Awkward.

That was the only word that she could use to describe the tension inside the music studio. She had spent the whole evening learning and recording the demo and it was the most uncomfortable few hours of her entire life. She wanted to act like her usual self but the very first moment Han Bin stiffly greeted her when she came in, she knew that would be impossible.

“One more time.” He was sitting beside her—constantly tinkering with the software while she rapped her verses in front of a condenser microphone.

Not saying anything, she did the whole verse again and she was met with a quiet affirmative nod. She took off the headphones and waited for him to say something. A few moments passed by but Han Bin was still focused on the computer and that kind of made her even more uncomfortable. He had pushed back the schedule for the demo for whatever reason he could come up with. But for Lisa, it was better to face it head on than just avoid it altogether.

Looking at the time, it was nearing 11 in the evening and tomorrow was her group’s show.

“Are we good?”

He briefly glanced at her and nodded. “Yeah. Thank you for doing this.”

Before, he would have a huge grin plastered on his face but then she knew that things had definitely changed. When they were rookies, the company was strict about having their groups openly interact to avoid unnecessary rumors. Yet they all came to be friends because of their shared dreams and aspirations. Hours spent in the studios, sneaking in their apartments to play video games and watch movies… a lot of them would often drink together when the managers were away—talking about their hardships and the most random yet hilarious things they could think of. All of them were good friends… and she wondered what changed for Han Bin.

Her voice was barely above a whisper when she said, “I’m sorry.”

His hand holding the mouse froze and it took a while before he looked at her—eyes masking whatever emotion he was feeling at that moment.

“No, I should be the one apologizing…” His gaze flitted down. “For being... ignorant. If only I had known, I wouldn’t have done anything to make you feel uncomfortable.”

Lisa was quick to shake her head.

“No… no. It’s just that… things are complicated. And it’s difficult to talk about it with anyone.”

He didn’t say anything once more and her whole body was starting to buzz from the anxiety and embarrassment of it all.

“You’ve always been a great friend to me.” She almost reached out to touch his arm but clenched her fists instead. “I do hope you understand.”

The silence stretched on for far too long and she didn’t know whether to stay or leave. It was when she decided to go for the latter when Han Bin spoke—seeing her stand up from the chair.

“You know I’ve always liked you, right?”

That made her still and she didn’t know how to respond. Thinking of all the years they had known each other, there were moments… despite being short and seemingly unimportant, that he showed his interest. But she was all too preoccupied surviving in the industry…

And her heart had always yearned for someone else.

“I’m too focused on my career and my members that I never really got to man up and tell you.” A sad smile appeared on his face. “At least I’ve said it now.”

The same smile reflected on hers and his faltered when she said, “Thank you…”

He took a deep breath and sighed—his whole demeanor changing along with it. His shoulders slumped as he rested his head back on the chair. A smile playing at the corners of his lips.

“I thought about another sad love song just now.” He grinned sheepishly then and that made her chuckle.

Han Bin stood up and wore his jacket. “I’ll see you to your car.”

Nodding, she just followed him outside the building and towards her car parked two blocks away. It was the first week of April and the chilly air of early spring made her shiver. The seemingly quiet street was disrupted by her sneeze and Han Bin chuckled with a small, “Bless you.”

Once they neared her car, he quickly excused himself and went inside a convenience store. It was not even a minute later that he came back with two banana-flavored milk.

“Thank you for helping me with the demo.” He gave her one and she smiled—knowing how much she liked the drink. “I would’ve treated you to some expensive food but that’ll be a bad idea.”

She laughed then as she thought of Seung Hyun bristling at that mere suggestion.

“I hope your album preparations go well. You deserve only the best.” She did wish him that because he truly deserved to be happy.

He smiled shyly then and the awkward tension was starting to make its presence once more. Before they got overwhelmed by it again, Lisa made the move to leave first.

It was instantaneous—an action that she had done multiple times.

“I have to go now. Rest early tonight.” She hugged him and there was a brief yet meaningful moment when his hold tightened a little.

