JR’s POV

I unwillingly allowed myself to be dragged back into the Pledis building by a furious blonde. I had no idea what had Ren so worked up, but whatever it was, this was probably the angriest I had seen him in a while. I followed him back downstairs to the old dance studio that used to be like my second home to me back before I had left for the states. As we entered through the sliding door a loud wave of music hit us. Ren was the first to march inside and I followed close behind, peering my head through the glass door to see what was going on. The image of a thin, average height man wearing a black tank top and sweatpants with a black beanie over his head gliding across the room appeared. Being caught up in the music, he didn’t seem to notice us with his back turned to us the entire time. It wasn’t until the song finally stopped that he realized that he wasn’t as alone as he thought he was. The first image he spotted in the mirror was Ren’s reflection. A big smile spread across his face as spun around.

“Ren!” He exclaimed happily before abruptly pausing. I felt him glance over Ren’s shoulder and make direct eye contact with me. The smile on his face soon faded as he continued to stare at me with a serious look. The several tattoos on his arm suddenly caught my attention and I shifted my gaze down to look at them. These tattoos… they looked… familiar… I froze and stared back up at him with wide eyes.

“Do you mind explaining the angry phone call I just received from my hyung?” Ren asked accusingly.

The tattooed man broke his gaze with me and gave Ren a startled look. “W-what?”

“Playing dumb won’t work this time, Jason. For god’s sakes, you broke his nose!” Ren exclaimed. Jason? Was that his name? I glanced back over to Ren. They knew each other? How… don’t tell me… My train of thoughts were suddenly distracted as Ren sighed heavily, reaching backwards for my wrist and pulling me forward. “This is JR, my boyfriend. JR, this is Jason, 2DREAM’s new choreographer.”

No…

I glanced over at Jason, whose eyes were wide as plates. He recognized me the same way I recognized him as well. The same thoughts were probably going through his mind too; ‘.’ What had I gotten myself into last night when I got drunk? I couldn’t believe what I had done. One night stands were something completely out of the norm for me, even before I began dating Ren. I had never been that type of guy, so why the hell did I… I needed to fix this. I needed to make things right… But now wasn’t the time. I still had other matters, such as dealing with Baekho, to deal with before I admitted to the worst mistake I had ever made in my life.

I extended my hand out towards Jason, pulling on my best poker face and acting as if the two of us had never met and last night had never happened. “Nice to meet you, Jason.”

Jason hesitated before shaking my hand. “Nice to meet you too.” He gave me a confused look as if he were still making sure that it was me that he had spent the night with and not somebody else.

Ren grew impatient. “Why did you attack my brother?”

Jason shifted his gaze back over towards Ren. He guiltily hung his head down low reminiscent of a small child being scolded. “It was on complete accident…”

“How is breaking someone’s nose a ‘complete accident’?” Ren asked in a condescending tone of voice.

“I’m sorry.” Jason shrunk into his shoulders.

“You need to apologize to Minseok, not me!”

“I will, I will. I promise.” Jason sullenly replied as he continued to get scolded by Ren. Ren paused for a moment and sighed, running his fingers through his bangs. He finally softened his gaze towards him.

“Who am I kidding? I can’t stay mad at you for long… dammit.” Ren’s voice trailed off. “Although I hate to admit it, I like you too much.” He pouted. Jason cautiously glanced back up at him, a small smile spreading across his lips. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Ren, embracing him in a hug. I watched the two of them with a churning, guilty feeling in the bottom of my gut. From the looks of it, Ren and Jason were actually good friends… Just what the hell have I done?

The three of us were suddenly distracted by heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. It was JB. He stepped inside of the dance studio and met eyes with Ren. “Oh, I’m glad you’re finally here! Come, let’s go look at the wardrobe Versace sent in!” He waved his hand enthusiastically at Ren. Ren practically had to tear Jason off of him before nodding and rushing over to JB’s side. Before he left, he glanced back at me.

“Did you want to go with me to look at clothes, or did you want to stay here-”

“I’ll stay down here.” I replied quickly, surprising both Ren and Jason.

Ren raised a curious brow. “Really?”

I smiled. “I want to see what 2DREAM’s choreographer is capable of.” I turned to Jason. “Is that alright with you?” I asked. Jason wordlessly nodded.

Ren smiled back at me. “Alright then. I’ll be back later.”

I slowly waved at him, watching him climb back up the stairs with JB until they were finally out of sight. Once they were gone I turned around to face Jason, who had removed his black beanie and was running his fingers through his sweat soaked red hair. For a moment I was silent and just stood there watching him as he nervously tried everything in his power to prevent making eye contact with me. Finally when I had enough of his odd behavior I spoke up. “You remember me, don’t you?” I asked.

Jason paused, letting his arms fall back down to his sides. He turned his back to me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He replied. “I have to get back to work now.” He said uncomfortably, making his way back over to the stereo to switch the music back on. I continued to watch him. I knew he recognized me. The look on his face was just plain obvious. So he was planning on playing the naïve route, pretending as if nothing ever happened between the two of us? It probably came as a complete shock. I knew it did for me. Last night wasn’t planned even in the slightest. One of the reasons why I went through with it was because I thought I’d never see him ever again. That’s what one-night stands were for, right? I never would have predicted that he’d turn around to actually knowing Ren and being 2DREAM’s new choreographer… but I should have seen that last part coming, shouldn’t I? Our dance battle last night; he was almost too good to be any regular person off of the street.

As the instrumental started playing Jason started moving his body to the music with the arranged movements that he had so far come up with. The choreographer in me was curious. He perfectly executed move after move with flawless precision. He stopped when he reached the middle of the song; he had run out of material. I see; so this was still a work in progress, was it? I folded my arms across my chest; not bad. Not bad at all.

“What is this for?” I asked.

Jason hesitantly glanced at me. “This is for fun.” He replied.

“Fun?”

“It’s a self-composed song and choreography.”

I gave him a shocked look. “You did all of this yourself?”

He shook his head. “With a bit of help from JB. Or actually, rather, I helped him.”

“Is this for 2DREAM?” I asked, remembering back in the day that JB had always talked about one day getting the chance to produce. I guess he was actually following through with his original plans. Good for him.

