"The last person to raise his hand shall do the dishes!" Eunkwang exclaimed as the BTOB members were finishing their dinner. Immediately, 6 hands shot up, while poor Peniel's mind was still working to translate the statement into English. Resigning to fate, the American idol set out to clear the plates, all the while mumbling "Those chemicals in the detergent better not deter hair growth" under his breath. 

Sinking into the sofa with a bloated stomach, Yook Sungjae heaved a sigh of relief. It had been ages since he last got the chance to have a meal together with the hyungs (due to his never-ending list of individual schedules), and as much as he wouldn't openly admit it, he missed those moments of having to fight for food (food scarcity is a very real problem in the BTOB dormitory) with the other six boys. 

"So, how has it been going?" Hearing the familiar voice, Yook Sungjae turned his head to find his Changsubbie hyung looking at him intently.  

"Well, my individual schedules have been going on relatively well, I guess. Gotta shoot a CF with Park Shin Hye sunbae-nim soon. You know, hyung, sometimes I get really, really apprehensive about the future. Within less than a year, our company is almost in shambles. G.NA sunbae-nim was involved in the ion scandal and left. 4Minute sunbae-nims disbanded - remember how much we used to look up to them when we first debuted and how awed we were by their bond? Heck, it's been 7 years, and 'poof', '4Minute' disappears! The enlistment dates for B2ST sunbae-nims are drawing near, and Doojoon hyung told me that day that he is already feeling the decline in their popularity, especially after Hyungseung hyung's departure. CLC's new music video hasn't hit the 1 million mark on their official youtube channel 1 month after its release. We still don't know how Pentagon will turn out to be. As for ourselves… Hyung, I don't even know. Rather than to ask 'Are we popular?', the real question is 'Are we popular enough?'. Are we popular enough to earn sufficient revenue for the company? Are we popular enough to maintain our footing in this ever-changing industry?"

Listening to Sungjae's rambles, Changsub felt a wave of emotions surging up to this throat. It  never occurred to him that the maknae, at the tender age of 22, had so much worries at the back of his mind; and it, too, made him a tad bit guilty for not being able to let the youngling enjoy the privilege of being the youngest in the group, nor being able to help him out in his quest of increasing the nation's recognition for BTOB's talents. 

Changsub let out a shaky sigh. Back then, himself, together with the other members, dove into the entertainment world head first driven by dreams and a fiery passion; they were young, fearless, and determined to make a name for themselves as "BTOB". Eventually, days turned into months, and months turned into years; beneath all the glamour and extravaganza on stage was the amalgamation of countless hours of spent in the practising room, umpteen rounds of self-doubt and insecurities, and needless to say, heaps of malicious, scathing criticisms from the public. It was something every freshly-debuted group had to go through, but how many of them could actually survive this AND stand out amidst the saturated pool of idols? Four years have passed since the release of BTOB's debut track, yet the sombre truth was that, still, they had yet to secure a concrete place in the industry. 

"Hyung. There are times when I feel spiritually drained, but I know it's my duty as a BTOB member and an idol under Cube Entertainment to endure through all of these. So don't worry about me, just stop disturbing me when I'm asleep!" Sensing the change in atmosphere, Yook Sungjae tried to lighten up the mood by cracking jokes. The last thing he wanted to see was his hyung being melancholic. 

"What about Joy-ssi?"

"W-What?" Well, that took an unexpected turn. 

"You know what I mean, Yook."

Yook Sungjae remained silent as images of his time with Joy flashed across his mind. She was beautiful, not in the way most people saw her - fair-skinned, bright-eyed, complete with a voluptuous body. No, she was beautiful, for the care and compassion she showed to the people around her, to kins, friends, fans and strangers alike. She was beautiful, for the way she laughed with wide open, her eyes twinkling like the stars at night. She was beautiful, for the way she radiated energy, even when she was exhausted herself, just so that she could brighten other people's day. She was beautiful, deep down to her soul. 

Involuntarily, the corners of Sungjae's lips lifted as he recalled the fond memories between himself and the Red Velvet member. This did not escape Changsub's eagle eyes. Hyunsik, who just joined into the conversation, saw the change in Sungjae's behaviour through his slits as well, and he exchanged a knowing glance with Changsub. They knew him too well to be oblivious towards whatever that had been going on. 

"Call Red Velvet," Changsub mouthed to Hyunsik, not bothering to snap Sungjae out of his trance, "He needs a break, emotionally."

"That is, if Joy-ssi does like him back," Hyunsik affirmed, even though he was already aware of the answer. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE: From the bottom of my heart, I don't mean to criticize Cube ent, nor the idols under this label. In fact, I wish people would stop sleeping on them; they're all so talented! Alas, at this point in time, the situation isn't very bright for the company. So please, give the artistes your fullest support! 

I might have gotten a tad bit too emotional writing this chapter, especially the part depicting idol life, so please bear with me for that. However, it really irks me to see people disregarding the blood and sweatband tears behind the idols' fancy stages - like seriously, showing them some appreciation wouldn't hurt. Stop bashing them. If you have nothing to say, keep your mouth shut...