The practice room was double booked and this was the result.

Lee Hayi insisted for Junhoe to finish before she stepped in, somehow a shy part of her came forward and her blunt self scurried away, trying to hide. But before she could close the door and escape, he drew his arm around her, tugging at her neck comfortably as he led her in. She couldn’t‘ escape’. And so she followed, her feet moving unconsciously to whatever trail Junhoe would set out for her.   

How do you describe someone who you’re close to, but not really? Someone you know, but then again, you don’t?

Lee Hayi pondered the exact definition of what Koo Junhoe means to her as she stared at the boy who sat beside her, broad shoulders brushed beside hers. Unbeknownst to Hayi, her attentiveness was captured by the mirrored walls surrounding the practice room. On all four sides, painted a girl’s face full of interest.  

But no one would notice right? If she doesn’t know, how the hell would others?

Her eyes fixated on him meant nothing but mere appreciation for a fellow peer’s talent...at least that’s what she thinks.

Junhoe’s voice her in, almost to the point where the short girl forgot to breathe. Intently, she followed his every note, amazed by the falsetto and just as easily impressed by his flawless lower register.

She always noted that a man with a good voice would tug her heart strings. The way a deep rasp would accentuate whispers of sweet nothings in her ears was something she’d always imagine.  But not Junhoe’s voice...never in her wildest dreams did she think to imagine his.

He casually sung beside her, dressed in nothing special but the usual sweats and a T, with hair glossed in sweat. It can’t be Junhoe.

She’s not into him like that...

The girl’s head began to get swarmed with an annoying pulsating sensation. This was what happened when Hayi thought too much about how to define her friend. She allowed her body to collapse sluggishly, letting loose the prim and proper demeanor she had been fronting since she walked through the doors. But the damn headache, or whatever the hell is was, made it hard to remain still. She folded her head into the palms of her small hands, wishing that it would leave her alone.

The song stopped playing. He was no longer beside her. Knowing this, she peeked out, the wonder of where Junhoe had gone was somewhat drifting her worries away from the pain for a second or two.

A pair of tattered sneakers then stood before her.

“Noona, you alright?” He questioned into the microphone, his voice echoed throughout the place.

Hayi waved her hand gesturing to not mind her, but to no avail.

The tall kid crouched down, his lean body somehow shrunk into a small ball.

“Noona,” Junhoe drew a hand out and placed it gently over her head. With the tip of his thumb, he slowly brushed her hair, being cautious not to cause any harm.

“I’m fine pabo,” she replied in a not so convincing way.

But Junhoe knew what she meant.

Stop nagging. Let it go.

He knew that she’s strong, that she’d overcome whatever was bothering her. Those past memories of the cruel schedules they shared from the torture of survival shows was nothing new. It still made him concerned nonetheless, but she’s strong. Junhoe allowed himself to fall on his bottom, crossed his legs and stared at her like a lost puppy waiting to be acknowledged. He reached out and tugged at her thin wrists.

“You’re gonna be ugly if you keep doing that noona,” he jokingly provoked, “you already got chubby cheeks and now you’ll forever be a blowfish if you keep smudging your face like that”.

He puffed his cheeks, conforming his gorgeous face into some kind of hideous thing...all just to make her smile.

“I hate you June,” Hayi chuckled much to her dismay. She tried to hold it in, not to feed the boy’s ego. Because MYGAWD, did he have an ego.

Usually, she would easily retaliate with a just as quirky remark about his own resemblance to a chipmunk, but somehow along the years, the fat vanished from his once pinchable cheeks. He had evolved into some Greek god, his facial features chiseled with sharp edges.

Somet