When waking up, everything about yesterday was just a blur. I first do my morning routine and then head down to greet all the guys in the living room. When I get there, it's empty and that's when I remember the events that took place yesterday. It's confirmed when I see a note on the table written by Key letting me know about the food he prepared for me while they were gone. I sigh and look around the dorm that is usually filled with noise by five energetic guys. 'It's been a while since I've heard complete silence.' I walk over to the refrigerator to prepare a bowl of kimchi jigae Key made. While it heats up, my mind drifts to yesterday and what happened before I went to bed. 'That's right...I had a fight with Minho.' With another sigh I start to feel the annoyance coming back. "He didn't have to push. Forcing someone to open up about things they don't want to talk about isn't right." I start ranting to myself aloud in English. "I mean, if I was comfortable with talking about it, then I would. I didn't since it was bad timing. When he comes back, we'll discuss it like a normal couple would." I sit down at the table with my food and sigh. "That's if we're still a couple..." I now start to worry, "What if Minho doesn't want to deal with it? Am I just adding more stress to his already stressful life?" I quickly snap out of it and grow angry once again. "Well I'm getting stressed out too because of this! He's the one who started it!" I take a big spoonful of the kimchi jigae and put it in my mouth forgetting that it's extremely hot. "Ah! Ha! Ha! Hot!" I try cooling the food in my mouth until I'm able to swallow. The hot food only fueled my anger more, "Choi Minho!! It's your fault!" Once I cool down, I look around remembering I'm alone and it's really quiet. The feeling that is now left in me is embarrassment and so I finish my meal in silence.

Since I happen to have a day off, I was able to take my time eating. While washing the dishes, I hear my cellphone ring. Quickly drying my hands, I run to my phone that's on the coffee table in the living room. 'Who would call me at 9am?' My caller ID says that it's Key so I pick up, "Yoboseyo?"

"Kate-ah! I'm surprised you're awake this early on your day off." Of course Key teasing me would be the first thing out of his mouth.

"Ha ha, very funny. So why did you call?" I can hear a lot of talking in the background and it sounds like he's in a car.

"Well, just wanted to let you know we landed in Japan. We're in a van on our way to a hotel."

"Ah ok, I'm glad you guys had a safe flight." I sigh in relief since I was a little worried about that.

"Bap meogosseo?" Key asks me going into motherly mode.

"Ne, na-i kimchi jigae-neun neomu massitda!"

"Jinjja? Ah, haengbokhae! Gomawo!" I can hear how happy he is when I complimented his food. "Anyway, we're almost at the hotel, so I can only let you talk to one person right now. I'm guessing Minho-ah, right?"

"Key-oppa! Ani-" It's too late to tell him not to do it because his phone's not by his ear anymore. I'm curious to see if Minho will talk to me, so I listen carefully through the phone.

"Yah! Minho-ah! Kate-ah is on the phone! Yeogi!" I hear Key calling to Minho who must be seated far away from him. The van quiets down a little and all of a sudden I start feeling nervous.

"Shireoyo." It's low, but I hear what Minho says. The van gets noisy once again and I hear the other guys asking him questions, mainly "Why?" and "What happened?" My breath stops when I hear his response. It hurts and I'm starting to feel angry again. 'Oh my gosh! You stubborn-!'

"Well I don't want to talk to him either!" I yell into the phone thinking someone could hear if it's loud enough.

"Yah! Choi Minho! What did you do!?" I hear Key being the loudest one yelling.

"Nothing! Ask her!" Minho shouts. 'That little-!'

"Yah! Who are you blaming!? You started it!" I once again shout through the phone louder. This time I think I was actually heard because the van became silent again.

"How did I start it when you're the one keeping secrets!" Minho replied after hearing what I yelled.

"Hajima! Hajima! Aish!" Key shouts to both of us. His voice is closer so I'm able to hear also. "How are you both fighting when you guys just became a couple not too long ago!?" I remain silent and from what I hear, Minho does too. Key does a long sigh, "Whatever it is, it'll have to be solved some other time. You both are so stubborn." Key now only talks to me, "Kate-ah we're at the hotel. I'm going to get Minho-ah to explain and I'll get your side on this later. Arasseo?" He says this firmly to me like I have no choice, but to agree.

