So... are you excited about the concert?

Concentrate on your date with Luhan -_-

I am :P Wear something y! Maybe you can get laid after the concert!

Haneul sighed. It was a cruel move by fate that Yuri would happen to find the concert tickets just as she was leaving the office to catch her flight. Being on the verge of missing the flight had turned out to be her saving grace. But just because Yuri wasn't in front of her did not mean that she would let her go that easily. Her phone had kept buzzing with messages till the attendant had to ask her to turn it off with the fake polite (murderous) smile. Honestly, people traveling in economy deserved better treatment but she was digressing.

She felt nervous.

Kim Haneul had two modes. One was her cold hearted unfazed business mode and the other was her personal mature silent mode. She rarely let things ruffle her feathers but going to this concert was definitely causing her nerves to act weird. She had let it slip that she was attending his concert but she hadn't told Jongdae that she also had backstage passes. She wanted to surprise him but this was starting to sound like a bad idea with every passing second.

Maybe she was thinking too much into this. Expecting too much from this. All she had to do was go in, say hi and wish him well and come out. Jongdae would be surprised and hopefully happy to see a familiar face. It's not like he would suddenly take her in his arms and declare his love or how much he missed her. Given the amount of time that had passed, it would be surprising if he even remembered how she looked.

Yeah

Jongdae wouldn't even remember her. And tonight was just one night. One concert. After this she was going back to office and being the cold hearted unfazed business woman. The world wouldn't change no matter what the outcome of the meeting. She wouldn't either. This wasn't a K-drama. And just maybe, some things were better left ot fate. Let the chips fall where they may.

Does a white top and black jeans count as nice?

y if done right! Tell me if you find a hottie ;)

Kim Jongin passed through security. The man had been peculiarly insistent on checking his jacket. Zitao had been right about getting concert tickets in black online. This must be a regular occurrence because the security guy hadn't even blinked at finding a twenty something man in place of a sixteen year old girl. Or maybe he just didn't know the difference between a Korean name for a man and a Vietnamese girl's name. The possibilities of ignorance were endless.

He purchased a lightstick just for the heck of it. It was a neon yellow stick that glowed when bent or shaken vigorously. He figured it would be useful to blend in. He thought only idol groups got light sticks though. Maybe ballad soloists did too. He hadn't even followed bands after Epik High's controversy and that was around five years or so ago. Things must have changed since then. He mindlessly wandered around till he found his seat and sat down.

The concert hall lights dimmed and the crowd was silenced for a while. A piano intro started and the murmurs rose in the crowd. Slowly, light sticks started to glow and the hall was covered in tiny yellow lights. They reminded Jongin of little stars spread across the sky and he smiled, the excitement infecting him as well. When Jongdae made an appearance on stage and started singing the first few lines of his latest release, the crowds went wild cheering him on. Jongin cheered as well.

The man on stage was very different from the man in the plane, he thought as he saw him hit high and low notes with ease and wink at the crowd. Kim Jongdae belonged on stage. He was a rock star alright. His passion made all the difference. This is what an inspired artist felt like. ideas were already forming in Jongin's head. Maybe Jongdae would inspire his next story. Who would believe it? No one would. Then again, someone just might. The reader's reactions were part of the fun after all.

Haneul nervously smoothed out the shirt she was wearing. It was a semi formal top. (She only had formals. She needed to shop more) She felt too dressed up for the wrong occasion. But everyone around the stage seemed too busy to care, going around trying to get the equipment safely away. The security was busy escorting the crowd out of the hall. She had been asked to wait till someone could her to meet Jongdae. She played around with the strap of her purse. This would take a while.

"Ma'am you need to step back and make way" a lady with a Bluetooth ear piece told her. Haneul stepped back as a group of people walked around her. Security guards. Did that mean...?

"Haneul?" a hoarse voice asked her. Jongdae started coughing and the person who looked like his manager rushed to get him some water. "You okay?" Haneul asked worriedly as another assistant patted him on the back to soothe the coughing fit. Jongdae nodded, his eyes watering as he took a swig of water. "I'm... okay. What are you doing here?" he asked her. "Surprise?" she said weakly, holding up her backstage pass. Everyone around her was looking at them. Who was the mysterious person that the famous singer Kim Jongdae seemed to know?

