Chapter 4

We Need Memory

“Are we really supposed to go in there?” Su Hyeon asked as she suspiciously eyed the building before her. She turned to the men who nodded in response but she was still not convinced.

“We’re going to get murdered, aren’t we? I’m going to get murdered in this… place,” Hee Na regarded the structure in front of her and chewed her bottom lip. Her hand unconsciously fisted Su Hyeon’s hoodie. The taller female looked down at the other one and couldn’t help a sense of protectiveness over Hee Na.

She twisted here upper body and wrapped an arm around the shorter female. “It’s okay. I’ll protect you.”

“I know you will!” Hee Na giggled and hugged the taller female’s midriff, earning herself a ruffle in the head.

“The two of you should go get a room already,” Shin Mi sneered in disgust at the two of them. Su Hyeon gasped and held Hee Na’s head close to her frame and looked at Shin Mi is mock offense.

“She just jealous of us, baby,” Hee Na giggled and peeked at Sa Ra who was silently cooing at the adorableness of her friends.

They were distracted by someone clearing their throat and Su Hyeon and Hee Na, still embracing, turn to find a slightly embarrassed Hongbin smiling at them. “Shall we go in, then?”

Hee Na regarded the building disapprovingly eliciting a chuckle from Su Hyeon and they entered the building.

It was a convenience store.

 At least that’s what it looked like from the outside. The door and the walls were of transparent glass. Different posters, advertisements and notices were posted all over the front of the store. There was a vending machine just outside the store adjacent to the door. Unfortunately, it was empty, the glass foggy and murky with age and disuse.

The odd thing was, that the convenience store was completely dark and there seemed to be no sign of human activity within.

In fact, there was no sign of human life anywhere near the store. There were no pedestrians on the sidewalk nor were there any vehicles on the street whizzing past to beat morning rush. Other stores were closed, their shutters were littered with old, partially torn posters, the free pieces of paper lolling in the gentle wind. The paint had faded drastically and chipped away and the sombre metallic grey peeked out from underneath.

The entire expanse of the street was lifeless. It was dead.

x-------x

N led the group, his chest puffed out in pride and a broad smile razing his lips. Ken followed behind silently, casually falling in line with Leo. He opened his mouth and hitched a breath to say something but thought against it knowing that the elder wouldn’t reply.

However, that didn’t stop him from wondering how the fellow main vocal agreed to any of this. Knowing him, Leo would be more than satisfied locked in one of the sound proof rooms in their company practising rather than… doing this. At first, he thought that the emotionless man was looking forward to this meeting just as much as the others but immediately dismissed he thought when Leo’s mouth stretched impossibly as he let out a sleepy yawn.

N’s overbearing attitude wouldn’t be to blame as Leo, in one more than one occasion, managed to wiggle out of his vice-like hold much to the discontent of the leader. So what was it drove the chic main vocal to drag his feet out of his beloved bed early in the morning of their day off?  

Ken would be lying if he said he wasn’t a bit curious. Not because of the four women in front of him but the reactions they drew out of his fellow members, especially Hongbin, the giant mangnae and his leader. Although, Ken loved to be known for his cute and funny acts, he wasn’t stupid. Actually, he was smart enough to not ignore his dongsaeng’s… interests?

“Why haven’t you complained yet?” The unexpected words made the vocalist jump. He turned to find Leo shooting him a side stare.  

“Good things comes to those who wait!” Ken replied with a grin, echoing the words his mother used to say to him as a child. The elder stared at him good minute before turning away and stifling another yawn.

“Ken-ah,” N called from the front. “Can you turn on the lights?”

Nodding, Ken in a breath and whistled a simple tune. A moment later, the lights flickered on. Except, their flickered in the very same tune that left the vocalist’s plump lips not a second ago.

Normally, it would have gone unnoticed. Even the members themselves became aware of Ken’s little trick after such an excruciatingly long time that it didn’t seem humanly possible. Even now, none of their new guests seemed to notice, probably too busy analysing their new environment. Evidently, it left the quirky main vocal a bit disappointed.

