The extra practice hours were extended mercilessly by his highness leader Gyu, diminishing the hours of sleep of Kim Myung Soo.

Ultimately he decided not to utter a word to Sung Yeol or even notice his existence, otherwise. For tarnishing everything, factually everything for him, Myung Soo couldn’t think of any strategies to get his vengeance, he wasn’t even in his sane mind to do so. His insanity went to the sheer extend where he’d end up messing each and every darned step of their debut track that Leader Gyu and his gruesome stress, after having had enough of him, barked out his annoyance in the form of a series of corrupt words, ordered extra hours of practices, slammed the door shut and walked out into nowhere to never come back.

Not that the members actually cared, in fact, they were delighted to escape his ruthless conquer at least for a split of a second, as a plus point they were thankful for him although Myung Soo was fuming while sitting in a corner as though he had had his on a stove.

He had all the reasons to be fuming until the apocalypse occurred, he truly did. Myung Soo’s mind was as void as it could ever be, neither could he dream, nor could he concentrate on his work for anger had taken most of him, raging dangerously in the form of a silent typhoon in his mind, he was most liable to pounce at Sung Yeol and jerk his head off any moment from now. It was Sung Yeol, it was him who ruined all that what could have been love between Myung Soo and Bae Suji.

Thanks to the cords of his hooded sweater he was able to hide his face though, and also for the fact that he was immediate to jump into action, otherwise, she’d have collapsed in the very spot…

…there was a slight recognition in the attire he was in though, which was exactly the same the moment he had his sole round of applause during the auditions in her day dreams. Her eyes widened in utter horror by the shock of recognition which, perhaps, was washed away by the inkling of a déjà vu, otherwise, things could have been even worse, worse to the extend where she’d guess that her so called schizophrenia had gone inferior that she was having hallucinations, and collapse.

Yet, Kim Myung Soo lost his reputation.

The two girls mistook him as a mentally impaired stalker of some sort (Which he partially was, except for the mentally impaired part), made a commotion and there, just like that, Kim Myung Soo’s oh so alluring dignity and reputation became goners.

He would never be able to face Bae Suji anymore, or take sneak peeks even, if he had no intent to end up in the police and be served with another good helping of Leader Gyu’s Stress-relieving-strategies. All thanks to Lee Sung Yeol, who still hung around Kim Boiling-on-the-stove Myung Soo like a lost monkey who had forgotten all his ways.

Even after rest of the members (After having one enjoyable opportunity of not practicing but chilling like never before in a comfortable minus-leader Gyu atmosphere) Sung Yeol didn’t bother to take his leave, which worsened Myung Soo’s anger even more. He still hadn’t given any thoughts of practicing, or on leaving his spot even, he still sat there in a corner, legs crossed, fuming so badly that he wondered if there was smoke coming through his ears. He hadn’t been this so angry for ages. He thought it was leader Gyu’s job to be throwing tantrums and constantly be fuming all the time, yet, oddly enough, Kim Myung Soo had found his chance.

He was now plotting on Sung Yeol’s brutal murder while the latter, oblivious of all the ruthless plans he was having put upon himself, was dancing on his own like his life depended on it to the beat of To-Ra-Wa, their debut track.

Yet his life depended on it, alright, for Myung Soo had his hopes to strangle him to death.

However, to his utter discontent, the music stopped in the middle, Sung Yeol followed suit, by turning to the younger who sat still not done with his angry fit, and released a heavy sigh.

“I don’t know what to do with you Myung Soo”

Do nothing...do nothing Yeol that would be a lot healthier…

Myung Soo uttered no word and sat still. Sung Yeol, who didn’t seem to appreciate his unreasonable behavior although it had more or less conventional reasons to it, grabbed a towel from somewhere, threw it over his head making his juvenile features even wittier and plopped down next to Kim Myung Soo.

“Aren’t you going to talk?” He inquired.

Silence.

“Aren’t you going to talk at all?”

Silence was all he got.

“Aren’t you ever gonna tell me what I did wrong?”

Myung Soo only shifted in his place, not uttering a single word.

Sung Yeol released a sigh and tried again. “Myung, aren’t you ever, ever gonna tell me what exactly I did wro-?”

Kim Myung Soo’s temper was never a joke; and just as Sung Yeol blew fire onto his tail, Myung Soo pulled up onto his feet, eyes burning with rage and kicked whatever the unfortunate thing which lied on the floor beside him and threw a tantrum as badly as he could muster, which Sung Yeol watched as calmly as he’d ever be.

Once he was done, Myung Soo turned to Sung Yeol.

“Hyung, get out”

Sung Yeol shook his head. “Not until I hear what the kid’s problem is”

The latter gave him a shrill glare. “Get out, Yeol”

“It’s a girl right?”

Myung Soo literally collapsed onto the floor. Sung Yeol crossed his hands over his chest. “Look at that face…can you be more transparent?”

Myung Soo wished for the floor to split apart and Sung Yeol in down into the core.

“Myung Soo, you’re too obvious, if you lost all your chances, isn’t that your fault?”

I lost all my chances because freaking you showed up!

“Shut up Yeol”

“Which one was it? The straight haired Chinese girl or the sweet wavy haired one?”

Myung Soo simply lost on his limit of patience, his depriving anger doing no good to it, thus he swiftly climbed up on his feet in order to escape Sung Yeol’s ranting and charged towards the door. He knew he was assigned for extra hours of individual practices, to which Lee Sung Yeol had gotten himself in god knows why, and if he walked out now, he’d break a beloved friend’s heart (If he’d term him a little more congenially) let alone losing the leader’s trust (The littlest ounce which he had left), but to top it all off, Myung Soo had drastically landed himself on pure insanity. If he’d sit here and listen to whatever Sung Yeol had to hog on his face, Myung Soo ultimately wouldn’t be too sure of whom who would face a brutal dead, whether it would be Sung Yeol and oddly enough, Myung Soo himself, at the end of the day.

