In the basement, the screeching of tires bounced off the walls. Soon enough, JooHyuk pulled up next to Nari. Before she moved towards the passenger door, JooHyuk burst from the car and headed towards Nari. With both his hands on her shoulders, he bent to meet her eye-level, watching her closely.

It hadn’t been long since she broke down, so her eyes had remnants of tears and pain. In a stern tone, JooHyuk demanded, “what happened?”

Nari didn’t know if she should reveal the truth or not. Although he seemed friendly enough, she didn’t know if he could be fully trusted yet. She merely shook her head and pleaded for them to leave, with her eyes.

JooHyuk got the message and led her to the car. He opened the door and made sure she was safely inside. He saw the pain hidden in her eyes. He wondered what could have happened, or worse, who could have hurt her to the point of tears?

~~~

As they cruised through the streets of Seoul, JooHyuk waited patiently for Nari to say something, anything. He even wanted her to call him oppa again, like she did during the shoot. He hated seeing her in pain. Even though he didn’t know her very long, there was something in him that was drawn to her, and he liked the feeling. He had felt this before, with previous girlfriends, but it was never this strong.

“Oppa…” Nari began. Finally, it was the sound he wanted to hear since the last shoot. “Do you think I’ll last longer on 2D1N, or by being an idol?”

This was not the question he thought he’d hear from her. It was an odd question, but he thought about it anyway.

“Nari-ah,” JooHyuk began, “I think that you—“

“Never mind, forget I asked.” And with that, she stared out the window, cutting off the conversation.

“Do you want me to drop you to your apartment?” JooHyuk asked, not sure what else he could ask in that moment.

“No, not yet.” Nari knew her friends would interrogate her on her meeting with CNBLUE, which she didn’t need right now. “Is there anywhere else we can go?”

JooHyuk thought for a while, and came up with a plausible solution. “How about my place?”

Nari didn’t see any harm in going there, so she agreed and JooHyuk turned left at the intersection, heading towards his apartment complex.

~~~

JooHyuk’s apartment building was already much grander than hers. The apartment itself felt larger and more suitable for someone in the entertainment industry.

Nari stood still for a moment, taking it all in; the television was larger and cleaner, the furniture looked more comfortable and the entire place was decorated in simple, yet meaningful photographs and knickknacks. Nari immediately felt comfortable and she let her guard down as she let the comfort overcome her.

“Welcome to my humble abode,” JooHyuk said, gesturing towards the wide expanse of the living room. “It’s almost dinner time. Should I order something or would you like me make something?”

Nari liked that he offered to make something for her, but she wasn’t in the mood to eat right now. “You can do whatever you want; I’m not very hungry.”

JooHyuk understood and let her be for the while.

He showed her where the TV remotes were, as well as gave her the password to the WiFi. She thanked him for everything and he smiled at her warmly.

“Nari-ah, whatever it is that happened today, I’m glad that I called you.”

“I’m thankful that you called me too, oppa. I don’t know what I would’ve done today if you hadn’t.”

Nari sat on the couch and was immersed in how soft the seats were. They hugged her from all sides and she eventually lay down, engulfed in how comfortable she was at a not-so-complete stranger’s apartment. Before she knew it, she fell asleep, which allowed JooHyuk the perfect opportunity to admire her. He crouched next to her and gently brushed aside a few loose strands of hair from her face with his fingertips. She moved slightly at his touch, but remained asleep. Her skin felt smooth under his touch and he felt a surge or protectiveness overcome him. He felt as though it was now his responsibility to look after Nari and ensure that no one made her cry like that ever again. In that moment, he made a silent vow to himself. Whether it was the sheer excitement of having a new hoobae around, or feeling something more, JooHyuk made up his mind to look out for her, even when she didn’t need him.