Come around to the side. There's a passcode on the front door, but I can get you in the back.

The glass window-faced complex reflected the overcast sky. With the occasional tourist passed by the front to take a quick selfie, the place was deserted, save for the single black SUV parked next to the sidewalk. Unlike Cube, there wasn't a café or anywhere to really stick around on the off-chance that idol might quickly pass by on the way to a performance.

It was a bit of a squeeze between the two buildings, what with the shrubs and autumn leaves. I started to wonder if I had the wrong address until I saw a familiar red cap behind the wall of green. The lanky boy leaned against the side of the agency, dawning an oversized hoodie and ripped skinny jeans. The rustling drew his attention, and he looked up, his plump lips stretching into a goofy grin.

"You came," he beamed, jogging over to me. I couldn't help but chuckle at his childlike demeaner. His legs only looked more cartoon character on twig legs in all that black.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" I could tell he hadn't prepared an answer, as his gaze shifted to his feet.

"You know," he shrugged coyly. His face had scrunched into many of his derpy looks.

"No," I giggled, shaking my head. "I don't know. You'll have to tell me, silly." I glanced over my shoulder, wondering if my volume was going to be an issue. "I still...don't know why you trusted me in the first place..." my voice trailed off.

Hyungwon finally looked up, murmuring. "I had to see you again."

It had been just a week prior, I was standing in the front row, ear drums virtually blown, peripheral vision obscured by the lights, all sense of time gone. I'd received an inheritance from my father's late mother, that wasn't to be  released until I turned legal age. A hefty sum. But my smart-, instead of investing that into a program I might drop before the end of the semester, decided to fly to Korea buy the most expensive ticket I could get my hands on, to see my favourite band up close. Till then I had only indulged in posters and the occasional album, when I could afford it.

So that was the full experience, fan meeting, a high five from each member and a photo. I felt a pang of embarrassment at the sheepish smiles I must have given them, honestly just having a hard time processing the situation. As nice at they were, I had to remind myself that these artists were people, with outside lives that they left off camera, and the chances there was any real connection to be made beyond a performance at a concert was so unlikely. Anything more would have to be something straight out of fanfiction. A one in a million chance...So I thought.

I massaged my temples as I exited the auditorium in a sea of Monbebes. Feeling a bit over stimulated, I stepped off to the side to breathe. When the crowd seemed to die down, I looked around for a bathroom. You would think for a venue that's expecting a worldwide audience, there would at least be some signs for a bathroom in English, let alone Korean. After wandering down a couple different halls, I was completely lost. It would have been nice if there was more staff too. I wasn't even worried about getting in trouble for going out of bounds, I just wanted to relieve my bladder.

A few minutes passed, and I stood against the concrete wall, puffing my cheeks. Wasn't there at least an exit somewhere, in case of emergencies? Maybe I was going in circles. The building wasn't that big...well it kinda was. I suddenly heard a shriek. I couldn't see anything, but it came again, and louder.

"WONHO!!"

My eyes widened as a group of girls, who couldn't have been older than high schoolers, came sprinting in my direction. Heading them was a shirtless Wonho. "Get out of the way!" I cried, waving frantically. I pressed myself to the wall but was knocked off by the frazzled group, my chest making contact with the hard floor. Wonho was able to slip into his dressing room, but not before drawing the attention of other fans lingering in the basement. Soon a swarm of fans stood outside the dressing room, chanting for shirtless boy to come back. Not a moment too soon, security was on the scene, pushed the fans back as quickly as they could. I swore I heard the sickening sound of crunch as pain shot through my hand. My cries were long lost in the moans of the disappointed girls, continuing to be ushered back to the lobby.

My fingers were shaking slightly, as I hugged my arm. Maybe I would have had better luck coming with friends after all. Then I could at least send one off to flag back the security guys and get help. I heard someone in the distance, conversing in Korean. "Are they gone? Is it safe to go out?"

"I don't know. Just stay in here. And don't go out without a shirt again!" It sounded like Kihyun was scolding the elder.

"How are we supposed to leave then?"

"We'll call manager hyung and get security back. It's fine, just get your stuff together. You're such a trouble maker."

