A knock on the door woke me up the next morning. One glance at my clock told me it was a full fifteen minutes before my alarm was set to go off. I knew Ken was eager, but damn. I didn’t bother gathering myself up in anyway, I just trudged to the door in my saggy pajamas and opened the door just a crack in order to glare viciously at Ken, who I assumed would be waiting cheerfully for me on the other side.

                But it wasn’t Ken. It wasn’t anyone. For a moment I thought maybe the knock had been an unfortunate end to a vivid dream. I opened the door a little more to peek out. Maybe he was on the other side of the hall. Nothing. Just before I was about to close the door, however, I noticed something on the ground. A black pile of cloth with a note on top.

                ‘Hyukkie said you might want this. We’re the same height, so I hope it fits! ^-^ <3 Hakyeon (N)’

                I picked up the note and the cloth, still too sleepy to properly comprehend N’s note. After bringing them inside, I took the opportunity to properly examine them. The black cloth turned out to be a turtleneck that I had seen N wear on the first day I saw him. I pondered it for a minute before I remembered what I had said to Hyuk the night previous. Right, I needed something to cover my bruise on my neck. Now that I remembered, I ran to my mirror, switching on a light as I went. The bruise was at that nasty stage where it was mostly purple, but with sickly yellow edges. The turtleneck in my hands suddenly seemed like a way better idea now.

                After getting ready properly, I slipped N’s turtleneck on. It was a little tight around the chest, but fit otherwise. I wasn’t planning on wearing long sleeves in June, but it wasn’t too heavy, at least. Right on time, a knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts.

                “Mira noona, I’m ready for you!” Ken called through the closed door. If nothing else, it would be a cheerful day.

                “Keep your pants on, Ken,” I shouted back, “I’ll be out in a minute.”

                “Noona!” he whined like a small child, “it’s too late, my pants are down!”

                “Stop calling me Noona, I’m only two years older than you!”

                “Three years, noona!” he emphasized the honorific.

                “Whatever, two and a half. You’re twenty-two and I’m twenty-four.”

                “But Noona, you were born in 1989 and I was born in 1992. For being in Korea for so long, I thought you’d know that’s what matters,” he was practically lecturing by now, though his voice still carried the musical tone of his teasing.

                I swung the door open before he even finished his speech, finding him- unsurprisingly- perfectly well dressed. “You lied to me!”

                “Ooh?” he asked innocently, “Does American superstar Mira want to see VIXX’s Ken with his pants off?”

                Folder in hand, I pushed through the door, giving him a quick but gentle chop to the neck, as N had advised. “You wish, Ken. It’s work time,” I kept walking as I spoke, listening for his hurried footsteps behind me.

                I felt his arm fall over my shoulder as we walked. He was very slightly taller than me, so it was comfortable. When I looked up at him, he was smiling with that wide smile of his, “Well then, teacher, I won’t be slinking back home tonight as if my entire world has been upended, will I?”

                “That depends on you, dear student,” I knew he was referring to Leo, but I was really hoping not to be interrogated about it again. It seems like that was a futile wish, “If you are difficult, then it will not be fun.”

                Ken laughed, taking my hand to lead me down the stairs, “Let me guess, Leo tried to fight you the whole way.”

                I sighed, “I made it a competition,” I admitted.

                “Big mistake.”

                “Well, in the end, I won,” I paused once we had reached the studio basement, “Was he better this morning?” I had been trying not to ask after Leo. I guess inquiring after him would diminish my victory in some way.

                Ken simply shrugged, “He glared at me more than usual before I left to come meet you.  I’m not so stupid as to try and ask how he’s feeling.”

                And at that, we left the subject behind us as we moved into the same recording room as before. I just wanted the giant subwoofer that was resting in the corner of the room. “Sit on that,” I pointed to the large speaker before taking out my notes.

                “What, on the speaker?” he asked incredulously.

                “Yes,” I tossed him some headphones, “And put these on.”

                He caught them, but simply stared at them for a long moment. “Are you crazy, Mira?” he was smiling when he looked up at me, but he clearly doubted me.

