“Did you guys have--Oh. It’s you.” She took an awkward step back, not letting go of the door knob. Si Won looked up from putting his things away in his gym bag. He was left alone in the dance studio because he literally fell asleep on the hardwood floor while cooling down from rehearsals. EeTeuk was just kind enough to set his phone in alarm so he won’t miss his next schedule--which was a photo shoot that will probably last till tomorrow morning. He woke up from the alarm and a short message from the leader saying: Can’t find the heart to wake you up. We know you can use some power nap. We went on ahead. TC!

And to see Iris while his head wasn’t even clear from sleep was a little bit disconcerting. “Uh, d-did you need anything?”

“I. . .I--no. It’s okay.” She turned to leave and his heart constricted painfully. She was about to close the door again to the dance studio when she made an abrupt turn. “Have you had dinner? I was hoping I’ll catch you guys so I won’t eat alone for once. Gem’s still in Japan and--”

“Can you give me fifteen minutes to shower?” He cut her off, berating himself for sounding a little too eager. He took a deep calming breath. “I’ll drop by your office in a few.”

“Alright. See you.” She said simply and disappeared. He was making a mental inventory of what he had in his bag--a couple of nondescript shirts, his Northface and a pair of tattered jeans. Not really suitable for a fancy dinner. He ignored the teasing voice at the back of his head saying he’s behaving like a teenage girl on her first date. He fished for his mobile and dialed Kyu Hyun’s number.

“Yobosaeyo?”  He answered after several rings. “Si Won-hyung?”

“Ah, neh. . .Kyu Hyun-ah, do you still have your clothes in the locker?” Kyu Hyun hates bringing a lot of stuff everyday so he leaves a considerable amount of his stuff in their main dressing room where they were given enormous lockers where they can put away their things. But most of them don’t even use it and some even forgot they even have it. Dong Hae learned his lesson the hard way when he lost both his phone and iPod on the same day.

“Yeah. . .well, what do you need it for?”He heard his low chuckle and he knew exactly what the maknae was thinking. It’s not as if they were of the same size. But Kyu Hyun’s height was close to his and borrowing from Dong Hae or Eun Hyuk would be funnier. But he was sure he’ll find something that’ll fit him. Sponsors usually send two or three sizes of the same design anyway.

“Aish. . .I don’t have time to explain. Just give me the damn combination already.” He snapped.

“Fine.”He stalked away to the dressing rooms after saying goodbye to Kyu Hyun and looked for something decent to wear. In the end, he settled for his own graphic shirt and a designer leather jacket (that won’t even fit the owner) and took a quick shower.

They rode the elevators down to the basement parking area wordlessly. If Iris noticed that he was quite overdressed for someone who just came from rehearsals, she didn’t say anything. He made a sharp turn to the right after stepping out of the elevators to head to his designated parking spot. He pressed the auto key and the doors to his Audi R8 let out a soft click along with the headlights flashing.

“Chakkaman,” He stopped in his tracks and turned to her, afraid that she changed her mind. “The fans will be following your car the moment we get to the road. I’ve been using Gege’s bike but my car’s on the other side.” Han Kyung can’t find the heart to sell his first expensive purchase since his debut so he left it with Iris when he went back to China. He nodded his agreement and locked his car remotely. They walked hand in hand to the east side of the parking area silently. He’d been waiting for this moment but now that it was finally here, he can’t seem to talk. “Why were you left alone? The lights were still on so I thought you’ll all be there still.”

“Actually, they left me because I fell asleep. EeTeuk-hyung said he didn’t want to wake me up so he just set the alarm for me.”

“Are your projects getting into you? Why don’t you tell Gem or Manager Hong to do something about it?” He voice was even and casual but he can still sense her concern. He smothered a grin by faux coughing. “Yah, are you sick?”

“A-Aniyo. . .just tired.” Great! Just a little bit more. You’re not an actor for nothing, Choi Si Won! He cheered himself silently.

“Do you have something planned after dinner?” His heart fell when he remembered the photo shoot.

“Yeah. . .A photo shoot.” She was already unlocking her car, a black Hummer H3. People they knew mutually found it amusing that her car was huge and powerful while his car was compact and sleek--an outright contradiction.

“Then we better get going.”

