Waeroni Rambo?

Listening to her iPod, Qri took off her headphones and sighed while examining them. She shook it and tried to put it back on. After attempting to listen for a while, she decided that it was over and tossed the headphones aside.

"Ah Kyul," Boram's motherly approach warmed the hearts of all those around her, "Your birthday is coming up, should I get you new headphones?"

Qri smiled, "Thank you Boramie, that would be great." She gave Boram the best hug she could possibly give.

Boram looked at her watch, "I think I'll go to the store now. Don't come! It's a surprise~ I promise you'll love them."

_____

It was a cold winter day, the streets were busy but Boram couldn't help but notice a short girl in the distance, peering through a window with wonder. She walked closer with curiosity.

"Soyeon?" Boram approached the girl, "Is that you?"

"Oh Boram!" As the girl turned to look, her hair swiftly whipped to the side, revealing her soft pinkish cheeks. Boram thought she even saw Soyeon sparkle for a moment.

"A-annyeong!" Boram greeted Soyeon nervously, her beauty was just too stunning. Soyeon giggled and took her hand.

"Come closer and look at this!" Soyeon told her. The two of them stared through the window looking at various trinkets and articles of clothing. "We should take the rest of the T-ara members shopping sometime," she remarked, "It's been a while since we've been together.." Boram looked down to the ground.

"You're right, things haven't been the same," Boram added on, "We've all been drifting apart ever since Kim Kwang Soo announced that we might add more members," Boram sighed as she squeezed Soyeon's hand tighter. Soyeon responded by giving her a hug. She felt Boram's heart rate increase, she knew Boram loved her, but why did they both choose to continue to hide it?

Boram took a deep breath, her heart felt as if it had made a leap. Her bestfriend, the one she always wanted to be with, was so close right now. Yet, in the world of the music industry, it would be the most difficult and resented relationship to ever exist. They both understood why they had to resist.

Soyeon broke off their hug and the two smiled at each other. "Should we head back to the dorm?" asked Soyeon.

“Oh I’ll catch up with you tomorrow, I promised Qri that I would buy her some headphones!” Boram smiled and went on her way.

Soyeon smiled and waved Boram goodbye, she longed for the day they could confess to each other.

_____

The next day...

"Yah Ham Eunjung! Where are my headphones!" Hyomin frantically searched for her favorite pair of headphones. They had gone missing recently and she was sure that someone had taken them from her.

"I don't know!" Eunjung gave Hyomin an equally irritated look. "Why do you have to yell?"

"They were here a while ago and now they're gone!"

"I didn't take them.." sighed Eunjung.

"Aish!!" Hyomin stormed out of their room and went to look for them throughout their dorm. Eunjung sat down on an armchair and laid her head back. She was getting tired of Hyomin's nagging.

_____

"Hey have you two seen my headphones?" Hyomin approached her dongsaengs who were completely preoccupied in their own little world.

"Haha chincha?" Hwayoung laughed at the latest news Jiyeon had just told her.

"Yeah really! I think Boram and Soyeon really have a thing for each other!" Jiyeon laughed.

"Yah! Are you two even listening?" Hyomin repeated herself. Hwayoung stared at her with sarcastic eyes and Jiyeon only stuck her tongue out.

"Of course we heard you unnie, you're so loud," Jiyeon rudely replied.

"We don't know anything about your headphones," Hwayoung told Hyomin before entering back in conversation with Jiyeon. The two maknaes were absorbed in their own world once again. This time they were whispering to each other how annoying Hyomin was.

Hyomin didn't bother to argue with either of them anymore. She thought about asking Qri if she had seen anything but she thought twice because she knew Qri was always antisocial and kept to herself.

_____

In her room, it was quite dark. The only source of light came from her computer screen. Qri listened to her iPod in the dark. She always liked to be alone. She didn't like to bother with all the drama which came along with living with six other girls. Especially since recently when they found out that they could possibly be replaced. No one seemed to be in a good mood.

Although the music she was listening to was quite loud, she heard arguing outside and decided to check what the commotion was all about.

