I dropped off the energy-drained girls but I helped them carry their bags to the apartment. My assistance was unsolicited and unnecessary but it was the only way I could survey the place and ensure that everyone got in before I left.

JN to SEC01: OUT. Secure perimeter. Bldg LDwn.

I had to drive the manager to his house which was not very far from the company building; however, the place was far enough to warrant additional precaution while I was not at home. When I am not a round, a separate security group (SEC01) is in-charge to safeguard the building complex. And as I was leaving to get back to the van, I have already ordered a lockdown. No one can exit or enter the apartment without my permission except for emergencies, since it’s only my digital identification that can unlock the door which I can do even remotely. It was a big help nonetheless that Yerin was aware of the security specifications I installed in their home. She has, on multiple instances, barred the members from sneaking out and stalled long enough to buy time for me to come back, and a few times, she has also requested that I open it for their parents to come in and to receive food delivery.

It only took me 20 minutes and I was back in the apartment. Or so I thought. As soon I opened the door, I saw the younger Eunbi who was already wearing her beige coat and leather boots leaning against the wall impatiently waiting for me. In an instant, I found myself pushed out onto the cold isolated hallway again.

“I need your help.” She told me as she grabbed my arm and dashed to the elevator with its doors still wide open.

She had all the intentions of leaving the building since she was bringing her bonnet, mask and the pair of glasses I gave her a few nights ago. In that confined metal box lift, she was swaying back and forth and was undoubtedly stressed and in deep reflection.

JN to SEC01: OUT. Maintain Bldg LDwn.

YR: Eonnie, need help.

While I was texting my instructions to the other agents, I received Yerin’s message as we waited to reach the ground floor. Seems like everyone needs help today. I did not reply. I couldn’t, until I know why the other girl dragged me out of the building again.

UJ: “Eonnie, Sinb is waiting for you. Are you on your way back?”

EH: “Eonnie, let’s cook.”

YJ: “The pasta you made! I haven’t tasted it yet.”

SW: “Where are you?”

I received the messages one-by-one but separately. When everyone is looking for me, it’s mayhem.

JN to UJ: I’m with her. All your eonnies are looking for me.

UJ: She doesn’t look good. You both take care.

JN to ALL: Guys, I’m out. Helping Sinb meet her mother. We’ll drop by the grocery too, to get garlic, sauce and ground meat for the pasta. Beef or Pork?

EH: Pork!

YJ: Beef!

SW: Beef?

YR: Pork.

UJ: Either. Buy milk please. Ü

SB: I’m with you, why are you texting me? Guys, I’m choosing. We’ll buy Beeork!

EH: Haha Sinb!

YJ: Say hi to auntie for us!

SW: Umji, what is either?

SB: Hahahahahahahahaha! → Sowon

Sudden meet-ups with Sinb’s mother and her family was a common occurrence and so using that lie was not going to evoke suspicion. The demeanor of the Sinb beside me was nothing close to the comic Sinb who’s teasing her leader in the group message. I did not utter a word and just waited for her to start the conversation. She did not speak until we got inside the van.

“Let’s go to the grocery first. You can cook pasta drunk, right?” She asked as she secured herself in the passenger seat and wore the bonnet she brought with her.

“Huh??” With her jumbled English, I thought I just misheard her.

“Let’s go, eonnie.” She ordered after checking if her card wallet was with her. She chose which store and quickly gave me directions.

The grocery we went to was the nearer and smaller one where only older people frequented, so not a lot of people would recognize her. Even as we reached the store, she still has not told me why she kept me out of the house. I grabbed the lonely red shopping basket that laid in the entrance and followed her tread through the unfamiliar aisles. She tossed a carton of 2% milk, cans of tomato sauce, cheese and two peeled onions in a vacuumed plastic into the basket and headed to the meat section to get ground pork and beef, half a pound each.

“You can make both? Separate.” She looked at me.

“Separately. Yes.” I answered and instantly received a fuming stare from her. Ooops. Not the right time for English lessons.

