Tae Hyun nods his head down signalling that it was okay. As he looks down from the nod, he notices that the girl was clutching her stomach. Concerned, he asks, “are you really okay?”

    

The girl nods her head and reassured him, “yes, don’t worry about it. I’m really sorry.”

 

    “No, don’t apologize. I wasn’t looking either.”

 

    The girl starts to pick up the scattered posters off the ground.

 

    “Did you make these?” Jin Woo asked as he bent down to pick up a neon pink poster that had WINNER’s logo pasted on it. 

 

    “Ah, no, no,” the girl shook her head. “I’m just helping clean up the stage.”

 

    Seung Hoon stepped out from hiding behind Min Ho, “so you’re not one of the girls that were chasing me earlier?”

 

    The girl looked at him confused, “chasing you?”

 

    Min Ho pushed Seung Hoon to the side and started to pick up the posters near his feet, “don’t mind him. There was a little situation earlier that caused him to be a bit paranoid.”

 

    “Aish, it was really scary okay!” Seung Hoon defended himself, then asked the girl, “so if you’re not one of the fans, do you work here?”

 

    “Yes,” the girl confirmed. “I’m one of the writers.”

 

    The members let out a harmonized “ohh” as sign of realization. Seung Yoon picked up the last poster off the ground and handed it to the girl. Out of curiosity, he asks, “if you’re one of the writers, shouldn’t you be with the production crew right now?”

 

    The girl smiled a bit out of embarrassment, “uhm, it’s because I’m still an intern. So when there’s not much to discuss over, I just help with little tasks like these.”

 

    The members simultaneously nodded their heads to show understanding. Seung Yoon’s phone suddenly starts playing his ringtone. He pulls out his phone from his jacket pocket, and answers it. 

 

    “Hello? Manager?”

 

    “Where are you boys?” Manager asks from the other end of the line, “I’m already at the front.”

 

    “Sorry! We just have small situation here. We’ll be there after we find the washroom.”

 

    “What? You haven’t gone the washroom yet?” 

 

    “Yeah, like I said we had a little situation. We’re just finishing up here.”

 

    “Okay, okay. You boys have an early interview tomorrow so the faster we get to eat, the better!” Manager reminded. 

 

    “Alright. See you,” ended Seung Hoon as he swiped the phone to end the call.

 

    “Was that Manager?” Jin Woo asks.

 

    “Yeah, he’s already at the front waiting,” answers Seung Yoon. He turns towards the girl and bows his head, “have good night.”

 

    The girl bows her head in return. The other members bid their good byes to the girl too as they walk away. Tae Hyun bows a little more to offer his apology again before turning away. Ha Ni watches them turn another corner and disappear. She pressed the posters closer to her body. I can’t believe I actually got to talk to the members of WINNER! I was just watching them from the backstage an hour ago! She smiles, but then rubs her stomach. 

 

    “Sorry! I hope you’re okay,” she whispers towards the small, barely protruding bump. “I really should be more careful from now on.”

 

    Ha Ni makes her way to the recycling bins and stuffs the colourful posters in it. As she starts walking back to the staff room, her phone rings. She looks at her phone, and the caller ID spelled out PD Assistant. She let out a sigh before answering, “Ah, hello PD Assistant. I’m on my way back. I just finished cleaning up.”

 

    A high pitched voice answers back, “you, how long does it take to throw away posters!”

 

    “Ah no, I ran into…” Before Ha Ni could explain, PD Assistant cuts her off with a scoff.

 

    “Ha, are you trying to come up with excuses for your slacking off? You’re not going to stay long with that attitude, Intern!”

 

    Ha Ni knew that even if she explained, PD Assistant will still brush it off as an excuse. She apologizes instead to quickly end the conversation.

 

    “Yes. I’m sorry.”

 

    “Whatever. I’ve heard enough. Before you come back, make sure to buy the six coffees for the PDs and writers!” the voice ordered.

 

    “Yes. I underst…” PD Assistant hung up before Ha Ni finished.

 

    Ha Ni looks at her phone while imagining PD Assistant’s thickly powdered face. Out of frustration, she wanted to slam her phone on the ground, but stops herself, knowing she wouldn’t be able to afford the repairs.

 

    “Let’s hold in Ha Ni,” she commanded herself and rubs her stomach. “Don’t worry. We can handle this right?”

 

    She was answered back with silence, but to her, it is enough to make her smile as she thought about the growing child in her. 

 

    It has only been a month since she found out she was pregnant via those over-counter pregnancy tests. At first, she was completely in a state of denial. She never imagined it possible that she would be pregnant at 20 years old. After thinking about it for a week and a visit to the obstetrician, she decided to tell her parents. Her parents did not take it in as well as she hoped. They were strictly traditional and demanded the name of the father so she could marry him.  Ha Ni couldn’t tell them his name. She couldn’t tell them that he was a singer from an underground rock band who she had a one-night stand with. She didn’t want to tell them that she had reckless with a man because she wanted to comfort him from getting rejected by girl, and how after that night, she never saw him again. Ha Ni was not proud of this fact and swore to keep it a secret and take it with her to her grave. When she refused to tell them who the father was. Her parents decided to stop supporting her. They kicked her out, telling her that she was an embarrassment to the family.