Chapter 7

            Hakyeon stood in the middle of the living room of VIXX’s dorm, looking down at his phone.  The last call he had received from Serri came two weeks ago, on that day she noticed the bruise on his eye.  By now, that bruise had faded away, but the troubling exchange of words from that day never left his mind.

            She never let him say what she needed to hear.  And she wouldn’t reply to any calls and texts he had made.  He routinely requested Hongbin to ask Jiyul about Serri, but filming for Time Will Tell ended two days ago, and that natural form of communication had been severed.  Adding to communication barriers, VIXX had begun their promotions for their new album, Error, and Hakyeon barely had any time to spare for Serri even if she did want to see him.  Without Dal Shabet promoting at the same time, there was little chance for them to ever see each other for a long time.

            But today was a special case.  Hongbin and Jiyul had been invited onto a variety show to promote Time Will Tell, and the show had requested an additional member from both VIXX and Dal Shabet to accompany them.  Dal Shabet’s variety members mostly included Subin and Woohee.  Though there wasn’t much of a chance to see Serri, Hakyeon hoped to at least ask how she was doing.

            “Are you ready to go, hyung?” Hongbin asked, walking into the living room holding his jacket.  “The van should be waiting outside.”

            “Yeah, I’m ready.”  Hakyeon continued to look down at his phone and scroll through his old text messages with Serri.

            “Are you worried about something?”

            “No.”

            “…Are you thinking about Serri?”

            Looking up reluctantly, Hakyeon gave a slight grin.  “Not really.”

            “Hyung, she’ll be okay,” Hongbin assured with his innocent smile.  “I’m sure her members and friends are helping her through this thing.”

            “I know, but…I just worry.  I don’t know why she hasn’t contacted me in so long.”

            “Hyung…are you sure you don’t just…miss her?”

            “Miss her?”  Hakyeon put his phone away and rubbed the back of his head.  “Well, sure I miss her.  I mean, we’re friends.”

            “Well, yeah, but…”  Hongbin placed his hand on Hakyeon’s shoulder and smirked.  “I mean…maybe you like her.”

            “Like her?”

            “Like her,” Hongbin repeated sternly.

            Hakyeon gave a loud laugh and walked toward the front door.  “Ah, Hongbin-ah, it’s not like that.  She’s not even close to my ideal type.”

            “Sure,” Hongbin sighed.  “Your ideal type is Seohyun, the quiet, sophisticated scholar.  But Serri is loud and adorable…and she needs you.”

            With his hand on the door handle, Hakyeon looked down at the floor.  “I don’t think she really needs me.”

            “She needs you, and you know it,” Hongbin insisted.  “That’s why you’re so worried.  You’ve seen it in her eyes.  You know she needs someone outside of her world to help her escape.”

            “We’re just friends,” Hakyeon claimed quietly, finally opening the door.  “Come on.  Let’s go.”

            Hongbin sighed in defeat and followed Hakyeon out of the dorm.  “Well, I doubt she’ll be there today, so you’ll just have to miss her a little longer.”

*          *          *

            “This is so exciting.”

            Serri and Jiyul sat in the middle row of their company’s van as they drove to KBS Studios.  Eyeing Serri suspiciously, Jiyul marveled at her enthusiastic voice.  In the midst of Serri’s excitement, Jiyul sensed an undertone of agitation, which hardly surprised her.

            “Unnie…are you nervous?”

            “I’ve been on variety shows before,” Serri chuckled, leaning back in her chair.  “It won’t be a big deal.”

            “I wasn’t talking about the variety show.”

            Serri tensely took her Hello Kitty mirror from her purse and began to check her appearance.  “Do you…Do you really think he’ll be there?”

            “I didn’t mention him yet, but thanks for saving us some time,” Jiyul smirked impishly.

            “Aish,” Serri sighed, putting her mirror on her lap.  “What gave it away?”

