A week had passed since the incident with Ari, and yet, Hans couldn’t get her off his mind. For reasons unknown to him, her face would pop into his head whenever he was idle. He was even finding it a bit hard to focus. It was frustrating. Hans tried to think of possible explanations, and he came to only one conclusion – he was still feeling guilty over what he has done, and the only way to get rid of it, of her, was to give a proper apology.

The next day, Hans lounged by the café at the first floor. Super Men had just finished taping, and since he had nothing else to do, he decided that it was the proper time to go and find the girl. Only problem was, he had no idea where to find her. All he knew was that she was named Ari, and that she worked at the make-up department.

Smooth. How the heck was he going to apologize, then? Without another thought, he left his half-finished cup of Americana and headed to Studio C.

Studio C. The place where it all began. As expected, the place was packed. But this time, it was set for an MV shoot. Hans stood behind the director and watched the ongoing scene: the seven member male group was shooting an elaborate dance scene, with one member (probably the main dancer) harnessed to the ceiling, and gliding across the set. Amazing, he thought. He stood watch for a minute longer and realized he knew that face – it was the guy with Ari.

Puzzled, he tapped a VJ, who happened to be passing by, on the shoulder. “Excuse me,” he said, “...what time will this shoot end?”

“Oh, Mr. Hans,” the VJ mumbled, clearly starstrucked. Hans smiled to himself, he still had it in him. “…the sequence is about to end.”

Hans patted him on the back and muttered thanks. Soon, everyone else on the set started to take notice of his presence and Hans loved every bit of the attention. It’s been a while since he had been showered with such affectionate stares.

“Excuse me, but by any chance, is the make-up artist named Ari here?” he asked the staff member who handed him a cup of coffee. She nodded, a bit surprised, and directed him towards the dressing room.

Following her lead, Hans headed there, back to the place where it all began.

Sure enough, he found Ari sitting by a table and reading a book. She didn’t look up when he entered. Unsure of what to do, Hans cleared his throat once. He cleared it again when she still showed no signs of noticing. Temper starting to rise, Hans went ahead and sat opposite to Ari. As if sensing him just at that moment, she slowly lifted her head to look at him.

“Uhm…” Hans began. Their eyes met and in an instant, his heart started to beat faster. He cleared his throat again. For some reason, he was having trouble forming his words.

What? Ari’s eyes said.

“Ah… well… I…” he stammered. “I’m kinda thirsty. Do you mind?” He pointed at the bottle of water standing next to Ari’s book. Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed it and quickly gulped down all of its contents.

Ari gasped in disbelief. Really, this person…

Hans cleared his throat again, though it remained feeling dry. “Well, I just… I… I wanted to apologize for what happened.”

Ari furrowed her brows. It took a moment for her to recall about what Hans was talking about. When she finally remembered, she took out her cellphone, typed in a few words and handed it to Hans with a smile.

“It’s okay, no harm done. Smiling face,” Hans read out loud. “I don’t understand?”

It’s okay. I don’t hold grudges. Ari typed in again.

Hans was skeptical. How can one person just let go of something as hurtful as that? More specifically, how can a girl, the most erratic creature on the planet, simply forget? Weren’t girls supposed to hold grudges that lasted for thousands of years? At least, most of the girls he has known.

“I don’t believe you,” he said. “Really? You’re forgiving me? Just like that?”

Ari nodded.

“Nah… Something isn’t right here. At least let me treat you out somewhere, maybe a nice dinner?” Hans offered.

No need. Ari typed.

“Come on, it’s just for my peace of mind.”

Ari considered Hans for a moment. It wasn’t at all true that she had forgiven him completely, if given the chance, she never wanted to see him again. But of course, that was entirely impossible. They worked at the same place, and they were sure to meet each other again. As much as possible, Ari didn’t want an uncomfortable working atmosphere, so she really had no choice but to forget. Or force herself to forget.

“Please?” Hans said.

The man looked sincere enough, Ari thought. Maybe he really was sorry. After thinking hard, Ari gave him a smile and mouthed, “Okay.”

They agreed to meet at this tea shop at the Yeon District, home of exclusive clubs and high-end shops. Being a celebrity, the likelihood of this outing could lead to another scandal; and Hans, being in a very delicate position, wanted to avoid this. Since the Yeon District was known to be the hangout of the rich and famous, the presence of media people was kept at the minimum. It was the only place where celebrities could enjoy a bit of privacy, and it came at a very high price.

Ari arrived an hour earlier, and though the tea shop was a bit crowded, she was seated quickly due to the prior reservations Hans had made.

“I might be a bit a late, so please wait for me,” Hans told her the day before. He was scheduled to appear in a talk show, and since he had no idea what time it would end, he kept an open tab, allowing Ari to order anything freely, while waiting for him.

Ari had no intention of taking advantage of this, besides she didn’t like tea that much anyway. She just wanted all awkwardness to be gone.

Two hours had passed and still, there wasn’t any sign of Hans. Perhaps the taping went longer than scheduled? That was the problem with live shows, they never always ended on time.

Three. Four hours had passed, and still no sign. Ari was getting worried. Aside from the stares she was starting to get from both workers and customers, she was getting tired, and wanted nothing more but to sleep.

Five. Six hours. Ari was out of things to do. She was done with her book, and she was full, having tasted almost every cake on the menu. She checked on her phone, no texts. She tried calling, no answer.

Finally, the shop was about to close. Ari had no other choice but to leave. After sending one last text, she thanked the workers and hailed a taxi home.

Hans Young. You unbelievable scoundrel. Ari thought, unable to fully contain the annoyance in her heart.