"Have you and Junhoe been having problems?" Soojung asked curiously as I took a sip of my water bottle. "I thought you guys were friends now."

"Yeah, well, Jennie's a good enough friend for him." I responded sourly, not wanting to continue talking about the matter.

Thankfully, a few days had already passed since the night of my attack, so I had almost gotten over it. Junhoe and I hadn't talked since the last time I'd seen him, which I wasn't surprised about.
To be completely honest, Hanbin was the reason I hadn't been so glum the past couple days. He was there for me and understood everything I told him, unlike everyone else. At this point he was the only person who knew about what had happened to me that night.

Ironically, the sound of Hanbin's voice resonated throughout hallway, just as I had begun thinking of him.

"Michelle!"

I immediately turned my head towards the noise, only to see Hanbin jogging towards me with sweat beading down his face. I looked at him in confusion as he finally caught up to me with heaving breaths, while adjusting his snapback.

"What?" I asked, etching backwards slightly.

"Give me a sip of your water, I left mine at home." He spoke as he wrapped his fingers around my bottle and pulled it from my grasp.

"No, that's your fault for forgetting it, give it back!" I complained in annoyance, trying to reach for the bottle. Unfortunately, he was still taller than me by a couple inches. 

"Yah, I'm your Oppa, you have to give me your water." Hanbin said as he downed the liquid in my container in less than a minute.

"You're such a child, I can't stand you." I snapped, snatching the bottle from his hands once he was finished.

"Alright, alright," He laughed as he ruffled the top of my head. "I'll get you a drink once class is over. Hurry up and get back in there and practice."

I merely rolled my eyes and smiled before responding, "Yeah, yeah."
Hanbin waved as he his heel and began jogging away, heading back to his now unattended class. Honestly, despite how much older he was than me, he acted exactly my age when he was around me.

"Are you and Hanbin...That close now?" Soojung gaped once the famous boy toy had reached a safe distance away from us. 

"I guess so. He's a really great guy." I said as I stuffed my bottle back into my bag. "I don't know why he thinks he's my Oppa. I keep telling him I'm not into that kind of stu-..."

And then I remembered the day Junhoe had driven me home after camp. 
"Thanks for the ride, Oppa."

"Hey, you okay?" Soojung spoke suddenly, interrupting my thoughts. "You spaced out for a minute. What were you thinking about?"

I shook my head as I tried to recollect myself, running my fingers through my hair. "Nothing. Just some guy-"

"Oppa, can you get me a drink? I'm thirsty."

That voice. That voice sounded so...Familiar. Due to my own curiosity, I felt my head turn towards the irritating sound, only to find the two people I probably never wanted to see.
Junhoe and Jennie Kim.

It was idiotic that she was calling him Oppa when she was a year older than him. That didn't even make sense. God, I hated the sheer sight of them.

"Michelle, you're like sending daggers at Junhoe with your eyes. Seriously, what happened with you two?" Soojung shook my shoulder with wide eyes as I snapped back into reality.
 

Ah, I can't let myself be caught getting angry at seeing Junhoe and Jennie together. I had to be more careful, especially when I was around someone as analyzing as Soojung.

"Nothing, let's just go." I said dully, quickly packing up my things and heading for the staircase. The moment I looked up from my bag to walk away, I saw Junhoe's eyes make contact with mine for the first time since our last conversation.
I didn't know what it meant, but it felt different.

Deciding not to dwell any more on it, I hastily darted from the area and down the steps, aiming for the front doors.

-------------------

"Two idiots, fallen head over heels for each other." I snorted as my feet shuffled against the concrete sidewalk, the cold air hitting my body. "How stupid. Their entire relationship is stupid."

I hated it. I hated seeing them together and I hated thinking about their stupid dates and their stupid couple things and their stupid "Oppa" and kissy faces. I hated all of it and I hated both of them. How stupid.

But then, it slowly dawned on me.
Why did I hate it so much?

My feet slowly dragged to a stop as I finally realized what I was thinking about. It couldn't be....Was I jealous? Over Junhoe? That was ridiculous, and it would be immature for me to get worked up over something as trivial as that.
Please don't tell me I've fallen for that .

You know what, I haven't fallen for him. And I'll prove it.

I reached for my cell phone from my pocket and pulled the device out as I dialed a number, placing the phone up to my ear. The rings felt like hour long bells, but I managed to endure it until I heard the other voice on the line,

"Michelle?" The voice spoke.

"Hey, can you come pick me up? Let's hang out." I responded in a casual voice.

"Sure, I guess. Just text me where you are."

"Okay. Thanks, Hanbin."


As my fingers pressed the end button, and my hand dropped to my side, I allowed a triumphant look to become present on my face. I knew I didn't have feelings for Junhoe. And I was going to make sure I didn't.

~~

"So why'd you ask me to pick you up?" Hanbin asked as I sat in his car and adjusted my hoodie.

