Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.

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Jieun’s POV

            I sat nervously twirling my pencil with one hand as I stared at the blank sheet in my opened diary. I was at what I now labeled my favourite picnic table under the shady tree as leaves occasionally drifted downwards, sometimes landing on my head. Autumn was now taking a toll on the weather; cooler winds blew more frequently as days passed and I somewhat felt relieved. Throughout the summer all I could see were things, people, and thoughts that reminded me of Wooyoung but never once had I spent an autumn or winter with him. I thought that maybe my mind needed a breather, and though my heart still wasn’t ready to let him go, my mind screamed for me to give it a try.

            “Kikwang likes you, Lee Jieun!”

“Why you won’t just be with Kikwang! He’s talented, kind, smart, considerate, protective, understanding, outgoing, humorous, talkative—every aspect of him is better than Jang Woo—“

My mind stopped at the same spot Eunjungs words had before I cut her off. I came to an agreement with myself earlier that I should at least give him a chance—just one chance. Promising myself that I would at least be able to please Kikwang and Eunjung for the time being, I pulled out my cell phone to call him. Staring at the front of my phone, my left hand hesitated to flip it open. Was this what I wanted? I myself didn’t know the answer to my question, and even though I want to wait until forever for Wooyoung to come back to me, following through was something I wasn’t ready to commit myself to. Never once did I allow myself to feel warm with Kikwang’s sincere smiles no matter how much I tried. Taking one moer deep breath, I flipped it open and noticed a text message that was sent three minutes ago.

            “I’m right behind you?” I read the text message in a whisper to myself, ending off with a question and began turning in circles for Kikwang’s familiar face. A week after the showcase, we came to a mutual agreement that we’d never mention t again. Kikwang apologized to me, even though there was nothing I could think of for him to apologize for and we stayed fairly close friends.

            “Yah, are you blind? I’m right here!” Kikwang joked with his usual upbeat smile, popping out from behind a tree and taking a seat across from me. He liked to call this picnic our picnic table but I never grew fond of it. In my eyes it was still only mine.

“Studying?” Kikwang asked, glancing over at my diary; pages still blank. Blushing, I quickly slammed it close and shoved it in my messenger bag and then shook my head.

            “It’s nothing,” I reassured, letting off an uneasy laugh.

            “So what do you want to do today?” He wondered, taking the pencil from my hand and attempted to twirl it between his fingers like I did. I guess this was it. It was time for me to ask him.

            “Kikwang-ah,” My quiet voice caught his immediate attention and he leaned in closer to hear me, “Do you like me?” My heart was pounding faster than normal but how could it not when I knew how this would turn out? He squinted at me for a brief moment, scrutinizing my expression and then scratched his head confusedly.

            “Yeah, of course I like you. Why?” He replied, trying to retain the excitement that I could read from his eyes. Forcing out a smile I suggested,

            “How about we give it a try then?” I never expected me to be the one to ever say this to a guy, and even at this moment I questioned my own sanity but since I decided on it, I knew I would have to go along with it. From my inexperienced understanding, in the 21^st century, dating still is not equivalent to marriage so I was certain I wasn’t digging myself into a grave I couldn’t crawl out of.

            “Give what a try?” Kikwang asked, still skeptical of my words. His face was serious, but I could hear the gentle thumps of his nervously shaking knee hitting the bottom of the table.

            “You and Me,” I concluded, and almost immediately his lips curved into a wide smile and his hands grabbed mine. One thing I could be certain about was that he was sincere about this relationship, but what I needed to know was if I was.

Wooyoung’s POV

            My knees wouldn’t stop shaking ever since I entered the piano room. My vocal instructor sat at the grand piano, seated beside a jar of small folded lined paper. I stood beside Suzy who looked completely unshaken by the fact that we had our vocal evaluation tomorrow with only one day left to prepare. Right now I really wished that I knew her secret to keeping calm, but then again, it was probably just a ‘Suzy’ thing that I would never understand.

            “As you all know, your vocal evaluation is tomorrow. I’ve added a little twist; rather than performing alone, you all will be put into pairs. I have a jar beside me with all your names in it and whoever you draw or whoever draws your name is automatically your partner—absolutely no exceptions. It is in my attention that there are a few of you’re here who are not fluent in English, and so I will accommodate that by allowing you to choose a song that is in your preferred language so long as your partner agrees. This is to ensure that there is a full understanding on the lyrics being sung so that you all can portray the song’s emotions to the best of your abilities.” She explained, slipping a strand of her curly blonde hair behind her ear before opening the transparent glass jar.

            “Gentlemen, you all will be chivalrous and allow the ladies to pick first.” She winked at the large group of guys crowded in the corner and then passed the jar to the girl closest to her. I listened carefully as each name was called out, and by the time the jar reached Suzy I was almost certain I would have to do a duet with a guy.

