Crossed Dreams

The Confession

"I have just two more questions for you." Yeong-chul Hwang, the host of Dream Idol, waved around the notecard in his hand. "The first question is what are your interests or hobbies that you like to do in your free time? We'll start with the youngest."

Tae-joon sat on the far right of the stage. They were situated as eldest to youngest from left to right with the host in the middle. He gave a big smile to the camera knowing that many Whirlwinds were watching. "We don't have much free time but when we do I love to watch shows, especially anime. I’ve been trying to read more manga. I've been learning to draw. I work on our music and...sleep. Recently, I really love to sleep."

"I bet you do. Sleep is probably rare for all of you. I bet you guys dream about being able to sleep in." The host said. Many of his bandmates nodded in agreement. Most of the time, their life was fast-paced with a full schedule so the members craved rest, but Tae-joon had different reasons for wanting to sleep more as of late.

"Next is Jay." Yeong-chul gestured to the short, bulky member.

In-jae, who sat next to Tae-joon, spoke. "I like to exercise, play video games, and filming." In-jae loved filming the band and random things in his daily life for his fans. “I guess, I also like shopping, especially if we’re somewhere new.”

"I like shopping!" Chan-woo chimed in.

"What do you shop for?" The host asked.

Chan-woo held up his fingers and ticked them off as he listed the things he shopped for. "Clothes, I love Gucci. Accessories, I've recently been into cufflinks and watches. Shoes, action figures. When I go shopping, I usually look for those. I also look for souvenirs and gifts for friends and family." All the members of the band started nodding their heads. They all had first-hand experience and knew how much Chan-woo liked and could shop.

"I also love to exercise." Chan-woo flexed his arms, the muscles visible underneath the thin material of the shirt. Yeong-chul leaned over and felt the flexing muscle and mouthed a silent wow.

Yeong-chul straightened up. "Next up is Jin."

Jin-woo adjusted his posture so that he sat ramrod straight. "When I have free time, I usually hang out with friends or visit my family."

"Yeah. Family is important. Are your friends celebrities, other idols?"

Jin-woo chuckled. "Some are idols but most are friends that I made in school."

Yeong-chul nodded. He pointed the hand with the notecard in it at Joo-hyun. "You're up next J.H."

Joo-hyun fidgeted in his seat, pulling his shirt sleeves down, the tattoo bands barely visible. "I like to spend my time in a library, a bookstore, cafés, or in my room reading, working on lyrics. Sometimes I work-out with Chan-woo and Jay, maybe play video games with Jay and Tae-joon, compose songs with Jun-hae." Joo-hyun shrugged his shoulders, not knowing what else to add.

Yeong-chul laughed. "Sounds like you work in your free time and spend time with everyone. Don't you get tired of spending all your time with them? I mean, it's five brothers all the time." A light blush crept onto Joo-hyun's face at the host's words.

Tae-joon found it kind of funny how Joo-hyun was still easily embarrassed with all of the questions and being in front of a camera after all of these years.

Jun-hae cleared his throat. "My turn now?" He asked.

Yeong-chul nodded. "Go ahead Apple."

"I work on the bands' music, cook," he gestured to his bandmates. "I have to feed these guys cause not a single one can cook to save their lives." Joo-hyun was no longer the only one blushing after this statement.

"You are not the only one who can cook," Chan-woo argued.

Jun-hae turned a stare onto him and smirked. "Then you can cook next time." Everyone excluding Jun-hae and Chan-woo made noises of complaint. No one really knew what Chan-woo's cooking tasted like or if he even could. Tae-joon knew that no one would give up Jun-hae's cooking. He was good enough to have his food served in a four-star restaurant.

Yeong-chul chuckled. "Looks like no one is up for that challenge. Chanwoo, your cooking must be awful, that or Apple's cooking tastes like heaven." Chan-woo grumbled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Okay, starting with Apple. What is your ideal type of girl?" Yeong-chul leaned forward wearing an expectant expression.

Jun-hae smiled at Yeong-chul. "Looks like you're out then," joked Jun-hae. He leaned back, turning serious. "I don't have an ideal type. I'll find out what it is with the rest of you."

"That sounds interesting and fun," commented Yeong-chul. Tae-joon knew the real reason behind his friend's answer. Knew that he had never found anyone interesting romantically. That he preferred to get to know someone first before taking that step but had always been busy with working, throwing himself into it. He couldn't wait to see what kind of person it took to gain Jun-hae's heart.