"Arasseo." I reply quietly. We say our good-byes and then hang up. I fall backwards onto the couch and look up at the ceiling. Trying to calm down, I take a deep breath, but the frustration doesn't leave me. Once again I talk quietly to myself in English, "Minho...you pabo. Why did you have to be so good at knowing when I'm not ok? It's not that I didn't want to tell you, I just didn't want you to think about anything bothersome while in Japan...but I still did that. I didn't want your head clouded like mine is now." I then remember how Minho said he didn't want to talk to me moments ago. A tear falls from my eye, "Are you really that mad at me? Did I already ruin being with you after wanting it for so long?" More tears start to fall as I think about the long struggle of waiting and wanting to be with Minho. The thought that one fight like this could end it after everything is heartbreaking. To try and cheer myself up, I decide to watch a variety show called Running Man while eating some snacks. I’m lucky enough to have recorded four episodes ahead of time since I’m a big fan of the show. After finishing one episode, I start to watch another one and right before I see Kwangsoo once again betray his team, I hear a knock at the door. ‘Who could that be?’ I pause the show and walk over to the entrance to answer the door. When I see who’s on the other side, it completely takes me by surprise.

“Yo! Kate! What’s up?” In front of me is the smiling llama, Amber from f(x) greeting me in English.

“Amber?” It’s the only thing I could say to her since my mind is still trying to piece together that she’s here. We’ve met a couple of times, but I still get a little star struck with her. The only idols I’m really comfortable with are SHINee. The other groups I actually haven’t met much since they’re busy, f(x) are the only ones I got to know and talk to so far.

While I’m staring into space, Amber decides to let herself in walking past me. “So, what were you doing before I got here?”

I finally snap out of it and follow her into the living room, “Um, nothing much, but Amber…why are you here?”

“Someone called me and asked if I was free to hang out with you since you’re by yourself right now.” She takes a seat on the couch and I join her.

“Ah, I see.” I just nod at her response.

“It’s not like he forced me, I actually wanted to chill with you and get to know you more.” Amber quickly adds that in so I don’t get the wrong idea.

“So…who called you?” I ask her half-hoping that it was Minho, but most likely not.

“Key.” Amber answers, ‘I knew it.’ She then continues, “He said that you were upset because you’re by yourself and it would be nice if you could take a break from speaking Korean.” I nod and then Amber chuckles, “Key also said that you should be hanging around more girls because you’re starting to act more like a guy around them.”

I sigh and smirk from Key’s reasoning, “Yea, I would think he’d say something like that.”

“I actually think he chose the wrong girl to ask about being girly with you.” From Amber’s statement we both laugh loudly. Once we stop laughing, she clears , “Well, we should get started.”

“You have the day planned?” I ask her curiously.

She stands up and pulls something out of her bag. “I promised Key to give you the most girly day possible and I’m not going to break that promise.” I look over to see what she’s reaching into her bag for, but before I get to see it she spins around. “No no no. You need to get dressed first, before you can see my surprise.” Amber turns me around and starts pushing me towards my room. “Make sure you wear the prettiest thing you have!”

“Ok ok! Don’t worry! I’ll do it!” I laugh at her enthusiasm, but at the same time I’m nervous to see Amber, the tomboy of kpop, being girly. I enter my room and quickly put together an outfit. I decide to wear a black ruffled skirt with black leggings and pairing it with a pale pink button-up sweater over a white tank top. For accessories, I put on pearl bowtie earrings and the two silver rings on my right hand I wear every day. I just leave my hair down grabbing my black flats and bag before leaving my room. Once I go back into the living room, I see something more shocking than Amber from f(x), Amber with a long black wig from f(x). “Oh my-”

“Tah-dah! See? I’m committed when it comes to promises!” Amber says this while posing for me. It’s still the Amber with skinny jeans and a fitted light blue sweater, but just adding the wig makes her ten times prettier.

“You look so pretty, Amber!” I’m using all my strength to not run over and pinch her cheeks.

She laughs at my amazement and replies, “Thanks, you look really cute too. Now are you ready?”

“You’re not going to tell me what you have planned?”

“Nope! It’s a surprise!” She grabs my hand and pulls me towards the exit. ‘Seems like a lot of people like to give me surprises.’ We put on our shoes before heading out.

