Hyesung sighed, his head resting on his hands. He had just finished his recording for his first solo album a few days ago and was looking through the audition tapes for Shinhwa’s reality show, Let’s Coke Play: Battle Shinhwa. Naturally, with all that was going on he was feeling a little worn down, but he was doing his best to keep his spirits up.

                However, he would have felt a lot better had he not been visited by a certain, rather unwelcome guest.

                “Hyesungie-ah!” A singsong voice chimed close to his ear, making him hiss in irritation.

                Hyesung cursed silently, wishing he hadn’t sent out the mass text message asking for the support of one of the members. He figured Jun Jin or perhaps Andy would have answered his call first, but unfortunately for him, his visitor was none other than…

                “Yah, Jung Pil Gyo… Why aren’t you talking to me?”

                Eric Mun.

                “I…” Hyesung cleared his throat, deciding to ignore the fact that Eric had used his real name. “Can you just be quiet for ten minutes? I’m trying to listen to these audition tapes…”

                “Ah, okay. Sorry then,” Eric sobered up immediately, glad the main vocalist was taking his duty as a judge so seriously.

                Hyesung exhaled quietly, turning back to the computer screen and replaying the last recording again. He had heard the tape four times already but hadn’t carefully listened to it because of the distraction hovering over his shoulder.

                “Hyesungie-ah, I’m going to take a nap then.” Eric murmured, obviously bored and tired. “Is that okay?”

                The main vocalist huffed. “Why do you have to ask me for permission? I couldn’t care less.”

                Hyesung didn’t have to turn around to know that Eric was pouting at the back of his head, but he just about leapt out of his chair when a pair of strong arms wrapped around him from behind.

                “Okay,” Eric didn’t seem the least bit bothered by the younger member’s taciturnity, instead taking it as a signal to sleep against his shoulder with no possibility of escape. “Good night!”

                Hyesung felt his face heat up. “Yah, get off!!” He sputtered.

                The leader didn’t respond, instead choosing to snore loudly in his ear.

                “Pabo, I’m not joking! Let go of me!” Hyesung’s voice rose rapidly and once Eric’s arms loosened he pushed them away, annoyed.

                Eric grimaced, hurt by how coldly the main vocalist was treating him. “Aw, fine. I’ll go use the bathroom while you listen to the tapes…”

                “W-whatever, go.”

                Once Hyesung was confident Eric was out of the room, he bit his lip, letting his frustration show. Why did Eric have to be so clingy all the time? It’s not like Hyesung enjoyed all the skinship—but then again, Eric was probably doing that because he knew how much Hyesung didn’t like it. The leader was well aware of how awkward their relationship was, so why in the hell would he be the first to call back and come over? Why purposefully create a situation where things would be uncomfortable?

                Hyesung shook his head. He just didn’t get it.

                He jumped as his cell phone chimed loudly, vibrating in his pocket. He glared down at the tiny LED screen, wondering who else could bother him and interrupt his thoughts.

                Andy Lee (Kiwi Prince) flashed insistently. Hyesung smirked down at the nickname. Where Eric was Hyesung’s hyung and was a force that had to be tolerated, the maknae didn’t have the same protection. Finally, someone he could take out his pent-up aggression on.

                Hyesung answered it at once, letting as many curses fly past his lips that he could think of and putting the phone on speaker so he didn’t have to bother with holding it. “Ah, you little kiwi--”

                Andy began laughing, his voice clearly audible on the other end. “Uh, hello?” He attempted to cut the main vocalist off, but Hyesung didn’t let him speak, only pausing to take a short breath before continuing. He was on a roll.

                “ty Kiwi Prince…”

                Hyesung heard a beat of silence and wondered if Andy was making a strange face at him, but he didn’t think too much about it, curses still streaming out of his mouth. Once he was out of colorful words, he also started laughing, pointedly ignoring Eric—who had walked back in to hear the end of his creatively worded tangent.

                “Ah, right now…” Andy sounded as if he were grinning from ear to ear, making Hyesung freeze. “I’m doing a telephone recording.”

                Hyesung’s heart plummeted in horror and Eric—who had unfortunately just taken a sip of water—had to run back out of the room to spit it out as he burst out laughing.

                “What?!” Hyesung finally managed to shout. Andy was giggling again on the other end, and Hyesung set his head down on his desk, not wanting to believe him.

                “Now recording M. Net.” Andy confirmed, his voice echoing dimly in the room.

