Chapter 14

            December had rolled in quite smoothly.  Christmas decorations were already up in the malls and shops in Gangnam.  A few Christmas songs had been released into the music world, and that jolly Christmas music of classic Western society already filled the streets at night. 

            On this chilly winter morning, Serri met with Hakyeon in a small studio belonging to the popular news magazine BNT.  Every once in a while, her members would have photo shoots with BNT for various promotions.  But today, the members were split up throughout the studio and around Seoul, paired up with Vixx members.  After Time Will Tell announced a Japanese remake, the news magazines were quick to request their appearance in their publications.

            Hakyeon stood in the small, bright studio in pastel purple pajamas.  The crew worked tirelessly on one end of the room, arranging lighting and checking the camera equipment.  On the other side of the room was a king sized bed with a fluffy, white comforter and light, comfy pillows.

            Dressed in matching pajamas, Serri finally entered the studio.  Her bright brown hair bounced up and down as she excitedly skipped across the floor to Hakyeon.  Just before she reached him, she looked down at the ground shyly and smirked.  Only their families, members, and agencies knew about their relationship.  Serri eyed the camera crew carefully before playfully hitting Hakyeon on the arm.

            “Okay, we can go ahead and get started,” the director said, gesturing to the bed.  She was a tiny young woman with a surprisingly powerful voice.  “Hakyeon-ssi, could you sit on the foot of the bed please?”

            He complied with the director and took a seat.  His pajamas looked absolutely stunning against the white bed and walls around him.  He attempted to find a comfortable pose.  The director ignored his aimlessness and walked up to Serri.

            “If you could get on the bed and kneel behind him, that would be great,” the director told her.  “Listen, I know you’re a professional, but some idols still get nervous about skinship in photo shoots.  Try to relax and enjoy it.”

            Serri nodded her head obediently, but she couldn’t hold in a small giggle.  She swiftly leapt up on the bed, crawled up behind Hakyeon, and wrapped her arms around his neck.  As she leaned over his shoulders and caught his eye, he grinned bashfully.

            “That’s great!” the director exclaimed.  “It’s exactly what I was looking for!  Keep that playful look!”

            Hakyeon chuckled quietly as Serri held on to him like a mischievous child.  She laughed and smiled, making the whole room come alive.  Like a true professional, she found a million ways to pose with Hakyeon.  She put her hands on Hakyeon’s shoulders and rested her chin on the top of his head.  She leaned down, wrapped her arms around his torso, and placed her head on his shoulder.  Hakyeon felt like an awkward statue as he let Serri work, but his smiles and laughs were completely natural.

            “Now could we have both of you sit across from each other in the middle of the bed?” the director guided.  “I’m hoping for a pillow fight concept.”

            “I thought this was supposed to be a ‘y Leader’ concept,” Hakyeon jested, following the director’s lead.

            “That will come later,” the director informed. 

            Hakyeon immediately regretted his comment, but Serri quickly distracted him by hitting him across the face with a pillow.

            “Ya!” he called, staring at Serri’s impish expression in shock.  He took a pillow and held it above himself.  “I’m going to get you.”

            “This is great!” the director insisted eagerly.  “Keep it up!”

            The camera flashed as Serri hit Hakyeon two more times.  No matter what Serri did, he couldn’t bring himself to hit her back.  Her bright smile faded, and she gave him a stern gaze.  Leaning in closely, she scoffed loudly.

            “Be a man, Hakyeon-ah.”

            Hakyeon looked at her serious expression and stared somberly into her eyes.  Her perfect manifestation of cold disgust finally made him burst into laughter.  As her intense act faded, she smiled eagerly as Hakyeon raised his pillow and finally gave her a solid whack. 

            “That was a good one, Hakyeon-ah!” she complimented happily.

            After she gave him a few more good hits, he finally hit her a second time.  She suddenly fell onto the bed and gave a high-pitched cry.  As she covered her face with her hands, Hakyeon’s eyes filled with panic.

            “Serri-yah,” he called urgently, his hands aimlessly floating above her head.  “Serri-yah, are you okay?”

            Her hands slid away from her face, revealing a playful smirk.  She swiftly reached for a pillow and smacked him across the face one more time.  He fell back and gave a sigh of relief.

            “Did you fall for that, oppa?” she asked with a laugh.

            “You really shouldn’t do that, Serri-yah,” he growled, rubbing his tired eyes.

            “Hakyeon-ssi, stay right there!” the director demanded.  She ran over to the bed and placed a pillow under his head.  “This is the ‘y Leader’ concept.  Serri-ssi, if you could somehow rest your head on his chest, we’ll take a few pictures from the side of the bed.”

            Hakyeon took a deep, shaky breath as he looked up at Serri.  But Dal Shabet’s outgoing leader simply lay down on her belly, letting her upper body rest across his chest.  She placed her head just below his chin and looked over at the camera crew as they set up on the side of the bed. 

            “I love you,” Serri whispered a little too loud.  The director looked over at them with a curious gaze.

