I got up the next day and found myself on the coach with something on my stomach. I tried to sit up but was only met with a huge headache. Good lord…what had we done yesterday?


When I looked down I saw that there was blood. It was on my shirt and then I realized that it was everywhere else in our dorm as well. I found Woozi, Hoshi and The8 all lying on the floor unconscious; their clothes had blood all over them.

 

It was the nightmare that came back….

 

 

*****

 

 

“AH!!” I sat up immediately in a cold sweat. I looked around my room frantically and grabbed my chest. I could feel my heart beat and I relaxed a bit.

 

“JOSHUA!!” My bedroom door burst open and there were Woozi, The8 and Hoshi. They all looked at me with concern and came to surround me by my bed.

 

“Joshua, you ok?” Hoshi placed a hand on my shoulder.

 

I took a deep breath but I didn’t know how to respond. I must have been shaking because The8 pulled the covers over me.

 

“Did you have the nightmare again?” Woozi asked calmly.

 

“Yeah…And I haven’t had it in a long time. It’s just…” I trailed off, not really knowing where to go from there or how to explain why I had the dream.

 

“Rest hyung. School was canceled today because the teachers went on strike.”


“Why?”


“They’re complaining about the wages but also the school itself isn’t doing too well right now.” Hoshi pointed out.

 

“Yeah. They said we might have to transfer to their sister school. It’s on the other side of downtown LA.” The8 said.

 

“Woozi…what are you doing here? I mean you’re my best friend but…really what are you doing in our dorm? All the time?”


“Oh, well I moved in. But now it seems like I’ll be packing up soon and going to a different school.”


“So you’ll be transferring with us?”


He nodded then said that he would live in the same dorm as us if we requested it from the dorm staff.


“In any case, Joshua, you had the nightmare again. Are you sure we don’t need to take you to counseling?”


“No Woozi, I’m fine. The other members get this dream too. I just don’t get it as often as them.” I lay back down on the mattress and looked up at the ceiling.

 

The others sat on my bed and just stayed in the room with me. They didn’t need to say anything to comfort me; it was enough knowing that they were there.

 

Then my phone rang. Woozi looked around the room for my backpack, which had my phone in it. He went over to my desk and pulled out my vibrating phone and handed it to me. “It’s Margo.”


I didn’t sit up, I took my phone and answered while laying down. “Hello?”

“Hi Joshua. Are you free today?”


“Uh I think so. We don’t have school today. Our teachers went on strike. Don’t you have school?”


“No, I’m…I have a personal schedule for my school days…” I could tell that there was more to what she said but I didn’t want to bug her.

 

“Oh, ok. I could hang out today. What did you have in mind?”


“Well..I would like to sing with you, Woozi, Jeonghan and DK. If’ they’re free and would be up for it of course.”


I smiled. “I’ll ask Wooz what he thinks. He’s here with me right now.” I paused and looked at him.

 

“Sure, sounds like fun.”


“Woozi said he’s in. I’ll ask the others if they want to join. I think they have today off.”


“Ok. If they’re free and would like to meet up, could you guys come over to my house?”


“Yeah, we can probably do that.”

 

“Great. I have to go now but just text me what the others say and when you’ll be coming over.”


“Sounds good. See you later Margo.”


“Bye Joshua.” I hung up and looked at Woozi.

 

He smiled back at me then stood up. “I’ll get a hold of DK and Jeonghan. I’m sure they’d love to hangout and sing.” He then pulled out his phone and proceeded to call them.

 

“Hoshi, shouldn’t we practice with Jun and Dino for the Gala?”


“Oh …that’s right. You call Jun and I’ll call Dino.” Hoshi said while taking out his phone.

 

The8 pouted and whine. “No, I don’t want to talk to Jun. He gives me so much crap and I won’t take that from him anymore. I might as well ask Woozi hyung if he’ll smack Jun over the head with a guitar!”


“Don’t go anywhere near my guitar. He already broke the last four.” I sat up and looked The8.

 

He pouted even more and I laughed. If there was anyone in this world a person could not get mad at, it was The8. He was one of the nicest people I knew and I mean genuinely nice. Not the kind of nice like just opening a door, but the kind of nice that was contagious. It was impossible to hate him.

“Come on The8, let’s go.” Hoshi stood up and pulled the younger up by his shoulders.

 

“Did you get Jun and Dino to come over?”


“Nah, we’re meeting at the studio.” They left my room quickly.

 

Woozi looked back at me. “They said they’d love to hangout. But they need to know what time.”


