HER:

“Aha! I caught you again!!! Which one is it this time? Romcom? Fluff? Angst?”

“It’s….NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS unnie.” I said defensively as I hurriedly stashed my phone inside my pocket.

“And since when did you get so neurotic? Take a chill pill maknae. Wasn’t trying to in your business.” Hyo unnie joked around while plopping onto the bed.

“Since you were trying to sneak in on people. Seriously unnie. Of all people out there, you should know what it feels like to have your privacy breached.” I huffed.

This time, Hyo unnie burst out in laughter.

“What’s so funny?!”

“Thanks Seohyun-ah. You just made this unnie richer by $500.” She answered in between her laughs.

The perplexed look on my face only fueled her amusement. I intended to playfully and lightly hit her with a pillow to knock some sense into her, but by accident, her rib met with my elbow instead. She yelped in pain and murmured incoherent curses about my so-called deadly elbow – of which, I am highly apologetic for.

I wouldn’t let her get away easily and so, she finally unveiled the reason behind that five hundred bucks.

“You made a bet on me doing what?!” I cried.

“Reading fanfictions. Actually, Fany believes you’ve written a few yourself and hiding under some pseudonym but I haven’t seen you do some crazy speed typing on your laptop so I’m guessing you’re either a silent reader or an active one, or a mix of both….”

I opened my mouth to deny her claims in hopes of saving my dignity, but all effort went futile.

“Now, now. Don’t deny it dear. The more you do, the more obvious it becomes. Anyway, the point is, I won the bet this time and judging by your earlier reaction, you must’ve been reading some hardcore .” She laughed hysterically as I felt my face turn into the deepest, darkest, most humiliating shade of red.

To say I was shocked is an understatement. I am completely, irrevocably, undeniably, MORTIFIED. Was I really that obvious? I mean, yeah I was reading some fanfiction but for this certain unnie of mine to accurately guess the genre….Stop, Seohyun. Stop reminding yourself of such embarrassment and perhaps, you’ll forget about it. That’s right, I’ll just pretend this conversation never existed and maybe it’ll make it easier for her to forget.

I kept my mouth shut as I tried to simply pack my stuff and get away from this Hyoyeon unnie of mine as fast as possible. Better make my escape now lest more damage be done. Just before I was out the door, I heard her ask (still in a breathless state of hysteria):

“Don’t forget to send your unnie the link!!! I’m curious enough to see what got So Nyuh Shi Dae’s maknae up all night.”

I could’ve just replied with a sarcastic yet witty remark. I could’ve just waved it off as if it was nothing. I could’ve just laughed along with her. I could’ve done a lot of things but I couldn’t; and somehow, it that I feel so helpless without knowing the reason why. So instead, I did what I did best: I ran.

HIM::

“C’mon hyung. Please. Just this once, can’t you give in to my request? It’s not like I ask a lot from you!” Jungshin whined.

He’s been bothering me for weeks to attend that International Busan Rock Festival and I’ve done my part to turn down the offer no matter how much he put on the table as a bribe.

“My schedule is full.” I replied casually, pretending to be busy writing something on a music sheet.

“It won’t be the day after tomorrow.” He said.

I tried to think of more excuses but before I could do so, Lee Jungshin spoke once more.

“Stop it, Jung Yonghwa. It’s pathetic.”

This time, I looked at him furiously. How dare he, mock me? I’m not one to be easily annoyed or deterred with such comments, especially since I’m used to these dongsaengs of mine, but for him to say such thing at such wrong timing irks me a lot.

“It’s “hyung.” I reiterated.

“Yeah, whatever, “HYUNG.” Just please, stop with the act. It’s getting obvious the more you try to hide it. The endless schedules? The whole, “I promise to spend forever with you” crap to the fans? The needless cameos and other gigs? The late night parties and hangouts? Not to mention, your pabo lyrics about lost love and what not. Oh and those very specific details you give out in regards to ideal types and dating. Hyung, jebal, stop it!

Shouldn’t you be tired of it by now? Isn’t it time for the both of you to grow up?! So what if it didn’t work the first time? Ani, there wasn’t even a first because both of you never tried. You’re both cowards who hide behind the pretense of being career-driven to realize what fools you made of yourselves. Just so you know, the two of you aren’t the only ones hurting in this scenario. There are the rest of us too…”

His words hit like home run. It isn’t just a sting. It’s a damn torpedo hurled at me in my most vulnerable, and unprepared state; and because of that, I am left in ruins. I looked at this dongsaeng of mine and saw how he unsuccessfully tried to blink back tears. The word “sorry” was at the tip of my tongue but just as how a band-aid can only be used to cover up, yet never heal a wound, so would this word be.

