Everything was happening in a blur. Kevin tried his best not to bump into anyone as they weaved in and out of objects and people. He felt bad because he knew that Yumi was short and wouldn’t be able to keep up with him. He knew he was probably getting stares from all kinds of people, but that was the least of his worries. Kevin’s body started to kick into “fight or flight” mode, and it was definitely the latter. Trying to find an exit or a place they could dash into was first and foremost in his mind. There wasn’t much distance to lose the girls just yet. Both of them were running for a good ten minutes, and Kevin could feel a burning sensation in his lungs. Most of the stores that were joined next to each other held no exit besides where one would enter the store. He was starting to panic. They probably would have had a better chance of escaping if Eli was still with them. Unfortunately, Kevin made the mistake of glancing behind him to see how far away the girls were.

                “Kevin….KEVIN!” Yumi screamed, but it was too late. His body came into direct contact with a vendor stand in the middle of the mall floor. Baseball caps went flying everywhere and the owner of the stand barely escaped being caught in the middle. The school girls immediately stopped in their tracks, gasping in shock as their hands went over their mouths. Yumi looked in their direction to see if they were still going to pursue, but upon everyone in the general vicinity stopping to see what the commotion was all about, the girls didn’t dare move a step forward.

                “What were you thinking? Look what you made Oppa do!” The first girl screeched at the one who started all this mess.

                “Mianhae. I couldn’t help it. It’s not fair that she got to hug him.” She cried, cowering in the presence of the other nine girls.

                “I hope you’re happy! Let’s get out of here before someone starts asking questions.” The sixth girl said as the others agreed. Quickly they started to disperse in the opposite direction.

                “Are you alright, sir?” The owner of the vendor stand asked Kevin in Korean. Kevin immediately put his hand up to his head, trying to stop the stars he was seeing.

                “Yeah…I’m fine. Are they gone?” Kevin replied slowly in Korean, trying to gain his bearing.

                “Is who gone?” The owner asked, looking around.

                “Kevin, oh my goodness…are you okay? You seemed to have hit that pole pretty hard.” Yumi exclaimed, crouching down on her knees to be eye level with him.

                “A little shaken, but I’ll be okay. How are you? Where are the girls now?” Kevin spoke as he closed his eyes to try and focus on lessening the pain.

                “Apparently they were yelling at each other once they saw you fall and left. So, can I assume we don’t have to run anymore? Who were those girls anyway?” Yumi asked in confusion. As soon as Kevin put his hand down from his face, Yumi gasped in shock.

                “What? Is something wrong?” Kevin’s eyes fluttered open, wondering what could have caused her outburst.

                “Your face! You have a cut on your cheek. Does it hurt?” Yumi said as she cautiously reached out with her fingers and touched the abrasion. Kevin’s hand went to touch the same spot, but because of his dizziness, he touched part of her hand, causing Yumi to flinch.

                “Here…let me help you with that.” Yumi spoke to the owner in English. She didn’t know if he understood or not, but she started picking up the baseball caps one-by-one and handing them to him. He smiled and bowed slightly. Both the owner and Yumi offered a hand to Kevin. He looked at them warily, but obliged and slowly was lifted up to a standing position.

                 “Jongmal miyan humnida.” Kevin sincerely apologized. The owner scoffed and waved his hand, not knowing why Kevin was the one to apologize.

                “No need to say ‘sorry.’ I hope you feel better. Please, accept one of my hats as a gift.” The owner smiled, motioning with his hand for Kevin to pick one. “I’ll even let you get one for your pretty girlfriend, too.” He continued, with a twinkle in his eye.

                “Oh…she’s not my girlfriend…” Kevin blushed profusely. The owner gave him a look that said otherwise. “I feel bad about not paying for your merchandise, though. I was the one who caused this mess. I don’t mind paying. Honest.” Kevin pulled out his wallet, showing that he would easily offer the amount for both caps.

