CH 24: October 23, 2013

“Hyerin, please!” I perched on her bed, my legs splayed out beneath me, hands wrapped together to prove my begging.

“I don't want to!” Her yell was muffled in her pillow. “Lani, I'm so tired. We flew to Tokyo, had a five hour practice, and you want to go out and explore at one in the morning? Are you on drugs?”

My spirits dropped at her shriek, and I pouted and slumped down on the corner of her bed. “Not drugs,” I replied weakly, “only caffeine.” Silence followed my small reply, before Hyerin sat up with a sigh.

“Lani,” she started, “any other day I would, you know I would. But, I’m really tired. Ask Emika, aegi, she’s even Japanese.”

“Emika’s parents came down from Osaka, they’re staying together in another hotel.”

Hyerin bit her lip before speaking again. “I don’t know what else. You can go alone, right?”

My pout became even more apparent. “Yeah, but…”

“No buts,” Hyerin said victoriously, flopping back down, “go by yourself, tell me about it in the morning.” She tossed over, burying her face in the hotel’s fluffy pillow. “Good night!” I sat on her bed for a minute, silently, before I got up and donned my adventure clothes.

The energy drink I had mixed with my coffee didn’t let me sleep. My eyelids weren’t at all droopy, and my body was buzzing with energy, even after, as Hyerin had said, five hours of rehearsal.

I left mine and Hyerin’s shared hotel room quietly, trying to be sure not to wake up the now sleeping girl. My back was to the hall as I exited with timid steps.

“What are you doing?” The voice came from behind me, and I jumped about a mile, started by the unexpected sound.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol burst into laughter at my reaction, both of them doubling over.

“Yah!” I yelled at them lamely, a hand over my heart in emphasis of my surprise. “Why would you do that!”

Baekhyun wiped a fake tear from his eye as their laughter faded with the jump of my blood pressure.

“Ah, that was funny,” Chanyeol let out one last giggle as he straightened up. I scowled at him.

“What are you doing, though?” Baekhyun asked, a grin still on his face.

“Something.”

“Wow, specific,” the shorter boy rolled his eyes.

“I’m going out, exploring.”

“You’re going out?” Chanyeol repeated. His eyebrows furrowed at the notion and his eyes adopted a bewildered look. “With who?”

“Myself,” I answered him, rolling my shoulders, “chill, oppa.” He did seem to relax at my words.

“I’m just asking,” he defended.

“Of course,” Baekhyun grinned, with the hint that he knew something I didn’t. “What?” He shifted to a play-defensive tone as Chanyeol glared down at him.

I left that alone as couple’s banter (we all know about Chanbaek, please), and instead asked them the same thing they asked me. “What are you guys doing?”

“We got snacks from the store in the lobby.” Chanyeol held up chips and candy in his hands as evidence.

“Ah,” I said in understanding. “Okay, well, I guess I’m gonna go now, have fun with your food.” I gave them a salute with two fingers and adjusted the black backpack on my shoulders. I flashed them a v-sign (peace sign!) and began to turn around.

“Wait, wait,” Chanyeol called. “The elevators the other way.”

I rolled my eyes at him and scoffed. “Yeah, well, I knew that,” I shook my head at the taller boy. “God, oppa, understand these things.” He held his hands in mock surrender, moving aside to give me way. As I walked away, I heard the two boys hiss to each other indistinctively. The sound of a scuffle made me turn around. Baekhyun glared at the taller boy, who scowled at him.

“Are you guys okay?”

“Yeah, fine,” Baekhyun waved me off and I narrowed my eyes at the stiffness of it.

“Hey, Lani-ah,” Chanyeol called out hesitantly, “do you want company?”

“Hm?” I the straps of my backpack as I cocked my head.

“Tokyo is a big place, y’know, a lot of people,” Chanyeol gestured with his hands and I shifted my weight to my other leg, “it’s probably not very safe for one person alone.”

I let out a fake laugh, defensive. “What, because I’m a girl?” Chanyeol rolled his eyes.

“No, because you’re 169 centimeters and weigh about 50 kilograms soaking wet.”

I let out an “oh” at his logic, and my bottom lip into my mouth thoughtfully. Chanyeol was cool enough to have on an expedition like this, right? Of course, my first pick from the boys to take with me would be Jongdae, second would be Junmyeon probably, but Chanyeol was somewhere up t