath as I waited for the announcer’s response.

“I guess you’re right.  The real Kim Hyuna is probably out celebrating with the rest of 4minute.  Now that the introductions are over, why don’t we get started, shall we?”  Feeling invisible, I cleared my throat and stepped out in front of Hyuna.  “Oh right, we have one more contestant.  Why don’t you quickly introduce yourself?” he said, slightly annoyed.

Rather than having the announcer hold the mic, I grabbed it from him and decided to open with a beatbox freestyle.  The crowd seemed to like it and even cheered a little when I was done.  “Hey wassup everyone, my name is Amber Liu and I will uhhh be performing as f(x)’s Amber Liu.  Nice meeting all of you,” I said nervously.  To my surprise, some fangirls screamed my name; I even got a few screams from the fanboys too.  That actually scared me a little, but I was too caught up in the fact that people actually knew who I was or was pretending to be.

“Now that the introductions are over, why don’t we get started?  The other contestants have already performed.  That just leaves the two of you before we announce the winner.  Hyuna, please tell us what you will be performing for us tonight,” the announcer said.

“Ummmm…I…uhhhh…” Hyuna said with a slightly worried look on her face.  I could tell Hyuna didn’t think this through.  While she tried to figure out her talent, I suddenly realized I had no idea what I was going to do either.  I couldn’t beatbox again; that would just get me a lot of boos.  I decided that my only option was to rap.  After all I was the rapper of f(x).  

“I guess, well, since Hyuna is known for being very y on stage, I will perform a special y dance for you tonight.  And to make it extra special, I’ll need someone to come up on stage to help me.  Any volunteers?” she asked inquisitively.

All I could see was a sea of hands waving in the air.  I heard a lot of “pick me” and “I’m y” from the crowd.  As I stood there, tired, annoyed, and slightly jealous, I didn’t notice my clenched teeth and balled up fists.  At that moment, I realized how much I really liked her.  I looked down at my feet, waiting for Hyuna to pick someone.

“Wow, what a response,” Hyuna said in surprise.  “Let me see….I choose you.”  As I looked up, I saw Hyuna pointing in my direction.  I instinctively turned around to see if anyone was standing behind me.  I couldn’t believe it; she chose me and I wasn’t even raising my hand!  “Amber, if you would,” she said as she motioned to a chair an eager stage hand had brought over earlier.

“I uh, uh, uh, okay,” I said, feeling slightly giddy and nervous at the same time.  My legs grew weak and nearly gave out under me as I made my way to Hyuna.  ‘What was she planning to do?  And in front of all these people?’  As I sat there, a million thoughts running through my head, a song started to play.  Bin’s “2 AM.”  ‘I’m so dead.’

With the bass blaring and the crowd going crazy, everything seemed so surreal.  At first, Hyuna danced for the crowd, avoiding me almost entirely.  Their screams were so loud I could barely hear the music which was practically shaking the stage.  As I watched Hyuna dance from my special seat, I began to relax as the song reached its halfway point.  Semi-delusional, I thought to myself, ‘If Hyuna continues to avoid me, I think I can get through this performance in one piece.’  As if she heard what I was thinking, a possibly telepathic Hyuna turned to face me.  ‘Oh shat.’

As if in super slow motion, she walked over to me, her eyes locked onto mine.  The now deafening crowd was suddenly silenced by my beating heart.  I gripped the sides of the chair as Hyuna took a detour and made her way behind me.  For a minute, I had no idea what she was doing.  Judging by the hysterical reaction from the audience, I figured it was something that defied y.  I tried to turn my head, but Hyuna placed her hands over my ears, preventing me from looking back.  The slight touch of Hyuna’s warm hands melted me to the core.  Without warning, I felt Hyuna’s breath on my cheek.  Her lips barely grazing the side of my face, she whispered, “You ready?”  

My eyes went wide as Hyuna made her way around.  Standing there, she gave me a quick wink and a smirk before turning to face the audience.  She moved her hips to the beat of the music.  With her head turned to the side, she would glance back at me from time to time and I swear she even her lips once.  That was hot.  Slowly bending down, she slid both hands up the side of her leg, giving me a full view from behind.  Despite the freezing temperatures of Seoul, I was quickly burning up inside.  

