I just said one line as I spoke through my teeth clenching the fork in my mouth, “You got to be kidding me!”

“I will apologize on their behalf, Mija,” Key told me with ashamed eyes as he watched me feed Taemin the cake, and Jonghyun rubbing his cheek up on Min’s, with Minho scolding him for harassing his cousin and decided to pull him away from her (in which Jonghyun escaped from and latched himself back onto Min).

Apparently, SHINee has coincidentally found us and decided to join in, despite going on their way to work. Min admitted that she has called them up to meet them, but she too was not expecting to see them so soon, nor to see Taemin and Jonghyun acting like total idiots in public.

Yet, they are not ashamed of it. Well, Taemin and Jonghyun aren’t ashamed of themselves. Minho looked like he was about to piss in his pants from embarrassment and Key looked like he was going to explode.

Onew looked like…Onew. He just smiled awkwardly as he usually did.

What are they, idols or stalkers? I keep seeing them everywhere! There is too many encounters with these people here for it to be a coincidence! Then I sighed. I mean, once or twice would be a coincidence for seeing a normal person, but to meet an idol twice? Not what you would expect to see.

Is fate trying to play with my life?

“I swear,” Minho spoke up, his hands up in surrender as he looked at me with those big, round eyes. “We did not expect to see you here! We were just on our way to work when these two”—he directed to Taemin and Jonghyun—“spotted you and just…slammed themselves onto the window.”

“Yah, you could have broken right through the glass if you went any further with more force!” Onew interfered, his response directed to Jonghyun.

The blond-haired male only stuck out his tongue while he continued to hug Min. “I was just excited!” exclaimed Jonghyun.

“To see me?” I asked with a raise of my eyebrows.

“No, to see Min,” he rebutted with sarcasm. “Of course I was excited to see you!” He paused before looking at Min with that dorky, dinosaur grin. “Doesn’t mean I do not want to see you, Min!”

Min groaned, pushing him away with a shake of her head. “Please don’t,” said she, her eyebrows creasing as her expression held exasperation.

I had Key and Onew at my right, next to the window and Taemin on the left, at the end of the couch. Min stuck between the rest in the middle—Minho on the right, at the edge of the couch and Jonghyun at her left, next to the glass window that was displaying the cityscape of cars driving past and people walking by.

“Again,” Key let out an exasperated sigh, “I am terribly sorry for this strange encounter.”

I looked at the black-haired male and smiled at him, “It’s not a big deal! Yes, I was somewhat surprised, but I figured it must be normal considering your reactions.” Then I giggled. “Although you looked really embarrassed!”

Key’s cheeks went red at my words. “That’s because they are acting differently from their images! Not only that, but they are doing that out in public! You would do the same if it were to be someone close to you!”

He got a point.

“I am astonished, fascinated even! I can’t really distinguish them if they’re actually idols or five-years-old children,” I told him.

Key sighed, shaking his head in disbelief, “Try living with them for at least five years. It’s a miracle that fans still love them.” Knowing of their years and the days they have spent together, it is really a miracle that people still love that kind of side from SHINee, no matter how ridiculous it is.

I hummed in agreement, taking a napkin and wiping the corner of Taemin’s cheek where the frosting had gotten onto before I resumed to feeding him. He looked at me like a baby, mouth open and eyes wide as he took the next piece of cake into his mouth. I smiled softly at this action, petting his head as I did so.

Onew decided to join in, “So, Mi, what were you doing here with Min?”

I looked back at Min in response to this, who just stuffed a big slice of cake into Jonghyun’s mouth and shoved him away, leaving him to choke. Minho and I began stifling our laughter when he almost died choking on it, mumbling incoherent words before he managed to chew on it and reduce it to small mush inside his mouth.

I calmed down after struggling to keep my composure and gave my plate to Taemin, letting him feed himself and answered Onew’s question, “I just decided to come by here, you know, for a short moment of peace and quiet, but I never really expected to see Min here. I was surprised when she told me that she and Minho were cousins!”

Onew nodded in understanding, “Ah, yes. I remember when that blabbermouth”—“I am not a blabbermouth!” yelled Min—“told everyone at the university that they were cousins, which brought them into complete shock and nearly had a mental breakdown.”

Taemin nodded with an ‘uh-hum!’ before swallowing his piece of cake in his mouth. He then spoke up afterwards, “The girls were really jealous and tried to use her to get to us for some reasons. I felt sorry for Min, but she is strong! I like her straightforward personality – I mean, she is unlike other girls! She can stand up for herself, she is not afraid of scandals—which will never happen—why should we not like her?”

