After the showcase, S Ori immediately headed to Incheon International Airport for their showcase in China on the next day. S Ori-M got excited by the thought that they’re going back to their hometown, but they also felt bad that they’d be leaving S Ori-K in Seoul.

“Aigoo, the time has come for us to go our separate ways,” Jie said randomly while S Ori was quiet on the road because of exhaustion. Everyone looked at each other thinking the same thing Jie said.

“So we better make the most out of it!” Jino said trying to cheer the girls up, especially Jie, who had looked so down because of the separation.

The other girls on the other hand looked really dreary, giving no response to Jino’s encouragement. “Ya, shouldn’t we enjoy our performance together in China? This may be our last performance together for this week or month, but like our Exo sunbaes, we’ll still have schedules together! And remember what our etiquette teacher said?” Jino asked, still keeping in mind the inspirational advice their teacher gave them.

“S Ori is a whole group, K and M are just sub-units. Treat each other like you are really one. That’s the spirit of your group… Though you’ll be apart from each other, you still need to work as one...”

“Aigoo, such a dramatic atmosphere!” their manager said, Jung Gyeongshik, making the girls laugh in response. He is also working for SHINee as one of their seven managers.

“Gyeongshik oppa’s right! Why don’t we just enjoy this night and remove the stress in our bodies since we’ve been tired from the performances?” Angela asked cheerfully.

“Ohh, look at Angela jiejie… She seems too excited leaving Seoul…” Jie said with a teasing tone.

“O-Of course, who wouldn’t be? We’re going back to our hometown, how come you guys aren’t excited about seeing China again?!” Angela said, keeping herself calm yet she felt her voice was shaking from the truth that she feels nervous and excited to see Kris again.

“So tell me, umma,” Jie wrapped her arm around Angela and looked at her. “Do you feel excited to see Kris appa again?” Jie giggled and the others laughed, waiting for the response Angela would give. They were all expecting to have another long response from her and end up saying that Kris and her will never be in a relationship.

Angela on the other hand really felt like their meeting again would be a big deal. She felt like she should’ve prepared more to impress her boyfriend. But moreover, she felt really excited because of the long months that felt like years without seeing her special man.

“Jiejie? Are you okay?” Mei asked, who got worried by the sudden serious expression Angela had. Usually Angela would defend herself from all the teasing, but today was different. “Ya, I think we should stop joking-“

“No, Mei, I just… uhm… remembered something!” Angela pretended to chuckle. “I think I… I forgot to get my iPod inside my closet!”

“WHAT?!” The girls reacted worriedly while Mei felt like it wasn’t the real reason why Angela suddenly became quiet.

“Don’t worry, girls, we can always go back there when we go back to Seoul,” their manager said.

***

Incheon International Airport was suddenly crowded with the fans of S Ori, while guards got busy with their duties by blocking the fans to give way for the idols and to prevent any accidents in the airport.

S Ori came and the fans felt joy, screaming their bias’ name or the group’s name on top of their lungs. S Ori on the other hand felt touched, feeling the love of the fans giving for them. They tried to get some gifts from the fans, but when their manager saw it, he scolded them because the company’s telling them not to receive any of it.

As they reached the terminal’s waiting area, a group consisting of six boys blocked their way. They greeted the 12 of them and their manager as well respectfully.

“Oh, the sunbaes!” Jino said brightly, signaling the girls to greet Exo-K.

“No, Jino, from now on just call us oppas, okay?” Su Ho said, chuckling. “Don’t call us sunbaes! It will only make everyone awkward. Is that alright, girls?”

“Yes!” The girls said feeling thankful that their sunbaes are comfortable enough to talk to.

“Oh, Su Ho oppa, did you know that Zhu jiejie told the whole world that you’re her crush?” Jie giggled, earning a gentle slap from Zhu.

“W-What did you say?!” Su Ho said. He got nervous, thinking that Zhu might have revealed to the whole world about the first kiss on the cheek he received from her. “Y-Ya Baek Ma Ri!” Su Ho called Zhu’s real name. Zhu, on the other hand, felt her heart flutter, hearing Su Ho’s gentle voice call her whole name.

“I-It’s because… they persuaded me to tell it.” Zhu blushed and giggled.

“Who did? Hey, no one did! Taeyeon sunbae gave you a choice!” Jie said and stuck her tongue out.

“Y-Ya!” Zhu gently slapped Jie again, but this time, harder. “I was only trying to be honest! Don’t worry I didn’t tell them the-“

“DON’T!” Su Ho quickly cut her off. He knew that she was about to say that she had kissed his cheek. “I-It’s okay, it’s not really a big deal. Idol groups always have their crushes and ideal types,” Su Ho said, smiling as a sign for everyone not to worry.

