Music Champion!, main entrance

"AJ oppa, fighting!" some of the teenage girls outside Music Champion raised a supportive fist towards the duo who were being ushered in by a frantic Hyunwoo.

"We're gonna be late we're gonna be late!" the manager tried his best not to push the crowding fans, but there were so many of them.

"AJ," Eunji almost choked on her water with a snicker when she heard the name being squealed, "it doesn't have the daebak factor."

He ignored the jab at his stage name. "Ready for our first stage?"

"Not at all," she replied, but it didn't matter because in a few seconds, the MC would be right through the backstage doors to interrogate them anyway.
 

Sound Entertainment, dance practice room

"Yes~that's a wise saying, AJ-ssi," the Tiffany girl was smiling into the camera.

The grey door to the practice room opened and closed quickly, and the six boys stood to greet CEO Park, who waved at them to sit down on the floor again.

"How is it, Sanghyun?" Mr. Park monitored the flat-screen TV with anticipating eyes. The staff behind him jotted things down on their clipboards as always.

"They just finished performing," Sanghyun informed.

"I know that," he waved a brightly lit tablet around, "I watched it on the way back from the press conference."

As Sanghyun followed the CEO and staffs to the office to report the daily schedule to them, B.A.P's lead vocalist turned to his friend, whose stony gaze never left the screen as the MC joked with their two labelmates.

"Daehyun ah, you have a phone call..." Woohyun hesitantly poked the boy. The clouded over gaze disappeared and Daehyun snapped to life.

"What?"

"The group cell phone," he handed a singing smartphone to Daehyun, "the caller ID says it's your grandpa."

"My...okay, thanks," the other boy took the phone and headed outside in the hallway.

Woohyun was geniunely worried about that guy. Daehyun seemed to think he was doing everyone a favor by not telling anyone anything but his feelings were totally obvious. "Myungsoo, do you wanna-"

The visual was doing nothing other than taking selcas with the fans' gifts. "Hm?"

"Yah, you know those are Hoya's gifts, right?"

"Really?"

Hearing his name, the dancer paused his hip hop music and turned to them. Myungsoo waved a hand apologetically, and the music blasted again.

Woohyun scoffed, no one around here noticed their clearly depressed teammate. The last time there was a phone call for Daehyun, only he had overheard the conversation.
 

"A-appa..." Daehyun's voice had been nervous since Woohyun handed him the phone, telling him it was from his parents.

Woohyun knew about how they didn't let him go to Korea, Daehyun told the members himself when the company had sent them to Jeju Island to bond as a team before debut. That time was one of the more memorable moments stored in Myungsoo's camera.

"You see what you did to your grandfather?!" The heavy voice shouted through the phone. Hoya's hip hop music had been playing at the time, so the other four members didn't hear a thing. Woohyun watched as the boy turned towards the wall, lowering his voice. "You see why we didn't have money to send you to that low Korean school?! If you stayed here and went to school, you would've had a good education by now!"

"Father, I'm going to be an idol soon. The school got me here."

"An idol of all things?! An idol," there was a moment of silence, and then a woman's voice spoke through the phone harshly. "If you're an idol then send the money back. Your grandfather is dying. Send the money or send yourself back here."

Woohyun saw the distressed boy hold the phone away from his ear, checking to the if the call was still connected. It wasn't.
 

"...grandpa," he hadn't checked up on his grandfather in a while. A lot of things were going on in his life - B.A.P promotions, passing school, his grandpa's hospitalization, and...Eunji.

"Daehyun-ah," the familiar scratchy voice coughed. His cough was hollow and strained. A hard lump formed in his throat as Daehyun pictured his grandfather's whole body shaking with each small cough. When the boy spoke, he realized his voice was strained.

"Grandpa, I'm-"

"Jung...Daehyun," the old man muttered slowly, "I'm fine. I'm alive...so don't worry about your parents. I heard you were going to debut soon. Did you...drop out of school?"

"No, grandpa."

"I raised you well," he chucked lightly. "I'll get better...and come to see you graduate."

Daehyun swallowed and nodded. Grandpa said he was okay. That meant he was okay. Right? "Promise?"

"Promise, son." 

"Later, gramps..."

When the phone went silent Daehyun recollected himself and went inside to see the members getting packed and dressed. "What's going on?"

