Director Wan was busy reviewing the jam-packed schedule BTS had for the upcoming week when there was a knock at the door. "Come in," she permitted. Her secretary for approximately three and a half years now entered with a stack of folders in her arms.

"These are the files you requested." She reported as she placed them on the corner of her superior's desk.

"Thanks, Yongchul. I really appreciate you coming in on such short notice. Were you able to confirm the tickets for the flight?" The older woman questioned, her gaze still fixated on the sheet in front of her.

"It's no problem. I called the airline today and everything is all set." Yongchul assured. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Director Wan finally looked up, a small gasp escaping her lips. "Actually, if it's not too much to ask, do you think you can pick up my daughter from ballet practice for me? I don't think I'll make it in time since I have to be in a meeting soon. It completely slipped by mind."

"Of course I can." Her subordinate replied. "I'm here to make your life easier. It's my job."

A grateful smile sprawled across the mother's face. "Where would I be without you? You're honestly the best secretary I could have ever asked for. It's the same place you went to last time. Her class ends around five. My husband should be home by then so you could just drop her off after."

"I understand. If that's all, I will take my leave. Work hard, director." As quietly as she could, Yongchul closed the door and returned to her desk. A minute later Arang arrived.

The visitor bowed courteously. Respecting those older than her was a must. Although the woman was thirty, she still had a youthful face. If Yongchul hadn't disclosed her age, Arang would have thought she was born only a few years before her.  "Secretary Yun, is the director in?" She asked politely.

"Hello, Arang." Yongchul beamed, craning her neck to look at the younger girl across from her. "She's preoccupied at the moment, but I can call her and tell her you're here. I'm sure she could spare a few minutes for her son's girlfriend."

"Would you really? That'd be great." Arang glanced around while the woman informed her boss about their guest.

"Okay, I will send her in." Yongchul returned the phone to the receiver and smiled at the girl. "You can go in."

"Thank you." She stated before she entered the office.

"What brings you here today, Arang?" Director Wan stood up and walked over to the leather sofas positioned at the center of the room. She gestured the girl to follow her.

Arang sat down and pulled out a thin envelope from her bag. "It's about the money," she breathed.

The woman pursed her lips out while her eyebrows knitted together. "What about it? Was it not enough for you?"

"No, that's not it." She shook her head and placed the check onto the coffee table. "I don't think I can accept such a large amount of money. It—it doesn't feel right. When you said you'd pay me to pretend to date Taehyung I didn't think it would be this much."

"But you've earned it. It's not easy to do what you've been doing for the last couple of weeks. Aren't you starting college soon? Use the money for books and other expenses you might incur." Director Wan advised, pushing the envelope back towards Arang.

"I have money saved up." She replied as she slid the envelope back. "Can't you write me a new check for half the amount? It'd feel less burdensome for me."

Director Wan came up with a compromise. "How about this, why don't you just take this check and consider it an advancement. You won't receive another payment for the next two weeks. Sounds fair, doesn't it?"  

Arang gave the suggestion some thought and hesitantly accepted.

"Good." The elder sang. "I know this is last minute but since you're here, I might as well tell you now. My husband, Taehyung's father, really wants to meet you. I've been giving him excuses but I'm running dry. So I promised him I would have you over for dinner so that he could get to know you better. It's bound to happen sooner or later, right?"

"W-what?" Arang stammered with her eyes widened. "You mean you didn't tell him?" She balked.

"How could I? For a long time he thought that Taehyung was gay because he had never showed any interests in girls. You should have seen how happy he was when he found about the two of you. I couldn't bear breaking his heart. My husband is an understanding and compassionate man, who loves his kids to death, but there are just some things he wouldn't be able to wrap his head around. If you're free tonight, it'd be wonderful if you came over with Taehyung. It's been a while since he's been home as well. It'd be nice to have everyone there."

What was she supposed to do? She wasn't prepared for this. It was already hard enough having to deceive her own family and now she had to scam Taehyung's? It was a miracle that Arang hadn't gone completely haywire yet, especially with everything that's been going on. She gulped down the saliva in her mouth and flashed Director Wan an awkward and uncomfortable smile. This was not what she came for. What had she gotten herself tangled up in?

In the elevator, Arang dialed Taehyung's number and sighed. He didn't answer. Her head fell back and rested against the metal wall behind her. Then the shaft stopped and the doors slid open. "Oh hey!" Arang straightened her posture and was surprised to see Inhae smiling at her.

"Hello," she coughed.

"Did you come to visit Taehyung?" The trainee queried as she climbed aboard.

"No, I had to talk to his mother about something." Said Arang. She noticed how sweaty Inhae was and guessed that she had just finished practicing. "Are you heading out?"

Inhae bobbed her head up and down. "I have to get to work. My manager will kill me if I'm late."

"I see. Managers can be assholes, mine sure is." Arang grumbled, causing Inhae to laugh.

"I hear you loud and clear, girl. The animals make it worthwhile though."

This caught Arang's interest. "Animals?" She repeated.

"Yeah, I work at a pet store. It's pretty rad. We have everything, from iguanas to doves. You should totally drop by when you have the chance."

Arang's blood ran cold.

Her heart started to palpitate uncontrollably at the mention of the doves. An image of the decapitated birds flickered into her mind. Could Inhae be the one that's been harassing her? Being as discreet as possible, Arang examined the girl. She didn't look dangerous, especially with that bright blue hair of hers. However, it was never smart to judge a book by its cover.

