Leo dropped me off my room without a word, giving me a quiet smile and wave before making his way down the hall, the rest of the colored folders in his hands to give to the rest of the guys. We were both visibly exhausted, so I didn’t mind being so casually dumped this time. I collapsed into my bed, inspecting my phone. It was afternoon now, but maybe I would get lucky with another phone call. Of all of the people who would be up that late, my best bet was Ian. I hesitated before calling him. As I had told Leo, we were casually friends until I arrived in Korea, and since then we’ve been in contact almost every day. Eventually I shrugged and just hit the call button.

The phone rang for almost the full thirty seconds before the call went through. “Woah, I didn’t think I’d ever get an actual phone call from you! How’s it going?” Ian’s cheerful voice finally came in nice and clear.

“Hey, Eastwood,” I relaxed now, letting my chin drop to my pillow as I lay prone on my bed, “It’s pretty good over here, it’s not too late there, is it?”

“Nah,” he laughed happily, “And you know it, or you wouldn’t have called.”

“Yeah, but I’m trying to be polite,” I teased, sliding the phone along the sheet as I talked. “How are things stateside?”

“Not too bad, everyone’s getting ready for the fourth and all,” his voice was always so energetic. I guess it came along with being an active and successful 21 year-old. “How are things in Seoul?”

“They’re going pretty well, I suppose,” I sighed a little bit, “Thank you so much for sending me that draft video, it was a huge help.”

“A help?” he asked curiously.

I hummed, “Yeah, I made a couple of my guys practice some of the trickier bits.” I paused, reflecting back on the experience, “How did Cary get in contact with you?”

“If I had to guess, he was probably trolling twitter like he normally does and saw my post about working with a Kpop idol,” he pondered. It was clearly a guess, but he was probably right. I made a mental note to thank my manager later.

“Well you know I generally dislike social media, so he has to do it for me,” I said with a laugh. Mr. Cary was in his 30’s, but was more internet savvy than me by a large margin. I had a social media advisor and all that, but in general, Cary was proactive enough to take care of it.

“Well,” Ian mused, hesitating over the phone, “If you need anything over there, I’m still in touch with Taemin, though it’s rather hard, considering his English is pretty bad and I know absolutely no Korean,” He laughed, but it was sad. It was easy to conclude that he missed his unlikely friend, despite the language barrier. “We mostly send email, and I’ve come to love Google translate, even if it makes everything sound awkward.”

“Thanks for the offer, but hopefully I don’t need to take you up on it,” I considered the ramifications if I asked for aid from another kpop company. I couldn’t imagine Jellyfish being too pleased. Then again, Taemin was with SM, one of the largest entertainment groups in the country. Nevertheless, it was something to keep in mind.

“He’s a good kid,” Ian said suddenly.

I couldn’t help but laugh, “Same age as you, isn’t he?”

“Yeah,” Ian admitted, “but I mean it, if there’s a chance for you to meet him, I know you’d like him. I told him I’m a friend of yours, and he would like to meet you.”

“Of course I’d like to meet him,” I thought hard on a scenario where that meeting would even be possible, and came up blank, “You’d like my guys, too.”

“Yeah, I haven’t been able to find any news anywhere; who are you even working with?”

“They’re keeping me on lock down until they can make some big dramatic reveal,” I said with a sigh, “The group’s name is VIXX,” I trusted Ian to be discreet, at least, “There are six of them.”

“I’m jealous,” he whined.

I laughed dryly, “I would have gladly traded,” I sighed heavily again, glancing at the sun out the window. Judging by the light, it was starting to creep towards evening, “Keeping track of all of them is exhausting.” I suddenly remembered a comment N made back when we first watched Taemin’s video, “Oh! Ravi, one of my guys is supposed to be a good friend of Taemin’s!”

“Really?” he sounded way too excited.

I hesitated a little, “I know you want to, but don’t tell Taemin that I’m working with his friend yet.”

“Okay okay, but on that subject I have some potentially good news,” he said suddenly, his voice perking up.

“Oh?” I tried to sound hopeful, but perhaps it was my tiredness, or maybe I just had unfairly low expectations, but my tone was borderline sarcastic.

