"Yobeoseyo?" Kibum answered his phone, wondering who this unknown number was.
            "Ye, yobeoseyo, Kibum-ssi," a man's voice answered on the other end. "Do you remember? It's Oh Jangsuk, from SBS. I’m calling about the drama we casted you in, Flower Boy and I.”
            "Oh, ne, ne!" Kibum said, immediately shooting into an upright position. He'd been lying down, lazing around on their couch, listening to Ryeowook play his keyboard. "What can I do for you?"
            "We heard that Seoul National University students finished their exams yesterday. Is that true?"
            "Yes, yes, that's right."
            "Then we'd like to fly you out here to our location in Gwangju so we can get all the cast together and run through a script reading. Do you think you'll be able to make a morning flight tomorrow?"
            "Ne? T-tomorrow?" Kibum stuttered.
            "Yes, unfortunately you will have to miss some school, at the most, a month. That'll be fine, right?"
            Kibum swallowed. "Yes, it'll be fine."
            "Okay, great! I'll fax over your plane ticket to that teacher of yours; what's his name, Han Sun? Anyway, get packing!" The man on the other side of the line hung up.
            Kibum pulled away and stared at his phone. He had exactly one day to say goodbye to all of his friends, pack bags with a month's worth of stuff, and talk to all the school officials. 
            He jumped up off the couch and scrambled to the kitchen. He threw open all the cabinets and grabbed every package of food he could find. He ran to his room and slammed the door, dumping all the food he had grabbed onto his bed.
            "Yah, Kim Kibum! Stop making all that noise!" Ryeowook yelled from his room. 
            "Sorry, Wook!" Kibum moved to his closet and started picking out all his favorite pants and jeans, and then he grabbed his favorite shoes. He threw them all haphazardly into the luggage he had miraculously found underneath his bed, then scanned his room for other things he might need. He also packed up a razor, deodorant, a couple bottles of cologne, then ran to his bathroom to snag his toothbrush and stole Ryeowook's toothpaste while he was there.
            What am I forgetting, what am I forgetting? Kibum asked himself, pacing around his room, wracking his brains. Ah! Underwear!
            He dumped his entire underwear drawer into his luggage, then eyed a few of the dirty ones on his floor. Eh, I'll wash it later, he figured as he threw those in as well. You can never have too much underwear.
            "Wook!" Kibum shouted. "Can you get in here for a sec?" 
            He appeared a couple of seconds later, shuffling in with his slippers half-off and headphones on his head, plugged into nothing. He stared wide-eyed at all the mess.
            "Yah, Kim Kibum, if _____ sees how you've messed up your room, you're going to be in huge trouble."
            Kibum rolled his eyes. "Can you hurry up and sit on this luggage? I need it to close so I can zip it up."
            Ryeowook obliged, casually asking, "You going home for the weekend?"
            "No," Kibum paused, keeping his head bent and his eyes on his luggage. "I'm going to be gone for a while, Wook. I'm flying off to start filming tomorrow."
            Ryeowook jumped off the suitcase, causing Kibum to groan as his suitcase swelled from the lack of pressure and his underwear oozed out of the sides.

            "You didn't tell me you were leaving!" He sounded genuinely upset.
            Kibum finally looked up. "I didn't know…he called me just now and told me I was flying out tomorrow morning. I have to get all this packed and then talk to the head of the department and then say goodbye to Yoochun and Siwon and Han Geng hyung and the others and pick up my ticket and then I have to find _____."
            Ryeowook gave a low whistle, starting to pity his normally composed friend. He offered, "No wonder it doesn't fit; you packed this all wrong. Let me do it for you, and you go run off do whatever you have to do."
            Kibum got up and clapped Ryeowook on the back. "You're the best, Wook-ah. My best friend." Without waiting for a response, he darted out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.
            Ryeowook stared resignedly at the sloppy pile of Kibum's terrible excuse at packing. This is going to be fun, he sighed. He went into the kitchen to make himself a quick snack, for energy, because he sure as hell was going to need it to fix Kibum's mess.
            He opened the cabinets, hoping for some ramyeon…only to find emptiness. 
            "YAH, KIM KIBUM!"

