“An MT?”

“Yes, an MT.”, Yunhee, the host of the show 'Idol School', said on the phone.

“So that means that I'm going with my teacher and the other trainees to a trip to Jeju Island?”, I asked again.

“Well, it'll be the last Episode of 'Idol School'. We're gonna hold the final contest between the trainees in Jeju. You're gonna get one day to practice one last time with your teacher and the next day, you'll be competing with the other trainees. Got it?”

“Uhm...yeah.” I paused. “So when will this MT start?”

“In three days. We're gonna meet at the SBS Building and then we all gonna drive together to Jeju. Make sure to be there at 8am. Dont be late!”

“Okay.”

“Good. We'll talk later. Bye.”

“Bye, Eonni.”, I said and hung up.

Minah nudged me. “So what did she say?”

“I'm gonna go to an MT in three days.”

“An MT? Where?”

“Jeju Island.”

“Wow.” She paused. “Wait...so let me sum it up. You're gonna go to the beautiful Jeju Island with your teacher, who's by the way also your boyfriend, for two days and one night, right?”

“I know where you're heading with your thoughts.” I held up a hand to stop her from interrupting me. “You forget that we will be followed by cameras 24 hours a day. There won't be any time for what you have in mind.”

She grinned. “What, do you think, did I have in mind?”

“Obviously you were trying to imply that I would use the MT as an opportunity to have a romantic adventure with Wooyoung Oppa, right?”

“Yeah, but -”

“It's a schedule and we both gonna act like professionals by keeping our hands to ourselves.”

She snorted. “Yeah, right. As if a woman could keep her hands to herself when one of the iest man alive is standing next to her.”

“Are you trying to hit on my boyfriend?”, I asked and laughed.

“Hey, don't blame me, okay? You have to admit that it's difficult to be reasonable when you're near him.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, he really is hot but that's still not an excuse for you to drool over him.”

“Aww are we getting possessive? That's not an appealing trait, you know?”

“Well, from my point of view, you two have no appealing traits at all.”, someone suddenly said.

Startled, we turned around, just to come face to face with Hyomin and her henchmen.

“And you think you have the right to judge us?”, Minah asked.

“Of course. Just take a good look at me and then look at yourself. There's a huge difference between us.”

“The only huge difference between us is that everything on you is plastic and everyone on us is natural.”, I retorted.

“Yeah, you are naturally ugly, I agree.”

Minah clenched her fists. “We all know that you got your face from a catalogue. You look like all the plastic dolls out there. Dear, there's nothing unique about you. Not even your rotten personality.”

“Jealousy's a , huh? Minah, honey, you better stop worrying over my face and start focusing on your practice. A little bird told me that your monthly evaluation results are....well...not really impressive.” She turned to me. “And you too, don't think that you can pull your 'Dead Daddy'-card again. You have been spoiled by our coaches too much in the last months. Get a grip and grow up, for heaven's sake. Seriously, whiny little brats like you don't belong here.”

I wanted to rush to the plastic to teach her a lesson but Minah held me back.

“Don't. She's provoking you to hit her again, so that you'll be expelled from this company. Calm down, Ha Ni.”, Minah whispered.

“Yeah, just listen to your little lap dog, Ha Ni. We both know that you don't have the courage to attack me.”

My inner voice yelled at me to give her a good punch to her plastic face but I tried to ignore it and took a deep breath. When I was sure that I wouldn't hit her, I took a step back.

“What do you know about 'courage', huh? You always hide behind your rich parents and your little henchmen. Without them, you are nothing. Just another stupid and spoiled brat, who bullies other people just to make her pathetic self feel better. I truly pity you, honey.”, I spit out.

She glared at me. “You know nothing about me, crybaby.” Suddenly her glare turned into a creepy smile. “If I were you, I would enjoy the last seconds of your pathetic love life because soon, there'll be no love life for you anymore. Though I still think that you are just a fling, something to pass the time with. Someone like him would never really fall for trash like you. Both of them won't, you pathetic delusional brat.” With these words, she turned around and went away, followed by her henchmen.

Minah sighed. “You know, if we ever gonna debut with her in a group, I'm gonna go insane.”

“Minah, what did she mean with 'my love life will end soon'? Does...does she know about him?”

She widened her eyes. “Oh my gosh, I didn't even considered it! How could she have found out?”

“And she also said that 'both of them' would never fall for me. She knows it, Minah, she knows it!”

“But....but how?” She froze. “Oh no....no no no no...”

I grabbed her shoulders and shook her. “What?! What did you just remember?”

“Do...do you remember when you returned to the dorm late and I caught you? You told me that you were with Wooyoung Sunbae and then you told me about your conflicting feelings. And when we wanted to go to bed, you asked me if I heard anything.”

I recalled to have heard a weird noise. “I thought I heard something like a gasp coming from the hall.”

“It must have been Hyomin! That plastic has been eavesdropping on us!”

“How much, do you think, did she hear?”

“Enough to taunt you with cryptic nonsense several minutes ago.”

“Oh crap. What am I gonna do now?”

“Take a deep breath, Ha Ni. Don't you dare start to panic now, that's just what she wants! Calm down.”

I took several breaths. “Do you think she will tell the media?”

“Judging by her rotten character, she'll keep it to herself for now. Firstly, because she has no proof and secondly, because she obviously enjoys to torture you with her knowlegde about your secret. Let her have her fun and we will use the time to think of a counter strategy.”

Despite the crisis, I had to laugh. “You sound like a general preparing for war.”

“Well, that's a fitting description for this situation right now.”, she said and chuckled.

“Okay, I'll heed your advice about not doing anything about the Hyomin matter....for now.”

“Good, girl.”, she said and patted my head. “Now back to more interesting topics....does Wooyoung Sunbae know about the MT?”

I shrugged. “Well, considering the fact that he's part of the show, I'm sure the PD has already informed him.”

“Are you two gonna perform this dance, which you've been practicing together during the last weeks, on the MT?”

“Yeah, the final competition will be opened by the performances of the students with their teachers.”

“And what's the theme?”

“The dances have to be from the student's company.”

She grinned. “So let me guess....you and Wooyoung gonna perform 'Troublemaker', huh?”

“100 points for the little girl with the stupid grin on her face.”, I said and rolled my eyes.

“You do know that I totally envy you, don't you?”

“You've told me that a lot of time, yes.”

“Oh my gosh, you gonna get to touch him and rub your body against his and -”

I cut her off by putting my hand on . “Stop. Please, just stop.” Suddenly I felt something wet on the palm of my hand. I yelped and backed away. “What the heck? Did you just my hand? Eww!”

“That's what you get for cutting me off.”, Minah said and grinned.

“Seriously, that's so disgusting.”, I said and wiped my wet hand on my trousers.

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. Don't be such a wimp.” Suddenly her eyes sparkled. “You gonna meet him this week, right?”

“Whom?”

“Uhm...y, hot and handsome? Mr. Nice- who's, by the way, also your teacher?”

“Oh, him. Yeah, today, after practice.”

She grinned. “Don't forget to tell me about his reaction when you tell him about your romatic trip to Jeju.”

