Can't keep hanging on
To what is dead and gone
If you built yourself a myth
You'd know just what to give
Materialize
Or let the ashes fly

There was nothing quite like waking up in the morning to something snuggled up right against you. Something warm and fuzzy…

Penelope's right eye peeked open slowly out of fear but a smile slowly pulled onto her lips when she found Jolie's tail whipping back and forth in her face. "Jolie, how did you get into the house?"

The Golden Retriever's head peered up from its resting spot on Penelope's knee. The dog then glance back at the owner of the bed and stared at her pointedly. Penelope felt for some reason that she was here for the dog's pleasure than the dog was here for hers. Either way, Penelope petted Jolie's back and sat up while rubbing her eyes. "Well good morning to you too. Shall we get ready?"

Jolie hopped up from her spot on the bed and hurried over to the door, sneaking back out through the slight opening that she had used to come in. Penelope waved goodbye and then began her morning rituals.

Jolie hurried down the stairs and into the living room where Jeremy and Mi Nam were quietly enjoying an early morning news program. The dog nudged her master's arm for his attention before barking at him after she didn't receive any reaction. Jeremy flinched and blinked in surprise after finding Jolie staring right back at him. A smile spread across his face though after he realized his Jolie was trying to tell him something, "She's awake isn't she, Jolie?"

Jolie's tail wagged with her answer and Jeremy kissed the top of her head thankfully. Mi Nam rolled his eyes, "Let me know when you're going to ask her out on a date. I'll make sure to keep clear of the house for a week or two."

Jeremy's eyes glared pointedly at Mi Nam and he elbowed the twin roughly to let Mi Nam know he didn't appreciate the 'joke'. "I'm not going to date her."

"Sure you're not. It's not like you don't watch her, have your dog guard her, or make her breakfast, lunch, and dinner all the time," Mi Nam pointed out with a smirk.

Jeremy decided to just ignore his band mate and hurried into the kitchen. He had told Penelope he would cook pancakes the night before. She had insisted that she would like to help when she got up, but Jeremy just couldn't wait. He wanted to make it a surprise as well. Quickly, he worked away in the kitchen as Penelope readied herself for the day.

Jeremy's blonde counterpart had just finished her shower, drying her hair with the towel she had dried herself off with and when quickly began to dress. Penelope slipped on a pair of skinny jeans, and a black oversized top. Her large chunky grey cardigan came on next before she turned to address combing the knots out of her hair. She only put on the littlest amount of make up before she whispered a quite prayer to the small picture frame of her parents that were hidden in her large closet. With everything set, Penelope hurried down the stairs, in hopes that she would be able to help Jeremy with breakfast that morning.

The aroma drifting up the stairs was sweet and Penelope bit her bottom lip regrettably. Had she not slept in she would have been down and helping Jeremy with the breakfast. After descending the last step, Mi Nam – who had joined their group the next day after Penelope had moved in – gave the girl a nod toward the kitchen, "He's been making breakfast since Jolie came down."

Penelope nodded thankfully and hurried into the kitchen, where Jeremy was working hard at flipping the cakes in the pan. "Jeremy ssi…"

Penelope's quiet called of Jeremy's name had caught the drummer off guard. He looked up from the pan he was working on to find Penelope staring back at him as if she was guilty. Guilty of what? He wasn't quite sure. "Penelope, what is the matter?"

He would have walked over to her to comfort her but with the food still on the skillet he couldn't exactly leave now. But she did walk closer to the island in the middle of the kitchen and gave a forced smile, "I'm sorry I did not wake sooner. I would have helped you."

That's what was wrong? Jeremy's heart panged just a little out of guilt. He had told her she could help and that he would wait for her. His surprise wasn't working as well as he had hoped but perhaps she could still help now. At least to make her feel a little better. Jeremy smiled for her and nodded down at the pan, "Would you like to?"

Penelope's eyes grew and she nodded eagerly. Jeremy stepped aside and watched the girl cook away at her hearts content. Next time he would listen to her. He wasn't going to make that mistake again. After Tae Kyung and Shin Woo decided to join the rest of the house mates down stairs, breakfast started, three cakes per person, one water for Tae Kyung, tea for Shin Woo, milk for MI Nam, and juice for both Jeremy and Penelope. Even Jolie was given a small plate of a few pieces of their breakfast.

Ma had arrived after their shared meal and eagerly had explained what was planned for their days in a quick and as painless manor as he could. "We'll group together at the entertainment building and get a quick overview of what's to come up in the next month from President Ahn. After that, you'll be separated for the rest of the day. I'm quite sure that well start recording, Penelope. We need to get started on that album before the Asian music festival comes up. You'll of course be doing a performance for press and promotion..."

