"What?!" Ji Eun exclaimed after seeing Suzy curled up on her bed with a depressed face when she entered the room..

Suzy slowly nodded while Ji Eun huffed in disbelief. "You mean, Kikwang left you? What was that all about?"

Hearing her words, Suzy started to cry again and buried her face on a white pillow. "It was a bet, Ji Eun. A freakin' bet."

Ji Eun frowned at her statement and without hesitation, she walked out of the room and quickly headed downstairs where Chanyeol was located. He was idly resting on the couch with a Banana milk. 

"Where's auntie?" The girl asked while Chanyeol just shrugged. 

"She's still at work so I went home alone." He replied, emphasizing the last word. Ji Eun gave him an I-didn't-get-it look while Chanyeol just rolled his eyes.

"Look, we need to help Suzy." Ji Eun said as she placed her hands on her waist.

Chanyeol boringly looked up to her. "Huh?"

"She's crying." Ji Eun pointed out and suddenly became surprise at Chanyeol's change of expression because when she let out those words, Chanyeol's face was suddenly covered by concern.

"What?" He said with a furrowed brow.

The girl cleared . "W-well...she told me that Kikwang...broke up with her."

Without hesitation, Chanyeol quickly walked pass her and went upstairs in a swift move, bewildering Ji Eun but she still followed behind.

Suzy was still curled up on her bed when Chanyeol suddenly barged in. "Suzy, what happened?"

Hearing that deep voice of his, Suzy knew it was him. She knew it was the boy who stood up as her biological brother.

She sat up on her bed and saw him standing by the door with a furrowed brow but no matter how stern his face was, his concern was visible.

The both of them looked at each other in silence until Chanyeol saw that her eyes were slowly being filled by tears. 

Being a caring brother for Suzy ever since they were kids, Chanyeol walked towards her and when he did, Suzy wrapped her arms around his waist since Chanyeol was standing.

"Cha--hick--nnie." Suzy whimpered while Chanyeol kept on patting her back although he felt that his wrinkled shirt was slowly getting wet because of her tears.

After a minute of crying, Chanyeol removed her arms around him and crouched in front of her to meet her eyes that were full of weary.

His heart clenched when he realized that pain was painted on her face because those eyes of hers that were always full of happiness were being filled by tears and it sent chills down in his spine.

"W-what happened?" He gently asked, trying to understand.

The girl inhaled deeply and bit her lower lip. When she tried to explain, her lips started to tremble and when she was so close to crying again, Chanyeol held her shoulders and looked at her with intense.

"Suzy, don't cry. Look at me. Tell me what happened." He said because one of the things he hate the most is seeing her vulnerability.

Suzy breathe in and tried to gather bravery. "Kikwang...broke up with me..."

Chanyeol nodded to show her that he was sincerely listening. "Why?"

Suzy looked at the blank ceiling and blinked back her tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. "He...t-told me it was just a bet."

When those words slipped out from , Chanyeol made a fist and shut his eyes. "That is stupid. Where is he?!"

Suzy rolled her eyes and sniffed. "C'mon Chanyeol don't be such a kid."

"Oh so I'm the kid here? He just hurt you, Suzy!" Chanyeol pointed out full of frustration. "I need to break skull of that guy."

Suzy tried to chuckle at his statement. "Don't do it Chanyeol. Let karma do its job."

The boy scratched his head and sighed heavily while Suzy just shook her head and shrugged away the topic.

"You once to me that you don't like him for me...I should've listen to you..."

Suzy blinked back her tears again and had a hard time catching air when she felt his grip on her shoulders tightened.

"Suzy, don't keep telling yourself that it's your fault. There's a reason why it happened. What happened betw--Suzy--Suzy look at me. What happened between you and Kikwang is a lesson. It will make you stronger."

"B-but...it's hard."

"I know it's hard. I know what you're feeling. You're broken and I'm broken too." Chanyeol mumbled and the two of them held gazes, making Suzy realized that his eyes were getting watery.

"You have to accept it becausr nothing in this world is easy, Suzy." 

Suzy let out a slight chuckle despite her heavy feeling. "We're truly siblings huh? We play together, we laugh together and then...our hearts got broken together at the same time."

