Chapter 18 : Beijing

Everyone was already outside the apartment except for Taemin. “Yah! Taemin-ah! Pali (hurry)! We’re late!” Key screamed on the phone as on the other line was Taemin who was still inside the apartment, having difficulties in trying to find his passport. “Is he usually like this?” I asked Minho. “Sometimes it happens to Jonghyun hyung (big brother) too” Minho whispered to me. “Yah! Did you just drop the honorifics on me?” Jonghyun gave a shout at Minho and laughed at the end. “I said Jonghyun HYUNG!” His flaming eyes seems like it was going to pop out of his head. “The problem is your ears. When was the last time you cleared it?” Minho just laughs along while trying to convince Jonghyun that he DID said hyung after saying his name. Actually, when I think about it; everytime Minho said Jonghyun hyung; the word hyung kind of disappears in the end. That’s why Jonghyun misunderstood Minho. “Okay, fine. But I don’t always lost my passport, Aiman ssi” he made it pretty clear for me to understand. I just nodded and there was silence until Onew starts talking after hearing their conversation earlier. “But you prefer to lose your phone right?” Suddenly the van was full of laughter except for Jonghyun. “Okay, I admit. I lose my phone A LOT… Where’s Taemin?!” Jonghyun said while looking out the window and Taemin appeared out of nowhere. “Mianhe (sorry)…” Taemin exclaimed while looking down, worried of his hyungs if they might scold him because of his clumsiness but they were still giggling from what happened earlier. Taemin who didn’t know anything just smiled, knowing that no one would get angry at him for being late but then Key exploded when he found out that Taemin used his shampoo as he could smell it from Taemin’s hair. A lot of more babbling was heard inside the van and I thought to myself. So, this is the life of five idols who had to live together, work together, rode the same vehicle together but in the end, every one of them would take care of each other in times of need and difficulties. I’m proud and happy for them that they’re still together even though it had been a long and difficult journey for them; to endure the pain, the sorrow and the challenges that they have to face from time to time.

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                The flight didn’t take long for us to reach Beijing. The first stop was to check-in to our hotel and have a good rest before going out sightseeing the night view. I was selected to stay in a room with Amber. She’s from a girl group of this company, f(x). I was surprised to know that there was one member named Sulli. At first I thought that she was the Sulli I knew from my childhood when I heard her name the first time but it turns out that they were two different people. What I couldn’t believe at first was that their face looked pretty much the same.

As soon as I got into the room, Amber jumps onto the bed instantly. She seems really happy while stretching her arms and legs as if she was making snow angels on the white mattress. “You can sleep on the bed that’s beside the window, right?” she asked. “Ne (yes)” I answered. “I’m going to take a shower first or do you want to use it first?” she asked more. “I’m fine. You can use it if you want” I said. She takes her toiletries from her huge luggage and went into the toilet straight away. She really is what Key describes to me while we were on the flight earlier; Amber is a tomboy and has a boyish feeling around her. To me, it’s easy to communicate with her considering she is an outgoing kind of person. While she was still in the shower, I took out my laptop to surf the internet for a while when the doorbell suddenly rang. “I’ll get it!” I told Amber who seemed to be still in the shower for almost an hour now. I looked through the peephole of the door and saw Minho outside. As soon as I got out, he started babbling with his mouth. “Why didn’t you pick up my calls?” I just don’t get it. We’re given three hours to have a good rest before going around town and here he is in front of my room. Isn’t he tired from the long trip on the plane? I asked myself before answering his question. “I’m sorry, my phone’s out of battery. I forgot to charge it up” he didn’t say anything but smiles. “Okay, I forgive you. I was going to tell you to wear a blue blouse later so we can match our clothes together and then later we’re going to look for couple t-shirts. Okay?” I just nodded without saying another word. He just gave me a pat on the head and went into his room. I was still shocked from the patting he gave me. He never does that before. I always see it in dramas or movies and I think that it’s a sweet thing but what he did just now wasn’t sweet at all. I feel like my brain was shaking so hard that I felt like there was a small earthquake inside my skull. My poor precious brain.

After regaining myself from the dizziness, I wore the blue blouse as he requested and rode the bus which would take us around the beautiful city of Beijing. When I got onto the bus, my eyes were wondering around, looking for a seat. Suddenly, Minho raised his hand and calls out to me but then I saw Amber calling out to me too. I quickly went to her seat and sat beside her. It’s not like I don’t want to sit next to him, it’s just that no one actually knows about our relationship yet. I’m still not prepared for the consequences that might happen. I didn’t look back to where he was sitting and started a conversation with Amber instead. Suddenly, a text came in.  “Why didn’t you come and sat beside me earlier?” It was Minho. “Nothing. Let’s talk about this later, okay?” I knew that if I said that, it would just make him feel upset because he might think that something’s not right but the fact is, I just feel that some matters must be explained at the right moment. As soon as we reached the first destination, everyone got out as fast as they could. I waited for everyone to get out first as it would be best to get out last just like what my dad have thought me so I won’t bump into anyone and it seems more polite to do so. I noticed that Minho was second last, so I just followed him from behind. When it was my turn to get off of the bus, I suddenly tripped from stepping on my own shoelace and my hand was caught on Minho’s shoulder automatically. His hands caught me from falling down on the pavement. Jonghyun who was a step ahead of us turned around when he heard my foot landed on the pavement, hard. “Oh, are you okay?” he asked. I took my hands off of Minho immediately and just nodded. He continued walking side by side with Key. Suddenly, Minho started to laugh. “What?” I asked him, following the others from behind. “Are you doing a body gag just to get my attention?” he asked. “Body gag? What’s that?” We started a conversation as we walked along the road to a place called China Town. “Body gag is when someone makes awkward body movements which might involve falling over or bumping into things. In a simple word, clumsiness” he explained while taking a turn to the left into the road which leads to the destination we’re going. “Why would I want to get your attention? I did it on purpose okay?” I said sarcastically while walking away and joined Jonghyun and Key. There were so many small stalls on the right side selling souvenirs and on the left side, they sold food. Everything looks delicious but I already had my dinner just before hopping onto the bus earlier. My eyes were looking around at the right area where there were key chains, bracelets, toys, sandals and many more. I saw a group of people surrounding a stall and went to join them. Kris and Tao were there too. “What are you guys looking at?” I asked them. “Ah… these are hats which are handmade. They look like tailor-made right?” Tao explained. I observed them picking out their own choice when I decided to pick one too. A gift, maybe? I thought to myself. After a long time wasted just to pick the right size and type of hat, I picked out a black fedora which had a strip of brown ribbon strapped on it. When I was about to leave after paying, I noticed an interesting stall beside it. There was a huge sewing machine on the table. I asked Kris since I couldn’t understand Chinese and it turns out that the tailor could sew names on the hats that we just bought from the other stall earlier. Kris seems excited and decided to call Tao who already left us both behind to tell him all about it. Then, Kris disappeared. He was out of sight. Now, how am I supposed to communicate with the tailor?