Joo-hyun was the next one to speak. He fidgeted with the edge of his sleeves and looked down at the ground. "I want someone I can talk to. Someone I could go to the café and read with. Someone who loves me for me." Yeong-chul commented on how romantic Joo-hyun was despite his outer appearance and how he needed someone to bring him out of his shell and to open up more.

"I want a girl who is cute, loves kids and animals. Is good to her family and mine. She doesn't have to, but it would be nice if she could cook." Jin-woo's ideal type has remained the same since their debut four years ago.

Chan-woo grinned into the camera and flexed his muscles. "I want a healthy girl that I can exercise with. Someone who likes to shop but is thrifty. I want a girl that can balance my money since I'm really bad at it. She has to be cute and funny."

In-jae smiled shyly. "A funny, cute girl that I can joke with. Maybe someone who likes music. Someone who dresses fashionably. I also really like short hair on a girl."

Tae-joon was next. He thought about the type of girl that got his attention. The girl that he had been dreaming about popped into his mind. "I would like it if we could play video games together. Watch anime and read manga together in our free time. She would also be good at painting even though she believes that she still has a lot to improve on. She could teach me how to cook." The tv stand filled with rocks flashed in his mind. "Maybe we could go hiking sometimes and she would share her interests with me and me with her."

A smile curled his lips and he fought the urge to laugh when he thought about the dream of her in the flower garden. How they had had that little race to the slide. "She would be both childish and mature and smell of vanilla."

"Sounds like you may already have someone in mind," Yeong-chul commented softly.

"Yea...no!" Tae-joon violently shook his head, waving his hands out in front of him. The other members cast him curious glances.

"Right," Yeong-chul said with a knowing look in his eyes. Great! Now everyone thought he had a secret girlfriend instead of a dream one. Wait, was he even dating the girl in his dreams?

After the interview was over, the guys climbed into the vans. They had to stop by the office for a recording before they could have the rest of the day to themselves. Tae-joon knew what he wanted to do with that time. Soon, the vans were pulling to a stop in the company's private garage. The seven of them plus their managers headed towards the doors that led into JPEnetertainment.

The automatic doors slid open revealing the grey interior of their company. People bustled around in the large, open lobby. Their manager followed in behind them, soon taking the lead. "Mr. Park wants to see you." Mr. Choi said in a crisp, curt tone. Mr. Park was Jeung-pil Park, one of Korea's most prominent record producers. He also was the CEO of JPEntertainment and their boss.

The boys diligently followed their manager. They walked up the winding bamboo staircase to the second floor, where the offices were located. The practice rooms, recording studios, and the small kitchen area were located on the first floor along with two rooms that served as sleeping quarters for newly signed idols. The rooms were currently unoccupied.

Mr. Choi opened the door to the CEO's office. The office had white walls decorated in awards. The awards were for Mr. Park, and their senior group, TipleB. A large section was dedicated to their own rapidly growing collection. The room was decorated with grey, modern-style furniture. The only thing that wasn't modern was the large, ornate wooden desk that sat along the far wall.

Sitting behind the desk was Mr. Park. He was dressed in his usual attire, a grey suit with a tie that added a small splash of color. The tie today was a deep crimson with black music notes.

Mr. Park was leaning forward in his chair with his hands crossed on top of the desk. "Good, you're here. I want you to meet the trainees that passed the final audition." He gestured to the five girls that were sitting on the couches that made up the small sitting area.

Three months ago, JPEntertainment posted an add for girls between the ages of fourteen and twenty. The goal was to create an all-female idol group when previously, the company only produced all-male idol groups.

Tae-Joon couldn't wait to see what type of music they would produce. He had a feeling that they would go with the sexy love genre with how they looked. But he knew better than to judge on appearances alone. These girls might wind up surprising everyone by not choosing the most common theme among girl groups.

A girl with short hair dyed a dark copper color, and large doe eyes smacked the arm of the girl beside her. "Oh my, Se-yeon. It's Vortex." She loudly whispered. Both In-jae and Tae-joon chuckled at the girl's lack of subtlety.

The girl, Se-yeon, lowered her head. Long black hair fell forward, acting as a curtain that shielded her face. "Cut it out, Mi-ya." Her voice was low and soft. It was so soft that Tae-joon barely heard it.

They spent the next half-hour exchanging introductions. Mr. Park informed them that he, and Byung-wook Chan from TripleB would work on producing the girl's first album. He also stated that he would like to have Jun-hae, and Tae-joon help out when they had the time. Tae-joon wasn't sure if he was the best fit but he was up for the challenge. Mr. Park also informed them that the first album would consist mainly of love songs and for the second album, the girls may pitch their own ideas, and maybe figure out which direction they would like to go in.

