Pandora knew she had a little too much to drink as she held on to the counter. An uncontrollable fit of giggles passing through her as she stared straight ahead. Clearing , she threw her head back and rolled her shoulders. It was a dare. A simple dare. On in which had she been sober, she never would have partaken in. Her friend just knew how to catch her at her worst.

“Okay you can do this.” She whispered as she spotted her target all the way in the back. His fingers moving rapidly, the shades now long gone, she could see the annoyed expression on his face.

“If you’re too chicken to do----“

“Ah ah ah----“ Pandora said putting her hand up to silence her best friend, smirking by her side.

“If you actually do this, you’re like my hero!” Lila whispered eagerly.

Pandora took a step and then another. It was too late to back out now. It was all or nothing. Besides, she never backed out on a dare. Never, it just wasn’t in her. Not even in high school, when she was dared to put Joe Diorgini’s sock in did she back out. One whiff of those socks had sent her stomach turning, but put it in she did, even if it was violently spit out as the nausea rose and she threw up on her then boyfriend’s Jordan’s. If she could do that, she could do this. Especially when it was 10 times more appealing.

Pandora realized nobody tried to stop her as she kept getting closer, there were several group of guys laughing and talking excitedly. Giving her occasional glances as she passed, but she was nothing more than a slight distraction in the now lit up but dim room.  Taking another deep breath to calm her jitters she walked briskly towards her target and came to an abrupt stop in front of him.

His fingers froze on his cellphone as he slowly lifted his head to look at her. His dark eyes filled with confusion and curiosity.

“Hi.” Pandora said softly as she lifted her hand and waved at him. She stared at her hand for a second and quickly brought it down. That was dumb. She cleared .

He nodded and stared at her with a straight face.

“You’re Beenzino right?” Pandora asked nervously. She chuckled. “I mean, I know you’re Beenzino, I just wanted to say I really like your music.” She put two thumbs up. “Great job tonight.” She grinned. Stretching her smile further than it would normally go.

“Thanks.” He replied calmly.

Pandora paused to see if he was going to say more, but he didn’t. She clasped her hands together and exhaled deeply. “CanIkissyou?” she asked rapidly.

There was a momentary pause as he stared at her, his brows twisted in confusion. “What?” he asked. His phone forgotten as he slipped it into his back pocket.

“CanIkissyou?” Pandora repeated just as fast. Her courage was running low. Her heart was pounding and she didn’t know how many more times she could ask the question before she hightailed her out of there.

Beenzino straightened up and rubbed his arm. “I’m sorry, my English isn’t very good. Can you talk slower?” He asked curiously.

No.No I can’t. Pandora thought as she gulped. She smiled and did the only thing she could think of. She stepped forward quickly and grabbed his arms, feeling the muscles underneath. She felt her own pulse jump as she closed her eyes and leaned forward, her lips pursed. But she shouldn’t have closed her eyes, not even a little. She miscalculated his height even up close because she literally could not think from the excitement and jabbed her eye into his chin. “Ow…ow…ow…” she murmured as she released him. Her eyes clenched tight, her head bowed in shame.

“Are you okay?” He asked quickly in Korean, his arms going up cautiously as though to shield her.

Pandora shook her head, but refused to look up. “This is so embarrassing.” She whispered as she moved her body and held her eye. “Is anybody looking at us?” she pleaded.

Beenzino lifted his head and looked around. He acknowledged one of his friends with a simple head nod and turned. His eyes landed on a Hispanic girl across the room, in a fit of giggles as she held onto the counter. He grinned inwardly and turned his attention back to the embarrassed girl in front of him. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail encompassed of small soft looking curls. She had on a simple white t-shirt with a flared leather miniskirt and brown combat boots. A white expensive looking watch adorned her wrist and gold rings decorated her fingers. Her face was right inbetween a circle and an oval, soft full light brown lips and big expressive eyes.

“What? Everybody’s looking?” she whispered in panic as she hunched her shoulders even more.

“Your friend is laughing.” He said in Korean, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“What?” she asked finally lifting her head. “Sorry, my Korean’s really bad.”

“Your friend.” Beenzino said pointing behind her.