After a few more walks with Onew and Key, we were called back to the bus to go to a few more interesting places. On the last trip back to our hotel, I was really worn out. My eyes are already drowsy, visions getting blurry and my legs were aching from walking too much. As I looked around, no one seems to be having the same pain as I’m suffering at the moment. I guess having your body exercised and dancing a lot surely makes your body fit and healthy. As soon as the bus started to move, I looked through the window once again to watch the lights of the tall buildings that roam the city and finally my eyelids shut closed. ‘THUMP!’ The bus hit the road hard after going over a bump on the road. I was surprised and woke up from my deep sleep. As soon as I turned to my right side, I was even surprised as if I saw a ghost sitting beside me. It was Minho. He was yawning and seemed to be waking up from the loud bump earlier too. “What are you doing here?!” I shouted but whispered at the same time as I saw a lot of people are already fast asleep. “Oh, you’re awake? Just continue sleeping. I’m tired” He closed his eyes while I only gave him a cold stare as I was still surprised for his sudden appearance. Then, he gave a pat on his left shoulder. “What?” I asked him. “Lean your head here” he said while his eyes were still closed. What? Lean on his shoulder? At first I didn’t know what to respond. Suddenly his eyes were open and his hand puts my head on his shoulder instantly, making my eyes open wide. “Just go to sleep already. If I don’t have enough sleep for tomorrow, I’m blaming it on you” he said as if he was sleep talking. I smiled thinking that I don’t want to get scold by him tomorrow and went to sleep instantly.

Chapter 17 : A Trip

“Yay!!” We all screamed after the last episode of our drama which finally ended with a total of 20 episodes. It was supposed to be 18 but because of the great feedbacks and responses, we extended it to two more episodes. The director congratulated everyone who cooperated in making this drama a success and for the highest-rating drama that he promises to the whole staff. The final episode ended with 24.6%, beating other dramas which also had their final episodes airing too. “It was the greatest hit in the filming industry as it was a new version of the historical drama written by a rookie scriptwriter and directed by a great director alongside the talented actor and actresses” was a comment given from other directors from other companies the day after the final broadcast.

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                 A week after celebrating that greatest moment, I finally had the rest of my life. Three whole months really worn me out; excluding the days which I had to work overtime just to help with the editing, the typing, the setting and everything else. The director wanted to sponsor a full package vacation for me but I declined saying that having a rest in my own cozy home is already enough for me. Prepared to start my vacation; I took out a piece of paper, a pen, played some music out loud and opened the curtains wide to let the sun brighten the room up but it was no luck. No ideas were coming into my mind. I had no idea what to do with my spare time, six months to be exact before I start writing for another drama. After ten minutes thinking until my head was about to explode, I didn’t realize myself suddenly writing a rough script when I’m supposed to write a full page of the things I wanted to do during this vacation. When I finished, I noticed that the paper was already full of plots and characters I made up. While I was analyzing it again for the third time, the doorbell rang. I looked through the screen beside the door and there were flowers covering the whole screen. I couldn’t see a face. “Nugu seyo (who is it)?” I asked but there was no reply. When I opened the door, there was no one around but a wooden basket full of red and yellow tulips in front of the door. Feeling curious about it, I took it inside. Suddenly, an e-mail came in and I had to check it out to see if Sulli had replied my message. I put the basket down by the door. While I was reading her e-mail attentively, the basket fell over causing a huge mess. When I looked at it, Kai was coming out of the fallen basket. I guess it had climbed into it. When I picked him up, there was a piece of paper stuck onto his foot. When I read it, it certainly gave me a shock of my life. “I’m going to leave soon. I hope we can meet again. Minho” What is this nonsense?! Leave? Who’s playing with me right now? This can’t be true. It just can’t. I ran out the door and went to their house. Everyone seemed pretty shocked to see me all of a sudden. “Where’s Minho?” I asked. “Oh, he went to the park earlier… waeyo (why)?” Key asked. “Nothing” I answered simply, ran out the door and went to the park instantly.

                 While my eyes were wandering around looking for him, something caught my eye. I could see a balloon floating in the bright blue sky which had caught my attention somehow. It was the little girl that once gave me the iPod before. She was holding the balloon in her hand. Suddenly, she started running with her friends to play tag. “Have you… have you… seen Minho oppa?” I asked her as I was out of breath from trying to catch up to her. “Oh, unnie (big sister)?” She seemed a bit surprised to see me and handed me the balloon. She continued playing with her friends without saying another word. I looked at the balloon and on it had a picture of an areoplane. Then, something came into my mind. After getting a cab, I went straight to the nearest airport. As soon as I arrived, I looked around to try and find him but there were too many people around. Suddenly, I could hear his voice. “What took you so long?” I turned around; his face was covered with a scarf and a pair of sunglasses he had a brown leather backpack on his back. He walked up to me and was about to say something but I stopped him by hugging him and said. “Why are you leaving me? Don’t! Stay with me, arachi (alright)?” I cried and cried when suddenly I stopped, after hearing his words. “What? I can’t leave you just for an hour and you’re already crying?” I let go of him and stared into his eyes with my swollen red soaky eyes. “What… did you say?” I said while trying to stop myself from sobbing anymore. “Are you going to leave just like that? Where’s your ticket?” he looked at me from top to bottom while both of his hands were on my shoulders. “What are you talking about? What ticket?” I asked him. “Didn’t you get my flowers? I was supposed to leave for Japan first but the manager told me that you weren’t at the airport yet. So, I stayed to wait for you to show up but how come you came empty handed?” I wiped my tears while hearing his explanations. “Japan? Why are you going there?” I was still confused. My brain couldn’t process everything at once. Suddenly, he starts to laugh “Yah, WE are supposed to go there to meet my mom. Remember?” My mind was still blank. “Wait, have you looked into the basket thoroughly?” Suddenly, I started to remember Kai was going into the basket. “No, I only got the letter you gave me” he started to laugh more. “There was a ticket in there, the ticket that you’re supposed to use to go to Japan” he widened his eyes while looking at me. “I was planning it like this. I go first and then you leave after me. We couldn’t leave at the same time because the manager accidently booked the wrong ticket” he explained everything after we sat down at the waiting area. “Oh. Really? I guess I was in a rush after reading that letter” I said to myself. He just frowns while looking down at me. “Now, because of you I couldn’t introduce you to my mom” he was pouting really badly as if it was going to fall onto the ground. “I’m so sorry okay. We’ll go another time. I’ll book the next ticket, okay?” I suggested and gave him a bright smile. “Fine. We’ll go another time. BUT!” Suddenly he raised his finger at me. “I’m paying for the ticket. I don’t want to ride the economy class” he complained like a little kid. “What?! You thought I can’t afford for the business class?” He got up and walked away while I just followed him from behind and I could see him just smiling, ignoring my every word. We were both nagging from the airport until we reached back home.

                I was about to enter my apartment when suddenly Minho got a call from Key. “Yah, are you with Aiman ssi right now?” Key asked. “Ne (yes). Waeyo (why)?” While they were talking, I excused myself to go inside but then Minho stopped me by raising his finger saying for me to wait while his other hand was still on the phone talking to Key. After the conversation was over, he told me that Key invited me to their house. Why so sudden? I thought to myself. When I entered, everyone was in the living room. Jonghyun and Taemin were watching the television while Key and Onew were having a discussion at the dining table. Minho and I sat at the dining table as the couch was fully reserved by Jonghyun and Taemin. “Ah, Aiman ssi. We have a great plan and you need to join us” Key explained as soon as he saw me. “What plan?” I asked. Then, he just turns his direction to Minho “Minho-yah, you still remember that we have a world concert in Beijing this Saturday, right?” “I remember. Waeyo (why)?” Minho asked Key as he was going to grab a carton of orange juice from the fridge. “We want YOU, Aiman ssi to come with us” Key said while putting both of his hands forward to my direction, smiling brightly. “What? Why would I join you guys?” I asked still confused with what Key was trying to say. “Well, it’s kind of a congratulation gift from us for your success in your first leading drama” Onew explained. “Plus, you kind of helped me and Rachel got along now…” he continued and his face was a bit blushing as his cheek became red. “Yeah, yeah… We all know that story, hyung” Key said while facing the other side of the room. “So… now… Aiman ssi… Start packing your things! We’re leaving this Wednesday” he shouted and raised his hands in the air. I don’t know why he’s the one that’s excited. “Oh, one more thing. You don’t have to pack too many clothes. Just for two days. The CEO wants to treat everyone to go shopping while we’re in Beijing” Jonghyun explained while his eyes were lock on the television screen. “How long is the trip anyway?” I asked Onew. “Four days. We’re going to go around town on the first day, rehearsal on the second day” he explained while laying out his fingers one by one. “The concert is on the third day and the final day we get to have a rest or just have a walk around the city of Beijing before going back home” in the end he just smiles. I guess I could put this trip into my vacation wish list which has already been filled with the plots and character that I wrote down earlier. “GOAL!!!” Taemin shouted.

