The next morning, we arrived at the YG Studios earlier than usual. Mike and I were supposed to meet some of the songwriters today who will be helping with our album. We had to wait for Yong-guk to show up.
I waited alongside the other Toxins in one of the recording rooms, scrolling through the media on my phone. There isn't anything interesting nowadays. I was on Instagram scrolling through photos and videos when Zoey plopped herself right beside me on the couch.
"Dumpling?" she asked as she held out an open paper box with dumplings in it.
"Sure," I said as I took one. Christine went all out with buying dumplings on such short notice since she did all this just to cover her story of going dumpling hunting when she was actually having a dinner date with Jinwoo.
"We should really learn how to make these when we get home," said Zoey as she took another dumpling and ate it. She's been eating dumplings since morning. Who knows just how many she's eaten?
"By we, do you mean Christine and I?" I asked with my eyebrow raised.
"Don't worry, this time I'll put in my all when cooking this year."
"That's what you said last time as your New Year resolution. When it comes to baking, you still haven't gotten any better."
"It was only that one time when I burned those cookies," Zoey tried to defend herself.
"Next time, I advise you not to put your favorite show on TV."
Zoey isn't much of a good cook, as I would like to put it. When she does cook, she gets a little distracted sometimes. Whenever she's the one cooking, Christine or I should be there to monitor everything.
"I thought I had improved over the year," Zoey said with a pout of her lower lip.
"You have. It's baking and not leaving things overcooked that you've got to work on."
Christine, who sat opposite me, said, "I can only imagine how you're going to cook for your boyfriend one of these days."
"Well, the Lord knew I wasn't ready to get into a serious relationship since I'm not entirely that good at cooking yet." Zoey gave Christine a huge frown. "Once I become a pro, you'll be surprised."
"Then you should soon. You don't want to disappoint Mino, do you?"
I gave Christine a look. This can't be happening right now.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Zoey asked. I noticed her face flush a little.
"She means you like Mino," said Mike, who sat close to the recording console on the other side of the room with Daniel.
"No, I don't," Zoey said, her face getting redder by the minute.
I looked over at Christine, and I was hoping for her to turn her eyes on me so that she could read my gaze and stop this. Starting this topic wasn't going to be a good one, considering that she might be the next target.
"Well, for him to escort you to Hongdae Street says things differently," said Daniel. "It shows that he really likes you."
"He was only helping me," said Zoey. "Moreover, he was the only one who was available."
Mike chuckled. "Yeah, right," he said. "If anything, he followed to spend some time with you. We saw the way he looked at you last night."
Zoey's face was now as red as a tomato that she even stopped eating dumplings. She shoved the box onto my laps. Well, that took care of eating too many dumplings for one day.
"Calm down, Zoey," I said. "Don't listen to them."
"That's not fair, Sam. They can't be accusing me of something that isn't true."
"They aren't accusing you of anything bad," I pointed out. "They all think Mino likes you."
"Which I'm sure Sam would agree with," said Mike. He raised his eyebrows as he looked at me.
I didn't want to say anything, but everyone's eyes were persuading me to. I folded my arms and looked the other way.
"I'm not going to say anything," I said. "Now isn't the time to say things about who likes who. We better be getting ready for the others to arrive."
"Fine," said Daniel. "What are we supposed to be doing today anyway? I forgot."
"We're supposed to be working on the rest of the album with other songwriters," Mike answered. "Sam, Yong-guk, and I were assigned the task."
"Then what will the rest of us be doing?" Zoey asked. "We can't be waiting for you while you're busy with songwriting."
"I bet the managers have come up with something," I said. "We just have to wait and see."
There was a knock at the door. It flew open after Daniel told whoever it was to come in. Lee came in, followed by Yong-guk.
"Hey, everyone," Yong-guk greeted us.
We all greeted him back, and it didn't take long for Lee to announce that Mike, Yong-guk, and I were needed in another room by the songwriters we were going to be working with. Zoey and Christine moaned.
"If they go, what are we supposed to do?" Zoey asked.
"I was told that you and the rest, who are not here yet, have to polish up on the song you worked on yesterday," Lee answered. "And also, you might want to come up with dance moves. The song is going to have a music video."
"Figures," said Christine. "All the best, you three."
"Thanks," I said as I smiled at her. I slowly got up from the couch.
