“Is she awake?” “No pabo, can’t you see that her eyes are closed” “She’s such a sleepy head! Look at what time it is” “Yah Hyung, she hasn’t been sleeping well. Just let her sleep” “But we can’t let her sleep the beautiful day away” “Look at the wonderful weather outside” “I wanna go out and play~”           A myriad of muffled voices drifted into your consciousness, pulling you away from slumber’s enticing grip. You twitched in your sleep, clearly uncomfortable at the rambling voices. “She’s waking up” “Aww, see what you did! You woke her up!” “WHAT ?!  Me? How about it was you and your loudhailer lungs! You’re the singer, I’m just the rapper!” “Guys, shhh!” When the voices dissipated into a welcoming silence, you almost returned to dreamland, but made a detour when you heard a chorus of warm breaths from around you. Reluctantly, your eyelids fluttered open, your vision a mosaic of blurry pictures. Blinking a few times, the blurry images merged to form a single picture of seven faces pressed close to you. Their eyes twinkling and faces plastered with eager anticipating smiles. You almost smiled back when reality hit you. There-were-seven-boys-in-your-room. While-you-were-sleeping-no-less. And not to mention, while you were lying in your pajamas comprising of a camisole and shorts. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” You bellowed, pulling the sheets up to your neck. The seven boys jumped back in shock, smiles exchanged with horrified gasps. “What-are-y-you guys doing in my room!” You stammered; face flushed red with embarrassment, eyes flickering downwards. It was then that you noticed, you weren’t dressed in your usual pajamas. In fact, you were wearing the same clothes as the night before, plus, a big quilt had been draped around your shoulders, and with the blankets pulled up as they were, you were almost drowning in a sea of material. “We were worried”, Peniel answered calmly, his brown eyes scanning your face for any traces of discomfort. “We wanted to check on you, so we made Min Hyuk bring us here. Not without much persuasion”, the leader explained, shooting Min Hyuk an accusing smirk. “I told you guys that you would scare her! Sorry, Mi Young, I tried to stop them but you should have seen what they were doing to me. They were practically torturing me!” Min Hyuk explained apologetically, his face carved into a dramatic fearful expression that left you giggling. “I think noona’s fine. I mean after that deafening scream of hers, I think it’s’ pretty obvious that she’s in the pink of health”, Sung Jae teased from beside you, his ears suffering under the direct consequences of your scream. “Sung Jae-ah, Mianhae~” You whined while rubbing your neck sheepishly. “I’m never taking the nearest position when waking up a girl again. Remind me again why I wanted to stand by the bedside?” He grumbled, face scrunched in a playful pout as his hyungs burst out in roars of laughter. You laughed along, before you remembered something. “Why aren’t you guys at training?” You asked curiously. “Ah, we started really early this morning. Aunt says she needs Min Hyuk back at home by this time for something important, and Btob can’t train with just six members”, Hyun Sik explained. “So we all get some free time!” Ilhoon chirped whilst jumping up and down excitedly. I wonder what’s the big occasion? It sure sounds important…

A few hours later, it was just about dinnertime. You were all gathered in the living room, waiting for someone’s arrival. Aunt didn’t give any clues to who was coming, and all questions were met with a mysterious grin and blatant dismissal. You didn’t want to seem rude, so you gave up on asking anyone about the identity of the mystery guest. To your surprise, Min Hyuk seemed as clueless as you. Do you know who’s coming? , you mouthed to Min Hyuk who was standing across from you. “No idea. But what could be more important than dinner?” He mouthed back, rubbing his tummy with an adorable pout that made you chuckle quietly. Your amusement was short-lived as the front door creaked open noisily. “Everyone, meet Seo Yeon!” Aunt announced dramatically, embracing the guest that had just entered. A girl who looked similar to your age stepped in. She was dressed in a blue dress that ended at her slender thighs, complementing her tall frame. Her long, straight and sleek hair spotted streaks of blond highlights, while her face was powdered with a noticeable amount of cosmetics. She had a pixie-shaped face, with big round dark brown eyes set in a porcelain complexion. Sporting a cream blazer and dangerously high heels, the plain sight of her made you shrink in comparison. You were pretty, in a sweet, kind and homey way, but Seo Yeon was gorgeous. Almost like a life-sized doll that had walked out of a magazine cover.  