I got bitten!!!

By the dance bug... ^_^ Hehehe!

I just had to do this song... 내 안의 전장 by 팀 (Tim). Hope you like it... and yes... again it's compensation for not writing T_T Mian... But check out my new hair!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Since I didn't write...

I swear I tried to find time to write :( But since I didn't... let me entertain you with me going nuts with ANYBAND's TPL (Talk Play Love) ^_^ ENJOY!!!

I think they saw me...

Haha! Everyone in TVXQ Land in on a super high now after the TVXQ 2007 Malaysian concert (someone remind me the official name)... yes... I was there... I was right by the freakin' stage... I saw Chang Min, Jun Su and Yoo Chun up close. Sadly, Jae Joong didn't come my way enough...

I'm gonna do a quick update cos I'm too tired still from my job and all my life's on-goings... it was a great show, but I kinda wished it was like last year's concert with Super Junior. Jang Ri In was cool, but all she did was sing and leave. Yun Ho was still injured, but he put on a great show for his solo, Spokesman... still dunno who is the mystery fella they brought in to do Dong Hae's bit. The star dancer for the night was Jun Su with his very Sohn Ho Young inspired dancing in the rain bit... nothing like a hot Korean under a shower... writhing like a snake ^_^ I know he kinda slipped and fell a few times, but I'm sure he had it under control, and he made it look like choreography. So don't you worry, Jun Su fans... ^_^

Too much cinematics at this concert... but it gives them breaks... I understand :P the wire stunts were superb!!! But I don't get that girl who keeps popping out to throw confetti >_<

Highlights...

I saw Jun Su, Chang Min and Yoo Chun in the flesh... got a good view of Jae's butt :P Xingie says we kept getting weird looks from them cos of our silver-red balloons. Good thing I brought the red marker or we'd be branded antis ^_^; Tried to get Yoo Chun to pick up one of our few balloons I'd diligently drew with the marker and tossed onto the stage, but all he did was gimme a "Sorry..." look and continued singing and moving... Bad Yoo Chun!!! He probably wasn't allowed to... but FINALLY!!! One of the dancers from their dance team, A to Z, picked it up. I dunno your name oppa... but if I find it out someday, I will write it up big to thank you!!! He picked up TWO of our balloons on which I drew our big red Asteria star and ran to the middle catwalk with it. Whatever happened to it after, I was too ecstatic to notice :P Someone tell me what he did with it :P Throw it to the crowd? So erm... the highlight was I made eye contact with Yoo Chun... he probably may remember me as the weird girl who keeps pointing :P

Lowlight...

I did something I never thought I'd do... I was sooo bold >_< I climbed onto the stage when everyone was busy watching the fellas say 'Goodbye' to pick up a pink towel I thought Chang Min had dropped. Turned out it was a fan who had thrown it at him T_T She could describe the embroidery on it exactly, so I guess it was hers... I returned it. The other silly thing was that Yoo Chun's discarded water bottle was like 5 feet away from where I was. I could've picked it up on my way off the stage and sent it to San. Mianhae... your onni was panicking from her sudden courage... so she couldn't think straight. Sadly, the bottle was discarded like trash by one of the stage hands T_T I still regret I didn't pick it up :P

Wonder if I will be able to do this the next year... maybe not as a bona fide committee... Thanks to the SG Team for making the jerseys... someone please send me our group pic so I can post it. And the club shirts didn't look as 'obiang' as I thought they would... mebbe I shud buy one... hehehe! Again, SG Team... sorry I wasn't very helpful... it was too much for me on that day... you guys may not get it... but thank you for everything you girls did. You organised things well... it was a success and we all had a blast!!!

WE DID IT ASTERIA!!! The world knows us now!!! People knew us... the girl beside me came with the Chicken Wings but she knew us... and the girls in front asked for my email... so we're famous now!!! Keep it up... we're global already... remember that!!!

HWAITING!!!

P.S. Was a good girl... didn't take any pics or vids... those brave people, feel free to share your good pics and vids with me ^_^

Chapter 128: To My Friends

I'm gonna update whenever I can from now until my job & life stabilizes... so I hope you'll all bear with me.

If you don't like having to keep stalking this page, drop me a mail at sierraskyeshoei@yahoo.com and I will put you on my mailing list ^_^

Thanks for being understanding... and please keep supporting MKR!!! This chapter's title is dedicated to all of you who have always supported MKR. Love ya guys!!!

******

[Shoei’s POV]

My last week in Tokyo has finally ended. I felt a bit sad to leave; in any case, it had been as close to home as I could get. Then again, I looked forward to returning to Seoul and reuniting with nuna and Skye. I still loved being a part of S-Cube, and this thrill may never end for me.

I threw the last shirt into my suitcase and closed it. I can already imagine nuna nagging at me when she opens my case when I get back.

“Why didn’t you roll them up? Now you’ll have to iron everything again,” she’d say.

In the beginning, before she started dating Yun Ho or Jae Joong hyung, nuna would be the one helping me with my packing. She showed me how to roll my pants, shirts, and how to pack them in the most compact manner. Then she’d force me to put all my toiletries in a plastic bag, telling me the horror stories about lotion bottles bursting and splattering all over the clothes in my bag.

Mika threw me a small farewell party last night, at her apartment. It’s hard to believe that she and nuna are of the same age. She looked like she’d been through a lot, and nuna was still finding her footing in her life as a kasu in South Korea.

“You’re thinking again,” she said as she approached me; I was standing on a balcony alone with a drink in my hand.

“Hmm?” I responded.

“You’re staring at the open sky with that wistful expression of yours,” she laughed softly.

“I am?” I said softly; I knew I sounded more like I was speaking to myself than replying her question.

“Earth to Shoei,” Mika laughed.

“Sorry,” I smiled.

“Here,” she said, as she raised her glass towards me. “A toast to the past few weeks we’ve spent working together.”

“Kanbai,” I said, and we clink our glasses together.

“So you’re happy to be going home?” she said.

“Yep,” I smiled.

“You won’t miss me one bit?” she teased.

“I wouldn’t dare,” I joked back. “Nakashima Mika is an untouchable.”

“Yea…” she sighed. “I’m destined to be alone for the rest of my life.”

“Well… gambatte,” I smiled. “Someone will show up some day.”

“Hopefully,” she smiled, and sipped her drink.

The next morning, I took the first flight back to Seoul. As the plane took off, my heart soared with it.

[Skye’s POV]

I dragged my suitcase through the airport lobby. An assistant had checked in my other luggage earlier, so all I had to do was lug my hand luggage into the immigration checkpoint with me. It would’ve been an easy feat had the fans not been tipped off that I would be there. Furthermore, they only sent 2 personnel to act as security for me. I was mobbed by about 50 enthusiastic Taiwanese fans.

“Oppa!” they screamed at me.

“Skye oppa,” another shrieked.

“Oppa saranghae,” another declared as she reached out and tried to grab my arm.

I walked quickly into the gates, the minders pushing the girls away as much as they could and finally, we were home free. I had my passport stamped and all, then finally got to my plane. Just as I was about to heave a sigh of relief, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around with a ready smile, expecting one of the stewardesses.

“Skye,” she smiled, and I could just feel my face fall.

“Yuk Hee,” her name escaped my lips.

[Sierra’s POV]

I sat on the bed as I watched Jae Joong and Yun Ho both pack for Japan. They leave in 2 days, and tomorrow, I would have to go home since Skye and Shoei would be back in Seoul.

“Come on,” Jae Joong said, mussing my hair as he walked past towards his suitcase. “Smile…”

“Easy for you to say,” I grumbled as I flopped backwards onto the bed and buried my head under a pillow.

“I’ll be back in 3 months,” he said as he folded another shirt and laid it in the suitcase.

“This is short compared to our other trips,” Yun Ho said. “Wait till we’re on tour again, then you’d have something to complain about,” he smiled.

“Sure… remind me about it,” I grumbled, then I felt the bed move.

“Na wa,” Jae Joong said as he opened his arms, and I moved into them and lay my head on his lap while he stroked my hair.

“I’ll go see how the others are doing,” Yun Ho said and he left the room.

“I’ll be back in 3 months,” Jae Joong said. “Just hang in there, okay?”

“I know you’ll be back. I just miss you so much, and I have that series coming up,” I said.

“I know… the series is something new for you, but it’s going to boost your popularity. I would love to do some acting myself, but so far all we’ve done is banjun dramas, Vacation and Dating on Earth. I wish I had the chance to do a longer project.”

“I thought you preferred to sing,” I said.

“I love singing, but I’ve love to try something different for a change.”

“Hmm…” I said as I fiddled with a stray thread on his pants.

“You should go to bed,” he said. “Don’t you have to meet your acting coach tomorrow?”

“Ne,” I said, and I rolled off his lap to sit up.

“Go to bed,” he said, and he kissed my forehead. “I’ll come to bed soon.”

“Araso,” I said, and I put my arms around him to hug him.

As I did, a single tear slid down my cheek, and I hugged him tightly, trying to stop the sob from choking out of my throat.

“Pabo,” he said affectionately, and he hugged me back. “3 months… and I’ll be back here again.”

“I know…” I said tearfully, “it’s just so hard.”

“Sierra,” he said softly. “It isn’t easy for me either. Saranghae.”

“Saranghae,” I said, and I kissed him.

He kissed me back, and then pulled me into his arms for a long embrace.

“I’ll be back soon… kidariyo,” he whispered lovingly, and I nodded wordlessly.

After awhile, Chang Min called for Jae Joong, and I had to go to bed since it was getting late. He left after he tucked me in, and I buried myself under the covers and cried softly.

The day Jae Joong drove me home to my apartment where Skye and Shoei would probably have already arrived, I was silent.

“Wae tto…” he said affectionately as he took my hand.

“Nothing,” I lied.

“Are you still missing me?” he said.

“What do you think?”

“I miss you too. But you know I have to go…” he sighed.

“Arayo…” I sighed. “I just wished we could’ve like gone together or something.

“I’ll try to suggest we do another TVXQ/S-Cube concert to the management, okay? But for now, just wait for me to come home. Araji?” he said as he rubbed my hand gently with his.

“Arayo…” I sighed, but smiled as bravely as I could.

“Besides,” he said, “aren’t you glad that Skye and Shoei are back? You guys are gonna work on the new album and you will have no time for me,” he teased.

“I will have time for you,” I said indignantly.

“We’ll see,” he said.

We finally reached my apartment and Jae Joong helped me lug my luggage up. We were greeted by the ever perky and loud Skye the moment we walked in.

“Nuna!” he yelled, as if he hadn’t seen me in years. “You’re back, you’re back, you’re back!” he chanted.

“Yes… and already you’re giving me a headache,” I smiled as I slapped his arm when he bounced past while doing a little dance around me.

“I’ll put these in your room,” Jae Joong said, and he started bringing my bags to my room.

“Where’s Shoei?” I asked Skye.

“Supermarket… to stock up since the we’d left the fridge empty,” he said. “I’m sooooo hungry nuna. Cook me ramyun,” he whined.

“Do we even have ramyun? We have no eggs for sure,” I said.

“I don’t mind,” Skye said. “I just need food!” he wailed dramatically.

“Araso… araso…” I laughed as I walked to the kitchen.

Shoei came home while I was halfway through preparing Skye’s ramyun.

“Ya…” Shoei said. “I want one too, nuna,” he smiled.

“Hey, Shoei,” I smiled and I gave him a quick hug.

“I got some veggies too,” he said. “I’ll just give them a quick rinse and you can toss them in,” he said as he got to work.

“Hello…” Jae Joong said as he popped his head into the kitchen. “Need my help?”

“Nope,” Shoei replied. “All covered.”

“Are you hungry?” I asked Jae Joong.

“Not particularly,” he said.

“Jae Joong hyung,” Skye said as he popped in and thumped Jae Joong on his back. “Make some jiggae. I love your jiggae.”