That is, until he noticed movement somewhere diagonally in front of him.

He caught sight of raven-haired Hee Na and his chest bubbled in anticipation. Her lashes fluttered in confusion and she frowned. Tipping her head up, she scanned the ceiling only to frown deeper.

In front of them, Ken heard Shin Mi breathed out, “What is thi-”

“Where are the lights?” Hee Na inquired cutting her friend off rather rudely. Ken fought to suppress the smile tugging on his lips.

“What are you talking about?” Sa Ra’s brows creased together confusion.

‘Well, there is light but where’s the source? I don’t see it,” Hee Na pointed to the ceiling, raising a quizzical eyebrow and passing glances at the men standing about her.

Three pair of eyes followed the direction of Hee Na’s finger. “She’s right…” Su Hyeon murmured. The women then turned to the leader looking for answers. Ken followed suit and found that the rest of the members’ eyes were on N, waiting for what he would say.

N took his time before answering. He certainly had a flare for drama. He looked at every single person present, making sure that eyes were on him. “You ask too many questions,” And just like that he turned away with self-satisfied smirk.

“Now let’s go!” Hyuk cut in and pumped his fists in the arms excitedly. The other members followed, forcing Hee Na into motion. Hee Na watched in disbelief as her friends brushed off her discovery so easily and followed the baby giant. All she got was a sympathetic shrug from Su Hyeon.   

“But the lights… and th-the tune-,” her voice came out in a feeble squeak as she unsuccessfully appealed to the retreating backs of her friends. However, her words soon got caught in .

Ken stepped in line with her and flashed his most brilliant and most innocent smile. “Hmm? What about them?”

Hee Na froze, her nerves on high alert and her mind overheating. Slowly, she shrunk into herself as her cheeks tinted an impossible shade of red. She swallowed dryly, struggling to maintain eye contain with the dazzling vocalist. She tried to speak but thought against it for fear that she will most definitely embarrass herself and resolved to shake her head in the negative.

Ken’s mouth twitched at the reaction. He had seen many of his fans squeal and blush at the presence of him and the members but there was something about this one that just so…

Cute.

In a flash, his innocent smile morphed to mirror that of the Cheshire cat. Slowly, he stepped forward and brought his index finger to meet his lips in a shushing gesture. Confirming her suspicions and eyes glinting with mischief, he winked.

x-------x

“Okay, let me get this right. So, you guys are able perform magic but just to grant wishes?”

Su Hyeon’s enquiry was met with affirmative nods.

“And you guys are each in charge of a ‘domain’. N is in charge of wishes of the familial nature, making his domain family. Hongbin domain happens to be love. Ravi is in charge of memories. Hyuk reverses the effect of past wishes if the wishes was to regret it? And Leo and Ken are in charge of unusual requests. Ones that don’t fall into the other domains. Did I get anything wrong?”

Six head shook in unison. Su Hyeon blinked and turned away with a thoughtful, “Huh…”

Hee Na cursed Su Hyeon and her outgoing skills. So short a time and she was already talking to one of her favourite idol groups like they had met on college campus. She wasn’t the only one. Next to her, Shin Mi and Sa Ra were basking in their noona glory as Hyuk entertained them with jokes and embarrassing stories of Ravi and N.

But here she was, trying to calm down from the biggest heart attack of her lifetime which occurred only moments ago. Oh, how convenient would it have been if she just fainted right then and there!

Why couldn’t meet bias be a one-time thing?!

Hee Na was pulled out of her laments when she Sa Ra chimed in, “So what is this place?”

“Payment. For our services,” Ravi yawned and trudged along behind the woman like an annoying shop assistant.

“Or tokens of remembrance. For all the lives that we have changed for the better,” N sighed like a romantic.

“So in a way, it’s like the shrine of a serial killer,” Hee Na smirked.

Immediately, the air rang with howls of laughter. The mangnae line crowded around Hee Na, bumping fists and clapping her back. Ken turned away stifling a smile, being the only one who could foresee his leader’s reaction.

