Note from the author: To save confusion, everything said in ENGLISH will be in BOLD font.

“So you like your men dark and mysterious?”, Kris asks for the third time in under an hour.

You had hoped the arrival of jjajangmyeon, pork dumplings and iced jasmine tea in a quaint Chinese restaurant had erased that memory, but apparently not.  The other two times you had casually avoided the subject, but now it’s become annoying.  

Picking up a pickled carrot with your chopsticks, you agitatedly exhale: “Why?  Do you?”

“Well, I can’t say I’ve thought about how I like my men…”, Kris chuckles.

Noticing your mistake, you can’t help but laugh with him.  The sudden change in atmosphere calms you: “You know what I meant, Kris”. 

“Hmmm”, he ponders as he takes a serious swig of his iced jasmine tea, “I can’t say that I do.  I like my men romantic and chivalrous”. 

His response makes your inner self face palm dramatically, but that’s one of the reasons you like him: “Well then, that makes two of us”, you smile as you pop the pickled carrot in your mouth, “Oh, and he’s got to be tall”.

“Oh yes”, Kris muses as he practically inhales a dumpling, “I’d be so embarrassed if my man was shorter than me”.

“But you’re over six foot tall, so you can’t be too picky”.

“You have a valid point… Maybe I should give up?”

His statement makes you giggle wholeheartedly: “I think that’s a bit overdramatic”.

“Perhaps you’re right”, Kris smiles.

“Of course I am”, you jokingly pout in return before pointing at a plate with your chopsticks, “Are you going to eat that?”

Kris looks down at the once full plate of dumplings before casually taking the last one.  He motions to eat it, but instead places it on the side of your plate.

“Thanks”, you beam as you dip it in teriyaki sauce and take a delightful bite, “I think I could live on these”.

                               *      *     *

“Arg, I’m so full”, Kris declares half an hour later as you leave the restaurant.

“Well, it’s your fault”, you chuckle as you lightly jab his stomach with your elbow, “You didn’t have to order another plate of dumplings”.

 “I was worried that you might murder me in my sleep if I didn’t”, he claims whilst eyeing you suspiciously.

“Hm…”, you ponder, “That definitely is feasible”.

You smile and let the warm afternoon air fill your lungs.  You don’t want this day to end yet: “So what’s next?”

Kris goes deep into thought for a second: “How are your caffeine levels?”

“Pretty low”, you conclude whilst scrunching up your face cutely.

“Probably time to stock you up then”, he titters before adding, “You’re body must be 99% coffee and 1% water”.

“Yup”, you cheekily grin, “But I’m too worried to find out what would happen to me if I stopped drinking coffee.  I’d probably shrivel up like a vampire that’s had no blood or something”.

Your remark makes Kris chuckle, which in turn makes you happy.  You like it when you make him smile.  *He’s so attractive*, you swoon as he ruffles his new blonde hair, *What I’d give to know what is actually going on here.  Right Jae, no negative thoughts today please!*

Ten minutes later the two of you are stood outside a small coffee shop across the street.  You opted for an iced Americano, whilst Kris picked a chocolate milkshake claiming that he’d have a heart attack if he tried to keep up with you.

Looking up to the sky you notice how close you are to Namsam Tower.  You’ve always wanted to go, but never wanted to go alone.  Your students always tell you that it’s a special place where couples go to make wishes and leave padlocks with their names written on them locked to the fences.  *Right!*, you announce to yourself, *Time to be assertive!  It’s now or never!*

You take a deep breath, remembering to play it cool: “Have you been to Namsam Tower?”

Kris looks round and follows your line of site.  He goes quiet for a moment before confessing: “You know what, I actually haven’t”.

*RESULT!*, you inwardly exclaim before turning to face him with the cutest smile you can muster, “Shall we then?”

“Sounds perfect”, he smiles sweetly down at you making your heart flutter uncontrollably, “I can’t think of anyone I’d rather go with”.

            *    *    *

“JAE!”, you hear Kris bellow at you across the crowed, “Come here!”

Tearing your eyes away from the beautiful scenery that pans across the horizon in front of you, you merrily skip towards Kris.

“Happy?”, he beams as he wraps his right arm around your shoulders.

