Cough.

With my blanket wrapped around me, I was launched into another coughing fit mixed with sneezes. Dragging my tired body over to the kitchen for a cup of water, along with some medicine, I was disappointed when I found the cabinets void of medicine. I took my cup of water and gulped in down quickly, satisfying the burning feeling in my throat.

It was Tuesday and I had called in sick, seeing that I missed my alarm this morning. As an intern, it worried me that they would get fed up with me if I didn’t get better soon. Reluctantly pulling my blanket off of my body and throwing it back on the bed, I changed into a few layers of clothing, catching sight of myself in the mirror. I looked like a potato.

Grimacing at my unkempt sight, I stuffed a few dollars in my jacket pocket, along with a few more dollars in hopes of stopping by a porridge shop on my way to a pharmacy. That way, I wouldn’t have to make my own lunch and dinner in this state, considering I missed breakfast this morning due to my laziness.

Shuffling down the cool streets (which seemed pretty cold to me in my state), I hurried over to the nearest pharmacy and bought the medicine I needed, quickly leaving and roaming the streets to look for a porridge shop. Unfortunately, porridge shops were less common in my area, making it harder to find as I bumped into a few people. Note to self: Do not walk around when dizzy. I was growing light headed and I felt my body burning up as it was still fall and I was dressed as if we were in the middle of a snow storm. I was getting hotter by the moment (not figuratively, but very much literally).

I proceeded to pull my scarf off and was stuck to holding it. I wanted to peel away a few layers that I had deemed to keep me warm off, but my arms felt like jello at that point and I wasn’t too keen on holding onto my layers of clothing. Bumping into someone, I stumbled a bit.

“I’ve been looking for you everywhere.” His eyebrows furrowed with worry as he held onto me and I knew I was in no position to push him away from me. We stood silently, in the middle of a busy street, with my heavy panting as my headache grew worse from the unbearable heat. He seemed to sense my discomfort as he touched my damp forehead, worry evident on his face though he had a pair of sunglasses on, along with his gray hood.

“Why are you wearing so many layers?” He mumbled as he ped the jacket I wore and helped me shrug it off. My head was still spinning and he seemed to notice as I was most likely, very unstable. I felt as if I was trying hard to keep myself balanced. My eyes were drooping and I closed my eyes to be engulfed by the darkness.

I woke up in a room that was familiar. No, it wasn’t somebody’s bedroom, though I would think it would be better for my back as I was on a sofa that wasn’t all too comfortable. My head was still hurting, but it didn’t hurt as much as it had this morning. I sat up and due to my spinning head, it took me a while longer to realize where I was. I heard the door knob of the room turning and I immediately laid back down on the sofa and buried my face into the sofa to hopefully avoid being seen.

“Emily?” I recognize the voice and I turn to face him, while lying down on my back. A sigh of relief comes from him as he closes the door behind him and he hands me a bottle of water and pushes the tiny white bag with the medicine I had bought earlier, towards me. “Take some of your medication and then we’ll talk.” I nodded and accepted the bottle of water, in which he helped me open as I was very much to weak and tired to handle such things.

Popping the medicine into my mouth and swallowing, I took a gulp of water to wash it down and also- to quench my thirst as my stomach grumbled for solids. I went pink and he let out a laugh as he pushed another bag with containers inside of it towards me.

“I figured you’d be hungry. I ordered juk for you.”  He says and I numbly reach for it, unable to even lift the container properly. Pushing me gently to lean back on the sofa, he took a seat next to me, taking the container of juk out and taking a plastic spoon out. He got a spoonful of juk and held it towards my mouth, in which I was embarrassed. I was a grown woman for God’s sake and here I was, like a helpless child, needing to be fed.  “Come on, Emily.”

Embarrassed, I quickly took a the spoonful of juk into my mouth and swallowed, trying to finish the container of juk as quickly as possible. He, on the other hand, made it impossible for me to finish quickly as he would make sure that I swallowed properly and I gave my stomach enough time to digest. Once I was finished with the container of juk, he handed the bottle of water back to me to drink from.

“I’ve been worried, you know.” He says after the both of us gets settled. I stay silent and look around the room instead. Everything looks the same as it used to. We were in a recording room- the same one we were in last time when we were caught by Soohyun and Kevin. “I’m sorry you had to leave on that note.” He’s sorry and I can tell by his tone.

