Kiss Me Under the Stars

Chapter 38

~~~~~~~ Flashback ~~~~~~~

"Kibum, have you seen Woohyun?" Jiyeon asked Kibum curiously, cocking her head to one side as he shook his head. "Really?"

"I haven't seen him since this morning," he told her while I stood by, feeling a deep dread fill me. "Why do you ask?"

"We need Woohyun-Hyung for the press conference, don't we Kibum-Hyung?" Kibum nodded in agreement and I crossed my arms and frowned. "Well, that's why we're looking for him. He isn't here yet."

"Why don't you just call him?" Eunsung asked curiously.

Jiyeon murmured, "He didn't pick up his phone and Woohyun always picks up the phone when it's one of us."

Aecha shook her head stubbornly. "When has he not picked up on you Aecha?" Yuri asked her, flicking Jung Maknae's forehead. "Don't lie!"

"Sorry Unnie..." the Maknae murmured. "Maybe Woohyun-Oppa got tired and is napping somewhere. You can't blame him, right? It gets so hard for all of us to stay awake. We all nodded slowly in agreement, uncertain of what to do. "He'll turn up soon! Oppa is always on time!"

"I know he is..." I mumbled to myself. Minutes stretched into hours as we waited for any sign of Woohyun. Dongjin and Aecha started practicing their dance and their raps while they waited. Jiyeon and I ran through our duet quickly and then I began working on my dance, trying to perfect it while I wondered where Woohyun was. The press conference was getting closer and closer.

"I'm going to ask Yoseob-Oppa..." I mumbled, standing up and walking off to find my mentor.

"Ask Junhyung-Oppa too!" Aecha called after me. I gave her a thumbs up and then broke into a jog.

"Junhyung-Oppa!" I exclaimed as I rounded a corner and crashed into him. "Oppa, we can't find Woohyun!"

He stared at me in surprise, his brain trying to register what I had told him while he rubbed his chest. Suddenly, light entered his eyes as he realized what I had said. "You can't find Woohyun?" I shook my head with a worried expression. "You have to go out there soon!"

"We know, but Lee Woo Hyun isn't here and we can't find him!" I protested in a hyper voice. "We have to find him quickly!" He patted my head comfortingly and waved for me to follow him. I followed him as he took me to Gikwang-Oppa and Hyunseung-Oppa. "We can't find Woohyun!" I told them quickly.

Hyunseung's eyes widened and he looked at Yoseob who was sleeping on the couch nearby. "YOSEOB!" My Oppa let out an exclamation of surprise and rolled onto the floor with a thud. "Do you know where Lee Woo Hyun is?" He shook his head and rubbed his neck with a groan.

"Sorry Hyomin... Maybe he just decided not to come? Or maybe he got sick?" Junhyung-Oppa suggested. I shook my head, knowing Woohyun too well.

"Woohyun would never miss this."

"Well, you have no choice. You'll have to go out there without him..." Dongwoon-Oppa told me, overhearing our conversation. "Don't worry. We'll all look for him, okay?" I nodded as the stage manager called us out for the conference.

During the conference, I couldn't help constantly noticing the empty seat beside me while I answered questions. Whenever a reporter asked us where Woohyun was, we told them that he had become ill last minute and was unable to come. As the conference ended and we took our final bows, Jiyeon held my hand comfortingly with a nod. I smiled and nodded in reply.

"We'll find him... When we do find him, we'll break his legs!" Kibum joked loosely, trying to bring our moods up as we trudged back behind the stage curtains.