Chapter 16 : Surprise

Today was the day Onew and Rachel would be filming for his new music video, One Year Later. It’s a collaboration with Jessica from Girls’ Generation which they are from the same company. The setting was beautiful. It was a view where the two lovers met again after a year apart. A bench sat aside and a tall lamp post lighting the dark road. Trees covered in snow surrounding the ‘park’. It was just wonderful. This scenery kind of reminds me about when Minho made the surprise for me. It looks pretty much the same. The two people who would be representing the two lovers were of course Onew and Rachel. The reason I was there was because Rachel invited me eventhough Onew invited me first. I told him in advance that I would be with Rachel since she asked that she needed a help of mine. I wondered what kind of help she wanted from me. Of course, I knew it had something to do with Onew. The filming starts with soft music playing indicating Rachel to come out from the right side. Then, Jessica’s voice came out singing the lyrics which the crew played in the background.

It feels like I’ve been dreaming for a long time.

I’ve wandered and wandered around for a while

As if we made a promise

Standing here in front of each other

like that day from four seasons ago.

She walks slowly and I could tell that she’s fallen deep into the music. Her expression was amazing as if she was showing her true feelings the entire time.

For a long time I’ve been living, having forgotten of you

For a while, I thought I was doing fine

However I started to realize it as time pass by

That I am nothing without you.

                Then, it was Onew’s turn. He comes out when his own voice sang from the music that they were playing and soon facing each other. I felt like crying, seeing them like that as if I was watching a sad romantic movie.

Could your feelings perhaps be the same as mine?

Will you give me another chance?

                Now, the climax came. The two starts questioning each other asking for another chance to make their relationship work this time. Onew and Rachel looked each other in the eyes and it seems as if they were really asking the same question to each other during that few moments. “CUT!!” yelled the director and they were snapped out of daze. They became awkward. Then, they went to their separate ways going back to their respective dressing room. It was short but I was confident that they would be back together in no time. The next scene went on smoothly. This time, Rachel was on a giant ship sailing and Onew was walking from the left side while looking into Rachel’s direction. They were far apart yet so close. A few more scenes and the filming ended with ease. Before going back home, Rachel gave me something to hand over to Onew but I insisted that she gives it herself, asking her to build up her confidence and talk to Onew face to face.

I gave them time and went into the van by myself. When I got inside, two men suddenly appeared out of nowhere and the van started to move. They were driving the van full speed like a mad person. “What do you think you’re doing?!” I screamed. They didn’t answer but the one who sat at the passenger seat took out a dagger from his pocket and aimed at me. I took out my phone quietly and dialed Minho’s number right away as I could only think of him at the time. I put it in my pocket hoping that they wouldn’t know about it. “Why are you doing this?! Why are you kidnapping me?!” I said out loud hoping that Minho got the clue but it seems that they were even more pissed as they held out the dagger even closer to my face. I looked through the window and noticed that we were going deep into a village where the van finally stopped. They pulled me out and found my phone inside my coat pocket and threw it far away. I tried struggling as much as I could just to get away from them but it was no use. Then, they tied me up onto a chair inside an abandoned warehouse. The next thing I knew, I was already unconscious from the smell of a weird substance that was on a piece of cloth.

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                “Where’s the van?” Onew wandered around the parking space looking around to see if the van was parked somewhere else. Suddenly, a call came. “Yeoboseyo (hello), Minho ssi?” “Are you with Aiman ssi?!” “Aniyo (no). Waeyo (why)? What’s wrong?” Onew’s eyes suddenly widen. After hearing Minho’s explanation, he suddenly remembers seeing two suspicious looking men wondering around the set as if they were looking for someone. Onew went to the police station with his manager and made a report of a kidnapping. Meanwhile, Minho was searching for Aiman using the GPS detector that connected his phone to Aiman’s. He was speeding and all in his mind was hoping that she would be fine. Soon after, he arrived at the abandoned warehouse. He texted Onew the location and the police were already on their way. Minho with a long metal pole as a weapon in his hand bravely went into the warehouse, tiptoeing hoping that no one could hear him coming. He got closer to where Aiman was and heard them talking on the phone with someone, asking for compensation. He wondered for a while, who are they talking to? Compensation? Aiman’s family aren’t very rich to reach the standard of the amount of money the kidnappers were asking. After deciding the right moment, he took a huge blow to one of the men on the back and made him fall down with a loud thump. Then, Minho was aiming for the other guy who stood beside Aiman with a dagger in his hand. Minho tried getting closer but the kidnapper already placed his dagger right onto her neck. He had no choice but to drop the pole and raise his hand. BANG!! A gunshot was heard from afar. The police had arrived earlier, waiting for the right moment to pull the trigger. Minho who was still in shock from hearing the loud gunshot went to Aiman’s side and untied her. “Aiman ssi!! Wake up!! It’s me, Minho!!” he shouted while shaking her up. She still didn’t wake up or move an inch. Tears started flowing in Minho’s eyes. No! It can’t be! Wake up! Please! His heart screamed as loud as it could until he felt like it was going to explode. She still didn’t move a single muscle.

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When I woke up, I was already on a hard hospital bed. “Oh, you’re awake?” Minho took my hand and held it tight. He seems very happy seeing me and strokes my head gently. I tried getting up and he helped me by putting the pillow behind me so I could lean comfortably. “What happened actually?” I asked still feeling a bit dizzy. Then, Minho told me every single detail. The culprits had mistaken me with someone else. They were actually looking for another woman who had the same characteristics as mine. “You know, you’ve actually been asleep for almost two days now. They overdose you causing you to fall in a deep sleep” he explained. What? I’ve been unconscious for two days? After staying at the hospital for a few more days, I returned home accompanied by Minho. At first, he insisted to stay with me just to let me feel safe but I assured him that I would be fine just by myself. Before he walked through the door he said a few words. “I’m sorry for everything. I haven’t been fair to you” he said, still facing the door with his head low to the ground. Then, he was silent for a while and I could hear him sobbing somehow. He turned his direction looking at me with those glass eyes and said. “If you ever need someone by your side, you know who to call right?” with the smile on his face. Then, the door was closed shut. I only smiled knowing that what I hoped for all this time would be coming true; for us to be back together again.

Chapter 15 : Date

After airing the 11^th episode, I got good news from the director. Finally, the day I’ve been waiting for has come. The most precious, memorable day. This is it. The peak of my success in scriptwriting. I was really happy about it I almost cried. I got to know that our drama was the highest rating drama compared from others and became number one. The whole team wanted to make a celebration by having a barbeque party at the director’s pension house near the beach. He’s just so nice for letting us use it to celebrate this meaningful success.

