“Stand by U” by Tohoshinki: http://www.aimini.net/view/?fid=GiQpPqMWPv8HHaI0Aymh

Translations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8BdHfaIzyM

~

HaNeul stared at the piece of paper with laser-focused eyes.  If she stared any harder, it would catch on fire from the heat of her stare.

Her frown turned into a smirk and she started laughing.

Finally, she turned to YooKwon and pouted, “I don’t got it.”

He fell on the bed right where her legs were stretched out with a whine.

“Then why were you staring at it for so long?!” he grumbled, snatching the paper from her and forced to figure it out for himself.

She whined back, “I thought it might come to me if I stared at it long enough~!  Don’t yell at me!  I’m trying to help you here!”

He sighed and shook his head at her when the rest of Block B came in.

“Oh, Kwon-ah, you’re still here?” JaeHyo looked surprised.

“Neh~ I figured this girl might get bored just sitting here, so I got her to help me with this crossword, but she at it!”  HaNeul smacked him on the head.  He whimpered and held his head in pain.

“Aren’t you tired?  You’ve been here since we finished practice…” TaeIl asked in concern.

YooKwon tried to hide his yawn before responding, “No, I’m fine.”

“You are the woooorst liar ever, Hyung,” JiHoon stated, shaking his head.

“Why don’t you go home and rest, Kwonnie-op-err…YooKwon?  Tae-oppa and the rest of them can watch over me, right?” reasoned HaNeul, feeling guilty for taking up all his free-time.  “I’ll be back home tomorrow, so I won’t be lonely, neh?”

“But…”

“YooKwon, she’ll be fine, go before you drop dead…you look like you haven’t slept well in ages…” MinHyuk reassured, pulling his arm and pushing him out.  YooKwon puffed out his lips into a frown and waved at HaNeul sadly.  She waved back with a giggle at his cute antics.  When she looked back, there was a gloomy silence that filled the air.

“Tae-oppa, is everything okay?” HaNeul spoke softly, affected by the sullen atmosphere.  He smiled at her and nodded.  JiHo excused himself and said he’ll walk YooKwon home just in case.  At his suggestion, HaNeul turned to the rest of Block B in alarm.

“You know YooKwon!  He can be a bit airheaded sometimes.  We just don’t want him to get lost.  Wouldn’t want to lose one of our members to the depths of Seoul, right?” Kyung chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood.  Though not convinced, she nodded anyways and allowed herself to be distracted by the other boys still there.

~

“Are you worried I’ll take her away from you?”

YooKwon yawned and stretched his arms out with a small grunt.

“No~ that’s the least of my concerns.  Don’t be so self-centered, Hyung!” YooKwon scolded with a tired laugh.

“Kwon-ah…you look like you’re gonna collapse…maybe I should-”

“Hyung, don’t worry.  I’ll take him back.  HaNeul probably would like you to keep her company.  …no offense, YooKwon-hyung…” JiHo told from a strictly objective view.

“None taken.  Go ahead, MinHyukie-hyung.  I’ll be upset if you don’t keep my HaNeulie entertained!”

With one last glance, MinHyuk finally went back to the hospital room.  YooKwon yawned again before leaving with JiHo.

“Are you sure you’re gonna be okay…?  We all know how much she means to you…especially MinHyuk-hyung…” JiHo stated as a matter of fact.

“I know that.  Hyung has always looked out for me.  I would be a horrible dongsaeng if I didn’t trust him.  I’m just worried about her…really…she thinks too much…no doubt this is probably going to be one of the hardest obstacles for her to overcome…” YooKwon stared at his feet as he continued walking.  “Fighting with herself…is more difficult than any fight she has with other people…it’s also the one fight I can’t help her with…”

JiHo put his arm around YooKwon and smiled, “But you’re the only person that could make her question herself…”

YooKwon giggled at the memories before everything went crazy…

~

I woke up groggily with closed eyes.  Slowly I made my way to the kitchen where I smelled food.  With a lazy smile, I walked over and put my head on the cooker’s shoulder.  She jumped a bit before sighing and smacking me lightly on the head with the backend of her spatula.

