Lami: "Did you see Koeun unnie on your way in?" she asked their manager as he walked in to put the girls' bags away.
Manager: "Yea, she's making a phone call right now" he casually said.
Hina: "Manager-nim!" she shouted, which startled him.
Manager: "What the-- you scared me with your loud voice!" he said to her.
Hina: "Why did you let her use your phone?!"
Manager: "I let you use my phone whenever you need to call your parents too" he responded thinking she was jealous that Koeun was using his phone.
Herin: "That's not it, manager-nim. There are some... malicious comments that... netizens have been making online regarding Koeun-unnie" she calmly informed him.
Manager: "What does that have to do with her using my---" he stopped himself. "Ohhhhh noooo" he realized what he just did.
Hina: "I'm going to go down to look for Koeun unnie just to make sure she's okay" she stormed out the door, followed by Herin and their manager.
Manager: "Lami-ya, stay here! Let us know if Koeun comes back" he told her as she guarded the door.
Running all over the dorm, Herin bumps into Mark who is coming out of their side of the dorm to take the trash out.
Herin: "So sorry, Mark oppa" she apologized for making him drop the trash bag.
Mark: "That's okay" he assured her. "What are you doing out here at this time of the night?" he asked her.
Herin: "I'm looking for---" but then she stopped herself. She knew very well that if she were to tell Mark why she was running around the place- that he'd go ballistic looking for Koeun as well.
Mark: "For...?"
Herin: "I'm looking for... for..." she paused to think, "for my hair accessory" she finally said.
Mark: "Need some help? What does it look like?" he asked.
Herin: "It's okay, it's old anyway. I'll just... buy a new one" she insisted.
Mark: "But you're out here looking for it. I'm sure it's important to you" he said. "C'mon, I'll help you look for it" he dumped the trash bag. "Where did you last see it or have it on?"
Herin: "No, no-- I mean it. No use of finding it anymore" she felt stupid since her lie had backfired.
Mark: "We'll look for it together" he insisted again. "Let's start with the garden" he smiled before walking towards the front of the dorms.
Herin followed behind, not knowing what to say or do because she knew she wasn't looking for her hair bracket but instead Koeun. After a few minutes of finding nothing, Mark insisted they look around at the back where the gazebo was but Herin couldn't take it anymore.
Herin: "It's not there!" she stopped him.
Mark: "What do you mean?"
Herin: "I- I mean... I already looked back there. It's not there either" she lied.
Mark: "Oh, okay..." he put his hands on his hips and wondered where they could possibly find it next. "Maybe you dropped it in the car?"
Herin: "Yeah, yeah I probably did. I'll look for it again tomorrow. You should go inside now" she didn't want him to find out that Koeun was missing.
Mark: "What about you? How come you're not going in?" he smiled at her.
Herin: "Eoh? Oh... I will. I mean, I am. I'm going right now" she lied again as she slowly started to walk towards the girls' dormitory.
Mark: "See you tomorrow at practice" he waved to her as he walked into the boys' dormitory.
Herin felt bad for lying to Mark... but she knew that if he knew Koeun was missing- he'd freak out and that would only hurt Herin more. Why couldn't he see through me and understand my feelings for him? she thought to herself as she was about to head back into the girls' dorm.
Manager: "Find her yet?" he asked as he approached Herin from the side.
Herin: "Find who?" she was startled.
Manager: "Koeun" he rolled his eyes.
Herin: "Ah, Koeun-unnie..." she snapped out of her zoned thoughts. "No, not yet. I'll try the back again" she said but not before she realized Mark was standing in front of her.
Mark: "Find who now?" he asked Herin as she was startled to see him not having gone back inside yet.
Herin: "Oppa..." her eyes wandered to avoid eye contact.
Manager: "Mark, it's a good thing you're here! Have you seen Koeun around?" he asked, trying to catch his breath.
Mark: "Isn't she in the dorm?"
