Baekho’s POV

I stared at Aron with wide eyes. “What…? What do you mean-”

“She’s dead, Baekho. Dead!” Aron exclaimed, throwing his hands over his eyes and taking a step backwards. He spun around with his elbows in the air as he let out an anguishing scream. I started to reach my hand forward in attempt to comfort him when I realized that I didn’t know how to comfort him. I had never been in a situation like this one before, especially not with Aron. Back when I lived at the mansion, I hardly ever spent time with him unless we were plotting to get rid of the new stylists or workers that Pledis sent out way. Other than being a part of DREAM, our relationship was practically a non-existent one. Would Aron even want me to comfort him? Would he push me away? Frightened that he wouldn’t want my help, my hand slowly dropped back down to my side and I watched him in silence and defeat.

“I’m sorry…” My voice trailed off. “I knew how long you had been waiting-”

“I can’t deal with this.” Aron replied, taking me by surprise. I glanced down at the empty pill bottle laying on the ground by his feet before narrowing my eyes at him.

“So are you just going to drug yourself like usual?”

Aron paused before giving me an offended look. “Usual? I haven’t taken these since you left. Baekho, where have you been for the past year?”

I glared at him, pointing at the hearing aid on the left side of my head. “Where do you think?” I sternly asked. It wasn’t as if I was out having fun somewhere. For the longest time I was rotting away back at my parents’ house. I hardly ever went outside. If it weren’t for Ren’s daily visits, I would have lost my absolute mind.

Aron guiltily shifted his gaze downwards after following my finger towards me ear. “Sorry…”

“So what are you going to do?” I asked.

“What?” Aron asked, stunned.

“I won’t let you take them anymore. You don’t need them.” I replied, expecting Aron to fight me on this one as he always had whenever I questioned him about his antidepressants. There had always been a war going on between us whenever those pills were involved. Aron always insisted that he needed them, however, whenever he did take them they relaxed him too much to the point where he was practically a robot. He had no feelings. He was simply just… alive. Alive and breathing. What kind of a life was that? Whenever he didn’t take them, the rest of us got to see a glimpse of the real, true Aron. The real guy actually wasn’t so bad. In fact, that was probably the Aron that Minhyun saw and fell in love with, I could only assume.

“Ok.” Aron agreed in defeat.

I stared at him with wide eyes. “What?”

“No more. I won’t do it anymore. I won’t take them.”

I paused. Aron agreeing with me wasn’t anything like him. Something was going on. “What are you up to…?” I gave him a cautious look. Aron took a deep breath and sighed before glancing back up at me.

“In order to stop, I have to lay to rest the reason why I ever took them in the first place. Baekho, I’m going to go see her one last time.”

I took a step backwards in shock. “Aron... I understand you must be going through a lot right now, but you can’t just pack up and leave the country whenever you feel like it! Don’t you know what time it is? DREAM barely just came back! We’re in the beginning stages of our promotions- you can’t leave!”

Aron silently stared at the ground. “The heart… is more important than music, isn’t it?”

I paused. “I know this, Aron.” I placed my hand on my chest. “I know this well! But you can get yourself into a lot of trouble if you just leave! Think of all the hard work that everyone back inside put into DREAM’s return! They all risked their jobs for us, not to mention the amount of money-”

“Money?” Aron scoffed. “I don’t know about you, but I was never in this for the money. The reason I became an idol was to reach out to her. That was my only purpose. The fame? I’m not interested. If the money is where your heart lies, then I feel sorry for you.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Aron Kwak!” I yelled at him. “Since when have I ever been in a position of needing money? I was born with so much of it laying around that even the sight of it makes me want to vomit. I came into this because of two reasons: I loved to sing and I was lonely. Becoming an idol was like killing a bird with two stones; I got to sing and I was surrounded by several people instead of being camped up inside of that big, empty house alone. Don’t you ever say it was about the money!”

“Kang Baekho, I don’t want to fight you.” Aron snapped.

“I don’t want to fight you either.”

“Then let me go.”

“Absolutely not.” I replied. As leader of DREAM, it was my duty to snap some sense into my members whenever they started to drift away from the pack. Aron Kwak, you absolutely cannot leave us at such a crucial time. It’s not about me, but everybody else that worked hard for DREAM’s comeback. It wouldn’t be fair to them and all the sacrifices that they made for us if Aron just left. Was that the type of thanks that JB, Jason, JR and Ren all deserved? Jason, JB and Ren all lost their jobs to get us back together and JR even left his back in New York just to help us out. “Aron, I’m asking you to think about your actions.”

“Two days.”

“H-huh?”

“Just give me two days. That’s all I need. Please…” Aron’s voice trailed off. “Let me see her one last time.” He glanced up at me with big, sorrowful eyes. I couldn’t bear to look at him.

“You can’t-” I started to repeat myself only Aron cut me off.

“Who are you to stop me?” He immediately asked.

I paused then scoffed through an annoyed smile. “You’re right; who am I…?” My voice trailed off as I realized he was right. Aron and I… we were never close. He might have tried to get through to me back then, but it was always me pushing him and everyone else away, something which I deeply regretted now. That didn’t mean that Aron and I were on bad terms, just… I wasn’t someone who held enough power or influence over him to stop him. If I were Minhyun or even Ren, maybe I could stop him. But I wasn’t either of them. I was Kang Baekho, the arrogant, selfish acquaintance of Aron’s. I scoffed again. “We’re only in the same band together…”

Aron shook his head. “I tried several times back then to get close to you; don’t play the hurt game now.”

“Go.” I lifelessly replied while staring down at the floor.

“What?”

I glanced up at him. “Back then? I’m sorry for that. But I’m a different person now. And my biggest hope is that you’ll continue to stick around long enough to find that out.”

Aron gave me a shocked glance. “I’m coming back.” He tried to reassure me. I held my hand out to him, looking him straight in the eyes. He gave me a confused look.

“Two days.” I replied, wanting to shake on it. Aron stared down at my hand for a while before taking it in his own and shaking it.

“Two days.” He responded then pulled his hand away. He paused. “Baekho, can you do something for me?” I gave him a questioning look. He sadly smiled then shifted his gaze off to the side. “Can you go back inside and pretend like nothing ever happened? I don’t… I don’t want any of the others knowing because I do intend on coming back.”

“Jesus, Aron.” I ran my fingers through my hair, giving him a look of disbelief. “You want me to lie to them? How? With what? What exactly should I tell them once they’ve noticed you’ve gone missing?”

Aron shook his head. “I’m not… asking you to lie. Just, tell them that something came up and I had to go home. It’s not a lie, is it?”

“But it’s not exactly the truth.” I said sternly.

Aron painfully sighed. “Baekho, I’m hurting.” He earnestly replied, stunning me. This had to be the first time Aron even remotely talked about his feelings to anyone, let alone me. “Please…” He pleaded me. I pursed my lips together before folding my arms across my chest and shifting my gaze back down to the floor.

“Go.” I replied, turning my back to him and starting to make my way to the front of the building. I paused when I was halfway there. Keeping my gaze directly in front of me, I spoke out to him again. “Don’t keep Dreamers waiting too long. The first time was my fault… we owe it to them to do our very best from here on out, don’t you agree?”

“I agree…” Aron’s voice trailed off. As I lifted my right foot forward he suddenly called out to me, making me stop. “Baekho… thank you.” He replied. I glanced over my shoulder to watch as a taxi pulled up to the side of the road. Aron slightly waved at me before climbing in the backseat and disappearing in a matter of seconds. When he was gone I approached the front of the building and pressed my back against the wall, sighing deeply. I hoped I didn’t make the wrong decision in letting Aron go like that… Aron would be back, wouldn’t he?

The front door of the establishment suddenly swung open, followed by a staggering redhead stumbling outside. As he regained his balance he quickly turned to me and drunkenly smiled. I sighed again and prepared myself for what the guy could possibly want now. Jason pointed at me with his right index finger. “You!”

“Me what?”

“You should… you should get in there! Yeah! You should!” Jason fumbled over his words.

“Any good reason why? I like it out here; it’s nice and quiet.”

Jason giggled. “There’s a reason! It’s a good reason too! Uh… what was it again…?” He paused to think. His eyes suddenly lit up. “Ah! That’s right! Ren!”

I tilted my head to the side. “What about Ren?”

“He’s inside making it rain.”

I raised a brow. “Pardon?”

Jason grinned. “You know… making it rain.” He repeated himself, only I hadn’t the slightest idea of what he meant. Jason cackled. “He’s stripping. You know, showing bits and pieces of himself that only he, you and our lord and savior Jesus Christ should know about. Now ordinarily I wouldn’t mind the free show, but-”

“He’s what?!”

