UNDERLINED TEXT IS SPOKEN IN CHINESE

 

"Take lots of pictures and make some funny faces for the cameras," Jun chuckled as he placed his sister's luggage on the floor.

 

"I'm not making any funny faces; that's your job!" Jeri laughed. "Job security Jun, job security."

 

The man rolled his eyes at her remark cut couldn't hide the smirk from creeping across his lips. He pulled his sister into a quick hug and patted her shoulder as the girl turned towards the blond giant beside him.

 

"Be careful over there, and take care of Hangeng; he'll be relying on you for your English skills," Setiawan claimed, bending down to give her his own hug.

 

"I will Gantu, don't worry. I'll see you guys soon~!" Jeri smiled, grabbing her luggage and setting off towards the airport gateway.

 

2012 had finished fairly quickly as had the early stages of 2013, it now being late March. Tambourine had finished promoting their fifth single, Ripple Effect and their third mini album, Fridgid Frenzy a few weeks ago and were given a short time to have to themselves between broadcasts.

 

Having heard about her free period, Hangeng had called Jeri to ask if she'd like to help him with something that he was going to be doing soon, not feeling very confident in his English abilities. When Jeri had questioned him about it he simply replied with "I sent you an e-mail but apparently you still don't check very often…". Reading said e-mail and a flurry of both flustered and gleeful congratulations later, she agreed to help her friend while in America for the Kids Choice Awards.

 

Jeri gave a content sigh as she got off of her plane, able to stretch after her short two hour flight. She looked around the airport to try and find gate 18, this being where Hangeng's plane was supposed to be. After asking a couple people where it was, she was rolling her luggage towards a massive crowd of girls. She went through the ticket booth and scanner and glanced around.

 

"Jeri!"

 

The girl swung around when a hand was placed on her shoulder.

 

"Oh! Sun Le-ge, good morning!" she greeted with a smile and bow.

 

"I see you’ve been practising; your diction is getting much better,” the man complimented while walking over to her. “And it’s good to see you looking healthy as well."

 

"Thank you, you look good as well considering who's manager you are," Jeri teased.

 

Sun Le laughed with her and pointed over her shoulder, Jeri following his direction. She grinned when she saw a familiar crop of hair and snuck over so that she was standing behind him.

 

"Ajusshi~!" she cooed, wrapping her arms around his neck.

 

"Hey, who're you calling an Ajusshi!" Hangeng laughed, jumping a little.

 

Jeri snickered and released him, allowing the man to turn in his seat so that he could smile at her.

 

"Now, come on this side of the chairs so I can hug you!" he demanded, nodding his head to the side.

 

Jeri laughed and jumped over the chairs as he stood, Hangeng instantly pulling her into his chest.

 

"Awww, Hannie missed me~" she cooed, patting his back with a grin.

 

"Mmm," he sounded, simply placing his temple against the top of her head.

 

Jeri laughed and wiggled out of the hug and looked up at him.

 

She had tried to keep an eye on him on the TV and through the internet since the last time she had gone to visit, but there was only so much you could find out via the web. Although you'd never notice it with all of his smiling and make-up, he looked very tired, the small bags under his eyes rivaling her own.

 

"You're assessing me again," he laughed.

 

Jeri shook her head and gave him an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, you look good other than the bags," she said, motioning to his eyes.

 

Hangeng's hand instantly went up to rub under his eye. "I thought I covered it up…"

 

"Aha, my eyes are the eyes of a woman Hannie; we see all," she chuckled, patting his chest with a grin.

 

'Attention all passengers. Flight 246 to Los Angeles is now boarding. Please have your passports and tickets ready upon entering the gate. Thank you'

 

"Alright, ready fair maiden?" Hangeng laughed, picking up his bag.

 

Jeri nodded and dashed around the chairs to get her own bag, then followed the Chinaman and his entourage onto the plane. When he asked her, one of the girl's in Hangeng's make-up crew switched tickets with Jeri so that the two could sit beside each other, Jeri stealing the window seat before Hangeng had a chance. Hangeng chuckled and sat down beside her, sliding his small bag under his seat.

 

"You nervous?" Jeri asked, looking at him.