Still facing the crowd, she slowly moved toward me, like a delivery truck reversing into a driveway.  I suddenly sat upright just as Hyuna eased herself onto the exposed part of the chair, narrowly missing my lap.  What happened in the next few moments I can only describe as pure heaven.  I thoroughly enjoyed the attention I received from Hyuna.  That is, until I remembered we weren’t alone.  I quickly wiped the dopey grin from my face and pretended like what she was doing had no affect on me whatsoever.  

Hyuna immediately saw through my tough act and decided to go in for the kill.  She placed her hands on my ankles and worked her way up my legs, arms, and shoulders before holding my face in her hands.  She slowly leaned in.  My eyes went wide at the thought of Hyuna kissing me on stage.  Without realizing what I was doing, I raised my hands, wanting to pull her close.  To my surprise, she suddenly pulled away with a slightly evil look on her face.  She shook her head while waving a finger at me as if to say I could look, but not touch.  'What a tease.'

A few body rolls, booty shakes, hip s, and chest pops later, the song ended and so did her performance.  She smiled and helped me to my feet.  “Thanks for the help, Amber.  You were a great sport,” she said with a laugh.  

“Anything I could do to help,” I said, still dazed from her performance.  

Hyuna thanked the cheering fans with hearts and peace signs.  “Wow.  What a performance!  Nothing less than expected from 4minute’s Kim Hyuna.  I think we may have a winner,” the announcer said, once again forgetting that I was there.  “Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.  We still have one more contestant.  Amber, what will you be performing for us tonight?” the announcer asked while still looking at Hyuna.

“I ummm, I guess I will rap something for you.  How about some ‘La Cha Ta?’” I asked.  Aside from a few barely audible boos, the audience remained silent.  Just then, I heard someone shout, “Rap something from Epik High!”  This led another audience member to shout out, “Yeah!  Rap ‘Soul!’”  

“To make this interesting, why don’t we have Amber perform a song chosen by the audience,” the announcer said.  “Well, what will it be everyone?”  I wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face at that moment; he was making things worse.  I stood there on stage, sweating uncontrollably as the audience screamed Epik High songs left and right.  “Wait, I think we have a song.  Is it going to be ‘Love, Love Love?’”  The audience went crazy and I wanted to cry.  I basically had two options:  sing the song or die trying.

“This song has three different parts.  Are you familiar with it at all?” He had a slight smile on his face, secretly hoping I didn’t know the song.  I knew he wanted Hyuna to win and to be honest, so did I.

“I think I’ll be okay.  I will have to sing and rap the entire song, but I’m pretty sure I can do it,” I said, trying to sound as confident as possible.  

“Well, if you’re ready, let’s get started.  DJ, play that funky music!” he said with no further hesitation.  

The song came on and I had only a few seconds before Yoongjin’s part.  I gripped the mic tightly as I began to sing.  

Midnight, drunk with a tired voice.
2:00 AM, a cold hang up over the phone.

The crowd seemed to be in shock; mouths were hanging open and some had stopped blinking.  I couldn’t figure out if that was good or bad.  There was no turning back so I kept singing.  

No one knows my heart.
I can't stop love love love.
Even though it hurts, I keep repeating.
I can't stop love love love.              

Have you ever loved?
Like in the movies where they fall in love at first sight,
Stayed up all night on the phone,
Bragged to the world,
Waited in the pouring rain,
Ran like crazy towards them,
Secretly watched them,
Gone crazy,
Pretended not to see them.

Of course you have loved.
Gone broke because of anniversaries,
Apologized even if you didn't do anything wrong,
Stayed up all night writing love letters,
Moved a date with your family,
Prayed to God for their health,
Avoided friends,
Watched their backs as they left.

(Can't stop love)
I loved you like crazy,
Why?
I was really good to you,
Why?
I gave my all.
You've got me going crazy

(Can't stop love)
I loved you to death,
Why?
I gave you my heart and body,
I've lost everything,
What do I do?

I wasn’t even halfway through the song and I was already out of breath.  I thought about stopping as I reached the chorus for the second time.  Just then, I heard a familiar voice over my own.  I turned to see Hyuna.  Like an angel sent from above, she walked toward me with a mic in hand.  She started to sing the chorus and I nearly dropped my mic.  She smiled at me before turning to the audience.  