My eyes rose at this information, almost impressed of what she had done.

Jonghyun, having somewhat managed to swallow the large slice of cake, grinned and said, “I have also heard that Min totally kicked their asses and rejected them completely when they dared to challenge her and ask her to show them to us! I admire her, she is dae~bak!”

I looked at Min with raised eyebrows, in which she only looked away from, a blush on her face. “I-It was nothing,” she told me, fiddling with her fingers shyly. I smiled when I saw a smile on her lips, as if happy that they are here to compliment her and make her look like a good person.

Minho chuckled then looked at me, now resting his arms on the table. “Hey, are you going to the SHINee concert coming next Friday? We’d love it if you are available to go this week—you know, to catch a glimpse on our skills,” he told me with a smile on his face, which left my cheeks burning red before I looked down at the table to hide them.

A concert, huh. This has left me thinking for a while.

I wanted to go, but Minae and my stepmom would not let me go. I am no Cinderella, but I get stuck at home while they go and have fun. Unless I wear a disguise and go there, they would not be able to recognize me—hell, I think neither they nor SHINee would recognize me without my glasses!

I scowled as I realized that I do not have contact lenses. Since I do not have them, that plan had backfired miserably…

I was so lost in my own thoughts that I did not notice Minho reaching out to grab my hands. I still did not notice even I snapped out of my revere when his concerned voice echoed in my mind, “Mija? Gwaenchana?”

I looked up at him and nodded slightly before I felt a warm feeling on my hands. I looked down and my face flushed when I saw that Choi Minho is actually holding my hands.

Choi Minho is holding my hands.

In addition, it is not just holding my hands—I could feel his fingers interlocking with mine. Wah—whoa! First meeting and we are already doing skin ship!? Too fast, you are all too fast! I shyly moved my hands away, and he seemed to sense my discomfort because he gave me a comforting smile.

My heart just skipped a beat like twice and it was very painful with the way it contradicts in my chest.

What the was that?

“Um, mianhae, I was just thinking of how I’ll be able to attend.” I saw their confused look before letting out a heavy sigh, breathing in deeply before answering, “You see, my stepsister and my stepmom probably wouldn’t let me out of the house for the concert as they’ll be attending themselves. I wanted to go, but I can’t go without having Minae seeing me and scold me for attending the concert—just because I don’t deserve to,” I told him with a small smile. I saw Min’s eyes soften with pity.

“Minae? You are telling me that Park Minae is your stepsister…” she trailed off for a moment before shaking her head, leaning back into the red cushion, her arms over her chest while the rest of SHINee looked at her worriedly. “…I pity you,” she mumbled out as she looked down, her bangs obscuring her eyes.

I looked at her surprised. She knew her.

“You know her?”

“Of course! I used to be her best friend, you know. However, after she grew fond with SHINee, we lost touch. She was one of those girls who tried to use me to get closer to them,” explained Min before she sighed, shaking her head in remembrance of that day.

Minho comforted her by rubbing his hand on her arm, as if creating warmth would melt the emptiness in her heart. “After that, we just…fell apart and lose touch with each other.” Hearing her story, I felt sorry for her.

Yet…Min and Minae?

Best friends?

Wow, what else is there to surprise me? What other secrets that they have to tell me? I pouted slightly at the mention of secrets (honestly, I think they should still tell me, at the least!) but I shook my head, getting back to topic. Min and Minae were best friends before I came along. They could have been the 2Min best friends before Minae was my stepsister!

(A/N: Get it, get it? 2Min? – Minho and Taemin & Min and Minae?)

Key was eying me for some odd reason before he abruptly grabbed my left hand.

“Mwo?” I cried out in surprise and saw that he was staring at the rainbow ring, which I swore to keep it on for the rest of my life.

“You still…all these years…!” I heard him mumble to himself, but I could not make out the full sentence due to his extremely soft voice. I noticed the rest of the group (except Min, who is staring at me in confusion. I shrugged in response) was also staring at my rainbow ring.

I looked at them confused, a bit amazed to see their suddenly solemn faces. Just what is so interesting about the ring?

Key smiled at me and covered my hand with both of his hands. “I really like your outfit—black & white, and it’s in perfect order, too! Tell me, do you want to be my shopping buddy?”

I was about to answer, but the rest shrieked—I mean, shrieked in my ears, for crying out loud—in unison, “NO!” Key pouted at their abrupt manners and still held my hands tightly, his eyes pleading as he stared at me, waiting for my answer.

