The next morning as Rhine headed out the door, she was half-asleep. It was only 3:15 in the morning and Rhine had tried her best to not wake up the other members. She didn’t need to be careful though because the other members were too exhausted to hear anything. They got back to the dorm at midnight last night and none of the members stirred when Rhine was getting ready to head to her first class of the day. The night before, the girls insisted to give Rhine a quick tour of the city after dinner and they had stayed out later than usual. The group spent the night shopping and at the karaoke bar, forgetting that Rhine had a class early the next day. As she spent more time with the members, she felt more comfortable around them and also knew a little bit more about the girls.

            As Rhine walked to the entertainment, her thoughts wandered back to the incident the night before. The boy and Rhine didn’t exchange introductions as they both headed for the correct bathroom. The rest of the night, the two tried to avoid each other as much as they could. Whenever their gazes locked, both of them would instantly look away and pretend nothing had happened. From time to time, the trainees would interact except for the two because they were too embarrassed.

            Rhine didn’t know what to think about the boy. To her, he was different. It might’ve been the way he entertained himself while he was alone or the fact that he moon-walked to the bathroom. There was also something about him that caught her attention. It was probably the vibe that he gave off; confident and independent. Rhine didn’t know what it was.

            The streetlights shone down at her as the atmosphere was cool and quiet. There wasn’t a single soul around, but Rhine didn’t mind. A cool breeze rushed by and lifted her loose hair along with it. She was comfortable in a white button down long sleeve shirt and dark blue skinny jeans. She reached for her backpack straps and clutched onto them.

            After walking for a while, Rhine could make out the entertainment in the distance. For the remaining walk, she thought about Orange County. Her heart ached as she wondered how her family was doing. She wondered if she crossed their minds. It must’ve been around eight or ten back home. Both of her parents would be at work by then. She wanted to call them and hear their voices, but she knew it was impossible.

            It was 3:40 when Rhine reached the entertainment. She was glad that she woke up early so she wouldn’t be late for her first class. If she was late, she would leave a bad impression on her tutor and she didn’t want that.

            With a hand still holding onto the glass door, she entered the building when a voice suddenly yelled from behind, “Wait for me!”

            But it was too late, Rhine already let go of the door and there came a sound from behind like helmet against helmet. Surprised, she turned around fast and opened wide in shock. In front of her was one of the guy trainees with his face plastered against the door. His nose was pressed against it and it reminded her of a pig’s nose. His mouth was ajar like he was kissing the glass and his palms were pale against the door.

            Rhine tried not to laugh, but she couldn’t help herself. She quickly covered with her right hand to hide her laugh. She felt bad for the guy because a crash like that must’ve had hurt pretty bad. She watched the guy slowly peeled himself from the door with both palm up, looking sheepish.

            His cheeks were a bit pink, but Rhine wasn’t sure if it’s from embarrassment or the collision. He reached up to fix his blue NYC beanie as he straightened his grey letterman jacket. He smiled at Rhine; his eye smile was the cutest thing ever. After the incident, Rhine couldn’t hold back from smiling. That had to be the highlight of her day. She carefully opened the door for him.

            “I’m so sorry about that,” Rhine said with concern, but her smile was still on her face. “Are you okay?”

            The guy nodded as he chuckled, “I’m fine.”

            “Are you sure? It seems like it hurt.”

            “Don’t worry about it,” he assured with a smile as he slipped his hands into his jeans pockets and looked around the lobby.

            There was nobody around except for the two of them, but Rhine could hear voices and food cooking from the kitchen. She didn’t know people came to work so early in the morning. She had thought that she was going to be alone.

            “Why are you here so early?” his voice was masculine and deep, fit for a rapper. “The girl trainees usually arrive at six.”

            Rhine curled her hair behind her right ear and glanced at him, “I have a class at four.”

            “Four?” he turned to look at her in disbelief.

            Rhine nodded and the straps of her backpack. The boy was taller than Rhine by a few inches. Like the boy last night, this one gave off an independent and confident vibe. The thing that caught her attention most about the boy was his small eyes and sharp jaw line. The pink in his cheeks were beginning to fade.

            “The Korean class starts at four,” Rhine explained.

            A light of understanding sparked in his eyes, “Oh, you’re the one from America.”

            She didn’t know how he found out, but she wasn’t going to ask him, “The one and only.”

            He chuckled when she spread her arms out with a grin, “I’m from America too.”

            At his response, she turned to face him and their eyes locked for the first time. He instantly took notice of her eyes and was captivated. Rhine’s eyes were softer and lighter, the gray in her blue eye more prominent that morning. For some odd reason, she wasn’t self conscious when he stared at her eyes. She stared back at him, drowning in his dark eyes. For that brief moment, Rhine felt her heart flutter as everything suddenly felt right.

            “Your eyes are beautiful,” he whispered.

