After passing the final book to its owner, Hei-Ryung stood up so that she was out of the way when the table was being moved. The crowd in front of her was slowly dispersing, either heading outside for fresh air or wandering around to stretch their legs, as the five minute interim between the two portions of the event began. Also wanting to take advantage of the moment, Hei-Ryung wandered away and found herself an out-of-the-way corner where she could take off the mask without risking being seen. Tugging away the oppressive fabric, Hei-Ryung in a deep breath of unsweaty air and sighed. 

     She was actually enjoying herself. As surprising as it was, Hei-Ryung was actually having fun. Smiling softly at this revelation, Hei-Ryung gently massaged her hands to try and keep them from cramping. She had never done so much pen-to-paper writing as she had today since high school, and her poor muscles weren't used to the vigorous exercise.

     "You're doing great," panicking, Hei-Ryung hurried and snapped the mask over her face before turning to see who had suddenly materialized behind her. She had never been happier to see Seulki. "Sorry," her editor chuckled apologetically as she leaned against the wall. "I guess surprising you like that wasn't really the best reward, was it?"

     Hei-Ryung sheepishly nodded in agreement.

     "Are you ready for the next step?" Seulki asked, glancing down at Hei-Ryung's hands as the girl began massaging them again. "Here," she offered, reaching over and taking Hei-Ryung's hand in hers. "You might be asked some pretty personal questions," she warned, gently rubbing the palm of Hei-Ryung's hand with her thumbs.

     "Can't I just say 'no comment' or something?" she sounded more nervous than she had meant to. The idea of people probing into her life was slightly terrifying, though, and Hei-Ryung really wanted to avoid being put into any uncomfortable situations. Of course if things got too bad, she had made sure to take note of where the building's bathrooms were...

     "Of course. But try to answer at least a few questions, alright?" Seulki assured her, gently patting the back of Hei-Ryung's hand. "These people aren't here to attack you, Hei-Ryung. They're genuinely curious about you because they love your writing and, in a way, you. If they say anything that makes you uncomfortable, just know that they are only doing it out of genuine earnest. Please don't hate them," she pleaded, knowing how Hei-Ryung could get. Seulki didn't know all the details of what had happened to Hei-Ryung in the past, but she did know that it had instilled in Hei-Ryung the ability to hold deep, long-lasting grudges. If anybody here hurt her in any way, or Hei-Ryung felt she was being attacked, it might be impossible to get her to ever face the general public again.

     Mr. Kang would just love that.

     "I know," Hei-Ryung sighed, carefully slipping her hand out of Seulki's. She understood fully well that these people were not out to get her and that if she ever thought otherwise it was because of her own paranoia and not by anything they had done. That didn't change much, though. "I'll try my best," she couldn't bring herself to give Seulki a 100% assurance that she wouldn't lose her mind and go running into the bathroom, where she would lock herself in a stall and hide from the world. She would try, though. Hei-Ryung really would try.

     "We will now be starting the Q and A portion of this event! If you would all please take a seat," the manager announced into a microphone that had been dragged out from the depths of the bookstore's storage room. Apparently that was so everyone could hear Hei-Ryung as she answered their questions.

     "Good luck!" Seulki cheered, patting Hei-Ryung on the back as the girl walked past her to take a seat at the front of the gathered crowd. Once all the seats had been filled and the room had quieted down, Hei-Ryung was passed the microphone and the questions started. Biting down on her bottom lip, Seulki folded her arms over her stomach and tapped her fingers nervously on her arm. They just needed to get through the next half hour and then everything would be perfect. Just half an hour. Just. Half. An. Hour.

     "What's your favorite color?"

     "Which author inspires you the most?"

     "What are your hobbies?"

     "When is your next book coming out?"

     "Do you have any pets?"

     "Is your name actually Hei-Ryung?"

     Seulki's eyes snapped to the front, where Hei-Ryung had become rooted to the spot. She had hoped she had misheard the question, but judging by the hushed whispering and the 'deer in car headlights' look in Hei-Ryung's eyes, this was only wishful thinking. Groaning, Seulki held her face in her hands and demanded that God tell her why things never seemed to go right for her.