After all, it only matters if I gave him an answer.

I nervously looked around the area, and I could see people watching us, most of us seemingly jealous of Min and I. I gasped soundlessly when I noticed that few of them were video recording us. I coughed awkwardly at this—I was not ready for this to happen!

“G-Guys…can you stop acting this way? We are attracting unwanted attention…!” I told them in a soft, shy voice. I never much liked attention. At least I avoided answering Key’s question because he pulled his hands away from mine and chuckled lightly.

Strange, I thought to myself as I stared at my hands, feeling the burning sensation of the electricity that ran throughout my nerves. What was that all about?

“Arasseo, arasseo, we will keep it down a notch. We will do that for you,” Key smiled with a wink. My face heated up at the wink before I looked away shyly, my eyes wide in astonishment while my cheeks flared up hotly. “Hey, do you want to come with us?” He abruptly asked me as he stood up, followed by the others. I slowly stood up and grabbed my bag as we walked to the exit.

“Um, sure?” I faltered a little as I tried to catch up with them after paying the bills and stepping out of the pleasant coffee shop. “Where are we going?” I asked, waiting for anyone of them to answer.

Taemin looked behind, his brown eyes sparkling with delight. His black hair bounced along with his movements as he reached out for my hand and held it tightly. Then he put a finger to his lip, gave me a wink, and said, “You will be surprised once we get there. This is going to be fun!”

“Min.”

“Yeah?”

I internally glared at her silly grin as I stood next to her, my hands behind my back as if they have mentally handcuffed to this position forever. “Explain to me why I am in the SM Headquarters again?” I asked Min who looked at me with a sheepish grin.

“Yeah, about that…” she trailed off, scratching the back of her head before answering me fully, “SHINee had to do their practice for the concert, and since we don’t want to leave you so soon, we decided to get you in here and let you watch them instead!”

Right, I snorted, as if that make me believe that I am actually inside the SM Headquarters.

Seriously, the only chance to get inside this place is when you are auditioning to become an idol of another group.

In fact, how did the guards allow me to go in with Min? I had scenarios that they would scream at me for being a fan girl (when I do not know anything about Kpop—yet) and kick me out of the building or maybe ban me permanently for going any further to the building.

A question came to me. I turned to Min who was watching the boys stretch, her eyes were sparkling with delight when one flashes even a bit of skin. I tapped her on the shoulder to get back her attention on me as I shifted in my standing position, leaning my shoulder against the wall. “Hey, why did SHINee go to Seoul Arts University if they’re idols?” I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.

The brunette thought of this for a while before she was fully able to answer it, “Well, they need to get education—for Taemin’s sake. I mean, he graduated high school, and he was quite worried that he’d never get a chance to graduate in university, seeing that he’s growing up. It’s not just him, though, the rest of the group were worried as well, especially Onew since he’s getting older and older, soon to be in his thirties.”

I began processing this into my head, and when I was finally able to decrypt it, I nodded in understanding. It must be hard for them to attend university and be idols at the same time—especially when it’s full of raging hormone fan girls there (and they used to be so focused in their work too…)

“Hey, what major are you in? I’m in literature and sports major! I’m in for swimming,” then she continued on, “Onew, Taemin and Jonghyun are in the fine arts majors—Taemin for dancing, Jonghyun for composing and Onew for singing. Key is in the creative major, for design technology and Minho is in the sports major, since he likes all sports, obviously.”

I looked away for a moment, thinking of what I should say before I looked back at her.

“I’m in a scholarship for fine arts,” I told her, a shy smile on my face. She looked surprised yet impressed.

“Oh, jinjja? You got a scholarship for fine arts?” Min echoed, her eyes wide in astonished. I nodded my head in agreement for confirmation while I looked at SHINee preparing their bodies, warming up. I looked away quickly with a flushed face when I saw Jonghyun’s and Minho’s defined abs which their shirts flashed when they stretched their upper bodies. Their muscles flexed a bit, adding a masculine charm to them.

I think my face went a little redder when I saw Taemin’s slender yet slightly muscular stomach underneath that shirt of his.

Argh, what’s wrong with me? I never really saw any guys’ bodies other than Kangdae-oppa’s and Appa’s! I mentally slapped myself. Slap out of it, Mija!!

“Y-Yeah!” I struggled to speak out after witnessing their bodies, “I do singing and is a musical prodigy—meaning I can play any instruments.”