“Make it 12:30.”


“Ok, better tell Margo.”

I grabbed my phone and texted her.  I hoped that she was doing fine. When I had taken her to the warehouse yesterday, she wasn’t looking too good.

 

“Ay, Joshua!” Woozi was now sitting next to me again with a large smile on his face.

 

“Nae?”


“Why don’t we take Margo to our old hangout spot?”


“To sing? When I took her yesterday, she nearly collapsed just standing inside the warehouse itself.” I looked down at my feet which were under the covers.

 

“Maybe that’s because it was only you two. Maybe she needs to be around more people before she can feel comfortable going there with only you. Keep in mind that warehouse is creepy as hell while walking through it.”


I nodded my head slowly, but my brain just couldn’t shake off what happened last night.


“Come on, get out of bed and change your clothes so that we can get going.” Woozi stood up and left my room.

 

I sat there for a few minutes more then got up and changed into something more comfortable. I grabbed a clean shirt, jeans, converse and a flannel. When I came out of my room Woozi was sitting on the coach in the lotus position.

 

“Ready?” I asked as I put on the flannel.

 

He nodded and we left the dorm. As we walked down the street to Margo’s house, I couldn’t help but wonder if she actually felt comfortable around me. I knew that sometimes I wasn’t the best person on the planet but…I hoped that she could see past my flaws for a bit and see what I was really like.

 

I thought these things as we walked because if she did something like she had done yesterday, I would have to leave. The only thing I hated more than not being a gentleman, was giving off the impression that I couldn’t be trusted.

 

And I guess I must have had a look on my face that said what I was thinking because Woozi gently punched my arm.


“Everything’s fine Joshua. I’m sure you’re just over thinking things.”


“Am I though? I mean, she asked to sing with you guys.”


“No, she asked you if you wanted to sing and then added in having us be with you. I think she likes you.”


I gave him and indifferent look and rolled my eyes. “I highly doubt that. We haven’t known each other that long. I honestly can’t believe that I like her already. It’s weird isn’t it?”


“While I do admit that you kind of jumped on that train quickly, I think that you guys would be good together.”


“Hm. We’ll see about that.” I said.

 

 

 

***

 

 

When we got to her house, we found DK and Jeonghan waiting on the front porch. They stood up and smiled at us.

 

“Hey guys.”


“Hi DK, how long have you two been here?” I asked.

 

“Not very long, about 5 minutes. We didn’t want to go inside without you two so we decided to wait until you got here.”


“I see.” Woozi said as he rang the door bell.

 

In a minute, we all heard a thud and then the front door opened to reveal Margo with her hair in a long Dutch braid, wearing jeans, a tank top, a flannel and a snapback. She smiled brightly at us and bowed. It’s funny; she had the same habit that I did.

 

“Hey guys. Come on in.” She stepped aside to let us in.

 

We walked in and this time I was really able to get a good look at the house. It was very nice but simple. The ceilings in the rooms were tall and it looked like they would have great acoustics.

 

“Sorry guys, I’m not quite ready yet. I have something I need to do before I can hangout. Can you all wait 10 more minutes?”


We nodded our heads and told her that it was fine. There was no rush so she could take all the time she needed. Then she ran back upstairs and into her room.

 

“Wow you really know how to pick ‘em Joshua.” DK said in a joking manner.

 

“Whatever.” I said with a slight smile and went to sit on the coach.

 

 

***

 

 

When Margo came back down, I noticed that she had her wrist wrapped. I wanted to ask her what happened but I decided not to ruin the day by bringing it up.

 

“So, what do you guys want to do?” She asked as she sat down in a chair opposite me.

 

“Well Joshua said that you wanted to sing with us. So here we are.” Jeonghan said with a smile.

 

“If you guys are up for it.”


We nodded our heads.


“All right. Follow me then.” She stood up and began to walk down a hallway.

 

She walked quickly and we had to run to catch up to her. It was surprising how much bigger Margo’s house was than I had originally thought. The hallway went on for awhile then she turned to the left and brought us to a closed door.

 

“You guys have been in a studio right?” She asked as she took out a set of keys.


“Yes.” Woozi said.


“Great,” She unlocked the door and opened it. “Then you should know the rules of being in a studio.” She walked in and we followed her.

 

The studio was huge. We had been in a studio before, but this was completely different from the one we had at school. I smiled and looked around. I wondered how many times she would surprise me in just a few days.