Manager: "We were on our way up and she asked to see my phone. She told me she wanted to call her parents so I lent it to her. Then the girls told me that there have been malicious rumors of Koeun spreading online---" he started to weep. "We can't find Koeun right now... and with all of the negative comments about her-- I'm so scared she might do something stupid" he wept.
Mark: "She's not like that. She's not stupid enough to hurt herself" he assured the manager. "I'll look for her too. Where have you guys tried already?" he asked.
Manager: "Front, back, alley, basement... no where. We even went up to the rooftop in case... but she wasn't up there either" he cried. "Koeun-ah, where are you????" he called out to her.
Mark: "Did you try calling your phone?"
Manager: "It went straight to voice mail"
Mark: "I'll go down the street just in case" he told the manager. "You guys try the other end" he instructed.
Manager: "Okay, be careful! There are a lot of cars out tonight" he yelled.
Herin: "Oppa!" she called out to Mark as he was about to turn the corner.
Mark: "Hair accessory, huh?" he shot her a dead glare.
Herin's heart broke in pieces. Mark has never-- NEVER-- ever glared at her, let alone get mad at her. He was always smiling, kind, and always took her side no matter what. She felt stupid for lying... but she didn't realize her lie would backfire like this. Tears rolled down Herin's cheeks as she witnessed Mark turn the corner and ran off to find Koeun.
Manager: "What are you doing, still standing there?! C'mon!!" he shouted to her from behind.
Herin: "Coming, manager-nim" she managed to respond, wiping away her tears and following after her manager to find Koeun on the other end of the road.
**
As Mark roamed the street, he realized it would be easier to spot Koeun since not too many people were out that night. Looking around and running around like a maniac, Mark didn't hesitate to call out Koeun's name just in case she would hear him.
As he stops at the corner of a stop light, he looks across the street and sees Koeun standing at the opposite side- waiting to cross.
Mark: "EUN-AHHHH" he called loudly as his voice echoed the edges of the neighborhood.
Koeun, who had just came back from the convenience store, looked surprised seeing Mark stand opposite of her.
Mark: "Koeun-ah!" he shouted again as cars passed by. "Stay there, I'll come to you!" he shouted.
With the loud traffic, Koeun found it difficult to hear him. She takes one more step forward, closer to the edge of the sidewalk to shout back at him.
Koeun: "What??? I can't hear you!!" she shouted.
Mark: "Stay there!!" he shouted to her.
Koeun: "What in the world is he saying? And why is he here at this time of the night??" she asked herself out loud.
Mark grew more and more impatient having to wait for the crosswalk light to come on. As he stood nervously, he made sure to keep an eye on Koeun who just might walk away.
Koeun waited patiently for the crosswalk light to come on as she stood on the edge of the sidewalk. Just as she took one last look at Mark, who looks like he's going crazy across the street, she hears a yelp coming from the alley way.
Turning around to see who it is, she realized an elderly lady had tripped over and her bag of groceries had fallen out of her hands. Running towards the elderly lady, she helps her up and asks if she's okay.
Ahjumma: "My potatoes..." she sat up in pain after twisting her leg, pointing to her bag of potatoes that were busy rolling down the alley way and into the busy street.
Koeun: "I'll go grab them" she assured the lady as she ran down the little hill to catch all of the potatoes. She was able to grab the bag before it spilled onto the street but one happened to roll out of the bag.
Thinking of leaving it since it was too close to the streets, she brought back the rest of the potatoes to the ahjumma who thanked her over and over.
Halmoni: "Aigoo, thank you young lady! I'm so glad you were able to grab the bag of potatoes" she expressed her gratitude to Koeun.
Koeun: "My pleasure" she smiled. "You must really like potatoes" she laughed as the ahjumma didn't seem to care about her other bags but this one.
Halmoni: "My grandchildren..." she said. "My grandchildren love these potatoes. I traveled all the way to Hongcheon to pick these for my babies" she smiled proudly. "One for each grandchild" she smiled.
Then it hit Koeun. She remembered the last potato that rolled down to the street earlier. Wanting to make sure each grandchild had the potatoes that their hardworking grandmother put effort into picking- Koeun decided she wanted to go back and try to get that last potato.
