안녕하세요!

 Hello!

"I was wrong. It's really bad."

As soon as she stepped off the plane a group of people rushed up to her and dragged her into the security room of the airport. A flurry of rushed Korean and broken English flowed around her as they tried to tell her their interpreter was late.

I guess they didn't get the memo. Tess thought with a sigh.
The uproar lasted for about 30 seconds until Tess raised her hands and shouted.

"Gwaenchanh-ayo. Jega hangug-eoleul sseul su issseubnida!"
("It's ok. I can speak Korean!")

Everyone froze with their mouths hanging open until a man in the back started to laugh.

"I told you this before we left the office. We knew she was able to communicate. You people never listen." He said sighing.

Relief flowed over the others faces as they chuckled nervously.  

"Tess, we are the team you will be working with during the production of the show." A short plump man in a suit stated as he moved to shake her hand vigorously.

A woman with curly hair came forward with a smile of bright red.
"I'm sure you aren't aware that we have previously done a show similar to this with these boys. They had two women stay for one month of their three month stay here in Korea. It was quite the success and the groups popularity shot up."

The man that had first laughed, stepped to the front, pushing past the others in the room.

"Tess, it's nice to meet you finally. I am the boys manager." He shook her hand as well.

"Your stay is going to be quite different from our previous project. Lately a few members have had some... bad press. We've lost one member..."

A chorus of uncomfortable clearing of the throats made the man pause for only a moment, but then he pressed on.

"Another has gone for his military duties, and another is concentrating on his filming career. All in all there are ten members you will be interacting with." Tessa's eyes nearly bugged from her head at that.

A thirteen member group? Where am I going to live?

"There are also two members from the China sub group. You may not even meet them, but you will be living full time in the dorm with four of the guys, and going to their activities when it won't interrupt your studies."

He watched her face closely for recognition, but was satisfied in their decision when all he saw was worry.

"Don't worry. They also have their own set of conditions and contracts on how they can behave with you in the dorm. There shouldn't be any problems with that. There will also be at least one manager there with you at all times, as well as the cameras."

The woman spoke up again. "You will also have access to the stylist and makeup tech, just as the boys do. So don't worry about appearing on camera."

Tess nodded and bowed to the people around her.

"Kamsahabnida."

"Oh you speak very well. I'm so glad. The last time they all had such a hard time communicating smoothly. Well, not as much as we showed on the program but still, it's a relief." The woman said looking at the others.

Tess turned and bowed again. "Please take care of me. I will work hard."

"Good now you're about to meet the boys." The suited man said.

"They're waiting outside. We're having a time of it, keeping all the fans back."
"Don't let it startle you. Just walk toward me when you spot me." The manager said tugging on his bright orange hat.

"You'll see the guys standing together in front of a bus out in the parking lot directly across from the entrance of the lobby. All ten are here because we are filming them meeting you for the first time. Just behave normally and try not to look into the cameras, like the producers have already discussed with you before."

Tess nodded and gathered herself for the next step. "Of course." she said adjusting the strap of her bag over her shoulder.

He nodded sharply. "I will leave first then. I'll give you a call of when to come out." He said as he patted her arm and left. The others gathered around her and led her to the entrance of the terminal.

The first thing she heard as she walked through the glass doors into the bright warm day was a massive cresendo of girls screaming. Tess brought her hands up to shield her eyes from the sun and nearly staggered at all the people she saw standing in a wide semi-circle, from one side of the airport parking lot to the airport entrance. They were mostly girls, young girls she noticed, waving banners and signs, as well as blue balloons.

Tess looked forward and spotted the orange cap of the manager and a group of guys.
Correction, a group of very attractive guys. She thought as they drew closer, meeting in the middle of the cross walk.

Taking note of the cameras and the nervous expressions on the guys faces, Tess squared her shoulders and smiled brightly. I'm here now. She thought. Might as well do it right, to the end.

The group gathered together in front of her and together said, "Ulineun, syupeo junieoyo! !"

Tess laughed and greeted them, remembering her manners to the letter.

They all seemed shy at first, except for the one who took the lead and steered her towards the bus, talking all the while.
It was endearing to her and she started to feel that this experience would wind up being ok after all.
Now she just had to learn all of their names.

...

