I truly believed that he could kiss with his fingertips because they were so delicate and gentle.

The way he played the guitar with his fingers made my heart pound so fast that I couldn't take it. Looking out the window, I saw the tree branches shaking from the wind and it reminded me of how my own heart felt.

The way the branches bent and shook helplessly against the wind… That was how I felt. How my heart reacted to him. Whenever I closed my eyes, I could see him, and whenever my eyes were open, my heart ached for him.

I was afraid he would disappear if I touched him, yet I couldn't help but want to feel him with my own hands.

Every time the wind blew outside, my heart pounded as well. I just couldn't help it.

His head was bowed down, revealing his long beautiful neck. He had gorgeous shoulders and long slim arms. He was wearing short sleeves and his skin was so pale that you could see the veins underneath popping whenever his fingers moved to play the guitar.

If my heart continued to pound like this, I was afraid I might die from a heart attack. I also feared that he might be able to hear my heart beating so loudly. How mortifying would that be?

Then suddenly, he looked up.

At me.

He opened his mouth... his beautiful lips...

And...

He called out my name. That was when I woke up from my dream.

It was just a dream?!

And the one who woke me up from this beautiful dream was that bastard!

How could he do this to me? Of all times!

"Right? If only I had a few more minutes in my dream, maybe I could've gotten a kiss from him… Or at least a hug, right? Just another 10 minutes... Or even 5 more minutes... If I woke up just a little bit later, I... If I only had a little more time with him in my dream… Damn it!"

We were in our classroom.

Many of her classmates surrounded Hyoyoung and were listening to her story intently.

This boy was her first love.

The love of her life.

In her 18 years of life, he was the very first person she ever loved.

And he was playing the guitar for her in her dream! In her room!

It was just the two of them. Alone.

And at the most important moment, HE woke her up. Her brother. He had ruined it. That bastard!

Hyoyoung was telling her classmates about her amazing dream when the school bell rang. It was time for the next class.

Hyoyoung's best friend, Mikyung, nodded and consoled her.

"All brothers are like that, they are annoying and frustrating. All brothers are useless. The only men we need in our lives are The M. Anyway, I am so jealous of you! Just to be able to see him in your dream… that is so amazing. I wish I had a dream like that."

At Mikyung's words, Hyoyoung smiled proudly.

"Yeah, you're right. And the dream felt so real..."

"Hey! Your face is turning red! Get your mind out of the gutter! You have such a dirty mind, Hyoyoung! You need to remember that our idols belong to all of us. They are for all of us to admire from afar. They are not to be possessed or monopolized by a single girl, remember?"

Hyoyoung nodded but she still couldn't stop thinking about the dream. Gosh, it felt so real...

She had turned 18 this year.

Hyoyoung was a perfectly normal, average grade 12 high school student. She was no one special or different. Unlike her older brother who got excellent grades and was talented in everything, including art, music, and sports, Hyoyoung was just an average student. Her grades were okay. She had an average athletic ability and she was not interested in dancing or music.

Her father was always busy and away for work and her mother had recently started a new business, which meant that she was rarely home. So most of the time, it was just her and her brother at home.

However, now that her brother was in university, she rarely saw her him either.

Especially during these last few months, her brother claimed that he had a school project he had to work on with his friends. He said he would stay with his friends until the work was done, so he rarely returned home.

After a long absence, he finally came back home two nights ago. He looked very tired and without saying a word, he dropped his gym bags and went to bed right away.

He slept for two days straight, and it was that morning when he suddenly woke her up.

From her beautiful dream.

She couldn't stop thinking about that dream because it was so awesome.

It felt so real like it really happened, and even during her class, Hyoyoung couldn't concentrate at all. She barely heard her teacher talking.

"Hey, class is over. Let's go home."

Hyoyoung didn't even realize that class was over. It was Mikyung who tapped her shoulder and woke her up from her daydream.

"I can see that you've been thinking about that dream all day today."

