A familiar face enters the convenience store.

"I'm hungry!" he blurts out as soon as he enters.

I don't care about his state of hunger, let's be honest. He appears tons better now since the first time we met when he was all bruised and bleeding. 

"Let me buy you some food," he offers from the other side of the store, browsing the numerous instant noodle cups available. "Do you have any favourites?"

"I already ate," I reply, showing him my empty cup of ramen beside me. 

He pays for his chosen ramen. He watches me as I take his cash and give him the receipt. 

"You look glowing," he compliments, taking the receipt I pass to him. 

I was complimented for the first time in six months by Yang CEO last night. Now he provides me with the second compliment and that's a record in itself! Two compliments in a row a few hours within each other? Goodness, that proper shower must have been long due!

He prepares his ramen and sits at the corner of the store. I observe him with interest. I didn't notice it before but he really is goodlooking. Not to mention, extremely well-dressed. He can't be a normal thug. Maybe a classy bad boy? I cringe at myself at the mention of that cliche. 

We don't speak, but he stays for far longer than required. I continue studying on the counter.

"I just want to be friends," he states and I jerk up from my seat. I did not realize him moving to stand beside me. "Hi."

"That's great," I say, closing my book to cover my doodling of Hanbin's name. "But I'm working."

He sits on the counter. I click my tongue in disapproval and he slides off it obediently. 

"I was trying to be cool," he admits, shrugging it off. "Hmm.. aha! What's your name?" He holds out his hand. I hesitate slightly and he immediately introduces himself, "I'm Jackson. Wang Jackson."

"Hi, Jang Youngmi," he says, reading my name off my book. 

"That's unfair..." I mutter, flipping the book over to its back. 

"You're making it hard. I just want to be friends," he emphasized, displaying his frustration. "What are you so scared about?"

"Do you really think it's wise for a girl to be friends with a guy who comes in bleeding and bruised on their first meeting?" I argue, trying to show him the reason I am being extremely reluctant. "Imagine your daughter going through that and she asks for your advice. What would you say?"

Obviously, he is defeated by my statement and agrees with me. "But," he points out, putting his palm out as if to ask me to wait a second before we conclude this conversation, "Don't be so quick to judge! It wasn't what you think it was."

"You mean you weren't bleeding?" I ask, wondering what he meant.

"I have a proper explanation for it," he says. "You'd regret jumping to conclusions for no reason."

"What is it, then?"

He is about to tell me! He wants to tell me yet he stops himself. 

"I can't tell you," he finally mumbles. In response, I groan in exasperation.

"You can't leave me hanging now!" He gives me a rueful look. "What - did you get beaten up? Were you being naughty to the boys in school? Are you a criminal?" I prod, curious.

He smiles and fixes his cap. Blonde hair! I didn't notice that before.

"I'm glad I got your attention now, but unfortunately, I can't tell you the reason. Let's talk about something else."

"Let's talk about what we did two nights ago," I urge, persistent. "I saw a guy come in here all battered up! Can you believe that?"

He shakes his head at my attempt to squeeze out the truth from him. "Why do you work so late?" he questions out of the blue.

"Why do you eat so late?" Eating ramen out at a convenience store at this hour isn't exactly convenient. 

"Isn't it dangerous?"

"Isn't it dangerous?" 

"Stop that," he says, irked. I stop. His phone rings and he rejects the call. "I've got to go. Stay safe." He still is annoyed with my mimicry so he doesn't turn around for a second look when he leaves. 

 ----

I gently rest my head on her arms, waiting for her to wake up.

Slowly, her fingers move to poke my eyes out of its socket. 

"Violence even at this state?" I mutter, pushing her fingers away softly. 

Her feeble laugh brings me joy but I sigh in sadness. I watch her find a comfortable lying position on the hospital bed.

"Munhee," I drawl while tears gather in my eyes. "Are you holding up okay?" 

"Cancer has been good to me," she says, petting my head. "How are you?" She hands me tissues. 

"Munhee ah... life's been treating me weird." Munhee is immune to my crying now. We've been through so much this past six months that tears are just key part of every meeting we have. It is hard not to cry thinking about our respective situations.

"What happened?" 

Should I even tell her? She's suffering from cancer and my problem consists of kind treatment by the CEO of YG! I feel guilty for even thinking about it as a problem. It isn't, is it?

"Nothing much," I lie and I remember I wanted to ask her something. "You remember those boys from WIN? That survival TV show by YG?" 

