Los Angeles often has warm, sunny weather. The City of Angels has another nickname, the City of Flowers and Sunshine. A year passed. Aerin found home in the city's warm climate.
In a game of 90 minutes that requires strength, loads of fitness and cleverness to be played, nothing can stop the LA Dodgers to claim that victory. Football, unlike any other games, has no moment of dullness. There is excitement till the last second of the 90-minute game, and Aerin was amped standing on the courtside for after the game highlights.
Then a loud cheer. It was ear splitting rocking the whole arena, like a daydream that took her back exactly a year ago. That stadium was also solid but the shrills could easily wreck it apart. She was present on that event and that day turned her world upside down.
"Take it away, Aerin!"
She couldn't believe she was stalled for a split seconds. Pulling out her professionalism card, Aerin managed to attack and deliver, making her partner and cameraman, David, to render a quick applause.
"Awesome! As always. Mike Travis is giving you a look. He's so eager to date you, asian doll."
Aerin scoffed and rapidly shook her head. "He's a playboy, you moron!"
"He told me he's willing to discontinue being a pleasure seeker if you'll just say yes. He really got this fetish for gorgeous asian girls. Give him a chance."
"Ah, you're talking nonsense, David." Aerin rolled her eyes.
"Why the hesitation though? You see, it's not really be Mike Travis, you never find someone interesting here in LA? You've been here for a year." David asked in curiosity while packing the stuff.
That hard hitting question is something she avoids for the answer it is gut wrenching, haunting her every night. Her stupid heart couldn't get the idea of moving on. Aerin was stuck in the love that got away curse.
"By the way, this arena will blow up again in the next month." David decides to pull up once more.
"Of course. That's the championship match."
"Besides for the championship, they're going to hold another event here. What do you call that Korean concert thing? Ah yes, K-Con. K-Con here in LA."
Hearing the unexpected pronouncement, Aerin couldn't hold the gasp. She swallowed down, harder than her last gulp just seconds ago. A K-Con in LA? Her thoughts spiraled even more.
"D-Do you come to know the performers yet?" Aerin tried to sound nonchalant.
David shrugged. "I'm not really familiar with this K-pop thing. They're still working out with the roster. It's still a month away. Besides, I am only paid to cover sports and nothing else. Why? Are you attending? I mean, that's your thing."
"Not really my thing. Never was, quite honestly."
Her own words just created a tweak on her heart, suprisingly blocking her airways to make a tiny choke. She was speaking ironically, fooling herself she'll feel better after she said those words.
"Really?" it took David by surprise. "I thought because you're Korean, you love you're own music, even your artists."
"This is enough for tonight, David. See you on the next match."
Aerin don't want to appear insulting leaving David just like that. Her escape comes in a way that's so random, it appears so playful, yet there is smoke of the fire that burns within. 
Her foolish heart is again shedding tears, singing out his name. The burning pain is consuming her. She cannot make herself move to happier spaces. 
A year has passed. She's in another city now. But she's still there, waiting, never moving an inch, still crazily in love with Lee Heeseung.
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"You're having it again. Slow down with alcohol, Hyung." Sunghoon's voice is full of worry.
"It's a hard day's work and I'm just trying to sleep. Want some?"
"Nah. I'm fine with soda." Sunghoon seated beside him, eager to start a conversation. 
He never liked the taste of vodka but it grows to be a sedative, helps him cope up with unsleepiness after a very stressful hard day's work. Heeseung took a gulp, burning his throat but his base felt like a frozen ice he cannot break apart.
"You sound great with the cover. It's gonna blow hearts for sure." Sunghoon proudly muttered.
"Ey, ey, ey! Who told you you can party without us?" Jungwon entered with the other four members with drinks and stuff on their hands.
"What is this, an unplanned party?" Sunghoon joyfully uttered and stood up.
Heeseung smiled but not heartily. Having a good time isn't bad after all, he needs it to forget the evocative idea that he's a total idiot.
Sunoo was fast to play the music on and the bopping sound of their latest track, Brought the Heat Back, resonated through the four corners of the wall. Jake and Jay lead the dance routine and was followed by Jungwon and Ni-ki while holding their bottles of beer.
"Careful with the hard drink, maknae. You're still a minor. Yuki might barge in." Sunghoon yelled throughout the loud music.
"I'm 18!" Ni-Ki quickly answered and took a big gulp.
"Ah, you hard headed tot." Sunghoon just shook his head for Ni-Ki's defiance.
"Heeseung Hyung, come on! Loose it up! This don't happened everyday!" Jungwon tried to coax.
Heeseung just chuckled while holding his glass up. He wanted to but not exactly. He cannot move his upper limb to get out of the chair, a nonstop surge of memories is taking him down.
It was that day, exactly a year ago, a blink sets his heart on fire. It only took seconds for him to fall in love with Aerin and it wasn't just a fall, it's a crash - wrecking him hard the moment he chose to leave her alone, cold and questioning.
