Thank you for reading. I hope you are enjoying it!

Taec returned to the room where the other 2PM members where still seated with JYP and their manager. They shot him meaningful looks while waiting for JYP to finish speaking.

            “I would like it very much if there were no indiscretions at this get together tonight. Manager will be there, but I know you all are old enough to take care of yourselves. I know you’re young men who want the company of ladies…”

            “Is he giving us a talk?” Chansung asked to Nichkhun. The Thai Prince’s eyes were wide in shock at JYP’s words. The Jun Brothers exchanged uncomfortable looks and Wooyoung elbowed Taec in the stomach, whispering, “Listen well, he’s talking to you.”

            “Hyung, are you trying to give us a talk?” inquired Junho slowly, eyes darting around the room.

            Jin young-hyung adjusted the collar of his white shirt and shifted in his seat awkwardly. “Yes, sort of. I’m sure you all know the technicalities and that you were unable to date officially after you debuted. But you all have been doing such a good job with the new songs and with all the backlash of Jaebom leaving the group. And, so…I have decided to temporarily lift that ban--” There was a chorus of whoops and cheers at his words. Not to mention plenty of high-fives to go around. Junsu already had his phone whipped out, trying to decide which girl to contact first.

“However, be discreet about it, please. The Coldest dislike you enough, let’s not give a reason for Hottests to turn their backs. And remember; think of the girls you date and what this could mean to them.” He pushed his chair back and stood up. “I think that’s everything. Enjoy your dinner party and be smart about this. Don’t make me regret this.” He looked sternly at every member of 2PM. “I’m serious you guys.”

            “We’ll do our best to now disappoint you, hyung!” They all chorused and then excitedly leapt up. After high-fiving one another again, they bowed deeply and respectful while shouting happily, “Kahmsahmneida, Jin young-hyung!” And then popped up and yelled, “Saranghae!” JYP rolled his eyes at his talent as they blew him flirty kisses.

            At seven forty-five, Ha Neul had her hair done, her face made-up, but still did not know what to wear. Her suitcase lay open on her bed, and clothes from it were tossed around the room. Ha Neul looked down at two potential outfits. A dress might be too much for the night, she figured. So, she picked up the dress and tossed back into her suitcase. Ha Neul shrugged and pulled off her bathrobe and then yanked on a pair of dark denim shorts and a scoop-necked tank top. Ha Neul dug around in her suitcase for her pale blue cardigan. She found it just as there was a knock on her hotel room door.

            Running to the door, she pulled it open and then ran back to her suitcase. Taec waited patiently at the open door, unsure if he could come in or not.

            “C’mon in, I just have to get shoes!” Ha Neul called to him. The beastly idol took one giant step into the room and waited. He saw Ha Neul sitting on her bed, putting on socks. And he sat down beside her. As soon as she put on her shoes, she hopped up and went to the mirror. She frowned at her reflection and then pulled her hair up into a messy bun. She picked up a pair of pearl earrings and put them in her ears. Finally, she slipped on the cardigan and asked tentatively, “Is this outfit okay?”

            Taec straightened his posture and nodded quickly. “Yeah, yeah. You look way more casual than the other girls. I’m not sure why they’re so made up and dressed up like we’re going to a club and not our dorm.”

            Ha Neul was half tempted to change her outfit, but decided against it. I mean, it did not matter in the long run. Still, she looked down at her outfit, chewing on her bottom lip.

            The five other girls were arranged around the low table they had set up in the living room. Surprisingly, their dorm was spotless, well at least the areas the girls would see. They were talking awkwardly amongst themselves, having come from different places in America and Europe. Their only trait in common was that they were all models wherever they came from. And so, they expected the last girl to have the same willowy figure that they themselves had.

            “I heard that she just walked in and all the guys instantly liked her, so she got the job,” explained a girl with rich black shoulder length hair. Her name was Leila and she was of Pakistani descent from Chicago. Her eyes were intense and rimmed in black eyeliner making their hazel colour pop.

            “Really? Wow, she must be gorgeous then. Even a couple of them were unsure about me and I mean, have you seen me?” She pointed over her slim body and ran a hand through her long pale-brown hair. This was Anna from New York, the daughter of a Broadway producer. Her blue eyes were flashing around the table as if daring any of them to contradict her claim. The girl seated nearest to her, a blonde with classic features, rolled her eyes at Anna and what she was sure would become full-blown hysterics. Laura, that was her name, had encountered Anna at a few shows during fashion week in London, her hometown and had disliked her ever since.

            “Did you just roll your eyes at me? We all know that I’m their favourite,” she informed them loftily. “I am not like someone who had only two votes of favour from the guys,” Anna added, staring across the table curly-haired Maria, hailing from Spain. The girl in question pursed her lips at Anna’s words. She tucked a stray curl behind her ear and cleared .

            “And yet for all your beauty, you couldn’t manage to get one person’s approval,” she answered mildly. Her green eyes met Anna’s angry blue ones with a quirked eyebrow. The final girl, auburn-haired Madeleine, gasped in recollection.

