Chapter Three : Transparency

 

The doctor’s words had a huge impact on the girls, especially on Nicole. Why had it never occur to them that Seungyeon had a rather weaker health than theirs? Seungyeon was doing perfectly fine during the previous rehearsals until this recent one, when she constantly complained about having back aches. Nicole felt regretful; I should have paid more attention to her.

 

The doctor gave them a worried look, and said, “You all should discourage her from overdoing it. I know, you all have busy schedules, but health always comes first.”

 

“We will try to persuade her,” said the sensible leader Gyuri.

 

The doctor smiled, and turned and walked away from them. No doubts the girls had their minds filled with Seungyeon. All of their faces were stretched with worry and apprehension. Hara kept asking what they should do, while Jiyoung said Seungyeon was that stubborn for not listening to them. Gyuri was calm with her eyes closed, obviously thinking of ways to solve this equation.

 

“What should we do? Gyuri?” asked Nicole, who decided to break the silence.

 

“I think it’s about time for Seungyeon to take a break. She’s been working so hard for KARA,” said Gyuri.

 

“I agree. Seungyeon is so stubborn. She should really take a break,” said the youngest.

 

“Yes yes. I agree,” nodded Hara.

 

“But the problem is, how should we break it to her?” asked Nicole.

 

“I’ll handle that. Don’t worry,” said the prismatic leader.

 

As they turned around to re-enter the room where Seungyeon was admitted to, they saw a person standing right next to the door. He wore a look as if he did not hear what the doctor had said.

 

“I’m sorry. I was just about to pick up a drink. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” said Hyeongkon.

 

“No, it’s okay. We have to tell her sooner or later,” said Nicole, smiling at Hyeongkon.

 

 

“Is Seungyeon really hurt?”

 

“Like what the doctor said, the consequences might be difficult to bear,” said Nicole.

 

“I think we should all tell her now,” suggested Gyuri.

 

All of them nodded, entering the room simultaneously. Hyeongkon was the only one not moving from his position. Nicole, who noticed this, stepped away from the room to ask his thoughts.

 

“Aren’t you going to come in?” asked Nicole politely.

 

“I have an idea. Have you heard of the miracle that 1000 cranes can do?” asked Hyeongkon to his senior.

 

“Of course I have. What about?”

 

“Why not have a try on that? Who knows folding these can improve Seungyeon’s health?”

 

Nicole nodded whilst thinking, “How about we fold 611 cranes?”

 

“What’s the significance of that number?”

 

“It actually indicates “11^th June”. It’s KAMILIA DAY on that day,” said Nicole, smiling.

 

“That makes it much more meaningful! How about, we ask the fans to fold one each, and write their messages on them?” suggested Hyeongkon, giving a natural smile.

 

“That’s an even better idea, Hyeongkon!”

 

Hyeongkon’s thoughts had impressed Nicole a lot. She never knew he was this warm-hearted. His smile was undeniably beautiful.

 

“You should smile more. I rarely see you smile,” said Nicole.

 

The junior was surprised, and hesitated for a while, and gave a forceful smile to his senior. Nicole was as if she could put herself in his mind. Something felt wrong, that was what her senses tell her.

“Did something happen, Hyeongkon? Something happened during rehearsals?” asked Nicole without hesitations.

 

“Nothing happened,” Hyeongkon tried to assure his senior, giving a rather genuine smile.

 

Smiling, Nicole said, “That’s good to hear.”

Nicole turned her face away from Hyeongkon to enter the room. When Nicole was about to enter the room, Hyeongkon grabbed her hand and said, “Actually,”

 

Nicole faced him close. She felt her cheeks burning; her heart was racing two times her heart rate. It was the first time she had ever experienced this. Glancing at her right hand, still being held by Hyeongkon, she wanted to ask him what was wrong.

 

“I’m sorry,” Hyeongkon apologized, letting go of her hand.

 

“What’s wrong, Hyeongkon? You look really pale. Are you tired of all the practices?”

