20.

So Eun volunteers to help Junho learn his lines for his upcoming movie ‘Cold eyes’ since he’s always been the one to revise the dialogues with her if he happens to be around.

After half a bottle of wine, a whole pack of their favorite chocolate and two hours of re-reading his script, they’re both sprawled on the floor of So Eun’s apartment laughing and making jokes of his lines.

(He decides to learn his lines alone after that. So Eun might be help but also a huge distraction.)

19.

Junho calls her at 4 am while he’s still on his tour in Tokyo. He knows his timings are bad sometimes and that she always spends half an hour groaning and protesting about his early phone calls but it’s this friendship he’s formed with her since they both joined the show ‘Music & Lyrics’ that has turned her into a part of his life.

“You should really stop calling me.” So Eun groans into the phone. “It’s 4 am in the morning, for god’s sake. It wouldn’t kill to call me a little bit later.”

“I’m sorry. I just couldn’t sleep.” He mumbles, knowing fully well that she’s about to have a total change in her attitude quite soon.

“That’s really not my problem, Lee Junho. I’m hanging up.” And just with that she hangs up, leaving him waiting patiently on the other line. He’s already counting down the seconds when his phone buzzes.

“You coulldn’t sleep?” She asks, concerned.

Junho’s lips turn upward when he starts talking about all the things that’s been going on in Tokyo (totally forgetting about the ‘I couldn’t sleep’ issue) and asking about her schedules, coming events (because, yes, he misses his friend).

18.

She receives an invitation to the movie premiere of ‘Cold eyes’. She goes because she has an evening free and mostly because he deserves her support. They go seperately but their seats are arranged next to each other.

“You don’t look so bad on-screen.” She whispers, nudging him with her elbow lightly.

“Thanks. It’s really rare to hear a compliment coming from you.” He grins and So Eun nudges him again, this time harder.

They watch the movie in complete silence after. The way she’s so invested in the movie warms his heart somehow and when tears actually trickle down her cheeks when he gets stabbed in the movie, he reaches for her hand and gives it a squeeze.

She keeps complaining about his death (even when it’s already a week after the movie premerie) saying it is “unfair” and “unnecessary” to kill him off. She gets over ‘his’ death two weeks later, storming into 2PM’s dorm, advising him to choose his next role “more carefully”.

Junho gives her a nonchalant smile, receives warning glares in return.

17.

So Eun shows up in a concert held in Seoul. It’s the second time she goes to a 2PM concert. The first time he insisted but this time she goes without him knowing.  She sits in the first row right in front of the huge stadium, holding up lightsticks, wearing metallic grey make-up (2PM’s colour) and shouts their (Junho’s) name at the top of her voice.

He gets on stage with his brothers right beside him, holding the microphone close to his lips and says his most sincere greetings. His body stiffens for a whole moment as he glances down the audience and sees her sitting there cheering and clapping the lightsticks together. A wide smile makes it way to his lips before he goes back to being 2PM’s Junho, giving his best to the performances.

After the concert, she’s the first one to greet him backstage. He runs right to her and wraps his arms around her, mumbling how thankful he is and babbling about how overwhelming it was to see her sitting in the audience.

16.

So Eun throws him a secret party on his 24th birthday. Nichkhun and Chansung are instructed to take him out of the house for at least an hour while the other boys are required to give her a hand with the cooking and decorating.
 
Junho comes home to a living room full of balloons up the ceiling, confetti spread all over the floor,  a big slogan with “Happy Birthday, Junho” on it and the people he cares about the most grinning, shouting ‘happy birthday’ all at once.

Her gift consists of a giant cork board (wrapped up  in beautiful paper and having a lovely bow on top of it), every inch filled with memories of them since the day they met. A few shots were taken when they first met (back then on the show Music & Lyrics) and others were taken over the years they’ve become friends. Some were random ones (taken whenever they met or went out together), some were taken on special occasions (Christmas, her house warming party with all the members of 2PM in the background, her birthday party last September, the movie premiere of ‘Cold Eyes’ and a backstage photo from 2PM’s last concert in Seoul ).

 Junho takes another one that night, a group photo with So Eun right next to him (his hand loosely around her waist). It happens to be his favourite one, he pins it in the middle of the cork board.