"I'm sure he didn't mean to," a deeper voice chimed in. "This place is a maze."

"That didn't warrant going out without a shirt! He knows how fans react to that sort of stuff. Why do you think we have to stay in shape?"

"Calm down, Kihyun. It's over now. There's no point in making a fuss. Let's just get ready to go."

"Well, if the cost is clear, I'm going to go out call manager hyung. I can't get any signal in here." A third voice announced before cracking the door open. I looked up, still on my knees. Hyungwon froze upon seeing me. "Are you okay?"

"A-ah yeah... s-sorry I'll go." I stammered. I winced as I pulled myself to a stand with my right hand, as my left stayed glued to my chest.

"Wait, you're hurt. What happened?" He crossed over to me in long strides, his fingers hovered over me, seemingly unsure of whether he could touch me.

"My hand...it got stepped on in that crowd--but I promise I wasn't with them to chase Wonho. I was just looking for a bathroom."

"Seems to be a running theme here." He murmured, gently touching my shoulders. He towered over me; would have been nice to have that kind of shield a few minutes prior. "Come in, at least come out of the hallway. We'll get you water." He said before guiding me to the dressing room. I held my breath afraid of the reaction I would be met with.

"Oh, Hyungwon-ah. That's not manager hyung." Minhyuk pointed at me, from a beanbag chair in one corner of the room. The room was tight, but managed to fit a lit mirror and a few folding chairs, as well as a travel-sized fridge near the door.

"I know, but she got trampled. I couldn't leave her out there." Hyungwon said, as I felt the warmth leave my shoulders. He rooted around in the fridge for a moment before pulling a bottle of water and handing it to me.

"Thank you,"

"Wow, you speak Korean??"

I nodded sheepishly. "I'm still learning, but I knew enough to get here," I laughed softly. I felt a soft tug at my sleeve, as Hyungwon began walking over to the makeup table. I took a seat in one of the chairs, holding my hand in the light while he bandaged me up.

"Well, it was very noble of you to want to help a fan, but we should probably get going. Her family is probably wondering where she is anyway." Shownu said, giving Hyungwon a pat on the back.

"Does she have to go?" Minhyuk whined. "We barely know anything about her.

"Yeah, where are you from?" Jooheon chimed in, toothbrush in his mouth.

"I'm from Canada," I said softly.

"We've been there!" The boys nodded in agreement. "Did you come see us then too?" Kihyun asked curiously.

"I'm afraid I didn't," I said tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "I had to work. But I'm glad I got to see you while I'm here. I had a lot of fun, but it was a bit loud at the front."

"Oh yeah, I recognize you from the photo-op." Changkyun took a seat beside Shownu, effectively closing the circle. I wasn't sure if I should feel like the luckiest fan in the world, or the one under the most pressure not to accidentally screw up. I'd rather they forgot me altogether than remember me as the fan that pissed them off, or royally embarrassed myself.

Hyungwon was still holding my hand as he stood beside me. After my initial novelty wore off, the other boys decided to relax and go back to their mindless activities while they waited to be taken back to the dorm. "Thank you, again." I glanced up at him, unsure of what else to say. I really wasn't sure what I would have done had he not found me. He retrieved one of the folding chairs to sit in front of me, and I told him about how I'd gotten lost after the concert. Hyungwon kept a goofy smile across his cheeks and wondered if it was just pretend and I was actually boring him to death. "Well, enough about me, how's your week been?"

When the manager finally arrived, I was ushered out in a hurry, as the boys each climbed into the van that had pulled around the side of the building. My energy levels dropped at the abrupt end to the excitement. One of the security guards showed me back to the entrance, that was now well deserted. Before parting, Hyung had left a note in my hand.

Text Me, 003-0813-2542 -H

If I hadn't been feeling weak in the knees from standing front row at the concert, I was definitely feeling it now. I was the one in a million.

Hyungwon gently took hold of my bandaged hand, my palm with his thumb. "How's it feeling?"

"It's little tender still, but I'll live." I tried to give him a reassuring smile. I had gone to a walk in clinic the next morning and the doctor said it was thankfully just bruised and not fractured.

