Author’s Notes: Italics for conversations in English.

September 2: 7:07am, Hayaley’s Home, Cheongpyeong

The sun peeking through the drapes wakes Jae Joong up. He sits up in bed and looks around. The room is quite sparse. Aside from the bed and nightstands, there are no other furniture in the room.

Last night, Hayaley had fallen asleep on the grass. Thinking her cold must have hit her hard, he had let her sleep. He thought about moving her but feared it might wake her up. Besides, it was a beautiful night to be out. He got himself another bottle of soju and sat down next to her. He checked his Twitter and Instagram accounts while she napped.

If the ground was more comfortable, Hayaley would have probably slept till morning but she started to feel cold and her back was hurting just enough to wake her from her nap. A soft moan from Hayaley caught Jae Joong’s attention. She winced as she tried to get up. He got to his feet and helped her to hers. “Are you okay?”

“My back hurts some.”

“Sorry, I should have moved you or woke you up.”

“It’s okay. My back is just sensitive.”

They cleaned up their dinner and the kitchen. Hayaley still looked uncomfortable but refused to let Jae Joong finish the clean-up by himself. They had sat down for more drinks after though he noticed she was just nursing the same glass of whiskey while he finished another bottle of soju. While it takes a lot more to get him drunk, he knew it was probably not wise to drive back to Seoul. He was going to call a driver but Hayaley told him that they don’t come out to Cheongpyeong especially at that time of night. He didn’t want to bother Ahn-Jjang so took Hayaley’s offer of sleeping over in one of the guest rooms.

He puts on his shirt and gets out of bed. The aroma wafting from the kitchen is making him hungry.  

“Good Morning!”

“Oh, good morning. I made breakfast.”

“Smells good.”

“Thai juk (rice porridge) with minced pork and egg.”

“I like Thai food.”

They sit down for breakfast at the kitchen counter. Like last night, they keep the conversation focused on work or on Jae Joong’s group of friends she met in Jeju. Both are aware that anything too personal is probably not wise.

Later that morning, Jae Joong gives Hayaley a ride back to Seoul. She had called Ji Hoon this morning to help her retrieve her car keys. In turn, she’s buying lunch and promises to spend the afternoon with him. Jae Joong had overheard their conversation. He cannot explain this uneasy feeling or the questions that keep popping into his mind: Why would her brother give Ji Hoon the car keys so easily? What are they doing together all afternoon? 

Jae Joong drops Hayaley off at an Italian restaurant in Gangnam and unwisely stays long enough to see her greet Ji Hoon with a hug and a big, happy smile. That made him peel out of the lot in a cloud of dust. He spends the rest of the afternoon brooding at home, trying unsuccessfully to focus on his music. Meanwhile, Hayaley is having a jovial time shopping for a dress with Ji Hoon.

Chris calls to meet for dinner since Yong Geun is in town. Jae Joong was hoping they would call Hayaley too. “But, of course, she may be too busy with Ji Hoon to bother,” he thought, so was pleasantly surprised to see her walk into the room…with no Ji Hoon!

It was Hayaley’s first time meeting Yong Geun but they click immediately. Jae Joong is surprised at how easily Hayaley has become friends with his close group of ‘brothers’ and how easily they have accepted her.

They enjoy a feast of sashimi and sushi, washed down with sake for everyone and green tea for Hayaley. Despite her resolution to not drink tonight, she finally gives in to their coaxing and asks for some whiskey. Feeling that they are pass the acquaintance stage, Gun Hyuk brings up Hayaley’s inappropriate use of banmal. “I’m pretty sure Chris-hyung is older than you. Why do you always just call him Chris?”

“I’m sorry,” she bows her head at Chris. “Having lived in the US most of my life, it’s been difficult to get use to the whole banmal and jondaemal speech. I try hard at work but outside of that,” she shrugs, “I just think friends should be able to express themselves much freely. I’m sorry if I offended any of you.”

“I don’t mind. You can continue to call me Chris. Gun Hyuk is the youngest here so you can continue to address him the same way.”

Yong Geun adds, “I can understand your situation Hyun Jin-shi. Many of my foreign friends find it hard too so I just let them call me Yong Geun.”

“Jae Joong-hyung?” Gun Hyuk turns to Jae Joong, hoping to get at least one supporter.

Jae Joong shrugs. “We’ve past that point anyway. No point in turning back.”

Yong Geun s