                “I am not crazy,” I insisted as I walked over to him, “Now put those headphones on before I do it for you.”

                I leaned down to plug my music player into the speaker system, doing my best to keep an eye on Ken while I moved about the room. He finally conceded and put the noise-cancelling headphones on. “I’m ready Mira!” he shouted, clearly trying to hear his own voice. “What now?”

                He sat there like an eager child, clearly resisting the urge to fidget. I had to admit, he was a pretty cute guy, in every sense of the word. I leaned forward and removed one side of the headphones. “We’re going to listen to this song together, but you’ll just feel it through the subwoofer you’re sitting on.”

                “Through my ,” he clarified.

                “Through your ,” I repeated with a slight chuckle. “Then I’m going to have you sing along. I trust you learned Danger like I asked?”

                “Of course!” he said happily, taking the headphone from me and putting it back on his ear. “Let’s do this.” I stepped back and started the song. Immediately, he started to squirm. “It tickles!” he shouted over the music, but I just rolled my eyes at him. I had left the blindfold in my bag, but was perfectly willing to bring it out again if he was getting distracted. But eventually, he settled down, closing his eyes and feeling the harsh beat of the song.

                “Thank god for Ian,” I whispered to myself. This song was so perfect for both Leo and Ken. My reflection came to an end when the deafening silence of the room signaled the song’s end. I approached him again, removing the headphones.

                He shook his head and messed with his hair as he spoke, “I see what you mean now,” he admitted. At my triumphant smile, it was his turn to roll his eyes, “Okay, you were right. So what now? Just sing along?”

                “Yes,” I started, “but you’ll still have the headphones on. You’ll just sing to the beat. I want you to focus on letting your notes go. Don’t hang on to them. Think of it like a snare drum, just hit it and get off of it.”

                He watched me and nodded. I was pleased that he looked both interested and comprehending, “Yes, professor Mira,” he said simply, replacing his own headphones again and sitting up on the speaker.

                The first run-through of the song didn’t go so well. There was some giggling and some tripping over the beat, but by the end of the song, it seemed like he was getting the hang of it. In lieu of feedback, I simply restarted the song and let him go through it again. “Much better,” I praised as I removed his headphones after the second run through, “how do you feel?”

                He thought seriously for a moment, “I understand what we’re trying to do. This is good.” It was strange seeing him so serious, but I suppose he was a lot like me in that way. Work time was serious time.

                “Are you ready to try it without the headphones now?”

                “Yeah, I think so.”

                “Don’t get distracted by the harmony vocals,” I warned, putting the headphones away.

                This song did not suit Ken’s vocal tone at all, but he actually executed the staccato vocals very well. There were some iffy bits that he insisted on covering again, but I considered the exercise a success. “Okay Ken, are you ready for the final challenge?”

                “Like a final boss?” he asked excitedly.

                “For this part of the day, sure,” I went and changed out the music in favor of the disk of VIXX music I had been given upon my initial arrival. “I want you to sing along with yourself now,” I spoke as I turned, “but better.”

                He pouted for a moment, “You think I sound bad?”

                “No,” I said with a heavy sigh, “but you know exactly where I’ll have you sing, right?”

                Like a reprimanded school boy, he huffed, “The rhythmic vocals in Eternity.”

                “Very good. Sing Leo’s part, too.”

                As I expected, this was very difficult for him. It was a song he sang so much, it was hard for him not to fall into his usual habits. Luckily, that one section was easily repeated over and over again. Unfortunately, he became visibly frustrated.

                “Mira, this is too hard,” he groaned, grabbing his face with his hands.

                I walked over and sat in a chair next to him, “It’s alright, Ken, we have all day.”

                “But I’m not used to this stuff being so hard for me,” he said quietly, still hiding his face.

                “Hey,” I reached to pull his arm away, “You did fantastic on Taemin’s song. You’re just having a hard time letting go of your own parts.”

                His sad eyes were nothing short of puppy-levels of pouting. “Can we take a break?” he asked sadly.

