Baekho’s POV

I broke down into complete sobs as I stared down into Ren’s eyes. When he had asked me if I had heard his heart, I was stunned. Ren… why did you come here? I told you to get lost. In what world did that mean ‘invite yourself in’? Why did you… why can’t you just leave? I think you’re more than aware of the feelings I have towards you, and that question of yours… it didn’t help. Did you mean physically, or emotionally when you asked me that? If you meant physically, I heard it. I was close enough to hear your heartbeat; I felt the vibration of the sound inside of your chest. As for emotionally… I’m confused. Are you here because… you really want to? Are you here as my friend, or something more? Choi Ren… you’ve always been such a pest! I can never figure out what’s going on inside of that complicated, crazy little head of yours… I’m tired. I don’t want to play this game with you, Ren. I have enough problems of my own; if you’re here to say something, say what you have to say and get out. I don’t want to go through any more heartbreak.

Ren suddenly reached out for me again but I quickly stepped back, wiping the tears from my eyes, but it was no use. They wouldn’t stop. He gave me a shocked look. “Don’t come near me.” I warned, my voice breaking.

“Baekho-”

“Don’t speak to me!” I exclaimed. “What’s the point?” Don’t go…

Ren shook his head. “Does… the world… stop… because you… can’t hear?”

I watched his lips as they moved slowly, trying to read them. This action that Ren was taking just to speak and be understood startled me. He knew. He obviously knew now that I couldn’t hear well anymore. But Ren’s behavior… it was like he knew what to do; he knew how to speak to me, like he had prior knowledge of how to speak around those that were hearing impaired. These thoughts scared me; Ren, you’re going to be able to see right through me, aren’t you? I looked at him with wide eyes, tears still falling. “Stop it!”

Ren adamantly stepped closer to me; I freaked out. I immediately outstretched my arms and shoved him backwards, throwing him across the room. Ren stumbled and crashed onto the floor. A wave of instant regret washed over my face. Ren winced in pain and began to sit up. “Is violence… the answer… to everything?”

“Why are you here?! Why?” I asked, shifting my gaze away from him. I didn’t have the courage to look at him after what I had just done. Ren shakily stood back up and marched right back up to me, standing directly in front of my face.

“I was… worried about… you.”

I paused. “W-why?”

“Because you’re… important… to me… Baekho.”

“Stop it, Ren.” I glared down at him. “I don’t want to hear this!” You idiot; don’t you know how I feel about you?

“You can’t or won’t?” Ren asked slowly.

“Why are you here?!” I screamed

“Because we’re friends!” Ren screamed back at me, losing control of his temper. Although he had spoken quite fast, due to the volume he had used in his voice, I caught his words, and I wished I didn’t. Friends…? Ha, of course. We’re still friends. You’re probably still with JR, aren’t you? And my guess is that he doesn’t know you’re here. Ren began to repeat himself slowly but I cut him off.

“I heard you the first time!”

Ren paused. “You…heard?” He seemed absolutely stunned then went quiet for a moment, as if he were thinking about something. I recognized his ‘pondering’ look; he would always bite his bottom lip and glance off to the side whenever he did. Was he trying to figure me out more? Was he trying to connect the dots about my hearing impairment?

“Ren, what are you doing here?” I asked impatiently.

“I already… told you-”

“No, I want the real reason.”

He froze. “Real… reason?”

My tears finally stopped. I stared down hard into Ren’s eyes. “What caused you to break into my house just to check on me?” I think I knew the answer, but I wanted to hear it from him. Obviously he came here for a reason. Obviously he had been stalking me for something. I observed him. My question had obviously made him uncomfortable. Just what lie were you going to tell me now? Choi Ren… you’ve got to feel something.

“I…” His voice trailed off and he paused for a while. “I wanted to know…” He stared down at the ground, lost in space. Ren absent-mindedly brought his index finger to his lips.

“Know what?”

“Kiss…”

My eyes widened with shock and I took another step back from him. It seems as he realized what he had said he took a step back as well. He stared at me with big eyes and he shook his head with embarrassment, waving his hands around in denial. “What… what about it?” I finally had the courage to ask.

“N-nevermind!”

“No, you asked. Now explain.” I demanded.

“Why did you-”

I scoffed. “So arrogant! You think just because you’re so attractive that everyone should fawn over you? You misread me, Choi Ren. I don’t like you; I’ll never like you.” I coldly replied. Ren continued to stare at me with those big eyes of his. Of course it was a lie. I didn’t feel this way at all. But I didn’t want him to cling to me and get my hopes up, thinking that I had a shot when I obviously didn’t because JR was still in the picture.

Ren smiled, but this smile of his was different. If I didn’t know any better, he looked… sad. “That’s a relief… Baekho, please… tell me… what’s going on. What is… wrong with… your ears?”

“You think just because you ask, I’ll tell you? Choi Ren, what are you? Who are you to try to fix my problems?”

“A teacher… for the deaf.” Ren replied.

I paused, not believing what I had just heard/read. “You’re a what?” I felt my heart start to race. This guy… all this time, he led us to believe he was just a teacher. He never once told us that he taught deaf kids. Ha! I knew this guy was off. What were the odds that my former stylist would just so happen to be a deaf education teacher? I felt betrayed. I felt lied to. Why didn’t he tell us? Was he ashamed? Was teaching deaf kids embarrassing to him? Then what of my hearing impairment? Was that embarrassing as well?

“I’m a teacher… for the deaf.” He repeated himself.

I glared at him. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“Why should I have?” He asked slowly.

“Is it shameful? Is that why you’re trying to leave your job by becoming a stylist? Do those kids embarrass you?!” I screamed at him. Ren gave me a hurt, offended look before shoving me with all his might.

“Is it something worth mentioning? In my eyes, those kids are normal! Why should it make a difference if they can hear or not?! I’m still a teacher, dammit!” Ren screamed. My words had obviously hit a sore spot with him. Even though I had upset Ren several times in the past, I had never seen him as pissed off at me before as he was now. “Shameful? Embarrassing? Kang Baekho, take it back. Apologize to those kids that you talked down on and apologize to my deaf mother!!!”

His words were like a mental slap to the face. Deaf… mother? Ren’s mother was… that would explain why he… I paused. I had no idea. I absolutely had no idea. “Why didn’t you ever say anything…?” I was stunned. I felt like an .