“Sweet morning, HaNeul~” I greeted with a slurred voice.  She just chuckled and greeted me back.  I wanted to wrap my arms around her when she listed eggs and French toast on today’s menu because she looked too perfect in an apron cooking meals for us.  But I had to restrain myself…she’s my friend…MinHyuk-hyung’s girlfriend…off-limits!  Bad YooKwon!

It might sound like I’m joking around…but it really took all the effort I had to behave.  I didn’t even know why I was acting like this.  It’s not like she’s my ex-girlfriend or anything.

Before I pulled my head away, HaNeul broke off a piece of egg and held it out over her shoulder.

“Ahh~” she instructed.  Excited, I opened my mouth as wide as possible with an “Ahh~” ready to accept the piece of egg.  Just before I could get it, the egg disappeared into another’s mouth.  We both turned to see Kyung holding the stolen spatula.

“Mmm, that’s really good, HaNeul~” he complimented casually before giving the spatula back to HaNeul.

“Yah!  Park Kyung!  That was mine!” I barked possessively while Kyung just shrugged at me with a smirk.

“Too slow, YooKwon~”

“Okay, okay, stop trying to kill each other.  You can have another piece, alright?” HaNeul pacified, holding out another piece for me to eat.  I chomped it quickly this time so no one could steal it.  It was much hotter than I thought which is why I started jumping around waving in front of my mouth, trying to cool it.  HaNeul laughed at my “dance” and went back to cooking.

“Mmm~!  HaNeulie’s food is the best!” I complimented.

“It’s just eggs, YooKwon,” she chuckled.  I continued smiling like an idiot.  Seeing her like this made it seem like my wife cooking me breakfast…

“So obvious…”  A voice popped in, making me jump back and laugh awkwardly.  HE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT I JUST THOUGHT, RIGHT?!

“Morning, HaNeul,” MinHyuk-hyung greeted casually, kissing her on the cheek.  She made a face and smacked him with the spatula too.

“That’s gross, Min-B,” she reprimanded.

“Min-B?  Why does he get a cute nickname but I’m still YooKwon~” I whined.  She chuckled and stuck her tongue out.

“You do have a nickname…Kid.”

“Stop calling me Kid!  I want a cool nickname like B-Bomb-hyung!” I tried to give her my best cute-sad face.

HaNeul just responded to my whining by pinching my cheek and passing by me with the finished eggs to put on the table.  “Eggs are ready~!”

The rest of the Block B boys filed in with the two managers and began feasting on the eggs while HaNeul prepared the French toast.  I watched as she yawned tiredly and stretched.  I couldn’t stop the frown from appearing on my face.  HaNeul was clearly exhausted from taking care of us and rehearsing at the studio.

But my biggest issue was that MinHyuk-hyung never did anything for HaNeul as her boyfriend.  If I were HaNeul’s boyfriend, I would-GAH, WHAT AM I SAYING?!  Stop that, Kim YooKwon!  Lee HaNeul is Lee MinHyuk’s GIRLFRIEND.

I sighed, taking a break from pulling the hair out of my roots.  Instead of commenting on my odd behavior, MinHyuk-hyung just patted me on the back and sat down for breakfast.

I needed to talk to MinHyuk-hyung about this…

~

When we got back from our late schedule, all the members were zombified and dragging their feet to bed.  I was just as exhausted as the rest of them and groaned at the need to climb up to get to my bed.  Just as TaeIl-hyung the light, I noticed a body on the floor.  I walked over with slow steps and crouched down to get a better look.

“HaNeul?” I wondered in confusion.  Gently, I shook her still body.  “Are you okay?  Why are you on the floor?”

With a groan, she got up and rubbed her eyes.

“Oh, you guys are back…what time is it?  Have you eaten?” she asked, stretching her arms and yawning.  I furrowed my eyebrows in guilt.

“…were you waiting for us?” I mumbled.

She gave me a lazy grin while shaking her head.  “No, I was just enjoying the coolness of the floor~ Much better than the bed.”

“Come on, let’s go to bed.”  HaNeul shook her head and lied back down on the ground.

