JR’S POV

After practice had let out, I approached my director once everyone had left. I had finally come to a decision. After giving it much thought, I knew what my heart wanted and it wasn’t this. It wanted Korea again. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but it was mine to make. Performing on Broadway was both like a dream and a nightmare. It was a dream because of the prestige it carried. It contained bragging rights for each dancer. ‘I’m a Broadway dancer.’ When you heard someone make such a claim, you just knew they were talented. I finally had those bragging rights. My talent had finally been recognized. But it didn’t come easy. That was where the nightmare set in. Training sessions were brutal. I couldn’t count how many calluses I had on my feet or how many muscles and ligaments I had strained. We had to train both our bodies and our psyche. Meals were on a pre-approved diet. There were only certain times during the day where we could eat. In other words, it was much like being an idol. We had a certain image to maintain. As Broadway dancers, we had to have slim bodies. I’ve never been fat in my life. The fat that I did carry on me was baby weight. However, all of that was lost when I started training in New York. I was underweight, starved, physically hurting and mentally unhappy. I didn’t know how much more of this I could take. My body hurting was one thing, but my heart aching for home hurt even more. I knew where I needed to be, and it wasn’t here.

Through much effort, I exchanged words with the director. We both struggled to understand each other because of the language barriers, but deep down, I think he knew. It was so evident. He could see my loneliness. He could see how miserable I was. Granted, he wasn’t happy about my decision. No, he was downright pissed. But he also knew that he couldn’t hold me. There was somewhere else I’d rather be. But I was grateful for the opportunity that Broadway had provided to me. Because of it, I got to see that much more of the world. I was able to experience a new side of life and I met several new people along the way. It was definitely an experience I would never forget and because of it I knew it would only help me grow. The director agreed to let me out of my contract and let me go back home. It was a bittersweet parting, but it was for the best, especially since I wasn’t happy here anymore. Already knowing that I would be leaving here, I had sent my belongings overseas already through the mail. Since I would be arriving in Korea before they did, I didn’t bother asking anyone to receive them for me. No one knew that I would be returning and I wanted to keep it that way. I was never one to cause big commotions and I didn’t want to. I just wanted to easily slip back into the country undetected.

After parting ways with the director, I took my last stroll through New York City. My flight back to Seoul wasn’t until tonight. I had one last free day here. I roamed around the crowded streets, taking in the sights that I had become accustomed to seeing for the past year. I remember when I first saw them; they were breathtaking. But as time went by, they became plain and ordinary and I completely forgot that they were there. It wasn’t until I was finally about to leave that I found myself starting to miss them. I smiled. It was time to go home. I stopped at a vendor on the side of the street and grabbed myself a coffee before making my way into the park. I sat down on an empty bench and watched as the large pigeons crowded the walkway. I took a sip of coffee and then sighed. This place… although it had been difficult to adjust to, I’d never forget it.

My cellphone suddenly rang. I glanced down and placed my coffee in my left hand as I dug into my pocket with my right. I stared at the screen. It was Jason calling. I smirked then accepted the video call. The image of a smiling Jason filled my cellphone screen.

“Yo!” He saluted me.

“Yo.”

Jason stared into the background behind me with a curious look on his face. “No way, you’re actually outside for once? Where are you?”

“Central Park.” I replied.

“Lucky…”

“What do you want?”

Jason scoffed. “I just wanted to update you on the current situation. has quite literally hit the fan.”

I blinked. “What do you mean?”

“2DREAM, JB, me, Ren, none of us work for Pledis anymore.” Jason replied. I stared at him with wide eyes. Wait, what? What did he mean by that? “We were caught. But no biggie. I always have a solution. Anyways, it just so turns out that Minhyun and Aron work for JB now. I got him started on his own label. We’re actually about to go look for a studio in a bit. But listen, there was something I wanted to ask you. I need a favor.”

“A favor?”

Jason nodded. “Do you know about the story behind Aron’s mysterious cellphone?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s about time it’s solved, don’t you think?” Jason asked. “Can you look into it? I was going to hire a private investigator, but it completely slipped my mind that you just so happen to be in the last place Aron saw her.” He replied. My eyes widened with shock. Jason wanted me to investigate this mystery girl from Aron’s past? How could I? I didn’t know anything about her. Not to mention I was due to leave the country tonight. Jason, I swear, you have the worst possible timing. But my flight didn’t leave until tonight. I still had an entire day to kill before I left. Maybe I could try to find something before I left.

“Well, I am in New York.”

Jason smiled excitedly. “You mean you’ll do it?”

“It’s not for you, but for Aron.”

“You big grump.” Jason pouted.

“What do you want me to do?” I asked, ignoring his last remark.

“Find her. Her name was Kim Young Soo.”

“And what if I do find her?”

“Give her Aron’s number.” Jason replied. I nodded.

“Alright.” I said, standing up and making my way out of the park with Jason still on the phone. Part of me didn’t want to hang up. I had become so accustomed to being alone everywhere I went in New York. Finally having a bit of company with me was… nice. Even if he wasn’t physically here with me, I didn’t feel as lonely.

“When are you coming back…?” Jason asked again. A small smile crept upon the corners of my lips. Sooner than you think, you dork.

“When I get there.” I replied. Although I was teasing him, I had a serious expression written across my face.

“Ah, I want to see you. So frustrating.”

“Is it really?”

“I told you before. I like you.”

I laughed. “I think I like you too.”

“You think…?” Jason’s voice trailed off. He smirked. “You shouldn’t have said that. Now you’re never getting rid of me.” He replied. I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. Was this something to be concerned about? I rolled my eyes.

“I’ll be there soon. Just wait for me.” I said as I arrived in front of my destination. I found myself standing in front of the police station. “I’ll look into her. Hanging up now.” I replied then cut the call short. I dug my cellphone back into my pocket before opening the front door to the station and entering. I stopped in front of the main desk inside the lobby. The police officer glanced up at me. I hesitated for a moment before trying to speak to him in English. “I’m trying to find someone. She was lost long ago.”

“A missing person’s case?” The officer asked in English. I paused, trying to register his words inside of my head. When I finally understood, my face lit up and I nodded enthusiastically.

“Ah, yes! Missing person.”

“Name?”

“Kim Young Soo.” I replied. The officer began typing the name into his computer. He paused when something popped up on his screen.

“Kim Young Soo, eh? It seems like this case has already been closed.”