He flung his back pack over his shoulder, skilfully tuning out the latter’s voice and trotted lazily up to the exit-

-until he felt Sung Yeol’s tight grip on his hand.

If he’d blow a little more fire onto his already burning tail, Myung Soo might as well rope him up and throw him to the sea.

But the older, for nobody’s apparent avail, never seemed to give up.

“Myung Soo, that’s it right? You’re smitten badly, ain’t I right?”

“Let go of me Yeol” Myung Soo growled through his gritted teeth, it wasn’t Sung Yeol’s grip which unclenched, not even once.

“Listen, kid, if you wouldn’t talk about it-,”

As to how weirdly it may have come upon him without even trying, he had no apparent tactics to enlighten himself. Before even Myung Soo could have been, far more the least be warned, a rush of juvenile feelings flowed into his muddled mind, along with a rush of hormones, most probably, and ultimately, he felt lost, he felt as though he would be further more drastically lost…

…if he wouldn’t allow Sung Yeol to help him find his ways.

Myung Soo looked down at the wooden floorboards which were smoothen and refined owing to them dancing on it just about all the time of the day, and finally, at the hand which clutched onto his very own. He noticed, the knuckles of it had gone white at the slightest. Myung Soo bit his lips.

Lee Sung Yeol was far more the weirdest of them all. Myung Soo couldn’t recall just how, but he had charms, of the eccentric variety which would never fail to give him a sense of haven, as though he were a massive tree claiming his protection.

And he wouldn’t take it in any other way.

Yet, although he was unaware to it, the only obstacle which stood between the relationship of the two of them was Myung Soo’s resolute ego; the wall that he had put up around him, a wall of prickly thorns which evaded anyone and everyone from breaking into whatever the secrets he held, not that he could help it, it was just simply a matter of temperament, but Sung Yeol, however as it happened, was in an endless struggle to find the real Kim Myung Soo, even though he had to hurt himself by just walking into the hazardous pool of Myung-thorns.

“Yeol, please…if you would understand, what you are getting at is…” Myung Soo struggled to find his words; “Strictly sensitive…”

The grip on his hand immediately loosened. Myung Soo allowed his mind to speak out for himself. “I don’t think it’s nice to go that far into it…”

Silence engulfed them momentarily until Sung Yeol finally gathered his wits to speak.

“Myung, if…if it’s a sensitive matter, I suggest you speak yourself out. However are you going to steady yourself otherwise? Look at what had come out of yourself, you’re neglecting your dreams for your feelings!”

“I ain’t neglecting my dreams-!”

“Then what the hell you suppose you do now?”

The entire hall fell into utter silence, Myung Soo felt himself losing his grip on his steadfast self-esteem. The very words of someone that one could never expect something meaningful to surpass his lips made so, so much sense than even his peculiar dreams could ever muster, Myung Soo was at a loss of words.

Someone had finally looked up to understand the truth, Myung Soo was far more bewildered by his infatuation that he had, unintentionally though, neglected, or lost his consciousness otherwise on what which should matter to him the most.

Infinite was to debut in a month of time.

Myung Soo drew in a long breath before he looked up to face his friend.

“Then…what do you suppose I should do?”

Sung Yeol reached out and warmly gripped onto the latter’s arm.

“You tell me the truth…everything, without missing a single detail”

Fear showered him with a ceaseless rush of emotions, Myung Soo felt as though he had neared to collapse. The truth? What goodness the sheer truth would do? Was it even conceivable? Did it even…make any sense?

Wouldn’t Myung Soo…end up as one hell of a joke?

He could have merely left out the parts involving his weird power (Although he never termed it as a super power, sounded too surreal) and recited the tale as though it was an everyday love story where a young man fell in love with a random girl at first sight, but that just wouldn’t make any sense. He had seen her in person only once, or twice, including the incident which occurred few hours ago, and that just wouldn’t be enough time for a man to be so smitten, he had seen her through as though he had walked through the barricade which separated their worlds through dreams, he wasn’t just in love, where he stood, what had fallen upon him, he was just unable to recall. He wanted to find answers, and finding answers was just as hard it was to find himself back to who he was.

The only way, as it seemed to him now, was to get it all out of his head. No matter how witty and surreal it may sound, Myung Soo would never terminate himself from pouring it out on Lee Sung Yeol. He trusted him, he truly did, no matter how badly he wanted to tie that child up onto a chair and throw him to the sharks.

With a deep sigh, Myung Soo plopped himself down onto the floor and looked up at Sung Yeol who gaped at him with a genuine smile. Myung Soo, oddly enough, smiled in return and patted on the spot beside him.

“So you’re gonna tell me?”

Myung Soo nodded.

“Everything?”

Myung Soo nodded again and put up the daftest façade ever before he added; “Only if you wouldn’t consider me delusional”

Sung Yeol chuckled lightly and plopped down on the floor beside him.

“L, do you know that you’re my favorite of all the infinite?”

Myung Soo was flattered, let alone flabbergasted at the same time.

“Me? No”

Sung Yeol gently tousled his hair with a smile. “Yes you are. Despite your weird Ice-prince persona, I like you. I like you a lot”

“Oh…” Was all that he could manage.

Lee Sung Yeol, of all the members of infinite actually liked him, and there he was, plotting on murdering him. Myung soo decided that he was in requirement of serious brainwashing. If he could get a little closer to Leader Gyu, he’d have it done two seconds flat.

Myung Soo returned to where he were. Oh yes, the truth.