“Wow, as expected, our Su Ho oppa is really kind!” Zhu said with admiration. “Oh, I will surely miss you Su Ho oppa…” Zhu said. She suddenly felt tears forming on her eyes but she tried to manage it and stop it from falling down.

The boys laughed seeing Zhu’s grief and the other girls’ sadness as well. They tried to hold it in, but they couldn’t and ended up laughing hard.

“W-What’s so funny?” Angela asked.

“Your terrible expressions!” Chanyeol said, still laughing hard.

“Ya, Park Chanyeol oppa, can’t you see we’re being serious right now?!” Iseul said, moving closely to Chanyeol like she was ready to knock the hell out of him. Irritation rose up from her head because of his undeniably intimidating laughs, together with his big teeth.

“Oh, Iseul, don’t make a ruckus here,” Jino whispered to Iseul, knowing that they hadn’t got so well since they’ve met each other. Chanyeol would always tease Iseul and Iseul on the other hand would do the same to Chanyeol. As if they were cats and dogs - they are definitely so not into each other.

“Well, I have good news for you, ladies, that will surely make you laugh out all the seriousness you have inside,” Chanyeol said, leaning forward to reach Iseul’s height and flicked the bridge of Iseul’s nose.

Iseul pouted and crinkled her nose. Chanyeol chuckled and pinched her cheeks hardly making her shriek because of pain. He stood up straight, still pinching Iseul’s cheeks, looking at the other girls behind them. “We’re actually going with you girls, tonight, to visit Exo-M. So don’t make dramatic farewells here,” Chanyeol chuckled.

“Really? So there’s still a night for us to be together?!” Zhu asked excitedly.

“Yes!” Chanyeol said, making the other girls feel the excitement leaving Seoul with their six oppas. They felt happy that they still have one night to be with the other six.

“Aigoo, let go of my cheek!!!” Iseul slapped Chanyeol’s big hands a lot of times, but Chanyeol didn’t give up. He stuck his tongue out making Iseul feel more irritated, her eyes targeting Chanyeol’s big ears. She grabbed both of his ears and pulled it, making Chanyeol shriek because of pain.

“Ya! I’m going to let go!!!” Chanyeol said, still fighting Iseul’s force.

“I’ve been really waiting for this day to pinch your big elf-like ears! AT LAST I FEEL SO MUCH TALLER THAN YOU, YOU’RE EVEN BOWING TO ME!” Iseul said, while Chanyeol’s hand seems to loosen his grip on her cheek. Soon he gave up and tried to pull off Iseul’s hand away from his ears.

“Ya, stop it the both of you!” Gyeongshik, their manager said. He hasn’t been aware of what was happening because of talking with Exo-K’s manager, until he heard the laughs of the other members.

Iseul let go of Chanyeol’s ears while Chanyeol touched his ears like it was going to heal if he did that. Iseul stuck her tongue out, not expecting to have a chuckle as a response.

“Do you want to be the most violent members in the groups?! Aigoo, you better stop talking or seeing each other if you don’t get along so well!” Gyeongshik said. “Good thing the fans aren’t allowed to go inside here. Aish(damn/damn it), so much trouble,” Gyeongshik said and turned to Exo-K’s manager again.

“Sorry,” Chanyeol said, rubbing his hair and chuckling.

“NEVER,” Iseul said, rolling her eyes playfully.

“Oh come on, Iseul and Chanyeol! Stop being so immature!” Baekhyun said tauntingly.

“Aish, too bad I didn’t record the whole scene. That could’ve been a big hit!” Cho Hee mocked, making the others laugh, except for Iseul who burned her cheeks deeply like she saw her ultimate crush because of Chanyeol’s hard pinch. Imagine how she tolerated the pain she was going through with Chanyeol’s huge hands and extremely long and slender fingers for about five minutes?!  Iseul was now pouting, feeling her defeat when she saw Chanyeol chuckling like her revenge didn’t affect him at all.

“Why don’t we sit down?” D.O. asked bluntly, making the atmosphere awkward.

They all looked at D.O. with their mouths hung open, confused on how to react or what to say to him.

“What?!” D.O. asked innocently.

“Uhm… Guys, I think Kyung Soo oppa has a real good point,” Jino said trying to stop the awkwardness.

All of them took their seats. D.O. sat beside Jino and smiled to her. “Thanks, best friend.”

“Shut up, D.O.rchestra, you owe me two already,” Jino chuckled.

“WHAT?!” D.O. asked and blushed from the embarrassment.

“First, THE SHOWCASE TIP YOU GAVE ME, second YOUR WEIRD RANDOMNESS!” Jino said and glared at D.O.

“What happened with the showcase tip I gave you?” D.O. asked cluelessly.

“FREAKING AMAZING, DUDE!” Jino said sarcastically with a straight face. “I just revealed how awkward I am with Jong In sunbae!” Jino whispered to D.O., making every syllable clear yet soft so Kai won’t hear their topic.