I stared at him with wide eyes. “Was she… found?”

He gave me a skeptical look. “Since it’s a closed case, I can’t reveal any information to you. You have to speak with the family and receive their permission first.” He replied. Dammit. I was so close but yet so far away from discovering the truth behind the mysterious Kim Young Soo. I gripped my fist by my side. No, I wasn’t going to give up. Although I was never really that close to Aron, I had spent enough time with him to know that he had been silently suffering all this time. Even if we weren’t the best of friends, I wanted to at least help put his mind at ease. Since I was asked to, I wanted to help put an end to this mystery.

“Can you tell me how to reach them?” I asked with hope in my voice. The officer reached for a small memo pad on his desk and scribbled down a number. He handed it to me. I glanced down at it. “This is?” I asked.

“The family’s last known phone number. You can try it.”

I nodded and bowed to him. “Thank you.” I replied then quickly marched out of the police station, reaching for my phone. I dialed the number he had given me. The phone rang several times. No response. Dammit! Maybe they weren’t home. I’d have to try again a little later. Frustrated, I made my way down the crowded sidewalk. I wasn’t about to give up. Aron was the closest to finding Kim Young Soo now than he had been in years. I wouldn’t let him down. I glanced down at my phone and hit the redial button again as I continued to walk. I grunted as no one received my call again.

Kim Young Soo, I will find you.

Jason’s POV

JB and I rose bright and early to go real estate shopping. Together for the first half of the day it was spent looking at several buildings. We were on the hunt for the perfect place to give DREAM their brand new start. Although JB seemed to be easily impressed and naturally drawn to each place we looked at, I wasn’t. I kept finding several flaws with each building. Since this was DREAM and Kang Baekho we were talking about, it had to be top notch. Eventually JB grew frustrated with me. We had already seen twelve different buildings and he was exhausted. Finally he gave up and gave the decision to me to make. It wasn’t until about the fifteenth building that we saw that I was even remotely interested in. It was located closer to the Gangnam district. It needed a bit of work, but it would do for now. First things were first; we needed to secure the property down to ourselves before we even thought about remodeling. The inside was impressive. It had a working in-studio recording room with all of the equipment. After playing around with it myself and testing the acoustics of the sound room, I was satisfied. This was it. This was the place where we were going to help build DREAM up once again.

JB and I signed the paperwork with the tired real estate agent and made a sale. After signing the paperwork I excitedly ran around the entire building, running up and down the stairs to each of the four levels. JB shook his head in embarrassment as he pretended not to know me. I stopped when I came across the dance studio inside. This was one of the major points that helped determine the sale. The dance studio was huge. No longer did I have to rent out a studio for Schnookums to practice in, and now that Minhyun and Aron were no longer with Pledis, they needed a place to practice too. But I would have to be cautious. My plan was to surprise Baekho with DREAM’s comeback. Even though both Aron and Minhyun knew about it, he absolutely couldn’t. I couldn’t have Baekho running into Aron and Minhyun here at the studio.

JB entered the dance studio and called out to me. “You still haven’t recorded Baekho yet, have you?” He asked. I shook my head.

“Not yet. I’ve only been teaching him the choreography.” I replied.

“And how is he?”

I smirked. “Perfect. It’s as if he never left the stage. His determination is inspiring. You were right not to give up on him.”

“I’ve known him long enough to know that he’s capable of many things. Just when you think he couldn’t possibly surprise you even more, he does. And he’s not done surprising the world just yet. I just want to see him happy again.” JB replied.

“And you?” I asked.

“Me?” JB blinked.

“You and your gal… the wedding! When is it? I want cake.”

JB laughed. “We’ll hold it right after DREAM’s comeback stage. I want them all to be there.”

“They all have to get along first before that happens.” I replied, referring back onto Minhyun and Baekho’s broken relationship. Minhyun wanted to be friends with Baekho again so bad, it was almost painful to watch. It was so evident in his actions. He was always asking about him and how he was doing. He was always concerned about him. And I bet Baekho probably felt the same way. He didn’t strike me as a vengeful type of guy. They might have bickered at one point, but I’m sure if they were given the opportunity to hug and make up, I was more than positive that they would.

“They will.” JB replied with a dark grin spread across his lips. That look on his face intrigued me. JB wasn’t an evil guy. He didn’t plot things.

“What are you up to and how can I join in?” I asked with a matching dark smirk.

“I also asked Min to sing at my wedding too.”

I laughed. “Oh, look at Dr. Evil over here… Are you suggesting a BaekMin duet?” I asked. JB nodded. I clapped my hands together excitedly. “I’m so in! Ah, I can’t believe how perfectly everything is finally falling together. I knew coming here was the right thing to do.”

JB smiled. “It’s a good thing you did. We’re getting our boys back together again. I can’t think of anything better than that. My fiancé will be so happy to hear them sing together. The plan is that hopefully through the comeback stage, Baekho and Minhyun will bond once again. Then I won’t have to trick them into performing at my wedding and feel so horrible about it.”

I shook my head. “Nah, knowing them, they’ll appreciate it. They want to be friends again. I can tell.” I replied. JB placed his hand on my shoulder.

“We should get Baekho to record soon, don’t you think? Although the Inkigayo stage flopped on us, Music Core is definitely interested in us. We’re going to go with them.”

I stared at JB with wide eyes. We finally had a stage secured for DREAM’s comeback? I jumped up and down excitedly, wrapping my arms around JB and startling him in the process. I screamed in his ear. I couldn’t believe this!!!! JB winced in pain and pried me off of him. I pulled my cellphone out from my pocket and started to text Baekho to get his down here. The Music Core stage would be here in less than a month. From now on there would be no breaks for him. If he wasn’t practicing the choreography, he’d be in vocal lessons or at the gym. The same went for Minhyun and Aron. I would have to cleverly arrange their schedules so that they wouldn’t meet and the whole surprise not be ruined. I dug my cellphone back into my pocket after Baekho responded that he would be here shortly. Things were definitely turning up, weren’t they? JR was searching for Aron’s mystery girl, 2DREAM and DREAM now belonged to us, and Baekho could perform again. As for his singing, I didn’t know much about it, but I had faith. Everything was going to come together.

