Myung sat perched at the foot of the bed, an intimidating scowl stretching his lips into a thin line. The light peeping in through the open window nearby cast shadows beneath his sharp jaw, his beady eyes fixated on my stunned expression. Blinking away tears from my imagined near-death experience, I grounded myself in his presence, studying his every feature as if noticing it for the first time.

His straight silver hair was held back by a solid blue headband that perfectly complimented his contacts, exposing a faint scar on his left temple. Gold chains, fancy rings, and diamond studs adorned every inch of his neck, hands, and ears, glinting dangerously in the early morning sunshine. His sleeves were rolled up, exposing the lean muscle of his arms and the prominent veins accompanying them. Designer joggers paired with the dark sweatshirt framing his broad shoulders to complete his overpriced look. Compared to Jae, he wasn’t nearly as innocent in appearance, though he was still quite attractive—not that I would ever willingly admit that aloud.

Because let’s be honest, telling someone with cocky murder eyes that you find them cute is probably never the right course of action.

Of the members, he was by far the coldest—I mean, sure, Chung-Ae was no jolly good fellow either, but I’d choose his company over Myung’s any day. Seriously, here I was sweating from a nightmare, and all he cared about was smacking me with the down feather pillow in his arms!

“Do you mind?!” I snapped, blocking said pillow with my forearm just as he swung again and grunting a little from the impact. How does he have this much energy to be mean in the mornings? Shouldn’t he be hungover or something? I know I am.

“No,” he muttered, giving me another unamused glare. I opened my mouth to retort when a flash of pink caught my eye.

“Well, it’s nice to see you haven’t killed each other yet,” Jae chuckled from the doorway, cup of coffee in hand. His features were much softer than Myung’s, his face rounder and less angular. And judging from his bright, button-down white-collared shirt and pastel pink pants to Myung’s gloomy ensemble, it was clear the only thing they had in common was K-pop. “You should get ready. We’re going somewhere before our photoshoot this afternoon.”

“Photoshoot?” I repeated, quirking an eyebrow at him in confusion—am I the only one whose head is pounding? “I-I thought you were waking me up to kick me out,” I admitted, furrowing my brows. To my surprise, he shook his head.

“Min-Soo’s not feeling well this morning,” he started—aha! So, one of them is hungover! “Turns out, partying after having a seizure isn’t such a good idea,” Jae mumbled before taking a sip of coffee to compose himself. Lowering the mug, he continued in a more serious tone, “we’re taking you to collect your belongings, and…do you have a passport by any chance?”

My eyes widened in astonishment at his question. I sat up straighter, checking first to make sure that I was, in fact, wearing clothes under the covers this time. The previous night practically didn’t exist in my memory, and I had totally forgotten how I’d passed out. No way was I going to risk accidentally flashing an idol.

Fumbling for words, I stuttered, “y-yeah, I think so! Why?”

“Given Min-Soo’s condition, Sunni has convinced Byeong-Cheol-ssi to allow you to temporarily join our group since you know our choreography already, and we don’t want to waste time having to train someone else in case we need a fill in for our next show,” Jae explained slowly, swirling his coffee around as he gazed out through the billowing white curtains in front of my window. He seemed pensive and slightly distant today. Probably worried for his friend.

“You’ll need to pack a suitcase—I would recommend taking all that you can manage on a plane,” he added, shifting his gaze back to meet mine. A hint of stress flickered across his face for a brief moment, gone before I even had time to register it. Suddenly, his words caught up to me.

“Where exactly are we going? To another city? Los Angeles?” I asked quizzically. LA was certainly a celebrity hotspot known quite well for its extravagant shows from performers all over the globe. Jae shook his head.

“You don’t need a passport to go to another city,” he pointed out with a small smile curving up the corners of his lips. “But you do if you want into South Korea.”

Excitement stirred the dormant butterflies within me, sending jolts of electricity running down my spine, and a wide grin spread across my face. I’ve always dreamed of being able to explore the world, to see foreign cities and wonders so grand that they’d stick in my mind forever. Don’t get me wrong, Min-Soo being so sick he physically can’t perform is horrible, but I’m still thrilled to visit his home country.

I should really research the best tourist locations…

“Anyways, get dressed, and Myung, Sang, and Joonie will take you back to your old apartment to collect your things,” Jae finished, turning to leave. The moment the words left his mouth, visions of my nightmare came rushing back, flashing vividly on the dark of my eyelids and twisting excitement into panic.

“Y-You’re not going?” I stammered, noticing the evil grin Myung was giving me. Is Jae seriously leaving me with the members who hate me the most? Whose idea was this?!

“Sorry, I wish I could—Sunni said he wanted me to help him with something. But trust me, Myung and the others will take good care of you,” Jae reassured me, warmth in his smile. Oh, sure. Because Myung’s just been so kind to me so far. I bet he’s secretly trying to figure out how to ditch me on the side of the road somewhere.

“See you later!” Jae called over his shoulder with a friendly wave as he made his way out of the room, leaving me alone with Myung once more.

Wonderful. I get to hang with all of my favorite people.