 

"Yes and no," he smiled.

 

Hangeng turned to see Jeri looking out the window, seeming to be interacting to one of the men on the tarmac. She did a gesture to her hair, brushing her bangs over her head with a grin. Leaning around her slightly, he saw the man repeat her motion on his spiked hair with a grin of his own. He made a phone motion to her and Jeri laughed. Hangeng pulled the slide down over the window with a small growl, Jeri turning to him, surprised.

 

"What was that for?" she asked, slightly shocked at the action.

 

The man simply crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the seat in front of him. After a couple seconds, Jeri laughed.

 

"Aww, was Hannie jealous that I was flirting~~?" she cooed. "Don't worry lovely, you're the only man for me," she laughed, patting his cheek.

 

Hangeng didn't reply, only shifting his gaze to look at her out of the corner of his eye. Jeri rolled her eyes and sat properly in her chair, stretching her arms and legs out, a few cracks sounding from her back.

 

"You better not do that in America…"

 

Jeri froze and looked over at Hangeng, the man giving her a firm look but with a pout. She snickered and brought her arms down, giving him her best innocent face.

 

"Oh Hangeng, you know I'd never cheat on yoouu~~," she teased. "Besides, American boys are so tall and well toned and-"

 

She quickly slapped her hands over to try and suppress her laughter when Hangeng's face fell, looking like a dejected puppy.

 

"I thought you didn't care about looks?" Sun Le suddenly piped up from behind them.

 

"From what Harley and even Josh have told me, American's are apparently not all that smart. I'm not agreeing to it, but they seem pretty set on the idea," she laughed, looking back at him.

 

She turned back to Hangeng, the man still having the adorable pout on his face. She laughed and leaned forward so that she could poke him on the nose.

 

"Oh stop, I was kidding you drama queen," she laughed, patting his knee.

 

Hangeng smiled slightly and quickly wrapped his fingers around her hand, keeping it on his knee, his cheeks gaining a nice pink.

 

The group continued to talk for a little while longer until Hangeng's head began to bob from fatigue. Jeri noticed this and gave him a sympathetic look. She lifted the armrest in between them so that it was out of the way before reaching up and bringing his head down so that it rested on her shoulder.

 

"Get some sleep Hannie, you've earned it with all your hard work," she cooed, petting his hair.

 

Rather than putting up a fight, the Chinaman simply smiled with a tired sigh, shifting his position so that he was more comfortable before successfully falling asleep.

 

"You'd think you were his manager from how much you take care of him," Sun Le chuckled quietly from behind the duo.

 

Jeri turned her head as much as she could and stuck her tongue out at him with a grin. She turned back to look down at a snoozing Hangeng, bringing her hand up to gently run her fingers through his hair, hearing him softly hum in his sleep and smile making her snicker.

 

"So I didn't get around to seeing who else was nominated for this award, who else is there?" Jeri asked, turning her head behind her once again to look at the older man's manager.

 

"There's Shila Amzah from Malaysia, Sarah Geronimo from the Philippines and Psy from South Korea as well," Sun Le replied, both keeping their voices down.

 

"Psy? Really?? That's not very comforting; Gangnam Style has been all but exploding over in North America…" Jeri sighed with a small frown.

 

"Well, did you vote for Hangeng?" the man asked.

 

"Of course!" she scoffed. "And I made Jun, Setiawan, our manager and even the guys from Super Junior vote for him; there were no exceptions."

 

Sun Le chuckled as the girl continued to pout.

 

During the 12 hour long plane ride, Jeri too eventually nodded off, the two remaining still until the plane landed and they were woken up by Hangeng's team.

 

"Time to get up you two," Sun Le chuckled, shaking both of their shoulders.

 

Hangeng's eyes cracked open as Jeri groaned, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand with a small pout.

 

"My eternal gratitude to my beautiful pillow," Hangeng chuckled, patting Jeri on the head with a sleepy smile before standing from his seat.

 

Jeri blew a quick raspberry and stood also, careful so as not to knock her head on the compartment above her seat.

 

Everyone got their bags off of the plane and meandered over to the baggage claim area.

 

"Well, it's nice to see that they try," Jeri laughed once they got to the claim area.