“I’m not sure if they’ve got all the ingredients,” Jae Joong said.

“I don’t mind,” Skye said, “Do you mind?” he asked as he pointed to Shoei.

“Be my guest,” Shoei said as he stepped away from the counter with his hands up in the air.

“Hey! Then what about the ramyun,” I exclaimed.

“Right… is it ready?” Skye asked. “That would be my appetizer.”

“Here,” I said as I turned off the stove and held out the saucepan towards him, “dig in.”

“Goodie…” he said as he gleefully intercepted the saucepan from me and dug around for a pair of chopsticks with his free hand.

“Oi… use a bowl,” I said.

“Twaeso…” he said as he walked out the kitchen with the saucepan in one hand and a pair of chopsticks in another.

“Jiggae?” Jae Joong said as he looked at me inquiringly.

“Why not? It’s already past noon and my breakfast had digested,” I laughed.

“Okay,” he said, and he started getting to work.

About half an hour later, Jae Joong had prepared a visual and epicurean delight, as always.

“Don’t touch it yet,” he said as he placed the pot of steaming jiggae on the table where Skye was already waiting, his ramen long gone, but his appetite still present.

Shoei and I walked in with rice ready in bowls and the other utensils and sat at the table, waiting for Jae Joong to put the final touch to his masterpiece… a garnishing of spring onions.

“Now?” Skye said, almost salivating like a rabid hyena.

“Okay,” Jae Joong laughed, and it was evident that he had been teasing Skye all along by prolonging the whole meal preparation process.

Along with Jae Joong’s jiggae, there was my famous plain omelet and the ever-present little plate of kimch’i.

“Omelet!” Skye squealed like he’d never seen one before. “How I’ve missed your omelet, nuna,” he said.

My omelet consisted of nothing but eggs, soy sauce, pepper and a sprinkling of sugar. I think it’s the sugar that makes it different; a recipe of my mother’s.

“So how were your trips?” Jae Joong asked them as he chewed his rice.

“Mine was so-so,” Shoei said. “But it was nice to be near home for a change; my parents could come visit me.”

“You’d never believe mine…” Skye sighed, his expression changing and his appetite suddenly seeming to wane.

“What happened?” I asked him, my chopsticks mid-air because I was about to pick up some food before he made his statement.

“Yuk Hee’s moving to Seoul,” he said.

Chapter 127: 로꾸거!!! (Rokkugo!!!)

I squinted at the light as it flashed again.

“Let’s go,” Yun Ho said as he stood up.

My vision cleared and it turned out the light I saw was from the flashlight of the janitor.

“Komapseumnida,” we bowed as we walked out.

“Ye,” the guy answered and shut the door after we walked out.

“Are you alright?” Yun Ho asked me as I wobbled alongside him.

“I kinda fell asleep, so I feel a bit woozy now,” I explained.

“Then hold on to my arm,” he said, and I obliged.

As we neared the main entrance, we realized that a small group of reporters were gathered there.

“Shit,” I said, under my breath.

“Reporters,” Yun Ho said. “Someone must have tipped them off.”

“What do we do?” I asked him.

“I’ll go get the car and you wait at the side exit for me.”

“Okay,” I said, and we split up.

As I walked towards the exit, my phone rang.

“Where are you?” Jae Joong asked me as soon as I picked up.

“HQ,” I said.

“Didn’t you say you were coming back more than an hour ago?”

“I left my phone in the conference room, and Yun Ho drove me back to get it. Then some fool locked us in the room.”

“Again?” he said incredulously.

“Yes… again,” I said as I rolled my eyes.

“Neo chigeum odiya?”

“I’m on my way out the side exit.”

“Side exit?”

“Someone tipped the reporters off that I was at the HQ with Yun Ho,” I said.

“And where’s Yun Ho?”

“Gone to get his car. He’ll pick me up from the side exit.”

“This is not a good idea. You should stay there,” Jae Joong said. “Call Yun Ho and tell him to come home. I’ll come over to pick you up.”

“You’re already home, why trouble yourself?” I asked him.

“It’ll be more trouble if you and Yun Ho’s photos get into the papers,” he pointed out. “Stay where you are, and call Yun Ho. Araso?” he said.

“Arasoyo,” I said.

“See you in awhile,” he said.

“Okay,” I said, and he hung up.

I dialed Yun Ho’s phone and he picked up after the 2nd ring.

“I’m on my way,” he said.

“Jae Joong said he’d pick me. He said it would be better if we weren’t seen together,” I said in one breath.

“He did? Well… good idea,” he replied.

“So I’ll see you at home,” I said.

“Sure,” he said. “You want me to come in and accompany you till he comes?”

“No,” I said. “It’s fine. Go on. Make sure you’re showered before I get home.”

“Ne oma,” he laughed, and hung up.

“Sierra,” a voice said as I turned around, and I screamed at the face that popped up in front of me. “Calm down!” he exclaimed.

“Hee Chul,” I said as I tried to catch my breath. “What are you doing here?”

“I had some work to do,” he said. “What are you doing here?”

“Waiting for Jae Joong to pick me up,” I said.

“Aww… the power couple of SM is still so loving… isn’t that beautiful,” he teased.

“Shut up,” I laughed and punched his arm.

“Right!” he suddenly exclaimed. “Jae Joong is driving, isn’t he?”

“Yea. Then he can take me home,” he said.

“What happened to your baby?” I asked.

Hee Chul recently bought a new car and always referred to it as his baby.

“My baby’s at the doctor’s,” he said.

“So soon?”

“I think he caught a cold.”

“Did you take him out for a spin in the rain?” I asked him.

“I couldn’t help it. I wanted to get him home sooner, but the rain just had to come,” he smiled.

“Why am I even having this conversation with you?” I laughed.

“Yea… why? So can Jae Joong give me a lift?”

“Can anyone say no to you?” I raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t think so,” he grinned.

“So why bother to ask?”

“It’s fun!” he exclaimed.

“Sure… sure… and remind me why I have to call you oppa,” I said as I walked towards the waiting area to sit on the benches.

We spent the next few minutes gossiping and complaining about of schedules, until my phone rang.

“Omo… how sappy can you to be?” Hee Chul said when he heard my ring tone, Girlfriends’ ‘Maybe I Love You’.

I stuck my tongue out at him as I flipped open the phone to answer it.

“Ye,” I said.

“Come out the side exit,” he said.

“I’m coming,” I said as I stood up. “And we’ve got company,” I added as I walked towards the exit, with Hee Chul trailing behind me.

“Mwo? Nugu?” Jae Joong asked.

“He wants to surprise you.” I said.

“He?”

“Just wait and see,” I said and I hung up.

“I can’t believe that is your ring tone!” Hee Chul started again and chattered all the way to the car.

I opened the front door and plopped onto the seat. Hee Chul did the same in the back.

“Annyeong,” he said in a girly voice and waved shyly, as if he was in awe to see Jae Joong.

“Hyung!” Jae Joong exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

“Duh… working?” Hee Chul replied, now in his boyish voice.

“I think he was just loitering around the building. Since when does he need to work?” I joked. “Kim Hee Chul is a cash spinning machine. He just needs to sit and wait for people to feed him and take care of him.”

“Oi!” Hee Chul exclaimed. “That’s enough from you, little girl,” he said as he tugged my hair playfully.

“Omo… please don’t kill me, ajeosshi…” I giggled.

“Keumanhae… this is noise pollution!” Jae Joong laughed.

“You drive,” I said. “This is between me and Hee Chul ajeosshi,” I said as I turned around to poke Hee Chul.

“Who are you calling ‘ajeosshi’?” he said.

“You’re not ajeosshi? Mianhae haraboji,” I said.

“You… you…” he said as he pointed at me whilst pretending to be having a heart attack.

“Get a life,” I said in a mean voice.

“You… evil…” he gasped and ‘fainted’.

“Finally,” I said in a rapturous voice as I clutched Jae Joong’s hand, “we’re alone.”

Jae Joong laughed softly and traced my wrist with his thumb.

“Aha!” Hee Chul pretty much yelled as he bounced up between the seats. “I’m back!”

“Really…” I said as I rolled my eyes, then I laughed.

“So what’s kickin’ bro,” Hee Chul asked Jae Joong in English, black rapper style.

“I was ready to get into bed when Sierra kongju called,” he said. “I’m always rescuing her.”

“Why did she need to be rescued tonight?” Hee Chul asked.

“Because this ogre named Hee Chul was about to attack me,” I replied.

“I was talking to Jae Joong, not you,” Hee Chul retorted and I stuck my tongue out at him and crossed my arms.

“She was stuck in the building with Yun Ho. I asked him to leave without her so that they didn’t start any rumours,” Jae Joong explained.

“Good thinking,” Hee Chul said. “So what were you and Yun Ho doing at the HQ so late?”

“I left my phone behind, then some maniac locked us up in the conference room.”

“Again?” Hee Chul exclaimed.

“Yea… I told him I was with Yun Ho and asked him to come lock us in.”

“That’s not what I was getting at,” Jae Joong said.

“Neither was I,” Hee Chul said.

“No?” I said. “Seemed like it.”

“Keugo aniya…” Jae Joong said. “Hwanajima,” he added.

“Hmmph,” I said and turned to look out of the window.

“Don't mind her, Jae Joong,” Hee Chul said. “Talk to me.”

“I can’t do that, hyung. She’ll kill me when we get home,” Jae Joong said in a worried tone.

“You’re such a wuss,” Hee Chul said.

“Aniya… I just love her more than life itself. So I have to make sure she’s happy,” Jae Joong said in the sappiest way he could, and I cracked up.

“You’re such a liar, Jae Joong,” I said and smacked him on the arm.

“Yea… but my obvious lies get me what I want most of the time,” he laughed.

“Okay… I am starting to follow this weird relationship you two have,” Hee Chul said in the kind of tone a therapist would use.

“Huh?” Jae Joong and I said.

“You, Sierra, get upset. And you, Jae Joong, be sarcastic and make statements you obviously do not mean. Then Sierra’s anger vanishes, and you’re lovey-dovey again,” he concluded. “Mwoya?” he exclaimed at the end.

“You obviously have not dated enough,” I huffed.

“Yea,” Jae Joong said.

“Excuse me… I’ll have you know that I have many lady friends, and none of them are weird like you,” he said and he poked my head with his index finger at the end of his line.

“Oi!” I said as I rubbed my head. “Who are you calling weird, gay boy...”

“Gay boy?!” he screeched.

“Hey… hello… my ears,” Jae Joong protested, but we just ignored him and carried on bantering.

We finally arrived at Hee Chul’s apartment, and Jae Joong was only too happy to unlock the door and heave Hee Chul out of the car.

“Bye,” Hee Chul waved at us as he ran in.

“Bye,” we said in unison and wound up the window.

“Thank god…” Jae Joong sighed with relief, and when he turned to glare at me, I knew I was going to get a good lecturing from him.

“Hehe!” I giggled. “He started it,” I said, and all Jae Joong could do was roll his eyes and let out a sound of exasperation.

Chapter 126: Him & Me II

[Yuk Hee’s POV]

I watched from my window as Vanness’ car pulled out of the apartments’ compound.

“It’s not over yet, Jang Kyu Jin,” I said to myself.

He’d started avoiding me like a plague the moment he got back to Taiwan, and I could only guess that he’d realized what I was up to. I can’t imagine why he didn’t want to give us a chance. Did our childhood mean so little to him?

Sure… I’d put him at the back of my mind the moment I left Kwangju. I remembered how we tearfully said goodbye the first time we had to part; when his parents sent him to America. I remembered how I found him to be better looking when he’d just gotten back to Kwangju. But when my parents told me we were moving to Taiwan, I thought nothing about Skye and I decided to make a new life for myself. That was until I saw him on the television in one of S-Cube’s MVs. I knew that I still hadn’t forgotten him, and that he was meant to be part of my life.

