It took Mi Young about a week to recover from her physical injuries. She was back on her feet in just a few days and returned to the office a little after that, eager to start preparing for Shinhwa’s Japan tour and put the trauma behind her. The six men were worried about Mi Young overworking herself and often reminded her to take more frequent breaks, which she—surprisingly, with her headstrong attitude—acknowledged.

                For a little while, she—understandably—had a little trouble with her nerves, jumping whenever someone approached her or freezing up suddenly during conversations, but Shinhwa managed to calm her down relatively quickly and chalked it all up to exhaustion when the other managers began asking questions.

                With their first tour in Japan rapidly approaching, the entire company flew into a frenzy. Even though Shinhwa had completed its promotions just weeks before, they only got a short break—most of which was dedicated to getting Mi Young back on her feet—before more dance rehearsals and concert preparations began.

                “Uh, nihongo wo hanashimasen.” Dongwan joked. The group began learning rudimentary Japanese to get around and communicate with their fans in the foreign country. Ironically, the one of the only phrases Andy had learned was the one Dongwan had just spoken: I don’t speak Japanese.

                “Aish, how can you say ‘you don’t speak Japanese’ in Japanese, doesn’t that just make you look stupid?” Eric pointed accusingly at Dongwan, who cackled.

                “Stupid? I know that one, it’s baka!!” Andy piped up immediately, shouting one of the words he remembered from his time spent watching anime. He pulled his limited knowledge into a basic sentence, successfully—and rather formally—calling Dongwan an idiot. “Dongwan-san wa baka desu!”

                “Yah, you can’t call the fans or anyone else in Japan stupid, pabo!!” Minwoo snapped, trying to get them to refocus.

                “Hey, sorry to interrupt.” Mi Young stuck her head into the room. “Eric-ssi, can I talk to you for a second? I got a call from the photographers in Japan and they have settings that they want to run by you…”

                “Oh god, yes…” Eric leapt up immediately, eager to get out of the terrifically boring language lesson. “Anything is better than this.”

                “Aww, can I come with you?” Andy asked cutely. He tacked on the phrase for ‘please’ onto the end of his statement. “Onegaishimasu ka?”

                “No, you need to learn more Japanese than that, baka.” Mi Young stuck her tongue out at him before shutting the door in his face.

                Andy’s cheeks flushed as the other four laughed openly at him but he smiled, biting back the disappointment he felt for being shot down so coolly.

                As much as he hated to admit it, Andy was a little jealous of his older brothers. Minwoo got to speak with Mi Young during the dance practices, working on choreography or staging for the show. Likewise, Hyesung spent a lot of time with the manager as well, going through various vocal lines or musical inquiries, while Eric ran all the scheduling past her before taking it to management, which meant he also talked to her often.

                Andy knew that all of that time was purely business related, but he couldn’t help but feel a little envious. With every passing day, Andy wanted to spend more time with her, which—in their current situation—was something that his hyungs had and he didn’t.

                It had taken him a while to understand what Minwoo had told him before.

                You’ve got it pretty bad, huh?

                He sighed, resting his head on his arms as they went through more Japanese phrases. At this rate, he probably wasn’t going to be able to converse with anyone in Japan without a translator. The only way he would be able to communicate was with English—which he didn’t mind—but as most of the Japanese weren’t so confident in their English anyways, it would limit him pretty severely. Then again, if he had Mi Young by his side—as she was fluent in the language—he wouldn’t have much to worry about anyways.

                He shook his head lightly. How had he managed to get his thoughts stuck on the young woman again? He needed to focus on learning, but how could he when she was constantly in his mind? He sighed again.

                Yeah, Minwoo had guessed right. He did have it pretty bad. But that wasn’t such a terrible thing, was it?

                Andy pushed out his bottom lip, ignoring the others as they vied for his attention.

                Being in love wasn’t bad, right?

                The next couple of weeks were hectic and fun for the group. Their performances in Japan seemed to go over well with the fans, who loved them just as much as their Korean fan-base. It was both daunting and inspiring to know that other countries appreciated their music despite the language barriers; Shinhwa was gradually becoming the legends they were named for.

