1 The TLR. part(1)

Hyun-Joo gnashed on her left fingernails, a nervous tick her mother had tried to beat out of her, when the teapot whistled in readiness. She slid across the linoleum to the stovetop in two strides and clicked off the gas. When she was a teenager, that sense of motion, the unbalance, and the chance she might slip and crack her head open on an edge, were irresistible. Her day-to-day life had been so crushingly uneventful that she savored these fleeting rushes.

Now, she only sought one thrill.

She lifted the pot and tipped the hot water into a college-branded mug, her favorite. After setting the teapot back on a cooler grate, Hyun-Joo gave the stainless steel tea ball she'd prepared earlier a couple quick tugs, then bounded back to the living room.

"You're missing the best part!" Her best friend Min sat on the couch, clutching the remote as though wielding a magic wand, eyes refusing to blink let alone turn to witness Hyun-Joo's arrival.

"I've seen it a hundred times," she said cheerfully, joining Min on the couch. "You know that."

On screen, the members of STASiS.9 flickered between neon city streets, a desert landscape riddled with old rusty cars, a bustling coffee shop, and a space shuttle launch pad, their every move synced perfectly to the beat. Each of them beamed with joy, even when it wasn't their close-up, as though inviting you to leap through the television and join in the fun. They'd reached the point in the music video when all the bystanders - who up until now had been in the background, full of gloom - leapt to their feet and matched STASiS.9's steps with exuberance, transformed.

It was exhilarating.

When it was over, Min wasted no time in scrolling through options of what to play next. Hyun-Joo typically gave her friend viewing authority, but today she had to stop her; she was simply too excited."Turn it off for a minute. We've barely talked since we got back. Here - I made you tea." The barley grains gave off a bitter yet soothing aroma as she held out the mug. Instead of turning the TV off, however, Min selected another video and quickly hit mute in compromise.

"Thanks. Sorry. I just can't shake this feeling!" Min motioned to her chest with a fluttering hand while accepting the drink with the other.

"I know, it was perfect," Hyun-Joo concurred.

It had been hours since the performance at Music Korea, and a dozen more since they'd claimed their spot on the sidewalk. Of course, they were hardly alone. It was, after all, STASiS.9's first appearance since introducing their newest member, Bada. As attractive as he was, the girls were both only there to see one man.

Beom, born Jun Sang-beom, was the typhoon that shattered both their worlds. He was confident, mysterious, alluring. His stage presence had a subtle, primal quality the other members lacked, and he carried a sadness that only one who paid close attention could notice. It was as though in spite of all his success, he yearned for something else.

Hyun-Joo had insisted they arrive a full day ahead to get a spot along the barricade, but Min convinced her that leaving at sunrise would be sufficient. When they did finally arrive, there were already hundreds of fans scrambling for position. At least they could see the stage through the thicket of bodies from their vantage point; if not, Hyun-Joo would have been furious, albeit secretly.

When the band hit the stage, the screams from the crowd could be heard blocks away. Hyun-Joo and Min followed Beom's every move as he twirled and slid to the rapturous beat. Each syllable he uttered phased through them like warm milk.

During the third song, Beom and Hyun-Joo locked eyes. It was only for a split second, but it ground the world around them into meaningless cacophony. In his eyes she saw his recognition, his longing, and his approval. They told her everything she needed to know.

"When they came back out for a second encore," Min chimed, "I actually thought to myself 'This needs to stop, I can't take it anymore!'"

With that, Min's attention slid back to the muted television, the next saturated montage casting frenetic rainbows across her cheeks. Hyun-Joo watched her friend bask in the glow. Min was naturally beautiful, yet somehow even more so when she gazed at Beom.

Hyun-Joo reached across the coffee table and snatched up the remote. She thumbed the ON/OFF button, set it back down and spun to face Min as the image collapsed on itself. "I need to tell you something."Min stared in silence before chuckling, mostly out of confusion. "Okay. What is it?"

Instantly regretting her forwardness, Hyun-Joo slumped into the sofa and gave her fingernails another thrashing. Her friend waited patiently.

"Okay, bear with me. My mind is all scrambled."

(To be continued in next chapter)