Sneaky about it? Since when had he been acting sneaky? He'd come up and plopped down as if his legs had given out on him, something he'd developed a habit of doing and never got out of. Char folded the paper in his hand very carefully to not smudge the heavy graphite outline and shading, and carefully slid it into his other pocket, lying it beside his phone as a guard. True, maybe it was a little strange. But then again, he'd gone through several days in a row running into the same person multiple times. It wasn't odd to him, really.

Char snickered, leaning back a bit and staring across the road. "Seems like you care a little too much if you ask me." He replied. "I mean, you don't have to ask me, but it's pretty clear." Why, in fact, did this guy care so much? Did he think Char was a sort of stalker? He definitely had better things to do than stalk someone he didn't even know. And why was the other one hiding the book so steadily? Char already knew what it was---not many had his last name in this city, not many that were newly-published graphic novelists, anyway. And if it wasn't him, why hide the book? Char didn't even care, he just wanted to get home...

Shin winced a little when the other man called him out of caring. Was it really that obvious? "I told you, it's not like I care," he reiterated. He really needed to stop acting like an idiot. "Aren't I allowed to talk meaninglessly?" Yes, because that sounded so intelligent. Shin rolled his eyes at himself. Thankfully he was saved from any further embarrassment when the bus finally decided to pull out of the traffic and stop in front of them. Shin wasted no time in jumping to his feet and making a move toward it, until he realized he'd left the book on the bench. Trying to appear as natural as he could, he spun around and snatched it up before hurrying onto the bus.

Thankfully the bus seemed less crowded now though it wasn't empty either. Shin slid into the first seat he could find and ducked his head. If he was lucky, the ride would go by quickly and without incident. At least then he would be able to return to his dorm with some of his pride intact.

Char could only shake his head and stifle a few snickering giggles by looking away. What was it with this guy? He wasn't necessarily something Char was used to dealing with---he seemed... awkward? Was that a good word for it? Maybe it was good enough for the current state of things, and he stood when the bus arrived. He paused for the other to get on, but the hesitation was met with an odd ballet that had to be the most awkward thing Char had seen today. He only shook his head, jumping up onto the bus after the other man had collected his lost item---Char had pretended not to notice what it was fully, though he was sure the young man knew already.

He went past him this time, going halfway down the bus and to the last front-facing seat, sitting and propping up his leg on the remaining area of the seat. Usually it---accompanied by his low-browed glare---discouraged others from taking up residence beside him, as long as they were looking his way. Now it was only a fifteen minute ride to his small apartment... Sometime very soon, he'd be able to afford a good house still in the city... He'd be able to get a car soon too, that was his first intention. A car, then a good house... Or maybe he'd move out into the woods near the city and build a cabin there---Char loved cabins... The seclusion and natural way one lived each day. And it would be so quiet. He put his head against the window, and between the window and the seats in front of him, he could see a bit of pale hair from the one in front of him. Why was he so freaked out about Char just happening along in the same general direction? It was odd... But it was, Char admitted to himself, strange to have come to see the man this morning on the bus, in the bookshop acting odd, and again on the bench, acting even stranger. He shook his head and stared up at the sky above the buildings.

It wasn't like Shin was watching the other man, but he did notice him walk past and sit further back in the bus. Good, that guy was far away. But of course, now he was behind Shin and he started to feel a burn at the back of his neck like someone was watching him even though he was positive that he was being ignored. He slumped down in the seat regardless. After pulling out his headphones, he set his ipod on shuffle, hoping to avoid the song he'd been practicing. At least for now he wanted to avoid it so he could relax.

Perhaps it was the way he was slumped down with his arms crossed and a perpetual scowl on his face, but Shin managed to avoid sharing his seat. Normally scowling didn't work for him because he just looked like a grumpy teenage. He was happy for the respite none the less. Thankfully he wouldn't be on the bus that long. In reality the dorm wasn't that far from the studios, it just felt long because he had to ride the bus to get there. He watched the stops pass by through the window with half closed eyes.

Finally his own little corner appeared in the window and Shin stood with a little stretch before hurrying off, glad to be back in the sunlight. The dorm building looks like a squat apartment complex with a dingy and plain beige exterior paint. It was crap compared to the house he grew up in, but he couldn't help but smile a little at the building as he took off down the street toward it.

