Alcohol – a blessing or a curse; a cure or a poison; a drink of celebration or depression. Its interpretation relies solely on the consumer.

The swings secretly squeak in the quiet night as the two young ones rock in silence. Hyuna finally breaks the awkward silence. “Have you ever been hated for absolutely no reason at all? Or maybe there is a specific reason but no one ever tells you what it is?” She tilts her head up towards the starry sky as she ponders on this dilemma.

They have been sitting in the deserted park for almost an hour and Hyuna is beginning to sober up little by little. Ever since she started using alcohol as a channel to drain her misery, she seldom returns home with a clean and clear mind. This is no doubt her first time sitting quietly with someone else to help clear her thoughts.

Joon shoots her a curious glance but grants her no reply. When he was helping her to maintain her balance as they walked to the park earlier, he had finally recognized her as a girl group member who debuted just about two months ago. He knows that she is a part of a group called 4minute. But he can’t recall her name. That is the problem with him. He may be debuting in a few months’ time, but he has never really paid attention to his fellow colleagues in the industry. To him, there are just too many of them and in time, he will slowly get to know everyone. For now, he will just focus on his own group’s debut.

Joon stares at Hyuna and wonders how a young, up and rising star like her could possibly receive hatred at such an early stage in her career. He has always known that the public is the harshest critics, but this has gone way beyond constructive criticism. “I think it started the day I debuted as a 4minute member. I don’t remember being treated like this as a Wonder Girl.”

Joon’s sleepy eyes instantly flare up in surprise with this unfamiliar information. Wait… She was in Wonder Girls?

Hyuna does not notice Joon’s sudden change in expression. She ignores his silence and continues on with her tipsy verbal diarrhoea. “At first, we thought it was normal to receive negative comments from the netizens in our debut music video. I mean, we were the first artist to debut from our company. So it wasn’t surprising to be right smack in the middle of the public eye. But then, our manager started noticing a pattern in the fans’ responses to whatever we do. Well, more like the anti-fans actually. My anti-fans.”

“They criticized everything I did. They cursed at me. They sent hate mails about me to our doorstep. How did they even enter a secured building?! There was once shortly after we debuted, our manager found our van vandalized with hate messages towards me and the tyres punctured. I just don’t understand. Whatever I do is wrong in their eyes. Why? What on earth did I do to them? Did I commit a crime in my past life? Is it so wrong to just do what I love? Is pursuing my own passion so bad?! My life .”

Joon staggers over what he just heard. A million words are all jumbled up in his head. He tries his level best to digest everything Hyuna has just poured out to him. Does she not realize that he is just a stranger? He struggles to find the right words to say but his efforts are to no avail. He has always been a shy introvert. He is not good at expressing himself even to the people around him. But he is determined to help this cute stranger who will soon be his senior in the industry, although she doesn’t need to know this piece of information just yet.

He carefully eyes Hyuna who is currently admiring the starry night sky. He skims through the pages of words planned out in his mind, in search for the most consoling reply. But before he can help himself, the only words he manages are…

“Isn’t this illegal?”

Upon hearing Joon’s reaction, Hyuna’s head shoots back to him at the speed of light and she flashes him a horrified glare like a kid who has just been slapped by her father. She is utterly disturbed by what she just heard. “What? Since when is singing illegal?! What the hell are you talking about?!” She is more furious than shocked. How dare he criticize something she is so passionate about? Who the hell does he think he is? She is on the verge of jumping onto to him and giving him a piece of her mind like how she felt with the rotten bunch of student bullies earlier, but her near-sober self halts as she hears his following words.

“No!” Joon is almost shaking at this point. He didn’t mean to insult her at all. This is why he is never good with words. But it’s her fault! She isn’t even listening to him properly. How can she accuse him of degrading her like this? But then again, he can’t expect a drunken girl who has just experienced a traumatizing encounter prior to this meeting to think rationally, right? Sigh.

“I mean drinking! Alcohol! You! How old are you anyway?”

Ughhh. Hyuna rolls her eyes at him in rebel. Not another one. Yes. It’s illegal for a 17-year-old to be drunk at this hour, or at all, for that matter. But he’s not her father. So, whatever! Who cares what he thinks and says?!

Joon looks at her with timid eyes. When he sees that she is still silent, he quickly explains himself before she gets angry. “I mean, you look pretty young. Definitely younger than me, I’m sure. Isn’t this wrong? You shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Can you just shut up? I don’t need this right now.” Hyuna retorts. This stranger is really beginning to test her patience. She doesn’t need another person to make her lose her temper again tonight.

“I’m sorry...” That is so rude of her. Joon has to admit that he is a little upset at this point. He is just trying to help by giving some friendly advice to this unfriendly and unfamiliar person. But the result doesn’t turn out as he hopes. She is right. Maybe he should really just shut up and mind his own business next time. Maybe he should just leave her alone. This is such a bad idea.

“Sorry for bothering you.” He is about to stand up from the swing when Hyuna finally breaks the tense atmosphere.

“I think I need a personal bodyguard. A strong and sturdy one to protect me day in, day out. And not forgetting a good-looking one too, of course. ” She suddenly eyes Joon from head to toe, slowly moving her gaze from top to bottom. She notices Joon’s tough muscles, lean body and overall handsome exterior. She quickly reaches a conclusion that this stranger pretty much fits her newfound list of criteria. She comes up with a brilliant idea which she is extremely proud and excited to share.

“Will you be my boyfriend?”

Joon is left completely dumbfounded at this point. He stares blankly into Hyuna’s innocent eyes and expression. His mind explodes into a thousand particles that will never reunite in comprehension. He literally has zero comeback for this request. It’s one of those moments where he wishes he could crawl into a deep hole, dig his own grave out of embarrassment or just simply time travel.

But it’s not like he has anything to be embarrassed about. This is a fairly regular occasion for him. As one of the popular boys in school, he has received similar romantic confessions from his fellow female schoolmates numerous times. But this situation is a completely different ball game for him, especially coming from a stranger – a celebrity for that fact!

Hyuna steals another look at Joon with intrigued and innocent eyes, highly anticipating a comedic response from him. She doesn’t know who this handsome stranger is, but he surely exudes an aura that is so adorable and strangely addicting. She wants to on instinct even without knowing his name and she isn’t planning to stop just yet. It’s kind of