A K-Pop Utopia (A Black Kitty Series, Book 2)

Chapter 43: Fool Us Once

Sam's P.O.V:

With Lee now back with us, we managed to get back to the studio, but it wasn't easy to get the guard away from the door. We had to make it look like the rest of us hadn't left. Daniel had to pretend that he needed company to go to the bathroom, and we made our way back into the studio. Lee had to wait for a few minutes before appearing to make it look like she was really coming back to the studio. Now we were all back in the studio, including Seunghoon, who had escorted the guard to the infirmary. He had come in before the rest of us did, and he too had to think of something for him to get in without the guard seeing him. Lisa and Jennie took care of that.

As soon as Lee entered the room, those who had remained behind in the studio were excited to see her.

"Lee, you're back!" Daniel exclaimed with joy as he went over to hug her.

"Wow, you act like you all thought I was dead," Lee said, blushing at the gesture.

"You were running away from Johnny," said Mike. "Of course, we would worry."

"I just hope they have caught him," said Mino. "He really gave us a hell of a time finding you."

"I should've asked," I said as I was seated on the couch, still with the walkie-talkie in my hands.

"Do you think they did?" Jinwoo asked.

"Only one way to..."

Before I could even finish my sentence, the lights went out, then came back on seconds later. We all looked at each other. It looks like the power is back on.

"Well, it's about time," said the studio producer, who is still in the room.

"If they have captured Johnny, won't that mean the lockdown is over?" Seungyoon asked.

"Maybe," said Sam. "We should ask the guard I spoke to on the walkie-talkie."

I held the walkie-talkie in my hand and went on channel 2. "This is Sam; any update on Johnny, over?"

I waited for a response, but all I received was static. Strange. I felt people's eyes on me, wondering what was going on.

"What's going on? Why isn't anyone responding?" Jisoo asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine. I'll try again."

I did just that, and this time around, I received a response:

"This is Kim, over. The suspect, Johnny, hasn't been apprehended, over."

"What do you mean he hasn't been apprehended, over."

"Turns out no one cut the power line; there was just a technical issue, over. Lockdown has been lifted, over."

I sighed before clicking on the walkie-talkie and saying, "Thanks for the update, over and out."

Well, this is interesting, I thought to myself. Johnny didn't cut the power. Everyone around is silent, looking at each other. Many eyes fell on me, as if I knew what all of this meant.

"Okay, what the heck is going?" Zoey asked out loud.

"I'm confused," said Lisa. "Didn't they say someone cut the power?"

"Perhaps it was all just a misunderstanding," said Seungyoon.

"No way. When it comes to Johnny, there's no mistake," said Christine.

"I agree," said Zoey. "Until they come here to give us a reasonable explanation, I'm not going anywhere."

"Yeah, I was chased on one of the floors and a couple of stairs, just to get away from him," said Lee. "There has to be a mistake here."

A knock came at the door, and Yong-guk told whomever it was to come in. The door flew open, and the guard came in with Collins and Yang Hyun-suk behind him.

"I would like to inform all of you that the lockdown has been lifted, and you're all free to move about," said the guard with such courtesy.

Most of us in the room didn't know how to respond to that when we had already received the news. A few of us responded in relief, pretending that all was normal. However, many weren't afraid to show their discontent.

The guard excused himself and left the room. The two managers looked at each of us, and something told me they could feel something wrong in the air.

"I hear the song is ready," said Yang Hyun-suk. "But you all look like you've just received the worst news of your lives."

I remembered that I held the walkie-talkie in my hand and soon hid it behind me after turning it off. The last thing they need is for us to be caught when The Toxins made a promise to Collins that we wouldn't do anything stupid.

"Nothing; they are exhausted," said Lee. "You know how hard they've had to work."

"And there was the issue of the power cut. I hope that wasn't much of a drawback."

"Not really," Seungyoon answered.

"Well, it was when we heard that Johnny might have done it," said Zoey as she twirled strands of her hair in an absent-minded fashion.

I wasn't the only one who gave Zoey a look, telling her to keep her mouth shut. Lee, Mino, and Mike also did the same.

