The concert was a great success. Lights were illuminating the stadium with a dazzling glare. The beam soon turned colorful as it switched into different shades of the rainbow. The sound system was exceptionally well as they could hear every single instrument blasting loudly through the speakers. Occasional stage explosions appeared to make the performance more epic, leaving tiny sparkles of dust when the smoke dissipated into thin air.   Fans were dancing along to every song and shouted the fan chants on the top of their lungs. They were holding a pearl metal gold light stick, swaying it in the air along with the beat of the song. The dark concert hall was filled with a beautiful sea of fluorescent glow. Everyone seemed to enjoy their time and forgot about the scandal for a second.   However, it soon became imminent that the rumor had affected them in some way. As the members said their greetings, it was noticeable how Woo Hyun didn’t get as many cheers as the other members. He remained a professional and continued to smile and joke around as usual, even acknowledging how the other members were more popular now.   Seeing that shattered Hyun Mi’s heart to a million pieces. She knew that this was partially her fault. She knew that some of the fans had turned their backs against him. But witnessing the horrible aftermath herself gave her an unexplainable sorrow. If it weren’t for Hee Jin wrapping her in a comforting embrace, she might have lost it and cried. For now, she did her best to hold back her tears. There was a greater mission to accomplish.
As soon as the ToHeart subunit was performing Delicious, Hyun Mi took it as a cue to make her move. She told her friends that she would go to the restroom and that they should stay and enjoy the performance. They nodded, but kept their gaze on the performance.   Then she proceeded to squirm her way through the tight packed crowd who were drenched in sweat. After some pushing and pulling, she finally managed to make her way to the very back of the concert hall. The dark surrounding made it harder for her to find her way. She moved her head left and right continuously, trying to identify her location.   “The restroom is right in front of you, you know.”   Hyun Mi jumped a little in shock. She turned around to see Baek Hyun grinning down at her. His finger was still pointing towards the restroom. “I know, thanks,” she said frankly, waiting for him to leave.
  “You’re not really heading there,” Baek Hyun said. It wasn’t really a question, for he knew she had other plans. “I’ll come with you.”
  “No! You should stay and watch the performance,” Hyun Mi told him as she continued to glance around her, looking for a certain direction she could follow.
  “You can’t even find your way. Let me help you,” Baek Hyun offered.
  “It’s because I can’t see well in the dark,” Hyun Mi said. Part of it was true, but another part was because she had poor directional skills.
  “Well, aren’t you lucky? I just happened to be the controller of light,” Baek Hyun spoke as he held up his phone with the flashlight . “So, where are we going?”
  Hyun Mi sighed, knowing he wouldn’t give up. She had to admit that his assistance might be necessary. She couldn’t waste any more time.   “The video control room.”  
  With much difficulties, a lot of questionings, and several times getting lost, they finally arrived at their destination. The backstage crew pass played a huge role in their success. However, to make their voyage more problematic, they saw a person standing in front of the video control room. It was difficult to tell because of the dark, but they assumed it was a buff sturdy guard. They gathered up some more courage and walked up towards the big guy.   The man was standing with his arms crossed, emphasizing all the muscles that were pressed together. His expression was firm and emotionless, staring at the wall in front of him. As soon as he heard some footsteps, his eyes darted towards its direction with racing speed. Noticing the two figures, his muscles relaxed a little. His lips curled upwards in delight.   “Goodnight kiss girl!” he called out with his heavy voice.   “Oh? Goodnight kiss ahjussi?” Hyun Mi felt relieve wash over her. She came running to him and flashed him her sweet smile. At this moment, she felt like she could hug him out of happiness.
  Baek Hyun just gave her a weird stare as he kept glancing back and forth between the two. He had no idea how they could be acquainted to one another, but decided to keep the question to himself.
  “What are you doing here? The idols are down there,” the guard said as he pointed down towards the stairs.
  “I know, I’m here for something else,” Hyun Mi said as she was still panting. She fished out the pass from her bag and showed it to the guard. “I need to go in there.”
  The guard seemed to be in thoughts for a moment. “Although I don’t know what you have to do, but I would’ve let you in even without the pass,” he told her with a smile. He stepped aside from the door as if to grant her access.
  Hyun Mi could feel her eyes becoming watery, touched at his support.
