A/N: As usual, English is blue.

I looked up Korean girl names, and Jin Ae supposedly means truth, or treasure. Just as an aside :)

Over the next year, you and Kevin stay in contact. At first you talk often, but later on, not as much, as he becomes busier. He stays evasive about what he's so busy with, but you just enjoy talking to him as a distraction from your otherwise dull life. The periods of silence become longer and longer as the year goes on.

***

You smile as you step out of the airport towing a large suitcase. "Hello, Seoul," you grin as you greet your country (well, one of them). Your parents decided that you should go out of the country to experience another culture, so you applied for an exchange program.

As a result, you have been accepted for an exchange program between Seoul National University and Columbia University. You will be staying for a year in the city as a regular university medical student. You know that means you need to find a coffee shop to frequent, as you will likely know almost everything in the seminars.

After moving into the dorm and meeting your hall-mates (who unanimously snub you, for some unfathomable reason), you decide to go out and roam in search of coffee shops. (You really couldn't care less). You don't bother Googling for a coffee shop, as those aren't the type you're looking for. Small, unobtrusive, understated. Quiet. And of course, it's got to offer your favorite drink.

Before long, your luck proves to hold up and you find just the place you're looking for. Jihye's has a small beige sign with a distinctive but not flashy logo. It's merely a graphic of an espresso cup in the middle of being filled. You enter and smile as a list of coffee and tea lattes catch your eye. Perfect. Next, there's a list of shots you can add to drinks. Even more perfect, you find yourself thinking. Further down the menu, there's a list of bubble teas. Variety, you note. Probably a play to entice more customers. Hopefully, it won't work, or you would be deprived of literally the most perfect place for you to spend your year.

You order your usual and take it back to what you've already designated as the seat you will frequent for the next year. To your surprise as you entered, the layout of this shop is almost identical to the one of Angela's, making it easy for you to pick a seat. There is even a TV in the exact same spot, not too close, not too far away.

As usual (at least ever since you began to Skype Kevin), you open your laptop. There's even wifi, you cheer internally. He's offline though. You haven't spoken to Kevin in more than a month, so he doesn't know you're in Korea because you only found out two weeks ago. Instead of sending him a pending message, you decide to text him, something you haven't done in over a year.

To: 巨人Kevin Wu (吳亦凡)

From: XXX-XXXX

Hey, Kevin, Jewel here! I'm in Seoul, surprise surprise. This is my Korean number.

Long time no talk… Let's meet up :)

Setting your phone aside, you look at the coursework with a sigh. It looks ominously familiar. If I know all of this too, I swear I will hit something. You start flipping through the textbook. The sound of the TV is just quiet enough to tune out, but you opt not to; it has to be more interesting than all this junk you already know.

***

Suho pulls his black hoodie tighter around his face, pulls his scarf up higher, and makes sure his sunglasses are still in place before walking into the small coffee shop. He lost rock-paper-scissors again and has been landed yet again with the job of bringing coffee back for the members of EXO-K, and the soon-returning EXO-M. Well, bubble tea for Sehun, and, the maknae insisted, Luhan.

As he opens the door to the usually empty café, he freezes as he sees you, but when you don't look up, he steps in cautiously. Glancing up at the TV, he sees something that makes him breathless.

"Sasaeng fans met EXO-M at the airport this morning after their return from Beijing, China. Although security was heightened, the group's leader, Kris, discovered the theft of his phone after passing through the crowds." His face pales. "The culprit has yet to be apprehended." Oh no, please. "Otherwise, the six made it onto their vehicle without incident." At least that's something. "We'll continue after the break."

Suddenly, you sitting in the booth closest to the entrance look up. He freezes, but before he can bolt, you roll your eyes, mutter "Poor bastards", and look back down at the papers in front of you. He realizes you were looking not at him, but at the TV beyond him. Interesting. You're wearing black tights and an off-the-shoulder pink top with a white tank top underneath, but somehow you pull off the look without look overly feminine.

He heads for the counter. Coffee. They'll need it.

He orders, keeping his face hidden. "The usual 12, please."

"Sorry, we've run out of boba today," the barista apologizes. He's used to the strange figures swathed in black that come in regularly, asking for 6 particular drinks, another 6 particular drinks, or all 12. Quiet by nature, he's never asked any questions.

"Bwoh?" Suho panics. This is an unprecedented situation. "I mean, arasoyo, I'll go somewhere else. Just the 10?" I don't know where to get bubble tea… Sehunnie's going to kill me. Luhan will be fine. But that demon maknae is going to MURDER me.

***

You can't help but overhear the guy at the counter. It's not your fault he speaks so loudly. And not his fault the coursework is so damnably easy. It's a young man, a little older than you, you can tell, and it's someone unfamiliar, but somehow the way he dresses all in enveloping black clothes reminds you of Kevin.

