I burst out laughing and he slapped his hand over my mask,
“Shhh…” he said giggling himself.

He stepped back after a few seconds.

“I’m sorry I just…”

The dress stretches across his chest and torso, widens slightly at the hips, and shows a lot of man leg. His calves accentuated standing in my shoes, which his heels slip over the back of. While his face may be pretty, his body isn’t exactly feminine.

“You should…stick to penguin pajamas.”

His face reddened.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

He tossed me his yellow pajama pants. “Here put these on over.”

“I don’t understand.”

My phone buzzed from on top of the toilet. 

Sav: Ellie are you still at Vernon’s apartment?? I’m seeing pictures on Twitter of Joshua and Jeonghan running through the subway.

/pictures of pajama pants running/

Hampton: Wait which is the one on the right.

Sav: That’s Joshua.

Hampton: Ellie please introduce me to Joshua.

Kimmy: oh god

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” he peeked outside the crack in the stall. 

The yelling was increasing.

“I’m going to run outside screaming. Hopefully they all follow me,” he said stuffing his clothes in Sam’s murse. 

“You take this, jump over the turn stiles, and pray that the train is coming.”
“Jump over turn stiles? I can’t even run straight.”
“Elena you need to do this. Can you do this?”

Those eyes though. I’d do anything they told me to do.

“…yes…”

“Ok.”

He pushed the stall door open and disappeared, a black blinding flash. 

Oh my god.

I looked around the corner and…the girls are gone. They were screaming and chasing after gold heels. 

A man at the urinal had his head turned looking extremely concerned.

Gross.

Deep breaths.

I darted from the stall and reached the turn stiles immediately around the corner.

An announcement from downstairs, “the train to Sinchon is now approaching”

My arms are not made out for jumping over turnstiles. Other people are entering now, looking at me strangely. What is this person doing and why are they dressed that way. Excellent question world.

I ditched the jumping and scrambled underneath. The old ladies do it all the time anyway.

I leapt down the stairs and praise the gods the train was standing there, people filing out. I pushed my way through them, reached the other side, and put my head on the glass panting.

______________________________________________________________

SHINee’s new song rang.

10:59 PM.

Sam’s calling.

“Hey,” I answered sitting on my bed. My feet hitting the opposite wall.

“Hey Ellie, I’m outside. Let me in.”
“Couldn’t you have just texted me to say that?”
“I wanted to hear your voice.”

“You’ll my voice in—“ 

The phone clicked off.

I walked into the hallway, keeping my head down, passing the doors on my left and right.

He stood outside the front door, on the landing, sipping out of a styrofoam cup and holding another in his right hand.

“Don’t you know the passcode by now?” I asked opening the door.

“Shouldn’t we keep up pretenses? Just in case your landlady watches the cameras?”

He handed me a drink. Warm peach tea. 

He’s the best.

“Eh, I’ve lived here long enough. I don’t think she really cares what I do as long as I pay the rent.”

We squeezed into my tiny room. I sat on the bed and he settled in the chair against the wall, sprawling his legs out on mine.

His phone buzzed. Again. And again. And again.

“You talking to Kimmy again?”

He smirked. “Not really.”

He turned his phone to me. Dozens of messages popped up, pushing the other further down.

Hoshi. Seokmin. Hoshi. Seungkwan. A picture. SDFJSDLFKS. Hoshi.

“Wait…”

He smiled.

“So those Seventeen guys…they’re pretty cool.”

I just about spit out my tea.

“What’s so funny?”

Sam is in a group chat with 13 kpop stars. It’s fine.

“You…bonded…?

“Yeah, you could say that,” he laughed. “I don’t know if you saw, but Vernon has a massive tv and gaming system in the living room.”

“Can’t say that I noticed…”

“I haven’t played MarioCart in like, 10 years.”

Oh my gosh this is hilarious.

“So you accomplished your life dream of being in a group chat.”

His phone buzzed and buzzed.

“They’re so funny Ellie.”

“Seems like it—“ I sipped more from my tea.

“Have you even looked them up yet?”

“Actually…”

“Are you kidding me Ellie?? He put his drink down on my desk. “They took you home and you slept at their house for two nights and you haven’t even youtubed them???”

“I came home and slept and went to school and went tutoring ok? I just got back.”

He rolled his eyes. “You always have time for SHINee stuff.”

“Well that’s because it’s SHINee.”

