Baekho’s POV

My eyes slowly opened as I felt small, tiny movements beside me. I glanced down to see a mess of disheveled blonde hair wrapped around in my arms. A small smile spread across my lips as I held him tighter, brushing his warm, body against mine, his back facing me on the couch. My mind flashed back to the events that had taken place last night and how Ren came running to me, attacking my lips without any explanation. We talked and then one thing led to another and then here we were. Last night… it was such a blur to me. To be honest, I was still in shock over what happened. I had spent so much time watching Ren from afar, wishing, wanting for him to be mine… JR had finally let him go without much of a fight, something which surprised me. But he knew that Ren hadn’t been happy. That’s why he finally let him come to me, despite the fact that he never liked me. JR had done the admirable thing and just selflessly let go. In my eyes, he became a much bigger person to me now. I would no longer look down on him the way I used to back when he had been the choreographer for DREAM.

I slid my right hand down Ren’s bare arm, slowly traveling down and tracing the outline of his waist and hips. His skin felt impossibly smooth, but I loved it. The sensation that washed over me as I felt his bare skin against mine… it was amazing. Last night had been one of the best nights in my entire life. I could still remember Ren digging his fingers into my back, straddling his legs against my waist as I took him and the pained expression mixed with pleasure that swept over his face with each I took. I had no idea what I had been doing, but as I looked into Ren’s eyes that night I could tell that he trusted me. I had very little confidence in myself but Ren gently held my face in his hands and told me that everything would be fine, giving me the encouragement I needed to take control. Ren had been an amazing lover and helped guide me along the way. There were several times where I became carried away, making him cry out in pain, but even when I offered to stop Ren kept encouraging me to keep going until the both of us became exhausted. Then we just laid there. It was crazy how just a simple touch from him could excite me. As strange as it sounded, I could just feel the caring warmth and love from Ren’s personality just through his fingertips. The way he touched me… it was gentle. Just like him.

Ren began to stir from his sleep as he felt my hands grazing across his skin. He tossed onto his right shoulder and faced me with his big brown eyes which stared into me. For a moment he was silent before a small smile slowly began to surface. He closed his eyes again leaned his head forward, nuzzling into my chest. He took my right hand with his left and laced his fingers through mine, holding my hand and giving it a slight squeeze. “Thank god…”

I glanced down at him in confusion. Had I misheard him? Did I not catch everything that he had said? “Ren?” I asked.

“It wasn’t a dream.” He replied, sounding relieved. I stared at him with wide eyes as his words struck a chord in my heartstrings. “Thank god it wasn’t a dream.”

“Ren…” My voice trailed off as I squeezed his hand tighter inside of mine.

“Baekho…” He called out to me. “I’m not sure how any of this happened or how any of it started, but… I’m glad it did.”

“I didn’t plan on it.”

Ren opened his eyes and stared at me with questioning eyes. “Plan on what?”

“Falling in love with you.” I replied. Ren smiled, touched. I continued on. “When you told me you wanted to be my friend, I thought you were crazy. I thought you would give up like all the others that said they wanted to try. But you stayed… you persisted. I was touched. That day on the porch; you were right. I wanted to kiss you. If JR hadn’t of shown up, I probably would have. It was on that day that I realized that I had fallen for you. But then I also told myself that it couldn’t be possible and I tried to distance myself away from you. When Pledis threw me to the curb I felt like everyone abandoned me. I was in such a dark place… I felt so lost and hopeless. While I was alone I only longed for you even harder. But I was afraid of what you would think if you found out about my hearing impairment… this was the first time…”

“First time for what?”

“Of truly feeling different.” I replied. “I didn’t know how to handle it. I was scared. I was scared for many reasons… Will I ever be able to hear again? Can I still sing? What would society think of me if they only knew that I had lost a major part of me? Would they accept me? Look down on me? Feel sorry for me? Or would they ignore me? To feel truly different from the rest of the world… it’s downright terrifying, Ren.”

“I know, Baekho, I know.”

“How?”

“I’ve seen that look on all of my students’ faces at one point or another. Baekho, I can’t tell you that society will choose to accept you. There are several ignorant people out there that will try to hurt you and make you feel bad for what you are or what you’re not, but when those times come, just remember that there are just as many people out there like me that support you. There are several people that won’t accept you, but there are also several people that don’t that will want to. But in order for you to find them, you have to be strong and take a stand. Baekho, you really don’t realize the power of influence you have over several people, do you? If you do this… If you can successfully get up on that stage and perform like the Kang Baekho we all knew from before even with a hearing impairment, Baekho, you can reach out and empower an entire population that’s been hiding in the shadows for far too long.”

“An entire population?” I asked, staring at him with wide eyes. Ren slowly sat up and cupped his hands around my face.

“There are more people out there like you.”

“Then why do I feel like the only one? If there’s so many, why haven’t I seen any of them?” I asked.

“People don’t always wear their struggles on the outside, Baekho. You can’t always tell what’s wrong with a person just by looking at them.”

“I understand what you’re trying to say, but it’s probably only a small percentage-”

“There are 180,000 known reported cases in Korea’s Association of the Deaf’s records. But the number could be approximately as high 300,000.”

“300,000?” I was stunned.

Ren paused. “Baekho, you’re not the only one who feels the way you do. You’re not the only one that’s scared of what society will think of them. Baekho, these are normal, everyday working people without reputations like yours just trying to fit in. And so they hide it. There are some people that will go their entire lives without reporting their hearing loss or impairment because they’re afraid of being judged.” He released my face and placed his left hand on top of mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Don’t think you’re ever alone in this world.”

“But… why…? How can they…” I couldn’t even imagine it. Going en entire life hiding in fear of being judged? What kind of life was that? I thought I had it miserable; after all, I was a star. I had a reputation to uphold. But to be an ordinary, average citizen with a hearing impairment or loss? What did they have to fear losing? No one would care if the man down the street couldn’t hear anyone.

“It’s part of human nature. The desire to want to fit in is what makes each and every one of us human. We need love and acceptance in order to grow and be happy. If we can’t attain those basic necessities, we can’t be happy. Just think of it: if people can’t accept you simply because you cannot hear them, do you really think you could be happy? This is their thinking. And so they choose to hide it. But if someone like you were to step out and acknowledge this problem, the number of reported cases can grow and more people can receive help.”

“I don’t know…”

“Baekho, you of all people know what it’s like to live in a world of silence.”

I shifted my gaze down. I did know. And it was excruciatingly painful. “What is there that I can do that can possibly help them?”

“You can give them the greatest gift of all.”