Char lost himself after a while, staring at the sky and imagining the next chapters of his second story. He itched to keep writing and drawing, working on the next scenes. He hadn't introduced the main character for this one, and hadn't necessarily made an image in his head. It was always so difficult to come up with these simple things, like human appearances, or names. When the bus came to a stop, Char stood quickly and saw the other standing as well. Of course, they'd gotten on at the same stop this morning, why wouldn't they get off at the same stop later? He didn't pay attention to him this time, though---made quite an obvious manner of jumping into the sidewalk and quickly crossing the street just to get away from the fact that they couldn't seem to get away from each other. And there was his apartment, a simple little complex, nothing impressive, but it was more than a two-room squalor at least.

He sighed as he entered the atrium, then took the stairs two at a time. He lived high up, but it was compensation for not doing any actual exercise today. Because of his still work, it had to be compensated somehow, after all. Finally on floor twenty-three, Char walked to his room---122---and unlocked the door. A small apartment, but so far it was all he could get. His front room was taken up by a couch, a chair, and all of his supplies. There was little room for a television, so that was in his bedroom, in a corner and on a dresser, and usually only used for news and weather forecasts. He tossed his phone onto the chair and sighed, going directly to the kitchen for a bottle of water and setting it beside his workbench. Above it was a mounted light that was rather warm to work under, but gave him flawless lighting.

He got started quickly, sketching out the first concept image of his new main character. Someone with a buzzcut...? No, he couldn't be that good a concept for this one... Someone with large eyes and long hair? He would be too susceptible to vanity, though, perhaps. After a while Char found himself sketching out a familiar face, grimacing, but going on, editing the image just a bit so it couldn't be obvious.

Shin took the elevator up a few floors then took a right down the hall, ignoring the gaudy carpet that lined it. Rather than pulling out his keys, he reached up to the top of the door frame and pulled down a key from there. He'd taken to not bringing his keys with him whenever he left the dorm since Lee had a tendency to forget his key, or something else important, every time he want somewhere. The massive hazard of safety that keeping a key outside the room had become necessity and right now, Shin was grateful for an excuse to be lazy.

A pile of shoes was the first thing Shin noticed when he closed the door. Letting out a sigh, he took his own off and set about moving the pile out of the way and somewhat organizing it. He hated to be the one doing chores, but he hated to trip over shoes more. The second thing he noticed was the smell of fast food, which led his eyes to piles of wrappers and a lone fry under the table in the sitting room.

"Why are you all such slobs? I'm going to strangle whoever bought this crap if I smell it in my sleep!" he yelled with narrowed eyes. He would never hard one of his band mates, but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy convincing them that he would. He headed straight for the room that he shared with the one other quiet, like-minded member of the group and shut the door after seeing that Reno wasn't there. In the background he could hear a high pitched wail that sounded a bit like "Eiiiii, Shin's gonna kill us all!!!!". Smirking, he turned on his reading lamp instead of the main lights and opened the book up again. Even if it repulsed him, he had no intention of not finishing the book.

"That guy is definitely disturbed....but interesting," Shin muttered as he started to read again.

A young man wearing a vertically-striped sweater two sizes too big and heavy, darkly-shaded jeans that covered his black-white sneakers sat with a rather bored expression on a bench. His pale hair was highlighted sharply with a streak of red that was over his left eye, and he had dramatic brows that were quite expressive.

Char would like to know this guy. Actually, he already did, regardless of how little he actually knew of the person the character inspired. He named this guy Matty, short for Matthew, and he was a track star. Seventeen years old, still in school, he was younger than his inspiration but it would add variety to the ages of the characters. It was no longer a concept image, though---the bench was in a slowly-progressing park, and a few background characters were playing Frisbee with their dog. Char finished the dog's epic leap above a bush and sat upright, stretching his back and yelping when it cracked unexpectedly. After so long leaned over the current scene, he had to roll his head and stretch a little, then get right back to work. The next panel was a closeup of the character at a profiled view, showing the city on the other side of his vision and a closeup of the red streak in his hair. All the main characters had red somewhere on their bodies, and it was the only other color beyond the deep red of the blood.

Char used a soft-tipped makeup brush to shade the damp ink before it dried, finding it ridiculously helpful, much more than those expensive artist supplies items that broke or just didn't work or frayed after just a few uses. Just a few panels tonight, maybe... Just a few, with a quick stop for dinner and getting right back into it.

