Hyuna was not anticipating the comeback.

The concept was nice, the songs were good, and Hyunseung was great; those weren’t the problem.  The only issue she had was the reaction she knew she was going to receive from fans- and that was a huge issue.

When she had transferred into 4Minute, her instructors would push her the hardest, telling her how she would be the visual, how she had to be thin enough, skinny enough, perfect enough; the other girls were certainly working just as hard, but she had ten times the amount of pressure. She was to be the y member, the seductive one, because they had ‘big plans’ for her.

She hated it at first, honestly, for her image was not yet anything like who she really was, and it had felt like she was lying to the thousands of fans that accumulated after the debut.

She was young, and felt uncomfortable with being so , especially in front of the entire nation. It was something that she had to grow into, something that had become a side to her overtime. She was the y Hyuna, yes, but she was the quiet, gentle Hyuna, too.

Looking back at it, she supposed the worst part of the change was the reaction she had received. So, so many people hated her for it, her overly ual performances. She was doing what she was told to do (and damn well, too, because she had convinced everyone that was who she was), yet all people could think was how she was a worthless .

She remembered the first time she had released her own single- even her mother was so furious, she had been wordlessly disowned. She couldn’t say she had not expected it, because her mother was extremely conservative and most likely viewed her newfound provocativeness as embarrassing to the family name. It had already been years and she still had yet to pick up Hyuna’s numerous phone calls.

“Hyuna? Are you alright?” Hyunseung murmured.

Unknowingly, she had been staring into the mirror covered walls of the dance studio with an excessive intensity. Nodding stiffly, she tried to return her focus to the choreography practice. She liked the composition of the dance.  It was both y and unique, so she had no major qualms with it.

“Okay, let’s just practice a few more times. Our album is released next month, you know. I’m excited.” Hyunseung said happily, wiping the gathered sweat from his brow.

He was a really great friend, Hyuna noted as they continued with rehearsal, her head swimming. Hyunseung was honestly one of her favorite people in the world, practically the only person she could rely on to help her through this. He cheered her on when no one else would.

Five more run throughs later, Hyuna finally allowed herself to crumble against the studio wall, clutching a water bottle to her chest desperately. She was pretty sure she was dying of hunger, if not thirst.

Hyunseung fell beside her, drinking his own water feverishly. Wiping the spare droplets from his lips, he grinned to her. “Hungry? I’ll treat you to something to eat if you’d like. Noodles?”

“That’s okay, I’m not really hungry.” She refused, gulping down a few mouthfuls of water and swishing it around in her cheeks to refrain from getting a stomach ache. She had learned long ago that too much water on an empty stomach hurt like hell.

He gave her a look as her stomach grumbled in protest. “Noodles, it is. I’ve been craving them like crazy.” He stood and helped her to her feet, but when he released her hands her legs wobbled threateningly so he kept a hand on the small of her back as they walked to his car. “Are you okay?”

She shrugged, climbing in when he held the door open for her. Fastening her seatbelt, she stared out the window. “Just tired, I guess.” The company had been pushing her to lose weight for the comeback, since the style concept revealed a lot of her body. She personally hadn’t thought anything was wrong with her already petit frame, she loved her body, but what the director said would have to be followed.

“When’s the last time you ate? Look at how thin you’ve gotten.” Hyunseung continued, poking her whittled waist with one hand as he drove.

She sighed pointedly. “A diet, Hyunseung. “

“But you don’t need to lose any weight, you’re perfect as it is.”

“I know, but the director doesn’t seem to agree.” She chewed her lip, her stomach pain growing stronger. She hadn’t eaten anything all day, excluding a tuft of lettuce she was given for this morning. She seriously regretted not sneaking something earlier.

Hyunseung made a discontented noise. “I’ll talk with him. You’re nearly skeletal-“

“Hyunseung. Drop it. It’s not a big deal.” She said harshly, cutting him off. It was almost annoying how he constantly did things like this. Even when she clearly wanted to drop a subject, he frequently brought it up again.

“Relax. I’m just worried, that’s all.” He said quietly, his lower lip slipping into a pout. Suddenly he straightened his position, glancing to her hastily before returning his eyes to the road. “Yah! I’m your oppa, you brat! Treat me like one!”

She sighed softly, feeling slightly guilty. “Sorry, Oppa. I’m just crabby today. It’s been a long day.”

“It’s alright kiddo. Let’s eat well then, okay?” He ruffled her hair playfully.

Fixing the messy strands tiredly, she chuckled under her breath. “I have to be thin for tomorrow’s mv shoot. “

“Eh, a few bowls of thick soup won’t kill you.” He winked.

She just shook her head.

“Hyuna, where have you been? You were due back hours ago.” Jihyun said angrily. “The manager is going to have my head!”

“I’m sorry, Unnie. Hyunseung Oppa and I were eating dinner together, so-“

“Shut up, Hyuna! I know you’re having another comeback soon, but we have house rules and I expect you to stick to them regardless!” Her voice grew shrill, causing Hyuna to cringe away from the cellphone earpiece.

“Is she really angry?” Hyunseung mouthed, and she nodded.

