You blinked to rewet your eyes from dryness. You had been staring at the wine glass filled with water across the table for way too long.

As if it wasn’t already ridiculous enough, the wine glass belonged to Emjae, who was also at your VIP table. Next to him, sat Jumi who was beautiful and elegant and everything that you ever wanted to be.

The empty seat to your right was reserved for Jeonghan. But then again, he had spent so much time on stage speaking that you were left alone.

The two VIP tables closest to you were filled completely by your evening friends. Wonwoo, who you did not want to have any association with, sat closest to you. Around the table beside Wonwoo sat Seungcheol, Seungkwan, Vernon, Dino, and Minghao. The other table was where Hoshi, Dokyeom, Woozi, Jun, Mingyu and Joshua sat.

Although they had their own conversations and moments of laughter, not a single eye missed your presence. No one had a clue that Jeonghan had formally invited you as a VIP member. They all couldn’t wait for the mid break of the show. That was the only time, they could finally say hello and ask if you were ok without disturbing the event.

They all watched you irrationally reach over to grab the wine glass by your arm and sip down a gulp of red chardonnay. The taste was bitter and every ounce burned your tongue and throat, reminding you of your unpleasant situation. You made a face out of disgust as a senior in filmmaking by the name of Mr. Mick Yang chuckled at your reaction and politely pulled the wine glass from your hand. He sat to your left and found you utterly innocent, resembling his own daughter.

When you realized you had accidentally picked up his wine glass and drank from it, you awkwardly let go. You gave him an apologetic embarrassed look and reached over to grab your wine glass full of water. All 12 of them, including Jeonghan, watched you chug down the water like a thirsty mad-man before you frowned and stared into space as if the roof on the building was gone.

As soon as the break was announced, none of them were able to get to you. You shot up from your seat and darted out of the showroom so fast you were almost gliding. From the stage, Jeonghan noticed you leave. He knew something odd was going on but he wasn’t sure what it was.

You pushed open the doors from the main building and ran out to the fountain. Without a care you reached into the water and picked up every single penny, rock and leaf you could find. You threw them, swearing and yelling at full volume. You were angry, upset and hurt. The emotional roller-coaster inside your soul was plunging into a deep dive and you had no clue how to handle it. Your eyes that were now full of tears continued to water and you hated it. Every wish you had made whether it be upon stars or rocks or pennies were about Emjae. For three years, you wished the same wish; that he would come home safe. You never knew he would come home safe to only break your heart.

You reached for Jeonghan’s rock and as soon as you pulled it out of the water you threw it. You watched it bounce and tumble into the dead plants ahead. You covered your eyes with your wet hands and sunk into a crouch to lean against the fountain. Your sleeves were soaked in water as they clung to your arms. The sound of dripping water and the silent lonely air around you only made your tears pour harder. You sobbed quietly and then eventually your sobs grew louder as you tried to catch your breath. Why was your heart breaking all over again? Why were you always losing people who mattered to you? Why did it have to be you? Did Emjae not love you at all?

Wonwoo drank from his plastic cup and through the large windows, peered out into the courtyard.

“What a crazy girl. It’s too cold to be outside,” he muffled to himself.

“Hey, I just wanted to apologize. My dad is a big fan of you and I’m sorry for earlier,”

Wonwoo glanced over to see Jumi standing there with a smile. Indeed, she was a very beautiful girl. However, he wasn’t impressed.

“If you really want to apologize, say it to my girlfriend,” Wonwoo replied and turned around to leave.

“Where is she?” Jumi asked stopping Wonwoo in his departure.

Wonwoo noticed Emjae far behind Jumi staring out into the courtyard as well and knew, he too, was looking at you. Wonwoo took one last sip from his cup, set it down on the table and replied, “I hope Emjae doesn’t like MY girlfriend. I’m not too fond of sharing,”

Jumi watched Wonwoo walk away towards the fruits and she bit her lip out of curiosity. Why would Wowoo say that