Synopsis: Hanbin finally follows through with his words and leaves on one of the days iKON was supposed to shoot for Mix & Match. Things are finally becoming to overwhelming for him and he decides to escape for a while. The members are worried and contact the only person that can bring him back to them, Hayi. 

It was the day Team B was supposed to record the third episode of Mix & Match. All the crew and members were already inside at the studio getting ready to shoot. It was an autumn night with a clear sky. Since it was still early in the evening, the area around the training area was still bustling with people. Hanbin sighed to himself as he stood in front of their practice place. His thoughts were constantly racing as the suffocated feeling in his chest didn’t go away. Ever since the announcement from YG, doubts and worries plagued his mind as two members suddenly joined and didn’t meet up with the team’s expectations. Everything was going smoothly until this wild card was suddenly pulled onto them. Hanbin thought he could handle anything that would be thrown his way, but with all that was happening; he didn’t know what he was feeling. With his hands curled into fists, he kicked an abandoned can in frustration.

Ah, screw it all. I’m just going to disappear for a while.

Hanbin cursed under his breath as he took one last look at the training center before turning his back on the entrance and headed into another direction. Walking alone at night was one of the things that helped him clear his mind when everything started to become overwhelming. With Mix & Match, Show Me the Money, composing songs, writing lyrics, and leading the team Hanbin felt like everything was slipping from his grasp. They’re so close to their dreams and now even more obstacles were thrown in their way. Looking up at the night sky, he took in a deep breath to calm himself. The crisp, cool air filled his lungs as he looked in front of him and let out a breath. He was going to take advantage of having this time of being unnoticed by everyone. He never complained about his duties since he’s the leader but all he’s wanted to lately was to escape for a bit. Nothing seemed to satisfy him anymore and he was taking it out on s. He felt sorry towards them for being so ruthless during practices these days and had to put himself back into check.

The calm atmosphere comforted him as he jogged the streets with his earphones in. If he had the chance to, he would’ve used his pocket money to go all the way to Busan. Thinking about all the food he could eat and the time on the beach where he could relax without any worries made Hanbin wish he could just teleport over there. But since he didn’t know how to get there, the farthest place he could think of was the Mangwon District. He and the team had found a playground on one of their off days to relax. They went back to the place a couple of times with their friends whenever they had the time. Hanbin had deemed it their safe haven where they could let go of their worries of debuting and just live in that pleasant moment. As soon as he got there, he sat down on one of the park benches by the playground. There was barely any light except by the basketball courts and Hanbin began to relax in the calm atmosphere the area provided.

He took out the journal his mother gave him on his last birthday where he was with them and caressed the worn out cover. Opening the notebook that has always been with him for lyrics and clearing his mind, he took a picture out from the side and stared at it longingly. It was a picture of his family along with a newly born Hanbyul in his mother’s arms. They were always his source of strength whenever things seemed tough. They were his support system and pushed him to become the leader he was that day.

Eomma, what should I do? Things are starting to get hard and I don’t want to disappoint you…

A sigh left his lips as the tune of one his newly composed songs filled his ears. Flipping through the worn out pages, he turned to an empty page and took out the Minnie pen he always carried with him out of his pocket. With no one to disturb him, he began to write down his feelings.

--

Hayi sighed to herself as she set down the headphones and smiled as she saw Tablo and Jonghyun give her two thumbs up through the glass window. Jonghyun was sitting in front of the recording table while Tablo was standing behind him with a wide smile on his face. She had begun preparations for her new album under HIGHGRND and she was excited to share her music with her fans. Grabbing the bottle that was on the music stand next to her, she uncapped it to take a sip. Tablo’s voice echoed in the room as she began to drink the water.

“Good job, Hayi-ah. But I think you could still carry out the song with more emotions. We’ll see what we can use from this take, but for now you can go on a break. I don’t want you to worn out your voice.”

Hayi nodded and gathered her things before exiting the recording booth. Jonghyun got up from his chair and ruffled her hair. “I’m glad you gave me this opportunity to compose a song for you Hayi-ah. When I first heard your voice, it was something I haven’t heard before. You’ve even improved since the last I’ve heard you during your It’s Over promotions.”

Hayi laughed and bowed to Jonghyun while Tablo was checking up on the results they managed to get from the first three hours of recording. “Thank you so much Jonghyun-oppa, I’ve always been a fan of you guys.”

Tablo looked up from the monitor and motioned for Jonghyun to grab a chair and join him. He looked over his shoulder to see Hayi putting on a sweater and sitting on the couch. Taking a look at the clock, he knew she would be hungry and paused on what he was working on.

“Hayi-ah, why don’t you come back in two hours. You’ve been working hard ever since we started this afternoon. Go ahead and get some time to yourself. I know you must be hungry so come back around ten.”

Hayi smiled widely and ran up to Tablo before giving him a hug. “You’re the best Tablo-oppa!”

Quickly gathering her things into her bag, she waved goodbye to the two men that were now immersed in the recordings she did. She pressed the button to go downstairs and entered the elevator once the doors opened. Taking her phone out of her bag, her eyes widened to see that she had about thirty missed text messages. She unlocked her phone and sent her manager a text saying that she would be around the area eating and to clear her mind. Going back to the missed messages, her eyebrows furrowed as she saw the names of the people that texted her.

Jinhwan-oppa? Bobby-oppa? Why would they be texting me? Aren’t they supposed to be filming right now?

As the elevator indicated that she was on the ground floor, she stepped off and slipped on a face mask. Bowing to the security guard the door, she put up her hoodie and began her journey towards the street vendor down the street. Hayi turned her attention back to her text messages and quickly scanned what was sent to her.

To: Baby Hayi

From: Jinhwannie-oppa

Hayi-ah! We were supposed to be recording M&M but Hanbin-ah disappeared. Do you know where he is?

To: Shorty Hayi

From: Butthead Jiwon-oppa

If the punk contacted you, please tell us that he’s okay.

To: Baby Hayi

From: Jinhwannie-oppa

We’re worried about Hanbin-ah, our shooting has been put to a pause until he comes back.

To: Shorty Hayi

From: Butthead Jiwon-oppa

Hanbin-ah has been overloaded lately and isn’t answering any of us. If you know where he is, please comfort him.

Hayi grew concerned from the multiple messages and began to think where Hanbin could have disappeared. He was a very close friend of hers along with the members of Team B. They had grown close after swapping numbers with her when she took part in the voting process of WIN. She knew how Hanbin can get and had a gut feeling where he could be at that moment. Once she arrived at the street vendor, she ordered two servings of gimbap before sending a text to Jinhwan and Bobby saying that she’ll find him and kick his for them. They immediately replied with supportive replies and wished her the best of luck. Hayi sighed to herself as she waited for her food and took a seat on one of the stools. Fiddling with her phone, she debated if she should text Hanbin or not. But knowing him