Jason hesitantly nodded again. “Mmhm.”

“I’ve seen what you’ve done with Aron and Minhyun.” I replied, grabbing his attention. “I’ve seen the music programs on the internet. They’ve definitely improved.”

Jason smirked. “Flattery will get you nowhere, JR.”

I paused. “So you do remember me.”

The smile on Jason’s face quickly faded. “I’m working.” He replied, continuing to avoid the question. He started the music again. I quickly stopped him.

“For how many dancers?”

“Huh?”

“There’s Aron and Minhyun; how many background dancers do you plan to use in your choreography?” I asked, curious about his work. Jason held up his hand and started counting on his fingers, much like how a child would when trying to add or subtract math.

“About ten.”

I stared at him with wide eyes. “Ten?” I asked, startled. “That would make this a large-scale production, especially since there’s only the two of them. And this is just for fun?”

Jason smirked. “Yep.”

“You’re crazy.”

He scratched the back of his head and laughed. “Yeah, I get that a lot.”

I smiled. “Do you want help?”

Baekho’s POV

I was awoken bright and early by the sounds of Minseok ungraciously stumbling around in my room. Seeing as I still didn’t have the hearing aid yet, one could just imagine how loud Minseok was really being. He was rolling several carts around, hurriedly packing his equipment into his large bag. I sat up and stared at him in confusion. What in the world was he doing that he felt the need to be in such a rush? As Minseok finished gathering his equipment from around the room he started packing my belongings into my suitcase that I had brought with me when I had first checked myself into the hospital. Okay, now I knew something had to be up.

“Mind telling me what you’re doing?” I asked.

Minseok continued to pack without glancing up. “I’m transferring you out into homecare.” He replied.

I furrowed my brows in confusion. “I can leave?” I was shocked.

“I’m taking you home.”

“Why are you in such a rush?” I asked, observing him. He almost seemed panicked. Minseok paused then nervously stood up straight, rubbing the back of his neck. My eyes were immediately drawn to the bandage on his nose that he still refused to talk about since yesterday.

“Rush? No reason… ah, I mean, I have to get to my second job down at Samsung. I’ve taken quite a bit of sick-leave days.”

I shifted my gaze down into my lap. “Sorry.” I quickly replied. It was funny. In the past I had such a hard time apologizing for anything but yet, now it came so naturally.

Minseok waved his hand. “Don’t be. You have nothing to feel sorry about. You didn’t ask for this to happen to you. In fact, you saved a life. I don’t know about you, but if I were in your situation, I’d actually feel quite proud of my hearing impairment. I’m not saying it like you earned it… but, think of it as a Purple Heart; like a battle scar, I suppose.”

I paused. “I hadn’t thought of it like that.”

Minseok smiled at me. “You should be proud to tell your story. You’re a hero, Kang Baekho.”

I laughed. “You should know the dangers of inflating an already huge ego.” Minseok laughed with me for a couple of seconds before growing serious again.

“I have an important question to ask you, Baekho.”

“Hmm?” I blinked.

“Is there anyone else that knows about your hearing impairment?” He asked. I thought for a moment.

“There’s you, Ren, JB, Minhyun and U-ie. Why?” I asked, wondering what he could possibly want to know this for.

“We operated on your inner ear; if you don’t know, the inner ear is not only responsible for hearing, but for balance as well. Right now it is swollen from surgery. What I’m trying to say is that you will not be able to do normal things on your own until the swelling has gone down. Out of all of those that you listed, with an exception to Ren, who would most be able and willing to care for you at home during the day until I am able to visit you at night?”

I paused. “Wouldn’t it make sense to just stay here then?”

Minseok immediately shook his head. “I can’t leave you here.”

I tilted my head to the side. His response was startling. “Why not?”

Minseok froze. “I have my reasons.”

“And what are those?” I asked stubbornly.

“I believe others have found out about you being here.” He replied, being extremely vague. I stared at him in horror. I knew netizens and saesangs were crazy and sometimes had better detective skills than the actual police department, but how in the world… If what Minseok was saying was correct, then he was right. I didn’t have any other choice but to leave. The last thing I needed or wanted was for the public to find out about the surgery I had received or the reason for it. I needed to go back into hiding. I rubbed my chin, lost in thought as I gave Minseok’s suggestion consideration. I understood Ren’s situation; right now JR was supposedly back in town, making it downright near impossible for him to see me. As for the others…

“JB is running around like a dog trying to prepare activities for both 2DREAM and I, so he’s out. I will absolutely not, under any circumstances go crawling to Minhyun for help. Not to mention he’s busy with promotional activities. That would only leave…” I paused, thinking about how After School was currently on break as Pledis was choosing to focus its time and resources to its other idols at the moment. “U-ie.”

“U-ie?” Minseok asked. “Should I call her?”

My eyes grew wide. “No!”

Minseok gave me a confused look. “Why not?”

Because she hurt me…

I shifted my gaze down into my lap. “Someone else. It can’t be her.” 

“Who else is there?”

I furrowed my brows. “No one…”

Minseok snatched my phone from off the drawer beside my bed. “I’m calling her.”

“Don’t!”

“I’m not leaving you alone in that house!” Minseok snapped. I turned my head away from him, defeated. He started scrolling through my contacts and then tapped on U-ie’s name once he found it. Even after all these years I had still kept her number. I didn’t know why, but I just couldn’t bring myself to delete it. I guess part of me still considered her my sunbae who had been kind to me up until that moment she chose to make a decision for the both of us which ultimately destroyed our entire relationship. Minseok put the phone on speaker, blasting the volume so that I could hear. The phone rang several times before U-ie finally picked up. “This is Doctorate of Audiology Choi Minseok calling from the Seoul Medical Hospital. I’m calling on regard to patient Kang Baekho. He had you listed as an emergency contact number.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Me?” She asked, startled. “Y-yes. Did you say Kang Baekho is in the hospital? Is he ok?” Judging by the tone in her voice I could tell that she was not only surprised, but genuinely concerned and worried about me.

