A soft knock on the door stole a short startle and a quick smile from her. Without a haste she walked to it, grabbed its knob and opened in one calm move: her smile faded even though she struggled to keep it up.

„What’s the matter, Vlad?” she bent over to reach the little boy’s height.

„Teacher Mariana said to come down as fast as you can” the brown haired child spoke quickly.

„Why? Is anything wrong?” she totally forgot about the visitor she was waiting for and she grabbed her coat following the boy down stairs.

***

„Hyung, running away again?” Daesung froze in place when he came back from the kitchen with a couple of hot-steamy mugs.

„I’ll be right, back. I promise!” Seunghyun said pushing down the door’s knob in one move. He wasn’t reallt upsed that he’d been caught but more of the late hour he’d woke up. He should’ve already been at her dorr for.. his treatment (that’s the way he decided he’ll answer when they’ll ask him where does he go every morning).

„But, hyung! In one hour we’ll be leaving for the studio!” Daesung yelled, quickly putting the mughs on the table.

be there!” Seunghyun answered throught anoter shout then he quickly slammed the door before Daesung could reach him.

She placed it on the small table in the room, then stared at the clock – it was about the time for Seunghyun to appear. A soft knock on the door stole a short startle and a quick smile from her. Without a haste she walked to it, grabbed its knob and opened in one calm move: her smile faded even though she struggled to keep it up.

„What’s the matter, Vlad?” she bent over to reach the little boy’s height.

„Teacher Mariana said to come down as fast as you can” the brown haired child spoke quickly.

„Why? Is anything wrong?” she totally forgot about the visitor she was waiting for and she grabbed her coat following the boy down stairs.

***

„Hyung, running away again?” Daesung froze in place when he came back from the kitchen with a couple of hot-steamy mugs.

„I’ll be right, back. I promise!” Seunghyun said pushing down the door’s knob in one move. He wasn’t reallt upsed that he’d been caught but more of the late hour he’d woke up. He should’ve already been at her dorr for.. his treatment (that’s the way he decided he’ll answer when they’ll ask him where does he go every morning).

„But, hyung! In one hour we’ll be leaving for the studio!” Daesung yelled, quickly putting the mughs on the table.

„I’ll be there!” Seunghyun answered throught anoter shout then he quickly slammed the door before Daesung could reach him.

***

„But.. he will be ok... right?” teacher Mariana tried to use the English words one at the time to make sure that the lady in the white robe understood her.

„Of course, he will!” the young doctor answered in a much more perfect English accent than hers. „It’s just that you’ll have to come to get the shots twice a day since you don’t want to check him in”, she smiled seeing the embarament on teacher Marian’s face.

Liana hid her face in little’s Mark hair to pretend she was cheering him on while he was brave enough to not even cry when the smiling doctor stung his arm, but she was acually hiding her smile too. „Jeongmal gamsahabnida*” she said adding a little more frustation to poor Mariana’s face.

The young doctress smiled and bowed politely when Liana did the same.

***

Seunghyun took a deep breath and stopped his steps when he reached the grey door. He exhaled a little louder and knocked. This was the first meeting after the „Chum TOP incident”; he had no idea what he was supposed to say or do, he just knwe he had to see her face today. He already knocked the door six times but there was no answer from inside.

‚She could still be mad on me?’ he thought for a brief second then rolled the knob. ‚...or she might actually not be at home...’ he concluded afterwards. He discreetly glued his ear on the door and knocked again but the buzz in his pocket made him to freneticlay grab the cell phone and answer in a glance, without even checkinh ob the caller’s ID. Just when Ji yong’s voce snapped at him, he realised it couldn’t be Liana since they never exchaned phone numbers.

„Oh, Jiyong-gi...” he said quite disappointed. „Yes, i’ll be right there...” he answered so low that he made the speaker on the other side too to melt in an instance.

‚Hyung...’ Jiyong used a soft voice ‚... where are you now?’

„Um...” Seunghyung tried a little to remember the name „...Itaewon Crown” he finally answered.

‚Ita... Wae**... What are you doing in there?’Ji asked surprised.

„...Basically nothing...” Senghyun found himself answering, but quickly regained composture and mumbled quickly: „Come take me so we won’t be late!”

Without waiting for an answer he tured off his phone. He knocked again on the grey door.

‚I wonder if everything’s allright...’ he stared at the door.

„Noona, if you’re in there i’ll be back a little later, ok? Whait for me!” he mostly whispered at the door after knocking again.

***

„But he’ll be ok, right?” teacher Michaela asked and Liana involuntarly smiled recalling Mariana’s funny voice from this moring.

„What? Why are you smiling?”

„No, nothing...” Liana shook her hand. „Yes, Mark’s ok, but we’ll just have to take him to the hospital to get his treatment twice a day and he’s not allowed into collectivity for the next week”.

„This leaves us one man short...” teacher Michaela interfered.

Liana was about to start talking again, but the older teacher cut her off again:

„Oh well, we’ll manage for the next days. We’ll just have to take turns in watching over both of the classes...” she said sipping for her cup of coffee.

„Yes...” Liana absent-mindedly answered. She wasn’t even paying attention to the older teacher, nor the kids playing around them, all day she only thought about „Choom TOP” trying to find the reason for why he didn’t showed up this morning. In the few hours she got to spend alone she dug up about him on the internet and the more she found out about him, the more he got stuck in her head and soul.

„’Teach!!” a squeaky voice startled her all of a sudden.

„Yes, Luisa?” she took a deep breath and calmed down her hear with her hand.

„Wanna come play with us?” the girl asked grabbing her coat.

