Onew POV

I wasn’t sure what to tell her.  I was scrambling to try and come with something plausible when she held up one hand.   “Don’t lie to me, Lee Jinki.”  Key gasped softly, and I thought randomly that the guys had probably never heard ______ address me so informally. 

My story died on my tongue.  Her eyes were dark and empty, and I knew there would be no hints.  I couldn’t wing this one.  I had to tell her the truth.  But I didn’t want to hurt her.  I wanted to protect her, even from myself, if that was what it came to.  If ever I needed to be clever, this is the time. If I have to do this in front of someone, at least it’s the guys.  Arraseo.  If she wants honesty, then I’ll be brutally honest.

“I  won’t lie.  We’ve known each other too long, _____-ah.  At the funeral, we saw you.  All of us.”  The boys nodded, but I kept staring at her.  “You were like a soulless doll.  You didn’t even acknowledge Taemin, or Key, or Jonghyun, or Minho.” 

Her eyebrows lifted in surprise.  I could tell she was trying to remember. 

“ Did you even realize they were there?  From the way you reacted to our party at the dorm, I didn’t think so.  You were too happy to see them after ‘such a long time’.”  She finally broke the stare and looked at the others for confirmation.  They nodded sadly, one by one.  You could see her eyes start to well up and the corners of start to tremble.

“You wanted honesty."  I leaned forward, spreading my hands across my knees. 

"Honestly, I took you home that day because I was afraid you might never leave the grave side.  You nodded, you shook hands, but you weren’t really there that day.  You didn’t speak, you didn’t cry, you were like a stone.”  She looked down.  Key had moved closer and was squeezing her hand.

 “I was never so glad to see you cry.  Minhee & Harry were like my parents too, and it hurt when they died, but it hurt more to see you so broken.   So, yes, I made some calls to see if there was an opening...”

Her head snapped up, and fire was back in them-weird because tears were running down her cheeks.  She angrily swiped the back of her hand across her face.

“So it was out of pity,” she half-yelled, throwing off Key’s hand and lunging toward me.  I’m not sure if she planned to hit me or slap my face, but I caught her wrists and gave her a small shake. 

“Yah-hyung!” “ You shouldn’t-wait…“ “Hyung, don’t…” “Hyung, she’s upset, maybe-“

A welter of voices crowded the air as all four guys moved to stop me.  I whipped a fierce glare around, and they froze, words cut off in midsentence.   

“No, she needs to hear this, all of it.”   I shook her again, lightly, just to pull her attention. 

“Are you listening now, _____-ah?  I don’t pity you. I wasn’t trying to help you out of pity.”   I dropped her wrists in annoyance; sure that disgust was in my voice.  But I kept talking anyway. 

Better that she hears it all now so there are no misunderstandings later.

“I made the calls because I’m your friend.  WE are your friends, and you needed help.  Something else for you to focus on.  Plus, you are good at what you do.  Really, you have talent.  I don’t care if you believe that or not, but you better believe that this won’t be a free ride.” 

She sat back on her heels.  She looked a bit stunned.  

No smiles this time.  I have to be stern with her, so she won’t play this off.

“I hope you’re over this little bout of idiocy,” I stated, crossing my arms and scanning her face.

“Hyung, that’s just mean..”  Various protests filled the air again, but they shut up just as quickly when I frowned.  I didn’t like pulling out the leader face, but every so often I had to remind the members just who was in charge of the group.

“B-Bwo,” she spluttered, her face coloring again with the insult, “I’m not an idiot for wondering if this was all just because you…you guys…felt sorry for me.  And I would never ask for a free ride!”

She huffed, crossing her arms to match my stance.

“Good, because you won’t have one.  Here’s the deal- you will have to present a fully  outlined concept including theme, design, budget and suppliers to the entire development team.  You will need to have at least three such concepts for consideration.  The overall theme should mesh with the sound of the new albums and a more “mature” look for us.  Before you can start with THAT, you’ll need to put together a portfolio of your work for review by the President- I’ve sent him a couple of photos and info, but he wants to see more before wasting your time.  Right now, all you have is provisional approval.”

As I spoke her jaw dropped more and more,  and I smirked inside as I saw the dawning of understanding in her eyes.  And the horror.  What I just summarized was insane, a gargantuan project. 

Now to add the kicker and hope it doesn’t drive her completely bonkers.

“And…you only have a month.” 

A/N:  thanks for reading & subcribing y'all- I hope you aren't getting tired of the story!