Chanyeol tried to smile at her statement. "Yeah...and now, we'll move on together."

"Deal." Suzy said and gave the boy a face full of determination.

"You're strong, Suzy. Remember that," Chanyeol added.

Ji Eun found herself tearing up at what she just witnessed because during that time, the door was slightly open and Ji Eun found a way to take a peek and saw how Chanyeol acted towards Suzy. And hearing the words he said, Ji Eun realized that what Chanyeol was truly feeling was a complete opposite to what he's showing outside.

Because the truth was...

He was broken and hurt.

And he's a boy who wear a thousand masks to hide it.

Seeing the bondness of the two, Ji Eun remembered Juniel. What she just witnessed reminded her the times when Juniel got a scrape and she was there to help her out. And she also remembered how Juniel embraced her when she was about to face her punishment. 

She almost cried because she suddenly felt a feeling of longing.

And just before Chanyeol could walk out of the room, Ji Eun quickly proceeded to the bathroom.

~:~

"You managed to go to school despite what happened." Chanyeol said when the three of them entered the school gate one morning.

Hearing his words, Suzy shot him a glare and slapped his shoulder while Chanyeol just gave her a face full of mockery.

"Baby Suzy is strong~"

The boy started to poke her and at first, it irritated Suzy but in the end, she accepted his silliness and joined in.

Ji Eun laughed at how cheerful they were as if nothing happened. And once again, she marvelled at how strong those two were.

Luhan didn't pick her up that morning and Ji Eun wondered that maybe because he's still mad at her that's why today, she was afraid to face him with fear the she might do something wrong again.

"Aaah! The foundation day is near!" Suzy suddenly exclaimed.

"You guys are in charge of the program right?" The girl asked while Chanyeol just gave her a nod.

"Well our section will be in charge of the photobooth." Suzy added when Ji Eun suddenly joined their conversation.

"Speaking of Foundation, I'll be one of the performers in the program."

Her sentence managed to catch the attention of the two so they suddenly turned their face to her. Chanyeol raised one of his eyebrows while Suzy widened her eyes and clasped her hands together. "Really?!"

Ji Eun smiled and abruptly nodded her head. "Yeah. I'll sing."

"That's great! I'll look forward to it." Suzy said and gave her a smile full of assurance.

"Well I need to go now. Have a nice day guys!" Suzy said when they reached the front of the Juniors' building.

Just before she could enter, Chanyeol called her, making her look at them again.

"Be strong okay?" 

A smile appeared on her face and nodded. "Okay Channie! I don't want to hear a news that you break his neck okay? Leave him alone."

Chanyeol smirked and rolled his eyes. "Can't promise you that."

Suzy grimaced. "I'll break your neck too if you do it."

"Eish. Alright. I won't, madam." Chanyeol said, scratching his head.

Ji Eun and Chanyeol watched her walk away and when she was finally nowhere to be seen, the two started to walk again.

"I never heard you sing before." Chanyeol suddenly said out of the silent atmosphere.

"Of course I can! You'll be surprised." Ji Eun replied and nudged him lightly.

Chanyeol smirked at her statement. "We'll see about that then."

"You should watch okay? I made the song all by myself." 

Chanyeol grimaced. "Oh really? How did you make a tune for that then?"

"Well Myungsoo helped me that's why these past few days, we're always together." Ji Eun explained, earning his attention.

"Oh so you asked for his help?"

The girl cluelessly nodded her head and gave him a questioning look.

"You should've asked me. I know how to play some music instruments." Chanyeol muttered and shook his head.

Hearing his statement, Ji Eun widened her eyes. "Really? I didn't know."

"Whatever." Chanyeol rolled his eyes and quickened his walk, leaving Ji Eun behind.

"Hey wait for me!" Ji Eun shouted and ran towards him.

Luhan walked towards the cafeteria to get a tray and when he was about to get one, he realized that Ji Eun was beside him because she was getting one too. Their fingers brushed and Luhan saw how her eyes widened and he swore he almost heard her quiet gasp.

The boy cleared his throat and when he was about to say something, Ji Eun walked away while her head was hung low.