To your surprise, he turns and walks towards you as the barista begins preparing his drinks. "Excuse me," he says politely, just loud enough to be heard past the scarf. "Can I sit here?" He gestures to the seat across from you. "The TV…" You nod. "Kamsahamnida." He sits and watches the TV. You do too, but you can't suppress a small snort of contempt.

He turns around. "Not a fan?" He's intent on your answer. You can feel him watching you through his sunglasses.

"No. Some people need to be locked up."

He seems a little amused, maybe surprised. "Who? EXO?"

"God, no, I meant those lunatics attacking them."

"Don't insult them. They just want to be closer…" he trails off.

"Are you one of them?" He looks like he's about to speak, but you continue. "No, you're right. I can't judge, I don't even know who EXO is," you deny. "Who knows, if I ever do, I might become one of those people."

Now he's really surprised, a little disbelieving. "You don't?"

"No, not a clue. I'm new here and I don't know much about the pop culture."

"Interesting."

He falls silent.

"Aren't you hot?" You finally ask, pointing at his scarf.

"Yes," he says, but he doesn't move to take it off. You shrug. Whatever floats his boat.

Soon, his drinks are ready and as he gets up to collect them, he mutters: "Now where do I get bubble tea?"

You can't figure out whether or not to tell him that you saw a bubble tea joint nearby. Would that be creepy?

***

"God-DAMNIT," Suho curses as he tries to lift one of the two bags of five.

He has forgotten that his wrist is still recovering from being sprained a week ago. He has no way to get the drinks home; he can't carry ten drinks with one hand. . What am I going to do?

"Need a little help?"

He freezes. He has had too many experiences with 'normal' girls turning out to be sasaengs to just accept the offer.

***

You wince internally at yourself for asking. You're not the type to into another person's business, so why are you doing it here, in a country you've just arrived in? But you've also never been the type to stand by as someone's having trouble.

The boy looks hesitant. At least, he seems hesitant; his face is still entirely covered. "Aniyo."

Man, a blind person would be able to tell he can't carry both bags.

You roll your eyes. You have no patience for the stupid.

Packing up, you walk over to the guy and grab a bag, lifting it like a feather. "Let's go." You have finished your drink, anyway.

The guy can only follow you, you know. But still, after a couple of meters, you turn around and say: "I know a bubble tea place nearby." At that, he sighs and comes forward to walk silently next to you.

After he orders the bubble tea - "Two bubble teas, please." - you take them without a word and jerk your head.

"Lead the way," you sigh, after he doesn't move.

After a pause, he starts walking in front of you. You notice that he keeps to the shadows next to the walls, and crosses the street at only the last moment, as if to keep people from following him. Nice try.

Before long, you arrive at a nice apartment complex. It looks well to do, which the multiple security stations confirm. He approaches the security guard, with a backward glance that obviously means you should stay behind. You comply. You were close enough to hear, anyway. You entertain yourself by reading the notes on the take-away coffee cups in your bag. One of them makes you smile.

"Can you please help me carry those bags up to our dorm?"

"No, I can't leave my station."

"Someone else?"

"There's nobody else. Tell someone to come down and help you."

"I can't!"

The security guard doesn't look like he wants to speak to him any further.

"Please?" The boy asks, but is already turning away, given up. Reluctantly he looks at you, then around. You suppress your smile and look at him, straightfaced. He's so easy to read for someone whose face is entirely covered.

You roll your eyes again, making sure he sees. What is he so paranoid about? Does he think I'm a stalker? Seriously. At that, he stiffens and walks inside the gate. You follow.

"You can leave now," he says coldly (or as coldly as that kind of voice can be) after the elevator arrives. You just look at him.

"Are you sure?" is all you ask. He nods silently. "If you say so." You set the drinks down and turn to go.

***

As you turn to leave, Suho notices that you have set down the drinks as close to the elevator door as possible. Is it really possible that you're really who you appear to be?

"Wait!"

You turn around.

"Kamsahamnida." He hesitates, then blurts out impulsively: "I'm Joonmyeon."

You bow slightly. "Nice to meet you, Joonmyeon. I'm Jin Ae."

Turning, you walk away without a backwards glance.

He's left frozen.

"C-can I have your number?" Wow, talk about word-vomit. But he's not about to let such a one-in-a-million chance go.

You look dubiously at him.

"Y-you mentioned you're new around here, right?" You nod. "Well, if you need anything, my number's XXX-XXXX." I better get a new SIM card just in case I'm wrong about her.

You nod and smile, striking him dumb as you walk away. How similar this situation is to the one all those years ago. "My number is XXX-XXXX. If you ever come to Seoul, and need anything…" Hm. You make a decision and pull out your phone, dialing a number. At least while you wait for Kevin to reply, you can do something new.