“Because to me, it’s life! To me, it’s normal! It’s not some oddity that one speaks about to seem interesting in conversation. I can hear; so what? My mother can’t; so what? You can’t hear; so what?! What makes any of us so different from anyone else? You, Kang Baekho, you are just as human as everyone else. When you use those words, you’re contributing to the stereotype. There is nothing ‘handicap’ about deafness; what’s handicapping is the word itself!”

The tears that had stopped earlier threatened to fall again. “You…”

“Me, what?” Ren asked, still riled up from his heated speech just moments ago. I hung my head down low and stared down at my feet, my arm slowly extending itself and my fingers latching onto the hem of his shirt. I could tell my actions startled him just by the way his body seemed to tense up.

“Don’t go…” My voice trailed off.

Ren said something, but I couldn’t make out what it was. I slowly glanced back up at him. To my relief, he repeated himself. “What…?”

“I’m s-sorry…” I swallowed my pride and apologized. As I did so, I pulled Ren close and wrapped my arms around his smaller frame. “Ren, I… I don’t know what to do anymore… I’m scared.”

Ren’s body stiffened in my arms. “Baekho-” I couldn’t hear him, but I could feel his lips move against my chest as he called out my name.

“The accident… I got hit really bad and now nothing is the same anymore. The doctors said something about a temporal bone fracture; my hearing probably won’t be what it once was… I can only hear loud levels of volume…” My voice trailed off. Ren slowly pulled away from me and stared at me with wide eyes.

“Your singing… what will you do?”

I glanced down. “I don’t know… I don’t know what to do. That’s what scares me. Ren… I know, I know I told you to get lost, but can you do what you always do and look the other way?”

“What I always do?” Ren asked slowly.

“I need… help. Don’t leave me… Choi Ren, I need you.”

Ren grew silent for a moment as it seemed that my words had a touching effect on him. A small smile spread across his lips and he placed his hand on my bare shoulder. “Baekho,” He said, raising his voice. “Can you hear me?” He asked. I nodded and he smiled once again. “Since when have you ever been able to get rid of me? I’m not going anywhere. That’s a promise.”

“Ren…”

“Baekho, what is your dream?”

I paused, thinking long and hard. What was my dream? Did I even have a dream anymore? The day I lost my ability to hear the world clearly was the day the music stopped for me. But I didn’t want it to… I was a performer. I was born to stand on the stage, sing, and spread my music throughout the world. I thought about what Ren had said to me moments ago; does the world really stop just because I can’t hear? No, it doesn’t… this fast-forward moving world will move on without me… but who was to say that I couldn’t keep up? “I want to sing…”

Ren smiled at me. “You might have to work harder than most people to achieve your dream, but it can be done. I believe in you.”

I shook my head. “Who would listen to me after what’s happened? I’ve already lost so many fans…”

“You’ve lost several fans, but you will gain several more. Baekho, you are not the only person in this world that feels the way you do. My students go through the same self-doubt as you do; because of their hearing impairments and deafness they are afraid to dream as well. It shouldn’t be that way, don’t you think? Baekho, you can do anything that I can do, maybe even better.”

“I don’t want for people to know about me…”

Ren paused. “But Baekho, you can inspire so many people if you step out, conquer the music scene again, all while having a hearing impairment.”

I froze. I knew he was right, but I didn’t want to admit it. I was scared to hear the negative comments I would receive. But I was also afraid of continuing to do nothing and sitting in self-pity for the rest of my life. If I continued to go through this depression, what would become of me? Suicide had already crossed my mind and an episode of mind-numbing drinking had already passed as well. What was next for me?  “I’m scared.”

“We all have things we’re afraid of, Baekho.”

I stared at him. “What are you afraid of?”

A goofy smirk spread across Ren’s lips. “Really? You haven’t figured it out by now?” He asked; I shook my head. “Haven’t you ever wondered why I ride buses and run everywhere? I’m terrified of driving!”

A small smile crept upon my lips. “Are you really?”

Ren paused for a moment. His eyes lit up as he suddenly sparked an idea. “How about this? I’ll learn to drive.” He boldly declared. I stared at him.

“Why?”

Ren smiled then rubbed my shoulder. “Because you have my support. Baekho, you might not know this, but seeing you on stage inspires me to want to work harder to achieve my own dreams. I want to see that determination and focus on stage once again. I want you to feel like you’re not alone in facing something that you’re afraid of, and if it helps, I’ll do it too.”

I glanced down at my feet lost in thought for a moment. I inspired someone? Most importantly, I inspired Ren? But how? Just by doing what I loved to do? Whenever I sang, I didn’t mean to inspire. I was just doing what I enjoyed to do. To hear that I actually inspired someone… it certainly gave me the wakeup call that I definitely needed. I clenched my fists down by my sides, coming across a final decision. “Ren, can you do me a favor…?”

“Anything. What is it?”

“Call JB; tell him I accept.”

Aron’s POV

Minhyun and I both arrived down at the Pledis office building bright and early, meeting with Jason who was already there. Something I had learned about our new dance choreographer and roommate was that he was an early riser; he had awoken at nearly 5 AM to go jogging down at the park. He had asked for me to go with him, but I was someone who merely even hated walking wherever I went. I was far too lazy and sane not to wake up that early just to suffer. Besides, Minhyun and I would be suffering enough as it was because today was one of our infamous 8 hour dance practice rehearsals. I didn’t mind it as much, however, I knew Minhyun was dreading today. He didn’t much care for Jason, even though Ren’s older brother was now the object of Jason’s affections instead of me.

As the two of us entered the dance studio Jason was finishing up on a phone call. “Alright, got it, boss.” He replied then faced us with a bright smile. “Aron! Minion!”

Minhyun was about to charge at him, but I extended my arm and held him back. “Morning, hyung.”

Jason dreamily smiled. “You called my ‘hyung’ again; yay.” He glanced over at Minhyun. “When will you call me hyung?”

“When you’re dead.”

Jason narrowed his eyes at Minhyun briefly before turning his back to him. “Aron, listen, I have a proposal for you.”

I blinked. “Huh?”

“How familiar are you with YG Entertainment?” Jason asked.

“Please tell me you’re leaving us for them.” Minhyun remarked, rubbing his hands together almost as if he were praying.

Jason laughed. “Ha ha! You flatter me, but sadly, no.” He turned his attention back to me. “Do you know G-dragon?”

“He’s such a tool… why?” I muttered; I wasn’t exactly fond of GD. I didn’t approve of the strange gimmicks he used on stage and in his videos as well as what he called ‘rapping.’ The smile fled from Jason’s face.

