Yoon Ki tried to hide her tiredness as she walked into the staff room where everybody was getting ready to leave the place, as the filming had just finished. The members started to chat casually with the PD’s as the rest of the people tidied the place full of bags and technological stuff as microphones and more sophisticated cameras.

Yoon Ki approached Kwon Ryul who was on a corner putting some things into his bag.

–Um... Hyung-nim –she called, and the man smiled and turned to her.

–Ah, maknae! –he exclaimed tousling her hair– how was it the first day? Very tough?

–Aniyo... but... what am I supposed to...? –she pointed the camera the man had inside another bag.

–Ah! You mean the camera? Ani, you don’t have to take it with you, this one is mine you see... I mean, of my own, I prefer it to the other ones and that’s why... Yes... –he nodded and centred again on his own business.

Yoon Ki felt quite awkward just standing in the middle of everybody who was rushing to and fro, she wasn’t doing anything... Was she supposed to leave just like that? She was so tired and sweated... She couldn’t wait to take a shower and rest peacefully in her apartment.

–Yah, Yoon Ki-ah, come here! –she heard Jong Kook calling from somewhere near. She made her way to outside of the room and found the members along with some of the VJ’s there.

–Ne... Hyung-nim –she smiled and her eyes couldn’t help but set on Ha Dong Hoon, who was standing nearly, typing something on his phone.

She centred her attention on Jong Kook, though, when she noticed the Nation’s MC following her gaze.

–We are planning to have dinner all together tonight, what about you join us? As a welcoming –Jong Kook invited her.

Dinner? With all of them?

–Oh... that’s... –she couldn’t find a proper answer. It’d be the best thing that had happened to her in a long time... Having dinner with those people. Well, the whole day had been a little bit unreal, if she was to be honest. Everybody seemed to accept her and get accustomed to her presence even though she was a complete strange... On the opposite side, however, she still couldn’t stand being near Haha without hyperventilating.

–You don’t have to feel obliged to come if you don’t want to, Yoon Ki-ah –Jae Suk commented approaching her and placing a hand on her left shoulder.

She cringed.

It was a strange feeling, with everybody looking at her direction...

The MC seemed to notice her sudden act, because he lifted his hand instantly.

–He looks exhausted! –Suk Jin joined the group– leave the poor boy alone at least for this night; he’s had to follow Jong Kook the whole day here and there...

–Aniyo... aniyo... I’m fine –she answered quickly, not wanting to look tired in front of them. Her figure was already too petite and thin to “be” a guy, and therefore she should at least act more like one– I... It’d be great to join you if you don’t have any problem...

–Okay! –Jong Kook clapped– you see? It wasn’t that exhausting, was it, Yoon Ki-ah?

She shook her head and her eyes automatically met Haha’s when he looked at her direction, putting his mobile phone inside a pocket.

She returned her gaze to Jong Kook almost instantly, and seconds later she realized it probably had been even stranger to do that than just smile at him for a little bit and then turn.

Or maybe it was just her being paranoid? All her senses seemed to malfunction when Haha was around, as radar that starts to work improperly by the presence of the singer.

Sooner than she thought, she found herself in the parking lot, in front of the black vans once again. The members entered one of them, the VJ’s other one.

She stood there, without knowing what to do. She didn’t expect them to split just like they used to in the filming hours... But as any VJ had entered the van of the members, she made her way to the VJ one.

She was about to enter it but she felt a hand grabbing her arm.

–Where are you going? –a hoarse voice asked, and her heart seemed to stop for a minimal second– You already spent a lot of time with the staff crew, time to get closer to the real stars now –Haha joked as he dragged her by the arm and almost pushed her inside the other van.

She was caught off guard by Kwang Soo, who grabbed her other arm and pulled her to his side.

–Yah, Kwang Soo-yah, are you that happy to have someone younger than you to pick on? –Ji Hyo laughed at the scene, while Yoon Ki finally sat next to the giraffe, still a little bit dazed by the happy mood inside the van.

–Noona! What do you mean to ‘pick on’!? He’s so cute I wouldn’t do that...

Yoon Ki’s hair was tousled for the second time in less than half an hour, and she couldn’t hide her smile.

–Yoon Ki-ah, you can call me hyung –Kwang Soo told her.

–Ah... ne... Hyung-nim –she bowed amused.

–Whoa, look at that –Haha’s voice was heard once again, and Yoon Ki noticed he was sat at her right– I don’t think I've heard anybody calling Kwang Soo ‘hyung-nim’ before –he laughed, and Yoon Ki felt how her cheeks became of a red colour.

She thanked God the van was already moving and there wasn’t enough light to notice her blush, though she heard the commander’s chuckle coming from behind her.

The van started moving and the conversation was really lively, though she preferred to remain silent most of the time and just laugh at the jokes or the silly comments that were made mostly by the person she most admired in the whole world...