"Oh, yes," said Collins. "When the electricians went to look at the problem, they were informed that one of the workers saw someone near the main power source and made the assumption that it was they who did it. But they later discovered that no one tampered with it."

"What?" all of us muttered.

"Yep, so there's nothing to worry about," said Yang Hyun-suk.

I can't believe this, and I shake my head in disbelief. I looked at Lee, and she had her eyes on me. Likewise, I wonder what she's thinking. Will she tell them that Johnny actually chased her down the stairs? Would they even believe her? They wouldn't take it lightly, that's for sure. But who knows?

"But didn't they say someone matched Johnny's description?" Rose asked.

"Yes, but all that was cleared up," said Yang Hyun-suk. "I hear he came here with G-Dragon, correct? One of the workers must have mistaken him for an imposter when he was only heading for the men's room and got lost on the ground floor."

I still can't believe this. Have we been played here?

We went back to looking at each other. I was expecting one of us to open up and explain that what has just been explained to us isn't what we know. But none of us dared to open our mouths, not even Lee.

"I think he did it," said Zoey, not afraid to speak her mind.

"Well, we really can't start pointing fingers when many of us weren't even there," said Yang Hyun-suk.

We continue throwing looks back and forth. Someone has to say something. But then that would mean us Toxins getting into trouble with Collins. The only one who could say anything is Lee. But looking at the situation, I don't think she's going to.

"We should just get on with it and listen to the song," said Yong-guk. "We've been here for a really long time, and a lot of us would want to get some fresh air."

"Oh, yes, we really should," I said, thankful for Yong-guk for breaking what would've been an endless cycle of trying to accuse Johnny.

"But wait," Zoey pointed out, but Christine, who stood next to her, held her shoulder, warning her not to say anything.

"You were trying to say something, Zoey?" Collins asked.

"Nothing," Zoey said, shaking her head. "I wanted to go out for some fresh air, if that's okay."

"You may," said Yang Hyun-suk. "Being cooped up in here for so long isn't good for you. We'll listen to the song just fine."

"I'll follow," said Christine. It's for the best that Zoey has someone with her. Right now, I'm scared she will leave the premises and look for Johnny herself.

Apparently, many wanted to get out for some fresh air. That only left me, Yong-guk, and Mike behind with the managers and the producer. Lee also thought it was best to leave under the pretense that she wanted to get us something to eat. As much as I wanted to get out, I had to stay in case anything happened.

Twenty minutes later, the managers had listened to the song for almost the fourth time. I wonder why they did so, because they left Yong-guk, Mike, and me a little nervous. Did they not like it? Doing it all over again isn't doing us any favours. The rest of BTW is already downtrodden as it is.

"The song is perfect," said Yang Hyun-suk as he turned in his chair to look at the three of us who stood behind him and Collins. "I couldn't stop listening to it, and that's why I kept repeating it."

My heart felt like it would give way after what I'd just heard. This is great. Yong-guk gave a sigh of relief. Mike punched the air in triumph.

"You all still have a lot of work to do," said Collins, turning to face us. "If we didn't have a delay with the power cut, I would've liked that the three of you worked with the song-writers for the remaining four songs."

"The day is pretty much over," said Yang Hyun-suk. "So I suggest we leave that for tomorrow, though we would need a lot of your effort, not only from you three but the rest of BTW. That means we'll need you all here early in the morning."

"That's fine," I said. "We need to tackle the album as quickly as possible."

"That will be all," said Yang Hyun-suk, standing up from his seat. "We'll meet tomorrow. Make sure to inform the others."

"Of course we will," said Mike.

After the two managers had left, the three of us left the studio, with the studio producer heading downstairs. We didn't use the elevator in fear of what happened earlier with the power.

"What a day it has been, huh?" the producer asked.

"Yeah," said Mike as he scratched his head. "After finding out that Johnny didn't pull the power, it still surprises me."

"I can imagine how everyone is coping with this," said Yong-guk.

"Well, they just have to suck it in and forget about it. We've got more stressful things to worry about," I pointed out.

After going down a few floors, the producer stopped on one of them, saying that he had to stay behind in his office to take care of a few things before calling it a day. We said our goodbyes to him as we continued our way to the ground floor. I wonder if the others are out there like they said they would, getting some fresh air.