N whined and stomped his foot, trying to get them to stop and gracefully failed. As his anger reached new heights, he stomped towards the obnoxious bunch and stopped in front of an unsuspecting Hee Na. Then, he raised his hand, he brought the side of his palm right against her neck, effectively neck chopping her, making her yelp in surprise and pain.

Whirling around, he swiftly delivered the hand of blind judgement to the culprits. So blind, in fact, that he even neck chopped Leo who was just trying his hardest not to fall asleep. He, then turned to the remaining female who were quick to assume deadpan expressions and were exempted from the dreadful punishment.

Satisfied, N huffed and smoothened the non-existent creases on his shirt. Turning his chin up and pushing his shoulders back, he turned to her with a royal air and said, “I’ll have you know that they are not bloody tokens of any sort. We are not psychopaths. Like Ravi said, they are payment for the wished we have granted so far.”

“Mmhmm!” Hee Na pursed her lips and batted her lashed innocently at the tanned man.

“So cute!” Ravi and Sa Ra cooed in unison and then chuckled at the unexpected timing.

Squinting dangerously, N raised his fist as if to knock her lightly on her head. Instinctively, Hee Na tensed, bunching her shoulders ad screwing her eyes shut. But the blow never came.

She opened an eye and saw the leader sticking his tongue out at her. Being, the child that she was, she wasted no time in returning the gesture. Hee Na straightened up as the leader turned away with a triumphant smirk.

“If you weren’t important to me, I would have already stabbed you in jealousy,” Su Hyeon looped an arm around the shorter female’s elbow and smiled down at her. Her tone was light but there was a certain iciness that could make anyone shiver in their boots. But after knowing Su Hyeon for almost three years, Hee Na all but scoffed at the subtle threat.

“Oh, lucky me!” she piped up at Su Hyeon, shooting her a lop-sided smile. All the other could do was roll her eyes in exasperation. “I don’t know what you’re so riled up about. It’s not all that sweet, you know. Who knew neck chops could hurt so much? For a skinny guy, he has some serious power…” Hee Na huffed as she rubbed her abused neck.

“You deserved it.”

“I did not!” Hee Na’s mouth dropped and she sent a offended look Su Hyeon’s way. “You’re just saying that because I was being friendly with your bias before you could.”

“Yes, and that’s why you deserve it.”

Hee Na glared at her and puffed out her cheeks angrily. Su Hyeon grinned down at her and pinched her cheek, elicit a whine from the other and had her hand batted away.

In the midst of their bickering, an all too familiar voice drifting to their ears. Ken skipped past the two friend whilst singing Maroon 5’s Sugar. He was doing an exquisite job of sounding like Adam Levine but still stuck with his style of singing.

Ken shot them a cheery smile which Su Hyeon automatically returned. However, she couldn’t help but notice a teasing glint of mischief that flickered in his eyes as his shoulder ghosted past Hee Na’s back.

When the vocalist was a few steps ahead, Su Hyeon looked back at Hee Na and the sight she witnessed almost made her burst out in laughter.

Hee Na’s body was as stiff as sculpture and her face was so red and hot that Su Hyeon thought that the possibility of making popcorn my just brining a bag of it near her face wouldn’t be impossible. Hee Na’s hands fisted the fabric of Su Hyeon’s hoodie and shuffled closer, as if wanting to disappear into it. Su Hyeon wanted to giggle and coo at how much the shorter female resembled an embarrassed child, but no way in hell was she going to pass up an opportunity to tease the other.

Slowly, she leaned in close to the blushing mess of a human and whispered, “It’s okay, you can breathe. He’s gone now.”

Almost as if a power button had been pressed, Hee Na unfroze and slowly drew in a breath. She stepped away, letting go of Su Hyeon’s now crumpled hoodie and assumed a dignified posture.

“Let’s…” she cleared and repeated, “Let’s go,” she tried to sound like nothing had bothered her but perpetual red tint indicated otherwise.

