“I think Hanbin’s mad at me…,” Rhine murmured.

            Bobby glanced at her with eyebrows raised. “Why do you think that?”

            She hesitated and glanced at him as her fingers locked together. “He tripped over my foot and that’s why he fell… You know, during his rap.”

            A smile lighted his face, making his eyes disappear. “He isn’t mad at you ‘cause of that. He’s just embarrassed, which means that we’ll probably never go back to that place ever again.”  He let out a carefree laugh, but Rhine wasn’t smiling. She was lost in her thoughts.

            Turning her head quickly to look at him, she asked, “Why do you guys go there when many people seem to not like your presence?”

            He rubbed his head, looking at the ground before glancing forward. “We just want to prove ourselves, that’s all.”

            “So the stares and negative comments don’t affect you?”

            “Rhine, we’re idol rappers. No matter where we go, we get bombarded with those things. We shouldn’t take those things personally.” As he referred to himself as an idol, Rhine could sense that he didn’t like the title, but merely accepted it. Remembering about earlier, he turned to her. “I’m sorry about back there, you didn’t deserve the hate.”

            “Oh.” She shook her head and strands of hair flew into her vision, making her look like a little kid and Bobby simply smirked. “It’s fine.”

            “I should’ve warned you beforehand. I’m sorry.” Recalling the uneasiness vibrating off Rhine during the rap battle, Bobby was overcome with guilt. He knew he should’ve made her feel safe, secured; it was an easy task, but he failed. What he regretted most was when that fool decided to diss Rhine and Bobby could only stare helplessly. He was glad that Hanbin came to the rescue and as much as he hated to admit it, he wished Hanbin had stayed out of it. Bobby wanted to be the one to stand up for Rhine, but Hanbin had fought Bobby’s battle for him.

            “You shouldn’t apologize for something you didn’t do, have anybody ever told you that?” She flashed him a small smile that made his heart beat faster.

            He shook his head ‘no’.

            “A rap genius like you, I thought you already knew.” Her bottom lip puckered out a teeny bit as she looked at him teasingly.

            “You think I’m a rap genius?”

            “Hmm… You can improve and maybe one day.”

            “But hey-!” He playfully frowned.

            “Like you said, you shouldn’t take things personally, Bobby.” With her fingers entwined together in front of her and glancing around, Bobby smiled. Yah, she’s adorable, he thought.

            “I mean it, Rhine,” he became serious. “You shouldn’t take the negative things personally.”

            Rhine gave a nod of her head. “I know.”

            Just by the way she responded, Bobby knew deep down that she wouldn’t do as he said. He was frustrated, confused and torn between who Rhine really was. She was hard to decipher; always hiding her true feelings. A thought suddenly came to his mind. She seemed to care more about Hanbin than the fact that she kissed Bobby. Was that kiss real?

-
            “You probably heard,” Rhine mumbled into her palms the second the studio door clicked shut behind Hanbin, who was nibbling a mochi.

            “About what?”

            He stuffed the remainder of the mochi into his mouth, feeling nervous to be in the same room as her, alone. It had been a few days after he found out the feelings he had for her and they hadn’t seen each other since that night. Hanbin had been quite busy preparing for the debut and hadn’t had time for their nightly lessons. Since he didn’t know when their lessons would continue, he suggested her to meet him in the studio during lunch break and there they were.

            Pulling the chair beside her, he tried to sit casually and coolly. But his heart raced and he was too nervous that his foot got stuck behind the leg of the chair and he fell back onto the chair, hard. His face was warm due to embarrassment from his clumsiness and he quickly looked over at Rhine. To his relief, she was too busy dwelling that she didn’t notice.

            His heart skipped a beat when Rhine turned to look directly at him. Hanbin, be calm.

            “I forgot my lyrics.”

            Eyes widened, he suddenly remembered that it was Rhine’s monthly evaluation. Noticing her discontent, Hanbin sat up straight.

Be cool, Hanbin. Be like B.I!

He wiped his hands on his pants, which started to sweat. Gulping, he turned to look at her and tried to act cool, as if nothing was different.