“Wah, that is dae~bak! I never met a musical prodigy before! You could show me what you can play! Hell, I do not believe there would be anything you can’t play!” she told me, over exaggerating my role a bit, although it is sort of true. I laughed at this.

I then looked around, staring at the members and the studio. As I examined the dance studio made by SM, disbelief hit me all over again.

“…Why am I in a dance studio with them again?” I asked and Min had to laugh at my non-belief in this whole time. Is it bad that I want Minae to somewhat barge in and slap me in the face? To make sure that everything else was just a dream and I never met SHINee at all? I pinched myself on the arm and I hissed quietly, rubbing the reddened skin as I felt that jolt of pain through my nervous system. I’m still here.

Nope, it’s not a dream. This is totally real.

Min looked at me and smiled before she said, “Because SHINee wanted to show you their sides when they’re dancing, silly! Since that you didn’t know them at first and all.”

I pursued my lips a little and told her, “But I did some research of them!”

Min stared at me and said the most unexpected sentence ever, “Let me guess,” she started as she placed a finger to her chin. “You went through all of their shows and music videos, including the songs from their albums, regardless if it’s Korean or Japanese,” she paused for a second before looking at me with a smirk, “did you not?”

H-How did she know!?

Min smirked when I ducked my head low, “I knew it! Jonghyun! She really did go through everything you guys did!” Then she turned to me again with a smirk. “I bet you even looked at the fancams on their concerts,” she asked me.

My face could not go any redder than that. “W-Well... I just…so happen to see them on YouTube,” I mumbled shyly, my head down. I made eye contact with my own hands, which were fiddling timidly.

“I knew it! Hey, Jonghyun! She really did look up on everything!”

I could hear Jonghyun scream (in happiness and shock). He turned to us with wide eyes, nearly popping out of his socket as he stopped stretching. “Are you serious? For real!? She really did research about us?”

Then there was a loud smack afterwards, coming from a nagging Key, “Babo! I told you she would go and do it! Have you not seen how gullible she looks? Now my poor Mi-baby did not sleep properly sleep after that!”

(Mija: When I was your ‘Mi-baby’, Key?)

I slid down the wall, my bottom hitting the floor as I buried my head into my knees, completely embarrassed of the actions I had done last night. Was I so tired that I did try to absorb as much information on SHINee? I cannot believe I even manage to do such a thing!

I could hear Jonghyun whine in complaint as he pleaded Key to stop hitting him. Key ignored his pleas and continued to yell at him, making the situation worse. The rest of the group just laughed of the scene, not bothering to help the poor man.

After all that nonsense, SHINee went into position. I looked at them in awe, surprised from the sudden change from earlier.

They looked so…serious! It was not like the SHINee I saw this morning, acting like dorks. How could two sides be completely different when it came to them?

I turned to Min and was about to speak but she put her finger to her lips, gesturing me to keep quiet. Clamping my lips shut, I turned back to the group. Then music played and I recognized it, hearing that familiar tune.

They are doing ‘Sherlock’!

Sure, I’ve watched them dance online, but seeing them dance for real, right in front of me was just unbelievable. I think I can never compare them from watching them online and watching them in reality. I was too shocked as they danced earnestly, their moves were so crisp and sharp. Hell, Taemin’s moves were hitting the beat perfectly!

(I guess that is why he is called the ‘Powerful’ Taemin.)

But it wasn’t just Taemin doing the job, even Key was flawless! My eyes were on him for a while before the others snatched away my attention.

I sat there with Min, both of us nodding our heads along to the beat as they did each song for practice. They did ‘Stranger’, then ‘Beautiful’—I even get to hear them sing, ‘Dream Girl’ in live. Their voices sounded even more real than it was when it was recorded in a studio as they danced with microphone stands.

When ‘Why So Serious’, all five members danced the choreography. I stared at Jonghyun, remembering his accident before smiling to myself. I am glad he’s well enough to dance it again. He should be very lucky to learn the choreography beforehand, otherwise he would have to be excluded from dancing it every time they promote the song!

I smiled at the thought of Minae gaping at me, knowing that I have been to the SM Headquarters first before she did. She would be so jealous when she finds out.

One day, she might find out. She might.

At the end of dance practice, the whole group was panting, breathless and sweaty. Their hair was sticking to either their foreheads or their necks, which proved their hardships in correcting their mistakes and the number of times they tried to get it right. I began to wonder as I stared at them, seeing their slightly pained expressions.