“Ecstatic”, you smile up at him, “This is absolutely amazing!” 

Hearing your response Kris squeezes you lightly and then pulls you closer.  You feel like you could stand here like this forever.  You close your eyes and let the moment sink in because you know you it’s only fleeting really.

“Jae?”, Kris’s deep voice brings you back to reality.

*OMO!  We’re at one of the most romantic locations in Seoul*, you panic at your realisation making your heart beat erratically. , *If Kris is ever going to ask me out then surely now is the perfect time?*

Trying to hide your anticipation, you open your eyes and take a deep breath: “Yes?”

“I’ve been wanting to ask y-”.

Just like a movie Kris’s phone begins to ring loudly, cutting him off abruptly.

“Yeoboseyo?”, he turns away from you and makes his way out of the crowed.

Feeling dejected you turn back around and kick the fence with your foot, making the padlocks nearby jingle gently against the metal.  *Perhaps this isn’t destiny after all*, you pout to yourself as you puff out your cheeks, *I was stupid for thinking things would be so easy*.

Letting out a sign you lean forward and rest your arms on the fence.  *But at least I got to visit Namsam Tower*, you smile to yourself as you take in the breathtaking scenery once more, *I should take a picture to show Minhye*.

You fumble in your bag and pull out your phone.  Holding it high you take a panorama shot and slowly swivel round in a circle.

“Perfect”, you beam to yourself as you admire you work, *She’s going to be so jealous!*

“Sorry about that”, Kris affirms as he reappears at your side.  He eyes your phone and then takes it out of your hands: “Come here”.

Before you can say anything Kris has wrapped his left arm around your shoulders and pulled you close once more.  The two of you look up at the phone and smile brightly.

“There”, Kris beams as he hands back your phone, “Our first picture together”.

Hoping it will be the first of many you carefully tuck your phone back in your bag before asking: “Everything okay?”

Kris lets out a long breath: “My family is so melodramatic sometimes.  Apparently they’re all on the brink of death because there is no food in the dorm”.

“Oh no!  That’s such a disaster”, you tease, “I guess we had better go feed them then”.

“Looks that way.  I’m sorry, Jae”.

“It’s okay”, you assure before laughing, “I just hope we make it in time!”

            *    *    *

It’s almost seven by the time you arrive at EXO’s dorm, shopping bags in each hand.  As you step inside you can’t help but notice that it is unusually quiet.  *Perhaps we didn’t make it in time*, you muse to yourself as you kick your shoes neatly to the side and make your way to the kitchen.

“Your saviours have arrived!”, Kris elaborately beckons to the empty space.

A few moments pass, joined slowly by an array of groans.

“What took you so long?”, a weak voice questions from the sofa.

“We told you we were dying”, another quietly declares from across the room.

“You know you could have gone to the supermarket”, Kris teases, but you can hear the slight annoyance that lies beneath, “We were on a date!”

At the mention of the word ‘date’ your heart skips a beat and you can feel the blood rushing to your face.

“Where did you go?”, a voice asks from right behind you, making you nearly jump out of your skin.

Spinning around you see that the silent perpetrator is D.O..

“Namsam Tower”, you smile whilst trying to hide your disappointment.  Would Kris have asked you out if he hadn’t been interrupted?

“I haven’t been there in years!”, D.O. reminisces, “We used to go on so many school trips there”.

“We should all go together next time”, Xiumin proposes as he pushes himself off the floor and makes his way towards the kitchen.

Looking around you see that nearly all of the members have recovered from their various stages of death and are now stood excitedly in the kitchen.

“What’s for dinner?”, Lay asks as he helps you unpack the shopping bags.

“Bibimbap”, you smile warmly at your newly acquired family, *This definitely beats eating ramen alone in my apartment*.

As soon as the word leaves your mouth you see Tao’s head pop up over the back of the sofa, clearly interested in the conversation now.  He picks up a pillow and lobs it across the room.

“OW!”, Sehun grumbles from the darkness, but no movements are made.

“Oi”, Tao whines as he throws another pillow at Sehun, “Mummy Jae is here!”

The nickname still makes you wince, but you know you’re going to have to get used to it.

Suho lets out a chuckle, “He’s too close to death to move, Tao.  Leave him alone for now”.