I paused. “And what’s that?”

“The gift of acknowledgement.” Ren replied. I could feel my chest begin to tighten. “If you step up, you will inspire more and more people to stand up as well. They’ll see the great and mighty Kang Baekho as an inspiration. People who have gone their entire lives without any form of communication can learn sign language and meet others who share their own empowering story. Baekho, you might have lost a couple or even a thousand fans, but you can gain as many as 300,000 simply by being a role model for an often ignored or overlooked population.”

“You think I can? You really think I can do it?” I asked, finding that number staggering. Listening to what Ren had to share about Korea’s deaf population opened my eyes. I really had no idea that it was as big a problem as what he described it to be. There were so many people out there living in shame, and for what? Just because they couldn’t hear? Was it really something to be ashamed about? I paused as I suddenly realized this. Ren’s words had finally gotten through to me. My hearing loss… it really was nothing to be ashamed about. I was just like everyone else, only, I couldn’t hear as well as the person next to me. And there was nothing wrong with that.

“Just because you cannot hear doesn’t mean you do not have a voice.” Ren replied, taking both of my hands in his own. “Please, become their voice.”

I nodded. “I will.” I said without hesitation, wrapping my arms around him and pulling him into my chest as I embraced him. “Thank you, Ren.”

Ren quietly stared up at me. “For what?”

“For opening my eyes up to a world that I too would have ignored.” I replied, thinking about to my first thoughts when I had lost a significant portion of my hearing. I remembered feeling hopeless and useless and feeling angry at myself over something that I could not control. I remembered thinking about the words ‘deaf’ and ‘hearing impairments’ and carrying a negative connotation with them. I wanted absolutely nothing to do with Deaf culture or the people in it. I just wanted to curl up into a ball and die or at least disappear from the face of the earth, if it were at all possible. But Ren… he changed that. He changed my view of everything. I realized for the first time today that I had absolutely nothing to be ashamed about. There was no reason why I had to feel sorry or hate myself either. I was as normal as anyone and everyone else. Ren had been the one to push and encourage me to get to this point. The way he spoke about the deaf population and how much of a difference I could make was inspiring. He made me want to reach out and influence them the way Ren had stuck out a hand and influenced me. He made me feel like there was indeed a place where I belonged and that I really wasn’t alone. He actually… made me start to actually feel proud of my hearing impairment, something that I never would have imagined feeling… ever.

“Baekho…”

“It’s a place I originally didn’t want to belong to; no, a place I feared belonging to. But now… I want to. I want to be a part of it.”

Ren smiled widely at me in excitement. “Oh my god, Baekho, really?”

I smiled back at him. “Really.”

Knock, knock.

Ren immediately glanced over the back of the couch and up the staircase, staring with wide eyes full of horror. Having not heard the sound of the knocking, I tilted my head at him, looking at him like he was crazy until I followed his line of vision and gasped in horror to see U-ie standing at the top of the staircase holding her hands over her eyes. Holy . I had forgotten she was still here. Did she… hear all of what we did last night? The worst part of it was the fact that I honest to god had no idea just how loud we really were. If I was able to hear Ren’s cries…

Oh my god.

“Is it safe to come out yet?” She asked timidly, her hand still knocking on the wall.

Ren’s jaw dropped and he immediately rolled off of the couch, tumbling onto the floor and scurrying to his hands and knees to collect his pieces of clothing. Biting his lower lip, he was moping and wailing the entire time he pulled his large white shirt over his head and slid into his shorts and boxers. He snatched his glasses from off the coffee table and took off running to the back of the first floor of my parents’ house. I quickly pulled on my own shirt and pulled on my boxers and jeans before glancing back over at U-ie, my face completely red. “It’s safe…”

U-ie dropped her hand and heavily sighed, starting to make her way down the staircase. “You have noooo idea how awkward that was.” She uncomfortably said, pulling the neckline to her shirt and fanning herself.

“Oh, I think I have an idea…” I replied, covering my face with my hands in embarrassment.

“Seeing as how you were able to, ahem, ‘perform’ last night, I take it you’re feeling better?” She teased.

“U-ie, stop it. Please…”

“Can you stand?” She asked. I paused. I wasn’t sure. I gripped onto the armrest of the couch and tried to stand. I was still a bit dizzy, but it was definitely a big change from yesterday. Yesterday I couldn’t even do this much without feeling the urge to throw up and fall to the ground. My head was still spinning, but I was standing on my own. That itself was impressive to me. “Shall I call that handsome doctor and tell him the good news?”

I nodded. “Yeah.” I replied, carefully placing one foot in front of the other as I carefully tried to walk. It was a struggle and it took forever, but at least I was doing it.

U-ie raised a brow, holding her phone to her ear as she waited for Minseok to pick up. “Where are you off to?”

“To check up on him.”

U-ie giggled. “That poor thing…” Her voice trailed off before I’m only assuming Minseok had finally picked up on the other end of the line. I ignored her and continued to walk forward, entering the back of the house that Ren had run into. I stopped in front of the bathroom door and knocked.

“You in there?”

“Go away!” Ren pleaded. I opened the door anyways. Go away? This was my house. Where else could I possibly go? As I opened the door Ren threw a roll of toilet paper at me. “Just go away, Baekho! I’m so embarrassed… oh my god-” Ren abruptly paused, staring into the wall across from him as he sat down on the closed toilet lid.

I tilted my head to the side. “What?”

“She saw it, didn’t she?” He asked in a deep, shocked voice. I couldn’t help but smile.

“Saw what?”

Ren gave me a nervous, uncomfortable look. “You know… IT.”

“Can you be a bit more specific?” I asked with a toothy grin.

“BAEKHO!”

I laughed. “Oh, come on. No she didn’t.” I tried to reassure him.

“Yes she did! She had to have seen it!” He wailed.

“If it makes you feel any better, she’s seen mine.”

“NOT HELPING, BAEKHO!”

“Well, what do you want me to tell you?” I asked. “I really don’t think she saw it.”

Ren placed his hands over his face, leaning forward on his elbows onto his knees. “How can I face her again down at Pledis? I’ll have to quit and change my name-”

“Ren, she saw your junk, not you murdering a guy.” I rolled my eyes.

Ren began to cry hysterically, mouth wide open. “SO SHE DID SEE IT….”