Is this what the trainees have to endure in order to make a debut? Then I looked down at the floor. Suddenly, I feel so bad for all of the other idols who have risen to success. Of course it won’t be that easy to rise to the top.

If it’s this hard for trainees to debut, then it must be even harder for those who debuted to get to the top. I shook my head at the thought. Now I know why I would not want to become an idol, even being a musical prodigy myself.

Their manager came in, startling me a bit. As soon as we locked eyes, I quickly stood up, bowing in greeting and apologizing for being here, even though Min has dragged (most likely forced) me into the building.

Surprisingly, he just reassured me with a warm smile, saying that it was fine. Then he gave me a pack of water bottles before pointing at the exhausted SHINee. “Please give it to them, they must be exhausted. Give them encouragements if you wish,” he told him in a serious, yet gentle tone.

Nodding at his request, I obediently went and did what he asked me to do after he left the room.

I walked over to the group who were sitting down on the floor—well, all but Minho. Key and Taemin were lying down on their backs, eyes closed as they caught their breaths. They were the only two that had danced so rigorously, so of course they would lie down on the floor instead of sitting up.

I went to Jonghyun and knelt down next to him, placing a water bottle in his lap. He looked up at me and smiled, his puppy dog eyes staring at me. I smiled back and ruffled his hair, chuckling when his hair would stand up because it was soaking wet from sweating so much. “You did a good job, Jonghyun,” I encouraged him, patting his back as he started to drink from his water bottle.

Jonghyun swallowed his water down heavily, his throat bulging out strongly before he exhaled out deeply, feeling a bit more relaxed than usual. Then he grinned at me, his eyes curved into happy crescents. “Thank you for your compliments. That was kindly appreciated,” he told me before patting my back in return. “Now go do your job.”

I nodded at his words as I stood up, walking over to the next member.

I went over to Minho, who was standing up, stretching his arms. I don’t think he knows what ‘rest’ means, since he is still moving. I tapped his arm and he turned to me, eyebrows raised as if he’s waiting for what I wanted to say to him. I merely smiled at him and gave him his water bottle, which he took and thanked me for.

Then I grabbed his arm, seeing it ready to go back into stretching. Minho looked at me surprised, seeing my stern eyes. “I think you should relax, Minho. You’ve been dancing for a couple of hours, at least give your body some resting time!”

“I will have a break after doing a few more exercise,” dismissed Minho, wanting to go back into warming up again, but my arm wouldn’t let go of him. The dark-haired gradually paused in his movements and looked at me again with his chocolate brown eyes.

I stared at him for a while before motioning my head to the water bottle. “Drink, then rest. Don’t burn yourself out too much. Exercise is good, but it’s not good if you’re continuously exercising without any breaks in the middle. This is the same for dancing and singing. You can dance and sing as long as you want, as long you take your resting time, do you understand?”

As if enchanted, he smiled dreamily at me and nodded, looking down at the water bottle in his hand.

I smiled, glad that he’s understanding my concerns as I released my hold on his arm before I decided to move on.

But before I left his side, he abruptly grabbed me by the arm and got me into a headlock, his arm around my neck and his strong hand on my head, roughly messing up my hair.

“Minhooooo, stop it! Argh, eww, eww, you are disgusting! Y-Your sweat—MINHO!” I whined as I squirmed, trying to get away but couldn’t. Minho was holding me down with all the strength he has in his damn muscles.

I could hear Min, Jonghyun and Onew snickering at me. I glared at the trio, ceasing them from laughing. Well, they tried to stop but they only snickered more.

Once he finally let go of me, I let out an exasperated cry. Eww!! His sweat is all over my hair! Aish, that’s gross! I grimaced as I wiped away the sweat around my neck. “Gross, gross, gross!” I uttered out underneath my breath as I looked at the glistening, smelly H₂O on my palm before glaring at the said male. Minho gave me kissy faces, which made me pout and stick out my tongue at Minho.

He merely laughed at me as a response.

I let out a scoff and uttered illogical words under my breath as I walked over to a smiling Onew and a snickering Key, smoothing down my messed-up hair. Because Key and Onew were next to each other, I first placed down a bottle next to Onew, being the oldest. He should have his water first before the latter. “Please take it easy, Onew. I would like it if you didn’t any more injuries this year,” I told him with a small smile.

Onew smiled at me with a small nod as he opened up his bottle, taking a drink out of it. I looked down at Key who was lying on the floor and dropped the water bottle onto his chest. The male grunted from the sudden impact before pouting at me.

“Rude!”