“It’s okay to make mistakes.” The second he realized what just came out of his mouth, he shook his head hurriedly and made an X with his arms. “N-no, it’s not okay t-to make m-mistakes!”

Idiot! You’re being too obvious; she’ll know you like her now!

She raised an eyebrow and concern washed across her face. “Are you okay? You’re turning red.”

Hanbin mentally cursed himself and eagerly changed the subject. “I mean…” He sighed heavily, and then took a deep breath to cool himself, but it was suddenly getting hot in there. He could feel the sweat dripping out from his pores as he waved the empty space by his head as if waving off a fly, trying to hide the fact that he was fanning himself.

“Hanbin-ah, did you catch the flu?”

Rhine leaned towards him with worry etched on her face. With her hand, she tried to reach for his forehead and check his temperature. Afraid that she was getting too close, he jumped up from his seat, inches away from bumping his head against her hand. He distanced himself from her and she was taken aback by his reaction.

Yah! You’re supposed to comfort her, not tell her that you like her!

“Maybe you should go home,” Rhine said.

“No!” He rapidly pulled the chair a few feet away from her and plopped down on it. “The point is, it’s okay to make mistakes. Everyone makes them. What’s important is the way you recover after you forget your lyrics…”

            Good, you’re doing well, Hanbin.

            “As a rapper, you should recover quickly as if you didn’t make a mistake. You see, that’s when free-styling comes in handy. If you forgot your lyrics then quickly freestyle and it’ll all seem natural… Do you get it?”

            Rhine nodded, thinking over Hanbin’s advice. He internally sighed in relief that she had forgotten about what just happened. That was a close one.

            “Did Mr. Yang say anything to you?”

            She nodded. “He told me if I don’t do well next time, it might be my last…”

            Not wanting to see her upset, he quickly interjected, “That’s great! You still have a second chance to prove yourself.”

            “I guess…”

            “Yunhyeong bought lunch, let’s go join them.”

            Hanbin stood up and headed for the door as Rhine stood up, looking at him in surprise. “What about practice?”

            He looked back at her, hand reaching for the doorknob. “Delay it.”

            “But Mr. Yang said if I don’t do well next time, it might be my last…” She looked down at the ground.

            “Come on, we’re just skipping this one.”

            “You go, I’ll practice some more.”

            “Rhine, if you practice too much, you’ll die of exhaustion.” He looked at her impatiently and she shook her head in objection. “I promise we’ll practice tonight.”

            He grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the door. The contact sent a jolt up his spine, making him feel warm. “Besides, the boys are dying to meet you.”

            “The boys?” She pursed her lips. “That reminds me, was it Yunhyeong?”

            “What about him?”

            “He told me that his hyung and Junho were talking about me… Are you Yunhyeong’s hyung?”

            “You mean Junhwe. And no, Yunhyeong’s my hyung.”

            Hanbin pulled the door open, just in time to make the girl stop in the hallway and look at them with wide eyes, causing Hanbin to stop abruptly. Rhine stopped inches behind Hanbin and pulled her arm out of Hanbin’s hold. Coming to their senses, they both bowed ninety degrees at the stranger and she hurriedly bowed back.

            “You’re B.I!” The girl yelled with a wide grin, revealing her teeth.

            “I am.”

            A fan? What was a fan doing here? Hanbin wondered.

            The girl seemed to be around the same age as them, a few inches shorter than Rhine. Her thin, dyed light blonde hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. Her face was slim and covered with a thin layer of foundation that was barely noticeable. She was pale, making the small mole on the middle of her right cheek stand out. A coat of mascara dotted her black lashes and eyeliner made her eyes pop out. She looked like an ulzzang.

            “I’m Lee Joo Hee and today is my first day here!” Her voice was light and cheerful.

            “Your first day?” He was slightly confused.

            “I’m a trainee and I’ll be seeing you a lot!” Her excited grin made him unsure as he managed a smile and nodded his head. “I’ve always been a fan of yours since the Indian Boy era. You’re so talented!”

            Rhine shifted behind Hanbin, glancing around uncomfortably. She rubbed her arms as the girl talked on about how great Hanbin was.