                “Of course,” I let out a heavy sigh, relaxing into my chair, “What can you tell me about, VIXX, Ken?”

                “What do you want to know about?”

                “Whatever you want,” I said with a shrug, “but I want honesty.”

                “Okay, then, I’ll start with N, then,” he paused, thinking as his eyes narrowed slightly. “N is close with everyone. I’m jealous sometimes that he gets along so well with everyone. And he’s good at everything. Leo is,” he paused again, but this time it wasn’t to think. It looked like he was reluctant to speak. Eventually, he came to the conclusion to continue, “Leo hyung is very talented. He may be quiet and scary, but he does care about all of us, even if he doesn’t show it. He’s closest with N, Ravi, and Hongbin, for sure. I think he feels a little competitive with me since we’re both labeled as lead vocals.” I watched him intently. I honestly didn’t expect so much detail, but I was grateful. He continued, “I wish we could sing together more. Sometimes when we record, it’s all separate, and when we sing live and have to harmonize, he doesn’t sing as well since he isn’t solo.” I wish I could tell him that I might have helped remedy that problem, but part of me wanted to keep it a surprise, while another part of me didn’t dare interrupt him. “Ravi is so nice and so friendly. He also gets along with everyone he meets, but I think he feels closest to N. They have similar personalities, I think. Ravi has a special way with Leo, too, like he can read his mind or something,” Ken paused, trying to avoid a tangent. “I guess Hongbin is next, right?” He looked to me, and I simply nodded. “Right, Hongbin is so kind. He and Hyuk and I are all really close, and I love hanging out with him. Hongbin and I share a big bed in our apartment,” he was smiling now. “I hope he feels like he belongs with us. Sometimes I feel like he feels excluded. He’s my best friend, though, and I want him to be happy. And Hyukkie, he’s the best little brother a guy could ask for. He started out pretty awkward when we all first came together, but he’s grown so much. We take good care of him, and he takes care of us, in his own way. I can’t wait to see how his talent develops since he’s so young,” Ken stopped for a while, and then looked to me, “Was that good?”

                “Yes,” I said simply, “pretty good. But you didn’t tell me anything about yourself.”

                “Me? Well, I’m really ambitious. Like, Leo loves VIXX and wants to do his best for us, but I want more, you know?” He sighed as he gathered his thoughts, “I want to act, and produce some solo stuff, that sort of thing.” He gently kicked at the speaker he was still sitting on with his heels, “I’m really glad you’re here,” he finished quietly.

                I couldn’t help but smile at him, “Oh, and why is that?” I asked, trying to lift the mood.

                He caught on to my tone and smiled himself, “You’re interesting, and you didn’t know any of us before coming up with plans, so you’re able to be objective.”

                “You mean I’m not treating you like the idols you are?”

                “Exactly,” he smiled, “and that’s a good thing. I think we needed this.”

                I hesitated before speaking again, “Ken, how much did you know about me before I got here?”

                “A good amount,” he admitted, “I like listening to English music every once and a while, and you seemed to pop up everywhere.

                After a comfortable silence, I spoke, “Well, ready for more work?”

                “Yes Professor Mira,” he said with a smile, straightening up quickly.

                Almost immediately, Ken was able to nail his part. I guess he really needed that break. Happily, he turned to me for affirmation. “Good job,” I said simply, “ready for the next part?”

                He slumped, “Another part?” he asked, his voice whining.

                “Trust me, this one is way more fun and much easier,” I assured as I gestured for him to stand. “Remember how in Eternity I said Leo made you look like an amateur?”

                “Yes,” he glared at me over his shoulder angrily, “That hurt my feelings!” he protested.

                I gave a dry laugh, “Well, let’s fix it then.”

                Clearly my motivational tactics worked as he nodded eagerly. “So what are we doing?”

                “That belting part in Eternity. We’re going to do it until you manage to let loose as much as Leo.”

                “Okay,” his voice wavered in uncertainty, “I guess I’m inclined to trust you now, Professor.”

                “Good, let’s go.”

