"Halmeoni, annyeonghaseyo!" I said as I stood outside the gate of a traditional-looking house.

"Oh! Eun Hye-sshi. Ni Neul-ah isn't here right now. She left a while ago." She explained.

"Ah. Did she tell you where she was going?" I asked.

"Let's see. Did she tell me...Ah, yes. She told that she was meeting up with some old friends at the coffee shop nearby. If you hurry, you can catch up to them."

"Kamsahamnida! Annyeongigyeseyo!" I bowed and ran to the coffee shop.

When I got there, I spotted her with our group of friends. I smiled and walked into the shop.

"Ni Neul-ah!" I called out.

Cha Ni Neul looked up and grinned.

"Yah! Park Eun Hye, you have some nerve coming here without Yoochun-oppa." She joked.

I rolled my eyes and walked over.

"Annyeong! Ni Neul-ah, you know my brother. He won't come unless his beloved Junsu is here." I said as I sat down beside her.

Cha Ni Neul and I have known each other since kindergarten. She lived at the mansion with her parents when we were younger which is why she calls me by my real name. She used to have a crush on my brother until he moved to Seoul where he met up with everyone else.

She has a fiery, sarcastic attitude and she enjoys winding me up cuz she "loves seeing my reactions". But despite that, I know that she really cares about me and loves me as much as I love her (in a friendly way of course).

"True. When is he coming out of the closet? We all know he has a thing for his soccer-obsessed best friend."

"Yah, don't joke about things like that." I chided.

Abeoji would kill him if he ever came out of the metaphorical closet.

"Mianhe. I'll go order you a strawberry latte." She got up and pranced over to the counter.

"Gomawo!" I called back to her.

"Waah~ Eun Hye-sshi! You've gotten prettier since the last time I saw you." A girl with shoulder length raven hair said.

"Gomawo Min So-unnie! You've gotten skinnier since I last saw you. And prettier as well! How long are you staying this time?"

Ni Neul and I met Kim Min So during a school field trip. Someone stole her bag and I bumped into her while she chased after the guy. We met up again during class where we found out that she was an transfer student from Busan. Her dad is Korean-American and her mom is Filipino.

Three years ago, she got discovered by a talent company here in Korea so she accepted and moved to the company dorm to train. Last year, she made her debut as part of a group called StarLite under the stage name Hee Rin. Because of her busy schedule, she's finishing school online and rarely gets time off. So, we try to make the most out of her visits.

"Seo Jin-unnie got married remember? She's gonna go back to the Philippines with her husband so StarLite is on hiatus until further notice. Nega Network gave us a choice to do whatever we want on the condition that we come back when they call us." She explained as she picked up her cup of coffee.

A light bulb went off in my head.

"Unnie, I need your help. My brother says I'm gonna be placed under house arrest again and we don't know how long it'll last." I stopped talking and waited for her to get the hint.

Luckily it didn't take her long.

"So you wanna do an epic jail break and find out whatever it is your family is keeping from you."

"You know me too well." I grinned evilly.

"So, I guess that means we're going to New York tomorrow."

"New York? What's that got to do with-"

"I've been doing some investigating about that um, thing we discussed and all signs point to New York. That's a good place to start. Don't you think?"

"We won't get caught right?" I said, looking skeptical.

The singer smirked.

"They won't even notice until we're already there." She assured me.

"Perfect. I feel like checking out Broadway. Oh, and Central Park." I said excitedly.

"New York? I wanna come!" The brunette beside me piped in.

"Sure, Eun Hee-unnie. " I said.

I met Kang Eun Hee during one of my escapes from the mansion (Yeah, it happens a lot). I was racing down the street and collided with her, causing her to drop her bag of groceries. I apologized and helped her reorganize her groceries. She introduced herself to me and I did the same, accidentally saying my real name in the process.

She promised that she'd keep it a secret, which she did. I also found out that she taught music and art at an elementary school close to the mansion and visited her as often as I could. Now, she works as a curator at a local art museum and part-time as a guitar and drum teacher at the music store nearby.

"Hmm... To tell or not to tell? What should I do?" Ni Neul said from behind.

The three of us froze.

She set the cup down in front of me and unceremoniously plopped on the couch I sat on.

"Where are you guys going?" Ni Neul asked nonchalantly.

"Nooooo wheeeeeere." I said childishly.

"We're going to New York." Eun Hee-eonnie said excitedly.

Insert facepalm here.

"New York? Hmmm. I choose..."

The three of us leaned in closer.

"Not to tell." Before we could celebrate, she cut in.

"But only if you treat me to a shopping spree at Macy's."

"Deal!"

                                 **********TIME SKIP**********

I scanned the courtyard quickly and made a mad dash for the gate leading to the garden.

Here's our plan. When it's dark out, I'd sneak out into the courtyard and run into the garden. Once I find the tunnel leading out of our compound, I'll get into Min So-unnie's waiting car and well you know the rest.

The garden is basically a huge maze of all sorts of flowers that my mom had given me as a gift for my 13th birthday. Only the two of us know everything about the garden down to the last detail. A year ago, I fell into a deep hole underneath a huge willow tree hidden deep within the garden. I discovered a cemented tunnel that lead to an abandoned storage room in the park near Changmin's house. It turns out, it was another gift from my mom. It was for whenever I felt like sneaking out or an escape route in case we got compromised.

My mom is that awesome.

"Hold it right there sis."

I skidded to a halt near the gate and turned to face my bodyguard of a brother.

"Where are you going?" He asked, his arms crossed giving him the image of an overprotective dad.

"To the garden. I haven't checked on my stargazers in a while and this is the perfect time to take a look at them." I explained, maintaining a cheerful expression.

Before he could come up with a retort, a certain dolphin boy's voice could be heard calling his name from within the huge mansion. He gave me a stern look and ran back inside to find his best friend.

Once he was gone, I disregarded his warning and went into the garden, smiling the whole time.

[Somewhere deep in the garden]

"Yeoboseyo? Ni Neul-ah, where are you guys?" I whispered into my phone.

"Why are you whispering? You're in the maze right?"

"Well, you never know. Yoochun-oppa could've bugged the place."

I could practically hear Ni Neul rolling her eyes on the other line.

"You worry too much Eun Hye. He doesn't have access to your maze garden. I know that for a fact."

"Stalker." I muttered.

The sound of twigs snapping nearby put me on high alert.

"What was that?" Eun Hee-unnie asked, panic clear in her voice.

"It was probably just a cat." Min So-unnie assured us.

The snapping sound got closer and louder. The girls started screaming on the other line and I held the device at arms length. With a sigh, I snapped my phone shut and pulled out a handgun from my jacket. I flicked the safety off and raised the gun. The snapping suddenly got closer and I fired a warning shot into the sky, not caring if my brother heard.

I heard a loud thump behind me and turned around, aiming the gun at...

"Changmin-ah..."

"Yong Kyo-ah?!"

Oh boy.

[Revised: 07/19/21]

사랑해요~