            Embarrassed and shy, Hanbin wanted to hide, but Bobby wasn’t there. So instead, he just smiled and bowed at the compliments the girl shoved his way. “Thank you,” he repeated over and over again. “It was nice to meet you, but we have to go.”

            “We?” Hanbin stepped aside and the girl finally noticed Rhine was there as the smile fell from her face. As quickly as it fell, it resurfaced again. “Oh, of course.”

            As Rhine passed Joo Hee, Rhine bowed before following Hanbin down the hall. “Since when did Mr. Yang hold auditions?” He muttered to himself.

            Not realizing that he was talking to himself, Rhine said, “He started hosting auditions not long after I’ve been here.”

            At her answer, he came to realization that she was already a YG trainee for a few months. Just some more months and then she wouldn’t be a newbie anymore. Hanbin couldn’t believe it, it felt like it was still the first time he met her.

            “We’re here!” Hanbin exclaimed with his arms spread out in the air after they entered Team B’s practice room.

            The guys were seated in the center of the room in a circle with foam boxes in the middle, full of food. At Rhine and Hanbin’s entrance, the guys froze in their spots. Some had their mouths open wide, showing the half chewed food in their mouths while some were about to grab some more food. Bobby on the other hand had his head tilted towards the ceiling, mouth wide open and hand frozen in midair with some food, about to go into his mouth. Yunhyeong was gulping down water when his eyes landed on Rhine. Face red, he started choking, realizing that he was shirtless and a girl was seeing his bare chest.

            “Have you been practicing?” Hanbin questioned, rushing to the boxes of food.

            Noticing Rhine instantly, Bobby downed the food and immediately stood up with a beam as he made his way to her. Rhine smiled back and bowed towards every member. Everybody resumed eating, nobody paying attention to a choking Yunhyeong, whose face was turning a shade as red as a tomato.

            “The food’s halfway gone! I told you to wait for us,” Hanbin whined, throwing scowls at any member closest to him, but no one paid him any attention.

            Appalled at everyone’s reaction to Yunhyeong’s choking, Rhine hurried over to him, ignoring Bobby. At her move, Bobby stopped in his tracks when she ran past him and he turned around, smile faltering. The rest of the guys looked at them, except Hanbin who was busy eating.

            “I’m sorry,” Rhine said before patting his back to lessen the choking.

            The impact caused him to move forward at every hit, the pain increasing. In between his chokes, Yunhyeong waved his hand as a motion for her to stop. Rhine kept hitting his back, not knowing that she was hurting him.

            “He’ll be fine,” Jinhwan reassured.

            As the choking subsided, Yunhyeong gasped for breath. “It’s going to bruise.”

            “Oh!” Rhine immediately pulled her hand back, filled with guilt. “I’m so sorry!” She kept bowing and apologizing, making the other guys smile.

            “I’m fine, thank you.” Yunhyeong bowed back.

            Bobby kneeled down by Rhine’s side and the other guys stared at her. “Hello, I’m Rhine.” She bowed and they smiled as they took turns introducing themselves. After the introductions, they resumed eating.

            She felt shy as she sat in between Bobby and Yunhyeong. Bobby was busy wrapping some barbeque in lettuce as Rhine shyly looked at the ground as they were eating. The atmosphere was friendly and inviting, but she was shy around people she just met.

            “Eat some, Rhine,” Jinhwan said. The room filled with side conversations and she often caught a different pair of eyes looking her way every other second. She could tell girls often didn’t eat with them.

            “I will, thank you.” Rhine slightly bowed her head towards Jinhwan and he smiled.

            “Here,” Bobby offered her the barbeque lettuce wrap and she smiled.

            Hanbin tilted his head up from the lettuce wrap he just made and was about to call her name when he noticed Rhine take the food from Bobby. He watched as the two smiled at each other and Bobby watched with a twinkle in his eyes as Rhine took a bite of the food. Hanbin’s heart fell as he looked at the food in his hand. Disappointed, he offered the lettuce wrap to Donghyuk.

            “Oh, thank you hyung!” Donghyuk happily took the food and ate it.

            “Did you hear about the new trainees, Hanbin?” Junhwe said.

            “How many are there?”

            “I heard there are three boys and four girls.”

