Night-Owl Romance

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Chapter 16: Endless Crisis

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[Jaehee Kang]: The men in the photos are company employees from the C&R.

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[Yoosung] & [ZEN]: WHAT?! *shocked emoji*

[Jaehee Kang]: Specifically...

[Jaehee Kang]: They are the guards tasked with escorting MC during her errands today.

[Yoosung] & [ZEN]: WHAT?! *more shocked emoji*

[Yoosung]: Wait! That girl was MC after all?!

[Yoosung]: DID I REALLY WALK PAST HER TODAY?!

[ZEN]: NO WAY!

[ZEN]: I refuse to believe this!

[Yoosung]: Jaehee, are you certain about this? You're not mistaken, are you?!

[Jaehee Kang]: I presume I do know how the C&R security guards look like, having worked at the company for so many years. *ican'tbelievethis-sigh emoji*

[Yoosung]: *shocked emoji*

[Jaehee Kang]: There is absolutely no mistake about it. They arefrom our top security Dandelion division.

[Yoosung]: OMG!

[Yoosung]: I-I... I've been this close to meeting MC, I can't believe it...

[Yoosung]: I can't believe it!

[Yoosung]: S-So unfair... *crying emoji*

[ZEN]: Ashi... It really isn't fair! *depressed emoji*

[ZEN]: Wait.

[ZEN]: WAIT!

[ZEN]: HOW DOES SHE LOOK THEN?!

[Yoosung]: *shocked emoji*

[Yoosung]: I DON'T KNOW!

[ZEN]: Don't tell me you didn't even manage to catch a measly glimpse. *huh... emoji*

[Yoosung]: *crying emoji*

[Yoosung]: *crying emoji*

[Yoosung]: *crying emoji*

[Yoosung]: If only I were taller, maybe I could've seen her face then!

[ZEN]: For once, I honestly wish you had been...such a wasted opportunity, boy.

[Yoosung]: *upset emoji* Why say it like that, hyung?! I'm so sad right now...

[Jaehee Kang]: *ican'tbelievethis-sigh emoji*

[Jaehee Kang]: This is not the issue at hand!

[Yoosung]: Jaehee, aren't you the least bit curious about MC?

[Jaehee Kang]: It is not my place to be, I, for one, respect a person's privacy.

[Yoosung]: What about those photos of Zen in your house?

[ZEN]: What photos? *questioning emoji*

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[Jaehee Kang]: Please focus on the important matters here! *cough*

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[Jaehee Kang]: This news might seem harmless to both of you, but it has the potential to turn into something bigger.

[Jaehee Kang]: And extremely troublesome...

[ZEN]: What do you mean by that?

[Jaehee Kang]: Sigh...

[Jaehee Kang]: I will have to inform Mr. Han of this mess and see what steps need to be taken further.

[Jaehee Kang]: This type of media attention could portray the company in a poor light.

[Yoosung]: Is it really that serious?! O-O

[ZEN]: Aigoo...

[Jaehee Kang]: These men are normally tasked with more sensitive issues regarding the company, where their skills are most suitable.

[Jaehee Kang]: Changing their itinerary for personal use is heavily frowned upon.

[Jaehee Kang]: Considering MC is not part of the company, such changes violate a few ethical policies and could cause unrest within the office if blown out of proportion.

[Jaehee Kang]: Furthermore, it could add trouble for Mr. Han with the Chairman.

[Jaehee Kang]: Trouble for me too...

[Yoosung]: *shocked emoji* WHOA! I never thought of it like this!

[ZEN]: Jaehee, will you be fine?!

[Jaehee Kang]: It is purely speculation what I doing now, however... it makes me wish I could trade the situation with an entire week of watching after Elizabeth the 3rd.

[Yoosung]: *shocked emoji*

[Jaehee Kang]: I see no positive outcome and my predictions regarding such matters usually turn true...

[ZEN]: That sounds really depressing...

[Yoosung]: If there's anything I can do to make your life easier right now, Jaehee, just tell me!

[Jaehee Kang]: *sobbing emoji* Thank you for the kind words... But, I'll be fine.

[ZEN]: Maaaaan! Hearing all of this is making my head spin.

[ZEN]:I need to grab a smoke so badly right now!

[ZEN]: But my rehearsals aren't over, yet. *somuchsighing emoji*

[Jaehee Kang]: Zen, you should please refrain from smoking in this cold weather.

[ZEN]: I've never gotten sick in the past so the cold doesn't bother me much. Lol.

[Jaehee Kang]: Even so, the smoke is not good for your lungs and vocal chords...

[ZEN]: Don't worry ^^ I've been doing it for years and there's no change other than my appetite.

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-MC has entered the chat room-

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[Yoosung]: *crying emoji* MC!