                “No speaker or headphones or anything?” he asked incredulously.

                “Nope. But don’t be alarmed if I have to move you.”

                He raised his eyebrows at me, but said nothing, facing forward again. I found the section to loop, and had him sing it. As expected, he was a bit strained on his note. I hit repeat, and this time when it hit, I grabbed his shoulder with one hand, and pressed on his back with the other, forcing him to open his chest. Immediately I could hear a difference in his voice. He missed the pitch, probably from the surprise, but he still had a grin on his face when he turned to me. “That easy?” he asked.

                “That easy,” I answered with a smirk. “Now try it without making me punch you.”

                He nailed it. He seemed to be in disbelief as he asked me to repeat the segment three more times before he was satisfied. “I’m sorry I doubted you, professor,” he said as he bowed low.

                “Oh, stop,” I reached forward to give him a smack on the head, “You just needed a little help.”

                “Are we done?” he asked, his voice carrying a surprising twinge of sadness.

                I cocked my head slightly, “I thought you’d be happy to be done?”

                He pouted, “You never sang with me.”

                It wasn’t something I really thought about, but I had in fact sang with both N and Leo. “Um,” I started, “Well you didn’t really need me for this, but, if you want-“

                “Pleeeease,” he practically begged, grabbing me by my waist as he sunk to his knees.

                “Okay okay!” I laughed, pushing him off me, “Pick any of your songs, and I’ll take whatever parts you want.”

                A sly grin crept on his face, “Voodoo Doll.”

                “Of course,” I sighed, I wasn’t the least bit surprised. It was the Ken-heaviest song in their collection, “That one is totally your song.”

                “Ah, ah,” he put a finger up, “I want YOU to sing my parts. I’ll take Leo and N’s. Can you do Ravi’s rap?” he gave me a wink.

                I was silenced at his words. It was an interesting proposition, singing his parts with him watching me. I had sung his parts plenty with my day with Leo, but it was different somehow. Ken had managed to turn the tables on me, somehow making it so he was judging me. I gave him a once over before responding, “Yeah I can manage.”

                The first thing I noticed when we started singing was that Ken and I had similar vocal styles. When I sang with Leo, it worked out pretty well, but with Ken singing Leo and N’s parts, the song took on a whole different feel. It made me glad VIXX had such a variety. Still, it was fun to sing Ken’s parts. The harmonies were much easier in this song, and I’d practiced Ravi’s rap enough to not totally fail at it. I was proud to see Ken nail Leo’s belting parts, so just for that it was a success. When it was over, Ken beamed at me.

                “Perfect, now I can say I sang with Mira!”

I shook my head, “You know, we’ll be singing together plenty once the song is written.”

“Yeah, but getting you alone is impossible,” he stressed the last word as much as he could. “I can’t complete with Ravi and his stupid lyric writing.” He sighed, but then stood upright and pulled me in for a hug. “Can you tell me your real name?”

                “Halley Brown. Do I get yours?”

                Pulling away from me, I saw him smirking, “No.”

                “What?” I asked angrily, “That’s not fair!”

                He draped his arm over me again, “Life isn’t fair. But maybe I can bargain with you.”

                “Oh?” I asked, resisting the urge to smack him again, “And what do I need to give?”

                Humming to himself, he thought deliberately for a long moment, “You can tell me why you’re wearing leader-N’s shirt.”

                Ah. Certainly not what I was expecting, but an understandable question. I was honestly surprised neither Hyuk nor Ravi had said anything about the bruises, but I was glad. “I managed to hurt my neck the other day, and N was kind enough to lend me this turtleneck,” my explanation was vague and technically true.

                Ken, clearly not satisfied, narrowed his eyes at me, but then he relaxed in an instant, giving my shoulder a squeeze, “Well, as long as I don’t need to be insanely jealous of N, I guess that’s okay,” he winked at me again, and I smiled back at him, grateful that he was letting it go. “It’s Jaehwan, by the way,” he said suddenly, “but please, only call me that if I’ve been especially bad.” He blew me a kiss and was gone.