We reach the ground floor, and it's pretty much empty except for the receptionist, who waved at us when we reached the desk. We waved back, and just as we're about to make our way out through the door, we find Seungyoon and Mino seated on the comfortable couches of the waiting area, each having a cup of vanilla ice cream with sprinkles.

"Hey, guys, you were going to miss out on the ice cream," said Mino when he spotted us.

"Where did you get them?" Mike asked. "I now feel the urge for something to cool me down."

"Outside," Seungyoon answered. "Lee thought it best that we get something to cheer us up. An ice cream man just happened to be passing by."

"See you guys later," said Mike as he rushed out of the lobby at top speed. I'm surprised that he doesn't look the least bit tired.

"How is Zoey doing?" I asked Seungyoon and Mino.

"She's upset, as usual," said Mino as he took a spoonful of ice cream and looked at it. "We all are. But for her, you already know how she is."

"For a minute there, I thought you were going to say that she almost left the premises to look for Johnny."

Seungyoon and Mino shared a nervous look. "Goodness, she did, didn't she?" I asked.

"Well, it took Christine and Daniel to stop her," Seungyoon answered. "Daniel had to be the fastest to block her from reaching the gate."

I held my forehead. Now I'm the one who needs ice cream.

As though reading my expression, Yong-guk said, "Let's step outside."

I agreed with him and started to make our way out. Seungyoon and Mino got up and followed.

We found ourselves in the parking lot and had our eyes fixed on the gate, where the rest of BTW and Lee stood beside an ice truck. What a nice time to have ice cream, I thought. We soon joined them, and Lee was the first to notice us coming.

"Ah, Sam, Yong-guk, just in time for some ice cream," she said. She had her ice cream in a cup as well, strawberry flavour. "What flavour would you two like?"

"Chocolate," Yong-guk and I answered at the same time.

"Ooh, you both like the same flavour," said Jisoo. She had an ice cream cone, caramel-flavoured.

"Pssh," said Seunghoon, who was by the vending window of the ice cream truck getting ice cream for everyone to go around. "I like chocolate too."

"But didn't you order mint and chocolate?" Jinwoo asked.

Seunghoon punched Jinwoo on the shoulder. A few of us laughed.

"I'll get mine on a cone," I noted. Yong-guk also agreed to the same. The ice cream man gave a nod of his head and went on ahead to make more ice cream.

I turned to look at Zoey, who stood with Christine, Lisa, and Rose as they licked their ice cream cones. She looks calm. But then again, she's unpredictable.

"How is Zoey?" I asked Lee, who came to stand next to me.

"She's calm, for now," Lee answered. "Christine and the other girls haven't left her side after she tried to walk out of the premises."

"We just need to keep an eye on her. Oh, and before I forget," I now addressed everyone around me. "Tomorrow, the managers want us all here early. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"But did they like the song?" Lisa asked.

"Your manager liked it so much that he scared us by repeating it four times without saying a word," said Mike, as he had his blue moon ice cream in a cone. He licked it afterwards.

"They didn't ask why we were acting weird, did they?" Daniel asked.

"No, they didn't," Yong-guk answered. "All they said was that we do our best tomorrow. And that means forgetting what happened with Johnny."

No one spoke for a moment. Right now, we all don't know what to believe. Did Johnny really cut the power? But he chased Lee on the stairs, so what's there to expect? As usual, someone broke the silence.

"I'm sorry, but I still think he did it," said Zoey, going on to lick her ice cream.

"Of course he did," said Lee. "He chased me down the stairs."

"Why didn't you say anything, Lee?" Zoey asked. "We would've put all of this to bed."

Zoey sounded unreasonably calm, and I don't think I'm the only one who noticed. Everyone had their eyes on her, giving her their full attention.

"The fact that I didn't contact them in the first place will raise questions," said Lee. "And something tells me that if we were to bring Johnny here to question him, he might well defend himself and say that he had been in the underground car park the whole time."

"I don't think so," said Mino, who was almost done with his ice cream. "I think you should've said something all the same. He chased you down the stairs, for goodness sakes."

"Yeah, but did he cut the power?" I asked. "I agree with Lee. Something wasn't going to add up if we did tell them."