I was a few strides away from the cashier when she grabbed me again and took me to the liquor section. I realized, I did not mishear her earlier. She wanted me to cook while drunk. For whatever reason, she still hasn't told me. She took a number of green bottles, those glass bottles which no one will mistake as non-alcoholic, then we proceeded to one of the counters to pay.

“No, they might see that in your bill.” I told her as she was handing her credit card to the lady who was just done putting all the items in plastic bags. I handed mine instead.

“Won’t the company see your bill? They might scold you.” Sinb replied. She was sincerely worried that I might get into trouble and so I showed her the US-issued card.

“It’s a personal card. Where are we going next?” I hoped it was not somewhere far.

“Apartment parking lot.” She carried all the plastic bags and hurried out of the store. Just my luck.

When we reached the van, she headed to the passenger seat which surprised me. And as soon as I started driving, I heard her open one of the bottles she bought and started drinking. Looking at her from the rearview mirror, it seemed to me that she wanted to finish the bottle in one gulp.

“Yah! What’s wrong?? Why are you drinking too much? Hey! Talk to me first, Sinb-yah!” I exclaimed the first few words in English and ended up talking in Korean as she did not stop drinking until it was only a quarter of the fluid that was left in the bottle. The girls rarely drank alcohol and I know a single bottle will either make her vomit or fall asleep. I drove as fast and as safe as I could as the girl at the back started tearing up but still not saying a word. We reached the apartment parking area in a record-breaking speed.

“Sinb-yah… stop that please.” I rushed to slide open the door near her to get the bottle from her hand.

“EONNIE!”

I got inside and shut the door close as she yelled at me. “What’s wrong?”

“I heard Yerin-eonnie!” The young girl was choking her words that I thought she was speaking neither in English nor in Korean.

“Heard what??”

“Sowon-eonnie and her were talking about the show. She said she is excited about the proposal! Eonnie! I don’t think I can take it anymore! I’m jealous! I’ll go crazy! WHAT WILL I DO??” Sinb was both screaming and crying her words that I thought she might have been drunk even before she finished the bottle. There was pure panic in her eyes. And before I could even answer, she managed to open another.

“You’re drinking because of that??” I almost reached racing speed in the highway seeing her drink like she was just breathing air when I was driving, and now I’m just trying my hardest to control myself from laughing. Seriously, Sinb-yah? It hasn’t started yet and you’re saying you can’t take it anymore? This variety show has really pushed you to the edge. I just let her drink the second bottle so she could drown a little more in her heartache. A little revenge for my duck friend upstairs who suffered enough too but did not end up drinking like you. I did not realize she was the type who would behave like this when faced with problems involving the heart.

“Eonnie! I’LL PROPOSE TO HER TONIGHT!!!” *Drinks “I will tell her how I feel!” *Drinks “I think I drank enough to have courage to tell her!” *Drinks. She was about to open the van’s door when I pulled her back to her seat.

“NO! Are you crazy? You will propose to her like that? Look at yourself!” I took the second bottle and drank what’s left of it. “What are you? A wimpy high school boy?” I told her as I pushed her shoulder against the glass window so she could raise her head. “Do you want Yerin to remember your proposal that way? Drunken, impulsive and unplanned? It will be the first for her, don’t you want it to be special?”

She stopped screaming and started wiping her face with her inner shirt. I took the plastic bags from her and opened another bottle. I’ll help you fall asleep before you do something stupid.  There was silence for a good 10 minutes.

“Ready to talk?” I gulped a mouthful of the alcohol and I handed the bottle to her.

“Yes.”

“Sinb-yah, we’ll plan about it, okay? I doesn’t matter what her answer will be, it still has to be in a setup that’s memorable.”

“I just felt the pain all of a sudden. I have not feel… felt that before.” She returned the bottle to me after she drank.

“I understand. But that’s not a reason to be hasty and immature.”

“I’m sorry. Please help… me.” The bottle went back and forth and we were now on the fourth.

“I will. But before we even plan, you have to promise something first, Sinb-yah.”

