"Say The Name"

 

 

~Carat~

 

   Carat looked out the window of her bathroom and sighed. It'll rain later, she thought, disgusted at the prospect. Rain meant her day off would be far more... indoors. Boring.

   Despite no longer seeing a point in washing her hair, Carat her SEVENTEEN playlist and got in the shower while "Rock With You" blasted. With this, her mood brightened. 

   Finished, she towel dried and dressed herself to be fashioned like a riské jogger with yoga pants and a brazier. Not leaving the privacy of her bathroom for a while, she saved her shirt to be put on later when she didn't have a huge towel wrapped around her hair.

   Balancing, Carat stepped out of the tub, but with only one foot out, something hit her. Not quite an actual 'something' as it wasn't an object, but a force. 

   Resembling a gale wind that sunk into her body, possibly into her very soul, it darted in every direction like a thousand pinballs. Carat clung to the shower curtain when dizziness joined the attack. Grey spots soon followed, blinding her vision as her body went limp. Carat felt her body drop, but didn't feel the ground, instead she kept going. Losing her sense of time and space, she fell. Down. Down. Deeper into an oblivion somewhere between body and death. It seemed an eternity that she was there, unable to move or fight. Then the force left her. As quickly as it had taken control, it was gone.

    Ground, Carat thought, understanding by the pain shooting from her hip and shoulder that she had collapsed. Pushing herself to her hands and knees brought on a headache that pierced through every thought save one. What happened? 

   Supporting her head with a cold palm, she kept it down-turned in an attempt to regather herself. I need water, Carat thought, then I'll call EXO L Unnie (언니, ,older sister). She listened for a moment as SEVENTEEN'S "Pretty You" played in the background before bracing herself and looking up to where her vanity should have been. Instead a figure stood across the small bathroom.

    She pushed herself back and froze seeing the figure was a man. He didn't seem to acknowledge her, but leaned over a vanity putting white foam on his face. Carat let out a squeal when he started belting to the song. 

    Flailing, the man faced her. He let out a sharp scream that Carat matched as she staggered back to her tub. Only, her foot never met a tub, she eventually felt a wall and found herself inside a walk-in shower. 

   I'm not home, she realized.

 

~Seungkwan (thirty seconds later)~

 

   Traumatically surprised, Seungkwan finally got the door knob to turn despite the lotion on his hands. Escaping out of the bathroom, he felt a heavy object hitting his shoulder before hearing the door slam shut behind him. Stopping mid-hallway, he looked back to the bathroom. What just happened?

   As he tried to process the last minute, Seungkwan started to feel the bruises from every object the crazy girl had thrown at him before that cursed door would open. The initial gallon sized shampoo jug would certainly leave it's mark on his temple. 

   Looking for someone to help in this bizarre situation, Seungkwan started for Seungcheol's (S. Coups) room. Hearing the front door open, though, he rushed for whoever had entered instead.

   Sliding into the foryer, he met Seokmin (DK), Jun, and Hansol (Vernon).

   "There's a girl in the bathroom!" Seungkwan shouted, pointing somewhere behind him. They all looked him, even Jun peeled away from his phone. They looked at him like he was... insane.

   Vernon was the first to move on. Seungkwan watched him walk around him like this happened every day.

   "You're kidding!" Seokmin (DK) jumped in with his animated tone before dropping his smile and following Vernon. 

   "I'm being serious!" Seungkwan huffed, not understanding why he was being ignored. 

   Third was Jun. Seungkwan caught his arm and stopped him. "Hyung (형, older brother/friend), there's a girl in the bathroom. This isn't a joke."

   Jun gave him a gentle, unbelieving smile while wiping off his grip and returning his attention to his phone as he walked by.

   "Ya! {야, Hey)" Seungkwan shouted as informally and loud as he could. The silence that followed pierced the dorm stronger than his falsetto. Finally he had their attention.

   This time he says it slowly, "There is a girl in the bathroom. I have no idea how she got there, but we need to call the police." They considered him a minute, clearly having their doubts. Seungkwan doubted it himself, but he'd leave the building before going back in there alone.

