Fifteen

I could never get used to Thai.

Given that there were a lot of Thai True, in the little time that we had, I had tried to pick up at least a little bit of the Thai language but I had failed miserably. I couldn't get past the first few words. Hanseol, on the other hand, turned out to have a hidden talent for learning foreign languages. He could make at least basic conversation. The others were doing slightly better than I was.

Thankfully for us, the male anchor of the show that we had been invited to go on could speak Korean decently well, mixed in with some English. "You've been doing a lot of promotional work off-late. Thailand has just loved having you here too! How has your experience been so far?"

We were all seated at a long table in an outdoor setting. It was pretty warm out and we were all dressed rather lightly. We had finished most of our live shows in Thailand. There was only one more left and that was on a show 2 days later. Our trip had been extended to 20 days to accommodate all that. Manager Park was particular about delivering us fully to the international crowd when we had a chance to do so. He wanted us to leave behind such an impression that our Thai True felt loved, sought after and grateful. That was why we were doing so much to try and put ourselves out there and reach as many of them as possible.

"It has been a very special experience." Jaehyeon answered. "It's very heart-warming and motivating to see such support on foreign soil. Thailand has been incredibly kind, if anything. The scenery is also so different from home."

"Language can be a barrier sometimes though." Yeojun spoke. "But it is not as bad as we had thought that it would be. For instance, we are on a Thai show speaking Korean. Honestly, it's very surprising. We did our best to learn as much as we could but we did not have the time to learn enough. We were worried about getting ourselves across as we wanted to but… it's actually been very easy to go around. We always received help when we needed it."

"It does sound like you're enjoying yourselves." The anchor nodded. "And I have heard that you have been very busy ever since you landed. Most of your live stages are over, aren't they? What more do you have planned?"

"Our concerts are over but you'll be seeing us around for a few more days." I responded this time. "We can't reveal all our exact plans but we have a few more surprises other than the shows and interviews that have been scheduled. True, wait for us. This is the least that we can do to show how grateful we are for your support."

"Ah. Speaking of True's support, we received word just a few minutes ago that your album Blue Ink's title track 'To You' has topped lists in Thailand. Not only that, in Malaysia, Indonesia and in 4 other countries! How do you feel about that?"

"So happy and grateful that I don't know what more to say." Jaehyeon pursed his lips. "Just… simply… grateful. Amazed and grateful."

"Inspired." I felt the need to add.

"I'm sure you are. I have heard that this album means a lot to you personally. Could you tell us more about that?"

"I'll answer that." Hanseol raised a hand and sat forward. "It's been more that 3 years since we debuted and before Blue Ink, frankly, we were struggling. True has been with us from the start and we have always received some love but we were like a race car sputtering a little ahead of the start line after a burst of acceleration at the whistle- like we had made it to the Grand Prix but were somehow unable to move. It was hard on all of us." He paused. "We had never thought of quitting but we had had absolutely no idea where to go from where we were or what to do next. It was quite scary. Some of us had even wanted to take a break to collect ourselves before trying again."

I saw Jaehyeon nodding from the corner of my eyes. What Hanseol was talking about was just the previous year. We were about to start work on our new album, Blue Ink, when Jaehyeon had woken up one morning and announced that he wanted to go home. We were desperately trying to figure out what to do with the upcoming album such that it would help us stay longer.

It was stressful for all of us.

When Jaehyeon had said so, Yeojun too had expressed a desire to stop for a moment- to 'breathe', he had said.

It had taken a lot of effort, a lot of talking, a few quarrels and some intervention from Manager Park and Kim PD-nim to get all of us back to work again. I had initially felt that a little break would not have hurt us too much but now, when I look back on it, we were so drawn thin that if we had taken a break, we might have struggled to get back together. We would not have parted with peaceful hearts. And Blue Ink was born out of those very complicated emotions too.

On realising that, there, at the table, I shuddered.

Blue Ink could never have happened.

Hanseol continued speaking. "Blue Ink means a lot to us personally because we had poured all that we had left into it. It is everything we were going through and everything we wanted to say. A lot of thought has gone behind every word in these songs. In a sense, Blue Ink is our best, but it is also our desperation."

I couldn't have worded it any better. Not many people were aware of the backdrop though. This was the first time that we were being vocal about it. We had not really been sure about revealing it either but, after a lot of deliberation, we decided to just come out and say it because we wanted them to know exactly how grateful we were for the support and the opportunity. We figured that letting them know would have been the best way to show our sincerity.

"And it paid off." Mingyu picked up from there. "Blue Ink also means a lot to us because it signifies… evolution. A rebirth of sorts?"

"And rightly so." The anchor nodded understandingly. "We have witnessed sudden popularity in your case. If you ask me, it's well-deserved too. Well, that's about it from our side but we had run a campaign earlier on Twitter and some True had sent in some queries and requests. We would like to bring them to your attention here."

"Of course." Mingyu nodded.