“What?! YOU-REVEALED-TO-THE-WHOLE-WIDE-WORLD-THAT-YOU’RE-FREAKING-AWKWARD-WITH-JONG IN?!” D.O. said loudly and clearly, catching everyone’s attention that Jino hid her face from the embarrassment. Jino could have covered his mouth right away, but he said it so fast like he was in a tongue-twister contest.

“Wow, D.O., I didn’t know you could… rap?” Chanyeol said, seemingly confused if he was amazed or surprised.

“I didn’t know that too!” D.O. chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, a bit shy from what he thought was Chanyeol’s compliment. “So Jino-“

Jino suddenly raised her index finger and middle finger in front of D.O.’s bug-like eyes. She was still covering her face with her other hand, and started threatening the confused boy. “Speak or I’ll pull those two large eyeballs off of your eyes,” Jino said with her teeth clenched, gesturing her hands closer to D.O.’s eyes, while it grew wider from fear. She suddenly looked at D.O. and pressed her fingers below D.O.’s eye bags and pulled it down, making his eyes bigger.

“Okay, time to leave!” Their managers got back out of nowhere. They hadn’t noticed the two going somewhere because of the weird yet funny scenes a while ago.

Jino got her bag when someone suddenly tapped her back. As she looked back, it was Kai, who straightly walked pass by her, making her feel more embarrassed with what D.O. did a while ago.

“W-What’s that man’s problem?!” Jino mumbled, looking at Kai who just walked straightly.

“Look, I’m sorry-“ D.O. was going to say something when Jino’s index finger gestured him to stop.

“Not a word. I ALREADY GOT OVER IT.” Jino smiled forcefully and walked with D.O., still feeling the embarrassment.

***

All of them had settled down and was ready for takeoff. The manager planned a seating arrangement in which the boys could not sit with the girls, keeping both groups away from rumors and malicious paparazzi.

“Baekhyun hyung(used by a boy to call an older boy than him)~” Chanyeol said, trying to make his voice soft while clinging onto Baekhyun’s left arm.

“What?” Baekhyun asked looking outside the window.

“You might want to exchange seats-“

“No.” Baekhyun coldly cut him off without even looking at him.

“Uhm… Actually, it’s better here, because you might want to pee and-“

“I said no!” Baekhyun moved his arm to remove Chanyeol’s hand from clinging onto him and stuck his tongue out tauntingly.

“Ya! Aish!” Chanyeol’s eyes grew wider and leaned his back on his seat in an aggressive manner. He crossed his arms and pouted, like a little boy who wasn’t able to get a lollipop from his brother.

Meanwhile Zhu kept glancing at Su Ho surreptitiously, making Mei laugh because of her funny tomato-like face.

“Aigoo, I really missed seeing Su Ho oppa! He even had his hair curled!” Zhu said, stars are shining brightly within her eyes. Mei just chuckled from Zhu’s admiration towards the boy. “Mei, have you ever felt so happy when you see your crush looking directly to your eyes?! When he calls your full name?! Oh my, I couldn’t control it anymore!!!” Zhu quickly covered her face and squealed as silent as she could, and had succeeded in doing so. She breathed and used her hands as an improvised fan because her cheeks felt burning wildly.

“Well, I don’t felt that way before… I mean, boys are like… I don’t know, maybe the same?” Mei sounded like she was asking if she was right or wrong with her opinion, but she was sincere with what she said. Mei’s point of view about boys was that there’s no special thing about them, there are only boyfriends or husbands because you feel him and he feels you.

“No Mei! You are so wrong about that!” Zhu quickly disagreed to Mei with hesitation. She knew that Mei wasn’t going to fall for a simple ‘no’ without any explanations. “You won’t actually know what’s different about a boy when you haven’t felt any special feeling for anyone else yet,”

“Wait.” Mei looked at Zhu who looked serious with the topic. “Zhu jiejie, that’s the most complicated statement I’ve ever heard before!” She chuckled, but she really meant what she said.

“Mei… There is one thing about Su Ho oppa that made me like him so much like this,” Zhu said, who looked like she was daydreaming with her hands clasped together and her eyes sparkling, gazing at nowhere.

“What is it?”

“He makes my heart go dugeun(heartbeat/the sound of a heartbeat) dugeun wildly!” Zhu said, almost squealing. She giggled crazily and took another glimpse of Su Ho again.

“W-What is dugeun dugeun?” Mei asked. She was sure she studied Korean language very well, but she never had an idea of what dugeun dugeun really meant.

“You don’t know?!” Zhu asked, turning abruptly to Mei because of shock. “Dugeun dugeun georyeo bamen jamdo mot irujyo~(my heart kept thumping so I couldn't fall asleep at night~)” Zhu sung a line in Girls’ Generation’s song - Gee. “Still have no idea?”