            “I’ve lived with you for four years, unnie,” Jiyul reminded.  “I can tell when you’re nervous.  And it’s been pretty obvious that something happened between you and Hakyeon.”

            “Like what?” 

            Jiyul knew Serri suddenly felt very exposed and transparent, and she hated to be the one who made her feel that way.  But Jiyul gently tapped Serri’s arm and gave a friendly grin.

            “Subin won’t kick you out of the dorm again, don’t worry, unnie,” Jiyul assured.  “The other members don’t suspect much.  Hongbin has been raising my suspicions though.”

            “How so?” Serri asked anxiously.  “What has he told you?”

            “He hasn’t told me anything,” Jiyul promised quickly.  “But every couple of days for the past two weeks, he’s asked how you’ve been.  You’re the only member he asks about.  And I know you and Hongbin aren’t close.  Therefore, he must be asking on behalf of Hakyeon.  And that means you and Hakyeon haven’t been talking for two weeks.”

            Serri stared at her in shock.  “Jiyul-ah…are you psychic?”

            “Well, I was sort of guessing with the information I had, but the look on your face tells me I’m correct,” Jiyul beamed triumphantly.  “Ya!”  She suddenly smacked Serri on the arm and glared at her.  “Why aren’t you talking to Hakyeon oppa?  He genuinely cares about you!”

            “I know that!” Serri exclaimed in frustration, rubbing her throbbing arm.  “Of course I want to see him.  I really miss him.” 

            “Then why are you avoiding him?”

            “It’s…to protect him.”

            “Protect him?”  Jiyul leaned away from Serri and covered .  “Are you sick or something?”

            “What?  No!”

            “I was just kidding, unnie, take it easy,” Jiyul laughed, startled by Serri’s abrupt panic.  “But how are you protecting him?”

            “Ever since we started meeting like this, Yoohwan has harassed the both of us,” Serri admitted reluctantly.  “Two weeks ago, after that Music Bank special stage, Hakyeon got angry at Yoohwan because of something he said to me.  They got into a fight, and Hakyeon got this horrible, ugly bruise on his face.  Jiyul-ah, it was so hard to look at.”

            “What?” Jiyul asked in amazement.  “He took a punch for you?”

            “Yes,” Serri sighed.  “I’ve only caused trouble for him.  I was selfish.  He had to deal with my weepy self and a violent Yoohwan.  That bruise really made me realize how awful I was, though.”

            “Ah, unnie, you can’t do this to him now,” Jiyul insisted fervently, shaking her head.  “If Hakyeon is willing to endure a punch for you, I think he really likes you.”

            “Likes me?”  Serri gave an uneasy chuckle.  “What do you mean by that?”

            “Unnie, are you serious?” Jiyul questioned wearily.  “Don’t try to tell me you’re both just friends.”

            “We are!” Serri cried defensively.  “Hakyeon is my partner in crime.  We joke around a lot.  We have fun.  When my life is overwhelming, he helps me escape.”

            “Yeah, uh huh…So when’s the wedding?”

            “Ya!”  Serri slapped Jiyul's arm, and they both burst into bashful laughter.  “Jiyul-ah, we really aren’t like that.  Besides, I’m not even his ideal type.”

            “How do you know that?”

            “Everyone knows it’s Seohyun,” Serri told casually, picking up her mirror again.  “He’s mentioned it several times on various radio and television shows.”

            “Someone has been searching VIXX’s N on Youtube,” Jiyul smiled mischievously, giving a wink.

            “Ya!  Stop it!  You just have to believe me, Jiyul-ah.”

            “Ah, whatever, unnie.  He may not even be on the show today.”

*          *          *

            The stage was set.  The audience was energetic, ready for an incredible show.  Six idols sat in six chairs.  From stage left, the sequence went: Jiyul, Serri, Jiyeon, Eunjung, Hongbin…and Hakyeon.  Backstage, Serri had passed by him a few times, each time being as cordial as she could.  But both of them sensed that their relationship wasn’t the same.

