Rian started as the music stopped abruptly; her head whipped around, body still in mid-turn as she paused in the midst of her dance routine. “Sunbaenim!”

Hyemi stood by the speaker, holding Rian’s phone in one hand, her lips pursed and brows arched. “It’s nearly midnight, what in the world are you still doing here?”

Rian hesitated, running a hand through her hair slowly. “I just wanted to get a little more practice before the assessment in three days’ time.”

“Is that all? You know it makes more sense to wake up earlier in the morning to practice rather than giving up sleep in the night to practice right? You’ll be fresher and will benefit more from that. An idol who’s trained as long as you should know that already.” Hyemi commented, eyes narrowed. “Or is there another reason why you’re up practising so late?”

Rian could only smile sheepishly, one hand behind her head as she bobbed. “Well...I couldn’t sleep. I haven’t been sleeping well recently, so I figured I might as well come here and try to get the latest dance sequence down.”

Hyemi folded her arms, sitting down on the floor. “If you’re going to stay up so late, you might as well practise seriously, which you’re clearly not doing. I was watching you dance, you’re totally distracted and unfocused, and you’re getting worse with every practice instead of improving.” 

Rian’s temper flared at Hyemi’s cutting words, but she struggled to rein in her temper, knowing that it wasn’t right to lose her temper with a sunbae, and a respected one at that. Her voice tightly controlled, she replied. “I’m trying my best-” 

“Nope you’re not.” Hyemi cut her short, clearly unimpressed by Rian’s excuses. “I was an idol too, I know when a person is trying their best and what you just displayed is certainly not your best. So do you want to come clean and just tell me what is wrong with you, or am I going to have to cut even more excuses to ribbons with my words?”

Rian swallowed, silenced by Hyemi’s bluntness. She hesitated for a moment, then sat down opposite Rian, pushing her long hair out of her eyes. “It’s not actually...well, it’s not all that serious, honestly speaking. It’s just...I don’t even know why I’m so bothered by it.” 

Hyemi waited. 

“It’s just...the trainees from America. The EXO members.” Rian broke off, unsure how to explain everything that had happened. 

To her surprise, Hyemi seemed to know about it already. The older idol tilted her head to one side, expression unchanged. “Is this about JB?”

Rian started, eyes wide, startled by the fact that Hyemi already knew about her ex-boyfriend. “How did you...”

Out of the blue, Hyemi grinned cheekily, her face brighter than Rian had ever seen before. “Shi Hyuk overheard you talking to Nana and Ailee. I know it’s your secret, something you wanted to keep private, but as your mentor Shi Hyuk felt that it would be best for him to tell me.”

Rian frowned, temper flaring. “Yes, but that was my secret. He had no right to eavesdrop and he certainly didn’t have the right to spread it around like that. It took me years to tell Nana and Ailee the truth, and they’re my best friends! I don’t even know you or Shi Hyuk-sunbaenim-”

“Yes, yes and you’re upset by the violation of your privacy blah blah. Let’s face it, rookie, if you were capable of dealing with your own problems and secrets, we wouldn’t have to worry, but you clearly aren’t capable of doing so, which is why you’re here in the middle of the night, unable to sleep. That’s why Shi Hyuk told me about you and JB, he was worried enough to want me to help you.” Hyemi stated in a matter-of-fact tone. 

Rian opened , then stopped, speechless, as she realized that everything that Hyemi had stated was true. She bit her lip, looking down at her hands. 

“I understand your motivations in wanting to ensure you and JB both had a good chance to debut and enjoy your respective careers - it’s not wrong, of course, to want to have a chance to do well in life and give the person you love that same chance.” Hyemi mused. Rian felt slightly better at Hyemi’s words, but she couldn’t hold back a sob. “Then why do I feel so miserable about the whole situation?”

Hyemi looked pityingly at Rian, the concern in her usual cool eyes shining through. “Because while you weren’t wrong to want to further yours and JB’s careers, what you did do wrong was in not respecting the idea of a relationship.” 

Rian paused, not understanding the older idol’s words. 

Hyemi looked away, her gaze suddenly distant, as if she were remembering something. “A relationship is something between two people, but the decision you made, you made it alone, without consulting JB. That’s the worst possible thing you can do in a relationship, Rian. When Samdong left for America, when I decided to let him go, it was a decision we made together, something we agreed on as the best thing for both of us. That’s why, even now, even apart, we’re happy, because we know that we made the best choice possible for each of us, and when he returns we’ll be able to continue our relationship knowing that we care and respect each other. Whereas you didn’t ask JB, didn’t give him a choice in the matter. You took the decision out of his hands, something which you had no right to do, and because of that lack of communication between you and JB, your relationship naturally broke down as well.” Hyemi straightened up, dusting off her skirt, her expression turning nonchalant. “If you want to make things better, to make up with JB or at least remain friends with him, you’re going to have to find a way to reconnect with him.” 

Rian looked down, biting back a painful laugh. “There’s no way he’s going to listen to me. He hates me now, he’d rather be with Haesung than me, not that I can blame him after everything that’s happened. There’s no way he’ll understand.”

Hyemi hesitated for the briefest of moments, her expression turning sheepish as she remembered what Shi Hyuk had told her about his conversation with JB, before she managed to hide it, schooling her face into the same one of nonchalance. “That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. You’d be surprised at how much a person is willing to listen, no matter how angry they are.” She prodded the younger girl. “Go ahead and stop wasting time.” 

Rian looked startled, her eyes darting to the clock. “Now? But it’s the middle of the night-”

Hyemi looked amused. “What makes you think he’s having any easier a time sleeping than you are?”