“It’s alright.” I mumbled as I allowed my eyes to nervously dart about the room. “Can you tell me why you brought me back here. If you understand how I feel, why are we back here?”  He stays silent for a moment, looking hesitant and sorry towards me.

“About that...I had to catch up on dance practice. Spending my time at the hospital didn’t do my dancing any good and we have a concert tonight, I needed the practice. Which is why I couldn’t bring you anywhere else- not that I could if I wanted to anyways.” He answers, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. “I didn’t know where you lived and I couldn’t bring you back to my place due to- time constraints.”

“I understand.” I state absent-mindly, remembering all those tiring times of having to work non-stop. Falling sick was the worst as an idol, I remembered. The company didn’t exactly threaten them, but the pressure of taking care of the trouble that came from not showing up, was enough to send sick idols up and about pretending everything was alright.

“I’m really sorry about last time. Kevin and Soohyun must’ve made you feel uncomfortable, didn’t they?” I nodded without responding, feeling incredibly sorry for him and everyone else that had been involved with Ji Hee and Emily. I felt bad, pretending to know nothing of myself, while really knowing everything there is to know. He stood up and he went over to the buttons of the recording room, tapping certain buttons. “I was recording something earlier. You know, U-Kiss’ next album. Do you want to hear a bit of it?”

“It’s alright.” I answer, shifting on the sofa. “I think it’ll be best if I take my leave now.” I didn’t want to stay here- not somewhere that reminded me of some of the darkest times of my life. Then again, being an idol has always been one of my dreams, undeniably.

Though I was on a career path that differed from being an idol greatly, I wanted to do something that would make my family proud. They weren’t exactly supportive when I told them I wanted to move to Korea to become an idol one day, but nevertheless let me go, reminding me to keep my grades up.

When I quit being an idol and returned home, they were concerned for my welfare. I had been so adamant about being an idol that when I quit, they couldn’t believe it. They grew concerned about where I would go next and I decided, why not a doctor? My mother and father- had always spoken of how they wished for me to become a doctor when I was younger. That being said, I decided upon it. Not that I had anything else in mind anyways.

“You aren’t feeling well though. Who will take care of you if you go back home?” It was a bit foolishly of me to tell him that I was from America as he knew that I was an intern and that I stayed at the dorms. I was taken aback by his response and his lips were pressed into a thin line, obviously from worry. “Just stay here, okay? If anything, you can lock the door if you feel uncomfortable here. After all my dance practice is over and we get back from the concert, I’ll send you home, okay?”

“Being an idol is tiring. Besides, I know it’ll take a while before your concert’s over. Transportations can take up a lot of time, going back and forth.” I glance at the clock in the recording studio and notice that it’s four in the afternoon. By the time he finished (assuming that his concert was at seven), it’ll probably be around nine or ten. I didn’t want to stay here longer than I needed to. “I can get home myself. I’m thankful that you took care of me.”

“Emily.” He says firmly. “I know you’re uncomfortable here, but I want to make sure- more than anything that you stay safe.”

“Dong Ho.” I imitate him. “I’ll stay safe. I know my way back to the dorm. Don’t worry.” I stand up and wrap the layers of clothes I wore this morning around me and I notice how he’s staring at me with a frown etched onto his face.

“Don’t make me quit practice now to take you home.” He raises a brow at me and I breathe a frustrated breath and flop myself down on the sofa, burying my face into the dark leather. “I’ll try to get back as soon as possible.”

“You better.” I mumble as I hear the door opening and then closing after him. I didn’t have the heart or energy to sneak out of the building. Especially since I would look incredibly suspicious/ attract a lot of attention with my look. Heck, if I managed to escape the building and there were paparazzi around, I would be in the center of attention. That was the last thing I wanted.

After an hour or so, the door to the room opens in which I suddenly remembered I forgot to lock and I press myself deeper into the sofa, hoping that I would camouflage. Unfortunately for me, I don’t look anything like a sofa.