As Ma continued to explain what was going on and what they had planned for everyone, Penelope zoned out, her mind already filled to the max with the stress of having to record. She didn't quite understand why she was so nervous. It wasn't like she hadn't performed her songs before. But something about it seemed so much more permanent.

"Penelope."

The blonde pulled herself out of her thoughts after hearing her name. All the boys and even Ma were staring her down. The extra attention wasn't helping her nerves. "Are you alright?" Shin Woo asked with raised brows. Penelope flushed more than she had in the past few days in spending her time with the boys. Silently she nodded, adverting her eyes away from her roommates and instead stared at her hands on her lap.

Nothing was said afterward, the ride to the entertainment building was very quiet and silently Penelope was dreading the rest of the day. She was probably just over reacting. As she looked to Shin Woo and then to Tae Kyung, even Mi Nam and Jeremy, they were calm, relaxed and even… falling asleep. Silently Penelope was envious of Mi Nam's ability to just fall asleep in any environment he found himself in. That was a serious talent.

The meeting this President Ahn was anything but short. He decided to address AN Jell before he looked to Penelope with a serious look, "I can't have you chickening out now, Penelope."

The statement was abrupt and caught Penelope of guard yet again that day. Again she felt the weight of the world was on top of her. Every pair of eyes in that room were on her and with a desperate means to flee those eyes, Penelope kept her eyes lowered.

She was scared. President Ahn was right. Everything, the schedule, the recording, the shows, and the lifestyle, it was all finally hitting her at once. She didn't realize how much was actually going into this lifestyle. She didn't realize how many people were there actually watching her. And she didn't realize how much that actually terrified her.

The clearing of one's throat erupted throughout the room causing all the pairs of eyes to travel away from Penelope. President Ahn quietly asked for everyone except for Manager Ma and Penelope to step out of the room. His request was followed out and the room became much more peaceful after there were fewer people there to listen. Manager Ma sat down next to Penelope and set a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Penelope, are you alright?"

Penelope's stare finally left her hands and wandered up to Manager Ma's very concerned brown eyes. Something wet began to fall down her cheeks and just as quickly as her brain registered what it was, she was wiping them away with shaking hands. "I-I… don't know why I'm so nervous."

"It's a lot to take in," President Ahn admitted knowingly. "And maybe it just hit you like a ton of bricks at once but Penelope, we're friends, were here for you and we know you're a strong person. You just have to let us know when you are getting this way. Because then we are able to help you through it."

"He right," Ma pointed out with a very hopeful smile. He still rubbed circles into her back with his hand, something his own mother did for him when he was little and was not well. He was only trying to help, "You've got to let us know when you're feeling this way. Don't shut down on us."

Penelope nodded; she understood what they were trying to tell her. She had been so alone since she'd left the orphanage. She'd almost forgotten what it was like to have people there to help you through these difficult times. Penelope wrapped her arms around Manager Ma's torso and hugged him with the might of a trembling child. He placed his other hand on top of her head and patted down her blonde locks. She took a moment to shed her tears and let the fear in her to subside. The two men understood. This was a lot to take in. A lot that they didn't realize she wasn't prepared for and they most likely should have thought this process through.

But once Penelope was settled and calmed down, they went through her schedule for recordings and went over her monthly schedule for performances at a slow pace just to get her started. She seemed to take that much better than the quick pace that AN Jell was used to. They would just have to treat her a bit differently then. And that was okay. Not everyone was the same and who knows, perhaps one day she will be at the same pace as the boys. It would just take some time.

…

Jeremy stood in the dance studio with Shin Woo and Mi Nam chewing away at his bottom lip out of nervousness. After seeing Penelope in the state that she was in before they were asked to leave, he couldn't stop thinking about that poor and helpless face. She seemed very much like a terrified kitten. It was not a very good feeling that had overcome him. It had reminded him of the way he had felt the first time he had seen Mi Nam's sister crying after the Asian Music Festival performance, after she had found out that their mother had passed away. That very overwhelmingly helpless feeling...

"Jeremy, we're starting," the instructor announced from the front of the room. Jeremy blinked himself out of his thoughts and looked around to the people around him. They were all in formation; Shin Woo was even staring at Jeremy with some concern. 'What's up?' the bassist had mouthed to the drummer quietly.

Jeremy gave a forced smile and shook his head to tell his friend that he was fine. Though deep down he was still very concerned for Penelope. He really couldn't do anything about it right now. He had responsibilities he had to do but in the back of his mind he was quietly pondering over what he could do after practice to console her.