Jason gave me an irritated look. “Like I was saying, I wouldn’t mind the free show, only he’s just so awful at it-” I didn’t wait for him to say anymore before darting back inside of the restaurant and seeing Ren standing on stage clutching onto the microphone with his shirt off and screaming.

“NO! I’M KAHI!” He screamed as JB was standing on stage, trying to pry him from the microphone and pull him away before the cops were called. Ren fought him.

“Ren!” I exclaimed, not believing the embarrassing sight before me. I approached Minseok’s side, who was still calmly sitting at the table sipping a drink. “And you’re just letting him make a fool out of himself?”

Minseok grinned. “Why not? He thinks he’s Kahi.” Minseok squinted his eyes. “He looks kind of like her if you look at him from a distance.”

“Are you drunk?” I asked in disbelief.

Minseok shook his head. “Nope. Just a terrible older brother.” He replied then went back to making small talk with U-ie who was sitting beside him. The two of them seemed to be getting along rather well, that was until Ren spotted them.

“Hyung!” Ren drunkenly exclaimed, pointing at the brunette. “Your nose… it looks so pretty! Did it hurt when Jason punched you?”

Minseok gave him a startled look. He nervously laughed it off in front of U-ie. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ren.” He said rather sternly.

“You know! When Jason punched you in the nose and shattered it!!!” Ren giggled. “Was it expensive? Who did the procedure???” Minseok’s eyes went wide. U-ie gave him a questioning look.

“Did you receive plastic surgery too?” She asked. This was Minseok’s cue to jump to his feet and put an end to all of Ren’s ramblings before he further embarrassed him in front of U-ie. Minseok climbed onto the stage and helped JB tear him from the microphone.

“No, I’m Kahi~!” Ren fought as JB lifted him and placed him on Minseok’s back.

“I think it’s about time you go home now, Ren.” Minseok replied as Ren collapsed onto his back. As the two started making their way to the door I stopped in front of him.

“Still think he’s a fun drunk?” I asked, taking this opportune time to get back at Minseok for being the nightmarish headache that he was to me during our time together in the hospital. Other people saw Minseok as cool, calm and collected. But much like Ren, that face of his was a lie. Minseok was a troll. A good person, but a troll.

Minseok smiled at me, not wanting to admit defeat. “Of course. Why not?”

“Hyung!” Ren wildly exclaimed, picking up a lock of Minseok’s long brown hair. “What shampoo do you use?”

“Probably the same one you do, Ren.” Minseok replied in annoyance.

Ren giggled. “Aron ate shampoo once.”

I gave Ren a crazy stare. “He did what?”

Ren ignored me and went back to playing with Minseok’s locks. “Your hair… it’s so soft and voluptuous… LIKE THOR!”

By this moment I couldn’t suppress it any longer. I leaned forward and started laughing my head off while holding my sides. “You know what? You’re right, he is a fun drunk.” I said, looking up at Minseok with tears of laughter in my eyes.

Minseok narrowed his eyes at me and pointed at me. “Soon, Kang Baekho. Soon.” He warned. I continued to laugh as I stepped to the side, holding the door open.

“Here, let me help you with the door, ‘Thor.’”

“Soon.” He warned again then stepped through the opened door, carrying Ren out to his car. I followed the two of them outside and helped him place the drunken blonde in the backseat. Ren immediately passed out. After securely getting his brother inside of the vehicle, Minseok shut the door and leaned against it on his side, folding his arms across his chest. Despite threatening me several times in the past few minutes he faced me with a smile, silently shaking his head. I smiled back at him and gave him a curious look.

“What?” I asked.

Minseok grinned. “You really think you can handle my crazy baby brother?”

I laughed. “I don’t know anymore.”

“He’s a good kid. Just a little… special.”

“You’re right, he is. But he’s also determined, kind and strong. I’ve never met another person out there quite like him. Crazy or not, I’m glad he came into my life.”

Minseok smiled. “I’m sure he feels the same way.”

“Ren taught me several things.”

“About hearing loss and Deaf Culture?” Minseok asked. I shook my head.

“Not just that.” I replied.

“Then what?”

“Life.” I replied. “He taught me about life and all there is to living.”

Minseok smiled. “Is that so?”

I nodded. “The life I was living turned out to be a wasted one. I thought everyone around me owed me something just because I was famous. I had such a big head. And then Ren came along and completely shattered everything, bringing me back down to earth. Through him I was able to learn to let go of the pain of the past and be able to live in the moment and for the future. I learned that it wasn’t just about me, but everyone. ‘Kang Baekho’ would be nothing without the hard work of everyone involved and the fans. I would have been nothing without DREAM, Aron or Minhyun. I became a better person because Ren was the first person to ever demand an apology from me and successfully manage pry it out of me. Granted, he treated me like a child when we first met… but he was also the first person I ever truly said ‘thank you’ to and meant it. Ren… he means a lot to me. Without him I wouldn’t be half the person I am today. I just…”

“Love him?” Minseok smirked.

I nodded and chuckled. “Yeah.”

“Love… is such a difficult word. It’s something I myself don’t quite understand even at my age.”

I smirked. “I saw you talking to U-ie.” I teased.

Minseok laughed. “She started talking to me.”

“Are you going to play hard to get?”

He grinned. “There isn’t anyone that can tame this wild heart of mine.” He said, pointing at himself.

“Love will find you one of these days. Trust me, you can try to fight it off all you want, but love has a way of making itself happen. And when it does, you have to just go with it. It might seem challenging or frightening, but in the end, that’s what makes it all worth it.” I replied, speaking about my own personal experience when it came to Ren. Falling for Ren happened on complete accident. What started off as hate grew to admiration and then to love. It was scary at first. I wasn’t gay and I had no idea what I was doing. Ren’s heart also belonged to someone else. We both fought it but it was no use. Then life happened and Ren was able to come to me. I could have stolen him, but I waited. I waited because I believed in the saying: good things come to those that wait. I wanted to live an honest life with an honest love, not something that was built on a lie. A good house is built on a sturdy foundation, is it not? Waiting for Ren… it was a challenge, but in the end, it only made our love stronger and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“That’s pretty cool of you to say.” Minseok smirked. “Yeah, maybe it will happen someday. One can only hope, right?” He replied, waving his hand at me and urging me to get inside of the car. “Come on, help me drop this adorable sleeping angel off and I’ll drive you home.” We both peered inside of the car window to see Ren sprawled out on his back, his four limbs spread widely.

“Adorable?” I asked, grinning.

“Yeah, he wishes.” Minseok teased then opened the door and climbed inside the driver’s seat. I walked around the car and took a seat in the passenger’s side. As Minseok started the car he paused. “Oh, that’s right. Congratulations on DREAM’s big win tonight, champ.”

I smiled widely. “Thanks.”

Minhyun’s POV

Shortly after Ren, Minseok and Baekho left, JB informed the rest of us that it was probably for the best to get going as well. I drunkenly glanced around for Aron, finding no trace of him. I raised a brow and staggered forward. JB noticed my concern and threw my arm around his neck to help me balance myself before asking what was wrong.

“Have you seen Aron?” I asked.

JB shook his head. “He probably already left with Baekho.” He replied, giving it no extra thought. I nodded. He was probably right. I allowed JB to help drag me outside of the restaurant with Jason and JR following close behind. The three of us loaded up into the van and JB took us back home. Shortly after arrival, I was the first to enter the mansion. I took a look around the living room and kitchen for any sign of my boyfriend and came up empty handed. As I walked into the hallway I was met by Minseok who was trying to force Ren into his room, but Ren wasn’t having it. Ren had both hands on the door frame and was using his feet at the bottom to prevent himself from being pushed in. The struggling Minseok was using the force of his shoulder to try to shove him inside but it was no use

“GO TO BED!” Minseok ordered.

“NO!” Ren exclaimed like a child.

I silently shook my head and kept walking towards the end of the hall, not stopping until I entered Aron’s room. As I stepped inside I noticed something was immediately wrong. Aron’s room had looked like it had been ransacked. His dresser drawers and his closet door were all hanging open. Empty hangers aligned the floor and his bed. His phone charger and several of his important belongings were missing as well. I glanced over in the corner of the room to see Mel laying down in his small dog bed, crying and whining. I walked over to him and knelt down beside him, petting him on the head. To my surprise, Mel actually allowed for me to comfort him this one time instead of biting me like he usually did. Mel leaned into my hand, still crying. Suddenly my attention was stolen by Baekho who slowly entered into Aron’s empty room.

“He really left…” His voice trailed off. I furrowed my brows and stared at him.

“What do you mean he ‘left’?” I asked, my heart aching. I felt a wave of anxiety wash over me. Baekho shook his head. I glared at him. “Baekho! What are you not telling me?” I replied, letting go of Mel and standing back up. I marched up and stopped right in front of him, staring him in the eye and waiting for an explanation.

