With a soft sigh, you tucked your feet under the warm comforts of your blanket. Resting your chin on your knees, you buried your head in your folded arms. Fragments, bits and pieces of memories scrolled through your empty thoughts, almost like an unending slideshow. You raised your head heavily, holding out your right arm. The Goosebumps covering your pale skin had yet to fade, a reminder of when he grabbed you there earlier. His touch had been nothing but gentle, and yet you had responded so hurtfully to his caresses. His pained expression was now firmly etched into your memory, as the image flashed with absolute clarity. I’m so sorry oppa… I must have hurt you really badly. I don’t know why I’m acting this way… I wanted to be strong for you, but the images just keep flashing in my mind. And while I’m like this, I’ll only continue to hurt you… You blinked repeatedly, flushing away the remaining fragments of that feared night.
 An unexpected knock, caused you to jump slightly. “C-ome in”, you stuttered, willing yourself against being so fidgety. What happened that night had changed you. And this change wasn’t something you welcomed.  The wooden door creaked open as a tall-blond haired boy walked in. “Annyeong Mi Young ah~”, he exclaimed enthusiastically. Despite of your circumstances, you felt the corners of your mouth tug upwards in a small smile. Eun Kwang oppa was probably the most optimistic person you’d ever met. He was kind, unassuming, and gifted with an infectious smile. “Look what I got you”, he beamed happily, holding up a familiar looking plastic cup. He laughed when you immediately lit up. “Earl Grey Milk Tea!” You exclaimed happily as he nodded along. “It’s from your favourite bubble tea stall too”, he added with a tinkling chuckle.  As he reached out to pass you the cup, his fingers brushed yours slightly, and you shuddered at the contact. Although you tried to conceal your discomfort, the reduction of his smile indicated that he had noticed it. But almost instantaneously, he managed to recover, hovering by your bedside with the same radiant smile. You cautiously sipped from the cup, and your eyes widened. A large smile framed your petite face as you practically beamed at him. “There’s that smile I love the most”, he chuckled cutely, holding out his arm to pat your head. Before you could even flinch, he recoiled when he suddenly remembered. You watched him swiftly draw his hand back, eyes downcast, a forced smile on his lips. You reached over to set the cup down on the dresser, and turned to face him. “Oppa, do you know?” You whispered with a slight smile, watching his conflicted expression. He nodded reluctantly, keeping his eyes on the floor. At his response, you smiled sadly, returning to the comforting embrace of your blanket. “I’m sorry Mi Young”, he whispered, an earnest frown on his face. You shook your head stubbornly. “Aniyo oppa, why are you apologizing”, you asked curiously. His smile disappeared as his lips set into a thin line. “To us, you’re just like a real sister. As your brothers, we all have the responsibility to protect you. I’m sorry that we were too late”, he stuttered, eyes flickering downwards. You shook your head frantically. “It’s not your fault oppa… I just need some time”, you whispered, choking on your words. At that moment, the door creaked open, as a timid-looking Min Hyuk stepped in. Your eyes darted upwards, but fell when his eyes met yours. Your cheeks were heating up, and you could feel the tension in the air. “I’ll leave you both to talk”, the leader said with a small smile, gesturing to the younger boy. As Min Hyuk took tentative steps towards your bedside, Eun Kwang leaned over. “We’re all here for you. You’re not alone, so let us fight this battle with you alright”, he whispered with a brotherly smile. Each word rang through your thoughts, bringing notions of hope and light. You felt your eyes grow moist at his touching words. With a final wave, he left the room, leaving Min Hyuk and you alone. The silence was gnawing at your bones. You finally looked up, when you felt the bed lurch beside you. “Mi Young”, he whispered. Just hearing him say your name, brought shivers down your spine. Meeting his gaze, you saw his eyebrows furrow in a frown when he noticed your glistening eyes. “I’m sorry…oppa. I’m so sorry”, you choked in between rapid breaths. You saw his face soften, as he gestured for you to look at him. “There’s nothing to apologize for. I should be the one apologizing. I should have known better than you believe that you were really alright”, he whispered, eyes frantically searching for yours. Shaking your head, you smiled sadly at him, feeling comforted by his mere presence. Suddenly, you felt him push something into your hands. Your the familiar soft material, as your eyes widened curiously. It was a thick knitted glove, one exactly like the kinds used to remove hot trays from ovens. With twinkling eyes, he asked you to put in on. You obliged, albeit with the same bewildered expression painted on your face. As you held up the hand covered by the thick glove, you could only stare in shock when Min Hyuk held up his hand too. Slowly, his palm inched forward, until it finally closed the space between your palms. Watching you intently, he smiled when you didn’t flinch. With a wider smile, he laced his fingers with yours, ignoring the restrictive material of the glove. You were absolutely dumbfounded. The glove seemed to insulate you from the natural instinctive to pull away, and you blushed at the sight of your two inter-laced hands. “Take as long as you need. Even if you pull away from me time and time again, I’ll never leave. I’ll always be by your side, holding your hand, even if this glove is what it takes. Because I know that one day, I’ll finally be able to hold you close again. You don’t have to pretend to me strong in front of me. When you’re weak, I’ll be your pillar of strength. I promise, that we’ll get through this together”, he whispered, eyes fixed intently on yours, as if he was staring right into your soul. The pink on your cheeks intensified, as the moisture around your eyes started to increase. You sniffed softly. “But oppa… It might take a long time. And-and I’d be hurting you… What if it takes months, or even…years? You could be better off with someone else”, you stammered tearfully, insecurities building up in your mind. You wanted him to be happy, even if it meant for him to leave. You gasped when he clenched your gloved hands tightly, eyes glistening with desperation. “I like you Mi Young. Do you hear that? I like you. Even if it takes years, I’m willing to wait. I can’t imagine you having to go through this alone. Don’t ever mention someone else, because you’re the only one for me”, he whispered, desperation and sincerity mingled in his coarse voice. This unleashed the waterworks. He likes me? Oppa really said that he likes me A slow smile spread on your lips, amongst the trail of tears rolling down your cheeks. “Oppa, I like-y-you too”, you managed to whisper, so softly that you were afraid he wouldn’t hear. Your fears were dashed when his eyes brightened, and the biggest smile crept on his handsome face. This would always be one of your favourite moments. Sure it was set in one the worst times you had ever had to face, but you would always look back on that moment with due fondness. You didn’t know it then, but it seemed that with those simple three words, he had managed to give you all the strength you needed to replace those nightmares with more of these special memories.