I patted him on the back. “Maybe.” I replied, trolling the hell out of him. It only made him cry even harder. “Oh, come on, Ren. It’s not the end of the world. U-ie’s a grown woman. Even if she did see it, so what? She’s not going to say anything. You’ll be fine.” I knelt down and picked up the roll of toilet paper he had previously thrown at me and ripped off a piece, taking it and dabbing the tears from around the blonde’s eyes. He finally stopped crying and looked up at me with his innocent brown orbs. I smiled down at him. “Hi there, pretty.”

Ren bashfully shifted his gaze to the side, digging his hands in between his legs. “Stop it, you…”

“Does Minseok know?”

Ren glanced up. “That I’m pretty? Tcht. Tell that to the arrogant prick and he’ll claim he’s prettier. That or call me his ‘sister’ again.”

I laughed. “Not that.” I knelt down and brushed my lips against his. “About us.” Ren’s eyes suddenly grew larger before he shot up to his feet, knocking me backwards into the wall.

“No, he doesn’t!” He exclaimed, looking back at me. “I’ll tell him. That’s what I’ll go do now. Bye!” He wildly tore out from the bathroom, leaving me alone in the house with U-ie. Once he was gone I silently shook my head. Why did it feel like he was searching for any opportunity or excuse to get out of here? I laughed. That crazy, psychotic Ren…

Minhyun’s POV

I sat up from bed and stretched as I heard my alarm clock go off. I turned it off and groggily leaned back against the headboard, trying to get my thoughts together like I did every other morning. I definitely wasn’t a morning person. How Jason could wake up before the crack of dawn with a smile on his face just to go jogging astounded me. I had a rule in the morning: don’t talk to me until I talk to you. Of course no one ever paid attention to this rule of mine. I sighed then swung my long legs out of bed, sitting on the edge. I paused when I suddenly heard the sound of scratching coming from the other side of the door. I raised a brow and slowly stood, making my way to the door and pulling it open to find none other than my favorite, furry, four legged enemy standing out in the hallway. Well, that was weird… normally the little jerk hated me. What was he doing standing in front of my room? It was then when I noticed he was biting down on a folded card that was far too large for his tiny little mouth. What in the world…? I knelt down and hesitantly reached for the card, pausing before I drew too close.

“Don’t bite me!” I wearily said. Mel stared at me like I was stupid. I swear I hated that little creature sometimes. I finally gathered up the courage to take the card and I opened it. Inside revealed a message from Aron.

‘Went to take JR back to the airport. Back soon with a surprise. Don’t go anywhere. –Aron’

Beside his name he drew a cute little heart. I stared at the card in stunned silence. Aron had a surprise for me? That was… odd. Why had he given the message to Mel? I scoffed. That little troll.

“ARF!” Mel suddenly barked at me before quickly taking off at full speed down the hallway, his tiny claws tapping across the wooden flooring. I scratched the back of my head then slowly stood back up, confused. Did he want me to follow him? I traveled down the hall and joined him in the living room where I stopped when I noticed a balloon tied to the back of the chair I usually sat at in the dining room. What the… Aron, what are you up to? I approached the balloon where another card sat waiting for me on the table.

‘Part 1 of your surprise. Here’s a balloon. –Aron’

I blankly looked up at the heart shaped balloon in silence for a moment before a small smile spread across my lips. Aron, you dork. What’s so special about a balloon? I couldn’t help but laugh. Aron was trying, wasn’t he? It was cute. Even though it was simple, it was impressive. Mel suddenly ran back over into the living room, dashing behind the couch. As I glanced over at him I could see him tugging on the handle to a small gift bag that was hidden by the large piece of furniture. He dragged it with him as he walked backwards and into the kitchen, dropping it on my feet. I knelt down and picked up the small bag and dug inside to reveal a couple of different lotion bottles. Inside there was another card.

‘Part 2. Sorry for always stealing yours. –Aron’

I smirked, recounting all of the times where I had caught him sneaking into my expensive lotions. It became such a regular occurrence that I actually had to start hiding the bottles from him. Suddenly the front door to the mansion swung open. Was Aron back? I peered over into the living room to find Jason kicking off his shoes in the entrance, holding a big package in his left arm and his phone in the other. He glanced up to see me staring at me. A big smile spread over his once expressionless face.

“Bestie~~~!”

“You were gone?”

Jason pouted. “You mean you didn’t notice?”

“Now that I think about it, it was awfully quiet around here…”

“Here!” Jason approached me in the kitchen and handed me the large package. “I went out with JR and Aron to the airport this morning. Aron told me to give you this.”

We both glanced down at the package which I laid out on the kitchen table. What was with all of the gifts suddenly? It wasn’t my birthday… I slowly unfastened the large pink bow that had been wrapped around it. Inside there was another card.

‘Wear this and meet me in the backyard. –Aron’

I glanced over my shoulder back at the sliding door that led to the backyard. He wanted me to meet him where? Just what in the world was going on? I placed the card down on the table and picked up the clothes still inside of the box. I stared at the designer navy blue cardigan that I held up as Jason picked up the white dress shirt and a pair of black pants that I had left inside. He held it up next to the cardigan and smiled.

“You’d look awesome in this, Min. Like a prince!”

I continued to stare at it in admiration. “It doesn’t make sense…”

“Huh?”

“Why is he doing this?”

“Who cares? Free stuff.”

“Jason.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “This isn’t like Aron at all… Aron… he doesn’t do these kinds of things for me. So why… why is he doing them all now?”

Jason smirked at me as if he were in on something I didn’t know about. “Oh, I think there’s a reason.”

I blinked at him. “A reason?”

Jason placed the clothes back inside of the box and then shoved me back into the living room and down the hall, pushing me into the bathroom. “Just do what the card says! Get changed and go meet your man outside.” He winked at me before throwing the clothes at me and shutting the door in my face. I quickly showered, brushed my teeth and combed my bangs up to the side before getting dressed in the clothes that Aron had picked out for me, all the while wondering what this supposed ‘reason’ could possibly be. When I finished I made my way back into the kitchen, pausing when I reached the sliding door. I slowly opened the door and stepped outside to see Aron nervously sitting at one of the patio tables aligned on our deck porch. There were several more heart shaped balloons tied to the chairs. I glanced down at the floor to see several rose petals making a path toward the empty chair that sat in front of him. I glanced back over at Aron who was smiling at me, waiting for me to take a seat and join him. I followed the path of rose petals and sat in front of him.

“Aron… what’s going on?”

Suddenly the door slid open and Jason stepped outside holding a small heart shaped cake with a lit candle. He approached us at the table and sat it down in the center before walking away with a huge grin on his face, leaving the two of us alone. I glanced down at the cake. Written in red frosting were the words: ‘Happy 100^th day.’ I placed my hands over my mouth and stared at Aron with wide eyes in shock.

