Baekho’s POV

After storming out from the main Pledis building, almost as a force of habit I drew my black baseball cap on and raised the hood of my jacket as I crossed the street. I couldn’t stand that choreographer of ours. He thinks he can tell me what to do? Nobody tells Kang Baekho what to do; nobody! I was pissed, but the thing was, I wasn’t quite sure why. Because JR caught on to the fact that I was being an , or because he pointed out that I had hurt Ren? Of course I knew my words had hurt him; I wasn’t completely void of human emotion, unlike Aron Kwak. But like hell was I going to apologize to him AGAIN. It seemed like that was all I ever did with that guy. He was just too easy to hurt.

I needed to let out some steam without actually killing someone. That would look bad on my image, wouldn’t it? And I knew just the place where I could go where nobody would ever suspect or think to find me: the cyber café. It had been a long time since I had ever set foot inside one of those. I think the last time I had actually gone was before I became an idol, and I had been training under Pledis for close to six years now. Back when I was a teenager, I only had two things that made me happy in life: singing and gaming. I had practically grown up without my parents; they were still in the picture, alive and well, but always busy working. I had been raised by my several nannies. To fill the void that my parents left me with, I preoccupied myself with singing and World of Warcraft and excelled in both. I had made it into the Pledis trainee program and was an online legend inside the game.

I stepped inside of the cyber café and paid for a station and sat down, bringing my headphones over my ears and plugging in. I brought up the game on the PC and logged in. As soon as I entered the game, some old buddies sent a request to form a party, but I declined, preferring to play solo today. It was funny; I had played the game with these guys for years, and yet, they still had no idea who I really was. And I was determined to keep it that way. If the public knew that the Kang Baekho was a video game nerd, my tough, bad-boy image would be in ruins. I decided to go on a solo quest and ventured out into the game. It didn’t take long for me to become completely absorbed and minutes turned into hours.

My eyes glued to the screen, I suddenly jumped and screamed when from out of nowhere, a pale white arm reached over my shoulder and placed a soda can on the desk in front of me. I had a mini-panic attack; had someone recognized me? I glanced over my shoulder with wide, fearful eyes until I saw who it was: Ren. How in the world did he think to find me here? I scoffed, narrowing my eyes and pushing the can away before turning my attention back to the computer screen. I ignored him for several minutes but he remained adamant, simply standing behind me, watching my every move. Finally I couldn’t take it anymore. He was getting on my nerves.

“What do you want, Ren?”

“What are you playing?” He asked, staring at the computer screen

“World of Warcraft.” I muttered. Ren didn’t miss a heartbeat to find the chance to snicker and laugh at me. I raised my fist at him; as I predicted, the laughing stopped. “Want to die?”

Ren playfully placed his hands in front of his face, shielding himself from me. “Today’s not a good day; you see, one of my clients went missing and I’m on a mission to bring him back.”

I rolled my eyes. “You found me; go back.”

Much to my dismay, Ren pulled up the empty chair next to me and sat, keeping his eyes glued on the computer screen. He pointed. “Oh, what’s that?” My eye twitched; was he ignoring me? But curiosity got the better of me and I couldn’t help but glance at the screen to see what he was asking about.

“It’s my character.”

“Wow, he’s wearing a lot of gear. You must have been playing for a long time-”

“Of course! I’ve logged on over 500 hours-” I cut myself off. Good god, Baekho. Why don’t you just tell him you don’t have real life friends or love interests so he can mock you for all and eternity? “I mean, I play every now and then.”

Ren smiled. “It looks like fun.”

“Fun?” I scoffed. The nerve of some people! “You think this is a game?”

“Isn’t it?” Ren asked; I almost gagged. “Can I play?” He surprised me by asking. I stared at him, wondering if he was trying to pull my leg or if he was serious. Finally I gave up and realized that there was no harm in letting him play. If anything, this was yet again another chance to ruin his life. One simply does not play World of Warcraft only once. The game was an addiction; there was no way out. I walked into the game several years ago and I was still here. Ren, you have no idea what you just got yourself into, do you? I stood up and grabbed the pair of headphones to the PC next to us and handed them to him.

“Here.” I said. Ren stared at me with his humongous eyes. “Put these on.” I grabbed the back of his chair and scooted him back in front of the computer beside us. I pulled up the game on his PC screen and set him up a username and password before picking out a character for him; in case you’re wondering, it was indeed a female character. I found little joy out of teasing him; Ren didn’t seem to pick up on that small detail. Or maybe he did, only, he just didn’t care. Needless to say, it wasn’t quite the reaction I was expecting.

I opened up a private party in the game and invited Ren’s character to join me. This was actually a rare event; I hardly ever invited anyone inside my parties, and certainly not new players. If anything, there was probably a buzz going around the online message boards right now that I was playing with some inexperienced user. The two of us continued onward and entered a cave, starting a new quest. It didn’t take long for Ren to get into the game. Before I knew it, the blonde beside me was wildly screaming at the PC screen and pounding away at the keyboard. At first it was a bit embarrassing but after a while, I grew accustomed to Ren’s competitive streak and found it downright amusing. The remaining time in the cyber café seemed to fly by; when the clock struck 2 AM the manager kicked us out. Of course Ren wouldn’t leave without a fight; I had to literally pry the deranged stylist from the desk and out the door with him kicking and screaming the entire time. Once we were outside he realized what a fool he had made out of himself back inside and he sheepishly dug his hands into his pockets and continued to walk by my side in silence.

“Why did you come?” I asked the question that had been itching in my mind for the last few hours now. Ren glanced at me with a surprised look on his face before smiling.

“No clue.”

I blinked. “Did they send you…? I mean… did Minhyun and Aron send you?”

Ren shook his head. “Nope.” He replied in a carefree tone.

“So you came without any reason?”

He laughed. “Pretty much.”

“Idiot.” I muttered.

“Smarter than you.” He muttered back. I immediately sent him a death glare, however, that soon faded when Ren made the impression of a puffer fish with his lips. I couldn’t help but start to smile; what ridiculousness was this? Was he a child? Was he… retarded? Upon realizing the small grin on my face, I quickly let it fall. I wouldn’t give that to him.

“After all that I said to you; don’t you hate me? Aren’t you mad at me?”

Ren gave me an offended look. “Of course I’m mad at you! Whoever said I wasn’t?”

I remained silent, feeling like a child that was being scolded by an angry parent.

Ren laughed. “Don’t take it so seriously; words are just words. Baekho, look at me.” He called out to me before reaching out and grabbing me by my face, forcing me to look his way. I stared at him with wide eyes. He dared to touch me with his filthy hands that were only capable of creating one mess after another?! I was about to scream my head off at him but Ren cut me off. “I’m fine. Hate? I don’t have it in me to truly hate someone. I might really dislike you for fifteen minutes, but I get over things fairly quickly. Life is too short to be angry.”

I threw him off of me. “Well then, that makes you better than me in one aspect of your life.” I slipped. I immediately regretted it. Great, knowing him he’d begin a list of questions longer than The Great Wall.

“You hate someone?” He asked, pointing at himself. And it began. “Me?”

I don’t know why I found his question so funny that it brought laughter out of me. Perhaps maybe because it’d make more sense if he was the one I truly despised. Choi Ren was a pain in the . He loved to question my authority and spit in my face. If I threw something his way, he’d throw it back ten times harder. That was just the way he was and I was still trying to accept it, which was one of the reasons why we bickered so much. Why couldn’t he just listen and obey every word that I said? Things would move quite smoothly back at home if he listened to my laws. “You really push the line between that boundary; I mean, you’re really, really, really close, don’t get me wrong.”