  “Come on,” Baek Hyun nudged her back to reality.   He took the first initiative by placing his hand on the handle of the door. Carefully, he twisted it open, revealing three people who were sitting behind the computers. They were signaling to each other, deciding which camera to display on the huge screen shown throughout the concert arena. It was quite chaotic, but it all stopped as soon as they witnessed the people standing by the door.   “What are you kids doing here? This area is forbidden,” one of the man said.
  Another man, who looked like the boss amongst the three, turned towards the guard. “Why did you let them in?” he asked with anger in his voice.
  “They have a backstage crew pass,” the guard simply answered.
  Hyun Mi immediately held up the pass as a proof.
  “Still, this ain’t a place where you can play around. You should all leave before we have the security take you away by force,” the boss said.
  “Please, I just have a favor to ask,” Hyun Mi started pleading as she made her way forward to them. “It won’t take long and will be very quick.”
  “No can do, miss,” the third guy said.
  “Please take her away,” the boss commanded.
  The security guard looked reluctant as he approached her. He had no idea what she had in mind, but something in him wanted to help her. “Maybe we should hear what she has to say?” he suggested.
  “What?!” the boss was baffled.
  Hyun Mi stared at the guard with an appreciative smile. She then turned back to the other three men, and folded her hands together in a prayer position. “Please, ahjussi… If you don’t help me, Nam Woo Hyun’s career might end. I… I beg you, please…”
  The three men exchanged looks with one another, all equally confused.   Baek Hyun, who was leaning against the doorframe, let out a sigh. He knew Hyun Mi was smart, but in times of desperation, she often forgot her clever way with words that could convince people. In moments like these, he had to lend a helping hand.   “NinetyOne’s manager gave her permission. If you ask him, he would tell you to do what she wants,” he said. Seeing their astonished faces, he cocked his head a little and pointed towards the walkie-talkie in their hand. “Go on, check for yourself."  
  “Woo Hyun are you ready? You-”   Jung Ryeol’s pep talk got cut off mid sentence as he heard muffled voices coming from the walkie talkie he attached to his pants. He held his finger up towards the idol and turned around to answer the device.   “JungRyeol-ssi, there’s a girl here-”
  “I already gave her permission,” Jung Ryeol quickly spoke. He didn’t want Woo Hyun to get suspicious, so he had to keep things as vague as possible.
  “You really did?” the voice asked in disbelief.
  “Yes. Please assist her in her task,” Jung Ryeol officially gave his permission. He then placed the walkie-talkie away as he faced Woo Hyun once again. The idol was watching him with big curious eyes.
  “What was that about, hyung?”
  “Nothing you should be concerned about,” Jung Ryeol answered in the most casual way possible. He placed both hands on Woo Hyun’s shoulders and gave him a nod. “Don’t be nervous. Don’t think about the outcome. Just go out there, sing, and charm your fans.”
  Woo Hyun laughed at him as he grinned charmingly. “Of course, hyung. I’m a professional,” he said as he faked a hair flip. He patted his manager’s back before he got ready for his solo stage.   Woo Hyun could feel his heart beat faster as he made way towards the stage. The feeling was similar to the first time he debuted. He tried to calm himself down by taking a deep breath, and letting it out in a relaxing manner. He noticed Key approaching him after he had ended his stage. Without a word, Key had pulled him in for a bro hug.   “You can do this, my Hyun,” Key told him encouragingly as he patted his back several times. “We will continue to stand on stage together, no matter what.”   Woo Hyun raised his eyebrows as his friend let go of him. He had no idea why Key had spoken those words – as if he knew the possible consequence of his action tonight. However, there was no time to think about that. He replied Key with a sheepish smile and walked forward towards the lonely stage.   The instrumental started to play a gloomy melody. Every step he took felt heavy. He clenched the microphone tighter in his hand and brought it closer to his mouth. He turned to look towards the audience and felt a rush of emotion overtake him. His fans – his dearest fans – were all looking at him with pained expression. He couldn’t help but feel like he had disappointed them.   His lips parted as he began to sing the lyrics to his song. He chose to perform his most recent self-composed song called Close Your Eyes. The lyrics seemed to fit his guilt-ridden heart. He poured out all of his emotion as he sang his heart out.   When I close my eyes
I see your turned back with tears
I send it off to the wind as