   There was a pause. DK broke it by making straight for the bathroom. They all followed suit while Seungkwan stayed behind tall Jun in preparation to flee and leave the rest to face the she-monster themselves.

 

~Carat (left inside the bathroom two minutes prior)~

 

   Carat immediately rushed the door after the guy cleared it. The lock didn't seem very strong so, with nothing around, she kept her body bracing it. Looking around she found her saving grace on the vanity. A phone.

   Carat swiped a ring off it and snatched the device to find it already on and logged in. "Thank you, Lord," she whispered gently. It was on some music app, but that didn't interest her near as much as everything was written in Korean.

   Carat had learned Hangul through studying K-pop a year prior, but understanding what the words meant, she had no clue. She followed icons until finding the dial pad. Carat called 911 and a woman answered in Korean. Carat paused. What the- she thought. Checking the screen she saw that she had somehow typed 112. She hung up and dialed again 911. And again she got 112. Hearing voices made her hands tremor. She steeled herself before trying again, praying that it worked. Another 112. Fearing another call would take precious time, she tested the line. "Who is this?"

   The line was quiet for a moment, then, "112 operator. What is your emergency?" This lady spoke in English.

   Carat let out a a small sob. Thank you, Jesus. "I've been kidnapped. Help me. Please help me."

   "Where are you?"

   Carat looked around her. "I'm in a bathroom. I woke and up and chased a guy out."

   "Okay, what is your name?"

   "Carat. But I don't know where I am." She looks around her again. "The guy's phone is in Korean. I'm calling on it."

   First the lady made sure that Carat was immediately secure before the tracking came back. "Okay, Carat? I see where you are. Police will be there soon. Do you know where the man is?"

   Carat straightened. "No, I can hear him, though. Where am I?"

   The answer she got was a bunch of long Korean names. Among them she recognized Gangnam, Seoul, and South Korea.

   Then she laughed ending with a shaky sigh. "So this is a prank? Haha. You got me," she said wiping tears. "Hysterical. I'm gonna kill all of you."

   "Ma'am, this is very real. The tracking location is Seoul, South Korea. Your phone signal might be sent there by someone. Is there a window near you?"

   "No." This has to be a prank, or a 'What Would You Do?' episode. Carat looked down on herself then. She wasn't fully dressed. Her family would never have allowed this.

   "Ma'am, is it possible that your being pranked?"

   "No," she muttered. Carat looked at the time on the phone. 10:20pm. "What time is it in America?"

   "9:20am."

   A chill ran down her spine as realization sunk in. "I'm in Korea, she breathed. "Thirteen hours ahead."

   "I'm dispatching officers to your location."

   Someone tried the handle.

   Carat jumped against the door to brace it, accidentally dropping the phone. Was this really happening? She could hear voices outside, but they spoke in Korean. "You locked it? - in Korean."

   Another voice responded in Korean.

   Carat couldn't tell what the knob looked like on the other side so as she braced the door, she held the turning key as one would their life. Everything got quiet for a minute so Carat looked to the fallen phone. Reaching for it with her foot, she had barely grazed the device with her toe when someone tried to turn the knob again. She scrambled herself to straighten immediately. I'm not strong enough to hold this, she thought. The phone rang from the ground. I swiped it off, she realized. Leaving the door wasn't an option, though. 

   Then there was a knock on the door. "안녕하세요? 거기 누구 있니? (an-neong-ha-se-yo/ Hello? - geo-gi nu-gu iss-ni/ Is anyone in there?) A man called.

   Carat understood annyounghaseo as 'hello'. She was in Korea.

 

~Hansol (Vernon) (present time)~

 

   Vernon looked to Seungkwan. This joke wasn't funny. Did he get it off some sitcom? Will there be a twist? If not, it could be a gose episode. I should smile more just in case.

   He rolled his shoulders. I'll be sore in the morning, he thought. He had represented the hip hop unit at a shoot dedicated to how they learn new dances and someone picked a playlist of pure cardio. I feel like rubber.