 

Hangeng looked down at her with a confused look, prompting her to chuckle and nod off to the side.

 

There was a swarm of fans standing by the glass doors frantically waving signs written in sloppy Chinese.

 

"Oh look, another potato sign. We had one of those when we went to Canada back in 2008," Jeri laughed, pointing to the sign.

 

"I guess Canada and America aren't that different then, hmm?" Hangeng chuckled, picking up his bag as it came down the slide.

 

"Either that or it's the same girl," Jeri snickered, picking hers up as well.

 

Hangeng chuckled and followed his manager towards the doors, a group of security guards quickly filing out to create a barrier between the idols and fans.

 

Jeri could feel the slight fear boil in her gut, still not liking to fight the swarms at airports due to last time. She nearly leapt out of her skin when a hand gently took hers, interlacing their fingers.

 

"C'mon, let's get to the van quickly," Hangeng smiled, tugging her through the crowd behind him.

 

After paving a way through the fans and clambering into the van, the group was heading towards their hotel.

 

"You alright? You're a little pale…" Hangeng asked, gently rubbing the girl's shoulder.

 

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine. I guess airport crowds still kind of spook me after what happened in Japan," Jeri replied, subconsciously rubbing the back of her head in remembrance.

 

Hangeng gave her a sympathetic look and took her hand in his again, kissing the back of it with a smirk making her laugh.

 

"Ewww!! Now I have Geng cooties!!" she whined, trying to pry her hand from his. "Nooooo!! I haven't had my cootie shot! STOP TOUCHING MEEEE!!!"

 

The van erupted into laughter as the two continued to have their little squabble.

 

The group soon arrived at the hotel and quickly entered and signed in, clamouring into the elevator.

 

"Ah, where's Jeri?" one of the girls asked, looking around as the door began to close.

 

Hangeng's eyes widened and he quickly shot out of the elevator, getting several distressed yells from the others as he dashed towards the stairs.

 

"Jeri!" he called out as he slammed the door open.

 

The girl poked her head out from over the railing two floors up. "Yes?"

 

"You silly girl, why didn't you say you were going to take the stairs, you know I'm forgetful," Hangeng sighed, beginning to trek up the steps.

 

He was forced to stop however when Jeri dashed down and stood in front of him with a firm look, fists on her hips.

 

"Nu-uh! You are going back to the elevator with the others to conserve your energy. I can walk the stairs on my own Hannie; I do it all the time," Jeri huffed.

 

Hangeng simply rolled his eyes at her stubbornness, quite used to it by now, and walked up the few steps until they were at eye level.

 

"Come along dear or else the others will worry," he teased, taking her hand and leading her up the stairs.

 

"Hannie!! Aish, and people say I'm stubborn…" Jeri huffed, being pulled up the stairs after him.

 

The duo climbed the flights of stairs until they were at their floor, Hangeng pushing the door open and allowing the girl to walk into the hallway first.

 

"There you two are! We were worried that you'd gotten abducted!" one of the male members of Hangeng's team scolded.

 

"Ah, sorry I just forgot that Jeri and I usually would race up the stairs at our old dorm and figured I'd bring back a memory," Hangeng quickly replied.

The others seemed to understand if only slightly while Jeri did her best to try and translate Hangeng’s words in her head.

 

"Why did you lie??" she asked him in a hushed voice as they walked towards their row of rooms.

 

"I figured you wouldn't want to spread around your insecurities so I replaced it with something fun instead. Was I wrong?" Hangeng replied, looking back at her with a smile.

 

Jeri found herself going silent and lowering her head with a small smile, slightly touched by his words.

 

"Alright, Jeri. This will be your room," Sun Le claimed, stopping in front of a door and handing her the key card. "Hangeng's room is right across the hall and I'm beside him should you need us."

 

The girl nodded and took the card from the man, slipping it into the reader before pushing her door open.

 

"Huh, not too bad," Hangeng hummed, poking his head in behind her.

 

"You dummy, go to your own room!" she scolded with a laugh, pushing him out by the forehead. "Get some rest sir Snooze-A-Lot, I'll see you tomorrow."

 

Hangeng laughed and allowed her to push him out of her room, giving her a smirk before she closed the door on him.