“For heaven's sake, it's not a romantic trip, okay? And how, do you think, is he going to react?”

“I don't know. You tell me, he's your boyfriend.”

“A lady doesn't kiss and tell.”

“If I'm not mistaken, it's 'A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell.', isn't it?”

“Oh, you're so istic, Minah. Ever heard of emancipation?”

She punched me. “Sometimes you're really annoying.”

“Yeah, I love you, too.”, I said and laughed.

She just rolled her eyes and walked towards the practice room. Still laughing to myself, I followed her.

 

Around 11pm, I quickly left the Cube building and walked straight to the JYP building. Wooyoung gave me a staff card, so I didn't have to worry about complications and I could enter the JYP building whenever I wanted.

When I entered the office and went straight to the practice room, I could still hear music coming out of it. Not wanting to disturb the guys, I went to the cantine and sent a text message to Wooyoung, telling him to call me when he was done with practice. After 15 minutes, he finally called me.

“Hey, love.”, he said when I answered the phone.

“Hey, babo.”

He sighed. “Ha Ni, you're so unromantic.”

“Oh, you want me to be romantic? Okay.....wait a moment.” I took a deep breath. “Hey, my lovely prince. I've missed you so much that I've counted every second, waiting for your call to hear your wonderful voice.”

“Your sarcasm is like a stab to my heart.”, he said and chuckled. “By the way, where are you right now?”

“Guess.”

“Cube office?”

“Nope.”

“Your dorm?”

“Nope.”

“Oh, come on. Just tell me already.”

“Keep guessing.”

He considered. “Uhm....shopping center?”

“At 11.30pm? You can do better, babo.”

“I don't know. Cafe? Restaurant? My dorm?” He paused. “Hmmm, my room, maybe?”

I could imagine the smirk on his face right now. “You wish. I'm in the cantine in the JYP office.”

“Wait....what?! Why didn't you tell me earlier? Okay, I'll be there in a minute.”, he said and hung up.

I put my phone into my bag and leaned back. Only seconds later, I saw him coming through the door. He was wearing his practice clothes, consisting of jogging pants, a shirt and a cap. Even in these casual clothes, he looked delicious.

He came towards me and gave me a quick kiss. Then he sat down next to me. “Why are you smiling?”, he asked.

“Huh? Oh, it's nothing. Just happy to be here.”

“Are you drunk again?”

I punched him. “No, I'm not drunk, babo. By the way, do you know about the MT?”

“Yeah, in three days, right?” He took my hand. “Can't wait to go on a trip with my student.”

His grin made me feel uneasy. “Yes, the emphasis lies on 'student', babo. We have to behave like professionals, you know.”

“Hmm, I'm gonna be really professional.”

“You saying that while giving me that michievous grin isn't very assuring.”, I said and chuckled.

“So you want me to keep a certain distance to you all the time during the MT? All two days while were on the beautiful Jeju Island? Really?”

“You make me sound like a dumb girl for suggesting that.” He just smiled. “Don't make it harder on me as it already is.”, I said and let out a frustrated sigh.

“So it's hard on you to keep your hands to yourself during the MT, huh?”

I punched him on the shoulder again. “Stop twisting my words, babo.”

“You know, for a girl, your punches really hurt.”, he said and rubbed his shoulder.

“Just promise me to be professional during the MT. I don't want to get you into trouble...again.”

“Hey, I'm not going to get into trouble. So stop talking nonsense.”, he said and pulled me onto his lap. I quickly looked around to check if there were people in the cantine. Fortunately, there weren't. I relaxed and leaned my head against his shoulder.

“Just promise me to be professional.”

He sighed . “Okay, I promise to keep my hands to myself during the MT.”

“Okay, thanks.”

Then he leaned down and whispered into my ear: “I may keep my hands to myself.....but I don't need my hands to kiss you, you know.”

I sat up. “Seriously? Oh, you're one smartass, aren't you?”

“Isn't that one of the reasons why you love me?”

“No, I only love you because you're a babo. I have a weakness for babos, you know.”

“And....another stab to my heart. You keep on breaking my heart, Ha Ni.”, he said and chuckled.

Even though he was just teasing me, I couldn't help but feel guilty after hearing his words. Trying to ignore the guilt, I changed the topic. Recently, I have found out that my Mum was still alive and I needed someone to talk to.

“Oppa, there's something I want to talk about.”

He gave me a curious look. “Huh? What's the matter?”

“Several days ago, my Aunt -”

Suddenly I was interrupted by a phone. Wooyoung moved and pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Sorry, Ha Ni, I got to answer this one. Hold your thought.”, he said and answered the phone.

I stood up from his lap and sat down on the chair next to him. After several minutes, he hung up. When I looked up, I saw him giving me an apologetic look.

Uh oh.

“Why are you looking at me like that? What happened?”, I asked.

He took my hand. “That was Minjae Hyung. He told me that practice's not over yet.”

“But aren't you usually done around midnight?”

“Yeah, usually. But next week, we have a tour in Japan and we still need to prepare for it.”

I sighed. “I see.”

“I'm so sorry, love. We'll talk later, okay?”

“Sure. Now hurry, or you'll be late.”, I said and tried to give him a sincere smile.

He gave me a quick kiss. “Thanks for understanding. I love you!” Then he rushed out of the cantine.

Yeah, Ha Ni. That's how idols live. No privacy and busy to no end. Get used to it.

 

The next day, after my lessons, I stayed in the practice room to practice on my own. Initially, I was supposed to meet Wooyoung but he had to cancel because his practice was extended again. So, instead of sitting around in the dorm, doing nothing, I decided to practice for the upcoming MT. The show would be broadcasted throughout the whole country, so I didn't want to embarrass myself.

I was dancing for several hours, when I suddenly heard a noise behind me. Startled I turned around, just to see Minah standing at the door.

She smiled at me. “So you were here after all.”

“Yeah, I'm practicing for the competition.”

“Yeah, I thought so too, when I didn't see you at the dorm. You wanna take a break now? There's something I want to talk to you about.”

“Sure.”, I said and sat down on the floor. Minah sat down next to me.

“So, what do you want to talk about?”, I asked curiously.

“Well...how's Yuri feeling lately?”

“She's recovering but...”

“But what?”

“Uhm...her physical injuries are healed but there are still her emotional injuries. I couldn't get through her, she's not even speaking to me. She keeps locking herself into her room.”

Minah clenched her fists. “Oh man, that CEO bastard. If I catch him, he's gonna regret the day he was born!” Then she sighed. “Do you think she would talk to me?”

“I don't know but we could try. How about coming with me to my house on Sunday?”

“Huh? Don't you have a date with your y boyfriend?”

“No, he's in Japan during the weekend.”

“Ah, it really to have a boyfriend who's an idol, huh?”

“You could say that.”, I said and sighed.

“Yet you guys are still in a functional relationship.”

“Yes.”

“And you still love each other.”

“Yes.” I paused. “What exactly are you driving at, Minah?”

“I know I told you that I totally support you but I still don't understand how you could have feelings for another man even though your boyfriend is so....perfect.”

“I don't have feelings for another man.”

