Hwana met Sungwoon in her first year of high school.

She was considered freakishly tall for her age. And having gone through puberty at such a time, that's when the hormones were at its highest. The pressures and emotions much more sensitive for everyone. Hwana never saw herself as beautiful. At that age, her ears had stuck out, she had baby fat, her body was far too lanky.

And with her shy nature, she became a target for female bullies at school, who clearly had nothing else better to do.

"Ugly giant." They called her.

They had trailed after her whenever she's alone and asked for her money, asked for her to do their homework, and just flat out ridicule her whenever they freely want. Hwana didn't understand why there could be people so cruel and heartless, but she couldn't save herself. She couldn't even tell her best friend, Siyeon, who had been far too busy juggling her studies and leading the debate club. Not like she never wanted to, but she didn't want to be a bother for the already-stressed Siyeon.

Then again, that's just how young teenagers work. Sometimes, it doesn't have to be rational.

And high school in Korea will always be some of the hardest years of a person's life.

On one particular day, the bullies told Hwana that she needs to meet them in the middle of class so they can successfully get their money before lunchtime. Hwana obeyed, of course, going out of her way to mention that she had to use the restroom in the middle of math class, excused herself, and went ahead to arrive at their designated meeting place.

She already had the money in hand, enough for the three delinquents to take and use.

Just as they met, and Hwana was handing over the money, a male voice called out to them, freezing them in their spot.

"Stealing money from a defenseless girl, isn't that a bit old-fashioned?" A boy approached the bunch, hands stuffed in his pockets. Hwana had recognized him as someone from Siyeon's class. And she couldn't help but take a breath when he reached her side. "Yah, don't you think it's pathetic to be doing this to her?"

"Pathetic?" One girl scoffed, her mouth agape. "Look who you're talking to! We're older than you!"

"Exactly, this kind of stuff is so middle school, have some class as sunbaes," he shot back, the tone of his voice not once wavering. He looked so cool, with his eyes flaring with so much intensity. Hwana was just merely a stranger to him, and yet he's saving her. "If bullying is going to be what you want to be known for when you graduate, then you should reevaluate your lives."

"Wow, you sure have some nerve, kid," another bully sneered, taking a threatening step forward.

"Hey, you should go back to class," the boy then told Hwana. She was surprised, giving him a look as if she didn't fully understand what he had meant. "Just go, you shouldn't be giving others money I'm sure your parents worked hard to earn. Don't do that to yourself or your family."

Those words got to Hwana, and really she felt ashamed at that moment. She always asked her mother for just a little more allowance for the week just so she can have enough to give to the bullies. And not once did her mom question her why.

Ugh, what a horrible daughter I am.

With a meek nod, Hwana turned her heel and started to head back to class. The bullies called after her ferociously, but not once did she looked back. It didn't sound like they were following her. That boy must've kept them in place so she could safely get back to class. And once she returned, a small smile tugged at her lips, remembering how heroic the boy had been.

Her heart fluttered.

Her warm and bright mood was, however, wiped away in an instant when she spotted that same boy enter the cafeteria during lunchtime with a fresh bruise on his cheek. Hwana asked Siyeon about her classmate in an instant, and all she got as a reply was a shrug. "Ha Sungwoon? He said he fell and hit his face on the corner of the sink in the bathroom. It surprised the whole classroom when he came back to class with that on his cheek."

So, Ha Sungwoon was his name.

Hwana frowned, she was sure that the bruise was caused by one of the bullies. She felt incredibly guilty, but grateful all the same that he had shielded her for the day. She knows now that this left her room to gather some strength and fend for herself for future encounter. She would not let his poor cheek be bruised in vain.

He didn't know all too well at that time, but that was the start of him having a positive effect on the girl. And it didn't just end with that incident. With every other time Hwana had run into Ha Sungwoon, her heart became more full and her confidence rose.

It was only natural her admiration for him would rise too.

.  .  .

Currently, Hwana was able to get a couple hours of free time to herself before her guest shooting for a beauty show along with sunbae Lee Sungkyung. So, upon baby of the company, Sungok's request, she visited YGKPlus's building cafeteria where the young boy (now sporting a dirty blond hairdo) and their other friend, Kisum were.

Sungok was quick to embrace the rookie actress-model into a very welcoming hug before giving her the watermelon juice that he promised to buy her prior to her arrival.

"Ah, Sungok-ah, I told you that you didn't have to!" Hwana mumbled, giving the young lad a glare. The blond bared a childish grin, just happy that he was able to see the noona after so long. Hwana sighed, knowing she can't be mad at him for too long.

The two met with Kisum at their chosen table and sat. From Hwana's bag, she slipped out a magazine, CHEER Magazine's latest issue to be exact, and handed it to the two. Sungok and Kisum were quick to flip through the pages, stopping once they saw the photos they were looking for.

"Wow, noona! You and Hyunbin-hyung look so awesome," Sungok chimed in awe, eyes absolutely shimmering and a thumbs up in her direction.