Jongdae must have realized the same. "Ma'am, you're holding him up" the assistant whispered. Haneul nodded, stepping out of the way. "Actually, she's with me. Can someone please her to my dressing room?" Jongdae asked. "Are you sure Sir?" the security guard asked. "Yeah. Han, I'll meet you after the meet and greet?" he asked Haneul. Haneul nodded, letting herself be led away and out of prying eyes. She stole one last look at Jongdae's thoughtful expression before concentrating on the stairs. She didn't want to trip and attract more attention.

The corridors were unnaturally wide. The dressing rooms were near the exit used to bring equipment and production staff in. It must have been designed to keep an alternative entrance for stars without getting mobbed by fans, Haneul guessed. She came across a simple dressing room which had 'KJD' scribbled on it's door with a black marker. There was a couch to sit on and an elaborate mirror setup with lights along the border. A folding canvas acted as a partition that must be used as a makeshift changing area. She smiled as she recognised the faded Coldplay tshirt that Jongdae wore all the time back in college lying on the couch. Guess some things never changed.

The door opened and she stepped away from the couch guiltily. Jongdae entered with his manager who spoke to him in rapid Korean before leaving. Haneul tried not to eavesdrop, looking anywhere but at the pair. "Sorry. I didn't expect you to be here" Jongdae said smiling at her. "Kind of the point about surprises" she pointed out and he chuckled. "Did you end up coming directly from office?" he asked, looking at her attire. "Something like that" she lied.

"Oh right. Uh.. sit down" he said, grabbing his clothes and making space on the couch. "I'll change and be back" he said, pulling the folding canvas out. "Take your time" Haneul said, sitting on the couch. She checked her phone for messages while he changed, a meaningless silence settled in the room. "So, how did you end up here in LA? A business trip?" Jongdae asked, coming out. "Kind of. Exploring potential business options" she told him. He nodded, sitting down at the other end.

"So, I loved the concert. You are amazing on stage" she said sincerely. "Thank you" Jongdae said with a smile and she realized exactly how much she had missed this. "So a world tour huh? You're literally going places" she said. "Yeah. It's been one hell of a ride till now" he admitted. "But it's everything you worked so hard for all these years. I'm really happy you get to live out your dreams" she said, turning to face him fully. He nodded, closed his eyes and lay back on the couch, taking in a deep breath. "I almost didn't make it you know" he confessed, popping one eye open and looking at her. "There was always a risk involved" she agreed. He nodded, closing his eye and relaxing again. Haneul wondered if she should leave and let him rest. Maybe just a minute or two more? She would leave in a while, she promised herself.

"But you made it and that's what matters. The media will just look back at that story and praise you for persevering" she pointed out. He let out an exasperated sigh and then smiled at her. He had dealt with the media long enough to know that predicting their reaction was never this easy. But he let those thoughts slide.

"I almost thought you wouldn't come" he said, turning to her. "Why not?" she asked him. "We don't have the best history of timings Han" he reminded her. Haneul's jaw tightened and she looked away. She couldn't deny the failed relationship which always weighed in on their interactions. But this was the only man who could use her nickname so lovingly and patronizingly. "I suppose not" she admitted. She smoothed out her jeans, waiting for Jongdae to say something more, but that wasn't going to happen anytime tonight. 

"I don't want to keep you up" she said, standing up. "It's okay. I stay up late all the time" Jongdae said hesitantly. He had sensed the shift in the mood and knew he had messed up. But this wasn't the first time. "Good luck with the rest of your concerts" she said with a formal tone and gathered up her things. "I'm really glad you came Han" he said as she opened the door. She nodded with a tight lipped smile and left.

She was right. The world hadn't changed. Nothing had, nothing would. Yet guilt and disappointment weighed heavy on her mind as she made her way out from the concert hall.

I'll be damned, Cupid's demanding back his arrow