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

“Making a day feel like a minute. With you, I’m the main character of a movie; as if I’m about to film an action scene to come see you; as if I’ve become a hero”.

You wake up as the book you were reading last night falls heavily onto the floor.  Ignoring the dishevelled novel, you stay in bed with you eyes closed, letting EXO-K’s voices be the only things you focus on.  You don’t know their names, but the two members that sing this song are amazing.  *Ah, I wish I could sing*, you sigh as one of their voices sends shivers down your spine.  

You would be lying if you said you didn’t like the EXO-M’s version of this song.  You would also be lying if you claimed that not all twelve members sounded amazing.  But you listen to EXO-K more, purely because you can’t speak Mandarin, and you like attempting to sing along to their songs.

Two months have passed since Kris gave you the CD’s.  Your life has been hectic, but the warm weather fills you with a sense of relief.  Whilst you love winter, you aren’t sorry about replacing bulky coats and thick tights with cute jumpers and denim shorts.  Since EXO debuted, you and Kris have grabbed every chance you could to meet up.  You would say that things were progressing slowly, but you don’t know whether you should be seeing him as a love interest or a best friend.  Kris never lets you see his true intentions, something that surprisingly doesn’t bother you, as the time you spend together is always invaluable.  

As the song comes to an end, you roll over and turn the alarm off.  *What do I feel like listening to this morning?*, you ponder as you scroll through the artists on your iPod.  You stop at K.Will and press ‘shuffle all songs’ before placing your iPod in the speakers on your bedside table, filling your apartment with his beautiful ballads.

“Ah, it’s such a nice day!”, you say to yourself as you look out the kitchen window whilst filling up your kettle with water.  The sun is shining through the glass, warming your body to the core and filling you with a sense of content.  You put the kettle on the lighted stove and place two slices of buttered bread in the toaster.  As you wait for breakfast, you sing along to K.Will’s I Need You and dance around the room.  *His voice is so perfect*, you giggle as you spin in circles with your arms held wide.

The sound of the kettle whistling brings you back to real life and you can’t help but laugh at yourself.  If anyone had seen you they’d have thought you were insane, but you couldn’t help it; life in Seoul was so much more than you had expected.  You still absolutely love teaching and you have a small group of close friends now who you meet up with regularly.  Your parents back in Surrey are doing well and have bought themselves a Westie puppy called Aniki to ‘fill the gap in their hearts’, as they say; a gap that Minhye is also helping to fill by pretty much living in your old room.

You smile as you make yourself a cup of coffee and wait for your toast to be done.  Taking a sip from the mug, you wonder what you should do today – it seems like a waste to spend such a lovely day inside.  *Hm… perhaps I should go shopping?  I haven’t really bought myself anything new for a while…*, you consider as the toast nearly jumps out of the toaster.

After consuming breakfast, you take a quick shower and get ready for the day.  You pull on a pair of bleached denim shorts, a simple white vest top that you pair with an off the shoulder faded red jumper, white converse and the silver charm bracelet your parents bought you for your 21^st Birthday.  You wave your hair and apply light, natural make up that leaves your skin with a fresh, dewy appearance.  

As always, you check your appearance in the mirror before winking to yourself, grabbing your bag and heading for the door.  You frolic down the stairs, but suddenly stop halfway and run back inside.  Snatching your iPod from the speakers, you set out again.

                *    *    *

K.Will makes the perfect shopping companion as you leisurely stroll around the stores.  So far you have bought yourself BB Cream, blush and tinted lip balm from Etude House; dark green denim skirt dungarees and some cute black long socks from BSX; a couple of cute hair accessories, delicious smelling body scrub and a silver pocket watch necklace.

Walking out of the jewellery store with your new purchase swinging around your neck, you look at your iPod and realise it’s nearly two.  *Time for lunch*, you smile, *or should I say, time for Toast!*.  You know Toast isn’t the healthiest of options, but you only have it every once in a while, so you easily justify it to yourself.  You lightly giggle to yourself as you gladly make your way to your favourite Korean Toast restaurant.  