“Baekho is fine. He received further surgery regarding his hearing loss. I’m transferring him as an outpatient today and will be sending him home. As he has no other readily available of kin to care for him, I contacted you. Are you in a position in which you can help assist Baekho at home?”

“Yes, absolutely.” She replied without hesitation, startling me. U-ie… “What do you need?”

“Baekho will need help in the early morning until 5 PM when I can take over. This will be for just a couple of weeks. Can you sign for his release and help me bring him back home?”

“I’m on my way.” She replied quickly then hung up. Once the phone conversation was over I glanced at Minseok, shaking my head.

“I don’t want her to come. I don’t want her help.”

“Then why did you have her listed as an emergency contact number in your phone?” Minseok sighed. “She’s all you’ve got at the moment, whether you like it or not. I don’t know what kind of grudge you harbor towards her, but in this situation, it’s crucial to put it aside. Her help that you don’t want is help that you’ll need. Who knows? Maybe it’s for the best. If you two are fighting then this might provide the opportune time to resolve your differences.”

I glanced away. I don’t want to resolve our differences. I don’t want U-ie in my life anymore. Seeing U-ie brought up old pain that I wanted to forget. I just wanted to forget everything. I just wanted to forget her…

About an hour later U-ie finally arrived at the hospital to collect me. Minseok had helped get me into a wheelchair and handed her my bag as he strolled me down the hallway with U-ie at my side. The ride to the receptionist desk to sign me out of the hospital was a long, quiet and awkward one. I didn’t know what to say to her and I could tell she felt equally the same. When she signed me out Minseok rolled me outside the entrance to the hospital where U-ie’s car waited parked out front. U-ie used my bag to shield my face away from any possible onlookers as Minseok helped me into the front passenger seat. Once he had me inside he shut the door and shared a few words with U-ie, which of course I couldn’t hear, then waved at me. U-ie bowed to him outside and then circled the car, climbing into the driver’s seat beside me and taking the wheel. We slowly started to drift down the road, making our way to my parent’s mansion. The entire ride was an uncomfortable one. U-ie kept silent for the most part. Or maybe she had said something to me, only I didn’t catch it. Whatever, I didn’t care.

When we arrived out front U-ie exited the car and ran over to my side, opening the door and grabbing my bag which she placed down the floor beside her. She leaned forward and threw my right arm over her left shoulder and used all of her strength to lift me up out of my seat and onto my feet. As I stood up I felt a strong wave of nausea and dizziness strike me that I started to stumbled forwards, dragging her with me. U-ie struggled to help carry my weight and keep me balanced. She slightly bent her knees and grabbed my bag’s leather handles, swiping it from off the floor before she slowly and carefully led me down the walkway and to the front door. Being unable to focus I pointed at the bag.

“The keys are in there.”

“Oh, ok.” U-ie replied then leaned me against the wall momentarily before kneeling down to dig inside the contents of my bag. She quickly found them and unlocked the door. She threw the keys on the small table beside the door on the inside before grabbing the bag and drawing my right arm over her left shoulder again, helping me inside. She helped me climb the staircase each step at a time and took me to my room, sitting me down on my bed. She let the bag drop to the floor and she knelt down on her knees, immediately removing my shoes and socks. She stood back up and stacked several pillows up against my headboard before helping scoot me back and lay me back down, taking my folded legs dangling off the side of the bed and laying them straight in front of me. She took a step back, grabbed my shoes from off the floor and disappeared downstairs to put them away. After a short while she returned and stood by my side. “Are you hungry?”

I grunted and then turned my head away from her.

“I’ll get you something anyways.”

“Don’t bother.”

“You need to eat.” She replied then disappeared downstairs again, not reappearing for another twenty minutes. When she returned she was carrying a tray with a bowl of soup and some crackers. She placed it on the table beside me, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. She picked up the bowl and held it to me. Stuck in my ways, I still refused to look at her, keeping my head turned away. Out of the corner of my eyes I could see U-ie purse her lips together almost as if she were contemplating what to do. She seemed just as uncomfortable being here as I was. She slowly stuck the spoon inside the bowl. As she did so I reached over and swung my hand at it, flipping the bowl over and sending it flying down towards the floor. U-ie looked at me with wide, surprised eyes but remained silent. Instead of causing a commotion she simply stood, removed the apron she was still wearing and knelt down on the floor on her hands and knees, using the apron to soak up the spilled liquid.

I glared down at her. “Why are you doing this? Why are you here?”

U-ie paused, her attention still focused on the floor. “What else can I do…?” Her voice trailed off. She continued to pat the carpeted floor with the apron.

“Explain.” I ordered.

A painful smile spread across U-ie’s face. She looked like she was forcing back tears that threatened to fall. “Everything that’s ever bad that happened to you is my fault.”

I froze.

“The abortion. The hearing loss. Everything is all my fault…” She continued to pat the floor dry, almost as if to distract herself from her true emotions. “I admit it. I made a mistake. I made your decision for you when all I should have done is asked. All I’ve ever been focused on was trying to be a good sunbae not just to you, but to everyone, and it distracted me from realizing what the true definition of what a ‘sunbae’ really is. I really thought… I really thought I was doing the right thing for you and your career. In the end it worked; it made you who you are today… but then I went and messed it up for you again…” She couldn’t hold it in anymore. Two tears fell from his cheeks and down onto the carpet.

“U-ie-”

She shook her head, still staring down at the floor. “I should have asked. Instead I made the worst mistake and biggest regret of my life. A child is a lot of responsibility and you were still only a teenager yourself getting ready for big and great things in life. I thought that by getting rid of it, you would ultimately be happy. All this time you thought I did it for myself, didn’t you…? Making that decision was the hardest I ever made in my life. I know it hurt you, but it downright killed me…”

I softened my gaze at her. In the past whenever she had tried to offer her explanation I had always overlooked her, not giving her the time of day. Seeing as how now, especially the position I was in of not being able to take care of myself and having to rely on her, I felt now was the time to start listening. After going through a hearing loss and having my career snatched away from under me I understood what it was like to lose something that was important to me. U-ie was right. All of this time I hadn’t given her side of the story much thought. I always assumed that it was an easy decision for her to make and that she had done it for herself, using me as an excuse.