He watched her walked away and bit his lower lip. Luhan was having a hard time on how to approach her too because there was a part of him that wants to be with her and he doesn't want to accept the fact that's why throughout their three subjects, he forced himself to just look at the white board and never turn his head to the girl who was sitting beside her and he got to admit that he had a hard time doing it.

He just lined up when he felt an arm around his neck and realized that it was Sehun. "Wassup Luhan. Treat me?"

Luhan sighed but nodded anyway, making Sehun pumped his fist in the air. 

His friend stared at him with a furrowed brow. "Hey what's with the sad face?"

Luhan uncomfortably shrugged away Sehun's arm from him. "Nothing..."

"I don't believe you. Go on, tell me."  Sehun pushed and leaned a little closer just in case if it's confidential.

The line moved and the two of them took a step when Luhan sighed. "Ji Eun and I...are kind of awkward with each other."

Knowing the reason behind his dejected mood, Sehun huffed. "So she's the reason..."

Luhan didn't reply and stared at his empty tray when Sehun rubbed the back of his neck. "You know...don't get mad but...I somehow think that you like her."

Luhan averted his gaze to him with a defending look. "No way, Sehun."

"What? I'm just...you know...observing." Sehun whispered, making Luhan punched his arm lightly.

"You're not Sherlock Holmes so your observations might be wrong." 

Sehun shrugged. "Yeah I guess so...Then it means, you still love her?"

"Of course I still love her." Luhan mumbled and took another step along with Sehun.

"Then get over Ji eun already." Sehun muttered.

"I will. It's just not the time...yet."

Hearing his words, Sehun rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say."

After finishing her snacks, Ji Eun decided to go to the restroom since the bell hasn't rung yet. She was wiping the corner of her lips using the back of her hands when she entered and almost widened her eyes when she saw Minah standing in front of the mirror, fixing her hair.

The both of them held gazes through the mirror and Ji Eun was the one who broke away. 

She slowly walked and went beside her to wash her hands. The sound of the water running from the faucet was the only sound and Ji Eun found it awkward. While slowly washing the palm of her hands, she tried to steal a glance at Minah and observed how she looked like. Making her wonder what was something about her that made Luhan loved her.

Sensing her stare, Minah looked back while straightening her hair. "Is there something wrong?"

Ji Eun abruptly shook her head. 

Minah smiled. "How're you by the way?"

"I...I'm doing great so far." 

"Ohh...what about...Luhan?" 

Ji Eun flinched at her next question and nibbled her lower lip. "Well...he's good too."

Minah nodded at her reply and her eyes followed Ji Eun who started to walk away but when she was about to turn the knob, Ji Eun looked back at Minah. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah go on," Minah replied while searching something inside her small glittering bag that was probably full of girly stuffs.

"D-do...you still l-love Luhan?" Ji Eun stuttered. Her heart was beating fast at the mention of every syllable.

Her question made Minah stopped what she was currently doing and tried to let out a chuckle. "Why'd you ask?"

"I'm just...curious about your p-past." Ji Eun mumbled.

A sigh escaped Minah's mouth as she turned around to face Ji Eun. "What if I say yes? Will you be mad?"

Ji Eun tightened her grip around the knob. "I won't...bu--"

"Really? You see, I'm mad at you." Minah suddenly cut in and crossed her arms. "For stealing Luhan from me."

Witnessing her sudden change of personality, Ji Eun huffed. "I didn't steal him Minah."

"But for me, it is." Minah sternly said.

Ji Eun inhaled deeply and bit her lower lip. "We're together now so sorry for that. It cannot be broken."

Minah somehow smirked at her statement. "We'll see about that then."

Ji Eun finally went out of the restroom and when she did, she realized that she was holding her breath. What just happened put her mind in complete jeopardy especially when she saw herself to Minah. The way how Minah acted...was like Ji Eun when she was in Fantasia. She used to be like that...She 'used' to.

And for the first time, Ji Eun found herself as a protagonist of a story and she knew that it was a bad idea because protagonists usually encounter a lot of problems.

Minah stared blankly at the closed door as she felt the rushing of her blood through her veins. 