            On the stage, Serri did her best to keep from looking at him.  She couldn’t bear to see the face that was bruised for her only two weeks ago.  And if they were to make eye contact, what could she do?  How could she apologize for being selfish, or ignoring him, or any other way she could have hurt him?  It would take a couple hours to finish this broadcast, and she wished the time would pass by quickly.

            “Welcome to Idol Buddies!” the announcer, Moon Taewon, suddenly cried.  Serri, so caught up in her own thoughts, barely realized that filming was beginning.  She sat up in her chair and smiled politely.

            Sitting at his desk with his note cards in his hands, Taewon signaled to the six guests.  “Let’s start with a self introduction.  Serri-ssi, can you start us off?”

            “Ah, yes.  I’m Dal Shabet’s leader, Serri.”

            The other five guests cheerfully introduced themselves, and Taewon nodded happily.  He checked his note cards briefly before looking up at Hakyeon.

            “N-ssi, Hongbin-ssi is the star of Time Will Tell.  Why are you here with him?”

            “I’m here to keep Hongbin from causing trouble,” Hakyeon smirked.

            “It’s the opposite, actually,” Hongbin insisted.  “None of the members were home, and we couldn’t afford a babysitter.  Hakyeon had to come with me to work today.”

            The audience roared with laughter, and Jiyeon gave a hilarious chuckle that spurred on the audience’s reaction.

            “Now, today we have Hongbin-ssi, Jiyul-ssi, and Jiyeon-ssi, along with one of their fellow members, to discuss their hit drama, Time Will Tell,” Taewon continued.  “So, Jiyul-ssi, can you tell us about your character?”

            “Yes, well, Eunsun is the-girl-next-door who has always loved her childhood friend, Chunghee,” Jiyul explained.  “Though he becomes a womanizer and chases after every girl besides her, she patiently waits for him and devotes herself to him.”

            “But then she is diagnosed with cancer, yes?”

            “Yes,” Jiyul frowned.  “And she’s angry because she could have already found love by now and moved on with her life if she hadn’t spent all her time devoted to Chunghee.”

            “Wow, Hongbin-ssi, your character sounds like a real jerk,” Taewon grinned.

            “At the beginning, he really is,” Hongbin admitted.  “But he comes around toward the end, as I’m sure the viewers have already noticed in recent episodes.”

            “Jiyeon-ssi, how do you play into all of this?”

            “My character, Iseul, is Chunghee’s girlfriend at the time of Eunsun’s diagnosis,” Jiyeon sighed.  “I’m the bad guy.”

            “Oh, that must pose some problems.”

            “Definitely.”

            “But you must not be very successful in your evil schemes, because Hongbin and Jiyul have had several steamy kissing scenes since the show’s debut, right?”

            The audience rumbled with excitement as Jiyul and Hongbin began to blush.  Jiyul pointed at Taewon and shook her head.

            “There haven’t been several,” she claimed adamantly.  “Only two scenes have been aired!”

            “But there are more scenes to be aired?” Taewon asked eagerly.

            “Well…yes.”

            The screen behind the idols lit up suddenly, and both Jiyul and Hongbin appeared on it.  In the scene, Jiyul aggressively pushed Hongbin up against the wall of a dark alley and kissed him before he halfheartedly shoved her away.  Everyone in the audience, including the visiting idols, erupted in shocked screams and uncontrollable laughter.  Serri cried out elatedly and covered her eyes.  Hongbin shifted uncomfortably in his chair, while Jiyul jumped up from her seat.

            “My character was drunk!” Jiyul exclaimed zealously, rushing over to the announcer’s desk.  “She was drunk!”

            The scene played four times before the screen finally went blank, and Taewon could barely pull himself out of his bout of laughter.  “Jiyul-ssi, please take your seat.  Unless you and Hongbin plan to reenact that scene here on the stage.”

            “Aish!”  Jiyul rushed back to her seat and patted her flaming, red cheeks.

