“So, have you decided on where you’re going to take me?” Yumi giggled in the backseat of Eli’s car.

                “Yeah, we’re gonna take you to the Coex Mall in Seoul.” Kevin said, turning around in the passenger seat with a grin on his face.

                “You’ll love it. There’s so much to do there. One could easily get lost. We think you’ll really enjoy it.” Eli said as he made the turn into the parking garage for the mall. Once he found an empty parking spot, he pulled in and shut off the engine. All three of them exited the car, with Eli and Kevin shoving baseball caps over their heads and donning sunglasses. Eli hit the alarm on his keychain before they started making their way to the entrance of the mall. Yumi stood with wide open as she took in the monstrosity of the mall.

                “Let’s go to the map of the mall and see where you want to start first.” Kevin said as they walked side-by-side to the entrance from the parking garage. Once inside, they located the map and gazed over several places they could begin their journey.

                “They have an aquarium in here?” Yumi asked in disbelief.

                “Would you like to try that? It’s really neat. They even have an Undersea Tunnel.” Eli grinned. Yumi vigorously shook her head, making Eli and Kevin laugh.

                “Then it’s decided. Let’s go!” Kevin beamed.

                “Wow…look at this!” Yumi said in amazement as they passed through the Undersea Tunnel. She gingerly placed her finger on the glass as a few fish swam by. Eli and Kevin were having a lot of fun watching the different aquatic life. It was nice to be out in public and blend in. Although they weren’t with the rest of U-Kiss, being out in public was getting scarce for them; especially due to their schedules. After walking through the tunnel, the next exhibit in the aquarium was the shark. Yumi was off in her little dream world, gazing at the different sharks swimming by when Kevin came up behind her and poked her in the waist. He was just playing a joke, but it completely caught Yumi off guard and she squealed so loud that several people turned around to see what the commotion was. Eli burst out laughing as Kevin turned two shades of red. Yumi smacked Kevin’s arm as he apologized.

                “Don’t do that, Kevin! Geez, what was that for?” Yumi gasped, trying to regain her breathing.

                “It was just a joke. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were so absorbed in your little dream world. Forgive me?” Kevin gave her the most adorable puppy face and after crossing her arms in front of her chest, she obliged.

                “Ugh…who can resist a face like that? Seriously, though Kevin, you almost gave me a heart attack.” Yumi grumbled. Once she had turned her back on him, Kevin immediately wrapped his arms around her giving her a back hug.

                “Jongmal miyan humnida.” Kevin whispered in her ear, sending goose bumps over Yumi’s body.

                “What does that mean?” Yumi asked, turning her face to look up at him.

                “It means I’m very sorry. Seems like you could use some help learning Korean, huh? If you’re going to be attending Pai Chai University, you’ll have to know how to speak and understand most of it. Maybe I might be able to help you out. I don’t know if Jayne told you or not, but Eli and I were both born in the States. We came over to Korea in our teens. That’s why we speak such good English.” Kevin smiled as he let go of his embrace and put his hands in his jacket pockets.

                “I didn’t even think about that. I’m not too sure if Jayne mentioned it or not. She was starting to talk to me on the plane, but I kind of tuned her out.” Yumi giggled nervously.

                “You’re not the only one.” Eli laughed, rolling his eyes. “I think that’s why Soo and her get along so well. Sure, Jayne can be shy at first, but once she starts talking she can go off on tangents.”

                “So it’s not just me thinking that…” Yumi trailed off. The three of them gave each other a knowing look and burst into a fit of giggles.

                “Where would you like to go now, Yumi?” Kevin asked as they exited the aquarium.

                “Wherever, it doesn’t bother me. You walk and I’ll follow.” Yumi said as she shrugged her shoulders.

                “What about the Kimchi Museum?” Eli suggested.

                “I’ve heard of Kimchi, but what exactly is it?” Yumi asked as Kevin and Eli looked at each other and then her.

                “It’s pretty much a staple food of Korea. You can’t go anywhere without seeing it in some shape or form. Why don’t we go there and you can see for yourself?” Kevin explained as they made their way across the mall to the entrance.

                “You have got to be kidding me…there’s 187 different varieties of fermented cabbage? Who knew!” Yumi exclaimed in shock when they emerged from the museum half an hour later.