“The night before the operation, I couldn’t sleep. I was lying alone in bed with my own thoughts, and I knew what I was going to do was very wrong. But then I thought about both you and the life of the child involved. I couldn’t take your dream away from you. But I also knew that I couldn’t raise a child on my own. It wouldn’t have been fair to it.”

“I would have tried-”

U-ie nodded. “I know, Baekho. Your heart was in the right place. But you of all people know that a good father is one that is always around.”

I shifted my gaze down into my lap. She was right. I did know. I knew it all too well. Was my father a bad man? No, of course not. But he was never around. With both of my parents absence as I was growing up, I was the one that grew to resent them. I thought to myself ‘they’re never around, so they must hate me.’ I thought that they purposely tried to stay away from me or even worse, that they left me because they regretted even having a child. Would this have been the fate of our child? Would I had been able to give up my career of singing to devote all of my time to it? My heart said yes, but even I wasn’t sure if in reality I would have been able to put my dream on hold.

U-ie continued. “Going to the clinic, I was ashamed of myself. I wrapped my face in a scarf, hoping no one would notice me. I wasn’t just afraid of the media finding out; I was afraid of everyone, ranging from the little old lady that lived down the street to even my own mother. When I went inside, luckily it was a staff of older workers that didn’t recognize me or had even heard of After School. I gave them a false name. Per routine, they made me sit down and talk to a counselor and a nurse who tried to inform me that abortion was a permanent decision. They tried their best to persuade me not to do it but I knew there was no going back. Then the procedure was done, leaving me with a numb, empty feeling on the inside… That day, a part of me died inside of that room.”

By now my heart was clenching inside of my chest. U-ie, stop. Just stop it. I can’t hear any more of this-

“As I walked out of that place I just cried. I cried my eyes out… I remembered looking up into the sky, realizing what I had just done and wondering if God hated me as much as I hated myself. The rest of the day I spent lying in bed. Off and on the tears would come. The other girls asked me what was wrong, but I couldn’t tell them. I couldn’t tell them that I had just killed my own child… I regretted it. I had to fight myself from going back to the clinic and digging outside in the dumpster to pull my dead baby’s fetus from out of the trash I had so willingly thrown him in…” U-ie curled his elbows into her knees and began to sob softly into the ground.

Silent tears trickled down my cheeks. “Stop it.” I demanded. “Stop crying!”

“But everything was over. The abortion was permanent, as was my decision. I want to go back to that day and live it all over, this time choosing to walk out of there… But I… I can’t do that…” She continued to sob.

“Get up. Don’t cower. Get up!”

U-ie shook her head.

“Dammit, look at me!”

“You shouldn’t have saved me…” She continued to sob into the carpet. “I’ve gone through years of counseling to get over the remorse, but it’s still there. And now… now I’ve ruined your life twice.”

“Don’t say that!” I exclaimed through my own tears.

“So kick me, yell at me, scream… do whatever you want.”

“U-ie… get up here.” I replied, reaching my hand out to her. “Get up here, please…” I pleaded. Still holding her head low to the ground with her long brown hair covering her face she shakily stood and sat on the edge of the bed. I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around her, squeezing her tightly in a warm embrace. “I had no idea… U-ie, I had no idea that it was that hard on you. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I was so hard on you all of these years. Please, please forgive me, U-ie…” I leaned my head forward, crying into her hair.

U-ie nodded, still keeping her gaze focused downwards into her lap. “I forgive you.”

My entire body shook with pain. “I’m sorry…” I cried. “I’m so sorry…”

Jason’s POV

I was shocked by JR’s proposal to help me. When he had asked me what I was working on, I lied, purposely telling him that the song was intended for 2DREAM when in reality, it was for something entirely different. Now, I know that I might not be the sharpest crayon in the box, but, after hearing that JR’s boyfriend, who surprisingly turned out to be Ren, had cheated on him, I had a slight idea as to the identity of this mystery fellow he was involved with was. Who else had Ren spent so much time with after getting off of work? Who came barging angrily into the mansion without a care in the world? Wow… I was shocked. Ren and Kang Baekho were… something? Seeing him on TV so many times, not once did he ever buzz my ‘gaydar.’ I had always assumed he was straight, but… wow. Seeing as JR knew that Ren was cheating, it would surprise me if he didn’t know who he was cheating with. JR probably knew, but just in case he didn’t, like hell was I going to say anything. It was amusing though… if he did know it was Baekho, how would he feel knowing that he was offering to help choreograph his enemy’s comeback song? I couldn’t help but feel a bit… excited about this turn of events. Some serious drama was about to go down.

I smirked. “Thanks, but not right now.” I replied.

JR shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

“Maybe later though.”

He glanced back at me. “How long have you known Ren?”

“Since I became 2DREAM’s chorographer a little over four months ago.” I replied.

“I’ve known him since we were in high school.”

“So?” What was the point of this conversation?

“How well can you keep a secret?” And there it goes…

I laughed. “Not very well.” I replied, looking him straight in the eyes. “You don’t know this about me yet, but I talk… like, a lot. Plus, I kind of have this thing called a ‘conscience.’”

JR glared at me. “You were the one that came onto me.”

“Ren is my friend.” I replied. “If I had known that you were the boyfriend he spoke of, I would have never done what I did. But we were both going through tough times, weren’t we? Ren cheated on you and I punched his brother in the nose. In a way, we were both rejected. We understand why we did what we did, but something tells me dear Ren isn’t going to feel the same way, y’know?”

“Keep this a secret from Ren.”

“Why should I?”

“Because it’s my responsibility, not yours.”

I shook my head. “I was involved, wasn’t I?”

“He’s my boyfriend.”

I scoffed. “Not for much longer.”

JR grabbed me by my shirt and glared at me intensely. We met eyes. It was almost as if time had come to a still. For the longest time we just stood there, frozen in place. I felt a strange feeling come over me as we continued to lock gazes. I felt myself being drawn to him, almost as if by gravitation. What the hell…? A couple of seconds passed before we realized that we were still having a serious discussion. He released me and awkwardly took a step back. “I-I’ll tell him myself.” He said, nervously looking away. Did he feel the strange feeling of… attraction too?