Besides, it would make sense if it was Inhae. This could explain the familiarity Arang experienced when they first met. If Inhae also fancied Taehyung in a romantic way then she had motive. Her job at the pet store would also explain how she managed to get the doves.

"Aren't you going to get off?" Arang broke away from her train of thoughts and realized they had reached the lobby. "Anyways, it was cool running into you again. Bye!" Slightly stumped, Arang could do nothing but watch as Inhae exited the building.

Once she was gone, she stumbled back. She wanted to confront the girl but didn't have any solid evidence that would prove Inhae was the mastermind behind the cryptic text messages and silence phone calls. She didn't want to accuse an innocent person. For now she would have to keep her guard up until she identified who she could and couldn't trust.

Wandering around aimlessly, Arang didn't pay attention to where she was heading. All she could think about was the twisted stalker who had been continuously disturbing her. What if things escalated and the sick bastard decided to harm someone close to her? Arang couldn't let them happen. She had to find the culprit at all costs. If she had to hire a private investigator then so be it.

As she was crossing the street, a car came speeding down the road. The light was red yet the driver showed no signs of yielding. "Watch out!" A pedestrian shouted as he realized what was happening. Arang turned to her left and saw the vehicle charging towards her. At the last second, she jumped back and fell down, her elbows getting scraped up by the cement pavement. The car whizzed by her, the smell of the exhaust and burnt rubber lingering in the air.

"What the hell was that?" A man frowned as he took out his phone and called the cops to report the incident.

"Are you alright?" A middle-aged woman bent down to help Arang to her feet. "Drunk drivers nowadays! They're getting more and more reckless."

The girl was trembling. How could she be alright when she almost became a human pancake?

The officers at the precinct were questioning the witnesses who were willing to give their statements. The victim was sitting down, tuning out all of the noise surrounding her. "Arang!" The sound of her mother's voice brought her back to reality. Mrs. So scurried over, panting. She squatted down in front of her daughter, cupped her cheeks and searched her body for injuries. At the sight of Arang's bloody and battered elbows, she almost cried. "W-what happened?"

"I-I honestly don't know, mom." Arang stuttered. "Everything happened so fast. It's all a blur." 

"It was an intoxicated driver." The policeman exhaled. "The assailant ran a red light at the time. We've retrieved the photos that were taken and are running the license plate through our systems. We should be getting results soon. I'm sorry this happened to you, young lady. We're going to do our best to catch the perp."

"Good!" Mrs. So stood tall and wrapped an arm around Arang's shoulders. "I want that criminal thrown into jail! My daughter could have been killed!"

"Yes, I understand what you're feeling right now, ma'am. I will let you know when we've incarcerated the driver."

"I'll be right back, sweetie. I'm going to call your father and let him know." Mrs. So left and another policeman appeared

"Officer Min, there's a problem." He whispered. It was still loud enough for Arang to hear.

"What is it?" His colleague replied.

The man stole a glimpse of the girl who was clearly suffering from aftershock before he leaned in and revealed the information he had uncovered. "The license plate, it doesn't exist. It's fake."

Officer Min turned to him, perplexed. "What do you mean? That's impossible. Run it again."

"We did. Nothing's showing up in our database." The man pointed out. "You should review the video yourself as well. Because from what I can see, it doesn't look like the driver was under the influence at all. In fact, the accident looks premeditated." 

"But that doesn't make sense." Officer Min looked at Arang. "Young lady, listen to me carefully. This is really important. Can you think of anyone that would want to hurt you? You have to be upfront with me or else I won't be able to help you."

Someone that wanted to hurt her? The list was endless!

Suddenly Arang recalled the ornaments dangling under the rear-view mirror as the car shot by her.

Her heart stopped.

It was a pair of white doves.

This wasn't a joke. It was real. Some demented psycho tried to kill her and nearly succeeded.

"So Arang! Where are you?" Everyone turned to the entrance due to the loud commotion. Taehyung caught sight of the girl and he bolted towards her. He was heaving and out of breath as he skidded to a halt in front of her. "Hey, I came here as fast as I could. Are you okay? Your mom said you were involved in an accident! Why didn't you go to the hospital? Did they get the guy?"

Overwhelmed and terrified, Arang sprung up from the chair, threw her arms around him and buried her face into his chest. Taehyung fumbled back a step but swiftly regained his balance. "I'm not okay." She confessed, tears brimming her eyes. "I'm scared, Taehyung. I'm really scared. What do I do?"

Ever so slowly, he lifted his arms and coiled them around her slender body, holding her closer. In order to settle her nerves, he stroked her hair. "It's okay to be not okay. You don't have to be scared. I'm here for you, Arang. Just breathe." He lulled.

Meanwhile, back at the dorm, Yoongi went onto the computer to look something up. He typed in the word how and a list automatically appeared in the suggestion box. His jaw proceeded to drop when he spotted the last thing that was searched.

How to tell if you like-like someone.

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author's note

» oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! although arang is a strong character, let's not forget she's still human after all! she was almost killed! of course she'd be petrified! it's only natural, wouldn't you agree? eheheh, it's interesting to see who you guys think the stalker is. Most people think it's Inhae or Minah. You'll just have to wait and find out!

That hugging scene thoughhhhhhhhh. SAIL SHIP SAILLLLLLLLLLLLLL. AND THEN WE HAVE THAT ENDING!!!!!! thank you for reading and commenting and just being awesome! spazz with me, yeah? also, frozen frames are: arang and director wan talking, inhae and arang in the elevator, arang looking stunned when the car came her way, her mother cupping her cheeks at the station, taehyung out of breath and worried, and finally taehyung and arang hugggggginggg.