Hana woke up with a splitting headache. She looked at the sunlight streaming out through the window before she scrambled up in a panic. She was usually at the office at this time of the day and she was really late for work. Despite her pounding head, she made her way to the bathroom and cleaned herself up. It was after she wore her clothes for work that she realized it was her off day.

She groaned miserably before lying back on her bed and softly massaging her head. She turned to her side and saw a note on her book rack, with a bottled drink that served as the paperweight.

Hana blinked. She knew she went home alone last night. Or did she?

Hana,

The drink can help you with your hangover in the morning. Call me up when you're awake, just want to know you're alright.

Namjoon

Hana whimpered. Did she do anything stupid last night? She didn't really remember what really happened but throughout her college years, her best friend, Sally made it clear that she would be an annoyingly stupid and talkative drunk. Because of that, she was usually mindful of the amount of alcohol she drank with anyone not close to her - especially her colleagues and acquaintance.

But last night, she was really unprepared for the company dinner.

Hana observed the loud crowd she sat in with watchful eyes on the amount of soju being poured and cleared off in seconds. She heard about Korean company dinners before, but she had never participated in one. This was her first and she was learning a lot just by sitting there. Her basic knowledge of company dinner was only from the dramas she watched and that didn't give her much detail on what to do and not to do.

The company dinner was held at a restaurant not that far from the company. As the crowd arrived, she saw that everyone took their place accordingly much to her amazement. If she thought rank and hierarchy only belonged in the workplace, there was that during the company dinner too. The head of the department seat was further away from the door and the juniors and interns sat at the other end of the table. She didn't know where should she sit until one of the junior workers gestured her to the empty chair nearby. Mirae and another intern were too busy setting out the cutlery for everyone around, and Hana could see Mirae trying to keep her cool as she placed the utensil next to Ko Min Gu.

No one sat until the head of the department did. Food and drink came pouring in not long after. Hana was about to pour into her own glass until she caught Mirae's eyes, signalling her not to. Hana awkwardly put the soju bottle down and her cup was immediately filled in by one of the workers who offered her a drink. Earlier on, Mirae only instructed her to turn her head as she drank, to show her respect for people with a higher ranking and more senior than her. That was what she did. At first, she drank the soju in one gulp. She thought no one would pour in more when she finished it but she was wrong. The moment her empty cup hit the table; someone would pour in more.

She switched her strategy as she tried to sip her soju as slowly as possible to avoid more flow of alcohol but then the toasting and cheering came in. There were too many toasts made for the head of the department, for the success that they have achieved and for whatever new projects down to their new addition of copy machine that was able to print out at a very high speed. As the dinner progressed and the tongue of the staff gets looser, she was introduced to somaek - the drink made of beer and soju mix. Hana was trying to stay functional until the dinner ended and failed miserably. Refusing another drink is rude and she was trying hard not to be one. Then she was lost.

She remembered Mirae flagging a taxi for her and she got into it. That was when her memory became fuzzy and she couldn't recall what happened next. She should thank her lucky stars that she reached home safely.

But how did Namjoon get into the equation?

Hana quickly looked at her call history and he was the last person she had called. That figured. Did she say anything stupid last night? She would be mortified if she did. She read Namjoon's note again. From the looks of it, nothing bad happened last night, right? She started typing.

Hana: Good morning. I'm awake. Thanks for last night and sorry if I'm a bother.

Hana sent the message and stared at the phone dumbly. Sorry if I'm a bother? That sounded so lame. Shouldn't she write something solid, strong and less apologetic as if she really wasn't a nuisance?

Hana threw her phone to her side and sat up slowly, planning to eat something light to get rid of her hangover. She had somewhere to go that day. Her head started to spin again and she groaned. Hana took the drink Namjoon left for her and drank it graciously. She then blanched and looked at the ingredients. It was made of herbs and seeds. The taste was something she was unfamiliar with but she felt slightly better after a few more sips. She coughed in surprise when her phone rang. It was Namjoon. She was wheezing when she finally picked up the call.

