A/N: So...what are your thoughts so far?  I've been having MAJOR writer's block recently.  Do you like the cold and heartless Yoseob or the supportive and friendly Yoseob?  Either way, he's going to be dating IU but I want to know if you would like him to treat Jaehwa differently.

---9---

Breathe in…breathe out… Jaehwa tried to calm her frantic heartbeat, Don’t panic.

“Are you ready for your big debut?” her new manager asked, appearing next to her to place an assuring hand on her shoulder.

The rookie singer jumped, startled.  After thinking over the question, she replied, “Do you want the truth or the lie?”

“The truth.”

“I’m scared to death,” Jaehwa stated bluntly, “I don’t think I can make it through the performance without passing out.”

Her manager laughed.  “You’ll be fine.  Just think of this as just another one of your backup routines.”

Jaehwa blanched.  “But this is different!  I don’t usually have to sing!  Now I have to sing AND dance at the same time!”

“Don’t worry.  All your friends are in the audience, cheering you on.  This is what you’ve worked for.  Let your emotions do all the performing.  It works every time.”

The girl sighed and gave her thanks before stepping onto the darkened stage for her first recording.  The stage was silent until she heard her cue from the director.  Jaehwa followed her manager’s advice and let her feelings free in the song.

After the first verse, the lights slowly grew brighter and brighter as the music rose into a crescendo.  As she sang, Jaehwa could spot her labelmates in the audience, their proud expressions encouraging her on.  Suddenly, a new confidence arose in her, and she put new energy into the dance and lyrics.

Yoseob stood alone, hidden nearby the cameras.  He watched as the breathtaking smile claimed a spot on her flawless face.  He had spent the night mulling over the girl’s words.  Something was tugging at the back of his head, but he could not figure out what.  He could not figure out what was hurting Jaehwa so much.

What happened? Yoseob asked her silently in his mind, How did our friendship grow apart so quickly?

As Jaehwa stepped off the stage after a successful performance, she spotted the boy from the corner of her eye.  The same questions ran through her mind.  But there was also, How will I ever tell you my feelings?  Will it ever go back to what it was before?

These were the questions they both so wanted to ask each other but just couldn’t.  Jaehwa quickly escaped into the dressing room, Yoseob’s eyes following her until the door closed.

Back in the waiting room, the Beast members waited anxiously for their dongsaeng to show up.  They wanted to congratulate her on a great debut performance.  When she showed up, the boys could immediately sense that not everything was as great as it seemed.  Dujun knew for certain that something was up the moment Yoseob showed up for the first time since his disappearance the night before.

Dujun excused himself from the awkward silence and dragged the main vocal outside.  Then, the leader turned to his dongsaeng and asked, “What’s going on between you and Jaehwa?”

Yoseob seemed shocked at the suddenness of the question but answered bitterly, “I have no clue!  I apologized for my rudeness from before, but apparently, there’s something else that I did wrong!”

Dujun looked at him in disbelief.  “Are you serious?  You honestly don’t know why Jaehwa’s been so upset?”

Yoseob screamed in frustration.  “I don’t know because no one’s told me anything!  Ever since I started dating Jieun–”

A sudden look of realization dawned on the boy’s face.  Dujun said coolly, “You finally figured it out, huh?  What took you so long?  You didn’t see the signs?”

Yoseob shook his head frantically.  “It can’t be.  Jaehwa’s always been just my best friend.  We don’t like each other that way, and she knows I’m dating IU.  It must be something else...” he trailed off.

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Later that night, Jaehwa paced anxiously as the dial tone droned on and on.  She perked up when a familiar deep voice answered the phone, “Yoboseyo?”

“Appa, annyeong!  Did you and umma see my performance?” the daughter asked, excitedly awaiting her parents’ reactions.

“Ne.”

Jaehwa stopped in her tracks, stunned at the lack of reaction.  “How did I do, appa?”

“Not bad.”

All of the happiness in the girl’s voice disappeared in an instant.  “Not bad?”

Her father paused for a moment.  “Jaehwa, it’s just that…your umma and I are very disappointed that you chose to pursue your music career, despite our advising you not to.”

Jaehwa’s heart plummeted.  Tears formed in her eyes.  I finally fulfilled my dream.  I thought I could finally make them proud.

“Appa, this is what I’ve always wanted to do in life!  I don’t understand why you won’t at least support me!” she pleaded, trying desperately to get her father to understand.

But all he said was a cold “Goodnight, Jaehwa,” before the line went dead.