A/ N: My absolute immense GREETINGS!!

I'm so happy to announce that I'm finally back from Hiatus! It's been crazy, this being-a-high-school-senior business. Blehh.

But I've rested like Snow White during my week of Spring Break, and am Really, Really excited!! (About EXO! haha, jk~ No, but really. ;P)

I hope everyone has been well. I know everyone has been just as crazed in work that somehow manages to triple when late Winter and Spring come along. Please be strong and positive! And please continue to find some type of small refuge with Kpop. :)

One announcement I want to make is that I've officially decided to become a member of the ia Commonwealth University's Class of 2016! VCU is a university located in the heart of Richmond, ia, United States, and I fell in love with the place after my very first visit just a few days ago, and I'm really looking forward to attending university and attending to some amazing art classes next year, as a university student! Yes, my major at VCU will be Visual Arts.

So, I hope you haven't forgotten Sungjong and Hyera and Myungsoo and Jiae! I know, EXO was/is such as powerful force of attraction, but hold on tight, because Infinite is coming back in May!!

Okay sorry, I'll stop rambling now, and let you read on. ^^

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Hyera had improved. It was the Michael Jackson song that had done it; how to feel the music in your body. And with each movement she perfected, her eyes became brighter, almost magically so. Each layer of gleam and each layer of the strength that shone in her beautiful brown pupils enchanted Sungjong, his essence into them, making him powerless under their command. In the end, Sungjong was the one who led her through her movements and taught her each dance routine, but Hyera was the one in control. Sungjong just succumbed to his blatant obsession toward her and the power she had over him, dreaming of her every day, longing for her every day.

In the next two meetings the two had, Hyera completely perfected SNSD’s Run Devil Run. They could even dance it together in unison with the music in the background, though Sungjong took care not to overdo himself too much, not to make Hyera feel bad. She may be improving, but she wasn’t exactly the next Lee Hyori.

*****

On Sunday morning, Sungjong leaned back in his seat in Infinite’s van, squished between Sungyeol and Dongwoo, thinking of what to text Hyera as a good morning message.

“Yah Lee Sungjong, you’ve been really obsessed with your phone lately,” called Sunggyu from next to Dongwoo, looking at Sungjong with narrow eyes.

“Yeah! Every morning, the first thing you do when you get in the car is stare at your phone! You’re even more obsessed than Myungsoo with his IPad!” added Sungyeol, his high-pitched voice tickling Sungjong’s ear.

“Who are you texting so much, Sungjong-ah~?” Woohyun called with a snicker from the back.

Sungjong locked his phone and shoved it in his pocket. “Oh, please. I’m not texting anyone, and I’m not obsessed with my phone,” he murmured.

“Yah, if you’re not texting, than what would you be doing on a phone? Got any games?” asked Dongwoo.

“Sungjong-ah, now that I think about it, you’re always on your phone before you go to bed, too,” Hoya remarked, leaning forward to knock on Sungjong’s head. Sungjong reached over and pushed Hoya’s hand away.

“No, I’m not! You’re mistaking me for Sungyeollie hyung with his laptop,” replied the maknae, annoyed that the group’s attention was completely aimed toward him. He glanced at Myungsoo in the back next to Hoya, who just stared at him with a bored look.

“Sungjongie is texting a girlfriend~!!” exclaimed Woohyun, “Who is it? Aren’t you close friends with f(x)? Is it one of them??”

“Oie, Sungjong-ah, if you’re texting Luna, tell her Sungyeol said hi!”

“Ohhhhhh, Lee Sungjong, when did you become such a lady’s man??”

“Hey, let me see your phone! I want Krystal’s number!”

The members’ random comments continued, none of which Sungjong even bothered to reply to. He would just have to text Hyera later, when his hyungs were busy.

It wasn’t that he was obsessed with his phone. He was obsessed with Hyera. Her eyes, her spirit, her comforting messages via text.

*****

TO: Hyera

FROM: Sungjong

Sent: 10.9.11 10:13a.m.

Hmm… Idk. For some reason, I’m really nervous about today’s performance.

TO: Sungjong

FROM: Hyera

Sent: 10.9.11 10:16a.m.

Being nervous isn’t a bad thing. It probably means you’ll be that much more focused on stage. Good luck! I can’t wait to watch you guys later today.

*****

Infinite’s Paradise performance on the October 9^thepisode of Inkigayo was full of passion and fervor. Sungjong was amazed at how Hyera had been exactly right; he was much more focused and aware of his movements throughout the performance. When the members got off stage, accompanied by the grateful shower of applause and shouts from Inspirits, Sungjong immediately went to grab his phone.

“Lee Sungjong! Where are you going? We have to get back up for the ending!” Jungryul hyung shouted. Without getting to his phone, Sungjong had to follow the other members backstage to watch the final performance, Super Junior’s A-Cha.

*****

When Super Junior’s stage ended, the Infinite members scurried on stage, crowding in the back behind the two girls from Davichi and Ali. Sungjong, who had been staring blankly at the back of Kang Minkyung Sunbae’s head, was startled when Ali sunbae turned around and flashed a smile in his direction. Momentarily, he was baffled, since he had never met Ali sunbae before, but then he realized that she was smiling at Woohyun next to him, not himself.

The four MCs took their positions at the center of the stage and made the call to reveal the week’s Mutizen Song winner. Sungjong thought to himself, that even though Infinite were in the running for the award as well, he would like to see Sung Shikyung sunbae win this week, because it would make Hyera happy. She was much younger than the generations that had liked Shikyung sunbae at his peak, but it was because of his music, she had told him, that she appreciated him and liked him.

