Itaewon-dong, Seoul, South Korea

"I don't want to wake up," grumbled Liam his huskily burying is head under a pillow even as his manager pulled the blanket off of his torso revealing a black sleeveless t-shirt and loose fitting gray sleeping pants.

"You have to be on set in two hours," responded the man struggling to pull the pillow off Liam's head. "Plus," he added releasing the pillow and grabbing Liam's personal cellphone from his nightstand and holding it up with a teasing smile. "Someone in this room has messages all the way from Illinois from a sexy chocolate vixen with a smile that could bring a grown man to his knees."

Liam cut his eye toward his manager and sucked in air through his teeth.  Manager Deo Kang-Soo has been with him for five years and after a series of substantial raises had remained by his side as he navigated his career.  Sitting up quickly Liam snatched the phone from his manager's hand taking in first the time followed by the number of unread messages he had from Erika.  Groaning he ruffled his hair with a dark frown.   "Ah geez!  It's 6 am," he spat in frustration reaching for the pillow his only for his manager to grab it and throw it across the room."I need more sleep," he whined.  "My contract says all my shots are supposed to be after 8 am."

"Nonsense," smirked the tall, leaning man running a hand down his shirt as if to smooth out wrinkles.  He rocked back on his heels with a smug smile before reaching behind his back and coming back with a large steaming mug of coffee. "You have four scenes and one reshoot lined up for today, two fan signings one at that new posh place in Gangnam and dinner with VP Ryuk Chunyong."

Sipping his coffee Liam frowned, "Why?"

"Why what," inquired Kang-Soo without glancing up from the binder that held all of Liam's appointments.

Placing the mug on the onyx bedside table Lim narrowed his eyes. "Why am I having dinner with VP Ryuk?"

"Hmm," hummed the short man looking around the room in an attempt to avoid Liam's sharp eyes. "It may have to do with a certain rumor about you and your latest co-star."

Standing Liam frowned down at his toes peeking out at the bottom of his gray sleeping pants. "It's a stupid rumor why is he so interested in it," he mumbled narrowing his eyes as he considered the rumor.  "Is her agency attempting to fan the flames of ideal gossip?"

"You'll have to ask him," mumbled Kang-Soo again not meeting his eyes. 

Dismissing the conversation with a shrug Liam walked into the bathroom remerging moments later to grab his phone. "Almost forgot this," he smiled holding the gold tone device up for Kang-Soo to see. "I'll be out in a jiffy."

"Uh huh," nodded Kang-Soo disbelief etched into his expression. "I'm sure you'll be out just in time for us to make that 45-minute drive to set."

Liam gave another absent-minded shrug knowing his daily routine took at least an hour as he closed the door. Laying his device on the sink he turned on the shower. A ding with an image attached had him opening KakaoTalk.

"Fuck," he yelled swiping the screen until his contacts appeared and pressing the send button as soon as Erika's name appeared on the screen.

Taking a deep breath Liam attempted to rein in all the onslaught of feelings that were trying to choke him.  Resting a heavy hand on the countertop he pressed the end button without leaving a message. "Come on," he growled hitting the send again.

"Hello," came an rushed whispered.

"Erika," he almost shouted. "What was that?"

"What was what," responded Erika.  Liam could tell she was attempting to sound calm as he heard her car door slamming right before the engine of her car started. "I was going to ask who all those women were but decided that was too fucking obvious," she continued her voice tight with anger. "Then I thought why don't I ask him about all the awards he's won over the past few years but I was like no I think I should start the conversation on who my man really is with the million won question."

"Why are you so upset," he snapped when Erika paused for longer than two seconds. "You're the one that told me not to tell you about what was going on over here."

"Are you fucking serious," screeched Erika her anger palpable through the phone.  Liam could have sworn he heard her slam on her brakes right before a horn blew. "We were what?  Fucking 16, maybe 17," she screamed. "You come to visit me and your family 3 or 4 times a year and it never occurred to you to maybe tell ME the truth."

"I did," frowned Liam going over some of their conversations in his head.

"No! No," she repeated and he knew she was waving her index finger in the air and probably rolling her head around on her neck. "The last time you were here Liam you told us as we sat in your parent family room eating popcorn that they edited you out of the only scene you were in.  Liam according to Quattuor you were the damn star of the series.  How in the bloody hell did they edit you out of the only scene you were in?"

