Minah POV

My parents were surprisingly ready to let me go on the SM company resort trip. Something about “having fun while you’re young” and “needing a break”.

Manager Chon... not so much.

“You can only go if you agree to attend various press conferences, photoshoots, and parties while you're there.” she told me coldly. “And while you’re there, try and start a scandal with one of the SM artists-,”

“What? No!” I exclaimed. “That’s horrible!”

“Fine,” she snapped irritably. “No scandal. But make sure you’re seen with the artists of SM. It'll increase publicity.”

I let out a frustrated groan. “Why is it always about money and publicity?” I muttered under my breath.

So here I am, standing in the airport in the midst of 35 of South Korea’s most famous idols and an army of black-clad bodyguards and security, waiting for the 2:10 flight to Macau, China.

The airport’s pure chaos. Hundreds of fans are trying to get past the bodyguards, shrieking and screaming and slamming themselves to push past security so they can catch a glimpse of me and the idols. A voice over the intercom pleads for everyone to “please stay calm and respect passengers’ privacy.” The din of this place is deafening, and I long to get inside the airplane for some peace and quiet.

There’s only one person who seems completely oblivious to his surroundings: Park Chanyeol. I surreptitiously observe him, hiding myself behind Changmin and Luna and peering at him. Wow. I thought he would be playing it up for the paparazzi and doing fanservice. But no, he's just enthusiastically playing some game on his DS-

Wait a minute. He’s playing video games in public. What?

I navigate my way through the throng of people until I reach Lay, who’s flipping through a brochure for The Venetian, the resort we’ll be staying at in Macau. I tap him on the shoulder.

“Um, Lay? Is it me or is Chanyeol acting... weird?” I ask.

He quickly looks up. “Why, does he look sick or something?”

“No,” I reply uneasily. “He’s playing his DS in front of everyone. I thought he was super paranoid about people seeing him play video games. And Chanyeol's acting so... casual. It's not like him.”

Lay bites his lip uncomfortably. “Well, he's... changed in the past few months. Don't worry about it,” he adds, looking worried himself. 

I don’t have an opportunity to inquire further, though; a polished voice comes over the loudspeaker and announces, “The 2:10 flight to Macau is ready to board. All first-class passengers please come forward.”

The SM family and all its guests take up the entire first class cabin. I suppose this is a good thing: it means we get our privacy. My jaw drops as I see the large reclining gray seats, attached tray, and mini-TV that each first-class seat gets.

“This must have been so expensive,” I murmur, running my hand over the soft leather of a seat. I stow away my luggage and settle down. If Yuni was here, it would've been so much better. Unfortunately she has a major test only a few days away.

Suddenly I hear someone yelling in the seat in front of me. “No! Jump! Jump!”

I covertly peer up behind the seat cushion and see who’s sitting in the seat in front of me.

Of course. It's Chanyeol. I nearly snort. Just my luck. 

“I... must... win...,” he mutters, jabbing the buttons of his DS furiously. Chanyeol seems oblivious to the dirty looks everyone around him’s giving him. “YES! EAT THAT, ER!” he suddenly shouts, pumping his fist in the air. 

“Chanyeol, shut up.” Hyoyeon snaps. “I’m trying to take a nap here.”

“Sure, noona,” he grins at her, and then scoffs, “In your dreams,” under his breath.

Despite my best efforts I feel a rush of affection for Chanyeol. He’s still the weirdo he was a few months ago. Except now, he doesn’t make any effort to disguise it. 

Chanyeol’s braver than I am. By this point I should've stopped with the whole "two sides to myself" thing. But I just...

I let out a deep sigh. Unfortunately, it's a little too loud, and it causes Chanyeol to press the "Pause" button and turn around- catching me right in the act of staring at him.

Oh crap.