It had been awhile since Park Chanyeol got on his bike and made a detour around the neighbourhood.  Dawn was yet oozing through the clouds.  With much of the neighbourhood still asleep, the sound of the bike wheeling on the silver shimmering pavement was ever more pronounced.  Chanyeol usually prefer to go for a bike ride during late evenings as it was easier for him to hide his face and enjoy the complete freedom of anonymity.  However, with EXO concert schedules underway, he had to compromise his preference.  He had long taken this type of compromise as one of his growing experiences.

            Upon reaching a downhill, he travelled with the cool breeze without braking.  It truly had been a long time since he completely immersed in the ride and with little regards to consequences.  With a chain of unexpected events happening all at once (Kris left EXO, Bom just left Roommate, and Baekhyun dating), he had a sudden naïve hope that everything can right itself again through just this one simple ride.  Though as the bike slowed down on flat ground, he let out a sigh and shook his head before picking up the pace again.

            “Let’s just enjoy the ride.” He told himself cheerfully.

            Song Gayeon slowed down her pace as she reached the top of a small green lush hill that was just off to the side of the neighbourhood park.  She took a glance at her watch and realized it would probably take another half an hour before the sunrise, just enough time for her to finish up her morning routine with some stretching.  She discovered this little treasured spot some weeks ago by pure accident.  This spot gave a spectacle view of the urban neighbourhood and was perfect to see the sunrise. 

            At the thought of sunrise, she did contemplate if she should let Kangjoon know about it since he was quite obsessed with sunrises and sunsets.  However, she quickly dismissed the idea.  Too much have been going on these days and with her debut match upcoming in about a month from now, she did not want to give up this sanctuary.  One less person knowing about this place would be best for her for the time being.  She needed time and space to sort through her feelings with regards to Minwoo.  At first, she was just grateful that Minwoo was proactive to take the first step to help her fit in with everybody.  However, as time gone by, she found herself being more and more self-conscious around him.  It seemed she had failed to heed her oppas’ warning about keeping it all just professional, especially in the entertainment world where it was often difficult to separate what was real and what was not.

            “Gayeon!” Her train of thoughts was interrupted by an energetic voice.

            She turned around and waved back at the other person from the bottom of the hill, “Good morning, Oppa!”

            “Wow, our little fighter got up so early to train.” Chanyeol said as he walked up the hill holding onto his bike.  He looked around at the place, awed by the beauty of its view.  He smiled, “If it wasn’t for your jacket, I would have missed this place.”

            ‘So much for sanctuary’ Gayeon took note to camouflage instead of wearing bright neon pink next time. 

            “My debut match is getting closer so I thought I should start to get up earlier to train.” She explained.  Noticing that Chanyeol seemed to struggle with parking his bike on the uneven grass hill, she walked over to him and helped.

            “Thanks.” His ears felt a bit hot, embarrassed that he received help with such a simple task.

            “No problem.” Then she looked up and asked, “Oppa, is there anything bothering you?”

            He was taken aback by the question.  He didn’t think he was that obvious.

            As if she can read his mind, she explained, “You always seem so quiet just before you go for a bike ride, but always come back looking more refreshed as if some weights have been lifted off your shoulders.  However...” She hesitated, realizing that she probably had spoken too much. “Sorry, it’s none of my business anyways.”

            His lips can’t help but curved slightly upwards.  Until today, it had never crossed his mind that this tiny boyish fighter can be this attentive of other roommates other than Minwoo.

            “No, actually you are right.” Gayeon’s head perked up when he admitted.  He went on, “I was thinking about something, but as I go on to think more about it, I realized that it’s beyond my control.  All I can do is give it my best in the situation and hope that everything will turn out fine.”

            “At least when you’re trying your best, you won’t feel completely hopeless.” She added thoughtfully.

            “I suppose that’s the case.” He sighed, expressing a rather exaggerated exasperation.