                “Please…I insist!” The owner smiled, gently pushing Kevin’s hand away. Kevin motioned for Yumi to pick out a baseball cap. Browsing over the selection, she innocently pointed at one that Kevin couldn’t help but grin like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. It was a black trucker’s cap with a kitty cat face on it: sky blue eyes, white whiskers and nose, with its tongue sticking out.

                “That looks adorable on you, Yumi! It suits you very well.” Kevin being playful pulled it down on her head as Yumi looked up with a coy expression.

                “Meow!” Yumi winked at Kevin, making him giggle and gently pat her head. “In all seriousness, though…which one are you going to pick?” She asked as Kevin shrugged and started meandering through the plentiful selection.

                “I don’t know…which one should I choose? There’s so many. I don’t want to go for a flashy one.” Kevin almost blurted out about being recognized, but decided on seeing if she questioned what happened first.

                “How about this one?” Yumi held up a navy blue army cap with silver studs. Kevin gave a thumbs up to her selection and after trying to persuade the owner to accept payment (to no avail), the two of them made their way further down the mall.

                “Well, that was quite an adventure. I think we should head back to Jayne’s apartment. Let me see if I can get a hold of Eli first. I’ll keep calling the guys to see if one of them can pick us up. Worse scenario is we’ll have to take the train. I think I need to sit down for a bit, though.” Kevin said as both of them looked around for a place to relax. “Hey, here’s a TGI Fridays. How about we grab a quick bite while I make some calls in case we have to wait.” Yumi nodded and after walking up to the host, they were seated within a few minutes.

                “So, what do you suggest we should eat? How soon are we going to leave?” Yumi asked as Kevin thought for a moment.

                “I wouldn’t get a full meal. How about we settle for an appetizer instead. That should come out fairly quickly, don’t you think?” Kevin replied as Yumi nodded and looked over the selection on the menu.

                “Hey,…they have a Jack Daniel’s sampler. That sounds pretty yummy. Would that be good for us to share?” Yumi said as she showed Kevin the description. He smiled and dug out his cell phone from his pocket. When the waiter came to their table, Yumi placed the order along with drinks for the both of them.

                “I’m going to see if I can get a hold of Eli. I’m not trying to be rude, okay?” Kevin explained as he looked for his number in his contact list. Yumi decided to look at the instruction booklet for her iPhone to pass the time. Kevin pressed the phone up to his ear as soon as he placed the call to Eli’s phone.

                “Yeboseyo?” Eli answered on the third ring.

                “Hey, Eli. Listen, I hate to bother you since I know you went to pick up Jenna from work. Um…Yumi and I are at the TGI Friday restaurant in the mall. We got chased by some saesang school girls. We’re safe for the moment, but would there be any chance you could swing by and pick us up?” Kevin spoke in Korean, not wanting Yumi to freak out.

                “Are you serious? That . You know I would be there in a heartbeat, but unfortunately I’m stuck in rush-hour traffic. Maybe try calling the others and if you get no answer, call me back right away and I’ll make my way over as quick as I can.” Eli replied. Kevin could hear Jenna asking questions in the background.

                “No problem, Eli. I think I’ll call Soo and see what him and Jayne are up to. I’ll send you a text as soon as I know what’s going on.” Kevin frowned before hanging up the phone.

                “Any luck?” Yumi asked, seeing Kevin search in his phone for another number.

                “Eli’s stuck in traffic. I’m going to call Soohyun and see what he’s up to.” Kevin stated as the waiter came back with their sodas. After taking a sip of his soda, Kevin placed the call to Soohyun’s cell phone. It kept ringing and ringing until it finally went to his voicemail. “Um…hey Soo, it’s Kevin. Listen, it’s an emergency, so as soon as you get this message give me a call back. Thanks, bye.” Kevin hung up, a bit frustrated. Wondering who he could call next, he decided on calling AJ.

                “Yeboseyo?” AJ answered, making Kevin sigh in relief.