“Aron had to go somewhere.”

“Where?!” I demanded.

Baekho shook his head again, averting his gaze down to the floor. I paused.

“Was it her?” I asked, my heart sinking even further down into my stomach. “Did she call again? Is that why he left? To go meet with her?!”

Baekho refused to answer my question.

“Baekho!” I screamed at him. He remained silent. I angrily balled my right hand up into a fist at my side and brushed past him, exiting Aron’s room. “That betrayer!” I exclaimed, walking angrily past both Minseok and Ren who had both froze and watched as I walked past them. JR and Jason both stared at me as I entered the living room, angrily marching towards the spot where we kept the wi-fi router. I grabbed it with both hands and smashed it down onto the wooden ground, breaking it into millions of tiny little pieces. “He said he loved me and I believed him… I’m such an idiot…”

Baekho quickly came into the living room and approached me from behind, grabbing me by my elbow and yanking me back to face him. “Enough!”

“Why would he tell you and not me?!” I screamed at him.

“Min!” Baekho warned.

“I’ve been here for him all this time- and where were you?!”

“You know very well where I was.” Baekho replied sternly.

“Why you?! Why couldn’t he tell me?”

“Because he knew you might try to stop him.”

I froze, giving Baekho a hurt look with tears forming in the corners of my eyes. “And you wouldn’t?” I asked, heartbroken. Baekho shook his head. “Why not?!”

“Because who am I to stop him, Min? Who am I? I’m not his best friend, I’m not his lover; I’m just our group’s leader!”

“And you just let him leave?” I asked, grabbing my arm away from him. Baekho remained silent. I scoffed. “You know, out of all the hurtful things you’ve said and threatened to do to me since the accident, this hurts the most.”

“He wanted to leave, Min. It’s the answer to the question he’s been searching for ages. This isn’t about you or I; it’s about Aron.” Baekho replied.

“Save it; at the end of the day, at least you know where your lover is.” I replied, walking around the mass of broken plastic pieces on the ground and bumping my shoulder roughly into his chest as I tried to pass him. Baekho immediately latched onto my arm and stopped me in my tracks. Not wanting to deal with him any further, in a fit of anger I swung my arm away from him, accidentally hitting him across the side of his face. After my hand made impact Baekho stared at me with wide, stunned eyes. I instantly felt guilty and regretted my actions. “Baekho, I-”

“RAAAAAARGH!” The drunken Ren suddenly came in charging like a football player, leaping across the couch to get to me before tackling me onto the ground in a blur of blonde. Baekho, JR, Jason, JB and Minseok all watched in stunned silence as Ren and I crashed to the floor. I winced in pain as I tried to push the blonde off of me but Ren grabbed at my short black hair and started pulling at it.

“Ren! I was about to apolo-”

“No one touches my bestie!!!” Jason suddenly came running before leaping on top of the two of us. He immediately went to work trying to pull Ren off of me, coming to my defense. As Jason tugged on Ren’s long hair, Minseok slapped his hand over his forehead and turned his back to us in embarrassment.

“And I’m out.” He replied, quickly leaving the house.

“Get off of me! Both of you!” I screamed, being crushed underneath both of their weights combined. Baekho quietly walked forward and grabbed at the back of Jason’s shirt, only Jason fought against him and leaned forward as Baekho pulled his shirt backwards. Jason started to make coughing, gagging sounds as his shirt was being tugged against his neck but refused to release Ren.

JB ran over to four of us fighting on the floor and gave us a pleading look. “Boys!!!” He exclaimed. “I swear to god you’re going to shorten my life span by about eight years… Stop it! Stop it! Stop it now!”

“I say let them fight it out.” JR replied, folding his arms across his chest as he sat back in the couch without a worry in the world.

“How can you say such a thing?” JB asked in disbelief.

“Do you want to be the one that steps in the middle of that? Look at it from the outside; you’ve got two people with a history of ill feelings towards one another, a drunk, and a psychotic idiot.”

JB paused, looking back at us. He pursed his lips together. “I guess you’re right…”

“I take offense to that!” Jason suddenly shouted as Baekho managed to pry him off of Ren. He immediately sat up after rolling to his side on the floor. “I am not drunk!”

JR quietly shook his head. “That’s not the one I was referring to you as. Try again.”

“JR… your love is PAINFUL!”

“So is your IQ number.”

Jason glanced up into the ceiling, clasping his hands together as if he were praying. “Mom… your son’s heart… it HURTS WITH THE FLAMES OF LOVE-”

I started to cry. “For the love of god, someone please shut him up!!!” I exclaimed, still fighting Ren off. JR silently stood and approached Jason who was still sitting on the floor. He grabbed him by his arm and pulled him up off of the ground, dragging him with him down the hall. Now that Jason was gone, Baekho leaned over and pried Ren off of me, sweeping him up in his arms and carrying him bridal style.

“Baekho…” Ren’s voice tiredly trailed off as he raised his head to look at him. With one eye half open Ren placed both hands on the sides of Baekho’s face, cradling it softly. “I’m sorry I missed your ballgame.” He managed to say before instantly passing out.

“Wait, what?” The look on Baekho’s face was priceless. I placed my hand over my mouth and tried to suppress the laughter but ended up snorting loudly, catching Baekho and JB’s attention who both started laughing as well.

“God… we’re all just a bunch of idiots underneath the same roof, aren’t we?” I replied, wiping the tears from laughter out from the corners of my eyes.

Baekho nodded. “Well, some of us. I don’t live here anymore-”

“Nonsense. Pack your belongings. You’re coming back.” JB replied with a smile on his face. Baekho turned back and looked at him with wide eyes full of disbelief.

“I am?” Baekho asked.

“Of course. This is DREAM’s mansion, is it not?” He smiled even wider. Baekho nodded with a matching smile on his face.

“I will.” He replied before turning back to face me. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything… You’re right; you deserved to know. But Aron asked me not to tell anyone. I hope you’ll understand.”

My smile suddenly faded as I was brought back to remember Aron. I pursed my lips together and shifted my gaze down onto the floor. “You were just trying to be a good friend and honor your promise… how can I be mad?” I replied, still hurt.

“He’ll be back.” Baekho suddenly said. I glanced back up at him.

“Huh?”

Baekho held up two fingers. “In two days. He’ll be back.”

I sullenly shifted my gaze back down to the floor. “I hope so.”

“He will be.” Baekho reassured me.

“How do you know?” I asked.

Baekho smirked. “Because I’ve never seen him happier when he’s with you.” He replied before adjusting Ren in his arms and carrying him off into his room, leaving me behind with JB. I stared down at the ground before JB called out to me, telling me to take a seat next to him at the dining table. I did as I was told and JB stared at me in silence.

“Minhyun,” JB said, grabbing my attention. “I don’t know when or how this started between the two of you. Even though I advised everyone about relationships, it seems like no one in this house ever listens to a word I say anyways- Look, I don’t know a whole lot about love. I’ve been too busy raising the three of you overgrown children to have been able to experience more about it.”

“But you’re getting married soon. Are you saying you regret it?” I asked, stunned. An amused smile spread over JB’s lips as he shook his head.

“Regret it? No. If it weren’t for the three of you, I probably never would have met my fiancé. Who knows; I might have met someone else and gone through several more women before I got to her.”

“So you’re saying that you regret the possible opportunities?”

“You really don’t get it, do you, kid? I’m saying that I’m relieved that I didn’t. Thanks to you brats, you saved me the time and struggle of having to find her. I know she’s the one. I’m just glad she’ll have someone like me, to be honest. But I’m very inexperienced because of those missed chances of getting to date around. I’ve only ever dated about three women in my entire life, my fiancé being the third. I don’t know much about love, but what I do know is that in order for love to strive, you’ve got to trust in one another.”

I quietly glanced up at him. “What are you trying to say? That I don’t love Aron?”

JB looked me straight in the eyes. “Do you trust him?”

I paused for a moment.

“Take my relationship, for instance. My job has me out on the road and at you kids’ side almost 18 hours of the day. The three of you have seen my face more in a week than she has in an entire month, probably. I know what you’re thinking; how does our relationship survive? We know and trust each other well enough to know that we’ll never stray. When you meet ‘the one,’ you just know it.”

“How do you know…?”

JB paused then glanced up into the ceiling and sighed with a smile on his face. “You know because you’re happy. You’re content. You can be yourself around that person and be comfortable doing so; you don’t have to put on a front to impress them. You’re not afraid to let your strange little habits show in front of the person and wanting to comfort them in a time of need comes naturally, not forced. An attractive woman… or man can pass by and you won’t even give them a second glance because you know how good you’ve got it with the person you’re with. You know you’re in love when you’re willing to put the other person’s wants and needs before yourself, regardless of the cost. But love isn’t perfect though. There are as many bad times as good times. No relationship is perfect.”

