Jackson’s POV

In-ah scribbled down her phone number so fast that the pen almost tore through the napkin. Though she had a rueful twist to her expression, she wasted no time in breezing out the cafe. It baffled me how hasty she was. Was she that motivated to go to work? Huh. Either her job was fun or she was just an oddball. Or both. Anyway, it was refreshing to meet an honest fan. I would’ve liked it if she could have stayed to chat longer.

Picking up the inked napkin, I typed the digits into my phone as a new contact. At first, I did enter her real name, but then I paused a moment, thinking that she deserved a nickname, too. Hmm, coffee girl? Fan girl? Nah, those were too unoriginal. How about…

The image of In-ah standing up for herself popped in my mind. The way she held herself when facing a rude person had been impressive. Her tone had been neutral yet her glare had been firm.

…Miss Stubborn? Yeah, she seemed really headstrong.

Next to me, Yu-gyeom poked my arm to get my attention. He asked, “Hyung, why did you want her number all of the sudden? You lied, saying ‘we’ needed to talk to her when we didn’t.”

“Not to mention, she might be in shock because her favorite K-Pop idol just asked for her number,” Young-jae pointed out in observation. He had the tendency to guess reactions and outcomes.

My lips twitched as I fought a grin. “Hey, don’t look at me like that. I might be impulsive ninety-nine percent of the time, but I swear getting her contact info counts as the one percent.”

Jin-young arched a brow. “Well? Out with it.”

“So, remember how we came to Houston for our tour last time but never had the chance to venture around?” I reminded everyone as they regarded me intently.

“Yeah, because we didn’t have a personal tour guide,” Jae-beom said as the others nodded. “Unlike the time Mark-hyung showed us around LA.”

I slapped my hand on the table, enthusiastic. “Exactly! That’s why I thought, ‘Hey, maybe we could ask In-ah to give us a tour.’ I mean, it’d be a shame to pass up on the opportunity, right? Why waste our two days off before the concert when we could go have some fun?” I could clearly picture it—how excited yet modest In-ah would be when I (at least I hope it was me) asked her to spend some quality fan-and-idol time with us. I can’t forget how impressive In-ah behaved around us, despite being a total fan. The way she restrained herself from completely gushing over us was very considerate. But, then again, the decision to hang out with us was entirely up to In-ah. Hopefully, she’d say yes, or else I might get teased if she declines.

“It’s not a bad idea,” BamBam agreed while idly surfing on his phone. “I wouldn’t mind taking a break from the same old routine. All we do is practice, rehearse, perform, and move on.” Having BamBam agree with me was predictable. He was such an energetic spirit who liked to make his free time worth it if he had to work so hard.

Jin-young motioned for all of us to calm our train of thoughts. He had to make sure that no one was making a decision based on their excitement or carelessness. “Hold on. There’s something we need to discuss before we can put this idea into motion.” He purposely met our gazes as he questioned, “In-ah—can we trust her? So far, we know she’s a fan of ours and that she was kind enough to buy us drinks. But, regardless of her initial impression, we have to be careful.”

Jin-young had a point, and honestly, the same concern had crossed my mind, too. Because we were popular K-Pop artists, we had to be constantly vigilant with our image and reputation. We had millions of fans worldwide and frequently trend on social media. One mistake could be known in an instant.

Yet, although this was just me talking, my instincts told me that In-ah was trustworthy and disciplined. She wouldn’t betray us for a petty reason.

We continued to debate over the pros and cons for a while until Mark hyung concluded, “Okay, how about this? Jackson, call her tonight and tell her about our idea and the concerns we have, especially the one about social media exposure. If she agrees to be our tour guide, then we can make further plans. Jae-beom, you need to inform manager-hyung about everything and also request for confidentiality forms. Those are important.”

While I praised Mark hyung for his helpful suggestion, Jae-beom made a noise of affirmation, and judging by the thoughtful look on his face, he was mentally preparing himself for the task, figuring out when to ask and what to say.

The outcome of our little impromptu meeting made the younger members hyped about sightseeing and eating at local places. Jae-beom ended our conversation by pointing out that “We gotta start practice soon, so let’s go. I’ll talk to manager-hyung then.” He took the lead in cleaning up our table and throwing away any trash. Jin-young made sure we didn’t forget anything as we shrugged on our coats and headed out the cafe.

Considering our excitement and anticipation, I wouldn’t be surprised if we played a game of rock-paper-scissors to decide what to eat for lunch and dinner today. I looked forward to it.

In-ah’s POV

“I’m home!” I yelled as I dragged my poor, throbbing feet into the house. My job and I have a love-hate relationship. I was passionate about doing research yet that meant being on my feet all day. One couldn’t have everything good in life, I suppose.

“How was work?” my mom asked with a tired smile. Her appearance surprised me a little. I didn’t know she would be home before me; she must’ve had an earlier shift. It was hard to keep track of her schedule when I could barely survive my own.

I plopped down on the couch to rest my aching feet first before I answered, “Uneventful, as always. We had a lab meeting to go over the progress of the project.”