The next few weeks flew past in a blur of events. The BTOB members were frequently kept busy with vocal and dance trainings, and spent the wee hours of the night exercising at the company’s gym. They were debuting in a month’s time. Although their Mondays to Saturdays were often gone, they dedicated their “day off” Sundays to their families. And you were definitely like family to them. Seo Yeon had flown back to America to visit her relatives, but would be back in about two weeks. You were glad of Hye Mi’s company, whenever she wasn’t busy with various chores at least. About a week ago, you had discovered that all the BTOB members were aware of what had happened to you. Min Hyuk revealed that he had initially confided in Eun Kwang and Sung Jae, but decided to not keep things a secret from the others, because they were all extremely concerned for you. You couldn’t bring yourself to oppose this decision, because all the BTOB members were extremely close. You did manage to convince Min Hyuk and the other members to keep it a secret from your parents, who could definitely do without another burden on their shoulders.  Dad’s health hadn’t been deteriorating but it hadn’t improved either. It also worried you extremely that over the past one week, intimidating looking corporate managers had been frequenting the house, spending long hours in your Dad’s room, discussing work-related issues. In fact, you were starting to suspect that something had happened within the company. It was Tuesday night when Hye Mi suddenly burst into your room, yelling at you to check the internet. What greeted you though, shocked you beyond reason. All along, your dad’s illness had been kept a secret, in order to protect his company from scheming opponents. But it seemed that someone had leaked a medical report of your father’s illness onto the web, and the evidence was undeniable. Scandals reported included complains from stakeholders, who were worried that if Director Lee suddenly passed away, there would be no one left to run the company. There were also paparazzi photos of Dad, Aunt , Min Hyuk and you, complete with articles about Director Lee having a daughter. You sighed when you read the endless reports, feeling indignant for your father more than yourself. There were even articles talking about Min Hyuk, judging his decision to become a singer instead of inheriting the company. And then, there were also pages speculating that you were going to be the next heir of the Lee Family Company. The reports bothered you slightly, but you were more worried for Min Hyuk. BTOB was going to debut in just one month, and it wouldn’t do Min Hyuk any good to have these speculations floating around.

