Chapter 1

            Tatsu was a fancy Japanese restaurant in the heart of Seoul.  Known especially for its ramen and romantic lounge room, it was one of the hottest places to be during the weekend.  But tonight it was Tuesday.  On weekdays, Tatsu’s clientele consisted mostly of wealthy aristocrats, executive business people, and the occasional celebrity.  And tonight was no different.

            In the lounge, sipping on her third martini that night, Serri waved down the bartender for her bill.  She had waited long enough.  After begging her for a chance to explain himself, Yoohwan, her deceptive ex-boyfriend had never arrived for their meeting.  Serri tried as hard as she could to suppress her overwhelming feeling of shame and stupidity in the front of her mind.

            After quickly paying her bill, she exited the building and waited for a taxi to stop by.  She was usually very outgoing when flagging down a taxi, but tonight, with the misery and alcohol flowing through her veins, she was content with simply standing on the curb and swaying in the autumn wind.

            Every once in a while, she would feel eyes watching her.  Maybe someone recognized her from Dal Shabet, or maybe they found her excessively-planned outfit either pretty or appalling.  They usually looked away after a few moments.  But one tall, dark man in the corner of her eye seemed very interested in her.  Her heart beat quickly as he began to approach her, and she finally turned to him.

            “Serri-ssi?”

            Surprise eliminated Serri’s anxiousness at the sight of a familiar face.  Hakyeon, or the illustrious leader, N, from VIXX, stood before her with a warm smile.  He waved nervously and gave a bow.

            “I’m sorry if I startled you,” he said timidly.

            “Ah, I wasn’t startled at all,” she lied, giving an amiable grin.  She knew her reply came out more sarcastic than convincing, and she finally lowered her head in mock shame.  “Actually, yes, I was very startled.”

            “Ah, I’ll work on my greeting next time,” he chuckled.  “How have you been, Serri?  I feel like I haven’t seen you girls in a while.”

            “Yeah, ever since the Dream Concert, we’ve been doing more laidback shows,” she informed, running her fingers through her hair slowly.  “We’re also preoccupied with solo activities.”

            “You were recently on a show with Taekwoon and Wonsik, right?”

            “A few months ago, yes.  We were on Dream Team together.  They were very polite.  You seem to be raising them well!”

            “I’m glad they treated you well,” he smirked smugly.  “Are you on your way back to the dorm now?”

            “Yeah, I was just waiting for a taxi.”

            “Ah, you don’t need to take a taxi.”  He grinned cordially as the valet parked his car on the curb.  “The Happy Face Entertainment dorms are just down the street from the Jellyfish dorms.  I can take you there, if you want.”

            “I couldn’t make you do that,” she insisted, shaking her head fervently.  “Aren’t you here with anyone?  Don’t you have to take them home?”

            “I was just eating with my parents,” he informed with a bashful smile.  “They’re driving home on their own.  Don’t even worry about it.  I insist.”

            All Serri wanted to do at the moment was sob in the back of a taxi.  If she went home with Hakyeon, there was a better chance she would break down right in front of him.  But he was already opening the passenger door and beckoning her with his friendly eyes.  She knew he had only good intention.  In the end, she couldn’t resist his kindness, and stepped into the car.

            “I really love that restaurant,” he stated excitedly a few minutes later.  They were driving through the Gangnam District, passing by bright signs and shops.  “It’s one of my favorites.  Do you go there often?”

            Serri leaned back in her seat and tried to forget why she ever decided to go to Tatsu.  “This was my second time, actually.”

            “Were you meeting with a friend?”

            She looked over at his innocent, unassuming face.  Something about his kind demeanor made her feel guilty for having had such a depressing experience to tell him about.

            “I…An old friend invited me out for drinks,” she told cautiously.  “He actually…He never showed.”

            Hakyeon’s eyes suddenly focused solely on the road as he fidgeted in his seat.  “Is that so…”

            “I sort of wonder if he did it on purpose just to make me feel stupid…”  She quickly forced a laugh and took her Hello Kitty mirror out of her purse to busily check her appearance.  “Just to warn you, I had three martinis tonight.  If I act a bit tipsy or inappropriate, I’m really sorry.”

            “I actually didn’t suspect anything of the sort,” he admitted encouragingly.  “You must hold your liquor well.”

            “Ah, that’s what my members tell me.”

            “He didn’t show up, but you stayed for three martinis?”

            “I waited for him for half an hour,” she explained, rolling her eyes.  “It was far too long.  After he didn’t show, I decided to treat myself.  But I ended up staying for another half an hour.  I sort of wonder…if maybe I just wanted to wait for him a little longer.”

            “He must be pretty important to you,” Hakyeon suggested quietly, carefully observing her out of the corner of his eye.

            “I don’t think he realizes how much he meant to me.”  Serri felt her voice start to crack, and she panicked.  She leaned on her seatbelt strap and looked away from Hakyeon.  But, no matter how hard she tried, tears began to fill her eyes.  Her usually happy face faded into an agonizing grimace.

            “He hurt you a lot?”