“Never mind. I won’t ask you.” He turned his attention over to Minhyun who was taking a sip from his water bottle. “Bestie~~~! I have a pair of tickets to G-dragon’s concert tonight! Want to go with?”

Minhyun practically choked on his water. “B-bestie? Since when am I your ‘bestie’?!”

“Since the moment I laid eyes on your beautiful face.” Jason blinked innocently. Minhyun leaned in close to him.

“What part of ‘you tried to take my man’ don’t you understand?”

Jason scoffed, offended. “I did no such thing! I don’t want your man; I just want to sleep with him.”

“YOU’RE DEAD!” Minhyun screeched and flew at Jason. The two tumbled to the wooden floor and began to claw at each other.

“Annnnnd I’m out.” I replied, awkwardly leaving the two to fight it out. I climbed back up the stairs and exited the Pledis building. I sat out on the front steps and leaned back against the wall, staring up into the bright blue sky. As I did so, I jumped when I suddenly felt something warm and wet glide across my fingers. I glanced down to see a small black and brown Dachshund away at my hand. I stared down at it in annoyance. Whose dog was this? Was it a stray? It didn’t have a collar, meaning that it probably was. I lightly used my hand to push it away. I had always been afraid of dogs, big and small. They were unusual creatures that craved so much attention (why did this remind me of Jason?). The tiny dog ignored me and took this motion as an invitation to jump into my lap, where he began to my face. I placed both hands around his body and pried him off of me. I stood up and walked several feet away from the building before placing him down.

“Stay! Stay!” I warned. He looked up at me with his big brown eyes and tilted his head slightly to the side, staying put. I slowly began to take one step after another, walking backwards into the Pledis building. The dog remained sitting still. I sighed with relief; good, he wasn’t my problem anymore. As I turned my back to him, I suddenly heard four tiny paws tapping against the pavement and headed my way at full speed. My eyes widened and I made a bolt for it back inside of Pledis, my heart racing. As I entered the building, the main receptionist glanced up at me with a confused look on her face. I pointed at the door behind me. “Don’t go out there; there’s a dangerous stray on the loose.”

The receptionist nodded and resumed her work. I took this moment to go back inside of the dance studio to see Minhyun and Jason sitting on the floor, talking it out. Jason folded his arms across his chest and glanced off to the side in defiance. “Well, if you won’t call me ‘hyung,’ then you should at least call me ‘bestie.’”

“I will do no such thing.”

“You’re the closest thing I have to a friend here in Seoul!” Jason whined.

Minhyun huffed. “You live in so much delusion.”

I sighed. “Can we get practice done and over with?” I asked in annoyance. The two of them jumped up to their feet.

“Of course!” Jason replied, taking his place at the front of the room while we took ours in the center. He clapped his hands together. “Right, so I’m sure you’re well aware of the fact that your single is a y new dance number. And bossman informed me the two of you have a skinship agreement that you’re not delivering up to expectations on, so we’re going to fix that.”

“And how do you propose we do that?” I asked.

Jason shot me a wink. “Fanservice. When I’m done with you, the two of you are going to be the male version of ‘Trouble Maker.’”

“I’m scared.”

Minhyun scoffed. “I’ll believe it when I see it!”

“Then let’s get to it!” Jason clapped his hands together and started the musical score to our new single. We ran through the beginning choreography hundreds of times until he thought we were ‘decent’ before he finally taught us the dance moves to the chorus of the song. He stopped the music and taught us the moves slowly, breaking it down step by step and helping each one of us individually, making sure we understood it perfectly. Jason’s teaching style was definitely different from JR’s. JR would get so caught up in his choreography that at times he forgot that we weren’t up to his level. He never broke the steps down for us; he would perform them piece by piece and expect us to follow him. Jason actually took the time and effort to teach us. He never once expected us to follow him without stopping to teach us the moves first, something which was greatly appreciated.

We ran through the new segment of choreography several times, at first learning it and then fine-tuning our moves. Several hours had gone and passed in the blink of an eye. Although Jason was stricter when it came to actually learning the routines (he made us repeat the same move over hundreds of times if we messed up), dance practices actually became more enjoyable underneath him. He was lively, he was energetic, and he just had the outgoing personality that JR, who was strictly all business, seemed to lack.

“And now for the kissing scene!” Jason exclaimed happily as he approached me. “Want to practice on me first?”

Minhyun screamed at him. I folded my arms across my chest. “You’re embarrassing; I don’t know you.”

Jason dramatically grabbed at his chest. “Your words are like daggers to my heart.” He spun around and faced Minhyun. “I’ll just have to teach you how it’s done!” He grabbed both sides of the unsuspecting Minhyun’s face and pressed his lips against his. Minhyun froze in shock, staring back at Jason with eyes as big as plates. I felt a pang of jealousy spread within me.

“Hyung!” I scolded.

Jason slowly pulled away from him. “Don’t ‘bro’ me if you don’t know me.” He huffed as Minhyun immediately turned a bright shade of red and placed his hands over his face in embarrassment. Jason smirked at me. “I kissed your boyfriend; what do you want to do about it?”

“Stop it.” I warned.

Jason glanced back at Min. “I’m a much better kisser than Aron, don’t you think?”

Minhyun remained silent, still reeling in embarrassment and shame. I gripped my right fist before taking several steps forward. Jason, a better kisser than me? Yeah, right. We’ll see about that. I’ll prove him wrong, Min. I’m way better than him. I angrily marched toward Minhyun and pulled his hands away from his face by his wrists. Minhyun glanced at me with wide eyes before I yanked him into me and brushed my lips against his. He was briefly shocked for a moment before I felt him melt into my kiss, returning it.

Jason suddenly clapped, ruining our heated moment. I broke the kiss and glanced back at him. “That’s it! That’s the amount of passion you’ll need to show on stage.” He smirked. I froze; were Min and I just played by Jason? Had he manipulated the both of us into this situation? But he… kissed my boyfriend…

“I want to hurt you sooooo much.” I had to restrain myself from wanting to kick his .

“Pfft!” Jason disregarded my threat like it was nothing. “The two of you are cute, not to mention awkward together, at most. ‘Cute’ and ‘awkward’ doesn’t sell out stadiums, does it? We’re changing that concept, starting with this song. I don’t care what you do on your own time, but on stage you’ll be gods.”

“I can’t say I approve of this.” I replied.