The boys were allowed to leave for the recording studio after everything was done. Se-yeon stopped him outside the door. She placed her small, slender hand on his arm. "It's an honor to work with you." She smiled shyly.

He ruffled her hair. "I look forward to it. Oh, and if anyone gives you a hard time, come find me. I'll make sure no one gives you a hard time." He winked at her. Working at this company had given him brothers and now he was about to experience what it was like to have sisters.

Se-yeon blushed and dropped her gaze before she scurried off.

. . .

The three of them walked into the library, finding it crowded. Students grouped together huddling over the small tables. This was highly anticipated during the week before finals. Melissa only had two classes left later on in the week. So, in between them and her shifts at the dining hall, she planned to spend her time in the library or in the science building, whichever one they could find available space in.

They found a table in the back corner on the third floor. Emily ran over to it and claimed it before anyone else could.

Melissa wasn't sure how long they had been there. They had decided to leave their phones behind to avoid distractions. She knew a few hours had passed by. She felt her eyelids grow heavier and heavier, and the text from her reading material blurred.

Melissa rolled over. Her hand hit something hard. She brushed it out of her mind knowing that it had to be the table. Yeah, that's right, she must have fallen asleep while she was studying at the library.

"I could get used to this." A voice rumbled close to her ear.

A voice? Wait a second!

With her eyes still shut, she felt around with her hand. The hard surface underneath her hand was covered in a soft material. Cracking open one of her eyes, she found that the soft material was a black shirt.

She bolted upright into a sitting position. "So...sorry." Her words stumbled out. A blush ferociously covered her face. How the hell did the table turn into a guy? This definitely had to be a dream so that meant that she really had fallen asleep at the library.

"What's with the blush? It's not like it's the first time you felt me up."

His words sent her into a coughing fit, the blush deepening into a fiery scarlet. "When have I ever!" She managed to get out once she found her voice.

Her mischievous dream boy sat up, grinning. "It's too easy, and way too tempting to tease you." His laugh was low and deep in his chest.

She smacked him. "Ooh!" She stood up and started walking away from him.

He jumped up and grabbed her by the arm. "I'm sorry."

"And why don't I believe you." She focused her gaze on their surroundings, not wanting to look at him and that devil may care smile that she knew he was wearing.

They were standing outside. The grass underneath their feet a vibrant green. Fully bloomed cherry blossom trees surrounded them. The fallen pink petals mixed with the green of the grass underneath the trees.

To one side of them was the walkway that led to the bridge. The river running alongside the walkway reflected gold from the sunlight. On their other side were the buildings that made up the West side of the campus. Everything was beautiful and looked nothing like it did in the waking world. The trees had already bloomed and died back in the real world.

"Okay, so I'm not sorry." He gently pulled her closer, turning her until she faced him. She stared at his chest, not wanting to look up at him. His voice was low and earnest. "I will never be sorry for teasing you. I love it. I love to tease you, to be with you. I'm willing to love you and only you. And it only took that interview to realize this." He leaned in closer, his lips just inches away from hers. He was so close that his breath mingled with hers. She glanced up and stared deep into his eyes. They weren't the deep, milky brown that she thought they were but flecked with gold.

"I don't care if you're a dream." He whispered. His eyes fluttered shut. Slowly, he leaned forward, giving her time to refuse, to refuse his love.

Her heart raced at the thought of having someone, having him, in love with her. Her eyelids closed and her body told her that it wanted this with every fiber of her being. She would gladly give her first kiss to her dream boy. Then reality came crashing down.

She brought her hands up and shoved him away from her. Harder than was necessary. "No. No." His eyes were wide open, hurt reflecting on their depths. "I'm sorry." She whispered, her voice cracking. "I just can't. You're not real." Her voice growing desperate. How could she have allowed herself to fall in love with someone that wasn’t real?

The bright sky turned grey. Dark grey clouds blocked out the sun's warm light. A wind that hadn't been there before picked up, blowing their hair and the tree branches. The trees screamed out in agony. The scene around them reflected the turning emotions that she felt in her heart. Then everything faded away.

Melissa jolted upright in her chair. She was back in the library. The jittery chatter of her fellow students filtered around her.

Emily sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "You okay Mel?" The expression that Connor wore reflected the concern in her voice.

Melissa placed a hand over her chest, hoping to calm her racing heart. The dreams that she had of her and her dream boy flashed across her mind, suddenly needing to tell someone about them. She nervously licked her lips, her mouth dry. "It all started two months ago." She began.