"If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing you have to do is wake up."

— J.M. Power

"Chanyeol, I—" Su Min started, having made up her mind to tell him everything—or at least attempt to.

But before she could find the words to continue, Baekhyun burst in the room. "We forgot to ask if you want—oh," he breathed out upon laying eyes on the two of them. EXO's charming bacon flashed a teasing grin and nodded. "Never mind, we’ll just get whatever…don’t have too much fun while we’re gone," he joked as he slowly closed the door.

Alone once again, Chanyeol met her gaze and smiled sweetly, tilting his head slightly to the side. "What were you saying?" he asked.

Having lost her confidence, Su Min returned a weak smile and shook her head. "It's nothing," she replied softly.

|| A Few Days Later: Incheon International Airport ||

To lessen the stress of having to arrive in New York with other performers and families travelling for the Thanksgiving holiday, they collectively decided it would be best to arrive a few days earlier than the official start of the music festival.

|| …………… ||

"I'm so excited!" Baekhyun announced as they waited for their flight to be called. "This is going to be so awesome!" he exclaimed before turning on his heels and leaving Su Min to join Suho and Lay, who were preoccupied with taking selfies by the side. 

"Aigoo…" Su Min breathed out as she shook her head lightly. After observing them from the distance, she glanced at her watch then scanned the airport lounge for the rest of EXO.

At the far end of the row, Sehun, Chen, Xiumin, and D.O. sat silently, listening to music, their identities hidden with a combination of beanies, snapbacks, glasses, and facemasks. Across from them, wrapped in a thick infinity scarf to hide most of his face, was Kai, whose eyes remained glued to his phone, despite the distant yet constant camera flashes from other passengers. A few seats down from him, wearing a facemask and a cap with his hoodie pulled over his head, was Chanyeol, who was busy reading a magazine.

Su Min glanced over the small crowd that had gathered around them, then examined the members' calm and carefree expressions. "Even when doing nothing, they still radiate with charisma," she mumbled to herself, amazed.

Coming up with nothing to do, she puffed her cheeks and grabbed a seat close to Chanyeol, making sure there was enough space between them. With all the potential EXO fans around—those lucky enough to board the same plane as their favorite idols—and their constant picture taking, it would definitely be unwise to show skinship, closeness, or anything of the sort that could be misinterpreted as such.

Noticing her from the corners of his eyes, Chanyeol lowered the magazine from his face and turned to Su Min. "Are you okay?" he asked nonchalantly, moving his hand as if to reach for hers.

Su Min immediately tucked both hands in her coat pockets and shot him a subtle look.

Finding her actions amusing, her best friend responded with a soft yet playful grin. "Okay, I get it," he whispered then resumed his reading. "Did you get a hold of oemoni?" he asked, referring to her mom.

"Yeah, she said she sent someone to get everything cleaned and ready," Su Min answered quietly, keeping her eyes straight ahead. 

Instead of fighting to book five to six rooms to accommodate their weeklong stay in New York City, she arranged for them to use her family's penthouse in uptown Manhattan. The only issue was, the unit had been vacant for months now—which made her very anxious about the condition of the place. Since her parents were (thankfully) away on vacation, and her brother was (fortunately) on a business trip, no one could personally overlook its preparations.  

Su Min took a deep breath and leaned back against her seat. "I just hope everything is cleaned and ready," she continued almost to herself, making Chanyeol chuckle softly.

"I'm sure it's fine," he reassured her without taking his eyes off the paragraph he was currently on.

It was just like him to have full faith in her mother—but then again, knowing that woman, she would've definitely gone all out for the person she adored most: the ever so charming Park Chanyeol.

From behind, Woojin approached the two with a bag full of drinks. He handed one to Su Min and took the seat across from hers, passing the rest of the beverage to his boys. "Is it really okay for us to stay at your place?" he asked with hesitation, "I mean I'm a little embarrassed. You going through all this trouble."

Su Min flashed a friendly smile. "Please, don’t be! Besides, staying there will make it a lot easier for us. The building's security is pretty strict, so we won't have to deal with as many fans or paparazzi as we would have, if we stayed in one of the recommended lodgings," she assured him and looked to her tag team partner for support.

"Yeah hyung, don't worry so much about it," Chanyeol added, "I'm sure if we stayed at a hotel, we'll just get dragged in the chaos of all those performers and families fighting to check in."

Woojin let out a sigh defeat and gave both of them a thankful smile, finally dropping the subject. "Okay, then let's have one hell of a memorable time in New York," he replied just as their flight was finally called.

One by one, the 11 of them boarded the plane in spirits high, ready to take on the Big Apple.

|| New York: JFK International Airport ||

After retrieving their mountain of luggage from the baggage claim, they exited the airport, and were instantly welcomed by the city's chilly November air.

"Hello New York!" Lay exclaimed in English, giving his arms a good stretch after a long and tiring 16-hour flight.

Standing beside her, Chanyeol placed an arm around Su Min's shoulder and pulled her in close. He was definitely less likely to heed her silent warnings now that they were in a place where they could easily blend in. "Feels good to be back," he stated out loud and set his gaze toward the iconic skyline illuminated in the distance.

Su Min looked up at him and smiled, thinking it was finally her turn to welcome him back as he did with her. "Welcome home, Chanyeol," she whispered.

He returned an even sweeter smile and gave her shoulder a light squeeze before facing s. It was easy to tell he was much more excited to be here than the rest of them were—after all, New York was his home before SM. "Should we go grab some food? All you can eat! My treat!" he joked.

Since Music Atlas gave Chany