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The party was going well as planned with the feast that the director had prepared. Everyone had a great time enjoying themselves. After eating, they played games and some went to the beach to have a walk by the shore while the staffs who were close with the director took a trip around the house led by the director himself. Onew, Jonghyun, Taemin and Key were there too. Onew was with Rachel, walking by the shore. Key, Taemin and Jonghyun were still eating at the porch where the food was. As everyone was having a good time, I went looking for Minho and found him at the rooftop. He was gazing at the stars on this clear night. I walked up to him and asked how he was doing when suddenly he gave me the cold treatment. Every question I asked, he would answer it as little as he could. He didn’t even look at me during the whole conversation.

Meanwhile, Taemin excused himself from the others and went to get some drink. While he was drinking the punch, he saw Woo Bin and they started a conversation together. They talked a lot and suddenly Woo Bin opens a topic about Minho. “Taemin ssi, is Minho the type of person to get jealous instantly?” Taemin gave a thought before answering the question. “Hmm… I think so because there was one time when I got a signed football from a fan, he got so jealous that he sometimes takes it with him in his sleep without asking for my permission first. Why’d you ask?” Taemin asked after giving a long explanation. “Nothing. It’s just that he misunderstood between me and Aiman ssi. He thought that we were together but the fact is it’s just a misunderstanding…” he laughed “…and everytime Aiman ssi tried explaining to him, he wouldn’t listen” Woo Bin continued “Ah… really? That’s not nice of him. No wonder Minho is in a bad mood all this while. I bet Aiman ssi is having trouble right now, facing Minho”

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“Minho ssi, what’s wrong with you? Why are you being so cold to me? If I’ve done something wrong, tell me. Don’t just stand there and give me the silent treatment” I said, blurting out everything. “If you’re having trouble with me, go talk to your boyfriend Woo Bin ssi” he said still avoiding eye contact “Boyfriend? What are you talking about?” “Enough Aiman ssi! I saw everything okay?! People have already started talking about you both dating. How can that not make feel upset?” he raised his voice a little while giving me a stare. “What?! So now you’re going to trust what other people are saying? I tried explaining it to you but you won’t even listen” The mood became intense. Tears started to form in my eyes. “I don’t have to trust what other people are saying. I don’t have to listen to your long boring explanations. Even if I took a glimpse at both of you, I already know that you’re together” he said everything that he had to say and all I could do was cry. I shed a lot of tears and he still won’t apologies for being such a jerk. He didn’t even try comforting me at all. I took some time to process all of this mess. “I wished you never remembered me. Better yet, I wish we had never met” After I said those words, I left him.

Taemin walked up onto the rooftop and saw Aiman running down the stairs. “Oh, Minho Hyung. What happened?” Taemin asked. Minho didn’t even look at Taemin but lock his sight onto the ground with what Aiman said earlier. “I wish we had never even met” “What? You fought?!” Taemin makes a quick assumption. “Hyung, if it’s about Aiman ssi and Woo Bin ssi. It’s not true” “How can you not say it’s true?! You don’t know anything!” Minho gave Taemin a cold stare. “That’s why we have to share our problems… Hyung, we’ve been living under the same roof for a long time now. If you have a problem, share it with us. Don’t just bottle it up” Minho just looks down to the ground again thinking about what Taemin had just said does have a point in it. “Hyung, there was nothing going on between Aiman ssi and Woo Bin ssi. He told me earlier that he never liked her and you misunderstood them for no reason. If you ever loved her, make her smile not cry” Taemin gave a pat on the shoulder and left him. Minho, standing still didn’t know what to do, suddenly started to run. Hoping that he makes it in time to catch Aiman but it was too late. She already left the party and went back home.

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I paid for the ride back home to the cab driver and went into my house. I was really in a bad mood at the time. I didn’t care about anything. I didn’t even switch on the lights. I wanted the room to just be dark so that I could have the time all by myself but then I could hear Ace meowing. She walked up to me and sat beside me, still meowing. I remembered I haven’t feed them before going to the party. They must’ve been starving. After giving a bowl full of cat food, they were really happy and energetic, especially, Ace. She was running around and playing with the yarns which were already in bits and pieces. Meanwhile, Kai just followed me around the house. I went into the bedroom and he’s on the bed. I went to the kitchen and he was by the sink, not doing anything. After changing my clothes, I played a movie on the television screen. It was a movie called ‘Notting Hill’. It’s a movie which was recommended by Key, as it was his favourite movie of all time. After an hour started, Ace settled down and sat beside me, fast asleep. Kai on the other hand was on my lap still purring everytime I stroke his fur. Some people say, if you play with pets, they could help relieve someone’s stress in no time and it surely just helped me to ease my stress. I’m really glad I helped Taemin to take care of them.

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                The next day, I got a call from Key. He asked me to go on a ‘date’ with him that night. When I got to the theme park where he planned to meet, it was actually for a shooting for the show We Got Married. The show pairs up Korean celebrities to show what life would be like if they were actually married. Taemin was chosen to be paired up with Naeun from another girl group called Apink which was under the company of Cube Entertainment. Key was going to be in this special episode which he is on a date with Eunji, the leader of the group Apink. It was a double date for them. The reason Key invited me too was that he wanted to cheer me up after knowing what happened between Minho and I. I guess, he found out about it. Considering, they live under the same roof. Luckily, Key was smart enough not to mention him in front of me. While they were shooting, I would be just standing around and look up to gaze the stars. The view was sure beautiful that night as there were no clouds between the earth and the outer-space.  Everytime they take a break from shooting, Key would come to me and ask me to ride one of the rides in the park or he would buy me popcorn or cotton candy from the park. “Hey, let’s ride the Ferris wheel!” Key suggested. “But I thought you’re afraid of heights?” I said back. “Yah! It’s not easy to get a ride with the Almighty Key okay? Come on!” he seems upset when knowing that I rejected his suggestion earlier. I laughed at his attitude as he pulled me to ride the Ferris wheel. As soon as it started to move, we could see the beautiful view of the city of Seoul. “Why did you call this a ‘date’ if you’re actually dating Eunji instead of me?” I asked him while filling my mouth with cotton candy. “I am on a date with you” I only continued eating as I was a bit confused to what he just said. He took a long pause and continued “To be honest, I wanted to have a date with someone out in the open just like this. With people around not like when I date Eunji earlier. There are a lot of cameras around us instead of ‘people’ and it kind of bothers me” he explained while looking out into the night view. “But why me?” I asked more. “Because you’re a stranger” he answered simply. “Stranger? But you know my name, where I live…” “I only know the outer you, not the inner you. Get what I mean?” he cuts my line leaving a question mark in the end. “What you’re trying to say is, you wanted to go out on a date because you wanted to know the other person more?” I said after making some calculations in my head to what he was talking about earlier. “Yah… you’re so good!” he said while giving me a pat on the shoulder. Then, we stopped talking after not knowing what other topics we could talk about when I suddenly asked a stupid question just to break the silent that went on for what it seems like forever. “Key ssi, do you like me?” I laughed in the end. “What?! No, I don’t have a heart for you and I have no time to do so. Plus, you’re not that pretty compared to the girl of my dreams” I punched him on the shoulder while giving him a little smirk. “Yah, you’re not my type either. I was just making a joke” I said while looking out again. “I know. You only like tall people, work out regularly and have a gorgeous face like Minho, right?” I guess Key realized his mistake and apologizes right away. That really made me silent for the rest of the ride. It wasn’t his fault that I became quiet, I should’ve just laugh at his joke and now, I made him feel guilty about it. “Aiman ssi, after this let’s ride more rides okay? I’ll invite Taeminnie too okay?” I just nodded as the director calls for him as soon as we reached the ground again.

