“Ah, well, this the wrong number.” Junhyung sheepishly followed up after trying to comfort her on the phone. He heard her sniff again, making him look down on his dog.

“Sorry Jun-, I mean Junhyung.”

“Tell me about it, what’s wrong?” Am I the right person for this?

“Is it okay?” Hara’s question registered in his brain quite slowly than it normally did.

“Yeah, I got time.” He put down his notebook and pressed his smart phone on his ear with more pressure.

“The Kara Project.” She said, and Junhyung felt like a boulder weighed in on his chest. Suddenly, Junhyung thought if Gikwang leaves the group, or Doojoon files a lawsuit.

No, being leader is hard.

He stood up, grabbed his things and gripped on Hyungnim’s leash. Her dorm was just close, he noticed, and Junhyung grunted at this knowledge. His eyes widened, afraid that she might have heard his sign of annoyance, which she might mistook as her fault, but Hara did not even ask.

“I’m close your dorm. Is this still your place? Across the park?” Hara looked outside and saw his blond hair standing out in the middle of his dark surroundings as his deep voice echoed in the place.

“Wear your hood! Someone might see you.” Junhyung, at most times, would not admit that she missed her, especially Hara’s concern over him, but it is in human nature that anyone would be glad to have someone ask him with matters of safety.

Junhyung was not surprised if he was to see Hara’s eyes swollen, but what made appalled was the smile that was on her face that did not even give him the hint that she sobbed, not until he saw her still-watery eyes, which were the giveaway. Surprising the both of them, he hugged her. He did not know what had got into him, but Hara tightened the hug.

“This will eventually pass.” With his arms on her waist, he remembered the familiar feeling from two years ago. Hara cried again and her legs slowly collapsed, bringing down the two of them on the level of his dog, but still on that position.

“I understand that this is work but, with Nicole gone and no one borrowing my nail polish anymore…” Junhyung’s silent laugh vibrated in his chest, and she looked up with a glare that suddenly softened. “Guys would not understand.”

“I know.” Junhyung let go of Hyungnim’s leash and patted his ex-girlfriend’s head. Hara talked more and cried less, with Junhyung constantly saying ‘I know,’ ‘yup,’ and ‘mhm,’ but never leaving his gaze on her.

“Thank you for listening.” She said and never felt better than night. He raised his hand, wanting a high-five.

“I see you feel better now.” At that moment he looked at random places, knowing that her eyes’ attention were on him. His eyes widened again as he stretched his legs and looked at Hyungnim curled up in one area. She noticed this, went to where his pet was, and carried him to her lap.

“He bites!” Junhyung warned, and Hara looked at him slowly with a smile. How did she know?

“Hyungnim likes to bite, doesn’t he? So I figured out that you use one hand as a distraction while the other pats his head,” Hara said patiently, and Junhyung actually found it amusing on how she was good with animals (and, thinking about it, also with him), but he suddenly remembered what he did to her that night, two years ago.

“Where’s Tiger?” Junhyung asked, and she pointed at a room, not giving her attention on anything else besides his dog. He picked up the sleeping cat and played with its paws, waking it up. “You’ve grown big since the last time I’ve seen you.” Hara came in the room where he was in with Hyungnim in his arms after he uttered his last sentence. Immediately the canine growled at the sight of the feline, and Junhyung got him from her arms only to put him on the ground again outside the room.

“He’d just probably sleep.” He sighed after closing the door.

“I could tell that he likes the living room mat,” Hara said at the person who was sitting beside her; their only barrier between them was her former present to him that he gave back. She shrugged and patted Tiger’s cheek with one delicate finger. “I’m sorry that it was about me tonight and–“

“I didn’t have a chance to talk?” Junhyung guessed with a sly smile. Hara’s eyes widened as her lips slightly pouted. He still knew her fully well.

He lifted his body from the bed and sighed. “Doing great! I got my own place, and I’m not bragging but, it’s a penthouse which mom and I was very decisive on buying.”

“Really?” She giggled and asked, “how’s auntie doing?”

His eyes lit up like a storyteller in the middle of a group of children. “Mom now knows my grandmother’s beef stew recipe! She went to my grandparents’ house just a week ago and–“ Junhyung halted his speech, the thought of her trying his favorite dish came up to his mind.    

Out of instinct, she reached out for his hand, but soon realized her fault and stopped her action with hers just a mere inch above his. “I miss them.” Hara quietly stated the truth.

“So do they.” I do too. Very much. Hara looked at him with a side smile that caused her eye to be slightly pushed upwards, and Junhyung felt his mouth parted slightly, only to croak out ‘why,’ and tried to force a laugh afterwards.

She shrugged and placed her cat on her lap. “I think I’ve grown wiser in the past two years. If I’m bored, I read the books that mom gave me, and every time I call her we talk about them... they’re mostly about young women novels, and remember the one that I talked about with you? In the car?”

He laughed. “I remember that story all too well.”