“So you just kissed Yoseob Sunbae because of a whim?”

“Are you judging me?”

“No, I'm just trying to understand. Look, you told me that you really love Wooyoung Sunbae. And it seems like he really loves you. So why did you kiss another man?”

“It was a mistake.”

“So? Was it? Or did you instinctly kiss him because it's him you're really after and not Wooyoung Sunbae?”

“What the heck are you talking about?”, I asked, slowly getting angry.

“Who do really love, Ha Ni? Who is the one in your heart? Is it Wooyoung Sunbae or ist it Yoseob Sunbae?”

“I won't answer this ridiculous question.”, I said and stood up but Minah grabbed my hand and pulled me back down.

“Why? Because you don't know the answer? Or ist it because you're scared of the answer?” I was rendered speechless. “Ha Ni, answer my question. Be true to yourself.” She paused. “Who is it?”

To be honest, I didn't really think about it. I was quite sure that I loved Wooyoung. But if I did, why couldn't I stop thinking about Yoseob? Why did my heart race whenever I saw him? But my heart was also beating like crazy whenever I was with Wooyoung. So who was the one I really loved?

“I...I don't know.”, I said after a while.

“What? How can't you -”

A sudden noise cut her off in midsentence. We both turned around to see a retreating shadow near the door.

Oh my gosh. Who could be here at this time?

I quickly stood up and ran out of the room but I didn't see anyone. Did I just imagine it?

“What was that noise? It sounding like a piece of paper was being ripped.”, Minah said when she came out of the room.

“I don't know. I thought I saw someone at the door but it seems like I just imagined it.”

“Yeah, maybe we're just tired and our mind is pulling prank on us...huh? What is that?” I went back to Minah. She was staring at something on the floor next to the door. Minah bend down and picked something up. “What is that? Looks like a...” She put the two pieces together. “...ripped ticket?”

I quickly pulled the pieces out of her hand to take a better look at them. It really was a ticket...a plane ticket to Japan for Saturday evening.

“Why did someone rip a plane ticket even though it's still valid? And it's for this weekend.” She froze. “Uh, Ha Ni...isn't Wooyoung Sunbae in Japan this weekend?”

Oh crap.

I quickly put the ripped pieces into my pockets and went straight to the stairs. I could still hear Minah shouting after me but I didn't have the time to explain. If my assumption was right, then I was seriously screwed.

When I arrived at the first floor, I rushed out of the Cube building. Looking around, I couldn't make out any cars. Was I too late?

After walking several metres towards the JYP building, I finally saw someone. Recognizing his distinctive figure, I ran towards him.

“Oppa?”, I asked. The person kept on walking. “Wooyoung Oppa!”

Finally he stopped. I caught up to him but because I was still out of breath from running like crazy, I needed a moment to take my breath before I could look at him. When I finally did, I froze. It was him but those eyes....those eyes couldn't belong to him. Not when he was looking at me like that.

Not wanting to let on about my uneasiness, I tried to smile. “Hey, why didn't you tell me that you're done with practice?”

No answer.

“Uh...why are you so quiet? Did something happen, Oppa?”

“Cut your pathetic act, Ha Ni.”

I froze. “What? What act?”

“I really can't stand to look at you now. Move aside, I'm heading home.”

I didn't move an inch. “What are you talking about?”

“You still want to act clueless? Fine, let me word it out for you. I'm through with you. Now get out of my way.”

“Not until you explain this nonsense you're talking about.”

“Nonsense, huh?” He paused. “Tell me, is this some kind of payback for what I did to you during the Eun Mi incident?”

“I don't understand -”

“Is this why you're trying to hurt me like I did to you at that time? Because if that's the case, then congratulations, you succeeded.”

Dammit. So he did hear my conversation with Minah. Crap, crap crap!

“So you heard...uhm...”

“Yeah, I heard it. Here I thought that it would be nice to surprise you with a ticket, so that we could spend the weekend together but it seems like I might have disturbed your plans with Yoseob. Excuse me for not being so thoughtful. Foolish me, huh?”

“It's not like that.” I tried hard to hold back my tears.

“Then tell me, what did I do wrong? Did I neglect you too much? Or maybe I was just a fling, a short adventure?”

“You did nothing wrong. And I never thought of you as a 'fling'. Stop talking nonsense.”

“Then why...why the did you betray me?”

I flinched at his harsh tone. “I never meant to hurt you. The kiss...it was just an accident.”

“Do you really believe what you're saying?”

“Yes.”, I said quietly, no longer able to hold back my tears.

“I heard what you said to Minah-ssi. If it was just a 'mistake', like you said, then why did you answer her question with 'I don't know'? Do you even know what you want?”

“I want you.”

“But you had me! My heart, my love....everything! I gave you everything! Yet you still ran after him.”

“I don't know why I'm feeling this way. But I really love you. My love to you wasn't a lie.”

“I'm sorry, but it's really hard to believe your words right now.”

“Let me explain -”

“Better not. Don't insult me with your lame excuses.”

I reached out to him but he backed away. “Oppa...I'm so sorry...”, I sobbed.

“Maybe I should go before I do or say something that I'll regret.”

“I'm sorry...”, I sobbed.

“I know. But it's not enough.”, he said. Then he passed me and walked away.

I don't know how long I was standing there but suddenly, Minah was standing in front of me. And her panicked face was the last thing I saw before everything went black.

 

Over and over the images of Wooyoung's disgusted look were replayed in my head before I finally woke up. A blinding brightness kept me from opening my eyes. After a moment to get used to the brightness, I slowly opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was a white wall. A plain white wall. Hmmm...why did this plain white wall look so interesting?

“You wanna keep staring at the wall like a mentally deranged person or you gonna get your lazy out of your bed?”, someone suddenly said, pulling me out of my trance-like state.

I blinked and turned my head to the direction where the voice was coming from. There, Minjung was sitting on the floor, folding her clothes.

“Where...where am I?”, I asked quietly.

“In Las Vegas. You're suffering from a hangover you got last night after partying like crazy. Right now, you're lying in a 5-stars hotel and I'm the chambermaid. Now do I get a tip for offering you this piece of information or not?”

I groaned and sat up. “Your sarcasm is very refreshing, Minjung-ssi, thank you very much.”

“Always happy to serve, Ma'am.”

“By the way, do you know where Minah is?”, I asked and looked around.

“Do I look like an information booth?”

I sighed. “Nevermind.”

Just then Minah came barging into the room.

“Ha Ni! You awake?”, she shouted.

“Ever heard of knocking?”, Minjung grunted.

“Yeah, good morning to you too, Sunshine.”, Minah retorted. Then she turned to me. “You okay?”

“Why shouldn't I be okay?”, I asked confusedly.

She glanced at Minjung. “Hey, could you leave the room for a moment, please? I need to talk to Ha Ni in private.”

“Of course, you both can talk in private.” She glanced up. ”In your room.”

“Aren't you getting tired of being so grumpy all the time?”

“And aren't you getting tired of being so annoying all the time?”

“Well, I know for sure that I'm getting tired of your bickering.”, I said and stood up. Then I grabbed Minah's hand and pulled her out of the room into the bathroom. I quickly locked the door and the water.