(Much later that night Junho carries the cork board into his room, making it a point to hang it on the wall the next day along with all these other pictures of him and his brothers, his family already there.)  

15.

They both are talkers but there’s this one topic they barely even touch. Like it’s forbidden, and that it’s better to just leave it undisclosed, undiscovered. Something taboo.

Junho doesn’t bother engaging in her personal love life because once it’s important she’d tell him and if he doesn’t have a clue about it, it’s probably just a fling, a crush that would go away after a short time. So Eun ends up telling him anyway, without him even asking.

He finds out So Eun still has feelings for Kim Bum (first love, boyfriend of 2 years- as she once introduced) when they’re on one of their nights out, dining at their favourite restaurant. After too much wine and her being all tipsy and unaware of what she’s even talking about, she tells him.

“I’m still in love with him.” She slurs, taking another sip from her glass. “Ridiculous, don’t you think?”

He ends up comforting her the rest of the night- wiping her tears, her back while telling her jokes and making weird faces to make her smile.

She remembers nothing of what happened the next morning and Junho doesn’t bring the issue to surface, keeping it to himself and promising himself that he’d be there were  she to shed any tears over Kim Sang Bum again.

//


So Eun doesn’t risk toeing that dangerous line, somehow being led to believe that boys are fully capable of getting their own stuff together. And since he doesn’t tell, she doesn’t ask. It’s been like that right from the start (and probably has been agreed upon tacitly). But in the end, the beans are spilled and nothing is left unsaid.

Junho tells her about his break-up with a girl he met (someone not in the showbiz) when they are cuddled on her couch watching a movie together.

“I broke up with her today.” He blurts out, searching for her eyes.

So Eun turns to look at him, her left hand instantly reaching for the remote control to put the movie to a stop. Her head whirling for a moment before she can settle for words.

“That’s awful.” She whispers softly, moving closer to Junho on the couch. “Are you alright?”

“Not quite.” Junho manages, forcing out a weak smile.

“Don’t worry.” So Eun says after a moment, trying to boost up his mood. “It’s been more than a year since my break-up and still I cling but you’re independent, strong and absolutely capable of sweeping any lady off her feet with just one of those smiles. You’re Lee Junho!”

Junho cracks a smile at her attempt, heaving a heavy sigh. For the first time after that incident does she mention her break-up.

“Things went too fast and with my time schedule I just couldn’t give her the attention she deserves.” Junho closes his eyes before continuing his story in a low voice. “Besides, I’m scared of what will happen to her once the media gets wind of it, once everyone knows. She won’t be able to handle it. She doesn’t belong to the world I’m living and I can’t let her take the bullet just because I want her in my life. That’s too much to ask for.”

Silence falls over the both of them for a moment. Each one of them drifting away in their own thoughts. Junho thinking of how life never turns out the way he wants while So Eun broods over how to heal a broken heart, how to help him move on while she can’t herself.

“On the bright side, I won’t be too lonely in my single-and-available club.” So Eun offers him a smile.

“Yeah.” He laughs, finally. “No doubt in that.”

“I’m conducting my helping-Junho-get-over-his-breakup campaign. Starting from this moment! So don’t worry. You’ll be being the Junho with all smiles before you even know it.”

So Eun doesn’t ask her name, doesn’t ask about their relationship or how long it’s been going (a few months she assumes). She just keeps on being there for him- calling him whenever she’s not busy for small talks and to keep his mind pre-occupied, stopping by 2PM’s dorm twice a week just to make sure he’s not doing anything foolish.

Junho gets back on his feet two months later, partly due to her non-stop enthusiasm and the smile that never ceases on her lips.

14.

Pandemonium broke out when the news was announced. And though So Eun knows she isn’t even the least included in the Kim Bum – Moon Geun Young circle, she still finds herself on the verge of a mental broke down. (She keeps rescheduling her appointments, reasoning out that she’s exhausted, worn out or having signs of catching a flu. Her manager puts up with those ridiculous excuses for a week until he’s had enough and finally drags her out of her apartment.)

She makes it home at midnight that day and heads straight for the shower. She hears a knock on the door on her way back to her bedroom, clothes fully changed. So Eun doesn’t have to second-guess to know who might be standi