A big thank you to everyone who has commented so far,I really do appreciate all of those comments. I would have probably abandoned this story if it wasn't for the fact that some of you liked it enough to comment and even subscribe. I hope I don't disappoint you all too much since this is my first multichapter story I've attempted. If you're an experienced writer yourself or even if you aren't,feel free to criticise me or give me suggestions. ^_^  As promised some Suho and IU although probably not in the setting you all would have guessed. The song I used is Hate That I Love You by Rihanna ft. Ne-Yo. I actually wanted to use Big Bang's Let's Not's Fall In Love since I thought the lyrics would suit IU's situation better but it doesn't work with my timeline since we're still in early 2015 and the song was released much later. 

Also important question- Should I still include IU acting in Producers as well as appearing in Infinite Challenge and Mino's joining SMTM4? Since this story will probably be a bit of a slow burn,I'm wondering if I should include those. Also I might feature Chatshire later on and if I do,I will definitely not include the witch hunt because I feel like that was just people over reacting and trying to hate on her. Fair warning. 

BLUE-JIEUN, BLACK-SUHO , RED- BOTH OF THEM

          Glancing at her appearance in the mirror,she couldn't help the surprised smile that graced her face. She wasn't normally vain but her stylists and make up artists had really outdone themselves today. She was dressed in her royal blue gown that clung to her body loosely and her hair which had grown back to its original length was left untied,falling on her shoulders. Her make up style was simple too but despite of that,the overall look was quite stunning. Deciding that she had been vain enough,she took one last glance at the English lyrics before following her manager backstage.

        It had been quite a while since she had last appeared on a music show since she hadn't promoted 'A Flower's Bookmark' on music shows at all then so looking around,she felt a bit nostalgic suddenly. At the sound of footsteps approaching,she turned around and grinned when she spotted her partner. They waved at each other from where they stood at opposite ends backstage but didn't get a chance to do more than that as they were already being ushered to the set where they would be singing live instead of the typical pre-recorded performance. The two special stage singers waited briefly for the cameras to be adjusted as the fans screamed on top of their lungs at the sight of the two of them.

       When the director gave them the cue,IU walked to the bench where she would first be sitting on as she began their song. As she waited for the music to start,she briefly heard the MC's introducing them, " Let's welcome the two singers who'll be performing a special stage live today. These two are also starring together in a drama that will be airing soon so we can't wait to see how their chemistry will unfold on stage!"

      Hearing the music begin to play,IU began singing,holding the microphone tightly as she looked at the floor while on the opposite side,her partner stood looking only at her.

                    That's how much I love you

                    That's how much I need you

                    And I can't stand ya

                   Must everything you do make me wanna smile?

                   Can I not like it for a while?

     Then from the other side of the stage,her partner began slowly walking towards her as he sang his part. It was just the two of them onstage with dry ice being used as an illusion for smoke for added romantic effect.

              No...but you won't let me

             You upset me girl,then you kiss my lips

             All of a sudden I forget that I was upset.

             Can't remember what you did

             But I hate it

     And he came to a stop in front of her before kneeling down in front of her,which elicited lot of surprised gasps from the spectators but IU was still facing the crowd instead of him. She glanced at the mostly silent,captivated crowd as she continued singing.

              You know exactly what to do 

              So that I can't stay mad at you

              For too long,that's wrong

             But I hate it

             You know exactly how to touch

             So that I don't wanna fuss and fight no more

             So I despise that I adore you

    Finally,she looked away from the crowd towards Suho who despite kneeling down was still on eye contact level with her. They were really quite close to each other,much closer than they had been during rehearsals.Blushing slightly as he stared at her with an intensity that even his sweet smile didn't diminish,she continued singing as she returned his stare.

