Ravi’s prediction turned out to be 100% correct. As I opened the door, I saw Hyuk slumped asleep against the hall. I snuck quietly out the door and sat next to him, “Sanghuk,” I whispered. Instead of rousing him, he simply shifted to lean against me in his sleep. He looked so peaceful, I didn’t have the heart to wake him just yet. I didn’t mind getting a late start.

As I quietly went through my papers, Hyuk breathing evenly against me, I heard footsteps down the hall. It was actually Hongbin coming down the hall, but he stopped when he saw us there on the hallway floor. I put my finger to my lips and nudged my head toward Hyuk. Hongbin came closer, a wide smile spreading across his face, “I told him he was way too early,” Hongbin whispered.

“Over eager, I guess,” I said in a hushed voice, trying not to laugh.

Hongbin reached into his bag and retrieved a rather large SLR camera, “Do you mind?” he asked

“Go ahead,” I said with a smile, throwing up a peace sign next to Hyuk’s sleeping face as Hongbin took a few shots.

“He’s going to kill me,” Hongbin whispered, a grin still on his face. “Have fun,” he waved as he replaced his camera and went on his way.

“Hongbin hyung?” Hyuk’s voice cracked as he began to stir.

“Just me,” I said sadly, “Sorry to disappoint.”

Hyuk lifted his head and blinked slowly, clearly still in the fog of sleep. He regarded me for a long moment before his eyes slowly widened, “Mira noona?”

“Good morning,” I greeted, “feeling better?”

He gaped at me before finally bowing his head, “I’m so sorry!”

“Stop, stop,” I started to stand up, offering him my hand, “it was cute. But let’s get to work now, okay?”

Taking my hand, he pulled himself up beside me. I took the opportunity to size him up, literally. He must have noticed, “Is something wrong, noona?”

“Well, for one, Mira is fine, and if you keep growing, you’re going to be taller than Leo,” I gave him a quick smile before heading down the hallway.

I heard him stifle a laugh behind me as he jogged a few steps to catch up to me, “Okay, Mira.”

We made our way to the now all-too-familiar piano studio. “Take a seat,” I instructed, gesturing to the chair adjacent to the piano bench. “Now, Ravi told me you’ve practiced a little English, is that right?”

“Just a little,” he answered shyly.

I flipped through some of my papers, looking for my orchestrations. “Ah,” I found them, “Okay Hyuk, I’m going to sing something in English and I want you to repeat it for me.”

“Sure,” he shifted in the chair, sitting up a little straighter, “I’m ready.”

As I had hoped, his English was infinitely better than Ravi’s, which wasn’t saying a whole lot, but I was pleased. “You know, Hyuk, it would open a lot of doors for you if you really learned English. Your pronunciation is great.”

He looked away, “Maybe one day,” he said softly, but he couldn’t hide his smile.

“Well in the meantime, I’m going to let Ravi off the hook and let you take the obligatory English lyrics in this song. Sound okay?” I asked, raising one eyebrow at him.

After a moment’s hesitation, “As long as Ravi is okay with that.”

“Are you kidding?” I laughed, “He was the one who asked me to get you to do it in the first place!”

Hyuk laughed with me, “Okay, then.”

“Now,” I said, switching gears, “I need to test your range. You sang in your head a lot during Eternity, and I want to figure out if it was a range problem or a technique problem.”

I ran through the exact same runs and exercises as I did with N. Hyuk couldn’t go quite as high, but his low register was a bit better. We sang together, and it was so easy. This kid was a harmony expert, easily adjusting to different keys and chords. “I guess I was wrong about you, Hyukkie,” I said as I finished the last of my harmonies with him.

“Oh?” he asked, his face holding a hint of sadness.

“I mean I thought they were making you sing to high, but your range is actually quite good,” I tapped my chin in thought, “I guess you just need to adjust your singing as you grow.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean the other members have the luxury of being done with puberty already,” I said with a laugh.

I’m pretty sure I caught the trace of a blush cross his face, “Well I think it’s over now,” he mumbled as he looked away from me.

“It’s not a bad thing,” I insisted, “But you started singing with everyone when you were sixteen, but now you’re eighteen, so I think you just need more practice.” I ran a hand through my ponytail as I thought some more, “Well I guess that’s everybody, and now I can start really writing your vocal parts.”

He scooted his chair a little closer to me, “Do you have a lot written already?”

I nodded, “I have the whole instrumental done, and the melody is pretty set, but I was really waiting on you and Hongbin to get into the vocal arrangement.”

Listening intently, he looked a bit like a puppy just barely on the edge of his seat, “So soon?”