“So…Yeol, you wouldn’t laugh at what I’m about to say?”

Sung Yeol put up a thoughtful face. “You did say it’s a sensitive matter right?”

Myung Soo nodded. “I guess…And pathetic”

Sung Yeol smiled. “Pathetic? Well I guess I need to hear it first. But I promise, I never laugh at sensitive matters, especially not of yours…”

He didn’t retort. Was it only him or did he just feel so undeniably secured? Myung Soo couldn’t help it but feel so flattered. How could any man feel to be so closer to his heart?

And just that very moment, he knew that Kim Myung Soo could trust Lee Sung Yeol with his whole heart and soul. He simply gave in.

Alright, here it goes…

“Hyung, you remember when I got typhoid? I was unconscious for a while?”

Sung Yeol nodded, looking a little confused. “Yeah…I remember.”

With a deep breath, Myung Soo looked up at the florescent light above them and went for the kill.

“Well, after I got back…I…well I happened to realize that I have gotten…a special…power”

Sung Yeol’s eyes implied just how shell-shocked he was. It wasn’t that Myung Soo didn’t entirely expect it from him, or anyone else. As for just how delusional it sounded, Myung Soo wouldn’t have believed it himself.

“A…special…power…?”

Myung Soo nodded. “Yes…I…I-I mean, in my dreams, I can walk into other people’s dreams and control them, make them dream what I like for them to dream, change them the way I want…”

Sung Yeol was speechless. Myung Soo shrugged and shook his head. “I knew this would happen…”

“I’m trying to believe” Sung Yeol quickly said, covering up for himself. “Truly, please…” He released a distinct sigh. “Myung Soo…just tell me how it connects to what happened today”

Myung Soo sighed in return, looked up at his friend, and unleashed it all, all of it, all from the very beginning without missing a heartbeat at his mind’s content. He finally revealed his secret to whom he believed as his most trusted man of them all.

At the end of it all, Myung Soo couldn’t help it but fee utterly contented, for at the end of it all, Lee Sung Yeol finally believed.

And the two decided to shift sleeping posts with Dong Woo so that the two friends would share the same room, Lee Sung Yeol wanted to observe, and Myung Soo simply gave in.

They practiced for extra two hours that night, until Myung soo perfected the steps of come back again, went to sleep at two in the dawn.

And Myung Soo simply fell into an incessant dream.

 

 

A steep dark night, sitting in one of the shrillest unappealing places ever, all that Myung Soo could do was incessantly frown at a dark void as though it was his lifelong rival, waiting for the time to tick by.

Yet, of course it didn’t; this was Bae Suji’s dream after all. 

Myung Soo truly couldn’t think of what exactly Suji had in that little particle of her mind for her dreams to be of the extremely peculiar variety. All of them involved music, for that matter, which implied to Myung Soo that basically her entire life revolved around it, which still wasn’t enough of information for him to figure out the puzzle.

Was she disgusted? Afraid? If so, what could be the sheer reason for it? Was it something which was inferred yet that Myung Soo couldn’t grasp through her dreams? To all these, Myung Soo just wasn’t in the righteous mind to answer. He had gone insane, literally. What could he possibly expect out of himself to be after watching some doofus in Victorian attire (Weirdly enough) with a chopping knife in his hand ranting some nonsense which his poor mind couldn’t grasp?

The said doofus, however, happened to be a replica of Beethoven.

What transpired in the dreams of Bae Suji?

And gracious! What for goodness sake was Beethoven doing with a chopping knife and…what could possibly be a figure of a…cat?

“You shall play the grand sonata for the recital, unless of course…you’d rather prefer the cat dead” Said the replica of Beethoven, the shining steel armor held mercilessly over the whimpering animal. Myung Soo was a tad bit tensed seeing the entire situation, but then again, the possibilities of such a dream to transpire was null, therefore he only sat still in a stiff mahogany arm chair which was placed a few inches away from Suji sat shivering the slightest in a leather sofa. Her eyes were deadpanned and wide with a hint of moisture, face gone completely pale as she followed the movements of the man who held the knife.

“But sir…” Muttered her shallow voice. “I was…hoping to play an original modern composition…a rock ballad-,”

“Silence!”

Suji immediately followed. The man carried on.

“Piano sonata number four…isn’t it just perfect? Twenty eight minutes of wonderful harmony, it would be much, much better than an unclassical rock ballad!”

Myung Soo glanced at Suji who seemed presumably irritated.

Although he couldn’t exactly figure out the complicated puzzle of Bae Suji, he had now come into a perfect sense of her being following something that her heart didn’t ask for. Classical music just wasn’t her thing. This was something that he had particularly distinguished in a handful amount of her dreams and day dreams included, the way she sang held a hint of seeking refuge,  the way she dreaded what many would have loved, Bae Suji had made it obvious; her dislike for classical music and her desperation to escape the said realm was immense.

“Sir…the fourth Piano Sonata is precisely a wonderful piece, but would it be wrong to try a new piece? I shall never insult your work sir-,”

“Silence! You speak too much! The cat must die!”

Myung Soo wondered how long he had before he ran absolutely insane. It wasn’t that he hadn’t walked into particularly peculiar dreams, oh yes he had, but this being a dream, or a nightmare-fairly termed- of Bae Suji, it was drastically climbing up his nerves.

And the poor cat was literally destroying every particle of his brain.

“No please sir!” Came Suji’s scream in the shrillest tone he had ever heard from her. “Please spare Miyeongie’s life!!”

