BGM: SM Town - Let's Go On a Trip

You checked your wristwatch. It was only 7:11 AM. On any other Sunday, you would still be in dreamland by this time and you probably won't be up until your mother drags you away from bed. Today, however, you found yourself riding a train with Jongin this early in the morning. A couple of days before, the two of you agreed to meet in Dogok Station at exactly 7:00 so you could travel all the way to Yaksu Station together.

Stretching your arms, you let out a yawn.

"Be careful or a fly might enter your mouth," Jongin joked. Normally, a remark like this would earn him a slap in the arm from you, but since you were too sleepy to function, you just settled for a soft glare.

"You really should have slept early," he said.

"For your information, I went to bed early last night. I didn't even get to watch the pre-season match between Real Madrid and Hercules because I was already asleep by 9:00 PM. I just woke up really early today because I had to prepare our lunch," you stated, crossing your arms on your chest. "You should never underestimate the art of making kimbap, Jongin Chingu!"

Jongin lifted the lid of the wicker basket to take a peek. "There's kimbap in here?" he asked.

"Of course, there's kimbap in there! It's a mortal sin for any Korean to go on a picnic without kimbap!" you replied before letting out another yawn.

"Why don't you take a quick nap first? There are nine more stops before our destination anyway," Jongin suggested. "I promise I'll wake you up once we reach Yaksu Station,"

You didn't need Jongin to convince you any further because your eyes automatically closed the moment you heard him say the word 'nap'. By the time he was finished with what he was telling you, Jongin noticed that you were already bobbing your head like the snoring ahjussi sitting in the corner.

"Look! There's a guy wearing the same Manchester United shirt!"

He knew that it wasn't the best distraction he could come up with at the time, but Yixing was just glad that his friend fell for it anyway. Just mention his favorite football club and you are already guaranteed to earn Luhan's full attention.

The train from Line 3 just arrived in Yaksu Station and when the subway doors opened, the first thing that Yixing saw was you- apparently sleeping, with your head comfortably leaning on Jongin's shoulder.

credit to 파스텔레이

"Where? Where?" Luhan asked, looking around the station for any sign of his nonexistent fellow Manchester United supporter. Kevin, who also noticed your sweet moment with Jongin, helped Yixing distract Luhan by continuously saying "There! There!" while pointing to random passers-by.

Back inside the train, Jongin gently patted your thigh in an attempt to wake you up. "Hey, sleepyhead! We're already here!" he said. When you didn't budge even for a bit, he slightly nudged you with his elbow. "Ya! Jaemi Chingu! Wake up now!"

Although you have already opened your eyes, quite reluctantly, Jongin knew that you weren't fully awake yet so he just took your hand and dragged you towards the exit before the subway doors finally close and head off again.

When he lifted the wicker picnic basket from the floor with his free hand, he was quite surprised at how much it actually weighed. "Whoa! This is really heavy!" he exclaimed.

"Of course it is! There's food for thirteen people inside that picnic basket!" you pointed out, before scratching your left cheek.

"Jongin! Jaemi! Annyeong!" Zitao loudly greeted, prompting his three gēgēs to stop 'looking for' that Manchester United shirt-wearing guy who really doesn't exist.

"Who are you?" you tilted your head before squinting your eyes to take a good look at the person in front of you.

Jongin, who saw the mix of panic and disappointment in Zitao's eyes when you asked him who he was, quickly assured the young Chinese guy that you really haven't forgotten about him. "She's just really sleepy," he explained. "So her brain probably isn't working yet,"

"Hey, KkamJong!" Luhan called out. "Where's Moonkyu? Why isn't he with you?"

"He'll be here with Jihye soon. I just got a text message from him. Apparently, he and Jihye coincidentally got on the same train. They'll probably be here any minute now," he answered, before taking a quick glance at his watch. "What about the others, hyung? Why aren't they here yet?"

"Baozi and Kyungsoo arrived a few minutes ago. They're just buying something to drink over there," Luhan responded, pointing to the vending machines. "Sehun and Chanyeol are carpooling with Joonmyun. We'll just meet them in the park,"

Around five minutes later, Moonkyu and Jihye finally arrived. Since you were a little behind schedule, you didn't waste any more time and quickly boarded the connecting train in Line 6 to Mangwon Station. Upon settling on a seat between Jongin and your best friend, you quickly took a sip from the can of Maxwell House coffee given to you by Minseok before leaning your head on Jihye's shoulder.

credit to mycasualtraveling

After taking a seat beside you, Jongin took out his iPod and put on a pair of earphones. Almost immediately after he pressed play, he started grooving and lip-syncing to the music that only he could hear. He then took a quick glance at you, smiled, and somehow, you knew exactly what he was asking you to do.

You raised your right eyebrow. "SHINee. A-Yo." you said confidently.

Taking his right earphone off, Jongin let out a chuckle. "You're getting so good at this!" he chortled, inserting the earphone he just removed from his ear right into yours. 

♫ Ddo honjaseo jamae deulda, aesseo kkubeokkkubeok jichin nooneul gamda... ♫

On the long subway seating across from you, five pairs of eyes were curiously looking at you and Jongin while both of you were gleefully bobbing your heads to SHINee's music. The two of you seemed so happy and so at ease with each other that if they didn't know any better, they would definitely think you were a couple.

Click!

"Hey! What was that for?" you asked. 

Although he didn't exactly understand what you just said, Zitao knew that you were asking why he suddenly took a photo of you and Jongin. "Picture," he simply replied, shaking the newly-developed Polaroid.

When he saw the panda-eyed Chinese boy snap a photo of you and Jongin, Minseok suddenly had this urge to have a Kodak moment with the girl sitting beside him. As discreetly as he could, he gestured Zitao to take a photo of him and Jihye as well, and after a little translation from Kevin, little Baozi's wish was granted.

Click! 

Moonkyu, who was seated beside Jongin, suddenly became aware of the little photoshoot that's been going on. "Hey! What am I? Invisible?!?" he complained. "Take one of us, too," Moonkyu requested, gesturing Zitao to take a photo with all five of you in it.

Click!

Slightly getting up from his seat, Zitao then handed his camera to you. "Picture. Us." he requested, before going back to his seat between Luhan and Yixing.

"I wouldn't ask Jaemi to do it, if I were you," Kyungsoo suggested, but Zitao just looked at him puzzlingly. "It would be a waste of instant film if the picture comes out blurred," he joked.

"Hey! I wasn't the one who took that blurred picture!" you pouted childishly before leaning casually on your Jongin Chingu's shoulder. "Yunho oppa did!" 

Jongin, who neither seemed a