“Oh, I’d never.” He replied sarcastically.

“I just. I don’t know. You frustrate me. I don’t know how to deal with someone like you. I just want to beat you up for being so smug sometimes.” I knew I was being a total , but he needed to hear the truth. There were several times where I had to hold myself back, and the stylist hadn’t even been living inside our house for even a month.

“Really, do go on. If not me, then who?” He bravely asked. Sometimes his boldness surprised me. Choi Ren was the only one to ever question me. Everyone else around me was either scared or intimidated by me. Apparently Ren missed that memo. That, or he didn’t care. Was it possible that he wasn’t intimidated by me? Great job, Baekho. The one person that should be frightened by you wasn’t. Really, whoever heard about the idol getting stepped all over by his stylist? Ridiculous. But not as ridiculous as what I was about to do now, which was answer him. I didn’t know what suddenly got into me, but just talking with him outside those suffocating walls inside that mansion didn’t feel that bad. I felt like I could actually bear to be around him. I continued to walk forward.

“Let’s just say, someone who has an even bigger head than I do.”

“Someone actually has a bigger head than Kang Baekho?”

I smirked. I found no shame in acknowledging it. “Surprising, isn’t it?”

“Totally.” He replied and we continued to walk until we reached the front gate of the mansion. As we arrived, I stopped dead in my tracks and faced him, making direct eye contact, mustering the meanest look I could possibly make on my face.

“Don’t misunderstand me,” I warned him. “Just because we had fun once doesn’t mean you’re a welcome guest inside this house. I still can’t stand you.” He needed to hear it. Just because we spent a couple of hours gaming together didn’t make us automatic best friends, or even friends for that matter. I wanted to keep this relationship strictly professional. He was a stylist and I was the idol he styled. Besides, there were still several aspects about him which I didn’t like and I much doubted he would be changing very soon, if ever.

Ren nodded. “Of course, of course.” He said so nonchalantly, totally disregarding my warning. This guy really didn’t see me as a threat, did he? Did he not know I held the power of his future in the palms of my hands? One word to Pledis boss and this guy was out of here.

“What is wrong with you?” I finally asked the question that had been on my mind since earlier. Ren had been acting so friendly towards me all night, acting as if I had never said those cruel words to him about homophobia. I knew that he had explained that he wasn’t one to hold a grudge, but really, wasn’t holding grudges what made people human? Was this guy some sort of alien from outer space?

“Me? Is something wrong with me?”

I sighed. “Aren’t you going to ask me to apologize to you, you know, for earlier?”

Ren smiled at me. “Do you want to apologize to me?”

“No!” I immediately scowled.

“Then don’t.” He said, pushing the iron gate open and stepping inside. Was he playing mind games with me? Was he trying to make me feel guilty and eventually succumb me into apologizing to him?

“You little-”

“You can’t force an apology; it isn’t an apology if it’s forced. Apologize when you feel like apologizing, otherwise don’t. Okay?”

I glared at him. What the hell? That little hypocrite! “Then what was with forcing me to apologize the other day?!”

Ren had the nerve to smirk at me. “That was-” he was cut off by his cell phone, in which he immediately answered. Rude. Talk about no manners. “JR!” I don’t know why, but my ears suddenly twitched at the sound of my choreographer’s name. “It’s late; is something wrong? Oh, you can’t sleep? Sure, I’ll be right over!” He replied excitedly.

I scoffed. Unbelievable. It was already close to 3 AM and that fool was still going to insist on being out? “Childish; don’t you have your day job to be at in the morning?!” I scolded, watching the blonde scurry back to the front gate. He waved at me as he pushed it back open.

“Tomorrow’s Sunday. I’ll see you guys tomorrow in time for Inkigayo!” He said then took off running. I scoffed again. He acted like I actually knew what his day job was. How was I supposed to know he didn’t work on Sundays? I had never taken an interest in his life at all, but yet, deep down, some part of me didn’t like the fact that he was racing off to JR’s place. Subconsciously, without thinking, my mouth spoke on behalf of my brain.

“Wait-” What the ?! I immediately cut myself off and spun around. Please tell me that idiot didn’t hear that. Did he stop? Should I look? No, stupid. Don’t look. Just get your idiotic self back inside. Play it off. I grabbed my keys and unlocked the front door and stepped inside in a hurry, closing it quickly behind me. Aron and Minhyun, who were sitting on the couch in front of the 80-inch flat screen TV watching a movie together, put it on pause and both glanced at me. Aron suddenly clicked off the lamp beside them; the room went dark. He coughed, clearing his throat before reaching over and dramatically clicking the lamp back on beside him.

“Do you know what time it is?” He asked, acting like he was the parent of a 16 year old daughter who he had caught returning from a night of sneaking out. As if on instinct, Minhyun elbowed him in the side of his stomach. Aron winced, a small rare smile spreading across the corners of his lips.

“Stop it, you’re embarrassing.” He replied then turned his attention over towards me. He raised a brow. “It’s just you?”

I removed my baseball cap and hoodie. “Why wouldn’t it be?” I asked defensively.

“Because Ren went out looking for you… didn’t you see him?” He asked with a worried expression written over his face.

“God no.” I muttered then walked past them, slamming the door shut behind me to my room. I was still embarrassed from that little stunt I pulled just seconds ago. That slip of the mouth… what the hell was this? Why should I care if that little brat is going to JR’s house? I don’t. I don’t care. Caring made absolutely no sense whatsoever. The fact that this was bugging me pissed me off even further. Choi Ren, do what you want. I don’t give a damn.

Ren’s POV

I was awoken by the sound of my ringing cell phone going off in my pocket. I immediately sat back up on JR’s couch after having fallen asleep resting on his shoulder. The first thing I noticed when I glanced at the screen was the time. It was 7 AM. Way too early for any soul to walk the planet. I groaned then looked at the caller ID. It was Minhyun. I quickly pulled myself together before answering the phone.

“This is Ren.”

“Ren, Baekho and Aron are refusing to wear the outfits you picked out for us today and if they don’t change soon, we’ll risk being late to the Inkigayo stage today. Please, for the love of god, come talk some sense into those two idiots.”

“They’re what?!” I asked in disbelief… well, Baekho I could understand. But Aron? I thought he had liked the outfit that I had picked out for him. “I’m on my way.” I replied then hung up, jumping to my feet. JR, who had woken up from my loud outburst, watched me in silence as I exited his apartment in such a rush that I hadn’t even bothered to say goodbye. Sorry, JR. But you know the type of children I work for. I’ll have to make it up to you later, but for now, I needed to get back to the mansion.

About ten minutes later I burst through the front door of the house, gasping and heaving for breath after having run the entire way there. I knelt down on my knees; I probably needed CPR at this point. Minhyun entered the living room and looked at me with a raised brow.

“You really need to get a car, Ren.”

“Don’t… need… it!” I gasped for breath then stood back up. “Where… are… they?” Minhyun pointed down the hallway.

“Their rooms.” He replied. I figured I’d take the easier of the two first. I slowly made my way to Aron’s room where he sat defiantly on his bed with his arms folded across his chest. I sighed heavily as I entered and he looked at me with eyes full of annoyance.

“What?” He asked.

I pointed to the outfit hanging on the door. “Put it on.”

“No.” He replied matter-of-factly, as if our conversation were already over. Oh, we were far from it. I sat down beside him on the bed and placed a hand on each shoulder, rubbing his back.

“I thought you loved it the other day.”