The man picked up the cards that were on the table before him and had been left face-down till then, then proceed to read off of the first one. "This is from a user named BlackButterBuns. The question is to S.T.A.Y as a whole. It reads, 'Now that you have begun traveling and topping charts, what do you think has changed the most?'" He looked up at us for a reply.

Funnily enough, only one thing popped into my mind when I heard 'what do you think has changed the most?'

Yoo Changmin.

Yeojun raised a hand. We let him speak. "I think we ourselves have changed the most. K-Soul Hyung had mentioned how we were at a breaking point. Right now, it just feels like we have grown- both as S.T.A.Y and as individuals. Our… routines have changed, our training and practice regimes have changed, our outlooks have changed, the way people look at us has changed, but most importantly, we have changed. For example, we used to complain about being exhausted back then and we still do complain but now we're also grateful for being able to complain about being exhausted. We sleep lesser but we sleep more fitfully. And supporting each other through everything as we have, we have grown closer. We have learnt a lot more about each other and about ourselves."

"So, in other words, this has been a journey of self-realisation for you." The anchor asked.

"And it continues to be." He nodded.

"That's rather inspiring. Now, the second question is… It's a request, actually. It's from UsagiSheFox. It says. 'You have some really unique voices. Please release some singles or covers so that we can hear more of them.' That's a fair enough request." The anchor looked at us again.

"Mm, spoiler?" I looked at Jaehyeon, then shrugged and turned back too the camera. "We are actually working on a few things at the moment."

"Oh, really? Is that a spoiler?"

"Sort of." I nodded and gave a quick wink. "That's all we can say for now."

"I see. Big revelation. I'm glad you picked our humble show to let us know too." He turned towards the next card. "Two more. A question, this time. It's from DMinorHarmony. 'What are your immediate goals?'"

"Our immediate goals?" Mingyu took up this question. "Well, of course, it's to reach you, True. It's to reach as many of you as we possibly can."

I raised a hand. "That and to release good songs. That's more like a permanent immediate goal though."

"You're a major contributor to the hit song 'To You', aren't you, Jeongwoo-ssi? Of course, you would have such a goal. You're achieving them too." The anchor smiled. "Next question is to MinQ-ssi. It's from user Mir&aPoo. 'What is it like being the leader of S.T.A.Y? Be honest.'"

"Is the 'be honest' a part of the question or are you asking me to be honest?" Mingyu laughed.

"It's part of the question." He showed us what was written on the card. The rest of us were eager to hear this too.

"You want me to be honest, huh? Fine. It's taxing. Very often, I am the alarm clock. Our members don't seem like it most of the time but they can be really lazy and selfish sometimes." He then shook his head. "Nah. It isn't all that bad. They actually allow me to be the Dongsaeng often."

"Mingyu's the best leader for us though." Hanseol said. "I wouldn't have had even half the energy he has when dealing with us at times. He's got a pretty cool head atop his shoulders."

"That's the only reason we were able to pull through all that happened." I added.

"Okay. Stop. Hearing so much good from your mouths is making me worry. It feels like a bribe." Mingyu put up a hand.

"It isn't." I insisted and Hanseol nodded. "We just needed an occasion to be so honest about this."

Mingyu narrowed his eyes at us while speaking to the anchor. "And another thing about being S.T.A.Y's leader is that I get bribed a lot."

"Bribed? Like?" The anchor prodded.

"Ice cream, a meal or two- stuff like that. Harmless requests but they still bribe me for them."

"What kind of requests?"

"10 more minutes of sleep, an extra piece of cheesecake." Mingyu listed. "I've never fallen for them but they still keep doing it."

"Good for you then, isn't it?" The anchor laughed.

"Yeah. I guess it is good for me." He nodded. "Basically, it's not all that bad being S.T.A.Y's leader. It's inspiring for me too- to watch everyone work so hard and so diligently. I love them."

"We love you too, leader Woo." Yeojun said endearingly.

"That's nice." The anchor put the cards away. "I have really enjoyed the time I have gotten with you and I would have really loved to spend more time but I'm afraid we don't have that liberty tonight. But, before we windup, we have this tradition on our show- tell us one interesting fact about yourselves that we do not know."

An interesting fact?

"Why don't we start with you, MinQ-ssi, since you're the leader?"

"Hm." Mingyu thought a bit. "I… own eleven anime figurines."

"I see. An anime fan, huh? Interesting… Jun-ssi?"

"I snore." Jun said immediately.

Mingyu nodded and mouthed. "Very loudly."

The anchor laughed. "Okay. K-Soul-ssi?"

"I do not like pancakes."

"Wha- How can someone not like pancakes?" That surprised even the anchor. All Hanseol could do was shrug it off. "That was… unexpected. Okay! Jeongwoo-ssi?"

It isn't going to be as interesting as Hanseol's fact but… "I play the piano."

"You do?"

"He's really good at it too." Mingyu nodded. "You've never really gotten a chance to show off your piano skills, have you?"

"No." It is something True should know too. I haven't really showcased that skill of mine before.