“I want to just sleep here…I’m too lazy to move…” she whined, plopping herself down like a starfish.  I looked over at MinHyuk-hyung to find him already asleep.  Damn, he falls asleep so quickly!  With a sigh, I used my residual strength and picked HaNeul up bridal style so she can’t fight back.

“K-Kwon!” she gasped in surprise, putting her arms around my neck automatically.  She felt so limp in my arms as if she had no more potency left to move her body.  I kicked JiHo out of his bed so I could place HaNeul on a bed without having to climb over MinHyuk-hyung.  He grumbled a few times but once I called out his name in a firm manner, he groggily got up and stumbled over to HaNeul’s bed, cursing under his breath the whole way there.  I looked over to see Kyung in his bed and stared doubtful this arrangement would go well without a hitch.  So I kicked Kyung out of his bed and told him to sleep on mine since I don’t trust him to not molest HaNeul.  He yelled at me in a drunken voice before sleepwalking up to my bed.  I lied down next to HaNeul and watched her sleeping face.

“Don’t stress yourself out for us too much…we can take care of ourselves, so take care of yourself first…” I whispered, her hair.  HaNeul worked hard hours in middle school, but she always wore a bright smile when she saw me no matter how late it was and how tired she was.  It worried me that she couldn’t even keep her eyes open for more than a few seconds like this.  She was beyond overworked.  Taking care of a dorm for 10 and working full-time as a dancer clearly was a huge toll on her body.

It broke my heart seeing her like this…

What the hell were you doing, MinHyuk-hyung?

~

“So then you add…a drop of vanilla?  Why do you need vanilla?  Do we even have vanilla?” I mumbled to myself as I looked through the cabinets.  Yes, it isn’t your imagination, Kim YooKwon is in fact wearing a flowery apron and making breakfast for the crew.  I had decided last night that if MinHyuk-hyung isn’t going to help HaNeul out, then I will!  And then afterwards, I’m gonna have a long talk with MinHyuk-hyung about his unremarkable behavior as a boyfriend.  I am truly disappointed in his performance.  I trusted him to take care of HaNeul and he doesn’t do anything for her as a boyfriend.  My anger directly channeled into my cooking as I stirred the ingredients in the bowl vigorously imagining I was beating MinHyuk-hyung up with the wisp.

Speaking of the devil…

“Oh, Kwonnie-ah, you sure are up early…I thought HaNeul woke up to make breakfast…this sure is a rare sight,” he greeted with a yawn, stretching his arms out.

“Awake, Hyung?  Did you sleep well last night?” I asked in an uncaring tone, still bitter in my thoughts.  There was an awkward silence that I didn’t care to break.

“Are you okay, YooKwon?  Did you wake up from the wrong side of the bed?” he asked cautiously, apparently noticing the coldness in my voice.  Good, then I can get right to the point.  I slammed the bowl down in a loud manner and turned to him with a displeased glare.

“Were you even aware of HaNeul’s state last night?  No, of course not.  Because you went straight into a dead sleep last night without even noticing she was on the ground, passed out!” I growled in annoyance at how irresponsible he was being as HaNeul’s boyfriend.  What irritated me even more was how calm MinHyuk-hyung was and even laughed.

“Is that it?  Oh gosh, I thought something happened…you know HaNeul, she does that all the time, what’s the big deal?” he responded flippantly, looking over my shoulder to see what I was making.  “Oooh, pancakes, sounds delicious~”

And so, I exploded.  With every word, my anger burned hotter and I stalked closer to MinHyuk-hyung with an unforgiving glare.

“What’s the big deal?!  WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?!  YAH, LEE MINHYUK!  SHE’S YOUR ING GIRLFRIEND!  YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO TAKE CARE OF HER, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!  I TRUSTED YOU TO TAKE CARE OF HER!  SHE’S MY BEST FRIEND AND TAEIL-HYUNG’S BELOVED COUSIN!  HOW DARE YOU TREAT HER LIKE IT’S HER JOB TO BE SLAVING FOR US?!  IS THAT THE ONLY REASON YOU BROUGHT HER INTO OUR DORM?!”

His expression didn’t change.  Instead, he sighed in exasperation and pushed my gently away from him since my face was right up in his face.