            “Oh my golly,” she said laughing. “She’s right, Taecyeon didn’t like any of us, but if she got full marks then he must have liked her! By golly, Miss Anna, it seems you’ve been beat.” She winked a clear blue eye at Maria, who smiled in return. Madeleine hailed from Atlanta, Georgia with the accent to match.

           “And isn’t his favour the only one you wanted ever since you saw them live on MTV Iggy, right?” Lelia asked. “I’m curious how she looks. Nichkhun said she’s mixed, so she must be gorgeous.”

            At that, the door to the dorm opened and Taecyeon roared his victorious return with Ha Neul in tow. Anna was fuming at the realization he had personally gone to pick this girl up. Who was this girl anyway? The other girls were excited to meet the mysterious sixth girl and were waiting for her appearance in the living room.

            Taecyeon was talking to her loudly about the menu for dinner in Korean, and she was making appropriate responses at his enthusiasm. Finally, they appeared in the living room and the others were surprised at her appearance. She was not tall enough to be a runway model that much was for sure. She had to be a foot shorter than Taecyeon, who currently had a hand on her shoulder. She had a young face with big eyes and full lips, not model-esque at all. And her figure, she definitely was not a size 2 or 4 like the other girls, which was certainly a shock. Not to mention she was dressed very casually while the others had dressed up with the intention of going out after the dinner.

            “Hello. I am sorry I’m late. But, uhm, my name is Ha Neul. It is nice to meet you all…finally.” She spoke to them in unaccented English and smiled kindly. Leila hopped to her feet and went over to hug the Ha Neul.

            “You’re lovely,” she said in lieu of an introduction. Ha Neul was surprised at this affection and managed to awkwardly pat Leila’s back in return.

            “I’m Leila. Come sit down.” She looked back to Taec and narrowed her gaze. “You go help the other boys with dinner.” Leila pulled Ha Neul over to the table and sat her down in-between her and Maria.

            “Fine, I’ll go. But, save me a seat, Hanna.” Anna was now full-out glowering at Ha Neul, while the others were welcoming her warmly with quick introductions.

            “I feel really out of place,” Ha Neul whispered to Leila and Maria while the other three were in conversation.

            “Why is that?” inquired Maria, placing a comforting hand on her own.

            “Well, it’s not you all. You’re way nicer than I expected and just as pretty as I thought. It’s the guys…” Ha Neul trailed off and lowered her voice, causing the two girls to lean in closer to hear.

            “With a Korean mom, I have always been caught up in Korean pop culture. And so, naturally, I became a huge fan of 2PM when they debuted and even with the Jaebom debacle. And then they came out with ‘Heart Beat’ and I was in love, well fan-love…not crazed though. Anyway, I came to Seoul on a whim…two days ago and now here I am sitting in the dorm I had only seen on youtube videos. And the resident beast of 2PM picked me up from my hotel room. It’s so twilight zone for me.”

            “I had not really heard of them before I auditioned, to be honest,” admitted Leila, while Maria nodded in agreement.

            “It just pays well,” added the latter.

            “Anna’s a big Taec fan too,” commented the Pakistani girl lowly. Ha Neul looked up across the table to find that Anna’s eyes were already on her, staring boldly.

            “Are you a member of the fan café?” Anna queried archly. Ha Neul shook her head while Anna launched a series of questions about her level of fanaticism. Ha Neul coolly answered ‘no’ to whether she had memorabilia, been to concerts, et cetera. Anna straightened her posture and smirked triumphantly.

            “It’s so painfully obvious that I am a bigger fan than you.”

            “Uhm, congratulations on being crazy?” answered Ha Neul. Anna narrowed her eyes until her pupils weren’t visible. She opened to retort, but the boys had come in carrying plates of food. Taec quickly claimed a spot by Ha Neul, placing down the plates he carried in front of them, one full of mandu and the other full of kimchi.  He winked at her as he settled into his seat.

            Wooyoung sat in-between Maria and Ha Neul, instantly turning to the Spanish girl and striking up a halting conversation in Korean and English. Nichkhun greeted Leila and sat on her other side, leaving him at the end of the table. Anna had moved her seat, so she was across from Taec and she was preening to get his attention. Junsu claimed a seat near Madeline, joking about her Southern accent. She nudged him playfully, mocking his own accent. Junho saw he had a choice between Anna and Laura and quickly claimed a seat by the pretty blonde, who welcomed him with a smile. Chansung rolled his eyes and sunk into his seat beside Anna.

            The brunette turned in her seat and acknowledged him with a level look. Chansung looked across the table to Ha Neul who made a face at the girl. He laughed loudly and Anne glanced at him.

            “What’s so funny?”

            “Nothing, nuna. Gah, I’m so hungry. Can we eat now?” he inquired petulantly, poising his chopsticks over a plate of grilled meat, still steaming from the grill.

            “You’re a nuna to him?” Ha Neul asked Anna. The girl smiled sweetly and nodded, a complete turn from her previous glares and scowls.

            “Yes, Ha Neul, I’m 22. I’m everyone’s nuna.”