   Seokmin (DK) turned to Vernon, "Grab something to open this."

   With a sigh, the maknae (youngest) of the room went to the kitchen and retrieved a butter knife. Reaching to pull the drawer, he was reminded that his ring was in the gym bag. Looking for a reason to smile, Vernon recalled the day the rings had been prohibited in the dance rooms after one had slipped off and cracked a mirror. MinGyu got in extra trouble that day.

   Vernon returned with slow steps. This was a pointless venture anyway. Especially when moving felt to max his capabilities. Still, though, he smiled.

   From the kitchen he could hear DK questioning Seungkwan. "You really believe yourself?"

   "There's a girl in there!" Seungkwan yelled.

   Vernon arrived in time to see DK holding Seungkwan's shoulders. "Look me in the eye. Are you okay?"

   Seungkwan brushed his arms off and addressed Vernon. "Unlock the door and see for yourselves." He said with head gestures.

   Taking his cue, Vernon made for the door. He didn't think much of what he was doing when Seungkwan spoke up, "Be careful. She attacks."

   Then, for the first time, he considered that Seungkwan might be telling the truth. Vernon faced him and asked, "Hyung, are you playing?"

   "No," he answered with all finality. Seungkwan isn't the kind to go to this extent for a joke. This would be a prank, but those weren't his style.

   DK apparently had grown tired of this deliberation, as he snatched the knife and shoved it into the notch before giving it a hard turn. Vernon watched as the lock was immediately reset.

   "Someone's in there," Seokmin (DK) announced, no longer cheery but wholly serious. Vernon felt a chill run down his spine. It's probably one of the members, he thought, unable to believe it. Seokmin (DK) started pounding on the door, "Hey! Who's in there?"

   "가! (ga/ Go)" A voice screamed. They all froze. It was feminine. There was a silent pause, then they all turned to Seungkwan.

   Jun was the one to ask the question in everyone's mind, "Why is there a girl in our bathroom?"

   Seungkwan held his hands up as one would at gunpoint. "I don't know. She just appeared."

   "Go wake Seungcheol Hyung (S. Coups)," Jun instructed Vernon, but DK started knocking again.

   "Hello? 누구세요? (nu-gu-se-yo/ Who are you?)" He called, his tone seemed nicer now that they knew she was a girl. 

   There was no response for a minute then, "I don't know what you're saying!" She shouted in English. Vernon stepped in here.

   "Who are you?" He asked in his mother's native language.

   He was answered by questions. "Who are you? Why am I here? How am I in Korea?"

   None of which did he know the answers to. The other members were looking to him for translation too. "She wants to know who we are and why she's in Korea."

   "Tell her who we are, maybe she'll answer in exchange," Jun offered. Seungkwan just left, presumably to retrieve their leader.

   "We are Seventeen, why are you in our dorm?"

   "Why am I here? And who are you?"

   "Hansol Vernon Chwe."

   There was a long pause. Hansol wondered if she'd heard him when she finally responded. "The rapper?"

   "She knows who I am," he informs the others.

   "She's in our house, she should," Seokmin (DK) stated. "Now who is she?"

   "Yes, the rapper from Seventeen. Now who are you?"

   "What's your Instagram account name?" Do I know? He told the two waiting what she'd said. Luckily, Jun had a good memory.

   "Chwenotchew," he answered.

   "There's no way." He heard her mutter. "Prove it. I have one of your phones in here. Video call it."

   Now Vernon was getting irritated. "She wants us to video call her to prove who we are." Seokmin (DK) started on that with his phone.

   "She's in our home, is that not proof?" Jun said.

   "She keeps asking why she's here. Either trying to avoid responsibility or doesn't know."

   "It's calling," Seokmin (DK) announced.

   "Face it so we all can see," Seungcheol (S. Coups) said, entering the situation immediately, obviously filled in by Seungkwan.

   The device dialed then the screen turned white. The whole group leaned in to eventually realize that her camera was upturned to the ceiling.