Su Hyeon smirked. They advanced a few steps before Su Hyeon chimed in again, intent on embarrassing the other, “Talking about biases-”

Hee Na jumped, shoulders hunching like that of a surprised cat. “Shut up!” Hee Na hissed and smacked Su Hyeon on the arm. The action, however, failed to elicit the desired response as it only persuaded Su Hyeon to laugh loudly and heartily at the other’s embarrassment.

Hee Na was ready to get even violent, maybe draw blood, when Sa Ra voice distracted her. She was in the first aisle and the two women hurried to join her.

“But, you know? When I heard ‘payment’, I was expecting money, jewellery, paintings worth millions of Won, and bonds. I wasn’t expecting toy cars, old photographs and… rubber duckies?” Sa Ra picked up the yellow rubber duck and squeezed it, crinkling her nose as it let out high pitched squeak.

Hee Na looked around and sure enough, the shelf was littered with unimportant trinkets. It seemed the entire convenience store housed similar kind of junk. Her legs moved of their accord and she took off, browsing through the store. As she wound through the aisle, she spotted many different things. She found snow globes, charms from charm bracelets, a hand fan, an empty jar, a bulb that glowed a kaleidoscope of colours, stray keys of a piano and much more.

This place wasn’t an abandoned convenience store. Nor was it was a gallery meant to showcase the trivial things in life. Nor was it a trophy room.

It was a treasury.

“Firstly, the wishes we grant are far from superficial. If you want your teacher to misplace exam papers or call in sick because you haven’t studied for a test, or you want your pet to come back, we’re not your people,” Hongbin’s voice rang loud and clear enough for the scattered group to hear.

“The wishes we grant are ones that the person wants more than anything. Your most heartfelt desires. Something that you need or something that must absolutely happen or you won’t be able to go on living. Wished that can alter the course of your life. For better or for worse.

“Wishes as powerful as that need to be paid in equal weight. Equivalent exchange, if you will. If you want something, you must be ready to give away something too. That something must be anything that has changed you emotionally and psychologically in your life. It will act as payment for what is henceforth going to change your life emotionally and psychologically. So, the one who makes a wish with us must to ready to part with a significant part of their life in exchange to starting a new chapter.

Normally, payment is in the form of objects, trinkets, which hold high emotional value for our customer. But if they don’t have anything else, we take their memories, or intense emotions associated with memories. We only go for the positive ones,”

The building descended into silence as the girls let Hongbin’s words sink in. The gears in Hee Na’s mind turned and clicked as thoughts bounced off and around her head. As fascinating as it was the first she heard it, this whole wish granting thing wasn’t exactly as nice as it sounded.

“So... each and every one of these… things are a part of somebody’s life. A significant one at that,” Sa Ra began slowly, looking to Hongbin who nodded in reply. The room fell silent once again before it was broken again.

“I don’t know why but the notion of having your wishes granted by one of six handsome men doesn’t seem so… magical anymore,” Shin Mi chuckled nervously as she tip-toed over to where Sa Ra and Hee Na were.

“That’s because it isn’t. Our ‘clients’ know what they’re getting into.”

Hee Na’s heart skipped a beat at the uncharacteristic coldness in Hyuk’s voice as the words left the mangnae’s lips. She looked up to set eyes on his eyes and although his face was relaxed with eyes wide and his lips puckered in an ‘o’ shape, there was an unmistakeable cold hardness in his eyes.

The atmosphere turned cold as the group stood about awkwardly. Beside her, Shin Mi stole glances whilst biting the insides of her cheeks, making herself look like a fish. Sa Ra found an instant interest in her footwear and occasionally releasing nervous sighs.

The idols were no different. Hyuk still looked like he was impersonating an owl and began rocking on the soles of his feet. He looked as innocent as could be which only proved how stubborn he was. Hongbin’s hands were buried deep into the pockets of his jeans. His lips were stretched into a thin line, dimples making an appearance, and his eyes were locked onto to the windowed wall of the building, through which he was gazing out into the empty street beyond. Hee Na suspected that whatever ‘it’ was, Hongbin felt the same way about it as Hyuk did.

