The whole car ride to the SHINee dorm was tense and awkward to say the least. Jin had me sit up front with him and I sat as far away from him as I possibly could. I had put my sunglasses on during the first part of our ride so he couldn’t tell I was studying him closely. I really hope this man doesn’t do anything stupid or ruin my mission. I want my 500 Euros.

“So…” I had started, “Do the boys know I’m coming to stay with them as an exchange student?”

Jin nodded, but didn’t speak. He clearly had something against me. Maybe it was the fact that I had two concealed hand guns on me at this very minute. Or the fact that I will have two concealed handguns on me when I’m around his band. Either way, I wouldn’t use them if I didn’t need them.

I sigh heavily and look out the passenger window at all the passing apartment buildings and just as I begin to doze off the car comes to a slow halt.

“We’re here. Get out.” Jin says and reaches across me to open my door for me. All I could do was gawk at his skinny arm stretching across my being to do something that I CLEARLY could have done myself. Once my door is open I get out and glare in his general direction with a huff.

“Are you going to stand there like an idiot, or are you going to follow me.” Jin asked. His question sounded more like an insult to me. Anger started to boil in my blood, but I took a deep breath and followed him.

It’s only for a little while Cecile. I told myself over and over again.

We reach the door and he opens it to reveal a normal dorm with white walls. I take off my sunglasses and see that there was a television in one side of the main living room with a hallway to my left. There was a bar separating the kitchen and the living room. After I got the basic gist of the room my mind started going on overdrive. There were clothes sitting on the couch and in baskets on the side of the couch indicating that someone had planned to do laundry but then gave up. The TV remote was sitting on top of the laundry basket, which led me to believe that instead of doing the laundry the person sat down and watched the TV instead, another indicator to that theory was that an indention was still left on the part of the couch that the guy must have sat on.

All while I was making deductions I could feel someone’s eyes on me. I turn around slightly and out of the corner of my eye I can see a young man about my height wearing sweat pants and a comfortable top.

“Hey, who’s that?” A male’s voice calls out distracting me from the young man emerging out from the hallway. I look over and see a familiar face coming out of the kitchen with a sandwich in his hands.

“Jonghyun, didn’t I tell you to have the dorm ready by the time I got here?” Jin looked at him sternly, “Where’s Onew? He should have made sure you were doing the laundry.”

“Nu uh, he said that Minho was supposed to do the laundry and that I was to do the dishes—and that’s what I just got done doing.”

And suddenly I was forgotten as the two continued to bicker on and on. I look back into the hallway and see the young man still standing there staring at me. Something in his eyes strikes a chord with me and I quickly look away from him. That was really, really weird.

I shake my head to get the thought out of my head and realize that I was brought back into the conversation.

“So is this the girl who’s staying with us?” Jonghyun asks happily as he bounds over to me, still holding his sandwich.

“Yes; this is Cecile. She is a foreign student who will be studying abroad with Taemin for the next coming months. You need to treat her well and don’t be rude.” Jin recites, rolling his eyes slightly. During this little speech, Jonghyun was mouthing along in a taunting manner. I roll my eyes and begin to scan the room again.

“Oh, and Jonghyun,” Jin smiles the same smile from before, sending shivers up my spine. Jonghyun turns around and gives him a grunt in response. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Jonghyun looked over at his manager blankly for what seemed like forever, until a smile broke out on his face. He wiggled his eyebrows to Jin as he was walking out.

“No promises, hyung!”

Jin rolls his eyes and murmurs something about “crazy children” under his breath. After the door was shut tight an awkward silence hung low in the air around my shoulder like a wet towel. Jonghyun had gotten really close to me in a span of three seconds flat.

“You’re not American. And you’re definitely not Korean. What are you?” Jonghyun smiles crookedly out of good-natured curiosity. My lips purse on their own on accord to his stupidity; did their manager tell them nothing!? I know I’m undercover but could they at least fill them in a little; is that too much to ask?

Heaving a heavy sigh to begin my introduction, I close my eyes. My eyes open to find Jonghyun looking at my suitcase tag. My gun case tag to be more specific. My eyes widen in horror as he flips the bag over to carry it. Insouciant!

“Come on, I’ll show you to your room!” The smile in his voice is hard to ignore. It’s a little hard to be mean to Jonghyun. He’s kind of an idiot, but…that’s okay. For now at least.  I heave another sigh and move to grab my other bag, but another, much tanner, young man grabs it for me.

“Oh,” I let out a little noise of surprise, “Uh, thank you.”

He turns to face me with an almost perfect smile. Minho is tall, and he has nice eyes. You know the kind of eyes that always look like they’re smiling? Yeah well, Minho has ‘em. When my eyes move downward slightly to my suitcase I can see Minho’s jeans. Oh dear lord those are some nice-fitting pants. My heart nearly skips a beat before I remember that I’m on a mission, and my heart returns to its normally dormant state.

“I’m Minho,” He introduces himself and bows as a greeting. I stick out my hand awkwardly and silently hope no one had the ability to read minds in the SHINee dorm.

“I’m Cecile, it’s nice to meet you, Minho…uh…ssi?” I guess, making Minho laugh out loud before he shakes my hand with his large, warm one.

“You can call me whatever you want, as long as it’s not an insult-,”

“Hey! What happened? I thought you were following me?” Jonghyun’s head pops out of a doorway down the hallway I was fixated on earlier.

“I’m coming.” I roll my eyes and head down the hall to join the annoyance. When I walk into the room I notice the bed is smaller than what I’m used to. In fact, now that I think about it; this whole entire house is smaller than what I’m used to.  But, then again, I’m in Asia…

The bed looks like it had been used and there were a few things scattered around the room here and there; things like clothes and shoes. Even they were tiny! In this country of small things, I feel like a giant—and it’s not because I’m wearing stilettoes.