Hara joined in his little laughter. “Most of the novels’ plots are the opposite of that story.”

He was speechless for a moment. The story that was inked in his memory that she could not get over every time they went out on a date was a modern tragedy about a female driver who crashed into a tree. Junhyung thought this was not in his mind, ‘the whole comforting idea,’ but if he needs to settle things down, he better do it tonight. They knew each other so well that when he looked at her he was fully aware of what he was thinking, and he loved her for that. Junhyung realized, at that moment, that she had moved on, and was happy at such matters that many would find trivial for a female idol to be fancy with after a publicized break-up. Her infatuation with pets and books are actually admirable for Junhyung, since such simple joys in life had been a great help to her.

He went home feeling light and faintly smelling like her lavender perfume, but not before stopping by at the studio. He laughed to himself as he saw his dog biting his leash, remembering her text about Hyungnim deserving a treat as an indirect sign of thanks to him. Junhyung finished the lyrics swiftly than he could imagine, in contrast of before when he was having a hard time with just one verse. He was surprised at both his speed and the work itself, since it was written with anguish and bitterness, but nonetheless he envisioned that it would be a hit on the music charts. He was about to throw it, but if that was his way of closure, then he would just have to have the group’s approval and have the main vocalists sample it first.

On top of that, he has to apologize to Hara first. He knew that she would understand the situation. After all, she was the first girl to read him, and in the back of Junhyung’s brain there was a tiny voice telling him that he still loves her for that. 

Junhyung was the last person to arrive in the same studio the next day. Taejoo, his friend who works with him over the past two albums, was on vacation, but promised to go back as early as possible.

“You two are overworked.” Doojoon said as he slapped his cap on Gikwang’s chest. The younger groaned, but still continued sleeping.

“But it’s the good kind of work. We actually feel like we’re playing–“

“Although you make a lot of money, hyung.” Dongwoon interrupted.

“And that.” Junhyung chuckled at his greediness. “Anyway, I finished a song–“ Doojoon immediately grabbed his notebook from his hands and Junhyung growled in anger at his rudeness, but the leader didn’t seem to mind.

“You wrote it quick, didn’t you?” Doojoon rhetorically questioned, verbally observing his usually neat handwriting into a quite mess.

“It just came out of nowhere.” He humbly stated while playing with his pen.

“Taking a new direction, hyung?” Dongwoon leaned in on Doojoon’s shoulder to read more of the lyrics. Yoseob laughed, being the first person to finish reading it, and Junhyung asked why he did.

“Congratulations, Yong! Honestly speaking, you need to write a tad,” his voice pitch went higher on the last word and raised his index finger and thumb to form an asymptote near his eyes. “Lighter?”

“It looks good to me!”

“High-five, kid!” Doojoon happily exclaimed to the youngest that approved.

Junhyung clasped his hands and looked at the ceiling proudly. “Ah, my disciples.”

“Shut up, Yong. The two there don’t seem to care so they’re on my side.”

“Hyungseungie!” The writer barked. “Let’s have meat tonight, my treat. And Gikwangie, want to check out Shibuya’s new stores in Japan tomorrow?”

“Sure.”

“Yeah.”

“What do you think about the newest song that I wrote?”

“Fantastic.”

“Awesome.”

Yoseob shook the both of them. “But it’s…”

“Junhyungie does the good stuff here, okay Seobie? Go to bed.” Gikwang tiredly muttered as he stood up.

“What the hell did you two last night?”

“That sounded dirty, Seob.” Doojoon said, irked.

“You’re the one who’s putting maliciousness!”

“Okay, then.” Yoseob knew he was pissing him off again.

“Yoon ing-“ He gritted his teeth as he said those words, and he calmed down after seeing Doojoon tapping the record button of his phone.

“I can’t believe hyung went ballistic just because of a song.” Dongwoon cupped his eyes and sighed.

“Yanggaeng peed on my doormat and I barely slept because he barked the whole night!”

“Hey, just sit here.” Doojoon arose from his seat that was beside an armchair and the sleeping dancers. Yoseob felt relieved as he chose to sleep on Hyunseung’s back, who was resting his head on Gikwang’s arm.

“Ow!” Junhyung shouted in annoyance when Dongwoon got the pillow that he was sitting on and tucked it on Yoseob’s head. Junhyung silently laughed, and when he came closer again he told him about what happened last night. Doojoon joined in afterwards.

“We’d just explain the whole thing on the couch kids after they wake up. I arranged the parts of what you’re going to sing, but I still haven’t started on the melody yet.”

“Wait, you’re going to do the whole thing? How about Taejoo?” Doojoon asked.

“I texted him that I want to do this by myself.”

“That’s really noble of you, hyung.”

“Yeah, but I don’t have my damsel anymore.” Junhyung laughed.

“Don’t you ever put that in one of our songs.” Doojoon threatened, irked again, but this time of Junhyung’s cheekiness.