"Good," he said before quickly pressing his lips against my cheek. "Can I bring you inside? Kihyun is making tteokkboki!"

My eyes widened slightly, as my cheeks burned. "Sure!" I wondered if the other members actually remembered me, or flushed it out with their busy schedules. We took the elevator to the dorm level. It was a lot quieter than I'd expected. Perhaps everyone was sort of having a down day, what with the weather.

"There you are, Hyungwon. Where'd you go?"

"That's who you've been texting all week? You know manager's gonna grill you for having a girlfriend, right?"

We both stiffened at that. "She's not my girlfriend....I was just worried about her hand and I wanted to check up on her." Hyungwon hastily explained. "Hey, is that lunch? Yummy!" He went and grabbed an extra bowl from the cupboard and returned with two steaming helpings of rice cakes. We ate our lunch on the couch, trying to avoid the gaze of the other members. They must not have many girls over often. 

"I'm gonna put on a movie." Changkyun announced, walking over to the dvd player. I scooted down onto the floor to make more room on the couch. Perhaps that wasn't the right move as the "guest", but no one seem to protest.

"Hyungwon, move your legs." Wonho said, pushing the bean poles off one of the cushions. Hyungwon whined softly, but didn't protest. The movie Changkyun had chosen was some sort of action flick that had been dubbed. I wasn't proficient enough to really follow along.

Around halfway through, I'd finished my lunch and could hear someone snoring softly behind me. I put my bowl down gently as not to wake the sleepy turtle. I shifted to face the couch. Hyungwon lay fast asleep, curled around a teddy bear. There was still some sauce on the corner of his lips. I smiled softly, gently wiping his mouth with my thumb. I couldn't help but linger, he was so pure, like a giant baby. I wondered what he was dreaming about. My fingers drifted to comb through his hair, slightly coarse from hairspray and excessive dyeing. My thumb trailed over his smooth forehead, tracing the side of his face.

"Five more minutes, Minhyuk." He murmured softly. I couldn't help but giggle. I held my hands over my mouth to muffle my laughter but it was too late. "What? What's so funny?" He asked through a half-lidded gaze.

"You called me Minhyuk. Did you forget I was here? Pabbo~" I teased, poking his nose. He yawned, his mouth opening wide. His teddy bear slipped from his arms. "Oh you dropped your--oof" He suddenly pulled my torso onto his chest, hugging them as if I were the stuffed animal. I blushed.

"Yah, if you're going to sleep, go to bed."

Hyungwon murmured something incoherent in response, trudging off to his room, with me in tow. This was all a joke, right? At some point a camera crew is gonna jump out, tell me I've been punked then send me on my way. I was just waiting for the fantasy to end. Maybe I should leave now with my dignity still in tact. I watched him lift the light blue duvet before belly flopping into bed.

"Ah...you're so childish." I muttered, instinctively pulling the covers out from under him and doing my best to tuck the giant in. "I see you're tired so, I should get going.."

"Where are you going?"

"Mokdong, back to my Airbnb?"

"Mmm that's too far, stay here and hug me." He sounded exactly like a small child wanting his mother. I rolled my eyes playfully climbed onto the other side of the bed. "Nuh nuh nuh, under the sheets~"

"O-okay...." I squeaked, and ducked under the duvet, laying flat as a board as Hyung wrapped himself around me like a koala. 

"Are you comfy ?"

I had to think a moment. In all honesty, I was excited and all sorts of paranoid that someone was going to yell at me soon, and if it wasn't the manager, it would be the K-pop fans online, seeing as I was getting special treatment. That was a possible outcome, and in all likelihood, this friendship would have to stay under raps if it became anything more for the sake of his career and both our mental health. That was a thought...and I could continue to worry about that...or I could relax into the arms of a handsome man and pretend I made all the right decisions that day. Hyungwon's hoody smelled of his body wash. I inhaled, letting the scent fill my lungs as I buried my nose in the fabric. I closed my eyes, feeling more at home than I had since I'd been away.

"Yeah, I'm comfy."