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Yixing hurried after Min Hee but somehow ended up in a part of the neighbourhood he didn't know. He never explored the town as a whole and only knew the hotel and the studio. I don't know where I am, great. Why didn't I wait like Min Hee told me again? 

"That girl is fast. Where did she run off to?" He mumbled to himself, looking around like a lost little lamb. To make it even better, Yixing didn't have Min Hee's phone number. And he won't call his manager over something like this. How should he describe where he is? "Just keep walking, just keep walking. I'll find her." 

The neighbourhood wasn't huge so he spotted a few shops very soon. Out of one of those stores, a familiar person came out holding a bag in her hand and happily heading into Yixing's direction. "I got us something." Instead of walking past the idol, Min Hee smiled brightly and showed him what she bought. 

"How did you know that's me and not some other guy?" Yixing questioned her confused, disappointed over how quickly she recognised him. Am I so easy to find? "Imagine it wasn't me. It could've been dangerous." 

"Nah, I'd recognise you anywhere. Especially when you dress yourself like this, all in black and all covered up. That's the mistake most celebrities do when dating outside secretly. Don't tell me that's what you also wear for your secret dates." Min Hee raised her eyebrows at him and shook her head at him. He's basically calling to get caught.

"What are you talking about? What dates? I don't date." Yixing stuttered nervously, denying her assumption strongly. "I don't even go outside much. I'm not dating." 

"Alright, alright, I get it." Min Hee chuckled over his reaction and returned to the studio with him. "It's either a way of telling me you don't have a girlfriend or I just found out about your secret girlfriend?" 

"No, no, no, I haven't dated for years, really!" Yixing waved his hands in defense. "I don't have the time for that, it's not the right period of my life to do that yet." 

"I was just teasing you, no need to justify yourself. There's nothing wrong with that." Min Hee patted his shoulder friendly and asked him about why he didn't stay at work instead. Hearing the reason made it hard not to laugh out loud in public. "Call me up when you need a guide through the town. I'm living here originally, but I have another place in Beijing for my studies. I often commute as well. You didn't know that about me, did you?" Yixing's really easy to tease, he is so pure.

Arriving at the studio, they sat down together in Yixing's office and were presented with what Min Hee had bought. "This is for me and that's for you. And these are snacks. Since I respect your low tolerance and that you'll fly back tomorrow, you get the sparkling water. I won't encourage you to drink, don't worry." Min Hee took out a beer can for herself and clinked the drinks with Yixing

Drinking once in a while wasn't a problem for the artist but usually, he would get wasted after one sip. I highly doubt it would ever loosen me up. Yixing was imagining what would happen if he even only drank one sip of alcohol. He wouldn't remember what happened when he was drunk, but s always told him and for his habits. His face fires up and he starts acting like a kid jumping around excitedly. Yixing shook his head pushing the thoughts away. He couldn't show this side of him to a colleague so he thanked her for the sparkling water.

"Sorry, what did you say?" Yixing questioned Min Hee and blamed it on his exhaustion. It was late at night by now and he was tired from practically overnighting in the studio and barely getting any sleep. 

"I said sometimes in a while, it can be really enjoyable with the right people. Though it does help loosen up some people, at least the people I drank with, let's only drink in moderation. I'll spare you because I'm a good friend." Min Hee repeated and thought of how to get closer to him. How will I get Yixing to open up himself to me? 

"I think I understand what you mean." Yixing agreed to the enjoyable part Min Hee talked about but not with the rest. Unlike him, Min Hee did have a higher tolerance, however, she preferred the atmosphere rather than the actual drinking. "It's the thing I hate the most in the world. I can't even touch any alcohol, really." Yixing said, peacefully sipping his water.

"Yeah, I thought so judging from your reaction when I suggested the idea." Min Hee was still too sober to know what she was doing but she wasn't planning on getting wasted. Not when they weren't even close yet.

In the meantime, Yixing could tell he had the wrong impression of her, indeed. She wasn't strict, she wasn't blunt, mysterious or hard to approach. In fact, she was very easy-going and uncomplicated. She did appear carefree at many points but she knew her responsibilities. Yixing admired this about her, because he wished he could be as carefree as Min Hee. Impossible. 