I awkwardly nodded. “Y-yeah.” I replied then turned my back to him, running my fingers through my hair. Wooow, what was that? What just happened between the two of us right now? He was trying to intimidate me, but it had the complete opposite effect. I actually felt myself more drawn towards him instead of away. What the what…? I shook my head. No. Bad Jason. You already unknowingly hurt Ren, your friend, once. Don’t make the same mistake again.

After about an hour of trying to avoid awkward moments with JR, Ren finally came back downstairs with JB. Ren walked in with a smile on his face, staring at the both of us who were caught up in another one of our dance competitions. He placed both hands on his hips. I stopped the music, leant down and grabbed my water bottle, taking a quick swig when-

“You two seem to be getting along quite well!” I choked, spitting a mouthful of water onto the wooden dance floor. JR stepped away from me in disgust. Ren gave me a surprised look and rushed over, hitting me on my back to help clear my airway. “Are you alright? What was that about?”

“Nothing.” JR spoke up before I had the chance. “I’m starving. Can we go now?” He asked, acting more awkward now than before. What had happened between us?

Ren glanced at me. “Yeah, sure. I’ll call Minhyun and Aron and see if they’re hungry too. Did you want to join us?” He asked.

I shook my head. “No thanks; I have business to discuss here with JB.”

JB sighed sullenly. “I guess that means I’m not eating.” Ren smiled, took JR by his hand and waved goodbye, quickly making their exit. Now that I was alone with JB, he turned to me, giving me an annoyed expression. “What?” He asked, obviously ticked that I had purposely excluded him from joining in the other’s lunch plans.

I pouted, hiding behind my hands. “Don’t snap at me; I frighten easily.”

“Jason.” JB warned.

“Alright, alright. So, I need for you to help me with something.”

JB tilted his head to the side. “I’m listening.”

“How do I go about getting Minhyun and Aron to record a song without them knowing?”

JB smiled, stretching his arms out and cracking his knuckles. “That’ll be easy.”

“Really?”

“I’ve been with those kids since they were teenagers. I know them inside and out.” Right. And that’s why you have absolutely no clue that Aron and Minhyun are breaking company policy behind your back and are dating… “Minhyun will be easy; he sings all of the time. Aron might be trickier.”

“Oh no…”

JB shook his head. “It’s not impossible.”

I tilted my head to the side. “What do you suggest?”

Later that night after finally gathering up the courage knowing that JR and Ren would be there when I returned, I went back to the mansion. The first thing I did was search for Aron, who was sitting in his room scrolling through Instagram comments on his phone. As I entered I ran across the room and threw myself on his bed. Aron went flying into the air, tumbling to the floor from the strong impact. I paused. Damn. This was my reality check. If that wasn’t a wake-up call telling me to lose weight, I didn’t know what else was. Well, it also didn’t help that Aron was underweight either. Aron glared up at me from the floor.

“Aron, I’m bored~~~!” I whined.

“I think you’ve got the wrong room. Your bestie is across the hall.” He pointed.

“What are you always looking at on your phone?” I asked, ignoring his last statement.

“Nothing in particular.”

“Cool, lemme see it then!” I replied, quickly crawling off the bed and joining him on the floor, snatching it from him. Aron gave me an annoyed stare but sat quietly. I scrolled through his images on Instagram. Boring. I closed the app and began shifting through his music playlists. He had a lot of American artists in his library. I continued searching until I found something remotely close to what I was looking for. I gasped. “Eminem!!!”

Aron gave me a surprised look. “You know him?”

“Of course I know him! I love rap. In fact, I bet you I can rap better than you.” I said, laying out my trap. Aron stared at me. Come on, Aron. Go for it. Go for my bait….

“Is that a challenge?”

Bingo! “Well it wasn’t an invitation for tea.”

Aron smirked. “You’re on.”

I held my hand up. “Hold up. Let’s do this in my studio.”

Aron raised a brow. “You have a studio?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Okay, so it’s like, my desk with my PC in my room… stop stifling at artist!” I yelled at him, leaping up to my feet. I grabbed him by his wrists and pulled him up off the floor. “Come on, it’ll be fun.” Aron hesitantly followed me to my room where I immediately shut the door. I sat him down in front of my PC. Aron blinked as he watched me set up my microphone.

“Yeah… so tell me why we’re recording this?” He asked.

I paused. “Um.” Well, shoot. I didn’t really prepare this far in advance.

“What are you up to now?” Aron folded his arms across his chest, raising a quizzing brow.

“I’m making a track… y’know, just for fun. I was too shy to ask you for your help.”

“Since when are you shy?”

“Since a few seconds ago. Will you do it?” I quickly spat out, handing him a sheet of paper that I had scribbled down the set lyrics. Aron glanced down at it, scanning through the words before he glanced up quietly. He stared at me for a while, debating on whether or not to trust me. Finally he shrugged.

“I guess.”

Victory!

“Awesome; now I’ll show you how I want it done, so listen and listen good. Got it?” I asked. Aron nodded. I smirked then took a deep breath. “First verse: I can’t get enough, I can’t get off of your love. I can’t live without your love, I am addicted. In a blink of an eye, I’m by your side. When we kiss, I feel so high.”

Aron blinked again then sat up straight in front of the microphone set that I had placed on my desk. I leaned forward and clicked the record button. Aron looked down at the sheet again before he started. “I can’t get enough, I can’t get off of your love. I can’t live without your love, I am addicted. In a blink of an eye, I’m by your side-”

“No!” I exclaimed, rolling up one of my magazines that I had laying around and hitting him on top of the head with it. “What kind of a god gave you those beautiful lips and no sense of rhythm?!?!”

Aron glared at me. He was about to get up-

“Maybe I should just do it. What was I thinking asking 2DREAM’s Aron Kwak to do it?” I replied, trying to stop him from leaving.

“Let me try again.” He insisted.