Whilst looking at the menu to decide whether you should get the same as always, or be adventurous and try something new, your phone starts vibrating.  *Phew, I’m glad it’s on silent – I’d have completely embarrassed myself for not hearing my phone!*, you think as you pull your headphones out of your ears and answer the call.

“Yoboseyo?”, you say whilst you continue examining the menu.

“Hey Jae”, a deep manly voice asserts causing a small smile to appear on your face.  You know this voice.

“Hey Kris, you alright?”

“A little worn out from rehearsal”, he laughs, “but apart from that, I’m fine”.

“Good good”, you beam at the menu.

“What are you up to?”

“Just doing some much needed shopping.  In the queue for food right now”.

“Toast?”, he queries.

“You know it”, you laugh.

Kris is silent for a moment, but then continues: “Want me to join?”  

“Do you have the time?”

“I think I can disappear for an hour or so”.  

You picture him smirking mischievously on the other end of the phone: “Shall I get us the usual?”

“Sounds good!  Meet you at our bench?”, he questions.

“Yup”, you smile, “See you there!”

After hanging up, you throw your phone back into your bag and walk up to the counter.

“Hey, can I have one hot chicken and one steak toast, please?”, you order sweetly, “oh, and two medium iced americanos”.

The male employee nods and punches your order into the till: “That will be ₩11, 400”.

Fortunately you have the right change, which makes your purse feel that little bit lighter.  After handing the employee the money, he gives you a buzzer and asks you to wait in the seating area.  Whilst waiting for your order to be ready, you rummage in your shopping bags and pull out your new Etude House lip tint in ‘Magic Pink’.  As you place the lid back on the little tin and rub your lips together, the buzzer starts flashing and vibrating, so you make your way back to the counter.

“Thank you”, you smile as the employee hands your order over.

“Have a good day”, he waves.

“You too”, you wave in return before heading out the store.

Within five minutes you arrive at the park and notice that no one is sat on the designated bench.  *Phew, that’s lucky*, you exhale as you walk up to it and take a seat.  You place the paper bags containing the toast on the bench and position your shopping under you legs.  Taking a sip of your iced coffee, you see a tall figure wearing a snap back and sunglasses in the corner of your eye.  *It’s Kris*, you smile to yourself, *I’d recognise his swagger anywhere*.  Instead of looking his way, you decide that it is less awkward for you to play ignorance, so you take another sip of your drink.

Suddenly someone places their hands gently over your eyes, making you jump slightly.

“Guess who?”, the offender states, causing you to roll your eyes.

“I really hope it’s you, Kris, because there’s no way in hell I’m sharing my food with a erted Canadian stalker who walks around wearing a cap and sunglasses to hide his identity”, you jokingly respond whilst lightly nudging his torso with your right elbow.

“Oiii!”, he chuckles before sulkily sitting down next to you, “I’m not erted”.

“Oh?  But you are a stalker?”, you tease.

Kris looks at you and winks, “only sometimes”.

“Aigoo!  What am I going to do with you?”, you softly prod his forehead with your fist and smile.

He picks up his iced americano and takes a sip: “Ah, I really needed this!  Thanks, Jae”.

“Anytime”, you smile as you pick up the two toast bags to determine whose is whose.  

Opening the first bag, you see that is it the steak toast and hold it out to Kris: “Here”.

“Thanks for the food”, Kris rushes before taking his first massive bite of toast.

You giggle as you slowly pull out your own toast and take a reasonably sized bite.  *I must not say it’s delicious!*

As always, it takes Kris half the amount of time to wolf his down.  Slowly, he takes another sip of coffee whilst looking expectantly at your toast.  *Mhm… I know how this works*, you roll your eyes and tear off half of your toast, *he’s just lucky that I can’t manage a whole one by myself…*

“Eat up”, you sigh as you pass it to Kris.

He happily accepts your offering and eats it in only three bites: “I owe you!  I was starving!  They had us rehearsing for hours today”.

