"Why would you want that damn boat?" Anna cried for the last time.  "You are a star.  A run down boat in your yard, do you know how bad publicity it will be?"

I closed my eyes.  "What bad publicity?  No one there knowswho i am" i said and Ana just stared at me.  I laughed at her expression.  I could understand where she was coming from. 

I was quite well known in America.  My movies had done fairly well.  People expected me to live a life of luxury and a rundown boat in my backyard would indeed look weird.

But the rundown boat was the very reason I had strived so hard to make it big.

“You are known all over the world, Sherry, not only in the US” she said as a feeble argument.

“No one knows my hometown Anna.” I said in a bored tone.  “And people from my hometown wouldnever recognize me”

“I can agree there” Anna chuckled and I narrowed my eyes at her.

I threw a pillow at her on the other end of the sofa and it caught her right in the face.

“What? As though they could imagine the fatty and the pimpled face with a boy cut would be the Hollywood superstar Sherry”

I just rolled my eyes and slumped in the seat. 

“Just get me the tickets” I said and closed my eyes.

“Yah! Lee Taemin” I heard Key Hyung shout.  My eyes jerked open and I saw him at my door, my clothes in his hands. Damn!

“How many times do I tell you not to throw you clothes all over the house” he shouted.  I cringed.  He can be very scary.

“Am sorry.  Am not feeling very well” I said, feeling my head heavy.  Key got concerned and came over to feel my temperature.

“Taeminnie!  You have a fever” he said with concern in his eyes.  I just yawned and went right back to sleep.

“What the hell is this noise so early in the morning, Key” Onew Hyung came in and saw Key hyung’s worried face. 

“Taemin’s got a fever” he said and Onew hyung nodded.  “Let him sleep.  He has nothing scheduled for today as it is” I heard Onew Hyung say then I heard footsteps at the door.

“We should let his mum know if it’s not down by the evening I heard Key Hyung say before they closed the door.

Ji-Ara’s POV

The flight home was uneventful, except that I could not stop being nervous.  After what would seem like almost eight years I will be going back there.

Once in the rented car, I drove towards my hometown.  Since Anna was sleeping, and I needed company, I the radio and my heart almost skipped a beat. That voice!

I closed my eyes for a split second to push back the tears that had formed.  I will not cry.  I hurriedly plugged my iPhone in and the soothing music of River flows in You started playing.  I smiled.  I had totally fallen in love with this song.

Once at my place, I parked the car at the back alley so that people won’t notice and we entered the house. Ana was shocked to see the small house I grew up in.

We unpacked and I made some instant noodles. “OMG!!!!!” her shriek came from my bedroom. 

I hurried and saw her looking at a picture.  OMG! My mum didn’t take out the pictures on my wall.  The whole wall facing my bed was covered with pictures of me with the people I love the most.  Incidentally I cringed at the one she was holding.

“That’s Shinee’s Taemin!!!!!!!!” she shrieked again and I had to shush her.  “People would think something is wrong.”

“Is that him?” she asked, eyes still glued to the picture. 

“Yes that’s him.  Now calm down” I said and snatched the picture and placed it on the wall again.

“You know him?” she asked, incredulous.  She was Shinee’s big fan and I had always been careful not to let her know I knew Taemin. 

“I don’t, but he came to shoot in our town when he had first debuted.  So I took a pic with him” I said dismissively, trying my best to hide the pain in my eyes. 

“Come on now, am hungry” I said and dragged her to the dining room.  We were just about to have dinner when I heard knocking at the door.  We both froze.

The media could not know I was here right?

Anna carefully opened the door and almost shouted.  I roll my eyes.  She is so authoritative she forgot she did not know Korean!

She hurried inside and blabbed “A woman, with a pan in hand.  She nearly took a swing at me” she said and I hurried outside.

I halted at the woman in front of me.  Still so young and very brave.  My eyes misted and I walked towards her for a hug but she step back, confused and held the pan a little bit tighter.