She didn’t realize the conversation’s volume going down or her eyes closing though, from a moment to another, she was knocked out.

–You think they’ll make us play water games next time? –Gary asked nobody in particular from the last seats– It’s been a long time since we did and I’ve heard it’ll be snowing next week.

–Snow? –Suk Jin murmured– it can’t be...

–What’s the big deal? We can just refuse! –Kwang Soo added.

–Yah, when has that worked? We had to cross Han River in the middle of winter, does that make any sense? –Ji Hyo said.

–Keure... A water game on a snowy day isn’t that bad after all we’ve done... Plus we are already used to it, aren’t we? –Jong Kook murmured.

–Yah yah –Haha interrupted in a soft voice tone– I think this boy is sleeping –he tried to hold his laughter as he leant forward to see Yoon Ki’s face.

–Mwo? –Kwang Soo turned his head and noticed Yoon Ki’s eyes closed as well.

–Omo... is he really? –Jae Suk asked from a seat behind, next to Jong Kook– yah... that’s not good, we should drive him home, he must be really exhausted...

–He’s really sleeping! –Kwang Soo murmured– whoa how tired must had he been to fall asleep with all the noise...?

–See? I told you... Being Jong Kook’s VJ isn’t a joke... They should have assigned him to other person, poor thing... –Suk Jin laughed.

–Yoon Ki-ah? –Kwang Soo murmured to see if the boy answered, but he didn’t.

–Yah, Kwang Soo-ah –Jae Suk interrupted– doesn’t matter what we say, if he wakes up now he’ll feel obliged to go to with us even if he’s that tired, so try not to wake him up as I send a message to PD-nim to see if he knows his address.

–Wa... this is really no joke –Haha laughed– I feel bad for him! Jong Kook hyung! –he turned and frowned at his hyung, who was sat behind him, next to Jae Suk– you really have no mercy for the poor boy.

–Why do you blame me? –He asked, amused– whoa, really you... Why is it my fault?

–Who is it then, hyung? –Kwang Soo joined playfully.

–Are we there yet? –Yoon Ki’s hoarse voice was suddenly heard; both the giraffe and the penguin looked at each other as if saying ‘it was you’.

–Yoon Ki-ah! Are you awake? –Jae Suk asked friendly– where’s your house?

–My... my house? –She repeated, still sleepy– I live in Seong-dong-gu... –she murmured, blinking a few times– but why...?

–Of course, we’re driving you there now! You fell asleep so we were feeling bad for you, we can leave this dinner for another day, you need to rest... –the MC continued as Yoon Ki died from embarrassment.

I slept!? God, Haha’s just right next to me... I couldn’t have drooled on him could I?

She turned her head to her right but Haha was there looking at her in a charming and caring way...

–Gwenchana Yoon Ki-ah, just go home and rest... It was only your first day after all –He said, and Yoon Ki had to look away because her stomach was suddenly filled with a strange feeling.

–But you don’t have to go all the way there! –She exclaimed– I can take a bus, just drop me off here... I’ll...

–No need to worry, we’re near Seong-dong-gu anyway –Jae Suk lied– make sure to rest and recharge your energy very well, arasseo?

Yoon Ki bowed, knowing that the man wasn’t going to change his mind.

–Ne, hyung-nim... I’m really sorry...

–You don’t have to apologize for anything –Jae Suk added.

After bowing at least ten times and thanking at least another five, Yoon Ki waited until the van disappeared in the corner to enter the big building in front of her. She hadn’t been so exhausted since her school days, not even when she was to work extra hours in the café she had been so tired. Her eyes seemed to close by themselves while she entered the lift. She got out of it a minute later and entered the password of her flat to open the door.

She hadn’t eat anything apart from an apple the whole day, but she wasn’t hungry enough to cook either, so she just took a shower and put on her pyjamas as quickly as she could.

She was expecting to fall asleep right instantly, as soon as her head touched the pillow, but fifteen minutes had passed and she was still unable to do it. Her thoughts weren’t allowing her to do so.

She felt somehow unusual... It had been all too easy, to be hired among all the people who applied for the job, to be around Ha Dong Hoon, to speak with him... She had seen him as a role model and he was a very important person to her, even when he didn’t even know who she was, neither that she was a huge fan of his...

Since the day she recognized him on the TV, she found her goal in life. One may think it wasn’t something really original or important on a person’s life to get to know a celebrity, but for her he wasn’t just a celebrity. She had always been introvert and had not self confidence, when she established that she wanted to do everything that was at her hand to get to know the man who saved her that night from whatever could had happened to her, she felt warm in the inside, knowing that she had a purpose in life.