Like a child, Tao pouts before silently disappearing back onto the sofa.  

*Why do I feel like the nickname is somewhat appropriate?*, you acknowledge in defeat before turning to D.O., “You ready, chef?”

“You know it”, D.O. brightly replies, “I’ll get the rice cooker.  Do you want to start cutting the meat?”

“You’re going to trust her with a knife after last time?”, Kris interjects from the other side of the kitchen.

“What happened last time?”, Luhan enquires.

“She nearly stabbed me!”, Kris contests in dismay, “I could have died!”

“That’s an over exaggeration”, you chuckle, “But if you keep going on about it then maybe I should have stabbed you!”

“Oh hooooo”, Chen cries in response to your comeback, which is shortly followed by the laughing and clapping of all the members.

Kris falls silent, but you can tell that he is brooding ever so slightly.  It’s unlike him to not argue back.

As the room quietens down, Baekhyun looks around sneakily before giggling: “Kkaebsooooong”.

            *    *    *

“Oh wow”, you declare as you make your way back to the kitchen with the now empty bowls, “You’ve finished them!”

Kris observes you as look at the six canvases that are now hanging nonchalantly on the wall.  Each one is spray painted to look like the nebula with two of the members’ symbols you saw months ago painted in gold on each.

“They’re really something, aren’t they”, Chen chuckles as he takes the bowls from your grasp and continues past you, “We’re definitely not artists, that’s for sure”.

You turn and smile at Chen, “I think they’re great”.

“You’re just saying that because you don’t want to get kicked out”, Yeollie affirms as he appears beside you.  

It’s the first thing he’s said to you all night.  You don’t know why he is being so quiet towards you, but just hearing his voice makes you happy.

“Yup”, he continues, “I may not be able to paint, but at least I can play the guitar, so there’s hope for me yet”.

His remark makes you laugh, “That’s true.  Never give up!”

As he walks away you swear you hear him mutter, “Don’t worry, I won’t”, but no one else seems to notice so you let it go.

“Right!  Who’s going to help me wash up?”

Looking round you see that D.O., Tao, Lay, Kai, Sehun and Suho are now sprawled in different stages of death from overeating on the floor.  Luhan and Xiumin have the PS3, Chanyeol has disappeared, Lay has picked up his guitar, and Baekhyun is playing on his phone.  *Just like Minhye*, you chuckle to yourself, *They’re definitely going to hit it off*.

“Looks like it’s just us three then”, you smile to Chen and Kris, “Who wants to wash up?”

“Washing up is not my style”, retorts Kris who instead positions himself on one of the counters.

Raising your eyebrow at him you let out a small sigh: “Araso…”

“I’ll wash up”, Chen interjects, “You alright to do the drying?”

“Plan”, you smile as you join him at the sink.

As Chen washes the first dish he begins to hum to himself.  You recognise the tune, but can’t quite put your finger on it.  It is only when Chen bursts into song that it finally clicks.

Baby there’s no, no tomorrow.  I’m stopped still from that time, that place.  It’s the last lingering moment.  Although for you, it was just a passing day.  Baby there’s no, no, no, no more tomorrow.

You are taken aback by Chen’s beautiful voice, yet still find it in yourself to join in because you absolutely love this song and everything to do with Tablo: “Till you come back, every day is yesterday”.

Baby there’s no, no, no, no more tomorrow.

Feeling comfortable in your surroundings, you don’t even think about what you’re doing and so you just continue copying Tablo: “The memories that ripped apart my heart rip the days off the calendar and fades away like the end of the year.  I live as I pretend to forget you - my world still hasn’t changed - you’re still not there.  People all say that if you look back you will laugh.  Even though I have a hard time turning my head that used to face you, I don’t want to hear it.  But why do they keep blabbering?  I’m still lingering here”.

When the verse comes to an end you suddenly realise that everything has gone quiet and that everyone is paying attention to you.  The blood rushes to your head in embarrassment and you don’t know what to do or say.  Before you can even open your mouth, you hear Chanyeol continuing the song from the other side of the room:

Don’t say that the sun will rise tomorrow, because it will be a darker morning than a night with you.  Don’t say that the ground hardens after rain, because it will be a relief.  That is more frustrating than our worries.  Everything is a mess.  It’s springtime again for you, but seasons don’t change for me.  Even though you say my heart will bloom again, I’ve got no tomorrow.