_____

“No one cares about your headphones Hyomin!” yelled Boram. She had now walked into the room and joined the heated battle too. Qri gasped, Boram had been so nice just yesterday but now she was angry too. Had the tense atmosphere affected her as well?

“You’re so annoying…” Boram sighed.

Hyomin didn’t say a thing. was too choked up. She felt tears swell in her eyes and clenched her fists while biting her lower lip. Hyomin felt paralyzed and couldn’t move. Boram walked past her and sat down on couch, interrupting the maknaes’ gossip session.

“You guys are hogging the couch!” Boram squeezed between them. Jiyeon only had open in disbelief.

“Since when did you become so mean Boramie!” Hwayoung spoke for the both of them, although two maknaes weren’t exactly nice either.

“Look who’s talking,” Boram replied, “I’m your unnie, don’t tell me what to do” she stretched her legs and placed them on Hwayoung’s lap. Jiyeon snapped out of her disbelief and started to take action, she wouldn’t let anyone bother her best friend like that. She pushed Boram off the couch.

“Yah! What do you two think you’re doing?” Boram yelled again but ended with a sigh, “Everyone here is such a loser.” With that, she left the living room, leaving everyone in disbelief.

“Aish!” Jiyeon gave Boram a look as she left, “Hyomin ah, come here..” she called for Hyomin softly. Hwayoung frowned, everyone’s feeling were hurt. When Hyomin walked over, she sat in between them both and cried into Jiyeon’s shoulder.

“Mianhe Hyomin,” Jiyeon apologized for being so rude earlier.

“…” Hyomin only kept crying. Hwayoung joined, adding to the group hug.

“I’m sleeping in your room tonight,” Boram walked into Eunjung’s room.

“D-dae?” Eunjung rubbed her eyes, she had taken a nap since her argument with Hyomin. The next thing she knew, Boram had taken her blankets and urged her to get out of her bed.

“What’re you doing!” Eunjung questioned her unnie.

“Taking control like I should,” Boram seemed like a completely different person. Eunjung stared at her and walked out of the room in disgust.

“Omo what happened!” Eunjung saw the two maknaes’ hugging Hyomin was still crying. She ran over and joined in the group hug. “Was it Boram?” Eunjung had a pretty good guess. Just then, Soyeon entered the living room wondering why everyone was crowded on the couch.

“Oh is T-ara finally acting like one team again?” Soyeon smiled brightly, until she heard Hyomin sobbing and frowned again. Before she could ask, Jiyeon explained to her,

“No, Boram-unnie has been acting really strange and mean to us!”

“Why is she acting that way?” Soyeon asked, but it was more to herself than to anyone else. “Oh Qri! I didn’t know you were here,” Qri took off her headphones, they were the ones that Hyomin had been looking for the whole time.

“Mianhe, I didn’t know these were yours..” Qri shyly handed them over. “Mine were broken so I went to look for another pair.” Hyomin reached her arm out, but what she grabbed weren’t the headphones but Qri’s arm. Now Qri was part of their group hug too.

Soyeon was glad to see that everyone had become a team again, all except Boram.

Tomorrow, she would find out what’s been going on with her for sure.

_____

Soyeon decided to take a walk the next the day to relieve some of the stressful events that had taken place recently. She almost walked past Boram, not knowing that they both had taken a walk to the nearby mall yet again. When she saw her, Soyeon hid to the side, observing what Boram was doing.

“Noona! Could you reach that balloon for me?” A small kid asked.

“No problem, “ The real Boram was back, her smile was apparent, and she was cheerful as her usual self. Boram reached for the balloon and handed it to the kid. “Here you go~”

“Komawo!” The small kid ran off. Soyeon took this chance to approach Boram.

“Now that’s the Boram I remember,” Soyeon said, startling Boram.

“What are you doing here? What do you want!” Boram attempted to make her expression angry and dark again but it was hard to switch emotions so suddenly.

