Dongho knew the truth as soon as his girlfriend showed him the article on the Internet. “Did you see that thing about Hoon?” she’d asked. What was seemingly the eruption of a big scandal was something he’d sort of known was going to leak eventually. And he could guess why it was being revealed now in this particular way.

He picked up his phone, as he’d already been distracted from his schoolwork, and decided to confirm his suspicions. Eli answered, sounding excited on the other end, probably just glad to hear from him.

“Dongho! What’s up? How are you?”

“I’m doing well, hyung,” Dongho answered.

“Is school keeping you busy? I really miss you.”

“I’ve been pretty busy. Listen, about the news on Hoonie-hyung and Serin…”

“Ah yeah,” Eli said. “I can’t tell you about that. Just tell me how you’re doing. We should go hang out sometime. Have a late night dinner.”

“Eli, I’m not stupid. She’s pregnant, isn’t she?”

He heard Eli sigh on the other end. “Yeah. We’re not supposed to tell anyone because she’s only at the six-week mark. But I suppose you can know. Just don’t go sharing the information. Especially if people ask you if you have any inside information about it.”

“They announced that they’ve been married for a year and a half. People are going to jump to conclusions. And they’re going to be right.”

“I’m aware. But I don’t have much say in this. It’s between Hoon and the company, and the rest of us just have to deal with the backlash and hope for the best.”

“Well, I’m sure they’re happy, at least. Tell them congratulations when you see them.”

“Serin’s not especially happy about it. Or at least, she didn’t seem to be when she came in earlier this week. She’s so worried about what this means for everyone. You’d honestly have to talk to her or Hoon to get the real picture, but she’s not very happy with herself for getting pregnant.”

Dongho shrugged. “It was bound to happen eventually. You don’t just get married and then not have kids when you’re perfectly healthy and capable.”

“Yeah. Anyway, I hope you’re doing well. Stop by sometime. We’d all be happy to see you.”

“I will when I get the chance. See you later, Eli,” Dongho said, hanging up the phone.

“Ooooo what’s up?” his girlfriend asked when he set down his phone.

“I just talked to Eli.”

“So is it true? Is Hoon married?”

“Of course it’s true,” Dongho said, disinterested. “I was there when they got married.”

“And you never said anything?” she said, slightly offended at his oversight.

“I wasn’t supposed to, and I didn’t. It’s the least I can do for them after they so gracefully accepted my wish to leave. It has nothing to do with me trying to keep secrets from you. I simply did what Hoon and Serin and the rest of the members asked of me.”

“Oh. Okay. But still, that’s exciting, isn’t it? It’s a big scandal!”

“It… is. I hope things work out for them. The fans aren’t going to be happy.”

“Well…” she considered, “whenever I watch them now, Hoon has seemed… different. And he’s been sort of dropping hints if you’re paying close enough attention. I’m guessing there won’t be too many people that are surprised that he’s in a relationship. But married? That’s crazy.”

Dongho shrugged. “Is it really though?”

“Well yeah. That sort of thing is usually announced before it happens. Like they try to make it public knowledge.”

“You know, this would be considered a scandal everywhere,” Dongho said, “but it’s going to be worse here. Like… in Japan the fans would be shocked, but they’d move on. There’s a former member of a group who got married without his company’s permission because his girlfriend got pregnant. Just eloped with her one night.”

“Is she pregnant? Is that why they’re doing it like this?” she asked him.

Dongho’s face froze. He didn’t want to lie to her, but he’d promised Eli he wouldn’t say anything. “I’m not sure. Maybe. I mean it could easily have been because those photos leaked. And they’re very… Well, it’s quite obvious that the two are not just friends from them.”

“But why married? They could have lied and said they were dating.”

Dongho shrugged then, internally relieved that she wasn’t really pressing him too hard on this. “I guess they just wanted to come clean with the truth. I mean the level of bad publicity they get is going to be about the same whether they say they’re dating or married.”

“That’s true. I hope things turn out okay. The anti-fans can be so awful.”