                However, their concert wasn’t the only thing they had to attend in Japan. Along with their performances, the group was booked with interviews, TV appearances, and a huge photo collection that was compiled and shot throughout the entire trip, documenting their time in the country. With all the events and scheduling that had to be planned out, the already limited amount of time the group—and Andy, specifically—had to see Mi Young became nonexistent.

                Andy did his best to conceal his disappointment, knowing that Mi Young’s job came as a priority over his selfish desire to see her. However, once things began slowing down a little, the maknae devoted his time to creating some sort of break for the two of them to hang out. He knew that once they were back in Korea, the notion of taking such freedoms would be dangerous—too many sasaeng fans that would find out—and he struggled to take advantage of their unique predicament.

                He was given his opportunity shortly after their concerts were over.

                They stayed another week in Japan after their tour, finishing up their photo shoots for the book they would be publishing later in the year. During that time, Good Entertainment had rented them a space that was almost similar to the dormitory they had lived in when the group first formed—it was four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and had a small kitchen and living area.

                With Mi Young being so heavily involved with the group, they let her reside in the bedroom at the end of the hall. She didn’t mind it too much—she felt secure and comfortable with them and with three bedrooms left, the members wouldn’t have to argue or fight for who got a room to themselves and would be evenly split into pairs.

                Andy couldn’t hide the fact that he was overjoyed to be able to spend time with Mi Young without having to worry about managers or crazy fans, but slowly realized that his hyungs made it extremely difficult for him to talk to the young woman on his own. Every time they returned to the apartment, they would all either hang out as a group or be so exhausted that they would all crash upon arriving in their rooms. In fact, the only time Mi Young ever seemed to be alone was early in the morning—with the exception of Dongwan who always got up early to work out, she was the earliest riser—or late at night, when everyone was settling down to go to sleep.

                And that was when it hit him. An idea.

                Andy shuffled his feet, staring down at his tennis shoes and suppressing a yawn. It was still too early in the morning for him, but he was eager to follow through with his plan. He checked the clock and waited as he heard a click in the room next to his and Minwoo’s.

                He could hear Dongwan treading quietly towards the kitchen, ready to leave for his morning workout. A few minutes later, another door farther down the hall opened.

                Andy stood and tiptoed to the door, leaning forward to hear the second set of footsteps.

                There she was.

                “Good morning, Dongwan-ssi.” Her voice was suddenly close to the door, surprising Andy; She had gotten farther down the hallway than he had thought.

                “Good morning, Mi Young-ssi.” Dongwan replied quietly, his voice echoing from the kitchen area.

                “Are you going to make coffee before you go?” She asked, keeping her voice just as quiet to not disturb the others.

                “I don’t think so. I’ll drink some when I get back.”

                “Okay,” Mi Young’s voice grew more distant as she padded into the kitchen, away from Andy’s door. “Have a good workout then.”

                “Thanks. See you later.”

                Andy felt his heart leap into his chest as Dongwan left, shutting the door to their rented accommodations behind him. He counted fifteen seconds before opening his own bedroom door and heading down the hall.

                Mi Young looked up immediately when he walked in, her shoulders tense. However, when she saw it was him, she relaxed. “Andy-ssi, good morning.” She gave him a respectful bow, something Andy had noticed was a habit of hers.

                He returned the gesture subconsciously, trying to focus on what he wanted to say.

                “You’re up early.” She observed, returning back to the coffee pot she was setting up.

                He could feel his heart pounding. “That’s because I wanted to ask you something.”

                Mi Young stopped and gave her full attention to him. “What is it?”

                Andy’s throat dried out. “I…” He swallowed. “Do you want to get some breakfast at the café down the street?” He managed to get out.

                Mi Young’s cheeks reddened and her voice rose in pitch. “A-Andy-ssi…”

                “It’s not a date or anything like that. I just meant like, if you want to pick up breakfast for the hyungs, I can go with you…” Andy added swiftly, not wanting to put her in a compromising position.

                Mi Young nodded, grateful for the change.

                “Unless you want it to be a date…” The words were out before Andy could stop them, and after seeing Mi Young’s eyes widen in shock, he swiftly covered his mouth in embarrassment. “Aigoo, I didn’t mean that… Wait, no, I did… but, no… I’m sorry!” He bowed deeply, traumatized at his own stupidity.

                Mi Young mumbled a reply, and he chanced a glance through his fingers. “Eh?”