     "I heard a woman calling you Hei-Ryung earlier. So is Kang Kae Yeon just a pen name?" the questioner continued pushing, glancing around at the other gathered people for support.

     "Um..." Hei-Ryung breathed into the microphone, feeling her heart sink steadily down into her stomach. Clenching her jaw, she tried to find something- anything- to say, but her mind had gone completely blank. She couldn't think straight.

     "Can you take off your mask?" A chorus of agreement followed this second question, and Hei-Ryung became cornered. Her hands were shaking so badly that she nearly dropped the microphone, her brain had completely shut off, and her breathing had turned into short, unsteady gasps. These people were not out to get her. They were not trying to hurt her. They were just asking her questions, and all she had to do was tell them no.

     "Calm. Down." Hei-Ryung ordered herself, squeezing her eyes shut. Now people were starting to talk amongst themselves, wondering aloud if something was wrong with her. "Ignore them," Hei-Ryung insisted, slowly cracking her eyes open and focusing on a point just above the peoples' heads. "I-I'm afraid that I-I can't answer those questions," she stammered, a wave of guilt hitting her for turning them down. After all it was completely ridiculous for her to be hiding behind this mask, and using a fake name on her books. She was a grown woman, not a silly little girl.

     "Oh come on! Just show us your face for a second!"

     "Can't you at least tell us your real name?"

     "What's the point of her making a public appearance if she's just going to keep hiding?"

     "Aww, is wittle Hei-Ryung going to start crying?"

     "Go ahead and scream! Nobody cares about you or him! They won't come and help!"

     "You're so worthless."

     "Just go and die!"

     The room started spinning around her, and Hei-Ryung could barely keep moving straight as she bolted away. Behind her she could hear the crowd erupt into a roar of questions and exclamations, but she didn't care. Let them gossip about her, let them call her a freak, Hei-Ryung just wanted to get away! If she didn't escape soon, she was going to die! Her heart pounded painfully in her chest, beating in time with her footsteps as she sprinted out of the main room and down a small side hall. In front of her a stick figure with a dress beckoned for her to go inside, and Hei-Ryung happily obliged. As she slammed the door open a few woman who had been applying makeup in the bathroom's mirrors startled and spun around. Disregarding their open stares, Hei-Ryung stumbled into the first open stall she could find and locket the door behind her with a definitive click.

     Gasping for air that had previously felt very scarce, Hei-Ryung allowed her legs to finally give out. Her knees banged painfully against the unforgiving bathroom tiles, but she barely noticed. It felt like she was submerged in a fog that had been formed out of every negative emotion that had ever existed; a fog so thick that the outside world couldn't penetrate it, though it was certainly trying. She was faintly aware of an unfamiliar woman's voice asking if she was alright, and a faint knocking on the door pounded against her skull. Whimpering, Hei-Ryung wrapped her arms around her legs, pulling them tightly to her chest, and buried her face in her knees. She couldn't stop shaking. She was going to die.

     "We're going to have to conclude this event a little sooner than expected. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, and thank you for coming out today," Youngjae had grabbed the microphone almost the second after Hei-Ryung dropped it and ran. Swallowing hard, he smiled apologetically out at the murmuring gathering as they slowly started leaving their seats and filing out of the bookstore. Out of the corner of his eye he watched Seulki follow Hei-Ryung to the bathroom, but she was intercepted by an unfamiliar man before she could make it. He didn't look very happy. "Thank you again for your time. Kyoto Book Centre has been kind enough to sell some of Ms. Kang's books at a discount, so if you are looking to fill out your collection you can find them at the display on your left."

     Unsure of what else to say- he hadn't been expecting something as disastrous as this to occur- Youngjae carefully put the microphone down on Hei-Ryung's now empty chair. He wanted to know exactly who the man was that had now begun giving Seulki a lecture, and Youngjae knew that Seulki would never tell him. So he carefully made his way into earshot of the pair, ignoring the dark frown the store's manager shot at him when Youngjae passed.

