Byunghun had said to surprise him more often. And as his dutiful girlfriend, I took that into consideration. The following Saturday, I was doing just that. At a fan-signing event, to be exact. It was their first one, actually, and I knew they’d be beyond excited. Most boyfriends and girlfriends got to surprise each other with fancy dates or trips somewhere. Not Byunghun and I. I’d be surprising my famous boyfriend when he’s signing autographs to hundreds of his fans. But he wasn’t the only one who would be surprised; C.A.P and Changjo were in for a treat as well.

                My mom pulled up to the huge stadium and peered outside. “Do you want me to come in with you? There are an awful lot of people here.”

                I rolled my eyes and unbuckled my seatbelt. “No, Mom, we’ll be fine.”

                Mom looks skeptical. “You have your phone, right?”

                I nodded vigorously. Byunghun was inside and I was eager to see him all dressed up like L.Joe. “Okay, now we’re going—”

                 “Try not to get lost!” My mom urged.

                 “Thanks, Mrs. Lee!” Hyerin and Min Neul called over their shoulders, already out the door.

                 “Yeah, sure, Mom, love you, bye!” I slid out the door and slammed it behind me, disappearing into the crowd almost immediately with Hyerin and Min Neul. Security guards were at all three doors, slowly letting in fans in small groups. Everywhere I turned there were groups of dark-haired girls in homemade Teen Top t-shirts clutching Teen Top’s CDs in their clammy hands. I spotted a group of three girls huddled together, dressed in homemade L.Joe t-shirts. Each of them had a white t-shirt with L.Joe’s image, and I LOVE L.JOE printed on the front. The arrogant girlfriend-of-an-idol in me wanted to march right up to them, throw my head back and laugh at their desperate lovesickness for my boyfriend, but I was a nicer person than that.

                Hyerin fiddled with the jacket on her zipper. “I can’t believe we’re here.”

                Min Neul nervously ran her fingers through her straight hair. “Are we really going to meet them?” she asked in a low whisper.

                I nodded. “Promise.”

                 “Do I look okay?” Min Neul asked.

                 “You look fine. Stop worrying,” Hyerin hissed.

                 “Easy for you to say!” Min Neul pouted. “You already know he likes you. What if Changjo doesn’t like me?”

Part of me was worried about that as well. Changjo liked me—that was no secret. I wasn’t sure if he was going to start liking someone new so quickly. But then again, he was awfully interested in Min Neul considered he was her favorite. And Min Neul was quite pretty with her big brown eyes and long legs, so I was pretty sure Changjo would like what he sees.

                The line was moving forward. The L.Joe fangirls were being let in. They let out squeals of excitement and clutched onto each other tightly as they entered the stadium.

                 “Shouldn’t you get, like, special backstage passes?” Hyerin said.

                 “I wish,” I rolled my eyes. “Byunghun will sneak us backstage. I know it.”

                Min Neul giggled. “Maybe Changjo and I will be like you and him someday,” she said wistfully.

                That brought a smile to my face. “Maybe you will.”

                The line moved forward again. A group of Ricky fanatics were in front of us, and seeing they were next to be let in, they all started jumping up and down in excitement. I too still got excited every now and then, like when Minsoo, Chanhee, Byunghun, Daniel, Changhyun, and Jonghyun had been transformed into C.A.P, Chunji, L.Joe, Niel, Ricky, and Changjo. The celebrity side of them was a side I wasn’t as familiar with. Sure, I was used to the Changhyun who would shout loudly at Daniel when playing video games and the sweet little Jonghyun who would smile shyly at me. But when Ricky did his famous back-bending Matrix move, Niel sang his heart out, and Changjo melted the crowd’s hearts with his dancing, I was just an Andromeda. I was still a devoted Teen Top fan whose lungs lost all air when Chunji used his falsetto and C.A.P flexed his arm muscles. Just as my boyfriend claimed he played both the roles of Byunghun the Boyfriend and L.Joe the Rapper, I played the roles of Kirin the Girlfriend and Kirin the L.Jjang.

