It had been an extremely long and tiring day for the members of U-Kiss. Settling into their dorm, the members trudged to their respective rooms in the dorm. After practicing Man Man Ha Ni for countless hours, every muscle in Kiseop’s body felt like it was on fire. Glancing at the clock on his nightstand table, he understood why his feet felt like they were encased in cement; it was 2:30am. He didn’t even have the energy to take a shower. As much as he hated the thought of sleeping in his sweat-drenched clothing, his body shut down as soon as he reached his bed. Slumping onto the bed, he was asleep in a matter of minutes. Kevin stepped into their bedroom, noticing the light was still on. Drying off his hair with a towel from his shower, he sat on his bed observing Kiseop’s passed out body. Kevin couldn’t help but feel worried about the newest member. It seemed like Kiseop pushed himself to the limit and even beyond. He couldn’t even imagine what it must feel like being the newbie. Sure, the members had made sure to welcome Kiseop with open arms, but Kevin got the sense that it would take a bit of time before Kiseop truly opened up to everyone. After throwing the towel into the clothes hamper in the closet, Kevin turned out the light and climbed into his bed.

                “Dear God, I know You have blessed U-Kiss immensely by making us who we are. Please comfort Kiseop and let him feel loved. I don’t know that much about him, but I know You do. Thank you for hearing my prayer.” Kevin prayed silently before he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

***

                Kiseop had no clue how much time had passed. He was in a deep sleep when the bottom of his foot felt a lump on top of his covers. Thinking it was just his imagination; he shifted his position in bed, but still felt a large object. Not being able to get comfortable, he sighed out loud and woke up. Stretching, he slowly opened his eyes and immediately grabbed the bed covers as he saw a woman sitting cross-legged at the foot of his bed.

                “Who are you? What do you want?” Kiseop cringed, his eyes as wide as saucers. The woman said nothing, but smiled gently. The only way he was able to make out her figure was from the dim light that shone thru the bedroom from the hallway. He wondered where she came from. How did she get access to their dorm? Was she a saesang? She wasn’t Korean. Her pale skin and light golden hair made him believe she could be European. She had piercing blue eyes. Although she was a complete stranger, he somehow felt a strange sense of peace being in her presence. He immediately looked over across the room at Kevin.

                “He can’t hear you. He won’t be able to either.” She spoke and his ears strained to understand what she was saying. Noticing the confused look on his face, she smacked her right hand against her forehead. “How silly of me. Why did I not think about the language difference?” She sighed to herself. Reaching out her hands towards his face, she noticed him cower. Kiseop immediately curled his body up into the fetal position, shielding his body from what she may possibly do to him. Ever so lightly, her index finger grazed his ear. Two minutes later, Kiseop uncovered his face from his hand and peered up at her body. “Kiseop, can you hear me now?” She said, this time in Korean.

                “How do you know my name? How did you get in here? Who let you in? Are you a saesang?” Kiseop asked, noticing his voice starting to become louder.

                “My name is of no importance; nor how I came here. What matters most is the reason I am here. Your band members love you very much, Kiseop. In fact, Kevin is the reason I am here right now.” Kiseop looked at her and then over at Kevin.

                “How do you know my name and Kevin’s, too? Aish…I’m so confused right now.” Kiseop mumbled as he buried his face in his hands.

                “There are lots of things that I know about you. It’s my job to know. I am assigned to you and will be from here on out. You have endured through so much in the mere 19 years you have been here on Earth. I was scared that I almost lost you last year when you were contemplating suicide. Thank goodness I was able to reach you.” She said softly. His head immediately whipped up at her last sentence.

                “H-How did you know about that?” Kiseop questioned in disbelief. She sighed deeply and got up off the bed. Standing in the middle of the room, she snapped her fingers and instantaneously a pair of angel wings emerged from her back. They were so big; it nearly took up half of the space of the room. Kiseop’s mouth dropped and his heart pounded so loud, he thought he was going to have a heart attack.

                “Am I…dead?” Kiseop asked as he felt over his heart and clutched the bed sheets in his hands, trying to feel anything tangible.

                “No, dear. Not at all. Far from it. You have nothing to worry about. Just a little divine intervention is all.” She winked at him. “Come with me. Come child…it’s okay.” Reaching out her hand, she beckoned him to step forward and take hold of it. Gingerly he arose from the bed and inched forward. Once he stood in front of her, she closed her eyes and let her wings expand even further to their full length. A light glow surrounded her body as her hair whipped lightly around her face. Kiseop’s eyes were wide open in awe. He grew bold and grabbed her hand, seeing a smile rise upon her lips. She gently brought his body close to hers and wrapped her arms around him. “Hold on tight.” He heard her whisper, but before he had a chance to speak both of them were flying through the air in warp speed. How he didn’t crash through the floors of the apartment was a mystery to him, but seeing how she was an angel, he wasn’t going to question what was happening at the moment. The cold night air was whipping past him and the lights to some of the buildings downtown were running together in a blur. Just as he was about to catch his breath, the two of them hovered over a rooftop of a high-rise building. Her wings whooshed loudly as her feet made contact with the roof. Kiseop softly stepped away once his feet touched ground. Sitting cross-legged, she opened her arms out, welcoming him to sit in her lap. Kiseop raised his eyebrow at first but just shrugged and obeyed. A sense of peace overcame his body and he closed his eyes as he leaned his face against her shoulder. “My sweet Kiseop, you have been through so much, haven’t you?” She cooed softly as her hand swept over his hair. He silently nodded and kept his eyes closed, afraid of revealing the truth. Rocking him ever so lightly, she hummed softly. After what seemed like forever, Kiseop slowly opened his eyes and gazed up at her.

                “Why me?” Kiseop barely whispered, not knowing if he wanted her to hear him.