I glanced down, giving JB’s words some thought. I wasn’t afraid to be myself in front of Aron and I never had to worry about impressing him. At first I did worry about my body image and eating disorder in front of him, but even when he found out, he tried to help me. He accepted me. I didn’t feel like I needed to hide in shame anymore. As for temptations, not once since the moment the two of us started dating did I ever even glance at another man. The thought simply never occurred to me because I was happy with Aron. When Jason came along and stirred up trouble in our relationship, I found it hard to keep Aron at my side. Even though I was worried about Aron falling for Jason, Aron never was. Even with how much Jason threw himself at him, his love never waned. As for comforting… I was never given the chance to really comfort him in his time of need. Where was I when Aron received that phone call? I was too busy getting drunk and I regretted it. If I had actually been paying attention, would Aron had left?

I pursed my lips together. “Our relationship is far from perfect.”

JB smiled. “So is mine.”

I lightly chuckled, finding humor in his words. “Then what do you do when everything seems hopeless?”

JB slowly rose from his chair and stared down at me, resting both of his hands on the back of his chair and leaning forward. “What works for some might not work for others. The best piece of advice I can offer you is this: just follow the sound of your heart.”

I blinked. “The sound of my heart?” I asked, placing my hand over my chest. JB smiled and nodded.

“The heart always knows what the brain does not.” He replied, placing his hand on my shoulder and patting me before leaving me and exiting the mansion, presumably returning home to his fiancé. As he left I thought long and hard. What does my heart want? My heart… it wants Aron, and only Aron. But my brain... it keeps screwing everything up. I paused. Do I trust Aron? I thought back to when Jason tried to steal him from me. Aron staying despite all the temptations thrown at him was enough to prove that he was trustworthy. Why should this girl be any different? She might have been Aron’s first love, but I was his current love. He wouldn’t throw everything we went through together away for her, would he? I closed my eyes and exhaled deeply. I believed in JB’s words. In order for our love to be possible, I had to trust in him.

RIIIIING~~~!

My eyes snapped open at the sound of my ringing cellphone in my pocket. I removed it from my pocket and stared down at the caller ID. It was Aron calling. My heart leapt and I immediately answered it. “H-Hello?” I asked, waiting to hear what it was Aron had to tell me about his sudden departure.

“M-Minhyun…” My heart stopped as I could tell from the tone of his voice that Aron had been crying. I quickly sat up straight in my chair and leaned forward on the table.

“Aron, what’s wrong? Is everything okay?”

Aron’s end of the line went quiet for a moment before he finally spoke up. “It must had been a shock, h-huh?” He asked. “Finding my room like that…”

“What’s more shocking was that Mel didn’t bite me, to be honest.” I slightly joked, trying to find some humor in the situation to cheer Aron up. It worked. Aron slightly laughed through the sound of his tears and sniffles. “Aron, where are you?”

“The airport… you see… my… my flight, it’s not until 2 AM so I’m just waiting here… I realized that I had been in such a rush to get here that I hadn’t even told you that I was leaving.”

“I thought you told Baekho not to tell me.”

Aron paused then scoffed. “So he told you?”

“Your empty room and crying puppy told me that you had left. Baekho… he wasn’t of any help. All he would tell me is that you would be back in two days.”

“Yeah…. Min?”

“Yeah, Aron?”

“She called.” He finally replied. I pursed my lips together and paused for a moment before answering him back.

“I know.”

“So then you know that I’m going to go see her-”

I cut him off. “I trust you.”

Aron paused. “W…what?”

Although it was painful, I smiled and fought back the tears that threatened to fall. “You’ve been waiting for years to see her. Go to her. But don’t take too long, okay? Mel misses you already!” I chuckled through my tears.

Aron went quiet for a moment. “Is he the only one that will miss me… Min?”

I shook my head, even though I knew it was redundant. “I’ll miss you too, you big dummy.”

“Min… do you want to go with me?” He shockingly asked. I paused. My brain said ‘yes,’ but my heart knew otherwise. This… this was something that Aron had to do alone. I knew he was only asking me for the sake of being a polite boyfriend by trying to include me, and I appreciated it. But I didn’t want to be in the way.

“What’s this? Aron, I already told you I trust you-”

“Please…” Aron’s voice started to break down again. “Can you go with me?” This time he directly asked for me to go with him instead of asking if I wanted to go. I felt my heart stop and my stomach sink to my toes. Something was wrong here…

“Aron-”

“I need my strength besides me… I thought I could do it alone, but I can’t. I can barely even walk.”

“What’s going on?” I asked. Aron’s end of the line went silent. “Aron, answer me!”

“I’m not going to go see her.”

“Of course you are; you said it yourself, you’re at the airport-”

“I’m going to go put flowers on her grave.”

I paused, my heart aching immensely for him. “Oh, Aron…” My voice trailed off before I glanced at my watch. It was already 1 AM. I immediately stood and started marching towards my room, entering inside of my closet to pull out my large overnight bag. Without even looking I grabbed a bunch of clothes and threw it all inside before zipping it back up. “I’m on my way.”

Aron’s POV

As I sat waiting inside of the Incheon airport, I lifelessly watched all the blurs of people quickly walking past me, all in a hurry to catch their flight. Since my decision to go to America was so last minute, the next available flight wasn’t until later on, forcing me to wait. I hated it. I hated being all alone, left to my own depressing thoughts. I thought back to the pill bottle that I had left inside of the van and that Baekho had knocked out of my grasp. I closed my eyes, trying to fight the longing for those pills. I took a deep breath then slowly exhaled. I don’t need them… I don’t want them… Everyone else in this world is able to deal with their problems without the use of drugs; so can I. I’ve done so well up until this point… Yeah, that was because I wasn’t depressed with Minhyun around. God, I was such an idiot. To think I could do this without him… If it weren’t for Minhyun, I wouldn’t be where I was today. If he hadn’t of asked for my heart and my trust, I’d still be that expressionless ghost of a person. Since entering this relationship with Minhyun, my heart has healed. I’ve been able to smile, laugh, and be the stupid person I used to be back before she went missing. Through Minhyun, I was able to live again…

I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn’t even noticed the pair of feet that stopped beside me nor the bag that had been tossed into the empty seat next to me. All I noticed was the pair of warm arms that suddenly embraced me tightly. My heart aching and beating a mile a minute, silent tears suddenly overflew my eyes as I shut them and leaned into his chest. “M-minhyun…”

Minhyun slowly patted me on the back with his right hand as he held me. “Shh. It’s ok.”

“I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “No, I completely understand.”

“I didn’t know what else to do. My feet just took me here-”

“I’m sorry too.” He apologized. I slowly pulled away from him and stared at him through tear filled eyes, waiting for him to explain as he sat next to me. “When I heard that you had ran off because of her call, I thought… I thought that you were running to be with her again.”

“Min…” My voice trailed off. I was hurt by his words. Minhyun’s eyes started to tear up as well. He glanced up into the ceiling and exhaled, trying to prevent the tears from falling.

“But after I did some thinking, I realized that despite how many times I called you stupid or an idiot before, that person is really me. I’m the idiot. I’m the one that asked you to open up your heart and love me. I was the one that asked for you to trust me. I don’t know what it was… I spent so much time in the past trying to get you to open up to me and be by my side… I guess I was just… worried. Or paranoid. I love you. I love what I have with you. This stupid, crazy, frustrating, idiotic love of ours that has turned the two of us into complete fools… I didn’t want to lose it. I didn’t want to lose you. I know I’m not your first love-”

“You’re not…” My voice trailed off. Minhyun gave me a hurt look. “But… I want you to be my last.” I replied. Minhyun suddenly burst out into tears, sobbing into his hands. Startled, I turned to him. “Min-”

“Aron, you jerk!” He exclaimed through his tears. “You scared me!”

A small smile spread across my lips before it quickly faded. Without words, I leaned to the side and rested my head on Minhyun’s left shoulder. “I’ll always be yours, even when you don’t want me, Min.” I whispered to him.

Minhyun sniffled and then chuckled. “Why do I even want you?”

“Because the heart knows what the brain doesn’t.” I replied. Minhyun paused.

“Did you hear that from JB?” He asked. I nodded. Minhyun shifted his gaze down to the floor and placed his left hand on top of my right that was resting on my knee. He rubbed his thumb against my knuckles. “I spoke to him before I left. You know what he told me?”

“What did he tell you…?”

“That sometimes love doesn’t make sense. Sometimes we have to abandon all sense of logic and just follow the sound of our hearts.”