“Ji- Emily?” My heart races at the sound of his voice and I decide to keep myself composed. At least he thinks of me as a completely different person. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh- I bumped into Dong Ho earlier today and I wasn’t feeling too well, so he brought me here to rest up for a bit. I’m fine now.” I force a smile onto my face and it’s painful. How can I smile in front of someone who caused me to suffer for years?

“Oh, well I hope I’m not disturbing you. I just came in here to record the song. Oh and-,” he takes a seat next to me. “I heard you were the one that recorded my vocal guide. I think your intake of the music isn’t bad at all. It’s actually really helpful.”

“Um... that’s good to hear. The education system back at America didn’t force me to take mandatory music classes for no reason.” I say in a pitiful attempt to make a joke. It’s obviously painful to hear these jokes, but anything to keep myself from breaking down. Anything.

“That’s funny.” He says, chuckling a bit and I’m reminded of why I even liked him in the first place. It was his ability to make me feel good or even funny even when I wasn’t. He was the type to make me feel like a goddess, that had the power to do anything and be anything. “You don’t mind helping me out, do you?”

“It depends.” I state and he points at the microphone.

“I want you to tell me what to do with my voice. Should it be a higher pitch or a lower pitch? Things like that.” I shake my head as way to reject him.

“You should ask someone more professional- how can an intern at a hospital help?”

“I have more faith in this doctor as you- look like someone I once knew.” A smile is spread across his face and I know who he’s talking about. Ji Hee.

“Just because I look like her it doesn’t mean I’ll be like her.” I state, my voice turning hard with anger and frustration. “Why is everyone talking about her now? Simply because I look like her? She’s the past as everyone says and now you’re dwelling in the past?” My annoyance was over the top. Who could blame me? This was all I ever got in Korea.

Ji Hee.

I wasn’t the slightest bit happy that they all still thought of me. When I was standing there, right in front of them as Ji Hee, they didn’t care. To be specific, he didn’t care. Now he was acting as though he had cared about me since the very beginning, which obviously wasn’t the case, referring back to how he treated me years ago.

“Emily- what are you saying?” It took me a while to calm down and realize that I’d forgotten that I was supposed to be Emily and not Ji Hee, which made me more frustrated to know the words I wanted to say couldn’t be said. At least not now.

“Nothing. I’m sorry, for a second there you reminded me of something I went through once.” I stood up and grabbed my jackets and other possessions. “I’ll be on my way now.” Before I could leave, I felt a yank on my arm, forcing me to stay. His grip was surprisingly tight for someone as skinny as he was.

“You can’t go now. You said you weren’t feeling well. Besides, I’m sure Dong Ho will be worried sick about you if you left now.” Right. Dong Ho has been so nice to me. I like Dong Ho more than I like him right now. “I won’t disturb you from now on- I’ll just work on the song.”

“Really?” I ask skeptically. I thought about Dong Ho for a moment and then sat back down. It wouldn’t be fair if I left without a word. Just like I had years ago. The moment my expression softened, the more relaxed he became. It suddenly dawned on me that Dong Ho was practicing the dance but Kevin wasn’t there. How were they dancing with a member missing? It was possible, but I didn’t think that Kevin should have any particular reason of skipping out dance practice right before a concert. Yet, I didn’t want to ask him. He had agreed to not bother me. What would become of the agreement if I had started to bother him?

He stood up and headed into the recording room, standing close to the microphone after he had found the instrumental. I laid back down on the sofa, closing my eyes as I heard his voice ring in the air and he sounded as good as ever. There were a few pitches I wanted him to change, but I didn’t want to bother him. So I laid back and just listened as he corrected himself a few times.

“Sad...” I mutter to myself. I remembered how I felt when I wrote the song. Sad. The song I had written was meant to show how I had felt. To get the sorrowful feeling I had of being ridiculed for how I felt towards him. I was angry- but not as nearly as angry as I had felt sad.

A beep came and he paused in the middle of his recording, thoroughly frustrated by the pitch he was singing at. Stepping out of the room, he headed over to the coffee table by the sofa and grabbed his phone off the table. He typed something into his phone- most likely a text message or whatnot and then fell back down on the armchair just by the sofa I laid on.

“What does the song mean to you?” I ask out of the blue. Hearing the song over and over again had forced me to go back in time to the very moment I was writing the song. The feelings I had then, came to me now. Besides, the problem with his pitch was solely his emotions. He was a bit too numb and wasn’t able to touch up on it in certain parts.