“Now explain to me why you wanted to know if I'm okay.”

Minah gave me a confused look. “Don't you remember anything from yesterday? Because the only thing I can tell you about is that I found you standing on outside like a statue, staring at something I couldn't see, before you collapsed and passed out. So it's actually me who needs some explanations from you.”

“Wait...I passed out? But all I remember is that I was practicing for the MT and then you came and then...” Suddenly it all came crashing into me and I remembered everything. Every single painful detail.

“Oh......crap.”, I said after a while.

“So you finally remember?”

I grimaced. “Unfortunately.”

“So what happened? Why were you running away from the practice room like you were escaping from a burning building, and then passed out when I find you?”

“I think you already know what happened.”, I said and buried my face into my hands.

She put a hand on my shoulder. “So it was really him after all?”

“Yeah. And to sum it up: it's over.”

“No!”, she said aghastly.

“I totally screwed up.”

“Tell me what exactly happened. Did you explain everything to him?”

“What could I have told him to change things? It's true that my feelings are totally messed up right now. He has every right to be angry.”

“But to end your relationship so suddenly...you could have tried to work things out. Don't you guys love each other?”

“If only things could be resolved so easily. He gave me his heart and I stepped on it by falling for Yoseob Sunbae. I'm the reason why this relationship didn't work out, Minah.”

“Ha Ni -”

“Please don't try to comfort me. I don't deserve your compassion. What I deserve is to suffer for the mistakes I made. If not, then I'll never be able to face him again. Though I'm quite sure that he hates me right now.”

Before I could realize it, Minah grabbed my hand, pulled me towards her and slapped me. Even though my cheek was stinging from the pain, I could only stare at her, unable to move.

“Jung Ha Ni, you will not say another word. You will listen to everything I have to say right now, do you get it?”

Did she really just slapped me? Judging from the pain coming from my cheek, she really did. What the heck?

When I still didn't say anything, she jerked my arm. “I asked you a question. Do you get it?” I quickly nodded, scared that I would receive another slap. “Okay, listen. Stop talking like a whiny little girl. Your depressive attitude is pissing me off. That's not like you at all. Where's the confident Ha Ni we all know and love? Where's the girl who faced one trouble after another without backing down? Don't you dare say that you deserve to suffer. Everyone makes a mistake, okay? Learn from it and don't repeat it.”

“But that won't fix it. Wooyoung Oppa will still hate me.”

“He doesn't hate you, Ha Ni. He loves you, didn't he? How could he suddenly hate you?”

“Well, maybe because I betrayed him?”, I asked dryly.

“He's hurt and angry. He doesn't hate you, that I'm sure of. Give him time to cope with things and then you can try to settle things with him.”

I took a deep breath. “Thank you for pulling out of the state I've been in earlier, Minah. I...I don't know what got into me. All of a sudden, the pain and the guilt were suffocating me, keeping me from thinking clearly.”

“So you gonna follow my advice?”

“As wise as you are, you forgot something important.”

She gave me confused look. “Huh? What do you mean?”

“The MT. Wooyoung Oppa is my teacher and we'll be stuck together on Jeju Island for two days.”

“Ah, crap. I really did forget about that.”

“If only I could turn back time.”, I whined.

“To do what? Avoid falling for Yoseob Sunbae? Weren't you the one who told me that your stupid heart doesn't care for what you think? That we can't decide who to fall in love with? So even if you could turn back time, there would have been no way for you to keep yourself from falling for Yoseob Sunbae.”

I smiled ruefully. “And weren't you the one who told me that between Yoseob Sunbae and me, there's nothing more than mere physical attraction?”

“Seems like I underestimated your feelings for him.”, she said and sighed. “So what you gonna do about the MT now?”

“I have no idea. You see, I'm not quite sure how Wooyoung Oppa will act towards me. Will he ignore me? Or will he act like nothing happened?”

“Oh man, that's gonna be an awkward MT.”

“You can say that again.”

“By the way, I've noticed that you've been kinda down lately, I mean, even before the incident with Wooyoung Sunbae. Has something been troubling you? You know I'm here for you. You can tell me everything.”

I needed a while to find out what she meant. Then I suddenly remembered. “Oh my gosh, how could I have forgotten about this? I've got huge news, Minah!”

“Omo, omo, omo, I'm so excited! Now stop stalling and tell me already!”

“I once told you that I lost my Mom due to a sickness when I was very young ,right? Well, I recently found out that she's still alive.”

“WHAT THE HECK??!! How.....how can that.....oh my gosh...I don't.....HOW?”

I told her about the letter from my Dad and what he told me about my Mom and the witness protection program. When I was done, Minah was just staring at me, forming an perfect 'O'.

“Yeah, my face looked pretty the same like yours when I finished reading the letter.”, I said.

“So....so all this time, she was alive?”

“Yes.”

“But why didn't she contact you?”

“Acoording to my Dad, she did this to protect him and me from this bad guy and his connections but I already looked it up. This guy died several years ago during a fight in a prison. So there's no reason for her to keep hiding.”

“Maybe she doesn't know.”

“I really hope so, because if not, then it means that she doesn't want to contact us at all.”

“What do you mean?”, she asked confusedly.

“Maybe, during the time she was hiding, she found another man and now she has another family? That would also explain why she doesn't want any contact with her 'previous' family.”

“But she's your Mom. Even if she does have a new family - which I strongly doubt by the way – she can't just abandon you.”

“Well, I'll never know if I don't aks her myself.”

“Do you know where she is right now?”

I sighed. “No, I don't. But I know where her best friend lives. Maybe she knows where my Mom is right now.”

“Oh my gosh! That's so cool! Your Mom, who was supposed to be dead, is suddenly alive! I'm so happy for you!”, she said and hugged me tightly.

I smiled ruefully. “You know, I wish my Dad would have been able to meet her again, too. All this time, he knew she was alive but he still couldn't contact her.”

“Your Dad is a strong man. Not everyone could have handled what he has been going through.”

“Then I'll give my best to find my Mom. I owe it to him and to me.”

“You go, girl! By the way, where does that best friend of your Mom live?”

I grinned. “Do you believe in coincidences?”

“Don't tell me...”

“Exactly. My Mom's best friend lives on Jeju Island.”

 

It was finally time for the MT. I woke up early and got ready. After checking my things with the help of Minah, I grabbed a cab and drove to the SBS building. I was really excited but I couldn't help but feel nervous at the same time. This was the first time I saw Wooyoung again after the incident several days ago. My mind kept going through possible scenes of our encounter on front of the SBS building, which also led to a sleepless night of rolling from one side of the bed to the other.

Now that I was on my way, my hands wouldn't stop shaking. The nervousness was like a tight knot in my chest. No matter how many breaths I took, I still felt like I was suffocating. The condition got worse when I finally arrived at the place. Closing my eyes for a moment, I quietly counted from 1 to 10. Then I took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. After receiving my luggage from the cab driver and giving him his money, I finally turned around and walked towards the meeting place. I quickly scanned the area. Two people were standing there. Judging from the figure, it was Yunhee and the camera man. The tight knot in my chest loosened when I realized that Wooyoung wasn't there. Was he late?