They let go at the same time and she smiled once more before going inside her car—her eyes glancing at the side mirror to see him wave at her as she drove away.

~

The 4-hour flight from Manila to Incheon was spent in an unusual dreamless sleep. It was the result of his exhaustion for the past few months—touring the world with his brothers. At their age, he was quite surprised they still had the energy to fly back and forth… spending countless hours on airplanes, at airports and similar-looking hotels. Fans were gathered at the airport to take photos and videos of them. The sound of the cameras already ingrained in his brain for more than a decade. He took the letters and gifts… and quickly waved once he entered the company-owned black sedan.

Taking off his mask, he leaned back on the seat comfortably. The first thought that came to mind as soon as he closed his eyes was her.

“You’re going tonight, right?” Jiyong asked beside him and he simply hummed in response. “It’ll be their first concert that you’ll attend. You should do something nice.”

Seung Hyun glanced at him then.

“Got any ideas?”

His friend looked at his watch. “We don’t have enough time to actually plan something. The show would’ve already started by the time we get there.”

The flight had been delayed for two hours and that angered him for the sole reason he couldn’t be at the concert on time.

“Hyung…” Jiyong spoke after a few minutes and he was looking at his phone with wide eyes. “You’re not gonna like this.”

“What is it?”

The younger handed him the phone and what he saw instantly made his blood run cold.

BLACKPINK LISA AND iKON B.I RUMORED TO BE DATING

In the article were a few photos of the two walking on a street. Their faces were visible despite the caps they were wearing. And then he saw that photo of them hugging—a small yet somewhat sad smile on her lips.

Jiyong took his phone again and browsed through the Naver page. “The company only took ten minutes to respond. That’s saying a lot. All my dating rumors were hardly addressed.”

Seung Hyun didn’t exactly know what to feel at that moment. Judging by the photos, he knew that it was taken out of context. It was also that night that she had sent him a message about where she was and who she was with. Even if he wasn’t aware of the situation, he would still know just by looking at her expression. The time he had spent with her had somehow made him so keenly observant when it came to her.

“A YG official stated that the two had just finished recording a demo when the photos were taken.” Jiyong read the article out loud. “They have been friends for a long time… blah blah blah… Please look forward to their collaboration in the near future.”

A frown suddenly appeared on Seung Hyun’s face. “And who decided on that?”

“Damage control.” Jiyong laughed. “A demo that suddenly became a real collaboration to avoid a dating rumor.”

He simply sighed and that got his brother’s attention.

“You’re strangely calm about this. I thought you’d be seething with anger now.”

“She told me not to get jealous of him.” He remembered the times she reassured him and how stubborn he had been. Clearly, he had no idea this would be blown out of proportions. Yet…

“I trust her.”

Taking out his phone, he almost dialed her number but opted not to. Their show was about to start and he was sure she was already stressed enough by this situation. He thought about it for a moment before sending a short text.

Do your best. I’ll see you soon.

“Add a ing heart.” Jiyong was snooping and he elbowed him before sending three pink hearts as well.

They arrived at the stadium 30 minutes into the show. Guided by their managers, the two went to a VIP area where they met with the other people from the company. Some were surprised to see the almighty G-Dragon and T.O.P attend their juniors’ concert straight from the airport. Hidden by the darkness, Seung Hyun quietly focused on the show.

It was strange at first—for being a part of the audience after years of performing on the stage. Everything seemed so different. His eyes were used to seeing the thousands of lights right in front of him… but from where he was seated, he could see everything. And he was quite distracted at the beginning—not knowing whether to look at the glowing pink lights or the beautiful spectacle on the stage from afar. He decided to focus on the latter as soon as her beautiful smiling face was on the screen.

Enchanted, a proud smile ghosted over his lips.

Had it really been almost year? It was more than that if he included the moment she suddenly started invading his thoughts. The times he had reasoned with himself were countless and yet she had still managed to break the stronghold he had built. That damned self-preservation he had for years disappeared as soon as he realized how much he had truly f