The solitude that Daphne felt was tremendous. As she laid in Yoseob’s arms, her happiness only grew. They had been meeting almost everyday after practice and although they both were beginning to feel the consequential fatigue, none of them had the thought to cancel their meetings. Daphne knew that she needed it. Whether it was ten minutes or even two hours, whatever time that was spent with Yoseob gave her a sense of comfort that she so desperately yearned in the midst of her busy life.

“It’s getting late,” Daphne acknowledged as she reluctantly checked the time. She tried to pull herself away from Yoseob’s grasp but was unsuccessful, his hold too tight on her.

“Already?” Yoseob asked, disappointment in his voice. “But this is one of the first times where practice ended early!”

“I know,” Daphne let out a sigh and then laughed softly, subtly squirming out of Yoseob’s arms, “but I still have a lot of work to do. Everything’s just been piling up.”

“Just five more minutes?”

“I don’t know...”

“Please?” Yoseob arranged himself so that they could look at each other. Giving Daphne his best pout, he pleaded with her, his eyes screaming desperation.

“Okay, fine,” Daphne conceded. After all, who could say no to a face like Yoseob’s? Beside that, she needed something to keep her mind occupied, hoping that the load of homework would suddenly disappear. “You owe me.”

“It’s worth it,” Yoseob replied, smiling as the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes became prominent. He hugged her tightly once more, laying a chaste kiss on her lips as he did so.

It was well into the early hours of morning and Daphne was still in the living room with the illuminating, bright lights. The coffee table was littered with papers, books, and food, as Daphne attempted to cram all the information in her head. However, she found herself slowly dozing off frequently, despite the abundant amount of caffeine that was consumed, unable to shake off her drowsiness.

“I can’t fall asleep,” Daphne mumbled to herself, pinching her arm, hoping that it would send her the needed jolt to stay awake.

As if on cue, Scarlett walked into the living room, yawning as she did so. She peered at the bright lights illuminating the room and raised her eyebrows. Eventually, her vision landed on Daphne who was smothered with notes and books around her.

“What are you doing up?” Scarlett asked tiredly, sending Daphne a confused look.

“Studying,” Daphne muttered drowsily, the fatigue in her voice evident. “My midterm is in five hours.”

“It’s six in the morning,” Scarlett acknowledged, entirely shocked that Daphne would stay up this late. “Daphne, you need rest. At this rate, you’re going to fall asleep during your test!” Scarlett reached out to grab Daphne by the arm, but Scarlett was blocked.

“It’s fine!” Daphne swatted Scarlett’s hand away. “The midterm is the only class I have today. After this dumb test, I’ll take a nice, long nap.”

Scarlett stood there, staring at Daphne with a grim expression on her face. She understood why Daphne would pull an all-nighter, but she most definitely needed sleep. However, if Daphne was unwilling to heed Scarlett’s advice, then there was nothing to do. Daphne’s stubbornness was always a core problem.

“Fine,” Scarlett reluctantly conceded. “But you have to drink a lot of coffee, all right? I’ll go make a pot right now.”

“Thanks, Scarlett,” Daphne muttered as she read over her notes, her long fingers grazing against her scalp, running across her hair.

Sleep had never sounded better, but Daphne knew she couldn’t afford to waste any time. Her studies had fallen onto the back-burner for too long now. Dance practice and now her late-night meetings with Yoseob allotted so much of her time that it was difficult for her to manage school at the same time. Her eyebrows furrowed together, an irritated crease forming across her forehead as she read the same line for the tenth time. She placed her hand on her temples to halt the impending headache coming on and sighed heavily to herself, wondering how in the world she led herself to this awful predicament.

“How’d it go?”

“Great...” Daphne fibbed as she dragged her feet through the door, her eyelids drooping heavily. As soon as she approached the couch, she collapsed on top, its dark blue fabric looking too inviting to her. Just as Daphne closed her eyes, hoping to get any kind of sleep before practice, Scarlett spoke.

“Oh, Yoseob visited by the way.”

Daphne immediately shot up from the couch, her back entirely upright as she turned to look at Scarlett who was in the kitchen. “And what was he doing here?”