I laughed, “Yeah, it’ll take some time to get recording artists for the string sections, and I should start practicing the piano part so I can record it myself,” I ran my hand along the top of the piano as I spoke, “the guitar part is easy enough, I could probably record that as soon as I made final adjustments for Ravi’s lyrics.”

“Wow,” he said in quiet reverence, “that’s a lot of work.”

“Looks like you’re stuck with me for a while, yet,” I said, reaching out to poke his forehead.

He rubbed where I had just jabbed, but he continued to smile, “I’m glad.” He stopped to think, “I think you’re helping us a lot.”

“Well you’re all going to be better singers now that I’ve put you all through the ringer,” I said with a laugh, “Except you and N were too easy.”

“That’s not what I mean,” he said with a little laugh.

“What do you mean then?” I asked, reaching for him again.

He dodged this time, laughing again, “I guess we’ll see when it’s all over.”

“Fine, fine, be cryptic,” I rolled my eyes. “Do you guys have everything ready for N’s birthday tomorrow?”

At the question, he perked up visibly, “Yes!” he said excitedly, “All of us have an agreement that we all come together to throw a ‘surprise’ party for every birthday.” He made air quotes around the word ‘surprise’. I guess it wasn’t much of a surprise if it was a longstanding agreement, but the idea was still cute.

“Well, good,” I said with a laugh, “You guys had better have a good time before I start working all of you to the bone,” I teased as I stood. “I know our day was short, but we got a late start with your little nap this morning.”

His face drooped, “I’m sorry!” he cried again.

I grinned, “No, it was fine.” I opted not to tell him about Hongbin and his camera just yet. “I got everything I needed from you anyway.” I scanned my papers again before making a decision, “You can head back upstairs if you want. I think I’ll stay down here and give this piano part a go.”

He stood, but hesitated, “Actually,” he spoke shyly again, “can I stay?”

“Um,” I wasn’t expecting him to want to stay, but I couldn’t think of a reason he shouldn’t, so I shrugged, “It’ll be a bit boring since it’s just practice, but you’re welcome to stick around if you really want to.”

Simply nodding, he once again scooted the chair closer to the piano bench so he was able to see the keys, “Thanks,” he said happily.

Hyuk was a perfectly polite audience. He never interrupted me, asked questions only when I was in between sections, and didn’t fidget at all. There was a point in time where I had pretty much forgotten he was there, when the sound of the door opening startled me out of my thoughts. I turned around quickly to see Ken peering through the doorway.

“Miraaa,” he called, “are you still keeping our Hyukkie hostage?”

“No hyung,” Hyuk called as he hopped up from his perch at the edge of his chair, “I was just watching Mira practice the piano.”

“Lucky you,” he said as he came into the room, looking over my handwritten sheet music, “Oh are the instrumentals done?” he asked, and I heard his voice slip from teasing goofball to serious work mode.

“Pretty much, yeah.” I looked up at Ken who was leaning over my shoulder now, “Obviously I might have to make some rhythmic changes once Ravi and I go through the lyrics, but it’s generally composed and ready to go.”

Ken looked conflicted, “I want to hear it, but,” he looked to Hyuk now, “We have to finish up for tomorrow, Hyukkie.”

“Oh, right!” Hyuk looked mildly panicked for a moment, “Sorry hyung, I didn’t keep track of time.”

Ken slung his arm around Hyuk’s shoulders, “It’s fine, Sanghyuk, we’d just better get back upstairs soon before Leo murders us.”

I chuckled at their exchange, “Have fun,” I waved them away as Ken steered Hyuk out the door.

“Bye Mira!” Hyuk called as they disappeared out of the studio.

And just like that, I was left alone. It was a strange thing; I was normally perfectly content being alone. In, fact, I was well known in the industry to be rather anti-social by entertainment industry standards. But I had spent over a month with these six guys, and I had grown accustomed to their company. Maybe it’s because they weren’t as obnoxious as the standard American pop star, or because I latched on to whatever familiarity I could in this foreign place, but whatever the reason, I felt comfortable living with them. I thought about all those I left behind: Charlotte, who I’m sure is loving being in charge while I’m out, Mr.  Carey who is probably fretting about god-knows-what, my dad who I’ve tried to send a message just about every day. He’s pretty good about responding with cringey dad jokes. Even so, I was only mildly homesick. And of all the collaborations I’ve ever done, I’ve never worried about missing them once they ended. Then again, once I left Korea, I probably would lose all contact with VIXX entirely.