 

-=-=-

 

Jeri's door gave a soft click as it opened, Hangeng poking his head in to make sure that the girl had not been roused from her sleep. Upon seeing her tell-tale form curled up under her sheets he snickered and opened the door wider with his shoulder. Placing the small cake on the dresser he walked over to the bed and squatted down so that he was level with her sleeping face.

 

"Jeri~♪" he sang, shaking her shoulder. "Jeri, time to wake up~♪"

 

The girl gave a whine, shifting so that her head was underneath her pillow making him snicker.

 

"Jeri you have to get up," Hangeng laughed, shaking her shoulder again.

 

"No wanna~~" she whined, voice slightly muffled due to the covers and pillow.

 

"But I have a cake with your name on it… quite literally," he whined back with another laugh.

 

The girl was silent for a few moments before shifting enough so that a single sleepy eye poked out from under the pillow.

 

"Cake? Why cake?" she asked, still half asleep.

 

Hangeng simply rolled his eyes with a chuckle and stood. He pulled out a lighter from his back pocket and lit the three candles before picking the cake up and walking back over to her.

 

"Happy Birthday to you~♪ Happy Birthday to you~♪ Happy Birthday my Jeri~♪ Happy Birthday to you~♪" He sang, bringing the cake into her view.

 

When all he got was a blank stare from the girl Hangeng snickered.

 

"You forgot again didn't you?"

 

"…..maybe."

 

Hangeng laughed and pulled the pillow off of her head and helped her to sit up.

 

"Alright birthday girl, blow out your candles and make a wish," he smiled, squatting down in front of her while still holding her cake.

 

Jeri closed her eyes and swung from side to side a little with a small smile, thinking of a wish to make. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and blew out the candles.

 

"Well done, I hope your wish comes true," he smiled, taking the candles out of the cake.

 

Jeri nodded, suddenly stopping and giving him a strange look.

 

"Wait… are you wearing make-up?" she asked.

 

"No, that's in an hour," he laughed. "Why?"

 

"No reason."

 

Hangeng was about to question the devious smile she was giving him when her hand forced both of his up towards his face, his entire face getting covered in the white frosting of the cake. He slowly lowered his hands and managed to wipe the icing away from his eyes as Jeri snickered.

“Wish granted.”

 

"Wasting a perfectly good cake," he sighed, not able to keep the smile off of his face.

 

"It's not wasted; that's why I asked if you were wearing make-up," Jeri laughed, reaching forward to wipe some icing off of his cheek. She stuck her icing covered finger into , a content smile instantly breaking out onto her face. "Mmmmm white chocolate. Yummy~!"

 

"Are you going to finish what you started?" Hangeng asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

 

"What, you want me to your face?" she asked, raising her own.

 

"Preferably with a cloth," he laughed, used to her twisting his words against him.

 

Jeri rolled her eyes at him and took the cake from his hand to place it on the night stand. She squirmed off of her bed and walked into her bathroom, coming out with a wet wash cloth a few seconds later.

 

"Alright you prima donna, c'mere," she laughed, walking over to him.

 

Hangeng stood up and met her halfway, Jeri starting by whipping off around his nose and eyes.

 

"You look like a panda bear," she snorted, the white icing contrasting against his skin.

 

Hangeng rolled his eyes and gave her a grin making her stop laughing. Before she could dodge, the Chinaman shot forward and rubbed his cheek against her own, Jeri giving a short squeal when the icing was transferred to her.

 

"There, now we somewhat match," he laughed.

 

Jeri laughed as well, using the washcloth to wipe off her own cheek before finishing Hangeng's face.

 

A knock came at her door once they were both cleaned off, Hangeng opening the door as Jeri went to clean off the cloth.

 

"Ah, I thought you'd be over here Geng; we have to head out to get your hair and makeup done before we head over," Sun Le claimed. "You're welcome to come with us Jeri, you'll get to meet the translator."

 

"Sure, just let me change really quick and I'll meet you in the lobby," Jeri replied, moving over to the dresser and pulling out a pair of shorts.

 

The two men nodded and walked out as Jeri began to change into her chosen attire for the day.