“Please stop Boram..” Soyeon pleaded, “Why are you being like this!?” They both stood still, looking deep in each other’s eyes for what seemed like eternity. The first to break the moment was Soyeon, she ran up to Boram gave her the most heartfelt hug she had ever given to any of her members. She pressed her lips against Boram’s, and their kiss lasted for what seemed like eternity and a half.

Boram broke away, “D-don’t do this Soyeon”

“What’s wrong?” Soyeon frowned, “I love you Boram..” She had finally spoke the three forbidden words they dared not speak.

“I love you too Soyeon..” Boram struggled to find the right words, “But you can’t... you must hate me.”

Soyeon couldn’t comprehend what was going, “W-wae?” She said weakly.

“Take care of T-ara, promise?” Boram forced a smile and responded, “I’ll tell you everything..”

_____

“These will be perfect!” Boram held a gift box in her hand. Inside were Qri’s new headphones, “She’ll love these for sure!” Suddenly, her cell phone rang. Boram dug her hand into her pocket, searching for her phone, “Hello?” she answered, “Ah dae!” It was Kim Kwang Soo, he wanted to speak with her personally.

Boram arrived at the office, Kim Kwang Soo had a grim look on his face. She wondered what the meeting was all about. “Boram, as you may have heard, T-ara will have nine members in the future, do you recall this?”

“Yes! I will do my best to lead them since I will be their unnie!” Boram said excitedly.

“I called you to tell you that the plans have changed,” KKS said. He gave a slight pause, wondering how Boram would take the news. She listened to his every word intently. “We will be keeping seven members for the future...”

“Oh! That’s great too,” Boram smiled, but she couldn’t help but feel there was more. “Anything…else?”

“I’m sorry Boram,” KKS didn’t exactly know how to word the conversation the way he did, “But we will be switching you out with one of our trainees. You will have a few days left before it’s time to move out of the dorm. I assure you that you will still be a part of CCM and-“

“Please stop.” Boram had tears swelling in her eyes, “I know… I will let the others know.” She stood up from her chair and walked out of the office silently.

The first person that had crossed her mind was her Soyeon. How would she break it to her? They both loved each other and it finally seemed like they had a chance to progress their love. Their love was never meant to be. It was all so short lived.

T-ara had become a mess, everyone was becoming angry with each other. Hyomin and Eunjung became the worse set of roommates to ever exist and they constantly nagged at each other. Jiyeon and Hwayoung were so absorbed in their own friendship that they failed to even let any other member into their circle. Qri had become an antisocial person who hid in dark rooms away from the world. She couldn’t leave T-ara now, she couldn’t leave them when they were in need of a mother figure.

She thought of Soyeon again and apologized in her mind, she would have to break all of their hearts. She planned to be the most irritable and worst unnie possible, only then would they reunite in their common anger against her.

_____

“But…that’s not true!” Soyeon pleaded after Boram had explained herself, “We..I could never hate you..” She cried into Boram’s chest and she responded by kissing the crying girl’s head.

“Promise me you’ll get this to Qri?” Boram said sadly with false optimism, she refrained from answering further questions about their forbidden love, although, it pained her so much, “I promised her I would give her this."

_____

“For Qri..” Qri read the label on the present that Boram had left her. She looked up to Soyeon, “This is for me?”

“Happy Birthday Kyul~” Soyeon forced herself to be happy for Qri’s birthday. Even though it had been nearly a week since Boram had left, the whole in her heart refused to heal. She never told the rest of the members why Boram acted the way she did. They all still believed that Boram had left them out of disgust.

“Komawo..” Qri thanked Soyeon as she unwrapped the box and revealed the gift inside. She pulled out a set of headphones, the kind that she always had wanted. She took out small letter Boram had left and read it. She clenched the letter tightly, her eyes became watery and the tears began to stain the letter.

“Boram…she loved us all didn’t she?” Qri asked Soyeon on the verge of crying uncontrollably.

Soyeon nodded solemnly, placing a palm on her chest, where her heart would have been. She felt nothing, not even a heartbeat.

From that day on, remembering Boram’s last wish, T-ara never quarreled again.