                The line moved forward again as the Ricky fangirls were let in. We were next. And good thing, too, because the February wind had picked up and snow had begun to fall from the cloud overhead. In a matter of minutes, Andromeda was lightly dusted with freshly fallen snow.

                Hyerin flipped her hood up. “It’s freezing out here. Why can’t they just let us in?”

                “It’s probably too crowded in there,” Min Neul rolled her eyes in a “duh” kind of way.

                 “We’re next. We’ll be in soon.” I pulled up my own hood to protect my ears from the wind.

                Sure enough, not even ten minutes passed until we were let in. The security guard nodded to so us, opened the door and ushered us in. A rush of heat hit our faces as we were through yet another crowd, this one full of even more excited and frantic Andromedas. Girls were shrieking left and right, camera flashes were going off, and voices sang along to Supa Luv, which was playing over the loudspeaker.

                Never in my life had I seen so many Andromedas in one location. Everyone here shared one common connection: we loved Teen Top. We dreamt of them, thought of them, sang along to them. They brought smiles to our faces and adrenaline to our veins. And right now, we were miraculously under the same roof as them.

                 I clutched a Teen Top’s “Transform” CD in my hands. In reality, I could get an autograph any time I wanted, but why not get it at an officially fan signing event? Hyerin held her copy of “Clap,” which had been given to her by C.A.P himself, and Min Neul clutched “Transform” like it was Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket.

                Being the giraffe that I am, I stood on my toes and attempted to see over the dark heads of all the Andromedas flooding the arena in an attempt to see where Teen Top was. “Can you see them?” I asked Hyerin.

                She stood on her toes and craned her head up. “Yes!” Her breath escaped her and her hand flew to

                “Where?!” Min Neul stood on her toes, straining her neck so much her veins popped against her tan skin. She gasped sharply. “I saw him,” she exhaled, nearly gasping for breath. “I saw him!”

                “Who, C.A.P?” Hyerin tugged on her arm.

                Min Neul shook her head. “Changjo,” she gasped.

                 “You’ll get to see them up closer. Promise,” I hissed.

                The lines of Andromedas from outside became a gigantic amoeba of overly-excited teenagers inside. At the center of the amoeba was a long table, at which six boys sat. One by one, fans their merchandise on the table and one of the six boys would smile widely, say a sentence or two thanking the fan for her support, scribble his signature down and hand the newly signed item back to the fan. The whole process lasted no longer than five minutes, but they were a highly coveted and unforgettable five minutes.

                After what seemed like four fours, but was really only thirty minutes, we squeezed our way closer to the table. Through the crowd, I spotted a sliver of cotton-candy pink hair. I kept my eyes pinned on that silver as Hyerin, Min Neul and I pulled forward until we were right in front of the table.

                As much as I wanted to stop in front of L.Joe, I pulled us in front of C.A.P. The way his eyes lit up when he saw me first and then Hyerin was priceless; a gigantic smile blossomed on his perfectly chiseled face and he was blushing. He was seated at the far right end of the table, and I watched as five other heads turned towards us. They all saw me. I know they did.

                I pushed Hyerin foreword. “Um, hi,” she squeaked.

                 “Hello, I’m Teen Top’s charismatic rapper C.A.P,” he smiled widely, sneaking a glance at me. I nodded slightly, a signal that yes; this was, in fact, Hyerin.

                She swallowed hard and placed the CD on the table before C.A.P.

                C.A.P took the CD. “And your name is?” he joked.

                 “Hyerin. Park Hyerin.” She looked up at C.A.P with an unmistakable sparkle in her eye.

                “Park Hyerin,” he repeated, scribbling it down. “That’s, uh, that’s a pretty name.”

                Hyerin smiled and looked down.

                 “You have a pretty smile, too.”