He childishly scoffed. “That was before I discovered there aren’t any pockets in the pants.” He replied referring to the fact that he needed to have his cell phone on him at all times. I smiled at him as he turned his head arrogantly, refusing to even look at the garment.

“Is that all?” I stood back up and took the blazer off its hanger. “Shall I show you a secret?” I folded the coat inside out and revealed the small hidden pocket I had sewn in for him the other day. Aron hesitantly turned his head; his eyes lit up with fire when he made the discovery of the hidden pocket. He snatched it from my hands and held it closer to his eye level, feeling the material with his fingers. He immediately picked up on the different material the pocket was made out of and glanced up at me.

“You… did this?” He blankly asked.

I timidly nodded, thinking that he was upset with me about ‘ruining’ a piece by Burberry. “Look, Aron, I know how you are about your phone and I noticed the outfit didn’t have any places for you to put it, so I took it upon myself to make one for you. I hope you’re not mad…” My voice trailed off and I waited for his response which felt like it took forever to come.

“Ren, I’m touched.”

I blinked. “What?” I asked as he stood up and stopped right in front of me, staring me straight in the eyes. He suddenly extended his arms out to the side and then wrapped them around me in a mighty bear hug, squeezing the life out of me. I coughed, gasping for air. “I take it you like it then?”

Aron nodded. “You’re the best. Thanks, man.”

I gave him a thumbs up. “No problem.” I managed to speak despite my lungs being crushed against my ribcage. Aron still latched himself onto me until the point where the hug was beginning to become weird. “You can let go any time now, buddy.” I patted his back. Aron released me and pulled off his shirt. It was at that precise moment that none other than Minhyun had decided to pass by.

“Aron!” He snapped. Aron blankly looked his way in the door frame.

“What?”

Minhyun glanced at me and then back at Aron, giving him a ticked look. “Don’t ‘what’ me.” He said, stepping inside the room. He stopped beside us and turned to me. “Rennie, be a dear and go focus on Baekho now before we’re really late, please?”

I smiled then rolled my eyes at him. Minhyun really had something for that airhead, didn’t he? It was so obvious even I could tell that it wasn’t just a contract or acting on Minhyun’s side; Minhyun really felt something for him. Though with Aron, it was difficult to tell. If there was a person that could read Aron and decode his behavior, it would be Minhyun, but I think even he couldn’t do the impossible. I stepped out into the hallway and made my way to Baekho’s room. I stopped before knocking, wondering if I really wanted to go in there. Well, I had to, didn’t I?

I knocked. No response. Well, whatever. A closed door wasn’t going to keep me out. I turned the knob and stepped inside and was greeted by a less than enthusiastic drama queen. He glared at me from the foot of his bed.

“You’re in my room.”

“Looks like it.”

“Get out.”

“Put your clothes on then.”

Baekho laughed then raised an annoyed brow at me. “In front of you? That would make your wildest dreams come true, wouldn’t it?” He eyed me up and down. Now it was my turn to laugh.

“Yes, because everyone wants a piece of Kang Baekho, don’t they?” I replied sarcastically. The ego this one had! “Now come on, hurry up and get dressed. We’re wasting precious time.”

“I’m not wearing that.”

“Why not?”

“I refuse to work with Burberry.”

“And why is that?”

“We all have our own reasons for not liking certain things, don’t we?” He retorted.

“Well, you don’t have a choice in the matter.” I replied then grabbed his suit from off the closet door and began to take it off the hanger. I approached Baekho and grabbed the hem of his shirt and began to lift it up. Baekho stared at me with wide eyes and then jumped several feet back, covering his chest with his hands, acting as if he were just molested.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“What part of ‘you’re running out of time’ don’t you understand? Since you won’t get dressed, I’ll do it for you.” I replied then cornered him into the wall and grabbed the hem of his shirt once again, lifting it until it stopped at his hands which were still covering his chest. I glared at him. “Move them or I’ll move them for you.” I threatened. Baekho stared at me for a moment before slowly and very hesitantly removing his hands. I rolled my eyes then lifted the shirt over his shoulders. As I pulled the shirt to his neck, I lost my balance and fell forward into his chest. As I finally got the shirt over his head, Baekho glanced down at me and we made brief eye contact before I awkwardly stepped back from him and glanced down at the ground.

Baekho went quiet for a while until he smirked. “I knew it.”

I quickly glanced up at him. “Knew what?”

“You just wanted to see me without a shirt on.”

I immediately threw the blazer at his chest, turning red. “You’ve got nothing compared to JR.” I replied, trying to remind him of the fact that I indeed had a boyfriend. Baekho laughed.

“You mean JR has nothing compared to me.”

As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. JR was built, but he was skinny. He wasn’t like Baekho, who practically had muscle on top of muscle. Was Baekho attractive? Of course he was. But I wasn’t into childish men. Besides, I had always been attracted to JR all around. I accepted him for what and who he was. “Who’s trying to hit on who here?”

Baekho blinked as the thought occurred to him and then stared at me with shocked, wide eyes. “You’re out of your mind!”

“Just get dressed, please?” I replied desperately. He tugged the blazer on and scoffed.

“This is a one time acception; I’m only wearing this because it’ll shut you up.”

“Yes it will.” I placed my hand on my forehead and sighed. I was tired. I was running on only four hours of sleep right now. I just didn’t have the energy to fight Kang Baekho today. I handed Baekho the pants and he pointed at the door.

“Do you plan on finding out what brand of boxers I wear?”

“Huh?”

“Get out!” He snapped, making me jump and scurry out of the room. Whatever, you did well, Ren. You got him to change; mission accomplished. As I shut the door behind me I brought my hands to my face and fanned myself. I was still embarrassed and humiliated after what had just occurred. What did just occur? Was Baekho… hitting on me back there? I paused; aha, Ren, you’re hilarious when you’re tired. Coming up with thoughts as absurd as Baekho flirting with me; I must be crazy. Ah, I need a nap.

My wish had been granted. I rode in the van with DREAM as they made their way to the Inkigayo stage, falling asleep on Minhyun’s shoulder the entire way there. When we arrived I followed them backstage and observed as they were given their microphone packs, making sure it didn’t make their clothes look awkward. Soon the MC announced their name and the audience practically screamed as DREAM stepped out from behind the curtains and took center stage. I watched from backstage as their latest song poured out from the speakers and they each began their practiced choreography. I smiled; they looked really cool, didn’t they? The choreography that JR had produced for them as well as the clothes I had picked made DREAM really look like untouchable warriors on the stage. This was it, wasn’t it? My dream was finally coming true. Famous people had put their trust in me and were wearing clothes that I had put together for them. It couldn’t get any better than this.

I continued to watch their performance. They almost seemed like different people when they were on stage; they didn’t seem like the bunch of childish men I shared the same house with. Aron actually looked energetic for once and of course Minhyun looked like a prince. Baekho was perhaps the coolest one on stage. He just seemed so relaxed, like singing was his forte and he was born to be here doing what he loved the most. I could see his passion for his fans through his body language and the way he looked at his audience. For a brief moment I actually found myself admiring him, something which was very hard to do when he wasn’t on stage.

When DREAM’s stage was over, the three of them climbed backstage and all took sips from their water bottles. As Minhyun came back, I noticed he was much paler than he was yesterday, and not only that, but he was trembling. I walked over to him and patted him on the back as he wiped the sweat from underneath his bangs off with a towel. “Are you okay?”

Minhyun forced a smile on his lips. “Why wouldn’t I be?” I could tell he obviously didn’t want to talk about it and I knew better than to badger him.