Minhyun sheepishly glanced down at his toes. “I kind of… like it.” He shyly said.

“You…do?” I asked, stunned.

Minhyun nodded. “I like seeing this dominating side of you; it’s a bit of a turn on.”

I suddenly turned red at the sight of Minhyun’s innocent face and hearing those words escape from it. “R-really?” Fight it, Aron. Don’t lose control, not here. Dammit… why is he like this? Why is he so cute without even trying to be?

“Really.” Minhyun smiled at me. I was so close to losing it when suddenly-

“AWWH! GROUP HUG!” Jason exclaimed then wrapped his arms around the both of us. We both pried him off, giving him a set of icy cold glares for ruining our moment together.

“You ruin everything!” Minhyun scowled.

“I’m sorry if I annoy you with my love and friendship, bestie.” Jason smirked in amusement.

“We’re not-”

“BACK TO WORK!” Jason interrupted him by blasting the music back on. “1, 2, 3, 4 and-”

Several hours later practice had finally ended. As the three of us had finished up and began our way to the main exit of the Pledis building, I suddenly stopped at the front door. Jason slammed into my back as he was still pestering Minhyun about going to the concert with him and wasn’t paying any attention as he was walking. I paused, thinking back to that strange dog that had appeared out front earlier in the day. He wouldn’t still be here, would he? No; 8 hours had already gone and passed. He’d have to be crazy to still be out there. It was probably safe to go back outside now. I slowly pushed the door open and peered out, scanning the area for a small black and brown Dachshund. Once the coast was clear I finally stepped outside, receiving strange stares from both Minhyun and Jason.

Minhyun ran his fingers through his wet bangs. “I’m too tired to ask what’s wrong with you. Step aside.” He said, pushing past me and making his way over to the car.

“Wait for me, bestie!” Jason ran after him.

“You can walk home!” Minhyun scowled back.

“Let’s go together~!”

I shrugged then calmly began to follow after them. As I reached the passenger side of Minhyun’s car, I glanced down to my left side and spotted my ‘friend’ from earlier staring up at me with his big, dark brown eyes. His small tail began to wag behind him as we established eye contact. I waved my hands. “No, no, no! Absolutely not! You’re not going with me!”

Minhyun raised a brow and walked around the car to see who I was talking to. He smiled as he spotted the small dog. “Oh, how pretty!” He exclaimed then knelt down beside him on the pavement. He extended his arm to pet him. “I wonder whose dog he is-”

CHOMP!

Minhyun’s skin went pale as the small dog sunk his teeth into his hand. “I hope you die!” He waved his hand around frantically, shaking him off of him and then standing back up and climbing inside of his car, slamming the door shut loudly behind him. Jason curiously circled the car and peered over to see her. His eyes lit up as he spotted him. He approached him and then knelt down and swept him up in his arms.

“Aren’t you a cutie~? I’m going to take you home with me.”

I blinked. “You’re taking him?”

Jason stared at me with a rare blank expression on his face. “Yeah, why not?”

“You don’t strike me as a ‘dog person.’”

Jason gave me a surprised look. “Oh, that? No! This is food; he can make one killer of a stew-”

“Give him to me!” I exclaimed, prying the poor dog out from Jason’s grasp and taking him in my own arms. I immediately opened the passenger door and climbed inside with the dog in my lap, claiming him as my own. Minhyun glared at me.

“You’re not taking that thing with us.” He warned.

“I don’t have a choice. He won’t get in the way, promise.”

“But you hate dogs.” 

“You hate Jason, but you’re going to that concert with him.” I replied. As I said this, Jason practically climbed through the open window in the backseat to get inside of the car. He gasped happily.

“I knew you’d go with me!!!”

Minhyun gave me a wide eyed look, shaking his head in protest. I smirked at him; at least this would get Min off my back for now about the dog situation. It’s not like I wanted him, but I very well couldn’t leave him here. Jason, or possibly someone as strange as him, would probably eat him. Minhyun sighed heavily. “Dammit… fine.”

Ren’s POV

I pulled my phone out of my pocket as soon as I exited Baekho’s house, pulling up JB’s number that Aron had put into my phone the other day. My heart was racing. After having that talk about Baekho’s hearing loss, I was determined to help him in one way or another. I wasn’t exactly sure of what he meant by accepting JB’s offer, but since it was something that he had asked me to do for him, I was going to do it without hesitation. I made my way into town from Baekho’s neighborhood and sat down at the bus station, waiting for the next one to arrive. As I waited I finally dialed JB’s number. It rang a few times before he answered.

“JB speaking; who is this?”

“Choi Ren, 2DREAM’s stylist.” I replied, a little discouraged that he hadn’t saved my number into his phone yet.

“Oh, I apologize, didn’t recognize you. Is something wrong?” He asked.

“Actually… can I ask you a question?”

JB paused on the other end of the line. “Yes?” There was hesitation in his voice.

“You extended an offer to Kang Baekho; would you mind telling me what that offer was?” I asked. I knew it was a personal question, but it was something that I needed to know if I was going to ever be able to help him.

“Can I ask you a question as well?” He asked, surprising me.

“S-sure.” I replied, wondering what his question could possibly be.

“Whose side are you on?”

I paused. “Excuse me…?”

“Are you on Pledis’ side,” He stopped. “Or are you on Baekho’s? Where does your loyalty lie? I ask this question because-”

“Baekho’s.” I replied, not missing a beat. My answer surprised him. I don’t think he was expecting for me to choose so easily.

“You’d really bite the hand that feeds you? Do you know what you’re getting yourself into if you take Baekho’s side? You could lose that internship of yours. Is Kang Baekho really worth it?”

I stared down into my lap, my hand shaking as I held my phone up to my ear. “Even if I lose it… at least I tried, right...? Sometimes doing the right thing is worth the consequences. It’s always better to take that chance than to live in regret for just sitting still; working for DREAM and 2DREAM was an opportunity of a lifetime for me, even if it was just an internship. If I lose it, I can’t be mad at myself because at least I got to experience and live out my true dream, even if it was for just a little while.”

“I can accept that answer.” JB replied. “I extended my hand to Baekho as well. I asked him to take a chance, trust me, and sign under me as I establish a new label.”

My eyes widened with shock. “But what about Pledis and 2DREAM? Will you abandon Minhyun and Aron?”

