He didn’t mean it. Hana reassures herself. Maybe she misunderstood him with their music playing over the PA and the fan’s chants. Maybe he wasn’t talking to her? But then who would he be saying such a hateful thing to? A back-up dancer? No, he’s probably drunk; he’s an uncle fan anyways right? Once you get older, you began to drink? But making up excuses for what the man said doesn’t stop Hana from crying.

Hana covers her face with her hands and puts her back to the bathroom door and slides down until her lands on the ground. She brings her knees to her chest and hugs herself as tears began to flow.

“Noona?” Hana scrambles to her feet and holds the door knob to keep her dongsaeng from entering. “Hana-noona? I know you’re in there, please let me in.” The young boy jiggles the door knob but it doesn’t bulge. He sighs dejected and Hana presses her ear against the door just to hear it. Her dongsaeng has a very pretty voice.

The lock makes some sort of clicking sound as Hana finally unlocks the door. It opens and Youngjae’s figure is revealed from the other side. Hana reacts every way she does when she sees her precious dongsaeng. in a deep breath, Hana shoots Youngjae a sad smile.

Youngjae’s heart falls in the pit of his stomach. “Oh noona,” he whispers softly. Hearing Youngjae’s voice is all it takes for Hana to go on a flood of emotions. A very pretty voice to go with a very pretty face. Her bottom lip quivers and parts with a gut-wrenching sob.

Youngjae slips his arms around her body and Hana uses the junction between his neck and shoulder to stain his pink and white striped shirt with tears. “Shh noona, it’s okay, I’m here.” The young boy coos into his sunbae’s head of hair. After the crying stops, all that is left is hiccups. Hana lifts her head from Youngjae’s neck and stares at him.

There aren’t mascara stains running down her cheeks because God forbid the make-up unnies would let her use anything but waterproof. But her eyes are puffy and her nose has a small red tint. But his noona always looks beautiful whatever the matter is.

“Do you think noona is pretty, Youngjae-ah?” Hana speaks for the first time.  Youngjae frowns at her choice of words but he’s quick to react and says, “Of course, when isn’t she?” this makes Hana chuckle and look away for a minute before composing herself.

“Why can’t the world have a way of thinking like you?” Hana asks as she stares up at him through her false lashes and lip in between her teeth. And really she wonders, why, her dongsaeng always has a way with words.

“A world full of know it all’s? I don’t think anyone wants that.” He replies. Hana nods in agreement and reaches up and takes Youngjae’s tie between her fingers and tugs on it. Youngjae, watches with a frown, but doesn’t say anything because that would just ruin the moment.

Finally, Hana looks up and lets her arms fall by her side. Her lips pull into a big mega-watt smile and Youngjae almost flinches because whoa did his noona just pull a 360 mood flip.

“Thanks Youngjae, honestly-” Hana stops and sighs but it’s not a sad one this time. “I needed this and just, thank you.” Youngjae cracks a smile because he honestly left his noona incapable of forming words.

“You’re welcome, noona.” He says with a nod and moves aside to let his noona out of the bathroom. Hana walks right past him and Youngjae follows behind.

Her heels click and it sparks a nerve in Youngjae as he bites his bottom lip. “Hey noona,” he calls out before she can get away. Hana spins around and her hair flies around her like a veil and she has a look on her face like she was expecting Youngjae to call out to her.

“Yes Youngjae?”

“I-” Youngjae considers what he’s going to say, “I’m always here for you, and if I can’t make it, you always have a family willing to be there.”

Youngjae watches a flicker of emotion wash over her face before she breaks out into an eye-smile and bows. “Thank you, Youngjae.” And he watches her walk away with new sudden boost of confidence that Youngjae may have gave her.

“Anytime,” he whispers once she is out of sight.