They stared at each other for a couple of seconds which seemed like hours in their time-space, realising the closeness between them they simultaneously retreated their hands and took the position of the first-grade students on their first day of school. To avoid looking at each other they chose to stare at the only person left in the room, Donghyuk, who was all smiles behind his face mask. They were retrieved from the awkward situation by the ring of her phone which she answered without checking the ID of the caller.

- ‘Hello!’ she answered more excited that she should have been about a phone call.

- ‘Aria, where are you?’ the voice of her manager was on the other end of the call.

- ‘Just around the company, why?’ she asked getting a bit worried by his sudden call.

- ‘YG wants you in his office as soon as possible.’

- ‘Why?’ her eyes got bigger at hearing the reason behind his call.

- ‘You will have to find out for yourself and let me know later.’

- ‘You don’t know?’

- ‘No.’

- ‘Okay, I will go there now.’

- ‘Call me right after.’

- ‘I will.’ the call ended with her staring at the wall for a couple of seconds. ‘I have to go, I will see you around later.’ She waved at the boys and exited the room not waiting for their response.

--

Her steps were getting heavier as she was heading to ‘the room on the top floor’, the way the CEO’s office was called between the employees and artists. The secretary indicated that she can go in, she knocked on the door two times and entered the spacious office, greeting with a bow the person behind the desk.

- ‘Hello!’

- ‘Hi, you are here.’ The CEO greeted her back ‘take a seat.’ was all he said and returned to his computer screen. She nervously took a seat on the couch, while holding her hands together on her lap her eyes were wandering everywhere beside the uncomfortable figure seating at the desk, the buildings outside of the big window on the left, the magazines with YG artists on their covers, the carefully arranged figurines all around the office. Her mind was desperately trying to figure out why is she seating in this room in this moment. YG joined her minutes later seating on the armchair beside the couch.

- ‘How are you lately?’

- ‘Good, thank you’ his question brought more unclarity to her made up reasons.

- ‘Did your promotions end well?’

- ‘Yes!’ a pause followed.

- ‘I heard you started to take more pills?’

- ‘I don’t.’ she answered with no hesitation, which was a confirmation for him that Aria is not lying.

- ‘I see. Are you feeling okay these days?’

- ‘Yes’ beside the usual nightmares which she kept for herself. ’Why are you asking?’

- ‘I was informed that you left this’ he took a bottle of pills from beneath the table in front of the sofa. ‘on the set of the latest recording.’

- ‘I…I…’ there was not a thing she could say.    

- ‘Will you start being more responsible?!’ he never raised his voice yet it offended her, as she was the only one at fault. ‘You said, you almost don’t take any pills anymore, then why do you carry them with you and more than that why do you forget them on the set of your recordings?’

- ‘I…I…’ she was holding her hands close together, her eyes never left the floor as if she was searching for an answer.

- ‘Just tell me the truth.’ She did not say a word. ‘Do you know how bad it would have been if this were discovered as yours. Will you be able to answer all the questions to why are you taking them? How could I allow you to debut with such a problem in the first place?!’ he did not mean the words said, yet they were needed for her to understand the seriousness of the situation.

- ‘I am sorry, I am really sorry.’

- ‘Besides I heard this is not the first time it happened, I let it go a couple of times as you covered it up with your manager.’ Her eyes grew bigger as he was speaking, she was surprised that he knew about everything. ‘How many do you take daily?’ he asked handing her the bottle. It took her a second to set apart all her emotions developed at that moment and answer clearly.

- ‘It depends. There are days when I don’t take them at all.’ She raised her head to look at the CEO, hoping that her statement will lessen his anger.

- ‘This doesn’t change much.’ She immediately retreated her gaze. ‘Be more careful from now on’ a pause followed and then he said, ‘you can go.’ She stood up as soon as those words reached her ears and bowed. She turned around and looked at the CEO before opening the door to leave.

- ‘I will make sure this never happens again.’ YG just looked at her and he saw the determination in her gaze, he only nodded and she disappeared behind the door.

 --

As she closed the door, she quickly hid the bottle he gave her into the pocket of her oversized h