Dongho took her hand then, looking her seriously in the eye. “Don’t worry about them too much. It’s U-KISS. No matter what, they’ll get through it. I know. I was there. I know better than anyone the mindset we push on with. The true KissMes will get over their shock and give them all of their support. Trust me. There are few fanbases that support their groups like KissMes support U-KISS. We’ve been through so much together.”

“You still love your fans very much, don’t you?” she asked him then.

He nodded. “I always will,” he admitted. “I don’t miss the job, the hectic hours, the hate, but I do miss getting to spend time with the members and the fans.”

“I love that side of you. It’s so cute.”

He smiled, before moving to kiss her. He pulled away and said, “You’re cuter,” and he was well aware that he wasn’t going to be working on much more homework any time soon.

--

“I’m glad we’re going to Japan to promote after this cycle,” Eli told Kevin quietly.

“Why?”

“They’re more forgiving. The negativity isn’t just focused on Hoon and Serin, Kev. It’s all of us. Have you seen what people are saying about us?”

“I haven’t been looking. I don’t want to.”

“It’s bad. They’re saying that we are all liars and that we should die.”

“Eli,” Kevin said sharply, cutting him off. “I don’t want to know.”

Soohyun walked in then, eyeing them quizzically. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Eli said, sulking.

Soohyun was well aware that there was more than just ‘nothing’ going on. “Don’t let the negativity get to you,” he told them firmly. “Some fans are just hurt and lashing out. And the anti-fans don’t matter.”

“I don’t think you actually believe that, Soohyun hyung,” Jaeseop said as he walked in. “You’re the most sensitive out of all of us.”

The last two showed up then, and the room fell awkwardly silent. Kiseop walked by Hoon’s side, offering his support. “I’m so sorry,” Hoon said quietly, not looking at any of them. “This is all my fault.”

“You shouldn’t read the articles, Hoonie,” Kevin said gently. “It’ll just hurt you unnecessarily.”

“It hurts all of us unnecessarily,” AJ contributed.

“Hoon,” Soohyun said solemnly then, “do not beat yourself up over this. Your priority is here, with us, but make sure Serin is content. If we need to, we’ll tell the fans not to bother her.” Hoon nodded his understanding.

“Let’s get to practice, guys,” Kevin suggested. “Discussing this isn’t going to help too much. And we’re leaving before too long. We have to prepare.”

--

Serin was, of course, having an extremely difficult time. Many of her coworkers had either asked her about it outright or made some sort of remark under their breaths. She wanted to tell them all off. It wasn’t their business what she had done with her personal life and why exactly she had done things like she had. Her father had come into her office to make sure she was okay. She assured him that she was, but he eyed her with disbelief, telling her that if she needed to get away from people pressuring her, she was more than welcome to go home.

“I will if I need to, Papa,” she said.

“Serin, I can guess why this news is out now. If you need to rest, if you don’t feel well, if the stress starts becoming too much, please go home. I can fill in for you. Your brothers can fill in for you. Don’t feel like you have to push yourself to the limits for me. You have since your mother died. You gave up your dream to help me, and I will forever feel guilty that you gave up what you truly wanted to do to keep this company thriving. If you need time for yourself, please take it.”

“Papa, I can’t. I can’t sit at home and think about how many people are upset at me. I saw what they’re saying about me. About Hoonmin. I need to keep busy and focused. Otherwise, I may not ever stop crying. I hurt them, Papa. All of the fans feel betrayed and upset, and it’s all my fault.”

He put his hand on her shoulder and smiled kindly at her. “All trials pass, Serin. It feels like they’ll never end when you’re going through them, but when you get to the end, you realize that you and everyone involved has grown in ways you never imagined possible. Keep your head up, and don’t let your faith and hope waiver. You will get through this trial.”

She found encouragement in his words. Lee Hyunsu was a born leader, and Serin, perhaps more than any other person, trusted him to point her in the correct direction. He never told her what to do, instead offering her gentle guidance to make the best choices. When he said she would get through this struggle, she believed him. She took courage from her father’s words, and stood up to give him a hug, thanking him vigorously. “I’m still going to work, Papa. I can’t just sit still and do nothing.”

