"But… he's dating the wrong unni!" I argued to Dongwoon quietly, "I thought for sure he'd end up with Miyeonie!"
Dongwoon shrugged, "Jiyoon has always been around Beast, even before she knew you all. I don't know what exactly they feel for each other, but all I know is that it makes sense."
"When did they start dating?" I asked. I could feel my heart rate going up, but that was from Dongwoon playing with the drawstrings of my sweat pants. As exciting as this conversation was, our closeness was what made me lose my breath.
"Not too long ago… I guess about a week before our little mishap," Dongwoon talked about our two-week non-talking-spree like it was nothing, "So about 3 weeks?"
"Who all knows?"
"Well, Beast. Jaesoon knows… Jaesoon is actually the one who convinced Jiyoon to go with it."
"Really?" All of this new information was making my questions become louder and louder, "Jaesoonie did?"
Dongwoon nodded, "Maybe Jaesoon thinks if she can't have him, neither can Miyeon."
I laughed, "Those two do NOT work that way… You've got a lot to learn about my friends."
"It's always possible though!" Dongwoon conspired, "I'm surprised Miyeon doesn't know."
I sighed. Would Miyeon be super mad at Jiyoon? What kind of crap would that cause ATM? I didn't want to think about it right now. "Well you need to get to the dorm, don't you?"
Dongwoon nodded, "I'll be okay without an umbrella."
"No you will not," I said, looking outside to see the rain picking up even more, "You'll get sick if I let you go back out there, especially since you're already soaked. Why don't you go get some coffee and get somewhat dry. You don't need to be there right away do you?"
Dongwoon checked his phone, "I need to be there in like an hour."
"Well it only takes you 20 minutes to walk there. Go get dry downstairs," I said, "You know where our break room is."
"I can't stay up here with you?" Dongwoon pouted and pulled my hood over my head.
"We're going to be practicing with Infinite… if you won't get jealous I'm sure they'll let you sit in," I smiled but I was nervous that he'd sit in anyway. He may not be jealous, but I was worried of being around him and Sungyeol at the same time.
"No, you'll mess up if I'm in there," Dongwoon teased, "Let me just go say hi to the other girls and I'll just go ahead and go. I can change clothes at the dorm."
"Okay, oppa… I have a big sweatshirt in my bag if you want to trade it for yours," I blinked.
"It won't fit me," he laughed, "but we'll see." I led Dongwoon into the practice room and toward my bag in the corner. We didn't draw any attention to ourselves. He slipped his sweater off and dropped it into my bag.
"Noooo," I hissed and threw it out, "all my clothes will get wet."
"What are you doing?" Jiyoon said loudly while Dongwoon had his shirt off. Of course everyone then looked over at us.
"Jinhwa borrowed a shirt from me a while ago, I came to get it," he said. I bit my lip, laughing at the fact that my oversized sweatshirt was pretty girly and as soon as I handed it to him he would look ridiculous. Jiyoon looked at me as if looking for confirmation.
"And besides, he walked over here without an umbrella," I pouted, "He was all wet and cold. I couldn't let him leave like that."
The talking resumed as if nothing had happened, but Jiyoon made her way over to us. Dongwoon slipped on my shirt, which barely fit him and had a big red heart on it.
"Seriously, Jinhwa?" he blinked at me.
"It fits you well enough to be dry," I pouted.
"It's not yours," Jiyoon said and eyed Dongwoon. "I don't know what's going on here, but it better stop. I'm not putting my job on the line for you two."
My smart ass flared up and I almost said, "But you'd put your job on the line for Doojoon?" but I kept quiet. I felt strangely angry at Jiyoon right then, but I hid it. Instead I just nodded, and so did Dongwoon.
"You can't show up here in front of another company," Jiyoon said, less angrily than before, to Dongwoon, "What if rumors start popping up? The more witnesses can confirm you two the worse you are. Dongwoon, you can borrow my umbrella since you're too dumb to get one for yourself, and then get yourself out of here."
"Yes, noona," Dongwoon said with a slight pout. Jiyoon scoffed and nodded toward the corner where she put her stuff. I grabbed her umbrella and walked Dongwoon to the door. Before going outside, Dongwoon hugged me.
"See you later then?" he smiled.
"I hope so," I couldn't help but smile back. He pecked my lips and winked, then he was out the door and around the corner. After he was out of my sight, time went by so much slower and my head clouded with thoughts about Doojoon. What the heck was I going to do? Should I tell Miyeon? What if she gets really upset with Jiyoon and quits? I had no idea what I would do without her. Maybe Jaesoon knew something was going on between them, though, because that night we came home drunk, she wasn't angry to see Doojoon. I wondered what she ended up telling Miyeon that night.
"Alright, let's get started!" Infinite's choreographer said, "ATM, we want to see your version of Before The Dawn!"
I sighed. Back to my version of reality, I guess.