“Spare her life?” Growled the unnerving doofus of a replica of Beethoven and raised the chopping knife high above his head; his gray hair and the silvery blade glowed under the moonlight which streamed in through the window pane, his Victorian attire was wrinkled badly, his face was clearly filled with bewilderment. Myung Soo could only shake his head with irritation. What an odd of a dream. Shouldn’t Bae Suji be dreaming of sweet fluffy cupcake-and-candy like things? She was in a grave need of reading the kind of novels which require insulin shots let alone watch fluffy movies and dramas where girls ran around bushes of pastel pink roses. She just was of the type; pink, fluffy and nice.

And absolutely not of the Beethoven-like-doofus-chopping-catheads-off variety. Maybe she disliked classical music that so much…maybe it held more to it which he still didn’t accurately know.

“I swear!” Suji screamed once more, throwing her hands hysterically in the air. She was glued to the sofa, somehow, and was apparently unable to move.

“I swear! Sir, I swear I will do the sonata, I will! Please let her go!”

The man seemed to be the last person to hear her while Myung Soo happened to be the first. It truly broke his heart, her pain, although this was a dream, yet he decided to wait and see what was to happen next.

“You’re too loud! Shut up girl! You are nothing but a brazen liar! The cat shouldn’t live!”

Myung Soo watched with fixed eyes as the doofus of a dream who had taken up the appearance of Beethoven lifted the knife in the air, ready to end the life line of the poor feline. Suji’s screams were the loudest, let alone the most unbearable of them all. Myung Soo figured, if he’d let this stupid, nonsensical dream to move on, it would be him who’d most definitely end up with a case of hysteria.

He immediately got into action, and charged towards the older man.

It wasn’t much difficult of a task for Kim Myung Soo owing to what he really was capable of doing, which was something this strange man could never dream of (Yet, of course, there was nothing that he was competent of doing, this doofus), he simply snatched the chopping knife away off his hand like it was something he did under regular basis and nonchalantly slashed into his non-existent flesh as though violence was a fragment of his everyday-life. The old man crashed onto the ground the very instant, the feline ran away and settled into Suji’s lap.

Myung Soo sighed and brushed his bloody hands on his shirt. What dreams could make him do.

“Suji…” He finally breathed out, feeling rather disappointed. Violence had never been an option for him in repainting the dream. Was stabbing the old lad very necessary? He was in doubt.

The girl looked up, and if it wasn’t for him dreaming, Myung Soo would have gotten a seizure. He managed to keep his voice straight as he spoke.

“Suji you better take the violence out of your mind…and just stop thinking nonsense”

Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Eh?”

Myung Soo shook his head and let out a frustrated sigh. “Suji, you do what you like to do, not what they want you to do…don’t live with fear…”

Once the words were spoken, the entire place fell into utter silence. The two people, deep in their dreams, locked their eyes on each other. Myung Soo had the sudden impulse to snatch her away and fly off to where ever his fate would take him to, but he couldn’t, thus, instead, he gave her a smile.

His very famous I’m-the-visual smile, he was certain that he immediately caught her heart…Bae Suji sat still, thrown off guard. Yet, a few lazy seconds later, in a voice trembling the slightest, she voiced out what she inquired at the end of all the dreams of hers where he showed up.

“Who are you?”

And Myung Soo, on his part, would always and always give her the very same answer, each and every time, and never did he regret it once.

With a smile, he told her as though it was the most conceivable truth on earth;

“Your mighty prince in shining armor…at your service, Bae Suji…”

 

 

“Myung! Myung! Oi Myung Wake up!”

Sung Yeol’s voice sounded louder than a thunder storm in his ears, ripping through all the membranes into his brain and poking onto the muscle like glass spheres. For a moment, Myung Soo wondered if he’d run insane just by his voice, instead of reconsidering the wisdom of a pretense death, he fluttered open his eyes. Sung Yeol was hovering over him with wide eyes. Myung Soo almost lost his vanity.

“Yah, what are you doing!”

Sung Yeol smacked hard onto his forehead. “Was your dream that violent? You literally killed me!”

He demonstrated the menace caused by the said dreamer by endlessly attacking his flat stomach. Myung Soo grimaced in response.

“That. You know you can kill people in sleep?”

“Get lost” He uttered, excusing himself from his doing and rolled the other off him. Sung Yeol lied flat on his back while Myung Soo sat up and stretched his limbs. It was then that it occurred to him that Sung Yeol was in fact, supposed to be observing him. He turned to the man who lied on the mattress like a defeated warrior, and raised his brows. “You observed well, I guess?”

Sung Yeol let out a hearty chuckle. “Nah, not really, it was boring, I fell asleep…that was until you began to attack me!” He sat up, his face held a strange expression, something in between amusement and hurt. “Poor Dong Woo Hyung…I understand his suffering now”

Myung Soo simply went with being ignorant and fell back into the mattress. It was already four in the dawn, in two more hours, Leader Gyu would be knocking the hell out of their bedroom door, commencing his day’s session of merciless torture; Myung Soo had only two hours more to live his peace.

Yet, of course, Sung Yeol seemed to be playing another version of Kim Sung Gyu. Instead of drifting into an undisturbed nap himself, he began his account of annoying the crap out of Kim Myung Soo.

“Hey! Myung” He said, plopping up on his elbows. Myung Soo had already closed his eyes, prepping himself to enter his reverie once more, and immediately opened them in retort to Sung Yeol’s harsh slap on his arm.

“What?” He demanded, to which the latter offered a cheeky smile.

“I think I might believe you…you were so lucid…”

Myung Soo closed his eyes once more and muttered in his sleep; “And…?”

“And…” Sung Yeol continued. “I want to hear what you saw…was she there? Why were you so violent?”

Myung Soo decided to simply tune him out and returned to a peaceful slumber.

But by then, unfortunately, Suji had completely closed the entrance to her realm.