My bottom lip trembled. “Min… are you mad at me?” I asked. I knew my sudden absence scared him. He had already told me about his initial fear about me running back to her. I knew I was a jerk. I knew I was an idiot. Dammit… just, why? Why couldn’t I stop hurting the person I loved the most? Why couldn’t I stop being so selfish?

“No.”

“Why…?”

“Because I love you.”

“Min…”

“I loved you long before you loved me. I can’t stop. I loved you yesterday, I love you today, I love you now, and I’ll still love you tomorrow. We’re just two stupid people trying to figure it out... I can’t be mad at you anymore than you can be mad at me.”

I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “Thank you… for loving me… and coming with me. I know it can’t be easy…”

“It’s not easy. In fact, it’s so damn hard I can barely breathe. But I’m going to be there for you, no matter what. I’ll still be yours even when you don’t want me either. We’re not just members in the same band; we’re not just friends; we’re lovers.”

I took a deep breath and leaned further into him. “Thank god.”

“Hm?”

“Thank god I met you.” I replied. Suddenly we were both interrupted by the sound of the announcement that our flight to New York was now boarding. The two of us stood up. I reached for Minhyun’s hand. He glanced down at it then wordlessly took it in his own, squeezing it tightly as the two of us walked toward our terminal. For as long as I’ve been alive, I’ve never been one that was good with words. Therefore, I didn’t exactly know how to explain, even inside my head the way I felt. But I was relieved… or was I thankful to have Min be here with me? Without Min, I felt like just a shell. But with him by my side, I felt like a more complete person. And it meant a lot to me that despite who she was, he was willing to come support me and help me put flowers on her grave. It wasn’t easy finding out after all these years. Discovering what exactly happened to her wasn’t any easier either. The truth of the matter was that no one knew, not even her family. After her car had stalled on the road that winter day, she left all of her belongings inside and just went for a walk that she never returned from. She left no note. No clues about what happened to her. Her body was found in the snow several miles from where the car had been left. Her family revealed to me that the autopsy showed that she had frozen to death. Perhaps she had left to go seek help? But if that was the case, why would she have left her phone and purse inside the car? When I had spoken to her from the restaurant, she had said roadside assistance was on their way. Were they a no-show? It was puzzling. It was heartbreaking. It was downright frustrating knowing so much but yet knowing so little. But there was one thing I knew, and that was that I finally needed to at last say goodbye in person, even if that meant crossing the ocean just to do so. I was a mess, but I was grateful that at a time like this, Minhyun was here to be the strength I needed.

As we entered the terminal I glanced up at Minhyun and kept thinking to myself ‘thank god.’ Thank god I have this person in my life. Please stay with me forever…

Ren’s POV

I groggily opened my eyes as the bright morning sunlight poured in through my window and fell over my face. I groaned. Morning already? I tossed onto my side to see Baekho lying beside me, wide awake and playing on his phone. I gave him a strange look. This was a rare sight. On most days Baekho hardly remembered he even had a phone. What could he be up to? As he noticed I had woken he rolled onto his right sight to face me with a smug smile.

“Good morning, Kahi.”

I looked at him like he was crazy. I winced at the sound of his voice. Ugh, my head… “What in the world are you talking about?”

Baekho smiled. “You don’t remember?”

“Obviously not.”

He held his phone out in front of my face. “Look.” He had the Instagram app up on his phone. I raised a brow then looked out of curiosity. There were several short videos of me, standing shirtless and drunkenly dancing on stage to Kahi’s ‘It’s Me.’ I immediately felt the blood rushing to my face and I turned several deep shades of red. How embarrassing… I wanted to deny that it was me, but clearly it was. The person who shot the video even zoomed in on my face with the camera. Oh god… whoever it was that filmed this was definitely intent on humiliating me forever.

“W-who’s Instagram account is this?”

Baekho smiled from ear to ear. “Minseok’s.”

“Minseok doesn’t have an Instagram account.”

“He made one.” Baekho replied, still smiling widely. “Last night.” I glanced down in the corner of several videos to see a red heart selected. I paused briefly before glancing over at Baekho. In order to ‘favorite’ a picture or video you had to have an actual account for it to be counted. Wait a minute… that meant-

“Did you make an Instagram account?!” I stared at him with wide eyes.

“Last night.” Baekho continued to smile.

“Why-”

“To follow Minseok.”

Oh no. And so it begins… my older brother and my boyfriend were teaming up against me now to ruin my life. “You don’t even like Minseok!” I exclaimed, extremely embarrassed.

Baekho chuckled. “He’s actually a pretty cool guy. I think we’ll get along quite well in the future.”

I snatched his phone away from him. “No, absolutely not. You’re not hanging out with that troll-”

Baekho grabbed both sides of my face, instantly calming me down. “I’m not planning on leaving your side at all. He’s your older brother; like it or not, he’s going to be around. He seems to love involving himself in your life.”

“Tcht, more like making it miserable.” I pouted.

“Then at least we share something in common.”

I playfully glared at him. “Don’t you dare go back to your old ways!” I replied, remembering how Baekho had personally made it his mission to get me to quit and leave the house as soon as I had gotten hired for the Pledis internship. But now things were different. Now I was interning with Jason and JB’s company and regardless of what atrocities Baekho and the others tried to commit against me, I couldn’t imagine either of them firing me. I already knew how to deal with these overgrown children. There was nothing that they could physically or mentally do that wouldn’t surprise me anymore. I guess you could say I had grown accustomed to them and immune to their attacks. Besides, it wasn’t like I wouldn’t strike back.

Baekho grinned. “Maybe sometimes I will. You know, to keep it from getting boring around here.”

“I swear to god, if you tape me to the bed again-”

Baekho suddenly lifted himself up in the bed and crawled over me, pinning his palms on the bed over both of my shoulders. He gave me a seductive gaze. “I can’t make any promises that I won’t.” He replied then leaned down and kissed me. I melted into the kiss and returned it. Baekho slowly pulled away. “I love you, Choi Ren.”

I warmly smiled at him. “I love you too, Kang Baekho.”

Baekho smiled back at me before glancing over his shoulder and towards the door. “Come on, it’s already noon. I’m starving.”

I stared at him with wide eyes. “Noon?!” I had slept that long?

“Of course; you slept like a rock.”

“I hate you.”

Baekho grinned. “Love you.” He replied teasingly before climbing off of me and swinging off the bed, dashing towards the door. I leapt out of bed and followed him into the kitchen where JB had been sitting at the dining table with his face buried in his hands. The both of us froze, our playful mood broken. Something wasn’t right…

“JB? Is something wrong?” I asked. JB lifted his face out of his hands and laughed hysterically.

“Something? Something? Oh, nothing…“ He replied then began to sob dramatically, banging his forehead against the table with a loud thud. “These kids are trying to put me into a hole in the ground at such an early age…”

I walked around the table and patted him on his shoulder. “What did they do now?”

“Minhyun and Aron ran off last night. And we have a full day’s schedule today that has to be cancelled! If it had just been Aron, at least we could have still sufficed with Baekho and Minhyun on today’s appearances. But with Minhyun gone too, I can’t have Baekho go to the events alone- they want DREAM!”

“Gone?” I asked, confused. Baekho glanced over at me.

“Aron received the call he was waiting for last night. He’s gone back to America to see to the situation,” He glanced over at JB. “But he said he would be back in two days. Can you postpone the events for two days? We barely just got back together again; trust me, they’ll be back.”

JB continued to sob dramatically into the table. “I’m going to have to dye my hair before the wedding to get rid of all the grey caused from stress that these overgrown children have given me!”

“I see… and what about Mel? Did they just leave him here?” I asked.

“Fear not; I’ll take the boy and raise him to be a nice, fatty stew!” Jason suddenly exclaimed as he walked into the kitchen with JR following him.

“You can’t eat him.” I replied.

“Then I don’t want him.” Jason muttered, turning his back to me to open the fridge.

“I’ll take him.” Baekho suddenly spoke up, surprising everyone. I raised a brow.

“You? I didn’t take it that you were a dog person.”

Baekho smiled. “I love dogs. I’ve always wanted one of my own… Anyways, it’ll only be for two days. How bad could he be?”

“That dog is evil.” Jason replied, shutting the fridge after pulling out a bottle of water and taking a brief swig. “It’s those beady little eyes… he’s the spawn of Satan.”

“I thought you said he was a precious gift from above?” I replied, teasing him.

Jason folded his arms across his chest. “Satan was once an angel that fell from heaven. Gosh, Ren. Read a history book once in a while.”

“I’m a teacher!” I exclaimed then paused. “That doesn’t even make sense!”