“Ah, there you are. Right on time, I like.”, Haeri said when I arrived.

“Good Morning, Eonni.” I put down my luggage next to me. “Am I the last the one to arrive?”, I asked nonchantly.

“Oh, no. Don't worry, dear. Wooyoung-ssi and his manager are running late because of a schedule.”

And there it was again, the stupid tight knot in my chest. Knowing that I would have to face him soon, I couldn't help but glance around. Everytime I saw a car coming around the corner, my heart skipped a beat.

After what felt like an eternity, a car stopped in front of us. I knew his car all too well. Okay, Ha Ni. You can do it. Don't let him notice your uneasiness. Calm down.

I took a deep breath and finally got myself to look up. I watched how the door opened slowly and the first person to step out was Minjae, 2pM's manager. He greeted us all politely and then continued to unload the luggage from the car. When I saw the next person coming out of the van, I froze.

What was she doing here?

Kyung Mi stepped out and looked around. When she saw me, she greeted me with a nod and then she went to Minjae to help him with the luggage. When the next person stepped out of the car, I stopped breathing for moment.

There he was, in all his glory, stepping out of the van, looking as handsome as always. Sun glasses, a blue shirt with stripes and a white tank top underneath, followed by dark jeans. I couldn't help but be awetruck.

When he noticed me staring at him, he turned his head to me. Because of his dark sun glasses, I couldn't see his eyes but I knew that he was looking at me. We kept looking at each other for a while. If only he hasn't worn sun glasses, I would have found out what he was thinking right now. The eyes are the mirrors of our souls after all, right? But now I had no clue what he was thinking. I could just look at him.

Suddenly he smirked. Then he looked away and walked towards Haeri. They both greeted each other and engaged into a conversation. I was left staring after him.

What the heck was that? What was his smirk supposed to mean? Seriously, this guy was nothing but a mystery to me.

“You wanna grow roots here or can we finally get moving?”, the camera man suddenly said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“Uh...pardon?”

He sighed. “The van is here. You need to take your luggage and get to the car, we're already behind schedule.”

“Oh, right. I'm sorry, I'll get moving.”, I said and grabbed my stuff. Then I walked towards the SBS van. I could hear the camera man muttering something like 'rookies nowadays, such a pain' but I didn't care. I had far more important stuff to cope with. Like spending two days in a row on a romantic island with someone who hated my guts right now.

Yeah, sounded like fun. Huh.

 

The drive to Jeju Island was agonizing. Totally agonizing and awkward. Let me tell you why.

Yunhee took the place next to the driver because she was telling him the directions. The seats behind them were taken by the camera man, Kyung Mi and Minjae. Which left the last seats for me.....and Wooyoung. Yes, he was stuck with the seat next to me. Okay, it wasn't right next to me. He took the window seat, what I also did, which left the seat between us empty. Even though I couldn't see his eyes, I was clever enough to take the hint. His gestures and actions were giving me one clear message: Keep your distance from me. Even though it broke my heart to see him acting so cold towards me, I already expected it.

So throughout the whole drive, he acted as if I didn't exist at all. I also noticed that Kyung Mi was quiet all the time, but she never was the talkative type of girl to begin with. I tried to sleep to cover the awkwardness but it wasn't really easy to fall asleep when the tight knot in your chest kept suffocating you. So I pretended to sleep during the whole drive.

Yeah, I know. Pathetic me.

 

When we finally arrived, I couldn't wait to get out of the van. But due to the stupid seating order, I had to wait for the others to get out before it was my turn. Wooyoung swiflty stepped out of the car, not wasting a glance on me.

Oh man, things weren't looking up at all.

We all got our luggage and walked towards a building. It looked like a big vacation house, surrounded by a beautiful garden. The view was really breathtaking.

When we entered the house, I saw familiar faces.

“Honey!”, Jay shouted and ran towards us. He greeted me with a tight hug, squeezing all the breath out of me.

“Hey Jay-Jay, I'm also happy to see you but please, if you don't release me, I'm gonna suffocate.”, I said.

“Oh, sorry.”, he said and laughed, taking a step back to release me.

“Is Trish here, too?”

“And here I thought you were happy to see me. But no, as soon as I appear, you suddenly ask for Trish. I'm hurt and my heart's broken.” He grinned. “How about a kiss to heal my broken heart?”

“I can give you a nice slap to your cute face to heal your broken heart.”, Trish said, appearing out of nowhere next to Jay.

“Trishie Baby! Did you just say that I'm cute? Aww, I'm flattered.”, he said and put an arm around her shoulder.

I didn't realize it at first but I had to say that I was really happy to see them again. Maybe this MT wouldn't be so bad after all.

“Jay-Jay, you can't imagine how much I've missed your cheap pick-up lines.”, I said.

He put his other arm around my shoulder. “Aww, you have missed me? Girls, stop flattering me or it'll get to my head.”

“You are already so full of yourself. Whatever we say won't make a difference, babo.”, Trish muttered. Then she quickly stepped out of Jay's arm when she saw something behind me.

“Oh my gosh! Is that....is that Jang Wooyoung Sunbae? Omo! It's really him!” She turned to us. “Sorry, guys. I need to greet someone. See you later!”, she said and rushed away.

“Seriously, why is she so head over heels for him when she has someone like me standing next to her?”, Jay asked.

“Uhm...well, he is handsome, he is y, he is an idol...you want me to continue?”

He sighed. “No, no. I get it. Just let her fawn over him, she will come back to me sooner or later.”

I just rolled my eyes.

“So, my lovely Honey. You wanna go on a date with me? We're on the beautiful Jeju Island after all.”, he asked.

“Uh...I don't think that we'll have time to go on a date, Jay-Jay. And don't forget, we're rivals.”

“That's why it's even more exciting! It's like a modern version of Romeo and Juliet!”

“Uhm...you know that the story didn't end so well, don't you?”

“Ah, don't worry, Honey. The only drama in our love story will only be the fact that we're rivals in this competion despite our love for each other.”

“I think you watch way too many dramas.”, I said and sighed.

I couldn't pay attention to what he was sayng next because Trish's squeal was distracting me. While Jay was talking, I glanced at her standing next to Wooyoung. He was smiling brightly at her while she was saying something to him. He wasn't wearing his sun glasses now, so I could finally see his eyes. When I saw that his smile even reached his eyes, I noticed that I've really missed seeing him smiling like this.

Suddenly Trish pulled out her phone and said something else to him. He gave her another dazzling smile and nodded. Then they stood next to each, while she held out her phone to take a picture of them both. He put his arm on her waist and smiled into the camera. When they finished, Trish was looking at the picture on her phone. Before I knew it, Wooyoung looked up and our eyes caught each other. The bright smile, which was on his face only seconds ago, quickly vanished and was replaced by a blank face. Afraid that he could see the pain in my eyes, I quickly looked away.

“So you're also head over heels for him, huh?”, someone suddenly said.

Startled, I returned my attention to Jay. He was smiling ruefully at me.

“What did you say?”, I asked.

“Yeah, I understand. He's hot, I'm not. I get it. You wanna join Trish? I won't hold it against you, you know.”