 

 

The next morning, much to his utmost content, Sung Yeol woke him up with a gentle shake all before leader Gyu could barge into their room barking out his disgruntlement to start his day. Myung Soo wasn’t in that much of a deep slumber that he immediately woke up without much effort, had a good healthy stretch and sat up with a grunt, feeling irrefutably empty inside.

He wasn’t able to walk into her dreams that night.

It was some sort of a stunt which she, or rather, her mind set happened to pull on him whenever he’s too audacious to boaster his picture perfect face lucidly in her dreams. It was too mean of an act though, as far as his perception was concerned; for he’d feel drastically degraded and well, rejected the moment she had thrown him out and locked all doors to her dreams with no hopes for him to creep through. Myung Soo just considered his feeling quite gravely, well, a little too gravely that he’d ultimately lose his concentration, resulting a grand heap of ranting from leader Gyu.

Yet for a bright Saturday morning where the sun had decided to peek in a little too early, Kim Sung Gyu happened to seem extraordinarily calm. It almost gave him a heart attack when their door opened and the leader stepped in; even Sung Yeol stopped in the middle of healthily stretching his long limbs just to gape at the unconceivable change as the oldest closed the door behind him with a smile.

While smiling wasn’t exactly something which appeared on his façade under regular basis, to Myung Soo, it seemed extremely creepy. He sat up straight and rubbed his eyes, wondering if this was a wile of vision, which, much to his disclosure, wasn’t. He was most probably about to choke; shouldn’t Leader Gyu be fuming by now? Didn’t he throw well enough of a tantrum the other night?

Myung Soo finally came into a conclusion. Kim Sung Gyu, despite his age, was just too thorny. He wouldn’t love him anymore.

Still he found it healthier to go along with what was on the toll; and just maybe, leader Gyu would put him off the hook (Which was most unlikely for, much to his disdain, leader Gyu indulged himself throwing fits at him, and if he wouldn’t, Myung Soo would find it creepier) and increase the hours of his slumber…

…which brought him back to…

Myung Soo quickly shook off his head, ignoring his thoughts which had too much to do with pastel pink and cherry blossoms and cupcakes, looking up to meet with leader gyu’s crystal clear eyes.

“You kids are up? I thought you weren’t” Leader Gyu said nonchalantly and gave the two youngsters  a smile, forming crescent moons with his eyes. Myung Soo shivered, literally. Was it him or had Sung Gyu taken over dose of whatever the tablets that he hid in his drawers?

“Hurry up then, we’ll be off to the showers soon”

The stammer which escaped Myung soo’s lips was strictly unintentional. “Y-yes…Hyung”

And without another word, he his heels and casually walked out of the door. Sung Yeol, who seemed all dead panned throughout the entire situation stared at the latter, mouth agape.

Myung Soo couldn’t help but shrug out his surprise and shake his head. Did Sung Gyu have to superfluously make things too hard on his team?

 

After a frenzied bath over at the public showers where Sung Gyu maneuvered the most horrendously friendly façade among the boys, and a breakfast where the said leader strangely offered to treat them with food, the seven of them headed off to the practice venue, all through this though, despite the leader Hyung’s unconceivable behavior, Myung Soo still wasn’t in good shape.

Thousands of thoughts were manipulating him from being himself, or being the self that his dear leader expected him to be. Half of the time, Myung Soo sat in lonely corners feeling nothing but confused.

He was trying to solve Suji’s puzzle, let alone wondering the wisdom of Sungyeol’s blabbering mouth, he was most liable to rat out his scheme to the rest of the members, which would lead the situation to leader Gyu’s liability to transport the second youngest to a mental asylum, most likely. Leaving that aside, Bae Suji concerned him the most. She was the girl he loved after all.

By then he had a clear idea of her dislike towards what she followed; her fear during auditions and recitals where she were to sing classics, her likeness towards trying new things which did not involve classical music, and also last night’s dream, they all implied to him what the situation was most likely as it was now. They were all in the element regarding one particular subject; she didn’t want to follow classical music anymore.

And one little detail, he almost missed, a detail which played a massive part in the complete picture.

Bae Suji was being evaded by a force unknown to him from following what she desired.

In other words, she was being manipulated by the said force to follow and only to follow the desires of the force against her will.

And the said force, nonetheless, was implied by the replica of Beethoven of the very skeptical variety in the last night’s dream, and as much to add, there had been several implications of such a force in several other of her dreams; a stormy sea, a rattle snake with an eccentric shade of skin, a violin being played on its own in thin air. back then when he saw them the visions didn’t particularly make any sense, or perhaps he was too bored to connect each dream to form the big picture and the moral on the whole, but now when he gradually connect one another in his mind, he realized; they did make a sense. A metaphorical sense, and that much was enough to learn of her state.

But the force? He had no idea what it was. He was confused.

And being with Lee Sung Yeol all day long, crawling up his nerves by throwing a bombard of questions at his face, Myung Soo was in absolute insanity.

And then, to top it off, just after they had stopped practicing for the lunch break (Practices, ruined as usual, in retort to which, oddly enough, Kim Sung Gyu threw no fit), leader Gyu took him firmly by his wrist and dragged him to a corner; smiling.

Myung Soo literally collapsed. What had gotten into him all of a sudden anyway?

Was he…by any chance…in love?

Myung Soo shook his head, quickly getting rid of the redundant thoughts; and of course, Myung Soo couldn’t imagine whether their leader understood what the term love actually meant.

If not, he could consult the highly proficient people; Kim Myung Soo, for an instant.

Yet now as he stood before a creepily smiling leader, Myung Soo couldn’t exactly ponder the pros and cons of the situation, profoundly, he was considering how likely he was to fall into a mental trauma at any rate.