 

“No, I’m fine. I think I’ll be leaving,” said Hyeongkon, still unwilling to tell Nicole the truth.

 

“Aren’t you going to wait for Seungjin? He’s still inside,” Nicole reminded, but the distance between them increased rapidly.

 

I wonder what happened to him, thought Nicole. The sliding door moved, and someone came out of the room.

 

“Nicole, did you see Hyeongkon? I thought he was outside with you? I heard his voice from inside,” asked Seungjin, the youngest member of AJAX.

 

“He had just left. Anything happened recently?”

 

“Like what?” Seungjin raised an eyebrow.

 

“During rehearsals? Performances? In the dorm?” asked Nicole worriedly.

 

“I don’t think so. Why do you ask?”

 

“Nothing,” lied Nicole, “but I think you should check on Hyeongkon. He looks unwell.”

 

“Will do. I’ll catch up with him. Good bye Nicole,” said Seungjin, and he jogged towards the direction his leader steered.

 

Nicole entered the room finally, and saw an uncomfortable sight of the members. Gyuri, Jiyoung and Hara stood in the opposite to Seungyeon with dejected faces. Seungyeon’s mood was affected by the strange atmosphere.

 

“Nicole, where were you? We were waiting for you,” asked the leader.

 

“I was just outside. So,” said Nicole, playing eyes with Gyuri to ask if they had told Seungyeon her condition.

 

“What’s going on here? What’s with all the long faces?” asked Seungyeon, who noticed the obvious situation.

 

“Seungyeon, actually,” said Nicole.

 

“You’re so stubborn, really,” said Jiyoung, forgetting the need of respecting the elder.

 

“Jiyoung! Don’t be rude,” said Hara fiercely, staring at the furious Jiyoung.

 

“But she is,” murmured Jiyoung in a low voice.

 

While Hara was busy ticking off Jiyoung, Seungyeon lowered down her head and stared at her blanket. Gyuri noticed her action, and immediately asked the two young ones to stop bickering.

 

“Are you feeling unwell? Your back? Should I call the doctor to check you up?” asked Gyuri.

 

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me,” said Seungyeon. “To tell you the truth, I knew about my back condition.”

 

Hara and Jiyoung stopped their argument in mid-air, Nicole widened her eyes and Gyuri let out a small ‘mm?’ as if she didn’t hear Seungyeon’s words well.

 

“I know how worse my condition is. I had a check up last week, and I had seen the report.”

 

“But why didn’t you tell us?” asked Nicole.

 

“She’s stubborn, like I said,” Jiyoung said again, and Hara ticked her off again.

“Were you worried about something that you didn’t want to tell us?” asked Gyuri, ignoring the two.

 

“I know, if I had told you guys, you all would worry. And the schedules would be affected because of me. I don’t want that.”

 

“But health is more important than that!” pointed the mature Nicole.

 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for hiding this,” Seungyeon expressed her regret for covering the truth from the other members.

 

“We have to trust each other no matter what. Nothing is insolvable. Remember that,” said Gyuri with wisdom.

 

Suddenly, the sliding door opened again. This time, a person wearing a blue shirt and a pair of jeans entered. It was Hyuksin, KARA’s manager.

 

“How are you, Seungyeon?” asked Hyuksin.

 

“I’m fine. What brings you here?” said Seungyeon with a smile.

 

“Is it necessary for me to have a reason to visit you?” joked Hyuksin.

 

“Of course not,” said Seungyeon, causing a laugh among them.

 

“But actually, I do have a reason for coming. Don’t feel disappointed, yeah?”

 

Hyuksin smiled and faced the other four, who were also facing him with smiles. He took out a piece of paper and handed it to Gyuri as she was the leader of KARA.

 

“This is KARA’s schedule for this week. I had to cancel some out due to Seungyeon’s health issues.”

 

“This week I see we won’t be very busy!” said Hara happily.

 

“But, we have something going on today,” said Jiyoung in disappointment.

