"Hello..?" The slurry voice of Hye Mi, thick with fatigue and mild annoyance spoke into the phone. The socialite had forgotten to turn her phone to silent mode and was suffering the consequences of it, especially when she had a friend like Eun Mi. With one hand holding her phone to her ear, she extended her other free hand to ruffle through her mane of long tangled hair. With half-opened eyes, she swept a glance at the clock on the wall and sighed in exasperation. "Bacon ah! Do you know what time it is now? Don't you ever sleep?!" "Bacon" was Hye Mi's special nickname for her best friend, whom she had initially affectionately referred to as "Baek Eun", since they both had a "Mi" at the end of their names. She soon realised "Baek Eun" sounded similar to one of her favourite food and so it stuck.

"What do you mean you're hungry? Are you sure there are even restaurants that are open at this unearthly hour?" Hye Mi whined into the phone, the XS maknae can be so insistent sometimes. "Alright alright, let's fill that grumbling tummy of yours so I can get back to sleep soon. I'll meet you at your dorm in half an hour's time." With that, she hung up and made a call to her chauffeur to get ready. She went to quickly wash up in the toilet before pulling on a pair of skinny jeans over her bare legs, not even bothering to change out of the old plaid shirt she stole from Min Ho, which she had worn to bed. Reaching to her table, she grabbed a brush and wrestled the tangles free from her messy hair. Not even bothering with make-up, she threw on a baseball cap and a coat and left the house in a pair of comfy Converse sneakers.

Spotting the car waiting for her in front of the porch, she slipped in while her chauffeur shut the door and returned back to the driver's seat. "Sorry to disrupt your sleep, Driver Kim. Bacon's such a troublemaker sometimes. Please take me to the dorm of XS." The chauffeur nodded his head silently and drove out of the driveway into the main road.

Soon, the car arrived at its destination. Without a word, Hye Mi leapt out of the car to meet Eun Mi. I seriously suspect if your manager is feeding you enough, Bacon. Or are you on a diet again and trying to make me be your partner-in-crime? She watched at her friend with a reproachful gaze, hoping that the impulsive girl knew what she was doing by calling her up at 2am for a meal.

"You have no idea how I feel like strangling you sometimes." Hooking an arm over her pretty friend's fragile neck in a feign attempt to crush it, the socialite's face twisted in a fake scowl to match her act. Loosening her grip after a few seconds, she withdrew her arm and shoved her hand in the pocket of her trench-coat. "But then again, I guess XS is rising in popularity, I should not be surprised that your schedule is so packed, you girls can't find time to even eat." She replied, allowing Eun Mi to link through hers to lead her to the ddukbokki stand not too far from the dorm of the Daebak Records artiste. Hye Mi had been there several times with Eun Mi, and it was one of the few places that would still be open, at least for the two of them. After all, the pair of best friends were frequent customers of that old lady whose ddukbokki was arguably the best Hye Mi has ever tasted. Although she felt guilty for disrupting the elderly's rest, she knew the jolly ddukbokki guru was more than happy to cook for the two young ladies.

Like Hye Mi, Eun Mi also had an accessory to hide her bare face and somehow the whole situation seemed pretty amusing. Strolling beside her best friend, she remarked casually, "Bacon-ah, don't you think we look like some couple who's been forced to have a date in the wee hours of the morning because they want to keep the relationship a secret?" She giggled at the ridiculousness of her statement and then jokingly pouted her lips in the direction of her friend. Hye Mi was rarely so chatty and crazy with people that were not her family, there was only a handful of friends whom she was extremely comfortable with. Hell, she could even plant a kiss on her best friend's lips without feeling squirmy or awkward, despite the fact that both of them were heterosexual. Although the two celebrities rarely appeared on broadcasts together, their close friendship off-screen had caught the attention of fans from both sides, and some were event fervent shippers of the two, expressing envy of their chumminess despite being under different labels.

The two bubbly girls continued chatting in enthusiasm, so much they did not notice a suspicious article following behind them discreetly as they walked along the dark, deserted road, almost like a predator prowling after its prey.