"You all better be on your best behavior when we're gone," said Mike as he went over to join Yong-guk.
"Since when did you become our manager?" Zoey asked.
Mike smirked. "You just never noticed."
"Before you two tear each other's throats," said Lee, throwing Zoey and Mike a look, "we better get going. The songwriters came pretty early, and the earlier these guys start, the sooner they will be able to join you."
Mike, Yong-guk, and I followed Lee out of the room, and we walked down the hall to the elevator. When we got in, Lee pressed the button on the floor we were going to. We were going upward.
"Which room are we going to use?" I asked Lee. I stood right beside her, with Mike and Yong-guk at the back.
"It's also a recording room," Lee answered, as she didn't look at me.
"How many songwriters are there?" Mike asked.
"I hear there are three," said Yong-guk.
"I expected only one to be honest," I said.
"Well, the sooner you can finish writing the songs, the better, right?" Lee asked.
"No, we'll be dead tired," Mike complained. "Why did the managers ever agree to this? I already feel overwhelmed."
"Well, let me remind you," said Lee as she turned to look at Mike. "We're all in this mess because you so happened to meet BLACKPINK and WINNER. The fans loved the idea of you three collaborating, and here we are."
"Next time, please advise Collins not to follow the impulse of the fans," I said.
"Oh, I'll make sure of it." Lee gave me an assuring look. "YG's manager should get more out of it than Collins, though. He was at the forefront of making this collabo happen."
"Well, we won't be dealing much with him after we leave," said Mike.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean Collins might pick up a thing or two from him," I said.
Yong-guk chuckled. "You guys better be ready for what's to come. He might get a little tougher than you think."
The doors to the elevator slid open, and Mike said, "He better not, or else we might get difficult too."
"Will that even work?" Yong-guk asked. The four of us all stepped out of the elevator.
"I won't be surprised," said Lee as she led the way down the hall.
Yong-guk looked surprised by the answer. As he turned to look at me, I only smiled. We can be difficult sometimes, and many people might not know it.
We reached the end of the hall, and Lee stopped in front of a door. She knocked on it, and we all heard a deep voice from inside the room, telling them to come in. Lee drew the door open, and the view of the studio room, I noticed, was quite different from the studio rooms downstairs.
The recording system on one side of the room looked more modern than the one we were working on downstairs. The black walls of the studios, with the tiny but brightly lit bulbs embedded in the ceiling, gave the studio a unique touch. For a moment, I thought I was walking into a cinema hall before the lights got a chance to go out.
On the other side of the room was a round wooden table with a round, long couch surrounding one side of the table. The couch leaned against the wall. There were already two people seated on the couch. They stopped talking when they saw us walk into the room.
When I saw them more clearly, sitting on the couch was a woman with dazzling pink hair. She wore a black t-shirt with blue jean trousers and white sneakers. Her eyes were a soft, light brown, and she had a cherub face. Her mouth widened to a smile when she saw us, and she quickly stood up from her seat.
"You are Sam and Mike," she said as she quickly walked over to us. "Hi. My name is Maya. I'm a big fan, and you, Mike, happen to be my favorite."
Mike wasn't one to blush so often, unless it was my mother, myself, or a female fan complimenting him like Maya just did. He smiled before giving out a little cough, doing his best to hide how flattered he was.
"Hello, Maya," he greeted her. She was much older than the rest of us, and so Mike and I bowed our heads.
"Oh, don't do that," she said. "It's okay."
"She simply doesn't like to be called old, which is what she means," said the man who she had been talking to at the table.
The man stood. He was tall and lean. He wore a simple white shirt and black trousers. He had messy black hair, which I felt suited him. Most Asian men look amazing with messy hair. He came to stand beside Maya. He acknowledged Yong-guk in Korean, and Yong-guk responded in kind. He soon turned to Mike and me.
"My name is Ken," he said. "It's a pleasure to meet you both. Though it would've been nice if I met the rest of The Toxins."
"The pleasure is mine," I said. "I bet the others would've liked to meet you too."
"Oh, you should come take a seat," said Maya. For a moment, I thought she was going to grab Mike by the hand and drag him with her. She was mature, and she didn't seem to be that kind of fan.
"I thought there were supposed to be the three of you," I said as we took our seats on the couch.