            Rhine felt her cheeks warm up and her heartbeat quickened. She quickly bowed as thanks when he started to bow down also. Just then, she quickly stood up and their heads collided, earning cries from both of them. They both looked at each other in humiliation and rubbed their heads, the pain unbearable for a few seconds. As they stared at each other, they started laughing and their laughter vibrated throughout the room.

            It was embarrassing, but their laughter made everything feel alright. After a few minutes, their laughter slowly died down and they smiled sheepishly at each other.

            “I’m Bobby by the way,” he introduced after they both regained their composure. “Whenever you forget, just remember that I’m the guy you bobbed your head with… Get it, bobbed, Bobby?”

            His smiled was crooked from shyness, but it had a tinge of amusement in it. She let out a laugh, already comfortable around the boy. He seemed like a very laid back kind of guy. Bobby grinned; glad that she got his joke. Secretly, he liked the sound of her laugh. It sounded like a tune to his favorite song, addicting and pleasant.

            “I’m Rhine,” she introduced.

            “Rhine,” he repeated. “Rhine as in the river Rhine?”

            She was about to respond when she realized that it was almost four. She quickly bowed, this time making sure that she wouldn’t bump into him. “I’m sorry, I have to go.”

            Without a chance for Bobby to reply, she hurried away. As she vanished up the staircase, he felt himself smile as he looked at the ground. Bobby was definitely not going to forget about her.

*

            “You’re actually better than I thought,” Mr. Lee; Rhine’s tutor, commented as he stashed the papers into a folder.

            They had just finished with Rhine’s language assessment for the day. The lesson wasn’t as hard as she thought because Mr. Lee decided they review the basic phrases in which Rhine already knew. For the first few days, they were to go over simple phrases and words. Her pronunciation was still a little iffy, but she did well.

            They sat across each other in a small office that was designated for the class. Since Rhine was the only foreigner in YG, there wasn’t anyone else that had the class so it was just her and Mr. Lee. Rhine didn’t mind though because she preferred having a one on one lesson. She learned better that way anyway.

            Mr. Lee was a man in his early forties who wore square rimmed glasses with jet black hair. He seemed intimidating at first, but as Rhine got to talk to him, he was one of the nicest men she had ever met. He was welcoming and patient, eagerly answering her questions.

            “Thank you,” Rhine replied as she glanced at her Perrelet Diamond Flower Double Rotor wristwatch that she received from Grandpa Nattapong before he passed away.

            It was just past six and Rhine needed to go back to the dorm. She was given a ten minute break before her next class and she needed to change. She also wanted to grab something to eat before dance practice with the girls.

            “Of course,” he answered. “Have fun at your first day.”

            Rhine stood up and bowed before thanking him once again and headed out the door. As she was out of ear shot, she sighed and stood in the hallway for a moment. Her first class of the day just ended and numerous other classes awaited her. It felt like a long time in the room, but it had only been a few hours. Although she dreaded the day, she was excited for dance class. Rhine had always loved dancing. When she was still in California, she was a member of a dance studio and entered in competitions. Dancing was another way that she could express herself; dancing set her free.

            She started walking as she glanced at her watch. Her ten minute break was almost over and she hadn’t even done anything. She sighed when she realized she wouldn’t have time to go back to the dorm without being late for the next class. Oh well, she’d have to eat at the cafeteria.

            As Rhine continued walking, her mind wandered back to Bobby and immediately scolded herself. She didn’t need a distraction when she wanted success. Guys were all the same, telling lies here and there, never serious. Rhine hated herself that she let herself get lost in his eyes. She hated herself for letting her heart flutter. Ever since the betrayal of her ex and best friend, Rhine promised herself she would never fall again. She was determined to avenge herself and that was it.

            Rhine hurriedly made her way to the cafeteria, well aware that her short break was going to end soon. She wished she had a longer break, but there was no way that’d be possible. Mr. Lee had told her that as soon as she mastered the language, she wouldn’t have to wake up early every morning. Rhine knew it wasn’t going to be any time soon so she made a mental note to bring a clean outfit every morning for dance practice. But for that day, her jeans and shirt would have to do.

            As she entered the cafeteria, she was surprised to see nobody. She wondered if the entertainment was always that empty. When she approached the counter, she waited patiently because there wasn’t anybody there. Behind the counter, Rhine could hear people talking and food cooking. The scent wasn’t familiar, but it smelled delicious. Her stomach was grumbling nonstop and she reminded herself to eat breakfast before she got to the entertainment.

            While Rhine waited, she thought about her family. Absentmindedly, her hand reached down to her phone in her pants pocket. She felt the urge to call her father, but held back. He was busy. His career needed him more than she did. His patients were dying; they couldn’t wait, but she could. Her fingers dug into her pocket, fingers itching for the phone. Rhine tried her hardest to restrain herself, but the desire to hear her father’s voice was unbearable. She harshly pulled her hand away as the tears dared to fall.

            Just then, she felt something fuzzy climbed up her arm. Rhine looked down, fear already making its way up her spine. Her breath hitched in and she could hear her heart raced. Her eyes widened when it landed on the small spider and she screamed. Rhine and spiders never went together. It was either Rhine alone, or spider alone.