“Kwon-ah, calm down…you’re overreacting…”

“I’m…overreacting…I AM…OVERREACTING?!  She cooks for us, she cleans the dorm for us, she washes our clothes for us, and for ’s sake, she even BRINGS food to our practices sometimes!  And what do you do?!  YOU DO NOTHING.  ABSOLUTELY NOTHING,” I continued, feeling all the heat rush to my head, making it difficult to see straight.  “I’m completely disappointed in you, Hyung.  You don’t deserve her.”

MinHyuk suddenly smirked sinisterly at me.

“Oh?  And who are you to decide that?”

I was taken aback by his question.  “…What?  I’m her best fri-”

“Best friends get to decide who their best friends go out with?  Isn’t that a bit controlling of you?  HaNeul’s a big girl, Kwon-ah.  If she wanted to break up with me, she can at any time.  There’s nothing stopping her.  So why are you so worked up?”

His words made too much sense.  HaNeul was smart, no, she was a freaking genius.  I would know, I went to school with her.  She could break up with him whenever she wanted.  He wasn’t holding anything against her…so why doesn’t she say anything?  It wasn’t fair…

“Kim YooKwon, answer my question.”  And just like that, MinHyuk-hyung turned the tables on me in a split second.

“Y-You have no right to treat her like that!”

“Why?  It’s not like I’m abusing her.  She’s doing all this on her own accord.  Do you see me ordering her around, telling her to make me a sandwich or clean my room?” he shot back again.

“But as her boyfriend, you should be helping her!”

“Who says?”  I opened my mouth to counter, only to close it and glare intensely at the ground.  He scoffed.  “Know your place, YooKwon.”

My eyes found the bowl with the ingredients mixed in it.  They shifted evilly at MinHyuk-hyung.  Before I could stop myself, I grabbed a handful and threw it directly at his face.  He stood there in complete shock.

“That’s for being a complete ,” I smirked in satisfaction at his priceless expression.

“YOOKWON!”

And all satisfactory feeling gone.

My eyes widened at the sight of HaNeul, coming out of the bedroom, gasping with a hand over .  There was no way to convince her that it wasn’t me that did it.  My hand was covered with dough residue from throwing it at MinHyuk-hyung.

“H-HaNeul…wait…”

“MinHyuk, are you okay?  What happened?” she questioned with a concerned face, immediately grabbing a towel and drying his face affectionately.  My insides boiled with hatred.  He didn’t deserve her at all.  He didn’t deserve to have his face washed like that.

“Why don’t you ask, Kwonnie-ah?” he slyly implied.

My heart broke at the accusing look she gave me.  I was standing up for her…but she only saw the last five seconds of it…now she was going to think I did something wrong…

With a sigh, she walked toward me.

“YooKwon…what’s going on here?” she inquired gently.  She saw my “red” hand and picked it up, cleaning it off for me.  I flinched at her gesture.  She’s…not mad?

“You…you aren’t…mad at me?” I wondered softly, afraid if I was any louder, it would change her mind.  She raised her eyebrow at me and laughed.

“Why would I be mad?”

I thought that was obvious…

“…Because…I threw pancake mix at your boyfriend?”

“Eh, he probably deserved it,” she answered with a shrug.

“YAH!  LEE HANEUL!” MinHyuk-hyung yelled, causing HaNeul to stick her tongue at him teasingly.  Then she turned back to me with a soft smile.

“Besides, I know you wouldn’t do something so outrageous without a reason.  You’re the biggest softie I know, Kid.  Now, will you tell me what happened so I can understand the situation?”

I thought for sure she was going to yell at me.  But instead, she held my hand reassuring me and even called me a big softie…all my anger disappeared and for the first time…I realized just how beautiful HaNeul was smiling at me like that.  She never smiled like that with anyone I was sure of it.  And with that thought, I felt my ears getting red from blushing.

I looked away and pulled my hands back quickly as if I burned myself on the stove.  My heart wanted to explode out of my chest.  She looked up at me in confusion, tilting her head to the side.  Oh geez, why are you doing that?  You look too adorable…it makes me want to do bad things to you right in front of your boyfriend…how can you look at me so innocently and full of trust like that?

