Chapter One: Suspicious

“Shin Donggeun?”

“Here, sir. And it’s Peniel, sir.”

“Right, I keep forgetting. Yook Sungjae?”

“Present!”

“Jung Ilhoon?”

A pause followed. The teacher tore his eyes from his class list and looked around the room. The third chair on the far right of the room, right beside the window, was vacant. His class looked after him and then broke in flurried whispers. Donggeun, who goes by the nickname Peniel, turned to the class secretary behind him.

“Hyunsik hyung, Jung Ilhoon is absent again?” he asked.

Hyunsik consulted his own class list and nodded. “Yep. He’s been absent since Wednesday last week. Wonder what he’s on about…”

“He’s not gonna turn up for band practice later again, is he?” asked the boy beside them, whose name was Sungjae.

Hyunsik shook his head. “Eunkwang hyung will not be happy when he hears this.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“Not again?” blurted Eunkwang, looking like he wanted to tear his hair out.

“See? I told you,” muttered Hyunsik.

“He still has to practice tons of rap lines and the bass won’t play by itself!” continued Eunkwang. “And he only learnt the bass last Tuesday! The show is next week! Someone call him!”

“I’ve done that a dozen times today,” said Sungjae. “And I’m doing it again.” He paused, and then turned to their leader with an apologetic face. “Nope, still nothing.”

Eunkwang was the leader of the band Born to Beat (or BTOB) for the talent show their school hosts every year. He’s usually an agreeable, happy-go-lucky guy, but this sophomore kid has been skipping out on their pratices way too often that he’s starting to lose it.

“Cut the hysterics,” interrupted Minhyuk, the band’s main vocal and Eunkwang’s best friend. “Ilhoon won’t let us down on purpose, come on. You know the kid. He can get a little irresponsible, but his performances always make up for it. He’s a talented guy.”

Eunkwang took a controlling breath. “Alright, fine. Let’s just run through the song one more time. We have to get this together."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“Aish, Eunkwang hyung is going to kill me for this, and you know it.”

“Shut up, okay? We’ve only been together for a week and you want to ditch me now? You’re not very nice, are you?”

“I’ve done nothing but go with you for the past week! If I mess up on Talent Day, you know who I’m blaming.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was pushing 8 o’clock and the night shift guard has threatened BTOB of locking them in the band room overnight, thus the boys were forced to stop practice and lumber on home. Just as they were exiting the school gates, Ilhoon came running towards them. One disappointed look from Eunkwang had him withering.

“I’m too late, aren’t I?” he said sheepishly, not really asking for a reply.

Eunkwang shook his head. “I’d love to drop you from the team because of you actions,” the leader said, and Ilhoon’s jaw dropped, “but no one else can learn the bass in time. Practice at home, attend practice tomorrow, and maybe I’ll forgive you.”

Ilhoon’s face lit up as he bowed low. “Thank you, hyung. I promise I won’t let you down—”

“But you still owe me an explanation,” added Eunkwang with a stern look.

Ilhoon nodded rapidly. “I can’t explain anything right now, but I swear I’ll tell you all about it soon.”

“Go home and rest,” said Eunkwang with a nod.

Ilhoon bowed low again and rushed off towards the bus stop. Before he disappeared around the corner, he waved to the group and yelled, “Thank you for understanding!”

Eunkwang sighed and shook his head. As the others dispersed, he was left with Minhyuk and Changsub, the two eldest in the group after him. Eunkwang tucked a hand in his pocket and the other tugged at his backpack strap.

Minhyuk chuckled. “Admit it, Kwang: you have a soft spot for that kid.”

Eunkwang glanced at his best friend. “Hm? Maybe. Or maybe I just can’t stand being angry for too long.”

“I agree with you on that one,” said Changsub. “I find it kind of weird that you let Ilhoon go easily after defying you for a week.”

Minhyuk shrugged. “C’mon, let’s go home.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The next day, when their first period professor came in and started the roll-call, Ilhoon was off the list again. Peniel was about to turn to Hyunsik to ask about him when the boy in question suddenly burst through the door.

“Sir! Am I late?” he asked, sounding like he had run all the way from his house.

