Of Fake Smiles And Real Ones Chapter 1

Hyun Soo

Vocal lessons…

Maybe singing would be able distract me for a few moments from all the chaos going on in my life. As if Da Som’s health problems weren’t enough, Ji Hyuk really had to announce that he had a girlfriend, at a press conference.

All our gigs had been cancelled, all at once and even my solo appearances had ceased.

Unlike, what Ha Jin thought, I didn’t think there was anything wrong with having a girlfriend. Only because I never had had a girlfriend, didn’t mean that no one else could have one. If Ji Hyuk liked Soo Ah, he could go and marry her, for all I cared. I wasn’t stupid, of course I had suspected something beforehand but did that guy really had to drop that bomb on us, while those lecherous paparazzi were listening?

He should have warned us, could have talked to us, we could have solved this matter…

Then again, who was I to demand such things, in the first place? Wasn’t it ironic that I wanted him to talk about his problems, when I hadn’t even told anyone about Da Som’s sickness?

That was where things came to a full circle again. How was I supposed to earn money for my sister’s surgery, if Eye Candy didn’t have a contract anymore? Because, the way things were going right now, there wasn’t any contract in sight, in the near future.

I went straight to the Director witch, once I entered the recording studio. I only noticed that Kim Ye Rim was recording, when the witch told me to try out a duet with her. Hadn't the witch understood me, when I had told her that I didn't plan on leaving the band and going solo?
It was just a guide song, as I found out a few seconds later. I couldn't really say no, to recording a guide song, right? So I took the lyrics-sheet and opened the door to the recording room and there she was again, Kim Ye Rim. She greeted me with that warm smile on her face, like always and tried to apologize and explain, for making me sing with her, but I cut her off. It was not like it mattered, if she said anything or not. It was not like it was her fault. It was the witch's.
I just wanted to get this over with, because I had clearly lost all hope that singing today would help me forget my other problems. 
I looked down at the paper in my hands, while waiting for the music to begin. The lyrics were tacky, to say the least, Yoo Seung Hoon must have written them, no surprise there.
The music finally started and I sang the first few lines of the song. Everything was going as expected... That was, until the girl next to me joined in on the song. 
I usually wasn't one to be taken aback so easily, that's why I had no idea why I was so surprised, when I heard the sound of our joined voices...

I didn't have the slightest clue, as to what was wrong with me. It was not like it was the first time I was hearing her sing. I was actually smiling throughout the recording. All of this just didn't make any sense!
As soon as the music stopped playing I tried to make my way out of the recording studio, ignoring the smile on Ye Rim's face, as usual.

The only problem was the Director witch. Didn’t the witch have anything else to do except for matchmaking? The last time she had tried to set me up with a comedian. I had stopped listening to that noona ten minutes into the ‘date’.
Hadn’t the witch noticed that I didn’t want to have anything to do with Kim Ye Rim? I’m sure she had but apparently all of that did not matter. She still sent the both of us to a restaurant nearby the building, with the promise of joining us in a few minutes.
In the restaurant, after the food was ordered, Ye Rim received a phone call. Of course the witch wasn’t going to join us. Just as I stood up to leave, the food arrived. She told me it wasn’t nice to eat the food by herself and somehow that was enough to make me stay put.
“Do you have a girlfriend?” the words were out of before I had taken a bite of my food. I glared at her. That should have worked, right?
“’Do you have a girlfriend?... Yes.’ Ji Hyuk was really cool when he did that. I’m sure the girl must have liked it.”
Couldn’t she just shut up, eat and then get going?
“What about you?” I asked: “Do you have a boyfriend?”
I know she probably didn’t have one, I mean she had confessed to me not long ago, but maybe she would stop talking like that. I was wrong again though.
“Ani.” She smiled (we had started talking informally at some point): “But I think I’m about to get one soon.”
I was speechless. That didn’t happen very often. Was she always so straightforward? Now she was really annoying me and I was about to tell her just that, when my phone rang.

