After eating dinner with the fam, I went out for busking. My identity was still a secret, and even only a few of my friends and the staff at SM knew who I was.

I yawned nonstop on the way there.

"Are you tired?" Jinyoung asked me.

I nodded.

"Then skip today, what if you get sick?"

"I'm not that tired, I just like to yawn." I said, even though I was actually dead tired.

Jinyoung chuckled. "We made a deal that you would reveal yourself after a company scouts you even when they can't see your face."

"I didn't think it was actually gonna happen, but I'm still not going to because the staff at SM told me not to. When I debut, it would attract a lot of good attention for me which would make my debut more successful." I stated.

"Geez, SM is scary." Jinyoung said. "They're so sneaky and sly and know how to take advantage of everything."

I nodded. "That's why they're successful."

"But they treat their idols like crap." Jinyoung said and pouted. "What if they're mean to you?"

"They are mean, but at this point they say rude things so much it has no meaning." I said. "The coaches, I mean."

Jinyoung frowned deeper. "I'll beat them up for you."

"It's not that bad, I'm happy thinking about what it will be like when I debut." I said.

Jinyoung grinned at me, making me stare at his cute dimples. Smiling angel.

"Let's see how much I will make today~" I said as I found my regular spot.

After my last performance, the crowd disappeared.

"200 today." I muttered, counting the money.

"Woo hoooo. Success as always." Jinyoung cheered. "It keeps getting bigger and bigger, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it's quite amazing." I said. "Time to go home now."

As I stood up, I felt a noticeably pain in my knee. But I ignored it, and soon got used to the pain as Jinyoung and I got back.

•••

Weeks, then months passed since I entered SM entertainment. The training continued, getting yelled at continued, and sleepless nights continued. I starting working more to help out with the Woo family, especially since Granny Woo was weak and tired a lot these days.

I groaned in pain and laid my right leg out on my bed. This thing--ever since I started my training at SM on top of the performances at night, has been hurting. I thought it was just soreness, but it really hurt. Like I was getting stabbed in the knee down.

I muttered nonsense in frustration, because I couldn't use it as easily without feeling like I was being stabbed. I had iced it everyday, but it didn't get better.

Jinyoung stood outside my door, leaning on it. "Are you okay?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. "My leg hurts..."

"Huh?" He came closer and sat down next to my leg. "Why is it so swollen?!"

"I don't know! It's been hurting for a while and I kind of ignored it, but now it's really unbearable." I muttered and sighed.

"What? How long has it been? How come you didn't tell me??" Jinyoung burst out in cries in questions.

"Because I thought it wasn't anything big! But it hurts so much, I'm about to cry." I grabbed my head.

"Don't cry!!!" Jinyoung yelped and pulled my head to his chest.

"........." I couldn't say anything, as I was waaaaayy to close to him and also that I still couldn't ignore the pain.

"You should see a doctor." Jinyoung said. "Does it hurt? A lot?" He looking worriedly into my eyes.

"It does hurt." I said. "But what if it's bad??"

"That's exactly why you need to go to the doctor!!"

I sighed. "Fine...if I can even get there."

"Lets go right now." Jinyoung said. "I'll even carry you on my back if you can't walk." He chuckled and grabbed my hand to help me up.

I narrowed my eyes at him and stood up on my left leg. "I am fine, thank you very much."

"I am afraid that is not part of my dictionary." Jinyoung said, scooping me up and putting me on his back.

I groaned. "You're too much."

"Only for you."

•••

"Miss Naeun, your knee is really weak currently and your ankle is sprained." The doctor explained. "You're going to have to take medicine and let it heal."

I let out a sigh and nodded. "I can't continue with training?"

He shook his head. "You must not, unless you want to break both."

I nodded again. "Alright."

Jinyoung looked at me worriedly. "Will they let you take a break from practice?"

I shrugged. "I guess I'll have to see."

•••

Yeah, taking a break my ass.

Even after I went to the doctors and found out my leg was injured, I continued training at SM. Part of it was because I wanted to, but it was mostly because I simply couldn't, my coaches wouldn't let me.

SM is really a living hell. I continued practice until the pain was extremely unbearable for me.

"NAEUN, WHY ARE YOU SITTING DOWN?!"

My head snapped up. "I told you that I'm injured."

"You're injured, that doesn't mean you're more special than everyone else." The dance coach narrowed her eyes at me. "It's not an escape goat for you so STAND UP!"

I gritted my teeth and stood up, limping my way to the center. "How am I supposed to do this with only one leg..."

"I didn't ask for you to talk back Naeun, so you want to debut or not?"

I sighed. "I do."

"Then train like everybody else."

I nodded. "Okay, I'm sorry."

So I did, I trained like everybody else and ignored the intense pain in my leg. It hurt so badly that I started to feel dizzy.

Plus, the dance was hell, and was hard enough just to practice with both functioning legs.

The dance coach babbled something (probably to me) but I wasn't listening.

"Agh..." I groaned and tried to continue, but in a flat two seconds my leg gave out under me and I fell on the ground in a painful way. Something didn't feel right when I landed--at all.

My entire leg felt like it was on fire now, and the world spun around me. I caught a glimpse of my classmates worried faces, before it all faded to black.