After hours of collaborative dance practice with Infinite, they left with the promise to be back. Myungsoo was getting a little overly friendly Song-E, who didn't seem to mind. In fact, when they left, he offered her a cozy "side-hug" and said something in her ear that made her blush. I would've paid more attention, but Sungyeol ruffled my hair roughly.
"See you, Jinah!" he said obnoxiously, making fun of Jaesoon.
"Only my unni can call me that!" I said with a pout. When I turned back to see what the heck was going on with L and E, he was already at the door and she was just smiling to herself. I blinked. She better not screw up with Gikwang.
"Where's Jaesoon?" Miyeon asked, slumping against the wall with a yawn.
"I didn't see Dongwoo leaving with Infinite," I said quietly. Miyeon smirked at me and nudged me with her elbow.
"Must be having a private 'dance session', right unni?" Miyeon said to Song-E.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, haha," Song-E half-heartedly laughed.
"What's with you?" Miyeon blinked, "That look on your face… and you're not paying attention to us. Thinking about Gikwang?"
Song-E went white, but hid it well, "I must have been. I was just letting my mind wander off."
Miyeon looked at me skeptically, but left the situation alone. I, on the other hand, made a mental note to myself to bring this up later.
A cell phone started ringing from the tiny bathroom connected to the practice room. It was a ringtone that I didn't recognized, but it was quickly silenced. We all looked at each other before Jiyoon moved toward the door. Just as she reached for the handle, Dongwoo stumbled out and bowed politely at everyone, mumbling words of thanks and parting before rushing out. Jaesoon came out of the same door, touching her lips and smiling. Jiyoon took a deep breath and then clapped her hands together to get everyone's attention. We thought we were all going to get yelled at, so the four of us were completely silent.
"Girls," Jiyoon said, then smiled, "Take a break. We've got a couple hours of vocal practice at 3, don't be late this time."
"Yay!" Miyeon said, skipping to grab her bag, "A break, a break, a brea-ak!"
"Who wants to go take a nap?" I offered.
"Me," Song-E said with a slight chuckle.
"Not me," Miyeon smiled, "I've got plans."
"With who?" Jaesoon asked, "Sunggyu?"
Miyeon shook her head, "Taecyeon. He finally got a break, so I told him I'd make lunch for him today."
We all stared at her. "You're going to cook?" I asked.
She laughed, "Microwave meals count as making lunch for him. Just as long as there's a lot of it."
Song-E shook her head, "This is why you two are perfect together."
Miyeon stopped, then blushed, "W-what? No we're not."
"You're worse than Jinah if you think that," Jaesoon said while gathering her things, "You and that big oaf are two peas—"
"He is not a big oaf," Miyeon defended, "He's gorgeous."
"Well you like him, don't you?" Jaesoon said playfully.
"I don't know," Miyeon couldn't hide her smile. They continued going back and forth like that and I looked around for Song-E. I caught a glimpse of her jacket flowing out of the door, so I grabbed my bag and ran after her, catching her just before she got on the elevator.
"Unni, wait—" I stuck my hand in the door and caught it just before it closed.
"Sorry for leaving like that," Song-E chuckled nervously, "I'm in a rush."
"Where do you have to be so quick? If you're going to see Gikwang, we can just walk together," I blinked.
Song-E sighed, "I'm not. I'm having lunch with Myungsoo."
I didn't think that was a big deal, so why were they hiding it, so I figured I'd ask, "What are you hiding though?"
"N-nothing," Song-E shook her head and frowned on me, "Why would I hide anything?"
"You're being all discreet and whispery with Myungsoo," I said with a pout, "I wasn't trying to offend you. If you're just having lunch it's no big deal, unni."
Song-E swallowed and stared at the elevator doors, "We're just having lunch so don't jump down my throat about it."
"I'm sorry, unni," I said it and meant it, but there was still something extremely fishy about the way she was acting.
My phone rang when I got off the elevator and Miyeon's face was flashing on my screen.
"Where the hell did you go?" she asked, "Don't you want to at least eat with us first? And is Song-E with you?"
"I needed to talk to her about something, you two go ahead," I bit my lip.
"Are you guys going to Cube?" Miyeon asked, turning a little more serious.
"I am," I said honestly.
"I need to talk to Doojoon… tell him to text me when he gets the chance…" she sighed, "What's going on with him?"
He's dating our manager, "I have no idea, unni." I grabbed Song-E's arm to stop her from walking out the door. She looked at me angrily, but I held up my finger to ask her to wait.
"Well I'll see you back at practice then," Miyeon sighed, "Have fun!"
"You, too, and tell Mr. Yummy I said hello," I teased.
"Shut it," Miyeon laughed and hung up.
"What is it?" Song-E asked, calming down when I let go of her.
"Did you know about Jiyoon and Doojoon?" I asked quietly.
Song-E sighed, "Yeah… I don't know how to tell Miyeon, so I asked Jaesoon to do it."
"But she hasn't," I blinked, "Not yet, anyway."
Song-E shrugged, "You can do it if you want."
I shook my head, "I'm scared."