Sighing, I pushed these thoughts from my mind as I refocused on the sheet music in front of me. I had gotten my part down pretty well, and had a general idea of how I wanted the vocals to go. I had drawn a graph of who I want to sing when, and with what harmonies. Just as Voodoo had been Ken’s song, I wanted this to be Leo’s song. After what I put him through, he deserved it. I managed to find the paper in question and started noting Hongbin’s new part, a whole octave lower than planned, as well as Hyuk’s flowing harmonies. For all the fussing I did about those parts, it was surprisingly easy to write them in now. I even had some lyric ideas. Not actual lyrics, but at least an idea of the direction I wanted to take.

After an acceptable rendition of the piano part, I let my head fall to the keys, making a rather unpleasant dissonant sound. I half expected the door to open behind me, but today, it didn’t. The room stayed quiet and the door stayed shut. I suddenly wished I had more work to do, but I was at an impasse until the lyrics were finished. No point recording even the piano part if I have to change the rhythm to fit Korean lyrics. I had a pretty good idea on speaking and singing patterns, but it wasn’t worth the risk.

With nothing else to work on, my thoughts returned to my current state of affairs. As much as it was a sneaky hate spiral, I did manage to identify something. A part of me was jealous of VIXX. The six of them were legitimately like a family; like brothers. And they were more than that, they were friends. Back home I had just a few people in my life I would dare call friends, and even then they were mostly career contacts. Part of it was my own doing- as I already mentioned, I was known to be pretty antisocial. I never felt the need for friends. The only friends I had were from my year of college before dropping out to become a performer. And even then, I was pretty bad at staying in touch. Suddenly I realized I was crying. I groaned. I prided on myself from being able to control my emotions, but being so alone in a country so far away from my usual comfortable home apparently was getting to me.

I pushed away from the piano violently, causing the bench to creak in protest. Standing quickly, I wiped my face, trying to get my act together. I needed to get back to my room. In the stairwell of the lobby, I brushed past Hyuk, who greeted me cheerfully. “Hey Hyuk,” I greeted back flatly, pushing past him in hopes that he wouldn’t see my face. I didn’t dare turn when he called after me.

Once I got to my room, I closed the door behind me. For the entire five weeks I had been living here, I always kept my door open until I went to sleep. My room suddenly felt much, much smaller. At least now I had more to occupy myself than just a lone piano in a soundproof room. I delved into my work until I couldn’t think about anything else anymore.

I must have fallen asleep at my desk, my face on my laptop keyboard. I woke suddenly, disoriented. I blinked and looked out the window. The sun was setting already. I thought I had woke up of my own accord, but a soft voice came through the door.

“Halley?” I couldn’t help but smile a little. Only one person could pronounce my name so well.

“Hold on, Hyuk,” I called back, quickly taking my hair down and retying it. I took a drink of water before reaching for the door. At his concerned face, I sighed, “Sorry about blowing you off earlier,” I paused to watch his face fall even further, “I had a lot on my mind, and,” I looked at my disheveled desk, “I guess I was pretty tired.”

When I looked back at him, a tiny smile had appeared, “Um, Mira,” he was clearly trying to contain a laugh, “You have a keyboard print on your cheek.”

I felt my shoulders sag as I rubbed my face, “As I said,” I laughed dryly, “tired.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, his eyebrows knitting together in concern.

I gestured for him to come in, “Forget about me, is everything ready for tomorrow?”

“Oh!” he perked up at the subject, “Yeah, his siblings are taking him to lunch and we’ll have everything ready in the apartment when he gets home.” He looked at me again, “Do you miss home?”

Apparently this kid was persistent. “A little,” I admitted. “I know both our companies want my reveal to be a surprise, so I’m a bit trapped here.” When his face started to turn sad, I spoke quickly, “Don’t get me wrong, I love living with you guys!” I couldn’t bear to see Hyuk so sad. “It’s just nice to have the option to go out, you know?”

He nodded slowly, “I hope you’ll tell us if there’s something we can do to make you feel better,” his earnest smile honestly did make me feel better.

I reached out and ruffled his auburn hair, “Thanks Hyukkie.”

Voices down the hall caught both of our attention. It sounded like N himself. “Mom’s calling,” Hyuk said with a sideways smile.

“You’d better go before you get in trouble,” I teased.

He stood, but hesitated, turning to look at me one more time, “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”

“Get out of here!” I gave him a gentle push, “You might be willing to get in trouble with mommy N, but I’m not,” I gave him a little wink before closing the door behind him.

“Bye Mira!” he called through the door, like deja vu from this afternoon. I couldn’t help but smile as I heard him jog away down the hall. Once I was certain he was gone, I decided to properly lay down to sleep this time, excited at the prospect of sleeping in.