            “Wow, really? What about everyone else?” They all answered between mouthfuls and Ha Neul gathered that basically they were older than all of the guys except for Junsu, who was now the resident grandpa.

            “I take it you are younger?” Laura spoke up, her British voice cutting through the noise.

            “I just turned 20,” she admitted. The other girls gasped in surprise.

            “She’s a child,” exclaimed Madeleine.

            “It’s like having a little sister now,” agreed Maria.

            “It’s not that much younger,” protested Ha Neul, chewing forlornly on piece of kimchi. 

            “But guys like younger girls, Hanna,” Taec insisted, shooting her a warm look. “I know I do.”

            Wooyoung rolled his eyes at his hyung’s obvious attraction to poor Ha Neul, who looked entirely out of place and confused at his doting. She did manage a smile at him and mumbled, “You’re so silly, oppa.”

            Laura looked on in amusement when all the boys near fainted at her use of the word. As a British woman, she would never understand the job a Korean man got at hearing a cute girl use the word “oppa.” Taec fanned himself with a napkin. Laura could see that Ha Neul was Taec’s favourite girl out of the bunch. She could understand why since Ha Neul seemed very honest and friendly, which was valued by those who lived so in the public view. Her beauty was quite unconventional, especially among a group of girls who were models. But she didn’t get lost in everyone’s model looks. She was the last pick and they had all agreed. Laura’s eyes trailed down Ha Neul’s body. It had to be her impressive bosom. On that she had them beat. Laura herself instantly liked Ha Neul because Anna so disliked her and she herself was so different from what they expected.

            “Ha Neul, what’s my name?” Chansung asked excitedly pointing to himself.

            “Chansung…oppa.” The boys all shouted excitedly at her reply.

            “Omo, that’s so nice to hear,” he gushed, laying a hand to his forehead.

            “Here, Hanna, try this. I made it.” Taec placed a piece of kimbap in her bowl of rice.

            “Is it safe?” she asked with a laugh.

            “Waaah, I’m a good cook. My umma taught me!”

            “Yeah, he’s actually not bad,” Junho said, munching happily on some kimbap.

            “I want to try some, Taecyeon,” announced Anna, reaching out her bowl towards him. She raised her eyebrows at him. Leila rolled her eyes as the New York brunette pushed her chest forward.

            “Uh, okay.” He reached over and placed one in her bowl. “Here ya go.”

           “Thank you so much. I’m sure it’s fantastic!” She then proceeded to make a big show of swallowing it whole, while making delighted noises and praising it. “Oh wow, Taec, this is delicious!” But he had ceased paying attention to her and had turned to Ha Neul.

            “Do you like it?”

            “Surprisingly, it’s really good. Of course, it is hard to mess up on kimbap,” she good-naturedly. “Is there anything to drink?”

            “Yes, there is,” Nichkhun interrupted since he was closest to the kitchen. He rose to his feet and looked to the rest of the group. “We have beer, tea, water, soda, milk…uhm, I’m unsure what else.” His job was made easier by everyone chorusing that they wanted beer.

            “Make the maknaes get it, Khun. That’s what they’re here for,” Junsu told him, gesturing for him to sit down. Ha Neul did not miss the plural and looked at Chansung. He shot her a “welcome to my life” look. The two hopped up and went to the kitchen. It was a mess since no one had cleaned up after fixing dinner. Chansung wrenched the fridge open and pulled out four six packs of beer. He looked at Ha Neul’s empty hands and handed over two for her to carry. She took them, shifting them in her arms and then spun to enter back into the living room. She set one in front of Taec and the other in front of Junsu. Then she sat down while Chansung distributed the other two packs at the other end of the table.

            And so, as with most alcohol-fueled events, everyone finished their meals and talked convivially together, enjoying the new conversation and getting to know each other better. Each girl and each member of 2PM had picked their favourite of the opposite . Laura was getting along very well with Junho and Leila with Nichkhun. Madeleine however found Wooyoung’s jokey personality more her style than Junsu’s smooth talking ways, while Maria found them very intriguing. The two even opted to switch seats after their first beer. Anna was vainly trying to get Taec’s attention, which was still ostensibly stuck on Ha Neul. And so she and Chansung had vague conversation about the weather and New York.

            When it was near ten thirty, Anna asked aloud when they would be heading to the club. The girls echoed her concern, needing to freshen up beforehand.

            “Club? I didn’t know we were going to a club.” She looked over her outfit and then back at Taec. “You didn’t say we were going to a club!” Ha Neul groaned turning to Taec. He shrugged his broad shoulders, holding up his hands in defeat.

            “Sorry, Hanna. I totally forgot about it. Your hotel is right down the road though. You can change before we go. I’ll even walk you there.”

            Leila placed a hand on Taec’s shoulder, drawing their attention to her. “No, no. We’ll run over there and Maria and I will get her fixed up fine. Then we’ll meet you downstairs to head out.”

            “I can’t come?” Maria, Leila and Ha Neul shook their head in the negative and Taec pouted. Within seconds they were gone and the rest of the crew continued their drinking.