Summer Night's Dream
Episode 9 - Other Person

“Oh yes, it's been a weekend, are you still busy? Otherwise, how about we both go to Sokcho?” Nara reads another message from Ji-Ho last night rubbing her eyes. Last night he fell asleep and just read Ji-Ho's message without replying. But, just as he was about to reply, a knock on the room door interrupted him.

Nara puts her phone on the nightstand and moves out of the blanket to open the door. Chul Goo's face greeted him as the door opened wide. The man stood there with his bright smile and his hands raised intending to say hello. However her facial expression instantly changed seeing Nara just standing lazily with a flat expression and half-falling eyes. Nara still felt drowsiness reaching her body because at that time the clock was still showing at 6 am and last night she slept around 2 am.

"What are you doing here?" Nara yawned while asking that.

Chul Goo's forehead shriveled when she saw the behavior of the girl in front of him. "Yes! Ainara!"

"What?" this time Nara changed her eyes, trying to eliminate the drowsiness that had not disappeared.

"Well, when a woman meets a man, usually they keep her behavior, keep the image. Women will usually try to look good and show their feminine side. But you..." Chul Goo raised her index finger and pointed at Nara from head to toe. Nara's head also moves following Chul Goo's finger. On second thought he did open the door without tidying himself up in the slightest. He did not even comb his hair which he could make sure looked like a lion when he just woke up. He must look really messy now. She thought it was Lisa who always woke her up for breakfast. He never thought that what appeared was a man. "You even yawn in front of me. Ckckck. You're really a girl, aren't you?" decak Chul Goo while shaking his head in amazement.

But suddenly Chul Goo's hand moved to the stomach because Nara pinched it hard to make him scream. "Because of that, what did you do come here so early? It's still 6 in the morning!"

"Aaaahhhh! Yep!! Yep!!" chul Goo shouted while trying to release Nara's pinch from her stomach. This girl is crazy sometimes too. Chul Goo grimaced as she stroked her stomach. "I'd like to take you for morning exercise, jogging around this area. Then we can have breakfast together afterwards" Chul Goo explained the reason he came.

Nara frowned at Chul Goo's reasoning. "Sorry, I'm not interested. I'm so sleepy Chul Goo-ya. The morning exercise wasn't my style" Nara pushed the door leaf to close it and returned to dreamland. But Chul Goo quickly stopped Nara's actions.

"Wait.." he said. "Come on, the weather's very bright. We have to get out" he kept trying to convince Nara.

But Nara kept shaking. "Try asking the others. Juno may, or Lisa, or Wang," drowsiness and sleep opportunity always win Nara's heart more than anything. So he didn't change his mind.

"They must have been drunk and still passed out right now because most of the drinks were last night,"

"Then I also passed out," Nara left the door Chul Goo was still holding and crawled inside her blanket. He pulled the blanket over his body to the tip of his head and went back to sleep peacefully. Leaving behind Chul Goo who was at a loss for words and just sighed softly while shaking his head.

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The same morning. Ji-Ho's studio.

It has probably been more than twenty times since last night Ji-Ho checked the presence or absence of new messages from Nara. He breathed a heavy sigh when he again found his last message, the message in which he invited Nara to go to Sokcho with him, unanswered.

Was he rejected again? Maybe this time Nara really refused it and did not want to return the message again. Does he look too aggressive and scare Nara? Maybe Nara was distracted by her presence, was that it? Ji-Ho shakes her head to eliminate all negative thoughts. Well, maybe Nara overslept, which is why she hasn't retaliated until now. Nara will definitely reply later, she should think positively.

After turning the pole of his mind, Ji-Ho re-enforces the sitting position, trying to re-assemble the focus to continue his training. He is working on a new song that he has been working on since 2 weeks ago, and since the last 2 days he made edits in several parts to make it sound even better. But the screen in front of him did not show any progress since last night, the same as his conversation with Nara. Again he breathed. It turned out that his mind was still unable to be swayed from the unrequited message.

Ji-Ho drops her head on the table, realizing that it's still very difficult to get her focus back on the moment. Suddenly, his head and eyes felt very heavy, yet he felt very comfortable leaning him on the table like this. He hasn't slept well in the last 2 weeks. His busy schedule with his activities made a new song make him only sleep at most 4 hours a day. Not including 2 today, because for the last 2 days he only slept about 1 hour a day, even in his studio, not in the apartment. This is how he works on new songs. He will not be able to sleep well if the song he made is not perfect. Perfect in its measure.