I cannot believe that this Hae Rin is so important to him and that he would choose her over me. I’ve seen her pictures and her MVs. She was the usual sweet and delicate beauty. The kind with the big eyes, and reminded you of Japanese anime characters. I found her cuteness annoying. She reminded me of the girls who were the bane of my existence in high school; the girls who made fun of me because I was tall and plain. If it wasn’t for my father’s money, I would not have the face I did today. I denied it whenever someone asked, but it was true that I’ve had some work done. Only my parents knew the truth.

I tapped my manicured nails on the wine glass I held, contemplating my next move. Maybe it was time I went into show business. I had the physique all along, but lacked the face. Now that I had both, I should just go for it. It would help me get closer to Skye. I made a mental note to call the agent who’d approached me sometime ago. He’d probably be able to get me into one of the entertainment companies in Seoul.

“Jang Kyu Jin… you’ll come to your senses soon enough,” I said softly as I stared at the red liquid in the wine glass. “You don’t know it yet, but you’ll be mine… you’ve always been mine.”

[Sierra’s POV]

Another grueling day had ended, and Yun Ho and I headed back home; my temporary home with TVXQ.

“Tired?” he asked me.

“Ani,” I smiled and started rummaging through my bag.

“What are you looking for?”

“My phone,” I said.

“Did you lose it?” he asked me.

“I’m not sure,” I said. “I just suddenly wondered where my phone was.”

“Is it at the HQ?” he asked me.

“Maybe,” I said. “I can’t find it in my bag.”

The phone was a present from Jae Joong. He’ll probably get upset if he found out that I’d lost it.

“Let’s turn back,” Yun Ho said and he made a U-turn at the next traffic light.

“Komawo,” I said.

“No problem. I know Jae Joong gave you that phone,” he said.

“How did you know?”

“I helped pick it,” he said.

“Oh…” was all I could say.

“Aren’t you going to tell me that I have good taste?” he joked.

“You have good taste,” I smiled.

“Thank you. That was a very sincere comment. It touched my heart,” he said with a straight face, and I had to giggle.

“Someday… some girl is going to be very lucky,” I said.

“Lucky? Why?” he asked.

“Because she will marry you, and you are the perfect man,” I said.

“If I were the perfect man, you’d still be with me,” he smiled.

“Well… Jae Joong’s pretty perfect himself, so now that I have him, you have to be someone else’s. I can’t be too greedy,” I said.

“True…”

“And you are perfect…” I said. “There are also flaws in perfection.”

“You’re doing it again,” he laughed.

“What am I doing?”

“Twisting your words to make them sound logical… you do it so much that eventually you even lose your train of thought and it ends up as a huge incoherent concept.”

“I do not,” I said.

“Yes, you do,” he laughed. “I used to tell you to stop. Remember?”

“You just didn’t want to listen to me. There’s nothing wrong with my theories,” I said.

“Yea… and you never back down.”

“Jung Yun Ho…” I said.

“Ne?” he replied.

“Keumanhae,” I said.

“Araso,” he laughed. “You always win.”

“Yes, I do,” I laughed.

We reached the HQ building and thankfully, they were not closed yet.

“We left something behind,” Yun Ho told the guard as we walked in, and he just nodded as we rushed in towards the meeting room we were in, earlier.

I flipped on the switches and started looking around for my phone.

“Found it,” Yun Ho said as he held up the phone for me to see.

Just then, the door closed with a loud bang, and we could hear someone punch in the codes from outside to lock it.

“Not again?” I groaned.

“Yah!” Yun Ho yelled and banged on the door. Then we heard the sound of footsteps as the person walked away.

“I can’t count how many times this has happened,” I said.

“Well… at least we’re not in darkness,” Yun Ho said, and he’d spoken too soon.

Just as he finished his sentence, the lights went out.

“Yun Ho…” I called out.

“Yea… I’m right here,” he said and he flipped open my phone so that we had some light.

I walked slowly towards him and reached out for his arm.

“Sit down,” he said, and he pulled out a chair for me.

As I sat down, he started dialing the number of the building’s front desk on my phone.

“Yoboseyo… ye… choneun Yun Ho-imnida. Ye… Dong Bang Shin Ki leader, Yun Ho-imnida.”

As he explained our predicament to the front desk, I rolled the seat towards the table and lay my head on it. I took a deep breath and sighed. Why was I always the victim of such predicaments?

“Ye… please send someone to open the door quickly. Ye… komapseumnida,” he said, and he hung up.

“Anyone coming?” I asked him.

“They said they’ll need to call the supervisor in. Apparently he’s on leave today,” he explained.

“Then who the hell locked us in?” I said.

“I don’t know… but you seem to attract such people,” he laughed.

“I really hope this is an accident,” I said. “I can’t take another anti-fan prank.”

“I don’t think you have that many anti-fans,” Yun Ho said as he pulled out a chair to sit beside me. “Your phone,” he said as he handed it to me.

“Komawo,” I said. “If someone was here, I may have to change my number again. He probably saw my phone.”

“Yeah… We can run to the shop and get that done tomorrow,” he said.

“It’s fine,” I replied. “I’ll go with Jae Joong before you guys leave for Japan.”

“Worried?” he asked me, after a brief moment of silence.

“Mwoga?”

“Are you worried about him being away?” he asked.

“Ani,” I said. “I just worry if he works too hard. You guys work extra hard when you’re in Japan.”

“It’s not home ground. We need to,” he said.

“I understand.”

“You can come visit,” he suggested.

“I have a drama to film, remember?” I said.

“What a coincidence…” he said.

“Yep… life’s full of coincidences.”

“Well… if you had no drama to film, you have no money either. You’ll just need to bear with your schedule.”

“I know,” I said. “Why do you always speak to me like you did when I first debut?”

“Why?” he said. “Because it still feels like it to me. I still find that you haven’t been able to adapt 100%.”

“I’m fine,” I said. “I’m practically a veteran now.”

“3 years does not make you a veteran,” he smiled.

I was starting to be able to see his face now, in the darkness, since my eyes were adapting.

“Arayo… sonbae,” I joked.

“Choayo… nuna,” he teased me back.

“You’ve never called me that,” I giggled.

“I think I should. With you dating Jae Joong and you being older,” he said.

“You don’t even call Jae Joong ‘hyung’.”

“Right…” he said.

“You even had me call you ‘oppa’ in the past.”

“Ah… yes… those were the days,” he laughed.

“3 years…” I sighed. “It’s been 3 years already.”

“Missing home?” he asked.

“No,” I said. “I’m just wondering what I have been doing in this past 3 years. It seemed as if I’d just gotten off the plane yesterday.”

“Yea… and dated me and Jae Joong in 1 day,” he laughed.

“Hehehe… chaemin-anikka?” I said sarcastically and punched him lightly on the arm.

“Waegeurae?” he whined, but was still laughing. “You’ve done a lot in these 3 years. Why do you sound so disappointed?”

“Something’s missing,” I said.

“Your grand wedding?” he said.

“Maybe…” I said wistfully.

“You’re not serious, are you?” he asked me.

“Of course not. As if Jae Joong and I can afford to do that now.”

“Right…” he said, and there was that silence again.

The room was starting to smell musky from the carpet and lack of ventilation, and I suddenly felt feverish. I rubbed my eyes and stretched, trying to shake off the feeling.

“Waegeurae?” Yun Ho asked me, sensing I was uncomfortable.

“I’m feeling feverish, and a bit dizzy,” I said.

“I think it’s because the room is stuffy,” he said. “Come here,” he added and he rolled over and pulled me gently towards him so that my head rested on his shoulder.

“Yun Ho,” I protested and tried to pull away.

“I know how you are when you don’t feel well,” he said. “Don’t tell me you don’t need this.”

“It’s more of I can’t,” I sighed, but stayed there anyway.

“We’re just friends. This is nothing for friends,” he said.

“Single friends, maybe,” I said, and I just closed my eyes and pretended it wasn’t Yun Ho I was leaning on.

I think the both of us fell asleep in the darkness and in each other’s comfort, because when the door was finally opened, we didn’t pull apart in time. Just as I managed to open my eyes and try to pull away, we were greeted with a flash of light.

Chapter 125: Him & Me I

[Sierra’s POV]

The MV finally ended, and the crew applauded. Yun Ho and I stood up and clapped our hands with them, bowing, and thanking them for their efforts.

“Komapseumnida,” we said at interval as we bowed.

“Everyone is invited for some refreshments in the next room,” the producer said as the applause died down. “Sugohaseyo,” he added before he walked out.

“Kaja,” Yun Ho said as he stood beside me and waited for me to get up from my seat.

I got up from my seat and he held me lightly by my elbow as we walked out of the room.

A small conference room had been set up with food and drinks. We walked towards the buffet and Yun Ho picked up a plate and handed it to me. I picked up some mini kimbap and some cold glass noodles mixed with vegetables.

“That’s all you’re eating,” Yun Ho asked me as we huddled in a corner with our plates.

“You know me,” I smiled. “Picky…”

“And you’re gonna go home and have instant ramyun?” he said.

“Might not,” I said as I slurped the noodles. “I should go on a diet. Ever since Yoo Chun’s birthday, it’s like I’ve caught the glutton bug.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve been eating non-stop since then. I keep snacking. I’m gonna get really huge if I keep this up.”

“Not if you spend enough hours in the gym,” he said as he chewed his food.

“You know I’m not into the gym, or yoga… or any exercise…”

“You dance…” he pointed out.

“Dancing is different. It’s not exercise to me cos I like doing it.”

“So you should increase your training hours,” he smiled.

“Don’t you dare,” I wagged my finger at him when I saw the glint in his eye. “If my training hours are increased, I’ll know it’s you behind it.”

“Araso…” he laughed. “I was just thinking it was a good idea since you loved dancing so much.”

“I love it… so don’t kill my love for it,” I said.

“Sure…” he smiled and sipped his drink.

[Skye’s POV]

We’d just finished filming another episode of Now Music, and we’re packing up for the day.

“Yo, Skye!” Vanness called out as he walked towards me. “Did Yuk Hee call you?”

“Nope,” I said. “My phone was off.”

“Dinner at her place, tonight,” he said.

Ever since I came back to Taiwan, we’d been having lots of dinners with Yuk Hee. Most of the time I obliged was because Vanness was interested in her. I was trying my best to keep my distance to avoid her further misunderstanding our relationship.

“If you want, I can skip it, then you can spend some quality time with her,” I joked.

“Would you?” he exclaimed happily. “You’d do that for me?” he said. “Aww… bro…” he added, and hugged me.

“You’re crazy…”

“Yea… I’d be crazy, if I believed you,” he laughed. “So are we leaving yet?”

“Sure,” I said.

He didn’t know how much I’d wanted to get out of tonight’s dinner.

“Skye! Vanness!” Yuk Hee smiled when she opened the door.

“Why is it always Skye before Vanness?” Vanness complained as we walked into Yuk Hee’s apartment.

“Erm… doesn’t ‘s’ come before ‘v’ in the alphabets?”

“It does,” I smiled.

“See,” she laughed.

“I should’ve named myself Robert... just to be 1 alphabet before Skye.”

“Don’t be childish,” I said, and he made a face at me.

“Come on, guys…” Yuk Hee said, and we followed her into her dining room.

Yuk Hee lived in a spacious 3 bedroom apartment in one of the wealthier districts of Taipei. Her parents lived in the penthouse of the block next to hers.

“Are your parents home tonight?” I asked her.

“Why?”

“I’ve not visited them in awhile, and I probably should before I head back to Seoul next week.”