Baekho’s POV

I pulled up into the driveway of the address that Jason had texted me. He had mentioned that they had something important with me to discuss and that I should meet them at their new location that they had secured for JB’s new label. Upon learning of the news that JB was finally getting his business rolling and everything started, I was excited for him. I knew how badly he had wanted this and things were finally coming together for him. I was glad that I also got to be part of this life changing process for him. After all, he had always been there for me, hadn’t he? After parking my car I entered inside of the building. It was four stories high and pretty impressive for a starter building for JB’s company. As I stepped inside of the empty lobby I took a look around. All of the office furniture and plants from the previous company that had resided here were still here. All that was missing was the future office personnel that would be working for JB. This place wasn’t bad.

“SCHNOOKUMS!!!” My ears twitched as I heard that painstaking nickname that had been given to me by everyone’s favorite redhead from China. Tcht. Jeju? Who did he think he was trying to fool? What an idiot. I turned to the direction the sound had come from and my eyes widened in shock to see Jason starting to run full speed down the hall, preparing to tackle me like a football player. Suddenly JB came running out from behind the corner and chased after him. He caught him in his arms right as Jason was about to lunge at me. Jason clawed his arms at me, trying to embrace me but JB wouldn’t let him.

“I apologize for his behavior.” JB replied, embarrassed. “He’s just a bit excited.”

I grinned. “A bit? I’d hate to see what a lot of excitement looks like.” I joked.

“So would I.” JB responded then planted Jason back down on the ground on his feet. As he released him Jason attempted once again to hug me. JB scowled then wrapped his arms around the smaller redhead’s waist and picked him up again, spinning around in a circle and placing Jason down behind him. He extended his arms as Jason tried to climb over him to get to me. I couldn’t help but smile in amusement. “Will you stop it?!”

“Tell him! Tell him the good news!” Jason exclaimed.

“Good news?” I asked, raising a brow at JB. JB grinned.

“We’ve secured you a comeback stage.” He replied. As soon as his words registered in the back of my mind my heart leapt with excitement. Was it true? Was all of this really happening? Did I really have my comeback stage?

“Really? Where at?” I asked.

“Music Core.” JB replied. Although I remained calm and collected on the outside, on the inside I was dancing with joy. I couldn’t believe it. Everything was finally happening. I’d actually be making my return to the stage! It was crazy. If someone had asked me when I first lost my hearing if I’d ever imagine this day, I’d tell them there was no way it was possible. But through everyone’s hard work and determination, I was actually getting there. So many people believed in me and because of that I was lucky enough to be where I was standing now. I couldn’t wait to tell Ren the good news!

“Tell him the rest!” Jason urged him. I watched as JB reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a whole stack of vouchers with the logo ‘Music Core’ imprinted on them. He handed them to me. I glanced down at them in confusion.

“Reach out to your secret fans with these.” JB replied.

I paused. “You mean…”

“Give them to Ren when you get the chance to see him. Tell him the good news and ask for him to assist you in getting these ticket vouchers out to some of the deaf community. We want a high attendance of these people around when you break the news.”

“You mean I’m telling the world about my hearing impairment at my comeback stage?” I asked. After going through so much, I wasn’t ashamed of my hearing impairment, rather, I was proud. But was it a smart marketing move to make such a revelation when I was barely coming back?

“To be honest, it’s a risky move. Your fans will either accept it or chew you up and spit you back out. But would you rather you lie to them? Kicking off your career again through a lie… do you think you can do it?” Jason asked. I shook my head.

“I wouldn’t want to do it.”

Jason smiled. “Good. Then give them to Ren to give out to his students.” He replied. I paused as a sudden thought came across my mind. I smirked.

“I think I have a better idea.” I replied then pulled out my cellphone and texted Ren.

‘Where R U?’ After a short while he quickly texted back.

‘In class. Why?’ He asked.

I grinned. ‘What kind of teacher texts N class?’

‘Not a very good one.’ He responded back. I laughed.

‘So U admit it then.’

‘Shut up. Stop harassing me. You do it enough on your own time.’

‘Can I drop by?’

‘My school?’

‘Yeah.’

There was a period of silence before he finally responded back. ‘Omg. My students would faint.’

I grinned. ‘I take that as a yes then?’

‘Kyaaaah!’ Ren excitedly texted back. I laughed. Jason and JB hovered over my cellphone, reading over my texts. It didn’t dawn on me that they had been standing there, reading the entire time until now. I gave them both a crazy look.

“Do you guys mind?” I asked, my privacy feeling seriously invaded.

Jason shook his head. “I don’t if you don’t!” He grinned.

“I do.”

“Aw, shucks.” Jason kicked at the tile floor with his shoe. JB slightly bowed, embarrassed. He linked his arm underneath Jason’s left arm to prevent him from chasing after me once I left.

“Don’t be long. We want to work on your vocals when you get back.” JB replied.

“Schnookums, don’t leave~~~! Let’s go together!” Jason extended his right arm and stepped forward. JB held him back.

“You and your attachment issues!”

“I can’t help myself around beautiful people!”

“Come on, you, let’s go.” JB started to tug at his arm, pulling him away and down the hall. Sometime during the short time I turned my back, Jason had escaped from JB’s grasp and started to make his way back down the hall. JB managed to grab a hold of Jason’s right foot as it extended back in the air and caught it, causing Jason to trip and crash to the floor. As he hit the floor he extended his hand out and called out to me again with a pouty look on his face. JB rolled his eyes and simply started dragging Jason back down the hall and behind the corner where they both disappeared. I shook my head with a smile on my face then left the building with the stack of vouchers in my hand. I couldn’t wait to see everyone’s faces when I finally showed up.

As I climbed back inside of my car I glanced down at my outfit. It didn’t exactly scream ‘idol.’ I texted Ren again, asking for his help. Of course Ren teased me about my inability to dress myself, but he didn’t turn me down. He shortly sent me a text with several pictures attached. I remembered the time he had invited himself inside my closet and snapped pictures of everything I owned. I also remembered screaming my head off at him for invading my privacy, but looking back at it now, it was moments like these where I was glad that he did. They style he sent me was a street look, but simple enough. I quickly returned home to get changed. I wore a low scoop neck white shirt with a white, red, and blue striped plaid shirt over it with distressed black jeans and a black beanie over my head, hiding my hearing aid. Although I hated lying to them about having one, I didn’t want for them to know just yet. I piled back into my car and drove down to Ren’s school.