"To hang out." I said shortly, giving him a look. "Why? You don't want to hang out with me?"

"Maybe I don't." He responded as he hit me in the arm.

I let out a small laugh as I spoke, "Why don't we go to your dorm?"

Hanbin looked at me with wide eyes, as if waiting for me to say I was just kidding or something. After a few moments of silence, he finally replied, "My dorm? You're a girl. Aren't I supposed to be the one pressuring you into coming to my dorm?"

A small tint of red appeared on my face once I realized what he was alluding to, but I quickly hid it as I responded in an awkward tone, "You're not funny."

He simply laughed as he drove towards the dorm building for the boys at YG, heading over to a small parking space reserved for him. A small scoff escaped my lips once he maneuvered his expensive car into the space.

"What?" He said as I hopped out of the car with ease.

"Nothing." I shrugged with an accusatory smile. "It just must be nice to be famous with priveliges."

"Don't give me all that." Hanbin rolled his eyes as he locked his doors, coming around from the side of his car. 

I laughed as we continued play fighting with each other while walking towards the elevator, his childishness coming out of that usually mature aura. It was odd. He usually only acted like this when he was with his iKON boys.

"Are you guys going to be debuting soon?" I asked once we reached the elevator, stepping into the small box.

"The last episode of Mix and Match is tomorrow, so I guess we'll see." Hanbin replied with a shrug, while leaning back on a nearby railing.

That's right...They were almost done with the show. I couldn't imagine how nerve-wracking it must be for the remaining boys who haven't gotten picked yet. I would hate to have to be on a survival show like that.

"Has the CEO given you any signs that you might be debuting?" Hanbin finally asked as the elevator began rising up.

"Not exactly." I responded a bit dumbly. "I'm a good singer, but I haven't gotten most of the choreography right. And..."

A small silence followed as I cut off my own sentence, deciding not to finish it. Hanbin looked over at me with a cocked eyebrow before adding, "And what?"

It was embarrassing to talk about, but I decided that if I'd trusted him enough to tell him about that night I was attacked, I might as well tell him another minor detail. With a simple shrug, I finally spoke in a dull tone, "I haven't lost enough weight yet. I have to be as skinny as the other twig superstars."

Hanbin remained silent for a moment as he processed what I was saying, a blank look covering his entire face. I watched a bit anxiously as his fingers tapped against the railing, as if in some sort of thought. 

 

"You know, you're the first curvy girl I've ever thought was pretty. You may not be as thin as other idols, but you're just as beautiful and have a better figure and bust than them."

And in that moment, when I looked up at Hanbin with wide eyes, I looked at him with eyes that were not just friendly banters.
However, before I could say anything, the elevator doors finally opened to reveal his fancy dorm building. I stared in surprise as my eyes wandered around the large area, looking at all of the fancy furniture. He must be sharing this place with the other iKON members.

"You can sit down. I'll bring you some cup ramen or something." Hanbin yawned as he walked towards the kitchen, leaving me standing by a couch.

I decided to take his advice and plop myself down on the comfy object, while whipping out my phone that had been sitting in my pocket all day. 

"Hanbin, are you back already?" A voice called over as foot steps began coming closer to where I was sitting. I grew a bit anxious, considering I had never met the other iKON boys personally before.

In no time, a tall figure appeared in a doorway to my right, which revealed none other than Bobby. He was probably the number one favorite out of all of the boys. 

"Oh, who's this?" He said once he saw me, walking closer.

"Michelle. I'm friends with Hanbin." I responded plainly. 

"Girlfriend?" Bobby added, while giving me a suggestive look.

"Of course not." I said with a small laugh. 

"Why not?" 

I jumped at the sudden sound before turning my head towards the kitchen, where Hanbin was walking out with two cups of ramen. He carefully placed the foods down before continuing, "Am I not a good enough oppa?"

"Stop saying that!" I said exasperatedly, heat rushing to my cheeks. I didn't understand what it was with Korean girls who liked calling boys 'oppa'.

Hanbin stared at me for a moment before bursting out into laughter. I felt myself get more irritated by the second as I watched him double over in hilarity.

"This is the first time I've seen you get so embarrassed. I guess the little tough demeanor is an act." Hanbin said with a grin once he caught his breath.

"You're so funny." I spoke sourly as I leaned back onto the couch, a bland look on my face.

"I see you guys are pretty close." Bobby suddenly spoke up, reminding us of his presence. He gave Hanbin a sly look before continuing, "Are you sure you guys aren't dating? Isn''t she in our class at trainee camp?"

"Nah. She's just visiting over to hang out. Since when has it become illegal to be friends with a girl?" Hanbin chuckled as he ruffled the hair on top of Bobby's head.