            “Jason Jang,” Suzy read in a monotone voice, folding the paper back into a square and then shooting me an expectant but serious stare. My mind froze. Bae Suzy is someone who has studied vocal music for the majority of her life! I gave her a weak smile and she turned away with the same annoyed expression plastered on her face which I grew accustomed to calling ‘the Suzy face’. When the teacher left to give us time to choose our songs, Suzy immediately pulled out a chronologically filed folder of song lyrics.

            “Do you have a song in mind?” I asked, peeking over her shoulder to view the wide variety of songs she had in that folder. I had to commend her for being so prepared.

            “How about this one?” Suzy pulled out a slightly crinkled sheet and handed it to me. My jaw dropped as I read the lyrics. The emotions portrayed in the lyrics weren’t half as shocking as the fact that I could understand every single word in the song; the song was Korean.

            “You don’t want to sing an English song?”

            “Hell no; do you want us to fail?” Suzy retorted, pulling out another copy of the same song and directing us to a section in the music room. Despite the viciousness in her voice I never took offense. It relieved me that we were allowed to sing in Korean.

            “Besides,” Suzy smirked evilly, “Even if we portrayed the emotions completely off she would have no idea because she can’t understand us.” Her well thought out plan continued to surprise me. I scanned the lyrics more intensely now and halfway down the sheet Suzy shoved an earphone into my right ear and blasted the mp3. Startled I cringed from the lould volume before she adjusted it and began to hum to the tune. Don’t Go originally performed by Junsu and Junghee filled my ears and I let my mind drift around the soothing voice that belonged to Junsu. How in the world I would be able to come close to his capability was a mystery to me but as I listened, a small spark of excitement lit up inside me. I absolutely loved singing soothing songs like these, and another plus point was that I could relate to it. Once the song finished playing, Suzy pressed pause and insisted,

            “Okay let’s try singing it now!” I stared confusedly at her, implying that I needed more time to learn the harmonies but she ignored me and continued to press play.

            “Once with their voices and then with the instrumental,” She informed, swaying her head side to side to the melody. I was always awestruck by the way Suzy was able to express emotions through singing so effectively but when it came to every day conversation she was absolutely insensitive to practically everything.

            “Yah! Why aren’t you singing your harmonies?!” Suzy scolded, thumping me on the forehead.

            “I didn’t learn the harmonies yet!” I admitted, mouthing the lyrics silently to myself. She rolled her eyes at me and threatened,

            “You have until tomorrow morning to master this song because if we get less than perfect I will never let you live it down.” I gulped in response and nodded, taking a deep breath as we started the song back at the beginning.

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            “Alright class, you’ve had a day to practice so it’s time to show me what you’ve got. First up are Jason Jang and Suzy Bae.” She clapped gently but no one followed suit as we made our way to the piano. Suzy handed her the music sheet and she nodded, taking a seat at the grand piano with her fingers ready to make music.

            “Oh god, I bet they’re going to sing in Korean.” A conceited blonde girl at the back whispered to her equally self absorbed brunette friend. I never understood why the two of them were so racist considering the fact that Canada is celebrated for its multiculturalism. I mentally patted myself on the head for remembering the words that Suzy told me during my first week here.

            “We’ll be singing a Korean duet,” Suzy began and then was interrupted by the two snickering girls at the back. Suzy shot them both a death inflicting glare and they fell silent. After a loud cough she finished, “Titled ‘Don’t Go’ by Junsu and Junghee.” After Suzy nodded to the instructor she began playing the music and I closed my eyes briefly to get into the mood of the song. We were being graded highly on how well we portrayed the emotions and like we discussed earlier; we need to get a perfect score or who knows what Suzy would do. Her mysteriousness still injected a sense of fear into me. Once the timing was right, I started off the song receiving a few surprised stares. In that class particularly I was looked down on, but maybe today I would be able to prove everyone wrong. During the long music pause, Suzy and I exchanged quick smiles before she continued with her next verse. What was scarier than the fact that I was singing a duet with Suzy was the fact that I was enjoying singing a duet with Suzy. Not once did my voice crack during Junsu’s intimidating high notes. By the bridge the entire class, including the two uptight girls at the back were swaying to the song just as I did when we were listening to Junsu and Junghee sing. The mini stage we stood on that was the front of the music room felt pleasantly warm and familiar to me. It didn’t matter where in the world I was because music is something that appeals to all languages. This statement was proven to me today, when I witnessed a class full of non-Koreans applauding us vigorously for our singing. I even caught glances of a few of them who grew teary-eyed.

            “Great job you two! One hundred percent!” The instructor congratulated, pulling Suzy and I into a brief group hug. Suzy looked the most overjoyed between the two of us, and I decided not to open my mouth to ruin her happy moment. It was rare to see Suzy smiling so whole-heartedly, and I had to admit she looked one hundred times prettier when she smiled.