Shin made it almost to the end of the book before he had to go to a vocal lesson with a couple of the other members. Thankfully he could catch a ride with Kris instead of having to ride the bus this time. One bus ride was more than enough for one day. The lessons made him tired, so he basically skipped dinner. He didn't really consider eating the tomatoes off of a slice of pizza and washing it down with a protein shake as dinner anyway.

The night slipped up quickly and after a shower, Shin slipped into bed. Reno had already gone to bed and the lights were out by the time he got out of the shower. Part of him was glad for a chance to sleep, but the overpowering part wanted no part of it. So instead, he sat on the bed with his knees pulled up to his chest as he stared at the bit of light that seeped under the door from a night light in the hall. What he really wanted to do was finish reading. It would be rude to turn on the lights when someone else was trying to sleep though wouldn't it? He gave up on the desire to read and turned around so his feet were on his pillow. Sometimes sleeping a new place worked for him. That night it did and he fell sleep with weirdly colorless images in his head, except for the red of course.

Despite not having a schedule until a little after noon, Shin was up not long after the sun. Even with the heavy drapes in the room, his body still figured out it was morning and woke itself up no matter how much sleep he had gotten. He didn't mind though. He dressed in torn jeans and his usual black jacket, then made a cup of coffee to go. The morning air was chill, but the sun had a nice glow up against the horizon. He thought that it would make a good backdrop to dance against, creating a silhouette effect of the dancer. He walked to the other end of the building that wasn't visible from the road, just other nearby buildings and sat down on the grass to stretch.

Char woke with a pain in his right hip and a numb right arm, finding his bed so... hard for some reason. No, this wasn't his bed---it was his floor! Char had fallen asleep at his work station and fell off his stool, hardly waking when he hit the ground. Groaning, he came to stand on his feet and stretch his stiff joints out, flicking off the lamp and going to the kitchen. There was an apple on the counter, with a banana and a kiwi he'd bought on a whim the day before yesterday. In the relative dark of the nearly-sunless morning, Char decided to cut them up and eat them before they got overripe, toss the knife in the sink, and review his work. He couldn't necessarily recall what he'd gotten done before exhaustion demanded he sleep anywhere, and could hardly recall what was on his mind at the time. He'd finished ten panels, amazingly. The young track star had stood and started his way down the path in the park, when behind him he heard the two Frisbee tossers attack one another. He'd avoided the whole thing by jogging away from it.

Char grabbed a few pages of printer paper---not what he used to work on his official pages---and slid them into a satchel. He followed these by a few pencils and erasers, and a pen. Today he wanted to get as much done as possible, even if it meant going somewhere for inspiration. The park, perhaps. It was a big point of the story, where Matty would begin to feel something might be exceptionally strange with the city on such a normal day. Setting it by the door, Char went to take a short, hot shower and change into clothes that looked similar to his previous day's clothing, only this time his was a black tee-shirt and not a sleeveless hooded shirt, and he actually brushed his hair, tying it back so it was out of his face.

He grabbed his phone and wallet, deciding he had enough money for a bottle of cream soda at the gas station near the park. A weakness of his, cream soda, usually root beer or orange flavored. He wasn't afraid to admit that, but he kept healthy somehow. He went downstairs, again using the steps rather than the unreliable elevator, and rearranged the satchel on his shoulder as he stepped outside into the cool air. It was oddly refreshing in a way others might deem uncomfortable until the sun rose, and Char was off at once, hurrying across the road and foregoing a bus this time. He wanted to run, or at least jog, all the way to his destinations. Walk the paths in the park, generally avoid people, work on concept art for his next panels. The sky in chapter two was only just beginning to darken...

Shin had turned just turned on his music so that the heavy drum filtered into the noiseless early morning air when someone's window snapped open and a head popped out. "Hey kid, what the hell are you doing so early? Take that damn noise somewhere else!" Shin stood frozen in the starting pose of the dance as he slowly turned to face the window. He wanted to snap that the song wasn't noise and that he needed to practice more than this person needed to sleep, but he just bowed his head slightly and muttered a "Sorry ma'am," before he turned off the song and spun around to find somewhere else to practice. It was going to be that woman's fault if he ended late to his afternoon schedule because of this. He thought he was being considerate not dancing inside and making a steady thump rhythm wake the people in the room below his.

He turned down a street. He was pretty sure there was a park somewhere down here, though he'd never been there before. Perhaps here it would be empty enough that he wouldn't irritate others. He couldn't help that he had to play his music without headphones. He'd already learned well enough that there was no possible way to dance and not end up making a mess with the cord.