I try to figure out where we’re going by looking at the surroundings while in the car. Sadly, I still don’t know Korea well enough to base the location on just my surroundings, but I’m working on it. It takes about a half hour before we stop, but it would’ve been sooner if there wasn’t traffic. That can’t be changed though because the one thing that is known to be bad in Korea, is the driving. I step out of the car and look around until I see the big pink café.

“Oh my gosh! It’s the Hello Kitty café!” I shout in excitement jumping up and down. It quickly ends when I remember that it’s best to not draw attention since Amber is in disguise.

Amber takes my hand and leads me to the door. “Are you just going to stare or are we going in?” Once inside, I try to contain my squeals because the amount of cuteness is overwhelming. We go to a corner of the café after we order what we want. “So how am I doing on the girly factor?” Amber asks when we sit down.

“This is an awesome start! I remember seeing pictures of this place before coming to Korea and how I said to myself it’s the first place I have to go. Sadly, I haven’t been able to come from being busy all the time, but now I’m here. Thank you!”

“No problem! Even though I look like I don’t enjoy cute things, I actually do. I was curious about this café too.” She smiles and I return one back. Our order comes and I’m not surprised that even what they serve here is cute. I have a cappuccino with a Hello Kitty drawing and a slice of tiramisu on a pink doily. Amber ordered a mocha coffee that has a bunny design and a slice a of carrot cake also on top of a pink doily. “Oh wow this looks great!”

“It really does! I feel bad that I have to ruin them. They’re too cute to eat and drink!” I quickly get over feeling bad when I start smelling my dessert and coffee. While eating our treats, we talk and get to know each other better. The more I get to know Amber, the less I see of her as an idol like I did with SHINee. ‘Minho…’ My smile must have faltered when thinking of Minho for that split second because Amber notices.

“Were you really just upset about being alone or is there something else bothering you?” Amber asks me.

“Hm? Ah no! I’m fine! I’m just sad right now because I’m on my last bite of tiramisu.” I pout while poking my spoon at the last piece. ‘I’m not sure I can tell Amber about Minho and I. Krystal and Minho are technically together…I don’t know if she’s aware that it’s fake.’

I make Amber laugh taking her mind off the topic. “Aw, yea. My carrot cake was really good too, but we should get to our next spot.”

“Which is where?”

She sticks her tongue out and stands up. “Not telling.”

I sigh giving up easily and just stand following her. “Alright, I trust you.” Thankfully we don’t have to take the car and we can just walk to the next place. It takes about five minutes until we stop in front of a pet store. I’ve been to a pet store, but this was a different one. The other pet store was from the time I went out with SHINee. ‘It was our first hang out together outside.’ I smile at the memory and then the next thing I see is a hand waving in front of my face. I snap out of it and turn to Amber who’s looking at me with a weird expression.

“Good, I thought I put you in a cuteness coma for a second there.” She jokingly says to me.

I chuckle at her sarcasm, “Nope, not yet.” We enter the store and the first things our ears are filled with are the sound of puppies. Immediately we go towards the sound until we see the source. This store is smaller than the last one I went to, but there are still so many dogs and all of them different breeds. From the corner of my eye, I spot a Longhaired Dachshund and I’m immediately drawn to the hyper puppy. I pick the puppy up and it immediately starts to my face while wagging its tail.

“You know, I think you kind of resemble that dachshund.” I turn to Amber who’s holding a Pomeranian.

“Really?” I ask her curious.

She nods to me, “Yea, you have long hair like them and they’re short like you.” Amber chuckles at her own comment and I would’ve joined her if I didn’t just get a feeling why I’ve heard this before. Then it hit me with the reason why I was drawn to the Dachshund. ‘Minho said the same thing.’

Flashback

“I think you’re like a Black Labrador.” I joke with him, ‘Wow, when I’m around dogs, I get so much courage. I should be around dogs more often.’

He chuckles at my comment and replies, “Jinjja? Wae?”

“Well, Black Labradors are sporting dogs and you like sports. They have big eyes like you and they’re tall like you too.” I smile at him looking away and blush a little, ‘Where the heck did I get all this courage from!?’