I nudged him. “Stop talking nonsense. That doesn't sound like you at all. I prefer the confident and cheeky Jay to this one.”

He smiled. “So I'm hot, too?”

“Yeah, yeah, you're hot. Satisfied?”

“Totally! Now let's talk about our date. What do you think -”

“Your teacher is looking for you, Jay.”, a voice behind me said, cutting Jay off.

We both turned around to see Wooyoung standing in front of us.

“Oh, hello Wooyoung Sunbae! Thank you for telling me.” He looked at. “We'll talk later, okay? Don't worry, I won't forget about our date.”

“Jay, seriously, I didn't -”

“Gotta go! Bye!”, he interrupted me and rushed away.

Gosh, this guy only heard what he wanted to hear. I sighed. Now there was another problem I had to worry about. And this problem was standing right in front of me. I gathered all my courage and looked up. Because he still wasn't wearing his sun glasses, I got the full blast of his blank face.

“Uh.....hi.”, I said shyly.

Wow. We were dating for such a long time, and now I couldn't even get myself to say more than two words to him. You go, girl.....not.

“Hello.”, he answered dryly.

Well, okay. At least I got an answer. Yay.

Yunhee suddenly appeared next to Wooyoung. “So, let me explain several things. Ha Ni, you'll be sharing a room with the female trainees. Even though you are rivals, I want no fist fights. Recording will start in two hours. Meeting point will be this lobby. Wooyoung-ssi and you will be having one last 'lesson' today before your competition tomorrow. How the lesson will turn is up to your teacher. Just be at the lobby in exact two hours. Got it?”

I nodded.

“Okay, now follow me. I'll show you to your room.” She turned to Wooyoung. “Ah, I nearly forgot to tell you....Wooyoung-ssi, I already gave Minjae-ssi the key to your room.”

He smiled at her. “Thank you for taking care of us, Yunhee-ssi.”

“Oh my gosh, drop the honorifics and call me 'Noona' already! I always feel so old when you call me 'Yunhee-ssi'!”, she said and giggled.

“Well, then I'll see you later....Yunhee Noona.”, he said and gave her another bright smile. Then he turned around and walked away.

Huh. Seems like he was giving everyone bright smiles, well yeah, except me. The only thing I got from him was a blank face. Sometimes I wish I could read his mind because I'm really bad at reading expressions. But then, I wonder if I could handle the truth. Because right now, I'm pretty sure that he wasn't thinking kind things about me when our eyes met. He was properly mentally cussing at me. Okay, now that I thought twice about it, I definitely didn't want to be able to read his mind.

You see, it's kinda unbelievable how fast people can change. One day, you mean everthing to them. The next day, you don't exist anymore.

But hey, since I'm the only one to blame for this disaster, I should stop complaining and try to make the best out of this situation. Pushing my troubled feelings aside, I silently followed Yunee. She led me a upstairs to a long hall with many doors on each side. This place really resembled a resort more than a mere vacation house.

We stopped at the second door. She quickly knocked and then entered the room. When I followed her, I couldn't help but stare in awe. The room was totally big! Filled with more than five single beds, there was still enough place for three big wardrobes. A glass door led to the balcony of the room. I had to admit that I was already in love with this place.

When I returned my gaze from the balcony back to the room, only then did I notice the other people. There were three other girls in this room. They were all sitting on their beds, staring at Yunhee and me.

Uhm, awkward.

“Girls, this is Jung Ha Ni, the trainee from Cube. Be nice to each other!”, Yunhee announced. The girls mumbled some halfhearted greetings. Then Yunhee turned to me. “Rest for a bit and then meet us in the lobby in two hours, okay?”

I nodded.

“Great. See you later!”, she said and left the room, closing the door behind her.

So...now I was in a room with strangers who were giving me hostile looks. It just felt like being the new girl at school. Awkwardness to the max.

I silently sat down on the only free bed in this room. It was the one in the far corner. Just when I was about to go through my luggage, the door burst open and Trish bolted into the room.

“Ha Ni! There you are! I was looking for you, for heaven's sake!”, she exclaimed and plopped down on my bed.

“Sorry, Yunhee Eonni was explaining me the schedule for this show.”

“So...when's your last lesson with your y teacher?”

I nudged her. “Stop calling him my 'y teacher'. That's embarrassing.”

“There's nothing embarrassing about having hotness impersonate as your teacher.”, she said and chuckled.

The other girls kept looking at us but I just ignored them. “So you really like Wooyoung Op....uh...Sunbae, huh?”

Uh oh, that was a close call. No need to reveal to everyone how close he and I were. Or rather how close we have been. Before my mistake, of course.

“Yeah, I joined JYPE because of him. When I saw him performing with the other 2pM members, I also wanted to reach the same goal as him. He inspired me to want to become a singer. I really admire him.”

“So are you two close? I mean, you're both under the same label after all.”

Okay, I knew that my jealousy was misplaced right now but I just couldn't help it. Damn it.

“Well...you know....I'm kinda shy when I'm around him...”

I burst out laughing. “What?! You and shy?? You are one of the most confident people I know.”

“I'm normally not this shy but whenever I'm around him...I don't know....it's like my confidence suddenly disappears!”

“Oh my gosh, you're totally head over heels in love with Wooyoung Sunbae!”

She blushed. “Stop yelling! You don't need to announce it to everyone in this house.”

Crap. Crap. Craaaaaaaaaap. She really did love him.

“Sorry. It's just that I always thought that you only admire him as your sunbae but it's kinda shocking to know that you actually......love him.”

“Why is it shocking? He's hot, handsome, kind....he's perfect.”

Yeah, he was, indeed.

“Hmm.”, I just said.

“But isn't it kinda funny? I have the hots for your teacher and you have a thing for my teacher.”

I froze. “What did you just say?”

“You like Seungho Sunbae, don't you?”

“Uh...well, it's not -”

“Come on, it's so obvious! Even Jay knows it and this idiot is usually really dense when it comes to things like love and stuff. So...given our situation, let's make a plan. You help me with Wooyoung Sunbae and I'm gonna help you with Seungho Sunbae! Deal?”

“Trish, I don't think -”

“Don't be a coward, Ha Ni!”

Okay....how could I get out of this situation without telling her that I was dating Wooyoung, that we then broke up because I practically cheated on him with Yoseob and that Seungho was more like a brother to me (not forgetting the fact that he already has a girlfriend)?

There was only one solution.

“Okay, let's do this.”, I said.

Trish jumped up. “Great! Let's talk about the strategy for our matchmaking plan!”

“Uh...wouldn't it be better to actually practice for the competiton instead of planning love escapades?”, someone suddenly asked.

We both turned to the side and saw a tall girl standing next to us. She had long black hair, which she was wearing in a ponytail.

“Well, that's none of your business. And aren't we rivals anyway? So it shouldn't bother you if we distract ourself from the competition.”, Trish retorted.

She held up her hands. “Hey, calm down. I'm not looking for a fight. On the contrary, I want a fair competition, that's why I was giving you a friendly advice.” Then she smiled. “I'm Yumi, by the way. TSE Trainee.”