“Well, I just understood bamen jamdo mot irujyo which means I couldn’t sleep at night,” Mei translated in Chinese, a little hesitant if her answer was right or wrong.

Zhu thought for a little while and tried to understand if her answer was right, and luckily it was. “Yes, but you still don’t know dugeun dugeun? It’s the best feeling ever when you look at your crush!” Zhu said giggling.

“Oh, don’t you know how to translate it in Chinese?” Mei asked.

Zhu bit the tip of her index finger, thinking thoroughly about it. She wasn’t a half-Chinese member, and had studied basic conversational Chinese. “Oh, wait, I think I must ask Jie about it!” She gave up and turned quickly to Jie who was at her back.

“Excuse me, miss,” A flight stewardess suddenly blocked Zhu.

“Yes?” Zhu looked up and smiled at her. The stewardess gave off a friendly smile in turn.

“We actually announced that we’re about to take off and passengers must buckle their seatbelts. I just noticed your seatbelt is still unbuckled. Please buckle it for your safety. We’re about to take off,” The flight stewardess said with her gentle voice.

“Oh, sorry about that and thank you for warning me,” Zhu chuckled and put on her seatbelt. She turned to Mei and forgot what their topic was a while ago. “Where were we?”

“Oh, Zhu jiejie, nevermind,” Mei chuckled. Love-centered topics never became an interest to her, feeling awkward whenever that topic comes up.

***

S Ori, together with Exo-K at last came in China. A lot of fans anticipated S Ori’s arrival at China, not knowing Exo-K would come too. Surprising everyone else more, Exo-M suddenly appeared at the entrance gate, making a lot of fans squeal loudly from the thought that they were so lucky to see two groups without knowing it would happen.

Meanwhile, Exo-M joined Exo-K and chatted a bit with S Ori.

“Woah! I can’t believe it! When I left South Korea you were just trainees and now, you’re the new stars of the Korean and Chinese music industries!” Tao said, teary-eyed.

“Eew, Tao gege(used by a boy or a girl to call an older boy in Chinese), you’re still the crybaby I used to bully!” Jie mocked, earning a slap at the back of her head from Angela. “Sorry, I just missed bullying someone,” Jie said, chuckling.

“Ya, Tao, we’re not that popular!” Angela said, a bit embarrassed from Tao’s compliment.

Kris tapped Tao’s back. “Stop it, Tao… You’re overreacting. You’ll surely make a scene,” Kris mumbled. He looked sheepish, as he tried to hide Tao from the fans.

“Kris gege’s right, can’t you just cry inside the van?!” Lay annoyingly said. “And speaking of van, can’t we go on our way to the van?” Lay complained. He started walking by himself, while the other boys followed.

“Why is he so grumpy about it? Like, Tao was just so happy about our incoming debut and he suddenly whines like- Uuuuugh!!! Seriously, I felt intimidated!” Na Rae said and rolled her eyes.

“He’s always like that! He’s always intimidating, especially when he rolls his eyes! He once did that when I couldn’t keep up with a particular step from a dance practice!” Jie complained.

“Oh, Lay gege seems nice. I think he was just… stressed?” Iseul said, making a theory to keep the other girls calm down.

“Shut up Iseul, it’s because you’ve always been friendly and you were close to them!” Na Rae said, defensively.

“Not to Chanyeol oppa,” Iseul shook her head innocently.

“Girls, please don’t misunderstand Lay…” Angela asked, gaining attention from the other girls. “He might have some problems or private issues… I’m sure he’s a nice person.”

“I told you, I told you, I told you!!!” Iseul manically said.

“Ya, any plans to sleep here? I’m sure this is an airport, not a hotel,” Kris said, who had just got back a little earlier.

Angela caught his eyes and they looked at each other for a second. Kris didn’t seem happy and she felt nervous about it.

***

“Guys, I was actually thinking of buying a cake for S Ori and have a little party for the success of their showcase… Kris hyung, what store could you recommend?” Su Ho asked Kris, who was at his own world by the moment, staring at nowhere.

“Dude?” Lay tapped Kris’ shoulder and looked at his eyes.

Kris turned to Lay who was actually sitting on his right side and didn’t respond to their question. He just looked at Lay who was now waving his hands in front of Kris' eyes.

“Ya, Kris hyung? Are you alright?” Su Ho asked worriedly.

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine.” He was still looking at Lay and did that for a second. “Well,” he suddenly turned to the others, like he was slapped from daydreaming. “I recommend Lu Han to pick a store. He’s a pro when it comes to food,” Kris chuckled, and so did the others.

Except for one – Lay. He felt that something isn’t right about Kris. His gaze was deep; a gaze that surely meant something. He felt worried about it. He didn’t want to be in a fight or something.