“There’s no guarantee Baekho will accept my offer…” JB’s voice trailed off sadly. “But if by some miracle he does, I’ve spoken to Pledis about 2DREAM’s schedule. They’ll be promoting in Korea for one month before heading off to China to promote for another month. When they return they will be working on recording their new album, which can take anywhere from a few months to a year to produce. Their schedules won’t be too hectic; I can manage both.”

“Do you believe in miracles, JB?” I asked with a small smile spread across my lips. My question must have taken him off guard as he seemed surprised.

“Huh?”

“Kang Baekho…he accepts your offer.” I replied. There was a long pause on the other end of the line before a startled JB finally responded in a stuttering voice.

“He… what?” He asked in disbelief.

“Baekho said yes.” I repeated myself. “JB, what can I do to help?”

Minhyun’s POV

I stared at Aron as he sat down on the floor in the living room, sitting across from that annoying stray that he had brought home. I wanted nothing to do with it. If anything, I was a bit jealous of it. It was bad enough I had to share my time with my boyfriend with Jason, but now I had to share it with a dog as well. I just couldn’t seem to catch a break, now could I? I just wanted to spend as much time with Aron as I could. Was that so wrong? I just… I just wanted to be happy. I wanted to make Aron happy as well, but when could I possibly find the time to do that with all these distractions getting in the way? I didn’t want the dog here or even in the house, but I didn’t want to tell Aron ‘no.’ I was determined not to become that type of boyfriend that tried to control everything and ended up chasing his partner away. So in the meantime, I would have to put up with it and learn to love the dog or die trying.

“I think… I’ll name him ‘Mel.’”

I leaned over the back of the couch. “Why ‘Mel’?”

Aron pursed his lips together and furrowed his thick brows, lost in thought. “He just… looks like a ‘Mel.’”

I blinked. Really, Aron? “Can’t argue with that logic.” I replied sarcastically as Jason stepped out from the hallway and joined us in the living room wearing a red baseball cap, a black sleeveless shirt with matching black shorts and holding a pair of red Jordan’s. He smiled widely at me.

“Bestie! We’re going to be late! Let’s go!” He happily exclaimed, making his way to the door to put his shoes on. I turned to Aron and glared at him.

“You know I’m only doing this for you, right?”

Aron turned his attention away from Mel and faced me. “Min, he’s not that bad of a guy. Give him a chance.”

“Uh, you seem to be forgetting that he kissed me earlier!” I whispered harshly to him.

Aron glanced down and pouted. “Don’t remind me… but I was better, right?” He asked, looking back up at me with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. I smirked.

“Of course you were.”

“I knew it.” He smugly replied.

“You’re so full of it.”

Aron chuckled. “But seriously Min, flaws aside, Jason really isn’t that bad. He’s just strange, but I can tell his heart’s in the right place. He only did what he did to push us to try harder when it comes to that contract that we signed… I mean, it really shouldn’t be that hard to act when we’re a real couple, right?”

I paused, giving his reasoning a thought. It made sense, but… “I guess… but I still don’t like it.”

“Min, he’s going to be a part of our lives regardless if you want him to be or not. He’s our new choreographer. Even if he were to move out, we’d still see him down at the office. Would it kill you to become his friend?”

“But Aron… he wants to sleep with you.”

Aron folded his arms across his chest with an amused smirk on his face. “Yeah, but he’s not the one I want to sleep with.” He replied, looking me straight in the eyes. I couldn’t help but turn red in the face. “Trust me; it’ll never happen. I chose you.”

My heart melted. “I chose you too…” I replied, embarrassed. This was so lame, but yet, somehow romantic. I glanced back at Jason who was still putting on his shoes. I guess Aron was right. It wouldn’t kill me to try to get to know the guy better. If anything, it’d make living underneath the same roof at least a tiny bit more bearable. I sighed heavily before rolling my eyes and literally dragging myself over towards him, leaving Aron to tend to his new little friend. I patted Jason on the back. “Let’s get going.”

“Sure thing!” Jason smiled back at me, standing back up. I pulled open the front door and followed Jason out of the exit. He waited for me down by my car as I locked up then joined him. We climbed in together then sped down the street, making our way to the Seoul Olympic Stadium, where G-dragon’s concert was supposed to be held. When we arrived we joined the back of the ridiculously long line. I made sure to wear my face mask and my hood over my head so that no one would recognize me. Not that I’d want to be recognized. Really, there were literally a million other things I’d rather be doing than attending a YG Entertainment concert. I almost felt as if I was betraying Pledis by being here. But they never said we couldn’t attend other company’s concerts, even if they were considered competition. Besides, idols were human, weren’t they? We could have other idols that we idolized. However, G-dragon just wasn’t one of them, at least, not for me.

I turned to Jason who was literally a ball of bouncing excitement beside me. “Just what is it that you like so much about him? Surely it can’t be his dancing; GD doesn’t dance, at least not well anyways.”

Jason calmed down enough to carry a decent conversation with me. “His rapping is spot on.”

I raised a brow. “You rap?”

He suddenly paused, acting as if he had been caught in a trap. He shook his head sadly. “No, I don’t.” He quickly replied, dropping the subject. I continued to observe his strange behavior. Had I asked something that I shouldn’t have? Was I in the wrong? Whatever it was that I had said, it clearly bothered him, making Jason quiet. I sighed; I needed to try to be friendlier.

“So… are you excited?”

A familiar smile spread across Jason’s lips. “You have no idea! Thanks for agreeing to come with me, Minhyun. I know you didn’t exactly want to.”

I froze. “What? No-”

Jason laughed. “Save it; I’m not as dense as I appear to be. I know I’ve been a bit of an -”

“A bit?” I gave him a skeptical look.

“Okay, a big one. A really, really big . I just don’t have many friends here… it was my way of breaking the ice between all of us. I guess what I’m trying to say is, can we start over?”

I pursed my lips together. “Are you going to leave Aron alone?”

Jason smirked. “Nope.”

I started to walk off. “I think I’m done here-”

He grabbed me by my wrists, stopping me. “I’m kidding! Yes! I promise, I’ll leave Aron alone. Besides, I have a new target.”

“Minseok?”

Jason released my wrists and bit down on his knuckle. “Ummph, that perfection~!” I laughed. I could understand where he was coming from. I remember Ren had mentioned once that he had an older brother, but he never mentioned who he was or what he looked like. Minseok literally looked like a rock star, and that was definitely something, especially since an idol like myself certainly thought so. “The best part is that he’s the perfect age!”

“Just how old are you?”