                “Augh!!” Hyesung covered his face, laughing in spite of himself. “Yah, you can’t do this you me…”

                Andy didn’t sound sorry at all, obviously happily taking revenge for all the names he had just been called. “Everything we’ve said has been recorded already.”

                Hyesung shook his head, shooting a glare at Eric as he came back inside, still chuckling as he wiped his mouth. “Can’t do this…”

                Suddenly Andy’s tone changed. “Hello?”

                Hyesung waved a hand at the phone, still too mortified to reply decently. “Yeah, hello…”

                “I’ll call you again, so answer, okay?”

                Hyesung sighed, glad the maknae was giving him a second chance. Even though he knew everything was recorded already, at least he would have a shot at trying to redeem himself. “Ahah, yes…” He replied back sweetly.

                The main vocalist could hear Andy laughing as he hung up. He whirled on Eric, who was leaning against the doorway, looking far too pleased for his own good.

                “This is your fault.” Hyesung hissed venomously.

                “Mine?” Eric’s eyes widened indignantly. “What the hell, I just went to go pee.”

                Hyesung growled but didn’t respond, turning back to the computer with a red face. Eric just didn’t understand, did he? Damn him. He huffed as the phone buzzed, calling for his attention.

                He answered it after the first ring, forcing his voice to be plesant and deciding—after a moment of hesitation—to put the phone on speaker once again. Eric might as well hear all of it, after seeing Hyesung mess up so badly. “Oh, Andy-goon-ah?”

                Andy sounded perfectly serious. “Oh, Hyesung-hyung, this is my first time calling you.”

                Hyesung could hear Eric surpressing laughs at how awkward the statement was, but the main vocalist ignored him and kept his voice even as he replied. “Oh yeah, of course. What’s up?”

                “Have you seen it?”

                “The audition?” Hyesung blinked. So that was what Andy was calling about. If he was recording for the show, he should have known. “I have.”

                “Have you found anyone that is outstanding?”

                As Andy was talking, Hyesung jumped as Eric snuck up behind him again, hugging him from behind. As he was on the phone, Hyesung couldn’t say or do anything about it and was forced to sit still and put up with the leader’s affection. “Hn.”

                Andy was still waiting for a reply and elaborated. “I know we share the same views.”

                Hyesung gritted his teeth, willing his voice to remain steady. “I have left a message on the internet.” He explained amicably. “You can check it out and leave a message as well.”

                Andy voice was placating. “Uh huh…”

                “I have left a message for the person whom I feel performed the best.” Hyesung finished, trying to take a deep breath but instead finding his breathing contrained by the arms around him.

                “Okay,” Andy took the main vocalist’s tone in stride, also being overly formal. “I’ll take your suggestion into consideration.”

                Hyesung cringed at the formality of it all. Apparently Andy felt the same way about the whole thing, so they both burst out laughing. Hyesung couldn’t take it anymore and decided to forget about his professional demeanor. “No.”

                “Oh?”

                He shoved away Eric’s hands, shooting a death glare at the leader and unleashing his anger once again on the maknae, making sure he kept a careful leash on his coarse language. “You should just go back to being a kiwi.”

                He could hear Andy’s embarrassed laughter, but didn’t stop. “Go back to the fruit garden and perform there so you can be a real kiwi.”

                Andy dropped the formal speech, done with trying to help out his hyung. “Gee thanks… And Hyung?”

                “Yeah, right now…”

                There was a click and Hyesung checked his phone. Call Ended.

                He sighed. Well, he had expected as much. After giving Andy such a hard time, he wasn’t surprised that the maknae hadn’t hung up on him sooner. He turned his wrath upon Eric, who had a sheepish grin on his face as he edged towards the door. It took about half a second for Hyesung to leap to his feet and Eric to bolt, with the main vocalist shouting profanities after him.

                Andy laughed as he shoved his cell phone back into his pocket. He didn’t really know what Hyesung had been so angry about, but he was glad for the opportunity to get back at his hyung.

                ‘I’ll never live that Kiwi Prince thing down, will I?’ he pushed the thought to the back of his mind, keeping his expression easygoing for the camera in front of him. Behind the camera, Mi Young was giggling at the whole scene, easing his thoughts even further.

                From her spot off to the side, Mi Young watched as Andy continued with his responsibilities for M.Net, feeling a swell of pride for the rapper as he persisted through the recording, as embarrassing and strange as it had been.