            “So, that is one of several kissing scenes in Time Will Tell,” Taewon informed.  “Hongbin-ssi, out of all these kissing scenes, how many NG’s do you think there were?”

            “Not too many,” Hongbin told urgently.  “We’re both professional!  You should know that, Taewon-ssi.”

            “Yes,” Taewon agreed.  “But everyone makes mistakes.”

            “Sure, but-”

            “Like, for that scene, how many NG’s were there?”

            Everyone shrieked in horror as the alley scene appeared on the screen yet again.  Serri wrapped her arms around the mortified Jiyul, yet couldn’t stop her own laughter.

            “Okay!  I’ll tell you!” Hongbin promised.  “Just take that off the screen!”

            “Alright, Hongbin-ssi,” Taewon chuckled as the scene vanished from the screen.  “Tell us.”

            “Well…for that scene, there were a few NG’s because it was difficult,” Hongbin confessed reluctantly.  “I mean, Jiyul had never acted drunk before, and I was learning how to react to her acting.”

            “Just a few NG’s?”

            “Maybe, like…ten.”

            “Ten?  That happened ten times?  Don’t you think that’s a little excessive?  Could some of those NG’s have been on purpose?”

            “Taewon oppa, don’t be so nosy,” Jiyeon requested swiftly.  “It’s not your business how many NG’s Hongbin and Jiyul chose to make.”

            “Jiyeon-ah!” Jiyul cried helplessly.

            “I can admit to the NG I forced them to make, though,” Jiyeon smirked.  “You see, I was on set for that scene, and they just seemed like such an adorable couple.  I may have sabotaged a scene or two by walking too close to the microphones and causing excessive noise.”

            “Jiyeon-ah!”  Jiyul turned to face Jiyeon and stared straight into her eyes.  “You did that?”

            “I probably would have done the same thing,” Serri admitted, laughing quietly.

            “Unnie!”

            “Serri-ssi, what do you have to say about this obvious relationship?” Taewon asked, mocking a stern tone.

            “I ship it,” Serri grinned, taking Jiyul’s hand.  “Jiyul-ah, when is the wedding?”

            Jiyul was speechless as she observed Serri’s sly expression.  She couldn’t help but finally smile, knowing that Serri was teasing her with her own words.

            “N-ssi, as the leader of VIXX, what do you have to say?”

            “Their children will be so pretty,” Hakyeon said tenderly.  “I can’t wait to be an uncle.”

            “Aish!” Hongbin shouted, smacking Hakyeon’s shoulder.  Hongbin covered his face with his hands and slouched down in his chair.

            “Yes, Jiyul-ah, hurry up with the children,” Serri pleaded, caressing Jiyul’s face gently.  “They’ll be such a joy in our lives.”

            “N-ssi!  Serri-ssi!  You both sound like eager in-laws!” Taewon chuckled.  “Perhaps we’re looking at the wrong pairing.  How long have you two been an old, eager married couple?”

            Serri and Hakyeon finally locked eyes, and Serri’s heart broke instantly.  He gave her a subtle, wishful smile before finally looking at Taewon.  “We’ve been arranging this marriage for years, Taewon-ssi.  It’s about time to see the fruit of our labor.”

            “I think the only fruit you’ll see from this labor is a smack in the head,” Taewon grinned amusedly.  “Hongbin-ssi looks as if he’s planning a murder.”

            “I am,” Hongbin whispered sternly, looking over at Hakyeon.  “I definitely am.”

*          *          *

            After filming ended, Jiyul and Serri packed up their things in their dressing room.  Even through awkwardness and anxiety, the filming had been pleasant enough.  But Serri was eager to get back home and forget about the hopeful light she had seen in Hakyeon’s eyes.

            As they left the dressing room, Jiyul tapped Serri on her arm.  “I have to tell Jiyeon something.  I’ll be right back.”