Liam's eyes widened as he thought back to when he was there three months ago. He'd missed her and decided to visit; he'd just wrapped up filming on a movie titled "Shuttlebus to Tokyo' that was filmed in Japan but before filming started for the highly acclaimed series 'The Moon Shines Bright'. "Erika," he sighed running a hand through his hair as he stared at himself in the mirror. "I didn't per say lie -."

"Our whole relationship is a lie," snapped Erika angrily.  "I get it though," she continued without taking a breath. "You probably wanted to have all types of women on lock."  I saw the articles," she announced.  "I bet you got some chick there and in Japan, probably a few in Europe and to make sure you are tasting the rainbow you have my black ass and I wouldn't be surprised if you got some Mexican chick stashed away somewhere!"

"Seriously," inquired Liam shaking his head, his fist tightening on the counter as he tried to remain calm. "You know -."

"No Liam," screamed Erika punctuating each word by slamming her hand on the steering wheel. "I don't know shit!"

Liam shook his head as he listened to Erika breath heavily on the phone, "you're not being fair."

"Fair," repeated Erika questionable, "I'm not being fair? Tell me, Liam, when I have lied to you? When have I omitted the truth?"

"Uh -."

"Uh right," screamed Erika enraged. "I've never, not told you shit! I made sure that we! You remember! You and I were a fucking team. While you! You fucking asshole!  You have been jet-setting around the world probably fucking every bitch you've run up on that would open her legs -."

Miserably Liam shook his head, "I've never cheated on you."

"Okay," sighed Erika her rage ebbing for a second. "Let's say you haven't cheated, well whoop dee mother fucking do! You've still been lying to me. And Liam this isn't stupid shit either. You are like the fucking male version of Kerry Washington in Asia.  You are Lee M Park a fucking Asian sensation and wanted by every female in fucking China, Japan and Korea and every fucking where in between."

Liam would have laughed knowing that Erika had to rake her barely watched TV head to come up with a famous person's name.  Instead, he let his head fall back to stare at the ceiling trying to find the right words to calm Erika down. In this one conversation, she'd cursed at him more times than he could count and normally his chocolate vixen didn't swear. He'd only seen her lose her shit once and that was when some stupid white guy in baggy blue jeans a Biggie Smalls t-shirt in downtown Chicago had made a comment on interracial couples being a bad idea.

"I love you," he finally mumbled wishing those words call solve everything. "Please don't be mad," he pleaded, "I'll come there and tell you everything."

He closed his eyes trying to ignore the sound of Erika shaking her head. "You know what," she finally spoke sounding as miserable as he felt. "Let's just end this," she whispered.  "You're not the Liam I thought I knew." He could hear her pulling into her dad's driveway and begin clapping her hands. "Liam," she continued her sarcastic voice frigid to his ears, "I have to admit you're a damn good actor. You really had me thinking that we would be together forever."

"We will be," came Liam's anxious reply wishing his feeling could reach Erika through the phone. Closing his eyes and slouching against the waist-high cream marble counter, he didn't have to look at the phone to know Erika had hung up before she'd heard him.

"Manager Seo," called Liam pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it on the floor. "Cancel my schedule for the week and book me a ticket to Chicago!"

"But," came his manager's reply through the door.

"Cancel everything," he yelled sending his fist into the mirror causing it to shatter, "and tell everyone I had an accident," he mumbled staring down at his knuckles watching as blood dripped into the sink.

Liam turned the water on flinching as warm water ran over his knuckles.

"I've booked two first class tickets on AirKorea for today.  It's non-stop and lands at O'Hare airport," responded Kang-Soo attempting open the door. "It leaves in four hours -."

Liam opened the door wearing his sleeping pants without a shirt.  "Awesome," he responded showing his bloodied fist to his manager. "I know you have a lot of stuff to cancel but can you see if we have a first aid kit while I take a shower.  I cannot under any circumstances miss this flight."

"Understood," nodded Kang-Soo turning on his heels to leave while sending emails canceling to every person that Lee M Park was scheduled to meet with.  "We cannot miss this flight!"