I smiled back. “I'm Ha Ni, Cube Trainee. And my cheeky friend right here is Trish, JYP Trainee.”

“Hi. Nice to meet you. Sorry for the snappy retort.”, Trish said.

Yumi chuckled. “Don't mention it. It was really none of my business.” She waved the other girls to us. “Let me introduce the others to you.” She motioned at a short girl with short light brown hair. “That's Megan, NH Media Trainee.” Then she motioned at a tall girl with shoulder-length black hair. “That's Mei-Xing, DSPMedia Trainee.”

Mei-Xing smiled at us. “Just call me Mei.”

“And last but not least...”, Yumi continued and motioned at the bed near the window. A girl was sitting there, typing something on her phone. “The nice and kind Bomi, SM Trainee.”

When she heard her name, she looked up and glanced at us. “What? You guys have a problem?”

“No, don't let us disturb your highness. Just keep on playing with your best friend, the phone.”, Yumi said.

Bomi arched an eye brow at us. “Whatever.”, she said after a while and returned to her phone.

Huh. Nice and kind, indeed.

“By the way, do you guys know who the male trainees are?”, Mei asked.

“One of them is Jay. He's a YG trainee and an idiot.”, Trish said.

The other girls looked at her confusedly.

“He's a friend of us.”, I explained.

“Ah, I see. I heard that there are only two male trainees. So if your Jay is one of them, who is the other one?”

“Kang Jihoon, J.Tune Trainee. 20 years old.”, Megan suddenly said. We all turned to her. “What?”, she asked confusedly.

“Do you also know his favorite color and what kind of underwear he's wearing today?”, Yumi asked and chuckled.

“Huh? How the hell should I know what kind of underwear he's wearing?”, Megan asked exasperately.

“You know quite a lot about him, Meg. You like him?”, Trish asked and grinned.

Megan rolled her eyes.“Jeez, I just informed myself about my rivals. I also know some facts about you.”

“So? Then enlighten me.”

“Trish Park, JYP Trainee. 20 years old. You were born in the states and came to Korea when you were 10 years old. Your strength lies in dancing.” She grinned. “Don't worry, I'll keep your weakness to myself. And yeah...after your outburst earlier, we all know that you have a major crush on your labelmate, Jang Wooyoung, member of 2pM.”

“I do NOT have a major crush on him, okay? That sounds so childish.”, Trish exclaimed.

I just stared at her. “Wow....you're like an information machine.”

“Oh, I also found out something about you.” She paused. “Jung Ha Ni, Cube Trainee. You were also born in the states and came to Korea when you were 19. Your dancing and singing skills are quite well-balanced, though I can see more passion in singing.”

“Wow.”, we all said in unison.

“Wait, I'm not done yet. I also read something else about you. It was about scandal rumors involving you and -”

I quickly put my hand on to cut her off. “Can we not talk about some stupid rumors? They are made up by bored people sitting behind their computers all day. There's no truth in these rumors whatsoever, so let's just ignore it, okay?”

“Sure, it's none of our buisness anyway. We only care about our skills and our will to win, right?”, Yumi asked.

We all nodded.

“Cute. I think I might have to vomit from all this sweetness.”, someone said from the other side of the room. Bomi was still engrossed in her phone, though it seems that she has been following our conversation.

“You want to add something else, highness?”, Yumi asked dryly.

Bomi carefully put her phone into her pocket, stood up and looked at us. “Jung Ha Ni, no matter how much you want to deny it, there's always a grain of truth in every rumour. And judging by the way you reacted when the nerd brought it up, it's obvious that you're hiding something juicy.” After giving us another snotty look, she flipped her hair and went out of the room. This girl sure knew how to leave an impression.

Okay. So...how was I supposed to escape this awkward situation?

“Uhm.....”, I began. “Please let me explain -”

Trish held up her hand and cut me off. “No need to explain, Ha Ni. We're here to showcase our skills and not to participate in a rumour mill. So let's just drop this nonsense and prepare for our upcoming competition.”

The other girls agreed but I could still see in their faces that their curiosity had been sparked. No matter where I went, my past would always haunt me.

 

They all decided to go back to practice. Trish and me, we went out to spend some time together with Jay by exploring Jeju Island before our last lessons with our teacher. After waiting in the lobby for several minutes, Jay finally appeared. But he wasn't alone.

“Hey, my lovely girls! Let me introduce to you my new friend Jihoon. He's a J.Tune Trainee.” Then he turned to Jihoon. “And these are the girls I was talking about earlier. Trishie-Baby from JYP and Honey Ha Ni from Cube.”

“Hi, Jihoon-ssi. Nice to meet you. But let me tell one thing...if you ever call me 'Trishie-Baby', I gonna forget my good manners and introduce my lovely fist to you.”, Trish said and smiled.

“Uh...yeah, nice to meet you,too.”, Jihoon said.

Jay grinned. “Isn't she lovely? I nearly forgot to tell you that I'm the only one allowed to call her 'Trishie-Baby'.”

Trish shot Jay a dazzling smile. He winced and quickly hid behind Jihoon. Still smiling, Trish cracked her knuckles, causing Jihoon to back away several steps.

You know, Trish looked like a sweet girl with her long hair and her young face but this girl's temper was truly frightening, especially when she tended to use her fists to make her point. Poor Jay has been her punching bag more than once, though it was often his own fault for provoking her with his boldness. It was always obvious to me that he had a thing for Trish, though he would never admit it. It was pretty clear by the way he always looked at her. But he liked to let everyone think that he was a casanova who would never love only one girl. I never really understood why he always set a high value on his casanova image. I mean, he was literally flirting with every female he came across. Though I often thought that his boldness was cute, it would have been better for him act differently towards Trish when he liked her so much. I was sure that Trish didn't really take him serious because of his boldness. Poor Jay, if he knew that Trish had the hots for Wooyoung, it would definitely crush him.

Trying to save Jay from Trish' wrath, I quickly tried to change the topic. So I turned to Jihoon and smiled at him. “Hello Jihoon-ssi, nice to meet you.”

He returned my smile. “Nice to meet you too, Ha Ni-ssi. I always wanted to see you in person.”

“Oh, really?”, I asked, totally taken aback.

“Yes, I've watch the broadcast of your parts of the show. I really admire your passion.”

I blushed. “Oh my gosh, I'm embarrassed. Uhm....thank you. But I have to admit that I haven't watched any episode of 'Idol School' yet....”

“Seriously?” He burst out laughing. “You really didn't watch any episode of the show you're featured in? Wow, that's awesome.”

“I...I was just afraid to see myself on TV and...well...I just didn't really find the time to watch it...you know.”

He laughed even more. “You don't need to explain yourself to me. Knowing that, I admire you even more, Ha Ni-ssi.”

Now the color of my face resembled that of a tomato. “Uh...you...uhm...you don't need to call me 'Ha Ni-ssi', just 'Ha Ni' is okay for me.”

“Then please call me 'Jihoon'.”, he said and smiled.