“Well, if you say so…” My voice trailed off, not at all convinced. But if he didn’t want to talk about it, he didn’t want to talk about it and I couldn’t force him. I turned my attention over towards Aron and Baekho. “Great job out there, guys. You looked very handsome.”

“Oh, stop it, you.” Aron replied in a flat tone. The energy he had on stage was gone, leading me to believe that everything he displayed when in front of the cameras and fans was a lie.

“No one likes people who brag, Ren.” Baekho replied. I narrowed my eyes at him.

“You do it all the time.”

“Exactly; and do you see anyone around here who likes me?”

“No, not at all.” I quickly replied. He set himself up for that one. He raised his elevated fist at me.

“Want to die-” He started but was interrupted by an Inkigayo stage employee who had informed them that all the bands were lining up on stage now to accept the award. Aron and Baekho both grabbed Minhyun by each of his shoulders and pushed him forward on stage with them. I watched them in suspicion. Whatever it was that was bothering Minhyun, the rest of them seemed to be accustomed to it. Did this happen often inside that mansion? What was going on with them?

DREAM took their spot beside the other groups on stage and the voting began. They each looked down at their feet, nervous as the votes were coming in. After the polls had closed, the MC was given an envelope with the show’s winner. He slowly opened it and paused for a dramatic effect. The lights all narrowed in and confetti suddenly started to pour down from the ceiling.

“And the winner is… DREAM!”

Aron clasped his hands together as his jaw dropped in disbelief while Baekho glanced up at the MC with a smile as he gladly took the award from him. Minhyun, standing in between Aron and Baekho, head suddenly fell back and he fainted. Aron immediately leapt behind him and laced his elbows underneath Minhyun’s arms; however, he was far too small to prevent the taller one from falling. The two of them both collapsed to the floor. Baekho glanced down at them in shock and disbelief, as they were being filmed live on camera. In an effort to downplay the situation, Baekho faced the MC.

“He was that excited about winning.” He nervously joked before kneeling down to help Aron scrape Minhyun up off the floor. I had to restrain myself from running out there on stage to help them. The moment I did, someone, perhaps a student of mine might recognize me. I couldn’t risk revealing that I was associated with DREAM or else it would be a major strike against my internship contract.  I watched as the stage staff ran over and helped carry Minhyun back behind the curtain, meanwhile Baekho remained on stage and bowed, apologizing and thanking everyone for supporting DREAM before following shortly after.

I practically flew over to Minhyun as they spread him out over several chairs and started bending his arms and legs to get the blood back flowing through his veins. “Min!” I exclaimed. Minhyun faintly lifted his head and looked at me.

“I’m fine-”

“You’re not fine!” I snapped; Minhyun gave me a surprised look. “What’s this? Why did this happen?” I glanced over at Baekho and Aron, waiting for someone to do some explaining. I knew I wouldn’t be getting anything out of Minhyun. Baekho defiantly looked away from me while Aron shifted his gaze uncomfortably to the floor. It looked like I would have to get an answer from him. “Aron.” I warned.

As Aron was about to speak up, Minhyun cut him off. “Don’t you dare say anything!”

“Minhyun!” I scolded.

“Don’t you see? You’re hurting yourself!” Aron snapped back at him. “Was you making a fool of yourself on television not enough of a wakeup call, Min?!”

“Min, what is he talking about?” I asked.

“Don’t say it!” Minhyun ignored me.

“Jesus Christ, Min. You’re fine the way you are. Stop doing this to yourself!”

Minhyun sat up and swatted the staff members away from him. He glared at Aron. “Stop it.” He warned. Baekho picked up his water bottle and was about to unscrew the lid when suddenly Aron snatched it out of his hands and threw it at Minhyun. Minhyun screamed at him and was about to make a lunge for him when I placed my hands on his shoulders and kept him down. “Back off and just leave me alone!”

Aron looked at him with eyes full of hurt. “Min, stop it. Admit you have a problem and I’ll tell you what you wanted to know the other day.”

Minhyun paused. I tilted my head to the side, wondering what that could possibly be. Whatever it was, it seemed to working, seeing as Minhyun was actually considering it. He slowly glanced back at me. Before he could speak Baekho gathered all the staff members and pushed them out of the room to prevent eavesdroppers from listening in on Minhyun’s personal life.

“I… haven’t eaten in days.”

“What?” I asked, shocked. “Why not?”

Baekho scoffed. “Go be stupid somewhere else, Ren. He’s got an eating disorder.” He said, returning to the group. I was stunned. An eating disorder? Minhyun?

“Min… why?”

Minhyun shifted his gaze down to the ground. “I’m the visual. I’m supposed to be perfect.” I crouched down and glanced up into his eyes.

“Minhyun, no one in this world is perfect, absolutely no one.”

“I feel like… everything is beyond my control. I can’t control the face I was born with. I can’t control my height. Nothing about me I feel is ever good enough… I just… wanted to be in control of something. Food… my weight… I found it was the only thing I could control. But I was wrong.  Food became my idol; all I could ever do was obsess about the numbers associated with each bite I took. The only way I would feel good about myself would be on the days where I didn’t eat. Food is all I ever think about because I can’t have it.”

“Why can’t you have it, Min?”

“Because people won’t love me if I’m not perfect.”

I shook my head. “Want to know a little secret? When you try to control everything, you enjoy nothing. Sometimes you just need to relax, take a deep breath, let go of the things that are beyond your control and simply live.”

Tears rolled down his cheeks. “I can’t do that, Ren.”

“Why not, Min? Why not?”

“Because she won’t let me.” He muttered under his breath.

“Who won’t let you?”

“His mom.” Aron answered for him, clenching his fist. “She’s the most terrible person I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting. She’s what you call a ‘stage mom.’ She’s put him through more hell than you can even imagine so she could live out her dream vicariously through him.”

I turned my attention back to Minhyun. “Min, this is your life, not hers. It’s your road and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you. You shouldn’t listen to her. This is something that I tell my children whenever others try to put them down; sometimes people try to expose what’s wrong with you because they can’t handle everything that’s right about you. Listen to the positive people and ignore the negative ones. People that doubt, judge, and disrespect you are not worth your time and attention. No matter what, don’t ever let people try to shape you; don’t ever stop being you.”

By now Minhyun was sobbing. I reached forward and wrapped my arms around him and embraced him. “I’m sorry, guys…” He managed to say between choked sobs. Aron knelt down and wrapped his arms around the both of us while Baekho folded his arms across his chest and scoffed.

“If you’re sorry, then eat something.”

“Baekho!” I snapped at him. Minhyun shook his head.

“No, he’s right. You’re all right. I need to stop this.”

“Then stop blubbering about it and let’s go.” Baekho replied as Aron and I helped raise Minhyun up from his seat. The four of us made our way to the exit, where our van was waiting for us outside. We climbed inside and rode all the way home in silence. When we arrived, Aron helped Minhyun out of the van and back inside of the mansion. As I was getting out, Baekho called out to me. “You, stop.”

I paused. “Me?”

Baekho gave me an irritated sigh. “Who else would I be talking to?”

I pursed my lips together in annoyance. “What do you need, Baekho?”

“Answers.”

“Answers to what?”

“What exactly is your day job?” He asked, giving me a suspicious look. I sat back down in the cushioned seat inside the van and glanced at him over my shoulder; it wasn’t exactly a secret, but I was surprised he hadn’t asked sooner like the others had.

“I’m a teacher.”

Baekho looked at me with a surprised look on his face, almost as if he didn’t believe me. But his response was one that I hadn’t expected. “That explains it then.”