Chapter 14 : Green Eyes

“What is this?!” I raised my voice a little after reading that title. I took the laptop closer to my face and read the article. There were three photos of me with Key, Jonghyun and Minho. The first one was when Jonghyun and I were at the shopping mall. It was a shot of Jonghyun holding my hand. The next one was when Key tried putting my shoes on during the ‘broken heel’ incident. Lastly, was when Minho and I were at the park. What is this nonsense? I read the comments below and the fans surely did not like it at all; calling me a crazy woman for going after three idols at the same time and saying that I might cause them to fall apart, SHINee that is. I looked at Minho in the eyes and he told me that I should be more careful after this because ‘some’ bad things might happen. He insisted me to tell him or the others if anything bad happen. My mood wasn’t in a good shape afterwards. I courage myself that everything’s going to be fine and I should just go on with my life as if nothing wrong had happen.

After a few days since the article spread wide to the whole world, some people from the entertainment news called their manager to get a closer scoop of the story themselves and surely the manager tells the truth that we were only friends and those screenshots were ‘accidently’ confused as if we were on a date. At first, I did get some bad feedbacks from the Shawol fans but fortunately nothing really bad happened. Actually, I don’t consider it bad but it surely made me feel very uncomfortable when I’m in the bus. As soon as I hop on, I could see some people already staring at me and they won’t allow me sit next to them, especially when it comes to some schoolgirls. I had to stand for the entire one hour trip from where I live just to get to my workplace. I still remember there was one time when I was getting off the bus near the SM building; I felt a hard push behind me making me stumble a little. I turned around and I’m pretty sure they were kind of cursing me or something but I just had to ignore them or something terrible might happened. Key saw everything when he was about to enter the building. When I passed him I was really hoping that he didn’t see me getting hurt by some schoolgirls because I didn’t want to burden them anymore but his expression didn’t seem very happy about it. “Are you okay?” he asked. Of course, I answered it with one word only. “Yes” After that incident, they insisted me to use their van as a transport so I don’t have to deal with those kids anymore. I really hope that they would forget about me after this but one thing came into my mind. What if Minho and I do work out? What would happen to us? What would happen between the relationship of SHINee and Shawols? I had to make second thoughts about our relationship. Better yet, I had to make a thousand thought about it.

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The filming continues right after Woo Bin claimed that he had already fully recovered from the accident. At first, I couldn’t believe it for myself because 3 weeks doesn’t seem to be enough for a full recovery but he seems confident about it, I just have to accept it. After a few shoot, I noticed that he wasn’t himself. He seemed like he was aching from the pain. He was murmuring to himself everytime he limps around the set and everytime someone asks if he’s alright, he would say yes but his expressions said something else. I knew that I had to take care of him from time to time as a repay for saving my life but everything I do can’t be compared to the price of his life that he had to put on the line to save me. When the director gives a signal for recess, I would immediately go to Woo Bin to give him any helping hand if he needs it.

Meanwhile, Minho couldn’t stop bugging me to eat with him even if I tried explaining to him that I need to help Woo Bin when I had the spare time. There was one time when Woo Bin was walking down the stairs he suddenly trip and fell. Fortunately, I was walking by and eventhough I wasn’t strong enough, I managed to prevent him from falling hard on the concrete floor which could make his pain go a lot worse. His hand automatically was at my waist trying to get support to stand properly again. Somehow, I could see Minho looking at us from afar when I glimpsed around to see if anyone could help us. He didn’t come to help but instead walked away. Woo Bin saw him too and looked at me. “Go. I’ll be fine” I was really thankful to him for understanding me. I ran to catch up with Minho but I couldn’t find him anywhere. I asked everyone and they said that he went into his dressing room. When I walked inside, he was practicing his dialogues. “Minho ssi, what you saw…” “I’m sorry, Aiman ssi. But I need to practice to get this line right. If you don’t mind…” Then, he continued reciting his lines again and again. I only stood by the door waiting for him to call me back but he didn’t. In the end, I just left with a pain aching in my heart. How can he misunderstand something small and wouldn’t listen to my explanations before making a big accusation in his head? Luckily, the director called me which made me forget about that for a few moments.

This time, we had to go filming outdoor for a scene where the king was attacked by some bandits while on his way back to the palace. I was having a talk with the director about how the setting should be done. Minho was there too with some of the makeup artists getting his makeup done. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind was blowing into our direction. “Aiman ssi, how many layers of clothes are you wearing? You look like you’re going to freeze to death” he said sarcastically when he heard me chattering my teeth instead of talking like a human being would normally do. “…two” I said to myself. Minho just looks from afar without saying a word. I remembered that I brought along a padded jacket to keep myself from the cold. When I got to the van, it was locked. Another strong gust of wind blew and I had to hug myself from getting blown away by that wind. Suddenly, Woo Bin came out of nowhere with a jacket in his hand. He puts it onto my shoulders and I wore it instantly, not wanting to freeze to death just like what the director had just said. “Here. I have an extra. You can wear it until the end of filming” he said, simple. I thanked him while walking back to the set to continue my work. Woo Bin, still at the parking area turned around and saw Minho behind the van with a jacket in his hand. He looked into Minho’s eyes deeply while giving him a smirk in the end before walking back to the set. Minho, with a fury flame in his eyes, walked away with the jacket still in his hand before throwing it away.

When he got back from the parking area, Minho saw Aiman was giving instructions on how the scene goes to Woo Bin. Everyone else were too busy with their own jobs but there was something about both of them that bothers Minho deeply. He felt that they’ve become close, too close. Then, some female staffs were walking by and he could hear every single detail of what they were talking about. “Yah, did you saw earlier? Woo Bin gave Aiman ssi his jacket and helps puts it on her while she just smiles.” “Do you think they’re dating?” It totally made his anger level from a hundred to a thousand. It should’ve been ME dating her! Not Woo Bin! He said to himself. After his last shoot, he left the set instantly with the van, leaving Aiman at the set with no transport to go back home.

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I just don’t get him. Why all of a sudden he left me here alone? He was the first person to insist me to use the van as a transport in the first place but now? All I could do next is to walk by foot to the  bus stop that I saw earlier. While walking along the road, more and more gusts of wind was blowing  making me feel numb in the face. PIN! PIN!. The sound scared me to death that my heart almost fell down to my knee. I turned around, it was Woo Bin. “Thanks but no thanks. I don’t need a ride home” I said instantly. “Yah, what are you talking about? I just want my jacket back” he said. “But… it’s cold…” I said with a low tone and he just laughs. “Come on. Get inside unless you want to go back home; tired and cold” I got inside as soon as he said that. I stayed quiet for the rest of the journey. I tried keeping my eyes open from the drowsiness but I would just hurt myself. My head would suddenly sway to the side and hit the door really hard. Woo Bin just laughs while looking at my attitude. “Just sleep already, I can’t focus driving if your head keeps making that loud noise” he said sarcastically. I just followed his orders and slept right away.

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An unfamiliar car drove into the parking area of the apartment. Minho just got home from going to the park to take a stroll. He got the shock of his life when he saw Aiman and Woo Bin in the car together. He saw her sleeping and Woo Bin woke her up gently. Woo Bin was smiling; looking at Aiman who just woke up from a deep sleep. She got out of the car and thanked Woo Bin before walking away. She’s coming to Minho’s direction. He panicked. He didn’t want her to know that he was spying on them the whole time. He quickly jumps between the bushes beside the entrance to the apartment. Suddenly, his pants tore at the knee when it got stuck to one of the twigs in the bushes. The sound of the pants getting torn was so loud that anyone near could hear it instantly but it seems that she was half asleep because she almost kicked a pot of flowers. Minho’s quick hands prevented that by shifting it away from her foot. She just entered the apartment like nothing had happened as if she was sleep walking. Minho stood up from where he was hiding and turned around to see Woo Bin still at the parking area observing him from afar.