It’s been more than a week since I got back to Taipei. I have a week more to go before my assignment with the music program ends and I will leave Taipei for Seoul. I felt quite relieved that my duration here is ending soon. I’ve missed home, I’ve missed Hae Rin and maybe it’s because of our time together, I’m missing nuna and Shoei a lot too. Days without Hae Rin and not being part of S-Cube have been pretty drab. Not that being with Vanness was a drab, but I still didn’t feel as close to him.

Yuk Hee’s attitude has been nothing short of confusing. I’ve given her plenty of signs that our relationship was not what she’d expected of me, and yet, she seems as happy as always to be around me, and Vanness, whom I felt she had been using to get me to meet up with her. Whenever Vanness met up with her, I was obliged to follow since she was my friend.

“Mokja,” Yuk Hee said as she sat down, after placing the last dish on the table; a bowl of steamed egg.

“As usual, you’ve outdone yourself,” Vanness praised Yuk Hee, and she smiled.

“This is nothing. So many girls are much more capable than I am when it came to cooking,” she said modestly.

In actual fact, for someone with a life as fortunate as hers, it was quite a surprise to find that she was able to do so many domestic tasks. I’ve always pegged her as the rich girl who’s never lifted a finger, but she has so far proved me wrong.

“Whatever it is, I think Skye and I feel lucky enough to be served so well,” Vanness said.

“Easy on the compliments, dude,” I laughed. “You’re gonna make her big headed.”

“Nah… Yuk Hee is a modest girl,” Vanness smiled and he continued to eat.

“So you’re leaving next week?” she asked.

“Yea. That’s why I wanted to meet your parents; at least to say ‘goodbye’.”

“They’re away on business, in Japan. But they might be back during the weekend.”

“Good,” I said. “Just keep me posted.”

After dinner, Vanness and I relaxed on Yuk Hee’s couch; in front of a huge plasma television. Some Jacky Wu game show was on and Vanness was laughing like crazy as he watched it. Jacky Wu was a funny guy. I’ve met him once or twice, but because of the language barrier, we never got far. I missed out a lot of good television programs because of my poor Chinese.

“What are you watching?” Yuk Hee asked as she came to sit down with us after cleaning up in the kitchen.

“Something that I don’t understand,” I said.

“We could always put on a DVD,” she suggested.

“It’s okay. I wouldn’t dream of tearing Vanness away from Jacky Wu,” I said.

“What?” Vanness said and turned to look at the both of us.

“Nothing,” I said. “Pay attention to Jacky,” I laughed.

“No, no, no… I want in on the secret. Spit it out. What were you two talking about behind my back? Don’t think just cause you’re speaking in Korean I can’t guess what you’re saying,” he said.

“We’re just talking,” Yuk Hee giggled. “No one’s bad-mouthing you.”

“I don’t believe you,” Vanness said.

“Sui bien ni ba,” Yuk Hee replied in Mandarin.

“Ya… who taught you that?” Vanness exclaimed.

“I’ve been living here for 3 years. You think I wouldn’t have picked up any Chinese?”

“Not bad… not bad,” he laughed. “I guess I can take you home to meet my mom now,” he said.

“Who’s meeting your mom?” Yuk Hee said and made a face at him.

“You heartbreaker,” he said as he got up from the couch.

“Where are you going?” I asked him.

“Kotjongman… I’m just going to the loo,” he said.

“Michoso…” Yuk Hee laughed the moment he closed the bathroom door.

“He likes you though,” I said.

“He’s just a player,” she said as she swirled the red wine in her wine glass.

“I still think he’s kinda taken by you,” I said.

“Are you trying to match make me with Vanness?” she asked me.

“Maybe,” I smiled.

“I already have someone in mind,” she said nonchalantly, and sipped her wine.

“Nugu?” I asked her.

“Time will tell,” she said cryptically.

A few hours later, we left Yuk Hee’s place and headed back home.

“Wanna go for a drink?” Vanness asked me.

“Where?” I asked.

“I know this quiet bar,” he said.

“Sure,” I said as I stretched in my seat. “I’m not that sleepy yet.”

“Great,” he said, and off we went.

The bar was almost a private one. They played chill out music and the booths were designed in a way that provided some privacy to its occupants. It would be a great place to make-out in since each booth had a small canopy surrounding it. Too bad Hae Rin was back in Seoul. I should bring her here someday.

Vanness and I each ordered a bottle of beer and we just sat there, slouching and sipping from our bottles.

“So what’s up with you?” he asked me.

“What do you mean?” I said.

“You seem a bit down lately,” he said. “And you’re avoiding people.”

“Like who?”

“Yuk Hee?”

“I wouldn’t go to her place if I were avoiding her,” I pointed out.

“No… but you try to. And you’re speaking less to her. You used to be really animated and talkative with her. Did something happen when you guys went back to Seoul?”

“It’s nothing,” I said.

“Come on, brother… You can’t keep me in the dark like this,” he said.

“You’d hate me if I told you,” I said.

“Why would I hate you? Unless you’re telling me that you have a crush on Yuk Hee,” he laughed.

“The opposite actually,” I said, and he stopped laughing and stared at me.

“Mworago?” he said.

“I suspect that Yuk Hee is trying hard to get close to me,” I said.

“Whoa… how sure are you?”

“The paparazzi took some pictures of her hanging on my arm at the airport; my girlfriend wasn’t happy.”

“So?”

“And then after nuna pointed out that Yuk Hee might be trying to get close to me… to turn the friendship we had in the past into a relationship.”

“Now why would she do that?”

“I don’t know, but she’s behaving very weird. She called me up almost every day when we were in Seoul, asking to meet up and all.”

“Are you her only friend in Seoul?”

“I don’t think so. And I did tell her about my girlfriend.”

“So what’s the problem now?”

“I told her on our way to Seoul, and when we got there, she still called me each night, even when I told her I needed to spend time with my girlfriend.”

“Dude… maybe you’re being a little too paranoid,” Vanness laughed.

“I just don’t want to lead anyone on,” I said. “Better safe than sorry,” I added.

“Shall I take her off your hands then?” he joked.

“If only she liked you more than she did me,” I joked back.

“I’ll make her,” he said. “Just wait… I’ll relieve you of this beautiful pain in your butt,” he winked, and we cracked up.

UPDATED: Broken T_T

Bad news... my PC is behaving weirdly, and I can't stay on a website for more than 10 mins at a time cos my Internet Explorer will freeze.

I'm taking the week off and hopefully by this Sunday (7 Oct), my PC will be fixed and I can put up a chapter :P Choesonghamnida...

I can only access the net briefly at work... T_T So... I'll at least keep this post updated on when I'm posting again. Check back, aight?

******

Wooo hooo!!!! I got the new job!!! I'm now a store manager for Yishion (HK clothes store) ^_^ I start end of this month.

I'll try to keep up with posting, and as promised... I will post a chapter tomorrow... wait for it.

Might be busy with my new job... but I'll see how it goes and reschedule my posting schedule to suit my new work schedule ^_^

Chapter 124: Ride On

We took off our headphones as ‘Waiting for You’ played.

“Sugohaseyo…” Seung Ho said to Sierra and Yun Ho.

“Ye… komapseumnida,” Sierra replied. “It was a good show.”

“Were our questions good?” Darren asked as he collected and stacked up the scripts on the table.

“Not bad,” Yun Ho replied. “Pretty original.”

“Tangyeonhajyo,” Seung Ho said. “Do you know how long we sat together just to come up with those. We’re like the last to interview you both this week, and almost every single question to be asked had already been asked.”

“Repeating a few of them wouldn’t have hurt. Some people might have missed the other interview sessions,” Sierra said.

“Then we wouldn’t be original. Andoe, andoe… we had to be original,” Seung Ho said.

“Well, you did it,” Yun Ho smiled.

“You two were perfect for that song,” Seung Ho said. “Your live singing is brilliant.”

“Kamsahamnida…” Sierra smiled.

Even now, she still glows with the pleasure, like a new kasu, when someone praises her singing. I guess being battered by the media and critics for the entire duration of her career up till now has made her more gracious and thankful when she received success and praise.

“Still so modest, Sierra?” I remarked.

“She’s always been like that,” Yun Ho replied in her place.

“Yes she has. Can’t imagine her being otherwise. Sierra’s famed for her modesty,” I laughed.

“Isn’t that a good reason to be famous for?” she smiled.

“Yep,” I replied. “So are you looking forward to our collaboration.”

“Oh… I almost forgot about the drama,” I said.

“Ye? You’re gonna be in a drama with Sierra?” Seung Ho exclaimed. “You lucky punk!”

“Yea… really lucky,” Yun Ho said.

“Hey… don’t get envious,” I smiled. “It’s just my fate.”

“Yun Ho, Sierra…” their PA called out as she popped her head into the room. “We need to go.”

“Well, gotta run,” Sierra said. “See you guys around.”

“Sure,” Seung Ho smiled his sappy smile at Sierra.

Hot girls just blow his mind. It’s a wonder how he can remain calm, collected and articulate during our shows in their presence.

“Bye,” Yun Ho said as he ushered Sierra out of the door.

“That girl…” Seung Ho said, as soon as the door closed. “She sure is something.”

“What? Not even Hae Rin can hold a candle to her?” I said.

“Hae Rin is a different league all together… Sierra makes me wanna sing that Lee Seung Gi song… how does it go again?”

“Nuna nae yeoja anikka?”

“Yesss…” he said dreamily, and started humming the tune to the song.

“You’re such a sap,” I said as I nudged his head with a file.

“Kaja… the next slot’s DJs are coming,” he said, and we walked out.

We went to a nearby stall to have our lunch since we each had other shows to do in the next hour.

“So why didn’t you tell me you were gonna be in a drama with her?” Seung Ho drilled me.

“How can I reveal company secrets to you?” I said as I slurped my ramen.

“Ya… you did it in the end anyway,” he said.

“That was cos I was allowed to only after she’d confirmed her acceptance.”

“So she’s agreed to work with you?”

“Yep…” I said.

“Why don’t I get such luck?” he whined as he sipped his drink.

“You’d have to have a face like mine to get such privilege,” I laughed.

“What’s wrong with my face?” he asked as he stared at me.

“It doesn’t look like mine?” I laughed and patted him on the back. “Your chance will come. Don’t worry.”

“Sure…” he said with a disheartened tone, and he started eating.

[Sierra’s POV]

Yun Ho and I are stuck at Mnet’s broadcasting studio tonight. We’d just finished recording the interview session which will be broadcasted right before out MV, and we have been requested to stay for the broadcast and attend a small launch party afterwards.

“Sierra-sshi,” one of the assistants called out to me as she handed me a drink.

“Kamsahamnida,” I smiled as I accepted it.

“Shall we meet up with the rest later, or shall we just head home?” Yun Ho asked me.

“Are they planning to go somewhere?” I asked him.

“No… not if you want to go home.”

“Well… I think I’d want to head home,” I said. “We have another long day tomorrow.”

“Okay,” he said. “We’re not gonna be able to meet them for dinner anyway. They should just have their own dinner and we’ll meet them at home.”

“Yep,” I said, and I took another sip of my drink.

“You got the script yet?” he asked me.

“Yea… the story starts of typically,” I said.

“How typical?”

“Darren is traveling abroad and he bumps into me, we spend sometime together, part, and then somehow, we meet again in Korea.”

“Aha…” he smiled.

“The only fun bit is I get to play his boss in the drama.”

“His boss?”

“Yea… his character goes back to Seoul to work in a multinational company, and it so happens that I’m hired by his company to be his new superior.”

“Sounds fun,” he smiled some more.

“And he’s supposed to hate me at first, because he thought he would’ve been promoted, but instead they brought me in.”

“I can imagine the drama now… the fights, the dialogue… the passionate scenes to come,” Yun Ho laughed.

“Let’s hope you’re wrong. I’m hoping for some twists in this. It just sounds so cliché so far.”

“Right,” he said.