         And I hate how much I love you boy

         I can't stand how much I need you

         And I hate how much I love you boy

        But I just can't let you go

         And I hate that I love you so

        And you completely know the power that you have

        The only one that makes me laugh

     At the last line,he flashed an even more brighter smile at her which made the fans go wild.While she continued singing,Suho stood up fluidly,taking her hand which was not holding the microphone and pulled her up and while still facing her,slowly walked backwards until they reached the middle of the stage.

      Sad and it's not fair how you take 

      advantage of the fact that I

      love you beyond reason why

      And it just ain't right

 Since he was taller,she had to look up at him to meet his gaze but the height difference was slightly minimised by the heels she wore.Still holding her hand as he gazed at her with a look of tender affection,he sang his part.

      And I hate how much I love you girl.

      I can't stand how much I need you

     And I hate how much I love you girl

    But I just can't let you go

    And I hate that I love you so

   Following what they had practiced,she stepped back a few feet away from him while still holding his hand while he remained still,simply gazing at her as they sang the next part together with IU's head  turned slightly away from him,once again facing the crowd.

  One of these days maybe your magic won't affect me

  And your kiss won't make me weak

  But no one in this world knows me

  the way you know me

  so you'll probably always have 

   a spell on me

  That's how much I love you

  That's how much I need you

  That's how much I love you

   hat's hw much I need you

   Finally at the last part of the song,she turned back towards him and bridged the distance between them as she lifted their entwined hands up.

    And I hate that I love you so

    And I hate how much I love you boy

    I can't stand how much I need you

    And I hate how much I love you boy

    But I just can't let you go

    And I hate that I love you so

    And  I hate that I love you so...so...

  She sang the last lines softly as the music ended.Suho grinned widely at her as he turned around causing her to follow as he was still holding her hand and they bowed together. At the back of her mind,she thought that surprisingly none of the EXO fans were hurling insults at her and she was extremely grateful for that.Unbeknownst to her,Suho had posted a message on various EXO fan sites,informing them of their upcoming special stage and asking them to treat his co-star with the utmost respect and without contempt a couple of days ago.Luckily,it seemed like his fans did respect Suho enough to lfollow his words.

    After their bow,she let go of his hand and headed backstage as he followed behind,already missing the feel of her small hand in his. As they went backstage,he tried to catch up with her surprisingly quick footsteps but his manager suddenly pulled him back with a warning look so he helplessly watched her go.A flustered IU almost ran to her waiting room as her bewildered manager followed behind. Turning around,she signalled that she was going to change so that he wouldn't follow her inside. Closing her door and locking it just to be safe,the  23 year old finally acknowledged her rapidly beating heart as she sank down to the floor.

   They had practiced this performance twice before and her heart had reacted perfectly normally then so she didn't understand why it had suddenly gone into overdrive earlier onstage when her eyes had met his surprisingly intense gaze.Suho oppa was a much better actor than she realized it seemed. "Lee Jieun,get your head straight!!!", she pinched herself as she said that out loud.Somehow pulling herself together and stubbornly ignoring the fact that her heartbeat still hadn't returned to normal,she stood up.By the time she had changed into an oversized black hoodie and a pair of light blue leggings,she had managed to somehow convince herself that it had simply been her nerves due to performing on a msic show after quite some time that had caused the fluctuations in her heartbeat.

   Having  tied her hair into a simple bun,she added a cap to her ensemble and pulled her hoodie up before leaving the studio with her manager and bodyguard.It was already quite 10 p.m and with some luck,she would be able to reach LOEN's studio in time before he arrived.She didn't really feel like paying for pizza tonight.

            Staring at his phone intently,Suho wondered if he should call her and maybe invite her for dinner or at least a coffee together.He desperately wanted to but then he remembered that his manager was already keeping a close eye on him and he would probably blow a fuse if Suho did so which was what made him stop from pressing on the message icon.Sighing discontentedly,he decided he needed a distraction so he left his waiting room and headed to the one just a few feet away from his.