She giggles, shy. She grabs her phone and updates me on everything I need to know about them. 

She has always been such a big kpop fan, keeping up to date with all this new debuts every now and then. I am into music but not so much that I familiarize myself with everyone in the industry. Only the famous ones. I used to get my regular updates from her, but it stopped.

We already know about her cancer for quite awhile but it became severe around the same time my life changed as well. She always tells me that if she were in a better state, she'd save me from my misery. I appreciate her for that. Meanwhile, I can't do anything for her. One or two visits in a week is all I can offer her. I can't even make her laugh often because my personality has turned gloomy since that fateful night.

Though, something rare is currently happening. She's telling me about her new bias in a new group and I can't help feeling like old times. 

She stops suddenly when she realizes she's been dominating the conversation way too much. "Wait, what were you asking me?" she wonders, putting her index finger to her temple. 

"Nothing."

"Why did you ask me about them?" Her memory does not fail her.

"Just...curious."

She nudges my arm that I put my head onto. "What is it?! Tell me!"

"I was just curious," I repeat, trying my hardest to convince her.

"Did you-" Is she going to say what I think she's going to say? "-hear about them in school? Are they famous now?"

"Aah," I exhale in relief. If she had asked me if I had met them, I'd be in trouble. "Well, I don't know. Maybe."

"Haven't you been talking to others?" 

"It's too tiring, Munhee," I whine, rolling my eyes. "I can't listen to Rina complain about how her mother won't buy her another pair of heels for the thousandth time." You can see why I can't hang around with my other friends anymore. Their problems are too trivial. I can't be bothered listening to them. It gets me depressed. I'd rather spend time with people who are in the same state of desolation. As I previously said, it's awfully sadistic of me but it helps pull me through my own anguish. 

We laugh at the absurd life our spoilt friend was living. After we finish laughing though, we both admit that we are extremely jealous.

"I wish that was my problem," Munhee says, glancing at her surroundings. White walls. White bed. White tiles. White uniforms of doctors and nurses. "But no, God gave me cancer."

I want to put in my two cents too and complain about my life but I hold back. I always second guess my hardship when I'm with her. She's going through a tougher time, I convince myself. She doesn't deserve to hear me whining about my life.

"And you," she continues. "You got that..." Well, my situation needs a longer explanation than, for example, cancer. So I suppose I can settle with just 'that'.

"Youngmi, I have a request," she mutters and I start to freak out. 

"No, no, no, no," I say, not wanting to listen. Is this some sort of final request from her? "No, no, no!"

"It's not what you think!" she laughs out loud. "It's not that type of request. It's something weird."

"Weird?" I can work with weird. 

"Can you send me flowers as a gift? I want it delivered here."

I eye her suspiciously. "Side effects of dramas?" I ask, resisting the urge to mock her. I hear that she watches dramas a lot in her spare time now, being stuck in the hospital.

"Please," she begs. "I don't know who else to ask!" She is so corny. I will not say no to her though.

"I get it, lover girl."

----

After thinking about it, I actually feel sad at the idea of buying her flowers. Does she think that she will never have flowers delivered to her? Has she given up on the idea of receiving flowers from a loved one that she needs to plead for it? 

My chest tightens at the sad thought. 

I've been visiting flower shops around the area and I've concluded that I'm going to buy her an expensive bouquet! Only because the cheaper ones are ugly. She deserves a beautiful one for her first, at least. 

That means I need money. 

I've got nothing to do today after my visit to her place. Should I go to YG to rest? Can I even rest at YG? Or is it just a place to sleep at night between those fixed hours? This is my first weekend since YG invited me to sleep in their building. So many questions about how my life goes from here.

Maybe I can talk to Yang CEO about it and discuss my preferred time to work.

I gather my courage to visit the YG building in the morning and find myself hiding from fans waiting in front of the building.

Is there a back entrance? I can't get photographed entering there! Does it matter though? I'm pretty irrelevant - why would the fans bother?

The fans scream and I take a peek. A bunch of male figures enter the building, but I don't recognize them well.

I see a few people pass by and follow suit too, but no cheers come out from the fans. They're now looking away, texting on their phones. It's my chance! I slip in next to a stranger and walk beside him all the way inside. He gives me a look, but doesn't question me.

"Hi," I greet the front desk. "Is Yang CEO in today?"

It's the same woman who ushered me out last night. She looks at me and her expression darkens visibly. "Um, yes," she replies, tightlipped. I must be giving her nightmares from the way she's looking at me. "I'll inform his assistant you are dropping by."