Sung Gyu, much to his utter dismay, reached out and felt his warmth par the pack of his palm. Myung Soo stepped back though, involuntarily, holding back the great impulse to dodge. If not for his all smiles, what Myung Soo could have expected from him was violence.

“Myung Soo, are you feeling unwell?” he inquired, moving his hand downwards to feel the latter’s pulse on his neck. Myung Soo couldn’t help it but feel even weirder.

“N-no…Hyung. I’m fine”

Sung Gyu’s eyes held, oddly enough, love and concern. “Are you sure?”

Myung Soo found himself completely muted, as though his Hyung’s strange behavior had out all the possibilities to speak off his soul.

He could only nod.

Sung Gyu with yet another smile, a strange smile at that, shrugged his shoulders and placed a hand on the latter’s arm.

“Myung Soo…sorry about last night”

A pin-point of a sense was made regarding his behavior-vise modification.

Myung Soo nodded, urging his Hyung to continue.

“I’m really sorry…I didn’t mean to jump on you or anyone else like that. I’m too paranoid, I guess, that isn’t doing any good…my anger, it’s more or less irritating me too”

Myung Soo stayed silent, and he then, realized that he never in his life had had the audacity to actually wander into their leader’s dreams. He had wanted to, countless times, yet arriving by the entrance, he’d always chicken away; the thought of him being always ready to bash off the visuals face with a concrete block had always stopped him from doing such.

Now he couldn’t help but wonder just how his mind set worked. Were stress, panic, fear, paranoia and anger the only feelings that Sung Gyu was capable to sport? Or was he an entirely different person from the leader he had always known.

Hitherto, as to now, Kim Sung Gyu was yet another puzzle for him to find tactics for.

He might as well start packing to run off to Germany rather than trying to find tactics to solve the Sung Gyu’s mystery.

“I apologize behalf of that…because now when I look at you with a clear mind. You are a wonderful kid, Kim Myung Soo…wonderful, but mysterious. It’s fine to be that…” He released a hearty chuckle and continued. “But the very mystery of yourself, it’s destroying you, somehow, because you have no control…what makes you mysterious, I don’t know…but you might as well get help, get someone to see to it…”

“Eh?” Myung Soo widened his eyes, incredulous to what he had just said. Did he just…imply that he required…psychological help?

Kim Sung Gyu’s concerned gape was no joke, as he continued his explanation, going for the kill.

“Kim Myung Soo…kid, I’m sorry to say this, but I guess you must consult a psychiatrist. This could probably be home-sick, paranoia or anxiety; depression even…I want you to get someone see to it…it might help”

“A-a psychiatrist?” Myung Soo demanded incredulously. He could not believe the sheer truth of what he was hearing, in fact, he searched in his Hyung’s face for some sort of amusement and expected him to bash with a blusterous laughter saying that he was just joking, but to no avail, Leader Gyu looked nothing but dead serious. He was never the kind to find sarcasm particularly interesting. And to top it off, he sensed something odd…something along the lines of Lee Sung Yeol.

If so, the lad was not going to see the next sunrise, at least not in one piece.

With a reassuring squeeze on his arm, Sung Gyu gave him another one of his creepy smiles.

“The truth is I care for you, Myung Soo, and I’m worried. Besides you might not believe that you’re probably mentally ill; yet of course, how could a mentally ill person know that he is!? I suggest you have a checkup. Alright?”

Myung Soo’s jaw fell slack. What on earth had he landed himself into?

And just how the hell could leader Gyu drivel such nonsense with a darn straight face?

…which led him to doubt as to whom who was exactly mentally ill. Was leader Gyu schizophrenic?

Better yet, for the sake of the show, Myung Soo decided to go along the entire story and managed a slight nod before rubbing the back of his neck. It was ludicrous, literally, in every possible way. How on earth could he be mentally ill? And how on earth did he come to such a conclusion?

Myung Soo got the sudden impulse to get a one way ticket to Mexico and change his name to Diego or something and never return.

…yet of course, he had to kidnap Bae Suji first of all, she could change her name to Carolina or something later on…

… When they get married probably.

“Come now…” Said leader Gyu at last and stepped back. “Take a good rest”

As the two made it back to the middle of the studio, what they happen to come upon was a heated debate, the argument being on the topic of whom who should buy lunch. A complete mayhem in simple definition; as long as Lee Sung Yeol was involved.

“What on earth does that mean? I went yesterday if you idiots can’t remember!” the said person was saying, standing in the middle, his hands making senseless gestures; he reminded Myung Soo of a lonely coconut tree standing alone on an equally lonely island.

The rest of the members sat on the floor, a few (Dong Woo, to be precise) lied on the floor as though a typhoon had just passed by, the Maknae watched Sung Yeol, adding paddy to the argument as though it was the most interesting debate ever on earth, Woohyun, well, was arguing while Hoya sat idly on the floor, yawning as though he’d fall asleep the very next minute.

“Oh yes you did, and that was because you thought the coordi-noona had nice legs. Now whose fault is that?”

Sung Yeol dropped his hands. “That’s her fault you idiot!”

“Exactly! If you have to get lunch now, that’s your fault too!”

“What? Hell! What an absurd argument is that?”

“An argument little less absurd than yourself-!”

“That’s enough”

Leader Gyu’s voice was as strong and horrendous as water dripping onto a hot frying pan, the entire hall went silent; although he was in a rather tranquil disposition, for a certainty, the members feared to blow fire on to his tail; the result was unimaginable.

Defeating, finally, Sung Yeol released a sigh.