„Mmm?...” Liana involuntarily said when something caught her eye. She quickly stood up to take a better look at the familiar looking car across the street. Well… she was certain that she never saw that car before but somehow it really had something familiar to it. All of a sudden her memory brought back a rainy day and her steps begun gaining sound as she absent minded walked towards the church she first admitted her crush on him. Her eyes widened when she realized it was the same car from that night, which she didn’t even cared to bother by. She quickly took a step forward when she recognized Seunghyun in the passenger seat. But the little kid misunderstood her reaction, and believing that she chose to play with them, she grabbed her by the hand to drag her to their game.

‘Why is HE here?’ she kept on asking on herself. ‘Did he…’ she felt ashamed that she thought he maybe came for her and quickly shook her head, following little Luisa.

Seunghyun also spotted her and was about to smile from one ear to another when her eyes met his, but when she was dragged away he glued his hand on the car’s window, startling Jiyong.

“What? What’s wrong?” Ji asked looking around in a flash but Seunghyun wouldn’t hear him.

‘Is she really angry?’ he thought seeing her shaking her head. ‘Why are eyes so red?’ ‘Is she angry because I was so late today?’ ‘Maybe she talked again with her…’ he meant to say husband but he preferred to pretend he did not know for sure if there was indeed a husband or just… something else related to a family… ‘But… did she cry?’ the questions kept coming one after the other, making his head too busy to even hear his friend.

“Yah, hyung! Do you even hear me?” Jiyong rebelled when he reached the fourth ‘are you ok? What happened’ questions.

“Oh?” Seunghyun finally snapped out of it when Liana turned into one tiny little spot.

“Is there anything wrong?” Ji roughed his words.

“No. why?” Seunghyun answered almost sincerely, looking for his cigarette pack.

“I just asked about the thing I gave you last night to read” Ji lied noticing the shaky cigarette between his older friend’s fingers. “Did you like it?” he turned to stare him in the eyes.

“Last night?” Seunghyun avoided his gaze by lightning up the cigar while he tried to quickly rewind everything he’d done last night.

“You have no idea what I’m talking about, have you?” Ji smiled turning his eyes away.

“I really don’t” Seunghyun shyly admitted.

"May i ask you something?" Ji asked in a glance.

"Mhm..." Seunghyun answered smoking his cigar.

"That night... where have you been?" ..."when you got drunk" he felt the need to add since his friend wasn`t answering.

"No matter how much i try... i always end up in there.... in front of her door..." Seunghyun spoke as if he didn` even herd Ji`s questions.

"Aigoo..." ji muttered "I don` t know whether to get worried or congratulate you..."

"Neither do I..." Seunghyun sighed lighting up the second cigar.

“I was about to ask if you are ok, but I changed my mind” Ji smiled making an U-turn with the steering wheel. “I’ll just let you know that if you need something, I’m here. You know that, right?” he smiled widely, looking for Seunghyun eyes after he stopped the car.

“I know” he answered with a fade smile.

“We’ll focus on the sad parts today. It’s that ok?” Ji opened the front door of the glass building.

“No, need, I’ll give you my best…” Seunghyun kept the same smile while signaling to his younger friend to step inside.

***

It was just a little past six o’clock, but the entire Seoul was already sunk into a beautiful darkness mystified by the yellow lights surrounding it.

Jiyong pressed his finger on the on/off key.

“So far so good!” he joyfully yawned stretching his hands in the air.

“ Gomapseumnida**, hyung!” the youngster Seunguri answered the first.

Seunghyun gazed at him fost a brief second almost laughing for himself since the praise words were for him, but then his eyes were drawn away by the city lioghts outside the big window. He took a very discreet breath but it was imposible to hide from Jiyong.

“You’re not taking a break, hyung?” he startled him.

“Mhm… I wish I could…” he dug his hands deep in his pockets.

“Just for the next couple of hours, ok?” Ji mostly whispered and winked at him.

“Ok, thanks buddy!” he was quick on grabbing his coat and ignoring the others looks.

“H…hyung… Where are you going?”

“Are you leaving?”

“What are you doing?” were all the questions he dodged.

“Where is he leaving?” again, the youngest of them interfered looking for Ji’s eyes.

“He just had an emergency” Ji smiled a little worried. He quickly shook his head as in ‘not my problem’ and snapped at the other boys, laughing: “What you’re staring at? You think we’re done here? It’s merely 6.30, let’s get back to work! Dae-ah, your next! Kiddo, learn this part here!...” he started assigning jobs for everyone around.

***

"Ssst!" Squeaky whispered voices made Liana smile from time to time. She was blindfolded and she was trying to catch at least one of the giggling little "monsters" (as she named them just now). It must`ve been the tenth time she was wearing that scarf on her eyes even though her mind really wished it could get busy with something else. She kept on smiling but at a certain level she was grateful that it covered her eyes since she really did not wanted to see anyone today.

"Thank you!" Seunghyun quickly paid the taxi driver and got out of the car. He headed straight to the main entrance of the hotel but some laughter and whispers made him stop in place. He followed the noise and in just a few steps he reached a summer terrace where the kids were playing. He smiled and hurried a little. He actually found it really helpful that she had her eyes covered - this way he could get really close to her before she`d reject him.

"Ohh! Look! It`s the..." Luisa said but Seunghyun quickly shushed her, smiling. The little girl understood that ‘mr. officer’ was about to surprise Liana and she quickly turned towards her colleagues signaling everyone to hold their mouths.

"Oh, Lord…” Mariana’s only thought widened her eyes when the same perfume she smelled back that day in Liana’s bathroom took over her nostrils. She inhaled deep once again to make sure she wasn’t confusing or imagining thing, but even the soft fragrance of expensive cigar was exactly the same like the one in the bathroom, and right now it was passing by her really nonchalantly.

___________________

** ”Thank you” in a polite form