                Min Neul was clutching my arm, gasping and squealing, watching the relationship unfold yet again, this time not in front of cameras.

                He scribbled down something on her CD and handed it back to her, purposely brushing his hand against her’s. “Thanks for supporting Teen Top, Hyerin.”

                 “You’re welcome,” she squeaked, a smile on her face. She grabbed my arm and Min Neul’s and we pulled ourselves away from the table.

                 “Oh my God,” Hyerin squeaked in disbelief.

                 “He said your name and smile were pretty!” I exclaimed.

                 “Did you guys see Changjo?” Min Neul exclaimed. “He looked ing amazing!”

                Suddenly I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I struggled to whip it out and check the screen—I had no idea how, but L.Joe had managed to text me

       Byunghun: UR HERE!

                I texted him back as quickly as I possibly could.

       Kirin: 4 CAP 2 c Hyerin. Can we meet?

       Byunghun: In 1 goue

                Byunghun was obviously texting without looking.

       Kirin: 1 hour?

       Byunghun: Yes

       Kirin: Where should we go?

       Byunghun: bckstge

       Kirin: HOW????

       Byunghun: Got plan

                L.Joe’s plan involved waiting; much waiting. We waited outside the back entrance for forty five minutes until the fan singing event was over. After about half an hour into it, my fingers and toes were entirely numb. Fifteen minutes later the back door opened and Byunghun was standing there.

                 But Byunghun wasn’t Byunghun, he was L.Joe. L.Joe wore a leathery black and white jacket with shiny silver zippers, tight black pants, chunky black sneakers and silver fingerless gloves. His bright pink hair was neatly straightened and dark eyeliner outlined the pretty almond-shape of his eyes. In short, L.Joe was beautiful, standing in the doorframe with a pearly white smile.

                 “Come in now!” he urged, ushering us back inside. The second we were back in the warm building we all let out frustrated groans, our fingers numb and our cheeks stinging from the cold.

                 “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he said. He grabbed my icy hands and engulfed them in his warm ones, trying to warm me up.

                 “It’s fine, it’s fine,” I said in response.

                Hyerin and Min Neul were silent. Min Neul was staring at L.Joe. “What?” he asked.

                “You’re…you’re…” Min Neul stammered.

                L.Joe blinked. “L.Joe?”

                Min Neul nodded slowly.

                L.Joe chuckled. “Ah, don’t be nervous!”

                Min Neul and Hyerin were both silent, star-struck.

                 “Alright, where is everyone else?” I whined.

                 “I’m bringing you there!” L.Joe said in response. He took my hand in his and motion us to follow him. I heard the sisters shuffle quickly behind us, whispering and giggling quietly, nervously. Byunghun squeezed my hand, a smirk on his face. I squeezed his back. He led us down a white hallway and into a small room with a few chairs, a water dispenser machine, C.A.P, Chunji, Niel, Ricky and Changjo.

                I heard Min Neul gasp behind me.

                Changjo and C.A.P turned around abruptly.

                 “Hey noona!” Ricky cried.

                “Hey,” I replied coolly, stepping to the side to reveal Hyerin and Min Neul behind me. “Um, I have some friends who you might be interested in meeting.” I looked at Hyerin, who gave me a nervous look in return. I ushered her to come forward, and when she did, I placed a hand on her shoulder. “But if I’m not mistaken, some of you have already met.”

                I watched C.A.P’s eyes widen as he took in the sight of Hyerin. Her round face turned pink as she came face to face with him. All eyes were on them, except Min Neul who was staring at Changjo, slightly agape.

                “Hi,” C.A.P said softly.

                “Hi,” she said meekly.

                I swear there was an instantly connection between them. C.A.P smiled and Hyerin smiled back. Hyerin timidly looked down at her shoes and C.A.P looked down at his. Every so often, they snuck small glances at each other before looking back down.