“Happy 100^th day, Min.” Aron said.

I was speechless. My eyes started to tear up.

Aron smiled. “Are you shocked that it’s already been that long?” He asked. “I mean, obviously I didn’t count the days that we had broken up or were fighting… but still-”

I shook my head. “No.”

“Then why are you crying?” He asked quietly.

“Because you remembered.” I replied, waving my hands in front of my face to dry the tears that threatened to fall. So that was it. That was the reason for all these gifts. This was the reason why he asked to meet me in the backyard, rather than some fancy restaurant. He was still keeping true to his promise about dating me behind closed doors to protect me from my crazy mother.

“Of course I remembered.”

“I… I didn’t even know you were counting. I… I didn’t count. I didn’t know-” I said, beginning to feel like a bad person. Aron chuckled.

“It doesn’t matter. I counted for us then.”

“Aron…” I called out to him, staring down at the cake. “I’m touched.” I reached across the table and placed my hand on top of his. “Thank you… It’s perfect.”

“Are you ready for your surprise now?” He asked, stunning me again.

I blinked. “That wasn’t it?” I asked. The surprises weren’t over? “No, Aron, you’ve already done enough. This is enough, really. This is all I need.” I started to protest as he brought out a small box and placed it on the table, sliding it over towards me. I stared down at it.

“Open it.” I pulled my hand away from him and then slowly opened the box to reveal a small silver necklace inside. I paused for a moment before removing the chain from the box and holding it up in the air to observe the dangling pendant that hung from it. Hanging from the small chain was a cute little duck. I immediately looked over at Aron who was sitting nervously in his chair. “Get it? Kwak? Quack? My name is like… a duck? Ah, it’d make more sense if you spoke English…” He scratched the back of his head.

Without a word I stood up from my chair, the chain still in my hand, and walked over to him, stopping right at his side. I knelt over and grabbed both sides of his face and held his head up, brushing my lips over his and giving him a deep, passionate kiss. At first initially startled by my reaction, he quickly melted into it. I suddenly stopped, surprising him. He gave me a questioning look. I reached for his hand. “Let’s continue this is my room.” I replied, pulling him up to his feet and tugging him along with me. He willingly followed me inside of the house as we brushed past Jason who had been sitting in the living room arguing with Mel.

“Enrique is MINE!” He shook his finger at the small for legged creature. The two had been playing tug-of-war with the large stuffed animal with Jason gripping its legs and Mel’s teeth clamped on its horn. Jason glanced over his shoulder as he spotted us make a beeline towards my room. He released Enrique’s legs, sending both the stuffed animal and the real animal tumbling backwards. Mel rolled onto his back on the floor and began balancing the unicorn on his tiny feet. As we left I could feel Jason’s eyes on us; I didn’t have to be a psychic to know that he probably had that trademark grin of his on his face. We ignored him and entered my room. As soon as we were alone I closed and locked the door behind me before walking over to my dresser and placing the silver duck necklace down safely.

“Now where were we?” I glanced over at Aron with a coy smirk. Aron raised his hands and gently swept my chin into his palms, pulling me forward and into him. He kissed me passionately on the lips and I melted into his arms. Aron slightly pulled away.

“Right about here.”

Ren’s POV

When I arrived back at the mansion I was surprised to see Jason fumbling around the kitchen, turning it into a disaster zone. Cabinet doors were left hanging open, the counter tops and the kitchen table were all cluttered with just about every pot and pan that was inside the house. Though I knew I was probably better off not asking, curiosity got the better of me. I quietly stepped inside the kitchen while Jason had his back turned to me. He was busy peering inside of the oven, looking for one god knew what. An evil smirk spread across my lips.

“What’cha doing there, buddy?” I suddenly asked loudly.

Jason must have jumped three feet in the air, or rather would have, if he wouldn’t have hit his head on the ceiling of the oven. Jason screeched and then climbed out, rubbing the back of his head with both hands as he spun around. “You scared me!!!”

I continued to smirk. “I know, isn’t it great?” I had to suppress the urge to laugh even though I really wanted to. “What are you doing anyways?”

Jason sighed then took a few steps towards me, placing his right hand on my shoulder. “I’m going to kill that dog.”

I drew back. “Huh?”

“I’m going to kill it, cook it and then eat it.” He replied matter-of-factly. I rolled my eyes.

“You are not going to eat that dog.”

“It’s going to go inside of my belly by the end of this year if he keeps it up!” He removed his hand and angrily pointed out into the living room where Mel was rolling around on the floor with that ridiculous stuffed animal of his. “Enrique is mine, Ren! Aron won him for me!”

“So then ask him for another-”

“Ren, what part of ‘won him for me’ do you not understand? It’s not like it’s something you can easily buy! You have to win it! And besides, he’s got Minhyun to win stuffed unicorns for now.” He pouted sullenly.

“That’s never stopped you before.”

Jason narrowed his eyes at me. “Ha, ha, Ren. Not funny.” He replied then suddenly paused as if he noticed something strange about me. He gave me a questioning look as he pointed back at me from pointing over at Mel. “Weren’t you wearing that yesterday?”

I stared at him. “Shut up.”

Jason grinned. “Ohhh, you dirty-birdy you! You were at Baekho’s last night, weren’t you?”

“I said shut up~!” I pouted, turning my back to him and about to make a run for it when he suddenly stopped me.

“FYI, don’t go near Min’s room. They’re busy doing the nasty right now.”

“Jason!” I exclaimed. There were just some things you didn’t say, and that was one of them. I was already uncomfortable enough not only coming back home and doing the walk of shame in the same clothes from last night, but the fact that I had to sit here and be questioned by this ert and then be lectured about the ‘activities’ between Minhyun and Aron just now…

“What?” Jason blinked. “They are… It’s their anniversary. If I had a 100 day anniversary with someone I’d be ing ALL DAY-”

I raised my hand and covered his mouth, cutting him off. “Stop it. Oh my god, just… don’t talk. Please.”

Jason removed my hand. “No can do. I’m like a Chihuahua on caffeine. I can’t stop until I run out of energy-”

“Then let’s take you out for a walk.”

“Eh?”

“You still need to apologize to my hyung for what you did to him.” I replied. Jason suddenly dropped to his knees and latched onto my legs, shaking me.

“Please don’t make me go~~~” He pleaded like the overgrown child he was.

“No excuses. We’re going. Get ready. We’re meeting him for lunch in an hour.” I replied. Jason screamed.

“Don’t make me go, Ren!!!” He whined.