“I understand,” Hyunsu agreed. “Just don’t push yourself too hard. And if it’s more comfortable for you to work from home, where there aren’t any nosey employees asking about your personal life, you can do that.”

“I’ll keep it in mind,” she told him. He headed out of her office then, turning around briefly in the doorway.

“Congratulations, by the way,” he quietly told her, though his excitement was evident. “Let me now how things are coming along whenever you get the chance.”

“Get out of here, Papa,” she said. “I’ll tell you when it’s time.”

“Make sure you do. Take care of yourself!” With that he left, and Serin returned to her work.  However, after five more interruptions, and several more overheard comments, Serin decided to take her father up on his offer. Without saying a word, she packed up and left, driving home and hoping that no one spotted her. That was the last thing she wanted. Extra media attention was sure to fuel the fire even more. Maybe she would just work from home for the next couple of weeks, after all. If she didn’t go anywhere, she wouldn’t get any unwelcome attention.

She rubbed her belly gently as she drove. “This is all your fault,” she told the fetus. “We could have kept quiet about this for a few more years, Hoonmin could have gone to the military, and then we could have gone public after he returned.” There was, of course, no answer, but it made her feel at ease just to talk out her feelings a bit, even with no one listening. “I’ll be strong for you,” she promised then. “No matter what anyone says, I’ll keep my head up and push forward. You are my baby, no… our baby. All of our heartache now is so you can live a more normal life with both your parents.”

She reached home, headed to her office, and logged in to her computer to resume work. She stayed there, diligently working for several hours, until her stomach growled and reminded her that she really ought to work on dinner. She called her father then, to tell him that she wasn’t going to be at work for a few weeks, and that she was going to continue working from home. She started cooking then, hoping, but not actually believing, that Hoon would be home earlier than usual.

--

To her great amazement, he walked in the door just as she finished cooking dinner. “Oh, you’re early,” she said.

“Yeah,” he sighed, seeming beaten. “I couldn’t focus well. They asked me to go home.”

“That’s not good,” she said solemnly.

He ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated. “I know. I just… it kills me to know that the fans are hurting because of our relationship, and then, in response, they’re hurting all of us with their scathing words.” He sat down at the table then, elbows propped on the table and head in his hands.

She walked up behind him and hugged him around the shoulders. “This is for our child, Hoonie,” she whispered. “All of the struggle and pain right now is so our child can have a better life.”

He nodded. “I know. It’s just so hard. It’s so painful.”

She hugged him tighter. “My dad has faith in us. Your company has faith in us. They all believe in our ability to persevere. We shouldn’t let them down.”

“You’re right. We shouldn’t let them down.”

“Even though they’re upset right now, your KissMes still support you. They may hate me, but they will support you. Try your best for them. They still love you even if they’re angry and spiteful.”

“I wish they wouldn’t be.”

“I understand what they mean. It hurts me. I’m trying so hard not to read anything or take anything personally but it’s so hard. But I want you to try your best for everyone that has faith in you. Me, your parents, your members, your company and your fans. Don’t disappoint us.”

She felt Hoon relax a bit in her arms. “You always know what to say, don’t you?” he said, a very light chuckle escaping his lips. “Nothing the members said made me feel any better. I just feel so guilty towards them. They’re suffering, too.”

“You should go back,” Serin said seriously. “Suffer together and support each other.”

“I need your support, too,” he confided. “I’ll stay here. I’ll eat dinner with you. I’ll cuddle with you in bed until we can’t keep our eyes open anymore.”

“And you’ll wake up and make sure you give your all to live up to everyone’s expectations?” she asked him then, chin resting lightly on his shoulder.

He quickly turned his head and kissed her on the cheek. “I will do the best I can. For you and for our child, I need to push forward as hard as I can.”

She smiled and pulled away from him so she could get their dinner. “This is going to be hard,” she stated to him plainly. “We knew that before any of this happened. But we can only hope that the end is worth the means.”

“When I’m with you,” Hoon admitted quietly, “I don’t just hope. I know everything is going to be worth it in the end.”

If I get even one more comment asking for more, I'll post the next chapter. So there's that.