                “I think it really is an acquired taste because here in Korea, it tends to be extremely spicy. You can ask for it to be made mild, but that kind of takes the fun out of the experience. We’ll warm you up to it, I’m sure.” Kevin winked. Just as they were making their way into the main section of the mall, Eli’s cell phone notified him of a text message.

                Annyeonghaseyo yeobo ^_^ I’m getting off work in a few minutes. Did you want to come meet me?

                “Sorry guys, Jenna just sent me a text. I’m going to pick her up from work. Kevin, are you okay with taking Yumi back to Jayne’s when you’re done?” Eli asked as Kevin nodded. “I’m sorry to do this to you, Yumi. Don’t worry, Kevin will take good care of you. Hope to see you around.” Eli gave Yumi a quick hug goodbye and dialed Jenna’s number.

                “Annyeonghaseyo jagiya. I would love to come pick you up. I’m at the Coex Mall with Kevin, but I’ll be there as soon as I can. Mmhhmm. Love you, too.” Eli hung up the phone and was about to leave, but Kevin tapped him on the back.

                “I think I see something that might make Jenna smile.” Kevin grinned, pointing to a flower shop a few feet away.

                “Great idea, Kevin. I’ll see if they have what she likes.” Eli walked over and purchased some beautiful white with speckled pink lilies. “Do you think she’ll like them?” Eli asked as he brought them over for both Kevin and Yumi to see.

                “They’re beautiful!” Yumi sighed as she breathed in the faint scent. “I’m sure Jenna will be very happy to get them.” Kevin nodded at Yumi’s statement.

                “Awesome! I’m sure she will. Well, have fun you two. Send me a text later, Kevin. Nice meeting you again, Yumi.” Eli said as he waved goodbye.

                “So,…what should we do now?” Kevin asked, getting a little bit shy now that it was just the two of them.

                “Well, we could do a bit of window shopping. Matter of fact, is there a cell phone store in here? I should probably look into getting one to stay in touch with Jayne since I’ll be here for a while.” Yumi said as they went over to the area that showed the map of the mall.

                “Depends on what you’re looking for. There are a few cell phone stores, but I know that there’s an Apple store in here, too. I’d probably go with getting an iPhone since it’s a smart phone and has a touch screen. You can get the option to have it in both English and Korean and you won’t have to worry about looking at Hanguel for the numbers…although it would probably be good practice for you.” Kevin smirked as he playfully nudged her with his shoulder.

                “Sure, we can go to the Apple store. You’ll have to clue me in on how to use a smart phone because it will be my first one.” Yumi said, looking down at her shoes.

                “Well, I just got an iPhone5 for Christmas, so I can show you the features and we can play around with the one in the store so you can get a feel for what it looks like.” Kevin explained as Yumi looked up and nodded. It took the two of them fifteen minutes to walk from where the map was located in the center of the mall to the Apple store.

                “Hello. I’m Chin-Hae. What can I help you with today?” The employee greeted them in Korean.

                “Hello. I’m Kevin. My friend, Yumi, is looking to get her first smart phone. I just got my iPhone5 a few months ago and think she would like one, too.” Kevin replied back in Korean. Yumi just smiled weakly, pretending she had a clue what they were talking about.

                “Right this way.” Chin-Hae said as he guided them both over to the iPhone display. Kevin picked one up and started using his finger to scroll through the screen and click on certain apps to give Yumi an idea of how to use it. Poor Yumi looked overwhelmed.

                “I know, it’s a lot to take in. It must have taken me a good week or so before I knew how to do everything on my phone after I got mine.” Kevin whispered in her ear. Feeling comfortable in her presence, he slipped off his sunglasses to be able to view the screen more clearly.

                “Well, I’ll let you both look at this for a few minutes. If you have any questions, just let me know.” Chin-Hae spoke before bowing slightly and leaving to go assist other customers. Yumi was engrossed in figuring out how to work the iPhone, when Kevin got a cold chill going down his spine. He had a feeling like he was being watched, but when he looked up, all he saw were the regular customers milling around in the store. He turned every way possible, making Yumi look up from what she was doing.

                “Everything okay, Kevin? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” She quietly said, hoping not to scare him.

                “Yeah, I’m fine. I just thought I heard something.” Kevin replied slowly. Shrugging, he turned his attention back to explaining a few things to Yumi about the iPhone5 and ten minutes later, she wanted to purchase one.

                “Are you sure this is what you want? I don’t want to think that I’m forcing you to get one. I know they can be quite expensive. Especially since this is the latest model.” Kevin asked, making sure Yumi knew what she was about to do.