When Shin thought he'd found an acceptable place that was well away from the park benches and the usual paths that went through the park, he set up again. He turned his ipod on again and assumed his pose. Count down three seconds of just drum beat, then the guitar and keyboard cut in and Shin was off. A mix of grace and strength, he knew exactly how to embody the tone of the song and besides the squeak of dewy grass under his shoes, he noticed nothing else except the music.

He'd roamed the park for a good amount of time before breaking off from the usual----and not-so-usual---paths, weaving through thick trees and finding a beautiful little place that at one time was more populated, and hat was evident by the gazebo overtaken with ivy that bloomed with Morning Glory flowers if pink and dark blue. A tree had sprouted too close to the wooden floor of the thing and had grown to extensive height, and now offered shade where a roof no longer could. It also offered a sturdy place to sit back and actually relax away from any semblance of humanity. Humanity as a whole so frustrated him, and this little reminder had more of a 'desolate abandonment' air to it than anything. Char sighed, settling back against the rough tree trunk and unpacking a board and clip, a small light in case shadows grew too dark, and a pencil and pen. The pen he slid behind an ear, and in a moment began constructing the next scene on paper as well as his head. Matty, his main character, had just started going through a part of his own park very much like this.

Char brought up his legs as a makeshift table to hold the board and paper in place, and worked on the concept of Matty walking through the trees. He paused as he decided what to draw into the background that could come in handy. Perhaps... a child's playground, choked with weeds and saplings... That would be useful. He carefully sketched it out, then lined it, and moved on to another page. This featured a dead-eyed woman with matted hair and broken teeth as if she'd been in a brutal fistfight. A shredded dress and no shoes, and her hands... perhaps tangled with bloody hair from the fight she just finished.

Inspiration arrived in such vast waves that Char's hand was almost shaking with the ambition to get it all down before it faded. Matty would run to the playground in hopes of dodging the woman as she lunged at him with jagged, broken fake nails and would become entangled in one of the children's swings. A perfect introduction to the true muddle of insanity that began plaguing the city that surrounded the park.

Wait, what was that...? Char forced himself to look up and around. Some kind of music, far too close for comfort. For an instant Char almost thought what he was creating had actually started happening, until he stared hard enough and saw someone with the origin of the music. damn it, not him again! How? How did they manage to come to the same place, at the same time!? It was like some group of stars had aligned for whatever little worlds they belonged to to come together so that in two days, Char and this guy couldn't get away from one another. And that music... Grimacing, Char dug in his satchel for a pair of heavy-duty headphones and his phone, connecting to his own music, a variety of soft-chord tones and quiet lyrics that didn't have to be screamed to get their deeper meanings across. Maybe if he ignored him, the guy would just go away. Char shook his head and tried to work on the next scene---Matty getting out of the park.

After going through the dance twice, Shin's practice was interrupted by the buzz from a text asking where he was. He stared at his phone for a second, then decided to ignore the message. It was still early and he had plenty of time before he needed to head back. Even so, his mojo was broken and he switched off the music. He was just glad that he'd had a chance to do anything in peace. He looked around for a place to sit while he cooled off and spotted a run-down, but pleasant looking gazebo not far off. Stretching as he walked, Shin only managed to walk a few steps before he realized that the gazebo wasn't as abandoned as he first thought. He stopped with an utterly flabbergasted look on his face.

"What are you doing ruining my peaceful alone spot?" Shin gaped. Rather than accusatory, he sounded surprised and confused. He could have sworn that he'd checked the area for people and saw none. And then, of all the people to be occupying the same middle of nowhere spot, it had to be this guy? Maybe he'd walked into a dream. It wouldn't be that strange of a theory considering he'd had some pretty vivid dreams before. This seemed a bit beyond what his puny imagination could come up with though.

Shin grit his teeth and turned to walk away. He didn't know if the other had heard him and he didn't care. He needed to walk past the gazebo to get back to the dorm though, so he stalked his way across the grass, trying to ignore the weirdness of their continuous chance meetings.

The deeply-beating bass of his music kept most of the rest at bay. Still, the combination of annoyance, shock, and curiosity didn't let him focus on the next page of what would be the continuation of the chapter, so Char made the best of a negative situation and focused on sketching another creature-concept---wrath. It would have... large fists and arms, fingers curled in a perpetual clenched style and goat-like legs ended with twisted talons. It wasn't covered with fur as Gluttony was, but rather dirty feathers and scales around the head, which was slightly wolf-like.