When I arrived out in front of the building I was hesitant to go inside. A surge of mixed emotions swam inside of me, most noticeably my nervousness. This would be my first time encountering other people that could not hear or even those remotely similar to me. I was finally meeting the group of people that I was bound to represent in the future and become unspoken ambassador and advocate for. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. There was nothing to be nervous about. They were people, just like everyone else. The only difference was that some of them were deaf, some had mixed hearing, and some only communicated through sign language. There was no reason to fear this group of people. They were students, for crying out loud. I slowly exhaled and opened my eyes. You can do this, Baekho. Although they were deaf, if didn’t mean they didn’t know what good music felt like. It wasn’t like they wouldn’t know my face, right…? I began to doubt myself. Maybe I wasn’t as popular in the past as I really thought I was… Ah, what was I doing here again? Just as I was about to convince myself to make a run for it, Ren texted me. I glanced down at the screen of my cellphone.

‘Are you here yet?’

‘Here.’ I texted back.

‘Room 314.’

I gulped. It was now or never. I stepped inside of the building and traveled down the long hallways of the building. It wasn’t long before I was approached by a faculty member who stopped me in my tracks. She must have been a teacher. She began to wave her hands at me, signing in a fast motion. I stared at her with wide eyes, at a loss of words of what to do. I had no idea what she was trying to tell me. When she picked up on the startled look on my face, she paused for a moment before taking the pencil from behind her ear and taking a random flyer from off a nearby bulletin board and scribbling down her message. She quickly held it up in front of me after finishing.

‘Are you Kang Baekho?’

I was stunned. A small smile crept upon my lips. I nodded in response. She took the paper and began to scribble down words again.

‘Really?’

I laughed and nodded again. She took it back, wrote, and then held the paper in front of my face again.

‘Can I have your autograph???’

I turned my head to the side, trying to hide the big grin on my face. For the first time in the history of my career, I actually felt quite bashful. It was different from back in the past where it didn’t even phase me whenever people recognized me. To actually be recognized from someone in the deaf world… I felt honored. I reached out for the paper and pencil in which she enthusiastically handed over to me. Instead of scribbling down my name, I wrote down a message and handed it back to her.

‘How about an exchange?’

She read my message and glanced back up at me with wide eyes. She pointed at herself and pretended to use her index finger as a pencil in the air as she wrote an imaginary signature. She gave me a questioning look. I nodded. The woman turned red from embarrassment as a large, shy smile spread across her lips. She took the paper and shyly wrote her signature down on the paper before handing it back to me. I took another one of the flyers from off the bulletin board and scribbled down my autograph. Before handing it to her, I reached inside my back pocket and removed one of the Music Core vouchers. I handed both of them back to her. She held the voucher in her hand and gave me a surprised look, pointing at me. I assumed she was asking me if it meant that it was a ticket to one of my performances. I smiled then nodded. Her jaw dropped and she jumped up and down silently in excitement. I slightly bowed to her, dismissing myself and traveling further down the halls inside of the school, not stopping until I finally came across room 314.

As I arrived in front of my destination, I peered in through the window on the door to see Ren standing at the front of the class, signing away enthusiastically with a big smile on his face. Just one look at him and I could tell the type of teacher Ren was. Although he jokingly referred to himself as a bad one and seemed to lack confidence in himself, from what I saw, he looked like a pretty good one. He had captured the attention of all the kids inside of the room and they all watched him with intrigue or fascination. They looked like they were thoroughly enjoying his class. I almost hated to have to interrupt him, but he was expecting me, wasn’t he? I knocked on the door. Ren, along with a couple of other students whose hearing wasn’t entirely gone, glanced back at the door. Ren paused for a moment, making eye contact with me briefly before returning his attention back to the class and quickly signing another message to them. Suddenly all of the students inside of the room turned and glanced back at the door. An overwhelming feeling swept through me. It was crazy; I was used to so many eyes being on me. Why did the gazes of 24 students suddenly make me so nervous and self-conscious? I brought a smile on my face and turned the handle to the door, slowly stepping inside. As several of the girls inside of the classroom spotted me, they stood from their desks and pointed at me with dropped jaws of excitement.

Ren grinned at the front of the classroom. “Glad you could make it.”

“Me too.” I replied as I started to make my way to the front of the classroom. Several of the students that recognized me stared as I passed. There were several audible squeals coming from within the room. I couldn’t help but grin like a fool. To think I was so terrified of none of them recognizing me. Of course; like Jason and Ren had told me before, listening to music didn’t necessarily require the use of the ears. As long as you could feel the beat, music could still be enjoyed. Several enthusiastic hands raised up in the air, waiting for Ren to call on them. Ren smirked at me.

“Pick one.” I glanced out into the sea of frantically waving hands in the air. I called on a student in the back row. She stood up and in the center of the aisle and began to sign her message. “Kang Baekho, I love you.” Ren translated for me. I laughed.

“I love you too.” As I said this Ren raised his hands and quickly signed my words back to her. She placed her hands over her heart and swooned back into her chair at her desk. The remaining students’ hands continued to wave frantically in the air, waiting to be called on. I picked another female student in the third row.

“How do you know Teacher Choi?” She asked with a suspicious look on her face and Ren translated. He suddenly paused then glanced down at me, wondering what I had to say in response. I glanced back at Ren and smirked. I could tell he was worried. Don’t worry, ‘Teacher Choi.’ I won’t say anything. I glanced back at the student, looking her straight in the eyes as I spoke to her.

“Your teacher was a stylist for DREAM.” I replied and through the corner of my eyes I could see Ren signing back to her. As she received my message she glanced over to the girl sitting next to her and the two of them began to have a private conversation without me. I glanced back over at Ren with questioning eyes. Ren looked absolutely embarrassed by whatever it was they were saying. “What are they saying?”

Ren slapped his palm over his face. “They’re asking if you’re the one that made me so happy these days.”

I laughed. “Really? Do I make you that happy?”

Ren immediately withdrew his hand. “Baekho! A few of them can actually hear us…” He warned, his face completely red by now. I glanced back into a sea of grinning faces at the back of the classroom. I turned a shade of red too now because of my mistake. Ren shook his head.

“Why did you want to visit my class today, Kang Baekho?” Ren asked, signing as he spoke, trying to change the subject. I turned my attention back over to his students.

“As you know, I’ve been absent from the music scene a little over a year now. In exactly one month’s time, I will be making my big return at Music Core.” I said as Ren signed my message. As he got to the end he paused and stared at me with big eyes.