                “I’ll go with you,” She repeated, not meeting his gaze.

                Andy lowered his hands immediately. “Really?! I mean,” He corrected himself, trying to look unruffled. “Oh… cool.”

                A smile flashed across Mi Young’s face and she dipped her head shyly. Her aura was radiating with embarrassment—both for herself and him. “I’ll go get a coat then.”

                “Uh huh…” Andy moved aside to let her get back into the hallway. He sat down at the kitchen table, feeling an idiotic grin spread across his face.

                ‘Calm down, pabo,’ He told himself, struggling to change his features into a passive frown. ‘We’re just picking up food for the hyungs. That’s it.’

                “Ready, Andy-ssi?”

                He gave a start, not expecting her to be back so quickly. He felt his ears burn, knowing how ridiculous he had probably looked with that stupid expression on his face. However, Mi Young either didn’t notice of chose not to acknowledge it.

                Andy stood up, scribbling a note to the other members explaining where they were going and tossing it on the table. “Yeah, let’s go.”

                Andy and Mi Young walked side-by-side down the avenue in a comfortable silence, staying close together to ward off the cold. Andy was floating on a cloud, happy just to spend some time alone with the young woman.

                “So, have you been to the café before?” Mi Young asked.

                “No, but I’ve heard a lot of good things about it,” He answered cheerfully. “I thought it would be nice to try it out before we left Japan.”

                Mi Young nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

                A cold breeze blew by and Mi Young subconsciously moved closer to him, shivering. Andy felt his face heat up but he didn’t shy away, letting her lean into him as they walked. Soon enough, they reached their destination and eagerly headed inside, relishing in the rush of warmth that greeted them as they opened the door.

                “Oh, this is so cute!” Mi Young exclaimed, her face lighting up as she gazed around at the adorable pastries, the petite loaves of bread, and the warm colors and decorations that embellished the tables and walls.

                Andy nodded, also captivated by the café’s charms, but more delighted by the endearing girl at his side. “

                “Irasshaimase!” One of the girls behind the counter greeted them with a bow, her Japanese crisp. “How may I help you?”

                Andy blinked, vaguely recognizing the phrase that welcomed them inside. However, Mi Young was quick to reply. “We’re still looking around, thank you.”

                “Of course,” The girl gave another bow.

                Mi Young turned to Andy, reverting back into Korean for his benefit. The change between languages was so instantaneous the rapper found it jarring. “So, what should we get for everyone?”

                Andy shrugged and both of them moved closer to the display case, admiring the variety of baked goods. “We should get something to eat for breakfast, but getting some sweets to pack for later probably wouldn’t hurt.”

                The teenager behind the counter seemed surprised and she called out to one of her coworkers, gesturing to their two customers and giggling. Andy tipped his head to one side, wondering what they were saying about them. The atmosphere around the two chatty girls was giddy, cheerful, but with the language barrier between his thoughts and theirs, he couldn’t read anything farther than that.

                Mi Young made a weird face, but didn’t say anything in response. Andy frowned, even more confused.

                “Mi Young-ssi?” He whispered.

                Mi Young waved a hand, sensing his discomfort. “Don’t worry about it.” She murmured, loud enough for only him to hear. She spoke a little louder, talking normally. “So, have you tried melon pan before?”

                “Pan?” Andy brightened, recognizing the word. “You mean bread?”

                “Yeah.”

                “Melon bread… Sounds a bit strange.” Andy answered honestly. “Would that be our breakfast?”

                Mi Young nodded. “It’s sweet bread and it will go well with the coffee since it can get a bit dry. It’s pretty good, so should we try that?”

                “Hm,” He looked around. “Maybe one of those and then a strawberry roll, in case one of the members doesn’t like it.”

                Mi Young smiled, glad for his input. “Good thinking. Plus, we can pack any of the leftovers for the trip back. I’ll get some of the anball and dango, too.”

                “Anball?” Andy asked, unfamiliar with the terms. “Dango?”

                “Anball are those cookies that everyone really liked and dango are the round dumplings on a stick.”

                “Ah, okay!” Andy seemed content.

                Mi Young began ordering, conversing with the girl in Japanese while Andy kept close by her side, looking around the shop and admiring the various drinks and coffee-type beverages that were decorated with creative whipped cream designs.