That purpose wasn’t likely to become real, though, and that was the reason why she was so troubled and couldn’t still believe what she had been doing the whole day. The fact that she had actually changed her look and attitude to become a boy still was a proof of her lack of confidence. She wasn’t confident enough to face the man as a girl, and probably she wouldn’t have been hired if she had applied as the innocent and inexperienced Yoon Ki, so she decided to go as a boy instead. At the moment of the interview she wasn’t anyway thinking very clearly, obviously not even believing that the PD’s would choose her, or him, over all the other people.

Maybe it was the fact that she was young and they wanted a person who wouldn’t have any problem with running for long hours, she knew that the actual VJ’s weren’t really what one would say ‘fit’, or at least, not all of them.

 She rolled on the bed, blinking a few times and closing her eyes again to try to sleep, she felt a slightly pain on her right shoulder, as she had been carrying a camera around for the first time. Even if it was slightly heavy, after some hours it started to get heavier.

She made a mental note to read some information about the functioning of a camera in order to get used to it and not to screw it up in front of anybody the next filming day, which would be next Monday. The episodes aired on Sundays.

How to turn on the light, how to change the tapes... She didn’t know any of that and thought it was really fortunate that she hadn’t been asked to do it in front of anybody.

I should have prepared before hand, what if they had asked me to?

She shook her head and rolled for the second time on the bed. Again, the fact that she didn’t prepared for it meant that she never really thought she’d be hired.

–Kwang Soo-yah, do you have something living inside of you? –Jae Suk laughed at the giraffe, whose mouth was full of rice– why are you eating so much?

–Eat slowly or you’re get indigestion –Jong Kook patted his dongsaeng’s back as the maknae tried not to laugh from embarrassment– I wish Yoon Ki was here, maybe I was really too rough on him?

–Don’t think too much about it hyung –Kwang Soo answered– I heard from Dong Wan-sunbae that he has a part-time work, he was probably exhausted because of it too.

–Mwo? –Jong Kook frowned– what does he work at?

The giraffe shrugged.

–No idea.

And he kept putting meat into his mouth, already full of rice.

–That boy could be working as more than a VJ, you can tell he’d be accepted in any entertainment company if he auditioned –Haha joined the conversation– He’s got the appearance of an idol, like a flower boy...

–That’s true –Kwang Soo pointed after swallowing– he could be a model too.

–Kook-ah –Jae Suk called him from the opposite side of the table– you spend the whole day with him, what is he like? –he curiously asked while he drank some Soju Haha had just served him.

–He doesn’t speak much, he’s more into his thoughts actually –his gaze naturally placed on his singer dongsaeng, considering the idea Yoon Ki could had been thinking of that man most of the times he was in his ‘own world’.

Jae Suk laughed when Haha noticed that Jong Kook was staring at him and stared at him back.

–Wae? –He inquired, swallowing some kimchi and putting some more rice into his mouth– did he say something about me?

Jong Kook shook his head and gave a really poor answer.

–Aniya... –he mumbled, and his eyes went back to his chopsticks.

–Hyung! –Haha complained– tell me!

–Keure! –Kwang Su seemed to remember something at the moment– I actually saw him looking at you a few times, even when he was supposed to be filming Jong Kook hyung –he chuckled– it can’t be... is he a fan?

–Mwo?! –Haha exclaimed, smiling– is he a fan of mine? –he laughed and pointed at himself with his chopsticks. Jong Kook smiled briefly for a moment, but didn’t say a thing– yah! Cheongmal?!

–Haha-yah, be quiet –Jae Suk laughed at his reaction.

–That’d explain why he was all nervous when I talked to him! But I thought he was just nervous because it was his first day... Hyung! –He jumped on his seat, impatient– aren’t you going to tell me, really?

–Yah! Did I say something about him being your fan? Don’t draw the wrong conclusions!

–Ani... but then why... yah Kwang Soo-yah –he called the maknae, who lifted his gaze from his food– didn’t you say he was looking at me earlier?

–Um? –Kwang Soo mumbled– ah... well... I’m not sure...

–Yah! You! –Haha screamed at the giraffe, spitting some rice by accident.

–Keure oppa... he probably wasn’t staring at you, he was probably staring at Jae Suk or somebody else, that’d make more sense –Ji Hyo joined the conversation– why would a boy like him be your fan? Stop making illusions.

Everybody laughed at Ji Hyo’s comment and Haha’s furious face.

–Yah, Song Ji Hyo! I will definitely oust you next week! Keep this moment in mind, just wait! –Haha pointed at her with both chopsticks.

–Is that a treath?! –Ji Hyo stood up and pointed at him with the chopsticks as well– Keure, try as much as you can!

–I will! –Haha responded back.

Jong Kook was relieved that the topic had changed; he had promised Yoon Ki he wasn’t going to reveal that he was Haha’s fan, plus, the commander was pretty sure the poor boy would die from embarrassment if the penguin knew it. He could tell Yoon Ki was a really introverted and shy person and he had just spent a day with him. It was better to keep the little secret for a while; it’d be awkward for the new VJ if everybody knew it.