The broadcast of our interview finally began. We watched intently, looking for mistakes that we have to correct in our next interviews; the wrong facial expressions, wrong answers, and other stuff like that. When the interview ended, our MV played.

[To Be Your Love MV]

String instruments played a classical melody as Yun Ho came into view. He was sitting on the grass with his back against a tombstone. The words ‘Sierra + Yun Ho’ followed by ‘To Be Your Love’ appeared slowly on the screen and fades away. The camera zooms in on the tombstone and Jin Yi’s photo comes into view and the name ‘Ryu Jin Yi’ written below it.

“I hope you’re happy,” he said as he ran a finger down the photo on her tombstone. “What a mess you’ve made of me now.”

He stood up slowly and dusted off his suit. He was wearing a casual grey suit, and he had his sunglasses pushed onto his head like a headband. He walked leisurely away from her tomb, onto the stairway up the hill where his car was parked. He looked up and the sun blinded his eye for a moment. He blinked, and when he opened his eyes again, there she was.

“Jin Yi?” the name escaped his lips.

She was walking down the same stair he was on; wearing a white sundress, and holding a bouquet of lilies.

“Jin Yi,” he said, and he grabbed her arm as she walked past.

She turned and looked at him, obviously startled.

“Ajeosshi… please let go of me,” she said.

He continued to stare at her, not releasing his grasp.

‘Ajeosshi? She called me ajeosshi? But she looks exactly like Jin Yi. She must be Jin Yi!’ Yun Ho thought.

She stared at the man who gripping her hand.

“Ajeosshi,” she said as she tried to pry her arm out of his vise-like grip. “Please let me go.”

“Jin Yi, it’s you, isn’t it?” he said.

‘Why won’t she acknowledge me? Why won’t she admit who she is?’ he thought.

“I’m not Jin Yi,” she said, “My name is not Jin Yi,” she yelled in frustration and finally, she managed to pull her arm out of his grasp. In doing so, she dropped the bouquet she was holding.

“You’re not Jin Yi?” he said.

“No, it isn’t. Are you drunk or something?” she said as she rubbed the part of her arm where he’d gripped her so tightly.

“Choesonghamnida,” Yun Ho said, finally awakening from the shock.

“Are you alright, ajeosshi?” she said as she peered at him.

He’d suddenly gone pale, as if he was in shock.

‘Shouldn’t I be the one in shock?’ she thought.

“Sierra,” a voice sounded from above and they both looked up.

Ee Teuk, dressed in a black shirt and a pair of blue jeans, jogged down the stairs.

“Oppa,” she greeted him.

“Kwaench’ana?” he asked as he came to stood beside her and put his arm around her shoulders.

“Nan kwaench’ana,” she replied.

“Who is this?” he asked her as he looked at Yun Ho.

“Erm… this is,” she started.

“Jung Yun Ho. Detective Jung Yun Ho,” he said.

“Park Jung Su,” the guy replied and extended his hand to Yun Ho.

“Nice to meet you, Sierra-sshi, Jung Su-sshi. I’ll take my leave now. Annyeonghi kyeseyo,” he said as he pulled his sunglasses down to cover his eyes.

“Annyeonghi kaseyo,” Jung Su replied, as he and Sierra watched Yun Ho walk away.

‘She’s taken… to think I actually mistook her for Jin Yi. She doesn’t even come close to Jin Yi…’ Yun Ho thought.

“Who was that?” Jung Su asked Sierra.

“Just some guy,” Sierra said dismissively. “Let’s go see oma,” she said as she bent down to pick up the bouquet.

Sierra turned back as she and Jung Su walked down.

‘I wonder what happened to him. Who is this Jin Yi?’ she thought.

(guitar intro of ‘To Be Your Love’ starts)

The scene shows Sierra and Yun Ho in bed together. Sierra opened her eyes slowly and stretched languorously as I turned to look at Yun Ho. He was still sleeping. She got up a little and leaned over him, kissed him lightly on the nose and quickly lay back down to pretend that she was asleep. Yun Ho’s eyes fluttered open and he turned slowly to look at her, and smiled to himself. He pulled her close and started to nuzzle her neck deliberately, causing her to giggle and try to pull away. The little ‘scuffle’ continued and ended with Yun Ho pinning me down on the bed, my giggles dying off, and he leaned in for a long lingering kiss.

The scene changed to a flashback scene and showed Sierra pushing open the swinging glass doors and walking into a café. She stood in line at the café, waiting to place her order. She stepped forward as the guy in front moved away. The guy’s tray almost hit her, and she managed to step away just in time, but she lost her balance while doing so. She let out a cry, anticipating the impact of her butt and the ground, but someone reached out to steady her.

She turned around to have a look at her savior and is surprised to see Yun Ho.

The singing stops after the bridge, but the music continues playing softly in the background and the scene shows them having coffee together.

“I’m really sorry for acting the way I did at the cemetery. The truth is you look exactly like my ex-girlfriend,” Yun Ho explained.

“Did something happen to her?” Sierra asked.

“She died last year,” he said.

“Wow,” she said. “I look like your ex-girlfriend? That’s a little hard to believe.”

“We can always go back to the cemetery, and I’ll prove it to you,” he smiled.

“That’s okay. I’ll take your word for it,” she smiled back.

“Komawo,” he said.

“It must have been painful, then. Losing the one you love.”

“The pain dulls eventually,” he said wistfully as he stirred his coffee. “So where’s your boyfriend?”

“Boyfriend?”

“That guy you were with at the cemetery.”

“Oh… Jung Su oppa? He’s my cousin. We were visiting my mother’s grave,” she smiled.

Yun Ho smiled back, and the singing resumed at the first chorus.

The scenes change to show them dating; walking in the park, having dinner, watching a movie at the cinema and the music stopped after the music interlude, before the first verse of the 2nd part of the song. The scene changed to show Yun Ho holding Sierra’s hands as they sat alone on a bench, overlooking a lake.

“Let’s date, officially,” he said.

“You can’t be serious, Yun Ho,” was her reply. “You still have her in your mind. I know that I’m just a substitute.”

“Sierra, you’re not a substitute. I know who I’m looking at. I know who I’m talking to. You’re Sierra, not Jin Yi.”

“But will I ever live up to her?” she asked him.

“She’s dead, you’re here, and I love you,” he said, and he kissed her.

The music played again, starting at the first verse of the 2nd part of the song and showed scenes of Sierra cleaning Yun Ho’s house alone; him coming home and them having dinner at home. Then there are the scenes of them watching TV together, their expressions changing with the different genres of movie they were watching as the bridge played.

The 2nd chorus showed them chasing each other, throwing pop corn and pillows at each other, and laughing. The song ended with the repeated chorus playing as scenes of them being happy flashed past the screen, and finally a scene with Sierra leaning against a tree, and Yun Ho moving in slowly and finally kissing until the song ended, and the words ‘Sierra + Yun Ho’ and ‘To Be Your Love’ were written out on the screen in gold calligraphy as the cameras moved further and further to show more and more of the backdrop; a park with a lake.

Chapter 123: Play My Song

[Darren’s POV]

Darren: We’re gonna have a really exciting show today… Seung Ho, tell us why!

Seung Ho: Why? Because we have 2 of the fastest rising stars in Korea here with us today… Sierra and Yun Ho. (applause) Say hello!

Sierra: Annyeong haseyo, Sierra-imnida.

Yun Ho: Annyeong haseyo, Yun Ho-imnida.

Seung Ho: So how does it feel? You’ve just released a single together, the week is about to end, a whole week of rumors and controversy have passed, and the chart results will be out at the end of the week.

Yun Ho: (laughs) So many questions… which one do you want to hear first?

Darren: How about your comments on the controversy?

Yun Ho: Which one? As kasus, we’re always surrounded by gossip and rumors. Out of 10, usually about 1-2 may be true.

Seung Ho: Well, all week we’ve heard that you and Sierra have gotten back together, and Jae Joong has been kicked to the curb. I guess that isn’t true.

Sierra: No it isn’t. But it’s what sells the papers, right?

Darren: You bet it does. So how do you feel?

Sierra: Well, 3 years ago, I might have felt horrible and would’ve wondered why people would say such things about me, but now, I just ignore them when they’re untrue.

Yun Ho: Same here. There are too many rumors going around. They’re not all worth addressing.

Seung Ho: Well, we’re not gonna ask all those questions you’ve been receiving all week. We’ve come up with some tough cookies that you’ve not gotten yet, and don’t worry, they have nothing to do with your personal lives.

Yun Ho: Thank you.

Darren: No problem… we’re just trying to do our jobs well.

Sierra: You and Seung Ho have done pretty well.

Seung Ho: Ah… ye, komapseumnida.

Darren: Komapseumnida.

Sierra: So what do you guys have for us today?

Darren: First question, why did the two of you decide to do this collaboration?

Yun Ho: Well… it’s planned out by the management, but Sierra and I were happy to have gotten each other for this project. As everyone knows, we go a long way back, and yet we’ve never done anything like this together, so it felt really worthwhile and meaningful to work on with such a great friend.

Sierra: Aww… Yun Ho… you’re making me tear (laughs). Likewise… usually the producers come up with the ideas then we just get assigned and get to work. But to get to work with a friend is always more fun, and I’m glad we had the opportunity.

Darren: That’s very nice to hear, but I think Seung Ho would be too happy if I were replaced as his partner, preferably with a girl. (laughs)

Seung Ho: How can you say that Darren-sshi? I love you as much as my own brother… (pauses) wait a minute, I don’t have a brother.

(everyone laughs)

Sierra: Anyway… I feel that no one was more suitable for the part other than Yun Ho. The song suited his vocals and the MV was perfect for him since he’s such an incredible dancer. I just can’t imagine anyone else in his place.

Seung Ho: But aren’t the parts usually tailored for the kasu?

Sierra: To some extent. If everything can be tailored, then anyone can be a kasu, madji?

Seung Ho: Ne, majayo. And how did you think you fared for this collaboration?

Sierra: I did the best I could.

Yun Ho: Which was a fantastic job.

Seung Ho: Ne… I’ve seen the MV, it was spectacular. The drama, the music, the acting, the singing… it really was a whole package.

Sierra & Yun Ho: Kamsahamnida…

Seung Ho: So to kick things off, let’s listen to Sierra and Yun Ho’s first collaboration, the song that has been talked about all week, ‘Ice Box’.

(music plays)

I watched as Sierra and Yun Ho hovered over their scripts, their head close together. They really did make a good match, but yet, Sierra is with Jae Joong, which doesn’t matter for me anyway, because my only goal was to break them all apart… very soon.

The song ended, and we launched back into the interview session.

Seung Ho: Ya…. That song really sends shivers down my spine. It’s great!

Sierra & Yun Ho: Kamsahamnida…

Darren: So… here’s a statement for Yun Ho to comment on: People have said that someone like Stephanie from TSZX or Hyo Yeon from SNSD would have been more worthy to be your partner, since Sierra wasn’t the best dancer in SM.

Yun Ho: Is there even a standard to define ‘best dancer’? Sierra is a great dancer. Her style is different from Stephanie or Hyo Yeon. I guess in that sense, people don’t consider her the best, but there is no doubt that she’s good. Some people have also commented that I’m not the best dancer there is.

Seung Ho: You? U-Know Yun Ho of TVXQ?

Yun Ho: Ne.

Seung Ho: I don’t believe anyone ever said such a thing.

Yun Ho: It’s really a matter of opinion, so I wouldn’t worry too much, even if someone were to say that Sierra isn’t the best dancer. Most of us at SM have been trained thoroughly, and dancing is something that we don’t miss out on. A lot importance is placed on the ability to dance and sing. Sierra doesn’t need to be named ‘Best Dancer’ to shine.

Seung Ho: Keuraejyo! I agree. See how she’s shining even when just sitting next to us.

(everyone laughs)

Sierra: You’re too kind.