"Hana, are you okay?" Hana heard Namjoon say, sounding alarmed at her voice.

"I was drinking that drink you left for me when you called," replied Hana after she regained her composure after a few more coughing.

"Sorry. Bad timing then?"

"Dude, don't be sorry. I'm the one who should be sorry for whatever I put you through last night," Hana said, testing if she really was a nuisance from her remark.

"It's Namjoon," he corrected her again and Hana instantly smiled. She knew he hated it when she called him that but she just can't stop herself. There's something about him correcting her that made him so endearing and so very Namjoon.

"I know," Hana answered. "So... did I do anything stupid last night?" Hana went straight to the point. She knew Namjoon's a very busy man and she hated to keep on guessing what happened.

"You didn't."

"Really?"

"Really," Namjoon assured her.

"Okay, if you say so. Wait, aren't you supposed to be in a photoshoot or something now?"

"I'm on the way for an interview...," Namjoon suddenly went quiet.

Hana pulled her phone away and see if the call was still connecting. It still was. "Hello, are you still there?"

"Are you free tonight?" Namjoon asked.

Hana blinked in surprise. He sounded like he was unsure about his question. What was that about? "I've got nothing planned. Why?"

"I need your help with this song I'm writing."

"I'm no songwriter," Hana was puzzled by his request.

"I need some help with the lyrics I'm working on. There's some street slang I want to use and I want to be right in the context."

Hana nodded. It wasn't as if he hadn't asked for her help or asked her what she thought about his songs before. He was a perfectionist and he would always make sure his sentences weren't out of context with the theme he was delivering. "Okay. Tell me when," answered Hana readily.

"I don't know when I might get off from work, it might be late but I need you."

Hana's heart skipped a beat. The way he said it made her feel like flying. She tamped that down before she started to act like a fool.

A long-time friend.

"Your help. I need your help," Namjoon corrected himself.

"No problem, dude. I'm here for you. Just tell me when and I'll be there."

"You sure?"

"Of course."

"Great. I'll see you at my studio and I'll text you when I'm sure of the time."

"Cool," Hana replied.

"We can have dinner or supper if that's okay with you?"

"Fine with me."

"I've got to go. I'm reaching the TV station. See you tonight?"

"Yes, sure," she answered chirpily. The call ended and Hana breathed in slowly. Darn, just what was it about him that made her heart go crazy at that? She told herself not to take it as anything different even if it sounded like he was asking her out for a date.

Hana laughed to herself. Yeah right. It was going to be a working session in his studio, not a fancy candle-lit dinner in a restaurant. He was just asking for help and she shouldn't misunderstand that.

The spark she had for him was there. It wasn't the fact that he became famous that stopped her. He made his way to become one of the most successful rappers in the world and to her, he was still the same person she knew back then - down to earth, sweet caring and dependable. It was because he was a friend and he showed no indication to change their relationship.

Hana felt a lump in her throat as the moment they had at the airport years ago played in her mind. It was fresh as if it was yesterday when he told her he liked her. How many times that she actually wanted to tell him that she does after all these years? He never said anything about it and of course, she didn't too. He became precious to her and they both fell into a mutual camaraderie where there was no pressure. She knew how sacred being a friend was; once you mess up, you won't get back to where you left off. There's also the chance that it could work but the probability of failing is 50/50. With him, she can't just test the water and see where that would go.

Hana looked at her watch. She took a piece of bun from her kitchen counter and headed out. There was another thing that she knew she couldn't change no matter if she wanted to. She hoped she could clear her mind on the way to her destination and think of her next step.

It would be all or nothing if she dared to risk her relationship with Namjoon and he deserved the best.

*************************************************************

Author's note:

I'm back and writing and re-writing the chapters as they didn't actually fit. Guess my perfectionist trait is kicking in this time around (^_^);

Sorry to everyone who is waiting for updates and I made you wait for a long time. 🙏🏻🙇🏽