You take a bite of the remainder of your toast and suddenly think of home.  You don’t get food like this in England.  Toast is usually served with butter and jam, whilst sandwiches are made using soft bread and usually cold fillings.  Even toasted sandwiches aren’t the same.  *This is so much better*, you think to yourself whilst taking another bite, *but I do miss some English food*.

“Kris…”, you wonder.

“Hm?”

“What food do you miss from Canada?”

Kris looks a little confused by your random question, but then lets replies: “Pancakes with maple syrup, crispy bacon, sausages and fried eggs”.

“Anything healthier?”, you laugh.

Kris looks to the sky as if deep in thought.  “Nope”, he chuckles, “what about you?  

What English food do you miss?”

“Um…”, you ponder as you stare at your coffee, “I don’t know if they can really be considered English, but I miss homemade cheeseburgers with BBQ sauce”.

“What?”, Kris gasps, “and here I was thinking you were going to say afternoon tea and cucumber sandwiches”.

“YA!”, you playfully yell as you punch his left arm, “what do you take us English folk for?”

You both fall into fits of laughter, causing an audience to start forming.  Neither of you care about the eyes on you as you grip your sides and keel over, causing a stitch to arrive.

“Okay, okay.  That’s enough”, you sigh as you wipe a tear from your face.  You look up to see Kris staring at you.

“I have an idea”, he smiles, “why don’t you come to mine tonight and we’ll cook BBQ cheeseburgers for everyone?”

You blink a couple of times, “And by everyone you mean the other eleven people in your dorm?  Kris… I know I’m an outgoing person, but that’s a lot of people to meet all at once!”

“It’s not like they’re going to swarm in together and attack you”, Kris mocks.

You look at him doubtfully, but he simply continues: “Come on, they don’t bite”.

After thinking about it for a moment, you exhale: “Okay.  But only if you keep them all on leashes”.

“Deal”, Kris chuckles.

            *    *    *

“What do I wear to hang out with twelve guys?”, you interrogate your banana milk a few hours later in your apartment.  Realising that the inanimate object in your hand isn’t going to help, you stand up abruptly and moan: “AISH!  I’m being ridiculous!  What am I worrying for?”

You gulp down the remains of your banana milk and throw the empty bottle in the recycling before walking towards the mirror.  Assessing your reflection, you decide that what you’re wearing is perfectly fine.  Stepping closer, you check your hair and make up for flaws, and apply a touch more concealer under your eyes.  

*There!  Done!*, you nod to yourself before checking the time on your iPod.  It’s ten past six - just half an hour until you have to leave to meet Kris.  

Walking over to your desk, you pull your copy of Albom’s The Five People You Meet in Heaven from the shelf and plonk down into the blue beanbag at the end of you bed.  You’ve read this book over a million times, so you quickly leaf through the pages to find your favourite part and start reading.

Once you finish the chapter you look at the time again; its just gone half six.  Elegantly, you roll off the beanbag and onto the floor before pushing yourself to your feet.  You replace the book on the shelf and let out a small sigh: “Ah, I wish time would go faster”.  Idly waiting is not your style, so you grab your bag, shove on your converse and head out the door.  

Kris had suggested that you meet at a supermarket, so you decide to arrive there first and to start the shopping.  Stepping inside, you pick up a basket and begin wondering down the aisles.  *What do we need?  Ground beef, eggs, flour, processed cheese, buns, BBQ sauce, salad...*, you think as you head for the meat section first.  *Ah… How much will twelve guys eat?*, you stand and stare at the ground beef in question whilst receiving some strange glances from other shoppers.  

Suddenly someone has put there arm around your waist from behind.  In reflex, you quickly try to jump out of their grasp, but they do not let go.  You look over your right shoulder in panic and come face to face with a broad chest.  Trailing upwards, you see Kris smiling sweetly down at you.

“Don’t scare me like that!”, you heavily breath whilst your heart tries to calm down.

Kris chuckles, “Sorry, but it was just so tempting.  You were so deep in your own thoughts that you didn’t even notice me follow you into the store”.

You playfully nudge his torso with your right elbow before he continues: “What were you thinking about?  Whether you should become a vegetarian?”