Jason leaned in close to me. “Old enough to be your ‘hyung.’”

“Don’t start that up again.” I narrowed my eyes.

“Pleeeeeeease call me ‘hyung.’” He whined.

“I still don’t trust you yet.”

“Yet?” Jason paused. He gasped. “That means there’s still a chance!!! Yes!”

“You’re not… a bad guy.” My voice trailed off. This was awkward. I still didn’t feel a hundred percent comfortable around him, but like Aron said, I needed to give him a chance. Obviously Aron saw something in him that he liked, despite the fact that Jason had kissed me. “You’re just really, really annoying.”

“Heh, I’ll take it. Thanks, bestie~! I appreciate that.” He smiled and the two of us started making our way inside of the coliseum as the line started to move forward. Jason gave the employees our tickets and excitedly entered, pulling me by my arm behind him. I shook my head and smiled. Jason sure was a strange one, but I did admire his spirit. He didn’t seem to let much bother him and it seemed just as things were starting to grow dark and miserable back inside of that mansion because of Baekho’s absence, he was the breath of fresh air that we sort of needed. Jason was definitely the mood maker of the household. Although I still couldn’t quite understand him, I was actually somewhat kind of happy that he appeared when he did. If he hadn’t, who knew how we’d be living. As long as he kept his eyes and hands off of Aron, Jason was welcome to stay for as long as he wanted.

Baekho’s POV

I opened the door for JB after he had texted me that he had arrived. As soon as the door swung open JB leaned forward and threw his arms around me in happy sobs. I stared at him with wide eyes before prying him off of me, creating a space of distance between us. JB straightened his jacket and cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck nervously as he smiled at me.

“I’m relieved.” He said, looking me from head to toe. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was scared you’d waste yourself away; I know what you’re going through right now has got to be tough, but I’m glad you’ve gotten through it.”

“Did Ren call you?”

JB nodded. “He did.” He patted me on the back.

“Do you really think…” My voice trailed off. “Do you really think I can do it? That I can stand on stage again and sing?”

“You were capable of great things then and you’re capable of them now. Trust in me; I’ve never steered you wrong before, have I? Believe in me. Believe in the people around you. It’s not going to be easy, but nothing worth having ever is. You’re going to have to put on an act to fool the entire nation, but you can do it.”

“An act?” I asked, stunned. “You don’t think they’ll accept me as I am, do you…?” My voice trailed off with disappointment. JB shook his head.

“Unfortunately not, but we can change that, Baekho. Go out there, break those music charts and then reveal to the world you’re just like them despite your differences. You’re capable of doing anything else that others can do.”

“That’s what he said too.”

“Hm?” JB asked.

I shook my head. “Nothing.”

“Like I said, it’s about getting you the right type of people who can help you. I’ve got you covered as far as a recording studio. All we have to do is get you a team we can trust to keep your secret. I promise you that I’ll get you back up there no matter what it takes.”

“Why are you doing this…?”

JB smiled warmly. “Because I believe in Kang Baekho; your fans believe in you. Don’t keep the rest of the world waiting for too long for your return.”

I slowly nodded. “I won’t.”

Ren’s POV

I tiredly entered the mansion and made my way straight to my bedroom to put my belongings down. I peered out into the hallway; the house was quiet, too quiet. Was everyone gone? I slowly walked down the hallway, stopping outside of Aron’s open door. As I looked in I spotted him sitting on the floor, playing with a small dog. I smiled then knocked before entering.

“Come in.” Aron replied.

“Who is this???” I asked, kneeling down beside the two of them. The small dog leapt up into my lap and began to my face.

“My puppy Mel.”

“Look at you! I didn’t think you were a ‘dog person.’” I replied, pleasantly surprised by the new addition to the household.

“I’m not.”

“Then why-”

“Jason was going to eat it.”

I nodded in understanding. “Ah… makes sense… I guess.” I said, placing Mel back down on the floor. “Hey, Aron, can I ask you something?”

“Depends.” He bluntly replied.

“Depends?” I asked.

Aron nodded. “If it’s anything about Baekho, I won’t answer it.” I blinked, surprised that he knew what it was that I had wanted to ask him about.

“How did you-”

Aron glanced up from looking down at Mel. “You’ve been coming home late for a while now when in the past you’d come straight from work. You’ve been going… elsewhere. I don’t think it takes a genius to figure out just where it is you’ve been going.”

I stared at him with wide eyes. Was it that obvious? Had I really been spending that much time over there, trying to get Baekho to open up? I shook my head; I didn’t need Aron jumping to any conclusions. “I think you’re misunderstanding something-” I stopped when a small, but subtle smile spread across Aron’s lips before he dropped it and replaced it with his usual stoic expression.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with him.” He said, changing the subject. I knew he questioned what my relationship was with Baekho, and I couldn’t lie to myself; I didn’t know what exactly that was either. I found myself in a difficult situation. Baekho was my friend, even though I felt it and saw it through his eyes every time he looked at me that he felt something more. Whenever I asked Baekho about it, he always denied it. If he’d only just come out and say something… I paused. What the hell was I thinking? These thoughts… they were wrong. I only wanted to help Baekho. That’s why I kept visiting him and why I couldn’t seem to get him out of my thoughts… right? Aron continued. “I never asked… and I don’t want to know.”

I was stunned. “Aren’t you the least bit curious about him? He was your former leader and roommate, after all. I’m a bit disappointed in you, Aron…” My voice trailed off. I couldn’t believe the way he was acting. Did he not care about Baekho at all? That couldn’t be. A long time ago Aron went to me, asking me to help Baekho open up and become more ‘human.’ If he didn’t care about him, he wouldn’t have done that, would he?

Aron stared down at the ground. “We’re waiting for him.” He whispered.

“What?”

He pursed his lips together. “I didn’t ask to know because I knew it wasn’t something Baekho would want; he doesn’t want for others to feel sorry for him. Min and I… we made a promise that day at the hospital. We promised each other that we would do what we could to support him on the side and that when he was ready to return, there would still be a spot for him on our team. If that meant quitting Pledis, we’d do it. We’d do it for him. The three of us… we’re opposite as day and night, but we just work. We’re waiting for the day that 2DREAM becomes one DREAM again.”

