For the next few days, Infinite was vigorously preparing for their comeback. Performing the new choreography again and again until it became second nature. Even when they were sleeping, some of the members' twitches would unconsciously resemble the dance moves. Because they were repeating the moves multiple times a day, injuries from repetitive motions were inevitable. The aches from the practices bore deeply into their muscles. However, even though they concentrated so intently on their sharp dancing, they could not neglect their voices either. Singing over and over again, until their voices grew weak, and they would have to stop or risk injuring their precious vocal cords. You could always dance well with a sore and throbbing ankle, but you could not sing well with a hoarse throat.

But even in the chaos that ensues before a comeback performance, Dongwoo somehow found a free moment, a gloriously unscheduled hour. The members used this golden time to catch up on things that they've left neglected for too long. For Sungkyu, it was sleep. Woohyun wanted to fiddle with the songs he was composing. Hoya was giving attention to his chocolate abs, making sure that they had not melted. The three youngest snuck off to ruin their diets by stuffing their mouths with as much good food as they could in such a short time. But Dongwoo knew what he had to do, and he was dreading it. He owed a girl an explanation for why his friends had invaded her apartment, and maybe he would have to reveal more. Either way it would be awkward.

As he walked to Janie's apartment, he was going over what he was going to say to her in his head over and over again, like memorizing lines of a script. If she said this, then he would respond with that. Dongwoo tried to come up with every possible scenario, every question that Janie could possibly pose him. But maybe, just maybe she won't even ask anything. She's cool, he desperately hoped.

As his mind was busied with these thoughts, Dongwoo did not even realize that his feet brought himself to Janie's door. He yelped in surprise when the door suddenly swung open and Janie poked her head throw the opening.

"AAAAAAAH!" she screamed right along with him jumping backwards. She grabbed her heart. "Oh, I didn't mean to scare you. Sorry."

Dongwoo's heart was still beating quickly, but he tried hard to look as if he still wasn't startled. "How did you know I was here?"

Janie smile and tapped at her temples. "I'm psychic."

"What? Pyscho?" Dongwoo asked jokingly. 

Her face turned sour, and she slapped his arm. It stung; apparently she held back the first time she slapped him. Dongwoo looked down at his forearm, and he could see a faint, red outline of her hand. He looked up at her and was startled; she was smiling at him gently. He couldn't help but to smile back. "Sorry. I saw you walk up," she answered with an embarrassed laugh. Then she opened her door wider and ushered him inside. "Come on in and sit down! We need to talk."

Dongwoo winced at her final words. He began going over his "script" again in his head. He pulled out a chair and sat down. He rocked back on the chair, until only the two legs in the rear were still in contact with the ground, supporting him. His head dropped backwards, and he was staring at the ceiling. Dongwoo could practically see his "lines" written on the ceiling. His heart had still not calmed down from when Janie had surprised him. His nerves were on edge. 

Janie, with an unusually soft voice, broke the silence. "So remember how last time we played? I was the student, and you were the teacher."

Dongwoo leaned forward, returning his chair fully to the ground. He remembered his feelings about the last meeting, when they read the children's book. "I thought it was father and child." he stated. He apprehensively looked up at Janie. She did not look like the little kid anymore who was fascinated with the bright and colorful pictures. There was a glint in her eye that he didn't like. It reminded him of Sungkyu, when he found out about them. It was mischevious and knowing, and it sent shivers down his spine.

Janie nodded, biting her lip."Well..that too," she agreed. "Anyway, do you want to play again?" she asked forcibly.

Dongwoo gulped hardly, feeling a lump form in his throat. "What?" his shaky voice asked.

She smirked. "Police and criminal," she plainly stated. She then turned the light of the lamp on the table and directed it towards Dongwoo's face. He was blinded by the sudden brightness. "I'm the police."

Dongwoo began to feel hot underneath's the lamps light. Sweat formed on his brow. "What? What did I do wrong?" he asked defensively. He knew that Janie would have some questions, but he did not expect to be put in the hot seat.

"You," Janie began. Then she wrinkled her brow, thinking of the right word. Finally she settled on, "lied!"