“Just wanted to visit you, I guess,” Scarlett replied nonchalantly, continuing to cook her meal from the stovetop. “I told him that you were taking a test and he looked pretty sad. Guess he didn’t know?” Scarlett paused for a while, distracted by the pan’s steam. “He said he had a little bit of time off, so he wanted to see you and tell you some good news.”

Daphne smiled to herself, blush rising into her cheeks. Yoseob’s dedication was remarkable and she couldn’t help but fawn over it. “Good news? Like what?”


“Beats me,” Scarlett said. “He didn’t tell me. Though he was surprised when I told him you were having a midterm. You didn’t tell him? He looked mostly upset about that.”

Indifferently, Daphne shrugged, laying back down on the couch once more to soothe her aching neck. “I didn’t want him to worry about how badly I failed that stupid test.”

“I’m sure you did fine. Just overreacting like always.”

“No, Scarlett, you have no idea,” Daphne mumbled loud enough as she laid on her back. “I knew everything, but I was too tired to piece all the information together...I don’t even know if I spelled my name right!”

Exhaling loudly, Scarlett put down the spatula and slowly turned towards Daphne’s direction. “Daphne...don’t you think this is getting out of hand?” Scarlett made sure to choose her words with extreme caution, knowing too well that with the wrong diction, Daphne would explode with rage.

Scarlett had been contemplating this situation for a while now; with each night, Daphne was growing more stressed and tired. The bags under her eyes were almost permanent, extremely prominent even when under the most strongest of face creams. Scarlett noticed that Daphne had lost a noticeable amount of weight. She was skinny enough and the weight loss was only another sign that she was overworking herself. It was hard to imagine that Daphne was in fact happy under these conditions.

“What do you mean?” Daphne asked, not realizing the implication of Scarlett’s question.

“Everything!” Scarlett exclaimed as she finished cooking, placing the hot pan in the sink delicately. She ignored the steaming hot plate of food in front of her and sat down on the couch with Daphne, placing a comforting hand on Daphne’s bare arm. “Remember how I warned you in the beginning of all this?”

Daphne nodded, restraining an eye roll. She knew where this was going to lead; she had heard it so many times before, and she thought that Scarlett had finally accepted it but this told her otherwise.

“Look at you,” Scarlett continued. “You’re always tired and grouchy. It’s unhealthy.”

“I’m fine,” Daphne said with an undertone of irritation. It hurt her pride to acknowledge that Scarlett was right, but it was clearly evident that Daphne couldn’t handle this anymore. She sighed heavily--even that small feat took up half of her energy, a sign that Daphne noted. “Okay...so I am in desperate need of sleep, but I can’t do anything about it.”

“Oh, I know something you can do.”

“Don’t even say it; I already know what it is,” Daphne replied with a small smirk. Although she looked amused, she knew that Scarlett’s suggestion was going to be done eventually and it was only a matter of time until it was going to be fulfilled. Quitting was never an option, but the pros of said action loomed over Daphne’s thoughts constantly.

Daphne arrived at the dance studio approximately forty-five minutes earlier than usual. Jihee had sent a text notifying the dancers that there was going to be a meeting before practice. Whatever it meant, Daphne was incredibly apprehensive. Jihee rarely had meetings and when she did, it was always about business, which only meant extra practice hours.

The nervous feeling settled in Daphne’s stomach as she twisted the doorknob. She held her breath, knowing that Jihee was going to be sitting in the middle of the room, waiting for her arrival.

Fortunately for Daphne, only the other dancers were present in the room, all of them waving at Daphne as she entered, letting out a relieved exhale. She sat down against the wall, her back slumped comfortably. She allowed her eyes to flutter slowly, sleep sounding too good to deny--no matter how short it was, but she was interrupted by one of the back-up dancers who took a seat next to Daphne.

“Wow, you look...” she began, not knowing how to phrase her thoughts without sounding offending.

“Horrible?” Daphne finished for her, lifting an eyelid up to peek at her. “I get that a lot, thanks.”