“If you do it then I’ll finally let you meet Baekho.” I replied, finally getting him to shut up. Jason released my legs and stared up at me from the ground with wide eyes. All of this time he had been busy preparing the music and choreography for an artist he had yet to even meet. I figured that since Baekho finally got the hearing implant and was finally feeling better that it was time to at least introduce him to the man that he was doing all of this for.

“Really? I can meet him?” He asked, sounding a bit star struck.

“This can only happen if you apologize to Minseok.” As soon as I said this Jason leapt to his feet and took off running to go get ready. Now alone, I glanced around at the mess that he had made around the kitchen. I sighed. “At least clean this up first!!!”

An hour later I appeared at a smoothie shop with a rather reluctant looking redhead by my side. As we entered I took a look around to notice that Minseok had yet to arrive yet and we had gotten there first. The two of us went ahead and ordered smoothies before I dragged Jason to a table, sitting him down and making sure he didn’t do any last minute running away. We quietly sat and waited. It wasn’t long until one of the employees arrived at our table with our order. As she walked away I noticed the front entrance doors swing open. I smiled.

“He’s here. Hyung, over here!” I waved at him.

Jason’s eyes went as wide as plates before he scooted back in his chair and dropped to the floor, hiding underneath the table. As Minseok approached us he noticed Jason crouching underneath the table I was sitting at. He gave me a strange look before rolling his eyes and sitting down. “Why’d you call me out here, Ren?” He asked, cutting straight to the chase.

“We came to apologize.”

“Ah, so there’s two of you here then.” He replied, pretending as if he hadn’t noticed Jason hiding from him. “That explains why there’s two smoothies on the table. Hmm.”

“Jason was here a second ago. Oh well, I suppose I’ll have to just give his smoothie to Mel later-”

“DON’T YOU DARE!” Jason screeched out from underneath the table, hitting his head for the second time today. He climbed out and then reclaimed his seat next to me, childishly sweeping his drink into his hands and glaring at me.

“Oh, Jason, there you are.” Minseok called out to him, making him freeze. As Jason slowly turned his head to greet him he inched closer and leaned into me as if I would offer to protect him. I narrowed my eyes at him and shoved him off of me.

“Hyung, I’m sorry for setting you up with this lunatic-”

“And I’m sorry for being a lunatic.” Jason quickly replied.

“Jason!” I scolded. “Apologize correctly.” I said, losing my patience with him.

Jason bit his lower lip before finally taking a deep breath and growing serious. He glanced back over at Minseok. “I’m sorry about punching you in the nose. It was a complete accident. It’s just… I spazzed out and lost control when you got too close and I… well, I’m sorry.”

Minseok leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. “To be honest, I probably deserved that.”

“Huh?” Jason asked.

“I was toying with you the entire time, just trying to get a reaction out of you. And well, I sure as hell got one.” Minseok smirked. “It’s a good thing you stopped me when you did. Who knows how far I would have gone just to mess with you. Sorry.”

“T-T-Toying with me? How far…?” Jason paused. “Aww, man! You mean I could have had with you?!?!” I immediately placed both hands over Jason’s mouth as he exclaimed this out loud in a public setting. Several people sitting at the tables nearby began to stare at us. Minseok gave Jason a bewildered look before laughing in amusement.

“You’re a funny one.”

“Don’t encourage him, hyung!” I snapped at Minseok. Minseok glanced back over at me.

“And you? Aren’t you going to apologize for always getting me involved in all of your crazy messes?”

“You voluntarily walk into them!”

“Right, because I’m your hyung. It’s my job to help and protect you. But sometimes I feel you get carried away with my inability to tell you ‘no.’”

I glanced down into the table. “Minseok, I’d never take advantage of you… really. I’m sorry if that’s what it seems like. I’m sorry… I won’t ask for your help anymore. I always seem to put you in a disadvantage or uncomfortable situation that requires you doing crazy things or lying for me. I’m sorry.”

Minseok reached across the table and patted me on the head. “Don’t ever stop asking me for help, little bro.”

I glanced up at him. “What? But you said you wouldn’t-”

“Minki, I was angry at the time. Remember, I had just gotten punched in the nose. I’m human too. I lose my temper every now and then too. But I’ll always come running if there’s ever something you need and you know that. Blood is thicker than water. I’m always going to have your back.”

I stared quietly at Minseok, touched. “Hyung…”

Minseok sat up straight in his chair. “I accept both of your apologies.”

“Yaaay!” Jason replied, taking a break from sipping his smoothie out from his straw. “Apology accepted too. But if you really want to make it up to me for picking at my brain, you can take me out back and-”

I kicked him underneath the table. “You have JR now, don’t you?”

“Oww!!!” Jason complained. “We didn’t make any promises to one another; I just told him I liked him and asked for him to call me next time he’s in Korea.”

“And he will.”

Jason looked at me with large eyes. “He will?” He asked hopefully. I nodded. A bright smile spread across his face before he went back to sipping his smoothie. Minseok gave me a questioning look.

“What’s this?” He asked, referring to JR.

“We broke up.” I replied. “He let me go to Baekho.”

A stunned, surprised expression washed over Minseok’s face. “I’m impressed. The kid actually handled it well. Good for him. I was afraid I was going to have to kick his for trying to lay a finger on you.”

I shook my head. “He handled it very respectfully. And now there’s something going on between the two of them.”

Minseok raised a brow at Jason. “Do we support this, baby bro?” He asked, cracking his knuckles while still staring at Jason. Jason froze in a panic. I laughed.

“Yes, I support it and so should you.”

“Alright then.” He said, leaning forward and looking at me with a smile. “So shall we then?”

I blinked. “Shall we what?”

Minseok smirked. “Shall we turn his hearing aid on?”

I gasped. “Is it time?”

Minseok nodded. My heart leapt with excitement. “I have to tell the others-” I paused, wondering if Baekho would let me. This would no doubt be good news to Minhyun and Aron who were the other missing half of the puzzle that made DREAM complete. Minseok gave me a worried look.

“You sure that would be a good idea?”

Was it? I knew that the others were waiting for Baekho to return to them. I knew that they would want to know, but I was also aware of Baekho’s mixed feelings towards 2DREAM and Pledis in general. He felt like Pledis had thrown him away and the others had abandoned him. But Baekho, they didn’t abandon you… if only you knew that they were waiting for you… Minhyun and Aron wanted to reunite DREAM. As far as I knew, Baekho had no plans of returning. He dreamt of returning to the stage, but he never mentioned DREAM. Would Baekho want to return and reunite the band again? I pursed my lips. Turning the hearing aid on, I knew this would be a life staggering event for him. But I also knew that I could ruin it by forcing the people he wanted little to do with on him. I shook my head. “You’re right. It probably wouldn’t be.”