"He's already here," said Maya, who sat after Mike. She pointed towards the recording booth.
I thought to find someone inside as I looked at the glass, but there was no one there. There was movement near the recording console, and I saw there was someone seated on a black chair facing the console. Whoever sat there sat to a point where we wouldn't notice them the first time we walked into the room.
The chair swirled around. In a slouching position sat a man with long black hair tied in a ponytail. He wore black specs, and he gave us a serious look when he landed his eyes on us.
"Come say hi, Chan," said Ken, looking at the man seated on the chair. "You're being rude by sitting there all by yourself."
Lee, who remained standing, looked at him grimly. Her face tells me she already had an encounter with him, and it didn't go too well. Could he really be that difficult? I'm looking at Lee and realizing that's the kind of face she gives when she wants to hit someone on the head with a frying pan.
The so-called Chan stood up from his seat. He wasn't as tall as Ken, but he also had a lean-fit figure. He wore a light blue cashmere t-shirt with short sleeves and dark blue jeans and sneakers. There's something about him that made me shift a little in my seat. What could it be? Was it good or bad? I guess he'll have to show me.
Chan walked over to the table, and as he got close, he looked at us behind the glasses he wore. His look was intimidating, that's for sure. He scoffed a little when his eyes landed on Mike and me.
"Hello, there," he said. "Ken already said my name. Nice to meet you."
Immediately after he spoke, I realized that he was the one who had told us to come in when Lee knocked on the door. I didn't expect the owner of the voice to be someone like him. Not that there's anything wrong; I just expected more from someone lighthearted in nature.
"Nice to meet you too," said Mike, and I gave a nod of my head.
"Now that you've all met," said Lee, smiling at the rest of us, "I better be going now. The managers will come and meet you at their own time."
"Well, we weren't expecting them to be here anyway," said Chan, placing both his hands in the pocket of his trousers.
We all looked at him. I had a feeling he was going to be difficult. I turn to Mike. As stoic as he tried to look, I could tell he was feeling uneasy. Yong-guk, beside me, didn't seem to be so surprised for a second, looking at Chan like any normal person would.
"Okay," said Lee, trying her best not to take what Chan said to heart. "I'll leave you to it."
Lee turned around and left the room in a hurry. She might not have looked like it, but knowing her, she probably wanted to rush out so that she could go to the bathroom and let out a scream.
After Lee closed the door behind her, there was a brief moment of silence, with Chan still the only one standing.
Ken cleared his throat. "Okay, I think we can begin," he said as he turned to the three of us: Mike, Yong-guk, and me.
"Your managers wanted that we work on four more songs," said Maya. "They called us because we might help you to do things a little faster."
"That's good," I said as I looked at Maya. I turned to Chan, who was still standing and looking at all of us.
Maya noticed me looking. She sucked her teeth and looked at him, saying, "For goodness sake, Chan, stop looking at Sam like that. You're making her feel uncomfortable."
"Don't mind him," said Ken as he turned to look at me with a smile. "He usually gets like this when he's meeting people for the first time."
"You don't need to explain that to them," Chan said. He pushed his glass up the bridge of his nose with his fingers.
"So, where can we start?" Mike asked.
"It would be great to know what kind of songs you would want," said Ken. "But we've got a problem. I feel because there are too many of you, it wouldn't look great if all three groups sang all five songs."
"I'm guessing you're going to suggest there being subdivisions," I said. "Like one song should be sung by all girls, the other by all boys; the others can have a little mix, like maybe a duet or something."
Maya smiled at me. "It looks like you got the idea," she said. "Will that be okay with you?"
"Sam and I thought about it yesterday when we got back to the hotel at some point," said Mike. "We both thought it was a good idea. We're too many, and it's best if two or three songs have a little bit of subdivision."
"I agree with the idea too," said Yong-guk.
"Okay, so the main song with everyone in it is already done, so I've been told," said Ken. "There will be a need for one more song, and then the other three can be subdivisions of the group."
"I like the suggestion that Sam came up with," Yon-guk said. "One should be an all-girl group, then the other an all-boy group. Then I suggest the other should be random. Maybe three or five people."
"And what of the last one?" Mike asked.
"I'm guessing it should be more of a duet," Chan finally said.
Everyone turned their eyes toward him.
"If it's going to be a duet, then we should decide who will sing it," said Ken. "And looking at the group, everyone is super talented. This is going to be a tough one."