“Promise whuuuut?”

“That you will not change your mind about it.” I told her with all seriousness.

“Ok. I promiiiiiiise.” The drunk maknae’s eyes started to flutter.

“Where do you want to do it?” I asked even though I’m sure she won’t be able to think of any place with this state she’s in.

“I… don’t... know. Let’s think… about thaaaat. Special place?” She said as she rested her head against the window.

“Are you drunk now?” I was sure she was. She did not eat lunch and she only had a loaf of bread before we packed up the photoshoot; anyone in that condition will be drunk with Soju in minutes.

“Nooooooooo…” That was her last word that night.

JN to UJ: Umji-ssi, parking lot now. Sinb is drunk.

UJ: Coming.

JN to SEC01: IN. Clear Bldg LDwn.

“Eonnie, what happened?” Umji was opening the van’s door after two minutes.

“Her brother came, and invited us to drink. She unknowingly drank too much.” I hastily told her as I handed her the plastic bags.

“Huh? Oppa was with you?”

“No. I mean, that’s not what happened but that’s what we’ll tell them. Umji-yah, throw the other bag with bottles in the trash bin please. Thank you.” I replied while I was preparing to carry the drunk passenger.

“Ahhh... Okay, just as I thought. Woah! You drank a lot... Wait!” Yewon closed the door and ran to us to fix Sinb’s bonnet and pulled it lower to cover her face.

“Not me, but she did.” I clarified.

“Aigoo... Okay, I’ll go ahead to throw this and open the elevator.” The quick-witted young lady knew how to protect the older members well.

I could use the emergency stairs hyperspeeding and reach the apartment before anyone could see us but this was not the time for it. Luckily, we got inside the house and there wasn’t a soul that saw us.

“What happened??” Sowon asked me as laid the girl on the sofa bed in the living room. By our mere smell, everyone in the room would know what happened. But I did not answer her since Yewon already started explaining, instead I went to Sinb’s room and pulled one of her pillows and the red blanket that was neatly covering her bed. Eunha and Yuju, who were not surprised by the scene took the plastic from Yewon and proceeded to the kitchen. Sinb coming home after drinking with her brother was not unusual, but it was the first time she got home asleep and being carried by someone.

Yerin was already in the living room kneeling in front of the passed-out girl whose hair she was delicately . When she saw me approach with the pillow, she hurriedly slid her arm under Sinb’s neck and started removing her coat very carefully to not wake her up. She took off her sweater after, she did it so skillfully that no one had to help her do it. She looked at me asking for the pillow. The way she lovingly fixed and took care of her, a soft kiss on the forehead was the only thing that was missing to culminate the scene.

“Yewon-ah, get her sleeping pants please.” She told the maknae. “Did oppa make you drink too? You’re red.” She directed the question to me. She was smiling and appeared relieved that we were both back in the apartment. “Sowon-eonnie…”

She handed the tall lady the pajamas that Yewon brought from their room before gently covering Sinb with the blanket she took from me.

“Yeah, he did.” I answered as I touched my face.

“Come on, let’s make you coffee.” Yerin led me to the kitchen as Sowon started pulling the girl’s pants under the blanket to replace it with the sleeping trousers. “You still have to make spaghetti for these hungry babies.” I learned later on that on many occasions that they had to change Sinb's clothes, Yerin refrained from touching the other girl if she only had her undergarments on. It was her respect to the girl since she had kept romantic feelings for her. Weird but admirable.

>>>

After the dinner that went faster than the time I spent cooking, the younger members were already back in their room to rest. The three of us were left in the living room cleaning and eventually finding ourselves staring at the liquored-up young lady who did not even shift from her position.

“Eonnie.” Yerin said almost inaudible in spite her being just two inches away from me.

“Hmm?” I lowered my voice assuming we all had to.

“I’ll propose to her. I cannot get married without making her mine.” Yerin declared.

She was dead-serious but it sounded like she recited lyrics from a song, I couldn’t help but chuckle, I had to pinch my nose hard to control it. “I’m sorry.”