And just when she was about to face the mirror again, it suddenly opened, revealing her friend which was Jiyeon.

"My goodness you're here. I've been looking for you." Jiyeon muttered and quickly closed the door and checked each cubicle to see if there were other students and much to her relief, the two of them were the only girls inside.

Minah straightened herself. "What're you doing?"

Jiyeon sighed and held Minah's shoulders. "Minah. I want to tell you something."

"What is it?" Minah asked curiously.

Her friend gave her an assuring stare. "You might...still have a chance."

Minah had enough sense to understand what Jiyeon had just said so she curled her brow. "What makes you say that?"

Jiyeon cleared . "When I was lining up at the cafeteria a while ago, Luhan and Sehun was infront of me and they were talking...somehow, I managed to hear some of what they're saying."

Minah's curiosity grew even more and gestured her friend to continue.

"I have a strong belief that it's about Ji Eun...and you."

"Tell me everything you heard." Minah ordered.

So her friend did.

And Minah's hope became stronger.

It was finally dismissal time and Ji Eun already packed her things. Ever since she had that conversation with Minah, she started to get gloomy all of a sudden and stayed quiet. Myungsoo kept asking her what happened but she continued to shrug it away.

Chanyeol already went out of the classroom and when Ji Eun decided to tag along, she felt someone held her wrist just before she could walk out from the room. She turned her head and realized that it was Luhan.

"L-Luhan..." She mumbled.

"I'll send you home." Luhan suddenly said and just before the girl could react, he walked out of the room and dragged her slowly and Ji Eun knew she couldn't protest anymore.

Ji Eun found herself staring at his hand that was wrapped around her wrist and it somehow made her smile. It made her feel that there was nothing that could ever separate the two of them. That Luhan already loves her and forgot about Minah. It made her sure that that hand of his will forever be interwined with hers.

The both of them sat on the backseat but the ride back home was once again uncomfortable because Ji Eun didn't know what to say while Luhan, on the other hand, was nervous and he didn't even know why.

Ji Eun wanted to tell him about what just happened to her and Minah at the restroom but after remembering the time that Luhan told her to not bring that topic again, Ji Eun decided that it's best to shrug it away.

When they finally arrived at Ji Eun's house, Soo Ri's car was already on the driveway, giving them enough sense that Chanyeol and Suzy were already home.

Luhan walked behind her until she reached the front gate. He was kind of disappointed because they didn't even exchange some talks during the ride but it all faded when Ji Eun turned around to face him.

"The Foundation day is almost there...you'll attend right?" Ji Eun asked.

Hearing her smooth voice of hers again, Luhan almost smiled. Almost. "Yeah...why?"

"I just want you to know that I'll be one of the performers." 

Luhan became surprised. "Really? That's great. What'll you do?"

"I'll...sing." Ji Eun replied with timidity in her voice.

"Okat then. Can't wait for it." Luhan said and with that statement of his, he walked away after bidding their farewells to each other.

~:~

A few days had finally gone by until the Foundation Day finally made its way to the school's calendar.

The weather was friendly that time, complimenting the cheerful atmosphere that wrapped the campus. There were a lot of students that time; and there were also outsiders because the school accepts outsiders whenever there's a special occasion. Everywhere they looked, there were a lot of different booths that people found enjoyable. Colorful banners were hanging everywhere while a random lively music was being played.

Ji Eun was scanning every booth with glimmering eyes because it was her first time to encounter a foundation day and she had to admit that it was exciting. Myungsoo still hasn't come that time so she decided to just stroll around first since the program won't start that soon anyway.

And of course, she was also looking for Luhan. The two of them were kind of okay but there were still times that the atmosphere between them would suddenly become awkward. They don't talk during class hours but when it's already dismissal time, Luhan will just automatically appear beside her and tell that he would drive her home and Ji Eun couldn't say no to that.

"Hey there Missy." Chanyeol suddenly said, surprising the girl.

"Alone?" He asked.

Ji Eun shrugged. "Nah, I'm waiting for someone."

Chanyeol didn't have to ask who it was so he just nodded and stretched his arms. "Aaah. The program won't start yet."

"You're one of the people who settled the designs for the stage right?" Ji Eun asked and Chanyeol nodded as a response.

