“Excuse me, miss, are you okay?” Mark asked me in English.

When I failed to respond quickly, BamBam snapped his fingers to get my attention. “Hey, are you good?”

The snapping noise fished me out of my trance. Before my inner fangirl started screaming its lungs out, I had enough time to thank whatever heavenly beings existed in the world that I didn’t faint and still had my bearings together.

Let’s get back to the fangirling part.

They, GOT7, had just asked if I, me, was okay. My initial reaction was just to blurt out “OMG!” loud enough for the entire continent to hear.

But, no, I can’t do that. I had to be…more reasonable. Civil. Yeah, that was the key. GOT7 had come to my rescue—not like I really needed it, but I appreciated it nonetheless—so, in return, I should be polite and levelheaded around them.

I still may have stammered when I spoke. “Huh? What? Oh, yes, I’m fine. Thank you for helping out.” I also dipped into a bow to express my gratitude and respect. Bowing was proper etiquette in Asian cultures anyway, including Korean culture.

“No problem,” said Jackson. “It was our pleasure. No man should behave like that towards a woman. It makes him less of a man, really.”

That was the sweetest thing to have ever graced my ears, I thought dazedly. Then I had to inwardly slap myself. Wow, okay. Calm down, In-ah. You’re being melodramatic. Focus.

“Young-jae, tone down the staring. She’s already flustered enough,” Jin-young advised, nudging Young-jae with an elbow. Young-jae blinked and eased up, laughing sheepishly.

“So, are you a fan of GOT7?” Jackson asked. “Your ringtone—it was one of our songs.”

“What? A fan? Of you? Yes! I am a really big fan of yours!” I said, the admiration and joy clear in my voice. “I love your music!”

As I was talking, I noticed Jae-beom asking Mark for a translation, while Yu-gyeom was whispering something to BamBam. After a moment, BamBam nodded and then faced me, asking in amusement, “Yu-gyeom was wondering if you always start your sentences with ‘huh’ or ‘what?’ Are you that flustered?”

Jin-young, thinking that the two younger ones were being cheeky, glared at them to behave. I laughed quietly. They were too cute.

“No, no. I’m fine, really. I was surprised to see all of you in person, that’s all.” It’s not every day you incidentally get to meet your idols, I added to myself, a little too dreamily. Aloud, I clarified, “Oh, I can understand and speak Korean. So, you don’t have to rely on English to talk to me.”

The members looked relieved at that piece of information. I guess, despite how much effort and reception they put into promoting with a language barrier, they still disliked the struggle of not keeping up in real time. It was easy to see this when they did American interviews.

“Thank God, you speak Korean!” Young-jae exclaimed happily. “You should’ve told us sooner! That way I wouldn’t have been the outsider in the conversation.”

“If you’d like, as a thank you, I’ll treat you to whatever you want,” I offered, gesturing at the menu. “As a fan, I’d be honored to spoil you. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, after all.” Go big or go home, is the saying. I was definitely going all out to show my gratitude. I wanted to make this experience, this memory, worth it.

Immediately, Yu-gyeom pounced on the offer, exclaiming, “I want hot chocolate. Venti size, please!” Off to the side, as if on cue, Jae-beom and Jin-young shot the youngest member a stern look, reminding him to mind his volume. Wow, as expected of the parents of the group.

“That is very kind of you. However, it would be rude of us to spend your money like that,” Jin-young said, with a sweet smile that could spread happiness to all corners of the earth.

I waved off his excuse, reassuring, “No, please. I insist. Pick whatever you like. I have some time before I have to leave.”

“Alright, you heard the lady!” interrupted the younger members, cheering. I took a moment to appreciate how noble the older members were, that they would feel guilty for having a fan treat them for their chivalry.

“An order of six iced Americanos, one venti hot chocolate, and one grande hot caramel macchiato for…In-ah?” shouted the barista at the counter.

I took the tray of drinks and delivered it over to the table where GOT7 sat waiting. “Here’s your coffee and hot chocolate,” I announced, my smile never dimming.

Jackson, being the gentleman he was, grabbed the tray to place it on the table, then he pulled out a chair for me to sit. He couldn’t get any more sweeter, but he just proved me wrong, I thought, my chest warm with affection.

“Wow, this is a first,” Mark said, inclining his head at me as we enjoyed our beverages. “We’ve never had coffee and a nice chat with an avid fan before. Right, guys?” The members nodded in agreement.

“You said you have to leave in a bit,” Jackson recalled. “Is it for work? What’s your job?”

“Actually, I’m currently doing my Ph.D in biomedical sciences,” I explained. “I work in a lab at MD Anderson, but technically I’m considered a student, since I work under a professor. But I’ll be done in two years.”

“So, are you a doctor?” BamBam wondered, a bit confused. “Do you see patients?” Mark leaned over to explain my words better.

“Ah, no. I don’t see patients. Instead, I discover treatments to help them. You know, like, the behind the scenes kind of work.” It wasn’t much of a clarification, but at least the members understood the gist of it.

“By the way, what’s your last name?” asked Jae-beom. “We only know your first name.”

“Choi. Choi In-ah.”

“Pretty name,” Jackson commented. “You know, Young-jae’s last name is also Choi.”

“Yes, I know, with a smile,” I said, sharing a look and grin with Young-jae.

Checking my watch, I saw that it was already 9:15. I had to hurry to lab. Disappointment surged through me. I looked at my favorite K-Pop group with a regretful expression. “Sorry for the interruption, but I gotta head to work now. It was really nice meeting all of you in person.” I scrambled out of my chair and shouldered my bag. “Again, thank you for everything. I won’t forget this. Really.”

“Hey, no worries,” Jackson reassured. “Oh, before I forget, could I get your number?” He held up his phone for emphasis. “We actually had something to talk to you about, but you need to hurry, so…?”

“Um…sure?” I quickly scribbled my number on a napkin, then bowed and waved as I said my goodbyes.

As I rushed out the café, I wondered what they wanted to talk to me about. It must have been something worthwhile if they had to get my number to discuss it later. Anyway, I had to focus on my meeting first. Time for work.