                                                                                                                                     ~*~ 

            Kibum decided to talk to the higher-ups, first. It made sense, because without their permission everything else wouldn't have to be done.
            He entered the office, quietly closing the door behind him. The head of the art departments—Kim sunsaengnim—was sitting at his desk, his hands folded on top of it, looking at Kibum expectantly.
            "Sunsaengnim," Kibum started respectfully, "I think Han Geng hyu—ssaem may have already talked to you about this, but I was offered a role in a drama, and filming begins tomorrow, in Gwangju."
            Here Kibum paused, waiting for the head to say something, but there was no response. He continued a little less confidently, "And, uh, I came to ask you permission for leave for the next month."
            The head got up from his desk and moved to sit in front of it, suddenly better able to stare intimidatingly into Kibum’s eyes.
            "Kim Kibum, we would be delighted to have one of our students represent us in the industry. That is," he paused, scanning Kibum up and down severely, "if he can do it well."
            "Thank you," Kibum said, bowing several times. "I will do my best to represent both the school and myself." He made to leave, rather desperately, but when he was at the door, he was stopped when he heard Kim sunsaengnim say, 
            "Make sure you do. I'm not liking the look in your eyes. It looks distracted. Be focused, Kim Kibum."
            Kibum turned around and bowed once in farewell before leaving without another word.
            As soon as he left the office, he called you. After not being able to reach you on your cell for the fifth time, Kibum sent Siwon a quick text message, telling him to meet him outside Han Geng's office. He had just arrived there himself and was just about to go in when Han Geng walked out and grinned at him, ushering Kibum in.
            "Hyung," Kibum said in a rush. "Did you hear, did you hear?"
            Han Geng said in a calm voice, "Yes, Kibum-ah. I have your plane ticket right here." He pulled the slip of paper out from his pocket and handed it to him.             "Are you all ready?"
            "No," Kibum said agitatedly. "Not even close. I'm going insane, hyung; I have so much to settle before I can leave."
            "That's not what I mean, Bum," Han Geng said, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "The teacher in me is asking if you're ready to begin your first real job."
            Kibum paused. He'd barely thought about that at all. He'd been thinking of you, mostly. "It'll be fine. I know I can do it."
            Han Geng warned, "Stay focused, Kibum.” The familiar words reverberated in Kibum’s head. “It's your first project and it could make you or break you. Work hard and practice very often. Always know your lines, and apologize to the staff for your mistakes. Everyone on the set will be working just as hard as you will be, so be compassionate and polite. Show them your talent and what a good man you are, and they'll be sure to appreciate you."
            He paused and looked Kibum squarely in the eye. "They'll know you're a rookie, and you'll have to earn their respect as an actor. Don't let anyone bring you down, Kibum, because you have it in you."
            Kibum swallowed for what felt like the millionth time that day, suddenly realizing what he was about to jump into. This was his dream, and had been for as long as he could remember. 
            "Thanks, hyung," Kibum said, feeling more collected and like himself. "I'll call you whenever I can, okay?"
            "I'm proud of you, Kibum-ah. And I know he would be, too."

                                                                                                                                       ~*~

            Siwon rocked back and forth on his heels, hands in his pockets, letting his thoughts wander aimlessly like clouds as he waited for Kibum outside Geng's office.
            He thought about _____. She looked pretty that other day. He wondered what she liked to do for fun, or what he should do when taking her on dates. He thought about that list Kibum had showed him and felt anxious at the thought of having to pass all the requirements. He liked her, sure, but he wondered if it would be enough.
            "Choi Siwon!" 
            He started at the sound of his name, but relaxed when he saw it was just Kibum. He clapped him on the back in a friendly greeting. "Hey, what's up?"
            Kibum explained everything to him as briefly and precisely as he could. Siwon looked genuinely excited for him. 
            "That's fantastic! But aren't you nervous to be filming for such a major broadcasting company?"
            "Yeah," Kibum said frankly. "But it's what I want. I just need to sort some stuff before I leave tomorrow, mostly about _____. I figured since you're kinda dating her, you might know."
            Siwon grinned somewhat wryly. "We're not that close, Kibum. I'm surprised you don't know. Have you tried calling her?"
            Kibum tried to reign in his frustration. It was near evening now, and it would be dark within an hour. He would never be able to find her. "She's not picking up. I have no idea where she is."
            "What do you need to tell her anyways?" Siwon asked in genuine curiosity.
            "I just wanted to tell her where and why I was going. I've been so caught up in everything Henry and exams and all that that I haven't been able to tell her. I don't want to just vanish out of nowhere, especially since I'll be gone for a whole month," Kibum explained, beginning to feel quite desperate again. Why did the girl he was in love have to be the girl who drove him so insane. Why did she make him chase all over the place for her, all the time?
            "I'm going to see her later," Siwon finally told him. "I'll just text you when I'm with her, and you can talk to her for a bit. For now, why don't you go finish whatever you have to finish?"
            Kibum tried to find a way to thank him. But even though he and Siwon had gotten so close over the past few months, Kibum still found it hard to be emotional with anyone but you. 
            Siwon saw the gratitude in his eyes though, and he smacked him on the before saying, "Now, go, pabo. You don't have all day!"