[ZEN]: MC!

[Jaehee Kang]: MC, you have logged!

[MC]: Hi...

[Yoosung]: MC, HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME? TwT! *crying emoji*

[MC]: O.o?

[MC]: Why are you suddenly crying?

[MC]: What did I do?!

[MC]: I can't tell. (º □ º l|l)/

[Yoosung]: Visit SKY and not say a word about it!

[MC]: What the...

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When Mina logged into the messenger, she did not plan to stick around for too long – just greet the members and reassure everyone that she had arrived at Rika's apartment, safe and sound,and then leave sharply.

Like a ninja!

The girl wasn't in the mood for much socializing. She was still incredibly shaken up by today's events and the wounds inflicted upon her body. That awful neighbor... His obsession had morphed into something so twisted and terrifying, beyond logic and comprehension. He was fully enjoying tormenting her without a break and had shown his ugliest colors today near the building complex. Sure, they lived in close proximity as ex-neighbors, their apartments adjoined on the same floor, but was this the only factor in that mad man's obsession regarding her?

Could it be just this?!

Visuals and body proportions – Mina excelled in none of those categories.

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Why would he harm her to such an extent?!

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If anything, she was overly polite to the man considering the things he would pull when she was still living there. "Ngh...", the more Mina thought about it, the more she scrunched her nose, gazing at her aching wrist. She gently caressed the inflamed skin that hurt whenever touched – even a gentle tap ached. The girl's sole comfort was that she was already carrying a wrist-cast, which was neatly packed inside the luggage, and ready to minimize any further damage. Mina severely wished never to be forced to use that thing ever again but occasionally it would be uncomfortable without it – her wrist had never healed 100% after the accident at university.

Unfortunately...

Now, the situation had already passed critical levels.

No matter how she looked at the situation, Mina would be unable to provide artwork of the best quality for Assistant Lee by tomorrow. Firstly, the papers which she had carefully selected at the shop lied ruined across the floor, no hope of salvaging them. Moreover, she had no money or energy to spare, in order to get a new batch – and she would not set foot out of the apartment alone after such a close encounter. The sketchbook Seven had gifted was all she had available to use as a starting base, however the format was not nearly big enough for such a tedious assignment. Secondly, her dominant hand hurt so f**king much and trembled in certain angles, even with the cast tightly wrapped around it.

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'Shit... Assistant Lee will have my head.'

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Despite this, Mina would try her very best with the remaining tools she had at her disposal. The girl had actually planned to start right after logging into the messenger but the things she discovered there pained her heart a lot, melting any remaining resolve.

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'This was a worse mess she had created compared to yesterday's...'

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Mina cupped her face in shame at the realization.

The coordinator messed up badly. It was not her intention to sadden Yoosung to this extent or make it seem like she was purposely avoiding him. Ending his phone call was simply a misunderstanding, but he didn't have the patience to listen to her words, too distraught by his own problems to think straight. He named it another betrayal in his life, while spam crying in front of her.

"I thought you saw us as friends... Or is Zen the only one you're focusing on in this group and no one else?" Mina was so shocked at the blonde's blunt question.

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'Did it really appear like I was focusing solely on Zen...?'

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She was unsure how to answer Yoosung's cold remarks as the other two were trying their best to calm him down. Zen was especially confused by the boy's unusual outbursts. "Yoosung, why are you suddenly attacking her like this?! I think you need some time off.", the actor sprung to the party planner's defense which made things worse for the blonde's heart.

Yoosung had enough of this crap.

"Sure. Whatever... I'll go! I don't feel so good anyway...", the young student ended up writing before leaving the chat room. He didn't even acknowledge a good bye which surprised Jaehee who had never seen the blonde so distressed since Rika's passing.

"Yoosung...", Mina's eyes were wide as saucers, ice chilling her bones – her body was trembling. It hurt... It hurt a lot... because she didn't know how to fix things anymore, problems pilling up on top of each other. Every decision she'd make would backfire no matter how well she tried planning things. Obstacles kept appearing in front of her.

She felt like she were the most horrible human being...

Mina couldn't understand Yoosung's change in mood. Why was he this upset with the girl – it couldn't have been the missed phone call or the SKY visit!

Or...

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'Were these the only reasons...?'

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Mina was so clueless about Yoosung's way of thinking... maybe she was indeedat fault here for not returning his call. Truthfully, Mina was not used to having people acknowledge her as a friend, so unless it was spelled out in front of her... she would not know otherwise.

Would not dare assume.

Neglecting a friend was always painful because they could harbor ill feelings. She had experienced this in the past.

Still...

'Have I really neglected him?' , Mina questioned her attitude yet she did not believe it to be true. She could clearly remember the lengthy conversation they shared just the other day – about his games, she had painfully sat through the topic, blacking out midway because it was pure gibberish at one point.