“Explains what?” I asked.

“How you have an answer for everything…” His voice trailed off as if he wanted to say something else but couldn’t.

“And?” I pushed him. Maybe he needed some encouragement to keep going. It seemed to be working.

“How you’re able to put up with all the bull we toss at you. Not just that, but you actually face it head on and try to help with whatever issues arise because of us. Your personality… it’s just so unreal. People like you just don’t exist. Caring about us, wanting to solve our problems… I guess what I’m trying to ask is, is it just an act?”

I smiled sadly. “Do you think it is, Baekho?”

“Yes.”

“Then you don’t know me at all.” I replied.

Baekho paused. “I guess I don’t then.” He replied. For a moment I was completely taken by surprise. He almost seemed… sad. I suddenly felt a strange, awkward tension in the air between us.

“Baekho… could it be that you want to?” Our eyes met briefly before Baekho chickened out and broke our eye contact first.

“You’re like the perfect human being. It pisses me off seeing you try so hard.” He replied, dodging the question.

I shook my head. “I don’t strive to be anything I’m not. I strive to live each day with purpose so that someone can look at me and say ‘because of you, I didn’t give up’ or ‘you inspire me.’ You being an idol; I think you know that feeling quite well. Thousands of people look up to you, looking at you for guidance. Me, I’m happy if I can make a difference in the lives of 25 individuals. Our worlds, they’re not so different, you and I, don’t you think?”

Baekho seemed to be looking at me in a whole new light, judging by the intrigued look on his face. It was almost as if I had just rocked his entire world with that one thought and completely shattered whatever misconceptions he had of me. “Maybe it’s possible you’re not as bad as I thought you were.” He replied then stood up and climbed out of the van.

“Did you have your fill of questions?” I asked.

Baekho glanced over his shoulder and smirked at me. “For now.”

“Kang Baekho, do you still dislike me?”

“I do.” He replied. My heart sank. I thought I was finally making it through to him. “But maybe a little less now.” Well, it was an improvement. I couldn’t wish for a miracle overnight, but at least it was a small step in the right direction. I would have to take it. Regardless, I still smiled as I climbed out of the seat and followed him.

Minhyun’s POV

Aron sat me down at the kitchen table and stepped in front of the open fridge, staring inside. He pulled out a pudding cup and slammed it down on the table in front of me before handing me a plastic spoon. I stared at it before slowly taking it in between my fingers. Aron sat down in the chair beside me and leaned forward on his elbows.

“Eat; I’m starting you off with something small, so eat.” He demanded.

“I wasn’t going to object…”

“Then what’s the problem?” He asked impatiently, wondering why I was taking so long to dig in.

“Just give me a minute.” I replied, staring down at the pudding cup. I could feel Aron losing his patience with me by the second as I heard him sigh with frustration. It’s not that I didn’t want to eat. I was just hesitant because of my mother’s words. She wouldn’t have said those awful things if there wasn’t any truth to them, right? Maybe I really was getting thicker-

“Jesus, Min. Do I need to feed you myself just to get you to eat?” Aron glared at me.

“I said just give me a minute!” I snapped.

“What is it that you need? Reconfirmation?” He asked, scooting his chair closer to me. “You’re beautiful, Min; don’t believe what others say, ok? Just don’t do it. Only listen to me.”

I stared at him with wide eyes. “Aron…?” Was this a confession?

Aron tore off the plastic lid covering the pudding cup and scooped the spoon down into it before holding it up just inches away from my mouth. “So just eat, ok?” He went on; I shook my head and stared at him as he groaned in annoyance. Aron, you don’t just spit out a line like that to someone who clearly likes you and not be expected to give an explanation to follow it up.

“What did you mean by that?”

“By what?” He asked. Was he that dense? Did he not know what he had just said to me?

“That I’m beautiful, and to only listen to you.”

Aron shifted his gaze away from me and glanced down at the table quietly. “Min, we both signed that contract, didn’t we?”

I felt my heart go numb. So that’s what it was? He was just fulfilling his contractual obligations of pretending to care for me, to like me? “Yes we did.” I managed to say even though my lips were starting to tremble.

“So then stop being difficult and eat.” He quietly responded.

I scoffed in disbelief and hurt. “Aron Kwak, do you really even care about me?”

Aron glanced up. “Of course I-”

“I’m not talking about the contract and acting. Do you, Aron Kwak, personally care about me in even the slightest?”

Aron placed the spoon back into the cup and stared at me. “What is it that you want me to say, Min?”

“The truth…” My voice trailed off, hurt.

“I consider you my best friend, Min. Of course I care about you. That’s why watching you destroy yourself is painful to me. I want you to stay around for a long time and perform by my side in DREAM; you can’t do that if you’re dead.”

My heart completely shattered. I was just friend-zoned, wasn’t I? Aron didn’t see me anything more than a friend. I was such a fool to think that Aron thought more of me. God, this was embarrassing. I felt like crying, but I didn’t want to do that in front of him. I didn’t want to further humiliate myself. I was his friend, not his burden. I quietly stood up, the wooden chair scraping against the tile floor behind me. Aron glanced up at me and quickly grabbed my arm. I yanked my wrist out of his grasp and turned my back to him. As I turned I heard Aron’s chair scrape against the floor as he quickly stood and grabbed me by the wrist again. He angrily spun me around to face him.

“You didn’t eat.”

Eat? I was too angry to eat now. I scoffed. “I’m not going to.”

“You promised, Min.”

“Then make me!” I screamed at him. Aron stared at me with eyes full of shock before releasing my wrist. He glanced down at the table and grabbed the pudding cup, taking the spoon and scooping a serving into his mouth before carelessly tossing the cup back down on the table. He reached forward and grabbed me by the back of my scalp, forcing me forward as he swept his pudding covered lips across mine. I froze for a brief second as it felt like time had completely come to a halt. Aron…? My heart was racing. I didn’t fight it. I parted my lips and allowed him entrance. To my surprise, Aron wasn’t shy at all. His tongue entered with such force and passion, wildly exploring every crevice of my mouth. I stumbled backwards until my lower back hit the kitchen counter and he had me pinned. I raised my hands and cupped his face, pulling him in even closer to me. We spent the next few minutes like this until something inside of Aron seemed to snap and his eyes popped open in shock. He took several steps back and away from me, breaking the kiss. With his sleeve he wiped the saliva from his mouth and then awkwardly glanced away from me before quickly leaving the kitchen.

I felt my knees go weak from what just happened and I grabbed onto the corners of the kitchen counter. Oh my god. What just happened? My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the front door suddenly closing. I glanced over and spotted Ren with a sly smirk spread across his lips.

“You sly dog, you.” He teased. Apparently he had only caught a glimpse of the ending of that kiss. I stared at him in confusion. His grin slowly faded into a look of concern. “What’s wrong?” He asked, placing several outfits he had been carrying with him as he entered the door on top of the couch before approaching me.

“I’m not quite sure I know what just happened.”

Ren elbowed me. “Aron kissed you. That means he likes you, doesn’t it?”

I stared off into the distance. But moments before Aron had just friend-zoned me. The fact that he had just kissed me proved that he was indeed aware of my feelings. But why had he done that if he himself said that we were only best friends? Was he that desperate to get me to eat, knowing that this was probably the best method of doing so? If that was the case, he was a cruel, heartless bastard. “Does it?”

Ren blinked then shifted his gaze up to the ceiling as if it miraculously held the answer up there. “Well, I don’t just go around kissing people unless I like them…”

“That would make sense, wouldn’t it…?” I asked, still in a state of disbelief and confusion.

