"If I get lost, I can find myself in your place. The city of angels, where my baby is waiting for me. The place where I can fly and feel the real love.”

City of Angels - NEIGHTZ

   Travelling to another country was so… lonely.

   There was no Jihoon barging into my room every five minutes to show me some new meme, or Hongjoong seizing any opportunity to play a prank. Minjae wasn't putting on his ghostly voice to try and scare me during the night, nor was Junseo shouting for a few minutes of peace because Jihoon was almost certainly causing chaos in the hotel room.

   I’d been to London before, but the feeling in my chest made it seem like my very first trip abroad. The emptiness wasn’t entirely bad, given that the warmth there brought a sense of comfort, leaving me mildly excited as I watched the city lights that night. Even so, a strange sensation lingered, as if trying to hide in the shadows cast by the yellowish glow of the streetlight beside me.

   Even though Aiko had advised me to get an early night and avoid leaving the hotel—especially without Kang accompanying me —, my mind refused to switch off. In under eight hours, I’d be meeting the entire film crew for the first table read. In under five hours, the sun would rise, and yet I still couldn't sleep.

   The freezing wind bit against my face, making me shudder slightly. The hotel near Blackfriars Bridge wasn’t the same one we’d stayed at when we played our gig at the O2 on the other side of town, but the view of the river was undeniably better.

   The warmth in my chest brought a quiet peace as I took a deep breath, catching the smell of the river mingling with something sweet wafting through the air, a scent I had no idea where it was coming from. The drizzle heightened the aromas, though the cold felt slightly uncomfortable too.

   I leaned against the parapet, watching the lights reflect on the water. The icy air made my nostrils sting a bit, while the music in my headphones beat to an intimate rhythm, as if I were curled up under blankets on my sofa back home. Bonvoyage had that effect on me, pulling me out of reality and letting my mind wander into possibilities where paradise was right there, just a single step away.

   The phone vibrated in my pocket, snapping my mind back to reality as the music paused briefly for the notification chime to sound. I pulled out the device and saw Jihoon's message:

   Jihoon:

   I’m positive Minjae has completely lost his marbles. Look at this!!!!!!!!!

   Right below was a video I didn't hesitate to play.

   Minjae was in Jih’s flat, apparently wrapped in several duvets like a caterpillar on the spare room bed — which I only recognised by the purple stain on the wall that I’d caused months ago.

   As if that weren’t enough, Minjae seemed to be wearing some sort of face mask, and yet sweat was visibly dripping down his forehead and neck. On his head, a massive silver bonnet.

   Minjae's vanity was never a secret, but he was getting crazier by the day with his skincare routines. Once, during our week of shows in France, he spent nearly an entire day at an aesthetic clinic just to get his hair hydrated (which, frankly, he almost went bald from changing the colour so often), on top of getting his nails done, a deep facial cleansing, and a lymphatic drainage session to give his abs more "definition"...

   I let out a quiet chuckle, as it was easy to picture the exact face he’d make if he were standing right in front of me. I looked around, noticing I was the only lunatic mad enough to be wandering about at 2:00 in the morning, so I initiated a video call with Jih.

  It didn't take long for him to appear, sitting on the floor of the dance studio with his back to the mirror, his face drenched in sweat.

   “Shouldn't you be asleep?”

   He leaned closer to the screen, likely squinting at the darkness behind me that gave the place an abandoned atmosphere.

   “Where are you? I thought you weren't going out after dinner,” he continued.

   “Just came out for a bit of a stroll,” I shrugged, stepping back slightly from the camera to give him a wider view of the city across the river. “What on earth was Min wrapped up in?”

   Jihoon burst out laughing.

   “Ah, you missed out on that one, San. He’s completely gone off his rocker. Made me stay wrapped up in that for nearly two hours last night. All because Junseo made a joke saying that wrapping yourself in tons of blankets makes your body sweat loads, which burns off body fat.”

   I chuckled softly, knowing Minjae was indeed foolish enough to fall for something like that.

   I stared at the city skyline for a moment, turning the screen so Jihoon could see it too.

   “Look at this.”

   “Are you daft, San?” he grumbled. “What are you doing out in the middle of nowhere in the pouring rain?”

   “Relax, I just needed to stretch my legs.”

   “Nervous about the first reunion?” he teased, tossing his black hair back and drawing a deep, visibly exhausted breath.

   “Right, bye, Jih…”

  “Wait! Come on, it was just a harmless joke.”

  I bit back a loose smile, though it was hard to stop my ears from burning.

   “I was actually wondering, jokes aside, how on earth you're going to manage working with him…” he mused. “As far as I remember, you could barely hear his name without getting in a foul mood. How are you going to manage when you have to kiss him?” He glanced around. “If memory serves, the book has quite a few… intimate scenes. Have you thought about how you're going to film all that?”

   I scoffed, as that was precisely what had been consuming my thoughts for the past two months — ever since I signed that bloody contract and Aiko made a point of getting me plastered that very night.

   On the day of the audition, I unexpectedly didn't just test to see if I had a shot at being in the adaptation of Secrets Between Souls; they also informed me about a chemistry read between the potential lead actors.

   Truth be told, Alexei was already confirmed when I went in for my test, taking the place of whoever was supposed to be his co-star until then. As much as I didn't want to steal anyone's spot, I had always been a massive fan of the book, and knowing there was even a sliver of a chance that I could be in its adaptation made me cling to every single crumb of an opportunity I got.