                It wasn’t very often that Mi Young got the opportunity to spend time with each Shinhwa member individually. Normally they were always together or in groups of two or three. As such, Mi Young had forgotten how well the maknae could hold the atmosphere on his own.

                Andy was a secondary personality in the group—always lingering quietly in the back or responding to what the others had done or said. Even his yet-to-be ‘Zomdy’ persona would always be in reaction to something his hyungs triggered in him. However when he was on his own, he would blossom into a friendly, lovable guy with a lot of energy that carried coversations and eased awkwardness with his cheer. Often his charm was obscured under the huge, blindingly charismatic natures that were Minwoo and Jun Jin. Despite that, Andy—when he was in a good mood—was b with personality, was a respectful conversationalist, and above all, was a perfect gentleman.

                Of course, he wasn’t always like that.

                Mi Young knew how it hard it had been. Just like Jun Jin, Andy had suffered from emotional problems that were hidden just under the surface of his more subdued stage façade.

                When Mi Young had first woken up in the past, Andy’s eyes had still been dull with the stresses of his strained family life. However, once he had returned to Shinhwa and soon after meeting Mi Young, his gaze had grown clearer until it was burning with an intense fire, one that lingered stubbornly with his desire to live on and make something out of his life. Mi Young had never seen such a dramatic change in a person—even the Andy in 2014 didn’t shine was brilliantly as this one.

                Maybe that’s what Mi Young found him so intriguing.

                Shinhwa had been able to get past all the barriers she had made against other people, against herself. In this time, she had immediately felt at home with them, just as she learned to do in her original timeline and just as they had eventually grown to trust her.

                But Andy was different.

                Andy had ruined everything.

                While the other five had quietly made their way into Mi Young’s heart, he had torn down all the carefully made walls and beckoned to her real self with his own barriers and shortcomings.

                In a way, Mi Young envied him. Where Andy’s will and determination to continue on was a beast to be reckoned with, Mi Young’s past was full of regret, to the point where she had fallen and given up on her life. Where Andy was undeniably strong, she was weak.

                “Mi Young-ah,” Andy tapped her on the shoulder, startling her out of her thoughts.

                “O-Oh…” She jumped, immediately letting her mind settle into a dull static. Luckily her time with the older version of Andy had taught her ways to prevent his ability from seeing into her thoughts. While it wasn’t the best solution—Andy would easily be able to tell when someone was trying to block out their thoughts and conceal something from him, as she was doing now—it was better than nothing.

                The slight frown that appeared on the maknae’s face was almost unnoticeable. “I just finished the recording.”

                “That’s good.” Mi Young smiled up at him, a calm, cheerful mask finding its way onto her face. “Can you believe Hyesung-ssi, though? I wonder how much of that conversation they’re going to cut out…”

                Andy seemed a little put-out at the mention of Hyesung. “Yeah, he should have known I was on a recording. I guess he didn’t read my message from earlier, pabo…”

                “Yeah, but he seemed pretty angry. Wonder if something happened between him and Eric-ssi.” Mi Young pursed her lips, a little concerned.

                “Yah, something’s always going on with those two.” Andy huffed dismissively. “Anyways, I’m on break. Should we get some food?”

                Mi Young tipped her head to one side, her hair ruffling slightly with the motion. “You haven’t had anything to eat yet today, huh? Yeah, let’s go get food.”

                As Andy took the lead--eager to get something to eat--Mi Young hung back. She let her expression settle into a gentle smile.

                Maybe she wouldn’t be able to return to her own timeline… But maybe that wouldn’t be a bad thing.

[Hi everyone… Ugh, I apologize for the lack of updates lately. I’ve been finding myself in a bit of a slump recently and haven’t had much inspiration to write; I don’t know if it’s noticeable, but this chapter was much harder to pull out than the previous ones, and it’s not even that long…

My main inspiration was, of course, the video of Andy calling Minwoo and Hyesung. Here’s the youtube link for anyone who hasn’t seen the hilarious phone conversation yet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrkV2016h8Y&noredirect=1 It was a lot of fun writing awkward RicSyung, so that made me happy... XD

Hopefully with my school’s Spring Break rolling around in a couple of weeks, I’ll be able to get more writing done. There’s been such a lack of Shinhwa news and updates recently that I haven’t had much initiative to get things done. I hope that’ll all change soon with their concert coming up, and for the better, too.

Stay healthy and warm, and I’ll try and get another chapter out when I can.]