Finally the muse was gone. Gone like a breath of wind blowing out a sputtering candle, and Char was beginning to settle things and slide them into his bag when over the heavy bass, a voice came to him, clear since the song was transitioning from one to the next. He glared in annoyance when the young man badgered him, and stood, jamming his hand into an outside pocket of his bag. "Yours!" He scoffed. "This is my spot! It's been mine for five years, and before you ask, it does, in fact, have my name on it!" He withdrew a pocket knife and flicked it open, stabbing the tree behind him just below his name. He'd carved it in about four years ago out of boredom, and it was still there.

Leaving the knife, Char jumped onto the grass and stalked away from the gazebo, crossing paths with the young man and headed in generally the same direction, only slightly north to make sure they wouldn't meet at all. He'd walk this time, walk most places and he'd make sure to stand if he saw this one on a bus he decided to take. This was too confusing, ridiculous, incredibly strange, and Char didn't want to admit that yet. He just wanted to get to a meeting made a week in advance by a friend of his he hadn't seen for a while. Perhaps get a conversation in, maybe about this oddity that's stretched on since early yesterday morning.

Shin turned his head to glare at the other, but the glare died half formed. He couldn't help but be taken aback by what the other said. He turned his gaze to the tree and though he wasn't close enough to read whatever was carved there, he had no doubt that it was the other's name. Honestly, who carved their name on a tree like that? He just huffed in irritation and rolled his eyes before he started walking again.

"Fine, next time I'll practice somewhere else, asshole!" he snapped before he took a sharp turn and cut back to the main trail. It seemed his list of appropriate places to practice outside of the studio was getting smaller by the minute. Maybe if he brainstormed he could come up somewhere new. That's what Shin was thinking as he walked stiffly away. He didn't look over his shoulder to watch the other guy who was walking not quite the same way. But he wanted to. Kind of. Instead, he whipped out his phone and sent as snappish of a text as a person could. 'B there in a min.'

Char ignored the snappish call and rolled his eyes, not finding it worth responding. He hurried onto a main sidewalk and across the street, pocketing his hands in a huffy manner and glaring at the ground as he walked. The people that were out at this time and not home or at work avoided him pointedly, though Char's gaze slowly softened as he approached the casual lounge his close friend would be at. They'd chosen the place for its dark, yet rather shining atmosphere and quiet air where conversations could be had without having to shout over thudding music and the roar of screaming conversation. By the time he was at the double-doors to the lounge, swiftly named "'Cavalier's', Char had squared his shoulders and raised his head, and his brows had softened into a kinder expression. Stepping into the cool, dim light, Char found himself in a heavily-carpeted area scented with a rose-toned perfume coming from hanging metal cages beneath deep red lights. The focal point of the main room was the large, circular bar draped with dark velvet, the thing built out of rosewood. Drinks here were usually dark in color, black or red or purple if not served in bottles, and vessels were made of rose-toned glass. Paintings and photos on the walls were framed in heavy wood or dark iron, and depicted dark forests or moonlit scenes, or bird's eye views of old cities. A vampiric type of scene, Cavalier's, but calming with its low music vibrating through the air.

He went past the bar and nodded to the darkly-clothed young woman leaning atop the polished rosewood. Someone in the easy lighting really stuck out against the dark, though, and this was directly where Char went to. Bright blue and red and green and a little pink, and white that glowed under the lighting above the padded booth. Reese, Char's childhood friend and painter, and not shy in any way. His stark contrast to his surroundings made him a beacon that attracted many sorts of attention, which he enjoyed. His three-toned hair---mainly blonde with green and blue---stood up from his head as if defying gravity. Reese was only in town for the rest of the week, and was flying back to California on Friday. Char sat next to his friend, who beamed and leapt forward, planting a bone-crushing hug on him. "I figured you'd be late, love!" Reese exclaimed, though rather low to keep the relative quiet of the atmosphere. Char sighed, but smiled. At least he could take his mind off the odd happenings of the previous day with a long conversation.