 

“Hm? ‘Circles of Life’?” asked Gyuri to herself.

 

“But Seungyeon can’t attend the event, she’s not fully recovered,” said Nicole.

 

“I’m afraid only four of you will attend that event later,”

 

“I can leave the hospital now,” Seungyeon tried to persuade Hyuksin to let her join the rest.

 

“Here comes her stubborn self again,” said Jiyoung.

 

“I can’t let you do that. You have to rest. I’ll ask the doctor if you really can be discharged or not today,” said Hyuksin firmly.

 

Hyuksin stepped out of the room, leaving the five of them in the room. Seungyeon couldn’t hide her sadness and let out a deep sigh. It was clear to the other four that she was frustrated with this decision.

“And this why I didn’t want to tell you guys about my condition,” said Seungyeon.

 

“Don’t you try to say that word again, Kang Jiyoung! Respect your elders! This is an order!” Said Hara to the opened mouth Jiyoung.

 

“Just rest, Seungyeon. I’ll cook the best curry after you have fully recovered!” Said Nicole, trying to cheer Seungyeon up.

 

…..

 

Nicole took out her phone, and logged onto twitter. She was thankful that she didn’t forget about the idea that Hyeongkon had suggested earlier. She noticed she had a message being sent to her a few minutes ago, from Hyeongkon. 

 

‘I’m sorry about earlier. Don’t worry, I’m fine.’

 

Nicole smiled whilst looking at his text message.

 

‘Good to hear. Rest well ^^’ Nicole replied to Hyeongkon.

 

Nicole tweeted ‘Our Kamilia! Seungyeon’s feeling much better. Thank you for worrying and showing concerns towards her! An idea suggested that each of you fold a crane and write your wishes on them, and submit it through DSP’s main office to wish Seungyeon a speed recovery! I’m going to do it too! 611 FIGHTING!!’

 

……

 

The clock showed exactly 2pm. It was less than thirty minutes until the start of the  ‘Circles of Life’ event. Makeup artists were helping Gyuri, Hara, Nicole and Jiyoung with their makeup to brighten their images. However, none of them had a peace mind. All four were thinking about Seungyeon.

 

‘Circles of Life’ is the new work of Lee Minhyuk, a well-known author who’s written for other books such as ‘Like The Rain’. We hold this event to congratulate his outstanding achievement. We have a special guest today, specially invited to perform here, for the event ‘Circles of Life’. Let us give them a round of applause, KARA!

 

‘Mister’ came on, and KARA came singing. It was an obvious huge crowd cheering in front of them. They were clapping, dancing and singing along with KARA. The fanchants were as loud as the music. Everyone was having so much fun with KARA on stage, live in front of them. They also performed other hits, ‘Step’, ‘Jumping’, ‘Lupin’ and ‘Honey’.

 

Thank you, KARA! Now let us welcome Lee Minhyuk on stage!

 

The crowd went wild when his name was announced. Nicole found the name familiar as if she had read it somewhere. Lee Minhyuk went up the stage and greeted everybody.

 

“Hello everyone! I’m Lee Minhyuk. Thank you for coming and showing love and support. I really appreciate it,” said Minhyuk gladly.

 

Dear fans, you can now line up to ask Lee Minhyuk for his signature.

 

After hearing that statement, everyone stood closer together to form a single line. Minhyuk was ready to sign every single page that he was requested to.

 

“Maybe we should ask for his signature too!” said Hara.

 

“And we can give his ours,” said Jiyoung rather immaturely.

 

“Why would you want to give him ours when he didn’t even ask for any?” said Hara sensibly.

 

“When will you two stop? We are supposed to be here to perform, not to hear you two bicker. Keep your voice low, please,” said Gyuri, stopping the two from arguing further.

 

“So that’s how he looks like,” said Nicole, nodding.

 

“You know him?” asked Gyuri.

 

“I’ve read his book before, but never got to finish it. So sad,”

 

“So you should ask for his signature! One for me too please,” said Hara.