She knows, that frightening thought flashed across his mind. "About what?" Dongwoo asked with a giggle, betraying his innocence. 

She leaned forward across the table and put her face inches from his own. "I'm asking the questions here!" she growled. But there was an oddly placed smile on her face, like she planned on acting tough but was unable to follow through with it entirely. It was cute. She's really trying to play cops and robbers. Alright, let's play.

Dongwoo sniffed and looked away from her cutely tough stare. "I'll never tell," he said coolly, officially assuming his role as a criminal. He's seen enough dramas to know how to react, and apparently Janie had been studying her role as a cop. Her expression, her pose, even her phrasing seemed ripped from a crime-drama's script. 

"Heh" she smirked and crossed her arms across her chest.  "You say that now. But I'm a master interrogator." Then suddenly she slammed both of her arms on the tables surface causing Dongwoo's heart to pick up its pace yet again. "WHAT...would you like to drink?" she asked starting off fiercly but ending nicely.

"Water please!" Dongwoo gruffly said in response.

"Hah! A confession," Janie celebrated her small victory. Dongwoo laughed. She was immersed entirely in her role. He noticed that she even tried to dress "toughly" in all black, abandoning her normally bright wardrobe. She would look tough, if only if she hadn't tied her bun back with a ribbon that matched the rest of her outfit. 

Janie walked over to her fridge and retrieved an ice cold pitcher of water. Droplets had condensed onto its surface. The day was hot, and the air thick. She slowly poured the water into the glass. She's being so careful not to spill. After filling the glass, she returned the pitcher to the fridge and walked back to the table. Dongwoo reached out his hand to accept the glass, and words of thanks were already summoned on the tip of his tongue. But before the words could emerge into the open air, Janie brought the glass to her own lips and drained it of its contents. She..she played me. That was all for show! "Hahaha well-played," Dongwoo commended her. And that's when he felt it, dryness. He had not realized how thirsty he was or how stuffy her apartment was until this moment. He felt like he was in a desert, and his mouth was full of sand. 

"Thanks," she nonchalantly responded, wiping off the water that had escaped onto her chin. Dongwoo his lips, staring at that line of water dropping from her chin. Maybe there was some water left in the glass. Maybe she hadn't drank it all. Dongwoo strained his neck, trying to see the bottom of her mug. Janie then hit the table with her fist, bringing Dongwoo's distracted mind back into her attention "Did you hear me? What's your last name?"

 "Jang," he said with a low voice, making sure to stay in his role. "Jang Dongwoo."Was that all she really wanted to know? Then again, it was weird that they felt so close, yet they did not know such simple details about each other.

Janie pulled back and smiled. "Oh really? Jang...I like it." She repeated his last name a couple of time, testing out the sounds.

Dongwoo giggled. Janie shifted in and out of her cop role suddenly and often. "Thank you. I like it too."

"No, you only like to lie!" There she went again, back into cop mode. She focused the lamps rays even moreso on his face. He couldn't help but to turn away; it was just too bright.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," he said coolly, leaning back in his chair. Playing criminal was becoming fun. Dongwoo didn't have very many opportunities to act, but he always wondered what it would be like to star in a drama. Now it was as if Janie and him were filming their own. Plus, who wouldn't want to play the bad guy every once in awhile?

"Myungsoo," she pronounced clearly. "The boy from the ice cream commercial. How do you know him?" She inched her face closer to his.

This time Dongwoo didn't flinch and stared her down. He could see her start to falter under his strong gaze. "I never heard of him," he commented.

"Oh, I think you have," she said with an evil grin. She walked over next to his chair and sat on the table in front on him. She leaned forward a little, her head hovering above his shoulder. "Pop. Pop," she whispered, saying the famous lines from the commercial.

He could feel her breath brushing unpleasantly against his skin. "Stop it," he demanded, but staying still in his seat, trying hard not to flinch.

She leaned in closer. "Pop. Pop." He could feel her breath in his ear.

"STOP IT!" he begged. This time he couldn't help but to try to hide his ear into his shoulder, protecting it from Janie's vicious "attacks."

It didn't matter how tightly he held that ear against his shoulder, because Janie just moved over to his other side and attacked the other ear. "Pop. P..."