            She found it useless to hold it in and finally gave in a chuckle at his gesture after a few seconds.  To her, Chanyeol had always been a funny and bright oppa who bring nothing but joy and smiles to others.  Despite that he was a popular idol, he always seemed to find ways to tackle the stress and demands that come with such popularity.

            ‘At least there’s one less person to worry about.’ She thought. Ever since the beginning of joining Roommate, she somehow developed a habit of worrying about her fellow roommates (rather needlessly at times) when she learned about how much hardships each of them had gone through to get to where they were today.  The more she learned about her roommates the more she saw some of her own hardships as insignificant.  At the very least, she knew that she would always have her oppas watching her back.

            “So what about you?” He turned his attention to her. “Anything troubling you lately?”

            At first she hesitated, but soon nodded meekly as she looked beyond the tranquil view in front of her.  Although the PD had told them a week prior of Bom’s decision to retreat from the variety show, it still did not make it any easier for Gayeon to accept the older girl’s departure.  Like Minwoo who was the first male roommate, Bom was the first female roommate who went out of her ways to help Gayeon fit in and made her feel comfortable in an otherwise completely foreign environment.  She was very thankful that she had met Bom.  Until her last day at the Roommate house, Bom still displayed concerns for the younger girl despite the recent events that she was facing.  Just then, she recalled something peculiar that Bom had said to her during the older girl’s last day.

            Gayeon had volunteered to help Bom with the packing after the farewell party that Dongwook had took the time to arrange with everyone else’s help.  She bit back her bottom lip, trying her best not to cry in front of the camera as she watched Bom, who was also trying her best, to say her farewells to other roommates in her usual quirky and animated way.

            When it was finally her turn, Bom gave her a big warm hug.

            “Gayeonie,” Bom called with affection, “let’s keep in touch tomboy! And kick some butts on your debut match!”

            “I will.” She nodded. “Bom eonni, stay strong.”

            “I will too.” The older girl replied cheekily.  Then she surprised Gayeon by leaning close to her ear and whispered, “Be careful of Park Minwoo, okay?”

            Before Gayeon had any time to react, Bom had let go of the hug and moved onto Nana.

            Gayeon initially did want to ask Bom to clarify what she meant about Minwoo via a text message.  However, she soon dropped the idea because she understood that there were a lot on Bom’s plate at the moment and it was best to give the older girl time and space to sort through everything.  Besides, she was convinced that this had to be a misunderstanding.  After all, with both of Bom and Minwoo’s straight forward personalities, few disagreements here and there were inevitable.  She was determined to resolve the misunderstanding when the time was appropriate.

            “Gayeon, Gayeon!” Chanyeol waved his hand in front of her face.

            “Yes, Oppa?” She was snapped back to the present.

            “What were you thinking so deep about?” His voice laced with concern.

            “Nothin—” Just then a question popped up in her mind. “Oppa, during Bom eonni’s farewell party…did she say something strange to you?”

            “Well…” He thought it would be stranger if Bom did not say anything odd between every few sentences.

            “You better take care of Gayeon.”

            He knew Bom had been taking care of Gayeon as if the latter was her younger sister.  However, when she said that, it made him feel a bit awkward somehow.  Maybe it had to do with how the EXO members already kept mentioning the MMA fighter’s name since the start of Roommate.  Or maybe it was due to Gayeon’s unique status as a non-celebrity and the youngest member of the show.  Either way, he reckoned that he had been unconsciously aware of Gayeon and wondered how she was fitting in with everyone else at the Roommate house every now and then.  Bom’s words just made that awareness now conscious on his part.  He would have forgotten about it by now if Gayeon had not brought up Bom’s farewell party.  He realized how Bom’s words, with an unmistakable alien flare, had made him feel even more awkward especially with Gayeon by his side at the moment.

            “Not much.” He replied after a short deliberation.

            A glimmer of light began to peek through from the mountains beyond.  Thinking that Gayeon was paying attention to the rising sun, he took a discreet glance at her.  Just then, he caught a pair of glossy dark chocolate orbs staring right back at him.  Those eyes resembled those of a child.  In that moment, he felt a breath caught in his throat and a leap from his chest.  His face quickly heat up to the tips of his ears from embarrassment.  The change of colour on his face would have been noticeable if it was not for the still dimly lit sky.