“I didn’t mean it like that!” she waved her hands around furiously, hoping she didn’t aggravate Daphne.

“No, it’s all good.” Daphne smiled, hiding the fact that she was pretty insulted. She heard it almost everyday from Scarlett, Yoseob, Jihee--hell, even some of the BEAST members commented how much larger her bags were compared to them. The reminder that her fatigue was basically plaguing her was not something she wanted to accept.

“All right, let’s get started, shall we?” Jihee announced as she strode in the practice room with a touch of authority.

Daphne promptly stood up and sat within the formed circle, grateful that she didn’t have to continue her conversation with the other back-up dancer. Everyone had gathered around, but Jihee still remained quiet, a sly smirk on her face. Daphne knew that face all too well, which only sent more apprehensive shivers down her spine.

Daphne opened to speak but as if on cue, the door opened, the creaking loudly piercing through the room. Everyone’s attention turned towards the entrance, their eyes narrowing to see who it was.

Six figures walked inside and as Daphne followed their feet up towards to their faces, she let out a small gasp.

“BEAST!” Jihee exclaimed, feigning shock. “What are you guys doing here?"

“Shut up and tell them, noona.” Doojoon chuckled and the BEAST members lined up against the wall, waiting patiently for Jihee’s announcement.

It was deja vu all over again. The same events. The same unnerving feeling. The same terror in Daphne’s eyes.

“What are you doing here?” Daphne mouthed to Yoseob whose mischievous glint was hard to miss.

He smiled broadly and shrugged his shoulders, unwilling to discuss the topic. Jihee clapped her hands loudly--her signal that everyone should keep mum and listen to her talk. Yoseob gestured and pointed at Jihee, indicating that Daphne should listen.

Daphne rolled her eyes and begrudgingly turned her head to face Jihee who was sitting across from Daphne. Jihee had that grin again and Daphne wanted nothing more than to wipe it off. She knew this was going to be bad.

“So...” Jihee slowly started, teasingly increasing the anticipation. Many groaned and she took it as a hint to go on. “Okay, okay. As you all know well, BEAST barely completed their first concert a few weeks ago. What, was it two and a half weeks?”

The boys nodded and some shrugged. Jihee rolled her eyes and continued. “Whatever, somewhere along those lines. Anyway, I know that those practices preparing for the concert were really hard. I saw it in all of your guys’ faces. I know you all have lives, but honestly, how could we pass this opportunity up? We’re not given much and--”

“Noona,” Doojoon said tersely, an amused smirk clad on his lips, “please get to the point.”

“Alright, alright!” Jihee said, raising her arms up as if she was surrendering. “So before I was rudely interrupted...” She sent a mocking glance at Doojoon before continuing. “I wanted to make the announcement that we’ll be performing at BEAST’s encore concert!”

Silence. Complete, utter silence. A few people managed to straggle a few claps but everyone blinked at Jihee, their dead eyes expressionless.

“Well, this is unlike last time...” Daphne thought to herself, repressing a smile as she observed everyone’s reactions. She was glad that they felt the same, although the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach was still bubbling from within.

Daphne curiously glanced at Yoseob who was sending her a curious and almost annoyed stare.

“You’re not excited?” he mouthed to her, wrinkling his nose in dissatisfaction. He was confused as to why apathetic and almost...upset Daphne looked. Shouldn’t she be elated that they were able to spend even more time now? He was, at least, but it was saddening to see that those feelings weren’t being reciprocated.

They stared at each other for a moment while Daphne racked her brain for the right answer to Yoseob’s query. Excited was the last term that she would had use to describe her emotions. She merely shrugged at Yoseob and pointed at Jihee, using her as a decoy to avoid his question.

“Seriously?” Jihee exasperatedly expressed, looking at all of the disappointed faces. “I know this is tiring, but when are you ever going to experience this again?” She huffed irritably and stood up, brushing the imaginary dust from her shorts. “If you guys are going to act like this, then I might as well find new dancers. You all signed up for this. Remember that."

A few people muttered amongst each other, nodding slowly. Comprehension reached their eyes and they figured doing an encore concert wouldn’t be too bad. Smiles began filling the room and Jihee was finally content. Jihee's power was definitely a force not to be reckoned with.