“What does it mean to me?” He echoes. He leans forward in the armchair as I stare up at the ceiling trying to numb myself before hearing any more. “The song speaks about a reason for why a guy lives life really. Why I live life I suppose. Love? The person that I love? The people that I love I guess?”

“The lyrics are bitter-sweet.” I say absent mindly. “A wonderful reason to keep doing whatever you’re doing. A reason to be by your loved one’s side. A promise that you’ll make for them... What happens if the person never acknowledges you?” I blink. “All your promises will be invisible. They won’t and can’t be seen by the person. As happy as they’ll be, you’ll suffer. It’s kind of saying, ‘I love you, but you might not know how much I do’.”

“The song has really struck you hasn’t it?” A smile grew on his face. Just a small one. It disappeared as he continued. “My ex- I mean, Mi Rae, wrote this song for me. She has a real talent in composition if you’re able to obtain such emotions from it. Maybe I’m the one lacking here.” He mumbles.

“Sometimes there’s more to a song than just words.” I mutter. “Some composers are robbers, plagiarizing another composer’s song. Or perhaps, some artists like to play composer. I’m just glad that Mi Rae’s such a good composer.” The words are bitter, but I don’t think he’ll notice. He’s too dense.

The door to the room cracks open and I immediately flip myself over, face down into the sofa. I hear footsteps as the person enters the room and I’m nervous once again.

“Kevin, your manager is looking for you. He says one more round of dancing and then you’ll be off to go to the stage. Dress rehearsals and then the actual stage at seven.” The voice was so familiar that I wanted to disappear into thin air.

No. Out of everyone, it had to be her. I didn’t want to see her at all. Not that I was angry at her or anything (which I was only a little bit), but it was because I was getting too close to being discovered. What was I doing here in the first place? At the place I had tried so desperately to run away from? What was I doing here?

“Um... who’s your friend?” She asked after a moment. I silently prayed that Kevin would tell her that I wasn’t anyone important. To my disappointment, he started to pull me into the conversation.

“Emily. Her name is Emily Lee.” He says and I can feel his eyes on the back of my head as if he was urging me to get off the sofa and talk to her. I wasn’t go to. I didn’t want to. He couldn’t force me to. “Emily’s an intern at the hospital. You know, the hospital Dong Ho worked at. She wasn’t feeling well and Dong Ho just so happened to catch her on the streets. He brought her here because well- he couldn’t bring her anywhere without causing a scandal and we’re also tight on time for practice.”

“Oh, that’s nice.” I could hear her taking steps closer to me. “Well, hey Emily. I’m Mi Rae. I’m the leader of the girl group, Horoscope- not that my position should matter.” She laughs at her introduction (which she didn’t have to do as I already know much more about her than Kevin). I’m unresponsive, hopefully to persuade them into thinking I passed out or fell asleep.

“Oi, Kevin what’s taking you so long to get your to the practice room?” How irritating. I wish I could kick Kevin out the door of the recording studio because he’s attracting so many people. Soohyun seemed to notice my presence. “Oh, she’s back. Did she help you record the song?”

“Eh? Who?” Mi Rae’s voice joined in.

“Oh, well this girl- forgot what her name was but she made a vocal guide for Kevin. It was pretty good. Her voice isn’t bad you know.” Soohyun says casually. “Hey, Mi Rae you should talk to your managers about adding a new member before the comeback. I think that girl over there would be a great addition. She can sing and kinda rap.”

Shut up, Soohyun. If I had duct tape, I’d tape your mouth shut right now. I can’t join Horoscope again. I would get myself a one way ticket to a busload of drama. I wasn’t ready for that.

“Well, I wouldn’t mind trying.” Her voice turns softer as if she’s really considering it. “Let’s hear the vocal guide first.” I can hear them all shuffling to the other side of the room to find it and I get up immediately to dive for the door.

“Emily, where are you going?” Kevin questions as I grab the door knob.

“Home. Seeya.” I tried to jet out the door, but Soohyun pulled me back. The vocal guide I had recorded was playing and I didn’t feel anything particular until Mi Rae made a comment.

