edited =D

Act. 6
Welcome to L.A.! Shisus! We went to America! It was awesome and I think I never saw Yifan speak so much, but I noticed—despite not understanding a thing—that when he speaks English he tends to talk a lot (he blabbers, Xing ge would comment). Anyway, I have so much to say— as always—but this is really the beginning of a new era and I don’t want to spoil it for you, but, well, I can only say that we are more united than ever and that Xing ge and I are best friends now (I was upgraded: now he trolls me too!) and a lot is coming... and I really hope nobody will really find this diary or they are going to think I write my introductions while on crack, but, well, is it possible to be coherent when you have so much to tell?
P.S.: and yes it’s time to give this diary a new home, but I’ll talk about this later!

L.A., America, the new world.
That was the dream. And when manager hyung told us we were going to participate at Kcon we all squealed in our seats (yes, we all squealed, even grumpy Yifan and manly Xiao Lu).  
“Really?” exclaimed Zitao, unable to hide his excitement (like any of his other emotions). One thing that I learned about Zitao is that he’s always genuine and crestfallen in what he feels.
Manager hyung nodded. Another burst of excitement followed “that means more practice kids” he then added. “Yes!” we all said in unison but hard work wasn’t really something new.  “Are we going there as EXO?” asked Yifan ge like it was obvious that for such an event we were going as a whole unit.

“No, you’ll go as Exo M”. We didn't squeal this time, but the surprise was clear on our faces (and Yifan eyebrows). “You have to understand: it’s not our showcase so we aren’t allowed to do multiple performances tjat would require the entire EXO unit. You are ready and Yifan can speak English, so the management decided is has to be you”.
We all nodded but I knew we were thinking the same: it would have been more awesome if our first time in the USA would have been as Exo. However, we knew that decisions coming from above were never a topic of discussion, so we didn’t say a thing.
As singers it has always been our dream to be able to perform overseas. We worked so hard to stand out in the Korean market and you know you have achieved that only when you finally are requested overseas (The USA and Japan are both considered overseas).
“Jongdae-ah, EXO-K and EXO-M are the same. As long as one is there.it's going to be ok.” Junmyeon hyung said to me later that day. Naturally,  such important news would have been communicated to EXO-K too.
“I would have liked for all of us to be there," I said. I knew my mouth was probably forming a pout but I couldn’t help it. Junmyeon's brows furrowed, letting his guard down for a moment. I wished I was there to mock him, saying, "You'll add more wrinkles on your forehead." He would have slapped my arm, but then he would have smiled.
“Yes, it would have been awesome,” he replied. “But hey, it's not like we are going to do nothing here. We have our schedule too,” he concluded with a wink.
“Hyung stop with the aegyo: on screen it's even creepier!” I said, unable to a bit.
“Yah. What did I do wrong? Kyungsoo said the same thing, but I thought it was because, well, he is Kyungsoo."
“Well, he’s grumpy but not blind, hyung!”
“Since when were you so impolite towards your hyung? I thought staying away from the two beagles would have been a good thing for you. What is Minseok hyung doing with your education?”
“Hyung!! I’m not a dog!!” it was my turn to whine.
He smirked and I smiled back because teasing each other meant we were ok and that he really wasn’t disappointed with the news.
“Anyway. don’t forget to send me a postcard.”
“Of course,” I replied.
“Ok, need to go, say hi and cheer the others up for me."
"Annyeong hyung.”
“Annyeong!”
The video call ended and I couldn’t help but sigh deeply. Then I heard three knocks at the door.
“Come in."
“Oh Zhong da, can you help me cooking? Luhan is trying again to help me and I’m afraid he will succeed this time."
“I'm coming,” I replied, immediately standing up. Luhan ge near a kitchen was an event to avoid in every way.
“ Were you talking with Junmyeon hyung?” he asked me even though he already knew the answer.
“ Yes. By the way, he wished us good luck.”
“Ah, that's so thoughtful of him. I really want for this upcoming stage to be perfect."
“Me too, hyung," I said with new resolution. I wanted to do my best for EXO-K.
“Still sad because we aren't going as EXO?”
“Nah. Well, Chanbaek will probably wale like wild beasts, but we all know they like to make a scene. As for Kyungsoo, he will probably feel relieved. The maknaes will maybe be a bit nosy, but there's Kyungsoo to discipline them so it’s ok. And Junmyeon just encouraged us so...."
“You really are a little duck."
“Ge! Since when you decided it was ok to tease me?”
“You should feel honored—it means you are in my top 3 now,“ he said naturally—like it was no deal—as he entered the kitchen.
“Congratulations Jongdae: you are now one of us chosen ones,” Yifan, who was passing by to go in our room, said to me in a funereal tone. As for me, I was still frozen at the door frame. Am I really in Xing ge's top 3?
“Shut up Picasso, you are not even in the top 5!” shouted Xing ge in his direction.
“It’s true. If he trolls you he likes you,” said Luhan ge from behind, taking ten years of my life away.
“Ge! You scared me!"
“Oh, sorry. Anyway guys can I help you cook?”
“NO!”