As the chorus is due a second time, more of the members join in whilst Kris and D.O. begin to beatbox together.

Kai takes the lead with the second verse, followed by Xiumin.

No, no more tomorrow.  No, no more tomorrow.  You all happily chant in unison alongside Baekhyun’s voice, despite the fact that it is actually a rather sad song.

Once the song has come to an end, everyone begins to cheer in delight.

“I didn’t know you could rap”, Kai exclaims, “What other skills are you keeping from us?”

Turning a lovely deep shade of maroon, you feel the need to correct his error: “I can’t rap.  I mean, I can when it’s Tablo or Phantom, but I can never keep up with Ravi or T.O.P”.

“Can you sing?”, he continues to query.

“I have the voice of a bird that is being strangled by a little noose”.

Your comment surprises Kai, “Morbid, but to the point.  Okay, no singing for Jae”.

“Trust me”, you laugh, “It’s better that way”.

Wiping your hands dry you start making your way towards Kris.

“Who’s up for a movie?”, Lay questions from in front of the TV catching your attention, “Avengers?”

“A MILLION TIMES YES!”, you excitedly reply before running towards the lounge.  As you get within five feet of Lay you casually use one of the pillows Tao threw on the floor to slide the rest of the way and position yourself next to him.  “Ready!”, you smile before turning to the rest of the group and waving them over, “C’mooooon”.

            *    *    *

Baby, I love you.  I say this but I don’t feel good at all.  I want you, I need you.  I sing but I don’t know why I feel bad.  Who you?

Your phone interrupts the movie, making the members groan.  After finally locating it, you run into what you hope is Kris’s bedroom and plonk yourself onto the floor.  It’s Minhye.

“CHINGU-YA!”, she screams through the microphone making you wince slightly in pain, “I’ve got something really exciting to tell you!”

“What? What? What?”, you ask as you switch to speaker phone and use your free hand to massage your now sore ear.

“I BOOKED MY FLIGHTS!  I’ll be arriving on the 17th July and leaving again 1st August!”

You let out a loud squeal in excitement at the thought of your best friend visiting you in Seoul, but before you can form any words in response the bedroom door flies open and EXO fall one by one into the room.

“YA!”, you playfully yell at them, “What are you doing?”

“Let me speak to one of them”, Minhye demands from miles away.

“You’re on speaker”, you smile as they all gather around you, “Everyone say hi”.

Minhye is met with a mix of greetings and confused voices.

“You better be taking good care of my Sky Monkey!”, she continues to whoever is listening, “She is irreplaceable and deserves only the best”.

“Yes”, they all respond in unison like a group of obedient students.

“And make sure she always has emergency banana milk, dark chocolate and choco pies for when she’s stressed or tired”.

“Yes”, they all reply once more.

“And one more thing”, Minhye’s voice gets darker, “Never, ever come between Jae and coffee.  You don’t want to know how that ends”.

“UNNIE!”, you amusingly retort, “It’s not that bad”.

“Poor Daisy will never be the same”, she sighs, ignoring your denial.

Luhan looks at you in bewilderment. “She’s joking, right?”

“Daisy is not a person”, you defend yourself, “She’s an alpaca plush and she had it coming!”

Tao and Lay look at you in shock before slowly moving towards their own stuffed toys in their bedroom and guarding them with their bodies.

Kris can’t hold back his laughter: “I’m sure she did… But don’t worry Minhye, I always check her caffeine levels so we’re all safe for now”.

“Good good.  Thank you, Kris”, Minhye guesses correctly, “But you have all been warned”.

“Araso, Minhye.  I think they get it now”, you try to redeem the situation, “Now let’s talk packing!  What you planning on bringing?  Ooo, can you bring me some of that delicious hazelnut coffee you can buy near yours?  And maybe one of those really cute bows from that 50’s place?”

At the mention of clothes, EXO depart the room quickly and resume watching Avengers.  Once you have finished discussing your plan of action with Minhye, you reposition yourself on the floor between Kris and Chen before noticing that a few of the members have disappeared.  *They’ve probably gone to bed*, you think to yourself, *It is getting late… I should probably leave soon.  Nah, I’ll finish watching Jeremy Renner first*.