            “Have you met them?”

            “No.”

            “I saw two boys on my way from the store,” Yunhyeong said.

            “What store?” said Jinhwan.

            “When I bought these.” Yunhyeong motioned to the food and Junhwe scoffed.

            “You did not, Jinhwan hyung bought these.”

            “I did too.”

            Hanbin chuckled, looking away from them as they bickered back and forth. The second his eyes landed on Rhine and Bobby, he wished he hadn’t. Rhine was smiling at the bickering when there was a small piece of food on her lips and Bobby reached over. As the scene unfolded before Hanbin, it seemed as if in slow motion.

            No.

            With his thumb, Bobby brushed the food away. Rhine looked at Bobby, a little taken aback as his eyes lingered on her lips and Hanbin felt sick.

-

            “Rhine! I’ve been looking all over for you.”

            Hei was breathless as she sprinted through the hallway and stopped just in time before colliding straight into Rhine. It was just after Rhine’s last practice of the day and she had an hour to kill before meeting up with Hanbin.

            “Hei, why didn’t you go home with the girls?”

            “I practiced a little late and I wanted to ask you something.” She looked expectant with her fingers locked together and she stood on her tiptoes with a small smile.

            “What is it?”

            “I was wondering if you want to go shopping with me.”

            “Right now?” Hei nodded with a beam. “I have…,” she trailed off as she realized how excited Hei had been. Rhine glanced at her wristwatch and nodded. “Okay, we won’t be long right?”

            “Yeah, we’ll be back before your next practice.”

            They started heading out of the building and were met with a rush of cool air. The night was silent and peaceful with a full moon shining brightly. Their footsteps were gentle and light, making small thump sounds against the concrete.

            “Where are we going?”

            “A night market not far from here. You don’t mind, do you?”

            Rhine shook her head. “Of course not, I don’t have anything better to do anyway.”

            “What class do you have next?”

            Rhine became uneasy. “Just a rap lesson.”

            “But didn’t you just had rap practice?” Hei looked questioningly at Rhine and Rhine searched for a response. When she couldn’t come up with anything, Rhine came to a conclusion.

            “Will you promise to not tell anyone?”

            Hei was suddenly very interested as she leaned her head closer and nodded furiously. “I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

            Hanbin never told her to hide their lessons from other people, but Rhine felt like it was something between the two of them.

            “Hanbin’s been helping me practice.”

            “Wae?” Hei’s eyes widened in shock and envy as her jaw hung ajar. “For how long!?”

            Rhine was suddenly on edge. She remembered the time when Meleine backstabbed her and she was suddenly afraid that Hei would backstab her too because she seemed interested in Hanbin. She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt and bit her bottom lip nervously.

            “A few months ago…”

            “Do you like him?”

            “What?” Rhine quickly looked at Hei in surprise and Hei had a secretive smile on her face.

            “Do you have any feelings for Hanbin?”

            “No!” Rhine shook her head in denial rapidly. “I don’t like him like that.”

            Hei pursed her lips and glanced at the ground. “That’s a pity… What about Bobby?”

            “You know about Bobby?”

            Hei grinned and nodded. “I overheard Donghyuk and Bobby talking earlier today and it had something to do with you,” she cooed and Rhine blushed.

            “What were they talking about?”

            “Donghyuk asked what Bobby’s relationship with you is.”

            Rhine nodded, expecting Hei to go on. “And what did he say?”

            Hei grinned and Rhine became worried. She braced herself for the answer, hoping it wouldn’t be what she thought it would. “Just friends,” Hei said and Rhine sighed with relief. “You look so happy, definitely opposite from what I expected… Tell me, how do you feel about Bobby if you don’t like Hanbin?”

            “They’re both just friends, Hei.”

            “I see.”

            Unconvinced that Hei believed her, Rhine turned to look at the girl. “I mean it Hei; I only like them as friends. Nothing more, nothing less. Besides, I came here to debut, not to fall in love.”

            “Fine, you didn’t have to defend yourself.” Hei pouted and looked away. “But I think you and Hanbin would make a cute couple.”