 

“Come over here guys.” Margo was sitting on a tall stool, 4 other stools were next to her and a guitar leaned up against the stool closest to her.

 

“Joshua, since you play the guitar, come sit over here.” She pointed to the seat net to her.

 

I walked over and sat down, picking up the guitar gently. “This is a very nice guitar. Where did you get it?”


“It was my mom’s. She said she got it from her grandfather, seems like it’s been passed down in my family for generations now.” She said as she adjusted her mic a bit.

 

The others came to sit down on the other stools and started adjusting their mics as well. They seemed to be very impressed by this studio.

 

“So what should we sig first?”


“How about Because of You? I know it’s a sad song but it’s really good.” Jeonghan said.


“Since it’s a sad song with sad lyrics, why don’t we mix it up a bit?”


“How so?”


“Why don’t we slow down the tempo and make it more like a ballad?” Margo knew a lot about music it seemed. At least more than I had expected of her.

 

“Sounds good. Woozi, would you lead us in a more ballad like version?” DK said.


“I’d be happy to. Margo, do you have the audio?”


She nodded her head and turned it on.


“Ok, now…slow down the tempo and bring the beat out more. It should be prominent and Joshua, can you play the guitar with it?”


I nodded my head and brought the mic closer to my face. This was going to be interesting but fun.

 

As the beat started again, I began to play along.

 

"I never forget you girl, I never forget you girl

 

[Jeonghan] heeojinji beolsseo myeot nyeoni jinanneunji molla 

geudae saenggak manhamyeon jakku nunmul man heulleo

oneul ttara wae geureoke niga bogopeulkka

chang bakkui bissoriga nae mameul heundeureonwa

 

[DK] sarang haji malgeol geuraesseo

[Margo] jeong juji malgeol geuraesseo

[DK] butjapji malgeol geuraesseo ([All] wae ireohke na honja apa)

[Margo] sarang haji malgeol geuraesseo

[DK] jeong juji malgeol geuraesseo

 

[Jeonghan] ije eotteokhae geudael ijeulsu eobseo

 

[All] neo ttaemune manhido ureosseo

(maeil bam nan)

neo ttaemune manhido useosseo

neo ttaemune sarangeul mideosseo

neo ttaemune, neo ttaemune, moduda irheosseo

[Joshua] jeongmal dap dap daphae

[All] gap gap gaphae, mak mak makhae

neo eobtneun sesangi"

 

 

We went on like this until the song ended. Margo was smiling, so were the others. I rested my head on the guitar. For some reason I didn’t feel up to par today.

 

“That was great you guys!” She said.

 

“You’re really good. The last time we heard you sing was about a week ago.”

 

“About a week ago, week ago—“


“Jeonghan, shut up.” Woozi said and laughed at the facial expression on the others face.

 

“You’re singing quality is very low quality.” DK said.

 

“Gee, thanks guys. You know I really do at singing and that’s why I’m part of the vocal unit at school along with you guys.” Jeonghan said in a sarcastic tone.

 

“Joshua, you ok?”


I lifted my head up to see Margo looking at me, her head was tilted to the side a bit and she worse a slight frown on her face.

 

“Oh, yeah I’m fine. I just didn’t sleep too well last night that’s all.” I rubbed my eyes.

 

I could feel the others look at me and I knew that they understood what I meant. I hadn’t slept well because of the nightmare, but we couldn’t tell Margo about our truth.

“Do you want to rest? There are plenty of spare rooms in the h—“


“Don’t worry about him Margo.” Woozi said quickly. Thank god. “He’s pulled all nighters before while studying for tests or writing essays. He’ll be fine.”

 

I nodded my head in agreement. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. It’s nothing new for me.”


“Ok then. So what should we sing next?”


“How about we do a top ten list?” DK suggested.

 

“Sounds good. Who goes first?” Jeonghan looked around.

 

“Woozi, why don’t you pick the next song.” I said and played a few notes on the guitar.

 

“Alright.” He thought for a moment. Then a devilish smile appeared on his face. “Margo, you know how to ballroom dance right?”


“I do. Why?”


“Joshua, I know you’ve ballroom danced before because of our classes.”


“Woozi, where are you going with this?” I asked as I set the guitar down.

 

“You guys get to dance to a song that my mom loves. It’s in English but I’m sure we can pull it off. Joshua, Margo, you guys may have to sing with us so that we know we aren’t screwing it up.” Woozi said and walked over to the piano.

