Spring arrived. The mornings soon lost all trace of winter’s chill, the sky gleamed with soft hues of blue.

The drama from Hanoi had long been forgotten, buried underneath greater, more appalling or senseless scandals. The authorities had never found the assailant; though it made Eun Mi, the company, and those around her weary and restless, life went on.

“Are you ready for tomorrow?” Minah combed her fingers through Eun Mi’s waves, cradling her niece in her arms.

“Not really,” Eun Mi said in a small voice.

After the fiasco with her last variety/reality show, it had taken a lot of persuasion to even get Eun Mi to audition for another program. She wasn’t camera shy, she knew how to interact with the public through those frightening devices better than most rookies; it was the dark shadow that Zico had cast over her that had made her hesitate. In the end, she’d done it only for CELESTIAL—and maybe to prove something to herself. Maybe Zico. Eun Mi didn’t really know.

“Do you know who you’ll be in this show with?”

“No.”

Minah’s fingers paused. She abandoned Korean, speaking to Eun Mi in heated Spanish. “What do you mean you don’t know? Didn’t the producers tell you who you would be working with?”

“They didn’t tell me anything, tía. Aside from the basic outline of the program, I don’t know anything.”

“So you’re telling me that you’re off to share a house with strangers and you won’t even meet them beforehand?”

“We’re supposed to meet tomorrow,” Eun Mi reassured her. “The script says we’re supposed to play a game, something to get us interested in one another.”

Minah shook her head, disapproving of the program’s setup. “Don’t these programs usually have a press conference of sorts?”

Eun Mi kept herself from flinching. She’d had enough of press conferences in the past few weeks to last her a lifetime, but work was work. She suddenly longed for Taewoon’s protective arms fiercely.

“We’re having it in a few days. The plan is to show the preview to the news outlets then.”

The lack of color in her niece’s face didn’t escape Minah. She hugged her closer, rubbing her cheek against hers.

“My little sea, my little sun!”

Eun Mi smiled at the old nickname, taking all the comfort her aunt offered her. Her phone vibrated, dancing across the coffee table. Minah eyed it knowingly.

“When will you introduce me to this muchacho?”

Blushing, Eun Mi scooped up the device. “L-later. Only if it’s serious. I love you, tía.” She gave her a kiss on the forehead, escaping further interrogation by fleeing to her bedroom.

Minah sighed. “Darling, it’s so very obvious that it’s already serious.”

She looked at the small picture frame where her deceased sister and brother-in-law held their eight-year-old daughter in a loving embrace, squeezing her between them. Minah brought her hands together, bowing her head in prayer.

“Oh, please, God, watch over Your little sea, Your little sun. Dear Lady, please protect her; keep her safe underneath your blue mantel. Sister, brother, please, please don’t forget your daughter. Oh, God, please.”

Even Eun Mi’s tinkling laughter could not ease the deep foreboding that gripped Minah’s heart.

“Unnie, unnie!” Ienna held the camera greedily, filming Eun Mi as she proceeded to pack. “Say hello to the camera.”

Eun Mi raised her head, pushing her hair out of her face. She stared at the camera, looked over the device to Ienna, and laughed softly.

“Our Ienna should have been a film student instead.”

“I’ll be a director someday!”

Having Ienna film her as she packed made everything fun. Soon, ReNA and Chae joined them, taking over Eun Mi’s bed.

“Unnie, I think you should tell the viewers why you have your own room.”

Eun Mi jumped onto the bed, laying over ReNA and Chae. They squealed, laughing as Eun Mi settled over their stomachs.

“Because I’m the leader!”

“Eey!”

After they finished filming, saying goodnight into the camera and waving goodbye, Eun Mi turned to girls with a solemn look.

“Where is DAEE?”

“She said she was going to practice.”

“Practice?”

A strange feeling prickled her mind. She gave DAEE a call, asking her to return early.

“Y—yeah! I—I’ll be over right away! J—just give me a few minutes!”

Eun Mi had stared at the phone after DAEE had hurriedly hung up. She knocked on the managers’ door, listening. Carefully, she opened it, finding both of them asleep. When DAEE came home, Eun Mi noted how frightened, nervous, and out of breath she was.

“DAEE.”

She yelped, tripping over her feet and landing on her knees. DAEE looked up at her leader, her dark eyes wide with anxiety.

“Where were you DAEE?”

“P—practicing.”