“She sounds like Ji Hee you know.” The music comes to an end and Mi Rae has turned towards me. I know it. My back’s facing her and I know I’m absolutely screwed. “If your internship at the hospital doesn’t work out, you should really consider becoming an idol. Maybe if you decide to become an idol sooner, you’ll be able to join Horoscope.”

“Thanks, but no thanks. I don’t have any plans of being an idol. Even if I did, it’d be hard to become one.” Again, I want to add. I don’t though and I leave my back facing her.

“Why is that?” Mi Rae asks and she takes a few steps besides me to get closer to me in hopes that I’d probably turn my head and hold a proper conversation with her. I don’t and feel as though everyone’s cornering me in this room. My phone starts to ring and I pull my phone from my pocket to see that Caroline’s calling me.

“What is it?” I question. “Isn’t it late at night for you over there?” I use this as an excuse to walk out the room to speak in privacy (though I am speaking in English and no one in there could really understand me except for Kevin).

“It is.” Caroline’s voice has lost the bright cheeriness she used to hold. “I thought I’d update you when I had the time. I just got home from the hospital. My grandmother just fell asleep and gosh, I can see it in her eyes. She’s sorry for making me coming all the way back here. She thinks she ruined my career. I don’t know what to do.”

“It’s been a rough week for you, hasn’t it?” I ask softly. I can relate to her- but on a much smaller (?) scale compared to her. “Go get some sleep first and call me when you wake up, okay?”

“Alright. Thanks, Emily. I’ll pay for all the long distance phone calls we have.” She says and I tell her there’s no need. I know she’s smiling over the phone and it feels good to know that she’s hanging on there. I can’t wait to return home.

The door clicks open the moment I hang up and Mi Rae steps out of the room. Soohyun and Kevin follow after her and Mi Rae pauses for a moment upon realizing that I’m the girl from inside the room and then pauses for another minute when she realizes the striking resemblance I have with well- myself.

“Ji Hee?” She’s nervous. I can tell through her expression. “You- When did you come back?” Her eyes darted from behind her and then back to me. She’s thinking of Kevin. “I believe we have a lot to catch up on.”

My facial expression hardens as she speaks.

“I don’t need to hear anything from you.”

A/N: A pretty long chapter and Mi Rae did not end up finding out about her in the way I expected her too :/ Oh well. Hey, a longer chapter this time around! :D Yay! Enjoy!

Kim In Hye

Age: 21

Date of Birth: December 22, 1993

Blood Type: B

Height: 163 cm (5'4)

Signed Under: NH Media

Group: Horoscope

Horoscope Signs: Capicorn, Leo, Pisces

Position: Main Dancer, Visual, Sub-Vocalist

Occupation: Singer/Idol, Model, Dancer

Pisces (Feb 19th- March 20th)

Some positive traits belonging to the Pisces are that they are creative, kind, compassionate, sensitive, intuitive, and selfless. Their creativity takes them to places with their imagination and they have a very soft heart. They will help others in need in hopes that people will help them when they’re in need. Pisces tend to be more reliant on their intuition rather than logic an reasoning. They are sensitive as matters will affect them easily even if it’s something considered to be small to another sign or person. They are selfless, putting others before themselves.

Some negative traits about Pisces are that they tend to point fingers in another direction if anything goes wrong, are weak willed, idealistic, over-sensitive, pessimistic, and lazy. They are weak willed and tend to get hurt easily which relates to being over-sensitive as they take everything to heart. They are pessimistic as if anything doesn’t go as they had planned (which relates to being idealistic), they lose motivation to continue. They are also lazy when it comes to things they don’t care about.

Read more about it at this site!

http://www.ganeshaspeaks.com/pisces/pisces-traits.action

I hope that you guys enjoyed this tiny section on the Pisces. This does not mean that all Pisces are like this. This is purely made for the fun of it and was not made to hurt or offend anyone. Are you a Pisces?

Are you not a Virgo or a Scorpio or a Capricorn or a Libra or an Aries or a Leo or even a Pisces? Comment on what horoscope you wish to see next chapter! (Or not. I'll take the liberty of choosing then.) What sign are you? Or if you're curious to know more about someone else (friend, family, or even crush), what sign do you wish to learn more about?