            Inwardly, Gayeon took a sigh of relief.  It seemed Bom only made that odd comment about Minwoo to her.  ‘So it’s probably just a small misunderstanding.’ With that thought in mind, she returned her attention to the view.  Upon seeing the sunrise, she smiled, “Oh! Oppa! The sunrise! It always feels the best to see a sunrise right after a workout!” Then she deliberated, “Though, it does make me hungry sometimes because it looks like an egg yolk...”

            Chanyeol broke in a fit of laughter at her comment.  He had never met a girl with such a straight forward mind despite being so reserved at times.

            “What?” She gave a confused blank look, which made him laugh even more.

            He wiped the tears off the corner of his eyes. “Gayeon-ah, the more I see you the more you seem like a puppy.”

            “A puppy?” Then she said in a tone lower than usual, “Oppa, your choice: a low kick or a back choke to start off a refreshing morning?”

            “Haha…how about neither?” He laughed nervously now. However, soon he cleared his throat, “Jokes asides…Gayeon, just want you to know that although we met through Roommate, you cannot deny the fact that we are becoming like a family.  I know Bom noona leaving the show might be hard for you to adjust at first…But anyways, what I’m trying to say is that whenever you feel troubled, you don’t have to keep it to yourself.  You can rely on us like family.”

            After a moment of silence, Gayeon nodded thoughtfully, “I will.” Then she added, “You too, Oppa.  To be honest, I think being an idol of your status is amazing.  You assume a lot of responsibilities, yet you still manage to maintain such positive energy.  But like you said, we are becoming like a family…So it’s okay to cry or rant once in a while when things are rough.  I promise I won’t laugh at you.” She ended with a slightly teasing tone.

            “Okay, call!” Like a born entertainer, his voice brightened up more than usual.

            “Call!” She grinned. “Oh yeah, you changed the topic earlier.  So what’s your decision, oppa?  Low kick or back choke?”

            “Gayeon-ah, I have a schedule this afternoon.” His eyes were pleading.

            “Good, then it would help you freshen up before then.  Even Baekhyun oppa did once mention that it was a refreshing experience.” She teased.

            “Oh my, our Gayeon has matured so much.” He placed his left palm to his chest as if he was very touched by Gayeon’s evolving sense of humour.

              Just in a nick of time, Chanyeol’s painful fate was saved by a group text message sent from Soohyun.

            Soohyun: those who went for morning exercise, come back for breakfast before it’s all             gone! Today’s special: Shin Omma’s beef bone soup!!

            “Phew.” Chanyeol sighed out of relief, especially when Gayeon had been serious about it despite the lighthearted tone.

            “Come on, Oppa! Before it’s all gone!” Gayeon was already at the bottom of the hill.

            “Really like a puppy.” He said underneath while shook his head.

            A young woman in her early twenties nervously entered the windowless room.  Across from a large wooden table sat two women and a man, all around their mid-forties.

            “Please have a seat.” The man sat in the center gestured the young woman.

            “Thank you.” She gave a respectful bow before seating herself.

            The woman on the left, had a rather tougher built than the average South Korean woman, straighten her back and spoke after skimming through the documents in front of her, “Do you have any idea why you are here?”

            Despite her best effort to look calm, she only managed to shake her head in response.  In truth, she was worried that the company had decided to let her go.

            “Relax.” The older woman finally smiled. “We’re giving you a chance so that we can evaluate whether you will debut.”

            The young woman’s eyes lit up.  She could no longer contain her emotions, especially after thinking back how hard she had worked all these years just to be given that one chance. “Thank you…Really, thank you.”

            The older woman passed the younger woman a tissue and when the atmosphere had calm down, she spoke again, “However, we’re also giving you a fair warning.  This is going to be your last chance.  Do you understand, Ahn Sojin-sshi?”