A/N: Hi guys!

So here's the next chapter. It's actually the first part of Erin trying to learn about the past (the current situation of the boys). The second part is in the next chapter, "Learning About The Past: Junsu's Turn", and the final part about the subject matter is in the chapter after that, "Learning About The Past: At Dawn With Yunho"  (yes, I'm already giving you hints about the next 2 chapters by giving you these titles) XD

“Alright, everyone all covered up?” Yunho asked. s gave their affirmatives.

I just snorted.

“Right, because you five don’t look suspicious at all,” I muttered, glancing the members who had put on coats, scarves, hats, and shades after our car stopped in the heart of Tokyo.

“Well, it’s still much better than not having these things on,” Junsu shrugged. “With these cover-ups, the fans will only be guessing and speculating. Without them… well, they’ll actually know.”

“Yeah, and then we’ll be spending the day running, instead of strolling,” Jaejoong added. I couldn’t be sure because of his shades, but I’m willing to bet that he was rolling his eyes.

“I suppose so,” I sighed.

Let’s just hope I can survive walking around Tokyo with five guys who are covered from head to toe...

Yep, they don't look suspicious at all. Note the sarcasm in my voice.

Merlin help us all...

We’ve already been strolling around for a couple of hours, and the boys have been pointing out to me pretty much everything we’ve passed. It was really an exhilarating experience! So many sights, so many smells, so many sounds!

Plus, having the five gods themselves as my tourist guides were a huge bonus. I mean, how many people can actually say that the boys personally toured them around Tokyo, right?

And the best part was that they had actually been right. Other than the weirded out looks that they've been getting, no one's actually guessed that these completely covered up guys I'm walking with are actually famous singers.

“So, where to next?” Yoochun asked as we walked through a bustling street.

“Lunch!” Changmin cried, his stomach growling loudly in agreement. His four other members and I all rolled our eyes. Typical Changmin response, I thought, shaking my head.

“I think it’s still a little too early?” Yunho said, checking his watch. “We’ve still got over an hour or so.”

“It’s never too early to eat,” Changmin grumbled.

“I think there’s a sports equipment shop just a bit down there,” Junsu said, ignoring Changmin and looking ahead of us. “I wanna go check out some soccer jerseys.”

“Yeah, that sounds good. I want to see if they have that new golf club model I saw on TV last week,” Yoochun agreed.

“You two don’t even play soccer and golf that often,” Yunho said, giving the two an odd look.

Yoochun shrugged. “Well, you never know what might happen in the future, in any case , hyung.”

I nearly choked at those words. Yoochun didn’t know how very accurate his statement was, in ways more than one.

“Alright, you four go there, then,” Jaejoong said. “Meanwhile, I’ll take Erin shopping for some clothes. We’ll just meet you at the restaurant later. The same one we always go to, right?”

As soon as Yunho, Yoochun, Junsu, and Changmin nodded in confirmation, Jaejoong led me across the street and pullled me to the right, into another street.

“Where are we going exactly, oppa?” I asked curiously, looking around at the shops.

“There’s a mall just a bit over there. Lots of good choices, all in one place.”

“A mall? Is it safe for you to go to a mall without security?” I said worriedly. I mean, it was one thing for us to be out on the streets on our own; being trapped inside a building with who knows how many fans is another thing entirely…

Jaejoong laughed. “I’ve sneaked into malls quite a few times before, you know. It’s much easier to escape the notice of fans than you think it is.”

I raised an eyebrow skeptically. “Oh, really? I think you’re underestimating the skills of Cassies, oppa.”

Jaejoong laughed again. “Trust me, if there’s anything we learned quite early on at the start of our careers, it’s to never underestimate what the fans can do… It’s just that we’re also quite well-practiced at sneaking around. Yeah, lots of pictures of us while we’re doing private stuff have leaked out, but you have to remember that those are actually just a small amount of our private time that they’ve managed to follow. As for the majority of the time where we haven’t been sighted or there have been no pictures of us, well, you need to credit that to our sneaking around skills.”

“Hmm… good point,” I said thoughtfully. Then, I scowled at him. “But still, if we get attacked by a horde of stampeding fans, I don’t know you at all, alright?” I said playfully, sticking my tongue out at him.

Jaejoong was laughing again.

It’s really nice to see him laughing so much. Merlin knows how obvious it was that he laughs much less in my time compared to this time when they are all still together.

“Calm down, will you?” Jaejoong muttered to me as we entered the mall. He could sense how tensed I was.

“Easy for you to say,” I muttered back. “Can you imagine just what Yunho oppa will say if we get mobbed by fans here? We'll never hear the end of it!”

Jaejoong snorted. “Oh, he won’t dare say anything. Trust me, I have that man under my thumb,” he chuckled, the reminiscing look in his eyes telling me that I really shouldn’t ask more about it, if I still want to look at him and Yunho in the same respect.

I winced a bit, trying not to think about that, before hastily changing the subject. “So, you don’t really mind shopping for girls’ clothes with me?”

“When you have as many sisters as I do, a good portion of your life is spent in women’s dressing rooms,” he snickered. “This isn’t anything new to me at all.”

“I guess so,” I laughed.

We entered a high-end looking store, and I knew at once that I was definitely not going to want anything here. However, a saleslady had already approached us, and she and Jaejoong began jabbering in Japanese.

“Can I help you?”, she asked. (A/N: lines underlined are said in Japanese)

“I need some new clothes for my friend over here,” Jaejoong replied, gesturing to me.

“Ah, well, what about this? This came in just the other day. It’s one of the latest fashion trends this season.”

I have no idea what the hell she just said, but that green-looking something that she was holding out and showing to me was just not my taste.

“Er, Jaejoong oppa, I think that one’s a bit too much,” I muttered, grimacing.

“Too much? Too much what?” Jaejoong asked, looking at the thing as though he seemed to like it.

Oh, no. I better put my foot down on this quickly.

“Too much. Too much beads. Too much ruffles. Too much glitters. Too much everything,” I replied.

Jaejoong glanced at the face I was making, before turning to the saleslady quickly. “Uhm, perhaps something else, please?”

“You don’t like it?” she said, giving me a questioning look. I can only guess that she was wondering as to why anyone would