Hyojoo did not know if her boyfriend going to Japan for a series of events was considered something to be happy about. They had been together since the end of 2008, after “Heaven’s Postman” finished its filming. In 2 days time it would be their 3 month anniversary. She did not plan to do anything for celebration. She couldn’t anyway, her lover would be in Japan attending music shows while she had her commercials to shoot.

She was not surprised at how fast they had gone in their relationship. Passion is her greatest strength. Passionate about her work, passionate in her love, passionate about everything. If she did not hold that zeal in whatever she did, she would not have become the Han Hyojoo everyone adores now.

It was so easy for her to fall in love with anyone who treated her well, and so easy to fall out of love, once the passion died. It was unfair to label her as coquettish because she never intended to date someone and then leave him for others. Each new relationship was meant to be the last one for her. She was usually the one who offered all her love to the person she cared, the one who could give up everything just to be with the one. Who could resist such an enchanting girl?

Yet it was often the other party who would initiate the breakup. She could never figure out why. Had she not given enough?

“You’re too good for me. Sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. It’s mine. Please forgive me.”
“Maybe we’re not meant to be together after all.”
“I can’t love you. Let’s break up.”

There were men who tried to be nice while some were simply too harsh for a delicate heart like hers. Some left without bidding farewell and some apologized profusely. She had heard too many breakup phrases but none told her the truth. No one explained to her why exactly they wanted it to end, that the love she gave was too much for them to bear.

Her fingers touched the silver pendant on the neck. His face popped up in her mind, bringing a saccharine smile to her face. Jaejoong was unlike other guys. He returned her the equal amount of love she had provided him with. The love scale was at last balanced.

He’s going to be the last, she thought. There’s nothing else to yearn for.

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“Aki.” Jaejoong clicked on the link to the celebrity’s homepage and took a small sip of tea while waiting for the page to load.

It was the last day of February and the Dong Bang group had long arrived in Japan for the recording of their new single and preparation of their 4th Japanese album. Their most recent recording was quite a success and the manager had rewarded them by allowing them home early.

Jaejoong had wanted to give Hyojoo a surprise phone call but it was already 11.30pm and he knew that the girl was already asleep. It was a funny but rather healthy habit her girlfriend had. She’d sleep as early at 10 o’clock when she wasn’t working. She claimed that the long hours of sleep were to replenish her energy lost during her working hours. Jaejoong could never do the same as her. He had been too used to sleeping around 4 hours a day, sometimes fewer when the schedule was packed.

Feeling bored, he decided to research on his new interest. Aki Chan, more often known as Aki solely, a famous pop idol who just returned from her break to Japan’s entertainment industry.

Like the other members, he seldom took notice of Japanese stars unless they were extremely popular or too talented for him to miss out. However, her comeback news was splashed over all newspapers and mentioned in so many TV shows that he became curious about that legendary figure.

Starting out as a child actress at an early age of 10, Aki had been active in the entertainment industry until August 2006 when she unexpectedly went missing after a short announcement in a press conference that she was going on a holiday. There were many guesses on the exact reason she left but Jaejoong skipped them all. Being an artist himself he knew that such rumors were usually untrue. He was more keen in learning about her works and how she managed to maintain her popularity despite losing touch with the fans for two and a half years.

He was somewhat astounded by what he saw on the profile page.

4 albums within 3 years, each ranked in the top 10 on the Oricon Chart;
20 over singles released since 2003, not including the various OST tracks she lent her voice to.

Her achievements in music might not be as outstanding as BoA, or any other artist who’s prominent internationally, but to be able to produce so many tracks at a young age was still commendable. She did not even debut as a singer. She had made her first appearance as the live action version of Akazukin Cha Cha, the main character of the manga with the same title.

From fantasy animes to school dramas to comedies to problem plays, her acting skills must have been fantastic to earn her different roles in a range of drama types. Jaejoong was overwhelmed by the abundance of information on Aki.

How could he have overlooked this topliner?

I must have missed out a lot, he thought to himself.

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A week has passed since Aki announced her comeback officially during the press conference. She was instantly proposed to by many companies and stations, hoping for her presence in various events, be it huge or small.

Though ecstatic at the attention and many opportunities, Aki could not help but worry. Everything was happening too fast. It felt so surreal. She was afraid that it was only a dream and she would wake up to find that nothing was concrete.

Irony. She used to be a carefree soul who’s only concerned with present and not future. She was once so cheerful and optimistic that almost nothing could make upset her. Obstacles were treated as challenges and failures as meaningful lessons. Positivity was her second name, used to be.

She did not know when it started, that she became more conscious of how others viewed her; of how she fared after each filming or recording session. It probably came with age, as she grew more mature, and perhaps more pessimistic.

Fans were her treasured possession. They are and will always be. She yearned for nothing. Nothing but to keep on dreaming and not wake up.

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School is seriously hectic. I hope people are still reading this. It makes me happier. :D

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