Pandora drudgingly turned around and made eye contact with Lila. That only caused the girl to burst out into another fit of laughter. “That’s not a friend.” She mumbled bitterly. She paused, too embarrassed to turn back to him. “So since, I completely embarrassed myself…I’m just going to go now.” She said quickly. Without waiting for a response she marched away, head held high as though she had something to be proud of.

Grabbing Lila’s hand, she didn’t even pause as she led them to the door. “That was the most embarrassing thing ever. I’m never letting you dare me into anything. I thought I was going to die. Oh !” she whispered urgently to her friend as they walked out the building. “I was so close.” She whispered.

“I think he was checking you out though.” Lila said stopping to laugh for a minute. “He was looking at you like he was checking you out.

“More like he was wondering who this clumsy foreigner is.” She muttured.

The both stretched their hands out for the taxi passing. It slowed down, but then sped up and stopped in front of the Korean couple in front of them.

“ing Taxis.” Lila mumbled.

“Shoot me.” Pandora said her thoughts far away. “I wish I could just like dig a hole, in those freaking movies and just…. he’s gonna laugh about this with his friends. “

Lila chuckled. “I really didn’t think you would try to do it.” She said honestly. “But either way, you lost the bet, you owe me.” She said doing a little dance as she waved for the taxi. She turned around to tease Pandora some more, when her steps halted and her eyes got big and wavered.

“What?” Pandora asked.

“Lim Sungbin.” She heard a smooth voice say in her ear. The small trace of alcohol in his breath, the warmth of it sending chills down her spine. Pandora couldn’t move. She refused to move. She was dreaming. Without moving her body, she slowly moved her head in the direction of the voice as she came face to face with him. Their faces just a couple centimeters apart, his Raybans having returned to shield his eyes. But this close she could make out his eyes behind the shades.

“Huh?” she whispered, her thought process frozen.

“You can call me Sungbin, or Zino or….” He trailed off as Pandora watched him give her a clear look over. “Oppa.” He finished with a smirk.

Pandora turned around when she heard the laughter and encouragement of the guys behind them. They were huddled together watching the scene with grins on their faces. She recognized some faces, having seen them on stage earlier.

One guy who she knew was DOk2 yelled something at them in Korean. Whatever he said made the other guys holler and whistle.

Pandora quickly turned her head to Lila for help translating, but she seemed to also be amused by what the other guy said. Her eyes twinkling mischievously.

“Where are you going?” Beenzino asked.

“House.” Pandora said unable to form a complete sentence. She pointed to Lila. “Friend’s house.”

“Club!” Dok2 said raising his hand. “Come club!”

Pandora’s mouth dropped open and she turned to Lila but her friend also looked stunned. So she hadn’t misheard, they’d really asked them to go with them to a club.

“Where?” she asked turning back to Beenzino…Sungbin…Zino…oppa?

“Not far.” He said casually. He shrugged.

The group of guys took that as a cue to come forward. The head nods and arms outstretched as the familiar phrase of where are you from came out of their mouth.

“I’m from America.” Pandora replied in Korean, one of the first phrase she learned.

“Whoooo….” The said putting their thumbs up. “Korean good.”

Pandora shook her head rapidly. “No! No! that’s all I can say.” She said putting her hands up in surrender. But she heard the Korean rattling off their tongues and stared at them blankly.

“She speaks perfect Korean!” Pandora said loudly as she pointed to her friend.

Lila’s eyes got bigger as everybody’s attention turned to her. There was a moments paused before one of the guys said something to her in Korean hesitantly. Lila smiled shyly and answered. The guys hollered and clapped. Engulfing the girls into their circle.

“Let’s go es!” An escalade rolled up to the curb, barely missing them by a hair. The driver leaned out and grinned. “Hurry up!” He said in Korean.

“Jay Park. That’s Jay Park.” Lila said her voice shaking.

Jay’s eyes roamed over the girls. Pandora caught the word pretty and American in the sentences. Jay nodded and smiled, a big smile. “Welcome ladies.”

Beenzino smiled also as he turned to Pandora. “Let’s go.” He said in Korean.

A/N: Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment, hope you enjoy the ride. (I blame blockbusterism for getting me in this mess)