            “Wae!?” Rhine’s head snapped in Hei’s direction with slightly opened in disbelief. “

            Hei beamed playfully. “Come on, you two spend almost every night together and probably connect better than anyone else. Don’t tell me that you’ve never daydreamed about you guys dating before.”

            “I haven’t!”

            “Well then, do you like Hanbin’s personality more or Bobby’s?”

            Rhine bit her bottom lip in thought. She hesitated as her mind wandered from Bobby to Hanbin and she merely whispered her answer, “Bobby makes me happy.”

            “Ooh, I sense some feelings there.”

            Rhine blushed as she recalled seeing Bobby shirtless and all those abs. The memory gave her goose bumps and Rhine shrugged the thought away. “It’s not like that; he’s just a really cheerful guy.”

            “So I’ve heard… Is it true that Hanbin’s pretty tense and strict?”

            “Not necessarily… He’s quieter and shier than Bobby, but he’s a really fun guy.” They neared the entrance of the night market and Rhine could see few people bustling around. It was a bit dark inside with neon blue lights and booths set up on each side. “What about you Hei? Who do you like?”

            “No one.” Hei grinned at an ahjumma nearby. “Hello ahjumma.”

            “Good evening Hei, who’s with you today?” The elder looked at them with a friendly smile. She was really short and thin, her short hair turning white.

            Rhine smiled and bowed as Hei introduced her, “This is my friend, Rhine. Ahjumma, she’s a trainee too.”

            “It’s nice to meet you,” Rhine said.

            The elder took Rhine’s hand and gently shook it. Her hand was wrinkled and fragile, but motherly and protective, making Rhine thought of Grandfather Aetes. “Your friend is beautiful,” the ahjumma said to Hei and Rhine bowed as she thanked her.

            “She is, isn’t she ahjumma?”

            “Yes, yes she is… That reminds me, you should participate in the pageant this year.”

            “Oh no ahjumma; Mr. Yang probably won’t agree.”

            The ahjumma turned inside her booth and started to shuffle through items, turning her back to them. Rhine looked over at Hei. “What is it?”

            “It’s a beauty pageant held at the end of every year, I used to participate when I was younger but now I’ve gotten busier and never had time.” Hei stood on her tiptoes and peered inside the booth. “Ahjumma, it’s okay. We won’t be participating.”

            “No, no, I’ll find it. It’s here somewhere…”

            “Is it fun?”

            “It really is, it’s the reason I got scouted by YG,” Hei said dreamily as she looked up. “I did ballet dancing because it was more feminine. The judges don’t really like it if someone did something not really feminine.”

            “Here it is!” The ahjumma came back holding a flyer and handed it to Hei. “They’re looking for new faces and talents this year. If you’re not busy, you two should do it.”

            “We’ll think about it, ahjumma. How are you these days?” Hei folded the flyer and slipped it into her bag.

            “I’ve been better, Hei. Have you been seeing Chey lately?”

            Hei’s voice lowered and she glanced at the ground. “Not for a few months now.”

            Ahjumma’s face fell, but she faked a smile. Rhine looked from the elder to Hei, noticing the change in the atmosphere. Whoever that Chey was, they must mean a lot to both of the two.

            “Oh, that’s okay. I’m just curious about how Chey’s been,” Ahjumma grinned, changing the subject. “You two should get going, it’s really late.”

            “Yeah, we should. It was nice to see you again ahjumma.” Hei forced a smile, but her heart was breaking for the elder.

            “Take care ahjumma,” Rhine bowed again and the ahjumma laughed as she waved her hand dismissively.

            “You needn’t bow so much, little one.” Her face lit up and she quickly turned around. “I have something for you two.”

            “Ahjumma, you don’t have to,” Hei said.

            “It’s nothing.” The ahjumma came back with a white bag and handed it to Rhine, who was reluctant to take it. “You guys haven’t eaten yet, have you? Here’s a little food.”

            “Ahjumma, it’s fine. We already ate, save it for yourself.” Hei gently pushed the bag back in her direction, but she kept urging Rhine to take it.

            “It’s okay, I hardly see you and this is the least I can give you. Take it.”

            “We’re fine, ahjumma.” Rhine urged the elder to take the food back without success.