Chan folded his arms. "This shouldn't be too difficult," he said. "Sam here will sing it."
"Me?" I asked, my cheeks suddenly flushing.
"Yes, you. It would only make sense if you're the one who sings it, and I think I know just who to sing with."
Mike nudged me slightly on the shoulder. I could tell that he was trying to be supportive. I couldn't help but look at Chan as his eyes never left mine.
"Who?" Maya asked. "We can't pick anyone from the Toxins, and BLACKPINK is an all-girl group, which leaves us with WINNER."
"I know that," said Chan, his eyes falling on Maya before he went back to looking down at me. "I'm thinking she should sing with Mino."
I raise an eyebrow, and I turn to see that Mike also did the same. Singing with Mino? I don't think it's a bad idea, but I don't know. There was something off there that I couldn't put my finger on just yet.
"Mino will be great," said Ken, agreeing with Chan. "But what of Jinwoo or Seunghoon?"
Jinwoo? Mm. This is going to be tough. Either Seunghoon or Seungyoon would be better. There was something wrong with singing a duet with either Jinwoo or Mino. What could it be?
Then it came to me. Zoey likes Mino, and Christine likes Jinwoo. As much as they wouldn't mind me collaborating with either of them, what if it turns out that we sing a love song?
"Does this duet have to be based on opposite sexes?" Yong-guk asked.
"Well, yeah," said Maya. "That's when it will actually be interesting, don't you think?"
"I go with Yong-guk on this one," I said. "A duet doesn't have to be opposite sexes. I mean, I wouldn't mind singing with any of the BLACKPINK members."
I could feel Ken, Maya, and the already grilling stare of Chan's eyes on me. It could clearly show that this is clearly not what they want. How am I going to convince them that I don't have to sing with any of the members of WINNER?
"Well, we need to balance out the album, right?" Maya asked. "It will be totally unfair if we make it an all-girl or all-boy group."
"They do have a point," said Mike as he looked at them. "So, Sam, you should pick among the members of WINNER."
"Wait, I'm picking someone, and I'm not sure what kind of song we're going to sing," I said.
"That's why we are around," said Ken. "Let's pick someone, and we can figure out the rest later."
"So, we all agree that it's male and female singing?" Maya asked.
Everyone agreed, except for me. Yong-guk looked a little doubtful, but he agreed anyway because the majority had already won.
"Who do you pick to sing with, Sam?" Ken asked.
"Huh…" I didn't know who to pick. Jinwoo and Mino were good options, but they were out of the question. That meant picking between Seunghoon and Seungyoon.
"I was thinking between Seunghoon and Seungyoon," I suggested.
"No, I'm going with my first suggestion," said Chan. "You're better off singing with Mino."
"Okay, then what do others say?" I asked, looking at everyone else.
"Chan is right on this one," said Ken. "I feel Mino will be perfect. With your singing and his rap, you can be perfect together."
"It depends on the type of song," I said.
"True," said Mike. "But I agree. Mino and you will make a perfect collabo."
I gave a smile, which wasn't too genuine, of course. I wish I could back down from singing with Mino, but the other songwriters seemed set on making it happen. I would rather he sing with someone else and not me. Which brought me to a great idea.
"Ah, I think I know how to make this interesting," I said.
"We're all ears," said Chan. His eyes fixed on me, like those of a predator's.
"I was thinking that I shouldn't be the one singing with Mino. Let Mino collaborate with Zoey. If you look at the pairing carefully, you'll find that they are a really good match."
That last part didn't come out right. It's like saying they make a good couple. However, the others were mature enough to know what I meant, and they didn't say anything for a moment as they looked to be contemplating the issue.
"Wow, I never thought of it that way," said Maya. "I think they will be great."
"You're right," said Yong-guk. "I agree too."
Mike and Ken also agreed, so that only left Chan. We all turned to look at him. We waited to hear what he thought. He was quiet for a while, and that worried me a little. What happens if he refuses?
He closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them, he gave a nod of his head. This time, I was the one sighing, but in relief.
"I agree," said Chan. "I wonder why I never thought of that before."
With that statement, he turned around and started to make his way back to the console where he had previously sat. I didn't expect him to say that. Did he expect to have come up with the pairing on his own?