"He's a friend," Dongwoo desperately interrupted, finally relequishing an answer. Janie was more formidable than he thought. Had she learned this from a show too?

Janie pulled back. "I already know that!" she stated rolling her eyes. She walked back over to her seat across from Dongwoo. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, obviously planning her next step. She nodded to herself when she found the right solution. "How did you meet him?" Dongwoo bit his lip, shutting his mouth firmly. This was the sort of question that he was fearing. Should he say that they met as trainees? That he was actually famous? Part of him knew that he should, but another part didn't want to. But Janie continued her interrogation,  "Jail? Gambling? School?"

A way out! "That one. School," Dongwoo answered emphatically. It was true. They do go to school together. 

And Janie seemed pleased with the answer. She sank down into her chair. "Really, what do you study?" she asked in her normal tone. Somehow her normal voice sounded sweeter after she had been speaking so gruffly earlier.

"Music," Dongwoo answered with a smile.

"Woah! That's cool." Janie's eyes grew big. She was impressed. Dongwoo's heart swelled. Then Janie's voice dropped, " I just majored in Latin."

Now Dongwoo was impressed. Not many people could boast a knowledge of the archaic language, and it was nothing to be ashamed of. If anything, her knowledge in Latin intimidated him. It's not that Dongwoo found her dumb, but he was always astounded by how smart she was due to her childlike demeanor. It reminded him that she was actually closer to his age (was she even older than him?). He tapped her hand and said, "That's cool too! Actually I know some Latin."

"Really?" Janie asked, raising an eyebrow. She didn't believe him.

"Yeah, anima sana in corpore sano," he spoke the foreign words slowly and clearly, hoping that he wouldn't slip up infront of an expert.

She nodded in approval. Dongwoo let out a sigh of relief. It would've been embarrassing to have been saying that line wrong for years, even saying it on television several times. "A sound mind in a sound body. Cool!" she praised giving him a thumbs up.

He saw it. Her defenses her down, and it was time to turn the tables. "Is it my turn?" he asked, a sly smile creeping unto his face. It was fun playing the criminal, but playing the cop appeared to be fun too.

"Huh?" Janie asked looking lost.

"Yah! Punk!" he growled as he shined the lamps light in her face, giving her an unnatural glow.  "It's time that you starting answering some questions.," he said pounding his fist on the table for emphasis. Man, this is fun. "First, can I have a glass of water?" he asked unable to bear the dryness in his throat any longer.

Janie leaned back in her chair and turned away. "Maybe, if you offer me a deal," she proposed.

Dongwoo crossed his arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes. "Like what?" he asked. What kind of deal would she possibly want? he shivered at the thought. Dongwoo could predict how Janie was feeling, but most of her thoughts were still a mystery to him. She could ask for anything under the moon.

Janie looked at him. "I'll get you this 'water,' and I don't have to go to jail," she said, playing her role as a criminal perfectly.

Dongwoo tried hard to stifle a laugh at her simple request, but he was pretty sure that a snort might've escaped his mouth. "I don't bargain with criminals," he coolly stated. This time, he strode over to Janie side of the table and sat down. He leaned him and put up a hand to the side of his mouth, as to block out anyone from listening in. "But I'll see what I can do."

Janie blushed and stood up. "Then, I'll see what I can do," she said. She then poured him water into a mug with a panda on it. She walked back to the table and handed him the mug as if they were performing a drug deal. "Here," she said under her breath, careful not to make eye contact with him.

Dongwoo greedily accepted the mug and furiously drank its contents down, quenching his parched throat. He wiped his mouth and then turned his attention back to the guilty-looking girl across the table. "Now. There's something you've been hiding," he said. Like him revealing his last name to Janie, there was still one crucial issue that they needed to sort out.

Janie looked around and shrugged, "There is? I'm not hiding anything!"

Dongwoo looked down at her. She was still avoiding his gaze. "How old are you?" he asked menancingly.

Janie scoffed and fluffed her bangs, "A woman never tells."

Dongwoo leaned in closer. "Then I'll make you tell me," he said.

Janie's eyes widened, looking scared. "You can't," her voice trembling.