As I looked up at the two boys play around with each other, I couldn't help but smile. When Hanbin wasn't scolding the boys for choreograhy or being serious with his music, he really was a nice guy. And an even better friend to have around.
Then, just as I parted my lips to say something, the sound of the exact voice I hadn't wanted to hear exploded throughout the room.

"Yah, who's home?"

"Looks like Junhoe's here." Bobby said as he looked over at Hanbin. "I think he brought Jennie. I guess the house is gonna be filled with girls today."

I watched expressionlessly as the world's most irritating couple walked into the dorm, while chattering about something that I didn't even want to hear. The black haired singer stepped into the room, waving at the sight of people. "Annyong."

Bobby and Hanbin waved back as they turned to face her with friendly looks laid upon their faces. Following close behind her, was none other than Koo Junhoe, who walked in as well. As if on cue, Junhoe's eyes immediately made contact with mine, which was probably accidental from shock.

I stared at him icily, until the sound of Bobby's voice snapped me back into reality.

"Michelle, have you met Jennie yet?" 

"Nah." I replied simply, not even taking the time to look at her.

"She's a trainee at YG too," Hanbin explained as he sat down next to me. "Junhoe's girlfriend. Maybe you two could practice together."

"I bet." I responded with a fake smile, my eyes looking cold and dead.

My head slowly turned to look at the infamous girl as I sat up a bit straighter to get a better look. She was thin. Mr. Yang wanted me to be as skinny as girls like her, so that I could truly be an idol. 
But..I just couldn't do it.

"Are you and Hanbin dating?" Jennie asked suddenly, breaking my train of thought. I looked at her with a cocked eyebrow, wondering why the hell she would ask such an odd question out of the blue like that.

"No," Hanbin sighed. "We're just hanging out."

"We should all hang out!" Jennie responded in excitement as she walked closer towards me. It took all of my power not to bite her wrist off.

"I guess. Bobby, you want to come with?" Hanbin asked, turning towards the popular rapper.

"Nah. I'm pretty tired. But I'll see you when you get back." He yawned as he waved and began walking to the other room. I almost wanted to beg him to come with us, knowing that me, Hanbin, Jennie, and Junhoe all hanging out would be ridiculously awkward.

"That's annoying." Junhoe finally spoke up, sending everyone's attention towards him.

I stared at him in surprise, being the fact that Junhoe has been silent this entire time, and now he decides to unleash his attitude. Hanbin looked at him with the same expression on my face, except slightly more stern.

"Yah, Junhoe-ah. Even if you want to be alone with Jennie she's the one who suggested we all hang out." Hanbin said boldly.

Junhoe simply turned his head and let out a bothersome sigh before taking a seat beside Jennie. How cute. He's listening to his girlfriend.
By instinct, my eyes rolled in annoyance. Unfortunately, someone must have seen, because in the next moment, the only thing I could hear was the angry tone from none other than

Jennie Kim.

"Do you have a problem with Junhoe or something?" She barked, causing me to look at her in shock.

It wasn't that I was afraid, it was that I was so taken aback that some trainee I didn't even know had the guts to say something to me, despite if she was 2 years older than I was.
Hanbin immediately intervened and said, "Yah, calm down. What's your problem?"

"Watch that attitude." I responded almost immediately as I gave Jennie a sharp look.

"Or what? I'm your elder, you have no jurisdiction over how I speak to you." She snapped back with a fiery look. "And you still haven't answered my question."

"You think that because you're his girlfriend you're obligated to defend him whenever someone gets annoyed? How pathetic can you get. Maybe I don't like him, is that a problem?" I said, my voice becoming even louder. 

"God you're so insolent!" Jennie shouted as she stood up, her fists shaking. "Who do you think you're talking to? I'm older than you, and if I don't like the way some kid-like trainee is acting around my boyfriend, I have every right to say something!"

As I opened my mouth to respond, it felt as if time had frozen. 
The sound of a smack resonated throughout the room, and I fell silent, wondering where the noise was coming from. 
Only after the burning sensation against my cheek and stinging pain of a hand vibrated into my core did I realize the insane reality. Jennie Kim had slapped me across the face.

Immediately, without even taking the time to look at her, I rose my hand to give her the worst beating of her life, but something stopped me.

My eyes stared ahead as I saw one of the most peculiar sights ever. 
Hanbin was holding her wrist tightly, while Junhoe held her shoulder. The most shocking part about this scene was that they were both glaring at her intensely.

"Junhoe, what are you doing?" Jennie said in surprise as she looked over at her so-called boyfriend.

"Don't touch Michelle, Jennie." He responded, his eyes glowering at her with a newfound expression.

I watched, a dumb look on my face as I tried to comprehend what was going on. Why...Why was Junhoe protecting me?
But I couldn't even react to his response because at that moment, the mellow sound of Hanbin's voice added onto Junhoe's. My eyes slowly looked over towards Hanbin as he parted his lips and spoke,

"That goes the same to you, Junhoe."