***

S Ori finally arrived at the hotel, earlier than Exo. Some fans followed them and kept taking photos of them, but the guards were strict in terms of idols’ privacy. They blocked the fans from the entrance door, while S Ori felt guilty that they couldn’t even properly greet their fans.

“Girls, Exo’s manager and I actually reserved a conference room where we could have a little meeting for the showcase for tomorrow. Shall we?” Gyeongshik asked the girls, who were looking at each other if they are agreeing to it.

“Okay,” Jino said, speaking for the whole group.

***

“Could you wait here for a while, girls?” Gyeongshik, their manager, said.

“Why, is there something wrong oppa?” Angela asked with her concern.

“Well, I will just check if everything’s okay inside,” Their manager said, quickly opening the door.

“What?” Angela asked, but their manager quickly went inside and slammed the door locked. “W-What was that?!” Angela looked at the girls who also looked curious and shocked with their manager’s actions.

“I smell something fishy,” Cho Hee said suspiciously.

Suddenly, the door unlocked. “You can now go inside!” Gyeongshik shouted.

Cho Hee chuckled while the others looked at her. “What?! Aren’t we going inside?” Cho Hee asked and opened the door.

The room was dark yet they didn’t hesitate to come in, knowing their manager is there. Jie clung onto Angela and Jino’s arms; Sun tried to clung onto Cho Hee’s yet Cho Hee kept teasing her by removing her hand away from her arms; Iseul and Jun Hee held each other’s hands; Mei became Lin and Zhu’s teddy bear while she chuckled from the irony that she’s younger than the two girls who are afraid of the dark; and Na Rae and You was very courageous to stay calm from the dark room.

“Oppa, if this is a prank it’s not funny!” Zhu said with her voice shaking.

“3, 2, 1,” someone counted.

“SURPRISE!!!”

The lights opened as they surprised the girls with a large cake on a table. It was funny and cute for the girls to see their Exo oppas in triangular party hats. Their managers, Gyeongshik and Hyun Kyun were responsible for the lights while the Exo members were responsible for the whole plan.

“I knew it,” Cho Hee snickered.

“It was too obvious,” Lay snickered too and rolled his eyes.

“Wow, now the two pessimists are united!” Chanyeol said, referring to Lay and Cho Hee.

“Sorry to scare you, it was actually my idea,” Su Ho apologized sincerely.

“Oh, if it's your idea… then it’s great!” Zhu said, almost squealing.

“Ya, stop talking and let’s just get this party started!” Baekhyun said turning on the sound system they rented in the hotel in a fair volume. He started dancing like crazy to the beat of 2PM’s Hands Up.

“Damn, Baekhyun hyung! STICK TO SINGING!” Se Hun chuckled in a mocking way.

“SHUT UP, YOU’RE YOUNGER THAN ME; I’M OLDER THAN YOU! ALWAYS KEEP THAT IN MIND SE HUN!” Baekhyun said, making the people who heard that chuckle.

“SHUT UP BAEKHYUN HYUNG! WE’RE YOUNGER THAN YOU WHICH MEANS WE’RE WILDER THAN YOU!!!” Chanyeol said, with Chen, D.O., Tao, Kai and Se Hun burst out laughing.

“Just put your hands up guys, and party,” Baekhyun said, straight-faced. He then continued dancing like crazy, making everyone laugh. “Girls! Come on, party with me!!!” Baekhyun gestured his hand, inviting the girls to dance and party with him. Iseul, Jie, Angela, Cho Hee, Sun and You joined him while the others just looked for their own places to sit.

“Oppa!” Zhu went to Su Ho who was drinking some soda.

“Oh, hello Zhu,” Su Ho said with a warm smile. “Want some?” Su Ho offered his drink to Zhu which made Zhu totally blush.

“If I drank on it I might actually have Su Ho oppa’s first indirect kiss! OH MY!!! I’m not yet ready for this but I’ll take the opportunity!!!” Zhu thought to herself and giggled. She nodded and took Su Ho’s soda and drank like it was the very first soda she had drank ever in her entire life.

Su Ho on the other hand opened another can and took a sip on it. Suddenly Baekhyun came, still dancing wildly like he was in a real club. He got Su Ho’s soda off of his hands and BOTTOMS UP, he drank all of it.

“Thanks Su Ho hyung,” Baekhyun went back to the center and got more hyped up from the soda he drank.

“H-He drank all of it,” Zhu said, who looked hopeless.

“Well, it’s normal in our dorm. We share drinks and even meals!” Su Ho chuckled from the thought that they were so close like a family.

Zhu, who had open widely, suddenly snapped out of her hopeless mind and looked for something inside her pocket.

“Oh, tissue?” Su Ho held a tissue and offered it to Zhu.

“O-Oh, no Su Ho oppa, I was just looking for-“

“Here, don’t be shy, it’s just a tissue anyways,” Su Ho cut her off and raised Zhu’s face, holding her chin. He then wiped off the colored soda left on . Zhu’s face quickly blushed and soon became a tomato, being unable to release the squeals a girl needs from the fluttering of her heart.