"Oh really?" he asked with a giggle. He picked up his mug from the table. He looked inside; it was bone dry, but Janie didn't know that. He swished the empty mug, making it seem like there was still water inside. Slowly he lifted the mug over her head. Then he began to tip it, ever-so-lightly. 

"Okay! Okay! I'm 22, a 91er," she shouted out desperatley, covering her hair with her hands. 

Dongwoo put the mug down and frowned. "Eh! I'm older. You should be calling me oppa."

"Nope. Never!" Janie pouted sticking out her tongue. These westerners. This time Dongwoo was going to play with her a bit more. He danced the mug through the air. Janie's round eyes were cautiously watching its every move. He then stopped it over her head. She flinched. He began to slowly tip it. "Oppa! Oppa! Dongwoo-opPA," she finally gave in. Dongwoo then laughed heartedly and turned the cup completely upside down over her head. She looked up and saw the truth behind his trick. "Oh, you're good," she praised.

Dongwoo wiped imaginary dust from his shoulders and bobbed his head. "I know," he said.

Then he closed his eyes and searched through his brain, wondering what question he could ask her next. Was there anything else that he was wanting to know? There was. Something that had been gnawing him in the back of his mind about Janie. He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Do you remember about the events in the convenience store?" he interrogated.

Janie met with his gaze and shrugged, "Maybe."

"I don't have a future. Do you recall saying that?" he asked. He had almost forgotten about that, and it seemed so curious to him before. But Janie had always seemed so cheerful, even after her surgery, that confession seemed to have just fallen out of his mind. But Janie had some fear about the future. He could see it in the way she shifted in her seat after being asked that question. She was uncomfortable discussing this, but he just had to know.

Janie coughed, trying to hide her discomfort. "Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't."

Dongwoo brought his face closer to hers. "What did you mean by that?" She responded by averting his gaze.  "Are you sick?" He had heard that some people with auto-immune diseases were more susceptable to having other health problems, maybe even appendicitis. She also seemed to stay inside a lot, confined within her apartment in the comfort of her pajamas and sweats.

Janie suddenly lifted her head and emphatically shook it. "Huh? No, no, no. I just don't have a career plan," she explained.

Dongwoo was relieved that it was only that. He should really stop jumping to such drastic conclusions and expecting the worst. The answer was so simple and common. Many of his own friends were facing similar problems. Must be a global issue. "Finally a confession! Continue," he goaded her. He wanted to get to the root of the issue. Even if it was common, no on should ever feel like they don't have a future. No one should feel that hopeless.

She sighed and relented, "I wanted to be a Latin teacher, but I got rejected from all the programs." She hung her head in embarrassment and started to become all too interested in the pattern the wood made on the table.

But Dongwoo wasn't ready to let this issue go. "Are you going to try again?" Janie just responded with a shrug. "Don't you want to be Latin teacher? Isn't it your dream?" he kept pestering her with questions.

Janie was silent. Dongwoo could practically see the wheels in her mind turning as she devised an answer. "I think...I think if it was my dream, I wouldn't be giving up so easily."

"Isn't there something else you want to do?" he asked.

She shrugged non-chalantly "Not really."

Dongwoo's jaw dropped a little. "You don't have a dream?" he asked. No, who could live without a dream? He couldn't. He was basically living his dream of becoming a recording artist, performing in front of thousands of fans, performing alongside close friends. He wanted to do it forever. Could it be possible that his little sister was wondering aimlessly through life?

Janie looked up. "Is that so weird? There's just nothing now that I really want. I'm easily satisfied. I settle," she defended herself.

Dongwoo was confused by her line of thought. "Settle?"

"Yea," Janie began returning her attention back to the rings on the table. "I don't want what I can't have. I'm okay with being okay. Does that make sense?"

"No, not really," Dongwoo responded as cheerily as he could. He still didn't understand how someone could feel that way. There are some things that you couldn't just settle with, and your dreams and your future should be one of them. After all, this was her one and only life. Shouldn't she want to make the most of it? Carpe Diem, isn't that a Latin phrase? He continued, "But that's okay. You’ll find something, one day that you really like."

“Yea, whatever,” Janie mumbled.