It was no wonder Mikyung was Hyoyoung's best friend. Just by looking at her face, Mikyung could tell what Hyoyoung was thinking about.

"I know, I know, but I can't help it. It was such an amazing dream. By the way, today is our idols' last show, right?"

"Yes. Their official promotion period is over after today. They will start preparing for their next album, which means that other than the odd appearances on the internet shows or fan club meetings, we won't get to see them much for a while. Why do you ask?"

"And their agency didn't give out any official announcements regarding this, right? Gosh, I hate their agency, they are always so secretive."

"It's because the CEO of the agency used to only have girl groups. And when he was managing the girl groups, there were a lot of problems he had to deal with. That's why he stopped dealing with them. He said he was sick of it and preferred managing boy bands."

"Wow. Just where did you get that kind of information?"

"A true fan would do thorough research on her favorite idols. You still haven't even gone to The M's agency building, have you? You should go there and befriend the security guards there. They can sometimes give you some juicy information on the group."

"Wow, I guess knowledge is power. So? Anything else I should know?"

"There is a rumor that the reason why The M ended its promotional period early is to protect the group members' privacy. They've already moved their dorm three times so far. I hear that all the members are very introverted and get stressed easily, that is why they finished the tour early and decided to take a short break. I heard that the agency is looking into getting them a new place to live and even a new and improved team."

"Does that mean that they will be getting new fashion and makeup staff? A new manager too?"

“Yeah. A whole new staff team for the group. Everything and everyone will be brand new and better!”

“But still… I wish the group would’ve done more tours and shows. If I knew they were going to end it so early, I would’ve been a better and more obsessed fan. This is the first idol group I ever fell in love with! I miss them already! Why did they have to go away so fast?”

“I think it’s their agency’s strategy. It’s to make the fans want even more. I mean the members always wear masks to hide their faces, right? I can’t stop imagining how gorgeous their faces must be. Sometimes, I can’t even sleep. I love Black M especially! Don’t you think he is the best? It is no wonder he is the leader of the group. He is so charismatic. Oh my god!”

“Black M is ok, but my favorite is Purple M. The way he dances… How his body moves… His body…!”

“Hey, you look and sound like a pervert! Stop!”

Hyoyoung and Mikyung walked out of the classroom and headed towards the bus station. It was a long walk, but the time passed by fast when they talked about their favorite idol group, The M.

The M.

It was a boy group consisting of four members. The M appeared out of nowhere three months ago and took the entertainment industry by storm.

The four members were all over 180 cm and had slim builds. However, the unique thing about this group was that the members never appeared on stage without face masks. This meant that no one knew who they were or what they really looked like, but their performances were so out of this world that The M’s popularity skyrocketed. They sang and danced astonishingly, attracting many fans.

Even their group’s name, The M, was a mystery. Some guessed that the letter “M” must represent “Mystery,” “Men,” or “Masks,” but no one really knew for sure and the group’s agency remained tight-lipped.

Despite having their faces covered at all times, the members’ charismatic performances were enough to place them at the top of the K-pop industry. The public’s curiosity increased day by day. The fans studied their bodies in an attempt to figure out who the members were; some claimed that they must’ve been one of the many boy groups from the past that never made it. Many fans showed stalker-like behaviors; the crazy fans were often found spying on the agency buildings with telescopes and cameras. People tried to find out who The M was, but the group’s agency was too good. The members never took their masks off in public and no one knew where they lived. Even though their dorm’s location was not known to anyone, it was rumored that their windows and doors must be all completely covered to protect their identities.

These facts only made the group appear even more mysterious, and the fans continued to go crazy.

One thing was certain, however, and it was that the members were amazing singers and dancers. They were the best in the industry.

Black M was the leader as well as the main vocalist, while Purple M was a sub-vocal and well-known for his dancing. Red M was responsible for rapping and also a great dancer, and Blue M was considered to be a genius musician who could play any instrument.