                “AJ, it’s Kevin. Listen, I’m at the Coex Mall and I just got chased by some crazy saesang school girls. I’m hiding in the TGI Fridays. Think you might be able to come by and pick me up? Eli was with me, but he left to go get Jenna from work.” Kevin spoke rapidly in Korean.

                “Woah, Kevin…calm down. What happened? You’re at the mall? I just got done recording at the studio and am with manager hyung. We’ll be there in about 15-20 minutes. Will you be okay until then?” AJ asked, worry in his voice.

                “Yeah, the girls aren’t chasing me anymore. I decided to order a quick bite to eat while I was taking refuge here in the restaurant. Text me when you’re in the parking garage and I’ll meet you there.” Kevin replied. Two minutes later he hung up, just as the appetizer was being brought to their table. “Kamsamnida. May I have the check please?” He addressed the waiter. The waiter nodded and after grabbing his notepad and locating their order, he placed it on the table. Kevin pulled out his credit card and the waiter took it to process the transaction.

                “Mmmm…this tastes so good!” Yumi sighed contently. Kevin grinned and took a bite from the sample plate.

                “Wow…this is delicious. Good choice, Yumi! I have some good news. My coworker, AJ, is going to pick us up. We have enough time to finish this before he should be here. Once he texts me, we’ll make our way to the parking garage to get picked up. Sound like a plan?” Kevin asked as Yumi some sauce off her fingers.

                “Well that’s a relief! You should probably let Eli know, right? That way he won’t be thinking he has to pick us up.” Yumi responded. Kevin wiped his hands on his napkin and reached for his phone.

                “Thank you for reminding me! What would I do without you?” Kevin winked at Yumi, making her blush. Just as both of them were finishing up eating their appetizer, the waiter came back with Kevin’s credit card and receipt for him to sign. Kevin scribbled his signature and tip amount before placing his card back in his wallet. They made small talk in the booth until Kevin received a text from AJ letting him know that he and the manager were pulling up to the mall’s parking lot. “It’s time to go.” Kevin announced. The two of them made their way to the entrance and Kevin started to get a bit paranoid. Making sure that Yumi was close by and wouldn’t get lost in the chance that the girls would return, he motioned for her to put her baseball cap on as he did the same. After slipping on his sunglasses, he reached out and held her hand as they started walking at a medium pace to the parking garage. It took them about ten minutes to reach the underground parking lot and once they were out of the mall, Kevin placed a call to AJ’s phone to let him know where to pick them up.

                “Thank you so much for picking us up!” Kevin said excitedly as him and Yumi climbed into the van. AJ and the manager looked at Yumi with a puzzled expression; especially since Kevin had explained about being chased by saesang girls.

                “Um…Kevin…who is the girl?” AJ asked in Korean.

                “Oh…guess introductions would be nice, huh?” Kevin laughed nervously. “AJ and manager hyung, this is Jayne’s former student. She flew over with Jayne because she is a foreign exchange student to Pai Chai University. Eli and I decided to take her to the mall to show her around town. Everything was fine until he left to go pick up Jenna from work.”

                “Where is he now?” Their manager asked as he pulled out from the parking lot to make the way to Jayne’s apartment.

                “He said he’s stuck in rush-hour traffic. I sent him a text letting him know you guys were picking us up.” Kevin replied as AJ waved and did a small bow to Yumi. Yumi waved and greeted him back.

                “Well, it shouldn’t take us long to get to Jayne’s apartment from here; maybe twenty minutes. Does Soohyun and Jayne know we’re on our way to see them?” Manager hyung asked.

                “I called him right after I got off the phone with Eli. It went straight to his voicemail, but I told him to call me as soon as he got the message. Hopefully he will before we get there.” Kevin said as he settled back into his seat.

***

                Soohyun slowly blinked his eyes open and realized the bedroom was starting to get dark in Jayne’s apartment. Reaching over for his phone to look at the time, he realized he had a missed call from Kevin. Rubbing his eyes, he leaned over and kissed Jayne on the forehead, causing her to stir in her sleep.