Sungjong hadn’t been aware that he had been gazing toward the screen that everyone else was looking toward, to see the week’s winner. So when Sunggyu’s frowning face popped out at Sungjong, he couldn’t comprehend it, what was going on. But somewhere in front of him, the voices of the MCs had yelled out, “INFINITE!!” and he was making his way toward the front of the stage, random faces smiling at him along the way.

He managed to realize it a bit quicker than some of the other Infinite members; they had won the week’s Mutizen Song. It was their song, Infinite’s Paradise. As the grin spread across his face, he thought of Hyera, and how happy she would be to find out, even if they had stolen Shikyung sunbae’s spotlight. Not just Hyera, but everyone would be ecstatic. He himself was utterly laughing, a hand coming up to cover his laugh, and he scooted on next to Woohyun, the laughter overtaking him.

Someone tapped Sungjong on the shoulder, and he turned be congratulated by U-Kiss’s Kevin. Sungjong quickly bowed in thanks and turned back toward the front, mentally commanding himself not to cry. Luckily, Dongwoo hyung was being his bubbly, flamboyant self, and with Dongwoo hyung’s arm around him and that signature, cheery laughter filling Sungjong’s ear, the imminent cry became stopped, retreating back into Sungjong’s chest for later.

Sunggyu hyung was stuttering, again. He did that our first time! Sungjong thought fondly. His heart was beating wildly; in fact, it felt as if it were becoming bloated, filling him up. Sungyeol hyung was crying, and Woohyun hyung was near tears. The fans were cheering for them, just for them. It was Paradise, this place that Sungjong was, this moment that filled his insides up. This place that he stood with all of s right by his side.

*****

Smiles, tears, words of congratulations, words of thanks, words of encouragement, words of warning, cheers, embraces, punches, hands, together.

Sungjong felt it all pass by in a blur, but even so, the atmosphere of the events that took place from when the Infinite members got off the Inkigayo stage to making their way back to the Woolim Company building was clear: this was a time for celebration, but this was also a crucial time in which they could not forget their humbleness and humility. They needed to focus on the hardships and the sacrifices, not the award and its title, its flashy glory.

And so Sungjong abided by the necessitated mood, strictly. And he knew that the Infinite members all felt united in this necessity, and he was thankful that he belonged to such a united, understanding group. He could not imagine belonging to a different group, being named differently than Infinite, being with different members than with Sunggyu, Woohyun, Hoya, Sungyeol, or Myungsoo.

They got off the van and entered the Woolim building, where the familiar scent of air conditioning greeted them affectionately. The managers, grinning, told them that dinner was waiting in the lounge room. Sungjong followed behind the line of Infinite members, managers, and stylists, and somewhere along the way, the Woolim CEO, Lee Jyungyeop, joined them in line.

Sungjong filed into the all too familiar lounge room, arranged in its familiar sofas, tables, chairs, and everything else, and surveyed the various smiling faces, who all wanted to congratulate Infinite, to join in the celebration. It seemed like everyone who worked in the Woolim Company was there, and Sungjong had to break away from s and weave through the crowd, searching.

Finally, he caught sight of her. She was too short to have been seen from the very entrance, and her simple, normal attire made her difficult to spot out. But her eyes were unmistakable. She caught sight of him just as he came up to her, and the light that spilled out of the brown pupils onto Sungjong paralyzed him from head to toe. He stood, glued to the ground, warmed by Hyera’s smile, but more than that, by the beauty that radiated from her eyes, and the complete magnificence of their effect on him, all in all. He was drawn closer, and closer, until the light flooded him, and he could not make out anything else around him, except the brown and the glow.

*****

“Congratulations, Kim Myung Soo. Even if it was the song that did it.”

Myungsoo smirked down at Jiae, shaking his head at how sarcastic she always managed to be. He still had tears in his eyes, but now he had to get rid of them for good, because he couldn’t be seen crying in front of Jiae.

“I can see the little tears in your eye sockets, it’s too late to try to hide them,” Jiae remarked, crossing her arms.

Myungsoo let out a sigh. “Yah, do you always have to be like this? Why can’t you be nice and teary and girly, like… other girls?” he retorted, blinking his tears away.

“What for? Sungyeol and Dongwoo oppa have enough tears for all of us!” said Jiae, grinning and turning her head to look for the two, who were undoubtedly crying their hearts out from the unexpected win.

Myungsoo brought his hands up to uncross Jiae’s arms. “You’re just impossible,” he said, and he made his hands reach up from her arms to her shoulders and then her back, pulling her toward his own body, hugging her with all of his emotions. She seemed to fit in his arms perfectly. But as soon as he could feel her in his embrace completely, she pulled away. “Yah… I don’t know if this is appropriate…” she muttered, gaze aimed toward the floor. Maybe it wasn’t appropriate, especially since Myungsoo could clearly see Jungyeop CEO from where he stood, but he needed to. Today, it was important, and allowed.  

Then, they both glanced next to them, where Sungjong was hugging Hyera, his whole body engulfing the small girl. “They’re hugging, why can’t we?” reasoned Myungsoo. He looked at Jiae for a response, and when she gave him none, he pulled her into him again. This time, she didn’t stop him, and their bodies seemed to mix into one, as he felt his sheer emotions pouring from his insides into her. The elating feeling of winning again, and the delicious feeling of having her so close to him, too. But the same thought flashed through their minds for a split second, and they both knew that the other was asking it: Why were Sungjong and Hyera hugging each other that way?

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A/ N: Thank you so much for reading, as always! The story is well on its way to its height, but it will take several more chapters for it to finish out.

Again, I'm uber happy to be out of my Hiatus, and I hope for my sake that others are too~! Hehe

I hope I can get around to posting my next story, if Obsession plays out well and comes to a close in good time.

So, happy Spring Break for everyone, and go Infinite! (And EXO! Hehe, have you noticed my love for those new aliens?)