Shin stalked into the dorm and kicked off his shoes, this time not bothering to straighten up the mess. Kris was at the kitchen table eating pancakes with coffee poured on top and he turned to raise an eyebrow at Shin. The second the older guy opened his mouth though, Shin cut him off since it was obvious Kris was just going to ask why he was in a mood and that was something he definitely didn't want to go into. "Don't ask." With that, he disappeared into his room so that he could gather the things he would need for whatever they were going to be doing today. Lessons and more lessons probably. It seemed like that was all they did. Even so, it was only a little longer before they'd be on stage and maybe Shin would be able to perform without puking his guts out from nerves.

After throwing his ipod, headphone, a banana and another protein shake, along with a change of clothes into a small shoulder bag, Shin dropped onto the couch. "So where are we going?" he asked to no one in particular. Whoever happened to be in the room and knew the answer was good enough. And considering the activity that was going on in the dorm now that the five of them were all awake, there was bound to be someone nearby to answer.

"A promotional meeting of some kind with a few select people, then vocal lessons, dinner, then more making nice," Reno said as he sat down on the couch next to Shin, barely avoiding his stretched out legs. Shin grinned and pushed Reno over with his foot so he could have his leg space again. "Manager will pick us up in thirty minutes because it's a long drive there." The whole thing sounded like hell to Shin, but he took what little relaxing he could before their manager showed up and herded them into a car. A road trip with all these people made Shin glad he had packed his ipod. Maybe after this day was over, he could go for a walk in the city night as something to look forward to.

Reese brought out his portfolio and spread it across the table. So many abstract pieces sat in the binder's rings full of confusion and color, art that caught the eye and inspired. It wasn't necessarily Char's preference, but he knew his friend was an amazing painter and was inspired by anything colorful or new. Char reached the end quickly and regarded Reese with a bit of a jealous eye. "So you selling well?" He asked.

Reese laughed in his usual airy, light tone. "Well! Are you kidding me, Char, last art auction I attended sold my newest painting for over a hundred thousand dollars!"

Char lightly punched Reese in the arm. "Lucky bastard! You've been on a roll all year."

Reese only grimaced, rubbing his arm as if it hurt. "Well you don't have any room to complain, sweetie, you're a published author now! What's the book, anyway? I haven't had a chance to see, they give you copies, don't they?"

Char nodded, bringing out one of the copies he'd been given after they started flying off the shelves. Reese flipped through, grimacing at the gory scenes midway through. "Ugh, Cherry! You're sooo creepy." He set the thing down. "Good thing you never went to therapy as a child, or you wouldn't have anything to write about!" He giggled, digging in his pocket. "Hey, I got us these." Bringing out a couple pieces of paper, he handed one to Char, who studied it carefully.

"What's this?"

"A ticket! There's a new band in town before I take off for San Fran, I wanna see it with you!"

"Ugh... Pop. Reese, you know I don't like---"

"Darling, you never give it a chance! Maybe it'll get in that twisted mind of yours and lighten it up!"

Char stared at the ticket hard. Well, it was some time spent with an old friend...

The day went by surprisingly quicker than Shin expected. The meeting had been torturous to sit through the chairs hard, but no one asked him any direct questions to he was able to sit with a steely expression and let the hour pass. And of course practice involved everyone getting yelled at and then Shin yelling at them again because he hated that their routine still wasn't perfect yet. But still, it wasn't a bad day. He finished reading that other guy's book during stolen moments and ate a feast of a dinner with his other members and the manager paid for it.

After spending the ride back as the only conscious person in the car besides the driver, they finally got back to the dorm. Each wandered their separate ways, but before they could get too far, the manager gave them some passing words. "Get some sleep boys. Just six days until the concert."

Shin rolled his eyes as he closed the door to his room. Tonight he felt tired enough that he just might sleep well. After tossing off his shirt and shoes, he crawled under the covers and decided to see if sleep would play nice.

The day was spent inside the darkness of Cavalier's, talking about the concert in six days so Char would be convinced to attend willingly and not as a hostage. After his agreeing, and their ordering lunch and drinks during noontime, Char turned rather seriously to Reese. "Since yesterday there's... this guy I'm seeing all over the damn place." He admitted, finally, swirling a diabolical-looking blood-red vodka-berry juice mix in a short glass. "He sat alongside me on the bus yesterday, I saw him during my novel's bookstore promotion, we waited for and rode the same bus back... And today he and I actually came to be at the old gazebo in the park. At the same time."

Reese laughed, pausing to take a bite of salad. "Aw, Cherry, it sounds like something's bringing you together! You ought to talk to him!"