He chuckles and says “Hm, I guess I am like a Black Labrador. I think you’re like a…” Minho looks around while putting the Beagle down. He then walks away from me and picks up another puppy that I can’t see until he turns around walking towards me saying, “Longhaired Dachshund.”

“Wae?”

He looks down smiling once again petting it and says, “They have long hair like you and they’re short like you.” I’m a little disappointed with his answer thinking that’s all he sees in me, but then he continues, “Plus, I’ve heard they’re kind, outgoing, sociable, and fun…” Minho now looks up at me making eye contact, even though he has sunglasses on, with a smile that makes my heart melt, “like you.” I can’t think of what to say to him back, ‘He…really thinks that of me?’

End Flashback

“Hm, I also think it’s because-”

“They’re kind, outgoing, sociable, and fun?” I interrupt finishing her sentence without even meaning to.

She ponders what I said for a moment. “Yea! That’s sounds right! Did someone also tell you that you’re like a Dachshund?”

I smile down at the puppy in my arms and nod. “Mhm, someone said that to me.” I decide to snap out of drifting down memory lane. “Amber, I think you actually look like the Pomeranian you’re holding.”

She looks down at the puppy and laughs, “Nah, I think I look more like my Chihuahuas.”

“Oh yea! True! I forgot that you have Chihuahuas.” She nods her head and puts the puppy down while asking me if I had a pet. “I have an Australian Shepherd, but he’s not tiny like this Dachshund. He’s chubby, fluffy, and I think cuter.” I say it all with a big smile on my face.

“Do you have a picture of him?” Amber asks with curiosity. I pull out my cellphone after putting the Dachshund puppy back and before I scroll through my pictures, Amber notices something. “Wait, does he look like this?” She grabs hold of my phone charm and I’ve gotten so used to it that I forget it’s on my phone.

I look over at the Australian Shepherd charm in Amber’s hand. “Ah! Yea, he looks like that!”

“This is really cute. Where did you buy this? I want to get a Chihuahua one.”

Once again, my thoughts go back to Minho. “Um, actually this was a gift from a friend.”

“Oh, really? Who got you this?” She asks me this while still admiring the tiny charm.

I don’t want to lie, so I just answer her plainly. “Minho.”

Amber looks up at me and stares for a second before smiling. “Aw, that’s nice.” After that, we look around the store a little longer observing and petting the different animals. We leave the store and I check the time to see that it’s 4 o’clock in the afternoon.

“Wow, I can’t believe that it’s already four.” I tell Amber after checking the time.

She smirks, “Just in time for our final destination.”

“I’m not even going to ask where since I know you won’t tell me.”

“Good to know you’ve learned my ways. Now come on.” Amber takes my hand in hers and we start walking. ‘I swear if fans saw us, they would make fan fictions based off our hand-holding.’

We arrive at the location and it’s a Korean spa. “A spa?”

“Yep, it’s a twenty-four hour spa, so we’re staying here for the night.”

I’m surprised by the sudden plan, “Wait, what?”

Amber starts pulling me into the spa, “Don’t worry, it’ll be fun.”

At this point I give in, so I just follow along “Okay fine, but I’m not getting . No offense, but even though we’re now friends, I don’t need to know you that well.”

“Same here.” We both laugh loudly drawing some attention and we quickly stifle our laughter. Since, we’re not going into the wet spa area, where you have to be ; we stick with the sauna rooms once we change into the pink spa attire consisting of a shirt and a pair of shorts. Surprisingly, there’s a whole variety of different sauna rooms that supposedly have different healing properties for the body. There are two rooms that are extremely hot and just for fun; we want to see if the Americans can handle the Korean heat. As soon as we step into one of the rooms, ten seconds later we leave, the room wins. To keep with the girly theme, Amber and I get manicures and pedicures while talking more about random things. Amber chooses an aqua color nail polish for me, and I choose a dark purple for her. After that, we grab some food from the bar in the spa and find a place to sit on the floor in the lounging area. By now, it’s already eleven at night.

“It got so late so fast. Are you sure it’s ok for you to stay out?” I ask Amber while taking a bite of my kimbap.

