Everyone ordered their food when the waiter came. Siwon and Alyssa were wearing similar expressions. Neither of them were talking or looking around. Donghae and Sungmin were rather concerned. Heechul just sat there looking at his nails. Sure he was worried, but there was nothing he could do. Heechul just wanted to eat a meal that someone else was paying for. He knew how to work the guys around him; someone else would be paying for his meal. He didn’t know it, but he had more in common with Ginger than he thought.

“Siwon, you really need to cheer up. There isn’t anything you can do, so might as well enjoy tonight.” Donghae spoke up. “You too, Alyssa.” Alyssa glanced up for a moment, and then brought her gaze down to the table again.

“If I hadn’t have said those things to her.” Alyssa said more to herself, but the guys over heard her.

“Mwo?” Heechul asked.

“I keep things in and then one little thing can make me snap. A lot of the time I end up snapping at Ginger, but this time was really bad. I’ve never made her cry before. I’m a terrible best friend.” Alyssa fiddled around with the silverware on the table, not daring to look at anyone.

“Yeah, you really are a terrible best friend.” Siwon said under his breath.

“No you’re not!” Sungmin stepped in. His glare at Siwon went unnoticed by the later.

The food had arrived, effectively ending that conversation, and everyone at Craft was starting to eat. Siwon and Alyssa merely played with their food. Hardly eating it. They would only take small bites when the waiter came around to ask if the food was good or if they needed anything else. They were about half way through their meal when Siwon’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out to read his text. He was praying it was from Ginger.

Lo and behold, it was from Ginger. His prayers were answered. He couldn’t help but smile at this improvement.

“Is that from Ginger?” Alyssa asked, looking up from her plate.

“Yeah it is.”

“Read it out loud, please.” Alyssa asked as she set her fork down on the table, not in the mood to eat anymore.

“Okay.” Siwon agreed as he opened the message to read aloud to the table. Donghae, Heechul, and Sungmin all stopped eating as well.

“Siwon, I’m sorry for all of the trouble that I caused tonight. I hope you accept my apology. Tell everyone there that it was great meeting them and I’ll never forget the past couple of days. I’m sure that by the time you get this I’ll be getting my stuff to leave and I’ll be gone by the time you get to the hotel. Mianhaeyo. Saranghaeyo.” Siwon finished reading the text and was speechless.

“She’s at the hotel!” Alyssa exclaimed. “What are we waiting for? Pabonika! Palli.” She said as she tugged on Siwon’s arm.

Finally Siwon comprehended what Ginger’s text was telling him. He felt as if time had slowed down. He couldn’t get out of that restaurant fast enough. Everything and everyone seemed to be in his way as he and Alyssa made their way to the door. Both muttering apologies to the people they were pushing past in their rush to get out into the hustle and bustle outside.

Siwon tried to hail down a cab for five minutes, but to no avail. He was starting to panic. He knew Ginger was at their hotel, who knows if she had left by now or not. He needed to see her to convince her to stay there with him. With all of them. He now felt he had a bigger accomplishment to complete this task since he was Ginger’s bias.

“Well, I’m sure as hell not paying for this meal.” Heechul stated as Siwon and Alyssa disappeared out the front door.

“I’m not paying either!” Donghae and Sungmin said at the same time.

“Hyung, why can’t you pay for this meal? You are older than us after all.” Sungmin asked using his aegyo.

“Sungmin-ah. You know your aegyo doesn’t work on me. I already said first that I am not paying for this meal. Siwon was the one supposed to pay. It was his idea to come here after all.” Heechul defended himself.

“Hyung! Jebal?” Sungmin pleaded.

“If I were a girl your aegyo may have worked. But again, your aegyo doesn’t work on me, Sungmin.” Heechul said, already getting annoyed by his dongsaeng.

“Gawi, bawi, bo to settle this.” Donghae offered.

“Alright. Best out of three.” Sungmin reasoned.

“Gawi, bawi, bo.” Donghae landed on gawi, and Sungmin landed on bo. Round one winner: Donghae.

“Gawi, bawi, bo.” Donghae landed on bawi, and Sungmin landed on bo again. Round two winner: Sungmin.

“Ginger, what’s wrong?” he asked as he smoothed her hair.

“Everything.” Ginger sobbed out.

“How is everything wrong?”

“I am finally happy because I got to come to New York to see SM Town, and then I got to meet all of you guys. And I’m an ELF, so this is like a dream come true for me. Then it turns out that my best friend hates me and thinks I’m a and a . I don’t care if other people call me those things, but when it comes from your supposedly best friend, it really hurts. No one likes me, and my life is just .” Ginger said between her cries. Somehow she managed to say it all in Korean and not resort to English.

“I’m sure that Alyssa doesn’t hate you. People just do stupid stuff like that all the time. Take Hankyung, we thought he hated us when we had to find out that he was leaving SM from the media. He never told us personally. People just do things without really thinking of the consequences to their actions. And as for no one liking you, that is an obvious lie.”

“How is that a lie? I’m pretty sure it’s the truth.” Ginger’s tears had subsided and now she was just standing in the entry way being held by him.

“Oh shut up. It’s a lie because I like you. I know that we haven’t said anything to each other since the first day that you were here, but I can see that Siwon likes you, and you treat him well. You treat all of us well. You don’t treat us like celebrities. You just act like we’re normal people you’ve been friends with for many years.”

“Teukie, why are you so sweet?” she asked, pulling away slightly to look at Leeteuk.

“Mwo?”

“You really are like an angel. You’re the best leader a group could ever have.” Ginger gave him a soft smile.

“Kamsahabnida.” Leeteuk said before pulling Ginger into another hug. “So why are you here and not with someone?”

“I never went anywhere with them. Alyssa and I had a fight in the lobby, and then I ran outside. Siwon followed me, but I hid from him. And then I decided to come back here. I’m going to go home.” Ginger moved out of Leeteuk’s embrace and went to the room where her stuff was.

“Mwo? You’re going to leave? By yourself? In that?” Leeteuk indicated to the dress Ginger was in.

“Aniyo. I was going to change, then go home. Teukie-oppa, I’m a big girl. I can get a taxi and go to the airport. I’ve done it before.”

“Aniya. Ginger, you can’t.” he pleaded.

“Park Jungsu,” Ginger started, “I am going to leave. I’ve already decided on it. So stop trying to get in my way.” Leeteuk had moved in front of Ginger and tried to prevent her from going into the room that contained her suitcase. Ginger tried to shove him out of the way, but it was futile. He was too strong.

“Aniya!” He said sternly.

“Wae?!?!” Ginger whined. All she wanted to do was leave. Why wasn’t he letting her?

“At least say goodbye to the other members. Then you can leave?”

“No.” She said in English. “I want to leave now. Not in an hour. Not in ten minutes. Now. Leeteuk, jebal!” Ginger sat on the floor in front of Leeteuk. Hoping that he would move slightly so that she could dart into the room.

“Are you really going to sit on the floor and act like a child?” He asked looking down at the girl at his feet.

“Ne. Do you have a problem with that?” Ginger pouted and crossed her arms in front of her.

“I do if you won’t look at me.” Leeteuk said as he squatted down in front of Ginger. She still refused to look at him. So he took her chin in one of his hands and angled it to make her look him in the eyes. Ginger had no other choice but to look at Leeteuk.

“What are you doing?” A voice said, making Leeteuk look up from Ginger. Ginger turned her head, and turning some of her body to see whose voice had come from behind them.