"Zhang Yixing." Min Hee said, pulling Yixing back to reality. "We should do this more often, like drinking buddies. Except you're not drinking." Yes, she was still sober and no, Yixing did not agree to her idea. She wasn't joking. "Once in a while, just casual talking and snacking. Though it's not a better way of forgetting the stress and your work, instead of being keeping your worries to yourself, talk about everything that troubles you while having a few drinks. If not drinks, I'll be happy about food as well." 

Yixing wasn't convinced yet. He appreciated her concern for him, but he was fine. No, thanks. "I have never been a big fan of drinking. My tolerance is the lowest among all the members. Thanks, but no thanks. Look for another drinking buddy. What about that doctor, you could ask him instead." 

Min Hee shook her head quickly and refused. "Nah, I better won't. He is busy enough."  

Yixing crossed his arms and gazed his colleague with a slight frown. "And I am not? I am an artist. I am busy, too." He was practising hard and working every day. It was not comparable to a doctor, but Yixing had a difficult profession as well. "A scandal will affect my career and those around me. And I've seen too many scandals so I'm trying to be especially careful." Yixing thought of every possible consequences of his doings, but Min Hee argued back and put her hand on his shoulder. Yixing's eyes wandered to her hand on his shoulder. Physical contact. They weren't close enough yet.

"I'm not asking you to meet me in public and have a drink. My offer is still up, the drinking buddy thing. I understand if you don't want to, but you know who to call if you ever need someone to talk to. With our without drinks. My apartment isn't far from the studio anyway, I know lots of delicious places." Min Hee but didn't seem to break through the wall he was keeping up. Yixing was stricter about himself than expected. In the end, she wasn't able to convince him and she couldn't force him to do something he didn't want to do. "I am always open if you need someone to listen to your frustrations and hardships."

Yixing sipped his glass of water, only to notice too late that it wasn't his glass of water. Due to his exhaustion, Yixing didn't realise he grabbed Min Hee's drink accidentally and take a sip. That's not my water. 

Min Hee chuckled upon seeing the drastic change of expression on Yixing's face. "You don't like that? Oh, that's a strong one. You should've stuck to the water." She and handed him his own glass. 

Yixing got a hold of himself after the accident and decided to change the subject. "So, you said you are a student right? Why did you come to Korea? Were you working for someone else while being there?" Yixing intended on having a serious conversation with her. He wanted to understand Min Hee and have at least some basic information about her. I have to know who I'm working with.

Now being curious, are we? "Do you really want to know that? You might be taken aback if I tell you, though. I only did it for a few months but it might put you off." Min Hee took a sip and pondered about where to start the whole story.

Is that so? Yixing thought about her question for a while and his creative mind imagined all kinds of things. The way Min Hee answered was strange enough. What on earth could she have been doing before? She was only a student. "Whatever, tell me. I'm sure it won't be that serious."

"Do you know Dispatch? You should, though. I saw some of the stuff they found out about your members." It took him a second before realising what Min Hee just said. Dispatch? She would be one of the agencies' biggest enemy then if she was what Yixing believed. "But to be honest, it wasn't great working there. Before you ask, I did not follow any celebrities around to find anything scandalous. I simply had the connections and was thus used to negotiate with companies who didn't want to make any losses. I dealt with the dating news that could've broken out but I was in no way the one deciding which news to publish or not. However, it wasn't a great part-time job and I gave up pretty quickly to go on to my current part-time job as an amateur screenwriter for my own experience. I mainly decided to do it to see how the Korean companies work and deal with their scandals."

Hearing her reasonable explanation regarding her previous occupation, Yixing knew she wasn't a bad person. He never really suspected she was a bad person anyway. Min Hee wouldn't be a harm to his activities then. It would be a pity to fire her because she did great a job handling the film and TV offers. 

"Just for your information, I still have my connections to Dispatch." Min Hee decided to a bit more to see his reaction. "I was kidding, I don't know their reporters. They are a weird bunch of people. Any scandal will affect me and the studio." So much for feeling relieved. Dispatch is likely the celebrities' and companies' biggest enemy, their journalists and photographers are everywhere. And he was glad Min Hee wasn't any of them. Dispatch ruined the life of one of his brothers so he didn't know whether he would trust those who worked directly with them.

"Okay." Yixing didn't know what to answer to all the confusing information. "I guess I will keep that in mind." And suddenly, the alcohol hit him. He didn't drink much of Min H