I only stuck my tongue out at him. “Then sit up, you lazy bum!”

I could hear Min cackle from the other side of the studio. “Lazy bum! Hehehehe, Mija, you are gold! I never thought to hear that coming from you!”

Key scowled playfully at me before smiling, now changing his position into sitting. “Thank you, Mi-baby!”

I furrowed my eyebrows at the nickname. “Since when I was your Mi-baby,” I muttered out as I started to leave.

I gasped and looked back in shock when I heard him say, “Since now, deal with it, crazy redhead.”

I stared at him dramatically before scowling. “Rude!” I retorted at the male.

Key shrugged his shoulders, having a diva-like expression as he blinked at me innocently. “You started it first!”

I growled, turning away from the giggles as I walked over the last member—the maknae.

I finally caught up to Taemin, who was still lying on the ground, unmoving. Is he sleeping or is he just closing his eyes? I tilted my head to the side as I examined the brunet male on the ground.

He had a peaceful look on his face as his black hair sprawled itself out on the floor. His chest rose up and down as I stared at him, his eyes closed lightly, his full, long lashes in sight. His lips pursed out as if he is concentrating, and yet they look so surprisingly inviting and kissable. Snapping myself out of my thoughts, I decided to wake him up, regardless if he’s sleeping or not.

“Hey, Taemin,” I gently said in a soft voice as I crouched down with the last bottle in my left hand, poking his cheek. His face scrunched up and he opened his eyes slowly. My breath hitched when I caught myself staring into his eyes and him into mine.

W-What? Why I can’t look away? Why my heart’s beating so painfully fast? I felt my cheeks burn when he gave his angelic smile.

He looked so…dreamy.

I was finally able to look away, my cheeks red as I gripped onto the last water bottle in my hand.

“H-Here! I’m giving you your water bottle,” I told him with a stubborn edge in my voice as I gave him his drink. I could hear him chuckle as he took the bottle from my hand, his hand brushing mine. I quickly pull away and put my hand to my chest, feeling my beating heart. The area his fingers brushed onto was growing so ticklish that it made me scratch the back of my palm. I wished for it to calm down but it wouldn’t.

It is just like when it happened with Minho!

“G-Good job with your dancing, Taemin,” I stammered over my words as I glanced at him, seeing him taking a sip of his water. “You are amazing as I thought you would be.”

Taemin chuckled, leaning towards me. I leaned back in surprise, seeing him come towards me so suddenly. “Is that a compliment?” he asked with a small smirk, amusement shown in his voice.

I scowled. “Of course it is! What else did you think it was?” I answered back defensively, although it came out a little bit angry than expected. The brunet leaned back with a grin, laughing at the way I blurted out my answer.

“You are so cute, jinjja!” He exclaimed, reaching out to pinch my cheek. I whined, feeling his fingers stretch my skin before slapping his hand away. I glared at him, but that only made him coo at me more.

Aish, he will never shut up.

“Taemin,” I spoke once I calmed down, catching his attention once again. As soon as we locked eye contact again, I smiled at him, startling him a bit. I could see the faint redness on his cheeks that began to form, even more so when I reached out to grab his hand.

“M-Mija?” Taemin began to speak, surprised of my actions. “What are you…?”

“Don’t stop dancing.”

I could see his eyes widening at my words. I smiled again, my grasp on his hand tight as I spoke again, “I can see it in your eyes when you were dancing earlier. You may look tired and exhausted, but I can tell you really liked dancing. I can tell you want to prove yourself to the world outside that you’re more than just a dancer. That’s why,” she paused for a moment as she looked at his hand, her finger brushing over his rosary ring. “Don’t give up on your talents.”

Taemin stood quiet for a moment, absorbing my words before he smiled, nodding his head. “I won’t.”

I smiled. “That’s good to hear,” I told him.

Once I had given everyone their water, I went into the middle of the studio and sat down with them, sitting in a circle as we managed to have a conversation with each other. We talked about a lot of things as I ended up learning more about them.

I learnt of how Key is absolutely in love with shopping and is the mother of the group and would always nag them. He scowled at this and exclaimed at us, “This is because you guys are so irresponsible of yourself! How else are you going to take care of yourself without me nagging? Then the group would be in ruins if it were not for me!” Then he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. “Be glad that we have made this far into stardom otherwise I would have grabbed you all by the throat by now!”