Twenty minutes pass and the end credits begin to roll before you hear the door of the apartment open.  Turning around you see that it is Lay, Baekhyun and Xiumin returning with ice cream.

Turning off the film, Chen stands up to meet them: “What took you so long?”

“Baekhyun couldn’t decide what ice cream to get”, Xiumin states as he playfully nudges Baekhyun, nearly making him fall over as he unlaces his shoes.

“Well, the film’s over”, Kai affirms whilst motioning to the black screen of the TV.

“And I’ve got to head home now”, you pout before pushing yourself to your feet.

Taking in your surroundings you notice that Tao, Sehun, D.O., Luhan, Suho and Kris have all fallen into a deep sleep.  Being careful as to not wake the others, you bend down and pat Kris gently on his back.

“I’ve got to go now, hun”, you whisper as he stirs from his sleep.

“What time is it?”, he questions as he rolls over, rubbing his eyes.  *I’ve never seen him act so cute*.

“Late, you stay here though”.

“No”, he asserts as he pulls himself up, “I’ll walk you home”.

Smiling at his chivalrous response, you head towards your shoes after grabbing your bag.

“Here”, a voice quietly gets your attention, “It’ll be cold outside”.

Looking up you see that it is Yeollie motioning a hoodie towards you.

“Thank you”, you smile in gratitude before pulling the hoodie over your head.

Before you know it Chen, Yeollie and Kai have all gathered their shoes and joined Lay, Xiumin, Kris and Baekhyun at the front door.

“Shall we then?”, Chen smiles, showing Wendy’s hidden kiss and making your heart flutter.

*I think hanging out with EXO is dramatically shortening my life*, you inwardly sigh, *It can’t be healthy to be around twelve attractive men all the time*.

You nod in agreement rather than attempting to form words.

As the eight of you make your way through the now quiet streets, you realise that EXO must enjoy going out for late night walks or their traditions at the river because they don’t have to worry about being surrounded by fans.  *It’s such a different life*, you unwillingly admit, *Do I really belong here?*

With an air of doubt beginning to surround you, you don’t even notice Kris wrap his arm around your waist until he calls your name for the third time.

“Hm?”, you respond without looking at him.

“I really enjoyed today”, he leans his head towards yous, “We should do it again”.

Feeling the uncertainty begin to overwhelm your being, you just nod in agreement to stop the tears that are threatening to spill.  Kris must sense that something is bothering you because he pulls you even tighter into his grasp.

“Alright, love birds”, Kai teases from behind, “Feel like being sociable yet?  Your ice creams are melting!”

Swallowing the lump that has reared its ugly head in your throat, you force a smile and wait for the rest of the group to catch up.  Yeollie passes you a watermelon shaped ice cream that strangely tastes like honeydew melon instead, but either way it’s delicious.

“Thanks”, you beam, “And thanks again for the hoodie”.

He matches his pace to yours and stays by your side: “That’s alright Chopstick Girl, it looks good on you”.

“You think?”, you query as you skip in front of him and turn around to model the garment, “Perhaps I should keep it then.  I love this brand”.

“Me too”, he grins as he catches up to you, "It's my favourtie".

Before long you are standing at the bottom of the metal stairs that lead to your apartment.

“Thank you for walking me home”, you smile, feeling a little bit better about the whole situation now.  Perhaps you are just thinking too much about it.

“I’ll walk you up”, Kris states as he begins to follow you, “Make sure there are no hoards of men waiting to pounce at the top”.

His comment makes you chuckle.  “That’s so manly of you”, you tease.

“I know”.

Once you have reached the door of your apartment, you turn to face Kris: “Thank yo-”.

You are unable to say anything else.  Your lips are now entwined with Kris’s soft lips, his arms wrapped around you waist.  Your heart feels like it has abandoned ship and time seems to stop.

“Waheyyyyy”, you hear Kai yell from bellow, bringing you back to your senses.

Looking down you see that they are all observing you and Kris.  All except Yeollie who you can just about make out down the road, his shoulders slumped over.  *What’s up with him?*, you question as Kris gently pulls your face back to his for another goodnight kiss.