Like the fun-loving girl she was, Eun Mi played along with the soloist's dramatic little act of frustration, which made an impish grin form on Hye Mi's lips. It was strange how the only time Hye Mi felt she could truly unwind was when she was hanging with the XS maknae, even though most of their outings occurred at dusk. The loud chatting noises erupting from the two young girls echoed through the dark, seemingly endless alley.

"My poor Bacon!" Hye Mi exclaimed, frowning upon knowledge of the situation. "Maybe your unnies have some secret to surviving this stringent diet." Leaning her head on the other girl's shoulder, she continued "It's okay, I'm sure your manager can see the efforts you girls are putting in and probably be less hard on you." Lifting her head, she glanced at Eun Mi and beamed encouragingly.

Bursting into hysterical laughter at Eun Mi's witty reply, she took a deep breath to calm herself down before responding, "I may not have read that particular fanfic but I have heard about it. Is that how we were written? With you wearing the pants in the relationship?" She continued chuckling, amused at how imaginative some of the fans can be. "Is this the time when I'm supposed to kiss you?" Hye Mi inched her face towards Eun Mi's cheek and puckered in a cartoon-like manner.

Just then a man who looked like he was in his mid-twenties rushed out from the shadows at the two girls, pushing Hye Mi away violently causing her to crash into a wall. He then clutched Eun Mi's wrist and leaned closely to her, "Eun Mi-ah, are you alright?! Oppa loves you a lot, and have been camping outside your dorm watching and protecting you." Throwing a dirty look at Hye Mi crawling up from the ground with a shocked look written all over her face, he added, "I especially will not allow that bitch to hurt you."

"You? Buff? No way, Baeki!" Disbelief washed over Hye Mi's face, allowing her gaze to sweep across her tall friend from head to toe. "There's a reason why you're named the ideal girl for so many male celebrities. THEY are buff, not you, well unless buff girls is a new trend then I better pick up my dumbells and start training." She flexed a toned arm in a macho pose and gritted her teeth, making a comical face and grunted like an ogre.

It seemed like a cruel joke when one minute she was trying to kiss Eun Mi on the cheek while the other girl was giggling in glee, and the next she was shoved rudely against the wall by some crazy stalker fanboy. "Ow." She rubbed her shoulder, sliding her gaze from the ground to the stranger. Gritting her teeth, she muttered coldly, "Stupid." The single English word shot out like a bullet of coldness, laced with a perfect American accent, aimed at the male. Her steely stare unwavering, her lips curving downwards in a sneer as her friend clarified nicely with the rude man. Surprisingly, her friend managed to wrestle her wrist out from what looked like a vice grip and approach her. Maybe she was not kidding about being buff after all?

Reaching out to take her friend's hand for support, she pulled herself up to her feet. "Other than a sore shoulder, I'm fine." She replied, offering a feeble smile to her. "Are you?" She lifted to check her wrist where the guy had clamped his grubby fingers. She then turned back to face the guy who just ambushed them. Still holding on to Eun Mi's hand, she positioned herself in front of her friend, acting as a barrier between she and the stalker. "Yah, ahjusshi, what's your problem?!" She yelled at him, "Are you a pervert?!" She threw a disgusted look in his direction, still making sure her pal was behind her, far away from the reach of this overzealous fan.

He seemed even more disturbed when he saw his beloved standing so near to what he deemed as a foe. "You! Don't you ever think that I don't know anything about you, Jang Hye Mi, daughter of Jang Tae Joon, that ruthless businessman who only thinks about his profits, but not the welfare of his employees. And you, the good-for-nothing daughter who only knows how to squander her father's money and party all night long. You think you're so safe inside your little private club, but I know what goes on in there. Underaged drinking, underaged smoking, drugs, bet you've slept with all those guys already, haven't you?" He paused for merely a second, taking a sudden step forward. "You dirty little slut, don't you dare poison the mind of my pure and innocent Eun Mi. She's way too good for you, you belong with your other scum of society."