 

~Carat~

 

   Carefully, Carat peeked over the phone. It's them. Vernon, Jun, Seungkwan, DK, and S. Coups. She jumped back against the wall eyeing the phone. Seventeen is outside this door. The fact that she was in Korea and had no idea how she got there couldn't stop her creeping smile. 

   "Hello?" Said someone with a thick accent. She leaned over again to see Seungcheol holding the phone. "Who are you?"

   Should I tell them my name? Not yet, she decided. "I can be out in a minute. But I need a shirt." Carat could hear who she now identified as Vernon talking to the others, she assumed he was translating what she'd said. That meant Joshua probably wasn't around.

   "Why do you not have on a shirt?" He asked.

   If they have nothing to do with this than I'll be seen as the suspect. Suddenly feeling embarrassed she explains herself, "Please listen. I don't know how I got here. I was just at home in America two minutes ago. Now I'm in Korea. I know who you guys are so I'm deciding to trust you. Please get me something to wear or I have to stay in here."

   "We can figure this out," he started reassuringly. "And we're getting you a shirt, just a minute." Having explained everything, Carat felt calmer and less like the victim or criminal.

   Then there was knock on the door. "We found one."

   "Slide it under." Carat said, inspecting the gap under the door. In a second, she saw a gray shirt emerge from below the door. Slipping it on, the fabric was soft and smelled nice, but it buttoned up to fit huge.

   Now she had to open the door, or did she? It would definitely be safer to wait for the cops to arrive. But she knew this group. She was YeongHee. Without any further doubt, she reached for the handle.

   Luckily she stopped herself a millisecond before touching it and looked in the mirror. Her hair was a moppy mess, old mascara smeared her cheeks, and her eyebrows went in every direction. No wonder whoever was in here fled. A couple quick swipes for each mess solved the problems.

   Carat unlocked the knob, but her grip paused. She would not be able to hide in here again once it's turned. She took a breath and swung it open.

 

~SeungCheol (S. Coups)~

 

   The door opened to reveal a girl. Cute, was his first thought, but first impressions were unavoidable. She seemed frozen in place at the sight of them. Definitely a YeongHee. Possible Sasaeng.

   "Tell her to come out so we can talk in the living room," SeungCheol tells Vernon.

   Hansol shifts, he doesn't want this job. Regardless, he speaks to her. Seungcheol couldn't fully understand the words he used, but so long as the girl did, that's what mattered.

   The girl seemed agreeable talking to Vernon, but she still looked scared infront of everyone. Meeting SeungCheol's eyes she bowed respectfully. While she was looking at him, he started off for the dining room, gesturing that she's to follow. The others followed him, though they all kept turning back most of the time to keep an eye on her as they walked.

   Entering the living room, Seungcheol offered the girl the couch, but she turned it down politely and stayed in place, awkwardly watching them from the edge of the hall. Keeping things moving, he had the guys sit on WonWoo's bed and the couch instead. Vernon stayed at her side though. SeungCheol acknowledged he was grateful for this. It'll be less foreboding for her to answer with the translator at her side.

   "Who is she?" He relayed to Hansol.

   Her answer didn't need translation as she spoke in Korean. "Naneun Caratiyeyo." The words, at least, were in Korean. The accent was so off that SeungCheol had to think through the words to realize that her name was Carat. So she knows some words and honorifics.

   "What is your surname?" He asked in Korean. This she did not understand and looked to Hansol for translation.

   Carat said something to Hansol, the group only really understood one word, 'police'. They all turned to Vernon for explanation. He hesitated, not a good sign. "She says she called the police as soon as she woke up."

   "They're coming here?" SeokMin (DK) started voicing their thoughts. "There'll be photos."

   "We've done nothing wrong. She broke into our house then called the police and all attention to herself," the leader explained. "Hansol, ask her why she broke into our house then called the police."

   "She said that she was just in America, then she woke up here."

   "SeungKwan, when did you first see her?" Jun asked.

   "She just appeared next to me. I was putting on moisturizer, then I was under attack."

   Seungcheol frowned, "How long were you in there before that?"