"No! I mean, I already have, and he's a douchebag." Char growled over his drink. Reese only shook his head.

"Sweetie, I thought you were a douchebag when I met you." He slid sideways, nuzzling Char on the neck. The novelist shrank back.

"Whatever... I'm just... gonna try to avoid him from now on, this is just so... creepy."

They ended their night at nearly midnight, and Char and Reese parted ways with a promise to meet tomorrow afternoon. Reese retired to the hotel he was staying at, and Char regretfully decided against trying to draw with his mind fogged and his vision slightly blurred from the night's long hours. For once, he fell asleep, and had a dreamless sleep.

The week passed in a flurry of activity for Shin. With each passing day, there were just more things to do. Up too early to function half the time and ending the day as late as 3am. He was starting to count his natural insomnia as a blessing. He was coping with the schedule better than the other members. He was able to wake up and throw himself into whatever needed to be done and after a few days of that and no time to think about anything besides the concert, he had completely forgot about the series of strange meetings with that redhead.

Finally, the day of the concert arrived. The manager swept them away around mid afternoon to get them ready for the night time concert. It was behind held at a small indoor concert stage. Not exactly the huge stage with thousands of seats surrounding it that every performer dreamed of, but it was a decent place and from the ticket sales, it seemed to be nearly sold out. The thought had the duel effect of making Shin want to hide in a dark closet or scream from happiness. He had barely a second to look at the set up before stylists dragged him away, but he did take a second to admire the poster that stood in the atrium. The five boys stood in various sexy and bad ass poses, a dark starry night with a full moon as the background. Even though his face was mostly obscured by his hand, he found he was pleased with the poster. It gave his the cool and tough image he wanted to portray.

The moment to admire such things passed quickly though. He found himself in a chair with someone pouring copious amounts of gel into his hair to spike it up. At the same time, another woman was patting makeup onto his face. The effect matched his tight black pants and skin tight silver tank with a looser torn black top that looked more like it had been made of strips of fabric than a whole piece that had been ripped. Even his finger nails had been painted silver, though he thought that was a bit much.

The manager popped his head in the door not long after they'd all been transformed into their image that matched the poster. "Fifteen minutes to show time. Keep it together boys. I know you'll rock the crowd away!"

The week flew by in a way Char never knew could go by. His week was full of holes that were filled by meetings with Reese at favorite bars or clubs, or at the painter's hotel room since it was less crowded than Char's apartment. When he wasn't getting calls from Johnny or spending time with his longtime friend, Char was bent over his work station and focusing so hard on his second book that often he fell asleep right on top of his current page, and said a silent prayer every time he woke up with no drool puddles defacing his work. He periodically showed his finished work to Reese, who grimaced at the content, but was happy with the style and story nonetheless. He felt that with Reese around, his story seemed to be going along at a much swifter pace, and he finished the end of chapter three by Friday afternoon. Reese decided to drop by in his lime green-and-red Cadillac around then and prod Char into grabbing whatever he needed and hurrying up.

He still felt begrudgingly pushed into going to endure this K-Pop band, so he'd been told it was. He hadn't even seen any posters of the band itself yet and already he felt it just wasn't for him. No, he didn't necessarily like music like this. Too... uppity. Reese prodded him all the way to the tiny concert hall. "You'll be just fine, Cherry! Just a few hours, mm-kay?"

"Hours...!" Char moaned. He didn't want to do this... But they pulled into the parking lot and he knew it was too late. He sighed, putting his hands in his pockets and following Reese's colorful tee-shirt and plaid vest, hot-pink skinny-jeans and checkered converse. He was more colorful than an entire Pride parade. The thought made Char laugh to himself, and actually feel a bit better. They got in line behind a dozen others that had arrived a little earlier than them, and Char was able to see a poster of the band, which made him roll his eyes. Were they trying to look bad? Maybe it was Char's cynicism, but they didn't pull it off very well. He sighed, sticking close to Reese though he didn't have to worry about losing such a colorful companion. Once they made it to the door, they handed over their tickets, which were inspected, and allowed in.

Shin wiped his sweaty palms on his pants as he peered around the corner to the stage. T minus one minute and they were all huddled in a group just off the side of the stage. He barely heard the announcer introduce the band as SuperNova, but he could clearly hear the announcer's footsteps as he walked slow and evenly backstage. Kris pulled the group together for a quick huddle and Shin found himself bumping fists with the other guys without realizing he was doing it. He was so in the moment that his usual reluctance had melted away.