She puts some kimchi in before answering, “Nah, it’s fine. My schedule starts around noon tomorrow, so I have time to get to the building.” I nod while stuffing more food into my mouth. We silently eat our food for a while until Amber asks me something. “So are you feeling better after today?”

“Yea, if it wasn’t for you I would’ve been inside all day snacking while watching variety shows and Korean dramas. Thanks, Amber.”

She smiles brightly to what I said, “No problem!” Her smile then fades a little, “I had fun, but I wasn’t just referring to you being alone.”

I look away from the food and at her, “What do you mean?”

“I could tell that you had your mind on something…or someone all day.”

I chuckle a little, “Ah, you could tell?”

“Even though you were smiling, at some points your eyes weren’t.” She pauses for a moment, “Did you fight with one of the guys?”

“You’re good.” I confirm to her and then laugh when I see Amber do a dramatic bow still sitting.

It looks like she’s hesitating a little before speaking again. “Do you mind if I ask who?”

My eyes avert back down to the almost fully eaten food. “I’m not sure if I can say.”

Amber crosses her arms and looks up at the ceiling in thought. “Hm…” Her eyes widen for a brief second and she turns her head back towards me raising an eyebrow. “You know I read some interesting news yesterday. Minho and Krystal were spotted by fans at the zoo on a date, but what’s interesting is that Krystal was with me at our dorm that same day and time they were spotted.”

I just stare at her dumbfounded with my jaw open. “Are you psychic or am I that easy to read?”

She gives me a big smirk, “Like you said, I’m good.”

I laugh at her sudden smugness and then look around the lounge. “Um, I’m not sure it’s a good idea to talk about it here.”

“We’re fine; it’s mainly just ahjummas and ahjussis around us. Plus, we’re talking to each other in English, but we could go to an empty corner if you’re more comfortable.” Even though what Amber says is correct, I agree to her suggestion just to be on the safe side. Once we find a new spot, Amber gets right back to the subject. “Alright, I’m all ears.”

Before I start, I have to ask her something, “First…how much do you know about Minho and Krystal?”

“Meaning if I know they broke up, but the public doesn’t know that…then all of it.” Amber did air quotes when saying “broke up,” which means she knows the relationship was a fake.

“So, you knew it was a fake?”

“Yea, Krystal told us it was when it first started. Didn’t Minho tell you guys?”

“…No.” I glare at nothing in front of me, but I’m imagining Minho is there.

Amber can’t help but laugh at my reaction, “I guess it’s understandable since those guys do like to talk and it could’ve slipped out by accident.”

I remember when Key almost blew the secret of Minho and I dating one day. “True.” I shake my head and get back on topic, “Anyway, since you know that their relationship wasn’t real, I can tell you that Minho and I-”

“Are together, right?” She finishes my sentence.

I stare at her for a second, “Really…how do you do that?”

“It was kind of obvious that time. What? You were going to say you two are siblings?” Listening to Amber, I guess it was obvious. “But…I did know you guys liked each other before you two did.”

“How!?” Now I need an explanation.

Amber shifts to get more comfortable before explaining. “Remember how I first met you at the photo shoot?” I give her a nod, “I saw how you guys talked and how you reacted to each other. You were blushing a lot when you took pictures next to him and when you left; Minho went after you right away.”

I take a moment to absorb everything Amber tells me, “Were we really that readable? I mean…how the heck did we not notice each other!?”

Bringing my eyes up to Amber, I can see she’s enjoying my frustration, “That usually happens when people like each other. Anyway…so you guys had a fight?”

My head falls towards the floor and I hug my knees to my chest. “Yes, when I think about it more and more, I feel like it was stupid…but at the same time I know I was right.”

“What was it about?”

“The night before Minho left for Japan, he was finished packing up his thing. I came to the dorm late and I wasn’t in the best mood because of the event with the fans at the zoo. I was actually over that by the time I was back at the dorm, but what was on my mind is the fact that fans still think Krystal and Minho are dating. He told me the relationship was faked and they “broke up”…but he never said anything about the public still thinking they’re together. Does that mean he still has to pretend? For how long? Why didn’t he tell me?” I take a deep breath before continuing, “Anyway, that was still on my mind, but since he was leaving for Japan, I didn’t want to it discuss until after he came back so it’s not distracting. However, Minho was able to tell I had something on my mind that was bothering me and he kept pushing at the issue, but I wouldn’t because it was a bad time to.” I turn my head in Amber’s direction who is listening intently, “So, because of that, we’re not talking to each other...”