A colorful booth managed to catch her attention so Ji Eu  cocked her head to the side and when she finally realized what it was, she suddenly grabbed Chanyeol and dragged him to the colorful booth which was about face painting.

"Let's try this!" Ji Eun exclaimed, making Chanyeol shook his head. "No way Ji Eun."

"This will be fun! Please!" Ji Eun begged and in the end, Chanyeol gave up. He was unaware that he was starting to lower his guards when it comes to this silly girl.

Ji Eun suggested to the assistant if they should just work on their own and much to her relief, the assistant agreed so in the end, the two made a deal. Ji Eun would paint the face of Chanyeol then vice versa. Chanyeol liked her idea so he agreed.

"I'll paint you first!" Ji Eun said as the both of them sat on the small kiddie stools. Chanyeol just rolled his eyes and nodded while watching Ji Eun settle the colorful paints on a small yellow table.

Ji Eun dipped the brush in a black paint full of anticipation and when she's finally done, she fixed her attention again on Chanyeol.

"Do I need to close my eyes or what?" He asked while Ji Eun shook her head, telling him that it's alright.

He felt the tip of the brush met his nose and Ji Eun almost laughed.

"Hey you better make it good." The boy commanded and smirked.

Ji Eun just ignored him and continued to busy herself with his face. Chanyeol would close his eyes at a certain second whenever the brush would tickle him softly. Everything was fine with him when Ji Eun suddenly held his chin to pull his face towards her. He widened his eyes at how close they were and Ji Eun didn't even notice it because she was concentrating at her masterpiece.

He stared at her and saw how determined her face was and he even realized that Ji Eun's brown eyes were kind of unique and different. He cleared his throat and managed to fight the urge in studying her facial features.

"Done!" Ji Eun said and clapped her hands together while staring at him.

He reached for the circular mirror from the table and checked himself. Ji Eun put three black lines to every cheek of his and the tip of his nose were color black. So Ji Eun just turned him into a cat who has curly locks of hair.

"Eish. You're not a good artist." Chanyeol muttered.

"What? It fits you." Ji Eun said and stuck her tongue out. The boy just chuckled at her response. "Okay it's my turn now."

Chanyeol reached for a new brush and dipped it in yellow. After that, he started to draw something on her right cheek.

Ji Eun would laugh every second and Chanyeol had a hard time painting because of her random movements. 

"Wait it tickles!" Ji Eun said, causing him to sigh.

"Ji Eun, it's almost done." Chanyeol muttered after dipping the brush in another color.

Since he wants to perfect his masterpiece, he securely held her chin and turned it so that he would face her cheek. 

The girl continued to chuckle and in the end, Chanyeol also found himself laughing too while coloring her smooth skin.

Luhan walked inside the campus and a smile crept up on his face when he saw how the empty quadrangle of school transformed into a place that has a lot of booths that it almost looked like a carnival. And the very first name that popped inside his mind when he entred was Ji Eun.

He made his way to their classroom first and and realized that there were only a few students inside and most of them were getting ready for the program but what made him disappointed was that Ji Eun was nowhere to be found.

"Luhan, you'll help us in the backstage alright?" Minho informed while Luhan nodded in agreement.

"Uhh...Ji Eun hasn't come yet?"

Minho curled his brow. "She was here a while ago...maybe she's outside."

"Thanks," Luhan said and walked away from their classroom so he wandered through a lot of booths while searching for that familiar face and since he was so busy looking for her, he accidentally bumped someone and realized that it was Daehyun who was one of his classmates.

"Woah,"" Daehyun muttered.

Luhan apologized but was very thankful to see that it was Daehyun so he decided to ask him. "Hey did you see Ji Eun?"

Daehyun scratched his head and turned his head to the right. "Yeah, I saw her with Chanyeol a while ago at the face painting booth. I'm not sure if they're still there though."

Luhan nodded and tapped Daehyun's arms. "Thanks."