Ken must have read my mind because he started to say, "Don't mind him, Sam. Out of the three of us, he's the smart and creative one. Usually, when he tries to pair people in these kinds of collaborations, he's spot on. You coming up with such an idea must have caught him off guard and a little embarrassed."
"I didn't want to make him look bad," I said.
"Oh, we know it, and he does too. Don't beat yourself up about it. You'll see, he'll come up with some crazy good ideas for the songs, and he will forget about it."
Ken continued to say that we could get to work with everything settled. We had four more songs to write, and seeing that we were just the six of us, Maya and I said we would work together to write the all-girl's song. Mike and Yong-guk said they would do the all-boy's song. Ken planned to do the other song with Chan, where the whole of BTW sings, but Chan wanted to work on the duet song, and no one wanted to argue with him there. I offered to help Ken out if he needed any, and he was grateful for the gesture.
Mike and Yong-guk went to work on the other side of the room, while Maya, Ken, and I sat at the table with Chan by the console. Ken decided to work with Maya and me, and in turn, we worked with him on the other song. As usual, I was playing the guitar to come up with a melody for the song since it was easier for me to work that way.
Every now and then, I would look over at Mike and Yong-guk, seated on stools. Mike had a notebook with him and wrote with a pencil. The two looked focused, though they would laugh a little sometimes and then get back to work. It was the same with me. I had a good time interacting with Maya and Ken while we worked.
I would sometimes look over at Chan, seated at the console. I noticed that the crumpled-up pieces of paper on the floor kept piling up as time went by. Maybe he was struggling to come up with something, I thought. Maya answered my curiosity when she saw me looking at the pieces of paper on the floor. She said that's just how he works. He doesn't scribble like many of us and cross out words on one piece of paper. I believed her. Many songwriters I've met are just like Chan, who come out with brilliant lyrics.
It was close to lunchtime, and Lee came back. All this songwriting was starting to get to my stomach. Maya and Ken said they were going to order their lunch in the studio room. Chan didn't seem to care about lunch as he continued working on the lyrics on his own. The pile of crumpled paper kept increasing on the floor. It was the first thing that shocked Lee when she came to pick us up for lunch.
When the four of us left the studio room, we told Lee about the progress that we'd made so far. When we entered the elevator, we went to the lower floors of the building. Lee told us we were going to have lunch in the cafeteria. She also concluded that there would be an area especially secluded from the rest so that the whole BTW could have their meal without any disturbance. She also added that Mike and I might not be going back up to the studio room to join Yong-guk and the other songwriters after lunch. We asked her why.
"Your friends have already started to practice the choreography," Lee answered. "No one wants you two falling behind."
We reached the floor of the cafeteria, and along the way, we met a few trainees, who likewise greeted us. When we entered the cafeteria, it wasn't hard to notice where we were to sit. On one side of the cafeteria, to our left, was a small group of guards standing in a broken line guarding a small set of tables and chairs where BLACKPINK, WINNER, and The Toxins sat. There were boxes of pizza on one table, while the rest sat and ate their food. I noticed that The Toxins had already changed into the clothes that they use for dance practice.
The three of us greeted everyone when we entered our designated eating area. The others responded, looking relieved to see us. I sat on one of the benches and got a box of pizza from the table. Yong-guk came to sit beside me, and I handed him over a napkin and opened the box of pizza for him to get a slice. It was pepperoni-flavored.
"So, how is the songwriting going?" Lisa asked. She sat opposite me and swung herself around on the bench to look at me.
"Oh, it's going fine, so far," I said.
"Maybe we should tell them," said Yong-guk.
"Tell us what?" Zoey asked. She sat next to Lisa, but she had her back facing us.
"There will be a duet song in the album," Mike answered as he sat at the other table with the WINNER members and Daniel.
"Oh," said Christine, who sat on the other side of the table with Zoey and the rest of BLACKPINK. "I think I can guess who will sing that song. It's obviously a girl-boy thing, so... Sam and I don't know, Mino, maybe."
I look at Christine with an eyebrow raised. I was going to keep quiet for now while people guessed.
"No, I'm thinking it's Lisa and Mike," said Jennie.
Mike almost choked on the juice he was drinking, and Daniel, who sat beside him, laughed.
"I think it's obvious that that's not the right answer," said Mino, who also started to laugh.