“Oh my god… really?!” He exclaimed out loud. I grinned and nodded. “Kyah!” Ren squeaked, placing his hands over his mouth in embarrassment. I laughed, smiling back at his students who all had excited looks on their faces.

“I came here to request your presence at my concert.” I said. Ren quickly put himself back together again and signed my words back out into the classroom. Several students jumped up and hugged each other with joy. A male student suddenly raised his hand. I called on him.

“Why would you want our presence?” He asked with a serious look on his face. Ren paused as he translated.

I smiled back at the student. “Why not?” I asked.

The student froze. “Because… we can’t… hear.” He replied. As Ren translated his words to me I could feel my heart breaking on the inside.

“Let me ask you something… How do you know who I am?” I asked then glanced back at the girl earlier who claimed her love for me. “How is it possible that you love me?” Ren signed away. I smiled. “Because love is deaf. You can’t tell someone that you love them; you have to show them.”

A heartwarming smile spread across Ren’s lips as he signed my message. He glanced back at me. “That was amazing.”

I smiled. “I see your love. I see it on each and every one of your faces. A fan is still a fan, are they not?” I removed the Music Core vouchers and held them up in the air. “I want each of you to be there supporting me. Please, come.” As Ren finished signing, I handed him half of the stack of vouchers and together we began handing them out to each of the students in the classroom. They all accepted them with eagerness. I watched the interaction between Ren and his students. They were overjoyed whenever he handed them their ticket. Then, as he came across an empty desk he paused, a dark, somber look washed over his face. He quietly took one of the vouchers and placed it in his pocket. I thought back to the other night when he mentioned one of his students having trouble at home. Was that the desk of the student he was referring to? I couldn’t help but feel worried myself now.

As Ren finished handing out vouchers to his side of the classroom, he tried to hand the remaining left over back to me. I shook my head and instead handed him the remainder of my stack. “Give them out to the rest of the teachers and students.”

He gave me a surprised look. “Really…?” He asked, touched. I nodded.

“I want them all to be there. Give one to your brother also.”

Ren smiled at me. “I’m proud of you, Baekho.” He replied, taking the vouchers from me and placing them back down on his desk. He glanced back at me. “Do you want to learn how to sign something to them?”

I nodded enthusiastically. He took both of his hands and placed them on his chest before slowly bringing them out and shaping his fingers in a certain manner. As he did this I was brought back to that time where Ren had confessed his love to me in sign language but I didn’t find out till much later only after asking his older brother what it meant. I recognized it. It was definitely that sign. I smiled then faced the students at the front of the classroom and slowly, yet confidently signed a simple, yet very powerful message to them.

“I love you.”

Several of the female students squealed with delight while the male students smirked with awkward looks on their faces, taking it all in stride. I laughed at the mixed response. Regardless, none of them rejected me. They were all happy and excited that I had dropped by. They probably all thought that I had made their day, but in reality, it was them who made mine. Ren’s students… they were all terrific people and I found myself wanting to find out more about them, not just as a group of people, but as individuals. I’m sure each student had their own struggles, their own stories of hardships… But the fact that they were all smiling the way they did now, it proved to show that no matter how life can try to keep you down by what it throws at you, you can always overcome it. You just have to believe.

JR’S POV

I continued to dial Kim Young Soo’s family’s number even as I was boarding my plane back to Korea. Although I was leaving America, I still intended to pursue Aron’s mystery girl. After being told by the New York City police that there wasn’t much I could find out without the family’s permission, there really was no point in staying there, was there? I would continue to try to contact them, even if that meant from overseas. After the plane had lifted into the air and we were given the go ahead to turn back on our wireless devices, I tried again for what must have been the twelfth time today. Still no response, however, this time was different. This time I was able to get put through to the answering machine when before that wasn’t the case. Was the number the cop had given me the number to a cellphone? That had to be the case, and the phone had just been off this entire time. I cleared my throat and left a message in both English and Korean.

“I’m calling on the behalf of Aron Kwak, who has been searching for a Miss Kim Young Soo for quite some time. Please, if you receive this message, contact him at…” I left Aron’s phone number in the message before hanging up. I stared down at my phone in my lap and sighed heavily. Why was it that I still didn’t feel relieved? I probably wouldn’t until the family actually contacted Aron himself. But there was no telling if and when they would… I bit my bottom lip. I had to hope. In the meantime, I had a twelve hour flight to attend to. During this time I found myself constantly replaying the practice videos that Jason had sent me. I made sure to memorize everything down to the exact detail. As I continued to watch, a strong part of me was curious to hear how the song with the actual vocals accompanying it sounded.

I pulled out my iPad and connected to the Wi-Fi on the plane. I ran a YouTube search on Fu Long Fei. I wanted to know more about him. If his songwriting and composing abilities were as good as his dancing skills, then he was truly an unspoken genius. Several of his videos popped up. I smirked. So he wasn’t lying, was he? He actually was famous at one point. After browsing through his videos, I noticed that in several of them he was together with another brown haired man. The chemistry between the two of them was impossible to deny. I scoffed. Who was this ‘Leo’ guy? I was better looking than him, wasn’t I? I paused. Wait, what? Was I actually jealous of him? I shook my head. Jason’s crazy behavior must be rubbing off on me, turning me into some irrational idiot.

I glanced back at the playing video where Jason interacted quite a bit with him. Still… it looked like this Leo guy was actually someone significant or important in his life. I wondered… did they still talk? Jason said he was single, but he also struck me as the type of person that fooled around way too much. He practically hit on anything with a pulse. Being around Jason made me kind of nervous. What if he was just playing with me when he told me he liked me? No… although he seemed like a playboy, he actually had a decent personality. I pursed my lips together. I had to be cautious. I just… I didn’t want to experience another heartbreak so soon after the first one. I really did love Ren, but Ren loved someone else. To force him to stay for my happiness was selfish and so I let him go. It was difficult the first time, but if my heart were to break for a second time, I didn’t know what else I would do. I wouldn’t be able to handle it without going crazy. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the headrest. Just let it go, JR. The past is the past and you have to move forward. If you have any doubts, just talk to Jason when you get there.

After spending half of the trip snoozing on the plane, when I opened my eyes we had landed back at the Incheon Airport. Exiting the plane and the terminal, my legs felt so stiff and sore from the long ride that I had to walk slowly as I went to claim my bags. After collecting them, I exited the airport and grabbed a taxi. I was still unsure of where to go. I no longer had my apartment and I wanted my appearance back in Seoul to be a surprise to everyone, especially Jason. I scrolled through my contact numbers and selected JB’s name. After several rings he picked up.