You knew it was unfair, but she made you feel uncomfortable with her mere presence. “OPPAAAAAAAAAA! I’VE MISSED YOU!!!!!”Seo Yeon  shouted and made a beeline for a dazed-looking Min Hyuk, wrapping her arms around him without hesitation. You felt something constrict in your chest, and realized that it was your heart. Who was she? Why does she seem so close to Min Hyuk? “Oh, Seo Yeon! This is a surprise, it’s nice to see you again”, Min Hyuk replied politely with a smile, making no move to dislodge her from his chest. “YAH! Such a bad oppa! I haven’t seen you for so many years and this is all you can say?” She whined whilst grabbing his arm, clinging on to him possessively. You felt your heart lurch from within you, as paleness spread over your face. Why did it hurt so much to see them like this? They sure look good together; she’s perfect for him…  You couldn’t help but succumb to the pessimistic insecurities flooding your mind. “Seo Yeon was our neighbor a long time ago. She and Min Hyuk grew up together, before her family migrated to America. We always thought they’d end up marrying each other someday”, Aunt chuckled, totally oblivious to the growing tension in the room. You stumbled slightly, before feeling a hand underneath your elbow, holding you up. You glanced up and noticed that Peniel was supporting you with a weakly reassuring smile on his face. You couldn’t place it, but he sure seemed frazzled at Seo Yeon’s sudden appearance. “Oh, this is Mi Young. Min Hyuk’s urm.. . sister”, Aunt introduced in an attempt to establish you and Seo Yeon as friends. After all, both of you were of the same age. “Oh… I heard about that”, Seo Yeon sneered, her nose wrinkled up as if she had smelt something bad. Unable to formulate any form of response, you just nodded weakly at her, not that she even noticed because she had returned to tightly hugging Min Hyuk’s arm. “Aish….” You heard someone curse under his breath and turned around to see an agitated Hyun Sik. His fists were clenched tightly, as Eun Kwang placed his hand on Hyun Sik’s shoulder, face downcast. You met Hyun Sik’s eyes, and you smiled sadly at him, shaking your head. With a sigh of frustration, he relaxed and unclenched his fists. You smiled gratefully at him, taking the opportunity to glance at the Btob oppas. Their expressions ranged from disbelief to anger. You were like a sister to them, and they couldn’t help but feel overprotective towards you. Your heart swelled up a little when you realized that their alliance was towards you. They had your back. You smiled sadly before inkling took over your mind.  You felt a pair of eyes following you intently, fixed on your face. Raising your head, you locked eyes with Min Hyuk, whose arm was still being fiercely tugged on. You looked away immediately, trying to blink away the tears that were starting to form. Slowly, Aunt started to introduce the Btob members, who were treated with more politeness by Seo Yeon; no surprise there. You were however, very stunned when the Btob members seemed very unlike their usual selves. They returned Seo Yeon’s greetings with short, curt responses, clearly seeing through her hypocritical ways. Despite everything, you were overwhelmed with gratitude for your “brothers” who were showing their disdain for her in a worryingly unsubtle way. Thank goodness Seo Yeon was too preoccupied with Min Hyuk to sense their unwelcoming sentiments, or maybe she just didn’t care. But what happened next caught you completely offguard. “Pen-niel?” Seo Yeon whispered in a soft quivering voice, totally unlike her demeanor before. Shocked, you turned to Peniel who was standing beside you. “Sasha”, he replied monotonously, the single name rolling off his tongue in perfect pronunciation. A single brief moment passed where Seo Yeon’s face registered something raw, something of raw emotion. Hurt flashed through her eyes, subtle but exposed enough for you to tell. She seemed to catch herself and recover immediately though, tearing her gaze away from Peniel. “Come on Min Hyuk Oppa. You have to show me around the house and….” She rambled on, pulling Min Hyuk along the corridor with her, her smug tone echoing triumphantly through the grand hallways.

