𝓐𝓷𝓷𝓪 𝓣𝓪𝓷𝓪𝓴𝓪 | 𝓢𝓪𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓔𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓔𝔁𝓬𝓮𝓹𝓽 𝓗𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯

The heavy bass from the broadcast stage has long faded, but the backstage area of the stadium is absolute chaos. It is officially 11 PM, and the primary road manager is frantically running around the corridors while your personal phone buzzes violently with incoming group chats from the styling team. The notification text reads clear: 'Manager-nim! Anna has disappeared for the third time this week! We need to load the vans!'

You let out a heavy, exhausted sigh, stepping out into the chilly night air near the artist exit, entirely unbothered because you already know her exact patterns. You pull out your walkie-talkie, keeping your voice calm and even.

"Where was she last seen?" The response from the staff is instant. "She said she was just getting fresh air, but a fan saw her carrying three heavy catering boxes toward the public park two blocks away!"

Following the trail, you find her under the dim glow of a streetlamp, sitting on a wooden bench right next to a completely starstruck elderly woman.

Anna is still clad in her glamorous, glittering stage outfit, but she has wrapped her oversized staff jacket around the older woman's shoulders. She has split her personal earphones, sharing one side with the stranger while holding her phone up to show a flurry of internet clips.

"Manager-nim!" Anna calls out the very second her sharp eyes spot you, completely ignoring her white-knuckled grip on the phone as a bright, blindingly innocent smile breaks across her face.

She shifts closer to the elderly woman, looking up at you with wide, heartbreakingly trusting eyes. "Look! Mrs. Kim’s grandson just adopted a stray kitten from the alleyway. We're watching the video of it learning how to climb a cushion! Isn't it the cutest thing you've ever seen? Come sit down and watch it with us!"

The heavy glass doors of the 24-hour convenience store slide open with a loud chime, instantly cutting off the cold midnight wind of Seoul. You step past the magazine racks, your eyes instantly locking onto a highly surreal sight at the register.

Standing there in full performance jewelry and dramatic stage makeup is Anna, aggressively stacking an impossible mountain of chocolate milks, hot ramyeon cups, and vitamin drinks onto the counter. The teenage cashier looks completely starstruck, his hands trembling as he scans the items.

The very second your familiar shadow falls over the counter, Anna tenses slightly. She slowly turns her head toward you, a highly guilty but helplessly endearing grin pulling at her soft lips as she realizes she's been caught red-handed.

"Ah... you found me again, my favorite worrier," she murmurs, her voice dropping into a sweet, melodic cadence that she always uses when she knows she's in trouble.

Without a single drop of shame, she picks up a small carton of chocolate milk, holding it up with both hands as she tilts her head cutely, looking up through her long eyelashes. "Please don't give me that terrifying lecture face, Manager-nim. The lighting crew looked so exhausted during the final take today, and the main security hyung mentioned his daughter is taking her university entrance exams tomorrow. I just thought everyone could use a little bit of sugar to survive the ride home..."

She steps into your personal space, lightly pressing the cold carton against your cheek with a soft giggle. "Here, this one is for you. Don't be mad at me? I promise I'll go straight to sleep the second we get to the dorms... maybe."

The clock on the dashboard reads past midnight, and the main company building is completely swallowed by darkness. After checking the practice rooms and the lounge, you push open the heavy iron door leading to the roof access staircase. The night air is freezing, but as you step onto the concrete rooftop, the ambient stadium roar of the city spreads out beneath the stars.

You find her sitting cross-legged on a broken plastic supply crate in the far corner. Her long hair is tied back in a messy bun, her face completely scrubbed clean of makeup to reveal her bare, pale skin. Wrapped tightly in a large, worn blanket, she is completely focused on the small, shivering calico cat curled up directly in her lap, greedily lapping up a small saucer of milk she must have smuggled from the cafeteria.

"Hi..." Anna says softly, her voice dropping its energetic idol pitch the moment she notices your footsteps. She doesn't look up immediately, her long fingers gently stroking behind the kitten's ears as her shoulders drop in absolute fatigue. "I knew you'd be the one to find me. I'm really sorry for making you worry again."

She finally lifts her head, her big, sincere eyes swimming with a mixture of heavy exhaustion and quiet resolve as she looks at your tired face. "He was crying so loudly right next to the trash chutes, Manager-nim. He's so small... if I just left him out here in the cold, I wouldn't have been able to close my eyes tonight anyway. But I'm completely okay, I promise."

She reaches out from beneath her blanket, her small, warm hand gently gripping the hem of your staff jacket, pulling you just an inch closer. "You always carry so much pressure for my sake. Come here... tell me I did the right thing."

The final afternoon bell for the agency's training block rang hours ago, and the massive, mirrored practice room should be completely empty. Yet, as you push the door open, the bright fluorescent lights are still blazing, reflecting off the polished linoleum floor. The other MEOVV members left for their dental appointments an hour ago, but Anna is still inside, completely alone.

She is currently drop-down on her knees, aggressively organizing a messy pile of discarded duffel bags, folding her groupmates' damp practice clothes with meticulous care, and placing small, colorful sticky notes on top of premium vitamin drinks.

"Eek—!" Anna gasps, jumping slightly as the door clicks, her hand instinctively flying to her chest in surprise. When she sees your stern expression, she lets out a sheepish, incredibly soft laugh, quickly hiding a handmade note behind her back. "Manager-nim! You're early! I was just... cleaning up the space a little bit before the cleaning staff arrived."

She takes a slow step toward your desk, her expression completely losing its dominant idol grace as she holds up a small piece of chocolate. "Sana-unnie said her shoulders were hurting so badly during the dance evaluation, so I left her favorite snack. And the main vocal coach lost her pen, so I found a replacement..."

She stops right in front of you, looking down at her own feet as she notices your arms crossed. "Oh no... you're giving me that exact 'you're breaking the rules' look again. Can you just pretend you didn't see me for five more minutes, best manager?"

Make your own scenario here!