“The show’s done! It was really cool!” Jongin texted her a mere five minutes after he’d gotten off the stage.

Aish, this guy. Always glued to his phone. Soojung laughed as she read his text. Of course, she knew the reason why he was glued to it all the time. She and her friends were sitting down, waiting for the crowds to leave before making their way out of the venue. Except for the toilet encounter, everything had played out incredibly well. She couldn’t risk it. 

“Really? Congratulations!” Soojung texted back. “Go get some food, rest and text me when you’re in your hotel room, ne?”. 

“Ne”, Jongin replied. “Aigoo, it really was so amazing tonight, Soojung-ah. I wish you could have been here.”

Soojung bit her lip and resisted the urge to text him back immediately. She’d tell him later. 

They eventually left the venue and made their way to the car without a problem, all the while talking, linking arms and laughing. In a way, Soojung felt like she was a teenager again. She was living the kind of life she never got to experience in America, because she moved to Korea when she was so young. This is what it could’ve been like: she and her friends going to concerts, helping each other out with their respective boyfriends, sharing secrets and adventures together. For the first time in a long time, she felt free. 

The drive back to her parents’ house took over an hour, but Soojung was still coming down from her adrenaline rush when she laid on her bed and Facetimed Jongin. 

He picked up after three seconds.

“Nae Soojung-ie!” Jongin greeted her. He was in a really good mood, and Soojung wondered if that would change after she told him what had happened. 

“Jongin-ah, annyeong” she waved back. “I’m at my place, we can talk now. How was the concert?”

“Nollal manhan, Soojung-ah. It was so amazing! I was so happy”. He was squeaking like a kid and Soojung burst out into laughter.

“Jinjja?”

“Ne.” Jongin nodded happily. “We should move to California, Soojung-ah. I wanna live here! I like it here. The weather is so nice! Will you move to California with me?”

“Kim Jongin! I thought you’d never ask”.

They kept joking and laughing together, and after a while, their laughter slowly turned into a comfortable silence. 

“You know”, Jongin smiled with his head resting on the palm of his hand. “Tonight was a lot more special to me, because I knew this is your hometown. I imagined you could be there”. Through the screen, Soojung saw his eyes wander around the room, imagining the possibilities. “I figured that, in an alternate universe, you could be attending the same concert. And we would be meeting each other for the first time in a completely different way”. Jongin laughed and shook his head, amused at his own thoughts. 

That was her cue.

“You weren’t imagining it”. Soojung said and bit her lip, waiting for his reaction. “I mean, yeah, you were, because you couldn’t see me, but it wasn’t all your imagination. I was there tonight.”

Jongin stared at the screen with a blank expression for a few seconds.

“Mwo? I’m not following, Soojung-ah”. 

She giggled.

“I was there, Jongin-ah. It’s not a joke”. And yet there she was, laughing at how baffled he was. 

“Mwo?!” Jongin’s eyes were wide open and blinking rapidly. He truly wasn’t following.

Soojung took a deep breath and started explaining. 

“I wanted to surprise you.” She started. “I didn’t want you to know I’d be there because I didn’t want you worrying about what could happen if people saw me. I didn’t want anything to get in the way of you delivering the best performance possible.” 

“But...but...” Jongin stuttered. “What about dinner with your parents tonight? And noona?” 

Soojung snickered. 

“Mianhae, Jongin-ah. I had to lie to you.” She truly felt sorry. “And eonnie has been helping me out with everything. She was part of the plan all along”.

And so, in a few minutes, Soojung told Jongin everything. The scheming, the planning, the executing. How she’d come up with the idea, how she’d mustered up the courage to do it, how she’d weighed down every single possibility and eventually decided to go for it. How her overthinking almost got the best of her, and how the sight of him and the possibility of making him happy brought her back to reality and gave her the courage she needed to pull this off. By the end of her retelling, Jongin was smiling from ear to ear.

“Wah, Soojung-ah. You really did all that for me?” She could tell he was truly touched. Mission accomplished.

