“I try to think of something else, but my head is growing blank”

He could not sleep that night.

After Momo left that morning, he spent the entire day pretty much in his room.

Keeping himself hidden as much as he could, unless it was really necessary for him to leave his room.

Before he headed to the washroom earlier that morning, BK managed to get in touch with his manager.

After a quick discussion, they decided that perhaps it was best for BK to stay where he was, until they could decide on their next course of action.

Upon the President’s advice, of course.

To sneak him back into Seoul would be risky, as the airport was swarmed with paparazzi and disgruntled fans.

So, both Manager and ward felt that it would be safer for him to stay put until further light can be shed on the situation.

But as usual, for BK, sitting still and doing nothing were never part of his vocabulary.

Not while in the studio, not while on stage and not even at school.

Even when it was time to rest at home, he would think up of new melodies or lyrics to calm himself down.

So, at the given circumstances, his head was whirling with questions with too many possible answers.

Obviously, whatever drug that was fed into him, was totally gone from his system.

Leaving him well rested and alert.

Who was the one who called him?

Why would anyone frame him?

Did he hurt anyone in the past?

Did he step on anyone’s shoes?

What would he do now?

How will this affect his career?

How will this affect the boys?

He was stumped.

Making music was the only thing he has ever wanted.

Though he revelled in his audiences’ responses to his band’s compositions and performances, BK did not really care for fame or adulation.

To him and his team mates, the latter were perks of the industry.

It was getting their music well accepted and loved that were most important to them.

So, to BK, getting his reputation tarnished, was not as detrimental as to what it would do to him, but to the band as whole.

If he was asked to leave as how Hyeungseok was, would the band face further backlash as being erratic, unreliable or worse undisciplined?

No other band has worked as diligently as them, taking unconventional and often tedious methods to make their music heard ever since their debut.

Undisciplined was definitely not a word that should be associated to them.

So, if he were asked to leave the band, how much damage will it cost them?

Being a survivor and a hard worker, BK was not worried of where his next income would come from.

But can he survive without the boys he has come to regard as brothers for the last year?

For the last five years, if he were to count their training days.

BK was seriously lost.

What he would give to talk to the boys at that time.

Or his mother.

Or anyone, for that matter.

But there were no one to talk to.

No one to placate his worries.

Momo was not seen the whole day at the hostel.

The skiers had stayed out all day too.

So, for both lunch and dinner, he ate at the serving counter overlooking the cooking area.

He tried to make small talk with Okasan and the ahjussi, whom he found out to be Otosan, Momo’s father.

However, not much communications can be done between the three of them.

There was another helper around the hostel, but she was not much help either.

Despite their failure to communicate with each other, they all sat or work in comfortable silence.

He was also given some fresh clothes to change into and was shown the hot water tub to use, should he feel the need.

Not once did they ask BK how he was going to compensate for his stay, nor do they insist to know who he was or where he came from.

Either that, or they really did not know how to ask, he mused.

At times like that, he was thankful that Momo, at the very least understood and can speak English.

So, that night, he felt restless again, feeling the hours ticking by without having a concrete moving forward plans to his problem.

BK tried to go to bed, but when sleep did not descend upon him, he toured his little room and went to the sliding door to see what excitement the little cupboard could offer him.

To his surprise, the sliding door did not hide a cupboard.

Instead, it was a door to a covered balcony.

And the scenery beyond the long enclosure was nothing short of spectacular.

It was a sea of endless ski terrain.

With huge spotlights illumination the majestic view.

And far away mountain forest snow perfecting the landscape.

Wow..! I don’t even get to see this in Canada, BK thought.

His mouth and eyes wide in awe.

“It is beautiful, is it not?”

A familiar voice interjected his thoughts.