All of the members were excellent performers. All the other idol groups agreed on this fact and even they wondered who The M really was. Even the famous stars openly claimed to want to meet and see The M members, but the agency was adamant that they remain mysterious. They appeared in masks on every show, including talk shows.

Even the best tabloid couldn’t find out much about the group. The person who got closest was Ultra B, who created the dance choreography for The M, but even he stated that he has never seen the members’ faces.

“Umm… It was something I had never experienced before. The M’s agency CEO hired me to teach the members to dance and from the very first meeting, they were all wearing masks. I was so shocked…”

Ultra B also revealed other facts during the interview. He mentioned how relentless and tenacious The M members were.

“For girl groups, dieting is always one of the hardest things to do. I remember one group I used to train. The girls were only allowed to eat a few baby tomatoes per day and had to train dancing thirteen hours a day. They would do this for weeks to lose weight. The only snack they were allowed was iced americanos. They had to lose weight no matter what. This is similar for the boy groups too. A dance performance looks better when you have a slim body, so the boy group members also need to diet to achieve slim yet muscular bodies. The M members… Wow. I found their mental strength to be incredible. They would eat practically nothing and train vigorously. And despite this unbelievable hardship, they would never complain. I would see them sweating like their bodies were melting, but none of them would say a word about it. I wanted to see how far they would go, and incredibly, they trained twenty hours straight one day. They didn’t rest for a minute and I couldn’t believe it. I had to stop them because I was afraid they would collapse and die! They ended up going home at around 8 pm… And I expected them to eat like pigs, but you know what? They each had a cup of protein shake and started to work out. It was then that I knew that these boys would make it. No matter what they do in their lives, they will be successful. And I was right. They did become stars.”

Professional choreographer Ultra B’s interview took place soon after The M’s debut, right when the group was just beginning to be recognized. They were nicknamed ‘Super Rookies’ and the ‘Next Stars.’ After Ultra B’s interview, The M’s ability and hard-work began to be even more appreciated by everyone.

And only three months after their debut, The M’s album reached the top charts and broke many different records. Even without appearing on many tv shows, each member became very well-known quickly. On SNS and YouTube, The M’s videos were viewed in the millions immediately and they became well-recognized even internationally.

The M was at the peak of their popularity when the group decided to cut short their promotional period. This was a huge shock and a mystery to everyone. The M was the most beloved idol group in the country, so why did they suddenly decide to take a break?

Their agency didn’t say much. It released an official statement to all the broadcasting stations but didn’t include much information.

The announcement was released the next morning at 10 AM.

It stated that the group appreciated the love and support from the public. The members were very happy with the success of their first album, and they would return with their second album after a much-needed break.

The group was very popular and there weren’t any unsavory scandals that forced the members to retreat, so the public couldn’t believe the agency’s decision. The fans were especially disappointed.

The fans became very angry and started to attack the agency. They couldn’t accept the fact that they would not get to see the group for a long time. After numerous harsh complaints, the agency finally compromised and offered a solution. The M members would appear on an internet show from time to time as well as some fan meetings. Also, the agency promised that the group members would carry out an independent talk show in the future. It was not enough to satisfy the fans completely, but it was sufficient to sooth them for now.

Hyoyoung and Mikyung were one of those many disappointed fans.

Hyoyoung and Mikyung had been friends since junior high school they never had many things in common. In fact, they were the opposites of each other and maybe that was why they got along for so long. However, after five years, they finally found something in common. More specifically, someone to love.

They both fell in love with The M.

They talked about the group constantly. They exchanged information on the group and watched their videos together. Hyoyoung and Mikyung spent much more time together after that.

On their way back home from school, they again chatted about The M, and before they said goodbye, they decided on the next day’s schedule.

“Tomorrow, there is going to be a live internet show where the members will talk about the recent announcement. Let’s watch it together!”

“Sure, I’ll see you tomorrow at school.”