 

"You're going to the awards in that?" Hangeng asked as she joined them in the lobby.

 

"Yeah why? Does it look bad? I can go change-"

 

"No no no! It looks really nice on you, I'm just not used to seeing you dressed up," Hangeng interjected, frantically waving his hands back and forth.

 

"You think this is dressed up? Jeez, you're never invited to my wedding…" Jeri snickered.

 

"I would hope so; what would the people say if the groom didn't arrive?" he teased.

 

Jeri gave a particularly loud snort in an attempt to cover up her laughter. "Yeah, you keep dreaming Clown Boy."

 

"Clown Mask, Jeri, Clown Mask," he corrected with a smarmy grin.

 

"Who said I was talking about your song?" she teased back as they began walking towards the car. "Big red nose, terrifies little children, big feet."

 

"Well you know what they say about men with big feet," he snickered as she climbed into the van.

 

"Oh my god! Hangeng!!" Jeri laughed, looking back and giving him a baffled look. "What has happened to you while I was gone? Usually if I gave you things like that you'd be a sputtering mess!"

 

"I've learned to give you a taste of your own medicine," he replied with a smirk. "And you do look pretty funny in embarrassed pink."

 

Jeri's face deadpanned and slid the van door on his face making him jump slightly.

 

"Ya! Jeri!!" he barked, pulling on the handle of the door only to find it locked.

 

"No! You have to walk!" she barked from inside the van.

 

A round of laughter from inside the van from the others made him roll his eyes and rest his hands on his hips, giving the tinted window a scolding look. A low click sounded and he slid the door open to see a pouting Jeri with her arms crossed over her chest.

 

"I love you~♪" he sang.

 

"Yeah you keep telling yourself that," she huffed, stubborn as ever.

 

"Every night."

 

Jeri's cheeks went a darker shade of pink as he managed to climb over her into the seat beside her, Sun Le closing the door before climbing into the passenger seat.

 

"You're not actually going to pout all day are you?" Hangeng asked when he noticed she was still doing so. "C'mon Jeri, please don't sulk; you look too cute when you sulk."

 

Jeri shifted her eyes to look over at him, not able to help the smile that was growing on her face at his own.

 

"What!? What do you mean you can't make it!?" Sun Le barked from the front seat. "We need a translator for today!!"

 

The two idol exchanged worried glances as the man slammed his phone shut and growled.

 

"I'll take a stab in the dark… and say your translator bailed," Jeri assumed.

 

"The day of! Of all the nerve!!" the man growled, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Now what are we going to do?"

 

"Ummm…"

 

Sun Le turned in his seat when Hangeng paused, finding that he was motioning to a now wide eyed Jeri, the girl giving both men a panicked look.

 

"Jeri's native language is English," Hangeng claimed.

 

"W-what!? No! Hangeng I can't be your translator! I’m still learning Chinese! And that means I'd be on camera with you and the fans would rip me apart and there'd be rumors-"

 

"Jeri please! We need a translator of Hangeng will be the laughing stock of America for not understanding a word that's being said!" Sun Le begged, giving the girl a pleading look.

 

Jeri open and closed a few times, attempting to find something to say, only to end up sighing and nodding her head.

 

"Wonderful! Thank you so much Jeri, and don't worry, we'll give you compensation for helping," Sun Le smiled.

 

"I knew it was a good idea to bring you with me," Hangeng laughed, reaching over to ruffle her hair.

 

"Yeah… I just hope that nothing too dramatic will come out of it," Jeri sighed.

 

-=-

 

All too soon, Hangeng was all dolled up and the group arrived at the Orange Carpet.

 

"You ready?" Hangeng asked as their van pulled up.

 

Jeri sighed and nodded as Sun Le opened the door for the man. Hangeng climbed out and offered Jeir his hand as she shimmied over to exit as well. Cameras were almost instantly focused on the Chinaman, Jeri's nervousness already reaching an all-time high.

 

"Han Geng! Han Geng! How are you feeling so far about the awards? Nervous about being so far away from home?" one of the men practically demanded.

 

Jeri had to stop herself from correcting the man on his pronunciation of her friend's name and translated for him when he bent down slightly so she could speak in his ear. He gave his reply in quiet Korean in her ear.