"Sanghyun hyung called," Yongguk said in his ever-gentle low voice. He had a tough rapper image but in reality Yongguk hyung was the kindest of all the idols Daehyun saw at the music station. The others all ignored the rookies and sometimes even the sunbaenims. Yongguk always brought water bottles for the members, even Hyorin and Ailee back when they promoted with them. He always talked about his underground days and donating to charity. "We're called for a photoshoot."

"A photoshoot?" The main vocalist repeated as the members filed out the door past him. He wasn't in the mood for a photoshoot right now.

Yongguk patted his shoulder as he left the room. Daehyun picked up his own things and followed them to the car.

"But your camera doesn't have the right settings!" Myungsoo was protesting with Sanghyun hyung on the way to the photographer's studio. "It's just a digital camera! I want mine back!"

"You'll get it back, just focus on the shoot for now!" Sanghyun exclaimed as he parked the car, "Dear lord."

Myungsoo, Hoya, and Yongguk entered the building first while the other three trailed behind.

"Junhong, hurry," Woohyun waved for the boy to join them. "You're always walking, eating, and sleeping by yourself. Aren't you bored?"

"Not at all, hyung, I'm practicing too," Zelo raised his unplugged headphone, which he was holding in his other hand. He pushed it into his ear after his hyung moved away.

"There's no one to play with around here," the vocalist pouted, catching up to Daehyun. "You okay? You look deep in thought. You're never deep in thought. Where's your food?"

"I'm okay," Daehyun muttered, crossing his arms while still pondering over whatever he was pondering. Woohyun rolled his eyes.

The days went by too quickly without a pause. It'd already been almost a month after debuting. Daehyun imagined that the rest of his life spiraled into a quiet, reserved life as a singer, and that he ended up with a hot supermodel girlfriend, and had enough money to get his grandpa some treatment and shut his parents up, but that wasn't how it turned out. Not at all.
 

Hyunwoo-manager's car, on the way to the next schedule

The honest truth was, her dream had always been to stand onstage. She didn't have any revelation or big career change, she had always loved singing. No, she wasn't lying like the hundred or so other idols in the same show that only cared about the fame. She geniunely loved singing. It was something she couldn't imagine not existing in her life.

Now on the topic of honest truth, there's another thing she knew to be true: her first stage, . To put it nicely, it was unsatisfying, unexciting, uninteresting, et cetera, et cetera, but it all boiled down to being nothing she dreamed about.

But it doesn't matter, she convinced herself. Because firsts are nothing to me anyway...especially first love.

She glanced at her partner who was trying to catch some sleep after "spending days fulfilling fangirls' dreams and accepting their gifts".

"AJ" was simply a shell of the kid she used to admire. That kid was still living out his dream playing as a professional soccer or basketball player somewhere in a different universe. "AJ" had given up on his dream once he signed into this.

So that was how she became casual with him. She regarded him as a completely new person. One guy, done.

One more to go. If she pushed away the feelings everything could go back to normal...why was that so hard...she kept thinking about how Daehyun was so charismatic onscreen.

"Hey! Long time no see!" Hyunwoo greeted B.A.P's two managers as he hauled a sleepy Kikwang and Eunji into a photoshoot set after the Music Champion! recording. Sanghyun and the sarcastic hyung were gathered around the main camera as the male idols angled their jawlines and glared into the lens.

There she is, Woohyun's eyes flicked to the couple entering the set before he was yelled at to keep his gaze fixed. There's our sunshine.

"Keep your eyes focused next time," the photographer directed, letting him go. "Next!"

Woohyun made his way over to Daehyun, who'd been suddenly interested in a game on Sanghyun hyung's tablet ever since Troublemaker arrived. "Wassup Dae Hyun~"

Nod.

"Junhong, what are you doing?"

"Listening to rap hyung, I told you already."

"Yongguk hyung!"

Nod, nod. Yongguk was quietly rapping to his instrumentals again.

"Hoy-"

The dancer wasn't even with s.

That's it, I'm done with this non-bonding, it was the last straw for Woohyun. Time for some Nam Man interference. Starting with...

"Myungsoo-ah!" Woohyun swung an arm over his childhood friend's shoulder, "Eunji wants you to show her something on your camera."