"Elaborate," said Zoey as she raised an eyebrow.

Before I could say anything, Seunghoon passed down my ice cream and Yong-guk's. I thanked the ice cream man as he gave a small bow before turning away to clean near the ice cream machine.

"For starters, how did Johnny know where to find the power source?" I first asked. "Usually such places are closed off to anyone unless you're an electrician or something. So how did he get there?"

"He must have broken in," Lisa answered.

"If he did, then someone would've seen him through the security camera before the lights went out. But it turns out that all of that was an electrical fault. Maybe he found a way of dodging the cameras, and if not, then we should assume it was nothing but a normal fault."

I could hear a few grunts. I can't blame them. But we had to be logical here and try to understand what's going on.

"I think you're right," said Yong-guk. "But what I don't understand is how they thought someone had cut the power and gave out a description similar to Johnny's."

"True, that's one thing I can't get my head around," said Mike.

"We can always ask the guards," said Jennie.

"Yeah, but I don't think it's a good idea," said Jinwoo.

"They might not tell us anything," said Seungyoon. "Since it's all been rectified as a mistake, they wouldn't want to answer any questions, especially from us."

"I'm wondering how Johnny managed to pull this off and get away like nothing happened," I said as I licked my ice cream. The ice-cold rush to my head made me remember something, and I soon snapped my fingers.

"Has anyone tried to call G-Dragon?" I asked.

"I did, and he didn't pick up," Zoey answered. "Maybe he's trying to act normal while he's still with Johnny."

"Just like Sam, I wonder how he got away after we informed the guards where to find him," said Mino.

"Maybe it was then that they clarified it wasn't him," said Yong-guk.

"Or perhaps all this is mistaken identity, and the person who did it is still out there," Daniel suggested.

"You think he didn't do it alone?" Mike asked.

Daniel shook his head. "I think so. He had to have some help, didn't he?"

"Huh, I didn't think about that," I said, thinking of the possibility that Daniel might be right.

"But who helped him, because it surely wasn't G-Dragon," said Seunghoon.

"What if he did?" Zoey asked, her eyes widening as though she had finally realized something. "If he was, he's going to hear from me."

"I don't think so," said Rose. "Why would he do it?"

We all remained silent for a while, thinking it over. If you ask me, we shouldn't be thinking too much. Whether he did it or not, Johnny is somewhere riding along with G-Dragon, enjoying the last rays of sun for the day.

"I think we all need to get back and rest," said Lee. She pulled out her phone. We've got a long day tomorrow, and the sooner you go and rest, the better."

"Yeah, we better be hitting the road," said Lisa. "Whatever has happened, has happened. This message solely goes out to you, Zoey."

Zoey had finished the last bit of her ice cream cone when she looked at Lisa. "I know, I know," she said. "You people worry about me too much. I'm not going to do anything stupid."

"We'll keep an eye on her," Christine assured Lisa.

The BlackPink members made their way back into the YG premises after saying their goodbyes, as did the WINNER members. After Yong-guk and I finished our ice creams, he also took his leave. The five of us Toxins with Lee went back into the YG premises and waved at the BlackPink members as their car drove by, as did the other car with WINNER.

We were just heading to our car when I remembered something.

"Lee, do you know where the infirmary is?" I asked.

"Yes, I do," she answered. "Why?"

"Let's go and see how the guard is doing. We left a little parcel with him too. Anyone want to come?"

The rest of The Toxins agreed to follow, and Lee led us back into the YG building. She led us to the floor where the infirmary is. We found the guard, and he seems to be doing much better.

"It's just a sprain; it will heal," he informed us as he sat on one of the beds in the room. The place is pretty much empty except for the nurse available, who is looking through a cabinet in the corner of the room.

"And what about the kitty?" Zoey asked.

"Kitty?" Daniel asked. Mike and Lee also looked confused.

"While we were looking for Lee, we stumbled upon a kitten," I answered.

"Don't worry, I didn't forget," said the guard as he pointed to the floor. Our eyes spotted a cardboard box under the bed. Mike bent down to pull it out, and there in it lay the black kitten. It stared nervously at Mike.

"I hope it wasn't much trouble," I said as Mike lifted the box.

