"Listen, it’s normal to forget a lyric or two. You just gotta practice more, that’s all,” cooed the little boy, rubbing the girl’s hand to comfort her.

“But, I did practice! I did! I practiced all night long! I made mommy and daddy listen, that way I could get it right!” she wailed, hiccupping through her hysterical sobs.

“It’s probably just nerves. You got nervous! That’s normal! So, don’t cry, Anika,” her friend explained, continuing to rub her hand, getting close to comfort her.

“During a duet, they’re not supposed to forget!” she continued on.

She buried her hysterical face in her hands, trying to hide her shame. She felt guilty for forgetting those couple of words. She thought she’d get scolded, thought she’d make him mad. But he wasn’t like that. He never was, never with her.

The little boy smiled at the six year old. She was doing her very best, she always did. She tried, tried, tried. Always trying. Always working hard. He wrapped his arms around his crying friend, pulling her close.

“Look at me, Anika,” the little boy said, pulling himself back to look at his friend.

She let out a couple more sobs, hiccups in between, but she’d soon look up at him, her light green eyes puffy from crying so hard. He looked at her, smiling. Always smiling. He lifted up his hand and pulled away some strands of her mousy brown hair, wiping away the tears from her chipmunk-cheeked face.

“There’s no need to cry, Anika. It was only two words,” the little boy explained. “If you forget, then just close your eyes and breathe. Repeat the line slowly in your head and the words will come back to you.”

She sniffed, wiggling her arm in between them to wipe away the unnecessary drippings from her nose. “Are you sure?” she asked, her voice cracking. His smile grew wider. “I’m sure, promise. And you know what?” She blinked back the tears. “What?” He held up his hand, extending his pinky. “When we make our debut together, lets sing a duet in front of the biggest crowd in the entire world. Pinky promise!”

Her green eyes went from his hand to his eyes. Repeated motion. She smiled, one just as a wide as his. The only difference between the two was her two front teeth were missing. Anika brought her hand in front of them, extending her pinky, intertwining it with his. “Pinky promise!”

~Seven years later~

“What do you mean you’re dropping out?” Anika exclaimed.

Daesung was back against the wall, hands knotted behind him. He didn’t know how to explain it to his childhood friend. Well, there really was nothing to explain.

“Answer me, Dae,” the brunette demanded through gritted teeth.

Silence continued to linger for a few more minutes between the two friends. Anika clenched her fists, sick of the silence, sick of him not answering her.

“I’m pursuing BigBang,” was all she got out of him.

His words stung. They hurt. She felt tears stinging her eyes, trying her best to hold them back from trickling down her face. Anika wasn’t sad; she was hurt, betrayed.

“What about the promise we made?” she murmured, lowering her head. They were both pursuing their careers as singers. She thought they’d make it together, thought they’d be fulfilling their promise from their past. Thought they were going at the same pace, but, now, Daesung was taking the lead.

She could hear footsteps. He was going to leave her behind. Leave her standing there, holding onto their past. But he didn’t. Daesung lifted up his friend’s face, his finger cupped under her chin. He was smiling. His smile. The smile she loved. “Pursue your dreams. Pursue the dreams we’ve shared. Catch up to me. You’re an amazing singer; you know that, I know that, everyone in this school knows that. You’ll make your debut in no time. As soon as you debut, then we’ll fulfill our promise.”

He laced his hands into the small, clenched fists, which began to unravel and fit into his palms. Her hands were so small. Her eyes softened. She couldn’t stay like this at him. Smiling, his kissed her forehead, holding on to her for a few seconds, seconds she thought lasted forever. He looked down at her once more and released her. “Make your dreams come true.”

Those were his final words to her before he turned and walked away, leaving her to pursue his dream ahead of her.

“I AM GOING TO CATCH UP TO YOU, KANG DAESUNG. AND I’M GOING TO SURPASS YOU.”

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Caramel-chan (Formally known as RadiantBelle)

I'd like to thank Blissful Sins (specifically bangbangvip) for the awesome poster! They are awesome, talented, and nice people! Go check them out~

http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/60549/blissful-sins-poster-request-shop-graphics