“Let’s just keep it private and intimate, but it’s up to him. I’ll come visit him tomorrow to switch it on. Let him know, alright?”

I nodded. “I will.”

Later that night I paid Baekho another visit, my brother’s words still fresh on my mind. I couldn’t help it. I was just so excited for him. Baekho, you might be able to hear again. Just the thought of it made me feel happy for him. As he opened the door and let me inside I immediately wrapped my arms around him and squeezed him. Baekho brought his arms around me and pulled me off of him, looking down on me with a smile.

“What’s got you in such a good mood?”

“Baekho…” I called out to him. “He’s going to turn it on tomorrow.”

Baekho gave me a startled look. “W-what?”

“Minseok… he said he’s going to turn the BAHA on tomorrow!” I excitedly exclaimed. Baekho took a step back and grabbed onto the wall in shock.

“A-already?”

I nodded. “Isn’t that great?” Baekho remained silent shifting his gaze down to the floor, troubling me. “Aren’t you excited?”

Baekho glanced up at me, forcing a smile on his lips. “Of course I am.”

“You don’t… look excited. Is something wrong…?” I asked, finding his silence and lack of reaction on the matter confusing. Wasn’t this something that Baekho had wanted? To regain some of the hearing that he had lost? That was why he went through with the BAHA, wasn’t it? So that he could hear again and start singing. Baekho traveled over towards the couch and sat down. I followed after him and sat down by his side. I placed my hand on top of his, resting it on his lap. “Baekho, what’s wrong?”

Baekho shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

“Don’t tell me it’s nothing when it’s clearly something.”

“Drop it, Ren.”

“Absolutely not!”

“Ren!”

“Baekho!” I snapped back at him. “I’m not backing down. I didn’t in the past and I’m not starting now! Don’t you get it? As long as my heart is beating, I’m never giving up. Not on my goals, dreams, or you, understand?!”

“Why are you so goddamn stubborn?!”

“Because I have to be when I’m with you! You don’t listen!”

Baekho scoffed. “Really?” He asked, irritated. “Hearing jokes, Ren?”

“You idiot! I’ve told you before; listening doesn’t always require the ears. It requires the heart!” I weakly shoved him. Baekho went silent for a moment before finally speaking up again.

“I’m scared.”

I paused. “What?”

“I said I’m scared, ok?!” He snapped at me, standing back up. “I’ve already gone so long without my old hearing that I’ve…” He paused. “I’ve kind of gotten used to it.”

“Baekho… do you not want Minseok to turn it on?” I asked, stunned.

“No!” He exclaimed. “I mean… I don’t know.” He ran his fingers through his short blonde hair.

“What do you want?” I asked him. “What do you, Kang Baekho want? Minseok and I, we’re here to help you, not tell you what to do. Only you can make your decisions in life. Only you know what’s best for you. If you don’t want Minseok to turn it on then he won’t. It’s up to you, Baekho.”

“I don’t know… I don’t know…” He replied helplessly. I silently stood up and wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him.

“Whichever decision you choose to make, just know that I’ll support you either way.”

Baekho rested his head on top of mine. “I want it… I want to turn it on. I’m just scared that when I turn it on, I won’t be able to handle all that sound…”

“Then we can turn it right back off.” I replied. “If you don’t like it, we can always turn it back off.” As I said this Baekho wrapped his arms around my shoulders and embraced me tightly.

“Okay, Ren. Let’s do it.”

I glanced up at him. “Who do you want to be here when he turns it on? Minseok wanted me to ask you this. This will be an important moment in your life. It’s up to you who you choose to share it with.”

“Of course I want you.”

“Just me?” I asked. Baekho thought for a moment.

“U-ie. I want her here too. She blamed herself for what happened to me… The least I can do for her is give her a peace of mind.”

“Is that it?” I asked, hinting at Minhyun and Aron. Baekho glanced away from me.

“They wouldn’t come anyways.”

“Baekho, you don’t know that-”

“Regardless, I don’t want them here, understand?” He replied. “Only you, me, U-ie and Minseok.”

“What about JB?” I asked.

“What about him?”

“He’s your boss now, isn’t he?” I asked. “He’s always had your back and looked out for you even when Pledis didn’t... You know, there’s something I’ve noticed about JB ever since I joined the company and the household.”

Baekho glanced down at me. “And what’s that?”

“He’s always treated you as if you were his own son. Sure, he’s not that much older than us, but he’s still always watched out for you as if you were. You mean a lot to him, more than you would know. He’s been with the three of you ever since you were training to become stars, has he not? He’s seen you at your best and at your worst times. He’s always believed in you and he protected you when no one else would. Hell, Baekho, he almost didn’t let me come see you after you had your accident and had already been moved out. He cares about you. And I’m sure he would be honored if you let him witness you in your most proud moment.”

Baekho nodded. “You caught onto that too, didn’t you? You’re right… You’re absolutely right. Ok then.”

“Okay what?”

“Bring him with you.”

Jason’s POV

I stood at the front of large group of backup dancers inside of the dance studio at Pledis. The music blasting at full volume, I continued to teach the choreography to the new song I had been working on. The dedicated dancers followed my every word and movement. It didn’t take them long to memorize the the song. Unlike Minhyun and Aron, these individuals were trained, professional dancers. They could nail a move the first time after seeing it. I must have spent at least 3 hours down at the studio just running through the song repeatedly, not stopping for any breaks. We didn’t have time to stop. After hearing about Baekho’s hearing aid getting , I knew I needed to work faster to get things done and ready for him so that it wouldn’t be as stressful on him when it was time to start preparing him for his comeback. Baekho’s comeback was a secret, underground thing. But it didn’t make it any less a big deal. This would be the biggest comeback of the century, if I had anything to do with it.

I spun around and watched as the background dancers rehearsed the song again without me. Whenever one of them made a mistake I would stop them and correct them, starting the song all over again. They started from the top. I walked through the weave of dancers as they all performed their individual parts, repositioning their bodies as I went along. When I had first approached the dancers about the new song and choreography I made them swear to absolute secrecy. They all knew who the song was for and each and every one of them wanted for this stage to happen, even if it meant going behind Pledis’ back. Ren and I had arranged everything from hair, makeup, dance, music… we got people for just about everything imaginable. And they were volunteers. That’s right; professional people with professional skills had agreed to help Kang Baekho for free. Kang Baekho had once been a legend. Despite the nasty rumors about his personality, you couldn’t deny talent and skill. Each and every one of these people wanted to hear Baekho’s voice again, and it was amazing just to see just how many people were working behind closed doors just to make it happen.