Koeun: "Halmoni, stay here. Don't move, okay?" she said.
Halmoni: "Oh, okay..." she sat up confused yet happy that Koeun was able to save her bag of potatoes for her.
Across the street, Mark was still waiting for the crosswalk light to come on. Wondering why it was taking so long to finally cross, he realized he hadn't pressed the button on the light pole yet. If traffic wasn't so busy- Mark would've just crossed over.
Earlier he had seen Koeun run down the hill a little to grab some kind of bag but wasn't sure what was going on. Continuing to wait patiently, he sees Koeun running back down the hill again. Wondering what she was up to this time, he stood there and watched.
Seeing Koeun try to jump in the middle of traffic made him misunderstand that she was probably trying to end her life.
Mark: "KOEUN-AH" he shouted for her, hoping she'd hear him and stop whatever it was she was going to do.
As soon as he was going to just cross over without waiting for the light anymore- the crosswalk light finally came on. Running across the street, Mark rushed his way and ran towards Koeun who finally was able to walk into stopped traffic to grab that last potato.
As soon as she grabbed a hold of the potato, she smiled and turned around just in time to face Mark who pulled her back onto the sidewalk before traffic started again. Mark pulled her so hard, her face hit his shoulder blade as he embraced her- relieved that he had 'saved her' in time.
After what felt like a few minutes too long, Mark let go of Koeun and started to scold her for everything that's happened in the past fifteen minutes of him looking for her.
Mark: "Why would you do that?!" he scolded her. "I didn't see you as someone this weak, Koeun-ah! If I hadn't been here--"
Koeun: "What are you talking about?" she stopped him. "I'm confused!"
Mark: "I know you are and I can't stop stupid people from spreading false, malicious content about you online but that's just bullshit, okay?! You are so much more than that and it would be a waste to see you end your life over some dumb comments online!"
Koeun: "Are you finished?" she looked at him hopelessly.
Mark: "No, I'm not. I'm going to make sure you understand that it doesn't matter what other people have to say about you. What matters is that you know there will be those who are jealous of you and will throw hate on you no matter what but in the end, there are those who love you for who you are and will always continue to be here for you through thick and thin!" he concluded.
Koeun: "Okay..." she patted him on his arms for the inspirational speech he just gave her. "Now are you done?" she asked him again.
Mark: "Yeah... yeah, I guess I am" he blinked numerous times.
Koeun: "Good. Now, if you would excuse me... I need to get this potato back to the halmoni who is waiting for me" she lightly breaks out of his embrace to run up the hill and back to the elderly lady.
Following behind, Mark realized Koeun wasn't trying to end her life by jumping into traffic but instead trying to grab the potato that the elderly lady dropped.
Halmoni: "So that's what all of the yelling and shouting was about..." she chuckled after seeing Koeun and Mark in front of her. "Thank you for putting yourself in danger just to grab me my last potato" she caressed Koeun's hair. "You are such a beautiful young soul... I wish for only good things to happen to you, sweet child" she handed the potato back to Koeun.
Koeun: "Eoh? But what about your--"
Halmoni: "They have more than enough in here..." she pointed to her bag. "So you keep that potato for you" she smiled at Koeun before proceeding to walk up the alley.
**
Mark and Koeun slowly walked back to their dorms together. Every time Koeun kept looking down at the potato in her hand, she'd think about the words the halmoni said to her. Remembering these encouraging words, Koeun would smile every time.
Mark: "Damn it" he finally broke the awkward silence.
Koeun: "What is it?" she asked.
Mark: "Her speech was way more motivational than mine" he chuckled.
Koeun: "It sure was" she laughed.
Mark: "I'm happy to see that you're a lot more strong than you seem to be" he said to her.
Koeun: "We've gotta be, right? I mean, not everyone is gonna like you..." she responded.
Mark: "I knew it" he said.
Koeun: "Knew what?" she turned to face him as they continued to walk.