Darren: He’s only kind to girls, and people he fears.

Sierra: Is that so?

Darren: You’ll never see him treat me this well.

Seung Ho: You’re never happy with how I treat you, so let’s put this topic aside. So what makes ‘Ice Box’ the hottest song this week?

Yun Ho: Just this week? Let’s make it at least a month, shall we?

Seung Ho: Right… who am I to argue? (laughs)

Yun Ho: ‘Ice Box’ is a very good song, in terms of the lyrics and music, and we really hope we’ve done it justice. It’s emotional and meaningful and it’s danceable.

Sierra: Omarion is an artiste I really love and respect. It was an honour to do his song.

Seung Ho: What about the other song on your single?

Darren: ‘To Be Your Love’.

Seung Ho: Yep… that’s the one.

Sierra: That song was written by myself and Shoei a long time ago, and the producers finally picked it up and put it in a project.

Seung Ho: So how does Shoei feel; not being able to sing it with you?

Sierra: I don’t think he minds that much, as long as the song was finally made use of. (laughs)

Darren: And how is that song special?

Sierra: That song is an achievement for me.

Darren: How so?

Sierra: I’ve always loved sad love songs… and that’s what I write best. ‘To Be Your Love’ is a love song… a song about being in love, as opposed to the songs about falling out of love I’ve always written.

Seung Ho: Didn’t you co-write another love song with Skye, the one with Chinese lyrics…

Sierra: This was written before ‘Don’t You Know’. But because ‘Don’t You Know’ was selected for the 3rd album, it was considered the first song I wrote… with Skye of course.

Seung Ho: I see… such a long story behind it. Then I guess we should have a listen to it.

Sierra: If you like…

Yun Ho: If you notice, in ‘Ice Box’, my vocals are more prominent, but in ‘To Be Your Love’, Sierra’s is more prominent. We sort of take turns.

Darren: Keurae? I really didn’t notice at first, probably because of how your voices blend so well together. Then we really need to listen to compare.

Sierra: You should… shall we sing it to you guys?

Darren: Good idea!

Sierra: Okay with you, Yun Ho?

Yun Ho: I came prepared. (laughs)

Seung Ho: Alright… so here’s Sierra and Yun Ho’s next single, the MV will be released next week, and you’re the first to hear Sierra and Yun Ho sing it live on air, on ‘Hot This Second’.

Darren: This is ‘To Be Your Love’…

(music plays, Sierra and Yun Ho stand up to sing into microphones set up above the tables)

Sierra: I love…
The way you touch my nose when I cry
The way you look at me when I sigh
When I sigh

Don’t know why
I just love to be by your side
If we were to part I would cry
Baby I would cry

Sierra: Gentle breezes caress our faces
[Yun Ho: Gentle breezes caress our faces]
Sierra: The rain pours lovingly on our skins
[Yun Ho: The rain pours lovingly on our skins]
Sierra: The waves of love they gently wash over us
[Yun Ho: The waves of love they gently wash over us]
Sierra: This is how it feels
[Yun Ho: This is how it feels]

Sierra & Yun Ho: To be your love
To be your one and only
To be the reason you that smile

To be your hope
To be the reason
For every breath that you would take
To be your love

Sierra: This time
I’m gonna hold you close and never let you go
I’m never gonna find another love like you
Love like you

Who knows
If I am ever gonna live to see the day
That you would tell me that you love me for all time
For all time

Sierra: Pretty blossoms they fall around us
[Yun Ho: Pretty blossoms they fall around us]
Sierra: The sparkling snow float past
[Yun Ho: The sparkling snow float past]
Sierra: The waves of love they gently wash over us
[Yun Ho: The waves of love they gently wash over us]
Sierra: This is how it feels
[Yun Ho: This is how it feels]

Sierra & Yun Ho: To be your love
To be your one and only
To be the reason you that smile

To be your hope
To be the reason
For every breath that you would take

To be your love
To be your one and only
To be the reason you that smile

To be your hope
To be the reason
For every breath that you would take
To be your love

(music ends – applause)

Seung Ho: Waa… that was so sweet. It’s a total 1-80 from the lyrics of ‘Ice Box’.

Darren: Yes… and it’s probably going to be the theme song for many lovers this year.

Sierra: Kamsahamnida.

Yun Ho: Ye…. Kamsahamnida.

Seung Ho: About the upcoming MV, it’s supposed to complete the story left hanging in the first one, correct?

Yun Ho: Something like that…

Sierra: I have 2 identities in 2 MVs, so the next one will clear that up.

Darren: Are we going to get any spoilers from you 2 today?

Sierra: Sorry… it’s a surprise.

Darren: And there will be no launch event for this?

Sierra: No, but it will be broadcasted on national television, and cable too, nationwide, on Monday at 9pm.

Darren: Aah… very suspenseful. Good thinking! Our compliments to the marketing team.

Yun Ho: (laughs) They should be listening in.

Seung Ho: Of course… so to all listeners out there, turn on your television sets on Monday night cos at 9pm, Sierra and Yun Ho’s 2nd MV, 'To Be Your Love', will be broadcasting nationwide.

Darren: It will be the piece to complete the puzzle the first MV has created, so you don’t wanna miss it.

Sierra & Yun Ho: Ye… don’t miss it!

Seung Ho: Well, well… look at the time.

Darren: Wow… how it flies. I guess we’ll need to wrap it up then.

Seung Ho: So thank you, Sierra and Yun Ho for being with us. It was a great pleasure.

Sierra: Likewise.

Darren: We hope to see you again, very soon.

Yun Ho: You will… Monday, 9pm, nationwide.

(everyone laughs)

Seung Ho: Good one! Once again thank to Sierra and Yun Ho. Thank you to the listeners for listening in. We’re gonna leave you with the last song for today, 'Waiting for You' by S-Cube featuring Hee Chul of Super Junior. Enjoy it!

Seung Ho & Darren: Bye!

Chapter 122: 행복 (Happiness)

Yun Ho walked into the restaurant to get the guys to come out and assemble outside the van. The bumping sounds coming from within the van got louder and louder. It seemed that Yoo Chun was slamming himself on the door, trying to attract attention of would be passersby.

“Ready?” Ee Teuk asked the rest. He banged on the door loudly before opening it to warn Yoo Chun, in case Yoo Chun decided to slam against it when they opened it.

“Yah!” Dong Hae yelled at Yoo Chun for good measure, just to scare him a little more.

Jun Su reached forward and pulled off the blindfold. The moment Yoo Chun could make out the faces of the group of guys standing in front of him, his eyes widened, and his face paled in shock.

“Saengil chukhahaeyo!” the guys yelled as Jun Su pulled off the tape plastered across Yoo Chun’s mouth.

“Ya… Yah! Michoso?” he yelled at them.

“Is this a great prank or what?” Jun Su asked him, as he patted him on the back. “Saengil chukhaheyo!”

“Did anyone get a photo of his expression?” Ee Teuk laughed.

“I did,” Sung Min said as he held up the camera in his hands.

“This is so not funny,” Yoo Chun said, and he still hadn’t smiled.

“Hwanajima,” I said as I went to stand beside him and rubbed his back affectionately.

“My body hurts like hell now,” he complained as he rubbed his arms. “I was slamming myself on the door trying to get attention.”

“Chintcha appuh?” Hee Chul asked him, and started to massage his arms.

“Ah, twaeso…” he said as he shrugged Hee Chul off, and got out of the van.

Everyone was silent. We must have really ticked him off this time. Maybe we did get a little carried away with the kidnapping scheme.

“Yah…” Jun Su said as he put him arm around his shoulder. “Hwanaseo?”

“Pabo,” he said, and he laughed, then the rest of the guys sighed in relief, and laughed along.

“For a moment, I thought you weren’t gonna forgive us,” Dong Hae said.

“As long as dinner’s on you guys… I’ll try to forget what you did to me,” he smiled cheekily.

“Araso,” Jun Su laughed. “Let’s go in,” he said and the guys followed behind the two of them.

“Sierra-sshi,” Jae Joong called out, and I turned to look at him.

“Jae Joong-sshi,” I giggled as he put his arm around me.

“How was your day?” he asked me as we walked behind the rest, towards the restaurant.

“It was okay,” I said.

“Tired?”

“A little,” I said. “How was yours?” I asked him.

“As usual,” he said, and he leant down to give me a quick kiss.

The tables were already covered with food when we entered the restaurant. The guys must’ve come pretty early and ordered all the food. I sat down beside Han Kyung and Jae Joong sat beside me. They’d pushed Yoo Chun to the head of the table, and Jun Su sat beside him.

“You know… if someone wanted to put SM out of business now, they’d blow up this restaurant,” Sung Min laughed.

“Then we shouldn’t meet like this… in such a huge group,” Shin Dong said.

“And miss out on the good food?” Chang Min piped up with his mouth full. “No way!”

“Anyway… what makes you think SM would be out of business without us?” Si Won said. “We’re not all here.”

“Who else is missing?” Ryeo Wook asked as he sipped his soju.

“Skye and Shoei,” I reminded them.

“Oh… right. They could continue without us,” Sung Min said. “They’re pretty popular now anyway.”

“Yea… I see the future,” Yoo Chun said. “They’ll be the kings of SM Entertainment.”

“But without Sierra, they’ll be like Fly to the Sky II,” Dong Hae said.

“Still works… as long as they sell,” Yoo Chun said.

“What? Are you thinking of retiring already?” Yun Ho asked him.

“Aniya… we’re just talking about ‘what ifs’,” Yoo Chun said as he picked up a bean sprout with his chopsticks and slurped it into his mouth.

“That’s gross,” Chang Min said.

“What?” Yoo Chun grinned, and picked up another bean sprout.

“Here,” Jae Joong said as he placed a piece of kalbi on the piece of lettuce on my plate.

I smiled at Jae Joong, wrapped the piece of meat up in the lettuce and put it in my mouth.

“Hyung… I want one too,” Jun Su whined.

“Chamkan,” Jae Joong said as he flipped a piece of meat on the hot plate.

“Na tto,” Chang Min piped in gleefully. “Wrap it for me.”

“Andwae… andwae!” I said as I grabbed Jae Joong’s hands away from the hot plate. “You guys cook your own kalbi!”

“Sierra! You should share Jae Joong. Why are you being so selfish?” Hee Chul said.

“Andwae… andwae… Jae Joong is mine and mine alone,” I said, and the guys groaned at my syrupy voice.

“Chagiya…” Jae Joong said as he turned to me. “You’re starting to freak me out.”

The guys burst out laughing when he said that and I just looked down and pouted.

“Miweo,” I said.

“Hwanajima…” Jae Joong laughed as he put his arm around me. “I love how you freak me out,” he said, and the guys started making gagging sounds as I looked up and smiled lovingly at him.

“Chagiya… aaa,” I said as I held a piece of kalbi wrapped in lettuce leaf in front of his lips, and he opened his mouth so that I could feed him.

“You two are horrible,” Ee Teuk laughed.

“Jealous?” I smiled. “I know you want one,” I said as I waved another wrapped kalbi in front of his face. “You want it? You want it?”

“I’ll have it,” Yun Ho said and I handed it to him.

“There are only 2 people whom Sierra treats well here,” Hee Chul said. “Jae Joong and Yun Ho.”

“She treats me pretty well,” Han Kyung said.

“You’re Chinese,” Hee Chul said. “You don’t count.”

“Then rephrase your statement to ‘there are only 2 Koreans whom Sierra treats well here’,” Han Kyung said.

“Aishii…” Hee Chul said as he threatened to throw a piece of cucumber at Han Kyung while the rest of the table laughed.

“He has a point,” Si Won said.

“You don’t count either, since you’re like half Chinese already,” Hee Chul said as he stuck out his tongue at Si Won.

“Hee Chul onni…” I said deliberately, “ani… oppa,” and he glared at me.