            Rhine jumped as she spun around in fear. Just then, she knocked into the person behind her. Without opening her eyes, Rhine could feel them falling. Gravity had its grasp on them and it wasn’t going to let them escape. She clutched onto the stranger’s shirt as she screamed into his chest. The person wrapped their arms protectively around her as they met the hard floor. She wasn’t sure if the person had been screaming along with her because her fear was too loud and she couldn’t think straight. The impact of the fall must’ve hurt, but Rhine was protected and she couldn’t feel a thing.

            “I-is it g-gone?” Rhine said in desperation, eyes tightly shut.

            “Uh, c-could you please,” the masculine voice was anxious, causing Rhine to slowly open her eyes.

            The first thing she met was the familiar pair of brown eyes. They were fierce, yet shy. It dawned on her that they belonged to the moon walking boy from the other night. He was looking at her pleadingly; his cheeks a little pink and that’s when Rhine realized they were in an awkward position. Her thigh was pressed up against his private area and her cheeks instantly warmed up. Frantic to pull away, Rhine obliviously pushed down on his chest with her right hand in an effort to stand up, earning a groan from him.

            Rhine had hurt the boy and she didn’t know what to do. She quickly and carefully stood up, concern on her face. She usually wasn’t clumsy, but that morning had been hectic. It was probably due to the different time zones and her body wasn’t functioning, or it could be that Rhine was nervous about the day. Either way, she had left a bad first impression on the other trainees.

            “I am so sorry,” she said.

            She stood at the foot of the boy as he was sprawled out on the floor; rubbing his eyes with his hands. His face was still pink from the incident and embarrassed didn’t even come close to describing how Rhine was feeling. The boy seemed to be in pain and Rhine wasn’t sure if it was from the fall or her weight. Her fingers locked together as she stared down at the boy in worry. If the boy had any broken bones, Rhine didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t her father or her mother; she didn’t know anything about broken bones.

            “It’s okay,” the boy murmured, making Rhine feel a teeny bit better.

            He was still on the floor and Rhine didn’t know what he was thinking. She wanted him to get up so she could confirm that he was indeed okay and bones still intact. Rhine couldn’t make herself touch him because that would invade his privacy, but she couldn’t just let him lie there. Oh god, why did she always embarrass herself in front of this boy?

            “Are you sure? Can you stand up?”

            Voices were then heard from outside and Rhine quickly looked at the entrance. As the footsteps and voices drew nearer, Rhine was more anxious. She wouldn’t know what to do when they saw the boy lying on the ground like that. They’d definitely get the wrong idea.

            “Can you stand up?” Rhine repeated; her attention back on him.

            He laid there, hands still covering his eyes. She was in a hurry to make him stand up so nobody would get the wrong idea, but the boy was embarrassed to meet her eyes. No girl had ever been that close to him. Ever. He wasn’t sure how he was going to meet her gaze, it was humiliating; especially the fact that he sort of liked it.

            “Hanbin yah,” a soft, melodic voice sounded from the entrance. “I thought you said you’d be quic-“

            Rhine jerked her head to the voice and felt her face flushed. There wasn’t only one guy, but three and they all looked from her to the boy on the ground. The guys froze in their spots, eyes moved from the boy to Rhine and then it starts all over again. Rhine could hear her heart beating as her mind raced. The only thing she could make out from her thoughts was the simple words; kill me now. She had never been embarrassed so many times in a row before. Rhine was beginning to think it wasn’t a good first day. Her internal self was screaming for her to run out of there and pray to never see those guys ever again.

            “Is everything alright?” one of the guys questioned; his question more directed to the boy than to Rhine.

            Rhine shifted uncomfortably in her spot; unsure what to do. The boy on the ground didn’t even looked up once and Rhine was starting to worry about him. She was afraid she had hurt him. It’s only been her first day, what had she done?

            “Hanbin,” the melodic voice belonged to the shortest one of the three. His eyes traveled from Rhine to the guy as he ran his fingers through his neatly spiked up hair. “Are you alright?”

            “Mmmump,” the guy grunted as he forced himself to slowly stand up.

            The boy refused to look at Rhine as Rhine did a quick scan over him to see if he was okay. The boy seemed perfectly stable and intact, causing Rhine to wonder why the boy didn’t get up earlier. If he had stood up earlier, they wouldn’t get caught in an awkward situation. The three guys stared at them, making Rhine uncomfortable. She didn’t know what to do. On the other hand, the guy looked at anywhere except all of them, his thoughts and emotions unknown.

            “Hanbin, why were you on the ground?” the tallest of the three questioned.

            Rhine and Hanbin finally made eye contact, but looked away as soon as possible. Rhine bit her bottom lip as she curled her hair behind her ear while the guy ran his fingers through his hair and looked at the ground. They both sighed at the same time, once again finding themselves in a humiliating situation. This time even worse than the first time they met.