Everyone went crazy.  I could barely hear the music as the fans shouted and screamed louder than ever.  She was totally saving my and she knew it.  She held out her hand and we finished the song together.    Hand-in-hand we took a bow and walked off stage while the crowd chanted our names, cheering for an encore.

Still in shock, I turned to face Hyuna. Instead of verbally thanking her like I thought I would, I lunged at her like a lion pouncing on its prey.  Adrenaline still coursing through my body, I latched onto her and gave her a big bear hug.  “Omg, Amber!” Hyuna said in surprise.    

I instantly pulled back and looked down at my shoes, my face flushed with embarrassment.  Not wanting to look at her directly, I spoke to the ground.  “Oh, sorry about that, Hyuna.  I ummm, don’t know what came over me.  I guess I was happy you helped me out like that.”  I kept on rambling, hoping Hyuna would forget about the awkward hug I had just given her.

“It’s okay, Amber,” Hyuna said with a smile.  “It looked like you were going to thank me and then you hugged me instead.  It was nice, but I think you should save the hugs until after one of us wins.”  

“Oh, right,” I said.  “If you win, be prepared for a barrage of hugs.  AhahahaHAHAHA.”  Not knowing what I said or why I said it, I tried to fill the silence with nervous laughter before the MC came back on stage with the results.

“The judges have deliberated and it seems we have a tie.  In the event of a tie, the winner or should I say winners will split the prize money, 50/50.  Without further delay, I will now announce the winning contestants.  And they are….Kim Hyuna and Amber Liu!  Congratulations, you two are tonight’s winners!”  

I couldn’t believe both of us won.  Before I could process what just happened, I felt arms around my neck.  Without thinking, I wrapped both arms around the mysterious person, who was now screaming into my ear.  It didn’t take long for me to realize that the person I was hugging was Hyuna.  I began to join in on the screaming, but for a completely different reason.

After receiving our prize money, we left the stage.  Finally saying goodbye to the last group of fans, I turned to see an exhausted Hyuna sitting on a bench nearby.  With her head resting on her hands, she looked so angelic and peaceful.  Being able to spend so much alone time with Hyuna made me wish the night would never end.  I slowly made my way toward her.  “Is this seat taken?” I asked, jokingly.  

Hyuna turned and said with a smile, “Well, actually it is.  I was saving it for someone special, but I guess you can sit there for now.”  She sounded so convincing, I wasn’t sure she was joking until she started to giggle.

“I think I’m pretty darn special.  After all, I did tie for first at a look-a-like contest,” I said as I brushed off imaginary dirt from shoulder.

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that, superstar,” Hyuna said with a laugh.  “I helped you with that song, so you owe me one.”

“Okay, okay.  But I also helped you, remember?  I had to sit in that chair for three long and grueling minutes.  One of the hardest things I had to do in my life.”  I said, trying to hold back laughter.

“We’ll call it even after I use your half of the money to get home.  Speaking of which, I called a cab earlier.  They said it would be about a fifteen minute wait.  Wanna do anything until then?”        

I could think of about ten million things I wanted to do with Hyuna; fifteen minutes just wasn’t enough.  As we both sat there in silence, I decided it was a good time to tell Hyuna how I felt about her.  Out in the parking lot, at the convenience store, performing on stage, there was no doubt that she was the one I wanted to be with.  “Hyuna, I..” I said, stalling for time to find the courage to go on.  Before I could say another word, I felt something heavy hit my arm.  I turned to see Hyuna resting against my shoulder, fast asleep.  I couldn’t believe it.  I missed my chance again!  

For the first time since the contest, I realized how quiet the night actually was.  With Hyuna leaning against me, her head on my shoulder, I sat there thinking about all the things that led up to that moment.  Suddenly remembering something important, I stood up from the bench.  Caught by surprise, Hyuna nearly fell over as she woke up from her nap.    

Trying to rub the sleep from her eyes, she looked up at me.  “Amber, is our cab here?”

Instead of answering her, I immediately took off in the opposite direction.  “Wait, Amber!  Where are you going?” she said, her voice full of panic and worry.  

“Hyuna!” I shouted as I looked back.  “Wait for me!”  It hurt to leave her there, cold and alone.  But I had no choice.  There was somewhere I needed to go.  Something I needed to do.  

‘I love you, Hyuna,’ I whispered as I ran into the night.