“Fine, I’ll go”

Leader Gyu nodded. “Yes, you must” He gestured at the rest of the members. ‘While they all seem knocked out, you’re still up; I guess you’re in good shape to go”

The latter shrugged and made it to the door. “Fine, fine, fine…I would probably go insane…”

And Myung Soo, not being able to think of anything coherent seeing his friend going alone to fetch lunch, being unable to keep both his heart and soul in one place, raised his voice.

“Wait! Yeol, I’ll tag along!”

Sung Yeol turned around the very moment that the message passed across the hall with a smile. “Oh! Come on! I can do with some company”

Myung Soo, feeling as light as a feather in the wind began to make his way to the door when Sung Gyu suddenly held him back.

“Kid, you’re not going”

“Why not?” Inquired Sung Yeol. Myung Soo noticed how immediately his face fell. On the other hand, leader Gyu’s grip got tighter.

“Because he’s not well” He simply replied.

Myung Soo wanted to dig a hole, hide inside and never come out.

“Not well?” Sung Yeol asked, surprised. “He looked perfectly well this morning”

Leader Gyu shrugged. “He isn’t. Now go-,”

Yet Myung Soo was not about to lose his chances. “No, Hyung, I can go” He cut in.

“What?”

Myung Soo released a reluctant sigh. “I’m fit to go Hyung…”

“But you aren’t-,”

“I am!” Myung Soo unintentionally raised his voice. “I am, okay? Besides Hyung you’re not my mum!”

The moment Sung Gyu’s tight grip slowly but painfully loosened, Myung Soo knew for a certainty that what he just did was a grave mistake. Dealing with Kim Sung Gyu was like balancing something on a needle tip; one wrong move, and everything would be gone. It wasn’t his fault though, it wasn’t anybody’s fault; Kim Sung Gyu’s dream being becoming a singer, he had come a long way through many hardships, losing so many precious marvels that he owned on his path to success, Myung Soo was aware of this all, and also of him being afraid to lose this game owing to what he had lost already. His anger had purpose, his stress had purpose…and then, his sporadic care; it had purpose too.

But when Myung Soo’s love won over sanity, he knew that he lost his dear leader’s trust all along.

He had no choice but to go on.

Throughout the walk the bus ride and again until they reached Myung Soo’s favorite place on earth, Sung Yeol gave no thought to cease his nonstop driveling as though it were the last day of free speech for him.

Myung Soo virtually lost his ability of hearing.

Or, in other words, he purposefully lost his ability for all that Sung Yeol had to inquire was regarding the pretty  girl with wavy hair, Myung soo wasn’t particularly interested in the topic, moreover Sung Yeol’s interest regarding the said topic was uncongenially belligerent, which he seemed to not to understand.

Eventually the pair reached the food cart, thus Myung Soo began to feel the familiar tug at the strings of his heart, and so did he magically regain the ability to hear Sung Yeol’s very less profound driveling. Walking beside him, Sung Yeol was deep in his thoughts before he spoke up.

“I was wondering…your situation Myung” He said, looking thoughtful at the latter who was now thoroughly in search for a face in particular among the crowd.

“How could…a power has gotten into you, only you…Hoya Hyung was also down with typhoid right?”

Myung Soo was reluctant to reply. The truth was, he hadn’t really given any thoughts to rationalize things, if it had to happen, it just happened; it was how Myung Soo would rather recall it. It was during the last spring that the two of them caught the flu, and were hospitalized for two weeks. he had no memory of it left to clearly recall the details, he wasn’t sure whether Hoya Hyung went into a comatose state even, only Myung Soo did where he regained his consciousness after two days of a vegetative state, only to realize that he was having strange visions, profoundly at the back of his eyes, somewhere deep in his mind. After having the same, the very same dream as Sung Jong one night, he sensed that something was different, that something was not just right. He didn’t tell anyone of his strange visions though. Instead he observed it all alone until he realized the sheer truth of it, which was a rather appealing piece of information.

He knew, for a fact that he wasn’t ordinary, like everybody else. He was extraordinary.

And the very truth evaded him from replying to Lee Sung Yeol; he didn’t know the heads and tails of it after all.

“Hey! Myung Soo!” Sung Yeol called out at one point as they joined the queue to the cart. Myung Soo still hadn’t caught a glimpse of his girl that his heart was in pain, yet he thought it was better to be a least bit congenial to this man who decided to reach out to his disclosed heart.

“Yeah?” He inquired lazily. Sung Yeol put a hand over his shoulder and pulled him closer. “Tell you what? I’ll do the buying, you do…err…what you want. I’ll buy some time for you, okay?”

He couldn’t help but feel flattered by his kindly offer.

“You sure?” He asked, just to make sure it was not a joke. Sung Yeol nodded in retort. “Yup! I know how it feels like…”

He reached out and patted softly on where his heart was. “Go ahead, I’ll watch out for you…”

“But she isn’t even here yet”

In response, Sung Yeol made a light chuckle. “Really? Says who?” With that, he caught the younger by his shoulder and turned him around.

Myung Soo could swear that his life-line got shortened by ten years.

Sitting in her usual table, staring out into the curb in daze was Bae Suji, glowing beautifully under the sunlight; Myung Soo couldn’t help it but literally swoon and lose all his hopes to live. Didn’t he make a complete fool out of himself the day before?

And just as though he had read his mind, Sung Yeol leaned in and muttered into his ear; “Don’t show you face, just sit somewhere around and observe…”

Myung Soo nodded mechanically before Sung Yeol gave him a little push. Myung Soo stumbled forward, shook his head, tousled his hair anxiously and took a deep breath. And for an inevitability he knew that Bae Suji would, one day, be the death of him.

With a restless heart, Myung Soo slowly inched towards her, and made his way around the hut and took a seat away from where she sat, where he believed he was in hearing distance, plopped down against the table and watched her.