“JR?” He sounded confused.

“Jason told me about the new business. Congrats, man.” I applauded him.

“Thanks! What can I do for you?” He asked.

“Listen, don’t tell anyone, but I’m back in Seoul with nowhere to go. Can you give me the address so I can swing by for a bit?”

“You are? For how long?”

“Forever.” I replied with a smile.

“Ah, that’s a relief to hear. Absolutely! I’ll text you the address. Hanging up now.” He replied then his end of the line went dead. About a minute later, true to his word, he sent me the address. I gave it to the cab driver and we were off to see the new building. About fifteen minutes later I arrived. I unloaded my bags from the trunk of the car, paid him, and then sent him off. I took the handles of my rolling suitcases and dragged them across the pavement, stepping inside to be greeted by JB. JB outstretched his arms and gave me a warm, welcoming hug. “It’s nice to see you again back in Korea!”

“It’s good to be back.” I smiled. “Where’s Jason?”

JB glanced over his shoulder. “I had to distract him with recent footage from G-dragon’s live concert in Japan when I heard you were here. He’ll be through with it in no time. Hurry, hurry.” He replied, grabbing one of my suitcases and taking it with him into his own personal office inside the building. I smiled at the thought of Jason having to be cared for like a toddler. I had to remind myself what I found attractive about the guy again. That’s right, he wasn’t always in the mindset of a three year old. Now that I was alone with JB in his office, he shut the door and locked it to prevent the redhead from accidentally barging in. “Take a seat.”

I sat down in one of the chairs across from his desk. He joined me in the armchair opposite to me. “Was there something you needed to talk to me about?” I asked.

“Why did you quit Broadway?”

I sullenly smiled. “It just… wasn’t the right fit for me. My heart belongs here.”

“I’m sorry to hear about Broadway, but I’m glad to see you back here. Have you thought about what you are going to do about a job?”

I gave him an intrigued look. “Are you already trying to scout me?”

“I blame my newfound sense of shamelessness from spending too much time with you-know-who.” JB replied jokingly.

I smirked. “I can believe it. To be honest, I thought about going back to Pledis-”

“Absolutely not! You can’t go to them. Nonsense, you’ll work for us.” JB insisted, refusing to hear it any other way. He folded his arms across his chest and arrogantly turned his head the other way. I grinned.

“Or… I suppose I can just come work for you.” I replied, amused by JB’s sudden change in behavior. Back before I had left Korea, JB had always been so quiet and by the rules. He was always a kind hearted man, but he didn’t seem to have a personality of his own. For as long as I had known him, he was like Pledis’ puppet. It was good to see that he was finally opening up and allowing himself to be who he really was. JB turned back and faced me.

“He’ll be glad to have you.”

I raised a brow. “Is there no opening for a choreographer? Are you telling me I have to be one of his dancers and take orders from Jason?” I asked, a little bit miffed. Jason was good, but I was pretty sure I was better. I didn’t care if he had won that night in the club. My pride refused to believe that he was better than me.

JB leaned in closer to me. “To be honest, he’s already done so much for all of us here. I can’t take the role of lead choreographer away from him.”

I paused. I’m sure he was right. Jason was doing everything in his power to make sure this major DREAM and Kang Baekho comeback was a success. I crossed my legs and pursed my lips together. “Fine. But if anyone asks, I let him have it.”

JB grinned. “Thanks so much, JR. Welcome on board-”

BANG! BANG! BANG!

“JB~~~~! The movie’s over! I’m bored~~~~! Where’s bestie? Where’s Schnookums? How come neither of them are here??? Why is there no work to be done~~~?” Jason’s voice could be heard from the other side of the door as he whined. Both JB and I froze. I didn’t want Jason to know I was here yet. JB stood.

“Aron and Minhyun are at a charity event and Baekho is meeting with Minseok for a checkup! Don’t you remember?!” He yelled out to him. He waved his hand at me, asking me to stand. I silently rose to my feet as JB walked over to his office closet, opening the door and pointing inside. I stared at him like he was crazy. There’s no way in hell I’m going inside of a closet- He didn’t give me a choice, apparently. JB grabbed me by my shoulders and stuffed me inside, closing the door. A few seconds later he reopened the door and jammed both of my suitcases inside with me. I huffed. This was unbelievable!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

“Hyuuuuung! Why are you yelling? Open the door!” I heard Jason’s voice call out again. JB suddenly opened the door and let him inside of his office. Jason’s loud footsteps could be heard inside the room. There was a brief moment of silence before Jason spoke up again. “You’re acting very strange…”

“How would you know the difference?” JB childishly shot back. I shook my head from inside the closet. Yeah, JB had definitely changed while I was gone.

Jason gasped. “You’re sweating and you look nervous! You must be hiding something… or better yet… someone.”

“Of course not!”

Jason laughed. “Who is it? Is it your wifey?”

“We haven’t married yet.”

“Pft. Whatever. Are you ashamed of her or something?” Jason paused. “Is she ugly?”

“I beg your pardon?!?!” JB exclaimed.

“I’m kidding. But you must be keeping something from us if you’re hiding her. None of us have even seen this women you’re set to marry! What, is she a foreigner or something?”

JB paused.

“Oh my god, she is, isn’t she?” Jason paused again. “Where are you hiding her? Underneath your desk? The closet?”

“Don’t go in there!”

Jason laughed evilly. “I’m gonna open it and see her for myself-” I felt my heart drop to the bottom of my stomach as Jason suddenly swung the door open in a brute fashion. His eyes widened as we made eye contact. I nervously smiled back at him. He quietly placed both of his hands over his mouth and stared at me in shock and disbelief. He slowly turned to face JB again, pointing back inside the closet with his right index finger. “You’re marrying JR?”

“I’m not dealing with this.” JB muttered then left the room, giving up on the lost cause known as Jason. I cautiously smiled at the redhead after getting caught hiding in probably the most ridiculous of all places. Jason went silent, his left hand still covering his mouth.

“Um. Hi there…?” I spoke out to him. Jason’s left hand dropped to his side before he reached both arms forward and embraced me, leaning his head on my chest. I was stunned. “Are you not mad at me for hiding from you?”