“Well, I take that back. Not unless I’m drunk…” Ren continued to rant.

“Ren…” I called out to him, snapping him out of his trail of thought. “Do friends kiss?”

“Sure they do.” He replied.

“Make out?”

Ren chuckled. “That’s stepping more into the ‘friends with benefits’ zone.” I stared at him with wide eyes. Friend with benefits? Was this what Aron possibly saw me as? That was terrible! Ren must have seen the horrified look on my face, seeing as he patted me on the back. “Don’t let it keep you up all night. Try to get some sleep.”

“Ren,” I called out to him again as he had started to walk away. “Are you busy tomorrow?”

“It’s Monday; I have my class to teach until the afternoon. Why?” He asked.

“When you get off, do you want to go to the amusement park with me?”

Ren tilted his head to the side in confusion. “Really?”

I nodded. “We have practice until noon; the rest of the day is free for us.” I replied then paused. “I could really use a fun day out with a friend.”

A wide smile spread across Ren’s lips. “Sure, I’d like that.”

Ren’s POV

I stood at the front of the classroom the next morning, observing my students as they quietly took their examinations.  Everyone seemed to be concentrating hard on the task at hand; all except for one student who had her head raised and was staring out of the window in a daze. I raised a brow and started making my way to her in between the isle of desks. I tapped my hand three times on top of her desk to get her attention. She jumped, startled out of her daydreams and made eye contact with me. I raised my hands to sign.

“What are you doing? This is exam time!” I scolded.

“I’m sorry, teacher Choi.” She signed back.

“Everyone else is working hard today; why aren’t you?”

“I’m sorry, teacher Choi.” She repeated herself.

I paused. “Is something… wrong?” I asked. She paused, shifting her gaze down to the surface of her desk. I tapped the desk again to get her to look up at me again. “See me after class.” I signed to her and she nodded. I took my place back at the front of the classroom and continued to watch my students until the bell rang, dismissing them. Student after student handed me their test and poured out of the room one by one until finally it was just me and her. After everyone was out, I walked over to the door and shut it closed before walking over to her desk and sitting down next to her. “Is something bothering you?”

She shook her head.

“I’ve noticed your grades have been slipping. Is it something you can talk to me about?”

“Teacher Choi, I’m fine.”

“Whatever you tell me, I promise to keep it confidential. You can trust me.” I signed back to her. She paused for the longest time before slowly bringing her arms back up again and shakily beginning to sign.

“The kids from the neighbor school have been bullying me.”

I blinked. The neighboring school? The school I was employed at was a school specifically designed for students with handicaps and impaired hearing. However, the school next to it was a public school. The two schools were built within close proximity that the public school kids oftentimes would hang out in the yard of our school. There was no telling what those kids might be doing or saying to the students that attended here. It was sad whenever I saw the public school kids picking on my students, just because they were different. However, this was a fact of life. People oftentimes feared or mocked what they didn’t understand. How could a person be born without one of their senses? It was the same way a person could be born with all of them. It just happened. But to taunt someone for this very reason, well, it was just plain cruel.

“What have they been doing?”

She trembled as she signed. “They throw rocks at us. They call us names because they think we can’t hear them. We’re deaf, not stupid! We know how to lip-read!” She angrily exclaimed.

“They throw things at you?” I asked; this was a very serious threat. Physical violence would absolutely not be tolerated whatsoever. “Do you fight back?”

“Of course not! How can we fight back?”

“Good. You did the right thing. Leave it to the adults to fix this situation, alright?”

“Teacher Choi… if you intervene, it’ll only get worse. Please don’t…”

“If I don’t, is it okay for you to keep getting picked on just because you’re different?”

“Please don’t do it, teacher Choi.” She pleaded with a sullen expression written on her face. “Please don’t.”

“I understand.” I sighed. “But I will closely monitor this situation. If I catch them in action, I won’t hesitate to step in with the proper authorities. Understand?”

“Yes, teacher Choi.”

“Go back to focusing on your studies. Your future is far too important to be influenced by those that purposely try to harm others. Those that bully others… they have no future planned out for them. They live in the ‘here and now.’ You’re better than that. You’re better than them. If something else is bothering you, don’t ever hesitate to come to me for help, alright?” I signed; she nodded. “Now go. You’re dismissed.” She nodded once again and quickly left the classroom after gathering her belongings. Once she was gone I threw my head back and sighed heavily. I had an uneasy feeling building up in my gut. Did I do the wrong thing? Should I have gotten more involved?

I shook my head. Whoever said becoming an adult was easy was quite definitely lying. As one becomes an adult, all sorts of responsibilities fall on your shoulders. One false move and everything could come crumbling down in seconds. These children, they relied on me now. I was their teacher. They expected me to guide them, to help steer them in the right direction. It was also my duty to protect them. Although they were only teenagers capable of doing petty crimes or acts of violence, it still bothered me that the public school kids would do such a thing to my children. Sometimes it was hard to accept the fact that there were these types of rotten people out there in the world, and I felt it was my responsibility to protect my students from these people. I meant what I said though; if I personally caught one of the public school kids hurting one of the students here, I wouldn’t stand back and simply watch.

I glanced down at my watch and jumped off the desk. That’s right; I was supposed to meet Minhyun at the amusement park soon. After that brief meeting I had with my student, part of me wanted to cancel on him while the other part of me felt obligated to go. Amusement parks weren’t really my sort of thing; I hadn’t gone since I was a child. But I wanted to be a good friend to Minhyun, who was going through his own problematic situation with Aron. I needed to be there to support him if I expected him to be there for me whenever I needed him. I grabbed my briefcase and hurried out of the school building.

When I arrived at the amusement park, Minhyun was already sitting on a park bench in a white baseball cap and sunglasses, slowly munching on a cloud of cotton candy as he waited for me. I ran up to him, heaving for breath once again. Minhyun glanced up at me over the rim of his glasses and smiled.

“Should I buy you a car so you don’t have to run everywhere?” He teased.

“I… don’t… need it!” Besides, running around was what helped keep me fit these days, especially after living with Minhyun who cooked meals of monstrous proportions and expected us to eat every single bite of it.

Minhyun chuckled. “Alright, alright.” He replied, catching me eyeing the cotton candy in his hand. “This? Well, I’m trying.”

“I’m… proud of you… Min.” I smiled at him.

“What do you want to ride first?” He asked.

“Something… where we can… sit.” I said, trying to catch my breath.

“Ferris wheel it is.”

Aron’s POV

I hadn’t talked to Minhyun since the other night after returning home from Inkigayo. Not that I ever really talked, but, things had become really… awkward between us, especially since after I kissed him. At first I had done it to get the guy to eat, but then when I had realized that well over a minute had passed since we had locked lips, I had to question just what the hell I was doing. Had I just taken advantage of Minhyun? I knew he liked me. Everyone thought I was completely blind to this fact, but I wasn’t. I knew. But I only pretended not to know. If I didn’t know, things would be less awkward between us. If I didn’t know, it would be easier to fulfill our contractual obligations that the company made us promise to carry out in the name of ‘fan service.’

Why would it be easier though? Because I wasn’t sure. The last time I loved someone, they got hurt because of me… Minhyun was my friend. I didn’t want to give him that same hurt. But toying around with him like this, it probably didn’t make what I was doing to him any better, was it? I was still hurting him in one way or another. It wasn’t because Minhyun was a guy. I looked past genders when it came to romance. When I liked a person, I liked them because of their personality, not their appearance. Maybe that’s why I was appalled at the way Min was acting. His looks were everything to him. He went through the extremes just to look the way he did now, and still he wasn’t happy. It made me wonder; just who was he trying to look good for? Who was he trying to impress? Was it his mother, the fans, or… me? If it was me, I surely didn’t want him to continue doing this. If anything, if he kept this up, he’d be pushing me farther away.