“So, what’s in this bag; it’s as heavy as led!” Jonghyun picks my gun-bag up again and drops it on the floor for emphasis. I feel all the air seep out my pores until I’m completely breathless. Those could have gone off; every single last one could have gone off. Then we’d all be swimming with the fish off the Korean Peninsula! And that’s AFTER Jin and SM get done with me for killing their money makers.

Anger bubbles up inside me like nothing else and I start rattling off in every language I know, “Insouciant! Crétin! Insensé tromper! You careless, incompetent, idiotic, fool!” I stomp around the room nearly tearing out my hair. Jonghyun stood there, knowing he did something wrong even though he couldn’t understand me, like a puppy that’s peed on himself and is sorry, but will do it again anyway.

“I’m really sorry! I was just curious! I’m sorry, Cecile!” Jonghyun’s voice small in comparison to mine. I stop mid-rant and heave a huge sigh of frustration upon hearing the sincerity in his voice. The white-hot anger that was there a minute ago had subsided into a lukewarm feeling of shame for lashing out.

“Please forgive me for lashing out, it’s just there’s something in that bag that…um—just don’t touch my stuff and we will be okay. Oui?” I smile slightly and run my fingers through my hair.

“Arasso!” Jonghyun gives me a thumbs up. All was forgotten in such a simple way. Is that what it’s like to be simple minded?

“Whoa, who’s throwing a tantrum in here?” A young man with blonde hair pokes his head through the door. Kim Kibum, if my memory serves me correctly. Kibum is so much prettier in person; his hair is so much shinier, his teeth so much whiter, his built so much more petite,  and his personality…well, so much more mom-like.

“If this girl is going to stay in here, I want you both-,” Key points to Minho and Jonghyun, “To clean up this place better for her, and then we’ll go out and buy better sheets for her after lunch.”

After ordering the other two around some more—telling them how to clean something, or telling them where something should go—Key turns to me with a smile.

“Anneyong Haseyo, Cecile-ssi! I am Kim Kibum, the Almighty Key. We are glad that you get to stay with us for the next few weeks!” Key smiles happily and claps a few times to add to his excitement. I smile with him and he brings me into the kitchen.

“So this is the kitchen; where I cook most of the meals.” He tells me that I can eat whatever I want when I’m hungry and that he will get more groceries when we go out to buy sheets. Key continues to show me the rest of the house until we reach the bedrooms.

“So this is Jonghyun and I’s bedroom. That is Minho and Taemin’s bedroom, and that down there is Onew’s room. Have you met all the members yet?” Key asks after pointing down the hall in various ways that a normal person wouldn’t be able to keep track of.

“I’ve met you, Minho, and Jonghyun.” I reply and Key quickly sits me down on the couch which was now clear of clothes.

“I’ll go get them, stay here!”

Key runs off into the hallway and the only thing I hear is, “Come on out guys and give a proper introduction to our houseguest!”

My eyes trace the features of the living room again; there are pictures hanging on the wall of concerts and photo-shoots. The TV is connected to a large sound system and a few gaming consoles. I nod and look over the bar that separates the kitchen and the living room. I nearly fall out of my seat when I see a young man with chestnut-colored hair staring at me with his mouth hanging ajar.

“uh…Hello,” I wave slightly and the guy tries to duck behind the counter. I turn back around to face the TV, “…Okay then.”

Key comes back a few minutes later with—if my memory serves me correctly—Onew, the leader.

“I couldn’t find Taemin, but here is Onew-hyung. Here,” Key sat Onew next to me on the couch and smiles, “Now make nice-nice.”

“Hello, I’m Lee Jinki, but you can call me Onew.” Onew smiles at me in an awkward manner and I smile back.

“I’m Cecile, it’s nice to meet you. I’m glad to stay with you guys while I get my studying done.”

Onew’s smile didn’t leave his face, but it got more relaxed and less awkward, “Oh, it’s no problem really. We just don’t want you to be here all by yourself during the day after you get home; we do have schedules to attend to.”

“We could always bring her along.” Quipped a voice from the kitchen. Onew and I turn around and see the guy from the hall earlier.

“There you are Taemin-ah! Come on in here and meet Cecile.” Onew smiles as Minho walks in followed by Jonghyun and Key.

“We know she’s pretty, but she doesn’t bite.” Minho smirks.

“But’s she’s got a pretty mean bark.” Jonghyun rubs the back of his neck with an awkward chuckle.

“Maybe if you didn’t irritate people all the time, then she wouldn’t have yelled at you.” Key replies smugly. I laugh and Taemin shuffles into the living room shyly.

“Anneyong, I’m Lee Taemin.” He bows at a perfect 90 degree angle, making it seem as if I was some sort of royalty to be respected.

“I’m Cecile.” I smile at him. This is guy I’m going to have to go to the university with to guard. I look him up and down; he definitely looks like a dancer. His legs are skinny and his shoes make him look like he’s trying to imitate a gangster. How…quaint. He doesn’t seem at all muscular; toned rather.

“H-how old are you?” Taemin coughs to cover up his light stutter, but I caught it all the same.

“Oh, I just turned 19 a few days ago, actually.”

Taemin mouthed an ‘oh’ in response. I think back to the profile on him; it had said his birthday was July 18^th. He’ll be turning 19 in a month or so.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go shopping!” Key grabs my arm and begins to drag me out of the dorm.

“Wait, at least let me grab my money!” I moan as I try to get away from his grasp.

“No need.” Minho says following Key and I close behind.

“We’re going to pay for you.” Onew smiles happily.

I huff and let Key drag me outside.