So he continued his wandering around the countless booths and he was unaware that he was anticipated to meet her. After a minute of walking aimlessly, he finally found the both of them but however, he somehow felt his inside boiled up as soon as his eyes landed on them. Their faces were so close to each other while Chanyeol was painting her cheek with a grin on his face. He pursed his lips and became more uneasy when he saw Ji Eun laughed, making him wonder what was she laughing about. Just before his feet could take him to the both of them, he stopped himself.

"Forget it." He muttered, scratching his head.

Luhan turned around and walked away with a frustrated expression just like a traveler who has no destination.

"There you go." Chanyeol said and heaved a smile of relief as he stared at his masterpiece.

Ji Eun giddily reached for the mirror and a grin appeared on her face when she realized that Chanyeol drew a butterfly on her cheek. There were some smudges and visible errors but Ji Eun still found it adorable. Its wings have a mixture of pink, yellow, and violet that managed to brighten up the latter's mood.

"It's beautiful." Ji Eun chimed, still looking at the mirror.

"Better than what you did to my face huh?" Chanyeol pointed out, causing Ji Eun to look at him and study what she just did to his face a while ago.

The girl laughed while Chanyeol huffed in disbelief.

"At least you don't look like a goblin now. You're a tiger."

Chanyeol let out a small laugh that has a tone of mockery. "Yeah yeah very funny."

The both of them stood up after deciding to go back to the classroom and while on their way, Ji Eun kept on staring at him.

"Stop it. It's irritating." Chanyeol muttered although what he just said was a complete opposite to what he's feeling inside.

"What?" Ji Eun deadpanned. "I just realized that you still look like a goblin...the only difference was that you finally have whiskers."

"Ji Eun, you're hurting me." He mumbled and put his hand on his chest with a down face, pretending that he's been hurt although his heart was literraly broken because of problems.

Ji Eun grimaced. "A goblin with whiskers."

Much to her disappointment, Chanyeol stayed quiet and fixed his eyes on the ground.

The girl lightly slapped his arm and chuckled. "I'm just kidding."

Chanyeol shrugged away her hand and quickened his walk, letting Ji Eun realized that he wasn't joking anymore.

Ji Eun widened her eyes and ran towards him to meet his current pace. She then, shook his arm. "C'mon Chanyeol, it's just a joke."

Ji Eun endlessly said those words, hoping to brighten him up again.

She became more disappointed when Chanyeol put on a blank expression and quickened his walk again, leaving the girl behind.

This time, Ji Eun didn't follow behind and stayed rooted on the ground while watching his back that was getting far at every step he took.

Ji Eun heaved her shoulders and shouted. "Hey! Don't take it seriously! What I really mean is you're cute with whiskers!"

The latter pouted when he didn't look back but however, she was unaware that Chanyeol was grinning when she said those words.

~:~

When the program was about to start, Ji Eun proceeded to the gymnasium and walked towards the backstage. Her classmates were already fixing some things and Ji Eun widened her eyes when she noticed that the other performers were wearing costumes while she, on the other hand, was wearing a school uniform but when she remembered that she has a butterfly on her cheek that was made by Chanyeol, she didn't worry because although it was nothing but a drawing out of brush and paints, she saw it as if it was the most simple yet beautiful costume that day.

"Luhan!" She exclaimed after seeing him playing with the rope of the curtains.

The boy turned around and saw Ji Eun. He just gave her a nod and continued what he's doing.

"I was looking for you." Ji Eun mumbled when she went beside him albeit the fact that they're still kind of awkward with each other.

"Oh..." Luhan replied without fixing his gaze on her. *But you're busy with Chanyeol...*

Ji Eun sighed because today, she was hoping that it would all be better now but noticing his short replies, she knew that the tension was still there.

"Look...uhmm...you'll watch my performance right?" Ji Eun questioned as she looked at him with hopeful eyes while he just kept on fiddling his fingers with the rope.

Luhan stared at her. "Do you want me to?"

Hearing his words, Ji Eun pursed her lips and timidly nodded her head . "You see, you're one of my inspirations when I wrote that."

Luhan suddenly stopped fiddling the rope--surprised. "Me? Why?"

Ji Eun nodded and smiled. "You'll see."

The latter walked away while Luhan just stood there, feeling a hint of excitement and he was unaware that a smile automatically graced his lips.

