Jinwoo sliced up his friend’s food, before the latter turned around to face the windows. “I’m going to take my scarf off to eat now. But you must promise not to come here and look at my face, okay? I’m really ugly. You might lose your appetite.”

The reporter only laughed and said, “Okay, I promise. But just so you know, you seem like a nice and funny person so I couldn’t care less about your looks.” 

The rumours about the hotel’s pancakes were indeed not unfounded. The savoury ones with salami, mozzarella and tomatoes were as delicious as the sweet matcha ones. His friend ordered spinach mushroom and banana chocolate pancakes and Jinwoo wanted to try those too.

“Hanbin-ah, can I try your food? Pleaseee!”

“Okay, bring your plate here. This is lame, let’s just eat together. It feels so awkward facing away from you.”

“Sure!” He jumped off the bed he was sitting on and set his plate on the table near the windows, but remembering his promise earlier, he closed his eyes. “But I still can’t look at your face?”

Jinwoo could feel the other's hand covering his eyes. “What’s your full name?”

“Huh, excuse me?”

“I’m asking for your full name, Jinwoo-yah.”

“Me? I’m Kim Jinwoo. Why?”

“Kim Jinwoo, I want you to promise me another thing. I’m gonna let you see my face, but after that you must stay in this room, at least until you finish eating. Is that okay?”

Jinwoo laughed loudly again, “Yah! You think I’m gonna insult you and then run away? Are you crazy? Of course I won’t do that.”

“So you promise you won’t leave and we’ll still be friends after this?”

“Yes I promise! Can I go back to eating my food? Hahaha!” Jinwoo opened his eyes just as the other’s hand moved away from his face. “Now I’m gonna take a piece of your mushroom-“ He choked when he saw his friend’s face. Or the person that he thought was his friend. He slowly backed away, looking way more scared than the first time he saw Mino last night at the hotel lobby. “What the hell - oh my goodness - you’re Song - Song Mino?”

Mino stood up and grabbed Jinwoo’s wrist with his uninjured hand. “Kim Jinwoo, you promised to stay here.”

“But you - so you’re not Hanbin - right? Why did you - oh my God - “

“Can you sit back down and let me explain while you eat?” When Jinwoo did not move, Mino lightly guided him back to his seat. “Please? I will feel really bad if you cannot even eat properly because of me. And I will only start talking when you start eating again.” He poked a slice of pancake from his plate and placed it on Jinwoo's.

“I’m really stupid. I should have known - since you stay on 27th floor - and you’re really tall too, and the way you dress like an underground rapper, and permanently covering your face, and how you can afford to buy so much expensive snacks and a nicer room when you’re still so young, and -“ Jinwoo poked a pancake angrily and shoved it in his mouth.

Mino sighed and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you at first, so obviously I couldn’t flash my real name around. You might have been some blabbermouth who would pester me for my signature and picture and after that blast them on Twitter and tell the whole world where I’m staying. And my friend Taehyun would be at stake too.” 

Jinwoo snorted at the word ‘blabbermouth’. Mino continued, “But just after hanging out with you for a while, I get the feeling that I can trust you, which is why I’m telling you who I actually am now. And I wanna help you, Jinwoo-yah, I’ll give you an interview and I’ll drag Taehyun in too, but probably you need to sign an agreement with our agency that you wouldn’t publish anything that they don’t agree to. I mean, we are still rookies, so YG cares a lot about our image and all.”

Mino started to get worried when Jinwoo was not answering and just kept stuffing himself with food. “Are you okay? Are you angry?”

Jinwoo put his knife and fork down before wiping his lips with a napkin. “Who’s Hanbin?”

“Huh? Oh, he’s a trainee in my agency. One of my good friends. Why?”

“Just wondering whose name you used to trick me.”

Mino uttered, “Look, I know that you might be angry at me and - “

“I’m not angry at you. I know where you’re coming from. If I were you, I would probably do the same thing too, and last night I was just an unknown stranger to you. I was more angry at myself for being so gullible. Probably this was why Seungyoon-hyung wanted to kick me out of the company, I’m just a stupid boy from an island…” A slight hint of tears started to form in his eyes.

The rapper started to get concerned and grabbed a box of tissue. He also put a hand on Jinwoo’s and said, “Jinwoo-yah, you’re not stupid. I’m quite well-trained in disguising myself - I mean, I need to avoid rabid fangirls at all times. There was one time I sneaked out from my dorm at midnight to buy ddukbokki from a street stall with nothing covering my face, and I ended up being chased around the block by like 20 girls screaming my name. I think it was the scariest moment of my life.“

Light chuckles escaped Jinwoo’s lips and it gave Mino the encouragement to continue. “After that, I learned my lesson and cover my face whenever I wanna go out in my own time. Anyway, as I was saying, you’re not stupid and you’re not gonna get kicked out. I will try to convince my manager so that I can give you as many exclusive interviews as you want. Will that be alright?”

Jinwoo nodded. “I’m sorry. And thanks a lot.”

“No, no, I want you to treat me as a friend. I’m the one who owe you many apologies and thanks…”

“Are you kidding me? You’re the one who’s gonna save me from a potential termination of my employment. And I was the one who almost threw a fit a few minutes ago!” Jinwoo poured mineral water into two glasses and handed one to Mino, “Toast to our new friendship!”

Mino laughed, “You’re so cute!”

Jinwoo fished out his phone, which had been vibrating incessantly in his pocket. “Oh, gosh, Seunghoon-hyung is calling. What should I tell him??"