After hearing the long story, Amber leans back against the wall while cross-legged thinking. “Well, from what I heard…you’re both at fault.”

“What? Explain.”

I can tell she’s trying to find the right words. “He’s wrong for pushing you to open up when you don’t want to, but at the same time Minho’s doing it because he’s worried about you and you’re not letting him in. I think the best way you could’ve done it, is if you told him what it’s about and that you would’ve liked to discuss it more in depth after Japan.”

After hearing her advice, I feel like banging my head against the wall, “Amber…can you be our couple therapist?”

She laughs, “If the payment is in Cheetos!” I laugh along with her, but then it dies down when Amber has more to say. “Since the damage has been done, the solution is that one of you needs to apologize. Kate, you should probably call him and explain why you didn’t say anything.”

“Aw, why me!?” I whine a little not looking forward to giving in first.

“If you really want this whole thing to end and you care about him, let go of the pride.” From all this wisdom she’s bestowing onto me, I feel like Amber’s going to magically grow a long white beard that she can when thinking about something.

I lean over to her for a hug. “Thank you, Amber.”

“Anytime and don’t worry…your secret is safe with me.” She then yawns, “I think it’s a good idea to get some rest now.”

I also yawn, “Yea, I think so too.” We set up pillows and blankets on the floor to sleep with. “Good night, Amber.”

“Night, Kate.” Amber falls asleep almost instantly, but for me I toss and turn for about an hour or more. I check my phone to see that it’s one in the morning. ‘I don’t think I can sleep unless I call Minho. Would he still be awake?’ I decide to get up and walk to an area of the spa where they have a porch to sit outside. The cool breeze is refreshing and the sky is completely free of clouds, so I’m able to see a few stars. I hold my phone to my chest and take a few deep breaths to get rid of as much nervous energy as possible. I dial Minho and I start to hear it ring. Right when I think it’s going to voicemail, the other line is picked up, but I’m not greeted with Minho’s voice.

“Yoboseyo?” On the other side, it’s a female’s voice.

“Mianhae. I must have-” Before I finish, I hear rustling noises.

“Yoboseyo?” Quickly, I’m greeted with Minho’s urgent voice and he sounds a little out of breath, like he ran towards his phone.

I’m about to speak, but then I hear the woman again in the background this time. “Minho-ah! Bali bali!”

Minho chuckles and yells back to her, “Ne, noona! Jamkkanmanyo!”

I hang up immediately after hearing that. “Who was that? Why was Minho out of breath sounding urgent, but at the same time cheerful with that person?” I ask these questions to myself and then a second later I come up with a reason why. “Am…am I that disposable?” 

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Hi~! So most of this chapter is English type dialog, so I don't think there are new Korean words that I used. If I'm wrong and you don't know a word or phrase, just ask in the comments and I'll answer right away.

I wanted to post on Valentine's Day, but I missed it by a few hours because I was finishing up the Jinki drawing heh... What do you guys think of the drawing? Who would you like me to draw for the next chapter? :) Anyway, how was your Valentine's Day!? Spend it with someone? Tell me! I'm such a romantic haha! I spent it by finally watching the show 'Sherlock' with Benedict Cumberbatch...so handsome! Kya! >///< I hope you have all been well and I'm very thankful for your patience! I'm rusty with writing, so please let me know what you think<3 Plus~ Check out my site where I talk about latest Kpop news!: http://www.omo-haruharu.blogspot.com

Ah! Something weird happened to me! I have Anthropology lab this semester and after class I talked to a woman. She said she's from Korea and I was like "Oh! I'm interested in the culture and know some Korean." We talked back and forth from Korean to English. She then asks "So wait, you’re into K-Pop, K-Dramas, Korean Culture?" I said yes and then she said…she’s a director back in Korea! I kind of was taken aback haha! Then she started talking more about Korea and how it would be great for me to go there. Since we needed to part ways, she told me that she would like to sit down and discuss it more. It was just a "Whaaaat?" moment! ...Did I talk to a scout???? O.O

Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! ^.^