The lights dimmed. As one, they ran out onto the stage. Kris and Lee waved like buffoons to the crowd, but Shin just took his place at the center point of the V shaped configuration their title song started with. He turned to the side with one knee bent and his hand in front of his face just like in the poster. It was funny, but the second he dropped into his starting pose, the nerves stilled and the entire crowd fell away. This was just practice all over again. The usual drums of the music and count down to three before the V scattered and Shin began to dance like he knew best how.

Reese looked excited---he'd been to quite a few debut concerts for up-and-coming bands or groups, and knew how the crowd reacted. He put an arm around Char and squeezed. "C'mon, get that scowl off your face, Cherry!" He cooed. "You might like 'em!" He giggled again, dropping his arm and regarding the stage thoughtfully. Char shook his head, pulling the band out of his hair and shaking his head. They were pretty close to the stage since they'd arrived earlier. He sighed, though, as the lights dimmed, and turned his gaze up. Then the music... why did it sound so familiar? That beat was curiously at the forefront of his head, but he couldn't quite place it, and studied the figures that arrived in a V shape. And one of the forms at the front as the crowd barked approval. He was more put off than anything---he didn't like this type of music, didn't like the overly-practiced choreographed dance.

Only that one in the front looked so... familiar... Who was it? The clothes didn't match what he was trying to imagine, the hair---of course. Char gasped, went back and into someone and quickly apologized. Reese looked back to him. "Hey, you okay?" His voice was dulled over the beat, but Char could hear him well. He just shook his head and wormed his way away from everything. Though he didn't pull Reese with him, the bright beacon followed swiftly until they were at a step above the others that some in the back were standing on. Here the music wasn't quite so loud. "That's him!" Char exclaimed, pointing to the one with overly spiked hair and ruined black clothes. "The guy I saw before!" And he hadn't thought about him all week... How had this happened!? When Reese asked if he wanted to leave Char shook his head hard. No, he didn't want to ruin Reese's time. He stayed back as his friend hurried back into the crowed, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall, trying not to hear the music he disliked. If only he'd have brought along his headphones...

Through some miracle, no mistakes were made during the first song and as the music rang its final note, the crowd erupted into applause. The sound of it took Shin by surprise and he slowly relaxed down from the high of performing. He could look at the crowd now too and he realized they were so close. He could see colorful people, not so colorful people too. The audience was mostly female, but he caught sight of males too and that made him feel more comfortable. The fact that they could reach more than girls who liked a guy sweating in skin tight clothes was reassuring.

Shin smiled in the direction of a painfully colorful man he could see close to the stage. Kris then stepped forward with a mic held in his hand as a very different song start to play, a piano ballad with just a hint of bass and strings in the background. A strange transition, but it worked to pull people in well. Shin didn't have any solo lines though, so he zoned out in between the choruses and watched the crowd. He wondered if he stared hard enough if he would be able to remember any of the faces he saw if they came to a second concert. Or maybe he would recognize something though he had no idea who since he had no real friends anymore. Scanning was still better than doing nothing either way.

Char had his head pressed against the cool concrete pillar. How, how did people deal with this? If not the music, the civil-war pit below with people running into one another, no doubt stepping on toes and elbowing one another in the near-dark as all their attention was pressed in unison against a bouncy band of guys in skin-tight black clothes. Not that Char minded the style, even if it was a little exaggerated---but everything else was just a big cluster he couldn't unstick himself from, even from this distance.

He glanced up to Reese and found him waving now and again. No doubt his colorful appearance stuck out even among these people and the shining lights atop the stage. The metal bracelets on his wrists flashed with every movement, like a beacon. Char just shook his head, getting out his phone and checking his email from a spare wifi signal that seemed to reach inside. He had one new one, from Johnny. It seemed his book had gotten so much publicity from his media and journalist coverage a week ago that not only had two million more copies sold over that time, bookstores were having to order copies in bulk just to keep up with demand, and an independent publishing company was willing to expend a million dollars to take him.

For an instant the world died around him, and Char only heard the words in the email repeated in his head. A million...? And sales were higher than ever...? And response was so positive... He didn't realize that he'd closed the phone in his hand and was jumping in circles, breaking his normalcy in a cheering one-man party that couldn't be contained until he got outside. Years of making four-panel comics for the Times had finally fallen away in the recognition he'd always hoped for, always waited to hear about.