            “You guys work too hard, you must be get hungry easily. Please just take it.” At the ahjumma’s pleading, Hei sighed and took it as both the girls bowed.

            “Then thank you ahjumma. Take care of yourself, alright?”

            “Yes I will, and take care of you guys too. Don’t work too hard and I’ll see you soon.”

            “I’ll come back soon,” Hei said and Rhine chimed in, “I’ll come with Hei next time, ahjumma.” The ahjumma grinned and patted their heads as they exchanged farewells then the two went on their way.

            “How do you know her?” Rhine questioned.

            Hei looked at the ground and Rhine could see sadness in her eyes. “I knew her daughter, that’s all.”

            “Is Chey her daughter?”

            Hei shook her head, her voice dropped an octave. “Her daughter is Sook Joo; she’s the same age as us…”

            Hei sounded hesitant, making Rhine urge, “You don’t have to tell me.”

            “No, it’s fine. I might as well get this off my chest anyway,” she said as they passed by booth after booth and they bowed and smiled at the elderly. “Sook Joo and I used to be best friends until she fell in love with a married man. I told her to stop it because the was huge and he was married, I didn’t want her to get hurt. But she didn’t listen and she got pregnant... The baby’s father didn’t want them, causing Sook Joo to start abusing herself. After the baby was born, Sook Joo hanged herself. Her father then started to abuse ahjumma and he went crazy so they sent him to rehab. Social work didn’t think ahjumma was capable of taking care of little Chey so they took him to an orphanage.”

            Stunned, Rhine fumbled for something to say. “How old is Chey now?”

            Hei smiled. “He’s three.”

            “He must be really cute.” Rhine smiled and Hei nodded enthusiastically.

            “He’s so chubby that he can barely walk!” Hei burst out laughing and the affection she had for the baby was obvious. She loved him as if he was hers. “He laughs at everything and he’s a doll.”

            “We should visit him.”

            Hei quickly looked over at Rhine. “You mean it?”

            Rhine nodded with a grin. “Of course! When we get a break, we’ll visit ahjumma and Chey and hopefully take ahjumma to see Chey as well. What do you think?”

            Happiness flooded Hei’s face. “I think it’s a fabulous idea!”

            “Do you have any siblings?”

            “Yeah… But let’s not talk about them,” Hei said. “What about you?”

            Rhine shook her head, wondering why Hei didn’t want to talk about her family. “I’m an only child.”

            “You must be so lucky.”

            “Actually, it being an only child.”

            “Wae? You probably get everything you want.”

            “Everything except what matters the most.”

            “And that is?”

            “Affection.”

-

            It was already really late when Rhine returned to the studio. After they went shopping, Hei returned to the dorm and Rhine decided to stop by a near café and buy coffee for Hanbin and her. She approached the studio and heard mumbling and music from inside. With her foot, she kicked open the door and looked up.

            “Rhine, you’re here!”

            Rhine froze in her spot when she saw Joo Hee sitting beside Hanbin by the desk. As Hanbin stood up, Joo Hee also stood up and ran her hand down Hanbin’s arm, giving Rhine a look that Rhine didn’t like. At Joo Hee’s touch, Hanbin felt his heart race and he quickly went to Rhine with a small smile.

            “I didn’t know we had company,” said Rhine. “If I did, I would’ve bought another mocha.”

            Hanbin took the mocha that Rhine offered him and thanked her before turning to look at Joo Hee, who approached them with a fake smile. “That’s fine; I was going to go anyway.” She then turned to look affectionately at Hanbin with a flirty smile. “Thank you Hanbin.”

            “No problem.”

            Joo Hee bowed to Hanbin before walking past Rhine as she pushed her hair back and it hit Rhine’s face. Joo Hee gave Rhine a nasty glare before walking out. Rhine’s heart was racing and she was stunned, the smile on her face faltering. Her body felt cold and her mind whirled. She hadn’t felt that way after Meleine.   

A/N: How has everyone been? Have you seen the diss battle between Bobby & Olltill & B.I yet?

What are your thoughts about the new girl? And I dearly apologize about the messed up format, it never cooperates with me :/