The breeze from the air conditioner makes Ji-Ho's eyelids that have been heavily swept gently make the defense collapse. Slowly, the eyes closed and he fell asleep.

Repeated vibrations from Ji-Ho's phone wake her from sleep. He grabbed his phone lying next to the keyboard and answered the incoming call without seeing the name on the phone screen.

"Where are you?" park Kyung's half-screaming voice rang out across the street as Ji-Ho held her phone to her ear.

"Ma..." Ji-Ho stretches her body before answering. Relaxes the muscles of his back and arm that are sore because he fell asleep in an uncomfortable position. "In studio. Why?" reply him with a snoring-like voice at the end of his words.

"Get a grip, bro! Go home! You've been there 2 days. You need to rest. Stop going to your studio. Use your free time for 2 days!" Park Kyung starts to worry about her best friend.

Park Kyung knows her best friend is a workaholic, but she also can't stop worrying about Ji-Ho damaging her body with work. They as a group have been busy with their comeback and new album promotions in recent months. The group's schedule piled up from week to week after their comeback, and the weeks were grueling, filled with song promotions on music shows, filling out television shows, magazine photoshoots, fanmeeting, etc, and also filming a new advertising offer. But Ji-Ho's work doesn't stop there, as their new album is well received, Ji-Ho plans to make a comeback for B.O.P, the U-In sub-unit of 7Seasons, Baek Dongwan, and In Pyo. That's why his work is increasing again in addition to work as a group, he tried to make songs since 2 weeks ago.

The promotion of their new album has actually been completed since last week and they are given time off by the agency since yesterday to 2 days ahead. But Ji-Ho again uses her time off to work in the studio. While the rest of the group have taken advantage of the day off to go out with their family or friends or just relax at home, Ji-Ho is wasting it instead.

Ji-Ho has done a lot for the 7Seasons. As a leader, he felt very responsible for the continuity of their group. Since debut, Ji-Ho's life has been about work. In fact, Ji-Ho's daily schedule is much more congested than the rest of the members. Despite not being in the promotional period of their group album, he remains preoccupied with other things, such as performing at campus festivals, filling hip-hop concerts, collaborations with other artists, etc, reality and variety shows, present at fashion shows, photo shoots, filming solo commercials, preparing his solo album or his member's sub-unit album, performing at award shows, making songs in his studio, etc, and there's so much more. But, the most time-consuming job is to work in the studio. Not to mention the busy times, while getting a day off from the agency though, Ji-Ho also usually spends her time in the studio to make songs. It could be said that his studio was already like a dormitory for him compared to their apartment. Even sometimes if their members want to get together and just spend some time relaxing, they will do it in the studio for Ji-Ho to join.

"I know," Ji-Ho shuts down the apps that were open on her computer screen. Park Kyung is right. It seems like he does need a break now, and maybe after that he can regain his focus. "I'll be home soon. See you," Ji-Ho ends their call.

After turning off the computer and all the other devices, Ji-Ho picks up her phone and a tote bag that she placed on top of the corner sofa of the room then steps out of her studio. While stepping towards the parking lot, he opened his message notifications that had piled up one by one. A message from Nara. And finally! Ji-Ho opens the message impatiently.

“How about tomorrow? I don't think I can today. Hehe,” the reply almost makes Ji-Ho jump then dance along the rest of her journey to the car. But he held back for fear of drawing attention.

Ji-Ho types a reply. “Besok can too. I'll come get you. Just tell me where. Oh yeah, what are you doing today?”

“Ok, I'll send you my address later. I'll go with Chul Goo today. He asked me to accompany him somewhere,” This time Nara's reply successfully made Ji-Ho gaping wide. That guy again?!! Dammit that guy! Was the man really trying to get close to Nara?

“Chul Goo? Seo Chul Goo's? Your friend last night? Where are you going?” Ji-Ho types her reply quickly, as fast as she does when singing rap.

Ji-Ho has arrived at her car. He got in and sat in the driver's seat without starting the car first.

“Iya, that one. I don't know either. He hasn't told me anything,”

Reading the message makes Ji-Ho throw a punch to the steering wheel of her car. I don't know why he was so upset. It was like a race and suddenly there was a car soaring. Damnit. Where the hell they will go?!

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