You laugh, “Nah, I did that before but I missed meat too much…  I was contemplating how much twelve guys would eat”.

Kris looks at you, seemingly happy that he has found out something else about you.  Letting go of your waist, he leans over and picks up three packets of mince.  “Four burgers per pack, right?”

You giggle, “Maybe, if you’re trying to make the worlds’ fattest burgers.  I reckon one packet would make seven or eight”. 

Kris looks to the ceiling, obviously doing the math in his head.  “Alright then”, he affirms as he places the three packets in the basket and takes it from you, “that should be plenty”.

Ten minutes later you are outside the supermarket, bags in every hand.  Feeding thirteen was already proving to be difficult.  *How much do these guys eat?*, you question as you remember the snacks and fruit Kris had insisted on adding to the basket.  You let out a small sigh and admit defeat, *Tonight is going to be hectic.  I can feel it already…*

*    *    *

Following Kris up a flight of stairs, you arrive at what must be his dorm.  After punching a series of four numbers into the lock, the door beeps and Kris enters.  Stepping inside, you slip your converse off and kick them neatly to the wall.

“VICTORY!!!”, you hear someone yell from within, accompanied by a series of displeased moans.

The loud noise makes you jump – you hadn’t expected people to be home.  Kris chuckles and starts leading you into the dorm, “I thought they’d be back by now”.

You follow him into the open plan living space and see four of his fellow members sprawled out on the floor.  They’re too enthralled in the TV to notice your arrival.

“They do this nearly every day”, Kris affirms, “Those four absolutely love video games”.

Looking over, you see that they’re playing a football game.  *Geeze, how long has it been since I played a video game?*, you sigh to yourself, feeling a twang of remorse.  Back in Surrey you had loved having late night sessions of Left 4 Dead 2 with Nate and Dan.  The three of you used to take it in turns to play the story mode, using nothing but baseball bats and pipe bombs to attack the zombies.  They only lived around the corner from you, so it wasn’t unusual to get texts during the early hours of the morning suggesting that you all play.  

You let out another sigh and place your grocery bags on the floor next to Kris’s.  Picking up a bag at a time, you unload the shopping into piles whilst Kris places the meat and vegetables in the fridge.  As you retrieve the last of the plastic bags, the bag splits causing a variety of fruit and snacks to pour onto the floor with loud thuds.

*OMO!*, you panic as you dance around the fallen objects, trying not to crush anything.   

Once you are clear from the danger zone, arms held out for balance, you slyly turn your head to see if the other four members were disturbed by the ruckus.  To you amazement, they are still completely engrossed in their game. *What is it with these guys?*, you think as your place your hands on your hips.

Turning back, you notice Kris laughing at your misfortune.  “Jae, that was priceless!”, he chortles whilst mimicking your previous actions.

“YA!”, you yell as you feel your face turning a deep shade of burgundy, “At least I didn’t walk into a glass wall!”

“Ooo… Low blow”, Kris chuckles before walking over to you.  He bends down and starts retrieving the fallen objects from the floor.  “This reminds me of something”, he smiles. 

It takes you a second to figure out what he’s talking about, but then it hits you.  You lean towards the counter and grab an empty bag before holding it out to Kris.  “We seem to be making a habit out of this”, you smirk, “perhaps it is destiny”.

Kris laughs and places the last piece of fruit from the floor in his cradled left arm.  He holds his right hand out towards the bag you are holding, but grabs your hand instead.  His warm touch shocks you, but you don’t let it show.  With some effort, you pull Kris to his feet and feel your heart sink as he lets go of your hand.  *As warm as ever*, you smile to yourself.

“Was I really that smooth?”, he questions, causing you to laugh.

“If that’s what you want to call it”, you giggle as Kris places the retrieved objects on the counter.

Suddenly, you realise that the dorm has gone quiet.  The loud cheers coming from the football game have stopped, along with the murmurs of the four members enthralled in it.  Looking towards the TV, you see that the mound of bodies has finally noticed your presence. 

“Annyeonghaseyo”, you timidly bow to the four sets of eyes staring at you.  *Let the games begin*.