Eun Mi helped her stand. She could smell something unusual yet familiar on her; the scent of sweat mingled with something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

“DAEE, I hope that you’re at least being careful. When you’re ready to tell me what you’re doing, I’ll listen.”

“I—I’m not doing anything, unnie, I swear!”

“Don’t swear in vain.”

DAEE flinched, bowing her head. They stood in silence for a few moments before Eun Mi sighed.

“Go to bed, DAEE, and please, please be careful.”

DAEE fled, her cheeks burning in embarrassment and shame. One of the reasons they’d selected Eun Mi as their leader was because of how intuitive she could be. More than that, it had been because her intuition always proved to be right.

Now, with a secret that weighed on her heart, DAEE worried. She worried that Eun Mi would find out. She worried that she would tell the company. She worried that what she had just begun would be crushed under the weight of her position as an idol.

So much could go wrong. She couldn’t tell anyone, not even Eun Mi. Her leader would only tell her what she did not want to hear, advice to do the unthinkable.

DAEE had to keep this to herself. She just had to.

Eun Mi watched as DAEE disappeared into her room. She knew just what it was that DAEE wanted so much to hide. Her desire to keep it hidden had only made it more obvious. Yet the only thing Eun Mi could do was watch over her until DAEE decided to tell her on her own.

Eun Mi hoped that it wouldn’t be too late by then.

S Broadcasting’s camera crew met Eun Mi at the hair salon. The concept of the first filming session had yet to be revealed to her, but they’d asked to meet with her for a brief introduction. Her hair stylist had just finished weaving a ribbon into her braid when the cameras began recording; the makeup artist placed the finishing touches on her lips, making for a lovely scene.

“What is this? Is it a mission?” Eun Mi took the blue envelope that the writer, Ms. Kang, offered her. They had moved into a van, multiple cameras were angled in her direction. She’d had no idea that so many cameras were required to film a single person. She looked at the one to her right, making a face, before she returned her attention to the task at hand.

“I’m excited,” she said, aware that she must speak while under such scrutiny. She opened up the envelope, playfully adding her own background music.

“Cha-chan!” she said as she pulled the mission card out. “Figure out who your new roommates are. From this moment onwards, every person you meet is a clue! Beware, not everyone is who they appear to be.”

Eun Mi looked at the writer, laughing. “Riddles? Really? I’m so bad at them!”

“When we arrive at the first location, you’ll meet a series of people. They’re clues. You will be given two minutes to ask them anything you want. Remember what they say and ask good questions.”

“Is there a prize for whomever figures it out first?”

“Maybe.”

“Eey,” Eun Mi laughed. “There’s nothing, there’s nothing!”

The crew laughed along with her, charmed by her enthusiasm and playful nature.

Eun Mi checked her appearance in one of the cameras, pushing her braid out of the way. Her stylist had woken up very early to prepare her for the first filming. Eun Mi made a note to buy her a meal or a small gift as a thank you.

“Mr. Driver,” she said. “Would it be alright if we played some music?”

Later, when the first episode aired, the entire nation would find out just how much like a karaoke room Eun Mi utilized cars.

Eun Mi looked around. They were in one of the busier neighborhoods of Seoul; the large buildings dwarfed their existence.

“Unnie,” she tugged on Ms. Kang’s sleeve. “If we walk around here, I’ll be bound to get lost. Would that still be fine? I don’t want to cause any trouble for the crew.”

Ms. Kang smiled, indicating the tall, white building before them. “I think we’ll find you if you limit yourself to getting lost in there.”

Visibly relieved, Eun Mi’s smile returned. She grabbed her backpack’s straps, jumping up and down in place.

Ms. Kang explained the game to her. Hidden inside where the “living clues.” She had to find each clue on her own without any help of any kind. Once she found said clues, she would be given two minutes to analyze “it.” If she chose a level already occupied, she would be frozen in place until the other person vacated the premises; she would lose the amount of time she’d be frozen. The rooftop was the final destination. She had to figure out the cast before the time ran out.

“So I have to stop on each floor and avoid the cast while looking for human clues?”

“Yes.”

Eun Mi look into a camera with disbelief. “What is this?”

“You have an hour. If you fail, there will be a punishment.”

“You should have told me that before!”

They had to wait a few more minutes before they were given the green light. Eun Mi rushed into the building, proceeding at a light jog.