I suddenly felt tears building up in the corners of my eyes. I didn’t know why I felt so overwhelmed by waves of emotion as I was listening to Aron speak. Maybe it was because I felt relieved. I felt relieved because I had just realized that I wasn’t the only one who dreamt of DREAM becoming one again. All this time I thought I had been alone in this. I had thought that everyone had been too accepting of Pledis’ decision to kick Baekho out and form 2DREAM; I had no idea that everyone felt the exact same way I did. Min, Aron, JB… they all wanted the same thing I did, which was for Baekho to sing once again. I brought my hands to my eyes and began to cry, startling Aron who didn’t know what to do. He awkwardly placed a hand on my back and began to pat me.

“There, there… don’t cry…” He uncomfortably replied. Mel jumped back up into my lap and began to my hands, trying to cheer me up. I shook my head, still covering my face with my hands. I heard Aron start speaking to someone on the phone. “Min, I think I broke our stylist… can you guys come home? No, yeah, I’m not kidding; listen!” He held his phone out so that Minhyun could hear my sobs.

“ARON KWAK, YOU INSENSITIVE JERK, WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!?!” I heard Minhyun’s voice screech out from the speakers.

“I don’t… know?” He replied, confused.

I began to chuckle as the tears stopped. I lowered my hands and grabbed his phone. “I’m fine, Min. He didn’t do anything. I didn’t mean to get him in trouble…”

Minhyun paused. “…yeah, well, I’m still coming home-”

“AW MAN! What about the after party?!?!” I heard Jason’s voice from beside him pour out from the speaker.

“I’m not going to any after party with you! It’s your fault we got kicked out of the concert!” Minhyun snapped.

I blinked. “What did he do?”

“At the fan sign, this idiot over here asked to touch G-dragon’s face and then proceeded to do so, followed by being removed from the stadium by his security guards. Do you know how embarrassing that is, as another idol, to stand beside someone that crazy?”

“But I had to touch it! It’s so beautiful!” Jason exclaimed.

“Ren, he was screaming ‘but why won’t you let me touch your face?!?!’ the entire time we were being dragged out. Oh god… I hope no one recognized me. This is going to end up online, I just know it…”

By now I was rolling on the floor laughing hysterically. I was laughing so hard Aron had to take the phone away from me. “Anyways, I think we’re good here, Min… I’m not in trouble, am I?....Good. See you guys later.” He replied then hung up. I quickly sat back up and pulled out my own phone, as I was suddenly reminded to give my brother a call. His phone rang several times before he finally picked up.

Minseok yawned. “What do you want?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Well ‘hello’ to you too.”

“Tcht. You’re so touchy.”

“Minseok, I need a favor to ask of you-”

“No to money, no to drugs, yes to getting you a gym membership.” He quickly replied.

I blinked. “What…?”

Minseok chuckled. “There’s a reason why people mistake you for my little sister, dear brother of mine.”

“Shut up!”

“Well then, I guess you won’t be needing my help-”

“Teach me how to drive!” I quickly exclaimed.

Minseok paused. “Minki, did you hear that?”

“H-huh?”

“The sound of pigs flapping their wings before takeoff and hell freezing over.”

“Forget it! I’ll ask someone else.”

Minseok laughed. “I’m just teasing you, little brother. To be honest, I’m shocked. You’ve never expressed interest in learning before. I thought you were terrified of driving.”

“I am… but… I want to learn. I need to do it. I have a point to prove to someone very important, and I can’t back out of my promise. So will you teach me?”

“It’ll be an honor. I’ll see you in the morning?”

“Sounds great.” I replied then hung up the phone. Aron looked at me with intrigue. He smirked.

“Oh, I’m not missing this.”

As Minseok had promised, he arrived at 2DREAM’s mansion early in the morning. Of course, Aron, ever the chatterbox (that was sarcasm by the way), mentioned that he would be arriving, meaning that Jason and Minhyun were practically waiting for him by the front door. When he arrived they each took him by one arm and led him inside. Minseok remained silent, but I could tell he was enjoying all of the attention he was receiving by the smug smile spread across his lips. I rolled my eyes at him as they sat him down and practically offered him the entire kitchen. Minseok laughed and waved his hands.

“Actually, I’m good, thanks. I’ll pass. I’m here to see my little sister-”

“HYUNG!” I snapped.

“Brother… and teach him how to drive.” He smirked, correcting himself. Now I remembered why I didn’t miss him when he went off to America. He had always, ALWAYS picked on me while we were growing up. Ok, hyung. I know I’m girly. Ha, ha, ha. But that doesn’t mean anything. I’m still a human being that deserves respect, aren’t I?

Mel suddenly came running into the living room, the sound of his little paws against the wooden paneling following him as he ran. He leapt up into Minseok’s lap, startling him. He smiled once the scare from the initial shock wore down and he petted his forehead. “What do we have here?”

Jason pointed. “Food.”

“Mel!” Aron exclaimed, running towards Minseok and prying the small dog out from his hands. He held him in his arms defensively before taking him to the back of the house and leaving him in the safety of his own room. Once Aron returned, he glanced at Minseok. “Can we observe? I feel like I shouldn’t miss this.”

Minseok smiled darkly. “The more the merrier.” He replied then stood up. “Let’s do this, Ren.” I nodded then followed him outside of the mansion with Aron, Minhyun and Jason. As we exited the three of them literally piled up in the backseat inside of Minseok’s car before the two of us even opened our own doors.

“Really, guys?” I asked in disbelief.

Aron pulled out his phone. “This moment is so going on Instagram.”

Jason pulled out his own phone. “Yo, I got Twitter.”

Minhyun shook his head. “I’m actually here to support you.”

Jason elbowed Min in the stomach. “No you’re not; you’re here to undress Minseok with your eyes-”

“SHUT UP!” Minhyun placed his left hand over Jason’s mouth and nervously laughed. Aron gave Minhyun an annoyed, suspicious look. Minhyun shook his head in disagreement. Minseok blinked a couple of times; I could tell Jason’s comment disturbed him slightly, but it had always been in Minseok’s nature to let things slide rather than creating useless drama. Of course, unless that drama involved torturing me. Minseok did what we all do, which is ignore Jason.

“Get in, Minki.”

“Ren.” I corrected.

Minseok shook his head. “Do you want to learn to drive or not?” He asked, annoyed. I sighed, rolled my eyes then climbed behind the wheel. Minseok sat in the passenger seat. “Alright, now what’s the first thing you do when you get inside a car?”

I stared up at the roof of the car as if it magically held the answer up there. “Uh… turn it on?”

“Wrong!” Minseok exclaimed. “Seatbelt. Safety first, little bro.”