   When I returned to the audition room, instead of unfamiliar eyes and a stranger's face, what met me were those cursed eyes analysing me like a target about to be shot. What was actually a heated row sparked by sudden anger, Lucien—the film’s director—viewed as the natural friction the main characters shared through part of the story.

   I knew that one of the main scenes, and the most anticipated by fans of the book, was the famous rain scene. It was indeed a brilliant scene, and it deserved to be adapted with the same mastery delivered in the script, but bringing it to life was going to be far more difficult.

   “I’m heading back to the hotel, Jih,” I warned, cutting the call before he could ask me anything else.

   I knew Jihoon would spam me with messages afterwards, but there was no point answering when I didn't even have a concrete answer myself.

   I slipped my hands into my pockets as I turned around and headed up the few steps towards the street. The pavement was quiet, though the front of the hotel a few yards away had a bit of movement, with a few cars passing by along the road outside.

   That part of town was bustling, something I hoped would end soon once the estate agent finally handed over the keys to the house I’d be sharing with Aiko for the coming weeks. Just like me, she wasn't keen on the chaos of staying in a hotel, so renting a house for the months of filming was the best way forward.

   Even if my job as a member of NEIGHTZ meant spending hours on stage, dancing to mostly upbeat tracks, and attending meets where a massive crowd was usually expected, nothing compared to the peace of living in a quiet neighbourhood.

   For most of my life, I’d been surrounded by the chaos of being trained for a major group, and I did love that side of it—I had so much fun that sometimes I could feel my inner child smiling in its innocence. However, when that side was naturally hushed, nothing mattered more than my peace in those fleeting moments of solitude.

   Suddenly, right in the middle of the pavement, my foot caught on an unexpected bump. My body pitched forward, sending me face-first into a lamppost. The metallic clang echoed as pain shot through my forehead.

   I couldn't help laughing at myself as I brought a hand to my head, massaging the spot while glancing around to make sure no one had witnessed the embarrassing scene.

  Luckily, nobody saw—nobody except a small dog by the foot of the wall, looking up at me with its head tilted slightly. The dirt on its brown coat was subtle, but its expression clearly said something along the lines of, "Are you an idiot, human?"

   “Don't look at me like that, I only tripped,” I said, crouching down in front of it and cautiously extending a hand towards it.

   I waited for any sign that it might not be as friendly as it looked, but instead of growling, it stepped closer, letting my hand touch its snout.

   “Ah, aren't you a good boy,” I whispered with a low chuckle, watching its large blue eyes pleading for more. “You like that, do you?”

   A warmth spread through my chest, and the small surge of happiness kept me there for a few moments, scanning the surroundings for an owner, given that it smelled quite clean. My fingers brushed against the gold tag dangling from its red collar. Blue.

   “That’s a lovely name…”

   Its fur was damp, but it had the look of a dog that was thoroughly enjoying itself out there. I stood up, looking towards the hotel entrance.

   “Are you hungry?” I asked, as if a dog were going to answer me.

   “San?”

   I squeezed my eyes shut in lamentation, letting out a heavy sigh.

   “He’s watching us, isn't he?” I asked the little dog.

  I turned around to see Kang in his royal-blue pyjamas, a duck-print sleep mask pushed up on his forehea—which hardly suited Kang-min’s size. Standing at nearly 6 foot 2 and pure muscle, Kang had been my personal bodyguard since NEIGHTZ debuted.

   “What are you doing out on the street at this hour?” he asked. “Do you have any idea that… Oh my god, what a cute little dog.”

   In the next instant, Kang was crouched down beside me, beaming as he stroked the apparently lost pup.

   “He’s dead cute, isn't he? Just found him here.”

   Kang looked up at me, his eyes almost disappearing into a cheerful grin, making me chuckle softly. But then, his smile vanished just as quickly.

  “Don't try that, San, don't try to distract me… as adorable as he is.” His gentle voice brought a smile to my face.

   Living up to his reputation as a Golden Retriever trapped in the body of a Korean gorilla—as my fans liked to say—,Kang looked like a giant puppy getting acquainted with a tiny one.

  “Wait here, alright? I’ll go grab some biscuits for him,” I blurted out before he could switch back to bodyguard mode.

   I headed back into the hotel, glancing back at Blue once more to make sure he wouldn't wriggle out of Kang's hands before I returned. I crossed the entrance lobby where the dark flooring lent a grander, cozier feel compared to the white walls, gold trimmings, and polished dark wood.

   Further ahead, in the left-hand corner near the lift, the vending machine had everything from cream biscuits and chocolates to canned fizzy drinks. I pulled my wallet out of my pocket, browsing the glass display until I spotted the honey biscuits I’d seen Aiko buying earlier.

   The machine didn't take long to accept my card payment, and the metal coil turned with a slowness that tested my patience as the packet was pushed forward. And then, it dropped.

   I tore open the packet while crossing the pavement back to where I’d left Blue, but Kang was no longer there. On the contrary, he was walking towards me from the hotel entrance with a proper sour look on his face.

   “He ran off,” he lamented.

  “No way, Kang. How did you let him run off?”

   “It wasn't my fault, he just bolted,” he muttered, shrugging. “Besides, how did you find him? And why weren't you in bed, San?”

  “Stop folding your arms like that, Kang, no need to go all square on me, alright? I just went for a short walk.”

   “You should've called me, you know you can't go wandering off on your own.”

   “I’m an adult, I think I can manage a short walk without you breathing down my neck.”

   “That’s not the point, and you know it,” he argued, making me roll my eyes.

   In the end, I ended up eating the biscuits on the way back to my room, listening to Kang give me a brief lecture on the dangers of roaming the streets of London late at night completely unaccompanied…