                                                                                                                                        ~*~

            "You see this?" Hyukjae said, carefully pouring chocolate syrup on someone's coffee, creating pretty swirly patterns on the cream. "It's an art. It's a lot harder then it looks."
            "Yeah, right," you scoffed at his concentrated expression. "I bet I could do it in a snap."
            Hyukjae slapped your hands away. "Ah, ah, ah, no touching the customer's food. Mrs. Park said you're here to observe, not participate."
            "When did we get so close that you could hit me?" you grumbled, rubbing your hands and smiling the entire time.
            He handed the customer his coffee with a cheery, "Come again soon!" before untying his apron and turning to you with a grin. "I owe you a long explanation, don't I? It's getting late; no one's gonna come in for coffee at this time. It'll be pretty empty until those nocturnal night-crawlers come in, but for now I'll take my break."
            He led you to a table—oddly enough, the table that you always chose to sit at when you came to Kona Beans.
            You prodded him, "So, this entire afternoon I was just watching you make coffee, and all I got from you was that your name is Lee Hyukjae, you're older than me by a year, and that you like to dance."
            "Do you want to know another little fun fact?" he asked her with a mischievous smile. "I dropped all that stuff on you on purpose that other day."
            You gasped. "Are you crazy?"
            "Crazy about you," he said in a teasing tone.
            You refused to acknowledge his ceaseless flirting. You crossed your arms and leaned back. "Now you really owe me an explanation!"
            Hyukjae relaxed as well, stretching his tired arms. You watched the muscles in his arms tighten, a strange feeling tickling your insides. He said, "What more is there to say? I fell for you at first sight.”

            “Not funny,” you said, trying to hide a laugh.

            “Well the full story is sort of long, but we have time, don't we?"
            You glanced at the clock and said guiltily, "I'd be lying if I said yes. I promised I'd meet up with someone else."
            "Someone else?" he inquired suspiciously. "A guy?"
            "Yes," you said, somehow regretting your honesty at that moment. 
            Hyukjae contemplated to himself before saying lightheartedly, "All right! Have fun, but make sure you don't tell your friend how often you're thinking of me when you're with him."
            You laughed as you gathered your stuff, a real genuine laugh that surprised you as it escaped your lips. How was it this easy to be comfortable with him when you had just met? "You have a lot of confidence, don't you?"
            "No, not usually," he said, looking more serious than he had all the day, watching you with an unfathomable expression. "But fate is telling me that this is right."

                                                                                                                                ~*~

            On your way to meet with Siwon, you felt yourself walking with lighter steps. You knew the only reason could be Lee Hyukjae, but you couldn't quite wrap your head around it. Being with Hyukjae felt like being with him. When you were younger, he was always so good at making you laugh, and every little action of his made you smile. Talking to him had been so easy, so natural, so addictive. God, you didn't think you'd find someone who you'd be so obviously attracted to. With him, it took one look and you loved him for years and years. With Hyukjae, something was startlingly similar, and it frightened and excited you out of your mind.
            You were so wrapped up in your thoughts that you didn’t see Siwon waving at you.

            “_____! You’re here,” he walked up to you, smiling brightly. “It’s great to see you.”

            “Oh, Siwon! It’s great to see you, too,” you replied, returning his smile. “So what are we doing this evening?”

            He pulled sandwiches from his bag, handing you one and saying, “Well, first, we’re going to eat.” Siwon had spent the majority of his day preparing for this date. He reviewed the list endlessly, picked his outfit meticulously, fussed over his plans and appearance repeatedly until he had nothing to do but wait for you anxiously.

            “And look what I brought for dessert,” Siwon said, holding up bars of chocolate triumphantly.

            “That looks so good!” you said with a laugh. “I can’t wait to try everything.”

            “Don’t get your hopes up,” Siwon said jokingly. “You’ll just be disappointed.”

            He finished his meal a lot more quickly than you did, so he just watched you enjoy your food. He was doing a pretty good job, he thought. What list requirements had he already passed? One, three, five, seven, nine…at the very least, he figured, going through the list again in his head. As he watched, he couldn’t help but notice you looked happier, somehow. Maybe it was the food, maybe it was the cooling touch of the evening air…whatever it was, Siwon felt accomplished at the sight of the small smile tugging at your lips.           

            You, on the other hand, felt rather awkward eating next to this perfect, overly handsome man. You self-consciously wiped at your face, praying you didn’t look like a complete mess after your meal.

