Chapter 15

We ended up at a quiet café where I reluctantly sat down in front of him and allowed the waitress to take our orders.

“What do you want?” I asked him.

“I warned you, didn’t I? I told you that your relationship with Hee Chul had to end, and what is this you’re doing now?” he said.

“I don’t know what you mean. I told you there was nothing happening between me and Hee Chul. Why is that so hard to believe?”

“Then tell me why you aren’t on that plane now?”

“My presence wasn’t needed and someone had to stay here with Hee Chul,” I said.

“He has a PA for that.”

“I’m his friend. That is all.”

“Your actions say otherwise. I’ve already spoken to the management. As soon as the MKMF is over, your services are no longer required.”

“What?”

“Your last job is to choreograph their performance for the MKMF, after which you will cease to be an employee with SM Entertainment.”

“You can’t do that! There are no grounds for my dismissal,” I exclaimed.

“Are you sure? Are you sure you have nothing to do with any member of Super Junior? We can have you watched, Sierra, and if we find that you have been socializing in an inappropriate manner with any of our artistes, we have the right to dismiss you, without notice.”

“You can’t do this…” I said.

“I suggest you submit your notice, do a good job with the MKMF, and perhaps we might even write you a nice testimonial so that you can get a job elsewhere.”

“What about my work permit?” I asked him.

“The next company that hires you will settle it. So I suggest you start looking,” he said as he got up. “I’ll allow you to ‘accompany’ Hee Chul this once. When the rest of the band returns, you are to focus only on your job as their choreographer. We’re counting on you to do a good job for the MKMF, since they’re going to win Best Newcomer.”

“And how do you know that?” I asked him.

“Isn’t it obvious that Super Junior is the best new act this year?” he smirked before he walked off.

He was right.

“Yo… wassup my friend… why you lookin’ so down,” Hee Chul tried to rap like a black rapper.

We were eating dinner, just the two of us, in their apartment, and I haven’t spoken much all night. I was usually quite talkative with him.

“Nothing…” I sighed. I’m still pondering if I should tell the guys.

“Then why do you look so preoccupied?” he asked. “Aha!” he suddenly exclaimed, and I jumped a little.

“Don’t do that!” I laughed and poked him.

“Don’t poke me!” he laughed and poked me back. “I know why you’re so glum.”

“Wae?”

“You miss Han Kyung, dontcha!” he said, in a tone that sounded as if he’d just revealed a deep dark secret of mine.

“Ya… of course I miss my darling,” I said in an exaggerated sappy tone. “Han Kyung,” I whined, “pogoshipo…” I said as I pretended to sob.

“Aigoo…” he cooed. “Don’t cry now… oppa is here for you. Forget about Han Kyung,” he said before bursting into giggles.

“No offense, but you’re more like an onni than oppa to me,” I laughed.

“Same thing, same thing…” he giggled, and covered his mouth while doing it, like a girl would.

I laughed when he did that. Hee Chul always knew how to make me laugh, and I guess that’s why we’re such close friends. In that moment, I knew I had to tell Hee Chul. If I didn’t he might think that I didn’t trust him as a friend, and he might feel hurt.

“Oppa,” I said.

“Wae,” he said as he slurped his soup.

“Your manager approached me again, today.”

“Where?” he said. “Did he give you trouble again? Aisshii… that guy…”

“He told me that I had to hand in my resignation, and that the management knew about you and me. My last assignment would be the MKMF and after that, I had to leave SM.”

“Then you'd have to leave Korea. What about Han Kyung?”

“I don’t know. Unless I get a job immediately after, I can’t stay for long in Korea since SM is hardly going to keep paying for my work permit. I think they’re gonna cancel it right after the MKMF.”

“Didn’t you tell them that you and I are just friends?”

“He didn’t buy it,” I said.

“Michoso!” Hee Chul exclaimed. “I should go talk to the management.”

“Just leave it Hee Chul. If you defend me, it would look even more suspicious to them.”

“But you’ll get deported,” he said.

“I’ll try to get a job soon,” I said.

“You won’t have time,” he said.

“Why?”

“When the guys get back, we have a full schedule, all the way up till the MKMF, and he knows that. He’s obviously trying to get you deported.”

“Well, even if he is, what can we do?” I sighed. “Let’s just forget about it.”

“I’ll think of something,” he said as he patted my hand. “Don’t worry.”

“I’m fine. Don’t get upset because of this. You need to focus on getting better. Alright?” I said.

“Ne,” he smiled.

“Good… now eat your vegetables,” I said, and he laughed.

“Ne oma…”

That night, I didn’t go back to my apartment.

“Sleep in Han Kyung’s bed. It’s late, and you shouldn’t commute home alone at this hour.”

“That crazy manager of yours probably has a spy outside, if I don’t leave, he’ll surely think that he was right about us.”

“He’s going to do what he planned anyway. Just stay,” Hee Chul said. “It’s not worth your safety.”

“You’re lonely, aren’t you?” I teased him and he pretended to cover his face out of shyness.

“Yaa… miweo! How did you guess?” he cooed.

“Michoso…” I laughed. “Fine I’ll stay. I’m too tired to travel back anyway, and I’m not keen on paying for a taxi. Need to save my money now, since I’ll be out of work in November.”

“Don’t say that,” Hee Chul said. “We’ll find a way…”

“I hope so,” I said.

The next morning, I was awoken by Hee Chul. He sat beside me on the bed and kept tickling my face with a piece of tissue paper.

“Ya! Neo waegeurae?” I grumbled as I tried to shield my face.

“Wake up!” he said. “Let’s go get something to eat. I’m hungry.”

“Go away,” I said and I tried to kick him off the bed.

“Yaaa…. Nan paegop'a…” he whined.

“Call for delivery,” I said.

“I wanna get out of the house,” he said. “I’m sick of staying in.”

“You can’t even walk,” I said.

“We can drive.”

“You can’t walk, but you can drive?”

“You can drive,” he said.

“I don’t have a license!” I said in exasperation.

“It’ll be fine. You know how to drive…”

“Not on the other side of the road.”

“I’ll be beside you!”

“You wanna risk your life again?” I reminded him.

“I trust you,” he said. “Please…” he pleaded, and tried to overcome me with his puppy dog eyes.

I sighed and mussed my own hair in frustration.

“Come on, Little Mermaid…” he pleaded again.

“Araso… araso…” I grumbled as I sat up.

“We leave in half an hour?”

“Ne…” I said as I walked out of the room.