“Are you alright?” He asked you softly, his Chicago accent making you smile slightly despite the earlier events. “I don’t know Oppa… “You mumbled, bringing your knees towards your chest. Peniel and You were sitting in the pavilion of the House’s right wing, because Peniel had insisted that you needed “Some fresh air”. You hadn’t seen your step-brother since he left with Seo Yeon hours ago, and your heart had fallen into a state of silence. It seemed like it had ceased to beat with renewed purpose; no more cartwheels, just the numbness left in the aftermath. “I don’t know what’s gotten into Min Hyuk Hyung. Why didn’t he say anything? Why didn’t he stop Seo Yeon from hurting you?” Peniel muttered angrily in korean. “Oppa, stop”, you whispered as your eyes fluttered close, trying to block out the endless possibilities that your Min Hyuk was really in love with someone else. Your Min Hyuk? Was he ever even yours in the first place? You sighed deeply, burying your head in your knees. You felt a warm hand pat your back comfortingly, as your flesh tingled at the sudden contact. “I’m sorry Mi Young-ah~ I know I’m not helping” Peniel sighed, gazing out blankly at the blanket of night sky. “Oppa, can I ask you something?” You whispered, watching him intently. He tore his gaze away from the mesmerizing night sky. “Hmm?” He asked, his head cocked on to one side curiously. Hesitant, you lifted your head towards the night sky, mesmerized by the many bright stars dotting the blue-black canvas that was the night sky. “What happened between you and Seo Yeon?” You asked softly, aware that this was probably a really sensitive question. You sensed him flinch at your unexpected question, as he turned his head back towards the endless sky. “This is going to hard to explain. I know exactly what we need”, he said with a smirk, before pulling out a black plastic bag. Your eyes widened when he pulled out two familiar looking cans. As he held out a can to you, you giggled uncontrollably. “Cheers”, Peniel said with a wry smile. This boy carries around beer? AISH. You thought fondly before taking a sip, letting the hot fizzy liquid roll down your throat slowly. “Well, I met Seo Yeon because her family moved to Chicago. We attended the same Junior and High School in Chicago, and we were kind of together. She was my first Girlfriend”, Peniel admitted shyly, playing with the beer can in his hands. “MWOH?! Did you know about her and Min Hyuk then?” You asked warily, almost spitting the drink out from shock. Peniel shook his head sadly. “I never asked about her life and Korea, and I guess she never told me cause it wasn’t important. We were madly in love. Well, I loved the old her. She wasn’t always like this. Back then, she was extremely different. She was kind, Selfless, sweet and quiet. Well, she was a lot like you actually. “ He explained in between anxious sips of beer. It was apparent that talking about the past brought him a lot of pain that he was trying to wash away with whishes of beer. “What happened then?” You asked quietly, too focused on his story to even remember that you had a can of beer in your hands. “There was this one day. It was the anniversary of our two years together. We had planned to meet at this fancy restaurant in a quiet district of town. I got involved in a car accident and arrived really late, but when I finally made it there… She was nowhere to be found. I searched for her but she was uncontactable for an entire month. When summer break ended, and school started, I met her again but by then she had changed completely. The girl I loved with all my heart that disappeared and in her place was someone I no longer recognized. I was thrown into despair when she ended things, and that’s what made me turn to music. When I finally got the offer to join Cube, I took it as the closing note of a chapter of my life. This was supposed to be a new beginning, but I never planned on seeing her again. And here, of all places”, Peniel said frustratedly, emptying the remaining beer in the can into his mouth. When he turned to face you, you could see the alcohol slowly take effect. “Oppa, do you still like her?” You asked quietly; the romanticist inside you refusing to believe that love could end just like that. “Aniyo. I’ve met someone else. I-I liked her since I first time I laid eyes on her”, he whispered with slurred words. You stared at him blankly, trying to process this new piece of information. “It’s you. I like you, Mi Young”, Peniel suddenly whispered, fighting to confess before the alcohol could knock him over…


“Seo Yeon ah, where are we going?”Min Hyuk asked wearily as the girl dragged him towards the right wing of the house. “Aunt says the pavilions are beautiful. Plus, there’s bound to be many stars in the sky tonight. Come on Oppa, We could stargaze under the night sky”, she begged with eager eyes. Min Hyuk sighed in defeat as they slowly made their way towards the Pavilion. She was crossing the line, and making him tip over the edge of his polite intentions.  Just as he was about to slide the glass door open, he heard hushed whispers coming from inside the pavilion. “It’s you. I like you, Mi Young” He heard a familiar voice confess, his Korean infused with English intonations. Immediately, Min Hyuk slumped against the wall as his heart seemed to drop to the floor. Peniel likes Mi Young? His mind tried to wrap itself around this heart-wrenching discovery, but failed to conjure any form of comfort. Glancing at his unwanted companion, he noticed that her porcelain features were painted with a clear expression of pain. was agape, her hands flying towards in shock as the both of them stared motionless at the scene unfolding in front of them. 

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