Panicking, Mina tried reaching for the blonde, to talk things through with him, but... his voice mail answered instead. He had completely shut himself off and Mina loathed this feeling.She already had many things she hated about herself – being a considerably bad friend – was not a welcoming addition to the growing list.

"Please, do not take it at heart, MC. He is not usually like this.", Jaehee tried defending Yoosung, but Zen was complaining about his rude attitude.

"He shouldn't take his damn problems out on her!"

"It's fine...", she started typing.

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[MC]: I'm really sorry...

[MC]: I didn't mean to upset him.

[ZEN]: You don't have to apologize!

[MC]: But, I should have paid more attention and not seem so indifferent to Yoosung. It's just...

[MC]: Sometimes I can't have the phone around me or it's left on silent mode.

[MC]: And I often forget to check back, since I have so much on my mind.

[ZEN]: I do that plenty of time when I have meetings or rehearsals too!

[Jaehee Kang]: I tend to do so at meetings as well.

[MC]: I never mean to ignore anyone on purpose. ;=;

[MC]: There are so many things happening in my life right now, it's speeding too much for me to catch up.

[MC]: I know these are excuses...

[MC]: But trust me when I say – I really, really am trying my best here!

[ZEN]: Jagi, we all know you're doing the best you can! *sparkling emoji*

[ZEN]: You don't have to stress over such details~~!

[MC]: You're nice to say that, Zen...

[ZEN]: Anytime!

[MC]: Though, it doesn't negate the fact that I am constantly neglecting a lot of things.

[MC]: And, most of the time, I don't realize when I'm in the wrong.

[ZEN]: Uff...

[ZEN]: I hate doing this right now, but, unfortunately, my break is over. Jagi. I'll talk to you later, so please cheer up until then. ^^ And don't be so hard on yourself.

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-ZEN has left the chat room-

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[MC]: Unlikely to happen.

[Jaehee Kang]: ...

[MC]: Jaehee...

[MC]: I feel the most sorry towards you. I made the guards go wherever I wanted, not thinking how distracting they could be for people.

[Jaehee Kang]: It is not your fault.

[MC]: I never expected such a large crowd at uni... it was pretty scary to see how many had gathered in such a short time. .

[Jaehee Kang]: It should not have been your concern to worry about such matters.

[Jaehee Kang]: Their role was to prevent harm towards you.

[Jaehee Kang]: This included shielding you from potential threats. The SKY fiasco could have been easily avoided had they not all walked next to you inside the school grounds and chosen different routes to blend in.

[Jaehee Kang]: It was the leader's responsibility to avoid such a mess.

[Jaehee Kang]: He is usually so responsible, though... I do not understand how he allowed this chaos to unfold.

[MC]: ...

[MC]: I...

[MC]: I asked them to accompany me in full formation.

[MC]: Jisoo was sternly against it, at first, but I didn't want it any other way.

[MC]: And I was desperate to enter the building.

[Jaehee Kang]: *curious emoji*

[MC]: They respected my wishes, followed my every whim... And I'm greatly thankful for it!

[MC]: So, please...

[MC]: Don't punish any of them for my bad decision. Especially not Jisoo - he is the best leader and security guard!

[Jaehee Kang]: ...

[Jaehee Kang]: May I ask why you disregarded his initial suggestion, then?

[MC]: Well...

[MC]: I...

[MC]: I wanted to avoid seeing anything or anyone at SKY. That's about it~! ^^;;;

[MC]: I was selfish like this...

[Jaehee Kang]: *ican'tbelievethis-sigh emoji*

[Jaehee Kang]: Are you serious?!

[Jaehee Kang]: Either way – the damage cannot be undone.

[MC]: Sorry...

[Jaehee Kang]: Please, try to avoid such recklessness in the future.

[MC]: About the future...

[Jaehee Kang]: Yes?

[MC]: I... might need someone for tomorrow...? ^^;;;

[Jaehee Kang]: *ican'tbelievethis-sigh emoji*

[MC]: Sorry...

[MC]: I'd go alone, but... the location is pretty far away.

[MC]: And I'm scared to go alone. ^^;;;;;;

[MC]: ...

[MC]: Jaehee?

[Jaehee Kang]: It cannot be helped then. If Mr. Han reads the conversation, he will surely command guards for you again. Might as well find a solution by tomorrow.

[Jaehee Kang]: Sigh...

[Jaehee Kang]: Excuse me, MC. I must go. I shall return with more information.

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-Jaehee Kang has left the chat room-

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[MC]: Okay...

[MC]: *sigh*

[MC]: Yoosung.

[MC]: I couldn't reach you on the phone, but I'll write my message here.