Luckily, he either didn’t notice, or didn’t care, as he continued, “If they release you before Taemin’s comeback concert, you should go! They’re going to fly me out, so we can go together.”

“Hm,” the prospect actually sounded really nice, “Early August, right?” I calculated, “If they haven’t let me out of the dungeon yet, I might have to make a break for it for that,” I was only half joking. Another month of confinement might drive me crazy. Plus, it would be nice to see ‘Danger’, the song that brought me so much success in my training with VIXX, performed live.

“Great!” he sounded excited again, “But, uh, Mira,” he said, growing quiet, “I’d better get going.”

“Alright, dude,” I said casually, sad to lose my company, no matter how sad that sounded considering I was talking to a thin metal phone resting next to my pillow, “Keep in touch, okay?”

“You got it!” And with that, the phone call ended with a cheery beep.

I picked up the device, scrolling through my contacts yet again, well aware that it was way too late to call anyone else, but now that I had a taste for it, I craved more contact with my home world, so to speak. Maybe my brother would be awake. Then again, our conversations were usually pretty short. Sirius was a pretty quiet guy, and while we were close as kids, we’ve fallen out of touch as we’ve grown up. Not in a malicious way, just in the we-don’t-have-anything-in-common-anymore sort of way. I let out a long sigh, retiring my phone for the day as I moved it from my bed to the nightstand nearby.

“Such a sad sound to come from such a pretty girl,” a familiar voice called in Korean.

I sat up quickly, looking toward my doorway to find Ken, leaning casually against the frame. “What’s with you guys and eavesdropping on my phone calls today?” I said with a little laugh, waving my hand toward the usual chair, “Come on in, Ken.”

“You could have been giving away your deepest, darkest secrets, and I would have no idea,” he reminded me.

I chuckled at this, “True,” I agreed, crossing my legs under me as I stayed on my bed.

Before I could ask what he was doing here, he spoke up first, “Wait, someone else walked in on one of your phone calls today?” he asked eagerly.

“Yeah, Leo stopped by my room while I was talking to my dad,” I explained. “It was funny, actually,” I smiled, recalling earlier that morning, “he walked by, then tried to run away before I noticed.”

Ken rolled his eyes dramatically, “Well I’m here because for once N, Leo, or Ravi aren’t hogging you,” he crossed his arms behind his head as he relaxed on the chair. “I figured it was my turn to get some one-on-one time with you. I know Professor Mira, but I don’t know much about Miss Halley Brown.”

While his voice was his usual tone of cocky nonchalance, the sentiment was genuine. “Alright, then, Lee Jaehwan,” I spoke, using his real name as emphasis, “what would you like to know?” I rested my elbows on my knees, and balanced my head on my knuckles.

“Hm,” he hummed pensively, but I noticed his foot reach out to gently close my door. I guess he wasn’t joking around when he said it was his turn to have me to himself. “Let’s make it a game,” he winked at me with a broad smile once the door clicked shut.

I tilted my head, regarding him carefully. He had an innocent face with those full lips, button nose, large eyes, and well-styled auburn hair. But I knew better by now. Ken was clever, quick-witted, and not to be underestimated. Regardless, I figured I’d bite, “Sure.”

“Alright, so you’ll guess some things about me, and I’ll guess stuff about you. We have to say if it’s right. If it’s wrong, we have to correct each other, got it?” He explained carefully, clearly making up these arbitrary rules as he went along.

I considered it very briefly. Sounded innocent enough, “Okay, but since you’re the inventor of this game, you go first.”

“I’ll even be nice and let you know ahead of time that Ravi told us about your relationship history,” he gave me a little smirk.

I rolled my eyes. I couldn’t really be mad, since expecting anything different was unreasonable, “Great,” I said simply.

Ken seemed genuinely concerned for a minute, however, “Don’t blame him, he was just talking about how you called him out on writing romantic lyrics without really having experiencing any of that stuff himself.”

I huffed, but again, I wouldn’t dream of blaming Ravi for something like that, anyway, “Alright then, go on.”

