Seated at the far end corner of the pizza parlour as to avoid being seen by the public, the seven of them ate their pizzas happily. They camouflaged themselves with thick mufflers that covered half of their faces and thick-rimmed dorky glasses to appear anonymous to the public eyes. With thick clothing, they look like a bunch of lost Eskimos in a big city.

“Ah, this is heavenly! I’ve been craving this for so long now. Manager-hyung wouldn’t let me since our comeback is soon,” a mouthful of pizza Joon said, munching down the pizza like there’s no tomorrow.

“Aigo. Joon-ah, slow down all right? You’ll choke if you keep eating with that pace!” G.Na grabbed his hand, stopping him from reaching for more pizza.

“Ah noona, please! I’ve been craving this for almost a month. Please please please. Just one more slice please ...?” Pouting, Joon tried his best to put on his aegyo face, in hoping that G.Na would comply to his pleads.

“Aish, fine. Just slow down a bit, will you? And stop with that aegyo, or I'll shove this on your face. All right?” Smiling, G.Na cut a big pizza for him, and witnessed him squealing eagerly waiting for the pizza to be put down on his plate.

“Pabo. At this rate, all those muscles of yours will sag in no time you know.” Staring at Joon, Min shook her head. “Tsk. And you expect girls to drool over you and ...”

A sudden screams of excitement broke out, causing a scene in the parlour. All of them turned to see what the commotion was about  and saw a bunch of highschool students gathering near the television eagerly. And then familiar faces flashed upon the screen. Beast. 

“Korean popular idol group BEAST just landed at Incheon Airport after a year in Japan. They ...”

Hyosung froze at the mention of BEAST, and all the noises dissipated into nothingness. So he's back, Hyosung thought. Staring at the screen, she anticipated the appearance of that person. And there he was, just like she remembered him. But have he lost weight? He looks thinner. Realizing the piercing stares from her friends, she quickly composed herself.

“Do I have sauce on my face?” She stared back at them, as if nothing happened, and they quickly looked away. Ignoring them, she continued on munching though the food seemed to be stuck at by now. She could also feel Joon’s eyes on her, but chose to ignore it.

Over the years, the two got closer. Joon, her good friend of two years. Joon, who also knew the history between her and Kikwang. He was the one who was there to help mend her broken heart when she needed someone to do so. He helped her pick all the broken pieces that Kikwang have shattered by leaving her, patching it up as each day passes by. Acting as a light in her darkness, Joon was there to witness it all. His endless encouragements helped her to make her way to believe that life is worth living, when she felt like giving up.

Joon, who was also in love with her. He declared it himself one night, and it freaked her out. She didn't see him like how he saw her. He was her pillar of support, her friend and nothing more. And she did tell him that, but he insisted he wouldn't give up. I'll wait for you, he said one day. And that freaked her out too. She once tried to stay away, not wanting him to put hopes in her but he would always come back to her just like how she would always go back to him. The bond they shared was too precious to be broken. He was already like her guardian angel, if such things exist though.

“Hey, you okay?” Joon finally asked as the three of them walked down the street. G.Na left early as she was late for practice, and they separated from Zinger, Sunhwa and Jieun at the intersection as they wanted to go shopping but Hyosung had no mood to so she didn’t tag along. She wasn't shopoholic either -- the thought of getting stuck in a mall for the whole day sent shivers down her spine.

“Jun Hyosung. Are you listening?” Joon broke her trains of thoughts, practically screaming in her ears. She whirled around before twisting Joon's ear. "How many times do I need to tell you not to do that?”

“Onnie, I know you long enough to know that you are not okay.” Min gave Hyosung a scrutinizing look, and threw a sympathatic glance at Joon who writhed in pain after Hyosung let go of her hands.

“I am, really! Aigo, these two. Don’t you guys have some place to go? Min-ah, aren’t you suppose to be practising for your upcoming show? And you too,” Putting her hands on both hip, she pointed to each one of them knowingly.

“Ergh, I hate it when you avoid my question. But you’re right, I have a train to catch. See you soon, and please do give me a call all right!” Running off towards the stairs heading to the train tube, she waved them goodbye, and disappeared into the crowds.

“Aren’t you going?” Hyosung asked.

“No, my practice won’t be on until two hours time.”

“Ah, okay.” was Hyosung’s feeble reply.

“Hyosung, I don’t mean to pry but ... I know you’re not all right. Right?”

She just stared at him and shrugged. Rolling his eyes, he lead her to the nearest coffee vendor. She can be really so secretive sometimes, he thought. The weather was getting chilly by the moment. Grabbing two cup of coffee, they continued walking towards her dorm in silence.

“Joon, don’t worry all right. I’m strong, remember?” Smiling at him, she put one fist in the air. “Hwaiting!” Grabbing Joon’s hand, she made him imitate her moves. Couldn’t resist her happy spirit, he did. Pabo, he thought as they reached her dorm.

“All right, captain. We’ve just arrived at our destination. Permission for yours truly to depart now, roger.” Hyosung said jokingly, mimicking a salute. With all of a sudden, Hyosung felt a twinge in her chest that left her coughing profusely. Joon grab hold of her and rubbed her back, as this has been going on for a while now.

“Have you go and see the doctor? You've been having this way too long.” Still rubbing her back, he gave her a worried look. The cough died now not long after and she took in a deep breath. 

“Sorry, I keep on forgetting! I’ll go tomorrow, okay?” Hyosung promised. “All right, you can go now captain. Bye!” With that, she entered the building. Giving Joon one last wave, she disappeared behind the main entrance. Sighing, Joon stared at it for a while before he started to walk back to the bus-stop two blocks away. Pulling his mufflers up his nose, he stopped mid-way to give one last look at the entrance and walks away.

Okay, so I promised Kikwang will appear in this chapter right?

There he is ... in the TV. HEHE.

/bricked.

I'll try to continue this as soon as possible.

Assignments are piling up like crazy! 

Thanks for reading! :)