"What about Christine and Jinwoo?" Zoey asked.
I saw Christine quickly blush at the comment, but she didn't shy away from Zoey like she usually would.
"No way," she said. "It simply can't be. If anything, I bet they chose you and Mino."
Yong-guk and I shared a look. Lisa, who sat facing us, noticed it. "It's Zoey and Mino, isn't it?" she asked. "That look on your faces says it all."
Zoey turned around on the bench and looked at me. "You can't be serious, right?" she asked.
"Well, originally, it was supposed to be Mino and Sam," said Yong-guk. "But for some reason, Sam brought up the idea of you and Mino collaborating, and the other songwriters agreed that it would be perfect."
"Wow, that's nice," said Jisoo, who sat next to Christine. "It looks like Christine here guessed right."
"And by accident too," said Rose.
"What will the song be about?" Zoey asked. I could already tell how much she was blushing.
"We don't know yet," said Mike. "The songwriter working on that is a bit of a grouch, but a genius when it comes to writing lyrics. So just know that it will be an awesome song."
"Speaking of meanies, you won't believe who is helping with the choreography," said Lisa.
"Who?" I asked.
"Taeyang," Seunghoon answered. He sat on the tabletop with a pizza in hand. "He is really pushing us to our limits. So you better get ready for him."
"I bet he's like that because of the given timeframe," said Yong-guk. "So you really need to perfect your choreography."
"Anyway, I better get my mind ready just in case," I said.
"That's probably for the best," said Lee. "Now, eat up. You're going to need all the energy you can get."
The others weren't kidding when they said Taeyang was tough. After lunch, Yong-guk went back to the studio room while Mike and I went to change out of our clothes. When we joined the others in the dance studio, we found them already getting along with their practice. Because there were many of us, there were going to be many transitions. There was another choreographer, a female, helping Taeyang. Mike and I observed the first part of the dance. Later on, we were told to join in, and it didn't take us long to catch up. We practiced throughout the afternoon, taking a few short breaks every now and then. This dance routine was tough, and perfecting it was going to be a whole lot harder. After we were done for the day, Taeyang couldn't help but compliment us for being able to do so well. All that remained was perfecting the dance moves.
"These guys weren't kidding when they said you were a big meanie," I said to him as I came to join him where he stood. I had a towel around my neck.
"I'm a meanie?" Taeyang couldn't believe it. "I'm only helping you guys, and you're calling me a meanie."
I laughed. "We understand that we're on a tight schedule, and you've got to push us to do our best. Besides, you're a good choreographer."
"Thanks. You and Mike caught on very well. In fact, everyone did well today. For now, all of you need to rest."
"Oh, we will," said Zoey, who walked past us, heading for the door. "I think all I want to do is fall asleep."
"No doubt she'll fall asleep in the car," said Taeyang as he smiled. He wasn't wrong there.
We all went to hit the showers, and afterwards, it was time to say bye and head home. The BLACKPINK and WINNER members had already left. However, I wanted to check on Yong-guk and ask him how the songwriting had gone. I didn't have to go looking for him. We found him in the lobby just as he was on his way out.
"Hey, guys," he said as he turned around. He was a few feet away from the main entrance. "How was practice?"
"Tiring," the five of us replied at the same time.
"I can only imagine."
"Did you manage to finish working on our piece?" Mike asked him.
"Yeah, I did. The other songwriters said it was great. You should see Chan's work, though. It's amazing. Mino and Zoey are going to enjoy singing together."
"I sure hope so," said Zoey.
"Don't worry. The fact that the two of you can rap will be awesome."
"That's good to hear," I said. "We can't wait to take a look at them."
We all walked out of the YG building, said our goodbyes to Yong-guk, and then went our separate ways.
As we headed to the car waiting for us in the parking lot, Christine, who slowed down walking as she looked at her phone, gasped in surprise. Zoey and I, who heard her, turned around to look at her. She stopped dead in her tracks, looking at the phone with her mouth wide open in shock.
"Hey, Christine, what is it?" Zoey asked.
"You're not going to believe this," said Christine, handing her phone over to Zoey.
I came to stand next to Zoey to look, and I couldn't believe what I saw. Zoey called out to my brothers and Lee to come over to look. When they did, we all looked worried, knowing that we might have a good conversation with Collins once we got back to the hotel.