     "She spent two hours signing books! Doing something as repetitive and mind-numbing as that for such a long time would make anyone go a little crazy!" Seulki insisted, sounding desperate as she tried reasoning with the man. "Please, sir, don't be too harsh with Hei-Ryung. At the very least, she was half-successful."

     "The girl ran off in the middle of the event! She's hiding out in a bathroom for crying out loud! There are no half-successes, only failures! And I assure you, Ms. Lee, this was the most horrendous failure I have ever seen!" The man exploded, his face going a little red as he tried to shout at Seulki while simultaneously keeping his voice low enough that the guests couldn't hear. "Ms. Cha, regardless of how popular her books are, is a detriment to Nalgae. She has made a complete fool out of Mr. Kang, who put his neck out there for her to get this opportunity, and this little 'scandal' is going to be a heavy hit against the integrity of the company!"

     "How does this have anything to do with the integrity of the company?!" Seulki demanded, abandoning her agitated hissing in favor of a raised voice.

     "Do not raise your voice with me!" He snapped right back, glaring at Seulki like she was a nasty piece of gum stuck to the bottom of his shoe. Clenching his jaw, Youngjae started moving forward to defend Seulki against Mr. Goo- at least, he assumed this was the board member his uncle had been talking about- but stopped himself when he caught Seulki's eye. Apparently she had taken notice of him eavesdropping, and the message in her look couldn't be clearer: "Don't bother; he's not worth it."

     "I apologize for raising my voice. It was not my intention to offend you, Mr. Goo," so he was the board member. Sighing, Youngjae ran a hand through his hair in the hopes it might stimulate some neurons that would then give him an excellent way to worm his way out of the mess. There was no such luck, however, and instead he only managed to make his hair stand on end because of the static electricity generated by the dry winter air. Carefully rearranging his hair, he watched Seulki bow deeply to Mr. Goo as the man stomped past her. He didn't even take notice of Youngjae when he reached him, and just walked right on by as he beelined for the door.

     Good. Youngjae didn't want to deal with a pompous jerk like that anyway.

     Echoing Youngjae's sigh, Seulki moved forward to confront Hei-Ryung in the bathrooms. It wasn't something that she was looking forward to doing. Pushing open the heavy wooden door, Seulki was first greeted by a small group of concerned, middle-aged women who had formed a ring around one of the locked stall doors. That would be where Hei-Ryung had hidden.

     "I'm sorry if she's caused any trouble," Seulki spoke up as she entered the room, bringing the women's attention onto her. "I'll get her out of there in a minute."

     "Is the girl alright? She's been gagging for a while now; I think she might have the stomach flu," one of the women asked, her natural gossipy curiosity masked by a thin veil of genuine concern. From inside the stall, Seulki could hear Hei-Ryung start coughing. Lovely.

     "I'm sure she'll be fine. Probably just ate something wrong," Seulki assured the women, carefully slipping into the center of the group so that she could guard the stall door. "I'll take things over now. Thank you for your concern; I'm sure she appreciates it," the finality in Seulki's voice quickly sent the women on their way, though a few of them tried hovering for a bit longer to see some more of the drama. Once the bathroom was cleared, Seulki turned to the stall door and let out on a long sigh. Dealing with this sort of thing had not been in her job's description when she signed up.

     "I-I-I'm sorry!" Hei-Ryung unexpectedly wailed from inside the stall. It sounded like every puppy in the world had just been kicked, and that all their pain had been concentrated into that short statement. "I can't seem to ever-" pause to release the remnants of Hei-Ryung's lunch- "ever do anything right. I've screwed everything up!" Glancing around the bathroom for something useful, Seulki spotted a paper cup dispenser that was meant to be used for swallowing pills. "Y-You're always working so hard for me, a-and Y-Youngjae... he's going to hate me now!" Hei-Ryung choked out before returning to her business with the toilet. As she filled one of the Dixie cups up with water, Seulki wondered just how much Hei-Ryung had eaten before coming here.