“What?” he said in a falsetto voice.

“Why do you care who I treat well? Why do you even keep track?” I asked him, and Eun Hyuk snickered.

“I’m not keeping track. It’s just one of the obvious things about you,” he said.

“Are you sure?” Sung Min said, then quickly looked down and started slurping his soup.

“Sung Min…” Hee Chul called out sweetly.

“Ye, hyung?” Sung Min smiled and batted his eyelashes.

“Yo!” Jun Su exclaimed, breaking up the staring match. “Time for miyeokkuk!”

Miyeokkuk or seaweed soup is always served during a person’s birthday, and as usual, the guys made it extra special.

“Oi!” Yoo Chun exclaimed as Ki Bum dumped soy sauce and ground red pepper into the soup while the others added in a piece of each of the side dishes available at the table. “I’m not drinking that! You want me to die?”

“No one has died before,” Chang Min said, as if to reassure him, before adding, “but you might be the first.”

Yoo Chun grimaced as the bowl of now unrecognizable soup was placed in front of him.

“Looks more like kimchi jjigae now,” Jun Su said.

“Yummy…” I laughed.

“Drink up!” Shin Dong said.

“Can I just pay for the meal instead?” Yoo Chun said. “I’d rather pay for everything than drink that bowl of…”

“Gunk?” I offered.

“Yea,” he said as he wrinkled his nose.

“No… everyone has always drunk theirs. You’re not getting out of this,” Chang Min insisted, remembering his own ordeal with miyeokkuk during his birthday.

After much egging and persuading, Yoo Chun picked up the bowl and brought it to his lips.

“Micky Yoo Chun, Micky Yoo Chun,” we chanted as he started drinking it.

“Pick up those bits,” Jun Su said when he had finished the soup.

“Ye…” Yoo Chun said, and he started picking up the bits of food left in the bowl and putting them in his mouth.

“Eww…” I said.

“It’s actually not too bad,” Yoo Chun smiled as he finished and wipe his mouth with a piece of tissue paper.

“Sure…” I said. “Whatever you say…”

It was close to 11pm when we left the restaurant. Ee Teuk, being the eldest, paid first and we’d split the bill and pay him the next day.

“Thanks guys,” Yoo Chun said on the way home.

Jae Joong was driving and I sat in front. Chang Min was behind me, Jun Su behind Jae Joong, both asleep, and Yoo Chun in the middle, still awake, probably from the miyeokkuk. Yun Ho had to send some of the other guys home since they had to send the van back to its owner.

“No problem,” I said.

“The whole kidnapping thing was pretty ingenious,” he laughed softly.

“I bet you had the shock of your life,” I said.

“I seriously thought I was a goner,” he said as he leaned forward and sort of squeezed himself between Jae Joong and my seat.

“Well, at least now you know how people feel when their kidnapped,” Jae Joong said.

“Yes… I shall be very sympathetic from now on,” he laughed.

“You okay?” Jae Joong asked me when he saw me leaning back and closing my eyes.

“Me and soju will never mix,” I laughed.

“You and any alcoholic beverage,” Yoo Chun said.

“Right… and it’s not a bad thing,” I said.

“It’s bad…” Yoo Chun laughed. “Cos Jae Joong can never get you incapacitated if you don’t drink.”

“Now why would I do that?” Jae Joong said.

“Yea… why would he?” I asked Yoo Chun, my eyes still closed

“Oops… yea… erm… he wouldn’t,” Yoo Chun said quickly.

“Anyway, if I’m incapacitated, I wouldn’t be much fun to be with,” I laughed softly.

“Ne…” Jae Joong said. “I don’t need a pig for a girlfriend.”

“Ya… who are you calling a pig?”

“I said I didn’t need one. I’m not calling anyone a pig,” he laughed.

The next day, Yun Ho and I had a radio interview on ‘Hot This Second’; an interview I was dreading since Darren was still the DJ together with DJ Seung Ho.

“Sierra,” Darren smiled when I entered the room.

“Hi Darren, hi Seung Ho,” I smiled.

“Hyung,” Darren smiled at Yun Ho.

“Darren,” Yun Ho greeted with a stiff smile.

“Yun Ho,” I whispered, reminding him not to make a big deal out of it.

“Araso,” he whispered back. “Hey Seung Ho,” he greeted, and shook Seung Ho’s hand before he sat down.

“Are we ready?” Seung Ho asked as soon as we’ve settled down. “2 minutes more.”

“1 minute,” Darren said awhile later.

“Annyeong haseyo!” the two of them greeted as we went on air.

“Seung Ho-imnida.”

“Darren-imnida.”

“And you’re listening to…” Seung Ho said.

“Hot This Second!” they announced together.

Chapter 121: Rest of My Life

[Sierra’s POV]

“Mwo… mworago?” I exclaimed when the manager told me the news.

We were traveling to the next venue on our schedule when the manager gave me the news. I was going to star in a drama with Darren.

“What makes them think a foreigner and an American born Korean can generate ratings?” I exclaimed.

“It’s a very good script,” the manager said. “Otherwise, the management would not have accepted. This will help boost your popularity by the mile.”

“This is crazy,” I said as I threw up my hands.

“Is this final?” Yun Ho asked.

“Pretty much,” the manager said.

“Can I not sign the contract?” I asked.

“The company has the right to accept on your behalf, since technically, you belong to them for the next 5 years,” the manager reminded me.

“Remind me why I signed that contract?” I sighed, and Yun Ho laughed.

“Cos you love the job,” he smiled.

“Ne…” I rolled my eyes. “So when does this thing start?

“After your promotional activities for this single,” the manager said.

“Fair enough,” I said.

“You’ll receive the script tomorrow,” the manager said, and he moved to the back of the MPV to answer a phone call.

“Looks like someone isn’t going to get much sleep for the next few months.”

“From what I know, you might be required to travel, but the location has not been finalized yet.”

“Goodie… I get to travel,” I said sarcastically.

“Why? Aren’t you bored of Seoul yet?” Yun Ho asked me.

“I haven’t really been everywhere yet,” I said. “When have we had the time to really go anywhere?”

“Majayo…” he said.

“And you guys run home whenever you get the chance.”

“Yea… why don’t you ever go home?” he asked me. “It’s been forever since you last went home.”

“I don’t want to,” I said.

“Did your parents forbid you to come in the first place?”

“Well… in a way, they did,” I said. “I’ve never told you the story?”

“Nope… not even in the entire year we were together.”

“I was still new here then. It wouldn’t have been the time to go home. So I guess that’s why no one asked.”

“Skye and Shoei never asked?”

“Shoei did once. When I first got back from Prague, he asked me why I went to Prague instead of going home.”

“So why did you?” Yun Ho asked me.

“Well,” I said as I leant back into the seat. “I think that if I go home, it will make it harder for me to leave again, and I might miss it more when I get back here.”

“So you never plan to go home?”

“When my life here ends, I will. Or if something big crops up.”

“Like you getting married?” he said.

“Do you really think I will get married?” I laughed.

“Are you saying you don’t want to?” he said as he raised an eyebrow.

“Why’s everyone always so interested in my marriage issues?”

“Cos you’re getting older,” he joked, and I smacked him on the arm.

“Can’t I marry after I retired?” I said.

“That’s such a long way to go,” he said.

“No… soon I won’t that popular anymore. Maybe after my contract ends, SM won’t renew it, and no one else will hire me.”

“So you plan to get married in like 5 years?” he asked.

“Erm… if I have nothing better to do, maybe,” I laughed.

“Jae Joong is going to be upset when he hears this; he’s just your backup plan.”

“I have a feeling when I’m ready to get married, he won’t be,” I said.

“Is that why you keep postponing meeting his family?” Yun Ho asked me.

“He talked to you, eh?”

“It was sometime ago, but yea… he did mention that you kept avoiding the topic.”

“I just don’t want to raise anyone’s hopes or expectations,” I said, “especially mine.”

“What do you mean?”

“Yun Ho… are you sure you want to discuss this with me? I mean…”

It just hit mere that here I was, talking about my future with someone else, with my ex-boyfriend. I’d almost forgotten if our past was still hanging over our heads, and it never seemed to go away. No one ever forgot it.

“I’m okay now. I don’t dwell on the past anymore,” he said succinctly, summing up my worries.

“If you’re sure,” I said.

I wasn’t convinced that he was really alright, and that he won’t feel a single shred of emotion when talking about my future with Jae Joong with me.

“I am. Nan kwaench’ana. You can tell me what’s on your mind,” he said, and I decided to trust him.

“Okay,” I said, and I took a deep breath before I started. “Say I meet his family, and they become like my own family, and what if for some reason, we can’t be together, or we fall out, what becomes of my relationship with his family?”

“Sierra,” Yun Ho sighed. “Stuff like that happen all the time. People just deal with it. You’re thinking too far ahead.”

“That’s just how my brain works. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

“I still think you’re making a huge deal out of something simple. So you’re saying you’ll only meet them when you and Jae Joong decide to get married. Won’t you feel like an alien; marrying into a family you don’t know?”

“I’ll have to prove myself then, and I don’t mind it playing out like that. Do you know that I can’t even remember his sisters’ names?”

“You think I do?”

“I should,” I said.

“You’re just giving yourself too much pressure. You’ll remember their names when you see them often enough. Stop scaring yourself with all these expectations.”

“Hmm… then what about their expectations of me?”

“What about them?”

“Jae Joong is the only son,” I pointed out.

“So am I,” he said.

“Well… there are more people in his family to be afraid of,” I laughed.

“You haven’t met my father,” he said.

“Am I supposed to fear him?”

“No, but if we were still together, and if I intended to marry you, there’d be a lot of expectations on his part.”

“Good thing I got away,” I giggled.

“Hmm…” he was all he said. “Aren’t you glad we did this project together?” he asked me.

“Why?”

“We’ve not spoken to each other like that in awhile.”

“We were busy. And when I’m not busy, I’m with Jae Joong.”

“And we’re leaving in another week or so,” he said.

“Japan loves you. You have to go back,” I said.

“Yep… the price of being Dong Bang Shin Ki,” he said.

“It’s just 3 months,” I laughed.

“Arayo,” he smiled. “Just wondering if you would miss us.”

“Of course I would.”

“Or you’ll just miss 1 person.”

“I’ll miss him a little more, but I’ll miss the rest of you too,” I said.

“You’d better not be lying,” he said.

“Or what?” I challenged him.

“Or the 4 of us would be really sad,” he laughed.

With the busy schedule Yun Ho and I had, the week passed quickly. Soon, it was Thursday. Our plans for Yoo Chun’s birthday was set into motion.

That day, Yun Ho and I had promotional events to do, so we left the whole operation to Jun Su, Jae Joong, Chang Min, and some of the guys from Super Junior. Kang In, Ki Bum and Dong Hae were assigned to be the kidnappers.

“Hyung,” Jun Su called later in the evening, and we put him on speakerphone. “We’re going to end at 6pm today, then we’re going to find an excuse to leave Yoo Chun behind so that they can kidnap him.”

“Araso,” Yun Ho said. “Sierra and I will meet you guys at the restaurant you’re taking him.”

“Yep,” Jun Su said. “They plan to keep him tied up, gagged and blindfolded in the van until all of us arrive at the restaurant.”

“Are you sure he won’t get upset?” I asked Jun Su.

“He’ll be fine. He needs some excitement in his life,” Jun Su laughed.

“He doesn’t have a history of heart problems in his family, does he?” I asked.

“Aniyo… stop worrying, Sierra.”

“Fine…” I laughed.

“See you guys later,” he said.

“Ye…” the both of us replied, and he hung up.

We spent the entire day on various radio shows and doing a few public performances, and finally, we arrived at the restaurant at about 6:15pm. The van was parked out front, and Dong Hae was standing outside, leaning on it.

“Where are the others?” Yun Ho asked him.