 

DK and Jeonghan walked over to Woozi and brought the mics with them. As they set up, Margo and I stood on the middle of the studio facing each other. We didn’t know what to do for the moment. It was weird to be forced to dance with someone.

 

“Ok, Joshua, you’re the lead I’m assuming and I’m hoping that you remember how to waltz.” Woozi looked at me with expectation written so clearly on his face it was like someone had stamped it to his forehead. “Also, the song is Say Something. So I hope you two have fun with it.”

 

“Uh…” I looked over my shoulder at him but it was too late. Woozi just gave me a look that said, get into first position and go from there.

 

So I turned around and looked at Margo. She took a step closer to me and waited for me to go into first position. I placed my hand on her hip and took her free hand and held it in mine.

 

As soon as I did that I could have sworn she blushed but I wasn’t too sure because Woozi started playing the piano. That meant I had to pay attention to what was going on.

 

*Play https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmErRm-vApI *

 

Jeonghan started off the song.

 

“Say something I’m giving up on you~

I'll be the one, if you want me to.

Anywhere, I would've followed you.

Say something, I'm giving up on you.”


Then DK joined him.

 

“And I am feeling so small.

It was over my head

I know nothing at all.”

 

Margo and I danced to the song as they sang. I kept glancing at her as we danced, I didn’t really know where to look. It seemed that she didn’t know either. I glanced over at Woozi, who looked at me with a smile and nodded his head in the direction of Margo.

 

“Look at her.” He mouthed and kept playing the piano.

 

I took a deep breath and looked back at Margo. “Hey, look at me.” I said softly. When she looked up at me, she blushed.

 

“Hi…” I said.

 

“Hi.” She whispered back.

 

I leaned in and spoke softly. “This is a bit strange isn’t it?”

 

“Slightly. But you’re very good at waltzing.”


“Thanks, I’ve been taking a class on it for about 4 years now. You’re pretty good too if I’m allowed to say so.”


She looked down a bit and smiled shyly. I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. Then I remembered that I had to control myself. I refused to let myself give in to the past.

 

So I just kept dancing with her, soon I began to move the two of us around the room. The least I could do was make waltzing a bit more interesting. When I spun her around she had a smile on her face. She looked so happy and I knew that from then on, I wanted to always see that look on her face when she’s around me.

 

“Say something, I'm giving up on you

And I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you

And anywhere, I would have followed you

Oh-oh-oh-oh say something, I'm giving up on you

Say something, I'm giving up on you

Say something...”


Margo and I sang the last part of the song together. Without knowing that the others had stopped singing and only Woozi was accompanying us with the piano.

 

When the music stopped, they looked at us with smiles on their faces. Then Woozi cleared his throat. At that moment I realized the song was over and I let go of Margo completely. I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly.

 

“That was great you guys.” DK said while clapping his hands.

 

“Waltzing has really paid off hasn’t it Joshua?” Jeonghan said while giving me  asly smile.

 

“Eh, you could say that. Honestly Margo was better than me.”


“Not really. I haven’t waltzed in over 6 years. This was the first time since then that I’ve danced it.”

 

“Well either way, you two were great. I would have paid to see that performed.” Woozi said as he stood up.

 

I shook my head and smiled at them. I went back to my stool and grabbed the guitar once again. Margo went back to her mic.

 

“DK, what do you want to sing?” She asked.

 

“Why not sing 20? I haven’t sung that in a long time.”


“Sure thing.” So we got into our positions and began the song.

 

I don’t know how much time had passed but by the time we finished out top ten, it was almost dinnertime.

 

“Whoa. It’s getting to be late.” DK said as he looked at his phone.


“Oh gosh, we’ve been gone almost the whole day. I hope the others aren’t worried about us.” Jeonghan said.

 

“We have to go Margo.” Woozi said as he picked up his hat.

 

“Oh, ok. Well thanks for hanging out with me today.” There was a hint of sadness in her voice.

 

“Hey, why don’t you come with us? I’m sure the others would love to see you.” I took her hand in mine.

 

She smiled at me. “Thanks Joshua.”


As we left her house, I couldn’t help be feel like something was about to go very wrong very soon.

 

“No Joshua, it’ll be fine. There’s nothing wrong.” I said to myself and pushed the terrible feeling to the back of my mind.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you guys liked this chapter. I feel like this story is getting a bit too dramatic but I’m trying to make it work. Hopefully I'll be getting some more chapters that are fluffly. 

 

If you’re new to this story and you liked it, please subscribe and anticipate more chapters.

 

Thanks guys!


As always, happy reading!