“W-Well oppa… I was actually looking for this,” Zhu suddenly showed a red box, with a golden Chinese keychain inside it.

“Oh really? Y-You weren’t looking for a tissue?” Su Ho asked, seemingly embarrassed from what he had done, that he quickly stopped wiping Zhu’s lips.

“Yes, but, it’s okay!” Zhu giggled. She then got Su Ho’s hand and put the box on top of his palm. “Here,”

“What’s this?” Su Ho asked, getting the keychain out of the box and examining it.

“A while ago before we came here at the hotel we went at a nearby ‘Taoist Feng Shui shop’ where they sell lots of lucky charms. I just learned something in our Mandarin lessons… There are actually two Chinese characters in that keychain that are placed together. Both of them mean ‘happiness’. The vendor calls it the ‘Double Happiness Keychain’. She told me it brings you happiness, success and fortune on your life. I bought it for you for your career, oppa. I hope that lucky charm would work,” Zhu said, still having a tomato-like face because of Su Ho.

“O-Oh, really?” Su Ho chuckled and patted Zhu’s head. “Thank you Baek Ma Ri. I’ll promise I’ll bring it everywhere I go,”

 

Meanwhile, Jino was sitting at a couch, a bit bored from doing nothing. She just kept looking at the clock, checking if they have to go to bed for tomorrow’s showcase.

“I heard that,” someone suddenly sat beside her, making her jump a little from her seat. Kai chuckled, seeing Jino’s surprised expression. “I’ve surprised you again, didn’t I?”

“Y-Yes sunbae,” Jino said, feeling uncomfortable sitting with Kai for the second time.

“Don’t you like me?” Kai said, a grin forming on his lips.

“What?!” Jino’s eyes grew wide, thinking how conceited his sunbae is.

Kai thought for a moment and was shocked with what he just said. “O-Oh, I was actually asking if… Well, nevermind,” Kai rubbed the back of his head and walked away from Jino.

“What did I do?!” Jino asked herself, her eyes still wide in shock.

 

Lay was still uneasy with how Kris acted a while ago. He was trying to look for the right time to talk to him. As soon as Kris went to the mini-fridge to get some soda, he quickly took his opportunity to confront him.

“Kris gege,” Lay called. Kris froze on his spot for a second, yet he managed to face Lay.

“Yes?” Kris said, opening the can of soda he just got from the fridge.

“Can I talk to you for a sec?”

“Sure,” Kris drank up the soda and followed Lay.

***

“Are you alright gege?” Lay asked. He was leaning on the wall with Kris beside him. They went outside the room for a little man-to-man talk.

“Of course I am, Lay,” Kris said, trying to hide what he really feels.

“Dude, you seemed bothered,” Lay asked looking up to Kris.

“I’m really okay, Yi Xing. You don’t have to worry about me,” Kris said. He tapped Lay’s shoulder and left Lay leaning on the wall.

“If it’s about the past,” Lay said, making Kris stop from walking back to the room. He walked to Kris and eyed him with a sly smile. “I’ve gotten over it, and it’s nothing to me now,”

Kris eyed him back. “You don’t have to tell me, Zhang Yi Xing. Whether you like it or not, you better stay out of it,” Kris snickered.

“Just so you know, Wu Fan GEGE,” Lay stressed ‘gege’ and headed back to his room.

***

It was ten in the evening and the two groups planned to sleep for tomorrow’s schedules. Everyone went to their own room assignments.

Chen and Xiumin were surprised that they were going to be roommates for today. They were accustomed sleeping with a Chinese member to help them learn more about Chinese language. The manager said it was a prize for having a good show in Happy Camp. They at last, spoke and participated well like they weren’t out of the group.

Chen the TV and flipped through different Chinese channels which aired different kinds of shows. Xiumin on the other hand was waiting for Chen to stay on one program and watch an interesting show.

“Oh, Min Seok hyung, watch this drama! I know you’ll like it though you haven’t started it,” Chen said looking excited to watch the drama.

“What is it?” Xiumin asked, his eyes focused on the TV.

“Shut Up Flower Boy Band,” Chen said while wearing his eyeglasses to get a better view.

“Have you watched this before?” Xiumin asked.

“Yes! It’s already done in Seoul,” Chen said while Xiumin chuckled at how Chen was still focused on the drama like he haven’t watched it yet.