They don’t say anything, but instead look confused.  *This is really awkward!  What do I say?  What do I do?*  

Whist you are panicking, Kris arrives at your side and saves you.  “This is Jae”, he smiles at you and then s.  “Be nice!  I promised her you didn’t bite”, he continues as he lightly nudges your side with his right elbow, “Otherwise it’s leashes for you all”.

Suddenly, it’s like a light bulb has gone off in their heads’.  “Ahhh!”, they say in unison before making their way towards you and Kris.

“Annyeong”, one of them smiles causing his cheeks to puff out slightly, “We’ve heard a lot about you.  I’m Xiumin”.  *So cute!  He looks like a little baozi*, you smile before frowning, *Should I be worried about what Kris has said?*.  “And this is D.O., Luhan and Chen”, he continues whilst pointing at his friends in turn.  As their names are called, they smile and nod at you kindly.

Chen’s smile makes your heart flutter.  *Oh wow, his smile is amazing.  It’s the epitome of Wendy’s hidden kiss*, you think as your heart does back flips in your chest.  *If looks could kill!*  

“Alright then”, Kris cuts in, bringing you back from your Peter Pan moment, “Shall we start preparing dinner?”

“Sure”, you smile, “But what about the others?”

“I’ll call Suho hyung”, D.O. affirms before walking off to what must be his bedroom.

You turn around and head back to the kitchen.  You’ve just started gathering the junk food together to clear a space when Luhan appears at your side.

“I’ll take these”, he smiles as he retrieves the packages from your hands and places them in one of the bottom cupboards.

“Thanks”, you return.  “Have you got a large bowl, a knife and a cutting board?”

Without a word, Luhan manoeuvres around the room and places the kitchenware in front of you.

 “Thanks”, you smile again before gathering the meat, vegetables and three eggs from the fridge.

Aware of your audience, you carefully open the three packets of minced beef and tip them into the bowl.  Next, you crack the eggs into the mix and place the shells in the bin: “Oh, I need a sp-”

“Spoon?”, Chen cuts in as he waves the spoon around, “I’ll be in charge of stirring”.

You giggle, but let Chen claim the simple job.  Moving to the chopping board, you peel the onion and finely dice it.  Next, you move onto the garlic and chilli.  You have just finished smashing the garlic when you are interrupted by familiar arms wrapping around your waist.

“You’re good at this”, Kris breathes into your left ear whilst resting his head on your shoulder.

Panicked, you look around to see how the others are reacting to his close embrace.  Either they haven’t noticed, or they chose not to notice.  Chen is preoccupied with stirring the egg into the mince, Luhan and Xiumin have returned to their football game, and D.O. is still in his room.  

“Ya!”, you quietly moan at Kris as you nudge his stomach with your right elbow.

Kris doesn’t let go, but instead takes the knife out of your right hand and places it on the chopping board: “Be careful with this.  You nearly stabbed me!”

Rolling your eyes, you lightly bonk the side of his head with yours.  “You’re so melodramatic”, you giggle, “The knife was nowhere near you!”

The sound of D.O.’s door opening causes Kris to let go of your waist and walk into the living area.  Picking up the knife, you resume cutting the garlic and chilli as if nothing had happened.  As you scrape them into the bowl for Chen to mix in, D.O. arrives in the kitchen.

“Suho hyung says that Tao and Chanyeol are just about to leave”, he affirms as he watches Chen mix the ingredients together.  “He and Baekhyun are still busy rehearsing, so they’ll follow behind”.

Quickly, you do the math in your head: *Suho, Baekhyun, Tao and Chanyeol.  That makes nine*.  “What about the other three?”, you query.

“They won’t be home for a while as they’re working on choreography.  We can just leave their share in the oven though”, D.O. smiles as he tries to steal the spoon from Chen.

Their interaction makes your heart feel warm.  *Ah, I miss Minhye*, you sigh as you leave them to finish mixing together and join the others in front of the TV.  "We'll start cooking them as soon as the first lot arrive home", you say over your shoulder to Chen and D.O. before plonking yourself onto the floor between Kris and Xiumin.