I smirked. JB was right. Earlier he had told me that all I had to do was threaten Aron’s ego and sense of self pride to get him to do whatever it was that I wanted. I hit the record button and Aron tried it again. It took about three to four tries before I was finally satisfied with his result. “Good; now let’s try the second verse. Like this: I’m a shooting star inside a solar system called you. I am pulled to you, you’re a black hole that I can’t deny. It’s automatic, systematic, in this universe. I am pulled to you, you’re a black hole that I can’t deny.”

Aron nodded and then recorded the second verse, taking him only two tries to get it down. When we were finished I thanked him and asked for him to keep it a secret from everyone, Minhyun included. Aron agreed. It wasn’t like I had much to be worried about with him. The man was extremely quiet. Besides, he didn’t really converse with anyone much. Now that I had Aron’s rap part recorded and stored away in my files, next was Minhyun. I sneakily made my way over towards Minhyun’s room, peering inside. He was standing in front of his full length body mirror, staring at his side profile with a frown on his face. He was holding the hems of his shirt and observing his stomach.

“Bestie~!” I called out to him. Minhyun immediately dropped his shirt and glanced my way, forcing a smile on his face.

“Jason; what’s up?” He awkwardly asked.

I stepped inside and handed him a sheet full of lyrics. “So I kinda made something.”

“Hmm?” Minhyun glanced down at it. “What’s this?” He took it in his hands.

“I was just curious to see how it would sound coming out of the mouth of an angel.” I batted my eyelashes at him. Minhyun narrowed his eyes at me.

“Is that so?” He asked, giving me a skeptical look. “What do you want now?”

I gasped. “I’m not lying!” I pouted. “Can you sing it for me?” Minhyun pursed his lips together then glanced back down at the sheet. He was about to start singing when I suddenly stopped him. “Something this good I want to capture forever; can you come with me to my studio?” I asked, not giving him much of a choice before grabbing him by his wrist and dragging him back down to my room.

JR’s POV

I watched as Jason returned back to the mansion. As he stepped inside he casually made eye contact with me and Ren inside of the living room, waved, and then ran off down the hall. I shrugged it off as I continued to uncomfortably cuddle with Ren on the couch. The distance between us was the same as yesterday. Nothing had improved on Ren’s side. Although Ren’s feelings remained unchanged, mine grew even more avoidant. I was on edge now. I didn’t know how to act around Ren, especially after what I had done. I needed to tell him, didn’t I? It was only the right thing to do. But I wasn’t the only guilty party, was I? Ren still had some confessing of his own to do. Should I tell him first, or should I wait? I had no idea to what extent Ren cheated on me. I however went the very furthest a person could possibly imagine. But did I regret it…? I wasn’t sure…

I stood up and started making my way to the front door, leaving Ren alone on the couch. Ren glanced up at me with curious eyes. “Where are you off to?” He asked.

“For a walk. I’ll be back soon.” I replied, not wanting him to join me. Somehow I doubted that he would even if I had asked for him to. Ren nodded and then returned his attention back to the television screen. I stepped outside of the house and made my way down the walk way and to the gate, leaving the 2DREAM mansion property. I started making my way into town. The other day I wasn’t ready to face Kang Baekho, but now that I had some time to let the initial feelings of anger and jealousy settle, I was more than ready to have a rational, face-to-face talk. I took the bus downtown to the hospital. Once I arrived I went straight to the room I had visited the previous night. I paused outside of the door and took a deep breath before sliding it open. I stared with wide eyes as I realized the room was empty. I was suddenly joined by Minseok by my side.

“He’s not here.”

I glanced at him with a surprised look on my face before narrowing my eyes at him. “Is this your doing?” I asked.

Minseok folded his arms across his chest. “What are you doing here?” He asked. It was almost as if he had been waiting for me to show up.

I scoffed. “So you’re on his side, aren’t you?”

“You’re wrong; I’m not on anyone’s side. Kang Baekho is my patient, therefor, my responsibility.”

“Where is he?” I gritted my teeth.

“What do you plan to accomplish by knowing that information?”

“Minseok!” I snapped.

Minseok narrowed his eyes at me. “I know you, Jonghyun. You’re a good guy, but when you’re mad or upset you turn into a total . Quite honestly, I don’t trust you around my brother nor my patient when you’re angry.”

I smiled, annoyed at him. “I wasn’t angry before, but now I am.”

“Just leave them alone, JR. Things happen for a reason, don’t they? Just let it be. Return back to New York City and start over there and become happy.”

“Why?” I asked, shifting my gaze down to the floor, hurt. “Why are you on his side?”

“Because I believe firmly that Baekho needs my brother to survive.”

“W-what?” I looked at him in disbelief.

“I don’t believe there is another soul out there that is capable of understanding the complicity of Baekho’s mind. And now that he’s in this situation with his ears, who else with better knowledge and comprehension of the deaf can help him?”

“What about you?” I asked. “Why couldn’t it have been you?”

Minseok gave me a surprised look. “Me?” He pointed at himself. “I came into the picture quite late. Besides, Kang Baekho is definitely not for me. There are days where I want to help him and there are days where I quite literally just want sooo much to kick his -” He cut himself off and cleared his throat. “Anyways, what’s done is done. You need to move on, JR. Find someone else that can make you happier than Ren ever could have.”

I turned my back to him. I heard everything that Minseok had to say, but my stubborn pride wouldn’t allow me to listen. Find someone else? Like who? I paused as a flashback from yesterday night played through my mind, followed by that heated, awkward encounter back at the dance studio. Jason? 2DREAM’s new choreographer? I shook my head. Don’t be ridiculous, JR. He’s far much older than you with the mindset of a toddler, or so it seems. I sighed heavily, making my trip back to the mansion dejectedly, not accomplishing any of the goals I had set out for.