                “Time to get up, jagiya. I’m sure it won’t be long before Eli, Kevin, and Yumi will be back from going to the mall.” Soohyun said as Jayne started to wake up. Just as Jayne sat up in her bed, she noticed a frown on Soohyun’s face.

                “What’s the matter, yeobo?” Jayne asked with concern in her voice.

                “Seems like Kevin called while we were asleep and it sounds pretty urgent. I’m going to give him a call back and make sure everything is okay.” Soohyun replied as Jayne went to the bathroom to freshen up.

                “Yeboseyo?” Kevin answered.

                “Kevin, is everything okay? I’m sorry I didn’t get your call earlier. I was taking a nap. Where are you?” Soohyun asked as he made his way into Jayne’s living room.

                “Eli left to go pick Jenna up from work. AJ and manager hyung picked Yumi and I up from the mall. We shouldn’t be more than five minutes from arriving. I’ll explain everything momentarily.” Kevin explained as Soohyun picked up Jinx and placed her on his lap as he sat on the couch.

                “Okay, I’ll see you in a few minutes then.” Soohyun said and then hung up the phone. Jayne sauntered into the living room and sat down next to him.

                “What’s going on? Did you get a hold of Kevin?” Jayne asked as Soohyun nodded.

                “They’ll be here in about five minutes.” Soohyun explained as Jayne rested her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her body and placed a kiss on her forehead. Jayne started petting Jinx and planting kisses on the back of her head. Just as they were getting comfortable, the buzzer to the intercom came to life. “Well, they’re here.” Soohyun sighed as Jayne unwrapped herself from his embrace. Walking over to the intercom, she buzzed them in and a few minutes later she opened the door.

                “We’re back.” Kevin said warmly after he gave Jayne a hug. Yumi and AJ filed in after him and Jayne did a double take as she went to close the door.

                “AJ…is that you?” Jayne cried out in disbelief.

                “The one and only.” AJ grinned. Jayne wrapped her arms around him and he picked her up, squeezing her tight. Jayne burst out into tears as this was her first time seeing him since his trip to New York for his school semester at Columbia University. “Oh, Jayne…don’t cry. You’re going to make me do the same.” AJ whispered in her ear as he set her down. She wouldn’t let go of him right away and he held on to her until she let go to wipe the tears from her eyes.

                “I’m sorry. I’ve just missed you so much. I’m so glad you’re back!” Jayne said as she tried to steady her breathing. “Wait a minute…I’m confused…where’s Eli? AJ…why are you here?”

                “Um…I think Kevin can explain that.” AJ said as everyone glanced in Kevin’s direction.

                “Why don’t we sit down…” Kevin started to say before Jayne gasped in horror. “What? Is something wrong?” Kevin asked, perplexed.

                “What in the world happened to your face, Kevin? Are you okay? That looks like a nasty cut. Let me run to the bathroom and see what I have for it. Everyone sit down. I’ll be right back.” Jayne motioned to everyone. They obeyed and Jayne searched for items in her first-aid kit. Returning back to the living room, she sat next to Kevin on the couch and started grabbing items to cleanse his wound. She gave Kevin a look that told him he better start explaining what happened before she had to drag it out of him.

                “Um…where do I start? Well, first of all, we went to the Coex Mall. Eli, Yumi, and I were hanging out and Jenna texted Eli. He went to go pick her up from work. Once he left, Yumi and I went to the Apple store to get her a phone and as we were leaving was when we got chased by saesang school girls. Running away from them, I made the mistake of looking behind me to see if they were still chasing us and ran face first into a vendor stand in the middle of the mall. Hence this cut on my face. Once the girls saw me get knocked down, they got scared and ran away. Yumi and I went to the TGI Friday’s restaurant to get some privacy. I called Eli but after he picked up Jenna he got stuck in rush-hour traffic. I called your phone next, Soo, but it went to voicemail. AJ was next on my list and he had just got out of recording; so him and manager hyung came over and picked us up…which leads us to being here…” Kevin trailed off as Soohyun and Jayne’s eyes became wide in shock.