For a moment, he wondered if he were in a dream.

He was in a dream alright; a dream destined only for him. He felt how his heart reacted only by the simplest view of her; her dazed eyes, her shimmering dark hair swaying in the gentle summer breeze, rose-petal like lips slightly parted, chin resting on hand while with the other, with her slender fingers she played with a pencil, cheeks were shaded by the color of cherry blossoms; an impeccable angel, a picture perfect dream, Showered and painted with Kim Myung Soo’s pure innocent love.

He sat still as porcelain and dreamed. He dreamed and dreamed and dreamed at his heart’s content, he dreamed until her friend turned up and ruined the moment within a split of a second; Suji returned from her daze, and Myung Soo…well, Myung Soo was still caught up in his dream, in a rather animated version of it, to be precise, and sat in his spot without moving a limb.

The other girl; whatshername? Began her endless speech just as he’d have expected from her and plopped down in the chair facing Suji; and Suji, on her part, was still in her daze, virtually. Myung Soo felt a tinge of content in his heart. And he’d have loved it if the definition of the strange twinkling shine in her almond eyes was his untainted love which trespassed into her heart every night in her dreams.

Myung Soo’s ears perked up involuntarily to grasp whatever the piece of info that could interest him; predominantly along the line of Suji, and her schizophrenia, well, basically what he couldn’t get a chance to hear owing to Sung Yeol who washed away his once alluring reputation.

First few minutes, the girls went on discussing the typical girl-girl topics; Myung Soo grew slightly impatient, her words from the day before, and also the strange implications of her regarding the obstacle which held her back from whatever the desire she held played endless in his mind. He wanted his puzzles to be solved.

And just as though on cue, Jia happened to bring up the topic into the conversation.

In a rather unexpected manner; Myung Soo’s puzzle was given a clue.

“So, Suji, how did the YG auditions go?”

Myung Soo easily caught up with the piece of information; Myung Soo already being a part of the industry, and also knowing that one or two of his fellow group members had wanted to audition there, was well aware of YG being an entertainment agency. A fragment of the missing piece of the complete picture was accurately placed. Her dream was to become a kpop idol.

Just like himself.

Oh how fate had brought them together. Same interests, the very same dream…a match made in heaven.

Suji slowly shook her head. “Couldn’t go…had extra lessons…”

Jia’s face fell. “Piano?”

Suji nodded. “Yeah…for the recital. I wanted to play collab with Jae Min, his rock ballad was absolutely amazing…but…” She trailed off as Myung Soo’s interest in the conversation raised higher. It was what she had in her mind, which she viewed in her dream. The rock Ballad, playing which was evaded by the unknown obstacle with a threat to kill her…cat?

“But?”

Suji sighed. “But Professor Heifetz won’t let me. He wants me to play the fourth piano sonata…”

Jia crossed her hands and shook her head dramatically. Myung Soo traced her features. Pale white skin, shiny dark eyes and a bubbly facade; he immediately thought of Woohyun Hyung; she was the kind of a girl that he would have immediately lapsed his attention to.

“Fourth Piano sonata?” She asked gravely. “It’s a nice piece, and very professional. But trying an original is appreciated too right?”

Suji shrugged. “Yeah, well, the judge board does, not my parents and professor Heifetz”

Bingo!

The storm, the snake, the violin and the stereotyped replica of Beethoven; in a nutshell, were her parents and her teacher, most of her puzzle was filled, literally all of it. He was on cloud nine.

Jia reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder (Darn! Just how badly he wanted to switch shoes with her) and gave her a comforting squeeze. “Don’t worry, your mum and dad will understand soon…and Prof just follows after your parents’ wishes…Everything will be alright, you’d have what you want, and…” – A mischievous smile appeared upon her lips.- “Prince charming would soon come for your rescue”

Bae Suji turned as red as a strawberry and cupped her face.

Myung Soo’s heart skipped a beat.

“Speaking of which,” Jia carried on, shifting in her seat. “You did say you had something to talk about…something pathetic?”

Every single, virtually every single sound around him, even a littlest pin point of a sound was tuned out of his head, but one; Bae Suji.

In his heart was a fire-work in stand-by.

Suji nodded hesitantly, gradually turning into a deep shade of red. “Ye-yeah…I did…and”-She chuckled the softest and tugged a strand of hair behind her ear. There was no plausible point as to why Myung Soo was still up on his feet “-yes…it is Pathetic”

Jia smiled. “Pathetic? Well, I’d like to hear it first…”

Suji’s eyes were beautiful, yet worry-struck and possibly incredulous of her friend. “You’re not going to laugh, are you?”

Jia shrugged. “Did I ever? I won’t, promise…best friends don’t laugh”

Myung Soo realized just how beautiful she was when she was confused or worried. He had witnessed it countless times in her dreams, many more added to the list, yet seeing it in person; Myung Soo was certain to not to live any longer. She was beautiful, she just was, in virtually every possible way.

Suji sat still confused, and finally raised her eyes. Her deep, beautiful yet sincere eyes and smiled the slightest.

“Jia…I…think...

…I think… I’m in love…”

Myung Soo held his breath, not once moving an inch. She smiled once more, her cheeks had gone pastel pink while Myung Soo hyperventilated at the sight.

“I’m in love with a person that I had never seen in my life…”

The world stopped still in time.

“I’m in love…with a person in my head…I’m in love with a person in my dreams…and I have no idea why”

Myung Soo’s heart stopped, breathing hitched, he died; he literally died, he lost his sanity, he lost his mind,

, and finally his soul flew off to ecstasy.

I’m in love…

…he finished for her gleefully;

I’m in love with the boy who painted my dreams.