Yeah, right. Me far away from Min? We were always together. We did everything together. I couldn’t leave him. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t feel the attraction between us, the chemistry. We both just worked. But I just… I just wasn’t ready. I didn’t know if I’d ever be ready to love someone again.

After returning home from practice, I noticed Minhyun head straight for the shower. When he had finished, he primped and disguised himself as if he were going out. Out? But he hadn’t discussed it with me. Maybe I… I wasn’t invited? But Minhyun never went places alone. If not me, then who was he meeting? Curiosity got the better of me and I quickly showered then threw on some clothes and a beanie before trailing him close behind.

Baekho’s POV

At the wrap of today’s practice, I sat down on the wooden floor with my back pressed against the cool mirror surface. JR had been extra brutal on me today to make up for leaving practice early the other day. Whatever. He thought he was still in charge of me? He had another thing coming. No one controlled Kang Baekho. Regardless, I still carried out his every order because I wasn’t in the mood to fuss today. I just wanted to get the day done with and go sit in my room for the remainder of my off time. Sometimes just staying in the comfort of my own home, my own room was good enough for me.

I glanced off at Minhyun to my side who was busy talking on his cell phone. From the sounds of it, he was reconfirming his plans to meet with someone at the amusement park. Normally I wouldn’t have given it a second thought; however, judging by Aron’s lack of knowledge about the situation, I took it that he wasn’t going with him. So who else could Minhyun possibly be meeting? Then I heard him call out a name; he was talking to Ren. I raised a brow. Minhyun and Ren were going to the amusement park… together?

I scoffed. I didn’t care. Why was it any of my business? It wasn’t. Why would I care who Ren went with to the amusement park. It surely wasn’t a date, was it? No, apparently that punk was dating that of a choreographer, JR. Interesting; did JR know about this? I smirked. This was a golden opportunity to crawl under his skin and get on his nerves, payback for trying to make my life a living hell every time I stepped into the dance studio. I slowly climbed to my feet, grabbing my towel with me as I walked over to JR who was standing by the stereo, scrolling through his e-mail on his phone. I dabbed the towel on my face as I called out to him.

“Texting Ren?” I asked. JR immediately spun around, quickly digging his cell phone into his pocket as if there was something on the screen he didn’t want others to see. Hmm, secretive much, was he? I didn’t care. He gave me a surprised, skeptical look.

“I don’t think my personal life is any of your concern, Baekho.”

“Lover’s quarrel?” I asked, ignoring his response. Like I had said earlier; this was my golden opportunity. JR wasn’t going to mess it up for me.

“Baekho.” He warned.

“I’m just saying; when’s the last time the two of you actually went on a date?”

JR smiled darkly in annoyance. Great, it was working. “Really, Kang? And why would you care, hmm?” He was jealous. I could tell he was intimidated by me for whatever reason. Honest to god I had no idea why he was acting this way whenever I involved myself with Ren. Was it because I was cruel to him? Or did he think something else was going on? How absurd!

I laughed. “Why are you so threatened by me? I’m not the one you should be worrying about.”

JR tilted his head to the side. “Excuse me?”

I pointed at Minhyun who was minding his own business, digging inside of his gym bag in the opposite corner of the room. “He’s the one you should be worried about.”

He looked at me like I was crazy. “And why is that?”

“I overheard him making plans to meet with our stylist at the amusement park after he gets off work.” I replied with a smile spread across my lips. JR gave me a stunned look.

“What?”

“That’s why I was asking; I’m just trying to be considerate, JR. Do you think it’s a date?”

JR shifted his gaze to the floor. “It can’t be.” He shook his head. “Ren’s not like that.”

I laughed again. “Ren might not be, but who’s to say Minhyun isn’t?” I asked, just trying to stir up trouble. I could see my plan to crawl underneath JR’s skin was working. He gripped his fists at his side and narrowed his eyes at me.

“You said they’re meeting after Ren get’s off work?”

I nodded.

JR smirked. “Good. You’re coming with me.”

I blinked. “Come again?”

Ren’s POV

Minhyun and I sat inside a pod on the Ferris wheel. I had finally caught my breath and was taking in the amazing view while Minhyun vacantly stared out from the side. I knew what was bothering him. The situation between him and Aron from yesterday was probably still fresh on his mind. But I didn’t know what to tell him. I hardly understood Aron myself. He wasn’t an easy guy to talk to about, well, anything. Minhyun probably thought about Aron in the same light. He was a frustrating character in which you never knew how he would react in a situation. Surely Minhyun hadn’t been expecting that kiss the other day, right? That’s probably why he was here with me instead of him.

“What’s on your mind, Min?”

Minhyun slowly turned his head and smiled at me. “Nothing’s up. I just wanted some fresh air and I didn’t want to go alone. I hardly ever go out even on my free days. I don’t really have many friends.”

“Really?” I asked, shocked.

He nodded. “With other celebrities, it’s just a show. We put on a front of friendship because we’re paid to do so. In reality, we’re all too busy to care about each others lives.”

I smiled. “Well, you have me. And guess what? You totally don’t have to pay for my friendship.”

Minhyun laughed. “Isn’t Pledis-boss paying you?”

“I’m an intern, remember?” I replied. Minhyun nodded as he realized this fact. “Besides, there isn’t enough money in the world to get me to become BFFs with Baekho.”

“But you’re still trying, aren’t you? To be his friend?”

I nodded. “I meant on his side. He’d never call me his friend, probably. But I think I’m making progress; he’s finally lessening up on me and taking an interest in who I am.”

Minhyun nodded. “It’s going to take some time with that one. If there’s something you’ve noticed about us, it’s that we all have emotional scars. That’s why we try to chase our stylists away before they figure it out. I suppose I’m the easiest of the three to figure out; I have body dysmorphia. Aron… I still haven’t figured out yet. Baekho…” His voice trailed off.

“What about Baekho? Are you telling me there’s a reason why he acts like he has a stick up his ?”

Minhyun smiled sadly. “Perhaps you should hear it from him.”

I sighed. “I doubt he’ll ever tell me…” I replied dejectedly. I suddenly sat up as a thought occurred to me. “Does it involve that U-ie idol?”

Minhyun gave me a surprised look. “You know about her?”

I shook my head. “I just know he dislikes her.”

“‘Dislike’ isn’t a strong enough word.”

“What did she do to him to make him want to hate her?”

Minhyun shook his head. “It’s not my place to say, Ren.”

I nodded. “I understand.” I knew it was bad to pry into the personal lives of others, but Kang Baekho’s past had me intrigued. If I hadn’t known that something that occurred in his past had shaped and molded him into the person he is today, I’d think he was just an by nature. This made me look at Baekho in a new light. His tough, abrasive personality… it was just a front, wasn’t it? It was a tactic he used in order to protect himself from the harm of others.

“Come on, the ride’s over.” Minhyun replied, standing up and exiting the pod. I snapped out of my daze and climbed out after him. He turned to face me with an evil grin spread across his lips. “This time I get to pick. I choose the Viking.” I stared at him with eyes full of horror. I didn’t think my poor stomach could handle such a ride. Regardless, I didn’t want to be that friend that is known as a ‘kill-joy.’ I manned up and followed Minhyun into the line for the tremendous boat ride that swung you up and down at monstrous heights, dreading the entire wait anxiously. Soon it was our turn to board the ride. Minhyun passed through the spin-table and boarded the Viking as I hesitantly followed him. Once past the spin-table I climbed aboard the ship and took my seat next to him.