                “I’m tired of seeing you suffer. You need to know you are not alone. You want to know who I am? I’ll tell you. My name is Ariel. I am your guardian angel. My name means ‘Lion of God; Angel of Protection.’ I’ve always been watching over you. Certain situations can arise where I need to reveal myself.” She paused and searched his eyes to see if he had absorbed what she had just explained. “Oh I know what you’re going to ask…why wasn’t I there when you were suicidal? Darling, I can’t just reveal myself when I see fit. As much as I would love to pop up and show you I’m there when you need me most,…well…how do I explain this? There are different planes I have to go through just to reach you. You think I can just fly to Korea at the snap of my fingers? I have to travel over several dimensions just to come here. Don’t worry…no one saw us travel to this location. You are the only one who can see me.” Kiseop was just floored. He didn’t know what to say or how to react. “I know this is a new transition for you. All the hardships you endured auditioning and being rejected. That tore my heart to pieces. But, you pushed through, and look where you are now? You’re in a KPop band that is having their career start to take off. I can’t reveal too much, but I can tell you that I see wonderful things happening in the future. There will be hardships of course. But, you need to let down your guard and allow the other members to draw close to you. They love you unconditionally and only want what’s best for you. I know you’re homesick and this is new territory for you to explore. I’m not going anywhere. As I said before, I’m your guardian angel.” Her arms hugged his frame tighter. Kiseop sighed and let his arms enclose around her body. His left hand grazed over her wings and reveled in how soft they felt. Ariel gently placed a kiss on his forehead. They conversed back and forth until the Sun started to peek over the horizon. Kiseop yawned and stretched his body. His eyes were looking sleepy. Upon seeing this, Ariel drifted her hand gently over his face causing his eyes to close and his body to drift off into a deep sleep. “You are so precious, Kiseop. I will never leave your side. Remember that!” She stood up with Kiseop still in her arms. Expanding her wings once more, she held his body tightly as she flew the distance from their location back to his dorm room. With her free hand, she peeled back the covers and then slipped his body onto the bed. Like a mother, she covered his passed out frame and gently caressed his face. Knowing that it wouldn’t be long before the boys would wake up, she let her hand enclose around his forehead and a ray of light passed from her hand over his body. “This will ensure that you feel well-rested. Sweet dreams my love.” Ariel smiled. Turning her body, she looked over at Kevin’s sleepy figure. “Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers, sweet Kevin.” She glided over and placed a butterfly kiss on his hair. He sighed contently in his sleep. “Until next time, boys…” Ariel walked over to the middle of the room and snapped her fingers. In an instant she was gone. Kevin stirred in his sleep and blinked open his eyes. Looking over at Kiseop, he smiled. Kiseop looked very well-rested and content. Kevin yawned and made his way to the bathroom across the hall. Upon returning from his morning business, he saw Kiseop starting to wake up from his slumber.

                “Morning, Kiseop. How did you sleep last night? I know you were exhausted when we came in.” Kevin asked as he went to go make his bed.

                “I don’t remember what I dreamt about, but I feel like I slept for a hundred years. I guess I didn’t realize how tired I was.” Kiseop laughed as he grinned.

                “Well, I’m glad to hear that you were able to catch up on your sleep. I prayed for you last night. I hope it helped.” Kevin stated as he sat on the corner of his bed after he made it.

                “Thank you. I’m sure it did.” Kiseop said as he started to fidget with his hands. “K-Kevin…I..um… I’m sorry if I’ve seemed distant lately. I know all of you are going above and beyond to make me feel a part of the group. I guess I’m just feeling a bit homesick. Forgive me?”

                “Aw…why didn’t you say something sooner? Come here. Of course I forgive you, silly Kiseoppie.” Kevin said as he opened up his arms. Kiseop walked over and both boys hugged.

***

                Four years had passed. U-Kiss had just debuted again in Korea with their 3^rd full album, Collage. The guys were sitting at a table anticipating a fan meeting where they’d do some signing of their albums and taking some pictures. Once the fans started filing in, things started to go by in a blur. Kiseop made sure to look every fan in the eye and converse as much as time allowed before the girls were ushered on to the following members. He had received a few gifts from the fans. His head was down and just as he was about to look up, a feather was placed in front of him. He peered quizzically at it, wondering where it came from or what it meant. Looking up, his jaw dropped. Her hair was a golden blonde and she had piercing blue eyes. Her smile was gentle and inviting.

                “Hello. How are you doing today? What’s your name?” Kiseop asked, his heart starting to beat just a bit faster.

                “I’m doing wonderful, thank you. I hope you are as well. You look amazing. My name is Ariel. A-r-i-e-l…it means ‘protection.’ “ Ariel giggled as a light bulb went off over Kiseop’s head.

                “We’ve met before, haven’t we?” Kiseop asked, a smile like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland expanding from his lips.

                “Maybe…” Ariel winked. Kiseop signed his name on the glossy promo pic and handed it to her. “I must say, I’m very impressed at how far you’ve come. I’m so proud of you. Remember, I’m always here if you need me. HWAITING!”

                “HWAITING!” Kiseop replied back as he pumped his fist in the air. Ariel continued to move further down the line and Kiseop just gazed in her direction.

                “Earth to Kiseoppie…anyone home?” Kevin nudged him.

                “Huh? Oh…I’m here…sorry.” Kiseop looked up and realized the next fan was just staring at him. A blush crept over his face and he regained his composure and started signing away and talking once more to the remainder of fans. Ten minutes later, the fan signing was over and the guys walked backstage to get ready for their impromptu performance.

                “Everything okay back there? You looked like you saw a ghost.” Kevin chuckled, as he elbowed Kiseop.

                “No,…not a ghost…just an angel.” Kiseop said as he sighed contently…