“That’s more like it,” she said proudly. “I know it’s draining, but it’s all worth it, right? Remember how we felt when we finished that first concert? That incredible, exhilarating feeling? Don't you want to experience that again?”

More people started to approve of this proposal and pretty soon, the majority of them were getting up and cheering, anxious to get practice started.

“All right, so the concert is in two months. I’m sure most of you remember the dance routines of their songs but of course, we have to switch up some things.” Jihee led the group towards the large mirrors and motioned BEAST to follow her.

Daphne’s mind had already wandered off a while ago once she saw people approving of this absurd idea. A second concert was not what she expected nor was it something that she wanted. She had barely lifted her head up to breathe and now she was going to be forced to stick her head back in the deep depths of the ocean? She played with the hem of her shirt nervously and sighed heavily as she arranged herself near the back of the room.

“Hey, let’s talk after this, yeah?” Yoseob brushed his hand across her back, his lips dangerously close to Daphne’s ear as he whispered to her.

All she could do was nod and shake off the electrifying feeling that Yoseob evoked in her.

“What’s up?” Daphne asked nonchalantly, wiping the sweat off of her forehead. Everyone slowly began filing out of the room and soon, the two of them were fortunately left alone.

“Just wanted to see you.” Yoseob smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling Daphne close to him. “How’d your exam go?’

“Horrible,” she muttered, nuzzling herself deep into Yoseob’s chest to find any sense of comfort.

“You didn’t tell me you had an exam...I was really surprised to see that you were gone.”

“Sorry,” Daphne said quickly, coming off as almost insincere. “There’s just...so much on my mind right now.”

“You know you can tell me these things,” Yoseob replied, brushing her hair with his fingers tenderly. “I don’t know why you always hesitate to.”

“Trust me, Yoseob. If I had remembered, I so would’ve gone to you. Everything’s just taking a huge toll on me. It’s too much, you know?”

Yoseob sent her a sympathetic smile and pulled her down. He sat down comfortably and brought Daphne in his lap. “It’s okay. I’m here now.”

She exhaled sharply and laid her head against Yoseob’s, glad to know that the warmth he provided was always going to be there.

“What I really wanted to ask though...”

“Oh, geez,” Daphne uttered negatively, lifting her head up to face Yoseob. “What is it?” She was on the verge of forgetting all of her troubles (like she usually did when she was with Yoseob), and he had to ruin it by asking a question. Typical. Why couldn't they just sit here in peace, enjoying the quiet evening?

“It’s just...you know,” Yoseob said, unsure of how or where to begin. He nervously scratched the back of his head and let out a small chuckle to ease his anxiety. “You didn’t look too pleased with the news. That’s kinda the reason why I came to your apartment: to tell you ahead of time. I thought you would be happy.”

“I am happy!” Daphne feigned. “I am, really! I’m a bit scared, that’s all.” She sighed once more, resting her forehead on his. “I know what’s to come though. An abundant amount of practice, which means an abundant amount of time and energy being put in for this just like last time.”

“But you’ll get to see me!” Yoseob exclaimed, pinching Daphne’s cheeks playfully. “That should make up for everything, shouldn’t it?”

Daphne could only laugh. Seeing Yoseob was probably the only pro to this horrid situation. If she wanted to live, to breathe, she needed to find a solution to this, but there was only one that she could wrap her mind around. However, she knew that this idea was not going to be taken in a positive light.

A/N: Bahh, long time no see, right, guys? xD Sorry about the wait! It's just I've been so incredibly busy lately. After finals ended, I had to move out of my dorm and that took a while! Plus, when I got back home, I was just too excited to see my friends again so I made a bajillion plans and now work has started and slfsfjasl. Hahaha. Hope this chapter wasn't too boring after making you guys wait so long. ;~;. Idk, I have the whole story outlined out in my head but when I try to write it, it just gets fumbled and convoluted! Grrr, I'll work on making this story more interesting, I promise. Thank you guys all for your support though. I really appreciate it!<33.