Jason quietly shook his head, still nuzzling it against my chest. “Welcome back.”

I smiled. “I wanted to surprise you, but so much for that plan.” I nervously laughed, climbing over the suitcases that JB had stuffed inside in his moment of panic. Jason stepped back and away from me for a brief moment before clinging back to me again.

“It was really hard for me while you were gone...” Jason replied, taking me by surprise. “I had to do everything on top of acting collected and calm when deep down I was terrified.”

I slowly placed my hand on his back and began patting him in a comforting pattern. It felt awkward doing this to him. Besides the night at the club and then the several long distance phone calls in between, there wasn’t much of a history between us. But I wanted to try to bridge that awkward gap. Ever since he boldly confessed his feelings towards me I had secretly been on cloud nine the entire time I was in New York City. In fact, he was one of the reasons why I wanted to return so quickly. “It must have been difficult for you.” I replied.

“Standing up to the CEO of Pledis was probably the third scariest thing I’ve ever had to do.”

“What were the first two?” I curiously asked.

“Leaving China and then facing Leo again.” He replied. I paused as he mentioned that particular name. My mind flashed back to the brunette that had been paired with him in many of those music videos. I couldn’t stop thinking about that striking chemistry between the two of them.

“Who was he?”

Jason pulled away from me and stared at me with questioning eyes. “Who, Leo?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

He sadly smiled. “A part of the past.”

“I see.” I replied, trying to hide my disappointment over the fact that he still didn’t answer my question. Jason placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Don’t be jealous.” He suddenly teased me.

“I’m not jealous!” I exclaimed.

Jason grinned. “I like you the most.” He replied, grabbing me by the hand and leading me out of JB’s office. I followed him further down the hall where he pulled me into another room which I presumed was his own office and shut the door behind us. Once we were inside he pushed me backward where I fell on top of the large desk in the back of the room. As I fell backward he slowly climbed on top of me, gently brushing his lips against mine. He slightly pulled back and smiled down at me. “Shall I prove it to you?”

I nervously shifted my gaze over to the side. “I-If you must…” I replied, my heart racing a mile a minute. Any faster and it felt like it would burst right out from my chest.

Jason grinned then cutely grabbed both sides of my face and leaned forward, giving me a quick peck. I gave him a surprised look. That wasn’t exactly the kiss I had been expecting after having been gone for so long. Jason laid down on top of me and rested the side of his face on my chest. “I’m tired…”

“You!” I exclaimed. “Don’t fall asleep on top of me!”

“Nnn… But you’re so comfy…” Jason pouted tiredly as he closed his eyes. I paused for a moment as a sudden thought occurred to me. Just when, if ever, did this guy sleep? Whenever he would call me over when I was in New York, it was always around 3 AM Korea Standard Time. To think of all the things he was doing in preparation for DREAM’s comeback, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that he wasn’t tired. I sighed, defeated. This was the world’s most uncomfortable sleeping place and position, but I couldn’t exactly fight Jason off of me… Not that I would want to. Deep down I was secretly enjoying this. It was actually kind of cute the way he slept. He held his right thumb up to his bottom lip, resting his palm on my stomach. He reminded me of a sleeping child, only much bigger. I quietly smiled then stared up into the ceiling. I was glad I came back…

Minhyun’s POV

After the charity event was over, JB came to pick both Aron and I up from the orphanage we volunteered at. Although the both of us were tired, JB said we had one more stop left, and that was to see the location of the new building that the two of us would be working at. Of course we wanted to see it. When we arrived Aron and I both followed JB into the building and looked around in amazement. Jason certainly didn’t spare any expense when it came to securing us a new workplace. It was almost on par with the Pledis building, and Pledis had been around for quite a while compared to JB’s business which had barely just been born.

“Jason’s been waiting for you all day. He’s probably in his office. Now, if you’ll excuse me. There’s still much work to be done.” JB replied, stepping into his office. I nodded then traveled down the hall with Aron at my side. The two of us stopped once we reached the closed door beside Jason’s name plate on the wall. I knocked before reaching for the handle and pushing it open, slowly revealing the shocking image of Jason laying on top of… wait, was that JR on top of his desk? I placed my hands over my mouth as I realized we probably weren’t supposed to see this. I quickly shifted my gaze away from the two of them and glanced down at Aron who had an amused grin on his face. He slowly started raising his phone in the air, pointing the camera at the two of them.

“Aron!” I scolded. He took the picture anyways.

“Instagram in 3, 2, 1 and…. It’s up. Wow, already 36 likes? Refresh… 112… Refresh… 316-”

I snatched his phone away. “You’re not getting this back for the rest of the day!”

“Boo.” Aron scowled. I shoved his phone into my back pocket and glanced back into the room where a tired Jason was sleepily rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands. He pulled himself off of the still sleeping JR and hopped off the desk, approaching us.

“How much did you see?”

Aron smirked. “Check my Instagram account and you’ll find out.”

Jason paused. “Please tell me you at least caught my good side on camera.” He replied, completely unfazed by getting caught by Paparazzi Aron.

“Nope.”

“You heartless fiend.”

“JB said you were asking for us?” I asked, growing tired of the idle conversation going on between the two of them. Jason glanced back at me and nodded, pointing at the desk behind him.

“JR’s back.” He groggily replied, still in the process of waking up.

“I see that.”

“He’s going to join you in DREAM’s comeback stage.” He replied. Both Aron and I stared at him with big eyes.

“He’s what?” I asked, not entirely fond of Jason’s sudden decision to include JR into the choreography that we had almost nearly perfected already. To add JR into the equation would only just mess things up for everyone already involved. Plus, I secretly dreaded the idea of working with him again. Training underneath JR was hell. He wasn’t anything like Jason. Through Jason, learning the routines was fun. Through JR, we wanted to kill ourselves.

“Nothing personal, but I really don’t want to take orders from JR again.” Aron replied uneasily.

Jason shook his head. “Oh, you think he’s going to teach the choreography? Tcht. He wishes. That’s still my job. No, he and I are going to replace two of the backup dancers.”

“Huh?” Aron asked.

“Well, I couldn’t get one of the original crew members to come back to us, leaving an empty spot, so I’ll have to take it. As for JR, there’s perks of dating good ol’ loveable Jason!” He winked at us.

I pointed at him. “Wait, so you two are dating now?”

Jason proudly placed both hands on his hips. “We haven’t made it official yet, nor has he agreed to it, but he’s mine. How can you not love this face?”

