-FLASHBACK-

“Look… Kevin, I’m going to the States. Officially and forever. And… I’m… never coming back.”

“…This better… not be a prank Kyung-mi…” Kevin whispered desperately. His eyes, pleading, met with her blue eyes, steely with resolve. “No…”

Kyung-mi shook her head, determination coursing through her system. “It’s no trick Kevin… I’m leaving for a program at Harvard. Please… don’t make this any harder.” She forced her feelings downwards. “You deserve someone else… someone who can be more understanding then I am. Someone who is more patient, more fated to be with you.”

“You’re that girl!” Kevin responded, anguished. “That’s you Kyung-mi, that’s you…” he searched her beautiful blue eyes fruitlessly, looking for any sign of her resolve weakening.

Don’t look back Kyung-mi. No regrets.

Kyung-mi stood up, looking at Kevin straight in the eye. “We’re… we’re done Kevin.” She turned away. “And you better not run after me. If… if you truly loved me…”

“…then you’ll… you’ll let me go.”

And with one final mental stomp, her feelings of Kevin vanished from her mind to never rise again. She turned to face him, bowing low. “Please understand... that this is what I want." She was about to leave again but then turned to face Kevin one last, solemn time. "And… I hope we’ll never… ever meet again.” She turned and with quick steps, left as fast as her feet could take her.

-END FLASHBACK-

That night, Kevin had sat down on the riverbank for at least two hours after Kyung-mi left. His heart screamed for him to race back to her apartment and talk to her.

But he truly loved her – was that why he needed to let her go? Was that what she said? To never meet again?

Miserable, Kevin stared at their star. Kyung-mi. Kyung-mi. Kyung-mi.

Did he blame himself? Of course! But what did he do wrong? He was confused and upset and utterly depressed!

Convinced that there would be nobody else for him, he considered just jumping off into the blackest abyss into the Han River. But that would be stupid; someone would see and fish him out. Wouldn’t that be the scandal of the century!

So instead, Kevin was left to wallow in his own thoughts. He ignored the texts and calls from his fellow UKISS members wondering where he was when he was supposed to be at dance practice.

Somehow, that night, he managed to drag himself to some shady bar and drink himself silly without the interference from his friends. He sat there alone, and his whole being radiated with negative thoughts. No one, not even the underground thugs, dared to start a fight or sit down near him – even though they didn’t know who he was, at this moment, he looked like he could kick some serious a**.

Finally, the bartender decided that Kevin needed to get home. He managed to call a taxi and found Kevin’s mother’s number in his contacts list, which then in turn gave him an address to where to send the taxi.

========================================

Kevin wiped his mouth, convinced that he’d never ever drink again. (Isn’t that what he said last time…?) After rinsing his mouth twice, he slunk back under the covers of his bed. He never wanted to wake up again. As he drifted off to sleep, his angelic face relaxed slightly, poorly reflecting his emotions running through his head.

His mother realized that her son needed his space and left him alone with the occasional meals and nutrition. Time, was what he needed – to reflect upon his actions last night and everything before that – and she gave him that. She called his agency and told them that he was seriously sick, so in the end they left him alone too.

Mrs. Woo had a general idea of what must of happened between Kyung-mi and him.

My poor baby boy… she sighed and went out to buy groceries.

=========================================

It was only a week after that Kevin dared to face his fellow group mates again. He stuck to his mother’s story that he was sick with a contagious bug and they didn’t ask him twice. The only person he told was Eli. Only he knew the full truth.

That’s how the two had gathered that night – alone in Eli’s apartment, with only a friend and some beer for company.

“I swore I wouldn’t drink,” Kevin murmured, playing with his glass.

Eli took a huge gulp. “Join the club.”

Perhaps then, explicably intoxicated and with no common sense at all, was the time the two were most honest with each other. About their respective feelings for the same girl; their heartbreak, and their loss; their joy, and their sorrows.

“She was the one,” Kevin shouted angrily. “And now she’s gone!” Hot tears ran down his cheeks. He slammed his fists against a wall, not damaging it but instead scraping his knuckles. “Damn it…”

Eli preferred to punch a punching bag that he had set up in the middle of his living room. As the sweat poured down his back, the steady rhythm of fists against padding helped calm his heart.