 I stopped the music and placed my phone on a shelf and sent a Skype call to none other than JR, who answered almost immediately. Back at lunch when Ren had told me JR would call me, I was putting on an act. Of course I knew he’d call me. We were working together now. But no one, absolutely no one was to know about it, Ren included. The image of JR sitting in a plane seat appeared on the screen. I flashed him a smile.

“How’s your flight?”

“Halfway there.” He said, looking behind me and noticing the several dancers that stood quietly in the background. “What’s this?”

“I figured I’d show you what we’ve got and what you’ll be working with. It won’t be much longer now until this hits the stage.”

JR gave me a surprised look. “Really now?”

I nodded. “Kang Baekho will be returning soon.”

He went silent for a moment, rubbing his chin. “Alright then. Show me what you’ve got.”

With the stereo remote I clicked on the ‘play’ button and the musical score started up in the background. I stood at the very front of the group and slowly spun around. As I started the choreography, I shouted out to JR on the phone across the room. “This part’s Minhyun’s!” One of the dancers on the far right began to move to the beat while the rest of us remained still, waiting for our parts. As he finished, a third dancer began to move. “This one’s Aron’s!” I shouted again. All the dancers began to move to their parts as the music picked up. When we finally got to the 1-minute mark into the song, the dancers and I stood in a V-formation and knelt down. One of the dancers came in from behind and stood in the center. I smirked. “And this… is where Baekho comes in.”

The beat grew heavier and we stepped out of our V-formation. Several more dancers that had been waiting on the sideline finally stepped in, joining us in the front. The dancer that I had assigned to temporarily take Baekho’s spot began dancing in the center as we each followed his moves, reacting to his planned choreography. We went deeper into the song, forming a line and ing our hips forward and our shoulders backward, moving along with the music until the dancer that was taking Aron’s place took over, moving from the back of the line and dancing his way to the front. He took over for a good thirty seconds until we hit the 3-minute mark, where the female dancers finally came in briefly before leaving again. The music came to a slow as we started reaching the end. Everyone stood evenly spaced apart and the dancer assigned for Baekho’s part stood in the very center, waving his arms and pointing at the different groups of dancers. As he did so, they artistically collapsed to the floor with the beat, leaving only those assigned the roles of DREAM remaining standing. The standing dancers slowly moved their arms to the choreography while the dancers on the floor crawled underneath their legs and then laid down on the ground behind them, curling up as the song ended.

Once the song was over, out of breath I ran back over to the phone. “What’d you… think?” I asked, breathing heavily. This must have been the 500^th time today that we ran through the entire song. JR remained quiet for a moment before smirking.

“Impressive. You arranged the choreography all on your own?”

I scratched the back of my head. “It’s no big deal…”

“I like it. I approve. This is definitely worthy of a DREAM comeback performance.”

“I’ll send you a recorded video later. We’ve got a two months tops before this hits the stage. Think you can have it down by then?”

JR laughed. “Who do you think you’re talking to?”

I smirked. “You’re right. I’ll be seeing you in two months then.” I shot him a wink before ending the call. As I turned around I noticed that several of the dancers had collapsed on the floor from exhaustion after spending literally 7 hours on their feet. I laughed then clapped my hands together. “Good job; be back again tomorrow. Same time, same place. And remember, what happens in this room stays in this room. Got it? Good!”

Kang Baekho, DREAM… the world is ready for your return…

Are you?

Baekho’s POV

The next morning I found myself sitting on the couch in my living room with U-ie at my side, nervously waiting for Minseok, JB and Ren to arrive. Today was the big day. Today I would be having my hearing aid switched on and quite honestly, I didn’t know what to expect. I was thrilled, but at the same time I was scared. When Ren had been telling me about the Deaf culture, I felt like I finally had a group that I could identify with and it was a place that I belonged. But what would happen if I turned my hearing aid on and could finally hear again? Would I still be accepted into that culture, or rejected? Would it be seen as an act of betrayal? I wanted to hear again… but at the same time I didn’t. What was so wrong with this life? It wasn’t all that bad… But this wasn’t who the former Kang Baekho was. If I wanted to return to the stage, this was something that I’d have to do. I didn’t like it though… I didn’t like who the former Kang Baekho was. If I was able to do this… If I was able to successfully do this, then I would be making some drastic changes to the idol ‘Kang Baekho’s’ image. No longer would he be a diva. No longer would he only care about himself. The new Kang Baekho would become a voice of hope and inspiration to others. At least, that was my determination.

U-ie suddenly stood up to open the door. I glanced down into my lap in disappointment. See? I didn’t even know that the others were here. I hadn’t heard the knocking at the door. It was small things like those that I missed and had taken for granted before the accident. It’d be nice to be able to hear the phone when it rang or the door when someone was there. Would it be possible if the hearing aid was ? Would I be able to hear those noises again? To just imagine people not having to yell or scream at me anymore whenever they spoke to me… I knew it made them uncomfortable having to stretch their voices when they spoke to me. This would help put them more at ease, wouldn’t it?

Ren angrily marched through the door with his arms folded across his chest, followed by an annoyed Minseok and bewildered JB. I glanced over at Ren. “Did something happen?”

Ren glared at Minseok. “We wouldn’t have been so late if Minseok hadn’t forced me to drive!” He declared, stomping his foot on the ground. I smirked. So Ren was still trying to learn how to drive, was he? I thought that it was a failed attempt and he had given up hope. It was cute to see that he was still trying.

JB stumbled inside. “Am I… still alive?”

Minseok rubbed his temples. “It’s hard to have patience with you sometimes. You’re lucky you’re family.”

“Then stop forcing me to drive!” Ren snapped. Minseok turned to face him.

“You wanted to learn, so you’re going to learn!”

“I don’t have to listen to you!”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah!” Minseok reached forward and dug his thumb in between Ren’s collarbone and shoulder. Ren hurled to his knees on the ground, trying to fight Minseok’s grip off of him. When Minseok proved too strong for him, Ren began to slap his palm on the ground repeatedly. “I’ll listen! I’ll listen!”

Minseok smirked. “Good choice.” He replied before glancing my way. I shifted my gaze from Ren down on the floor and up to Minseok. “Are you ready, Baekho?”

