True to her word, Haneul didn’t pressure Risae to meet up with Minseok again. It seemed that the disaster that had taken place at the boys’ dorm was enough to make her give up on the idea that Risae might reconcile – or at least make peace – with her ex.

On her part, Risae threw herself into her training with more gusto than ever. In her mind, the busier she stayed the less she would have to think about her ex-boyfriend and what he’d done to her.

She took to staying in the studio long after everyone else had gone, rehearsing well into the night. It was a grueling pace, but Risae refused to slow down. Before, Minseok had been the driving force behind her; now, her desire to surpass him and become even more successful forced her forward.

“You’re getting better,” a voice from the doorway made her look up.

“Hyunwoo-oppa,” she said, letting her hands stop on the piano. It was only after she’d stopped that she realized how much her fingers were aching, how hoarse is from doing scale after scale.

Lee Hyunwoo was another trainee. Risae didn’t know him very well. She knew that he was a good dancer and a good rapper, but she hadn’t spent much time with him. In fact, she’d always been so preoccupied with Minseok that she hadn’t spent much time with any of the other trainees.

He took a step into the room, arms crossed over his t-shirt. “It’s late,” he commented. “You should get some rest.”

“You too,” she agreed with a smirk. Indeed, it was obvious that he’d just come from one of the basement-level dance studios.

He chuckled. “Fair enough.” He hesitated. “I heard you and Minseok broke up. I’m sorry.”

Risae forced a smile. “It’s okay. Things just happen.”

He looked at her for a moment, then smiled. “Are you hungry?”

Somehow Risae ended up at a little outdoor café with Hyunwoo, sharing dobokki and chatting. They talked about everything from the hardships of being a trainee to the management of their company to their families back home. It was more than they’d ever talked before, but Hyunwoo didn’t bring up Minseok again. Risae was grateful for that. The last thing she needed was someone else to talk to her about her no good, cheating bastard of an ex-boyfriend.

The sky was tinged with pink by the time they returned to the trainees’ dorm.

“Thanks,” Risae said when they stopped in front of the elevator. “I really needed to get away for a bit.”

Hyunwoo smiled and ruffled her hair. “No problem. See you tomorrow.”

The following day, Risae bumped into Hyunwoo outside the dance studio. She took a deep breath and shoved a small, wrapped package towards him.

He bit back a smile as he accepted the gift. “What’s this?” he asked, weighing it in his hand before pocketing it.

Risae blushed. They weren’t the only ones in the corridor, after all. “Just to say thanks,” she mumbled. “You know…for last night.”

“Ah,” Hyunwoo grinned. “Anytime. I enjoyed it.” He hesitated. “Would you maybe want to go out to dinner tomorrow night? You know, just to get away from the studio for a little bit?”

“Sure, I’d like that a lot,” Risae agreed, a little too quickly. She quickly scribbled her cell phone number onto his palm with a pen she found in her bag. “So you can text me or whatever,” she said, blushing.

Hyunwoo only smiled more broadly. “Will do. See you later.”

“What the hell was that all about?” Haneul demanded, catching up with Risae as she practically fled the dance studio. “I didn’t even know you were friends with Hyunwoo. You two went out last night?”

“It’s nobody’s business but my own,” Risae said snidely. Truth be told, she was still a little miffed about her best friend tricking her into meeting with Minseok.

Haneul snorted, pulling a candy bar from her bag and munching away. “If you think that little scene back there is going to stay private for long, you’re an idiot.”

And, like Haneul predicted, Luhan caught up with Risae later that afternoon before she had a chance to leave for the day. “I heard you’re going out with Lee Hyunwoo,” he said by way of greeting.

“It’s good to see you too,” Risae said sarcastically, mostly to hide how surprised she was at his assumption. “Why yes, I’m doing fine. Thanks for asking.”

Luhan blushed a bit. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “But…is it true? Are you really dating Lee Hyunwoo?”

“That’s really none of your business,” Risae said, but it lacked the conviction it had had when she’d said it to Haneul. “It’s not like it should affect you in any way.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” Luhan said.

“Why does everyone call me that?” Risae grumbled.

Luhan sighed and carded his fingers wearily through his messy blonde hair. “If you’re doing this just to hurt Minseok…” he began.

“This has nothing to do with Minseok,” Risae snapped, turning to glare at him. “What? Does everything in my entire life have to revolve around that cheating bastard?”

“Cheating bastard or not, you still love him,” Luhan pointed out. “You can deny it all you want, but, like it or not, you still have feelings for him. If you didn’t, this wouldn’t hurt so much.”

Risae chewed on her bottom lip, frustrated. Luhan’s words rang true. Of course she still had feelings for Minseok. It would be impossible to be with someone for as long as they’d been together and not still have feelings. “You’re right,” she finally admitted – the first time she had done so out loud. “I do still love him, and I probably always will. But he’s broken my trust, Luhan, and that’s something he’ll never be able to get back. I can’t be with someone I don’t trust. Relationships don’t work that way.”

“So you’re just moving on to Hyunwoo? Just like that?” Luhan demanded.

She glared at him. “And why shouldn’t I?” she demanded. “Am I just supposed to wallow in self pity for the rest of my life, alone and miserable? No thanks. I’m moving on with my life. You should tell Minseok to move on as well.” And she her heel and stalked off. 

I'm so sorry that it's taken me so long to update. Things have been so so so hectic. Anyway, I'll try to update again really soon!