He shifted in the chair, sitting sideways so his legs were draped over the cushioned arm, “Okay then, Miss Halley Browne, you warned us about your American honesty, time for some Ken honesty,” he grinned at me, and it legitimately sent a shiver down my spine, as if he knew some damning secret about me that even I didn’t know. When I simply nodded, he continued, “I think the reason you haven’t actually dated any of those A-list stars in America is because you were so heartbroken by your first love that you are scared to try it again.”

I rolled my eyes at this one. “Easy conclusion,” I grumbled. I wasn’t going to deny that. “Well then Lee Jaehwan I think that you are so flirtatious because you haven’t experienced love yet.”

“Wrong,” he said simply, not even bothering to look at me, “I had a girlfriend before my debut,” his voice grew a little quiet, and I found myself leaning forward to listen, “We had to break up in order for me to join VIXX. That was the deal with the company.”

“You still love her.”

He looked at me with a little smile, “No fair, that’s two in a row,” he shook his head slowly, “But yes. I get two now.” He looked back up at my ceiling, gently kicking his legs as he thought of what to say next, “You’re a daddy’s girl,” he said suddenly, looking to me for confirmation.

“Yes, but not for the usual reason,” I murmured, not meeting his eyes.

“Divorce?”

“Nope, my mother died when I was young.” This was twice in one day I’ve had to talk about this. His face fell, but I didn’t let him feel pity, “My turn, you’re the youngest of your siblings.”

“Yes. You’re an only child,” he countered quickly.

“One younger brother,” I corrected, the smile returning to my face, grateful that he let the previous subject go so quickly. “Hmm,” I paused now, “time for some harder-hitting truths now,” I challenged.

He raised an eyebrow at me, “Are you sure you want to do that with me?” he shifted slightly, ready for the game to change.

I didn’t bother answering, opting instead to break right into what I really thought of Ken, “I think you get along with all of your brothers here in VIXX, but you also resent them. You feel like someone with your talent could be doing a lot more, maybe in a bigger company,” I saw him squirm slightly, but he maintained his eye contact with me. But I wasn’t done yet, “You especially get frustrated with Leo, who competes with you musically when you should be boosting each other. Sometimes this frustration comes out even when you’re not performing. You, who are so good with public relations, also get frustrated that he is so reserved and awkward that he’s a distraction,” I shifted as I spoke, moving to sit at the foot of the bed, gripping the bedframe as I continued to lean toward him, “But he knows that, doesn’t he? And it causes a vicious cycle where he feels your aggravation, which in turn makes him so competitive,” the words were just flowing out of me now, as if I were just now making this revelation myself. It was something I had pondered before, but having to put it into words out loud made it much more real. “You love Hongbin and Hyuk, but you get tired carrying them through every performance.”

I intended to keep speaking when he quickly rotated to sit on the chair properly, leaning toward me in turn, his eyes suddenly very dark, “That’s enough,” his voice was low and angry, unlike anything I had heard from him before, “Yes. You’re right, I do get frustrated, not with just Leo, but everyone sometimes, but they’re still like family to me,” he snapped. I was about to defend myself, about to tell him that of course I knew that, but he didn’t let me, “My turn,” he scooted the chair so that we were practically nose to nose now, “I think you have some messed up form of Stockholm Syndrome here. You’ve never been romantically interested in collaborators, but you’re being held here like a prisoner. Despite your usual attitude, you’ve had feelings for Ravi since very early on,” his voice softened, going from accusatory to something vaguely akin to pity. It took all the resolve I could muster to keep my mouth shut, “But he rejected you, didn’t he?” he asked softly. My jaw clenched as I remembered that night in the studio when I had kissed Ravi on the cheek, then again outside my door just the night before, and he had walked away like it was nothing, “Before you murder one of us, no, he didn’t tell me about it, but the heartbreak was written all over his face when he got home.” He must have noticed the look on my face, as he sighed before continuing, “He threw that stupid beanie Leo gave him so hard that if it were anything else, it would have left a hole in the wall. But let me ease your sweet heart, Mira. He had a reason for turning you down,” his voice became rather aggressive again as he inched closer to me, but the aggression was clearly not aimed at me this time, but at the man in question down the hall. “I’m not going to say it was a good reason, because I think he’s an idiot, and I wish I could tell you the reason just so you could agree with me, but,” he groaned loudly, looking away from me, clearly releasing some pent up anger, “I won’t do that. They’re not my feelings to express, but I swear if things get weird now, I’m going to murder Wonsik,” he paused, his dark eyes sweeping over my face again, but I held firm, not daring to blink. “But you doubt your own feelings, since you haven’t had real friends in a long time. Since you’re trapped here with us, you’ve let yourself get to know us, and let us get to know you, and that scares you. You don't know if we're really friends or just friends of necessity that will leave your life forever once you go home.” Our noses were practically touching now, eyes narrowed at one another, “If only I know what happened with Leo, because…”