Chapter 13 : Surprise

After a month and a half of filming, the editing for the first episode and the second was done but there were still some episodes that haven’t been filmed yet due to Minho’s tight schedule for SHINee. The first airing begins on Thursday night. I was called by the director to join in watching the rating while it’s being aired. At first, there weren’t many people watching the first episode but then the number began to rise. After the show was finished, we got to know that our drama was on the fifth place compared to other dramas from other broadcasting stations that aired at the same time. It wasn’t disappointing much because it was still on the first episode and I’m sure that the number will rise even higher next time. After a few talk with the other staffs before going home, I got a call from Minho. He sounds happy and excited, asking me to go to the SM building to meet him there. He said it was urgent but insisted me not to be in a rush. As I was leaving, I looked at my watch and it was really late at the time. “Aiman ssi, where are you going?” Woo Bin stopped me before I could exit the building. “I’m going to the SM building” I left him. It was really cold that night that it felt like snowing but it’s still early for winter to come, I thought. I stopped in front of the road, waiting for the light to turn green so I could cross over safely. I got a text from Minho asking if I wanted a drink of hot coffee so that he could buy it in advance. I smiled knowing that he’s so nice to me. The green light was on. I kept my phone in my pocket and walked when suddenly a bright flash of light shone on me. I couldn’t see anything but felt that I was being pushed really hard. When I woke up, my eyes were blurry out of focus. When I turned around, there was a huge crowd of people behind me. I went to look and my heart fell out of its place when I saw a horrible image in front of me. “Woo Bin ssi!!” I screamed and went to his side right away. There was blood across his face. His hands hanging flaccid and his body weren’t moving an inch. The people around us were even in shock to see a famous actor got a hit and run on this cold night.

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I waited in front of the surgery room in anxiety. Suddenly Minho appeared out of nowhere. He was panting probably because he was in a hurry to reach the hospital. “Aiman ssi, are you alright? I heard there was an accident near the SM building and you didn’t came…” He was really worried about me. I just stayed quiet not knowing what to do after getting a shock of my life.  He examined me to see if I was hurt and saw my hand was bleeding. His eyes got even wider as if it was going to pop out if his head. “You didn’t get treated?!” He seems a bit pissed off while taking a closer look on my hand. “Ah, the doctor asked if I was alright but I asked them to take care of Woo Bin first. I guess I didn’t notice it myself after seeing what happened to Woo Bin ssi” He didn’t reply but looked into my eyes. I just looked down, afraid that he might scold me for being careless.

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After getting the treatment, the doctor who was in charge of operating Woo Bin came out. He told us that Woo Bin lost a lot of blood and need to transfer some into him. Luckily, the hospital had a stock of blood just enough for him to survive. We walked into his room and his manager was there too. I couldn’t leave him just like that after what he did to save my life earlier. I wanted to wait for him to wake up but Minho insisted me to go home and have a rest myself. I persuaded him to allow me to stay and he agrees. He excused himself to go home to get some necessary things. “You want something to eat?” he asked “No thanks” I said while giving a bitter smile. How can I eat when the person who just saved my life still haven’t woken up? He left and I sat by his bed. I was really thankful to him.

When I woke up, it was already morning. I realized that I was on the couch instead of the chair that was beside the bed. A blanket was covering my body to keep me heated from the coldness last night. No wonder I wasn’t sneezing last night. If not, I had already woke him up. I looked around and there was no one in the room. The bed was empty. I started to panic but then I could hear the toilet being flushed. Someone came out of the toilet and it was Woo Bin. I ran to him helping him to get back on the bed. “You’re awake?” we asked each other at the same time. He giggles while I was making the bed. “Ne (yes), I woke up last night and Minho was beside me” he explained “Where is he anyway?” I asked back at him. “He had some schedules to attend. Oh, he wanted me to tell you that he helped you to sleep on that couch last night” I guess he knew that I would be wondering about that and was a step ahead by asking Woo Bin to tell it to me. I just nodded after hearing what he told me. I sat on the chair beside him and he handed me a canned drink that was on the bedside table. “Here, have some. You must’ve been tired; sleeping in the hospital” I took the canned drink from his hand “I’m fine.  How’s the head” I asked him “What? Can’t you ask a little bit nicer?” “Okay, fine. How is your precious gigantic head doing?” I said while forcing a smile “It’s okay since you asked” he giggles. Then, the room was silent for a few seconds. “Why did you do that?” I asked him while looking down to the ground, rolling the unopened canned drink between my hands “Do what? Wait, I’ll open it for you” he took the canned drink and opened it. “Why did you save me?” I took it back from his hand. “What? You WANT to get hit by a car?” he said sarcastically. “I mean, you could’ve died. You know…” “That’s why I took the risk to save your life. I wanted to know that if saving your life is something meaningful to me and it turns out, it is” he said while facing out the window. I don’t quite understand what he was trying to say but then someone came into the room bursting. “Are you alright? I heard that you got a hit and run” It was the director. “I’m fine” Woo Bin answered simply. “How could you be so careless? Now what are we suppose to do to finish filming?” The director seemed pretty upset while I just bowed my head down. I knew that it was entirely my fault but that doesn’t mean that I wanted him to get hit by a car instead of me. I didn’t ask for all of this. “It’s okay, I’ll recover soon. Besides, we already finished filming until the eighth episode. I’m sure I can join filming in no time” Woo Bin said confidently. The director just shook his head. Then, he left the room. The room became quiet again. “How’s the hand?” he suddenly asked to break the awkwardness in the atmosphere while looking to my left hand which had a huge white plaster on it. “What? Can’t you ask a little bit nicer?” I said, mocking him. He laughs even more.

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                That night, I didn’t feel like joining the others to watch the ratings going up and down at the broadcasting station for the second episode. I only watched it at home. After watching it, I noticed that there were some flaws that needed to be fixed. While watching it, I typed for the eleventh episode. The episode that I’ve been waiting for my whole life, it’s between the climax and the denouement. Where the lead male falls for the lead female after realizing that their love were meant to be and secrets being revealed for the first time. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. While feeding a mouthful of popcorn into my mouth, I went running to the door when the doorbell started ringing non-stop. I looked on the screen beside the door and it was Minho. I opened the door and his expression wasn’t in a good condition. “Waeyo (what’s wrong)?” He went straight to my laptop and typed something on the internet. “What are you doing?” I asked him still standing, looking down at him. Then, he turned the laptop facing me without saying a word. “What is it?” I said while looking at his face. I kneeled down by the table and couldn’t believe it myself. “Three idols dating the SAME girl?” was the title of the article that Minho opened up.