“Why?? Why?? Why are laughing?!” Yerin was still whispering after she hit my shoulder.

“Nothing, nothing. So when? What’s the plan?” It’s just now that I realized that when Sinb heard them talking about the proposal, Yerin was actually talking about her proposal to her. Poor Eunbi-yah, you’ll wake up with a bad hangover all for nothing.

“We are all free Friday. But where?” Sowon interrupted.

“Ah! I know… The gym. Glass bead MV.” I suggested since I know that place was one, if not the most memorable place for all of them.

“Genius. But how… she go there?” Sowon asked. We were whispering too quietly to correct her English.

“I’ll take care of that.” I wickedly proclaimed. After that brief drinking session, I knew that getting her to the gym will be the easiest part.

“I’m really excited, eonnie.” Yerin pulled the two of us to the dining area. Yup, and Sinb heard you that’s why she decided to get drunk and almost proposed to you.

“So, we’ll have to tell everyone, right?” I asked.

“Yes, they have to know. They will help us too.” The tall lady said. “Your face was red earlier, it’s cute.” She flashed an embarrassed smile after quickly realizing her irrepressible but premature segue.

“Ah… thank you.” I can feel my cheeks heat up again. It’s not the first time I’ve received admiration from a female, but this young lady in front of me is different. She was comfortable around me but she did not have the audacity to tell it to my face, but at the same time, she was not afraid to reveal that admiration in some discreet cringe-worthy way.

“Oh my god, you two. Sowon-eonnie, propose already.” Yerin’s eye smile was back after not being visible almost the whole day.

“Yah!”

“Shhhh… you’ll wake up my baby.”

“EEEWWWW.” Sowon and I synchronously reacted. “Don’t you ever call her that, she'll kill you.” The other lady continued.

“I’m just joking!” She was back to whispering. “So, we’ll tell them tomorrow.”

“Can I tell Yewon? I think I can ask her help with taking Sinb there.” No, I want to be the one telling her because she will be surprised and I have to explain to her why I lied about knowing all these.

After several more minutes of Yerin excitedly discussing ten thousand possible ways on how she’ll propose, we eventually reached a more concrete plan.

“Okay, we need synthetic flowers, push-pop confetti, balloons -not pink… what else, rings!” Yerin was recapitulating while Sowon was making a list on her phone.

“Calm yourself. It’s a proposal Yerin-ah, not a birthday party. Yewon and I can take care of the rings. Just give me a description of what you want. We’ll find it and show you pictures you can choose from. But shouldn’t that be given a little later in the relationship?” It was not part of my training to be well-versed in the Korean culture of courtship. “You’re not even sure if she’ll say yes.” But I’m sure she will.

“Yeah, usually a little later. But I want to have rings now. I don’t care if she rejects me. You two can wear the rings if that happened. Next. What else?” Yerin was too energetic even at this hour even I can’t keep up with her.

“Aish... Okay, fine. Hey, time to sleep.” I reminded the two.

Yerin frowned at me. “But I don’t want to leave her here.”

“Aish… I’ll get the inflatable mattress. Get your sleeping stuff.” I said pretending to be disgusted while looking at her smile from ear-to-ear.

After a very long day of fluctuating drama and excitement, it was finally time to rest. That night, we both slept in the mattress I situated beside the sofa bed in spite her insistence that I join the older girl in their room. She faced the drunk human being and I faced the TV. Before daybreak, as soon as I heard Sinb move, I hyperspeeded to carry Yerin to her room together with her pillow and blanket and slowly laid her beside Sowon who readily woke up and understood the sudden transfer.

“Good morning, Sinb-yah.” I smiled at the dizzy lady who was trying to sit up and handed her a cup of coffee. “I know a perfect place for you to propose.”

“Where?” Her eyes opened wider as she smiled excitedly before feeling her head throb. “Aww…”

“At the gym where you shot your first music video.” I smirked. "Let's check it.."

She nodded in obvious agreement as she took a sip of the coffee.

“...on Friday.”