“Min, why did you call me out here?”

“For fun; I already told you.”

“Are you sure it’s not to just forget about Aron?” I asked. Minhyun looked at me with surprised eyes before softening his gaze and sadly smiling at me.

“You’re too good; you really are a teacher, aren’t you?” He sighed, staring out into the distance. “Do you think you can fix an unsettled heart, ‘Teacher Choi’?” He asked. I smiled.

“I can try.”

“Aron Kwak friend zoned me and then kissed me. What is your answer to this equation, Teacher Choi?” He asked through a smile. I extended my arm and pointed forward as the ride began to move.

“When we reach the top, scream it out. Scream out all your feelings.”

Minhyun gave me an uneasy look. “That’s so embarrassing!”

I smirked. “I’ll do it too.” I replied; Minhyun nodded. The boat began its trek forward. As it slowly reached its peak for the first time, I held both of my hands to the sides of my face and screamed. “KANG, YOU’RE SUCH A JERK!” I exclaimed, refraining from using his first name for safety reasons. Minhyun glanced at me then giggled before doing the same as I had just done.

“KWAK, YOU IDIOT!” He screamed. The boat swung backwards, building up its momentum before swinging back forward again. As we reached the peak for a second time, I felt myself sliding in the booth and I gripped the metal pole in front of me to ensure I wouldn’t be sent flying off into the sky like a rocket ship.

“CLEAN THIS, CLEAN THAT. AM I YOUR STYLIST OR YOUR MAID?!!!”

“WHO TOLD YOU TO KISS ME LIKE THAT, DUMMY?!!!”

The two of us shared a couple of laughs as we were sent backwards in the boat before being sent forward again.

“IS IT SO HARD TO RESPECT OTHERS?!”

“WHY DO I HAVE TO BE SO JEALOUS OF A PHONE?!!!”

“I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND, YOU JERK!”

“I WANT TO STOMP YOUR PRECIOUS PHONE INTO BILLIONS OF PIECES!”

The ride finally came to a stop. The two of us were in the midst of a hysterical fit of laughter, ignoring the crazed looks of the other riders nearby. Minhyun held the sides of his stomach and smiled at me with tears in his eyes. The both of us stood and climbed off of the ride. As we continued to walk aimlessly around the amusement park, Minhyun placed a hand on my shoulder. “Thanks, Ren. I needed that.”

I smiled. “No problem.”

Baekho’s POV

I grumbled as JR forced me through the front gate of the amusement park with him. Me and my big mouth, huh? Look where it got me: on a ‘date’ with one of my least favorite people in this city. Of course it wasn’t a real date or anything, but really, how often did you ever see two guys go to the amusement park by themselves? Never. I swear to god, JR better hope no one recognizes me or I’ll kick his . As we entered through the gate I watched as JR scanned the crowd. Yeah, right, like he was going to spot Ren that easily-

“There he is!” JR pointed. I blinked before following his finger. There enough, there was Ren and Minhyun exiting the Ferris wheel together. JR had eyes like a hawk, didn’t he? That was kind of frightening. I wondered if he was quite possibly a sesaeng before he got hired on by Pledis. JR grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me with him as the two made their way towards the Viking. We hid behind an ice cream stand as the two boarded the ride. JR peered over the corner of the stand, keeping a close watch out on Minhyun. I stood out in the open with my arms folded across my chest, not giving a damn if those two losers spotted me or not.

“This is pointless. I don’t even want to be here, let alone with you. What do you hope to achie-”

“KANG, YOU’RE SUCH A JERK!” I suddenly heard Ren exclaim. I wildly spun around and glared at the blonde as the ride swung to its very peak. My eye twitched. What did he just say? Me, a jerk? Hah, this kid had a death wish, didn’t he? “CLEAN THIS, CLEAN THAT. AM I YOUR STYLIST OR YOUR MAID?!!!” By this point JR had to physically restrain me from marching over to the ride and attempting to kick his .

“Stop it, you’ll blow our cover!” JR exclaimed.

“What cover?!” What were we, super agent detectives? Ridiculous!

“Just sit still!”

“I take orders from no one-”

“I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND, YOU JERK!”

The two of us both paused as he yelled this. Friend? Ren wants to be ‘friends’ with me? No one had ever said this to or about me before. Because I spent so much time perfecting my skills, I intimidated others and no one wanted to be around me. To hear someone honestly vent that they wanted to become close to me… well, I was shocked. JR released me and went quiet before leaning with his back against the ice cream stand. Was he… sulking? Whatever, I didn’t care what that guy did. I was only here because I was dragged against my own free will.

We watched as the two climbed off the Viking and started to walk around. I glanced back over at JR, about to ask if we were supposed to follow them or not when he suddenly took the initiative to march right past me in a fast pace, chasing after them. As he caught up he reached forward and grabbed Ren’s wrist from behind. Both Ren and Minhyun wildly swung around, ready to fight but paused when they realized who we were. Ren stared at JR with wide eyes before glancing over his shoulder and spotting me.

“JR, B-baekho…?” He stuttered. That’s right, twerp. I heard. I heard everything.

“Ren, let’s go home.” JR replied, beginning to pull him with him against his will as he walked away. I sighed. This was getting out of hand. I had just wanted to annoy JR, not turn him into a possessive psychopath.

“JR, I don’t like this.” Ren replied, trying to yank his arm out of JR’s grip. JR ignored his comment and kept tugging. “JR, stop!” He exclaimed to the brunette that was still not paying any attention to his remarks. Minhyun ran over to them and grabbed Ren’s other arm.

“Can’t two friends just hang out?” Minhyun snapped as the two began to play tug-of-war with Ren in the middle. JR paused before staring at them with wide eyes as he realized how crazy he must have just been. He released his grip on Ren’s arm, sending him flying backward and toppling on top of Minhyun on the ground. JR brought his hands to his forehead then was about to make a run for it, probably humiliated by his behavior, but before I knew it, my body was reacting on its own and I reached forward hand grabbed him by his hand, squeezing his knuckles tightly together to make him cringe in pain.

“A true man stays to talk it out.” I replied.

CLICK! CLICK!

The sound of a phone camera went off twice. All four of us froze and immediately turned the direction the sound had come from. Standing six feet away was none other than Aron with his cell phone extended, snapping pictures. He pointed at Minhyun and Ren lying on the floor together.

“Couple,” He replied then pointed at me holding JR’s hand. “Couple…” His voice trailed off and then he went quiet for a couple of seconds before speaking up once again. He scoffed. “So this was what everyone was planning behind my back?”

“Aron-” Ren called out to him.

“Save it!” He exclaimed before lowering his phone dramatically. “I’m telling manager-nim.” I and Minhyun’s eyes both snapped wide open before Minhyun nervously laughed and pointed at Aron.

“GET THAT PHONE!” He screamed then threw Ren off of him. Both he and Ren scrambled messily to their feet as JR and I took off running after Aron Kwak, who was screaming his head off as he was weaving around all the amusement park goers.

“KWAK YOU’RE DEAD!” JR screamed after him.

“DON’T DO THIS, PLEASE! IT WAS ALL A MISUNDERSTANDING!” Ren called out.

“GIVE IT TO US!” Minhyun exclaimed.

I sighed as I continued to chase after them. So much for a quiet afternoon off, huh?