"We will be looking forward to hearing you play then. YoonJae-ssi?"

"I used to bake till a few years ago."

"What? You never told us that?!" Yeojun jumped from his chair. "That's unfair, Hyung!"

"How come- Why hadn't you told us?" I too asked, just as surprised.

"I just never got the chance to." He chuckled sheepishly before patting my shoulder. "Jeongwoo-ya, I promise that I'll bake a cake for you on your birthday."

"What about the rest of us?" Mingyu frowned.

"This guy gets special treatment because he is my roommate and he has to put up with more of me than the rest of you." Jaehyeon said with a smile.

He really was the King of fanservice…

I took his hand off my shoulder and smiled. "I'll be looking forward to it then."

"It looks like you'll have a lot of explaining to do after this, YoonJae-ssi." The anchor said.

Jaehyeon nodded, dropping a hand to my thigh. "Yes. It looks like it."

"This getting-to-know session has worked for you as well, it would seem. That's good. And It has been great getting to know you as well. I hope you have a pleasant stay in Thailand here on out too."

We bowed as he did. Mingyu did the talking. "Thank you for having us. We had fun too."

The call to end shooting came immediately after and we slowly got up from our seats once the cameras had been turned off. At this point, the anchor approached us with a big smile on his face. He was probably just a little older than Jaehyeon himself. "Thank you so much for giving us your limited time in Thailand. You have been getting really popular here so this will boost our ratings a lot. More than all of that though, it really has been great working with you."

"We're only grateful for the opportunity." Mingyu said. "It went smoothly too. Thank you."

The anchor nodded and motioned towards the trailer that was being used as a green room. "I'll walk with you till there."

"Of course. Thank you." I said and the five of us went with him, making small talk about our time in Thailand. Once we were in the trailer and they had attended to us to their satisfaction despite our having insisted on being fine, we found ourselves with no one left other than Manager Park.

Safe to say, we had all been waiting for that moment.

"YoonJae. Jaehyeon Hyung." Mingyu turned to the man of the hour and narrowed his eyes at him. "You really did not find it necessary to tell us such a detail about yourself?"

"It's really no big deal." He shrugged and sat down in one of the seats, undoing the top button of his shirt. "We were all busy."

"Busy? Hyung, for more than 3 years…" I actually felt a little let down too. "I've been your roommate for more than 3 years. To think that I did not know something like that- I mean, we live together, all of us. How could there be something we don't know about each other?"

"We are supposed to know each other best." Yeojun too said and began adjusting his hair in the mirror, not looking at Jaehyeon.

"Wha… You're all that upset that I did not tell you?" Now he actually looked taken aback. "Ya! Really?"

"Is there anything else that you haven't told us? Actually, anything else that anyone hasn't told us? I've pretty much laid myself bare before you all. Just saying." Mingyu said.

I was also a little disheartened to find out that there was something about Jaehyeon that we did not know but I was not as upset as Mingyu suddenly seemed.

"Fine. I'm sorry." Jaehyeon put up his hands in surrender. "It's just that I had never had to say it. There was never a chance to say it. It's not like I still bake."

"Why don't you still bake? When did you stop? When S.T.A.Y debuted?" Mingyu asked.

"A little before. I stopped when my sister got married. I used to bake with her. I haven't done it after that." Jaehyeon said. "It's not easy with how we work as well. It wasn't that special a hobby of mine anyway. It isn't like I particularly miss it."

"Do you guys even realise that you're arguing over something as childish as Jaehyeon baking once upon a time ago?" Hanseol sighed.

Well, it did kind of matter to us as a team…

"You know what?" I raised a hand to cut in. "Hyung, just agree to bake a cake for all of our birthdays. We'll accept that as an apology."

"Ah. No need. He only wants to do something like that for you, Jeongwoo Hyung." Mingyu spat.

"Mingyu." I gave him a look of apprehension. "You know that that was just for the cameras."

It was a huge surprise for all of us that Mingyu would snap over something like that.

For a second, he went quiet. Then he sighed and apologised with a deep bow. "I'm sorry. That was unnecessary."

You think?

"Is there something you want to tell us, Mingyu?" Hanseol asked, watching him.

Mingyu shook his head, then sat down. "I think the heat just got to me. I'm sorry. Jaehyeon Hyung," he looked at Jaehyeon. "I'm sorry."

Jaehyeon nodded. "It's okay. Just… talk to us if there is anything."

"Ah. Sorry." Mingyu nodded too, finally seeming to calm down.

Yeojun and I exchanged a look of concern. Everything that we had said earlier about Mingyu being a cool-headed leader was the truth. This outburst of his was not only misplaced but weird too.

I looked at Manager Park who had been watching us quietly. He caught my eyes and nodded. There really was nothing that he could have said to make things better at that point but he would definitely keep an eye on things.

We were all working hard. The stress was bound to show up one way or another.

"You can take 15 minutes to cool off. We'll have to move to the next location after that." Manager Park said.

We nodded.

We had but 15 minutes to pick ourselves up again.