Standing in front of that building is intimidating. I don't know what to do. That's when the driver takes my elbow and gently nudges for me to go inside. I do so and when I enter the lobby I'm overcome by anxiety. I've never been more scared and excited in my whole life. But I'm a professional journalist, I need to be able to do this in the future too. I need to get my act together and not be a . So I walk forward towards the elevator where the driver is waiting. The doors open and he punches in a number, a password. He makes sure I don't get to see it and then we go up. But my stomach still drops. While going up there is no sound at all, but the blood rushing in my ears. I wonder if I'm as red as I feel. I feel really hot and I just want to run. Away and towards them. This is so confusing. I'm conflicted.

The doors open and music flows inside. The drivers takes me through a little hallway and I recognize it from the practice videos. It's where Tao walked when they recorded 'Growl'. We enter through a backdoor and the music gets louder. We make no sound as we enter and I just watch them. They're practicing to 'Growl' at that exact moment in time. Like a dream come true. They're dancing in front of me. And I'm able to watch it up close. Not on a video, but in person.

They don't notice us so the driver motions for me to sit down on a chair at the back of the room. I do as I'm told, again, and just watch. They're so focused. I'm kind of jealous. And I'm in their dance rehearsal room, the actual one from the videos. It still doesn't hit me like it should. Then, when it ends, they all clap and get goofy.

Kai turns around and notices us. He says something in Korean that I don't understand. The driver answers him and Kai's expression lights up like a Christmas tree. He smiles at me as he motions the other guys. Suho is the first of them to reach me. Of course he is, he's the leader. So it's kind of his job to welcome me.

"Hi! I'm Suho! Welcome to Korea and S.M. headquarters!" he tells me as he shakes my hand.

I smile a little, unable to speak just yet.

"Hi, ehm, I'm Ella Olson, the journalist who's here to interview you guys this week..." I explain and they all laugh.

I don't even know why. They're all talking in Korean, so I can't understand a damn thing they're saying.

"Let's introduce ourselves, guys!" Suho tells them.

"Hey! I'm Kai!"

"I'm Baekhyun!"

"Chanyeol present!"

"Tao, here!"

"Sehun!"

"Xiumin also here!"

"Chen, at your service."

Hi, I'm D.O."

"And I'm Lay!"

They all laugh at the last part and start singing the song to his solo dance routine on the last tour in Japan. I kind of want to join in, but I don't know.

"Nice to meet you all!" I tell them and they smile.

"Let's sit down in a circle!" Chen says and Lay immediately follows.

I smile a little at them. They are just the way I imagined them. And I almost forget about my sweater. I'm careful not to turn around so they won't see. Chanyeol watches me as I sit down. They all do, as a matter of fact. Now I'm certain I'm turning red. With all of them staring at me like I'm a world wonder.

"So, Ella, tell us about yourself!" Sehun presses on.

"Well, I'm from Europe, as you know. I'm 20 years old, I studied journalism and then became a journalist, obviously."

They all start laughing with me. My joke worked!

"Currently living with my best friend, flew over here to meet some awesome band. You might know them... They call themselves EXO?" I tried again.

They laugh again.

"What are your interests?" Lay asks me.

I kind of turn even more red. I know I do. Lay just spoke to me directly for the first time in, like, ever!

"I love books, manga, anime, that kind of thing. I also love to dance and that's why I think I'm a fan of yours. Because you're amazing dancers..."

They all make the 'ooooh' sound.

"I write a little, not pieces for our journal, but personal stuff I want to get published one day... What else? Oh! I love dogs!" What am I even saying?

"Well done. You're a nice girl!" Sehun says and I smile back at him.

"Why did you guys want to meet me this soon?" I ask them.

"To see if we can have fun with you during the interview, of course!" Baekhyun says. Lay, who's sitting next to him, punches his arm playfully.

"We like to meet the people who we'll be talking to on the record. And yes, to see if we can have fun with you", Suho smiles.

He really is the leader of this band. I can see they all look up to him.

"And, can you have fun with me?" I question them.

They all look at each other and then they start speaking in Korean again. I hate it when they do that. And I kind of like it too. To hear them speaking so casually to each other. But I just hate the fact I don't understand them.

"Guys, she can't understand us if we're talking in Korean like that... I can barely understand most of you!" Tao says and I silently thank him.

"That's because you at languages! Lay understands!" Chanyeol says and sticks his tongue out at Tao.

"Yixing has always been better than me in that department..." Tao admits.

"And other departments", Lay smiles playfully at Tao. They start arguing in what I'm guessing is Chinese.

"GUYS!" Suho screams. "We still have to give the poor girl an answer!"

"Oh, yeah! Of course! Yeah, we can have fun with you! You seem like fun!" Kyungsoo says and reassures me.

"Aw! Thanks!" I tell them.

"Wait! Is that an EXO sweater?!" Kai yells and rushes over.