"Really?" The visual looked up from his most prized possession that that he'd gotten back from Sanghyun hyung's custody.

He dragged Myungsoo over to Troublemaker. "Come on!"

Eunji greeted the 3B/B.A.P boys when they came over, relieved to talk to someone other than her Troublemaker partner.

"Eunji! Didn't you say you wanted a camera the other day?"

"Uh, oh...yeah! I just want something to bring on tours."

"The latest model is the A520, just so you know, and it has about three new features..." Myungsoo pointed some things out on his camera, to her confusion.

"Key says she's real popular with the guy idols at music shows," Woohyun stalked back to the main vocalist and sighed, "And Myungsoo keeps nagging at me to go with him to talk to Eunji...don't you think he might like her? There's lots of pictures of her on his camera."

At that moment, Daehyun raised his gaze to see Myungsoo's head tipping towards Eunji, showing her some pictures. From seeing female idols racing to exchange numbers at the music shows, Daehyun knew the boy's popularity was explosive. What's keeping Eunji from liking him? From liking anyone?

He had half a mind to ignore them and leave Eunji alone. But  since when did I listen to Lee Kikwang?

Woohyun was right. There was a different way Daehyun looked at her. The things he thought about when he looked at her were different than when he saw any other girl. Complicated things.

He wanted her. 

He was too scared to know her feelings. 

There were other guys for her. 

But...

There wasn't any time better than when she laughed with her eyes shut, or when she threatened to punch him every time she got embarrassed or flustered. Or when she would steal his food, and he'd act offended but really didn't mind because it was an indirect kiss. Or when she pretended like she didn't mind when he hung out with Woohyun, Myungsoo, or anyone but her.

And that was all the reason he needed.

Screw pride and scared feelings. Screw Lee Kikwang, awkwardness, and Key's "male idols". He wanted Jung Eunji. He'd confess to her again.
 

Eunji nodded absentmindedly as Myungsoo explained to her the secret of capturing the perfect lighting. Even a group of the photographer's assistants had gathered neaby to discuss.

Suddenly she felt her hand being yanked firmly, and she was dragged wrist-first out the door.

"Yah," she recognized Daehyun and her heart started to race along with her feet. She was sure he could hear it. Shut up. It's just...Daehyun...

Outside the back exit of the studio, Daehyun spun around and met Eunji's eyes. He hadn't been this close to her in a long time. And in that time she'd been even closer to Lee Kikwang than this on stage in front of everyone. 

"I don't care," he blurted. Oops, that was supposed to be in his head. But now that it was out...

"I don't care if you're avoiding me, or you think it's awkward, or you think we can't be together because of this job, or...or you like someone else-"

"-I like you."

"-I like you, Jung Eunji," he finished, surprised. "Wait, did you just say..."

So much for not caring Jung Eunji! the angel in her head chided.

One point for Jung Daehyun! the devil countered.

"I like you," she exhaled, a small smile playing on her lips. He looked like he didn't believe her so she repeated it. "I like you, Jung Daehyun."

His eyebrows arched in shock, but his heart inflated, "W-why...?"

"Are you really asking me why I like you??"

"No," he smiled, wrapping his arms around her happily. She could feel his heartbeat, quick as hers. "Do you really mean it? You like me?"

"Yah," a michievous grin crossed her lips, "I'm not saying it again." 

"Then call me oppa," he tightened his grip around her. "Say it, or else I'm not gonna let go."

"..." formed an 'O' for a second, "n..ooooo...pe."

He squeezed her harder into his chest. What a tease.

He missed talking to her. He needed her now more than ever. To be by his side while he figured himself out.

"Alright, alright! Oppa-ya!"

"Too late - still not letting go," Daehyun froze her in place with his eye smile and then melted her again when he leaned in, and kissed her lips gently.
 

[Behind the Scenes with: Nam Woohyun]

Q: So last I heard you were trying to get Eunji and Daehyun together. Care to tell us how it went?

LOL yeah so I thought Woohyun was always the know-it-all type of guy and cared for all s. If not well then he is in this story ahahah or maybe he just got bored of depressed Daehyun and wanted to give him a little wake-up smack like "dude while you're moping around other people are getting ur girl" and that's exactly what Daehyun needs because the only thing he's 100% sure of is that he likes cheesecake