A/N: Hiya guys~

Hopefully this is where the action starts happening :D

Remember: English, Korean

When D.O. gets back to the dorm, it's to hushed screams of outrage.

"Yah, Do Kyungsoo." Kris looms over him. All of the EXO members are gathered in the K dorm. There's nowhere for him to run. Good thing he isn't planning on running.

Closing the door behind him, D.O. hits Kris. Just once.

"Apa!" Kris groans and holds his arm. Not for the first time, he thanks the heavens for his height. Otherwise, D.O. would be able to get at his head. "What was that for?"

"That's for not taking care of Jagi. Did you know she almost passed out and threw up several times?" Kyungsoo demands.

Hm, he called her Jagi, Lay notes.

"Still, hyung, you should've told us where you went," Sehun complains. "Though noona did say you took good care of her."

"Ani. You lot were so busy eating that you failed to notice she didn't eat a single thing."

"Oh." Sehun shuts up.

"I'm letting this go-"

"Because Bao says she'll kill you otherwise?" Lay guesses.

Kris flushes. "Uh…"

"Duizhang, you shouldn't leave your phone unlocked and lying around," Luhan chides.

Kris gives up. "Aish, whatever. Is she really okay?"

"Mm. I made her drink two bowls of soup and she seemed to recover." Kyungsoo shrugs.

"That's good. Everyone go pack," Kris grumbles.

***

You take a deep, steadying breath before opening up your laptop and logging in to your email. Piles and piles of emails wait, unopened. Emails from the family lawyer and Columbia, but also some from the NYPD. You open the most recent one from Andrew Lars, the lawyer, and read it.

Ms. Lee,

For you to receive the assets bequeathed to you by your parents, a qualified representative (a beneficiary of the will) must sign and witness the execution. Therefore, I will postpone the execution of the late Mr. and Mrs. Lee until it is convenient for you or the other beneficiary to return to the country.

Regards,

Andrew Lars

Your eyes widen. What the hell? There's another beneficiary? And you have to fly back to the states? You click on the previous email.

Ms. Lee,

Upon the passing of a testator, usual procedure dictates that the will is sent out to all beneficiaries. Aside from a number of charities, there are two beneficiaries named in your parents' will. However, I have been left a certain set of instructions that prevent me from revealing the identity of the other beneficiary, and thus, the will, to you at this present time.

Regards,

Andrew Lars

Mom, Dad… What did you do? What don't I know? You slump over your laptop, sigh, then bolt upright. "Oh, balls."

How am I supposed to buy a ticket back to settle the will if I don't have any money?

Instead of puzzling over this– honestly, it's not like you don't have any way of earning money, right?– you decide to set it aside for now. Your tuition is paid for this year, you can apply for a scholarship, and you have enough cash and credit for the small things. You really would rather just sleep.

After you take an oh-so-satisfying shower, though, guilt hits you. It's been a week since you've messaged your Columbia roommates. Logging into Skype, you flinch as your screen is bombarded with pending messages in the group chat the four of you are in. The earliest messages are normal, just them checking in, but (and you've checked the time) right about when the allkpop article about your Mona Lisa fiasco was posted, the group chat exploded.

daisychainxx: JEWEL OMG THOSE WERE NOT YOUR CLASSMATES YOU LITTLE

sallieonover: JEWEL!?!?!? MONA LISA? WHAT? AHHH

beckster: OHMYGOD, JEWEL WHAT WEEKLY IDOL!??!

Ugh. You scroll down further, to the more somber messages from this morning.

beckster: jewel, we heard about what happened with your parents

sallieonover: you must be having such a hard time

i wish i could be there for you right now

daisychainxx: me too. we all do

we miss you, and we're here for you. just talk to us when you're ready.

You can't help but smile as you read their concern. Coincidentally enough, all three of them are online right now. Apprehensive, you hit the Video Call button.

Rebecca answers immediately, shortly followed by Sally and Daisy.

"Jewel! Are you alright?" she gasps.

"You look so tired," Sally fusses.

"Yeah, you must not be getting enough sleep," Daisy agrees worriedly.

"Guys, calm down. I've mostly through the grieving phase," you reassure them with a small laugh. "I've been a mess since this morning, but thankfully I've had friends around to take care of me."

"Are you sure? We're always ready to listen if you want to talk about it," Rebecca offers, worried.

"You know my family and me, we're not really the type for excessive emotion. My parents… they wouldn't want this to affect my life for too long." You comfort yourself, and them, with what you know is the truth.

"It seems you guys are unhappier than I am," you joke, looking at them. "How about this? Let's talk about me being the Mona Lisa. You all are just dying to know, aren't you?"

The three of them chuckle sheepishly before blurting out questions at the same time.

"How did you get on Weekly Idol?"

"How did you meet EXO?"

"Did they really think you were staff?"

"Were you the one who fainted at Inkigayo?"

"Are you famous now?"

"Guys-" you try.

"Have you been scouted yet?"

"Guys!" you whisper-scream into the mic. They shut up. "I was on Weekly Idol because they saw me at the side of the set and thought I was staff. The guy who was supposed to be grilling was late. As for EXO… I met Kris in high school, but really started talking to him about two years ago, in freshman year. He found me in Angela's while they were in NYC for their concert. Yes, I fainted at Inkigayo, but I'm fine now. And no, I'm not famous. Thankfully the issue has been dying down. People have tried to scout me but I said no."

"…"

"Guys?"

"Oh my god," all three of them chorus in awe.