Mark: "That you wouldn't do anything stupid" he said.
Koeun: "Ha, yea... sure you did" she rolled her eyes- reminding him of how he thought she was trying to jump into traffic a while ago.
Turning the corner, Koeun hesitated on thanking Mark for caring... but she didn't know how to say it. Just as she is about to speak up, she sees Hina and their manager running towards them.
Hina: "Unnie!!!!!!" she hugged Koeun so tight, she felt like she had no more air to breathe.
Koeun: "Okay, okay... I'm alright. I'm alright" she assured Hina who just wasn't letting go.
Hina: "I really thought you were gonna--- oh, you know..." she wept.
Koeun: "I will if you don't let me go right now... I can't even breathe" she managed to deliver her words with very little air supply.
Hina: "Oh, right. Right.. Sorry unnie" she laughed as she finally let go. "But don't you ever go missing like that again" she pouted.
Koeun: "Oh my god, how many times do I have to explain? I didn't go missing. I just ran to the corner store" she told them.
Manager: "Then why didn't you answer my phone?" he asked, still worried.
Koeun: "Yeah, about that manager-nim..." she pulled out his phone. "You had like 13% left of battery so it died along the way" she handed it to him.
Manager: "I'm just glad you're okay, you little punk!!" he expressed happily. "Alright, since Koeun's now found and is safe- let's all get to bed. It's already..." he checks the time "ALREADY 10:38 PM!! Alright, get inside. Go, go, go! Early practice tomorrow morning" he instructed them.
Walking into the dorm, Lami and the others welcomed Koeun back happily but Hina explained and they all started to laugh about the misunderstanding. Still, each girl offered their support and told Koeun to not mind the netizens out there.
After washing up, Koeun returned to her room to find her cellphone on her drawer with a note from Hina who had returned it to her. On the note, Hina encourages Koeun to cheer up and know that Hina will always be with her no matter what. Upon reading this, Koeun smiles and then thinks about what Mark had to say to her earlier.
Koeun powers on her phone and attempts to text Mark but doesn't find the courage in herself to. She ponders and hesitates but then finds herself pressing letters before she knew it:
Koeun: *text* "You asleep yet?"
Mark: *text* "Why aren't you?"
Koeun: *text* "Just checking..."
Mark: *text* "Well, I'm heading to bed. Used up all of my energy looking for someone tonight 😅" he teased.
Koeun: *text* "Punk"
Mark: *text* "Ha ha, go to bed Koeun-ah"
Koeun: *text* "Mark-ah"
Mark: *text* "What's up?"
Koeun: *text* "Regarding tonight, I'm sorry for making you worried... and.. and thank you.. for everything you said to me. It means a lot to me"
Mark couldn't believe his eyes. Koeun was finally starting to open up. Just seeing her apologize and thank him made him smile behind that screen of his.
Mark: *text* "That's what I'm here for. I'll always be here for you" he wrote to her.
Koeun's heart fluttered seeing Mark's text message in response to hers. She wondered if she had been too mean or too distant from him lately... She felt selfish. Yes, she was pretending to ignore Mark so that she wouldn't hurt Herin... but she knew that was being selfish to Mark and herself as well.
Suddenly, Koeun remembered the words Mark had said to her the day he confessed his feelings for her. She knew she liked him back.. but why? Why was she going to just let Herin's feelings be in the way of how she feels for Mark? She's trying not to hurt Herin... but she's hurting Mark and more importantly- herself.
Koeun: *text* "I have something I've been meaning to tell you..."
Mark: *text* "What's that?" he was curious.
Koeun: *text* "Meet me in the practice room early tomorrow morning... before everyone else gets there"
Mark: *text* "That urgent, huh? Got it. I'll see you tomorrow. Now, rest up, Kari"
Koeun: *text* "I'm gonna kill you for calling me that again" she threatened.
Mark: *text* "Ha ha, good night to you too" he concluded their text.
That night, they both went to bed with a peaceful mind and couldn't wait to meet up together the next morning.