As I returned home Ren was already in his room, video chatting with his mother. I waved ‘hello’ to her, using the few signs that I still remembered before leaving him alone. I left Ren and went to the guest room which was across the hall from Jason’s. As I walked by I heard the sound of Minhyun’s voice singing from behind the closed door, followed by the sound of Jason shrieking at him and Minhyun’s frustrated sighs. That was weird. I shrugged it off and entered my room, leaving the door open. I sat down on the bed, leaning back against the headboard and pulled out my phone, trying to make myself busy. My mind kept flashing back to last night. It had been so long since I last had . While I was in New York I was a good boyfriend to Ren and refrained from it even though I had received many offers from several other dancers that I worked with. I was never interested in it because I knew how good I had it back at home. I was never once tempted to sway. My allegiances were strong towards Ren. But clearly it wasn’t the other way around, now was it? Regardless, I don’t know what got into me last night. Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe I was just pissed. Or maybe it was a combination of both, plus the undeniable attraction I found myself feeling towards Jason that night on the dance floor. He was a dancer, just as I am. I appreciated all forms of dance and admired the way he could move around. At that moment I was attracted to his skill. But then this afternoon… what happened? We were just standing there and suddenly I felt the urge to kiss him.

I blinked. Kiss him? What the hell is wrong with me? I dropped my phone onto my stomach and began slapping my face lightly to shake that thought from my head. You don’t want to do that. You don’t want to kiss that strange person across the hall… I slowly turned my head and stared out from my open door at his closed one. Minhyun and Jason had been in there for a long time-

The door suddenly swung open, causing me to jump. “THREE HOURS IS LONG ENOUGH. SING IT YOURSELF, YOU LITTLE WEIRDO! I QUIT!” A frustrated Minhyun emerged from the room, stomping angrily down the hall. Jason tore out into the hallway but remained standing still. He dramatically reached his right arm out.

“Don’t go! I love you…?”

“SHUT UP!”

Jason brought his fist to his mouth and bit it, whining. “Why is my bestie so mean to me? Ugh, he’s such a woman, I swear! Ah, I can’t work with a broken heart...” He pouted.

Aron suddenly emerged from down the hall. As he passed him he patted his hand on Jason’s right shoulder sympathetically. “Better you than me.” He stuck his tongue out and continued down the hall. I continued to stare at Jason in the hallway, re-contemplating my last thoughts. Kiss this strange guy? Yeah, right. I’d have to be completely crazy, out of my mind-

Jason suddenly noticed me watching him. He turned to me with a smile, folding his arms across his chest. “Sup? Did you tell him yet?”

My eyes widened in horror as he casually mentioned our situation like it was nothing. I leapt out of bed and reached for his upper arm out in the hallway, yanking him inside the room and shutting the door behind him. I slammed him against the wall. “Don’t you have any common sense?!”

Jason blinked. “Huh?”

I sighed. “I guess that answers my question.”

Jason pursed his lips together, annoyed. “You talk so formally to me when I’m obviously older than you… you should call me ‘hyung.’”

I looked at him like he was crazy. “What?” I blinked. “I’m not calling you anything. I won’t be here long enough for any sort of relationship with you-“ I paused. Jason stared at me with a serious expression written across his face.

“Relationship?” He asked, darkly smiling. “I was referring that you call me ‘hyung’ out of friendship. Where is your mind suddenly?”

“T-that’s what I meant!” I exclaimed.

The smirk quickly faded from Jason’s lips. “You might not be around here for much longer, but I will. Don’t you understand how uncomfortable it makes me, walking around here having to lie to Ren as each day passes by? Don’t you think he deserves to know?”

“Don’t you say a word. I’ll tell him when the time is right.”

Jason raised a brow. “And when will that be?”

I slammed my fist loudly into the wall beside his left cheek. Jason hardly flinched. “You really know how to tick me off, you know that?” I replied, narrowing in on him.

Jason smirked. “I don’t believe you’re the first person that’s ever told me that before.” He leaned his head forward and closer to me. We established heavy eye contact. My gaze started to shift downward, pausing at his lips. As Jason noticed me staring at this he turned his head to his left, trying to break the tension that I’m sure I wasn’t alone in feeling. “Don’t do it.” He whispered.

“Do what?” I asked, still staring hazily at him. As Jason turned his head to answer me directly I took this moment to sweep my lips across his, startling the both of us. I felt Jason gasp and his eyes widened in shock as I looked at him with a matching expression. Another familiar wave of regret washed over me. What have I done… again?! I began to pull back from him, about to break the kiss when suddenly Jason brought his hands forward and placed them down on my shoulders, grabbing me to make sure I wasn’t go anywhere. He pulled me forward, crushing my lips onto his. Losing my balance I cupped both sides of his face, leaning onto him when suddenly-

The door beside us opened. “Hey JR, I heard a loud noise coming from-”

My heart sank as I heard Ren’s voice reach my ears. My eyes snapped back open and I instantly released Jason, taking several steps backward and stumbling against the foot of my bed and crashing to the floor. Ren stood motionless beside the cracked door, staring down at me with a shocked, confused, and hurt expression written across his face. The room was silent for a couple of seconds before Ren shifted his gaze up from me and beside him, giving Jason the most painful look I had ever seen on his face in all of the years that I had known him. He parted his lips to say something but no words came out. Ren’s right hand suddenly rose. He extended it back and brought it forward as he was about to slap Jason across the face, however, when his hand grew nearer he paused mid-air. Jason flinched, turning his head to his right. Ren dropped his hand down to his side and quietly spun around. I wobbly dashed to my feet and chased after him, stopping and grabbing him by his upper arm as he neared the end of the hallway.

“Ren-”

“Don’t touch me!” Ren shot back at me, grabbing his arm back and using both of his palms to shove me backwards and into the wall. He wordlessly spun back around and tore out from the house. Regaining my balance, I ran after him, startling both Aron and Minhyun in the living room. By the time I had exited the house Ren was already past the gate, running like mad down the side of the street. I quickly went after him. Where was he going? A sudden thought struck me; Baekho. He was going to run to the arms of Kang Baekho, wasn’t he? Ha, alright then. We’ll settle this. We’ll settle everything once and for all. I continued to chase after him even after Ren had run past the bus station. I suppose old habits never truly died, did they? Ren always ran whenever he was upset. Knowing him, he was probably planning to run all the way to Baekho’s house, showing me the way. Did he know I was right behind him? Probably not. He seemed far too upset to notice the immediate world around him.