      Briefly knocking,he entered after its inhabitant told him to just come in.Smiling at his senior,he bowed down in greeting before sitting next to him on the couch.SHINee's Jonghyun smiled broadly at his hoobae as he patted Suho's back, "That was a cool stage that you did with Jieun.Your voices were good together and it looked so real that I almost believed the words that you were singing."

      Trying to act indifferent,Suho just thanked his sunbae,not wanting to talk too much about the special stage lest his true feelings be sensed.In an obvious attempt to steer the conversation in a different direction,Suho questioned Jonghyun instead, "Where are you heading to,hyung?Back home?". Laughing at his obvious change of topics but letting it go,the older guy answered, "I'm actually heading to LOEN's studio to see Jieun."

     Since he was busy lacing his sneakers as he answered,he missed the flash of surprise followed by jealousy that crossed Suho's face, "Why,hyung?Does SM know?".Curious about the slight hint of jealousy that laced Suho's voice but deciding to ignore it for now,Jonghyun just grinned at Suho, "You're surprisingly curious today,Suho. Jieun and I normally meet up on Thursday nights whenever we can to discuss music.Normally,we listen to each other's compositions and help each other with suggestions and stuff.Occasionally,we just mess around,singing covers or just chatting.We're best friends actually,we just like to keep it more to ourselves.As for SM,we've been doing it long enough that sajang-nim doesn't really care anymore and my compositions improved anyway so he doesn't have reason to complain.Anyway,I got to go.If I'm late,Jieun makes me pay for the pizza.See you at SM,Suho-ah. Goodnight."

    Jonghyun walked out with a final oat on Suho's back and EXO's normally laid back leader watched him go with an indecipherable look on his face.He had known that Jonghyun was friends with her but he hadn't realized that they were that close.If even SM was not being strict about it,then it must have been going on for quite a while.For the first time since becoming an idol,Suho regretted not being talented enough to compose his own songs.It was becoming quite increasingly clear to him that despite how much time they had spent together on their drama set,IU wasn't the type to become close with just about anyone.She was always polite and friendly but she was clearly still holding back and judging by how she didn't do the same with Jonghyun,a shared love for music was probably the easiest way to become truly close to her.

    Deciding to head back home,a slightly dejected Suho left the room. For now,the only chance he had was to get close to her before the drama ended.It wouldn't be easy but that the best shot that he had. Practicing for their special stage had made them slightly closer than before so maybe with a bit of more concentrated effort,she'd at least begin to see him as a friend instead of just a co-star. Baby steps,he thought to himself. For now,getting closer to her was more important. If she wouldn't even be his friend,she definitely wouldn't give him a chance if he ever did confess to her.

  Before you all start worrying about Jonghyun,he'll just be IU's best friend in this story. Their friendship will remain purely platonic. Personally,I dont understand how guys and girls can be best friends without the lines getting blurred but I've seen it in real life so I guess it can happen,I'm just too much of a shipper to see it that way. This chapter is about 4,5 days after the previous one.

Also I'm kinda on the fence as to whether to maintain an oblivious IU or for her to realize that the guys have feelings for her. Or maybe one of them will suddenly confess.There are so many ways to go with it and I still haven't decided which way to go. *sighs*

Another thing-do you think I should bring in more of Suho and Mino's friends into the story because I realize that I'm mainly using IU's friends in this story. If you do,let me know what cameos you want to see and maybe in what way. As for the next chapter,I'm thinking of including the food truck idea suggested probably with a Yoo In Na appearance as I think I'll either make it a YG food truck or In Na sending it for IU. Should I make someone from WINNER come along with In Na to visit them?Or maybe Bobby or B.I? Or someone else who's close to IU? Suggestions are welcome.

The next few chapters are probably gonna be more longer with more things packed in as I want to move things along.

  Finally,thanks for still reading this and even more thanks to the three people who commented for the previous chapter(you know who you are <3 ). I was going to take longer to update but because of you three,I was motivated enough to update sooner.