                “Oh, and uh, Changjo,” I put a hand on Min Neul’s back and pushed her forward towards Changjo. “This is Min Neul.”

                Changjo’s face broke into a genuine smile as her eyed Min Neul briefly. “Hi. Nice to meet you.” He awkwardly stuck out his hand.

               Min Neul stared down at his outstretched hand.  She hesitated, but eventually she picked up her stuff hand and placed it in Changjo’s. “Hi,” she squeaked out.

                 “Hey Kirin, you got any other friends?” Niel spoke up. Thankfully, that released some nervous tension, because everyone laughed. I think everyone could have used that laugh, because the atmosphere was way too awkward. Min Neul and Changjo were secretly staring at each other and C.A.P and Hyerin were exchanging awkward eye contact.

            Ricky looked around the room. “Well, are we all gonna stand here and look at each other, or are we going to talk?!”

                Hyerin and C.A.P were seated on the couch beside each other. They speaking informally and laughing together. They chatted about M-Net Scandal, Hyerin’s move, how lucky it was that she moved in next to me.

                “I can’t believe you remember me,” C.A.P shook his head slowly.

                “I could never forget you!” Hyerin cried. “I can’t believe you remember me.”

                “We had so much fun together. I could never forget you,” C.A.P said sweetly. He gazed longingly at her. “You still look the same,” he added shyly after a moment.

                Hyerin smiled. “You look different. But in a good way. Your hair is longer,” she replied.

                C.A.P chuckled. “So you like Teen Top?”

                “Like Teen Top?” Hyerin’s hand flew to as she giggled. “My sister and I love Teen Top.”

                Changjo turned to Min Neul. “So you like Teen Top too?”

                Min Neul nodded very slowly, her eyes wide.

                 “Changjo’s your favorite, isn’t he?” I elbowed her softly. She turned her head to face me and gave me a YOU-DID-NOT-JUST-SAY-THAT look.

                 “Uh,” Min Neul uttered. “Um…y—yeah,” she squeaked.

                “What?” Niel whined. “I thought I was the most popular member!”

                “I’m your second favorite, right?” Chunji blurted.

                “No, I am!” Ricky protested.

                “You’re not her second favorite,” Niel rolled his eyes.

                “I could be!” Ricky argued. “I go aegyo way better than you do.”

                “Yah! Do not!” Niel cried.

                To prove his point, Ricky squinted his eyes and smiled broadly. “Hello, I’m Lovely Ricky,” he said in a baby voice, squishing his cheeks with his index fingers. He made bunny ears on the top of his head and continued to beam adorably. Everyone laughed, impressed with his aegyo.

                “Oh my God,” Min Neul gasped. “You all act exactly the same as you do on TV.”

                C.A.P shrugged. “We don’t put on an act. We’re like this all the time.”

                “He’s right. I’m always cute, one-hundred percent of the time,” Lovely Ricky beamed.

                Everyone laughed, except for Min Neul and Changjo. They were sitting close together, talking quietly to each other. Min Neul was looking a lot less tense, and Changjo was smiling sweetly. Everyone seemed to be have a good time.

                Suddenly L.Joe nudged me in the ribs. “This is going well,” he whispered in English.

                 “I think so,” I whispered back. “C.A.P and Hyerin look like they’re enjoying themselves.” They were sitting close to each other on the couch. C.A.P threw back his head and laughed at something Niel said, and Hyerin laughed too, placing a hand sweetly on C.A.P’s knee.

                L.Joe motioned to Min Neul and Changjo. “I think they are, too.”

                I brought my attention back to Changjo and Min Neul. The maknae was sweetly complimenting Min Neul on her pretty eyes and she in return was turning red, thanking him with a sweet smile.

                 “I think I just gave Changjo a new crush,” I whispered to L.Joe, who I couldn’t help but notice looked as beautiful as ever.

                L.Joe smiled. He sweetly put a hand on my waist and whispered in my ear. “Does this mean I have you all to myself now?”