It wasn't only Hwana who had gained recent fame for her company. Hyunbin had defeated the odds and his own expectations, reaching far into Produce 101 on his own. He garnered his own following, showing the fans and audience that even though he was only trained to become a model, he had the determination to work hard to be an idol.

Maybe it was mostly his innocent kind of nature? His clueless yet hard-working stride? Kwon Hyunbin showed a lot charm and just like every boy in that survival program, he deserved the love he got.

And now he had his own opportunity to be a part of an idol group, JBJ. He was only going to get more famous from here on out.

And with him, they were YGKPlus's new, fresh-faced representatives. And as they were rising in their success together, they were able to get these amazing chances. Her and Hyunbin will be able to share projects much like CHEER Magazine's photoshoot. Everyone in the company would admit that this was only the start for the two young models.

"You guys look good together--"

Hwana's eyes widened at the youngest's words. Her gaze drifted over to the brunette lass just to the right of her and she nudged her shoulder. "Well, it won't be as good as him and Kisum when they get the chance to model together!" Sungok bit down on his lip, realizing what he said, and then nodded to the oldest's words in agreement.

"Thanks, unnie," Kisum chimed, a small grin to her rosy lips. Her finger traced over the male model's face, a dreamy expression on her face. "But ah, Hyunbin-ah look so handsome in these shots! I always feel so blessed whenever more photoshoots with him release."

"Of course you'd say that," Sungok sighed, looking at his fellow trainee.

Kisum glared at the young boy. She chided before taking a sip of her aloe vera juice, "Once you fall in love, Sungie, then you'd understand." She set down her bottle with a snap of her fingers, a look of remembering crossing her round face. "Omo, what about that new trainee? What's her name? Unnie, you know the one. You met her before!"

Hwana thought back. A very young girl in the company with with a school uniform just like Sungok's, came to mind. "Mm, Jora?"

"Yes! Ahn Jora!" Kisum snapped once again, now that she got the name of the girl she thought about. "The one that goes to the same school as Sungie. She's cute, isn't she?"

Hwana had to giggle at the situation, her eyes trailing over to the young boy. Sungok pouted, his own cheeks flushed. "Noona, it's not like that! We don't even talk to each other much."

"Why? You two always come straight to the company after school, right?" Kisum paused. "Do you two even walk together?"

"No..."

"You should! As two trainees of our company, you should two should be friendly with each other and at least, walk together to the company! That's just weird," Kisum huffed. "Isn't that right, unnie?"

"It kind of is," Hwana agreed with a nod. "You should offer to walk with her, Sungok-ah."

A frown tugged at the blond boy's lips, not liking to be attacked like this. "Fine, fine. I'll ask her on Monday." His gaze turned back at the magazine in hand and flipped to get another page with Hyunbin and Hwana posing together. Kisum's attention was then drawn back to the magazine again, very much in awe about how handsome her crush looked. The three of them soon fell into a comfortable silence, as the two younger paid their focus on the pictures of their sunbaes.

Hwana always enjoyed quiet, serene moments like these. Sometimes, she missed it amongst the busyness of her schedule nowadays.

Bzzzzzt!

The young actress-model jolted at the feeling of her phone buzzing in her jacket pocket. She scrambled to grab her phone and check who it was. Her face lit up seeing the caller idea, and she had to show her hoobaes.

"Oh, it's Kisum's boyfriend."

"Yah, Sungok! Shush!"

With a grin, Hwana accepted the call and pressed the phone to her ear. "Hyunbin-ah, hello. Guess who I'm with!"

The soon-to-be-idol's low voice resonated through the small speaker. "Uh, who?"

"I'm with Sungok and Kisum!" She turned the phone face forward to the two. "Say hello."

"Hello hyung/Hyunbinnie!" The two called out.

Hwana placed the phone back to her ear. She could hear her friend sigh in disappointment. "Wow, hanging out altogether without me?"

"Well, ever since you started preparing for JBJ and moved into your new dorm with them, you've been way too busy nowadays," Hwana puffed out, taking another sip of her juice. "We need to round up everyone at the company and have a small party to celebrate your idol debut!"

"I don't know if that'll be possible, Noona. Maybe just a dinner?"

"It can't be helped, now can it?" Hwana mumbled, knowing well how busy idols can be. "Oh yeah, you called me. Is there a reason?"

"Right!" There was a moment's hesitation. "I may have done something that would either make you love me or hate me."

An uneasy feeling settled in. "What did you do?"

"So, you know how we had a photo shoot together for CHEER?"

"Yes, in fact, I was showing Kisum and Sungok my copy of it."

"Right, so... I may have sent a copy of our issue to Wanna One's dorm."

It took a mere second for Hwana to process what Hyunbin was getting at. All at once, dread had washed over her whole body, her eyes bulging out of its sockets and her mouth agape. "WHAT?" She shrieked, all for the whole cafeteria to hear. Sungok and Kisum stared at her with shock on their faces, utterly confused at the suddenly angered outburst from the usually soft-spoken girl. "KWON HYUNBIN!"