He flipped open my MacBook and typed in youtube.

“Here,” he clicked on one of the videos.

They’re all in little grey suits. Seungcheol ran across and jumped on them. The beat kicked in. 

“Wait…” I looked closer… “is that Jeonghan with the purple hair??” 

“Yep!”

All the sudden he’s a lot less intimidating.

The clips were so fast.

There’s the pink haired one.

A close up of Vernon’s face. A girl fake slaps him. His skin looks…glorious. But I know his secret.

“What?” Sam asked looking at me.

“I just…nothing.”

Oh my god Seokmins eye smile. That may be the cutest thing I have ever seen.

“Wait,” I slammed on the spacebar. 

Joshua’s forehead shone underneath orange swooped hair.

“What are you doing? We’re getting to the best part!”

“Sorry sorry,” I resumed the video.

They swirled their arms around. Perfectly in sync. So many of them.

Sam suddenly convulsed in his chair practically knocking my laptop off, “what are you doing??” “MANSAE MANSAE MANSAE YEAH,” he swirled his arms around.

Oh my god.

Wonwoo looks so mysteriously y. Remember when he sat on the bed eating grapes.

Wait wait wait. I paused the video again.

“Is that…Mingyu???”

Silver blue comma hair on point. He is not the pancake boy from yesterday morning.

“Ellie stop pausing!,” he moved my hand and pressed the spacebar again.

Jeonghan’s hair. I can’t.

Seuncheol’s smile. Haven’t seen that before.

And who the f- is this girl.

It faded out.

“Over 2 million views. That’s pretty good.”

Sam smiled. “Let’s watch it again.”

“What no stop,” I pushed him away.

“Aren’t they cool though??”

His phone buzzed and buzzed and buzzed.

“They’re decent dancers,” I agreed.

“They write all the songs and choreograph it themselves. They’re so co—“

I folded my arms and sat back.

“Is this how I sound when watching a SHINee video?”

He stared at me. “No you’re much worse.”

“I mean yeah, the song is catchy. But there’s so many of them. How can all 13 get lines. Joshua didn’t get nearly enough screen time.”

He rolled his eyes. “You are so predictable Ellie.”

“What? It’s the truth.”

I closed my Macbook. He sat back sipping in silence.

“You caused a lot of trouble for them you know.”

Here it is. I’d been avoiding it. Because no. I don’t know. And I don’t want to know.

“Have you looked at Twitter all day?”

“No. I told you. I slept and then school and then tutoring.”

“You had plenty of time.”

He showed me a picture on his phone.

There’s Joshua. In my dress. Screaming running through the subway. Fringe flying, forehead gleaming.

I’m nowhere to be seen.

“Everyone is really confused,” he continued.

“Join the club.”

“No like—everyone on Twitter is talking about it.”

“Twitter? Since when have you been on Twitter?”

“I was just curious!”

He leaned over. “Where’s my bag anyway?”

I dragged it out from under the bed.

“You could have at least hung it on your doorknob,” he muttered.

“So…what are they saying…?”

I can’t help it. I want to know.

He smiled. “Well the only conclusion fans can come to is that Joshua went out cross dressing on Friday night and got drunk. Vernon went and brought him home.”

Oh god.

“Then, Saturday morning, everyone went to Vernon’s place. They spent the day caring for hungover cross dressed Joshua. On Sunday morning, Jeonghan tried to sneak Joshua out with no one noticing, but obviously failed,” he mostly said to himself. “They ran in the bathroom to hide from fans and Joshua, in a crazed moment, ripped his pajamas off to reveal his cross dressing outfit and ran home. No one knows where Jeonghan went.”

“That makes zero sense.”

“Basically, everyone thinks Joshua is a serial, uncontrollable, cross dresser.”

I put my head in my hands.

“Believe it or not, they’re very happy with this result.”

“What the f-“

“Yeah their company said anything is ok as long as there aren’t any actual girls involved.”

Oh my god.

“Because an actual girl would destroy them, before even getting started,” he stared at me. As if daring me to get involved. So what if I do.

“I won’t get involved. This SHINee comeback has got me busy enough.”

Suddenly, my giant Minho poster peeled off the wall and fell on Sam, who took it off cursing.

“See, I told you.”

____________________________________________

Authors note--so...I'm kind of just writing...we'll see where this is going. I know things keep changing and I'm so sorry if it's confusing for anyone. Thanks for reading my silly story haha