“Furious.” “I’m so sorry, Unnie. I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

“Whatever.” The line abruptly went dead.

Hyuna sighed again, so Hyunseung snuck a sideways glimpse at her. “Is everything okay?”

 “No. Jihyun Unnie’s mad at me again.” She shook her head to clear it as his car pulled up to the usual spot he dropped her off at. “I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess.”

He grabbed her wrist before she could walk inside. “Wait. It seems like this is all to frequent. What’s up?”

Maybe it was because she felt obligated, maybe she was desperate for his attention, or maybe she was just a ticking time bomb pushed into a premature explosion, but the words poured from her instantly.

She told him how Jihyun had become irrationally angry with her lately, how Gayoon and Jiyoon had become extremely detached, and how Sohyun had become openly spiteful about an insatiable jealousy. It really hurt for her sister-like members to grow so upset with her, and because of reasons beyond her control.

She had overheard an argument between Jihyun and Sohyun a few months back about her- Sohyun was screaming about how she didn’t deserve all of the solo attention, and that she was sick of being her ‘backup dancer’. Jihyun had remained calm, soothing the maknae by promising she would reach her own well-earned place in the music industry at the right time. That made Hyuna feel that she could trust Jihyun to protect her from such hatred, but a heated rant to Gayoon not even a week later made her feel cold and alone within her own family of friends.

She wasn’t sure when the tears had begun to fall, but there Hyunseung was, wiping away the silky drops of sadness as they cascaded down her face in heavy streams. “I’m sorry. You don’t deserve it, Hyuna. You don’t.”

“B-But I do. I’m the . I’m the one they all hate. “She clung to him, burying her face in his sturdy chest.

She could feel him shaking his head. “Who’s they, Hyuna? Because I know so many people who love you. You’re not even remotely close to a , Hyuna. You’re comfortable with your body, yeah, but you’re not a .  You haven’t had any dating scandals, you haven’t slept around. And who would care if you did? It’s your body, not theirs. As long as you’re happy with who you are, then why do they matter?”

His kind words were enough to ease the tears, letting her pull back to wipe her own face with a sniffle. “Thanks, Oppa. I’m really thankful we get to work together. You’re probably my best friend.”

As she spoke, she realized the validity of what she had said. He really had become her best friend over the last few years.  She had spent more time with him alone than with any other person, including her band members, when neither of them were promoting.

He flashed her a wide smile. “Good, ‘cause you’re mine, too. Now hurry up and run inside, I’m sure Jihyun is even angrier since we’ve been out here a while.”

“I-I’m sorry,” She said stupidly as she scrambled to unbuckle herself.

Waving his hand, he shook his head. “Honey, you’re fine. Now go. If she gives you too much trouble, make her call me. She’ll listen to her Oppa, I’m sure.”

She hugged him tightly but swiftly before sprinting inside, heading up the stairs rather than waiting for the slow elevator. Jihyun was sitting on the couch across from the door expectantly with her arms folded against her chest and her legs crossed intimidatingly. “Soon, huh?”

“I-I’m sorry, we were caught in traffic.” She was never the best liar, and she could see in Jihyun’s eyes that she was caught. “I’ll be home earlier tomorrow, I promise.”

“Whatever. Just go to bed, Hyuna. You have an early schedule for filming.” Jihyun looked so disappointed in her for some reason, and the disappointment hurt more than the anger.

“Are you ready yet?” Hyunseung called through the curtain, startling her enough to make her jump slightly.

It really was too early for this. She had been at the set of the music video since four A.M., because makeup and hair had taken three hours alone. Adjusting the tight fabric stretched across her bust, she yelled back, “Yeah,” and pushed the curtain aside.

His eyes travelled up her body appreciatively. “Wow, I love the costume. You look pretty hot.”

“Sh-Shut up, Hyunseung Oppa.” She pulled the jean jacket cloaked on her shoulders closer, covering the visible expanse of upper body from his view. She really liked the outfit, actually, because it made her look really desirable for once. It gave her an odd sense of confidence that she knew would become very helpful during filming.

They walked together through the set until they ran into the director, who promptly screamed at the staff to get them ready to film the first scene.

The theme of the song was beautiful, in her opinion. She had studied Bonnie and Clyde purely out of interest after seeing the play a while back, and although the story was not as glamorous as the play had portrayed, she thought the plot for the music video was significantly more realistic while maintaining the true beauty of historical romance.

However, when the model-like girls that were playing the characters who slept with Hyunseung strode by proudly in nothing but a shirt and underwear, she couldn’t help but curl her lip back. They originally to be filming the car scene first, but a setback in preparation of the set had caused a quick lineup change.

Arms crossed, Hyuna sat in a foldup chair behind the camera to watch Hyunseung film his solo scenes. It went smoothly, with the recorded song playing in the back ground to assist with the timing, though she still felt inexplicably angry when she saw the girls hanging over Hyunseung’s bare chest. Hyunseung was more prudish than she, and he was rather shy with exposing his body even though his body was well defined as it was. She bit back her tongue as she saw the girls gra