            Siwon grabbed your hand and moved it away, saying softly as he enclosed your fingers in his, “You look great.”

            You blushed, unsure where to look or what to say or what to do.
            As he held your hand, rubbing it soothingly with his thumb, some nagging feeling was tugging at his conscience. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but he knew he was forgetting something. He shrugged it off, figuring whatever it was probably wasn’t as important as this moment with you.

                                                                                                                                 ~*~

            Kibum sighed as he climbed into his bed, and it wasn't even because Ryeowook had taken back his toothpaste and half his stockpile of food. It was because he now knew there was no chance in hell he was going to be able to talk to _____ now. He wouldn't even get to say goodbye…
            He waited and waited for Siwon to contact him somehow, but as the night crept on, he knew he had to sleep so his first impression on the Flower Boy and I cast and staff wouldn't be absolutely disgusting tomorrow. Right now, he had to put his career first. He shut off his phone for the night, rubbing his face as he lay back in his bed.
            Oh, wait! He knew what to do now. He got out of bed and grabbed one of his notebooks from his desk, tearing a few sheets out of it. He began to write, quickly filling the pages with his heart.

                                                                                                                                 ~*~

            The next morning, Han Geng drove Kibum to the airport. 
            "Hyung," Kibum said as they stood in front of the check-in. "You have been absolutely unbelievable." Looking at Han Geng with indescribable emotion etched across his face, he said softly, "Thank you, for everything."
            Han Geng grabbed him and slapped his back gruffly. "Anytime, Kibum-ah, anytime."
            "Then one more thing?" Kibum asked, pulling out of the embrace to look him in the eye. "Can you give this to _____ for me?" 
            Kibum never thought of himself sentimental enough to be writing a letter, but he had to do it. He cleared his throat as he recalled everything that had run through his mind and everything that had fell from his heart while writing it.
            Han Geng stared at the sealed envelope Kibum had placed in his hands, memories flooding his mind at the mere mention of your name. He, too, cleared his throat before saying, "Okay, Kibum-ah. I'll do it for you, if you'll promise to do your best on set for me."
            "Deal," Kibum said, feeling the determination course through his body.

                                                                                                                                  ~*~

            Later that morning, when you finally woke up, you called Kibum to fill him in on everything that had occurred yesterday.
            He didn't pick up.
            Huh. He always picks up when I call, you thought to yourself. In another attempt to reach him, you decided to text Ryeowook.
            Morning, Wookie~~^^ Where's Kibum?

A/N: Thank you so much for waiting for all this. As a gift to my readers who have been so patiently waiting, here’s a preview of my next story (I’m still working on it, so the flow is a bit…yeah XD):

            Seoul in the year 2012 is not the place we know of today. It's a different world, a world divided by just two classes: the Upper class and the Lower class. That is, until there began to be whispers of the Vanished. 
            The process began in the 1990s. Bit-by-bit, businesses began to disappear: that little grocery around the corner, then that barbershop your grandma always took you to get your hair cut…and then? It started to get out of control. More than businesses were vanishing—people started to go with their businesses, gone without a trace, as if they and their works never existed. No one could ever figure out how, or why, until six very special people entered the picture. 
            These six best friends hide six very different secrets, the six darkest secrets of their lives. But these six friends—Yunho, Donghae, Jonghyun, Seohyun, Chen, and Amber—would literally give their lives for each other; that's what happens when you go through what they went through together. But how can you give your friends everything when you can't even tell them everything? 
            They lie to survive. That is their way. Everyone has to make sacrifices; even those who have nothing still lose things. Lying to your best friends is the most difficult thing to do, especially when those friends are more like family, but that's what they have to do, in order to survive.
            Unfortunately for them, trouble threatens to interrupt their simple—albeit deceit-filled—paradise, and soon enough it seems that even their secrets can't save them. Things have become too corrupt within the Uppers, threatening their existence in a way these six friends never could have imagined. They must learn that they are more than friends: their friendship is fate. If they can unite, put aside their differences and lies, and bring together the gifts that make them special, together they could change the world more than they ever thought possible.

So that is extremely different from RBYE…^^;; I’ve been planning it for a while now, and it takes a lot of effort. It’s going to be a complicated story haha. As soon as I finish RBYE, I’ll be starting this one (which I still haven’t named.)

I can't believe I have twenty chapters, and twenty-three subscribers and almost eight hundred views. Thank you guys<3 And I can’t stand to edit anymore haha, so I’m sorry if this chapter has mistakes. I hope you enjoy anyway~~~! :DDD Tell me your thoughts<333