Nana pressed the code to enter a nameless white building in Gangnam. She walked up the stairway to the fourth floor with the cat carrier in hand and sat in the hallway. She wrapped her hair up with a polka dot scarf and put on her sunglasses. She did not want to be recognized at Pledis Entertainment by anyone. It was better that way. Nana paged through her father’s military book. When a young blonde man called out her name, she closed the book and looked up.

Hoshi swiped his locks back and sat next to her. “Noona, is it true? Are you really what they say you are?” Nana stared down at the ground. He recognized her. She couldn’t face to answer her mentee’s question. “Because if you need to defend yourself then I can teach you some Taekwondo. I won’t allow anyone to bother you.”

Mingyu who was the tallest member of Seventeen and the lead rapper handed her a pair of paper tickets. “Noona, cheer up. Please come to our comeback concert tomorrow.”   She placed the tickets in her pocket.  

“Thank you but I’m not sure if I’ll be part of this company any longer,” she said as she clasped the book in her hands.  CEO Hang Sung Soo’s secretary called out her name. 

She thought out in her mind what she would say to the CEO of Pledis Entertainment. She rehearsed different scenarios but she couldn’t seem to figure out how to tell him the truth. It was easier to talk to her father than to her boss— maybe he could force her to graduate from After School or fire her. It was too late to come up with an excuse.

She entered the office and sat down on a beige leather sofa. The kitten in the carrier meowed.

“Nana, when problems arise you should call your mentor.”

“I’m sorry, sa jang nim. I didn’t mean to cause trouble. I didn’t want to bother Kahi now that she is pregnant.”

“I think that this misunderstanding could have been prevented,” he said as he circled the office. He rolled up his shirt sleeves. Nana noticed that he was tanned still from his holiday in Bali. He sat down on a wide rounded chair with tripod legs designed by T.O.P. himself. She couldn’t escape him even if she wanted to.  

Her boss plopped up his feet on a leather ottoman. “Miss Kwak’s influence is outrageous. She is the niece of the owner of Korean Airlines and she is Chanyeol’s girlfriend.” CEO Hang Sung Soo scratched his chin.

“I never pushed her. I tapped her on the shoulder,” Nana said defending herself without being asked.

“Rest assured, I know what happened but I worry about what the public is lead to believe and this will affect acting opportunities. Pledis is a small but well known company. We don’t have the power that SM Entertainment carries. We can’t sue Miss Kwak but we can sue the netizens if they spread rumors. This news couldn’t have come at a worse time for our company with Seventeen’s comeback.” The CEO paused and