Recording his recent cover, "Off My Face", Heeseung poured his heart out, letting it speak freely his most deeply felt emotions, hoping it will somehow reach her. A wish that will never come true.
A year has passed, he's still there, living his life in sorrow and heartache, stuck and just couldn't let go. A year has passed, so quickly he wanted a sob. He had lost his one true love.
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"You got an overseas performance on the next coming days."
Yuki's statement created a gasp, then a glorious cheer. Enhypen members were ecstatic hearing the news but it goes opposite for Heeseung. The joy was fragmentary, it goes like that for a year already.
"You're going to K-Con. You're going to wrap up K-Con in LA with four tracks at hand. Everyone there is looking forward to see you, so better get your lazy butts to practice now. We can't waste time."
"Woah! LA?! That's saur cool, Yuki!" Jake excitedly blurted.
"Finally, an overseas performance. I thought we're gonna stuck here forever." Ni-Ki chaffed.
"The three of you, Ni-Ki, Jay and Hee, you got a special appearance to LA Dodgers' finals match. Better practice that perfect pitch."
"LA Dodgers?! Sweet!" Jay jumped in surprise, couldn't hold the excitement.
Yuki glanced at the silent, mentally disoriented Heeseung. He was again so spaced out, completely unconscious of what is happening.
"Hee?"
"Y-Yeah?" Heeseung was completely lost before recovering his senses back.
Yuki sighed and faced the other six. "You go now. Won, lead the team. You stay, Hee. We need to talk."
"I'm sorry, Yuki, but yeah, I heard you. My mind was just cramped up with some private stuff." Heeseung was fast to defend.
"You've been like that for days already. Better toss the odd feelings out, Hee. Your shows are again lining up. You need to blow up K-Con, the fans are expecting a mind boggling performance."
"K-Con?"
Yuki laughed. "I know you didn't hear me. Yes, K-Con. It's going to be in LA."
"Oh! Better get to practice now then." Heeseung quickly stood up.
"By the way, Hee. I need to tell you something--" Yuki stopped him to take another tread. "I never get the chance to apologize. I know things between us went a little jittery. I was hard on you and I am sorry."
Heeseung let out a cold cackle. "Don't worry about that. You're just doing your job. I clearly understand, Yuki. And besides, it's my decision to come back. I couldn't leave my I-land boys just like that. We've been together for so long, faced so many trials and overcame it all, hand in hand. I couldn't just throw all our hard works out of the window."
Hearing his own words is just like wearing a two faced mask. Heeseung may appear jolly from the outside but inside, he's close for a breakdown. 
"You miss her, right?" out of nowhere, Yuki suddenly muttered.
Heeseung was appalled he couldn't find his words to answer that quickly. "W-What?"
"Choi Aerin."
Hearing her name awakens his hard kept regrets. Heeseung couldn't contain the outburst of emotions shooting up everywhere. How Yuki said her name, abruptly and unlooked for, is the craziest thing he'd ever heard.
"Why, Yuki---" Heeseung weakly hushed.
"I got another thing to tell you." Yuki smile is quizzical, suggesting a need for answer.
Heeseung was stalled, mind's stopped functioning because of overloading. Yuki's smile sends invigorating chill, a kind of snigger that appears brisk, shedding light on his gloomy skies.
"Choi Aerin is in LA."
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"There you are! Thank you for coming back, dear. Ah, my demented mind. I was swamped with this upcoming event, I couldn't believe I forgot to tell you." Maddie, her new boss, greeted her.
Aerin was catching her breath upon entering her office. After receiving a prompt from David, she stormed her way back to her workplace, finding Maddie in the middle of mountainous task. Aerin set her foot forward to finally ask.
"So it's true? I'm going to be the presenter? Why me?" the calmness on her voice just disappeared because of the given task.
"It sounds like you're questioning yourself with the job, dear. Why you? Why not? You're good. You're Korean. It's a K-pop thing. You're going to do an awesome job." 
Maddie sounds contemplating but Aerin felt otherwise. The task is giving her umbrage, such bad blood, ill-feeling like hunch despite the disclosure of the roster.
"I'm done with K-POP and anything that comes with it." she finds it hard to swallow her big words.
"Aww. I'm sorry, dear, but I cannot do anything anymore. But it's not really that awful, you know. You'll do the job in less than five minutes than you're good to go. Oh, wait a minute. What is this?" Maddie halted and leaned towards her screen, as if verifying the details she have received is entirely correct.
"You are signed to do another task." Maddie finally disclosed the information.
"W-What?" Aerin rambled incoherently.
"The organizer set you up for a one on one interview."
Aerin was immediately covered with cold sweat and wondered how the room can be so cold when the heat is set to 75°. She's trembling but her legs are as numb as her parted lips. The gut feel is harrowing and she just can't shy it away. 
"W-With who?" her trembling voice was caught up in the air.
"It says here, the future of K-pop. The OT7. Enhypen?"
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