Well, I discovered how much Xing ge liked me a few days later. We were tired—as always—because we were practicing for our upcoming stage in L.A. but the company wanted us to do an interview with Yahoo! before leaving because they said that after that we were going to be busy. Busy doing what they didn't say, and if we have had more time we would have probably assaulted manager hyung to just tell us already.  
“Jongdae and Minseok, try to speak Chinese this time. Don't worry, it's just a little presentation. Zitao, the same goes for you: you'll speak Korean,” manager hyung said as he passed us the script. “Do what?!" I wanted to scream, but the simple nod of Minseok hyung hushed me. If hyung was determined to do it, I couldn't do any less. I sighed internally as I checked the script. It was nothing difficult, but speaking with the others members and with the teacher isn't like going on a worldwide channel.
“Well, we are screwed,” Minseok hyung commented, trying to joke. I laughed quietly, but with no real heart.
“Stop it, baozi. You are good! Jongdae, for this one time, just don't listen to your 'guardian'; you are going to be ok," Luhan ge said, patting our backs with a bit too much force. Why does everyone think of baozi hyung like I am his creature?
“And how am I going to do this right?” came the shrieking voice of Zitao from behind me. Somehow, that made me feel better. I didn't know if it was Zitao's expression or the fact that as his hyung I wanted to give a good example, but in the end I smiled for real.
“Why so much panic? It's not even live,” Yifan said as if it was no big deal. Zitao sent him a bewildered look and left the room to go the toilet and point out the indelicacy of Yifan ge.

"You tried,” Xing ge commented, comforting Yifan like he was a kid in the wrong.

"What?”
Ah—poor duizhang.