     "He won't hate you. Why would he hate you?" Seulki reassured her agitated author. "Is your stomach settled?" She then added. Her only answer was a faint "uh-huh". "Then come out here and gargle. I've got you some water," the toilet flushed and, after Hei-Ryung had taken a moment to wipe , she unlocked the door and stepped out. Exhaling softly, Seulki handed Hei-Ryung the cup before resting one hand on the small of the girl's back and gently guiding her to the sink.

     "I'm sorry for being such a failure," Hei-Ryung whispered after she had finished washing out . Seulki- who had turned her back to the unsavory sight- quickly whipped back around and fixed Hei-Ryung with a firm, but caring, frown. "I know that I've always only been trouble for you and-"

     "You are not a failure!" Seulki insisted, cutting Hei-Ryung off.

     "I locked myself in a bathroom because somebody asked me about my name! I hid my face behind a mask because I couldn't stand to go out in public! I'm either a failure or I'm absolutely insane!" Hei-Ryung screeched, becoming uncharacteristically angry as she whipped around to face Seulki. "Just look at me!" She screamed, though Hei-Ryung quickly covered her face with her hands and crouched on the ground as she realized her behavior.

     "You are not a failure-"

     "So then I'm crazy?" Hei-Ryung demanded bitterly, her shoulders slouching under the weight of the world. A weight that no one but Hei-Ryung had put there, because it was entirely in her head.

     "Failure is an event, never a person. Yes, I'll admit that this could have gone better, but that doesn't mean that you're a failure," Seulki crouched down next to Hei-Ryung and gently took her hands in her own. "Promise me you won't think of yourself as a failure."

     Rather than a promise, Hei-Ryung mumbled the name of the original owner of Seulki's words: "William D. Brown." Cautiously raising her eyes, as though Seulki might bite her head off if she looked up, Hei-Ryung managed to make nervous eye contact with Seulki. "I promise," she managed to force the words out as tears sprung to her eyes and she started sobbing all over again. Sighing quietly, Seulki wrapped an arm around Hei-Ryung and carefully helped the girl to her feet.

     "I'll take you home, alright?" Hei-Ryung stiffened in her arms, and- fearing she might try and run- Seulki tightened her grip. "We can wait for everyone else to leave, though. Would that be better?" Hei-Ryung nodded.

     As the event had ended early, Seulki decided to stop by the office before it closed to try and make use of this unexpected extra time.

     Boy had that been a mistake.

     "I heard about what happened at Kyoto. Is Hei-Ryung alright?" Was how it had begun when Ms. Baek nervously approached Seulki, arms full of paperwork, outside of the Assistant Editor's office. "People are saying that she just stood up and left without a word. Is that true? Oh! And they also said she locked herself in a bathroom again. Is that some sort of habit of hers or- I'm sorry," the woman balked, bowing slightly to Seulki when she caught the very unamused expression on her face. Seulki had forgotten how fast gossip could travel, and as she was directly in charge of Hei-Ryung it would only make sense that everyone would come to her for the cold, hard facts.

     She really should have just taken the rest of the day off and gone home. "Hei-Ryung is fine. I dropped her off at her apartment before coming here," Seulki informed the still curious Desk Editor, her hand- which held the key to her office- hovering in front of the door's lock. She really didn't want to stick around here now that she had been reminded of how big a target she was going to become for the gossiping ladies and gentleman that made up not only the Editorial Hall, but this entire building. Sighing, she slipped her key back into the bulky purse she carried and her heels to leave.

     "Are you leaving already?" Seulki nodded. "You ride the subway, right? That's quite a ways away... make sure you're careful. I heard on the radio that they still haven't caught that mugger who has been going around attacking women." For once, Seulki was glad that Ms. Baek was an insufferable gossip. "Didn't you know? The police say that women should avoid being alone at night," Ms. Baek continued after taking a look at Seulki's paling face. The woman had obviously not known.

     "It's only four o'clock, though. Not nearly dark enough for muggings-"

     "The sun goes down a lot earlier in the winter. In fact, it's already started," Ms. Baek pointed out of the Desk Editor's office window, which was visible through the open doorway. "You should really be careful on your way home." And on that happy note, Ms. Baek bade Seulki farewell and practically skipped down the hall and into her own office.