A few minutes before the program could start, Ji Eun continually walked back and forth with uneasiness. She took a peek through the open space between the curtains and saw that the chairs were slowly being occupied by students who just got inside the gymnasium.

"Ready?" Myungsoo asked, surprising her.

Ji Eun almost gasped after seeing his existence. "Myungsoo! I thought you'll never come."

Myungsoo smirked. "Sorry, I kind of woke up late."

"It's okay--oh by the way, have you seen Chanyeol?" Ji Eun questioned and kept looking to her right and left.

Myungsoo shrugged and scratched his head cluelessly. "Nope. Sorry."

The Section A Class President, Jinri finally started the program using her MC-ing skills.

Ji Eun sighed and fished out her phone from her pocket. She bit her lower lip and quickly punched in some strings of words for Chanyeol.

Where are you? The program's already starting. Look I'm sorry okay? Please watch my performance. You're one of my inspirations when I wrote that song. :(

Chanyeol was busily having fun with his friends at a shooting booth when his phone suddenly vibrated.

"Oh man! I was so close to that one!" Baekhyun grumbled after placing back the toy gun on its original place.

"Weak," Chanyeol pointed out while getting his phone. He then, suddenly stopped from his tracks when he realized that it was a text from Ji Eun.

His friends kept on playing while Chanyeol excused himself to read her message. 

He suddenly felt giddy inside when he read ever word of her message so without hesitation, he tapped Suho's shoulder.

"Hey guys, I'll go watch the program."

"Wait, let's play first." Suho suggested and gave another couple of coins to the one who's in charge of the booth.

Chanyeol scratched his head. "But I wa--just--ugh I'll be back."

He quickly ran without even waiting for Suho's reply because what occupied his mind that time was to hear Ji Eun sing for the very first time and what excite him more was the fact that he was one of her inspirations when she wrote that song of hers.

"Ji Eun, two minutes left before it's your turn." Jinri informed and continued to busy herself.

Ji Eun and Myungsoo proceeded behind the curtains when Ji Eun met Luhan's eyes since he's one of the people in charge for the curtains. He gave her an assuring nod that was enough to encourage Ji Eun.

Chanyeol finally went inside the gymnasium and panted heavily because of endless running. There were quite a lot of people but there were still chairs that weren't occupied. *Oh man did she already perform?*

The latter went to the side and chose to stand instead when Jinri suddenly introduced Ji Eun's name to the audience.

Relief flooded Chanyeol after realizing that Ji Eun hasn't performed yet and when he saw her walking on the stage, a smile full of familiarity painted his face.

"Go Ji Eun!" Suzy shouted, capturing half of the attention of the audience but because of that statement of hers, some people obliged to clap.

Ji Eun felt her hands shaking when she wrapped it around the microphone. It kind of reminded her the time when she stood before the magistrate because there were a lot of villagers looking at her as if they could burn her by staring, making Ji Eun sick to her stomach because she felt like that all of the world's anger was wrapped around her. But this day was different though because Ji Eun knew that those students weren't looking at her to mock her; they were looking at her with anticipation because they'll be witnessing her cherished talent that people in Fantasia failed to appreciate.

After hearing Suzy's cheer, Ji Eun chuckled slightly when a deep voice that cheered her arose in the midst of curious students.

The girl's ears perked up and quickly scanned the audience and there, at the right side, a boy with curly locks of hair was standing and sincerely held his thumbs up.

Ji Eun heaved a sigh of relief. *So you're here.*

Myungsoo finally walked towards the piano and took a seat on a chair acroos it. He breathed in heavily and turned his head to Ji Eun who was also looking at him. Myungsoo smiled and nodded as a cue before his fingers met the desired keys.

Behind the curtains, Luhan stared at her. Her hair was kind of undone and because of the light, he almost saw the short strands of hair on the top of her head, pointing to different directions.

There was a long intro and when Ji Eun put the microphone in front of her lips and finally sang, Luhan held his breath.

Chanyeol, on the other hand, just stood there as the lyrics moved from his head to his heart with a beautiful symphony.