They made it back to the SBS studio parking lot and got off the bus still talking to one another loudly. Eeteuk, the leader of the group and owner of one killer dimple, helped her step down off the bus and kept a hold of her hand as the others followed.

"We will have to split up here." He said looking at their manager.

Hong PD nodded back. "Yes. You guys will go back first and I will bring Tess along with me, to get her situated. Tonight we will shoot the first entrance into the apartment, after you are all back from your schedule." He explained. 

Tess gently removed her hand from his and bowed to him. "Thank you Eeteuk-ssi. I will see you later."

He smiled at her and she felt her heart lighten. He was adorable, really.
The others called their good byes and climbed into their separate cars. 

"Well let's get going. You will have to wait to unpack until later, but we can get you through the security clearance before the cameras show up."

Tess smiled and followed him to the black van that sat waiting for them.

...

"This is the dorm you will be staying at." Hong PD said with a sweep of his arm.

Tessa's head went back as she looked up, and up the grey stone and glass building. "Wow that's big." She said in awe.

Hong PD laughed and steered her by placing a hand on the small of her back. She moved, closing so she wouldn't look any more foolish than she already did. They walked through the swiveling glass door and made their way down a hall to the security room at the end.
They processed her quickly and the supervisor led them up to the dorm she would be living in for the next few months.
He placed a special key into the door and instructed her to place her finger in the handle so it could save her finger print into the data base assuring her entry without one of the members having to be with her.

She was amazed at all the security, and especially the fingerprint recognition locks in the door. Considering all the markings from their fans beside the door of the apartment, she understood it was necessary for the boy's safety.

Tess was going to be living in the twelfth floor apartment.

Hong PD led her into one of the nicest looking apartments she'd ever seen.

"The guys all live here except for Siwon, who lives on his own. Kangin is fulfilling his military service and won't be back for two years. Kibum is the one pursuing his acting. You will be living here with Eeteuk, Heechul, Donghae and Shindong.  Don't worry, you will remember their names in time." He said smiling at her confused face.

He felt a moments worry due to the fact that she was pretty and the boy's definitely noticed, but it was done now and they all had to hope this went without a hitch.

He lead her to the room Han Geng used to occupy before the incident, and turned to her.

"This will be your room. It might be a bit uncomfortable for you all in the next few days. I hope we can get along with little trouble." He said not only for her benefit, but also as a warning.
He knew just as well as the others how some of the members would react to her presence.
Here's hoping Heechul will behave. Hong PD thought with a sigh.

Tess understood right away the meaning behind Hong PD's words. She figured this was the room of the member that had left. She felt bad about their situation, knowing how much it hurt to loose someone she could understand how they must feel.
She made a promise to her self right then to not disrespect anyone in the apartment, no matter what.

"The other members are directly below us on the eleventh floor, so if you ever need anything you can come find me there. Kim PD is the manager that will stay here. He stays with Shindong. " Hong PD said as they toured the others rooms.

She was highly impressed by how big the place seemed. "Is the apartment below us the same as this one?"  She asked curiosly.

"Almost the same." He answered. "The guys all have their own unique habits so I hope that won't be a problem. Just don't go into Shindongs room at night while he's in there." The PD said with a grimace.

Tess didn't think she wanted to know what caused him make such a face, so she kept that question to herself.

They toured the rest of the apartment and then Hong PD took her to the one on the eleventh floor, just to keep her informed because she would most likely end up there at some point during filming.
After that they still had time so he took her to a nearby restaurant where she surprisingly ordered dakbaeksuk and a bottle of Soju. Hong PD laughed when she took her first drink, as she made a god awful face. He told her that drinking was against policy, but that he'd let it go this once since it was her first time in Korea. She drank two shots and deemed it enough for now. She had a relativly good time talking with him considering he was much older and she was kind of shy. They got along well.

Sometime around 11 PM the guys all crowded together in the 12 th floor apartment finally finished with their schedules and, along with the camera crew, they filmed Tessa's entrance into the Super Junior dorm.

The coordinator, or Cordi as the guys called her, did touch ups to the boys makeup and then moved on to Tess, but after a moment of her just staring at the woman she declared Tess didn't need anything done as she wasn't wearing much makeup to begin with. That had everyone examining her skin and asking questions on how she took care of it. She laughed at how interested the guys were and answered all their questions patiently until it was time to begin filming.