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            “Hey Jason, we should go celebrate,” Suzy smiled, rushing up to catch up to me who stood halfway out the door.

            “It’s lunch now s let’s go! My treat!” She added, passing me through the narrow doorway and rushing down the halls impatiently with her wallet in her hands. Smiling to myself, I quickly followed her. She led us to a close-by café that specialized in desserts more than lunch but I assumed she was the type who liked to indulge in sugar when in a good mood. I knew those people existed because I was no doubt one of them. Passing me a menu, I was in utter shock when she complimented my voice during the duet. In fact, I was flabbergasted. That was another humorous word Taecyeon taught me near the beginning of the school year. I’ve never heard anyone use the term thus far but I held the word to the meaning Taecyeon explained to me.

            “I never thought you would’ve pulled off all the high notes so smoothly. Back when we were practicing you went flat on almost half of them.” She elaborated as she poked at the mango pudding in front of her.

            “Thank you,” I managed to choke out past my full mouth of almond ice cream. This was one of the first times I ever thanked Suzy and meant it. I guess she really does have a heart. After talking for quite a while, somehow we ended up at a commonly sensitive topic—relationships. This time, it wasn’t about Jieun.

            “Did you really want to know what my birthday wish was?” Suzy asked, taking another small bite of her mango pudding. I wasn’t sure whether I should say yes or no because even though I was curious, she might still accuse me of being nosy.

            “Well? Do you? I’m never going to ask again.” She pushed impatiently, giving me another one of her ‘Suzy glares’.

            “Fine fine, yes I want to know.” I admitted, finishing up the almond ice cream in front of me. This was never my idea of a lunch but it was somewhat filling for the time being. I watched Suzy as she sighed and flipped her long, wavy hair over her shoulders.

            “I,” She paused for a second to think about what she would say next and then sighed, deciding to finish the thought she started, “Like Taecyeon…” Her voice trailed off as she stuffed her face with the rest of her mango pudding, leaving me sitting across from her with a dumbfounded expression. Never in my days of living in Canada did I ever have the thought of Suzy and Taecyeon as a couple. Obviously, my oblivious best friend does not know about it. Before I could open my mouth to speak, Suzy covered it with her palm.

            “If you dare say even one word to him about this I will kill you.” She threatened, putting extra emphasis on the word ‘kill’. I nodded twice before she moved her hand from my mouth. My mind was freaking out like an excited Taecyeon who was meeting SNSD. Despite that, I knew I had to keep Suzy’s secret not only because she threatened to end my life but because I did now see her as a friend and I honour my promises.

            “It’s time for class now.” Suzy rose from her chair, sticking her cell phone at my face and then began heading back to campus. We trailed back to the bus stop that brought us here and she called the transit line.

            “The bus will come in two minutes.” She informed, sticking her cell phone back in her pocket and taking a seat in the little bus shelter. I followed her and began staring at the various advertisements taped loosely onto the glass. One in particular caught my attention. Obviously, it was in Korean.

            “JYP global auditions?” I read out loud in Korean, and immediately Suzy jumped up from the seat and pushed me to the side so she could read the advertisement correctly.

            “They’re in two months!” Suzy gasped, ripping it off the glass and throwing the tape ball onto the floor.

            “Are you planning on auditioning?” I asked curiously, still staring at the ridiculous photograph of Park Jinyoung in his signature red 80’s dress clothes that revealed some chest.

            “Yes! You and Taecyeon should too!” She beamed, folding the advertisement and putting it into her bag as she watched the bus come.

            “Are you sure we can just rip the advertisement and take it What if other people might want to audition?” I asked, following her onto the shuttle bus. She rolled her eyes and explained,

            “If they don’t see it then it’s less competition for us.” Nodding stupidly, I made an extended ‘oh’ sound and sat down on the bus. I could see from the corner of my eye that Suzy was already excitedly texting Taecyeon the good news. I had a strong feeling that this would be my next step to reaching my dream of becoming an idol in Korea. If I return sooner, and with the title of a JYP trainee then I would no doubt be confident enough to meet Jieun again.    

A/N: Extremely apologies to all my readers who waited so patiently for me to update. My hectic week has now ended and summer is just around the corner so please be expecting more and wuicker updates now. Thanks everyone for being so patient with me, and also to those who were rushing me because it kept my writing mood up ^^! 

Also, I've started a new fanfic today which I won't be working on until I get a poster because I'm still dedicated to this fanfic of course (I would never abandon this fanfic!) so please check it out if you like my writing and if you like the newly debuted boy group; BOYFRIEND! Starring the Jo twins, Kwangmin and Youngmin! ^^

http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/47952/sunshine-and-rain-korean-you-youngmin-kwangmin-boyfriendband