"Can you get us their autographs?"

"Can you get us backstage passes for their next concert?"

"The answer is no," you tell them, half-smiling. "You know I won't abuse my relationships."

"Still worth a try," Daisy sighs. "Will you at least let us see them next time you Skype us and they're around?"

"Yeah, I can't believe we saw them but you tricked us into thinking it wasn't them." Sally pouts.

"I will, if you promise not to go berserk fangirl on them," you negotiate, chuckling. "But you've got to admit you guys were pretty funny. Scared the out of them too."

"We promise," the three of them chorus.

"Alright. I'm going to bed. Talk to you guys soon~"

"We're always here for you, Jewel. We love you. Bye~"

"Love you guys too." Hanging up, you crawl into bed, set an alarm for 5 am, and fall asleep.

***

At 3 am, Seungwoo jolts awake and checks his watch. "Goddamnit, I must have missed her coming in," he curses, getting up and brushing off his clothes. Not for the first time, he finds himself grateful that he's still young. Crossing his arms, he leans against the wall and prepares himself for a long, long wait.

***

The smell of cigarette smoke. A thick arm around your neck. The scratch of stubble against your neck. It's dark.

You jerk awake, drenched in cold sweat and gasping for breath. You claw at your shirt, lifting it and staring with wide eyes at your hip where the wound should be. Nothing more than an ugly scar, now, and even that's almost gone. As your heart rate slows, you fumble for your phone. 3:10 am.

You go take another shower.

***

Seungwoo snaps to attention as he hears a door open and close. He checks his watch again. 3:40 am. Who the hell is awake at this time? With my luck, it's probably a mass mur-

All thoughts but one flee his mind as you make your way around the corner and stop. The shoes catch his attention first. Bright white Nike high-tops, they shine under the campus lamps. He makes his way up, noting each article of clothing and evaluating. Charcoal gray harem pants, a cool mint slashed back tank top, a black sports bra, and a parchment-colored messenger bag. Style: not bad. Workable.

He finally makes it to your face and cannot believe his luck. Tailing JYP and his scouts finally paid off.

"You might as well come out."

***

You notice the guy as soon as you step around the corner. Most likely, he's another scout, but in the shadows, he could be a murderer, or a . 

Nerves still shaken from the nightmare (it hasn't been this bad in years), , you freeze, inwardly screaming. The years of Muay Thai training wouldn't do you an ounce of good if you froze up like this every time you see someone in shadow, some rational part of you chides. Even so, you can't make yourself move, though you do manage to make your vocal cords work.

"You might as well come out."

The suspicious guy turns out to be the well-dressed man you saw earlier.

"Annyeonghaseyo. I'm a Cube Ent. scout."

Oh! Peniel's company. You welcome the distraction. "And?"

"I'd like to extend an offer to you on behalf of our CEO. Would you like to join our company as a trainee?"

"Why don't you give me a card and I'll drop by later on today? I'll discuss it with your CEO."

"A-arasoyo," he replies, slightly bewildered by the speed with which you took control of the conversation. Hardly able to believe his good fortune, he pulls out a card and hands it to you. "Here."

"Not having much luck, hm?" You smile, nodding at the stack of cards in his hand.

He blushes. "I think I'm quite lucky to have finally met you."

You laugh out loud. "You know what I think? I think I feel my head swelling." You wink at him. "Kamsahamnida. Maybe I'll see you later, Seungwoo oppa."

"M-maybe." Seungwoo turns dazedly to watch you leave, walking with a slightly lighter step. Little does he know how much he cheered you up with just a cheesy compliment. All he can think about is his success in getting your agreement to visit Cube, and that famous wink of yours that he's just had directed at him.

***

It's 4:20 am when you get to EXO's dorm, because you dropped by a 24-hour beverage joint. The security guard has learned to recognize you by now, and lets you in when you blast him with a dazzling smile. He even manages a little grin of his own as you approach the guardhouse and hand him a steaming coffee.

"Annyeonghaseyo, Security-Guard ahjussi. It must be tiring to sit here all the time, so I got you some coffee. Don't worry, it's not drugged or anything," you reassure him jokingly. You open it and take a sip to prove your point. His grin widens as he bows slightly and thanks you.

You leave with a small wave and take the elevator up to the K dorm. Okay. I hope the code is the same as the M code, but at the same time, that would be really stupid.  You punch in the code, muffling the beeps as much as you can, and stifle your dismayed laugh when the light turns green. Shaking your head, you make a mental note to have the members change it.

Slipping inside, you leave six drinks in the fridge and text Sehun.

To: The Kid

Good morning, Sehunnie~ I bought some drinks for you guys. They're in the fridge.

Mission accomplished, you leave the dorm and go downstairs, entering just as quietly. Depositing the drinks in the fridge, you sit on the couch for a few minutes with your chai latte, idly fidgeting. I really should sleep a little more. Placing the latte on the coffee table, you stretch out on the couch, but you can feel the nightmare waiting behind your eyelids. Your heart starts to pound.

You make a split second decision and get off the couch, walking to Kris' room. Opening and closing the door quietly as you slip inside, you look at him. He's so tall that he's taken up most of the bed, blanket haphazardly arranged around him. If he stretches, his legs will go past the edge. His left arm is flung over the side of the bed. You can't help but smile at the sight.

Approaching the bed, you pull the blanket into place, covering his legs. You settle down, briefly grazing his fingers with your own, and fall fast asleep. Even on the hard wooden floor, you sleep dreamlessly, better than you have in ages.