Chapter 8

Tae Kyung woke up early, got ready and was sipping his morning water in the kitchen. Shin Woo was there eating breakfast, also ready for the day.

"You're up early. Got something important to do?" Shin Woo asked, looking glum as usual.

"I'm bringing Mi Nyu to the airport to fly to Uganda today. I told her I'd be there by 8am."

"I see." Shin Woo zoned out and continued eating his breakfast.

There was a knock at the front door. Tae Kyung answered. It was President Ahn. "I have something important to discuss with you and Go Mi Nam."

"But sir," Tae Kyung protested. "I have something important to do this morning."

"That has to wait. I need to know why Go Mi Nam is a different singer than he was a few months ago. You're hiding something from me."

"I understand, but it has to wait."

"RIGHT NOW!" President Ahn said angrily in English.

Shin Woo got up and grabbed his car keys from the bowl on the counter. "Guess I'll be picking up Go Mi Nyu. She's at the convent right?" He smiled a rare smile and left. Tae Kyung angrily stomped his foot.

If this goes quickly enough, I may still be able to see her off, he thought to himself.

Mi Nyu glanced at her watch. In five minutes she would see her love for the last time until she returned from Uganda. She clutched her suitcase and puffed out her cheeks. Was this really a good idea? She really didn't want to leave Tae Kyung.

Suddenly a familiar white luxury car was coming towards her down the street. Is Tae Kyung borrowing Shin Woo's car? She thought, hopeful that he was still coming. Her face fell as she recognized the driver was Shin Woo.

Shin Woo parked the car and got out. "I know I'm not who you were expecting, but Tae Kyung is tied up in a meeting and I offered to drive you instead." He opened the passenger side door for her and picked up her suitcase and put it in the trunk. She moved to open the passenger side door.

As he got in the car, he said, "I saw your face fall when I drove up. How come? Aren't we still friends?"

"Shin Woo," Mi Nyu said, sadly. "Do you still have feelings for me?"

"Yes," he said as he began driving to the airport.

"Then I think we might not be friends because isn't it too hard to like me and be friends with me?"

His eyes grew sad as he thought for a minute. "I'd rather be friends than not talk. I'd rather be in your life than ignored by you. I do still like you and I'm angry you're with Tae Kyung because I don't think he treats you the way I would treat you."

"He doesn't, you're right. But we have a connection and friendship that goes deeper than fancy restaurants and nice things."

That comment gutted Shin Woo. The whole time he was trying to woo her with fancy dinners and nice high heeled shoes and she didn't appreciate it all.

"Still," he said, "I'd like to be your friend and get to know you better. I thought you were a great addition to the band."

"I'm glad you liked my voice."

"No, I mean, your kindness really helped our group to talk to each other and be kind to one another. It's different now with your brother. He and Jeremy get along. I get along with Jeremy. Tae Kyung is off by himself a lot. There's no one like you to keep us getting along."

"But you all got along with me because you all had feelings for me," she protested. "Besides A. N. Jell is a boy band. And I'm a girl." She actually did miss being in A. N. Jell, and not just because of Tae Kyung, but because she missed singing and she did miss Jeremy and Shin Woo.

"We got along with you because you're really nice and maybe there's a way the rules can be changed."

She gave him a skeptical look.

At the airport, Shin Woo handed off Mi Nyu's suitcase and then went in for a hug. She didn't push him away, but accepted the hug of a friend. Little did she know, Tae Kyung saw the hug. He was just arriving at the airport to try to see her off. Shin Woo turned to leave and Mi Nyu walked to the check in counter. Tae Kyung was suddenly swarmed with fans. He couldn't break through to go see Mi Nyu. She finished checking in and began walking towards security. If he signed these autographs fast enough, he might be able to catch her. When he was finished, he pulled his scarf over his head and put on sunglasses to try to mask his identity. He ran towards Mi Nyu only to be told by a security guard to walk.

She was walking towards a boarding pass checkpoint. "Mi Nyu!" he called, but the airport was too loud. "What do I do? You're leaving…" he said to himself.

She walked through the checkpoint without looking back and he stopped and watched her go. Had he lost his 100 percent? Did she like Shin Woo now? That wasn't possible. After one car ride, she wouldn't suddenly change her mind.

He called as loudly as he could to Mi Nyu, "GO MI NYU! I LOVE YOU!" But she didn't hear him and he got strange looks from the airport goers. "Good bye, my love." He said as tears welled up under his sunglasses.

"So, that's the truth," President Ahn said, matter of factly to Go Mi Nam. Manager Ma was there, nodding his head. Mi Nam was blushing beet red.

"Well, WELCOME TO BEING A MAN!" President Ahn announced loudly.

As they left the conference room that Tae Kyung had bolted out of 20 minutes prior, Manager Ma got down on his knees in front of Mi Nam. "Thank you, thank you, thank you for going along with that explanation. That Tae Kyung, he's mean, but he really knows the President. I can still keep my job this way."

Mi Nam rolled his eyes and walked away. How embarrassing, he thought.