"It didn't even make a sound," said the nurse as she passed us to head to the door. "And there were many people in here at some point, but it kept to itself. Pets aren't allowed in here."

"We were told," said Zoey. "I wonder how it got here."

"I guess we will never know," I said. "By the way," I turned to the guard, "did you hear that Johnny wasn't the culprit?"

"I did. I've got to say, I still don't believe it," the guard answered.

"That's what we think too," said Mike.

"Do you think they must have made a mistake?" Daniel asked.

"Well, we were told that there was a person who matched Johnny's description," explained the guard. "But it turns out that Johnny had gotten lost somehow and found himself heading to the hall where the power source is. So when one of the workers found him, they must have thought after the power went out that it was him who did it. You know, you can never be certain with foreigners. But when they checked the source, for starters, the room was locked, and they found out that the connections were faulty by accident and forgot to inform the security guards on time until later on."

"So, you guys were on a wild goose chase for the wrong person?" Lee asked.

"Seems so. The locked door and the faulty wires add up. Johnny couldn't have gone in there without a key to begin with."

"Then what about him chasing Lee down the stairs?" Mike asked.

"Probably he did that just for fun," Daniel answered, shrugging his shoulders. "He does love to do that sometimes. And I bet he pretended to be lost after the guards found him."

"Well, I guess that clears things up," I said. "It's best we head back to the hotel."

"I should be heading out too," said the guard as he stood. "Because of the little accident, I've been given some free time off today."

"Alright, maybe we will see you tomorrow," said Lee.

We bade farewell to the guard, not forgetting to hand back his walkie-talkie, and went downstairs to the car park with Mike carrying the kitten in the box. The others couldn't help but admire how adorable it looked.

When we got in the car and the driver took us back to the hotel, we couldn't help but debate whether Collins would be okay with us taking care of it. We would probably not go back home to the U.S. with it, but it will be nice to have a pet around for the time being.

We got to the hotel at five in the evening, and we were tired as hell. When we got to our floor, Lee made sure we went straight to our rooms. Zoey and I took the kitten out of the box and placed it at the foot of my bed. I made myself a mental note to order some milk in the evening for the kitten to have.

"I'm so tired," said Zoey as she lay down on her bed after removing her shoes.

"Same here," I said as I had a long, blue scarf in my hands that I got from my suitcase and folded it to make a pleasant, warm resting place for the kitten. I knelt beside the box as I did so.

"You still think Johnny cut the power, right?" Zoey asked.

"I don't know," I answered as I lifted the kitten and placed it on top of the scarf. I made sure to make it more like a nest so that it was covered on all sides. "After hearing the explanation the guard gave us, we might have been wrong all along."

"I don't think so." Zoey leaned up on her elbow to look at me. "He did it. And as much as you want to deny it, you know he did it."

"I didn't say he did." I stood up from the floor, shaking my head. "Let's rest, Zoey, okay? If we keep talking about this, my head is going to explode."

Zoey sighed. "You're right. I'm starting to feel my head too."

I sit on my bed and remove my shoes. Afterwards, I laid down, and it didn't take me a minute to fall right into the abyss of sleep.

***

I slowly opened my eyes, and I didn't have to look at the window to know that it was nighttime. I turned and groped around for my phone, which I'm sure I had left beside me. Lucky enough, I grab hold of it and bring it close to my face to check the time. It's almost eight. Supper will be brought up anytime soon.

I sit up and try to rub off the sleep in my eyes. Likewise, I yawn as I stretch out my arms. I turn to see if Zoey is awake. She has herself covered with the sheets and is facing the other way. It's best that I don't disturb her.

I get out of bed and go to the bathroom to relieve myself, but not before looking into the box at the foot of the bed to see the kitten also fast asleep.

After I came out of the bathroom, I decided to go to the lounge and make a call downstairs to the kitchen to bring in something for the kitten as they brought our supper.

I go to the lobby, and I find Lee sitting on the couch with her laptop on her lap. I wonder what she could be looking at.

"Hey, there, sleepy head," she said when she noticed me standing there. "I didn't expect you to be awake at this time."

"Me neither," I replied as I slowly approached. "I wanted to make a call to the kitchen to bring in some milk for the kitten."