I wonder if you will remember me who used to dream...
You said that I was like a child searching for a star
 

So Ji Eun sang and as time ran, her nervousness faded because while singing, her mind went back through time and she saw herself standing in front of Li Wei's grave with Luhan.

Where are you? Are you the same as me, who misses you?
You became a star - forever breathing in my heart
 

And then in a blink of an eye, she saw herself on the terrace with Chanyeol whose eyes were glimmering with tears as he spoke wonderful words about his father.

Even though I can't see you by my side like before
When you are suffering, I know...
 

Lastly, she found herself crying inside a white room when her mama and papa along with Juniel, ran towards her with open arms.

She misses them so much and words can't even describe how her heart longs for them.

Even when time passes, even if you're farther away
I am looking at you...

Because of her song, Luhan found himself smiling because ecstasy just conquered his insides.

By gathering the meaning of the song, he knew why he was one of her inspirations when she wrote that.

Chanyeol stared at her while biting his lower lip because it started to tremble so he quickly stopped it. He wanted to cry but there were no tears forming in the corners of his eyes. He was sad because he suddenly missed his dad again but glad at the same time.

By gathering the meaning of the song, he knew why he was one of her inspirations when she wrote that.
 

You understood me, who was different than others...
But I didn't even get to say thank you
 

She wrote that song for Luhan, who loves Li Wei so much.

She wrote that song for Chanyeol, whose beloved father left him at the age of seven.

She wrote that song for herself, whose family was a million miles away from her.

When she's finally done, students clapped their hands and Ji eun left the stage while hearing the sound of their applause. Chanyeol's lips curled up because besides the fact that the song was for him, her voice was a perfect lullaby that managed to seep in through the empty holes of his heart. So without hesitation, he decided to go to the backstage where the girl was located.

Myungsoo and Ji Eun gave each other their high fives because after a week of preparation, they finally made it.

"Great job, Ji Eun." Myungsoo complimented with a wink.

The girl grinned. "You too."

He was about to state another topic when he saw Luhan walking towards them so he pursed his lips and gave a final wave before walking away.

"Ji Eun," Luhan called, causing the girl to turn to him.

Ji Eun smiled. "Luhan,"

"Why am I one of your inspirations when you wrote that?" Luhan asked. His lips were threatening to curl up.

"Because I know how much you miss and love Li Wei."

Actually, Luhan didn't need to ask because he already realized that while she was singing a while ago so after hearing her statement, he just suddenly wrapped his arms around her.

At first, Ji Eun was surprised but in the end, she hugged him back, unaware that Luhan was smiling heartily.

Chanyeol walked to the backstage with excitement because he wanted to let her know that he was there. He watched her. And he appreciated it far more than words in the dictionary could say.

However, his plans changed when he saw Ji Eun hugging Luhan. Of course he had enough sense that it was normal for couples to do that but still...his grin slowly faded along with his feelings.

Just before he could walk away, the two broke away from each other and Ji Eun already saw him and called him by his name so he had no choice but to come back.

His smile crept up again on his face as he walked towards the both of them, unaware that Luhan was looking at him differently.

"You were great back there, Ji Eun." Chanyeol said and sincerity was defined to every word he said although he wasn't sure if Ji Eun noticed it.

Ji Eun smiled. "Did you read my message?"

He nodded. *Yes. I know I'm one of your inspirations when you wrote that.*

Chanyeol wanted to wrap his arms around her and tell her endlessly that he loved it so much that it even managed to pick up some pieces of his shattered heart. 

But all he did was to stand there in front of her. "Thank you, Ji Eun."

The girl gave a relieved smile and watched him turn around, walking away.

Greetings Reader,

Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments. All of them managed to tickle my heart.

And in case you're wondering what Ji Eun sang, it's IU's 'Child Searching for a Star'.

Oh I also want to say sorry to those who are not MyungZy shippers. I'm not a shipper too (and I'm not a hater too) but it's just that, I don't want Myungsoo to end up with no one. T_T Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.

By the way, are you familiar with my sister's fanfic 'I love you why can't you love me back?' (exirtasle)

She told me that someone plagiarized her story. -.- 

So yeah, I'm just sharing.

Have a beautiful day. Be a blessing to someone.

Yours with a big heart,

FindingSunshine