[MC]: Hope you see it.

[MC]: I'm sorry for upsetting you. But... do understand when I say that it's not easy for me to be around people.

[MC]: Not at this moment.

[MC]: Especially not around those from SKY.

[MC]: I avoided telling you I had attended the university because it represents a large stain in my life.

[MC]: I'm trying to clean it up, though, but it takes time.

[MC]: Don't ask the reason why, it's uncomfortable to answer. ^^;;;;

[MC]: It's not a habit of mine to purposely avoid people, so don't be upset at me anymore...

[MC]: I am a messy person with my phone ^^;;; even my own mother complains about it.

[MC]: Not something I'm proud of... - ;;;;

[MC]: Not returning calls or forgetting to call or... whatever...

[MC]: I know... excuses.

[MC]: Just know this.

[MC]: If you cheer up, I will too ~~~!

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[MC]: Else, I'll keep being sad for the rest of the day.

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~oOo~

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~ 5:28 PM ~

Mina's mood had yet to improve the slightest, steering towards darker paths.

Crumpled papers were scattered across the floor, some pages even ripped out entirely out of the sketchbook and shredded into tiny, tiny pieces. "Tch!" The coordinator suddenly shoved the book away, throwing it on the floor in deep frustration. *loud sniff* Mina's head dropped into her hands, fingers piercing her skull... painfully. Her wounded wrist was still pulsating badly as she was struggling to pour out the play's essence into a drawing worthy of Assistant Lee's standards.

But...

She would always come out empty handed, utterly defeated by the situation. Hours of continuous work showed no f**king results, not even a sketch to further add ideas on. Her inspiration had run completely dry and there was no sign in front of her, no sign assuring this f**king situation would get any better. Each passing hour felt like she was further pushed towards the edge of a deep hole, no chance of escaping. Re-reading the story and extra story material did not manage to bring out the same charm from last night... probably because, now, she was yawning over and over from how tired she felt and her eyes glistened and burnt.

*deep sigh*

Mina needed rest...

If her mood could stop deteriorating and improve just a little, the girl could then hope to miraculously try drawing with a fresh perspective in mind. Mina needed to change her mindset, she knew this very well, but the anxiety levels were far too great in order to get a plentiful rest.

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She was mentally trapped in a toxic spot.

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Logged back into the chat room, nothing in particular happened since noon, other than Seven being shocked by how much he'd managed to snooze throughout the day. 'Lucky hacker...', Mina scrunched her nose upset, continuing with her reading of the chat room, before she realized Jumin had joined Seven. He had been asking for his assistant, quite vehemently.

'Odd... Was Jaehee not answering her phone...?', the party planner wondered, but it was quickly answered by the corporate heir when Seven almost read her mind. "I'd rather not hear her voice when I am not at the company building. It is not a very pleasant tone for me."

*sweat drops*

The conversations brought little relief as it dived into the SKY thing, even Whispatch having mentioned it on their website, questioning the mysterious celebrity's identity. Just like Jaehee predicted, it was now blowing out of proportions, the identity of the guards revealed to be workers at C&R. Mina was thankful she had not been online for Jumin was evidently not happy about such news – mostly because his father was bugging him with phone calls.

It was making her more miserable – hence, Mina started scrolling up for older chat rooms, more and more, until a picture grabbed her attention.

"Right... Zen had posted a new picture earlier today.", she mumbled, already noticing the bright colors in his icon. The actor's background was a sneak peak of the stage he would be performing on for his new musical – countless props were scattered around and it almost resembled a fantasy setting, dipped in colors of red, gold and green.

"So pretty...", Mina awed in amazement, leaning closer. She had not had the opportunity to watch any musicals live before, but the props were beyond gorgeous in her mind and made her slightly jealous.

It's almost as if they fit the current play she had been assigned to illustrate...

Nonetheless, the thought quickly dispersed when she opened Zen's selfie, which Jaehee had fawned over without restraint. It was quite a change of personality from the assistant's part, always surprising Mina. And –

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The coordinator choked, mouth hanging low.

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'Is Zen really human...?! (º □ º l|l)/'

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~oOo~

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*BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ*

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"AH!", Mina darted upwards from the coffee table and, in her disoriented haze, knocked down her laptop with a crumbling metallic sound. *breathes in hard* the party planner refused to look at the wounded device, afraid she might go into a crying rage-mode and went for her phone. It was rather easy to spot in this darkness, the screen acting like a flashlight.

"Yes...?", her grouchiness was unmistaken, but this time the caller did not seem to notice this hindrance in her voice.

"It's me", the stern voice was like a deep punch for Mina, stumbling before suddenly realizing the situation.

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And the clock.

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It was well over 11 p.m. !