"What do you think of this one," In Na, primary assistant to Mrs. E, asked Hyung Sik. He is sitting in his agency's conference room with a table full of scripts. To his left a pile was sorted for him to review, offers to star in either dramas or films. To his right were ones he rejected. In front of him were a handful that caught his interest which he will read more closely.

He reached for the script the assistant was holding.

"Sounds interesting. And it’s by Kim Chung Hae." The writer has been popular of late and has had strings of successful dramas within the past year. Actors and actresses were clamoring to star in his work.

Hyung Sik took another glance at the script. It is action-based, with comedic undertones, involving a brotherhood of 5 detectives. He has been looking for something like this. He has rejected most of the romance scripts, not being in the mood for those right after completing his military duty. He has received a ton of offers for rom coms but none caught his interest.

Besides, he thought, I've done my fair share of rom coms to last me a lifetime. In that year prior to leaving, he's done 2 more dramas, a movie and a string of cfs. He was busy establishing himself in the industry.

To show her. It was all to show her he can do everything, and still be together, he thought with some sadness.

.

"That went very well." His tall hyung manager said, as they walked out to the car.

Hyung Sik had met with the company’s CEOs along with his managers to plan and discuss his next course of actions. He made progress, agreeing to several projects and cfs. He wanted to immerse himself quickly with work.

“We have plenty of time to spare before your interview with ***** magazine.” His manager said as they drove off. “Are you still meeting with Jun Young?”

“Ne, with Si Wan hyung too but not till after the interview. But let me see if they're free now.”

Hyung Sik sent a quick text to both, and got a response back from Si Wan to meet at a café close to where he is currently shooting his drama.

His manager dropped him off, with a reminder to meet him after a couple of hours.

Hyung Sik walked into the café and ordered himself an iced Americano. The young barista was distracted enough to see him that she had to redo his order. Hyung Sik gave her a smile which made the girl more flustered. He grabbed his drink and waited for Si Wan in the corner table far from the other customers.

It was early enough in the middle of the day that the café was relatively uncrowded. There were a couple of young professionals to the left of the coffee station having an earnest conversation, an older gentleman sipping his drink, and a few customers here and there dropping by to pick up their orders.

He glanced at his phone, flipping through messages he received. His group chatroom with his Ze:A brothers continues to be active. Even though everyone has moved on to various agencies and paths, they have remained close and in touch. He back read a few messages, smiling as he did so with Kwang Hee’s texts. Kwang Hee is remarkably the same whether in person or in chats: tolerable in moderation. Hyung Sik loves each of the members as if they are truly his brothers, having fairly grown up with them as it were during those years together as an idol group. Their shared experiences mitigated all the hard work and sacrifices they faced as they tried to make it in the kpop world.

“Ya!” He looked up to see Si Wan already reaching the table. After giving each other a hug, they sat down to catch up.

“Hyung Sik-ah, what’s up?”

“Hyung, I’m fine, how are you? Do want coffee?” He asked, noting Si Wan is empty handed.

“Gwenchana. I’m so full of coffee right now. I’m not due for a scene until another hour so this is perfect timing. Are we still meeting up for drinks later?”

Hyung Sik nodded. They both chatted casually about various stuff until there was a lull in the conversation.

“How did you do it, hyung? How did you make it work?”

Si Wan glanced at his friend. Of all the members, Hyung Sik and he have always been the closest. They were each other’s confidants. He knew immediately what the other was referring to.

“It was difficult in the beginning. We are constantly in the public eye that we cannot be like everybody else when it comes to relationships. **** and I had our share of problems, too, remember?”

Hyung Sik nodded once more. He recalled those soju nights he and Si Wan spent talking as the other poured out his problems, back when his own relationship was going through a rocky patch. But Si Wan and **** were able to weather the storm and came out stronger. Their relationship held steady considering the girl in question was neither an actress nor an idol.

Si Wan laid a hand on Hyung Sik’s arm, “I don’t believe it’s over with both of you. This is a hiccup. Man up and approach her again. The past is past and if you love her, and I know you do, “ he paused looking at Hyung Sik intently, “you should not let it end without a fight.”

.

That evening, lying in bed, Hyung Sik went over his conversation with Si Wan. He has always been sure of himself, in touch with his feelings, and confident in his decisions. He never looked back nor questioned his actions. If something did not go the way he planned, he focused more on improving himself, to fix what was lacking. But with Bo Young…Bo Young completely undid him.

.

They were inseparable, as much as can be, as they hid from the public eye. She was busy with her dramas, and he had films lined up as soon as his commitments with international fan meets were completed. They would meet up in the evenings just to catch up and spend time together. They talked of various things; his hopes and dreams, her family obligations, and yes, their future plans. They have been together for already 8 months, dating before the drama ended. The staff knew and protected them inspite of their obvious non-admission. Even in interviews, the lack of outright denial caused his agency plenty of headaches. Particularly since he was adamant against saying anything disingenuous. He was all for admission, even a public declaration, but Bo Young sided with UAA. He agreed because doing otherwise would have caused her undue stress. They both agreed however that “lies by omission” was the best course of action. The agency’s strictly mandated rule of “don’t ask” was evident in every interview he's ever had.

But the hiding was too restrictive for him. He wanted to be at her side for every events they were invited. He wanted to go on dates, not lurk around at night. Although that was exciting, he smiled to himself. He was ready to drop everything and get married. He wanted her.

Unable to stand it any longer, he grabbed his keys from the night stand.