"He's not busy or anything, right?" I ask, worried. I don't want to be intruding on a meeting with famous stars just to discuss about my pathetic life. "I can wait if he is."

"Yang CEO told me that anything that concerns you is important." He did? I am? 

I am about to walk towards the elevator when I realize that everybody who is anybody will take the elevator. I am not prepared to bump into 2NE1 in the elevator. So I take the stairs, but the people in this building apparently are big fans of the stairs! Everytime I hear footsteps coming from above or below, I wait outside the door of the stairway until they disappear. It happens at every level and I'm getting tired of avoiding.  Why does the CEO have to be on the top floor? An office at the ground level means you get to leave the building really quick if a fire ever occurs! In the end, I put a brave face and walk up without diverting. 

Almost reaching the top, a guy taking a phone call enters the stairway. 

"Why won't you talk to me?" he pleads to the receiving end. "Why won't you reply my text?"

I approach his level carefully and when he sees me, I turn around instinctively and walk back down.

"Gotta go," he hangs up. 

I start to speed up, trying to leave the area and he does an unexpected thing. He chases me! 

"Wait up!"

"I didn't hear anything!" I reply, giving him a quick smile. Catching a proper look at him now, I almost freeze. G-Dragon!!!!!!!!!!!

"Are you a fan?"

"No!" I shake my head. This isn't happening! Stop following me!

"Then stop or I'm calling security!" 

Okay. Calm down. I just panicked for no reason. 

"You have to stop too!" I yell, warning him not to come closer. 

He looks at me. At least, I think he is looking at me from behind his sunglasses. He could be staring at the wall behind me for all I know. 

"Who are you?" he finally asks after catching his breath. Not much of a runner huh. "Are you new?"

"I'm...a worker here," I lie. Not yet anyway. About to be. "Ignore me."

"Are you a trainee?" he inquires. 

"I'm flattered, but you're mistaken. I'm just a worker here. I must have surprised you just now. I'm sorry," I bow respectfully. "I'll be on my way then."

I sprint out into the corridor and into an elevator.

I see a flash of his hair as he stands in front of the closing elevator doors. What have I done?

----

"Yang CEO!" someone exclaims, entering his office. G-Dragon widens his eyes (I assume this because he is wearing his shades) when he realizes me sitting on the sofa. "You!"

"Jiyong ah, take a seat," Yang CEO says, pointing at the sofa opposite me. 

I didn't think he'd meet Yang CEO to talk about me. Thank goodness I explained everything to Yang CEO before he entered and Yang CEO just laughed at my antics. 

"Do you always avoid celebrities?" he asked, chuckling. "How are you going to work here with that kind of habit?"

Do I really get to see celebrities often? I thought it'd be a rare occurence. I mean, even they themselves don't meet each other often even when working in the same building, from what Munhee says. What are my chances then? 

"Who are you?" GD repeats his question with more composure. 

"Jiyong ah, she's just a new worker," Yang CEO quickly replies. "She told me what she overheard and I trust that she won't tell anyone."

GD doesn't take his eyes off me (again, I'm just guessing. Goodness, somebody please grab his sunglasses away!). 

"Why would a regular worker meet a CEO?" he whispers, barely audible. My senses are on a high though and I catch on to his words. Unlike Yang CEO, who did not notice anything. 

I can't refrain myself from mouthing pointedly to him, "YG family." 

He tilts his head, leaning backwards. After a few minutes of just silently watching me, he decides it is enough and takes his leave.

Yang CEO proudly smiles at me afterwards.

"Jiyongie is amazing," he compliments. "He's a genius." Hmmm irrelevant but sure. "He was such a small boy back then but now he's an adult." 

I don't try to hide my disinterest in this apparently nostalgic conversation Yang CEO is having with himself. He clears his throat when he notices me. "Um, well, I expect you to keep this between us?"

Keep the fact that he is a huge admirer of his moneymaker between us? Is it even supposed to be a secret? 

"He likes to keep his relationship private, so it'd be best you don't mention it to anybody," Yang CEO says seriously. "It's very important to comply to his wishes."

Oh, keep the phonecall a secret. "That's easy peasy," I say, giving him a 'trust me' look. "I've got no one to tell."

"Not even Jang Hanna?" 

Oh! I completely forgot about her. "Uh, yeah, sure." I haven't met her since that tearful reunion. I should probably see if her mental state is better now after finding me.

"I wanted to discuss about my job placement."

"Ah, yes!"