The dinner is splendid and fancy. Even though they are on a all-you-can-eat buffet, Mr. Lee still insists on having a red lobster, served with a red wine because he never likes the idea of sharing his dinner with other strangers.

                Jiyeon takes a small sip at the orange juice, and already she feels full. To be honest, her mind has been thinking about L. Joe being all alone in his room, sick and tired. She wonders if he's doing fine or if he's taking his medication or even dinner. But then her mom's soft voice breaks all her thought bubbles.

                "Sweetheart, eat your dinner."

                Kyumin glances at Jiyeon's worried face and wonders, who could be distracting her? "Do you not like the lobster? We can order your favorite if you'd like."

                "It's okay," Jiyeon forcefully shakes her head, face flushed. "The lobster's fine."

                "In that case, very well."

                Jiyeon stares hard at the untouched, white flesh of the red lobster in her platter. She picks the fresh flesh with her fork and forces it into . Thank God the lobster is yummy, because if it tastes other way around, she herself might fall sick. It only take Jiyeon about half of 30 minutes to finish her dinner.

                She stares hard her own reflection in the orange juice. Should she excuse herself now?

                "Jiyeon," Hana's soft voice seems like a trail of the white steam from morning coffees to Jiyeon when she raises her dull, flat gaze to meet hers.

                "Mom?" Jiyeon parrots.

                "Yes, honey? Is everything alright? Are you fine? You don't-"

                "Mom," Jiyeon cuts across her mom briskly. "Where are we going after dinner?"

                Hana bats a couple of eyelids at her daughter's outburst question. She is certain she has informed Jiyeon about their next plan. Has she forgotten already? "Odori Park. We're going to see the New Year event there, remember?"

                "At what time are we leaving?"

                Hana frowns, shrugging. "At 10, maybe."

                Jiyeon flashes a small smile and then continues to stare ar her juice. Okay, she thinks to herself, if that's the case she ought to have an ample amount of time to swing by at L. Joe's room and ask about his condition.

                "Mom," she turns to her mom again. "I need to get something at room. I forgot to take it with me. Would you excuse me for a while?"

                Hana glances at her wrist watch. The time is 9.16 pm and when she raises her chin, her daughter is already walking away. She turns back to the table, uneasy and continues to finish her dinner. Jiyeon seems to be spacing off a lot since she came here and it bothers her dearly.

***

                Jiyeon walks past L. Joe's suite and makes a stop right in front of the doorway. She takes some time digesting the reasons why she would come visit him in the first place. She also takes the fat chances that maybe L. Joe is sleeping and doesn't want to bothered into consideration.

                Jiyeon walks back and forth in front on his suite and finally mentally mocking herself harsh because she takes a left turn and heads to her own suite instead. Jiyeon opens the door to her own suite and enters the empty room. She needs  substantial proof to show L. Joe in case he isn't sleepping and asks why she comes to visit him. Jiyeon grabs a red box with pink bow on it and puts in her purse. This could also be used to show her mom in case she ask for her.

                Jiyeon then locks her room and walks back to L. Joe. Her sweaty palm finally takes a firm hold of the handle of the door suite while her other hand knocks on the door, softly. She waits for him to open the door, though her knocking effort is almost futile. She knocks again, this time a harder. And still, she doesn't catch any sound coming from behind the locked door. Is he sleeping?

en.

                Jiyeon presses down the door handle and it clicks open. L. Joe apprently didn't lock his door. Jiyeon peeks her head over the door and scans the situation inside L. Joe's suite. Jiyeon walks inside and closes the door softly behind her.

                This is good enough. She doesn't mind dropping by even when L. Joe's sleeping and doesn't aware of her presence. After all, she isn't sure how L. Joe would take it since they both haven't made up yet.

                The suite is large and luxury, just like hers, but unlike this suite, hers is kinda lonely and unoccupied. She looks around to find half full glass of milk on the table, magazines lie bare on couch and in between the cushions while some shirts are hanging helplessly by the TV set. Jiyeon shakes her head and walks past the TV area.

                She takes a left turn at the left side of the TV area and makes a stop in the middle of the walkway where there are two rooms facing each other. One must be L. Joe's. The room with slightly ajar door attracts Jiyeon to it. She brings her ears close to the small gap and absorbs every small sound that could indicate L. Joe's movements. And there was none.

                Jiyeon leans back and turns around to face the closed door of the last room. So this must be his. Jiyeon draws out her hand but stops halfway; intimidated by the thought of walking on a wide-awake L. Joe. Besides, she's standing there behind the closed door as a tresspasse, not as an invited guest.

                But suddenly, a low growl from inside startles Jiyeon and she quickly grabs the handle and opens the door. She gathers her steps towards the source of the sound to find herself staring wild-eyed at L. Joe, shaking in his sleep, cold sweat breaks out on his foehead and around his neck while his chest rises up and down heavily.

                She could hear deep moans and weird mumbling escapes from L. Joe's mouth while his face keeps shaking from left to right. The scene frightens Jiyeon as much as it worries her. She never knew he had nightmares before, and how terrible the nightmare must be to be able to disturb him this bad in his sleep.

                Jiyeon climbs on his bed and presses his forehead to keep his head still. She rakes through his perspired hair and rubs his chest gently to calm him down. What he needs now is a calm rest, not some gruesome nightmare that is not helpful to his health condition.

                As minutes pass by, L. Joe begins to breathe properly, and he has also stopped shaking and mumbling. Jiyeon instinctively smiles at the calm figure of sleeping L. Joe and breathes out a relieved sigh.

                "You're all safe." Jiyeon caresses his cheek to wipe away the cold sweat. "Be good now." She turns away for the last time before leaves the room.

***

                Jiyeon draws her hand out and presses the button to the elevator. She stands there, thinking about the weak defenseless image of L. Joe. She never knew much about L. Joe's past before he and his dad came into the neighborhood. She remembers L. Joe telling her about how her mom died in a car crash, but never really went into details about the whole thing and how bad it had affected him. Then again, could his mom's death be the cause of his having nightmares? How long has this disturbed him anyway?

                Being too engrossed in the thought, Jiyeon doesn't realised the elevator has already open its mouth right before her own eyes, not until a familiar sound of voice wakes her to reality. Jiyeon startles, and raises her gaze.

                "Jinyoung?" Jiyeon gasps, and boy is she lucky to have been out of L. Joe's suite for awhile. Imagine Jinyoung catching her holding and caressing L. Joe so passionately.

                "Hey," he beams, relieved to finally encounter personally into Jiyeon. "Err, your mom sent me over to look for you. We're about to leave for Odori Park anytime soon."

                Jiyeon nods as she enters the elevator. "I went to grab something." Jiyeon searched into her purse and takes out a red package. She lifts her chin and smiles with her eyes. "I bought this for you."

                "You did?" Jinyoung asks in disbelief as he takes the package. "Thank you so much. I, um, don't have anything to give to you unfortunately."

                "It's okay."

                "Can I open it now?" The eager look in Jinyoung's eyes soothes Jiyeon's heart and distracts her from thinking more about L. Joe.

                "Sure," she nods.

                Jinyoung takes the cover off the box to find a pair of knitted blue winter gloves folded neatly inside it. He brushes against them, soft and comforting at the tip of his fingers, and Jinyoung instinctively smiles like a child.

                "Thank you so much."

                "You're welcome. I figured you needed those in this cold season."

                "I guess I do now."