“Do you want me to drive?” He asked politely, ever the resident gentleman.

“You do realize you can barely keep your eyes open, right? Just save your energy for the photoshoot.” The guard-on-duty saluted when Iris’s car got past the guardhouse. The car went up a concrete hill to get to the main road. The speed should be a little bit more than usual or the huge SUV will slide back down to the short tunnel that leads to the underground garage. They were almost on the road, Iris stepping on her brakes gently as she got ready to merge into traffic when a girl appeared without warning from the left side. The tires made a deafening screech as she tried to gain control of the wheel. She let out a short scream and he hurried to unclasp his seatbelt. “Oh, God! Oh, God! Did I kill her?” He noticed that her hands were shaking badly and he took the liberty of removing her safety belt before getting out of the car. He was sure they didn’t hit the girl because he didn’t feel or hear any bump.

“Gwenchanayo?” She nodded stiffly, face pale.

The girl was nowhere in sight and he wanted to take a look. The guards made it to his side the moment he crouched down to examine the seemingly unconscious figure in the ground. Iris was closing in wobbly. He sighed in relief when he didn’t see any wound and she didn’t seem to be bleeding anywhere.

“I-Is she okay?” She asked in a foreign voice.

“Babe, just get in the car, we’ll take her to the hospital. Get into the backseat and hold her, okay?” He didn’t even notice he used his endearment for her. She obeyed without a word, exerting too much effort in grabbing the door handle. He was glad the exit was far from SM Entertainment’s main entrance and it lead into a less frequented road. They were lucky the short private road that eventually leads to the main highway was technically part of the SM property still they didn’t really attract much attention.

“Sir, do you need any of us to go with you?” One of the uniformed guards asked.

“No, it’s alright. Thank you.” He got inside the car and sped away. Iris was sobbing loudly while saying ‘sorry’ over and over, hugging the stranger.

“Shh. . .Babe, calm down. She might wake up and you’ll scare her. We didn’t hit her and even if we did, we not going very fast so just calm down. Call EeTeuk-hyung or anyone, okay?” He eyed her through the rearview mirror from time to time and saw that she already had the phone tucked between her ear and shoulder while wiping the tears off her face.

“Ge?” Was she calling Han Kyung-hyung? What good would it do if he’s in China? He listened further. “Ge? Where are you?--Ani . . .we got into an accident.--No. Yes, I’m fine.--But I hit someone and she’s unconscious and--Oh, God!” She was in hysterics again. “Please, please!”

“Babe? Give it to me.” She held the phone out with a loud sob.

“Hyung? It’s Si Won.” He greeted. “Sorry to bother you but she’s not in the best shape. I have everything covered so don’t wor--”

“You guys are together?!” He had to take the mobile off his ear for a second. “Where are you? I’ll come get you.”

“No need, we are taking the girl to the hospital. And how are you planning to get us if ever?”

“Go straight to Park Memorial Hospital. I’ll meet you here. Be careful.” And he lost connection. Park Memorial Hospital? That’s four or five blocks away. But what was Han Kyung doing in Korea?

The cell phone rang again even before he can put it in the dashboard. He answered without knowing who it was. Iris was still wailing and the girl remained unconscious. “Yobosaeyo? This is Iris Han’s phone.”

“Someone left instructions at the back entrance to let you in and take you straight to the 4th floor. A nurse in a Teddy Bear scrubs will be escorting you up. Do you know where that entrance is? Along Roosevelt Road.”

“Arasso. Thanks, hyung.”

“And Si Wonnie. . .please take care of my sister.”

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“Just let her rest for now. Care for a cup of coffee?” Han Kyung straightened to his full height from wrapping a blanket around Iris’s sleeping form in the couch. She finally calmed down after hearing from the doctor that everything about the girl was okay. Si Won nodded in agreement and followed suit after giving Iris one last glance.

“Did you get any information about her yet, Hyung?” He asked after they settled in one of the tables in the hospital’s deserted cafeteria. They went through the girl’s things and found a Chinese passport and other odds and ends. Si Won was right in assuming that Iris didn’t hit the girl at all. The doctor thought of the possibility of her fainting by the mere thought of getting hit apart from the fact that she was over fatigued and low in potassium due to starvation. Luckily, there were no broken bones or anything.