 

"Oh, is this your translator? She's not even Asian! What agency are you from?" the interviewer asked, giving her a grin.

 

"I'm sorry, but my identity has nothing to do with it, and to answer your question for Hangeng; he's a little nervous, but he's ready for either outcome so long as he continues to receive support in the future," Jeri replied with a firm tone.

 

The man instantly went silent at her answer, the two being ushered out from the back to the actual carpet for more interviews. The moment they came out from the back, a group on the other side of the street instantly began cheering and waving their banners around, Jeri smiling proudly when she failed to see any "Potato" signs.

 

Between words of the interviews, Hangeng would lean about to wave at the fans, egging them on for more cheers.

 

"They're cheering for you too hmm," he chuckled when a couple of the fans called out her name, waving with giant smiles.

 

One of the workers walked over to the two with a smile.

 

"Hangeng, do you think we could convince you to done the Angry Bird boa?" she asked with a laugh.

 

Hangeng gave her a confused look, prompting Jeri to translate. He laughed but nodded, following after her when she motioned him to follow her, Jeri right behind them.

 

The worker picked up a large bright green boa and offered it to him and motioning for him to sit on the small green seat.

 

Hangeng took the boa and wrapped it around his neck, smiling as the cameras began taking pictures of him.

 

"Very cute," Jeri laughed, giving him a thumbs up.

 

Hangeng laughed and waited for the pictures to be finished before taking the boa off and walking with Jeri down the carpet again.

 

A few interviews later the duo managed to walk closer to the barriers so that Hangeng could greet the American fans. A little boy held his hat out for him and Hangeng took it with a broad smile, quickly signing it and asking Jeri to tell him to grow up well and strong. She did so and turned back to her "charge", only to find him walking down the row and high fiving all of the kids.

 

"You guys look like I feel; how long have you been out here?" Jeri asked the fans.

 

"We got here super early; we didn't want to get mobbed by One Direction or JB fans," one of the girls replied.

 

"Whoa, really?? I'm impressed! You guys have true dedication as fans, and I'm also quite impressed that you guys are all so calm with him so close," she laughed, nodding her head in his direction.

 

"Jeri! Can I have your autograph??" one of the fans asked, holding out a pad and marker.

 

Jeri simply laughed and took it from them, giving it and a few others a quick note before handing them back.

 

"Thanks a lot for supporting Hangeng guys! I hope you continue to do so in the future!" Jeri smiled, giving them a wave.

 

"Had I known that you were going to be here then I would have brought a banner for you!" one of the fans called back with a laugh.

 

Jeri waved at the fans again and caught up with Hangeng, managing to pull him away from the children so that they could do a few more interviews in the back.

 

Hangeng paused for a moment and looked at a small desk with two buttons. Jeri turned to see why he had stopped and couldn't help but roll her eyes.

 

"It says do not touch Hannie," she warned.

 

"What'll happen if I touch them though?" he asked, lifting his hand to press both buttons.

 

The booth spat out both confetti and smoke the moment he pressed the buttons, Hangeng jumping while Jeri laughed.

 

"Ahh, such a curious baby aren't you?" she chuckled, walking over to him.

 

"It's not my fault, it's like a human error; you tell someone not to look and they look, you tell someone not to touch and they have to touch it!" Hangeng pouted.

 

Jeri rolled her eyes and reached up to carefully pull the confetti out of his hair.

"Oh Hannie, what would you do without me?"

 

---

Super long chapter for you guys, sorry it's a bit late~

When the Kids Choice Awrads was happening back in 2013 and I heard that Hangeng was going to be on it I was legitimatly distressed that I wouldn't be able to watch it(I live in Canada and we don't get Nickelodeon) only to find out it only aired in Asia anyways XD A very late congrats to our beautiful Chinaman for bringing home the blimp and I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say we hope you continue to do well in the future~!

Thank you for subscribing and following along with me as I attempt to bring you an even greater experience with Jeri and the gang~!

Thank you to all subscribers as well as silent readers, and a special thanks to arandomperson, iheartbts, FixRate, DolphinWorld, Arashi93 and Xxdreamergirl for upvoting~!