“You both know what needs to be done hyung and you’re old enough to act on it so I won’t tell you what to do anymore. Just go with me to this festival hyung and I promise, this is the last you’ll hear from me about her, the two of you, and how it used and it’s supposed to be. I’ll never mention any of this again.

Just two days hyung. Take this as an opportunity to visit your family…but most of all, the reason I’m asking is because I want my Yonghwa hyung back. I want that hyung who encouraged me that I deserved to be a part of CNBLUE when the rest of the world condemned me. I missed you hyung and I missed those times I felt like I had another older brother always looking out for me. I promise. Once we get back to Seoul, not a word about her would come out of my mouth.”

I smiled at him weakly and I nodded while saying,

“Okay.”

Before I could let myself be caught in the tide of my emotions, a now-happy lee Jungshin smirked at me as he said,

“Oh and lay off on reading fanfics hyung. It’s disturbing. Especially those R or NC-17 rated ones you bookmarked on your phone.”

My mouth was left hanging as the evil spawn maknae of CNBLUE laughed his way out of my room.

3 days later…

HER:

“I don’t think this is a good idea, unnie. Someone might recognize us!” I whispered as Hyoyeon unnie and I weaved through the crowd.

“So what? We’re not doing anything illegal, Seohyun-ah. We’re here to have fun!” she said cheerily.

Before I could refute that and add in the standard “Dangers of Hanging Out Unattended by SM” speech, the speakers blared with the sound of a screeching electric guitar. The crowd erupted in joyous, intense screams as they chanted the band’s name. I am quite familiar with their music and it’s one that I have decided some time ago that I won’t ever be fond of.

I tried to convince Hyo unnie to leave this place but the latter has fallen into the role of a diehard fanatic so I decided just to make the best out of this situation and let myself enjoy the show. How this unnie of mine managed to drag me all the way to Busan to participate in some rock festival is beyond my understanding but then I remember it’s either this or deal with Taenggoo and Fany unnie’s boy troubles. Rock festival it is. The lesser of the two evils.

“See? It wasn’t that bad, right?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” I replied flatly.

“Don’t deny it Seo Joohyun. You totally enjoyed it. You were practically screaming your lungs out when Idiosyncrazy were up there.” Hyo unnie laughed.

“What? They’re the best thing about this year’s horrible lineup!” I answered jokingly.

“Last year’s was pretty messed up though. This year saw an improvement. Give the producers some credit. And by the way, Broken Affliction was the best thing about the lineup!!!”

“Last year’s was okay. They had Boulevard Tidal as the final act. But 2013 was by far, the best of the best. They’ve got Shockwave, Coldburn, and Black Shards.”

Hyoyeon unnie looked at me with a blank expression. I couldn’t make anything out of her unreadable gestures but before I could voice out my concern, she asked,

“Since when did you become so updated with IBRF? If I’m not mistaken, I remember you telling me this was the first time you’d attend such event…”

What I meant was first time in twelve months, but that’s a given since IBRF occurs every year. Not that I’d tell her that.

“I must’ve heard it wrong though. You seem all too familiar with it all…”

The serious tone in her voice immediately disappeared as she clucked her tongue and scratched her head, like a child pouting and whining after finding out that her latest Barbie doll isn’t an exclusive item.

“AISH! Had I known that Yong seobang already influenced you into this kind of thing then I should’ve thought of something else! The whole point of me dragging you all the way here is to crack some common sense into that thick skull of yours and go after your man.”

I wasn’t surprised. I instantly knew her motives for forcing me into this event. Hyo unnie is the only one vocal enough about wanting me and Yonghwa oppa to be an official item. After that unspoken and unofficial breakup, the rest of my unnies, my parents, and even my friends wouldn’t even dare utter his name. It’s always a him or whatever code they could come up with at the moment. However, Hyoyeon unnie has always been the rebellious type.

“YAH!” she screamed as she hit the back of my head a little too hard than I expected it to be.

“OW! What was that for?!” I complained.

“That’s for you shoving me onstage when you probably knew that the lead vocalist of Vanity Chrome looks exactly like my ex! Like a total replica!!!” she shouted. This time, it was my turn to laugh.

“Aigoo unnie. OF COURSE I KNEW. Why would I go through all the trouble of pushing other people away just to make sure the spotlight shone on you right at that second? Besides, it’s n