They were sitting in the living room on the floor, a few guys were sitting on the couch that was pushed up against the big window at the back of the room. The guys were trying out some of the English they knew at the bequest of the director.

"So how old?" One of the guys started. He was relatively pretty in a sense, with sharp looking features. He seemed a bit hesitant talking to her.

"I'm 28 internationally, so 29."

A chorus of graons sounded from the guys, bringing forth a smile from every one not on camera.

"You look younger. We'll be calling you Nuna." He said with a smirk, dropping the English.

Tess smiled and nodded. "I don't mind, at least I don't have to call anyone Oppa. Right?"

The guys smirk fell from his face as the others laughed and one smacked his arm.

"Hyeong she got you there." Said a guy with a wide smile and dimples.

Tess smiled mischievously.

"Oh this Nuna's going to be trouble Heenim!" The larger of them said. His smile was infectious.
"I'm Shindong." he said shaking her hand.

"Ah. I've heard about you." She said and watched as his face grew red.

"What did you hear? Oh about his stripping! You better keep your eyes closed around here at night."
All the guys busted up about that statement made by a brightly smiling man.

He stood up and shook her hand as well. "I'm Eunhyuk, sorry Hyeong." He said the last to Shindong, who just waved it away.

"I do have a tendency to undress when it gets hot, but you don't have to worry Nuna, I don't come out of my room that way." Shindong explained. 

Tess just nodded and laughed along with every one. 

The man with the dimples stood and bowed. "Hello I am Choi Siwon, please don't mind Heechul Hyeong, he's like that to everyone." He said shaking her hand.

Tess nodded. "Oh really? Your Hee chul?" she asked turning to the sharp looking man with the smirk.
He nodded, not bothering to stand.

"I'm Kim Hee Chul." he said briskly. He sat on the floor with his legs stretched out, leaning back on his hands.
Tess smiled. He's different, but seems to be the most straightforward guy here. She thought to herself.

A silent looking youth bowed and greeted her with a smile. "Nunim, I'm Ryeowook. I live in the dorm downstairs."

Tess smiled at the honorific term, bowing as well.

So it went she greeted all the ten members, struggling to remember all the names floating about in her head, while they began the tour of the apartment for the viewers sake.

"This is mine and Eeteuks room." Donghae said leading Tess and the cameras into their room.
It was very distinct looking. To one side the bedding was a deep blue, and somewhat organized, and the other sported white every where. The computer, the desk, the bedding even the key board was white.

"Is white your favorite color Eeteuk-ssi?" She asked turning to the groups leader.

He grinned at her and nodded. "Yes I don't feel right without a lot of white."

Tess nodded in understanding. "It makes you feel comfortable." She said in a non committal way, but it still caught his attention. Most people were calling it weird at that point.

They toured the rest of the place and showed her the room she would occupy. Tess didn't miss the fact that Hee Chul was no where to be found at that time. So he was the closest to Han Geng.

 Early in the morning hours the camera crew finally wrapped up and allowed the dorm to go back to relative normalcy.

The guys asked her if she'd eaten, then a chorus of stomach rumbles came from a few of them.

She laughed and asked if they would allow her to fix something. They all made a big show of refusing due to her having traveled all day and she must be tired. She waved their protests away and proceeded to the kitchen to cook fried chicken with kimchi as a side dish.

They all were pleased with her efforts and sat around on the living room floor eating and marveling at how well she cooked and spoke their language. Even Hee Chul had to admit the chicken was tasty.
They laughed and , she'd even managed to pull out a few jokes that had them rolling.

It was a unanimous decision from the members that they would all camp out there for the night, and  they laid out where ever a spot could be found, just this once.

Tess retreated to her room and quietly closed the door behind her. Exhaustion and jet lag were catching up to her finally, and she sighed as she sunk into the bed. She didn't even take her hair down from it's bun, she was so tired.

As she drifted off to sleep, she smiled.
Her first day in Korea was quite exciting. She couldn't wait to see what the next few months would bring.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dakbaeksuk (Steamed Chicken)
Put various ingredients that are good for the body, such as ginseng, ginkgo nuts, and jujube in the chicken and steam for a long time. This dish is usually for restorative food and during hot summer days. It's a low cost, mildly spiced dish.

우리는 슈퍼 주니어 요!  = We are Super Junior!