Behind them, N was all flutters. His hands were a blur. One time, they were hooked through the belt hoops of his trousers, the next they running down the length of his shirt. Then, the next second, they are being rubber together, and in the next, they are smoothening his sideburns.

Ravi, like Sa Ra, had his eyes glued to his shoes and he kept shifting his weight from one foot to another. Ken was leaning against the end of one long shelf, one foot crossed over the other. His eyes were distant as if he was in contemplation and occasionally traced the outline of his upper lip with a long, pale finger.

Leo, on the other hand, ceaselessly yawned and blinked furiously in an attempt at trying to stay awake.

Hee Na looked around and tried to her hardest to hide the excited smile that threatened to grace her lips. Her nerves tingled and it proved to be near impossible to contain the excitement and the curiosity b her heart. She fell like she just entered uncharted territory and couldn’t wait to begin exploring.

But her weakness had always been the crassness with which she would approach situations such as this. She would be taken over by such a strong, selfish need to appease her thirst for knowledge that she would disregard any and every feeling or thought concerning the other party. Coupled with the invasion of privacy, Hee Na was also accused of demeaning the importance of what was considering “personal”. Somehow, the callousness with which Hee Na treated another’s secrets and personal items of another was always met with severe reprimand and a few profanities.

This moment was proof that Hee Na never learns.

However, the moment she opened to enquire, Su Hyeon’s voice rang crisp and loud from the far end of the room.

“Hey, why are these shelves almost empty?”

“Ah, she must have seen Ken hyung and Leo hyung’s stash,” Ravi yawned earning a neck chop from N for not closing his mouth.

“Wait there! Kenjumma is coming!” the younger vocalist crooned and ‘galloped’ over with Leo trudging in tow. Sa Ra and Hee Na followed after.

When Hee Na got to where her friend was and saw what the other had meant. The shelves here were as barren as a desert. The object that littered the shelves were mere trinkets. Blurry memories of a childhood home. Figurines decorated the sombre shelves along with pocket mirrors, marbles, chew toys and even dog collars. Hee Na spotted a copper ballerina figurine no bigger than her hand. Next to her was an Optimus Prime action figure. Optimus Prime was on his knees as if proposing to the ballerina.

“Do they not get as much requests?” Su Hyeon asked as she flicked a bobble head Chopper.

“No, Ken hyung grants wishes in exchange for candy and One Piece merchandise and Leo hyung does it for free if there are children or cute animals involved which is almost every time,” Su Hyeon threw an understanding grimace at the visual before scurrying of to find Shin Mi.  

Hee Na cocked an eyebrow at how nothing really seemed to faze Su Hyeon. Tilting her head to the side with a frown she inquired, “Wait, didn’t you say that the payment must have equal weightage to be accepted as payment? Since when did candy and dog collars equate to proper payment?” she turned to Hongbin and tilted her head quizzically and her finger poked out of the long sleeves of her sweater to point in the direction of the shelves.

Hongbin’s eyes glinted mischievously and he smiled lopsidedly, one dimple visible and looked to his hyungs. Something told Hee Na that was wasn’t going to like the answer. And she didn’t.

“Well, that is true. But we never really were the kinds to follow rules,” Ken chirped in as he popped an orange coloured hard candy into his mouth and flashed a bright grin that emphasized the bulge in his cheek. Then, he leaned in closed and whispered seriously, “Besides, who can say no to candy?”

And in that moment, her surroundings dimmed.

She felt the air around grow cold until she realized the chill was radiating off of her. Inside her, there was an iciness that was spreading, enveloping her form and its tendrils reaching out into the world, ready to whip away anyone who tried to get close.

Suddenly, she felt detached from herself, looking on at her surroundings and the people littering the place like a bewildered spirit. There was a strange sense of discomfort that coiled around her which, oddly, wasn’t foreign. She was used to the feeling. It would often creep from her heart, like the tell-tale signs of a bad omen, warning her to be cautious.

Right now, it was telling her not to get any closer to these people. These rude people who walked all over her bubble of comfort and quiet.