Chapter 12 : Sangtae

We walked back to the apartment and he insisted me to meet someone. At the time I could never guess who he was mentioning until I entered their dorm. When I heard the sound of laughter, I was brought back to the incident this morning. There was Onew and Key in the living room playing with a little boy, the boy I just met this morning. He seems happy playing with the toys in front of them. My mood changed instantly from being happy to the uneasy feeling. “Yoogeun-ah, say your greetings to the noona (elder sister)” Minho told the boy. “Annyeonghaseyo (hello)” he said while bowing to me. I greeted him back. I tried playing along and suddenly Onew’s words really made me think twice. “Yoogeun-ah give appa the toy” Onew said. I thought he was going to give it to Minho but as a surprise he gave it to Onew instead. I ignored, thinking that maybe Onew wanted Minho’s child to call him appa too. I just watch them play from afar. “Isn’t he cute?” Minho asked me. “Ne (yes). He looks a lot like you” I tried my best saying the right words. “I know, right? I get that a lot actually eventhough…” Suddenly Taemin appeared from the kitchen with a cake in his hand. “Saengil chukha hamnida (happy birthday to you)!” Taemin sang and Yoogeun’s eyes were lock onto the cake and he began to smile. Soon, everyone was singing. When I saw the cake, it got even weirder. “I know on the cake it wrote ‘Happy Birthday from the five shining appas’ but there are only four of us since Jonghyun appa had to go home today. You can still have fun with the four of us right?” Taemin said while looking at Yoogeun, smiling. What? Five shining appas? Jonghyun appa? Okay, I know that Yoogeun is Minho’s kid but how can he have five appas at the same time? My mind is really twisted right now. I took the courage to untangle the wires in my brain which had already had the tangled knots, trying to calculate this problem. “Minho, how come the others call your kid as their son?” Suddenly, the drink that went into Minho’s throat stops there and made him choke. He rushed into the kitchen to clear his throat. Everyone including me just watches him. “What’s wrong with him?” Onew said while digging into the cake which had his name scribbled on it. He didn’t seem to care about Minho and continued eating. “Yoogeun-ah, remember not to talk while eating or you’ll get choke like what just happened to Minho appa. Arachi (alright)?” Key teased Minho and Yoogeun simply nods.

I went into the kitchen to check on him. He was wiping his mouth with the kitchen towel and he simply laughs at me. After having a good laugh, finally he spoke. “Do we really look alike that much that made you thought he was my biological son?” Okay, I think some of the wires are being untangled in my brain after hearing that. “Wait. He’s not… your son?” “Aniyo (no)…what on earth are you thinking, Aiman ssi?” he continued to laugh more. “If he’s my son, who’s the mother?” he said “I thought it was Rachel ssi…” My voice trailed off in the end. I tried hard remembering what Jonghyun and Taemin were talking about in the car yesterday. Then, a sentence came into my mind.

“Minho hyung and Rachel didn’t get married and our little kid, Yoogeun is coming again tomorrow” It was Taemin’s voice talking to Jonghyun.

“What? Rachel? We broke off our engagement years ago” he said while smiling at me confidently. I snapped out when I heard Minho’s voice. “Wait. So, that’s why you ignored me this morning?” he continued. “Yeah, but what about your mother then?” “I told her that I already have someone else and that I truly love her. She already moved to Japan but I promised her to bring you to her at the end of this year to get engaged” “What?! Minho! You…?!” Suddenly, Key appeared with Yoogeun. “Yoogeun’s coming into the kitchen to wash his hand~” Key sang and pushed us aside so that Yoogeun could use the sink. “Wash your hands~ Oh, yeah~ Wash it until it’s clean~” I looked at Minho because I was still angry at him and he just looks up to the ceiling to avoid eye contact with me. “There! All done!” Key puts Yoogeun down and was about to go back into the living room when he looked at us. “Aigoo~ What a cute couple! Ah, Yoogeun look away” he covered Yoogeun’s eyes and walked him to the living room. We thought he was gone when suddenly his head pooped out of nowhere while smirking as if it was an evil smile at us. We were stiff as a rock. When he’s REALLY gone, we laughed to each other but I remembered what he said earlier and punched him on the shoulder. “Ouch! That hurts!” he exclaimed. “That’s what you get for lying to your mom” I was about to exit the kitchen when suddenly Onew and Taemin came in and brought all the used plates and glasses. “Oh, since you guys are already comfortable here; please wash the dishes with care” They said while bowing as a sign of giving us the ‘honorable’ duty. We had no choice but to do so. I was still angry at him for telling his mom that we’re going to get engaged eventhough I have no idea whatsoever. To think of it, he’s actually really sweet for telling his mom that he already had someone else who he truly loves and that he wants to get engaged right away.

After knowing that Yoogeun wasn’t Minho’s son, I felt that I want to become closer to Yoogeun now. I was so happy to get the good news. I was literally smiling the whole day. Of all the four of us, I played the most with Yoogeun. He really is cute. The screams when he’s excited and the giggles; he became more adorable in my eyes. I started a conversation since I saw Minho watching television instead of playing with Yoogeun. I guess he was already worn out from Yoogeun’s lively energy. “Minho ssi, did you know that Rachel was going to be in this drama too?” The room became silent all of a sudden except for Yoogeun, still playing with his toys. Everyone was putting their head down and their expressions changed instantly. Minho excused himself from the others and signaled me to follow him. We went outside and he told me the reason why everyone became silent after hearing what I just said. “Aiman ssi, I forgot to tell you this earlier but please don’t mention Rachel’s name in front of them again” “Waeyo (why)?” I asked “Actually, after two months our engagement broke off, we found out that she was dating Onew when we heard the news on some articles but it didn’t end very well. He got really depressed after breaking up with her because she said she couldn’t forget about me and that made my relationship with Onew became awkward for a whole year until the day we started planning for a comeback” I really didn’t know about that and made my promise not to mention her name in front of him again. I told Minho that I had to finish my work for tomorrow and asked him to tell Onew that I was really sorry for bringing that up.

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                After finished casting the rest of the actor and actresses, the shooting begins for the first episode which was situated at an old village. As soon as I arrived, a staff told me that Rachel asked me to meet her in her dressing room. She told me that she wanted to be the first one to get the fourth script. I guess she just couldn’t wait for the next episode.  As I was about to leave, she said something that I never thought of. “Aiman ssi, you’ve been seeing the rest right? Jonghyun, Taemin, Key and…” She didn’t continue her words so I said it for her. “Onew?” “Ah, right. Onew ssi. How are they doing now?” They? I knew she was actually referring to Onew but I didn’t want to make Onew stand out of the rest so I just answered her question simple “Oh, they’re doing fine. They made a comeback earlier this month” After that, I left the room. Everything went smooth on the first day and so on. There was a day which Jonghyun, Taemin, Key and Onew came to visit Minho on the set. Some reporters came to take some pictures of them. The staffs were saying that they were acting as if they had a good time, playing around just to look good in front of the cameras but I was the only one who knew that they were having fun for REAL. Onew excused himself from the rest. He wasn’t looking where he was going and suddenly he got hit by the door, Rachel’s dressing room door. He fell to the ground. Everyone came rushing to his side. Rachel who didn’t know that she accidently hit someone with her door was really shocked to see that it was Onew. Of course, Rachel went to Onew’s side instantly, asking if he was alright and apologizing. Onew seemed surprised too to met Rachel unintended. “Omo! You’re bleeding!” said Rachel after looking at his forehead. Onew just wipes his forehead and was even surprised to see blood flowing out of his body. Luckily, it was just a small cut.

                 After taking him to a sit at the resting tent, I helped him to treat his injured head when suddenly Rachel appeared. “Aiman ssi, can I do it instead?” she asked politely and Onew didn’t say a word. I got up and gave her the first aid kit. I left them alone and went to help the director with the setting.

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                “I’m really sorry to hit you on your head” said Rachel. “It’s okay. It’s just one of my sangtae (condition)” Onew exclaimed. “Sangtae?” said Rachel while wiping the blood off his forehead “Onew Sangtae (Onew Condition). The others gave me that name because of my clumsiness” Onew just looks down. He didn’t look into her eyes. “How come I don’t know about this before…?” She said to herself as she was sorry for not knowing everything about her ex-boyfriend. Rachel was about to put a plaster onto his head when suddenly Onew said “I was writing a song…” He looked into her eyes “…and was wondering if you could be in the music video” She didn’t move, her hand was still in the air from about to put the plaster on. Rachel was stunned to know that she could be closer to Onew again if she took that chance. “But if you don’t want…” Onew looked to the ground again and felt a gust of wind blowing on his forehead and a plaster being put on it gently “Yes” said Rachel, looking into his eyes. “What did you say?” Now, they were looking into each others’ eyes. “I said, yes. I would love to be in your music video, Onew ssi” Onew just smiles back. I was watching them from afar and felt happy for them.