            “I suppose that’s one way to overcome skinship anxiety,” she said, still eyeing them suspiciously.

            Hakyeon placed his hand on Serri’s back and patted her gently.  She looked up at him and gave a small grin filled with adoration and gratitude.  Closing her eyes, she rested her head on his chest again and listened to the camera click.

*          *          *

            After the photo shoot, Serri and Hakyeon reunited in the studio in their regular clothes.  They stood close together as Serri checked Instagram on her phone.  Subin had just posted a photo of herself having coffee with Hyuk.

            “It looks like the maknaes are done with their shoot,” Serri informed.

            “They had an outdoor shoot, right?”  Hakyeon leaned closer and peeked at the photo.  “It snowed last night.  I hope they’re warm enough.  Were you warm enough last night?”

            “Happy Face finally fixed the heater.”  Serri chuckled at a selca of Jiyul in a dark studio meant to look like an alleyway.  “Jiyul and Hongbin’s alleyway kiss scene seems to be really popular.  It looks like they needed to reenact it for their shoot.”

            “Do you know if there’s something going on with Jiyul and Hongbin?” Hakyeon asked curiously.  “I genuinely can’t tell.”

            “Jiyul is a very private person,” Serri sighed.  “I think she likes him…But she won’t do anything about it.  And she won’t tell me anything.”

            Serri finally checked for any new comments on her photos.  As she read through the list of comments, fell open.  Her heart thumped in her chest as Hakyeon suddenly took the phone from her hands.

            “What the heck is this?”  He read through the comments in astonishment.  “Why are they saying this?  Why are they calling you this?”

            “Let me see that,” she called frantically, taking her phone back.  She hurriedly submitted her name to a search engine and read through the results.  Her eyes filled with terror as selcas of her with Yoohwan lit up her phone.

            “Is that Yoohwan?” Hakyeon exclaimed angrily, snatching the phone away from Serri yet again.  “What are these news stories?”

            Serri took sharp, anxious breaths as Hakyeon chose a story to read.  She took hold of his arm and peered at the phone.

            “‘Popular DJ Jung Yoohwan has recently admitted to dating various idols across Seoul,’” he read furiously.  “‘He has named rookie girl group members, as well as Dal Shabet’s leader, Serri.  After uploading photos of him with the idols online, Jung came forward and insisted that…that the idols used him to promote their careers.’”

            “What?”  Serri’s heartbreaking voice barely made it out of .  She looked closely at the words Hakyeon read as tears filled her eyes.

            “He claims that those groups as well as Dal Shabet wouldn’t have played at various shows over the summer if it weren’t for his help!”  Hakyeon’s raging gaze wouldn’t leave the screen.  “He claims…He claims you…”

            Taking the phone from Hakyeon’s hand, Serri carefully read through the article.  Her posture seemed to cripple as she scanned the words.  She threw her hand to and nearly dropped her phone.

            “I never did that!” she cried.  “I never did any of those things for him!  I would never!”  She stumbled helplessly over to the bed and sat down.  Hakyeon rushed to her side and tried to wipe her tears away.

            “We’ll straighten this out,” Hakyeon insisted.  “He won’t get away with this!”

            “People already believe him!”  Serri’s body shivered as she spoke.  Even with all the times she had cried in front of Hakyeon, he had never seen her so incapacitated.  She looked defeated, like Yoohwan had delivered one last punch to keep her on the ground.

            “Serri-”

            “You saw what they were calling me on Instagram!”  Serri’s phone suddenly began to ring, and she answered it immediately.  “Jiyul-ah!  Did you see it?  Why is he doing this?  Why is he telling these lies?”

            As Serri rose from the bed, Hakyeon followed her.  She began to pace back and forth across the room.  Sobbing into the phone, she reached for Hakyeon’s hand, then let it go; pressed her face into his chest, then urgently backed away.  Her distress was more than Hakyeon could bear, and he wanted to destroy Yoohwan right away.  He wanted to kill him.

            Serri hung up the phone and looked down at the ground.  Even as Hakyeon reached for her hand, she couldn’t make herself look up at him.  “Hakyeon-ah…I need to go.  I need to meet with my company.  Jiyul says they’re already calling lawyers.  I…I need to take care of this.”

            “I’ll help you, Serri-yah,” Hakyeon promised, wiping a few more tears away.  “Let me take you home.”

            “No, Hakyeon-ah,” she frowned, still looking at the ground.  “You shouldn’t be seen with me.  My reputation is a mess.  I can’t drag you into this.”

            “Don’t try to protect me again,” Hakyeon begged sternly, taking her hand.  “You don’t have to do that.  I can take care of myself.”

            She finally looked up at him and forced a smile.  “I won’t push you away again, Hakyeon-ah.  But this is very serious.  I don’t want you mixed up in it.  I’ll call you when I get home, okay?”

            “O…Okay,” he sighed, squeezing her hand.  “Serri-yah, I love you.”

            “Thank you, Hakyeon-ah.”  Her eyes fell to the floor again.  “I…I need to go.  Goodbye, Hakyeon-ah.”