“Eh, don’t be like that.," he said tapping her hand assuredly. "You’re young. You still have time.” Dongwoo at that moment decided that he would help Janie find her dream. Even if she didn't want the best for herself, he would want it for her.

“What about you?" she suddenly asked.  "What do you want to do with music?”

Crap. Maybe this was the time he should tell her about everything. “Music? Ummmm…” he began.

She interrupted with another question. “What kind of music do you study?”

“What kind?" he asked again for clarification. This question he could answer easily. "I really like hip-hop. Put your hands up!”

Janie laughed and nudged him. “You’re silly.” It looked as if she was about to say something else, but an electronic beep stopped her.

 “Oh is that my phone?” Dongwoo asked reaching for his pockets. Funny, it didn't sound like his.

Suddenly Janie broke into a large toothy grin. “Nope, it’s mine!” She pulled out a phone from under the table. "Jjang!" she announced as she showed it off.

Dongwoo's mouth hung wide open. “You have a cell-phone?”

“Yep! Got it yesterday!" Janie said proudly carressing the screen with her thumb. She then blushed and sheepishly asked, "Can I have your phone number?” She extended her phone over to him.

“Of course!" he exclaimed taking the phone from her hands and replaced it with his own. Janie looked confused by the suddent phone exchange. "I want yours too,” he explained. 

They sat there for a few moments in silence as they were inputting each other's numbers into the phones. Dongwoo looked up at the ceiling and pursed his lips, wondering what he should put himself as under her contacts list. He decided on one, and snickered as he typed it in. After they were finished (Janie was significantly slower, evidently not being familiar with these types of phones. Dongwoo watched her as she typed on his phone like a hen pecks the ground.), they returned the phones to the rightful owners.

Janie scrolled through hers and saw what Dongwoo had inputted himself as. She scoffed, “Psh! Dongwoo Oppa?”

Dongwoo had found hers and laughed, “What about you, Pretty Janie?” She responded by making a funny face like a pufferfish. That's not really proving your point, Dongwoo joked to himself.

She then posed her phone infront of herself and pointed it towards Dongwoo. “I want a picture too. Smile!" she commanded, giving her own cheesy smile. But that smile suddenly dropped from her face, and her phone emmitted several angry beeps. " Whoa! Wait! What’s going on? Dongwoo, help me!”

“Dongwoo –oppa!” Dongwoo corrected her with a mischevious smile. He wasn't going to help unless she started to call him properly, and beg.

Janie wasn't going to give in entirely. “Yah! Dongwoo-opPA! Help me!” she whined, wiggling her entire body in frustration. Even though it wasn't the aegyo or begging he wanted, Dongwoo gave in anyway. He brought his chair over and sat next to her. Apparently Janie had never owned a smart phone before, and all the buttons proved to be overwhelming for her, not to mention the phone's setting was still in Korean. He helped her for the remainder of his stay teaching her how to use it. Somehow, every meeting they had involved Dongwoo imparting some sort of knowledge onto Janie. It made him feel useful, and like a real older brother. After teaching her how to use the camera, they took a few photos of each other and picked which ones should be used as their contact ID. He chose one of Janie sticking out her tongue. In his head, he always imagined her as this, playfully getting her revenge after he had for one thing or another, so the choice was easy. Unfortunately, their meeting had to come abruptly to an end when his manager recalled him back to the practice room. Janie already seemed used to his sudden depatures. This time seeing him off more happily than the last. The cell-phones also softened the blow. They might not be able to see each other for a while, but they could still keep in contact either by call or text. Things were starting to become less complicated for them. Less but not entirely, Dongwoo begrudgingly reminded himself.

That night, just as he was about to fall asleep Dongwoo recieved his first text from Janie: "Dongwoo-opPA! I got a part-time job at the 'thicken' store! Good night!"

Dongwoo chuckled at her cute misspelling, assumming that she meant "chicken store." He immediately sent one in return: "Good job! Work hard! Don't give them a reason to fire you. Janie, Fighting! Chicken, Fighting!"

As he put his head on the pillow, he heard his phone beep again. "Thanks, Butthead-oppa! :p" Yep, he chose the right picture of Janie.