"I'm sorry, Noona, but I couldn't take it anymore!" He defended himself, the irritation evident in his voice too. "I saw the chance and I took it! Don't you know how frustrating it is that I was able to meet your crush and work alongside him for months and not do anything about it? Hwana-noona, aren't you torturing yourself by not using your good friend to help you?!"

"S-Still! I can't believe you did that," Hwana sputtered, running her fingers through her currently auburn hair. "Hyunbin-ah..."

"Nope, nope, nope, I don't want this, noona. Don't you realize this is a good time than ever to reunite with Sungwoon-hyung? I'm close with him, I'm even going to be a member of a group with Taehyun-hyung, who could also very much help you into meeting—"

Hwana snapped back, "Hyunbin-ah!"

"Ah, why?"

"I just wanted to meet him more naturally!"

"How much more natural can we get? We're idols and actors, now. This is as natural as we can get."

"You can forget that dinner I was going to plan for you."

Hyunbin whined, "Ah, don't be like that! Now that this happened, you going to have to wait and see. I'm trying my best as your good friend to get you to be with your crush... despite now knowing that he's most likely shorter than you now? You do know he wears insoles, right?"

"Don't talk about his height like that. We're the same height," Hwana huffed, her bottom lip jutted out. "I'd wear flats around him and he can wear his insoles if he so desires."

"Sigh, noona, see if you don't try anything then when can you do that. Just remember that if my plan actually works out for you, then you're going to have to treat me!"

"In your dreams, you're going to be flocked by fangirls once JBJ debuts. No more hang outs unless you want scandals." The girl paused, "And why on earth would I treat you? I'd be too busy dying in a corner for what you done."

"That's a bit extreme."

"Why are we friends? Would friends do this to each other?"

"Actually, yes! Friends would! I'm sure I did something right, just wait it out and hope for the best!"

"Whatever, I'm hanging up, Hyunbin!" Hwana ended the call just like that and slammed her phone down on the table in front of her. Both Kisum and Sungok bared blank expressions for having to witness her one-sided conversation without any clue. The older girl bared a small grin at the two, now sheepish for having caused a scene with her call. No, she knows she had overreacted.

Her emotions always get into some kind of high when talking about Sungwoon.

"What did Hyunbinnie do?" Kisum questioned.

Before Hwana could answer the question, the calls of her manager from behind her caught her attention. All three of the young models turned their heads and greeted the older man respectfully with a bow. "Hello Daeyeol-sshi."

The middle aged man gave the younger a warm smile, his gaze drifting over to the drinks they had in hand. "Ah, Hwana-yah, you get drinks but don't get one for me?" Daeyeol joked. He then picked his ears in a teasing manner. "Anyway, what was this ruckus? I was only talking to someone outside the cafeteria and I recognized your voice all the way there. It hurts, you have such a shrill voice, Hwana-yah."

"Ah, Daeyeol-sshi," Hwana pouted. She took a glance at her phone for the time. She still has an hour until the recording of the show, but it would probably be best to leave in case of traffic. "Is it about time to go?"

"It certainly is. So if you're done having some kind of mid-life crisis, which you're no where near the age to having, then we should be on our way."

Hwana bid her two friends goodbye, giving them hugs and words of encouragement to continue working hard for their dreams. She left YGKPlus building with Manager Daeyeol and hopped into the van for her to ride in to their destination. As she sat there, the buildings and sidewalks passing by them in a blur, her mind was occupied.

Her mind was occupied Sungwoon and how she wants to hide herself away in her own home and never see the light of day. God, may she be blessed with Sungwoon never seeing the pictures of that photoshoot, please for her own sanity!

But Hwana couldn't help but feel that was a useless prayer.

She needs to get rid of those jumbling thoughts, knowing well that it would affect her during the recording. The rookie has to make a good impression for her sunbae Sungkyung, as well as the staff of the show. If she does well, she could be graced with more opportunities as an actress and a model. As a name and a face that everyone could recognize with a mere glance.

... ugh, but Ha Sungwoon, it's always hard not thinking about you once you're on my mind.

A/n: let's introduce our dear manager~

Name: Lee Daeyeol

Age: 39

Portrayed by Lee Joongi

| Hwana's Manager |

I love me Lee Joongi, man 😩 I watched him on Criminal Minds with my mom and he's so damn handsome what.

But anyway, what are y'all's thoughts if I continue starting the chapters in a flashback before going straight to current story? Is it confusing? Do let me know if it is!

I've also been incredibly tired today that I nearly fell asleep in 2 out of my 3 classes today. Like damn. Smh.

And tbfh, now I feel it's only right to sign my chapters off properly. So, if you enjoyed the chapter, don't forget to vote and comment! Those seriously are motivating to read❤️

— Bianca