“Ah! Right, right.” I replied then swung my seatbelt on.

Minseok turned and glanced at the passengers in the backseat. “In this case, you guys might want to put it on too. Our Minki failed driving school twice before he finally gave up and decided to take the bus for the rest of his life. Such a tragedy; not even the head master could teach him.”

“Oh dear god we’re going to die… I’M OUT!” Jason ever so kindly replied, opened the door and climbed out. “I’ll observe from outside.”

I turned to Minhyun and Aron. “I hate him.”

“Trust me, we all put up with him.” Minhyun replied.

Minseok smirked. “Next?”

I stared blankly at the wheel. “Turn it on now…?” Minseok nodded. I turned the key in the ignition and the engine . Minseok motioned for me to continue. I slowly reached my hand for the clutch.

“Wrong! Unless you want to break my car, I’d suggest you put your foot on the brake before you shift gears.” Minseok slapped his hand across his forehead. “We’re in for a long morning ahead of us.”

Several hours had passed and we had barely even traveled the distance of the street that 2DREAM’s mansion was located on. Aron had videoed the entire time while Minhyun grabbed onto the armrest on the door, scared out of his wits. Minseok placed his hand on his forehead and leaned against the open window; I could tell that all of my failures were starting to take a toll on his patience and he was growing annoyed with me.

“Brake,” Minseok said as the car continued to roll down the street and towards a stop sign. “Brake… brake, brake, brake, brake, brak- DAMMIT, MINKI, BRAKE!”

“Don’t yell at me!” I replied, frustrated.

“I’M NOT YELLING AT YOU!”

“YES YOU ARE!”

“STOP THE CAR!” Minseok exclaimed. I swerved the car onto the side of the street and shifted the gears into park before turning the engine off. I angrily yanked the keys out of the ignition and flung them into Minseok’s lap before opening the door and storming off down the sidewalk. Minseok sighed heavily before sticking his head out the window. “Oh, Minki, come on! Don’t do this! Where do you think you’re going?!”

“I’m going home!” I exclaimed angrily.

“On foot???” Minseok yelled back, finally climbing out of the car and following me down the sidewalk. He caught up to me and grabbed me by the back of my shoulder. “Come on, don’t do this in front of your friends.”

“Then don’t yell at me!”

“Fine!”

“There you go again!”

Minseok scoffed in disbelief then took a couple of seconds to calm and collect himself. He patted me on the back. “Ok, I’m sorry for yelling at you.”

I pursed my lips together in annoyance. “Apology accepted.” I muttered underneath my breath.

“Now let’s go find them.”

I paused. “Find what…?”

“Your balls. Obviously you must have lost them somewhere.”

I stomped my foot down hard on the ground. “Oh, how I hate you!” I scowled.

Minseok smirked. “You’re the one who called me to come back; be careful what you wish for, little bro.” He laughed evilly.

“I’m so done here!” I practically screamed at him. Minseok laughed once again then quickly wrapped his arms around me from behind before I could walk off, preventing me from going anywhere. He rested his chin down on my shoulder.

“Oh, come on. Stop being such a drama queen and get back in there. You’re not that bad of a driver. You’re slowly getting it.”

“It’s just so… frustrating.” I replied dejectedly.

“But you have a point to prove to someone, am I correct? Then it’ll make completing this goal even more satisfying. Trust me, Minki… Ren, whatever your name is; nothing worth doing is ever going to be easy. Take that as a life lesson well learned from your hyung.”

I smiled. I knew he was right. I just hated admitting it to him. It only further inflated Minseok’s already huge ego. “I guess…” I replied then spun around inside of Minseok’s arms as he led me back to the car. Minhyun jumped as I climbed back behind the wheel.

“I-it’s not o-over???”

Aron slowly turned his head and looked at him. “Usually you’re the one telling me to be nice.”

“I-I-I’m sorry, Ren. I-I have to go.”

I frowned. “Where are you going…?”

“To go punch Aron’s dog in the face. I-I don’t know… just…” Minhyun shakily opened the door and stumbled out, falling into the street. Aron’s eyes grew wide.

“Mel!” He exclaimed, quickly climbing out and chasing after Minhyun, leaving me alone with my older brother. I stared at Minseok with wide eyes.

“Did you lie to me???”

“Yes.” Minseok replied. “But hey, it got you back inside the car, right? You asked for my help and that’s what you’re going to get. It’s not often you’ve ever asked for my help… I… I like it. It makes me feel useful to someone for once.” He replied sadly.

I paused for a moment. Baekho’s name suddenly flashed across my mind again for the thousandth time for the day. Minseok’s confession just now… it made me wonder just how far he was willing to go to help me. “Actually… hyung, can I ask another favor of you?”

Minseok blinked. “Hmm? What is it?”

“It’s about my friend…”

Minhyun’s POV

After spending an uneventful morning with Ren and his brother locked up inside his car, finally I was free. As I entered the living room Jason, who was standing in front of the large screen TV, slowly turned to me with big eyes. I raised a brow. Normally I would have thought he was just being weird again like usual, but this time he seemed different. This time he seemed serious.

“Minhyun… was that you…?”

“What…? What in the world are you going on about now-” I took a couple of steps forward and stopped in front of the TV. Jason had been watching the morning news on celebrity gossip and in the corner of the screen stood a pre-debut picture of me, back from before I had undergone several treatments and even the plastic surgery that my mother had forced me to undertake. My eyes went wide as I saw my name in big bold letters underneath the picture. I fell to my knees down on the hard wooden floor.

“You look different…”

I placed both hands over my ears. “Shut up! Just shut up!” I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to hear about any of it. Receiving plastic surgery had been one of the biggest regrets in my entire life. I didn’t want it or need it, but I was young at the time and very impressionable at the influence of my mother. My mind flashed back to several months ago when she had threatened me. Had she… did she…? I paused. No, she wouldn’t… besides, she wasn’t the only one who had threatened to destroy me or my career. The only other possible suspect would have to be… U-ie…

“You leave Mel alone!” Aron exclaimed as he finally came running inside the house after me. He paused when he spotted me collapsed on the floor. “Min-”

“Look.” Jason quietly pointed at the screen, directing Aron’s attention. Aron’s eyes slowly followed his finger. He gasped in horror as he spotted my pre-debut picture on the news. He immediately pulled his cell phone out and dialed JB’s number.

“Where is she?!” He screamed into the phone. “Where the is U-ie?!?!”