“I wonder who I’ll meet.” Eun Mi talked to one of the cameras. “Maybe it’ll be an actor. Kim Woo Bin? Lee Min Ho? My aunt is a big fan of Lee Min Ho, if he’s around, I’ll ask him for his autograph.”

She looked around the lobby, talking excitedly. She paused once, fishing a little notebook out of her bag.

“If they’re clues, I need to write down who they are and what they say. Look,” she pointed to the hardcover of her notebook, “it even has post-it notes. Isn’t it cute?”

Finally, in one of the rooms furthest from the entrance, Eun Mi found her first clue.

She stopped, giving the crew a really bored look. She pushed the door open.

Su Jong sat with his back to her, playing with his phone while a single camera filmed him. Eun Mi approached him quietly, scribbling into her notebook.

“Hey, Kim Su Jong!”

Startled, Su Jong whirled around in the chair, blinking in fright as Eun Mi stuck a post-it to his forehead. The word “CLUE” written on it in bold, black ink.

“What the—”

“Shh! You’re being filmed now.”

“Eun Mi, what are you doing here?”

“Me? I should be the one asking the questions here.”

Ms. Kang positioned a stopwatch before one of the cameras. “You have two minutes, starting now.”

Without waiting for Su Jong to make heads or tails of the situation, Eun Mi interrogated him. By the time the two minutes were up, Su Jong knew that if Eun Mi ever became a detective, she would be quite a scary one.

“Time’s up.”

Eun Mi grinned, patting Su Jong on the shoulder comfortingly. “I’ll text you later, Jongie.”

Before she left, she gave him a little bottle of vitamin juice, giving him a knowing smile. Su Jong laughed.

“Be careful out there. Don’t hurt anybody.”

“You make me sound so evil.”

“That’s because you are.”

Eun Mi winked at him as she left the room. “You know it.”

The building had twelve levels, including the basement garage and the roof.

“I must stop at every floor, right?”

“Yes.”

She wrote the number ten in her notebook.

“Why are you doing that?”

“There’s ten cast members, including myself.”

“Why?”

“The rooftop doesn’t count since it’s the final destination. The basement doesn’t count because that’s where the parking lot is. It would be dangerous to film down there. The first clue was Su Jong. That means that one of the cast is likely a member of L6. Since Jongie is part of L6, I’ll head to the sixth floor.”

She turned to the camera. “AMORES, you can’t just love one. Bang!” Imitating Su Jong, she fired a single finger-gun.

From then on, Eun Mi made her way through each floor with ease. With twenty minutes left, she’d met VIXX’s Hongbin on the sixth floor, KARA’s Youngji on the second, APink’s Bomi on the third, AOA’s Choa on the fourth, SISTAR’s Dasom on the eighth, and FT Island’s Hongki on the ninth.

She’d been lucky enough not to select floors that were already occupied. She also tried her best to be as quick as possible in case anyone were frozen while she looked.

On the fifth floor she’d found ReNA. After making sure that she was doing alright, she’d gone all the way up to the tenth floor. Where she’d had a very awkward encounter with Infinite’s L.

Her cheeks had gotten very hot as she found him staring out a window. He looked so picturesque that it became impossible to speak without stuttering.

“H-hello,” she’d said as she’d entered the room cautiously, bowing.

“Oh, hello.” L had bowed to her in greeting.

“I’m Song Eun Mi, it’s a pleasure to meet you, sunbaenim.”

L had smiled shyly, bowing yet again at her sudden bow. “Song Eun Mi? From CELESTIAL?”

“Yes.”

“Then we’re same-age friends, aren’t we?”

“Y-yes!”

“Then please talk to me comfortably.” He’d laughed softly.

Eun Mi had had no idea what to say, so she’d escaped before her two minutes had been up.

“Why did you do that?” Ms. Kang had asked. “Is he your type?”

“No,” Eun Mi had said breathlessly. “He’s not my type but he’s still so very handsome. He’s out of this world.”

Now, the only floor left to check was the seventh. Eun Mi pressed down on the button.

“Lucky seven,” she held up seven fingers to the camera. “My last clue.”

She walked around the seventh floor, singing Block B’s Nillili Mambo under her breath.

“Is there any particular reason as to why you’re singing that song?” the cameraman asked her.

“Block B’s number is seven. Lucky seven.”

“Do you like Block B?”

Eun Mi grinned, but before she could answer, she spotted a familiar face inside an office. “Oh! Park Kyung!”