Then and there I giggled at the statement on how Jonghyun will and forever be naturally short. Jonghyun, once again, fumed like an angry dinosaur and roared at us. “Yah! I’m not that short!” He paused for a moment as he began to get irritated over a certain person’s laughter before whipping his head towards Minho, who was covering his mouth with his hand, still laughing. “Shut up, you frog, it’s not funny!”

I had my doubts when they told me on how Minho loves competitions and hates losing.

“Eh?” I looked at Minho with a disbelieving look. “So you think you can win everything, Mr. Show-off?”

Minho looked down at me from his standing position with wide eyes, just as the group gasped at my doubts. Then he smirked and crouched to my eyelevel, a dangerous glint sparkling in his irises. “So you think you can beat me, Ms. Musical Prodigy? I would like to see you try,” he told me, never looking away from me.

I guess I didn’t like to lose either. He and I were more similar than I thought.

I simply smirked back at him.

I ended up getting into an arm wrestle with him. Our eyes met gain and lightning clashed between us as we smirked.

“You will regret judging me, Mr. Choi,” I told him.

Minho simply snorted, his large hand holding its strong grip on my small one.

Once Key blew the whistle, the competition between was really fierce. I tried my best, yet after a while, the outcome came out really unexpected for them.

Here’s the result: I won, he lost.

Boy, they were surprised that my strength overcame Minho and thought I would never win because of my slender arms.

Never judge a book by its cover! I laughed mentally at them in my head.

“How is that possible?” exclaimed Jonghyun. “You can’t—I mean—how?”

I giggled as I flex my arm, showing some toned muscles. “Just because I’m a musical prodigy, doesn’t mean I only focus on music,” I told him with a smile, triggering the group to go in awe.

All but one.

“Heh,” Onew suddenly spoke up with a small laugh, “looks like Minho isn’t looking too good.”

I looked at him and saw his stern eyes. They were right when they said he hated losing. I could actually see fire burning in his eyes. Min was not helping me with the whole cheering for her dear cousin when he demanded a second try.

“Again,” he demanded, his arm out on the table as he waited for me to do the rematch. His voice was so deep and scary but it didn’t faze me much.

In fact, I only smiled at him and called him ‘cute’—“You look cute when you are mad, you know that?”—which made him blush wildly before he yelled at me to accept his rematch offer. Once I agreed, I had to play ‘weak’ to let him win.

It was cute, really, the way he jumped so high with a happy, victorious grin on his face, like he accomplished something for once.

I found out that Onew is always clumsy and is a chicken maniac, always has been since the day he was born. I was slightly confused when they sang this song when Onew tripped on his way over to us, before I was told that he has “Onew condition” which was quite popular around the fans.

And then there was Taemin. I fell on my back laughing when I was told that he is addicted to strawberry milk. I got scolded by him but I continued to laugh, too greatly bemused by this.

Can you believe the fact that he’s 20 years old yet he’s drinking strawberry milk?

I smiled at the fact it was his dream to be dancing to make everybody happy.

I knew he liked dancing. That’s why I told him to not give up his talents earlier when I gave him his water bottle.

“Though people keep disregarding my talents,” he then said to us, his eyes downcast. “I don’t know if I can make them know that I can sing, that I have other talents to showcase to them.”

Jonghyun smacked Taemin’s head, earning a yell from the younger. “Hey! You should not be going gloomy on us today! That is not allowed!”

I patted his shoulder, causing him to look at me. I smiled at him and said, “Jonghyun’s right. You should keep trying to get what you want! Don’t let anybody put you down, because if you do, you are just giving into their criticisms!” Then I told him, “I know you can bring out your talents. Remember what I’ve said to you, Lee Taemin.”

He stared at me with wide eyes again, his eyes growing teary for a moment before I shrieked in revulsion, my eyes wide when his face suddenly got close to me.

“Mija, I love you!” exclaimed Taemin as his arms shot out towards me, his body thrown onto me.

And thus, having him glomp onto me, squealing in happiness while I was having a hard time trying to breath. Min, Onew and Minho had to try and pry him off of me while Key and Jonghyun was just laughing their asses off.

It was rude of them, but I didn’t care—it was nice having friends for the first time in Korea. I looked up at the ceiling and wondered about my best friend, Kai.

How is Kai doing back in USA? I wonder if he’s okay without me there with him…

(A/N: I do not, in any way, own EXO or other idols. They belong rightfully to SM!)

SHINee had left to go into another room as they were called by their manager to discuss about the concert and whatnots—plans to please their fans, I guess. Min had left for the bathroom—and she’d left long time ago, but I guess finding the bathroom is sort of hard to remember in this large building even if she had been here a couple of times.