Rian stopped short, considering Hyemi’s words. Then she nodded, leaping to her feet and running right out of the room. 

Hyemi smirked, folding her arms. “How long more are you going to skulk in the corner?”

Shi Hyuk emerged from the shadow of the door, his lopsided smile already visible. “Please, I don’t skulk. I was just standing there waiting for you guys to finish talking.” 

“In other words, you were eavesdropping.” Hyemi summed up. Shi Hyuk frowned. “Not really. I was just...uh...listening out of genuine concern for my hoobaes.” 

Hyemi rolled her eyes. “Please.” She glanced towards the direction in which Rian had disappeared. “Do you think those kids are finally going to get their teenage woes settled?” 

Shi Hyuk frowned. “Hey, don’t be so unsympathetic, it’s not like you didn’t go through your own “teenage woes”. Remember, that period of time just after our debut where you couldn’t decide whether or not you wanted to moon over Samdong or myself? I thought you were in an even worse state that Rian-ouch!” He yelped rubbing his arm where Hyemi had smacked him. 

“Keep going on about that and I’ll give you an even worse injury and ensure your comeback is delayed to next year!” Hyemi threatened.

Shi Hyuk jumped, diving out of the way as Hyemi chased him right out of the practice room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yoojin’s head jerked to the side, startled by the rapid rapping on the door. He frowned, glancing over at Jr and Seojoon; the latter groaned, burying his face on his pillow with a grunt, while the former didn’t even move a muscle, completely unaware. 

Biting back a sigh, he struggled to his feet, making his way to the door. He took his own time, slowly unlocking the door, wondering who the hell would come knocking in the middle of the night. 

And then he stopped short. “Rian.” 

She was panting, hard, but her face was determined, more confident than he’d seen in ages, ever since he first met her. He hesitated. “Rian, what...” 

“Yoojin, we need to talk. In private.” 

Yoojin hesitated, glancing back at his roommates. Quietly, he closed the door behind him, his palms already sweaty. “What about? Why so serious, Rian?” 

Rian paused for a moment, marshalling her thoughts. Then, slowly, she began to speak. “Yoojin-sshi, I owe you an apology. I...all these months, I’ve been misleading you, even using you, your feelings for me and I shouldn’t have. It’s just, I was really messed up because of everything that happened between me and JB, and I...your feelings for me made it easy for me to try and use you to get over JB, even to make him jealous. And that was really cruel of me to do so, without any concern about your feelings or how I might have hurt you that way.” 

Yoojin swallowed, hard. He never thought this day would come, when Rian would actually express true concern for him, for his feelings. “It’s all right, Rian. I don’t mind, I don’t mind you using me to get over JB or make him jealous. It gives me a chance with you, and that’s more than enough for me. As long as I can wait for you-”

“But it isn’t right, Yoojin-sshi. You’re a good man who deserves someone who can really care for you, who has room in her heart for you...and I’m not that person. I intend to make amends with JB, because he’s the man that I love, the one that I want to spend the rest of my life with and it’s wrong of me to keep leading you on like that.” Rian looked down at her hands, then reached out, cupping Yoojin’s cheek. “I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me, and thank you, for liking me. But you deserve better than me.” 

Yoojin was left stunned, speechless, unable to think of any response to Rian’s words, which were kind, but ultimately still a rejection. 

“Rian.” 

Yoojin and Rian both started, the female idol whipping around in shock. “JB!” 

The blonde-haired idol stood behind them, hands in his pocket, his expression calm yet serious. 

Rian immediately lifted her hands. “JB, please don’t misunderstand, there’s nothing going on between me and Yoojin, we’re really just talking.” 

JB paused for the briefest of moments, his eyes darting towards Yoojin. Then he nodded, his expression just as calm as before. “I know.”

Yoojin’s brows rose, surprised by JB’s stoic calm, so different from the antagonistic way JB had treated both him and Rian for so long. 

“Rian, I need to speak to you in private.” JB spoke up, eyes meeting unwaveringly with Rian’s. 

“Wait-” Yoojin’s hand shot up, grabbing onto Rian. “Are you really...?”

“Yoojin. I’m sorry.” Rian gently pulled her hand away from his grasp. “I have to go.” 

Yoojin stopped short, silenced, and could do nothing but watch, as Rian followed after JB. 

“JB, you’re right, we need to talk.” Rian said abruptly, stopping in her tracks. JB paused, turning around to face her. “I know. I already know everything.” 

Rian blinked, startled by his words. “You...but how? Did Nana and Ailee...?”

JB smiled, a soft smile that Rian had not seen directed at her in a very, very long time. “No. Shi Hyuk-sunbaenim overheard everything you told them, and he spoke to me about it. He was concerned about us. It seems we were both in rather bad shape because of everything.” 

Rian looked down. “I...I should have been the one to tell you everything myself. Woojae, I’m sorry-”

“I know.” JB interrupted. “I understand. I understand why you made your decision, and I don’t blame you for making that choice, even though I wish you’d at least told me about it first. It doesn’t matter anymore, though.”

Rian looked up at him, her expression uncertain. 

JB smiled. “I forgive you.” 

And he leaned forward, and kissed her, a kiss that was long overdue. 

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

Hey guys, I’m finally back, and here’s the latest chapter! We’re finally reaching the end of this story, and with it, Rian and JB have finally reunited! 

I think Hyemi and Rian were particularly awesome in this chapter, with the former being an awesome if blunt mentor, and the latter confronting her own feelings and making sure to clear things up with Yoojin before she returned to JB, doing the responsible thing. Only one more chapter, and this story will finally be done!

What did you guys think of this chapter? Please remember to comment and let me know how it was!