Kyung heard Eun Mi’s voice and froze. His mouth fell open in horrified shock. He looked from the cameraman to cameraman, finally settling on the writer. She pushed her glasses up, avoiding his gaze.

“O-oh, Eun Mi.”

“Hurry, hurry, we only have two minutes!”

Park Kyung forced himself to act as if the scene didn’t unsettle him, as if he did not fear what was to come. Eun Mi, up until now, had no idea.

In the past hour, Kyung had met with more than half the cast. He’d been able to guess the concept of the program pretty quickly.

“Did you figure it out?” he asked, interrupting her.

“Not yet, I’m gathering as much information as I can first.”

“Has anyone been disqualified?”

Eun Mi sighed, tilting her head in exasperation. “A while back two others met up on the fifth floor, ReNA told me.”

Kyung stalled as much as he could, but he knew that Eun Mi would eventually put it together despite his attempts to keep her from the truth for as long as possible.

“Time’s up,” Ms. Kang said.

Eun Mi groaned, shooting Kyung an accusing look. “Who did you team up with? Are you betraying me?”

“Eey! I’m in no one’s team except Park Kyung’s team! Park Kyung’s team!”

“Unnie, how much time do I have left?”

“About fifteen minutes.”

“I have to guess my roommates in fifteen minutes?”

Kyung tried to catch her eye, tried to warn her as she made her way out of the room.

“Eun Mi-ah.”

“Oh, Kyung-ah, I’ll see you later! Thank you for your hard work!”

Eun Mi disappeared just as suddenly as she’d appeared. Kyung looked at the cameraman, covering the lens with his hand. The cameraman stopped recording.

“Really? You put them both in this?”

“It was the producers’ decision.”

“Well,” Kyung whispered, “you might want to warn them that this might not air after all.”

Eun Mi sat in a corner, hidden away from any praying eyes. She looked at her notes carefully. After Su Jong, she’d asked the same questions to all the members.

“Eun Mi, you have to talk,” the cameraman advised her.

“Oh, right.” Eun Mi showed him her notes. “I asked every person the same questions, except for ReNA, Su Jong, and L sunbaenim. Kyung was not helpful at all.”

She looked at the list, considering every answer. “There’s no similarity in any of their answers, though.”

Sighing, she closed her eyes.

“Wait!” she beamed. “What if it isn’t what they said, but who they are? They’re all idols, right? So all my roommates must be idols as well!”

Eun Mi rearranged her notes, creating profiles out of all the idols she’d met, looking for the similarities.

Surprised beyond belief, Ms. Kang watched her work. “How do you know all of that?”

“Know what?” Eun Mi continued to write down the members’ profiles, tearing the pages out of her notebook and spreading them out carefully.

“Their profiles.”

“Oh, that. I don’t know, once I hear about a person, I never forget them. Something like that.”

Eun Mi laughed it off, unwilling to reveal just how much of a K-Pop fan she was. She separated the profiles by gender.

“Five men, five women, right? Okay, now what else? What is going on here?”

She considered each member carefully. She’d written down their group, age, and position. Slowly, she saw it.

“Leaders,” she whispered, looking up at the camera. “The cast is made up of leaders!”

Packing her things in a rush, she dashed for the emergency stairs. “How much time do I have left?”

“Three minutes.”

“I’m sorry everyone, but you’re going to have to run! I’m not risking it!”

She ran up the stairs, leaving Ms. Kang far behind. The cameraman did a good job at keeping up. When she burst through to the roof, she found a camera crew already waiting.

“Eun Mi,” Heo PD, the main PD, stepped forward from the lumped mass of cameramen and writers. “You have a minute.”

Eun Mi sprinted the rest of the way, taking the seat before the cameras.

“Who are your new roommates?”

But before Eun Mi could say anything, he emerged from within the building, his blond hair somewhat disheveled. A cold hush fell upon the rooftop. Eun Mi’s hands began to shake. She forced herself to speak, to ignore the fear that gripped her stomach.

Looking at the camera had never before felt so cowardly.

“APink’s Chorong, SISTAR’s Hyolyn, KARA’s Gyuri, AOA’s Jimin, L6’s Tae Jun, VIXX’s N, FT Island’s Jonghoon, Infintie’s Sunggyu, and,” she hesitated, swallowing the sudden lump that had formed in , “Block B’s Zico.”

It was almost as if she’d summoned him.