“She’s from Shanghai and she’s practically alone. Her parents died last year. She arrived in Seoul three days ago.” He remembered not seeing any hotel keys or any information that will lead them to where she lives at the moment. “And judging the fact that she’s carrying her passport around, I’m sure she’s not billeted in any of the hotels in the area.” A friend from the Chinese Immigration gave him the information. “I guess we have to wait until she wakes up to know the circumstance of her being here.”

“Must be a fan. We found her around the company’s vicinity.” He sipped his coffee to prevent himself from asking too many questions. But Han Kyung didn’t seem inclined to volunteer any information either as they both kept their silence. “Hyung. . .I—ah, no. Never mind.” He didn’t know where to start anyway so it was better not to say anything.

“Are you going to ask me why I’m here in Korea or why Iris can’t stop crying?” Si Won didn’t respond and continued nursing his warm cup of liquid. Han Kyung sighed heavily and continued, “When we were training, she almost got a sparring partner killed. Other trainees were jealous of how much she had achieved in such a short amount of time so thought of ways to kick her out. Her sparring partner didn’t dodge and attack and ended up with broken ribs and punctured lungs. Although it wasn’t her fault, I didn’t think she recovered from the idea of nearly killing someone.”

Si Won didn’t say anything. He didn’t know about it and he was jealous. But it was wrong to blame Han Kyung for knowing things he didn’t.

“We better head back.” Han Kyung stood up but the younger man remained in his seat.

“What are you doing here, Hyung?” Han Kyung stopped in his tracks.

“We better head back.” He reiterated.

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Ariana relished the feel of something warm and soft against her skin. Had she gone back to bed? And if she did, should she wake up now? But why did it feel like she had just fallen asleep?

She stirred and her hand got in contact with something soft. A pillow. She opened her eyes and the glaring white lights hurt her eyes. It took her sometime to adjust her vision and when it did, it fell onto a sleeping figure on the couch across the room. She had one of the most beautiful faces she ever laid her eyes on. She held her hand up to rub her eyes but her found it in a cast. An IV was attached to her arm.

“You’re awake? Thank God!” A tall entered the room and hovered beside her bed. She thought he looked vaguely familiar. He pressed a button on the overhead console. “How do you feel?”

Before she can respond though, a couple, presumably a doctor and a nurse entered the room and the sleeping woman woke up, the worry etched on her face bothered her. The doctor checked her vitals and the nurse replaced the IV drip. “You’re still dehydrated and you have a slight fever. I’ll have the pantry bring over some light snack.” He turned to the couple of strangers. “Make sure she eats before she takes her medicine. Then give it to her every four hours thereafter.”

“Kamsahamnida, Doctor Lee.” They both bowed.

“Gwenchanayo?” The female asked when she came over her bed. She looked like she didn’t know if she’ll touch her or she’ll just let her be.

“Eh?” She knew instantly that going to Korea without any knowledge in the language was just terrible. “Dui bu qi.” She lowered her head. She remembered she was about to get hit by a car before everything went blank.

She let out a small smile and Ariana thought it illuminated the room. “Ni mei shi ba? I was the one who hit you. I should be the one saying sorry.” She continued in Mandarin. She sighed in relief. Finally! Someone who could understand her.

“How many times do I have to tell you that you didn’t hit her? She fainted!” The man’s arms were flailing in the air as if to prove a point but she noticed that he shifted in Mandarin as well.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be a bother. I’m glad that kind people found me but where am I?”

“You’re in Park Memorial Hospital in Seoul. My name’s Si Yuan and she’s Ai Lin and you’re Yang Ke Rou, right?”

“How did you—of course. My passport.” She looked around for her thing but didn’t find her haversack anywhere.

“She’s awake?” Another man entered the room carrying her bag and her eyes widened.

“Han Geng!” They looked at her like she’s some crazy fan girl but she had her own reasons for getting worked up. Was she finally a step closer to what she’s meant to accomplish in Korea?

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A/N: I didn’t think it’ll be this long. I’ll have to stop here. EeTeuk’s and Ryeo Wook’s would be part of the next chapter. Thank you for reading and let me know what you think. It inspires me. Kamsahamnida!