My cover is blown...

"Who's on the back?" Kai tries to go around me but I struggle a bit so he doesn't see.

But because I'm struggling for him not to see I turn my back to the others without noticing. And they all gasp a little and then all hell breaks loose. They all start teasing Lay and pushing him. Kai is staring smugly. I want to punch that guy for doing this to me.

"So, your bias is Lay, huh?" Chen asks me and I nod.

I'm unable to speak. I'm mortified. Just like I imagined. I look at the ground and don't even dare to look at one of them. After a few seconds the noise dies and I hear someone coming over.

"Don't worry, I don't mind..." I hear Lay say. And hearing his voice makes me want to look at his face too. So I look up and his face is so close. I'm shocked that he's so close and I just stare. Then he turns away and goes back to his place in the circle. All the guys have gone quiet too, Xiumin is even smiling a little at Lay.

"Well, it's time for us to continue practice!" Suho shouts and all the guys get up.

I didn't even realize I was interrupting their practice. Their work. I'd just been talking with them like it was nothing. I stand up too and dust off my pants.

"Then I'll get going! I still have to unpack! And maybe even see Seoul..." I say, more to myself then the people around me.

"You want to come with us tonight? We're gonna go shopping and maybe even a movie after that!" Kyungsoo says and the others agree with him.

"Perfect opportunity for you to see Seoul like it is! We know all the best spots!" Kai tells me gesturing at all the boys.

"Fine, where do I see you guys?" I ask them and they start discussing in Korean again.

"Your hotel is okay, we know where you're staying", Lay tells me and throws in a wink.

I almost faint on the spot. Damn, that boy can go from being cute to being y in 0.1 second...

"See you guys later then!" I tell them as I head to the hallway where I came from earlier.

"Ella! Wait!" I hear Lay shout behind me. He followed me here.

He walks over, slowly. And then he leans in like he's going to whisper something in my ear. As he gets closer my heart beats faster. I can't think straight.

"I'm going to take your snapback. You can get it back later. We'll see", he says while he actually takes the snapback off me head and places it on his.

I stare at him in absolute horror. Not at the fact that it doesn't suit him, but at the fact that it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life. He steps back a little and winks. While he does that he's biting his lip. Another thing that I've now seen in real life. It's the most y thing he does and it just got 1000 more hot. And I've seen it in person. I think I'm going to faint.

"See ya!" he says while giving me a little wave and skipping back to the practice room.

You see, he can go from y to cute so fast...

"Miss Olsen", I hear the driver guy say.

And that is when it hit me. He saw the whole thing. EVERYTHING. I'm mortified. I could die of shame. I swear...

I get inside the elevator again. It's going to be one awkward ride down, again. And it's so silent. There's like no music at all. I look over at him but he doesn't say a word. He just pretends I'm not even there.

When we get main floor he walks in front of me, to the car. He opens my door and then he gets in himself.

"I will now take you back to your hotel", he tells me before taking off.

I think about the way Lay acted just now. It's so weird. But cute at the same time. It's like he made a promise by taking my snapback. Like he needed a reason to see me again and this was it. This way he can come see me when he wants.

Oh no! I still have to call Amalia to tell her what happened! She's going to be so pissed when she hears I already got to meet them and I didn't call her the minute I touched Korean soil. She's going to kill me! And after that I have to call my mom. I still have to unpack and take a shower. And I have to get ready for tonight! So much to do, so little time.

"We're here, miss", I hear the driver say and I realize the door is already open.

I didn't even hear the car stop. I was so deep in thought.

When I step into the lobby I nearly get a heart attack. It's so big! It's kind of like the Hilton. Not that I know what that looks like, but I always imagined it to be like this. S.M. Entertainment is taking care of everything. They have enough money anyway. They make millions on the people that work for them. They have actors, singers, dancers... You name it, they got it.

The driver has already taken care of everything. He has the key and all. So we take another awkward elevator ride up. He just stands there, never talking. I guess that's what his job description says. He probably drives around a lot of famous people. Then how the hell did he get stuck with such a crappy job like watching me?

We get to my floor and I follow him to my door. He hands me the key and I open the door. I walk inside and he follows me. This is not even a room anymore. It's more like house. The living room alone is big than my apartment back home. The bathroom is huge! And I haven't even seen the bedroom yet! The driver guy gets back from the bed room.

"Your bag is in your bedroom", he tells me.

"Thank you for taking me everywhere", I say to him and he smiles a little. I guess he doesn't get that much?

"If you want to go anywhere, my card is on the desk inside the bedroom. Call me if you want to see something. I'll be here in a matter of minutes. I'll be taking care of you for the next few days."

And then he leaves. Finally I'm alone! And in this big room nonetheless. I have so much to do, but all I want to do is lounge around on the comfy looking couch. Then I look up to the ceiling and think to myself: meeting EXO is the best thing that has ever happened to me. And it's true. It really is.