Blinking in silence at the sudden accusations flung in her face, Hye Mi was mildly caught off-guard. How did he know so much? Sure, he could be a huge fan of Eun Mi that he even researched her friends' background. However, Hye Mi's public image had always been closely-monitored and maintained squeaky clean, despite her occasional partying session, which her father was aware of and have already ensured zero leaks of such habits to the media. Though his words were not entirely true. Yeah, she started drinking a year or two ago, she did not smoke but some of her friends did sometimes. As for the drugs and sex involved, it was false. Hye Mi liked to get high but drugs are a little too hardcore for her and since her father owns the club, he would never allow it either. As for the sex, there was none, maybe some of her friends did hook up outside the club but the most intimate thing Hye Mi has ever did was making out and well, technically there was nothing wrong since she was still single. And well, most of her friends were aware of Min Ho's existence and let's say no one wants to be castrated at such a young age.

Eun Mi was one of her closest friends so she did tell her of her escapades, though obviously sworn to secrecy. She was not sure how Eun Mi would react to this slandering, if she would suspect if her friend was lying to her or back her up. There was not much she kept from Eun Mi. Hye Mi have not really invited her to join her, lest she felt like a bad influence but she did tell her friend that if she ever wanted to try out the experience, she should only go with her. Hye Mi may be a little wild but at least she could keep an eye on her in her own club. She'll never let any of her friends get hurt, let alone a really close one like Eun Mi. "Yah, ahjusshi, you better watch what you're saying. I can sue you for slander." She warned him menacingly, "And don't act like you know both me and Eun Mi so well. You better get your facts right and some proof before you start hurling accusations left, right and center. Besides, Eun Mi knows everything about me so I have absolutely nothing to worry about." She glared at the tall, lanky man, as if daring him to come up with more nonsense.

It started to dawn upon Hye Mi how freaked out she was starting to get my this encounter. How could one grown man be lurking around the building where XS dormed, possibly spying on her dear friend when she least expected? It was pretty sick and somehow he seemed to be deluded to think he is doing his job to protect her when it was a blatant infringement of privacy. Hell, he was clearly already scaring Eun Mi with such unruly behavior, as if that was the qualities of a good bodyguard. Initially, Hye Mi was under the impression he was unaware that she was besties with Eun Mi, but now she was certain he just had something against her, after all he definitely did his homework on her background.

Hye Mi narrowed her eyes at Eun Mi's assurance, reaching for Eun Mi's wrist, able to see the crimson streaks imprinted on her flesh. Although there was no break in the skin, the sign of harm was sufficient to make the socialite's blood boil. Whirling to face the bastard who hurt her pal, she yelled angrily, "Yah, ahjusshi. Look what you've done to my friend!" She motioned to Eun Mi's bruised wrists, "Who's the one hurting Eun Mi now?" Hye Mi knew there was bound to have some little rumours circulating but the lack of pictorial evidence made it easy for people to drop and forget the issue.

Like a true unnie, Eun Mi stepped out to impart some wise and mature words that somehow sounded like it was going to be much more effective than the childish exchanges she had with the man. He seemed less agitated after his goddess spoke to him, embracing those words like they were going to guide him in his life. Hye Mi was tempted to have a go at him, to make him pay for this but she knew Eun Mi would rather get her ddeokbokki fix than waste time picking a fight. However, at that moment, Hye Mi's bodyguard came into view, exiting the cover of the shadows. Noticing the stance of both parties, he leapt in front of his employer's daughter and her companion, ready to take a bullet. An annoyed expression twisted upon her face, she lightly slapped his shoulder, "Where in the world were you when I needed you?! Haven't you received any of my calls?" She interrogated him sternly, feeling exasperated that he never seemed to have receive those calls she had made to him secretly while she was talking to the stalker.

Diverting her attention back to the crazy fan, she asserted firmly but with less hostility, "Yah ahjusshi, I'm not gonna pursue this, for the sake of my friend. Just a piece of advice for you, you obviously have issues so you should sort them out and till then, you should stay away from Eun Mi because you're obviously behaving more a threat than a guardian." Turning her head to her friend, she asked cheerfully, as if nothing had happened, "Shall we continue on our expedition to locate the elusive ddeokbokki?" Her eyes showing a playful glint under the moonlight.