                “Are you guys okay?” Soohyun asked both Kevin and Yumi. Kevin acted as if nothing happened but Yumi remained silent.

                “Yumi, are you sure you’re okay? I bet that was quite an experience you had to go through. I’m sorry that had to happen to you not even being here in Korea for a few hours.” Jayne asked after applying some hydrocortisone cream and dressing to the cut on Kevin’s face.

                “I guess so. I’m just confused about all of this. Why were we chased by a bunch of school girls? It didn’t seem like they wanted me to be anywhere near Kevin…” Yumi said softly. Jayne, Soohyun, and AJ looked at Kevin as they were putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

                “Kevin…she doesn’t know…does she?” Soohyun asked as Kevin shook his head.

                “I didn’t tell her. Jayne, did you?” Kevin asked meekly as Jayne slowly shook her head.

                “That would explain her confusion.” AJ spoke up.

                “Ahem…I’m right here. What is this thing you’re referring to that I’m unaware of?” Yumi said.

                “Um…Yumi…how do I explain this. The reason you were chased by those school girls is because Kevin, AJ, Soohyun, Eli, and three other guys are part of a KPop idol group.” Jayne started to explain. Yumi still looked clueless after a minute or two. “They’re a famous boy band. Singers. Pop music… that’s why the girls didn’t want you near Kevin. They probably thought you were his girlfriend. We call them ‘saesang’ because they are crazy girls that have no respect for their privacy. They’re not normal fans. They’re a bit sick in the head with their obsession.”

                “Ooooohhhhhh. No wonder they were giving me death looks…” Yumi whispered.

                “This is my entire fault. I’m so sorry, Yumi.” Kevin apologized as Yumi looked at him like he had two heads.

                “It’s not your fault those girls were crazy. Why are you blaming yourself? I have you to thank for saving me. My height doesn’t help matters any and you made sure I wasn’t going to get trampled or worse by them!” Yumi rebutted as Kevin started to blush.

                “Is manager hyung waiting outside?” Soohyun asked.

                “No, he dropped us off since he saw your car. I hope that’s okay. I guess you want us to get going, huh, Jayne?” AJ said as Jayne raised her eyebrow.

                “You most certainly will not without having some dinner first. The last thing I’m going to do is push you out of here after you all came from such a traumatic experience. Take a breather and let me prepare something for you all to eat.” Jayne got up and headed for the kitchen. Once Soohyun had inspected Kevin’s face, he gave him a gentle pat on the back before wandering into the kitchen to see if Jayne needed any help.

                “I’m sorry to hear about that, Kevin. Guess it’s a good thing you were able to get a hold of me, huh?” AJ said quietly as Kevin nodded his head. “I have to use the restroom. Excuse me.” AJ got up, leaving Kevin and Yumi on the couch.

                “While Jayne is making dinner, I was thinking maybe you could help me figure out how to use my iPhone?” Yumi asked shyly as Kevin smiled. The two of them made their way to Jayne’s guest room where Yumi would be staying until her dorm room at the university was ready.

                “Poor Yumi…I hope she’s okay. How horrible that must have been for her to go through. I hope Kevin’s face heals okay.” Jayne sighed to Soohyun as they started looking through the cupboards to figure out what to prepare for dinner.

                “My thoughts exactly. Good thing we have makeup artists to help cover that up on Kevin’s face. If it doesn’t heal within the next day or so, we might have to get him to see a doctor.” Soohyun said seriously. AJ joined Jayne and Soohyun in the kitchen once he was done, where he talked about his experience in New York to Jayne while the dinner was being made. Twenty minutes later the meal was complete and Soohyun decided to go find Kevin and Yumi. Making his way to Jayne’s spare room that was the perfect size for a study room, he heard a muffled conversation behind the door. Gently knocking and peeking his head inside, he saw Kevin jump at the intrusion.

