Would you like your transcript?” the secretary, Miss Yoon, asked Hae Rin.

Hae Rin shook her head. “No, thank you,” she replied with a bitter frown. “I better go.” She turned around to see Key, Minho and Boo Yee looking at her. She blinked, surprised to see the three of them there. She was actually hoping she would be able to leave without them finding out.

“You’re leaving? Waeyo?” Boo Yee demanded to know, fighting back tears as horror gripped her heart. Her best friend is leaving? Waeyo? “Why didn’t you tell me?”

She walked up to them, wondering what she should tell them. “Well, um . . . I need to get a job,” she said lamely. “My dad abandoned Jonghyun Oppa and me. I have to find a job to help Jonghyun Oppa.”

“Who’s Jonghyun?” Key asked, jealous.

“My . . . big brother. . . .” Hae Rin shuddered, remembering what happened the night before. She still could not get the image out of her head. It brought a sickening feeling in her stomach and every time she thinks of it, she felt like she wanted to vomit.

“He doesn’t school?” Minho asked, frowning.

She shook her head. “He dropped out of college last year,” she explained and he nodded. “He’s a year older than you, I think. I – I better get going.” She was about to walk past them when Key put a hand on her shoulder.

“Jakkuman.”

She winced, scared. Was he going to harm her, just like her brother did?

He noticed her flinch. “Mianhae.” He took his hand off her and awkwardly placed it back to his sides. “Um, I just wanted to ask about the concert. I’m picking all of you at Boo Yee’s house,” he said.

Hae Rin’s heart drop, realizing she won’t be able to have time for herself and fun anymore. She would be too busy doing . . . she do not even want to think. “I can’t go,” she said sadly. “I’ve got other plans. I’m sorry, Key.” She left before they could say another word.

“What’s with her?” Minho asked.

“I don’t know,” Boo Yee replied helplessly and Minho pulled her in for a hug.

“I really wanted her to come,” Key said, sadly.

Three weeks later, at school, Minho and Boo Yee were still dating, Key was still single and Hae Rin was well off as a e.

The three of them were walking down the hall when some random dude walked past them, talking loudly to his friend. “Dude, I didn’t think she was Hae Rin, but damn. She’s hot! Look!” He took out his cell phone and showed a video to his friend.

Boo Yee’s ears pricked at “Hae Rin”. She turned to Minho, nudging him a little. “Go talk to them,” she said. Maybe they know something about her.

Minho nodded and walked briskly to the jocks. “Hey,” he said. “Who’s the chick, guys?” He gestured to the girl dancing in the video.

“Choi Minho,” one of them said, shaking his head in disbelief, “you’ve been hanging around with this girl and you don’t know who she is?” he asked incredulously, his eyes wide, obviously drunk from drinking too much the night before. His words were slurred a bit too.

“Huh?” he frowned in confusion.

“Well, last night,” he went on, oblivious to his confusion and that goes to his friend as well, “we went to this gentlemen’s club and bam!” He clapped his hand, making Minho jump in surprise at the sudden noise. “Hae Rin comes out only in a skimpy thong and a y bra with glitters on it.”

Minho looked at the video as it zoomed to the girl’s face. “It’s . . .” He gasped. “Hae Rin!” He looked up, bubbles of excitement at the thought that he knew he could find her. But then it was replaced with sick horror as he realized what she had been doing all this time. “Guys, where is this club?”

“Near that bistro just five minutes’ walk from here or something,” the jock replied.

Oh damn, not that place.

“Kamsahamnida.” Minho ran back to Boo Yee and Key as fast as he could. “Guys,” he called out to them, panting. He tried to remain calm. “I found out where Hae Rin works. . . .”

“Where?!” Key asked.

He shook his head. “S – She’s a e at a Gentlemen’s Club. . . .”

“Bwoh?!” both Key and Boo Yee screeched. They couldn’t believe it! No way! That’s uncalled for!

“She was on the video the two jocks were watching,” Minho explained, gesturing to the hallway the two jocks had gone to. “I saw her face. It was her. There is no mistake.”

“But why?” Key was devastated. “A e?”

“We have to get her!” Boo Yee cried.

They looked at each other in silence for a moment. Then they ran.

Later in the evening, at the club, Hae Rin was out, doing her job.

“Yeah, baby, show me some of that!!” He tucked a dollar bill into her black-and-red lacy bra.

“Hae Rin!” Her boss shouted. “Come here! You’ve got a customer!”