“You’re an egotistical narcissist.” I shot back.

“And don’t you forget it.” Jason smiled. I shook my head in frustration. I knew there would be no winning with him. I reached for Aron’s wrist and took it, about to angrily storm off when Jason called out to us. “DREAM members should start preparing yourselves; you’ll be standing on the Music Core stage in less than a month from today.”

As he said this I came to a halt. What… did he just say? I glanced back at him over my shoulder. “What…?”

Jason smugly smiled. “You’ve booked your first stage. Congratulations, DREAM.”

Aron and I both exchanged wide eyed stares before turning back to face Jason. Aron ran in front of him and stopped. “Are you serious?!?!” He asked with excitement in his voice. I was stunned, well, for two reasons. There was still hardly ever a time where Aron expressed much emotion. He was never one for expressing himself, therefore, I felt like this was a new side of him I was seeing for the first time ever. And it was a welcoming change. I also couldn’t help but be over thrilled at hearing the news either. He actually got us a stage? DREAM was actually coming back? I thought this day would never come.

“Yep.” Jason replied. Caught up in his burst of excitement, Aron reached out and hugged Jason tightly. A big smile spread across Jason’s lips as she shot me an arrogant look that just screamed ‘I stole your man.’ I rolled my eyes and walked over to the two hugging fools and joined the club. I wrapped my arms around the both of them. Jason started jumping up and down excitedly. “So many beautiful people are touching me today.”

I pulled away. “Don’t make this weird!”

Jason reached out and pulled me back into him. “Let’s be weird together!”

“Screw you.”

“Is that a serious offer?”

“Jason!”

Jason chuckled. “Congratulations, DREAM. You’re gonna be a big success, I just know it.” He replied with a smile. I smiled back at him and playfully pushed his head away with the palm of my hand. All three of us shared a laugh. I suddenly paused when I felt my back pocket vibrate. That’s right, I still had Aron’s phone on me. As I reached into my back pocket I felt it stop vibrating. I pulled it out and read the notice of a missed call on the screen. I glanced at the number, which wasn’t recognized by Aron’s phone and seemed to be private. Both Aron and Jason glanced at me with questioning eyes. “What’s wrong?” Jason asked.

I handed the phone back to Aron. “Were you expecting a call?”

Aron stood quietly for a moment, trying to think back. “No, not other than…” His voice trailed off and he paused. We both exchanged wide eyed stares as the same thought occurred to us at the right exact moment.

“Oh my god…” My voice trailed off. I felt my heart sink down to my stomach.

An alarmed Jason stepped in between us. “What? What’s going on?”

“Do you think… that was her?” I asked Aron, fearful of hearing the answer to my question. He stared down at the number listed as private on the phone.

“I don’t… I don’t know…” He replied at a loss of words. Jason froze.

“Try calling it back!” He urged. Aron shook his head.

“The number is private; I can’t call it back…”

I placed my handed over my mouth and took a step back, a feeling of absolute dread washing over me. “Aron… I’m so, so sorry…” I apologized. If only I had noticed his cellphone ringing sooner, none of this would be happening right now. I felt terrible. Aron had been waiting for this phone call for years, and he missed it because of me. My heart sank deeper and deeper.

Aron pursed his lips together in disappointment. “It’s okay, Min…”

I shook my head. “No, it’s not okay…” I replied. If I were Aron, I’d hate me right now. I just did something really stupid. Jason placed his hand on Aron’s shoulder.

“Maybe she’ll call back later…” Jason said, trying to remain optimistic.

Aron slowly nodded. “Yeah.”

“I’m sorry.” I replied then quickly spun around and started to make a run for it. Maybe Aron was okay with the situation, but I wasn’t. I had just messed up big time. There was no fixing my mistake. I just did the absolute worst towards my own boyfriend. Feelings of guilt wrapped over me. I’m so sorry, Aron… I froze when I felt Aron’s hand wrap around my wrist.

“Why are you running away?!” He asked with a stern voice.

I remained facing away from him. “Because… I ruined it for you.”

“If it’s meant to be, it’ll be. Missing that call was a complete accident. Min, stop trying to control things you have no control over. Just let it be!”

I spun around. “Why are you being so accepting over this?!” I asked, yanking my wrist out from his grasp. Aron’s hand fell back down to his side. He shifted his gaze down to his toes with a sad smile spread delicately across his lips.

“Because finding her now isn’t as important as it was then.” He replied, slowly looking up at me. I felt my heart start to pound away inside of my chest as his words reached me.

“Aron…” Why? Why do you continue to put up with me? All I do is cause problems for you. I’m a mess. I can’t seem to ever pull myself together and I’m always hurting you. When you make mistakes, it’s different. Your mistakes are innocent, idiotic mistakes that everyone can just laugh about and brush it off. My mistakes are always crucial like this one. There’s no taking back what I did. It’s true, I didn’t do it on purpose. It was an honest to god accident. But even still, I felt so horrible and guilty. I knew how much the call meant to him.

“We don’t know if that call was from her.” Aron replied. “And we won’t know until whoever it was calls back.”

“What if they don’t call back?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Why?!” I screamed at him.

Aron stared directly at me. “Because I have you, stupid.”

I froze. “Aron…” I felt tears start to well up in the corners of my eyes. I was touched. Even though I had committed a great wrong against him, Aron was more than willing to overlook it and forgive me. He really had moved on, hadn’t he? Whether he had missed that call or not, it made no difference to him, did it? As long as I was by his side, he was content. Aron…

Jason smirked. “Ah, seriously. You guys are the dumbest couple I’ve ever met.” He replied. As he said this JR suddenly stepped out from the office and joined us in the hallway, rubbing his eyes with the back of his right palm.

“What’s all this noise?” JR asked.

“Just a couple of fools in love.”

JR glanced over at us and smirked. “Those two at it again?”

I wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes. “Who told you it was okay for you to call me ‘stupid’?” I replied childishly. Aron grinned.

“Because you are.” He replied, stretching out his arms. “We’re both fools. Now hug me.” He ordered. I gave him a look of disbelief before rolling my eyes and complying to his request. I wrapped my arms around his waist, leaning into him. Aron ran his fingers through the back of my hair in a comforting pattern. “But I’m a fool that only sees you.” He whispered into my ear, catching me by surprise. A smile spread from corner to corner on my lips.

“Me too.”