“I’m hungryyyy….” Jason replied, ignoring me. I rolled my eyes and sighed in defeat.

“You’ll have to feed yourself. Minhyun isn’t here.” I replied, talking to him like the child he was. Jason gave me a curious look.

“Did he go out?”

“He’ll be back in two days.” I replied.

Jason suddenly turned to JR and tugged on the hem of his shirt. “We’re going to dieee…. Minhyun was the only one around here that knew how to cook….”

JR uncomfortably removed Jason’s hand from his shirt and sighed. “I’m on it.” He replied then opened the fridge and started to go to work. That’s right; I had forgotten that JR actually like to cook. Back when the two of us had dated, he cooked for me all of the time. I silently watched as Jason stood by JR’s side and attempted to help him prepare the ingredients. I’d be lying if I didn’t feel a bit of jealousy watching the two of them interact, but I knew that the two of them were probably happier than the two of us ever were. Back when I had dated JR, he always seemed on edge around me, always worrying and being paranoid. But observing him now, I didn’t see that anymore. He looked more at ease and relaxed standing next to Jason. Despite what JR said, he liked Jason a lot more than what he led us to believe.

“Ah, that’s right. Ren, something came in the mail for you today.” JB suddenly said, handing me a white envelope. I took it and read the sender’s address. I gasped then cheered with excitement, receiving a strange glance from Baekho. Embarrassed, I placed the letter back down on the table and looked away.

“I’ve been waiting for it to arrive.”

“What is it?” Baekho asked.

I glanced back up and shyly looked at him. “My driver’s license.”

The expression on Baekho’s face was priceless. He had a look of pure, genuine surprise and happiness. “You-” He paused, running his fingers through his hair. “I thought you had given up.”

“Minseok wouldn’t let me.”

Baekho laughed. “Oh my god, you really did it.”

I shyly nodded. “Because you did it too.”

“Hm?”

“While you were busy making preparations for the stage and your comeback, I realized that it was really happening; Kang Baekho was about to make his big return. I figured… if you could gather the strength and courage to get up on that stage, I could gather the same to conquer my fear of driving and at least get my driver’s license.”

Baekho leaned over and patted me on the head. “I’m proud of you, Ren.”

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, followed by it being pushed open. Minseok walked inside wearing a black button down shirt halfway open with his favorite cross necklace dangling down from his neck. He wore dark, tattered skinny jeans with black boots and silver aviator sunglasses on top of his head. Compared to Baekho who was wearing nothing but a black tank top and shorts with his hair a fuzzy mess at the moment, it was difficult to tell who the real star was inside of the mansion. As he walked in, he kicked off his boots and entered the dining room, standing behind me and placing his hands over both of my shoulders, leaning forward.

“How’d you get in here?” JB asked, staring at Minseok in amazement. Minseok grinned.

“I broke in.”

“But that’s top of the line security-” JB was cut off by Minseok’s snickering. I silently shook my head.

“He’s an engineer. He builds everything from phones, security devices to hearing aids.” I replied, throwing Minseok’s hands from off of my shoulder. He glanced down and gave me a ‘wtf’ look. “I know what you did.”

Minseok blinked before it finally hit him what I was referring to. He smirked. “Oh, that?”

“Oh, that?” I mocked him, bitterly glancing away.

“Don’t act all hurt, Minki.” He replied.

“You posted embarrassing videos of me on Instagram!”

“You made fun of my nose.” Minseok scoffed.

Jason wildly spun around. “You have Instagram?!?!”

Minseok gave him a weary look. “I’m blocking you.”

“Boo.” Jason pouted, turning his back away. I glared back at my hyung.

“And that merits doing what you did?” I scoffed. Jason laughed in the background.

“Well, Ren, you kind of ‘-blocked’ him by mentioning the plastic surgery.” Jason replied, grabbing several plates from out of the kitchen cabinet. He walked towards the table and started placing them down one by one. JR came to the table carrying a large pot before returning back and bringing several more to place at the center of the table. He had made a traditional Korean breakfast.

“I did what?” I asked as Minseok took a seat at the end of the table beside me. Jason and JR took a seat in front of Baekho and I as JB sat at the other end of the table. Everyone started to reach for food with their chopsticks, building their plates.

“Yeah, man! He was totally about to get some from that U-ie chick but you blew it.”

I immediately glanced over at Minseok. “Did I really? Were you really-” I asked in shock, not able to believe Jason’s words. I couldn’t believe that I had allowed myself to get so wasted last night. How embarrassing. Even more shocking though was hearing about Minseok and U-ie… were they together? When? How???

Minseok shook his head, pointing over at Jason. “This one seems to live in a world of his own.”

“Yeah, but at least they know me there.” Jason retorted.

“I’m not interested in anyone.”

“Then why did you care so much about Ren talking about your nose?” Baekho asked.

“Can we not talk about me?” Minseok asked, uncomfortably sinking back in his chair. Jason’s eyes suddenly lit up as he slammed his chopsticks down on the table beside his plate.

“I know just how to change the subject!” He happily exclaimed.

“Please don’t.” I replied, dreading what was about to come. I didn’t know what words were about to leave his mouth, but knowing him, it wasn’t anything good or conventional. Both Baekho and JB glanced at Jason with a curious look while Minseok rose his chopsticks and started slurping on his noodles, trying to tune everyone out. Despite my pleas, Jason continued on anyways.

“Last night JR wrecked me!”

“FFFFFFFFFFFFFT-” Minseok spat out his food onto his plate. JR immediately turned at least ten shades of red while Jason smugly grinned.

“I mean he completely WRECKED ME! I’m talking full on -rest for the rest of the month!!!”

“Oh god.” I slapped my hand across my face in second-hand embarrassment. Baekho neatly placed his chopsticks on the table and sat back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest.

“Well I’m not hungry anymore.” Baekho replied.

JB began to dramatically sob, holding both hands over his ears. “The things I have to put up with from these children…”

JR immediately rose from the table. “I’m leaving!” He replied then dashed out of the kitchen, grabbing his shoes from the doorway in the living room and running outside of the mansion barefoot, in a hurry to escape the situation.

“Baby!!!” Jason rose from the table and ran out after him, leaving just the four of us at the dining table. Once they were gone Minseok reached across the table and placed his hand on my shoulder.

“I feel sorry for you, baby brother.” He replied then stood, glancing back over at the still hysterical JB sobbing on the table. “I look forward to the wedding. Later.”

“Where are you off to?”

Minseok smirked. “Places to see, people to meet.”

Baekho rolled his eyes. “He’s meeting U-ie.”

I glanced at Minseok with wide eyes. “Is that true? I thought you said you weren’t interested.”

“Obviously he’s lying.”

Minseok scoffed. “And you know this how?”

Baekho dangled his phone in the air. “She’s been texting me all morning telling me how excited she is.”

Minseok laughed, placing his hands on his hips. “She offered to take me out. How can I refuse?” Baekho suddenly shot him a dark, serious look.

“Be careful with her.” He warned. Minseok nodded, suddenly growing serious.

“Of course.” He replied then bowed before he started making his way towards the door, leaving the three of us alone. I stared down into my plate in a tired trance when suddenly Baekho spoke up, snapping me out of my daze.

“Don’t you have work today?”

“OH !” I screamed, leaping up from the table. How could I have forgotten about class? Oh my god, I really was a terrible teacher. I just wasn’t cut out for this at all! Baekho snickered while JB shook his head.

“Ren, sit down.” JB replied.

“No, I’m late-”

“Ren, its Saturday.” JB said, making me freeze. JB glared over at Baekho and punched him in shoulder. “Will you cut it out?” Baekho smirked and sat back quietly. I mentally sobbed and leaned over the backrest to my chair, my long blonde hair falling over my face. I wanted to be mad at Baekho, but I knew I couldn’t. If I did, he’d win. Now that DREAM was together again, things were going back to normal, weren’t they? Everyone would soon be ganging up on me… I started to laugh like a madman, startling JB and Baekho. I had missed this. I missed the old times that we all shared together in this house. Although Aron and Minhyun were gone right now, I knew that when they came back everything would presume back to normal like the good old days. Even if I was the object of everyone’s teasing and bullying, I probably wouldn’t have it any other way. After all, that’s how we all started, wasn’t it? If it weren’t for those awkward and sometimes hilarious misunderstandings, none of us would have become the friends we were today. And I think JB and Baekho both understood my reaction. The two of them started laughing with me as well. All of the people that had come into my life after taking that internship with Pledis, every single one of them, whether how narcissistic, princely, quiet, or crazy they were… I wouldn’t have it any other way.