The show was Shut Up Flower Boy Band’s episode thirteen, where Kim Ha Jin (actor Yoo Min Kyu) misunderstood Lee Hyun Soo (Infinite’s L) from recording with Kim Ye Rim (Superstar K3’s 3^rd placer; member of Two Months, Kim Ye Rim) as a guide in Kim Ye Rim’s song, entitled ‘Love U Like U’.  Ha Jin had a big crush on Ye Rim from the start and got pissed off with Hyun Soo for recording with her, thinking that he might leave their band and debut as a solo artist using Ye Rim’s song as a debut single. Hyun Soo on the other hand defenses himself and says that he refused to go solo though their agency’s president offered him a contract. Ha Jin was not in his right mind at that time dealing with jealousy and anger towards his friend, Hyun Soo, making him spat out hurtful words to him. But Hyun Soo was telling the truth that he was just really being Ye Rim’s guide and they recorded it to be a guide for the person who will do the duet the song with Ye Rim.

“Hyung,” Chen called Xiumin, who was right now into the drama.

“Yes?” Xiumin asked, his eyes were still glued on the show.

“We’re not going to be like Ha Jin and Hyun Soo, right?” Chen asked, his voice got a little shaky from shame.

Xiumin chuckled and slapped Chen’s back. “You know what, Jong Dae? You’re really weird,” Xiumin said, making Chen laugh. “Seriously, how could you think that we would fight for one girl? Aish, get some sleep Kim Jong Dae! Look what those dramas turn you into!”

Chen chuckled and felt embarrassed with his question. Though he wanted to clear to Xiumin that he doesn’t want that to happen, he just turned off the TV and went to his bed.

***

Jie was inside a practice room, a bit confused why she was there. It was dark, and a spotlight at the center of the practice room was the only source of light. She went on that spotlight and looked at the mirror in front of her. Suddenly, the mirror cracked and broke into pieces. She ran at the corner and hid her face with his arms to prevent the broken glass to leave scars on her face. As soon as the broken pieces were all scattered on the floor, she looked in front of her again where the mirror used to be. She then saw Tao holding his sword, blood dripping from its blade. He was giving Jie an intense glare that gave her chills. Suddenly, the whole practice room was flooded with blood. Jie looked for an escape but everywhere she go, she can only see Tao’s intense glare and blood kept flooding the place. Tao walked near her.

“W-What are you going to do?!” Jie asked, walking backwards, trying to escape from Tao.

Tao didn’t answer, he just kept walking towards her.

“Ya, Huang Zi Tao!” Jie shouted, and suddenly Tao wasn’t there. She found herself sitting on her bed, in the hotel. She sighed. It was a nightmare. “Damn, I think I need to stop bullying Tao or else I might face my karmas every night!” She turned to her left to look at the clock, which was displayed on a bedside table between her bed and Angela’s, and checked the time. But instead of looking at the clock, something caught her eyes – Angela was not in her bed and as she checked the time, it was twelve in the midnight.

“A-Angela jiejie?” Jie called, thinking maybe Angela just peed. No one answered and Jie got nervous. She slapped herself to see if she’s dreaming, but she wasn’t. “Jiejie?!” Jie called again, this time scared, thinking that their leader might have been kidnapped by a sasaeng fan(highly obsessed fan) without her knowing because of her silly dream. “Oh my, who to call?! What to do?!” Jie asked herself, a tear fell on her cheek.  She flipped over her contacts and as she saw Iseul’s name, she remembered about her so-called ‘Iseul’s time’ because of her insomnia. She called Iseul and Iseul immediately answered. “Thank God! Iseul, you’re my angel!” Jie said and felt consoled at Iseul’s voice.

“W-Why? Is there something wrong Jie?” Iseul asked.

“Did I wake you?”

“Not really, I was half-asleep,” Iseul said with a groggy voice.

“Can you come here for a while?” Jie asked almost pleading.

“Why? What happened? Where’s Angela jiejie?” Iseul asked worriedly, hearing Jie’s shaky voice.

“Not here…” Jie weakly said.

“…”

“…”

“Wait for me there,” Iseul hung up and quickly ran to Jie’s room.

***

Kris pulled Angela at the hotel’s pool area…

“What are we doing here? If the staff saw us they’d-“ Angela asked, getting off of Kris’ grip.

Kris cut her off. “Babe,” He stopped walking and looked at Angela. “I paid them,”

Angela was completely shocked yet upset. She didn’t want this. She didn’t want Kris to waste his money for their relationship. But she didn’t want to offend her boyfriend and all she could do was to hug him.

“I’m sorry Kris,” Angela said, her ears hearing Kris’ fast heartbeats as she hugged him. She always wanted to do this, knowing her ears were leveled to her boyfriend’s chest due to his height.

Kris hugged her back. He felt good with Angela’s hug. It seemed like all his stress had gone away from his body just by seeing Angela again. “Why are you sorry babe?”

“For being… I don’t know a secret girlfriend, maybe?” Angela said, looking up at Kris, resting her chin on his chest. Words couldn’t explain how bad she feels for being that kind of girlfriend.

Kris chuckled and flicked her nose. “I have the cutest girlfriend ever,” Kris said, looking at Angela’s sad eyes. “Tell me, are you tired of this?” Kris asked in a serious tone.