Hae Rin got off the stage and went over to her boss. “Neh?”

“You’ve got a customer in Room Two,” he said, pointing to a room with a green colored door.

“Okay.” She walked to the door. “Sir?”

The guy turned around and walked up to her. “You’re Kim Hae Rin, right?”

She nodded. “Yes, why?”

He took off his jacket and put it on her. “I’m Choi Jin, Key’s manager. I’m taking you out of this place.”

Hae Rin stepped back. “I can’t; my brother will hurt me if I leave, especially now.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Mr. Choi.”

“I’m getting you out of here,” Mr. Choi repeated firmly, not going to take 'no' for an answer. “You’re too young to be working here. Please, Hae Rin.”

She hesitated. “Okay,” she said finally.

“I’ll be right back,” he said and walked outside for a while before returning back with her boss behind him.

“Hae Rin, this man is going to take you for tonight,” her boss explained, “but you better be back tomorrow . . . or else.” He left the threat hanging.

But she knew what that meant. “Yes, sir," she replied weakly.

Mr. Choi took Hae Rin’s hand and walked out of the club and into a black suburban. “Are you all right, Hae Rin-sshi?” he asked gently.

She nodded. “Y – Yes. . . .”

Boo Yee emerged from the back. “Hae Rin!” She hugged her best friend.

“Boo Yee! Omo, I don’t believe this.” Hae Rin hugged her back tightly and saw Key and Minho beside her. “How did you guys know?” she asked, bewildered.

“One of the jocks took a video of you,” Minho explained.

The car started and they were headed away from the club. At last.

Back at the SHINee apartment, Hae Rin was in Key’s room with Jin while everyone else waited for them downstairs. They were anxious to know what was happening.

“I heard you say your brother will hurt you if you didn’t take up the job,” Jin was saying to her in the room. “Did he force you into this?”

Hae Rin looked down and saw that her hands were shaking; from fear of what would happen when she doesn’t returns tomorrow, and relief that she’s finally free. “Y – Yes,” she stammered, her voice shaky from mixed emotions. “He made me. He said if I didn’t do this, he would hurt me.”

“Has he touched you yet?”

Jin was so compassionate to her that Hae Rin suddenly had tears. “H – he r – me,” she blubbered out and began to cry uncontrollably.

“Oh dear.” He patted her shoulder. “I’ll bring you some dry clothes.” He left the room.

Just then, someone knocked on the door and entered.

“Hey,” Key said, sitting down beside her.

“Do you still like me?” she asked quietly, sniffling. “Now that you know that I’m a dirty, filthy ?”

He wiped her tears away. “You’re not a dirty ,” he replied softly. “You’re a beautiful girl with an amazing smile, who I still like.”

She held his hand. “You still like me even if I’m like this?”

He nodded. “Yes I still like you.” He looked at her, his eyes filled with worry. “Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

“Because he told me he would hurt me and someone I really like,” she said.

“Who?”

Hae Rin looked into his eyes. “You; he said he would hurt you and your friends. And even Boo Yee. I could not let that happen to any of you.” She looked down at her feet.

“You should’ve told us or at least me,” Key argued. “I would’ve gotten you away from him.”

“You would have gotten hurt,” she whispered fearfully at the thought of him hurt.

“Manager hyung said you could stay the night,” he said, changing the subject.

“Thanks, but when my boss finds out I didn’t come back, he’s going to look for your manager.”

“Mananger hyung used a fake name,” Key explained. “They know him as Mr. Yoon.”

“Oh, okay. Gomawo, Key.”

“Can I ask something?” he suddenly spoke up, a thought crossing his mind.

Hae Rin began drawing circles on his palm. “Neh?” she asked distractedly.

“How many times have you . . . well . . . um, had . . .” Key blushed.

“?”

Key nodded and looked back down at his hand.

“Only when my brother me and when my boss accepted me at the club,” she replied.

“My manager is taking you to the police station, to file a case,” he told her.

“Okay. Umm, Key?”

“Yeah?”

Hae Rin smiled. “Where will I sleep?”

“Here, in my room.”

“What about you?” she asked.

“On the couch downstairs.” He shrugged. It wasn’t really much of a big deal.

“You could stay here, I’ll be fine on the couch,” she said. She hated to think that she’s kicking him out of her own bed.

Jin entered. “Hae Rin-sshi?”

“Yes, Jin-sshi?”

“Is it okay if Key slept here?”