 

“How about you go and read his book, and then ask for his signature?” said Jiyoung, causing the other two to laugh and Hara left with embarrassment.

 

….

 

It’s been over an hour. Wow! What a crowd! Thank you for coming to this event. All thanks to you the event was a success!

 

Minhyuk thanked the crowd and gave a 90 degree bow. He then went backstage to find four of KARA members, sitting there rather silently.

 

“Hello. I’m Lee Minhyuk. Nice to meet you,”

 

“I’m Park Gyuri, KARA’s Goddess and leader.”

 

“I’m Goo Hara, KARA’s Honey.”

 

“I’m Kang Jiyoung, KARA’s youngest member.”

 

“And, I’m Jung Nicole, KARA’s member.”

 

All of them gave a formal bow to show respect to both parties. An awkward atmosphere was definitely there, but Nicole knew well how to handle it.

 

“I’ve read some of your previous releases. I’m a fan,” said Nicole, smiling.

 

“Oh really? Well, I’ve heard some of your songs too!” replied Minhyuk politely.

 

“Which is your favorite song?” interrupted Jiyoung.

 

“I like the new one. Step, is it called? Very catchy,”

 

“Wow,” Jiyoung showed a rather cute expression. Jiyoung seemed to be impressed by him.

 

However, Minhyuk wasn’t paying attention to Jiyoung’s attitude towards him. Instead, he kept staring at Nicole.

 

“Why are you staring at Nicole like that?” asked Gyuri, somewhat alert. Gyuri is known to be sometimes overprotective of the other members.

 

“What? Oh it’s nothing,” Minhyuk faltered. However, Gyuri’s question seemed to have no effect on him.

 

“Do I have something on my face?” asked Nicole, touching her beautiful face to ensure her face was clean.

 

“No. But have we met before? You look very familiar,” said Minhyuk, finally telling the reason why he stared at Nicole.

 

“We’re KARA. Of course you might have met us before,” said Hara rather immaturely.

 

“Hara, don’t be arrogant,” warned Jiyoung. As expected, another argument arised.

 

“When will you two stop acting like kids? I know I’m the olde- leader, but you don’t expect me take care of you two as if you were kids,” said Gyuri, finally fed up with the two.

 

“I’m sorry for troubling you with the question. I hope you don’t mind,” said Minhyuk with a genuine smile.

 

“It’s alright. I’m not that dense. Anyway can I have an autograph? One of the members here want one,” said Nicole.

 

“Oh yeah, of course. May I then ask for yours too?”

 

“What? Only Nicole’s?” asked Hara, who seemed to be upset.

 

“Not again,” said the annoyed Gyuri.

 

They exchanged autographs and chatted for quite a long time. All of them got friendly almost instantly. The conversation would have no end if it wasn’t Hyuksin, who came to remind KARA about their schedule.

 

“It’s time to get some rest now. I’m sorry if I’m interrupting, but you all should be on vocal rest,” said Hyuksin.

 

“Well then, I’ll see you when I see you. – And Nicole, can we have a little talk for a moment?” asked Minhyuk, who looked suspicious.

 

“Um, ok,” Nicole agreed and two of them went to a corner.

 

“I know I’m not supposed to be asking this, but may I have your number?” asked Minhyuk.

 

“Umm…” Nicole hesitated. They had just met and now he wanted her phone number?

 

“Don’t worry. I mean no harm. I just feel comfortable when I’m with you. I just want to have a friend to talk to,”

 

Still hesitating, “well, I’m not sure if I should. Because if I do, it would get leaked. And that’s not safe.”

 

“It’ll be safe with me. I promise,” said Minhyuk, handing his phone to her.

 

Reluctantly she said, “Alright. Here’s my number.”

 

“Thank you. You’re really warm to be with,” said the braver.

 

“Thanks, I get that a lot. I’ll see you around.” Nicole bid farewell to her new fan and friend.

 

You look really familiar. Who are you?