   "Few minutes, maybe three?"

   The girl, Carat, said something to Hansol. They talked for a second between themselves. Seungcheol had never found anything more irritating than waiting for that explanation.

   Finally Vernon turned to them, "She's asking if this is a hidden camera."

   "She'd be the one to know," SeungKwan stated. But that lit something in Seungcheol's head.

   "Camera," he whispered. Seokmin, sitting closest to him heard and faced him.

   "I'll call and request the CCTV." He started getting up, but SeungCheol stopped him.

   "하지마 (ha-ji-ma/ Don't do it). The police are coming. They'll figure this out, we can't touch any evidence."

   "He's right," Jun agreed. "We can't figure this out by ourselves. SeungKwan, were you up before you went into the bathroom?"

   "네 (ne/ Yes), I was in the kitchen for a while drinking water."

   "Was anything moved?" Seungcheol spoke up.

   SeungKwan shook his head, "Not that I saw."

   "I'll call Jeon Young Hwan (SEVENTEEN's manager). Is anyone else here?" Seokmin (DK) asked.

   "아니요 (a-ni-yo/ No), you're the first ones to come back," Seungcheol answered. "But definitely call Young Hwan."

   Something at the window piqued Hansol's interest. He walked over to announce, "The police are outside."

   Seungcheol slapped his knees and stood. "We all need to greet them. Hansol, on the way, tell her clearly that we know nothing about how she got here. Kaja."

 

~Carat (one minute prior)~

 

   Not a clue what they're saying. Vernon stopped translating after she asked about a hidden camera. Now they were discussing... something. She could sense that it questioned her character. That supported their story, though.

   It was fascinating watching them talk to each other. Hearing them without speakers. Watching them off screen. Surreal. Carat never imagined seeing them in real life, but here she was. Like she was in a gose ("Going Seventeen") episode as the camera, only they didn't carry the same enthusiasm as they would if she wasn't a suspected trespasser.

   She kept looking to Vernon for what they were saying, but he didn't address her and eventually went to the window. She could see lights flashing from outside. Cops are here. Vernon addressed the guys and said what she assumed was the Korean version of her thought. The guys looked nervous. Carat questioned if she should have called them. Could this hurt Seventeen? It can't be solved quietly, though, with no answers. I have to know how I ended up on the other side of Earth. I have to get home. 

   S. Coups stood with intention, said something, then made for a door that looked like the entrance. The others sitting followed suit and Vernon walked back to her. Their eyes met before immediately darting away. She directed her attention elsewhere after that. It's pointless to avoid being a fan girl. When they understand I'm not at fault I should get their autographs.

   "Okay, so-" Vernon started. "We're going to go down and greet the police. We want to make it clear to you that we have no idea how you got here."

   "No one saw anything? I had to have been brought."

   "Seungcheol and SeungKwan were in their rooms for a while and we just came in when he found you. It could have happened then, but come. The police will need to see you first."

   Vernon started for the door first. Could this be a dream? She thought following him. "Do you have cameras in here-" Suddenly, another attack of nausea and dizziness filled her body. Her vision became transparent grey splotches again. The last thing she saw was Vernon rushing back to her side before she fell. Then she was in the darkness again. It seemed just as eternal as before until she woke up again. Where's Vernon? He was just here. Was there another time-lapse? Did they take me to a hospital? Jail?

   Carat lifted her head to see her bathroom. The colors were still out of focus with strange hews, but she was home. Impossible, she thought. There was a bang on the door that made Carat jump.

   "What is taking you so long?" The voice belonged to her sister, EXO L. I'm really home.

Slowly, she rose and opened the door to see an unhappy unnie (언니, older sister). "About time. I've been knocking for five minutes."

   Carat frowned. "How long have I been in here?" Was it a dream?

   "Forever. You've been in there forever. Move!" EXO L pulls Carat out. Did I have a vision? "What are you wearing?" Her sibling comments, closing the door behind her.

   Carat looked down at herself.

 

   She still wore the grey shirt from Seventeen.

 

~To Be Continued~