                 “Oh my gosh, Soohyun…you almost gave me a heart attack.” Kevin giggled nervously. Kevin was literally next to Yumi explaining the features on the iPhone before Soohyun opened the door.

                “My apologies. Just thought I would let you two know that dinner is ready.” Soohyun said as they both nodded. He left the door open and walked back to the kitchen where he was trying to contain his laughter. Both AJ and Jayne looked quizzically at him, wondering what was making Soohyun act this way.

                “What’s so funny?” Jayne whispered, trying not to make her question be heard.

                “I think Kevin might have a crush on Yumi…” Soohyun said in a low whisper, making AJ and Jayne look at each other and then back at Soohyun.

                “Are you serious? Nu uh…don’t joke about that.” Jayne gasped as she lightly tapped Soohyun’s arm. Soohyun gave them a look letting them know he was serious.

                “Not a word…not one single word!” Jayne pointed at both of the guys moments before Kevin and Yumi walked into the dining room area. AJ and Soohyun helped set the table and moments later all of them were feasting on bibimbap. Two hours later after letting their stomachs settle from their meal and catching Yumi up to speed on everything about U-Kiss, Soohyun mentioned that he was going to leave and take Kevin and AJ back to their respective homes.

                “It was nice meeting you, Yumi. I hope you enjoy your time here in Korea. Once you move into the dorms at Pai Chai, if you ever need someone to talk to, I’ll be more than happy to help you. I just got back from a semester at Columbia University, so I can relate to what you’ll be going thru.” AJ said as he gave Yumi a friendly hug.

                “Thank you so much, AJ. I appreciate that. Any friends I can have before starting my semester is always a plus!” Yumi replied.

                “It was good seeing you, Jayne. Welcome back!” AJ said as he gave her a warm hug goodbye.

                “I’m so glad I was able to finally see you! Don’t be a stranger now.” Jayne hugged back as she gave him a peck on his cheek.

                “I can’t stop apologizing for what happened, Yumi. I know it’s not my fault, but I still feel responsible in a way…” Kevin sighed as he faced Yumi.

                “Oh stop it, Kevin. Just let it go already.” Yumi stuck her tongue out at him.

                “Um,..is it okay if I get your number? That way we can video call each other since we have the same phones. I can explain more on how you can use your phone.” Kevin said shyly. Yumi handed him her phone and Soohyun nudged Jayne to look in their direction.

                “You are so bad. Leave them be.” Jayne giggled as she let go of AJ and gave Soohyun a hug. Before he could say another word, she gave him a passionate kiss goodbye. Soohyun soon forgot about Kevin and Yumi and focused on his kiss with Jayne instead.

                “Awesome. Well, I have your number now so I’ll be in touch soon. If you have any questions before I’m able to explain anything further on this phone, just ask Jayne. She should have an iPhone as well.” Kevin mumbled as Yumi nodded. He playfully pulled the baseball cap down on Yumi’s face making her squeal at it started to cover her eyes. She pushed it back up and shot Kevin a playful glare. “Mianhae…mianhae.” Kevin giggled. Yumi was about to attack him, but Kevin gave her a quick hug, rendering her defenseless.

                “Okay, are we ready to go guys?” Soohyun asked as Kevin immediately broke apart from the hug.

                “Yeah. We’re ready.” Kevin spoke up, trying to act nonchalant.

                “Annyeong Jayne and Yumi. Have a great night. I’ll call you when I get home.” Soohyun said as he gave Jayne one last peck on the lips before heading out the door. AJ followed and Kevin was about to cross the threshold when Jayne grabbed the back of his shirt.

                “Leaving without a goodbye hug? I don’t think so!” Jayne smirked as Kevin started to turn a crimson red. He easily gave her the hug she was wanting. “You better behave yourself, Kebin.” Jayne whispered in his ear, making Kevin look away from her. She turned his face in her direction to inspect the TLC she gave it earlier. “Let me know how it heals in the next day or so, please.” Jayne said as she held his chin in her hand. He nodded and gave her one last hug before he left to join AJ and Soohyun.