As the night drew on, as sorrow comforted sorrow, in the end – she was still in Kevin’s mind.

=========================================

As the weeks flew by, Kevin was getting better at showing a poker face. A smile there, wave here, hug to a fan there, it was almost perfect. He mused that perhaps a career in acting should be considered later on.

Their comeback came and went… Eli spent more and more time with Hana… yet, even though the world seemed to be moving forward, it was Kevin that was stuck in the past. Every night, he stared at the ceiling as if it held the answers to all his questions. It was a continuing cycle – and yet no one noticed.

One night, after dance practice, Kevin stayed behind while all the other members left. Determined to do something a little more productive then staring at an inanimate object all night, he practiced instead, alone, in the NH building.

Maybe not as alone as he thought.

On that particular night, he was rehearsing his solo part for another comeback (Stop Girl :D) when he was rather… rudely interrupted.

“Hey you! What are you doing here so late?” a voice yelled.

Startled, Kevin turned back to see an unusual sight.

Dressed in dark overalls and jacket, the girl standing before him was a force to be reckoned with. A flashlight in one hand and a set of keys in the other, the only thing she could be was a security guard.

A female security guard? Is NH that broke? (A/N: Jks guys, don’t take that seriously…)

“Who are you?” Kevin asked, politeness thrown out of the window. His patience had been shorted considerably since Kyung-mi left.

Instead of being nervous around an idol or respective, the girl was as equally tough back. Her nametag said ‘Eunmi’ in a scratchy handwriting “Who are you?”

Kevin shook his head, laughing humorlessly. “I’ll lock up after, so you can go home.”

The feisty girl shook her head, her eyes sharp. “Uh-uh. I’m not gonna lose my job for one little boy.”

That was it. “Little boy?” Kevin asked incredulously. “Do you know whom you’re talking to?” he took a step forward, his sweat gleaming off his face.

Slightly taken aback, the girl stepped backwards. “Er…”

Kevin chuckled. “Exactly.”

“WAIT! I KNOW WHO YOU ARE!”

“Humor me.”

“YOU’RE HOON, RIGHT! YEAH THAT’S IT!”

Kevin scoffed. “Good night.” He was about to close the door on the girl but at the last moment, she stuck her shoe out and prevented him.

“Ouch,” she whimpered. “That always works in the movies…”

Despite his annoyance, Kevin felt a genuine smile tickle his lips. “Maybe you watch too many movies then.”

The girl shook her head vigorously. “Can’t afford it so it’s a waste of time. And I was just kidding… you’re not Hoon. You’re Kevin Woo. Look… I’m really sorry for interrupting you and everything. Really.” She leaned in closer, surprising Kevin. “But I just really can’t afford to be fired!” she whispered fearfully, not noticing how close their faces were.

Kevin chuckled genuinely this time. “So you don’t want to get fired, eh…”

The girl nodded. “I don’t, so please just make things easier for me and end practice early!” she dropped her keys and flashlight and clasped her palms together. “Please?”

His eyes twinkled. “What will I get?”

The girl bit her lip. “Um… when I can actually afford Korean BBQ, I’ll go and pay as many servings as you want.”

“Not enough.”

“Er…. When I become a billionaire I’ll buy you a mansion!“

“Nope.”

“FINE, I’LL FRIGGING GIVE YOU THE WHOLE MOON!” she yelled, giving him an arrogant push. Instantly she regretted it – as he tumbled downward onto his pack, the one nice bracelet that she had got tangled on his sweater and she ended up being pulled down with him.

“Ouch…” she murmured, her eyes closed tight. Rubbing the new bruise on her forehead, she opened her eyes and was quite shocked at what happened next.

Awkwardly cradled on his chest and their faces centimeters apart, it would be a moment that Eun-mi would remember for a long time.

“You’re gonna give me the whole moon Eun-mi? Is that what you said?” He echoed, curious. He stood up and brushed his jacket, smoothly untangling her bracelet from the stitching. Offering his hand to her, he grinned, something that felt foreign but exciting on his face.

“I want to see you try.”

========================================