In the end, after going to rescue Zitao, Yifan was able to bring the maknae of EXO-M back visibly satisfied.
“I bet he managed to make Yifan promise to buy him some new item,” Luhan gewhispered, making everyone laugh (except for the clueless Yifan ge).
After that, the interview started and the first one to begin, even though he tried with his best efforts to make Luhan ge start, was duizhang who got caught in one of those rare talkative moments and said a lot, making Luhan ge really uneasy because he was next.
When it became his turn, Minseok and I didn't even have to share a glance to start shouting“Luhan, Luhan, Luhan,” in unison like we were some sort of fangirl. Xiao Lu greeted us with a flying kiss (ugh, gross).
“Luhan, zhe shi shenme?” they wanted me to talk in Chinese so I did just that. I don't know why, but somehow that made the others burst in laugh.
Of course, when it was Xing ge turn, he was really funny. He showed his odd sense of humor: the one where you don't know if he is actually serious or just trolling you.
“No matter what we are doing, we must have a motivated heart and a sense of courage. Only with motivation we can get things done well,” he concluded his speech.
Basically, that is the meaning of life according to Zhang Yixing. That words were so him, the dedicated and hardworking Xing ge that we all know.
“Handsome, handsome…”
“I know,” I replied cheekily to one of Zitao's comments when my turn came. And, of course, Luhan ge returned me the favor by saying, “dancing machine”. It was an inside joke of  EXO, just like calling Junmyeon gramps, Chanbaek beagles, and Minseok a baozi. To the members, I was the dancing machine.
“It's because you put such effort in it,”Xing ge once tried to console me.  But hey, there will come a day when I'll conquer that mountain called dance. Yes!
After that, I explained the theory of the babies in the hyung disguise (also known as Minseok and Luhan), earning a murderous look from Yifan ge. “All the leaders are gramps,” was a comment from Baekhyun when he was talking about Junmyeon hyung.
“How many family members do you have?” Luhan then asked me. Ha, ha… I knew that.
“Wo jia si kou ren! Baba, mama, gege, he wo,” somehow that caused a storm of laughter, most likely because it was the very first phrase I managed to pronounce well (and maybe I then replied with that same phrase to every question! “What is your favorite color?”“Wo jia si kou ren.”“What do you think about the public debt?”“Wo jia si kou ren!”).
After that, we went to another room to do a dance demonstration… that was actually more like Xing ge showing the MAMA steps and someone else having to volunteer to help him. And then my discipliner betrayed me.
That. Evil. Baozi.
“Dancing machine,” he said. And with that he threw me into the center. I couldn't even step back because Xing ge directed his stare towards me and I just stayed. And thus I was sacrificed in the name of entertainment again.
I think they are going to make me remember this segment forever. It's like Luhan and Zitao's punishment, Minseok’s love confession, and so on. Xing ge, of course, teased me all the time. “My waist is not so good.” Because really Xing ge's movements are so smooth and of course I have to lose my balance. Sigh.
Somehow I managed to end that decently.  I lost my face worldwide… but well…
“Your image is going to be destroyed sooner or later. You are a beagle, you know,” said my evil discipliner, patting my head.
“Actually, I think it's going to be like that for all of us,” Xing ge commented in my rescue. Xing ge is the best!
“I know your weak point,” Minseok said charmingly, and for the first time I saw Xing ge shiver as he covered his neck in fear. Whoa. The power of this baozi!
“When is going to be aired?” Luhan ge asked curiously while we were dragged towards the van.
“After your stage in L.A.”
“So I have some weeks to think about something to stop Chanbaek,” I whispered to myself.
In the end we all collapsed in the van trying to have as much sleep as possible before the KCon. Shisus. The thought gave me goosebumps!

It was hot, and the sky was clear and light blue. There were many fans, and we were all sleepy and dizzy due to the jet lag. Of course, we were all wearing hats and glasses.
“Wow, gege,  we are in L.A! Do you think we'll have time to go shopping?” shouted an overexcited Zitao linking arms with Yifan ge, probably causing an overall squealing through our fans. Creepy… and funny.
However, despite the mocking smiles Luhan and Xing ge exchanged, I didn't pay much attention. I was paying attention to the new scenario.
But I noticed later. The Kris/Tao banners were more abundant than at other times. But we were all so busy that I couldn’t stop to look at them. But then at the fan sign event before the concert, I had the evidence.
The fans started chanting Taoris. I laughed. Sorry guys, but it was...aww this is really the new world! Kekeke…

“You did a great job,”manager hyung complimented us. We were drained and sweaty, but happy to hear that. The public was great, and even though our English wasn't the best (Zitao and I managed to forget the words) we still managed to do well. We even had the opportunity to listen to other idols’ performances.
“'ll treat you to dinner. You guys deserve meat.” We all cheered in joy at the news. “Don't waste your cheers just for that: I have big news, but more about that later.”
We were all left thrilled, but manager hyung added nothing else. We devoured our food like there was no tomorrow and forgot the supposedly big news.
Then after dinner, when I was in my own room at the hotel, I received a call from Korea.
“Hyung, why are you calling so late?”
“Jongdae, I think I'll treat you to bubble tea next week.”
“Wae? Are you guys coming to China?”
“Ha ha ha, no. It's just that you can finally say hi to Korea in person,” he said happily.
“Really?!” was he really implying what I thought?
“Yeah, really, Chen chen! Now get ready and bring your back to Seoul!” came the shrieking voice of Baekhyun.
“Oh Shisus.”
It was a miracle that I didn't faint.
We are coming back.
Yeahhhhhhhhh!
EXO fighting!

 Author's note: this the end of Mama era. Now it's the turning point ;) sorry for taking so long, thank you for your comments! Love you !

ps: if you love Chen's diary please upvote <3

get a look on my new Kaisoo story!