Shin Woo knew better than anyone else that Jeremy was very focused on one thing at a time. He wasn't very good at handling multiple tasks at a time, even though he was very good at drumming and performing multiple beats with the other appendages of his body. Personally, Jeremy was not a multi-tasker. That was a fact. And it was clear even now that something in Jeremy's mind was bothering him more than what Jeremy should have been concerned. He was distracted, lost, and very behind on what was going on in front of him. After practicing the dance more than ten times over and over from the beginning, the dance instructor decided to call a break.

Thankfully, Shin Woo took a seat next to his friend and gave a great sigh as he took a sip of water from his water bottle. "You're distracted…"

Jeremy hummed in agreement. He couldn't deny the fact that Shin Woo had laid out before them. Denying that fact would just be a waste of time and energy. "I have not been able to stop thinking about this morning's meeting."

Shin Woo stared off in the room trying to remember what had happened. Oh… Penelope.

Shin Woo understood now. Even as he was recalling the events, from their own schedule to even Penelope's massive introduction to scheduling, it was a lot of information for everyone to try to remember. When President Ahn had called out the young girl before asking everyone to leave, Shin Woo could recall the rather overwhelming look on Penelope's features.

He could remember the first time he had felt that way. It was not something foreign to him. And he found himself feeling remorse, as well as feeling something akin to wanting to protect a younger sibling. Though he knew she was old enough to make her own decisions, he felt he should be there to help her in making the right ones. It was an odd feeling. He had been an only child his whole life and yet here he was now wanting to protect his roommate as if she were his little sibling.

Shin Woo glanced back at Jeremy and patted the younger man's knee with a warming smile. "We should try making her a special dinner, to congratulate her on her first big day in the entertainment business. It's a stressful jump from the simple life she used to have. I think we should show her that we are here for her, especially in times like this."

Jeremy's head bopped up and down in agreement. Their plan set in stone.

…

"Alright Penelope," President Ahn said through the microphone on the other side of the glass. "That was great. Now just give me a little more emotion on the last line. Uhh… let's start from the top of the choirs."

Penelope nodded, biting her bottom lip to keep her nerves down in her chest and instead have herself focus on the emotions that needed to build up from the beginning to the end. The music began to play again and Penelope took a deep breath that reached to the pit of her stomach. She approached the mic and began to let her thoughts and emotions wash over her as she began to sing one of her songs.

"It's a sign,
Someone loves me.

Every long look,
I can't even breath.

Tired, scared, fight for feeling.
I'm not alone, and never will be…"

As the music died once again, Ahn came through the intercom, "Good, great. That's the end of that song. So let's trying practicing on the next one before we begin recording it."

Penelope nodded and picked up her acoustic guitar to begin playing for President Ahn.

The day had passed much smoother than she had anticipated. After President Ahn and Manager Ma had pulled her aside and tried to calm her down with reassuring words, everything seemed to just begin making sense. Sure she was still overwhelmed with the schedule but she wasn't afraid anymore. She was going to take this challenge head on and now that she knew she wasn't alone that fear that had been gripping onto her wasn't going to stop her.

Penelope recorded through one last song that day with President Ahn with few to even no problems. He was helpful with his constructive criticism and Penelope was a loud to even stay and help with producing the final product. It was her music after all and having the creative rights enabled that right to her. But it wasn't so much about the rights as it was about learning how the equipment worked so that she could even make music on her own one day.

The time passed so fast that when Penelope had looked to the clock on the wall in the recording studio she nearly gasped with surprise. "Oh! It's already seven."

President Ahn chuckled and patted the young girl's shoulder with a knowing smile, "Welcome to the music business Penelope. There are going to be days like this all the time. How about you get Manager Ma to take you home. I'm sure the company van has already taken the boys back home. Get something to eat and then get some rest. We'll be back in her tomorrow to finish editing these songs and then begin recording some more."

Penelope nodded her head causing the blonde curls to bounce with some energy. "Thank you President."

"You're welcome Penelope," President Ahn said while waving her off.

Manager Ma had dropped her off at the house only a half an hour later and wished her a good night. She wave to him while he backed out of the driveway. Once his headlights had disappeared around the corner, Penelope wandered up the stairs to the front patio to greet Jolie before walking through the front door.

The lights in the living room were off and when Penelope reached out for the switch to turn them on an ecstatic and wonderful cheer came out from behind the kitchen's island. Jeremy hopped out of the kitchen toward Penelope and embraced her with a very supportive and careful feeling. Shin Woo and Tae Kyung's browns lifted higher on their faces in surprise and Mi Nam smirked from the other side of the island as he held onto the plates for their dinner, "Penelope, congratulations on your first big day in the business!"

Congratulation came from the rest of the boys behind Jeremy after the blond had let go and took a step back to give his hair colored twin some space. Her cheeks were flushed red from the embrace that she had shared with Jeremy and with all of her roommate's attention on her she began to hide her face behind her hands with embarrassment.