I looked out the large glass window, surprised to see that it was already afternoon, the warm atmosphere creating a lazy aura as cars whizzing by and past on the road as I looked down. I could see buildings from far ahead, and people walking past the building. They looked like cute, tiny ants at work!

I felt my glasses falling to my nose bridge and I pushed it back up in place as I walked around the dance studio. It’s large and spacious and…lonely. I felt truly alone in this place.

I wondered how soloists managed to do their dance here alone.

I bit my lip and walked around a little bit more. I clasped my hands behind my back as I hummed to myself, spinning around. Then something inanimate caught my eye. I turned my eyes toward the source. I was surprised to see a wooden music box on the shelf.

I haven’t seen a music box in a while…

I walked over to the shelf, my footsteps light like a child’s, almost off the ground and on my toes as I somewhat ‘floated’ over to it, curiosity written on my face. I reached out, my slender arm outstretched as my hand opened up, my fingers barely touching the wooden object. Ugh, so far out of reach! I pouted in my head as I stood on my toes.

This is ridiculous! I look like a child who wanted to get the jar of cookies from the shelf!

The object moved slightly towards the edge of the shelf with each little push I could make. Once it was out, I pushed it up and was able to catch it with my two hands.

At least I caught it. If it’s broken, I’d be in deep trouble, especially if it’s something that doesn’t belong to me. I studied at the music box in my hand. But really, why is it doing here? Does it belong to one of the SHINee members? I looked for the handle and began to wind it up. I winded it up a little longer, because I wanted to hear the music longer and not let it end so shortly.

I opened it and I could see a ballerina spinning as the music played. It was a lullaby, the tune so creepy and slow, yet hauntingly beautiful and enchanting. I’ve think I have heard the tune before – SHINee’s ‘Orgel’, isn’t it?

No, I thought with a tilt of my head, the melody engulfing my mind. It sounds like that, but it’s so familiar…as if I have heard it before in my childhood days…

I put down the box, letting it sit immobile on the floor and I moved away from it as the tune filled my ears. Then, I began my position, my sneakers pointing at the floor; my right arm around my waist while my left was in the air. It had been a while since I last did dance, I thought as I slowly went into position, my eyes averting to the floor. Especially ballet. I had not done it for four and a half years since then…

I began to dance, my feet moving with such gracefulness as I spun and did my series of jumps. I’m surprised my glasses managed to stay on and not fall off when I’m doing this. I closed my eyes, getting lost into my own imagination and the music.

I had imagined that I was dancing with a person—a man. I could feel his hands around my waist, his arm holding me steady. The other hand was held out, palm open. I placed my hand on his hand, mirroring them. I held his hand tightly with the other, our fingers intertwining.

We danced together—but it seems all too…real. It feels real, too. He spun me and I still had my eyes closed, not wanting to break the imagination that I had created.

I raised my leg high in the air, but it went down as I leaned forward, and in reflex (as it startled me—I thought I’d fall!) I wrapped my arms around his neck, and him around my waist. The music stopped then. I slowly opened my eyes, which widen a little when I was met with chocolate brown orbs.

I glanced at the ebony black-coloured hair before recognizing who was holding me.

“T-Taemin?” I said breathlessly, my eyes wide in astonishment. I do not know why I am breathless. I simply thought that it was because I was dancing so much. I didn’t know he was dancing with me. I didn’t even hear him enter the studio, knowing that I was too engrossed into the ‘fantasy’ I made in my head.

Seeing him here made me realize why the man in my head felt so real. He made me realize that it was not a fantasy after all.

Taemin smiled warmly at me, nodding his head. His eyes sparkled brightly with happiness and something else that I could not pinpoint.

Because of those sparkling eyes that glittered with stars, I found myself being entranced to him.

He held me upwards, his hands tight onto my waist whilst my arms were around his neck still. If anyone came into the scene, they would misunderstand this scene for ‘about to kiss’ as our faces were close to each other.

His voice was faint, warm and gentle when he whispered one word to me, “Again?”

It is as if he read my mind. I wanted to blush from his abruptness, but I couldn’t. I wanted to dance again.

I did not say that I wanted to dance again but he knew.

Taemin knew.

He knew I wanted to dance again, with or without the music. Something about him seems so familiar yet I can’t put my finger on it.

Holding him like this felt familiar too. Everything about him was so familiar.

I did not say yes, nor did I say no, I said neither of them.

Instead, I told him this.

“Again.”

And again, we danced.