                “Yeah, I know that it is an expensive purchase but if you have one, it must be good…right? Besides, since we’ll have the same phone maybe you can give me a crash course on how to use it.” Yumi grinned as she started poking Kevin in his sides, making him giggle.

                “That’s ticklish, Yumi. Hahahaha.” Kevin laughed. Yumi couldn’t resist and started doing it even more because she thought it was cute hearing him giggle. “No…please…stop…hajima…HAJIMAAAAAA!” Kevin was able to escape her grasp and they both made their way up to the register to inquire on purchasing the phone.

                “Wow…I can’t believe this. My first smart phone…in Korea, no less! I don’t know what I’d do without your help. Thank you so much, Kevin!” Yumi burst out enthusiastically, hugging him tightly. He wasn’t expecting the hug, but he didn’t mind it in the least. Because of the unexpectedness of it, his baseball cap flew backwards from the impact of her hug, sending it behind him.

                “Is that really him?” A school girl, no older than fifteen, said to her friend.

                “It looks like him. Didn’t that girl just say his name was Kevin?” The other girl replied.

                “Why don’t we ask him when he comes out?” A third girl responded.

                “That better not be his girlfriend. Kevin’s my bias. How dare she touch him like that!” A fourth girl sneered.

                Kevin laughed as he broke apart from the hug, turning his body to pick up his baseball cap. Once he put it back on, they both walked towards the exit. Yumi was grinning from ear to ear, elated at making her first purchase in Korea.

                “Oh Kevin…” The fourth girl called out sweetly in Korean, making him turn towards her.

                “Huh? Um…Hi.” Kevin bowed slightly.

                “So, you’re him?” Another girl spoke up.

                “Him who? Hahaha.” Kevin replied.

                “KissMe. You should know what that is, right?” The third girl said calmly.

                “You’re right. You know my secret. Yes, I am Kevin. Nice to meet you all. How are you all doing? Having fun here at the mall?” Kevin smiled brightly. Instantly, the girls let out high-pitched squeals, making Yumi wonder what the heck was going on.

                “We’re good…EEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!” One of the girls spazzed out. This caused the others to emit ear-piercing screams. Kevin went to cover his ears and the girls covered their mouths, turning red at possibly embarrassing him.

                “Who’s the girl?” The fourth girl asked, a hint of malice in her tone.

                “Um…she’s a friend. Just helping her get ready for going back to school…” Kevin said in Korean, hoping the girls would drop the subject.

                “She doesn’t seem like ‘just a friend.’ “ A fifth girl snickered. Kevin started to turn red. This was not turning out well. He was trying to remain as calm as possible.

                “No, she’s just a friend; really. You know the only woman I have in my life are my KissMes.” Kevin explained, hoping to appease them.

                “Well, maybe you feel that way…but it didn’t look like she did.” A sixth girl pouted. Kevin bit his lip and just shrugged.

                “I’m sorry. I really need to get going. It was nice meeting you. Annyeong.” Kevin bowed slightly. The minute he turned around, one of the girls reached out and touched his hand. Shocked, Kevin did a 180 and faced the perpetrator.

                “If she can hug you, I should be able to as well, right?” A seventh girl boldly proclaimed.

                “Please don’t touch me. I really need to go. It was nice meeting you.” Kevin was a bundle of nerves at this point. It was taking all of his strength to keep his emotions in check. Yumi was still clueless as to what was going on since Kevin and the girls were conversing back and forth in Korean. She was hoping it was just her imagination, but it seemed as if she was getting some pretty ugly death stares from the girls that weren’t fixated on him.

                “How about a picture then?” An eighth girl whined. Kevin politely shook his head ‘no.’

                “Jebal, oppa!!!” A ninth girl added. Kevin started to slowly take a step backwards, trying to create some distance.

                “Mianhae. I really have to go…” Kevin made a cute sad face hoping that would shut them up.

                “Wae??? Oppa…Oppa!” A tenth girl cried out as again Kevin shook his head and started to turn around. He walked over to Yumi and motioned for her to start walking briskly. Not even a few steps later, one of the ten girls couldn’t stand the fact of him leaving and broke away from the group. Kevin immediately heard her footsteps and out of reflex, grabbed Yumi’s hand and held on to it tight.

                “Yumi…RUN!” Kevin called out to her. As soon as the school girls saw Kevin hold Yumi’s hand, they chased after them.