            “I just don’t know why anyone would do this to another person.”  Her words poured out of so easily, and she couldn’t stop them.  The pitch of her voice leapt and dipped with every word.  “I know I was busy and could hardly make time to see him.  We were both busy.  Did he really have to cheat on me?”

            “He-”

            “Maybe it was my fault,” she sobbed dejectedly, stuffing her mirror into her purse.  “I was so stupid.”

            “You’re not stupid, Serri-”

            “He was the first boyfriend I ever said ‘I love you’ to.  Doesn’t that mean anything?  Is my love worth anything?”

            “Serri, please don’t cry.  I think the alcohol is making you say things you don’t necessarily want to share-”

            “I’m…so…sorry,” she wept, hiccupping in between her words.  “You don’t need to hear all this.  I’m such a fool.”

            “Serri…it’s okay.”

            Hakyeon endured a few more minutes of Serri’s dismal, quiet sobbing before she finally seemed to drift into sleep.  At stoplights, he would glance over and observe her mascara-stained face.  He knew she was probably very embarrassed, but he was glad she was in his care instead of some random taxi driver’s. 

            When they arrived at Dal Shabet’s door, he searched through his contacts to find Jiyul’s number.  He stepped out of the car and gave her a call.

            “Jiyul-ssi?”

            “…Cha Hakyeon?  Ah, hello.  Is something wrong?  It’s a little late.”

            It was barely past nine ‘o’ clock, but Jiyul was always adamant about getting enough sleep.  He gave a quiet laugh before explaining his situation.  “I gave Serri a ride home from Tatsu.  She fell asleep in the car.  Do you think you could come down here and open the gate?”

            “She fell asleep?  Ah, poor unnie!  I’ll be right down.”

            Hakyeon waited at the gate till Jiyul arrived in her bright coral pajamas.  When she opened the gate, she quickly rushed to his car’s passenger door.

            “Is she alright?”  As she opened the door, Jiyul let out a loud gasp.  “Unnie!  Oh my goodness, what happened?”

            “She sort of…broke down crying,” he sighed, unbuckling Serri’s seatbelt.  “I think the alcohol helped spur it on, but she seemed upset about a guy she was supposed to meet tonight.”

            “Supposed to meet?” Jiyul asked angrily.  “Did he not show up?”

            “She told me she waited for an hour, but he never arrived.”

            “That jerk…”

            Hakyeon scooped Serri into his arms with little effort as Jiyul nervously watched beside him.  She followed him through the gate and towards the dorm, attempting to wipe the mascara from Serri’s face.

            “Wait,” Jiyul ordered as they reached the door to the dorm.  She finished wiping the mascara away and attempted to fix her messy hair.  “The other girls don’t know she was seeing Yoohwan tonight.  She knew if she told everyone, we wouldn’t let her see him.  She really trusted him.  Please don’t mention anything about it.  She’ll tell them when she thinks it’s the right time.”

            “He seems like a real creep,” he snarled with his classic irritated expression.  “But I’ll control myself from mentioning him or cursing him out under my breath.”

            “Thank you, Hakyeon-ssi,” Jiyul smiled.  “Okay, let’s go.”

            When they entered, only Subin and Ahyoung greeted them in the living room.  Subin immediately rose from the couch and rushed over to them.  “What happened to unnie?”

            “She just fell asleep on the way over,” Hakyeon explained with an awkward grin.

            Ahyoung, who was lying on the couch and taking selfies, sat up slowly and stared at them anxiously.  “Hakyeon-ssi…Why are you bringing Serri unnie home?”

            “Hakyeon-ssi happened to see Serri at the restaurant where she ate,” Jiyul assured casually.  “She fell asleep as he was driving her home.”

            Still giving a nervous pout, Ahyoung held a pillow over her short pajama dress before she rose from the couch.  “Unnie looks tired.”

            “I’ll take her to her bed.”  Subin, who exceeded everyone in height, carefully took Serri out of Hakyeon’s arms and carried her into the dark hallway.

            “Be careful, Subinnie!” Jiyul called, holding her hand out towards them.  “And try not to wake Woohee!  Aish…”

            “Well…I do believe my usefulness has expired,” Hakyeon chuckled fretfully, backing away towards the open door.  “I’m sorry to disturb you girls.  Please have a nice evening.”

            “Thank you so much, Hakyeon-ssi,” Jiyul said swiftly, following him to the door.  “You’ll have to visit Hongbin and me on set sometime.  Have a good night!”

            After Jiyul closed the door, she let out a long sigh.  Ahyoung approached her warily and pushed the hair out of her fearful face.

            “Jiyul-ah, why are you so worried?” she questioned.  “Did something happen to unnie?”

            “Well…let’s just wait to hear from unnie,” Jiyul insisted with a weak grin.  “I’m going to help get her ready for bed.  You should go to bed soon too, Ahyoung unnie.  You and Subin have schedules in the morning.”

            “Ah, I don’t want to sleep…I think I’m just going to go eat something.”

            “Aigoo, my job never ends.  Go to sleep, unnie!”