After running for at least half an hour straight, I followed Ren into the Gangnam district where he slowed in front of a rather large house. He stopped in front of the gate and began to punch in a code in the security dial-pad. I stopped and hid behind a large pillar a little further down the street, watching him as the gate opened and he tore through the entrance. I ran closer to Baekho’s residence, hiding behind the gate as Ren began to pound on the front door. I paused; wait, but wasn’t something wrong with Baekho’s hearing? He wouldn’t have possibly heard Ren knocking… I watched as Ren realized this fact as well and stopped, digging inside of his pocket for his phone and nearly dropping it once the door opened, startling him.

Standing in the doorway stood none other than… wait, was that U-ie?

Baekho’s POV

I slowly emerged from my bed as U-ie tried her best to help raise me to my feet, throwing my right arm over her neck. Together we made our way back downstairs step by step until finally making it down to the living room where she sat me down on the couch per my request to watch television. Once I was down I saw U-ie exhale tiredly. I couldn’t hear it, but I observed everything. I guiltily looked off to the side but was distracted when she handed the remote to me with a smile. I quietly took it from her and then turned the TV on, immediately turning on the closed captions. U-ie sat down beside me, sitting rather close than what I would have expected. I glanced down at her. U-ie slowly, almost as if hesitantly, reached for my hand and placed hers on top of it.

“Baekho,” She called out to me. I stared down at her hand on mine. “Do you think that maybe…” Her voice trailed off.

“Maybe what?” I asked, glancing back up at her.

“Is there another chance for ‘us’?” She asked then quickly drew her hand away, looking in the opposite direction. She nervously laughed. “I’m sorry, that was a stupid question. Forget I asked it.”

“U-ie-”

“There’s no fixing the past; I know that. I can’t ever repair your broken heart, let alone mine. I would love it if you gave me the chance though…”

“I can’t.”

U-ie froze before looking back up at me with her wide brown eyes. “Y-you can’t?”

I slowly shook my head. “I have someone that I like.”

“Do they like you too?” U-ie’s bottom lip trembled. When she realized this fact she forced a smile across her lips and nervously stood up. “Of course; why wouldn’t there be? You’re only human. I guess your noona was too late, huh?” She started to step away.

“U-ie,” I called out to her, latching onto her wrist, preventing her from going anywhere. “I appreciate your feelings for me… but please, let go.”

U-ie paused. I felt her body start to tremble again as if she were fighting not to cry. “Let go?”

“Take it from someone who’s learned this lesson the hard way; the longer you hold on to these feelings, the more painful it will become. I spent years hating you, and I hated that I hated you, so much, that it hurt. Just hearing your name or seeing your picture around the office… it became too much for me, too painful. I know that you attach my name to what happened in the past too. I understand now how difficult it was for you to make that decision and what a devastating toll it took on you, but the longer you allow your feelings for me to exist, you’ll never have a clear mind or conscience. You’ll never be able to heal.”

A sad smile spread across U-ie’s lips. “Maybe you’re right.” She replied, using her other hand to peel my fingers from around her wrist. “I have to move on and be happy too, right?”

I nodded.

“Does she make you happy?” She suddenly asked, taking me by surprise.

“She?” I asked, startled.

U-ie paused, giving me a confused look. Her eyes widened as she came across a particular thought. “Is it… not a woman?”

I immediately glanced away. I didn’t want to see her look of condescension.

“Well then…” Her voice trailed off. “Does he at least make you happy?” She corrected herself. I slowly glanced back at her, surprised that she was taking this news so well. If I were here, I probably would have felt offended. U-ie was, after all, the last woman I had ever slept with. But then again, U-ie was older, meaning she was a lot more mature than I was. Of course she had her moments, just like everyone else, of immaturity. But I had seen what she had done that day for Minhyun on public television. She revealed one of her darkest secrets to come to Minhyun’s aid. To consider U-ie in such a negative light all these years… I felt like a terrible person. U-ie wasn’t the witch that I had painted her portrait in my head to be. She was human, which meant she cared, loved, and supported others just as much as the next person.

I nodded again, thinking about Ren. “Yeah.”

“Then that’s all that matters.” She replied, leaving me to disappear in the back of the house. She quickly ran away with her hands covering . I couldn’t hear her, but I was definitely sure that she was crying. U-ie… Of course; why wouldn’t she be crying? I just turned her down… If I could have gotten up to follow her I would have, but my balance was so far thrown off that I could hardly stand without help. All I could do was just sit and wait for U-ie to collect herself and return. About an hour later U-ie returned back into the living room with puffy bags underneath her eyes. Despite her tired face, she was smiling at me as if nothing had happened. “Are you hungry-” U-ie suddenly paused, shifting her gaze over towards the door.

I blinked. “Is something wrong?”

“Someone’s at the door…” She replied, stepping over my outstretched legs and making her way over towards the front door. I hadn’t heard any knocking… I peered over the couch armrest as she pulled it open, revealing a long haired blonde who was madly typing away on his phone, startling him. The phone slipped out of his hands and he stumbled forward to catch it. As he straightened back he stared at U-ie with wide eyes.

“U-ie…?” I couldn’t hear him say it, but after having practiced learning to read lips from both he and his brother, I managed to understand him. Judging by the expression on his face, he looked terribly distraught. I sat up straight. Something was wrong, wasn’t it? Ren-

U-ie paused, tilting her head to the side. “Oh, you’re 2DREAM’s stylist, aren’t you?” She turned back to glance at me as her thoughts suddenly clicked. “Hey, Baekho, Choi Ren is-”

Ren bowed in a moment of panic when he saw U-ie and then suddenly took off running with tears in his eyes. I almost climbed over the armrest to the couch with my heart racing, extending my arm out as he left. Ren, please, you’re wrong about her! She’s not… we’re not… Ren, don’t go! About a minute after he had left, a startled U-ie began to close the door when suddenly it stopped. U-ie stepped back as a hand emerged from behind it, pushing the door open. The image of a curly brown haired ex-choreographer of mine suddenly stepped inside, glaring at me with possibly the meanest expression I had ever seen painted across his face. JR was pissed. I felt my jaw drop at the sight of him before I glanced back out the open door.

Ren… he… he knows… doesn’t he?

His piercing glare tore deep into me. “Kang Baekho…” I couldn’t hear him, but I could read his lips. “I believe you and I need to have a little discussion.”