I cut him off, “That’s enough,” I relented, letting out the breath I had been holding as he sat back in the chair, a smug look on his face, “You’re only partially right,” I pointed out. “You’re right that for the first time in my career I considered perusing romantic feelings for a fellow artist, and yes- it was Ravi, and yes- he brushed me off without an explanation, and,” I tugged at my hair in frustration, “it’s a bit discouraging, but I’m glad, in a way.” I let my hands drop to my lap, defeated, “It would have ended poorly and there would be no chance for reconciliation since I have to go home to America when this is all over.” I spoke quickly, convincing both Ken and myself.  I stopped to think it through, “Even with the rejection, he’s as close to a best friend as I have, and I’m not going to let this get in the way of that. However, I’m not scared to get to know the rest of you. I’m not scared for you all to know me. As you said, I haven’t been able to make friends back in the American industry, but the prospect of making real friends here actually makes me quite happy,” my voice grew quiet and shaky as I finished my monologue. I felt my throat clench as my aggression gave way to a wave of an indescribable variety of emotion. One thing was for sure: I felt so incredibly lonely in that moment.

Ken softened immediately. His eyes glistened in the dim light of my room, the sun having set in the middle of our ‘game’, and he reached for me. I slipped off my bed to take his hand, and he gave it a tug as soon as his hand found mine. I didn’t bother trying to resist as I tumbled onto his lap. He took me into his arms, and I willingly curled up against his chest, gently taking hold of his white t-shirt. Hugging me tight, he pressed his forehead against the top of my head, and I could feel the creases as he grimaced. There in our vulnerable states, we were not Ken and Mira, but simply Jaehwan and Halley, two humans who accidentally bore their hearts to one another. He pressed a soft kiss to my hair, “It’s okay,” he whispered, but I heard his voice waver as well. Ever since Ravi’s rejection, I had not yet fully resolved my thoughts on the matter. Moving on from the crush itself would be relatively easy- my feelings hadn’t had time to really take root, but the fact that my first attempt in six years to make that kind of personal contact had been so decidedly rebuked was what affected me the most. If I was honest with myself, I figured it would take me a little while to properly get over that. “We all love you, you know,” I heard him whisper suddenly, interrupting the heavy silence.

I laughed dryly once, which came out like a wet cough through my restrained emotions. The words sounded silly, all things considered. I knew what he meant, of course. A month of living together and already I felt like these six guys were fast becoming some of the best friends I’ve ever had. Maybe Ken was right that it was some twisted Stockholm syndrome, but at that moment, I didn’t even care. “I’ll miss all of you,” my voice was muffled against his chest, but I felt him hug me a little tighter.

“Don’t talk about that,” he spoke, suddenly very firm, despite his quiet and sensitive voice. “You’ll feel better tomorrow, I promise.”

I nodded weakly in response. We were silent for a long moment before I regained enough breath and composure to speak again, “That was a crap game.”

I felt his chest rumble as he laughed, “I thought it was a great game.” I pulled away from him enough to look up at his face. He was smiling warmly, “I can now say I know Halley Browne pretty well.”

“Likewise, Jaehwan.”

“Alright, you,” he stretched casually, releasing me, “Hongbin’s been working up the courage to ask for a guitar lesson. Expect him tomorrow morning.”

I clamored off of his lap, smoothing out my shirt as I stood, “And you think he actually will?”

“I’ll give him a push,” Ken winked once he caught my eye, “So get ready for that, okay?”

“I will,” I nodded, heading him off to open the door for him, “And Ken?”

He stopped to look at me curiously, “Yes, Professor?”

“Thank you.”