            Jiyul rushed off to find Jiyeon, and Serri leaned on the wall of the quiet hallway.  The KBS building was usually bustling with staff and idols, but after a broadcast, everything was far more relaxed. 

            “Serri-ssi,” Hongbin asked suddenly, entering the hallway.  “Do you know where Jiyul is?”

            “She just went that way to find Jiyeon,” Serri informed cordially.

            “Ah, good.  I need to talk to both of them.  Thank you!”  He rushed down the hallway, following Jiyul.

            “Serri-yah.”

            Serri reluctantly turned to see Hakyeon as he poked his head into the hallway.  As he walked towards her, she looked down at the ground and closed her eyes.

            “Serri-yah…how are you doing?” he asked softly.

            “I’m fine,” she ensured. 

            “…Well, okay.”

            He slowly walked past her after Hongbin and Jiyul.  Serri looked up and frowned at his gloomy posture. 

            “Oppa, wait!” she called.  He slowly turned to her as she took a few steps towards him.  “Oppa…I’m not mad at you or avoiding you because I don’t like you-”

            “I miss you, Serri-yah,” he said with a broken grin.  “Why have you been acting like this?  What’s wrong?”

            “I…I miss you too.”  She crossed her arms tightly as an uncomfortable chill went down her spine.  “Oppa, whenever I’m with you, you have to deal with all the damage Yoohwan did to me.  Furthermore, you’re harassed by him and even take punches from him.  I don’t want that to happen to you.”

            “Serri-yah, I don’t mind all those things,” he insisted keenly, reaching for her arm.  She gradually unfolded her arms, and they fell to her sides.  His fingers slid down her arm and took hold of her hand.  “I just want you to be happy.  And when you’re with me, you seem happy.  And…I’m happy too.”

            “But Yoohwan-”

            “Yoohwan is someone you have to deal with whether I help you or not,” he told sternly.  “I’d rather be helping you than leaving you to deal with him by yourself.”

            “It’s more painful when he hurts my friends.”  She squeezed his hand before gently pushing it away.  “Don’t you understand that?”

            “What if Yoohwan isn’t the only reason I want to see you now?”

            “What?”

            He took her hand again and held it tightly.  “Serri-yah…I didn’t want to admit it, but…I think I really like you.”

            “Like me?”

            “Like you,” he smiled happily.  “And maybe it’s one-sided, but if you’ll let me, I’d like to see you more often-”

            “No.”  Serri hit his hand away and stepped back.  “Don’t say that.”

            “What?  Serri, what’s wrong?”

            “At first, I wanted to protect you,” Serri began as tears filled her eyes.  “I didn’t want Yoohwan to hurt you.  But now I’ve realized that I’m worse than that.  I’ve realized why I really distanced myself from you.”

            “What are you saying, Serri-yah?”

            “I’m scared.”  Her childlike grimace showed true terror as she stepped further away.  “This is exactly how he treated me at the beginning.  He held my hand, he worried about me.  And then he hurt me.”

            “Serri-yah, I would never hurt you!” Hakyeon cried, taking a step towards her.  “Why would you ever think that?”

            “If we stay friends, you can’t hurt me,” she said as tears began to fall from her eyes.  “But if we stay friends, Yoohwan will hurt you.”

            “This isn’t making sense!” he yelled desperately.  “Serri-yah, I won’t hurt you!  And Yoohwan will never hurt either of us again!”

            “How do you know?” she screamed shakily.  “How could you ever know?”

            “Please, Serri-yah, don’t act like this.”

            Without another word, Serri turned around and headed down the hall.  Hakyeon called for her, but she only walked away from him with greater speed.  Soon she turned a corner and disappeared.  A very real sense of shock and panic came over him as he tried to understand the past two minutes of his life.  Something told him he barely comprehended the story of Serri and Yoohwan.

Author's Note: In case you're confused like I was a little while ago, "NG" means "no good". Lolz. I hope you're enjoying the story so far!