“No… But I’m really sorry that you have to waste money just to see me,” Angela hugged Kris tighter.

“Well… that’s really not a problem,” Kris said. Angela looked up at him again with one eyebrow raised. “I could even buy a yacht for you just to be with you for a night,”

“Oh come on! You’re being so vain again!” Angela pushed Kris playfully, which made Kris laugh. “Come on, show me your wallet!”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Kris said one of his hands is in his pocket already and the other was trying to stop Angela from getting his wallet. “What happened to my cute girlfriend? Why did she suddenly became a monster?” Kris teased.

“Monster, huh?! Wait till a mermaid gets you in the pool!” Angela suddenly ran and tried to catch Kris.

“Y-Ya! Try to do that, I’ll pull you with me!” Kris shouted while running.

Angela chuckled. “I have clothes, do you have yours?”

“Of course I do!” Kris said. “Ya stop! You have a showcase tomorrow babe!” Kris said and stopped.

“Okay, if my grandfather says so,” Angela said while chuckling, pinching Kris soft cheeks.

“W-What did you say?! Grandfather?!” Kris smirked. “How about you become the mermaid in the pool?”

“N-No babe, I was just joking!” Her hands ready to stop Kris’ grab.

Since Kris had long legs and arms, he easily caught Angela. He tickled her that made Angela laugh and squeal so much.

“S-Stop Kris! B-Babe!!!”

“How about a kiss before I release you?” Kris asked. He moved his cheek closer to Angela’s face.

Angela’s nose touched Kris’ cheek as she looked at the milky skin of her boyfriend. She then planted a soft yet warm kiss on the boy’s cheek and felt lucky to have that god-like boyfriend.

Kris on the other hand felt so lucky to have such an understanding and lovable girlfriend that made his life complete. Angela brought happiness within his life besides his family and friends. Kris really felt Angela loved him as much as he does. It wasn’t just a simple crush. It was real; feeling every moment of joy with her, missing her so much when she’s not around, mesmerized every time he hears her voice and completely in love when she kisses him.

A banging noise suddenly cut the sweet moment of the couple, coming from the entrance of the pool. They turned to see who it was.

“ISEUL?!”

“Iseul? Iseul? Hey, answer me! Where are you?!” The phone was left on the floor without Iseul hearing Jie’s worried voice.

***

Jie went outside looking around to see if Iseul had come back yet. Iseul worriedly looked for Angela, hearing that she was missing.

Jie started to walk around the hallway, when a figure of a tall man’s back blocked her way. He was in pajamas and he looked like he had just woke up, due to his messy hair.

“Uhm… Excuse me,” Jie said, trying to pass by that man.

The man suddenly turned around. Frightening Jie, it was the man of her ‘dreams’. Scratch that, it was the man in her nightmare.

“What the-“ Jie mumbled, her eyes widely opened.

Tao rubbed his sleepy eyes and held a panda eye mask. His eyes were almost closing, but he tried so hard to open them. “Hi Jie, have you seen Kris gege?” Tao asked with his groggy voice.

It was the first time Jie had seen Tao not glaring at her. It was the first time Jie appreciated Tao’s gentle voice, which she called before ‘Tao’s puberty-stage voice’. Right now, Tao’s eyes and voice are mesmerizing. It wasn’t so scary like his eyes in her dream.

“Jie?” Tao called her name with his gentle voice.

Jie snapped out of her thoughts from Tao’s voice, yet she admired how he called her name softly. “O-Oh, I haven’t seen him either,”

A sudden call interrupted their little conversation. It was Iseul. “Hello? Iseul? Iseul? Hey, answer me! Where are you?!” Jie asked, but no one was answering. She hung up and got worried that Iseul might be kidnapped by a sasaeng fan too. She looked at Tao who also looked worried about her.

“Hey Jie, you have a showcase tomorrow. You can’t stay up late at night,” Tao warned.

“I know… But Angela jiejie’s lost… And right now Iseul didn’t answer me yet she called me. It’s… It’s creepy! What if a sasaeng fan got them?! What if-“ Jie wasn’t able to finish what she was saying because Tao suddenly wrapped his arm around Jie’s waist and tapped her back.

“It’s okay Jie, don’t worry. Let’s just stay here and wait for them.” Tao said, as he led Jie to a couch near the elevator.

---

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

Long chapter, I’m sorry for the long wait! Credits to whoever owned the pictures I linked. And, sorry for the weird banner. :) I am not as good as what pros could do. Classes are starting on June 13^th and I think I’m not going to be able to update quickly. :( But don’t worry, I won’t leave this fic hanging. Hooray for my new subscribers - mickey15, americanocoffee and ChoKyu! >:D< To my dear readers, COMMENTS ARE STILL LOVED! Hahaha!!!