27. It was his 27th call today.

She sighed.

"Does this idiot ever sleep?" she asked even though she knew he was the type to sleep whenever he could.

Seulgi had heard about his hectic schedule which added to her surprise when she saw his constant and daily calls since the incident although she never answered to one. 

"Are you still receiving weird calls?" Wendy asked before plopping on their dorm's couch beside her.

"Ah… yes," Seulgi hesitated.

Her members knew about her constant calls at any hour of the day since all five of them were surprised to wake up at 2 AM because somebody thought it was a good idea to call the dorm's phone instead of her turned off phone out of frustration. Back then, she had blocked his number since her phone would sometime freeze after receiving 53 calls in a day, but that's when he started calling at the dorm. The first time, she innocently answered by mistake, thinking it might have been their manager only to be greeted by his victorious laugh. Of course, she hung up as soon.

Because he luckily called when the other members were out or too busy to care about the phone, she would let it ring and mind her own business and never thought of unblocking him. She had to give up after the incident where all her members had to wake up 2 AM and let him call now up to his heart's content.

At the time, Seulgi couldn't believe he would go all the way to harassment just to prove his point: he kept annoying her to an unbearable point. Jongin was a brat. He called every single time he could, no matter when or where he was which caused some problems when he was away to some country with a drastic time zone difference. She texted him to stop it once because it was getting out of hand but he simply replied with a phone emoji next to a beating heart. She didn't quite understand and she didn't care enough to ask him.

Her phone was constantly turned off and it caused her some problems with her manager who scolded her for being unreachable so often. If she was disappointed and sad by his behavior at first, now she resented him for being so childish.

"Do you know who it is?" Wendy asked out of concern. "Maybe we should go to the police station, you know…"

Seulgi awkwardly smiled and tried to dismiss this terrible idea without revealing Jongin's identity even though Wendy was obviously trying to protect her.

 She imagined the world's reaction after finding out that one of the member of the most popular Korean boy group got arrested for harassing his ex-best friend through phone calls; best friend that belonged to the newest girl girl group of his own label. A catastrophe is a soft way to call this scandal, she realized.

"You're too nice Seulgi and that person is taking advantage of it," Wendy commented. "We need to put people like that in jail. This is wrong."

"Hum, yeah, you're right," Seulgi let out miserably.

The funniest part is that nobody exactly knew who was calling her all the time: Seulgi made sure to never let them discover her mysterious caller's identity since she knew he would lose all credibility to their eyes after knowing childish he was. 

"Have you thought of answering to let them know how wrong it was?" Wendy continued. "Never mind that, you wouldn't even be able to really get mad to make them understand."

Seulgi shrugged.

"Let me answer the next time they call."

Seulgi froze in her seat.

"No!"

"Why? You're scared I get too vulgar?"

"H-hum!" Seulgi anxiously started without really knowing what to say. After all, she had always been a bad liar. "You don't have to, I'm sure it'll go back to normal on its own."

"Nothing ever gets back to normal on its own."

Although she knew Wendy was clearly talking about something else, Seulgi got reminded that she was only running away from her problems by not answering. It will not get back to normal if I don't do anything to fix it. I already know that. 

"I know, I'm sorry, I-I'll try to do something about it myself," she tried to say.

"In any case, be careful Seul," Wendy concluded. "I hope it's not a crazy fan." She said before saying goodnight and going back to their shared bed room.

I say this but I'm not ready to answer, Seulgi realized. I don't want to answer. Jongin doesn't deserve another chance, I already made a decision.

She sighed again and followed Wendy into their bedroom to have something close to a good night of sleep. Seulgi just knew she wouldn't sleep well.

///

"You're always on your damn phone, this is indeed a modern tragedy," Suho ranted at his younger group member after taking out his earbuds. "Even before the concert yesterday! That is so unlike you."

"I know, huh," Jongin miserably answered after putting back his phone in his pocket. "I'm the most pitiful 21 year-old man on this planet."

"Well, I wouldn't go this far," Sehun said as he passed by them to get his passport checked by the security. "But you're indeed the most stupid to think harassing someone will make them like you."

"Huh?" Suho let out as his eyes went back and forth between the two maknaes. "You are harassing someone?" he said while Jongin felt goosebumps creep onto his neck at his leader's change of tone.

"No, of course not," he defensively said.

"Yes, obviously," Sehun chimed in again.

Suho's expression took a dark turn and Jongin knew he was in trouble.

"If you go by definition, then yes I'm harassing her but the conditions of our relationship allow it!

"When is it ever okay to harass someone?" Sehun asked rhetorically with a frown.

"You're harassing a woman?!" Suho's voice got even more stern.

"He's harassing Red Velvet, hyung," Sehun let him know since the whole situation was becoming too fun to just watch.

Suho got red of frustration as the three of them knew what kind of correction Jongin would have gotten if they were already back home.

"Hyung, I'll just remind you that we're in public and that there are many… fans," Jongin tried to say under his leader's cold stare.

"She'll totally call the police on you," Sehun mocked.

"She should," Suho continued. "Harassment is harassment. Coming from a sunbae or not."

Jongin suddenly shivered at the thought.

"Now give me your phone," Suho ordered.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Hyung," Jongin whined like a kid. "You can't do this! I'm a grown adult with responsibilities."

"Then act like one. Don't let me repeat myself another time, Kim Jongin. Give me your phone, n o w."

Jongin incredulously looked at Suho's hand who requested his phone with utter authority. He tried really hard, but a laugh escaped Sehun's lips and he couldn't be stopped anymore when Jongin really gave his leader his cellphone.

"Good."

"When will I have it back?" Jongin pouted as he asked.

"When you'll apologize in person."

"But I'm doing this exactly because she doesn't want to see me!"

"I don't care, find a way."

Jongin looked his team members walk away towards their next plane to Korea as he internally cursed himself for not having thought of another way to get to her beforehand. Hell to that, it was Sehun's big mouth fault if he was in this situation. Jongin ruffled his hair and followed the group with stomps to show his frustration. Now how was he supposed to apologize when she probably hated the only sight of his shadow?! The phone call was supposed to help him introduce his apology! Jongin was doomed and he knew it.

///

He had to have arrived in Korea by now so what? Why isn't he answering?!

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