[TWO WEEKS LATER]

At long last, it was the date of JB, DREAM’s manager and newfound CEO of JA&JB Entertainment’s wedding. Like promised, Aron and Minhyun had returned two days later from America and DREAM was able to return to their planned schedule. In the three weeks since DREAM had comeback, their song remained on the top of the charts and they were a huge success. As for Baekho, well, it seemed all of his worrying was for nothing. As predicted, Baekho lost a few fans due to his hearing impairment, but gained so much more in return. Kang Baekho had become an inspiration for thousands in the deaf and hard of hearing community. In fact, Baekho got his wish. He was awarded the Ambassador of South Korea’s Association for the Deaf and he actively promoted the community, shedding more light on the people that our society knew so little about. According to the news articles, there was a surge in signups for music and vocal lessons at the music academies from the deaf community alone. Baekho had inspired so many children to step up and dream, as well as inspire those who had stopped dreaming to dream again. Ever since the concert, I saw a change in my students inside of the classroom. They all seemed to have a new light in them. Several wanted to be just like him. Others discovered the hidden potential they had but feared. My students were eager for the future instead of afraid, and I knew who was responsible for it. Baekho refused to take credit for it, being strangely humble.

Ever since the accident, Baekho had definitely changed. Although the accident took away his hearing, these days I had never seen Baekho happier. He was kinder to others now and put others before himself, unlike the old days where he was a vain, narcissistic diva. But Baekho wasn’t the only one who changed. Everyone changed. Minhyun was more confident in himself now. He stopped judging himself in the mirror and ate better now. In fact, he had even put on a little bit of weight. Overall, he looked healthier. As for Aron, when he came back from his trip to America, he was different. It was as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders and he could finally breathe again. He was more lively and energetic now, joining forces with Jason to pull pranks on any willing soul inside of the house. As for Jason, he was still his same, kooky self, causing problems for others but yet still managing to save the day while making everyone extremely uncomfortable doing so. And JR, he had his hands full with Jason, but one look on his face and you could tell that he was enjoying it. As for my hyung, well, as much as he denied it, he was actually enjoying having U-ie chase him around. Of course, it wasn’t surprising. Minseok always loved the attention he received for having super star features. And myself, well, I was enjoying taking each day one at a time with Baekho. I was still far from completing my internship with JB’s new company, so I still continued to teach classes, waiting for the day till graduation when I could at last become a full time stylist for DREAM.

I pulled up in the car that everyone had bought for me on an impulse after Minhyun and Aron returned from their trip and learned the fact that I had finally received my driver’s license. Minhyun had practically swept me up in his arms and spun me around the living room before he and Aron dragged me out to the car dealership. I protested the entire time, but the two of them teamed up with Jason, JB, and even Baekho who all convinced me it was something I needed. All of them chipped in money for the vehicle and here I was, actually driving to JB’s house which I was finally seeing for the first time ever. It was a large house, but it wasn’t a mansion like the one DREAM lived in. The wedding was being held in the large, spacious backyard. I parked further down the street and made my way through the gate and into the beautifully decorated backyard. Several circular tables draped in white table clothes aligned both sides of the aisle. The alter stood at the left side of the yard; it was adorned in white flowers. Several guests and family members sat at the tables as well as around the yard, waiting for the ceremony to commence. As I walked around I spotted Baekho sitting alone at a table sipping a drink. I smiled then walked up to his table, immediately sitting down.

“Look, I know why you’re here.”

Baekho gave me a startled look. I continued to smirk.

“I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to be. I mean, you’re obviously not my type.” I said, repeating the first time we had ever met. It was by a complete accident. Back then I had no idea who he or ‘Kang Baekho’ really was. Because of school and teaching, I had been living under a rock, not knowing anything about the kpop scene. To me, Kang Baekho was just an average guy. Baekho’s face suddenly lit up in amusement. He leaned forward into the table, leaning on his right elbow.

“Look, buddy.” He said, playing along with me.

“It’s not meant to be. We’re not possible.” I replied with the same smile still spread across my lips. Baekho chuckled then gave me the most attractive, charming expression, raising a brow.

“Are you sure about that?” He said seductively.

“Not at all.” I replied in the same tone as I reached across the table and placed my hand over his. Baekho glanced down at his watch on his wrist then back up at me, giving me an amused look. He slowly stood and pulled his hand away from me.

“It’s show time.” He replied. I nodded then watched as he walked up to and approached Minhyun who was happily chatting away with another guest, placing his hand on his back to capture his attention. He whispered into Minhyun’s ear and he nodded before following Baekho to the small stage that had been set up to the side of the alter that Jason had already been sitting on in a chair, an acoustic guitar resting on his lap. Jason glanced up and smiled at them before Baekho and Minhyun stood at the two microphones placed on the stage in front of him. All of the guests gathered around and JB took his position, waiting at the altar as the traditional wedding music started to play in the background and his bride, whose face was completely hidden by her white veil, began to walk down the aisle with her father. When she reached the end of the aisle and arrived at the altar, JB lifted her veil up, revealing her face that none of us until now had ever seen before, or at least we thought. Much to all of our surprise, JB’s fiancé turned out to be the makeup artist that had worked for DREAM back at Pledis and had secretly agreed to help Baekho with his return to the music scene. She was also one of the employees that had managed to lose her job back when the CEO had found out about her involvement as well, but JB had brought over to his company. I couldn’t believe it- I never would have guessed it. They hid their relationship so well; they were completely professional at work.

I glanced at the bride’s face which was lit up in a smile as she looked into the eyes of JB, who was near tears. I chuckled. JB was such an emotional man. Well, I couldn’t blame him. After spending a good portion of his life living and raising DREAM, I couldn’t expect him not to be. I couldn’t imagine the hardships they put him through. But right now, JB was a different type of emotional. He was tearing up because he was happy. The two of them- they just looked smitten with each other. I laughed when I remembered JB mentioning something about how his fiancé was a ‘fan’ of DREAM. Well, it turns out she was something more than just a ‘fan.’ I was happy for the two of them. They exchanged vows at the altar and leaned in for a kiss. As their lips grazed each other’s, the strum of Jason’s acoustic guitar played in the background, followed by Baekho’s calm, soothing voice.

“When the warm and scented wind passes by my cheeks
I think of your face that I used to love
Oh, when the wild, unknown flowers bloom hidden on the streets
I think of you, whom I hide away in my memories

My baby illa illa illa, baby illa illa illa, baby illa illa illa
Never forget love…”

JB and his now wife grabbed each other’s hands and shared a smile with one another before turning and slowly making their way down the aisle. As they passed the guests started throwing soft white flower petals into the air in celebration. Minhyun stepped in closer towards Baekho’s microphone instead of using his own and began to sing. As his smooth voice poured out into Baekho’s microphone, Baekho glanced over at him and smiled warmly at him, raising his arm and patting him on the back, sharing his microphone with him.

“Because first love is beautiful, a first love is a flower
Blooming widely when spring comes – dazzling like a flower
Like a young child, a first love is inexperienced
Because you can’t unconditionally give and take love

Illa illa illa, illa illa illa, illa illa illa,
My love, thank you…”

Jason looked up and smiled as if lost in his own thoughts as his fingers continuously struck the strings of his guitar. He glanced over at the happy bride and groom that were still traveling down the aisle and smiled even wider, slightly shaking his head. Baekho stepped closer to the microphone as Minhyun continued to sing, joining him in the song, singing together.

“When the stars drawn out on the night sky bring up your memories,
I take you out of my old diaries

My baby illa illa illa, baby illa illa illa, baby illa illa illa
Never forget love

Because first love is beautiful, a first love is a flower
Blooming widely when spring comes – dazzling like a flower
Like a young child, a first love is inexperienced
Because you can’t unconditionally give and take love…”

I was suddenly approached by JR from behind who placed his hand on my shoulder, startling me. I glanced up at him in slight shock to notice him slightly smiling at me. I smiled back at him then watched as he removed his hand and shifted his gaze back towards the stage. My eyes followed his. For a moment I wasn’t sure who he was looking at; was it Jason or Baekho? I pursed my lips together and then shyly raised my hand and nervously tugged on the hem of JR’s crisp black blazer, grabbing his attention. JR glanced down at me and I silently mouthed the words ‘thank you’ to him. JR gave me a surprised look. Although I couldn’t hear him over the sound of the loud music playing, I was sure that he chuckled. JR nodded and gave me a thumbs-up sign, smiling before excusing himself towards another table.