"She's a shy one," MI Nam jokingly prodded as he poked the girl in the side. She just giggled, the smile on her face spreading even bigger than the second before. Honest laughs and smiles were shared with everyone in the room. But eventually they all gathered on the patio on the roof of the house were they had dinner set out for everyone. Penelope shared a seat next to Shin Woo, Jeremy and Mi Nam on the other side and Tae Kyung took up the head of the table.

After the lovely Italian meal was dispersed on each person's plate, Tae Kyung lifted his glass of wine and began a small speech, "Today was your official big day at AN Entertainment and we wanted to congratulate you. But this is also our treat to you, Penelope, we want you to know that now that you are part of the team, the family; don't feel like you're alone. If you need anything, and we mean anything, we're here for you. So, congrats."

The glasses around the table rose in agreement and everyone took a sip of their drinks before finally digging into their meals.

When dinner finished they all go together to clean up their mess and eventually trailed back into their rooms for some much needed rest.

When Jeremy lay stretched out on his bed, something deep in the pit of his stomach was still bothering him. The blonde placed his hand on his stomach and rubbed it to make it feel better. But still there was no relief. Sitting up, the blonde's brows furrowed with frustration. "What is wrong with you?"

The question directed at his stomach was never answered but instead a thought popped up in his head and before Jeremy could even logically think about it, he was headed for Penelope's room. The small plaque with her name on it hung above his head and he gave a great swallow before knocking on the door. He didn't have to wait long for the door to open. Penelope stood just a foot shorter than him, her chocolate eyes blinking back up at him and a toothbrush hanging about in her mouth. Jeremy smiled, that unsatisfied feeling in his stomach was now gone, "Can a hang out with you for a bit?"

Penelope looked passed the drummer to see if anyone was behind him but nodded none the less. Jeremy shuffled into the room after Penelope opened her door all the way and then closed it behind them. She hurried back into the bathroom to finish brushing her teeth, while Jeremy made himself comfortable on the sitting arrangement that sunk into the floor. He watched her for what seemed like a while. She brushed her hair, the curls becoming a big bush of blonde hair that didn't want to be tamed. She threw her hair up in a bun and then washed her face to finish for the night. Something about the way she stood, the way she touched and the way she talked to herself was more than appealing. It was sweet, comforting, and cute.

Penelope walked back into the room and sat upon the cushions and pillows next to Jeremy's sprawled out form. Her head laid down upon the pillow Jeremy's had taken up and together they shared the silence. It was a wonderful kind of silence. One that Jeremy didn't mind at least.

"You know…" Jeremy began as he thought upon the day's events, "I felt the same way when we first started out in the business. Overwhelmed, scared, and like my life was out of control. But after Shin Woo had confronted me about how he was feeling the same way we both took that as a chance to tackle our fears together."

Penelope's head shifted on the pillow below her so that she could see the top of Jeremy's head. He wasn't looking at her but instead at the corner of her room as if he could see everything from his past playing out in front of him. Jeremy surprised Penelope by taking her hand and lacing her fingers with his, "If you ever feel like the world is caving in on you, just remember that I'm here. I'll help you through whatever trouble you're going through. You just have to let me know. I don't like to see you… or anyone for that matter in as much stress as you were today. I'm here, Penelope."

Penelope smiled and held onto Jeremy's hand just a little tighter to let him know she appreciated him coming to her. He truly had been wonderful to her ever since they first met. He was truly a wonderful person.

…

A/N: Yay, we're back on track. I'm really not going to promise anything, but if I do get another chapter out next week I'll be surprised. But ummm… yes, I wanted to address Penelope's uncertainty with her new life. Any reasonable, down to earth person would be questioning their decisions and choices. Especially if you're a very introverted person, in which Penelope is very much. But I also wanted the boys and everyone that she is involved with to see this happening. It just proves that she is very human, very emotional, and very much in need of help just like any normal human being. I also wanted to start addressing the feelings Jeremy was started to feel. Before, and still very much now but it's slowly changing, he was just very infatuated with her talent and voice. Much like a fan. But as he grows to learn who she is as a person there is something else he's starting to feel and well, we'll slowly start to see him trying to figure out what those feelings mean. The small moment with Shin Woo was exactly what I meant it to be. If there was any confusion just let me know. But uhh onto the next chapter.

Oh, I also want to thank Panda-Chan8 and Sarah Jackson - The Other for the wonderful reviews and thank you Forgetful Insanity, Kpopcrazy1997, Panda-Chan8, Sarah Jackson - The Other, and LlamaChickenPie, for the Story Favorites and Follows. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Disclaimer: I don't own You're Beautiful and the characters involved in the show. I don't own the lyrics to Myth by Beach House (used at the beginning of this chapter). I do however own Penelope.