“What happened to your blazer?” my dad inquired with a faint frown.

I blinked, for I’d almost forgotten about the stain since work took too much of my focus. “Oh, uh, some random dude accidentally bumped into me and spilled my coffee. Don’t worry. The guy said sorry and paid me back.”

That was the short story because there was no way that I was going to spill the whole truth to my parents. The fact that I had been fortunate enough to be backed up by seven amazing guys, who happened to be famous Korean artists, when caught in an argument on a normal day would go over my dad’s head, no doubt. He only listened when he considered the topic important, otherwise he’s in his own world.

My mom gestured at my blazer, instructing, “Okay, well, make sure to put that in the washer before you go to sleep. Your dad and I are heading to bed now, since I have another early shift tomorrow and your dad has a conference call in the morning. Your sister’s in her room and probably fell asleep already. Can you leave a bottle of water by her bed later? You know how fussy she is at night. Your dinner is ready in the kitchen.”

I nodded and bid my parents goodnight, which they echoed.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Our interactions may come off as curt and impersonal, but my parents and I—we sincerely cared for each other. I was very attached to them, though not to the point of obvious dependency. To be honest, there was this sense of anxiousness that constantly lingered in the back of my mind, one that was hard to pinpoint.

Sighing, I went to shower first and then change into a comfy pair of clothes. Slipping into the kitchen, I grabbed my plate of food and warmed it up in the microwave. While I waited, I pulled up the recently uploaded episode of the drama I was watching on my phone. With no one around, I tried to relax as I enjoyed my dinner and entertainment.

Later, just before I got ready to sleep, I checked my email for notifications from my professor or boss, as they tended to contact me last minute about things.

An email read: In-ah, you’re off for the weekend. All you need to do is research some papers for the new protocol on Monday and rework the data.

I was so happy I nearly jumped out of bed upon seeing this. No work this weekend? Yes! I was all for it. I could sleep in and spend some time to de-stress.

Just as I was celebrating my luck, my phone rang. The caller ID was unrecognizable, but I answered it anyways, probing, “Hello, may I know who this is?” Could be the wrong number, I thought. Wait a second. Earlier today, I... Could it be...?

"Hi, is this In-ah? It's Jackson Wang. We met at Starbucks this morning?"

Holy moly, the universe answered my thoughts.

"O-oh, yes, h-hello," I stammered, my nervousness suddenly high in demand. "Sorry, didn't recognize the number at first."

Jackson chuckled at my reply. "It's okay. I should've given you my number before you ran off, but oh well." He cleared his throat. "So, uh, I know this is sudden, but the members and I were wondering if you were free this weekend because we wanted to see if you wouldn't mind giving us a tour around Houston. 'Cause, like, we came to the city before but never had the chance to explore. And, now, most of us want to change up the view, you know? Get out of the hotel to do something. So, yeah, are you available tomorrow and Saturday?"

Forget about answering my thoughts. My prayers have been answered. Did Jackson Wang really just ask me to be GOT7's tour guide?

My breathing was unsteady as I tried to stamp down on the surge of elation that was coursing through me. It was a no-brainer that I wanted to tell Jackson yes, because this was probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it could also make up for the fact that I can't go to their concert.

But first things first.

I. Needed. To. Calm. Down.

"Y-yeah! No problem! I'd love to show you all around!" I said eagerly.

Jackson sighed in relief and then relayed the concerns of his group members. Although he couldn't see me, I was nodding fervently as to what GOT7's worries were.

"Don't worry," I reassured heatedly. "I am not the type to post what I'm doing on social media. For the most part, I have art-related posts, otherwise I like to lay low. But, yeah, I totally understand where you're coming from. You don't have to worry about me being fanatical."

"You do art? That's cool," he commented after I finished rambling. "It'd be nice if I could see it sometime. Uh, anyways, thanks. I'm glad that you could accommodate us. Me and the others wanted some down time."

By his tone, I could tell he wasn't so tense anymore, as if I had solved all his problems.

"Sure, no problem. So, are we meeting up somewhere? Or, we could meet in front of the Starbucks, since you already know where it is," I suggested. Wherever they wanted to be, I would follow them as long as it was their choice.

"Nah, I can text you the address of our hotel. Sound good?"

"Yeah, that's doable. I can be there nine AM sharp!" I was smiling like a goof, but could you blame me?

"Alright, see you tomorrow, then. Oh, and please save my phone number," Jackson told me, exuberant. "So you won't mistake me. Anyways, have a good night."

The call disconnected, and I just sat there on my bed, stunned.

Was I dreaming? Was it really possible, conceivable, real, that GOT7 would personally want me as their tour guide? That I could hang out with my idols in person? This was too much of a shock to handle. My mind wouldn't stop replaying my phone call with Jackson. The Jackson Wang.

Sleep. You need to go to sleep, I commanded myself. Beauty rest is important! I wanted to look my best when I visited them tomorrow. Maybe I should pick up some coffee for them on the way. That would be a nice gesture, right?

Tomorrow, I get to see GOT7 again!