“What are you doing in this house?” she asked in Korean.  I almost laughed. 
“Kwang Soon Ajumma, it’s me, Ji-Ara” I said and she froze. 

I knew she would not believe me.  The last time she saw me I had incredibly short hair with baggy clothes, not to mention I was super chubby.  Today I was wearing skinny jeans with a cami.

I took Anna’s hoodie, pulled back my hair and removed my heels.  “Remember me?” I asked and she loosened her grip on the pan a little.

“Ji-Ara?” she asked tentatively and I smiled, making sure my dimples could be seen.  Teary eyed, she dropped the pan and we hugged.

“Is that really you?” she asked, still staring at me.  I laughed awkwardly. 

“Ajumma, you are making me shy” I said, blushing.

Anna cleared and I remembered to make introductions.

“That’s Anna, my manager” I said “And this is my neighbor, Mrs. Kwang Soon”.  I intentionally did not mention she was Taemin’s mother.

After a hot cup of tea, I asked ajumma “How’s my mother?”

Kwang Soon looked forlorn just then.  “Still the same.” She said. “Where did you go off to, Ji-Ara?  We looked for you everywhere.” She said and I glanced at the ground, not being able to meet her eyes.

“I know I left a big burden on you” I said.  After I was gone, she was the only one to really look after my mother. I was of course paying my mother’s bill at the best hospital in town, but I knew she needed someone to be there for her, and Kwang Soon ajumma had been there.

“I cannot thank you enough for your help, Ajumma” I said and held both her hands.

“Enough being sad now” she said, always positive.  I smiled at that.  She has not changed at all.

“Tell me about you.  Your mother told me you went to the states to study.  How did you change so much” she asked, looking at me again.

“It was really expensive there, so I took up modeling assignments to finance my studies and soon got a role in a movie.” I said and I could see it in her eyes, proud.  I smiled.

“Taemin’s done well too, you know” she said tentatively and I nodded.  I glanced at Anna, she was still in the bedroom, lying down and listening to music.  Good that she had not heard Taemin’s name.

“I am sorry for everything that happened.” She said and I shook my head.
“You have nothing to apologize for”

_______________________________________________________

SHINee's Dorm - the next day

Key's POV

“He just needs some rest.  Being cramped up here is making him homesick.” Mr Kang, our doctor said after the checkup.  I glanced at Taemin, he was still sleeping.

“Are you sure doc? Will he get better?” I asked him.  He nodded. 

“He probably just needs a change of environment, away from the busy schedules” Mr. Kang said and started walking towards the door.

I glanced back and saw Onew hyung walking him outside.  I turned back to Taeminnie.  Manager hyung was sitting beside him, worried.

“We cannot have him sick” he was saying in a low voice. 

Minho entered the room just then and frowned. 

“What could we do?” he asked, concerned.

“Probably get some time off.” Manager hyung said to our surprise.  We are in the middle of our album promotions and he wants a break?

“It will be good publicity.  Stopping the promotions short, people would get curious and the sales would probably go up” he said and I nodded.

“So, I am thinking of sending him back to his hometown for a few days.” Manager hyung suddenly said and we nodded.  Probably best thing to do.

____________________________________

That same morning...
Ji-Ara's POV
 

“Rise and shine Annie” I said excitedly to my friend sleeping besides me.  This was a wonderful morning.  Back in L.A I used to go jogging in the morning, and today I was thinking of doing just that.

Anna grumbled, sleepy eyed. “Let me enjoy my holidays” and went right back to sleep.  I got up, went to the bathroom and got dressed for jogging.

The country was amazing, the fresh air, and the unique pasture.  I jogged till the park, resisting the urge to go inside.  This park had been my second home.  Before thoughts of Taemin entered my mind, I jogged away from the park.

After an hour I was jogging back into the neighborhood.  I passed by Taemin’s house.  Little had changed expect the house gate was now well secured, but all in all the house held its old charm. 

I smiled.  I glanced at the back and saw the swing set still there.  How many times have we been playing here? How many times have I made Taemin push me on the swings and he would whine to get to swing too.