Jiyong wakes up, sun rays seeping through the gaps in the window blinds and piercing his eyes. Feet finally touching the cold floor, he walks over to his desk to turn off the air conditioner and goes out of the room.


The door to the balcony is opened and there stands a figure wearing his shirt. Short dark hair nudged around a little by the morning air, the figure stretches and finally turns around and meets his eyes. A grin blooms on her face as she walks over to him, puts her arms around his hips and kisses his cheeks.

“Good morning,” her voice is sweet in his ears.





Alongside other vehicles running to reach destination in time, he drives past stores getting ready to open up. He stops by the cafe a few blocks away from the company building and orders a coffee-to-go.


“Jiyong, I’m bored,” she says, sipping her vanilla latte.

“Then let’s go somewhere. Where do you want to go today?”

“Not that kind of bored. I need a change of scene,” she steals a glance over him and returns it to her cup, “how about… we go to Seoul? I want to be with you in your city, in my hometown, if I dare say.”

He sighs, “I told you it’s not that simple.”

“Please, I insist,” she puts her cup on the table, “and I don’t think it’s as complicated as you told me. Don’t you trust your fans?”





He opens the door to the building and feels a breeze contrast to the heat outside softly blowing over him. Wide computer screen greets him when he enters his studio, not a tiny studio, but not as spacious as most people believe either.


“Hi,” he greets through the phone, “I kind of made something for you, do you want to hear it?”

“Yes please,” her pretty voice answers, and he can imagine her in the hotel room dressing up and getting ready for the night. Nights are the only time they can go out.

He plays a song from his computer and puts his phone close enough to the speaker so it gets through.

“That’s nice,” she says after he stops the song, “I can’t wait to see you tonight.”





He drives his way home around, passing a row of clubs with colorful lights peeking from its windows.


She sips her champagne, her left elbow resting on the railing, looking at the people dancing inside the club.

He takes in the view in front of him and he can’t stop his hand from reaching to the side of her face. She responds to the touch by leaning her face on the hand. He puts her hair behind her ear and returns to caress her cheek.

“Kiko,” he calls her name.

“Hmm?”

“When you go home, don’t forget to bring the things you can only get in Korea.”

“Yeah, my stylist told me to buy ginseng and that beauty product what’s it--”

“I mean me,” he says, eyes staring at hers and a mischievous grin almost breaking from his lips.

She smiles, “yeah right, you have work this time around.”

He likes these moments. Lighthearted, but not lacking a thing.





He scrolls down the list of chat rooms on the instant messaging application. Opens one of the chat rooms located at the very bottom.

‘I still love you,’ he types.

He presses a button. The blinking vertical line swallows the letters one by one.

Puts his phone on the table as he stands up to get to the refrigerator and grabs a bottle he’s been too familiar with this past few months.


“I love you too,” she says after he mumbles the three words to her with his eyes half closed. Few strands of hair are falling from the side of her head, covering a little of her pretty face.

He opens his eyes. Surrounded by white, her black eyes and pink lips stand out to him. He lifts his head from the pillow and kisses her lips as the Seoul night gets threatened by the soon-to-be-approaching dawn.