Song-E laughed and ruffled my hair, "You're seriously such a little maknae, Jinhwa. I'll see you later, okay?"
"Be careful," I said innocently. There was a lot I wanted to say, but I didn't, because there was also a lot I didn't know. All I could hope for is that her and Myungsoo weren't getting too close.
"Jinhwa, you're right on time!" Yoseob said, wiping the sweat off his face. Gikwang looked behind me and out the door.
"Did you escape?" he asked with an innocent look on his face. I knew he was looking for Song-E.
"Oh, uh," I chuckled, "she stayed with Jaesoon to go over our new dance. She's just working so hard."
Gikwang smiled, "She's really something, isn't she?"
I forced a smile, "She has to be in this business."
"Little maknae!" Dongwoon came at me with sweat practically raining off of him."
"Oh, no, no," I laughed, "You better wipe yourself off first."
He pouted, "But… little maknae…"
I held my nose playfully, "You stink, big maknae."
"Did Jiyoon come with you?" Junhyung asked while running a towel through his hair.
"Not with me," I blinked, "She's very busy today, though."
They kept bombarding me with questions while I answered them like they were nothing and Dongwoon changed his shirt and re-deodorized in the corner. I couldn't keep my eyes off him. Something about him, and about being "officially" with him, was making me smile nonstop. Just being around him made my heart go crazy.
When he finally walked to my side, I didn't answer anymore questions and the other members gave up talking to me. All I could see and hear was Dongwoon. It was light a bright light surrounded him and everything else just faded.
"You want to grab some food?" he asked. I just nodded.
"Doojoon," Dongwoon called to the floor where Doojoon was laying, "I'll be back later."
"Be back in an hour," he yawned. Dongwoon rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms around my shoulder.
"Yeah, sure, one hour," Dongwoon said nonchalantly, "see you later!"
"I'm serious Son Dongwoon, you be back here in one hour!" Doojoon lifted his head and opened his eyes, "Oh, hey, wait! I'm going to walk down with you!"
I looked at Dongwoon quizzically, who looked just as confused as me. When the three of us made got out of the practice room, Doojoon walked past the elevators and to the stairs.
"The two of you… I wanted to know your opinions," Doojoon sniffed, "on me and Jiyoon."
"The only one who doesn't know about it is Miyeon," Dongwoon said quietly.
"I don't want her to be upset," Doojoon said quietly, "I care about her and everything… but it's not the same."
I couldn't listen to this crap, so I bitterly said, "You really hurt her, so it doesn't really matter now."
Dongwoon looked at me, shocked at my sudden attitude, but Doojoon looked completely unsurprised. "I didn't do it to hurt her. Don't punish me, Jinhwa."
"I'm just saying," I shrugged, "I, personally, don't want to tell her because I'm scared she'll be upset and leave the group."
"She wouldn't do that," Doojoon tried to sound sure of himself, but there was worry in his voice. "Miyeon isn't dramatic like that."
"I know she's not," I said, "but I always have to prepare for the worst. Can we go now? I'm starving."
"One hour," Doojoon said and waved us away while he went back up the stairs.
Dongwoon and I pushed that entire situation from our minds while we ate at his apartment. The rain had stopped and left us with one of the muggiest days of the year. I pushed up my sleeves and tugged at my collar. Normally I wanted to stand close to him, but all I wanted right now was to stand in front of a fan.
"It got so hot all of a sudden," Dongwoon pouted, "I hate spring."
My phone started to ring loudly. I had such a struggle finding it in my purse that I made Dongwoon hold my purse while I dug everything out. Finally, I saw Song-E's face at the very bottom of my purse.
"Is everything okay?" I asked.
"No," she said, "I was with Myungsoo and I think someone was following us. Taking pictures. Now he's following me and I'm really scared."
"What?" I looked worriedly at Dongwoon.
"There's someone following me and taking pictures of me," her voice was getting thick, as if she was fighting off the urge to cry.
"What's the matter?" Dongwoon asked quietly.
"Unni, where are you?" I asked. She gave me directions to the coffee house she was hiding in and I promised her I'd be right there. "Just keep trying to call the others, and especially Jiyoon."
"Okay," she sniffed, "Just hurry."
"I'll be right there, unni, I promise," I said again before hanging up.
"What happened?" Dongwoon asked. I could only sigh. There wasn't a lot I could say without ratting Song-E out.
"I'm sorry, oppa, but I have to go right now. Song-E needs me," I looked around, worried that now I was being followed, "I'll have to explain later."
"Text me?" he said, frustrated that I was blowing him off so soon.
"Absolutely," I made a kiss-face at him, scared to get even a little closer to him in public, "I'm sorry."
"Yeah, yeah, just hurry and help Song-E," Dongwoon waved his hand at me and winked. Even though he was amazingly cute, I couldn't stop worrying. Song-E was terrified, and for good reason. If pictures of her and Myungsoo leaked, Gikwang would see them. I knew she shouldn't have gone, but it was too late now. I had no idea what to do. I just knew I had to get to her as fast as possible.