And she heeded her instincts. She’d be a fool not to. She let the blossoming ice harden her frantically beating heart and kill the fluttering butterflies in her stomach.

She took a step back and watched the handsome face of the vocalist as he fiddled with the wrapper of another piece of candy. Finally, with a dismissive shrug, she said, “I guess you cannot argue with that.”

Suddenly feeling the immense need to find some solitude, she turned to Sa Ra intent on steering her towards an empty aisle and away from the idols prowling about them.

However, as she turned she came face to face with a wall obstructing their path. Strange thing was, the wall was moving, contracting and expanding in a slow, consistent rhythm.

Hee Na’s eyes trailed up and her vision was rewarded with milky, white skin stretched over a thick neck. Nestled just above it was a soft chin and pale, pink full lips. Eyes trailing further above, she saw high, hamster-like, unblemished cheeks on either sides of a small, straight nose. Golden locks brushed over the left cheek, concealing one sharp, feline-like eye. Placid, dark orbs stared intently at the two friends.

Leo made no attempt to move and as the seconds passed by, Hee Na felt the awkwardness trickle down the room like falling snow. She puffed out her cheeks, puckered her cheeks and rocked on her heels. She stole quick glances at the stoic vocalist but he didn’t move a muscle. Sa Ra, next to her, shifted and squeezed her arm.

Slowly, Leo moved, urging Hee Na to stop her ministrations and attend to the object that the man had produced from behind his back. It was a collar. A pastel pink one, at that. It was simple in design but expensive. The collar was a thick strap of smooth, creaseless leather fastened by a silver buckle that glinted in the dim lights.

Hee Na blinked owlishly between the object and the one holding it. Eyebrows furrowing she took to staring at the collar as if it would suddenly sprout answers underneath the prolonged gaze. It had worked with people before anyway.

She looked back at the stoic vocalist and caught the small expecting glint in his feline eyes and cocked her to the side. Does he, perhaps, want us to ask about it?

But just as she was about to speak up, Sa Ra beat her to it. Unfortunately, enough.

“What is this, Leo-sshi? Mm?” she asked. Hee Na noted the slight tremor in her voice and that it had a higher octave.

Then, just as things couldn’t get worse, Sa Ra gasped scandalously and blurts out, “Should… should I fear for my chastity?”

Hee Na gasped at the statement only to choke on the air and doubled over in a coughing fit. If anything, it only heightened the humiliation as it revealed itself on Sa Ra’s heated cheeks. Hee Na stared at her, eyes wide as saucers, with a mixture of shock and betrayal.

Then she remembered the person against whom the accusation was raised. Not trusting herself to be able to take in air normally, Hee Na held her breath and let her eyes sweep to the blonde man in front of them. The sight she was rewarded with almost made her double over again. This time with laughter.

Never had she seen such a bright shade of crimson adorn itself on one’s face as it did the vocalist’s face. At the back of her head, she wondered if it were possible to fry an egg on his face but quickly dismissed it and took to internally pitying at the blonde’s misfortune.

Eyes as big as they could get (which wasn’t much), Leo sputtered, trying to defend himself but only managed to force air out of his mouth before hanging his head low and in between his tense and bunched up shoulders which quivered in embarrassment.

Hee Na cringed at the sight. As a person who was prone to getting embarrassed even over fictional events, she was all too familiar with Leo’s suffering. Oh, how she wanted to comfort him! Maybe down a bottle of soju with him if she were lucky.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her wrist, tugging at her. “Well, then…” Sa Ra trailed off, trying to look as dignified as possible despite violently blush. She turned around, pulling Hee Na along and marched past Hongbin and Ken who giggled silently in order to avoid Leo’s wrath.

Hee Na found her voice as they the fourth aisle, “Sa Ra… what… what did-”

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I cannot believe I said that! I can’t- Oh, my God!” came the squeaky response.

x-------x

           “So, do you have any questions for us?”