Immediately, you dashed into your father’s room, hoping to clarify some of the baseless rumours. “I hope you don’t feel pressured. I didn’t ask you here based on any intentions for you to inherit the company. I merely wanted my daughter by my side, before it was too late”, he had assured you with a trustworthy smile. You wouldn’t doubt him; your father had proved to be as much of an affectionate father as a intelligent businessman.
Pushing that worry to the back of your mind, another separate issue seemed to float to the front of your thoughts. “Did you ever plan for Min Hyuk to take over the company?” You asked meekly, watching his amused expression. “I did actually. When he was young, we groomed him to be the perfect heir of the company. I remember when he first told me that he wanted to attend Dankook Arts University instead of a business school. Aunt and I were furious. But when we actually heard some of the songs that he had composed, we knew that this was where he would shine. He was just so talented that we could no longer push him towards something he wouldn’t enjoy. It was then when we encouraged him to audition for Cube, and now we couldn’t be more proud of him” Your father explained patiently, an unmistakable look of pride glazed over his pale face. You felt a swell of admiration for your father. Promising him to pay no heed to the rumours, you retreated back to your room, head clouded with various different thoughts.

“Noona, are you awake?” A shy voice reverberated through your wooden door. “Yup, come in”, you answered as Ilhoon walked through the door. “You guys are back early today?” You chuckled curiously. “Manager hyung decided to let us off early since we were doing so well”, he said with a smirk and a pout. “Oh really”, you teased, flicking his forehead mischievously. He winced, and grabbed your arm playfully, whining non-stop. You fought the urge to draw your arm back, and only jerked slightly. “Ohhh Mianhae noona! I forgot again”, the young boy exclaimed, dropping your arm and rubbing his neck sheepishly. You laughed at his guilty expression. With the BTOB members’ help, you had improved tremendously. The nightmares had reduced, and you had started to grow more accustomed to contact. Well at least with your family and BTOB. You were still slightly afraid of strangers, but the boys assured you that they would always be by your side. You owed them a lot, more than you could ever repay. Eun Kwang was the epitome of a perfect older brother; loving, kind and trustworthy. Chang Sub never failed to make you smile; even on days where you felt so low, he always managed to lift your spirits with his greasy ageyo. Hyun Sik remained a protective brother that always looked out for you; and you never failed to about Hye Mi (A typical trait of a younger sister). Peniel was one of the best friends you could ever ask for, and the both of you were loyal confidantes. Ilhoon was a younger brother you loved the most, and he would always surprise you with his straightforward charm. Sung Jae, was a maknae that you grew to really trust. Despite his young age, he was extremely mature in thinking, and ironically, was really good at giving you advice. Lastly, Min Hyuk was everything that you could ever ask for. He was patient with you, never asking for more than you could give. Although you often grew frustrated at yourself, he never blamed you, and you knew that it was his love that helped you to get past the worst of your bad experience. As if on cue, Min Hyuk strolled into the room, a familiar smile plastered on his face. It was that same smile that always tided you over your fears. Automatically, your lips curled upwards as you looked at him. “AISH. Noona’s ignoring me again because hyung’s here”, Ilhoon whined playfully, pouncing on Min Hyuk. The both of you burst out in hysteria of giggles, as you watched Min Hyuk hug the younger boy affectionately. BTOB oppas really deserve to do well. I just hope that the rumours wouldn’t affect Min Hyuk or the other members. I can’t help but remember seeing that one article questioning Min Hyuk oppa’s birthright. Please don’t let them find out that oppa’s adopted.

“So when are you going to announce that you guys are together!” Ilhoon barked cheekily, earning a glare from Min Hyuk. You couldn’t help but ponder over his words. We could never announce it. If other’s find out about us, they would definitely find out about oppa’s adoption… I can’t risk Min Hyuk and the other oppas careers… 

Hi everyone~ and Hi new subscribers (: Thanks for leaving me all those comments guys, really appreciate it! And heres a pretty long chapter from me~ I hope it's fluffy enough for your liking! Anyways I've read all your thoughts on who the second male lead should be, but I'm still thinking over certain details! He should be revealed in the next chapter though (: So anticipate it mhmm! Thanks guys have a nice day!!