“They’re inside,” he replied as he walked towards us. “Hi Sierra!” he smiled.

“Hi Dong Hae,” I replied.

“I haven’t seen you in awhile,” he said.

“Nan yojeum nomu pappeuge,” I said.

“Yes, I know. You’re a big star now. Of course you’re busy,” he said.

“How’s Yoo Chun coping?” Yun Ho asked.

“You should’ve seen him,” Dong Hae laughed.

Up till now, we’ve been half whispering in case Yoo Chun could hear us from the inside of the van.

“Did he put up a fight?”

“Yea…” he replied as he tried to stifle his laughter. “We had on these ski masks, and we just grabbed him, and carried him off.”

“He should really put on some weight,” I said.

“Yea… he was no problem for the 3 of us to carry, we pushed him onto the ground and quickly tied him and blind folded him before we carried him off. Hee Chul hyung was the driver.”

“Wasn’t he yelling?” Yun Ho asked.

“We taped his mouth shut after blind folding him,” Dong Hae said.

“I hope no one saw you guys doing that. Or the police would be on your tails,” I said.

“We kidnapped him when he was walking down the corridor at the studios, and we took him out the back of the building,” Dong Hae said.

“Someone must’ve seen you,” I said.

“Yea… after we blindfolded him, we took off our masks. Whenever we saw a staff, we just smiled and put a finger to our lips, telling them not to say anything.”

“Man… I wish I was there,” Yun Ho laughed.

Just then, we heard a loud bump coming from the van.

“We’d better hurry up,” Yun Ho said. “Is everyone here?”

“We’re missing Jung Su hyung,” he said, and as soon as he said his name, Ee Teuk walked into sight.

“Alright!” Dong Hae said. “Kaja! Let’s do this!”

Chapter 120: Oh Yeah

“Waseo!” Jun Su greeted as Yun Ho and I walked in through the door.

“Ye…” I smiled as I dumped my bag on the floor and collapsed onto the couch.

“How did it go today?” Yoo Chun asked us.

“It was crazy,” I said I threw my arms back and stretched.

“Wae?” Jun Su asked.

“They asked some dumb questions,” Yun Ho said. “I’m going to shower.”

As Yun Ho walked towards his room, Jun Su and Yoo Chun’s eyes followed him curiously.

“What’s up with him?” Jun Su asked me.

“You’ll know by tomorrow,” I yawned.

“Huh?” Yoo Chun said.

“The papers will tell you…” I said. “Oooh! Guess who we met!”

“Met? You guys met someone?” Yoo Chun said. “Hmmm… nugu?”

“Guess…” I said.

“I dunno... someone important? Is it someone you like? A guy?” Jun Su asked.

“Yep…”

“Who does she like? I think she idolizes almost all the guys in the industry,” Yoo Chun teased.

“I do not!” I said, indignantly.

“Yes you do…” Yoo Chun insisted. “But after you get to know them, the your adoration for them wanes,” he laughed.

“Kojinmal!” I said, and nudged his leg with my feet.

“So it’s someone you haven’t met… so it’s not Brian hyung, or Min Woo hyung or Jun Jin hyung…” and Jun Su continued to name dozens of male kasu that I happened to like, but have already met.

“Ya! What kind of a person do you think I am?” I poked Jun Su on the head.

“You won’t tell… so I had to guess in this way,” he laughed.

“Fine… we met Woo Hyuk oppa,” I said.

“Woo Hyuk? No wonder you were star struck,” Yoo Chun said. “He’s smooth.”

“Not as smooth as you,” I laughed. “You’re much greasier, compared to him.”

“Oi… I’m not greasy!” Yoo Chun protested.

“Yes you are!” I countered.

“Andwae!”

“You are, you are, you are…”

“Ya… wae neomu shikkeureoweo…” Jae Joong’s voice came from the corridor.

“Chagiya… Yoo Chun was bullying me,” I pretended to sound victimized.

“Sure… sure… play that card, will ya,” Yoo Chun pretended to grumble.

“How can you treat my Sierra like that?” Jae Joong said and he sat down next to me and enveloped me in a bear hug.

“I’m suffocating,” I giggled as I tried to get out of his embrace.

“Kamanhi isso!” he said as he tightened his arms around me.

“Jun Su… let’s go,” Yoo Chun said as he got up. “I don’t need to see all this. Reminds me of how lonely I am?”

“Lonely?” I laughed. “I find that hard to believe.”

“Twaeso… I didn’t asked for you to believe me…” he said and he walked off. “Are you coming, Jun Su?”

“I’m fine… I wanna stay here and finish watching the free show,” he laughed as he made himself comfortable in the armchair beside the couch.

“Kijahoeui ottaeyo?” Jae Joong asked me as he loosened his grip so that his arm casually rested on my shoulders.

“The press conference? Not too bad,” I said. “There were the usual probing questions, and the technical questions. That’s about it.”

“What probing questions?” he asked.

“Hmm… like… does Jae Joong mind that you’re doing this project with Yun Ho, have you gotten back together with Yun Ho…” I listed.

“Hmm…” was all Jae Joong said.

“It really surprises me that they never tire of such questions,” Jun Su said. “How they can keep harping on the same questions every single opportunity they get to ask it is beyond me.”

“It’s just part of their jobs,” Jae Joong said. “It’s what sells… the scandals.”

“Good thing you’re a reasonable man,” I smiled. “Or you’d be all fired up now… and probably questioning why people make such speculations.”

“That’s because I know the both of you well enough. If it were others, I might not be so trusting,” he said.

“Arayo…” I said. “Komawoyo…” I added, and I kissed him on the cheek.

“It was me who turned down the project anyway. Yun Ho covered for me, I should be thankful.”

“Let’s not talk about this,” Jun Su said. “Since Yoo Chun’s not around, let’s discuss what we’re gonna do this Thursday.”

“Oh yes… his birthday,” I said. “What should we do?”

“Mollayo…” Jun Su said. “But I definitely want to play a prank on him.”

“Shouldn’t we discuss this with Chang Min and Yun Ho too?” I asked.

“We’ll fill them in later,” Jae Joong said.

“So what are we doing?” Jun Su asked gleefully.

“Well…” I said. “I friend of mine once got gagged and they poured gallons of soy sauce all over him.”

“What?” Jun Su exclaimed, and started laughing uncontrollably.

“Yea… I think there was egg and flour involved too,” I laughed.

“We’re they making ramyun or something?” Jae Joong laughed.

“Don’t think that’s what they were going for, but it was something along those lines,” I said as I scratched my head.

“I don’t think Yoo Chun will like being made a human ramyun,” Jun Su said.

“But I think kidnapping him in some way would be fun,” Jae Joong said.

“Ottoke?” I said.

“We could like leave him behind after the last venue on our schedule, then get some of the guys to wear masks when they kidnap him,” Jun Su suggested.

“Hmm… good idea. But who should do it?” Jae Joong said.

“Anyone bigger than him?” I said.

“Shin Dong?” Jun Su asked.

“Nah… too obvious. Someone with a much more normal build,” Jae Joong said.

“Kang In,” I suggested.

“Good idea…” Jun Su said.

“I think we should move this discussion into the room, in case he come out,” Jae Joong said and he got up.

The three of us hurried to his room and quickly locked the door after we went in.

“What are you guys up to?” Yun Ho said as he looked up from the book he was reading while sitting up at his bed; he was already showered and in his pajamas.

“Shh…” Jun Su said. “We’re having a meeting about Yoo Chun’s birthday.”

“Oh…” he said, his eyes lighting up.

“I’m gonna go shower while you guys finalize the details,” I said as I started picking out my pajamas.

“Sure… go on,” Jae Joong said.

I went out of the room and Jun Su locked the door from the inside as soon as I closed it.

“Who’s inside?” Yoo Chun asked me as I walked out.

“Jae Joong and Yun Ho,” I said innocently.

“Where’s Jun Su?” he said. “Didn’t he want to play a game of ‘King of Fighters’ before we went to bed?”

“I dunno… isn’t he in the workroom?” I said.

“No,” Yoo Chun said. “I went in there, and Chang Min was alone.

“I have no idea where he went,” I said. “Gotta go shower,” I quickly added, and slipped into the bathroom before he could ask me anymore questions.

I took a long shower and turned the heat up to as high as I could take because it would help soothe my aching body, and feet. Those heels we’re killing me all day, but I hadn’t complained to Yun Ho because I knew I had to wear them, and I didn’t want him to make a fuss for my sake. When I finally emerged from the bathroom, the entire apartment was dark, save for the little light they left on in the corridor for those who needed a trip to the bathroom at night.

I opened the door to Jae Joong and Yun Ho’s room; Yun Ho was already asleep and Jae Joong was quietly playing a game on his phone.

“Where’s Jun Su?” I whispered as I hung up my towel.

“Went to bed,” he whispered back as he flipped his phone close and put it on the bedside table.

“Did you guys come to a decision?” I asked him.

“Yea… we have our list of kidnappers, and what we’re gonna do,” he said as he started arranging the pillows and blankets to the positions we slept in.

“Are you sure this prank won’t be too much?” I said as I got into the bed and lay down beside him.

“He’ll survive it,” Jae Joong laughed softly.

“Don’t make it too extreme,” I said. “He might get upset.”

“Araso,” he said as he settled down beside me, and put his arm around my waist under the blankets. “Chalja.”

“Mmm…” I replied, and closed my eyes. I drifted off to sleep within seconds.

[Darren’s POV]

I saw Sierra again today. It’s been weeks since I last saw her. She looked pretty hot today. Must been because she was flanked by Yun Ho and Woo Hyuk. Girls always seem hotter when they’re surrounded by men.

It’s been another long day; broadcasting on radio, going for dance practices and recording for our next album. The management had been a bit late in kicking off the recording of our current album. Probably due to budget issues since we didn’t perform as well as they’d wanted us to last year, but they can’t deny that we’ve done well enough since we’d managed to match SS501 in terms of album sales last year.

“Hyung,” Min Jong said as he handed me a stack of cards.

We’re still up at this hour, stamping our autographs on the cards to be given out with out coming albums.

“Why can’t they just print our signatures?” Nakata grumbled as he stamped his signature on a card.

“You know we need to go this extra mile to show our sincerity,” I reminded him.

“Why us?” he sighed, as he continued his task.

“Things will change soon, don’t worry,” I smiled.

“Yea… how?” Min Jong said. “We’re always behind those SM kids.”

“They’re kids,” I reminded him. “We’ll catch up soon. Don’t need to get bitter about it.”

“Speaking of the SM kids, have you checked out that Hae Rin lately?” Nakata said.

“What’s with her?” Min Jong said.

“They’d totally revamped her. They’re going for BoA meets Jang Ri In now,” Nakata said.

“How?” Min Jong asked.

“She’s dancing, and still singing ballads,” he laughed.

“Sounds confusing,” Min Jong remarked.

“But it seems to be working… they keep changing her image… maybe she’ll end up becoming this Korean Gwen Stefani,” Nakata.

“I dun think she has what it takes to be anything close to Gwen Stefani,” I said. “Someone like Sierra would be much more possible.”

“Yea…” Min Jong agreed.

“I’m just saying. I don’t think Hae Rin is some dumb girl either. I’ve seen the glint in her eye,” Nakata said.

“You sure that wasn’t the camera effect?” I joked.

“I meant in real life,” he grumbled.

“Yea… yea… hurry up and finish your stack and we can go to bed,” I said.

I’d been racking my brains for sometime, thinking of the suitable scandal I could create to help with the sales. It was pure luck that we managed to make it the last 2 years, but this year, we’ll need more than luck. Thankfully, the gods have been kind and I’ve been given an opportunity. I hadn’t told Sierra today, since she was with Yun Ho and Woo Hyuk, but SM has just accepted an offer for her to star in a drama, and I will be starring opposite her.