Jay suddenly appeared next to Jihoon again and put an arm around his new friend. “I see, you're already hitting on Honey, huh? I can totally understand, she's really cute but don't forget that she's one of my girls, so-”

He couldn't finished his sentence because Trish appeared next to him, grabbing his ear and pulling him away from Jihoon.

“When will you ever think before speaking, you babo? This cheeky mouth of yours will get you into hot water some day.”, she said, still holding onto his ear.

“Well, but then you will come to save me, right, Trishie-Baby?”

She pulled his ear again which caused him to yelp. “You know, seeing you boil in hot water doesn't seem so bad right now.”

“Why? Does seeing me being all sweaty excite you? Oh my, I didn't know that you were such a naughty....ouch!”

After one last pull, Trish let go of his ear and went back to Jihoon and me. Jay stayed where he was, rubbing his aching ear.

Jihoon leaned forward. “Say, are these two a couple?”, he whispered.

“Unfortunately not, but I think that's only a matter of time.”, I said and laughed.

His gaze went from Jay to Trish. “They do seem like a couple to me.”

“Hey, what are you two whispering about?”, Trish asked outrageously.

I quickly backed away from Jihoon after realizing that he was way too close. “Uh...nothing important.”

She squinted, giving us a suspicious look. “Oh, really? And why am I not beliving you?”

I quickly put an arm around Trish and the other one around Jihoon, pulling them towards the door. “Let's stop wasting our time. The beautiful Jeju Island is waiting for us!”

Jay must have noticed that we were already leaving without him, because I suddenly heard quick steps behind us.

“Hey, are you guys already replacing me with Jihoon? That's not nice, you know.”, he said when he caught up to us.

“Hmmm, tempting. Jihoon is way nicer than you after all.”, Trish said.

Jay clutched his heart in mocked pain. “You break my heart, Trishie-Baby. And here I thought that I was something special to you.”

I was surprised that I could see a flicker of sadness on her face but it was gone as quickly as it has appeared. Interesting.

“As if you know what it means to have someone special to you, you wannabe casanova.”, she said after a while.

He put an arm around her shoulder. “But you are special to me, Trishie-Baby.”

Startled, she looked up and gave him a surprised look.

“Just like Honey Hanni, Hyorin Noona and that hot female trainee from SM.”, he continued.

One moment he was grinning at Trish, the next moment he was crouching down, clutching his head. “Was it really necessary to give me a rap on the head? Gosh, that hurts.”, he whined.

“Yes, it was. Otherwise you will never learn when to shut up, you idiot.”

“But why? I didn't say anything wrong.”

“I just felt like giving you a rap on the head, there was no particular reason.”, she said and went ahead.

Jay quickly jumped and followed her. “Hey, don't leave me back like that! I still want to know the reason. Hey. Hey!”

Jihoon and me, we were left behind.

“You sure that they're not dating?”, Jihon aksed after a while.

“To be honest, I'm not so sure anymore.”

“Well, let's follow them or we'll lose sight of them.”

I nodded and we both started walking to catch up to Trish and Jay.

Despite the previous banter between Jay and Trish, we had a great time. We went walked around the area near the vacation house, going from one shop to another, much to the chagrin of the boys who got bored of watching Trish and me talking about clothes. We returned to the vacation house just in time for my schedule. I said goodbye to them and went straight to the lobby.

Sitting around right now, I realized how much hanging around with my friends had distracted me from my inner turmoil. But I was on my own now and there was no way around it. I had to face Wooyoung somehow. And giving the fact that he was my teacher, there was also no way that he could continue ignoring me. I wonder how he was going to handle this awkward situation. Especially when we were supposed to dance to 'Troublemaker' together. Akwardness to the max. Oh yeah.

Seeing Wooyoung coming through the entrance door pulled me out of my thoughts. The sight of this handsome man made my heart clench and the tight knot in my chest appeared again. But then I noticed that he wasn't alone. Walking next to him, her arm linked through his, was Kyung Mi. He was laughing at something she was saying. Seeing him so happy shattered my heart even more.

When he saw me, his smile quickly disappeared and he tensed. Kyung noticed his change of behavior and looked around to find the reason for this. That was when she saw me too. She quickly pulled her arm out of his. Then she said something to him. He nodded, his eyes not leaving me. Kyung Mi gave me a short wave and rushed away.

So it was only Wooyoung and me right now. Funnily enough, the whole lobby was empty, except for us, as if they all vanished as soon as they noticed the tense atmosphere. After what felt like an eternity, he finally stopped staring and walked towards me. With every step he took closer to me, my heartbeats got faster.

Only when he was finally standing in front of me, did I notice that I must have held my breath. I took several breaths to avoid suffocating even though the tight knot in my chest didn't make it any easier for me to breath.

Now that he was standing so close to me, I could take in every single detail of him. His lean yet muscled body, his strong arms which were embracing me when I was longing for his warmth in the past, his shoulders where I used to put my head on, his sharp jaw line, his soft lips which could spark a flame inside of me when he was caressing my skin with them, his eyes in whose beautiful depth I used to drown.....to sum it up, I really missed him. I couldn't even tell how long I have been staring at him like this. He must have thought that I was a creep.

Suddenly he smirked. “Like what you see?”

Okay, seems like I really have been staring at him for too long. Crap.

“You already know the answer.”, I said dryly.

His smirk vanished. “Well, that's too bad, isn't it?”

Before I could ask what he meant, Yunhee and the camera man appeared.

“Hello, you two! Isn't Jeju Island beautiful? Did you explore this place already?”, she asked.

Just like he has pulled a switch, a dazzling smile appeared on his face. “Yes, I did. I went through some shops and the Cafe around the corner is really nice.”

Seems like you had a lot of fun walking around with Kyung Mi, huh?

As soon as this thought popped up in my mind , I already regretted it. I had no right to act like a jealous . And I also had no proof that there was more going on between Kyung Mi and him. I really was in no place to jump to conclusions.

“And you, Ha Ni? What did you do in your free time?”, Yunhee asked me.

“I...uh...also went through some shops.”

“Great! So, now that we're rested from the long drive, it's time for work again.” She turned to Wooyoung. “I already got your Memo, we will do as planned. Shall we get going?”

“Sure.”, he said.

“Great. Well, then...let's go.”, she said and went ahead.

 

 

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A/N:

Hello ~

I know, I know. It has been a while. Well, okay. A very long while hahah

But I needed this break to focus on my University Exams, and say what! I passed them all! Yay :))

Okay, back to the topic. I've been listening to my friend's advice to finish my story first before releasing more Chapters.

And yeah, I may have not finished it yet but I thought, I could release this Chapter first before continuing to write the last Chapters.

Yes, much to the chagrin of some of you (or to the joy), our adventure with Ha Ni is slowly coming to an end.

To be honest, I intended to end it a long time ago but I just couldn't bring myself to stop writing. Everytime I wanted to end this tory, a new idea popped up in my mind and I had to extend this fiction hahah

But as much fun it has been to write this story, it's finally time to put an end to it.

Sooo....there'll be approximately 4-5 more Chapters and then we need to say farewell to Ha Ni and her friends.

Thank you for supporting me for 2 long years. I will to my best to put as much suspense into the last chapters as possible :)

Love y'all!