The teacher was quite taken aback, but he recomposed himself and pushed his glasses up his nose. “On the contrary, you’re just in time. And for the first time in a long time too. What have you been up to?”

Ilhoon’s hand automatically went to his nape. “It’s… a family thing, sir. I hope you understand.”

The teacher merely grunted in response and motioned him to go take his seat, which was right beside Hyunsik. Sungjae looked pass Hyunsik to Ilhoon in a flash and whispered,

“What did you eat that you suddenly want to show up for class?”

“Does my breakfast have to have anything to do with it?” hissed Ilhoon.

“No, but—”

“Mr. Yook, Mr. Jung?” called the teacher all of a sudden. “Would you be so kind as to pay attention?”

“Yes sir!”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After classes, the group met up in the band room for a run-through. The elder ones got there first, and soon, after the last bell, the younger ones followed.

“Well, look who’s here,” teased Changsub. “So the great musician Jung Ilhoon has finally agreed to come down and practice with us.”

Ilhoon scowled. “I never said I was anything like that. All I am is a team player.”

“Enough talk. Get to your positions, and check if your instruments are tuned,” instructed Eunkwang, and his younger band mates scurried to do as they were told.

For the next half hour it was all about music. They played a remix of songs Eunkwang and Minhyuk composed, and once in a while they would stop to correct anything that’s out of place. Ilhoon was a little behind, but he was managing well with sheet music propped up in front of him.

“Next time there won’t be any sheet music, understood?” said Eunkwang seriously. “You have to have the music by heart.

When Eunkwang called for a 15-minute break, Ilhoon immediately took out his phone from his pocket and went out of the room. It’s been vibrating like mad all throughout the session, and if he hadn’t silenced it, he would have driven the other boys crazy.

At the end of 15 minutes, Eunkwang called them all back. “Come on, let’s continue, or the guard will be driving us out before we finish—”

“Wait, listen,” said Peniel all of a sudden.

The boys fell silent, and then they heard Ilhoon’s voice from outside. Sure, the walls are insulated to keep the noise in, but Ilhoon was standing right in front of the door that was slightly ajar. They all heard him loud and clear.

“I told you already, I can’t go out today. Eunkwang hyung will have me by the throat—”

He paused. The others waited, and waited.

“No, just… No, okay? Aish, this girl…”

Eunkwang’s eyes grew wide and he glanced at Minhyuk, who was wearing the same face.

“Alright, alright, here’s what I’ll do: I’ll request a few hours off this weekend, okay? That will be the last, until Talent Day passes. Agreed?”

Pause again. The other boys were looking at each other, one thought running in their minds: Ilhoon is talking to a girl?!

“Alright… Aish… Yeah, yeah, sure… Love you too,” Ilhoon said sarcastically and he swung the door fully open, only to find his band mates staring at him slack-jawed. The hand holding hid phone slid from the the side of his face down to his side. He stepped back on impulse and raised one eyebrow.

“What’s wrong with you?” the bewildered bassist asked as he carefully stepped into the room.

“You have a girlfriend, hyung?” demanded Sungjae. I don't know who looked more surprised: the band, or Ilhoon. But then Ilhoon began laughing hysterically.

“You… You’re not… serious, are you?” he gasped, still couldn’t contain his feels. The confused looks he got only added up to his laughing fit.

“Okay, hold it,” snapped Changsub. “So you don’t have a girlfriend?”

“No, I mean,” said Ilhoon, finally able to buckle down his laughter, “I barely have time to juggle the band and my academics, so why would I add anything else to my list of responsibilities?”

“Makes sense,” muttered Hyunsik.

“So… Who was that you were talking to?” asked Minhyuk, raising an eyebrow. Everyone leaned forward in anticipation. Ilhoon, who was never a fan of skinship and being too close to people, squirmed and jumped up.

“Get away from me, jeez!” he blurted out. “For that, I’m not telling.”

He took his bag and walked out of the room. Eunkwang was about to call him back when Minhyuk put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

“Let him go. I have a pretty good feeling that we’ll find out what Jung Ilhoon is hiding from us soon enough.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-