Chapter 11 : Can't Leave

Suddenly the door just opened and it was Minho. He was still in his pajamas and his hair was out of place. He seemed very excited when he saw the little boy. “Ah! Yoogeun-ah!!” he had a huge smile on his face and picks up the boy and he sure liked it a lot when his appa picks him up from the ground. They were giggling and I just shut the door hard. ‘THUMP!’ goes the door. Minho spun his head around from looking at Yoogeun to the door in front of him. “What’s wrong with her?” he thought but his attention was back at Yoogeun when he just rubs his appa’s cheek as a sign that he misses him dearly. They went inside together while I was practically on the ground, leaned my back towards the door thinking if I should cry or just forget about him instantly. My mind couldn’t focus very well that morning. I was really late for work. I didn’t care about what I was wearing and just grabbed my laptop and stuffed it into my bag. I was really absurd that morning. I turned the knob to get out when I noticed Minho was walking out of his apartment. I avoided eye contact and walked away without answering his calls to me. I think he called my name five times but I ignored them all.

I already set my mind on work as I walked to the director’s room and as usual some surprises await me in that room. This time it was a lady. As soon as I sat down to where I usually sit, I didn’t even look at that lady’s face and just hand in the script for the third episode to the director with a bitter smile stamped across my face. My emotion was affected by the incident this morning. Suddenly the lady spoke “Omo! Aiman ssi?” I looked at her face in disbelief. Great, another encounter in my life! When will this madness ever stop? “Rachel ssi?” I said. The director looked at Rachel and back at me and then Rachel and it seemed like it went on forever. “You know each other?” he exclaimed. “Ne (yes), we met a long time ago” she looked at his face and then me “Right, Aiman ssi?” I don’t know why but that smile was somehow has an eerie feeling when you’re watching a horror movie. “Ne…” I only answered in a low voice as my heart doesn’t feel at ease about this. “Good. Another great job Aiman ssi. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an urgent meeting to attend” the director stood up and left the room when he popped again by the door and said “Rachel ssi, please tell her why you’re here and Aiman ssi, keep up the good work okay?” and left us both in the room. For the first few minutes, it was so quiet that I could hear the clock ticking for every second. Then, she finally talks about the reason she was here. “The director offered me as the lead woman and I took the chance right away” I really didn’t expect that but there were some questions that kept running in my mind. Why did the director chose her? I’ve never seen her on screen before and suddenly she’s going to be in my drama? Where did she go all this time? I don’t know why but why does everyone I know is a psychic? “Actually I got a lot of offer from other producers to be in their drama but considering that the director of this company and I are very close, I accepted this offer after I heard that the director would be promising me for the best drama there had ever been” I think that I might have to get used to this kind of situation. I tried being nice to her by handing the script to her and she took it with her left hand which she covered it with her red Prada handbag. Something shines and sparkles when she took her hand out. Maybe I was exaggerating but the ring that was on her finger really shined brightly in front of me eventhough the lighting in the room was actually dim. As I handed her the script, she notices me glaring at her ring and she just rubes it around as if it wasn’t sparkled already. It was a gold coated ring with a ruby resting on top of it. Then, something came into my mind. Maybe Minho and Rachel did get married and had a child? I stared to the corner of the room when suddenly Rachel tapped the glass coffee table twice just to get my attention. I was actually shocked by that. I turned around and felt sorry for being careless. I explained everything to her about how the first and second episode goes considering she just pops up when it’s already the third episode. It seems that she wasn’t focus to what I was saying because a lot of complaints were coming out of her mouth non-stop. “Aiman ssi, I heard that Minho is going to be in this drama too right? What was his role again?” She flipped the pages of the script. I just rolled my eyes and try to listen to her ‘honest’ comments “Oh, right here. You know what? Maybe you should add some conflict in it. The director gave me the rough script you written. I think the love triangle you’re plotting in between the princess, the head doctor and the king would be a lot better than for them to fall in love with some regular peasant. Plus, my character is too nice as a princess. Make it more into the evil side a bit and in the end turn her into a good princess again” I thought she was going to stop there but guess what? Her last comment was even worse than the previous ones. “Oh! Cry! Give her crying scenes. A lot! Got it?” Huh, cry? She’s supposed to be the tough princess that never cries for her entire life. If she cries, the whole plot would fall into pieces. “Rachel ssi…” I took a moment to take a deep breath and wanted to blurt everything out when someone just barges into the room. “Rachel ssi, don’t you think you’re a bit over on those complaints?” Woo Bin exclaimed. Why does everyone have to cut in my lines? He stared at Rachel for a while and told me to left the room. I took the chance right away to just get her out of my sight.

As I was walking home, there was one comment that kept running around in my head. “I think the love triangle you’re plotting in between the princess, the head doctor and the king would be a lot better than for them to fall in love with some regular peasant” I guess she was right about that. I think a plot about two men fighting over a poor girl is a regular thing now. Maybe I should take note of her comment and decided to change the plot just a little bit and I’m pretty sure that when she gave it a read, she would love it. I guarantee. While walking back to the apartment, I took a turn and went to the park instead to get some ideas on writing a new plot. I sat at a bench which had the beautiful view of the lake and trees around the lake as if it was a picture coming to life. After dribbling some notes, I took out a small sketch pad that I always kept with me to just enjoy nature and draw it as memories. Cameras? They aren’t just my thing. Drawing is better than taking a still picture to me because when you draw, there would be a lot of things passing by, interactions between the livings and sometimes the movement of the clouds and water. As I was talking to myself while drawing at the same time, a little girl came running to me and handed me a pair of earphones and an iPod. She shoved it into my hand asking me to listen to it. A soft melody of piano being played.

A sigh weighs me down carefully

And won’t let me sleep, yeah                                                        

I tell my empty heart that it’s a fool

“Why can’t I cry even though I’m in pain?”

                The beat was so slow. Every word, I listen attentively. Not missing any single detail.

I can’t

The days that were so beautiful

Even the times we hated each other

I miss them so much, I can’t forget them

Come back again, yeah

                Suddenly a flash of images when Minho and I were little, shot into my mind. Then, the rapping part came in. It was Minho’s voice.

I hate myself for trying to erase you without regrets

I really hate my heart that’s holding onto you again

When I think of you, my day filled with sighs is so long

When I sometimes see the river,                                                                                   The words “I love you” won’t float away

                I felt hot tears running down my cheek when I heard those lyrics. Every single words has its own meaning.

I can’t leave

Girl, you’re more precious than I am

Come back again

Tonight, yeah, yeah

After a few lyrics more, the song ended. When I looked up, Minho was in front of me with a handkerchief in his hand. I took it and wiped my tears dry. He was just smiling. I smiled back and he sat beside me. He took the sketch pad from my hand and flipped to a new page. He chose the blue coloured pencil and started to dribble something on it. He showed it to me and it read “Why did you cry? Are you happy or sad?” I took it back and wrote one word beside it with a red coloured pencil. “Both” We took turns in writing on it.

Happy because…?

It was really sweet of you

Sad because…?

The words were touching

Did you like the rapping part?

Yes. It’s really nice. You wrote it?

Yes. Just for you              

                It was the happiest moment that I could ever have with him but there was one thing that bothers me that day. The presence.