I glanced over at U-ie who nodded reassuringly at me. “I think so…”

“Terrific.” Minseok replied then approached me. “Everyone, take a seat. I want everyone to remain absolutely silent during this process. Understand?” Everyone did as they were told and piled into the chairs around the couch, silently watching me. “Baekho, have you given any thought to whose voice you want to hear first?”

I went quiet. I hadn’t put as much thought into it as Minseok had, obviously. But then again, this was his profession. He was probably used to these situations. I glanced over at Ren and then at JB. I paused long and hard. They were both important people to me. It felt like it was almost impossible to choose between them. I didn’t want to make the choice. This felt like too much pressure… There was Ren, the person who brought me out of the darkness and taught me how to live life again and then there was JB, the man that I had secretly viewed as a father figure ever since I had joined Pledis. I couldn’t… I glanced over at Ren whose hands had been resting in his lap. He subtly pointed with his index finger at JB who was sitting beside him. I made eye contact with Ren who slightly smiled and nodded in reassurance, telling me that it was ok not to choose him. I glanced back over to Minseok.

“JB.”

JB’s eyes suddenly went wide with shock as he pointed at himself. “M-M-Me?” He shakily said as if he couldn’t believe his ears. I could tell my decision had an enormous impact on him, seeing as how his eyes started to tear up when I mentioned his name. “Y-you’re sure you want me?”

I nodded. “JB,” I called out to him, looking him straight in the eyes. “You’re like the dad I never had but always wanted. Family… Growing up, I didn’t have a family. They were always gone. But when I came to Pledis, you watched me as if I were your own. Back then I was a spoiled rotten brat, but you put up with me. You put up with all of us. There were times where we were so horrible, all of our staff would quit on us and leave… But you always held on. JB… it was through you that I learned what family really was. I learned that family isn’t always blood; it’s the people in your life that you want around and want you in theirs in return. They’re the ones that accept you for who you are and are the ones that will do anything to see you smile and love you no matter what.” His eyes went wide as I said those words to him. JB glanced down into his lap as his entire body began to shake, taking a moment to collect himself. He glanced up at me with teary, bloodshot eyes and smiled.

“Okay. Okay.” He sniffled as he fought hard to choke down the tears. Minseok smirked at this touching moment and then walked over to my left side where the hearing aid was attached.

“Everyone, silence starting now.” He instructed. As he said this I noticed Ren pull out his cellphone and hold it up, probably recording a video to capture this moment. Since it was Ren, I knew that I could trust him not to leak the video out to the public. I knew that this was something that he was doing for me, so that I could one day when I got older look back on it and remember everything that I had forgotten about this moment. Minseok glanced over at me. “Are you ready?”

I paused, nervously grabbing onto my knees with my fists. “I’m ready.” I said then felt Minseok’s fingers wrap around my left ear as he began fidgeting with the device that was attached to the side of my head. There was so much movement that I couldn’t tell what he was doing. All I knew was that it hurt. He was tugging so hard that it felt like he was trying to rip the hearing aid out from my skull. I pursed my lips together and winced in pain as I felt all eyes on me. Then finally he stopped. I paused once again, my eyes still closed. Was that it? Had he turned it on? Was it on-

“Baekho.” JB’s voice called out to me. I opened my eyes and glanced over in the direction from where I had heard his voice. When I opened my eyes, I was facing JB who had stood up and traveled over to my left side, standing beside Minseok. My eyes went wide in staggering shock.

I…

I heard…

I glanced over at Ren who was still recording a video with his right hand and had his left covering his mouth, happy tears trickling down his face. I looked over at U-ie who was still sitting to the right of me on the couch. She had both hands placed over and she was sobbing. My heart was racing inside of my chest and my body was numb. I couldn’t believe it… I couldn’t…. I looked up at Minseok who was smiling sincerely and proudly at me. I breathed heavily, starting to shake. This was real, wasn’t it? I had heard JB just now. I really heard JB call out to me, didn’t I? And… he wasn’t raising his voice to speak to me… was he?  

“Baekho,” JB repeated himself calmly and collectedly, despite the fact that there were tears in his eyes. “I’m so damn proud of you…”

I stared at JB with wide eyes that were starting to tear up. I bit my bottom lip, trying to suppress the tears that threatened to fall.

“Stayed? Of course I stayed.” JB started to cry. “When I first met the three of you, you were all still children. Small, innocent children stuck in an adult’s world of money, corruption and greed. Who was going to take care of you? The company certainly wouldn’t. The way they looked at you three; it was as if you were nothing but a product on a shelf. Dreams? They didn’t care about your dreams, goals or ambitions. But I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t be the same as them… Children… they’re the most precious thing in this world. You can see the whole world in a child’s eyes. A child will look up into the night sky and wonder about all the great possibilities out there. It’s up to responsible men to put those children on their shoulders and help them reach up into the stars.”

I couldn’t fight back the tears anymore. “JB…”

“Growing up, you know what the best gift my own old man ever gave to me was?” He asked me. I shook my head. “He believed in me. And that’s what I pass on to you. I pass on my father’s gift to you, so that you can pass it on to others like you.”

“Like me…?”

“The moment they told me you couldn’t hear, I immediately thought to myself: ‘okay, so what can we do to make this situation better?’ While Pledis was busy kicking you out to the curb, I was busy trying to think of ways to get you back in. I realized the fighting spirit in you. I knew you wouldn’t stay down forever. I also knew that Kang Baekho, the hero to thousands, could rise above his impairment and become a hero to millions. This fight isn’t yours alone. It’s the fight of several others just like you out there that want someone to stand up for them as well. This is why… this is why I pushed you even though you were scared or wanted nothing to do with anyone after the accident. This was why I didn’t leave you alone. No matter how old you get, I will always see you as that scared teenager back at Pledis. No matter how old you get, I will always protect and take care of you. I see something in you, Kang Baekho. I see something great.”

I quietly stood up and stopped in front of him, staring him straight in the eyes. The room went silent and all eyes were on us. I suddenly reached forward and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, embracing him tightly, startling him. “Thanks for never giving up on someone as foolish and undeserving as me.”

JB patted me roughly on the back. “‘Stand up, fight back, the world is yours.’… Isn’t it?”

I smiled through my tears as JB quoted one of our earlier songs. I hugged him again before pulling away from him. Ren stood up and approached me, stopping right in front of me. He bent his elbow and held his hand up to me. I stared at it before smiling and gripping my hand around his and shaking it, leaning into him.

“Welcome back, Baekho.”

I leaned back and blinked. “Welcome back?” I asked. Ren smiled.

“To a world of sound.”