Ye Rim
He looked panicked.
From what he said, during his phone call, I guessed that there was some kind of emergency, concerning his sister. He ran out of the restaurant, as soon as he hung up. I followed, of course, picking up my own phone and calling my manager. He argued but reluctantly agreed to my plea. Just as I had thought, Hyun Soo was having problems with stopping a cab. I knew he didn’t want to accept a favor from me, but he still climbed into the van. Of course he did. His sister meant something to him, so of course he did. 
She was at the Han River Hospital, he had hesitantly revealed.
I laid my hand over his. He had to be stressed, right? I just wanted him to calm down.

Author
Hyun Soo turned his head away from the window and looked at Ye Rim’s hand over his. It was warm and soft. She had held his hand before but he had never noticed these things until now. He had always been too determined to pull his hand away from hers to notice. He pulled away this time as well, but not as urgently as usual.
Ye Rim smiled. It was not as if she hadn’t expected it, but she smiled nonetheless. At least he hadn’t made a snappy remark this time.
The rest of their drive proceeded in silence. Only when they arrived at their destination, did Hyun Soo turn around: “Thanks.”
She shook her head: “That’s not necessary. You should go in.”
He nodded and she watched, as he entered the tall building.
Hopefully his sister was alright. Ye Rim didn’t care that she had to listen to her manger’s lecture, while he drove her home. As long as Hyun Soo’s sister would be fine, all these little and unimportant things didn’t matter.
It was a few days after this, when she was sitting in the recording studio, along with Yoo Seung Hoon that Ha Jin and Kyung Jong marched in. It had been a while since she had seen the both of them, so she was happy when they came to say hello, even though she still didn’t know how to handle the situation with Ha Jin. She didn’t want to lead him on and tried her hardest to avoid such situations. She considered him as a friend of hers and wanted it to stay that way. 
Seung Hoon had been working on her duet, so it was playing in the studio. Ha Jin and Kyung Jong recognized Hyun Soo’s voice instantly.

Ye Rim
“The Company is preparing for Hyun Soo’s solo debut.” Yoo Seung Hoon’s words didn’t make any sense.
Hyun Soo had clearly told the Director that he had no intentions of going solo, so why was Yoo Seung Hoon lying to Ha Jin and Kyung Jong? Not only that, but Ha Jin looked angry. I wanted to tell them the truth but I couldn’t. It wasn’t my place to tell them. 
They left and I turned to Seung Hoon: “Why did you lie to them just now?”
“Hm?” he raised his eyebrows.
“About Hyun Soo going solo, that isn’t true.” I told him.
He smirked at me: “You shouldn’t concern yourself with these things. That’s what the company is there for.” He paused: “You did a good job with duet. I wonder how you did it so fast this time.”
He was making me feel uneasy. I forced myself to smile at him: “I have a schedule to follow. I should get going.”
I didn’t like him, I really didn’t. As calmly as possible, I grabbed my bag and made my way out of there. The guy was giving me the chills…
A week later the Director told me the news that I had been dreading. Lee Hyun Soo would be making his solo debut with my duet, or ours now, I guessed.

True, I had wanted to sing the duet with him but I never wanted him to leave Eye Candy, his friends, which was the case here. What could have happened that he had made such a drastic decision?
Then again, if Seung Hoon could lie to Ha Jin and Kyung Jong, then there was no reason to believe that he and his sister couldn’t lie to all of the Eye Candy members…

End of Chapter

Hey guys!

So, Chapter one is finally out.

I hope you liked it and even if you didn't please tell me! Comments are highly appreciated!

To be honest I didn't think that this story would gain any subscribers at all, because I seem to be one of those very few people that actually like the HyunSoo/YeRim couple, so I'm very thankful that I've six others that agree with my opinion... and of course, thank you also for commenting. I hope you can keep doing that! 

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