It makes me want you for my own.

“I…I’m going to take a shower…”

I need to get away from her.  Before I do something I regret.  I’m her best friend.  MinHyuk is her boyfriend.  Even if I don’t approve of him, he’s right.  I have no right to ruin their relationship.  MinHyuk is my hyung, also my best friend.  I can’t betray him.  Which means I have to push my feelings aside and get away from her.  Or else I’ll ruin everything for them.  I’ll ruin everything for HaNeul.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t fast enough considering she caught my wrist and pulled me back.  I can’t turn around…I can’t turn around…god damn it, Kim YooKwon, don’t turn around!

“…YooKwon…did I…do something wrong…why aren’t you talking to me…”

She sounded hurt.  Oh , I hurt her…no, no!  That’s still no reason to turn around!  You turn around and she’ll be even more hurt!  GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER, YOOKWON!  YOU CAN’T TURN-

“…are you…mad at me for something?”

“I’m not mad at you!” I exclaimed with certain, but it ended up sounding angrier than I meant for it to be.

“…then can you please at least look at me…you’re…scaring me…”

OH, SCREW MY CONSCIENCE!  I can’t bear to hear her whimpering at me like that!

I turned around slowly to come face to face with a distressed HaNeul.  It was the first time I saw her so vulnerable.  HaNeul always kept her strong front.  No matter how tired she was, no matter how scared she was, she always stayed strong.  Not once, did I see her let her guard down.  Not once, until now.

Between the two of us, I always felt like HaNeul was older than me because of how responsible and skilled she was about everything.  But that look she gave me…I didn’t see the mature HaNeul I always saw…

I saw a lost child, looking up to me for support.

The fact that I made her so anxious really made my chest tight with pain.  I couldn’t stand seeing her so frail…

But there was another emotion that overpowered even the guilt I felt…

And I’m gonna blame it on this strange emotion for the following action…

No longer thinking rationally, I switched her grip on my wrist to my grip on her wrist and yanked her into my hold.  Halfway through my actions, my conscience probably yelled at me, “KIM YOOKWON, YOU ARE ABOUT TO DO SOMETHING YOU WILL REGRET FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.”  Of course, I brushed it off to the side, not listening at all.  For a few seconds, I just stood there, holding her wrist hostage and staring at her surprised parted lips hypnotically.  I probably looked like I was going to molest her…

She wasn’t moving at all, so I took that as an invitation to kiss her.  Umm…please don’t judge me…I couldn’t help myself!  I was just comforting her!  To let her know I would never leave her side no matter what!  Sure…my methods were a bit…unconventional…but it would get the point across, right?  And with that last bit of completely ambiguous reasoning in the back of my mind, I my lips and closed in for a kiss.

I pulled her head toward me with my hand behind her head while my lips moved down to capture hers.  I closed my eyes when I could feel the warmth radiating from her lips.  It was supposed to be just a friendly kiss.  But all thoughts of friendly were out the door when I felt her breathe into me after holding her breath for so long.  Maybe it was the excess carbon dioxide fogging up my mind, but I ended up, pretty much right in front of MinHyuk-hyung.  I heard her whimper a few times, possibly in protest, but she neither pushed me away nor responded back.  When I finally let go, I slowly opened my eyes and gazed longingly into hers, staring right back at me frozen, trying to remember to breathe.  I was completely unaware of how much my body, my heart, and my soul yearned to kiss her and have her be mine.  But her unblinking eyes of confusion finally brought me back to the reality of things.

I just kissed my best friend.

Right in front of her boyfriend.

I am…

So dead.

Someone save me.

=====================================================================

Surprise chapter! This is my gift to you for the Chinese New Year.

YES, I AM ABSOLUTELY EVIL. THAT’S RIGHT. CLIFFHANGER IS MY GIFT TO YOU. MWAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHHAHA.

…I really like this chapter… :3

B-Bomb, you are a stinker. XD

Anyways…

新年快乐!

Hope everyone have a good one! Year of the Dragon! Woo!

Until next time!

Updated: 01/23/12

~Kira :3