Chapter 10

Glancing around the small café, he walked in a bit before stopping again. Looking for a baby blue headband, he finally spotted it in a corner and walked over to the table. He was nervous, and his palms were slick with sweat. But he followed through and with an awkward clearing of his voice; he sat down at the table.

“Finally we, uh.” The American stopped talking as she looked into his face and froze. Minho smiled awkwardly.

“Maddie?”

“Um, yeah,” she managed to say breathlessly and then snapped her eyes shut. When she reopened them, he smiled weakly at her and nodded. “You’re kidding?”

“Nope.”

“Wait, is this some kind of joke? I mean for Christ’s sakes you’re…” She looked around them and then lent forward. “Choi Minho from SHINee!”

“And you’re Madderkins, from the forum right?”

“Of course, but that doesn’t cross for anything spectacular compared to, oh my god, you read my fiction!”

“To me, meeting you is of great importance. After all, ever since I read that fiction, I think I have lost my mind!” he told her honestly and the girl shook her head slowly, and then stared at him. He blushed a little and then tilted his head away. “Besides, my username was pretty obvious.”

“You do know how many fans use their favourite idols names and birthdates to create equally similar usernames, right?” She shook her head again. “Unbelievable.”

“They do?”

The girl gave him a look and then frowned. “I don’t get why you’re meeting me.”

“Like I said, you’ve made me go crazy!”

“How? Did you actually believe in it?” He didn’t reply instantly and the brunette was shocked. “You did?!”

“Well it matched everything going around us! Onew was cranky, I caught Taemin watching , Jonghyun tried to save a dead plant, and Key brought lady’s underwear into our house! Of course it seemed to hit home well!”

Maddie was silent for a moment before she started to laugh. He waited for her to stop, and realise the situation for what it was worth. She noticed his expression and leant across to him again. “You’re serious about this.”

“Deadly. And what I just told you, no one else knows. Aish, this was a stupid idea.”

“No wait!” Maddie called as he went to get up. Minho stopped and looked at the girl. “I’m sorry. I just, it was fiction. I didn’t expect you to read it and think it was real. But it does speak for my skill at being realistic.”

“Have you seen the article about last night?”

“The one about yourself and Max and Kyuhyun? Yeah.” She nodded.

“That’s because I became aware of how many people were standing there thinking of me as a hyung-, well you know what I’m saying.” He blushed, not wanting to say it in front of the girl.

She looked amused again. “But people still will.”

“I’m trying to stop it.”

“Why?” He looked at her incredulously but Maddie smiled warmly. “You took my fiction and saw you and your friends with flaws. Why do you think so many people love SHINee and love KPOP? International fans don’t understand Korean culture as well as you do. We have differences that stem misconception. But believe me when I say this. Girls love that Key’s so in tune with them. They love Taemin for being the cute guy and fantasise about making him corrupted. They love Jonghyun for his voice, body and crazy habits. Onew is a great leader, and cheers up many fans with just one smile and melts them with his manners. And people love how you show how much you love your friends. So it gets a little crazy and people joke around. But that’s what it is Minho. I don’t think of you being how you are with your friends because you want to be in love with them.”

He nodded, slowly soaking in her words, receiving yet another lesson from the American. He decided he liked her more now that he wasn’t so worried that she was also questioning his uality.

“Wow,” Maddie breathed and then smiled. “I never expected I’d be giving advice to Choi Minho of all people.”

“I’m sure I just made you feel happy to do so.”

She beamed. “You have picked up on my personality a little. But it wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t get a photo to prove that I helped you.”

“It would be an honour to get a photo with you, Maddie.”

She blushed and he smiled. Maddie then frowned again. “Do you read fictions there often? Cos, I think mine is much tamer than what else is posted. You haven’t read any ones?”

“No, yours was the only one I could get into.”

“What were you doing even reading it?”

He sighed, thinking back on the prank Key played on him. “It’s a long story, but it involved a desire to learn English.”

“You converse pretty well now.”

“I started taking a more practical way in learning it by attending classes.”

“So you won’t come back for my sequel then to learn more?” she teased, Minho looking at her worriedly. She laughed and pulled out her phone to take the photos instead. “Maybe I can write about meeting a famous idol in a coffee shop?”

“As long as he’s not forever with his hyungs.”

Maddie grinned. “Maybe he can have a thing for lady’s underwear instead?”

“You’re going to send me completely crazy!”

“As a writer it’s my job to pull the emotion out of my readers,” she said with a laugh and he couldn’t help but join in, knowing that he would be careful not to read between the lines of fiction ever again.

The End.

_______
Author's Notes...
This fiction is finally finished! Thank you to everyone who waited patiently for it's conclusion and enjoyed it! I'd love to hear your thoughts! Also, thanks so much to my friend Maddie who inspired me to pick this fiction back up and complete it. Means a lot :) 

Hopefully going to be coming out with a VIXX story soon... watch this space!