“I was young back then, I didn’t know any better
Now I think I will know
I call out to you as I draw you out
Illa illa illa illa, illa illa illa

Illa illa illa illa, never forget love

Seeing as a first love is painful, a first love is like a fever
Because after you are mindlessly sick, you become an adult
Because a first love can never be, a first love is lingering attachment
Because you can’t have it since you loved too much…”

As the two of them continued to sing, I watched as Minhyun glanced longingly over at Aron who was sitting across from me at the table, silently watching as JB and his bride passed by our table. The two of them smiled and waved at us. Both Aron and I’s face lit up and we excitedly waved back at them. After they had passed, I shot Aron a friendly look and turned my face towards the stage, urging him to notice Minhyun on stage. Aron followed my gaze and a small smile spread across his lips as he realized Minhyun had been staring at him the entire time during the performance. I smirked as I began to notice Aron’s lips start to move to the lyrics of the song.

“Illa illa illa, illa illa illa, illa illa illa, my love, thank you
Illa illa illa, illa illa illa, illa illa illa, my love, thank you.”

As the song came to an end, both Minhyun and Baekho’s voice trailed off and died with the sound of Jason’s guitar and JB and his bride finally reached the end of the aisle. Jason sat his guitar down on the ground beside his chair and immediately stood, ecstatically clapping his hands, cheering for the happy couple. Baekho and Minhyun shared a smile together before joining Jason in clapping, spreading like wildfire as the guests cheered and congratulated the newlyweds. JB and his bride shared another kiss before he pulled away and faced his guests.

“I want to thank you all for being here today to share one of the happiest moments in our life.”

“ONE?!” Jason yelled in the background, still standing on the stage. JB and his bride both shared a laugh. His wife raised her hands to both sides of her face and turned back to face him.

“Yes! One of them!” She yelled back to him.

“WHAT WAS THE FIRST?!?!” Jason continued to yell from the stage until Minhyun nervously elbowed him sharply in the side of his stomach. Jason shot Minhyun a brief glare before returning his attention back over to JB’s bride.

“The first?” She asked, glancing up at JB who nodded. “Watching the children we practically raised become one again.”

Aron, Baekho and Minhyun all shared a matching stunned look across their faces. Baekho and Minhyun climbed down off the stage and met up with Aron beside the couple. “Are you serious?” Minhyun asked. JB’s bride nodded.

“I can’t believe it’s you.” Aron replied, still in disbelief over who JB’s bride really was. “So that’s why…” His voice trailed off. He glanced over at JB. “That’s why she was okay with pushing back the wedding date several times…”

JB nervously laughed. “I told you she was a fan.”

“I’ve always supported DREAM and I always will!” She happily exclaimed. Aron, Minhyun and Baekho all laughed despite fighting back the silent tears that threatened to fall from the corners of their eyes. I could tell that they were all touched and truly happy that JB had married someone like her.

I stood up from the table. “Congratulations, JB and Mrs. JB.”

They both laughed. “Thank you.” His bride replied before sudden music started playing over the speakers, indicating it was time for their first dance as a married couple. They both excused themselves and took to the center of the yard where a small platform had been placed for the set occasion. Jason hopped off stage and stood by my side as everyone gathered around the platform to watch the first dance. Jason folded his arms across his chest and nudged me with his elbow.

“I taught him that.” He whispered into my ear. I turned and gave Jason a shocked look.

“Did you really?”

Jason smirked. “He came to me weeks ago begging me on hands and knees to teach him how to waltz. It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t impossible.”

“Hey, Jason?” I asked.

“Hm?” He asked, his attention still focused on the beautiful dance JB and his bride seemed to perfectly execute.

“Thanks for helping me in all of this.”

“Huh?”

“Before you came along, it was just me trying to help those three. I didn’t have any resources available to help them; all I had was a willing and eager heart and two ears that were willing to listen. They wouldn’t have come nearly as far as they did if it wasn’t for you. I mean, look at them.” I replied, pointing over at the trio who were standing closely together with smiles on their faces as they continued to watch the dancing couple. “They’re friends again. Not only that, but they’re sharing the same stage again. You made the dreams of several people here today come true; me, JB, his wife, DREAM, the fans… It’s thanks to you that everything happened.”

Jason shook his head. “Nah. It wasn’t my doing. It was everyone involved.”

“Stop being modest, Jason.”

Jason smirked. “Me? Modest? Since when?” The two of us shared a laugh.

“Seriously though, Jason. Thanks for helping me when I asked you to. I know you didn’t do all of this just to get into Minseok’s pants; deep down in there past the troll that you are, you’re actually a decent and caring human being.”

“Shh. Don’t tell anybody.” Jason grinned.

“Can I ask you something?” I finally said. “It’s something that’s always been on my mind.”

“Hmm?” Jason gave me a serious look.

I laughed. “What’s the deal with unicorns?” I asked. A wide smile spread across Jason’s lips as he laughed.

“Unicorns are awesome, man.” He replied. “They’re strange, unconventional creatures.”

“So they’re like you then.” I teased.

Jason laughed. “Hey, always be yourself. Unless you can be a unicorn. Then be a unicorn because unicorns rock.”

“I’ll write that down as a life lesson learned from Jason.”

Jason grinned. “You better!” He replied. The song suddenly ended and the guests all cheered and clapped for JB and his bride. They took a bow together then rose.

“Anyone ready for cake?” JB asked.

“CAKE~!!!” Jason screamed, jumping up and down. Minhyun, Aron, Baekho, myself and JB and his wife all started laughing with the rest of the guests at the redhead beside me. Everyone followed the couple as they made their way to the large five tiered cake standing on one of the tables. Minseok and U-ie approached the table and congratulated them, offering to help pass out slices amongst the guests. As several pieces were passed around in circles, I watched the smiling faces of everyone I had grown to know and love. Who would have known the day that I signed that contract that my life would have turned out this way? It was difficult to imagine, but none of this would have happened if I had never gathered the courage to finally take a stand and pursue what I loved. It was a difficult path, but it led me where I was meant to be: here.

I met the craziest, strangest, oftentimes meanest people ever, but I also met some of the most dedicated, hardworking, sincerest people in my life. No two of them were the same either; we were all different. We had our own lives, loves, struggles, dreams and so on. Interning for DREAM taught me something, something important: people are a lot deeper than they appear. Each person has their own story, their own past. But unless we take those moments to get to know them and give them that one chance, we can miss out on something great. You can never know who a person really is just by looking at them or first initial thought. Give people a chance. You never know; they could surprise you. They could be a lonely aspiring singer that secretly loves video games, a princely and handsome person that wants to love, a quiet but passionate person that wants to be loved, an amazing and selfless Broadway dancer, a crazy ex-idol with a heart of gold, a current idol with a scarred but loving heart, a caring and supportive father figure, or a seemingly trolling older brother that just wants to make a difference in this world. Regardless of who they are, everyone has a dream, an aspiration that they want to achieve. And based off of personal experience, I know what I’m saying when I say that in order to successfully achieve those dreams you have to believe in yourself and your abilities. The keys to believing in yourself?

Don’t be afraid to be yourself.

You know who and what you are. Even if the world thinks you’re ‘different,’ ‘strange,’ or downright ‘weird.’ Don’t change or try to hide who you are so that people will like you. You’re perfect just the way you are. People are naturally drawn to confidence. If you allow yourself to be your true self, the right people will love the true you.

Don’t let the world try to define who you are or tell you what you’re capable of.

You’re a lot more capable than what you or others think. Society is not perfect. There are people that will purposely try to bring you down or hurt you. But those people can only hurt you if you let them. If you’re amazing enough to dream, you’re amazing enough to achieve.

Failure is inevitable, but keep going.

Don’t be afraid of falling. Take a deep breath and courageously stand back up. You’ll get there, even if it takes a whole another month or year. It’s your struggle that defines your strength and gives worth to your life story. You are the writer of your own life story; make it a bestseller.

Love and encourage those around you.

You never know who or what they’ll become because you gave them that extra push they needed to carry them forward and do great things. Everyone needs a form of support. Be that life-changing person. Better yet, be a friend. Be kind. You never know if and when that kindness will be returned in some shape or form.

Smile often.

A smile can be contagious and can be the light in someone else’s life.

Always try to be optimistic.

Look at the glass as half full instead of half empty. The world is a much brighter place when you make it one… Don’t you agree?

~FIN~

~~~~~

A/N: Thanks everyone for your amazing and endless support with TSOYH! I didn’t think that it would amass as much love and support as it received; really, guys, I’m blown away. Thank you for spending time out of your days to let me entertain you for an hour with my odd, hilarious, inspiring, loveable characters. As I promised, here is the lovely art that you guys have sent in and that I have collected. You guys rock! There weren't many submissions, but I thank those of you that did. I appreciate all your hard work and effort! You're so talented! I hope you enjoyed TSOYH and I hope it inspires you to want to reach your dreams too. Love you guys!

-Loveliest_Ren

By Loveliest_Ren

By Muffinberry

By Chubbyface

By Reyaakoh

Thanks again guys! And remember to check out my other works! ^^