            Sa Ra’s attention was torn away from the evening sky that painted the city in hues of oranges and reds outside the glass wall for her bistro. She laid her eyes on the dimpled visual who looked at each one of her friends with his big doe eyes.

           They had made it back to Madeleine but not knowing how to take things further, they all sat about the bistro in awkward silence. Sometime later, Ravi had excused himself, claiming that he had some composing to do. No one stopped him. Not even the overbearing leader. They understood that being shy and a workaholic never got you friends easily.

           Sa Ra suspected that Leo, too, wanted to follow suit. She had apologized to the man over the shameful accusation and the vocalist was more than eager to forgive in exchange for a supply of free lattes but she still couldn’t look in his general direction. Who in the world accuses their own bias of ?! “Find me someone who has done worse and maybe I’ll feel better!” she had hissed at Hee Na who found it immensely difficult to hold in her laughter.

           Sa Ra sighed and took to looking out the bistro, watching employees, couples and an occasional ahjumma walk past. It seemed as if awkward silences were going to be an everyday thing between the four women and the six men. Even the very outgoing Su Hyeon found it difficult to lighten the mood.

           So when the visual made an innocent attempt at starting up some sort of communication, it didn’t go unheard. Shin Mi shot her hand straight up like an excited child at school, almost clawing Su Hyeon cheek off in the process.

            When Hongbin mentioned for her to go ahead with a chuckle and N cooed at how cute the action was, Shin Mi inquired, “That night, how were we found out by the police?”

           The answer came from none other than one of their own. “Ahjummas,” Hee Na slightly muffled voice came from behind the rim of the coffee mug she held against her lips. “They were the only living souls up that night. I’m sure they saw us enter the building and when we didn’t come back out, they decided to be good Samaritans and called the police.”

          “How did you know that?” Hongbin asked, a little surprised at not knowing something so simple.

          Hee Na blinked her big eyes from behind the mug, resembling an owl, and shifted to stand straighter against the end of the kitchen counter, feeling a bit uncomfortable now that everyone’s gazes were fixed on her.

          “Well, the ahjumma in the supermarket on the other end of the street,” Hee Na pointed to the pantry door towards the back of the bistro, indicating the direction. “She asked me if I was okay and that she could fix me up with a whistle and a bottle of mace, claiming that her nephew knew a guy who knew a guy.” She pursed her lips in a thin line and hid them behind her mug and watched Hongbin with big, unassuming eyes.

          “Ah, is that so?” Hongbin asked before bursting out in laughter. His laugh rang clear and infectious and Sa Ra found herself chuckling along with him. Hyuk and Ken soon followed. The leader seemed a little offended but refrained from saying anything. “Any more questions?”

           Su Hyeon spoke up this time. “That place you took us. Where was it? I mean, I have never seen a deserted place in Seoul on a weekday. Also, I couldn’t figure out its exact location- why are you all smiling like that?”

           Su Hyeon eyed them suspiciously as the four idols sat smiling like hyenas to each other. Sa Ra shivered and retreated to the solid support of the kitchen counter against which Hee Na leaned, simply sipping her hot green tea.

           Leaning against the steel surface beside her business partner, Sa Ra watched as the men talked and snickered amongst themselves. They looked like a bunch a nine year olds, discussing if they should let an adult in on their secret.

            “Remind me, why do we like them again?”

              Hee Na sipped thoughtfully and Sa Ra waited patiently, despite her normally impatient disposition, for Hee Na always knew what to say. “Even if I did, I don’t think it would be enough to explain this weirdness,” she whispered and nodded, satisfied with her answer.

              Sa Ra sighed. She wasn’t exactly satisfied with the answer but figured there was no better way to make sense of everything had been happening since a week ago.

              “So, will you tell us or not?” Sa Ra turned to Su Hyeon who was eyeing them warily.

               From across the bistro, N drew in a breath, scrunching one eye and jutting his bottom lip in contemplation. “I guess you could say that it’s there but at the same it’s… not there?” He looked to s who nodded in agreement. Sa Ra noticed the crown of Leo’s blonde head as the vocalist snoozed behind Hongbin, is cheek pressed against the surface of the wooden table.