“Baboya, you know I did.” Soojung squinted her eyes and looked at Jongin through the screen. “You just want to hear me say it. You’re too spoiled”. 

“So? What did you think?” Jongin was clapping his hands in anticipation. “How was it? Did you like my new solo stage? What did you think of my performance?”

“Well, it was a little meh in my opinion. Taemin oppa was better”. Soojung joked, rolling her eyes.

“Soojung-ah!” Jongin pouted.

“I’m just kidding.” She laughed before quickly correcting herself. Jongin’s ego was easily bruised when it came to his work. “You were perfect, as usual. I’m happy I could see you perform with your new group”. 

“I’m happy you saw us, too.” Jongin smiled. “So, did it go over smoothly? Nobody saw you there?”

Soojung bit her lip and decided to tell him about her fan encounter in the toilet. She didn’t want to worry him, but just in case anything happened… He needed to know. 

“So, then we just went our separate ways.” Soojung finished her story. “And I don’t know why, Jongin-ah, but I really felt like she wanted the best for me. That she wouldn’t hurt me. Or you, because I love you. I don’t know why, but I thought I could trust her.” She looked at him worryingly. “Do you think I was wrong?”

To Soojung’s surprise, Jongin was smiling.

“I think you did the right thing.” He nodded. “From what you told me, I also feel like she’s deserving of your trust. And, well, if it turns out that she wasn’t and everyone finds out about us...maybe it was about time?” He shrugged. “The company board will definitely kill me, but it’s okay. I don’t even like them anymore.” 

Both Jongin and Soojung broke into laughter. Their current dislike towards their company was one of the things they could always agree on. 

“Aigoo, nae Soojung-ie.” Jongin stared at her lovingly through the screen. “You risked so much tonight, and I wasn’t expecting this at all. It means a lot to me that you did this. Jinjja gomawo.”

Soojung just smiled back and stared at him in silence for a while.

“I miss you”. Jongin sighed.

“I miss you too. I really want you to come back to Korea.” It was Soojung’s turn to go soft and pout.

“Ne. I can’t wait for this tour to be over. As much as I love performing, I want to see you”. 

“I know. Meet you at my place as soon as you land?” Soojung suggested tentatively.

“Of course. We only have a few days, because I have to leave right after… for the next leg of the tour…” Jongin sulked and buried his face in his arms as he spoke. 

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head and he jerked his head right up.

“Soojung-ah!” He grinned. “Will you come to another concert?”

“Mwo?” 

“You can do the same thing you did tonight!” Jongin kept going on and on about his brand new idea. “You can dress down so people won’t recognize you. You can sit on the furthest seat again as well. And you always go to Europe, so maybe if somebody sees you in the same city, they won’t suspect it’s because of me! They will think you’re just on vacation or working on some fashion project. It’s perfect!”

It really isn’t such a bad idea, Soojung thought. She knew it wouldn’t be that simple, though. Tonight’s plan had been relatively easy to execute because she was in a city she knew perfectly well, and had the help of her family and friends. Still, it was worth giving it a thought. 

“It’s not too far-fetched, Jongin-ah…” She taunted him.

“I know, right?” He giggled happily at his own idea. “I have one condition, though!”

“What is it?”

“If you go, you have to let me know you’ll be there.” Jongin was serious now. “I must know if you’re there, or else I’ll just be wondering during the whole concert. You have to tell me”. 

“Really?” Soojung raised her eyebrows and snickered. “And what if I don’t?” 

“Soojung-ah! Jaebal!” Jongin pouted like a little boy. Soojung smiled at the reaction she was causing in her boyfriend. 

“Well, maybe I can follow your rules...” She toyed with him. “Perhaps you’re right, Jongin-ah, and it could be a perfect plan…” Soojung kept poking fun at him even further. 

“So? Will you do it?” Jongin smiled at her, expectantly. “Will you come see me in Europe?” 

“Maybe”. Soojung shrugged, giving Jongin the mysterious smile he knew and loved so well. 

“I guess you’ll just have to wait and see”.