     Seulki was a strong, independent woman. She prided herself on being self-sufficient, and there were very things that she was scared of. Seulki was a strong, independent woman. Now, she is a terrified woman with thoughts of assault dancing through her mind. She felt very much like a scared three-year-old who couldn't go down into the basement because of the monsters that lurked there, just waiting to gobble up a tasty child.

     She needed to get home, though. It wasn't as though she could just stand around in the hall and wait for things to magically get better, or sleep in her office. The janitorial department would really hate her for that. So she was just going to have to swallow down her fear and brave the looming darkness as it bathed the world in shadows, where danger lurked and waited to inflict pain and fear on anyone who passed by. It was all a matter of mind over-

     "I see you've heard about the latest sensational news story." Seulki spun around and squeaked, her hands flying up to to try and hold back the screech of terror that had tried erupting from . When she saw who had startled her, Seulki's widened eyes quickly narrowed, and her hands dropped angrily down to her sides. In contrast to her sour expression, Himchan was grinning.

     "Mr. Kim," Seulki acknowledged him icily, pursing her lips and turning to leave.

     "Oh come on, you know I didn't mean to startle you like that," Himchan quickly apologized, reaching out and gripping Seulki's wrist before she could storm off. He had always considered himself to be somewhat of a ladies man, a smooth charmer who could talk his way out of any situation, but when it came to Seulki he always seemed to mess things up. Especially when she was already angry with him. "Can't we just have a civil discussion for a minute here? You've been ignoring me for... forever!" He sounded like a little kid that was being kept from his favorite candy, an image which was strengthened by the fact that he had pursed his lips slightly and started pouting.

     "How can a grown man be so stinking adorable?" Seulki thought, feeling her anger towards Himchan disappear a little. She didn't let her exterior shell deteriorate even the slightest, though she did stand still and give Himchan a chance to present his case. After all, her silent treatment towards him was pretty childish too, but not in the cute way Himchan's pouting was.

     "I was just about to leave, so if you want to get a ride with me..." the eagerness in his voice was impossible to miss, but Himchan was successfully keeping himself restrained. He was obviously excited about the chance to make things up with Seulki, though, and she found herself a little excited, too. It had been hard ignoring Himchan, not only because he was constantly trying to force himself into her awareness, but because she actually rather enjoyed his company. It was nice having him around.

     "Why are you leaving early?" She didn't want to seem too eager to accept his offer.

     "Hm? Oh, I have a date tonight with- I was just kidding!" Himchan exclaimed, chasing down Seulki to stop her from running away. How a woman could move so quickly in high heels Himchan would never know.

     "No, no, it's fine. I'd hate to get in the way of your date." It figured that he would be neglecting his work in favor of a woman. Honestly, what else had she been expecting him to be doing? Acting responsible?! Hah! The day that happened was the day the world ended!

     "Please don't be upset!" Himchan pleaded, keeping pace with Seulki. "Even if I did have a date, it would be impossible for me to focus on her while I was worrying about the safety of this pretty girl," slipping in front of Seulki and effectively blocking her path, Himchan his puppy dog eyes to try and keep Seulki from leaving. He didn't expect flattery to get him anywhere with such a tough woman, so he was happily surprised when it actually made Seulki stop in her tracks so that she could properly fix him with an incredulous stare. "It's true! I won't be able to sleep if I don't know for sure that you're alright!"

     "Do you promise this isn't just a way to find out where I live?" Seulki asked suspiciously, but he could tell that he had gotten her.

     "I swear on my life!" Himchan exulted, resting one hand on his heart and holding the other one up like he was swearing an oath.

     "I suppose that will have to do," Seulki sighed, walking around Himchan and heading for the elevator.

     "I'll have you know that my life is worth quite a bit!"

     "Only quite a bit, huh?"

     "Does this mean you're not going to ignore me anymore?"

     "Let's see if you can get me home in one piece, then we'll talk."

     Himchan grinned. He definitely had her.

Author's Note

Things kind of ended on a depressing note, so I tried lightening it up with Seulki and Himchan...