             “What?!” Su Hyeon exclaimed, brows furrowed in confusion and slight frustration, completely discarding her outgoing disposition. Sa Ra watched in amusement and by the half smile that ghosted over Hee Na’s face, she knew the latter was enjoying it as well. Su Hyeon hated not being able to understand something and would always lose her carefully cultivated composure in an instant. She would then be reduced to an annoyed little child who would be in the habit of sulking and throwing tantrums until she got her answers. It was times like these that were a great treat to Sa Ra and her co-worker.

“I don’t think I can say it in any other way. You saw it yourself, didn’t you? We never really entered into another dimension or something. Additionally, there was no exact location, now was there?”

“So where was it then?”

“Ey! You don’t think I’ll tell you so-”

“You made it up, didn’t you?”

All heads whipped in Hee Na’s direction. The raven haired woman’s eyes bulged, having realised that she had blurted it out without thinking and was now forced to elaborate. “I mean, the only answer would be that you created it all. The abandoned department store. The deserted street. With your so-called ‘powers’, I don’t suppose it would much of a challenge.”

The words left her lips like a freight train and the raven haired woman inhaled sharply to compensate for the lack of oxygen in her lungs before letting her eyes fall to the shoes. Almost immediately, the sounds of whoops and cheers resonated through the bistro.

“Whoa, you sure are smart!” Ken cheered, grinning brightly while Hyuk clapped and hollered behind him.

“But how is it that you know all the answers?” Hongbin narrowed his eyes at her. He was rewarded with lots of sputtering and a final shrug when Hee Na gave up trying to form coherent sentences.

“But that doesn’t make sense! It sounds almost impossible,” Su Hyeon huffed, refusing to accept Hee Na’s answer.

“Noona, do you still not believe us?” Hyuk blinked owlishly at the bespectacled woman, looking unintentionally adorable while doing so.

Sa Ra stepped to explain but just as she was about to, Leader Cha cut in, “Okay, so you don’t believe us, do you? You really are hurting my feelings,” N paused and grin etched itself on his face, completely contrary to what he just said, and there was a glint in his eyes that could only mean trouble. He slammed his palm on the table (startling Leo into wakefulness) and proclaimed, “Therefore, we won’t leave your presence until you four believe us and our powers. You will be seeing us a lot for the next few days, or weeks or months. It all depends on you.”

The bistro was eerily silent as everyone stared at the mad leader who just beamed at himself and his statement. If that was shocking, what came after only made N’s crazy decision seem lukewarm in comparison.

“Yes, just as hyung said, you will be seeing a lot more of us until we can convince you we can grant wishes and create streets out of thin air,” Hongbin confirmed and shot a dimpled grin at the women. Ken and Hyuk simply bobbed their heads excitedly. N gaped at Hongbin, completely stunned, before returning with an even wider grin.

As if on instinct, Sa Ra held onto Hee Na, certain that the latter would collapse at the trauma of losing her simple, everyday life. Instead, she heard, next to her, a sigh of resignation and looked up to see Hee Na calmly sip at her tea.

Sa Ra was still searching Hee Na nonchalant face for traces of panic and dismay, when the question came again, “Do you guys have any last questions?”

An icy shadow passed Hee Na and if Sa Ra wasn’t paying attention, she’d have missed it. It looked like she was remembering something and weighing the chances as to whether it should be asked or not. Sa Ra had more than an inkling as to what the other was thinking about.

Hee Na wasn’t the only who caught the uncharacteristic coldness of the two youngest back at their treasury. It had been itching at the back of Sa Ra’s mind as well but she thought it better stay unmentioned for a while. She wished Hee Na would put it off for a while despite her habitual mistake of invading people’s privacy just to appease her own curiosity. She wasn’t nosy, really. Actually, she was the kind to mind her own business. It was just that the social convention of ‘delicately easing’ into a certain matter was lost on her.

And when Hee Na’s lips parted, Sa Ra listened with held breath.

“Have you heard of fanfiction?”