"I already did that. I called them a few minutes ago, and they will be up here any minute now. Why don't you wake the others up?"

"Will do." Before I turn around to go back into the hall, I look at Lee and ask, "Is Collins back yet?"

Lee shook her head. "Not yet. Just like you, he's also working hard to push this album forward. But he'll be here. I called him a few minutes ago."

"Okay. I'll go wake the others up."

I slowly make my way back to the room to wake Zoey up first. Likewise, I approach her bed and call out to her:

"Zoey, wake up. Dinner will be here soon."

Zoey didn't budge. She must be deep asleep, like she always is when she's tired. I call out to her again, but there is no reply or movement. I groaned as I came closer to her bed and grabbed hold of the bed covers.

"Come on, Zoey, I'm not kidding," I said, and I pulled aside the bed covers.

"What the-?" There are clothes and bedsheets under the covers. Zoey isn't here.

"Zoey?" I call out as I look around the room, hoping for her to appear from under the bed, but this isn't a prank. I rush over to the bathroom. There's no sign of her.

"Goodness, where could she be?" I wonder as I walk out of the bathroom.

I looked over at her bed, and a terrifying thought soon came to mind. As I made my way out of the room, I called out to Lee:

"Lee! Lee, we've a problem."

I appear in the lounge, and Lee already has her eyes on me.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's Zoey. She's gone," I tell her.

"What do you mean she's gone?" Lee asked, looking utterly confused.

"She's not in the room, and she put a bundle of her clothes on to make it look like she was fast asleep."

Lee put aside her laptop and stood. "This is bad. You don't think she's done this because of what happened."

"Of course she has. I should've kept my eye on her."

"What we need to do is inform security and ask if they saw her. Wake up the others; that's if they all haven't gone with her."

I quickly rush out of the lounge towards the other rooms, my mind buzzing. Zoey is putting us in a whole other dilemma with the stunt she's pulled. I only hope she hasn't done anything stupid. Yet.

Upon entering the room Christine is in, I find her sitting up on her bed, looking sleepy. Good, she's here and not with Zoey.

"Hey, Sam," she said after yawning. "Is everything alright?"

"No, I need you in the lounge right now," I answered. We've got an emergency."

I quickly go to the boys' room, and I find them still asleep. I wake them up and tell them to come over to the lounge. They aren't happy with the way I wake them up, but they slowly come out of bed, saying they will be there.

I make my way back to the lounge, and Lee is just getting off the phone, probably from talking to security.

"They haven't seen her," she said before I could even ask the question. "She must have slipped by in some disguise."

My hand flies to my head, and I can't help but wonder where she could be.

***

Narrator's P.O.V:

Zoey pulls the hoodie over her head and sighs in relief. Leaving the hotel was a big deal, and she managed to pull it off with a simple disguise of wearing the hood of her black jumper over her head and big, black sunglasses to hide her face. She looked out the car window as the car continued its way to downtown Seoul, hoping that the others hadn't figured out that she wasn't in the hotel yet.

"Sam won't be mad at me if she knows that you're with me, right?" Mino asked.

Zoey looked at him in the driver's seat. "She would be mad at me the most," she answered. "Just get me where I've got to go, and I'll do the rest."

Mino raised an eyebrow and gave her a brief glance. "Are you sure?"

"Definitely. I've got to deal with this on my own."

A brief silence passed between them until Mino said, "No, I'm coming with you. If anything were to happen to you, Sam and Lee will never forgive me."

"Are you really scared of Sam that much?" Zoey almost laughed.

"No. Well, maybe a little. It's just that I don't want to disappoint her, you know? Taking you out of the hotel is already enough, don't you think?"

"Wait, do you like Sam?"

Mino blushes a little, his eyes focused on the road. "No," he nervously replies. "She's great and all, but... you're different."

Zoey can't believe what she's hearing, and she immediately feels her face start to heat up. She looks back in front and clears her throat.

"Are we almost there?" she asks, acting like all is normal.

"In five minutes. Don't you think you should've come with Sam or the others?"

"No. I know I can handle it. Besides, it won't be the first time I'm doing this alone." Zoey turned to smile at Mino. "I'll be fine."