                Andy shot a sideways glance at Mi Young and noticed her eyes kept darting towards the drinks as well. However, when she saw him staring at her, she averted her gaze quickly, looking uninterested.

                “Hey, Mi Young-ssi.” Andy tapped her on the shoulder once she was done speaking with the girl behind the counter.

                “Yeah?”

                “We can put charges for the food on the group account…” He said carefully. “But did you want to get something to drink?” He pulled his wallet out of his pocket, waggling it cutely in his fingers. “I can take care of it…”

                Mi Young blinked owlishly at him, her face coloring slightly. “Uh… Well, I don’t…”

                Andy grinned. The aura radiating off her was saying ‘yes’, but she was trying not to seem too longing. “It’s all right, go ahead. I wanted to try something, too.” He offered.

                She bowed her head timidly. “T-thank you…”

                Andy and Mi Young headed out a few minutes later, with Andy carrying the bags of food. Mi Young was cradling both of their drinks in her hands, walking carefully but with a content spring in her step. Andy’s choice—a coffee and espresso with tons of vanilla creamer and sugar—was cupped in her right hand, and her own warm beverage—a mocha with a few shots of chocolate and hazelnut—was in her left. She bounced a few steps ahead of him and Andy smiled, watching her long hair swing freely behind her.

                “Andy-ssi…” She said cheerfully, noticing him falling behind. “You’re being such a slowpoke.”

                “Yeah, yeah…” Andy didn’t bother changing his pace, not eager to get back so soon. He was enjoying his time with the chipper young woman too much to let it end so quickly.

“Oh, hey.” He remembered something. “You don’t have to speak so formally with me. You can call me Andy-ah, if you want…”

                Mi Young slowed down enough for him to walk alongside her, a shy expression on his face.

                “I mean…” Andy looked down at his feet. “You’ve known us for a long time.”

                “I haven’t known you—in this time—for very long.” Mi Young protested. “That doesn’t count.”

                “Well… you’re almost the same age as me.” Andy retorted, wondering why she was even trying to argue against him.

                Mi Young laughed. “I wasn’t always…” He realized that she was just messing with him, a playful aura surrounding her. “I used to call you all ‘Oppa’, y’know.”

                “Aish.” He rolled his eyes, grinning.

                “I bet I can counter anything you say.” She said. “Assuming you don’t cheat.”

                “But still.” Andy placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping the both of them. He could feel his face heating up, but he kept his voice even. “You really don’t have to be so formal… With me, at least.”

                She gave him a look before conceding. “All right then… Andy-ah.”

                Andy felt his heart pound and he pursed his lips into a thin line, trying not to smile too broadly.

                “You can call me, Mi Young-ah, too.” She added as an afterthought.

                He was almost too thrilled to reply. “O-okay, Mi Young-ah.”

                They continued on, and Andy struggled to find something to talk about, wanting to spend as much time as he could alone with her. Something pricked at the back of his mind and he spoke up suddenly.

                “Yah, what were those girls talking about earlier at the café?” Andy asked, recalling the curious atmosphere and sensation he had felt, hearing them giggle and point at the two of them.

                He could see Mi Young’s ears go red and he felt her aura change abruptly. He tried to ignore the change, wanting to give Mi Young the courtesy of answering for herself.

                “Well…” The tone of her voice was different and she was avoiding his gaze. “They… commented on our Korean.” She said vaguely.

                “Oh,” Andy didn’t miss the way she trailed off, as if there was more to say. He hesitated, wondering if he should say something more, but he didn’t get the chance.

                “They also said we were cute…” Her voice dwindled into a whisper and she ducked her head shyly.

                ‘Cute as a couple.’ The words that Mi Young couldn’t say out loud resonated in Andy’s mind, his ability activating on its own and finishing her sentence.

The thought brought Andy to a halt. “Wait, really?!” He exclaimed. “A couple?”

                “A-Andy-ah!” She stammered, glaring at him for intruding on her thoughts. “It… It’s embarrassing…”

                Andy dipped his head, ashamed. “I’m sorry, Mi Young-ah… I didn’t mean to pry, it just happened…”

                Mi Young shrugged, accepting his apology, but still blushing. They both stopped, having reached the apartment. Their conversation really shouldn’t have ended there, but Andy didn’t really know how to carry on with it.

                Andy bit back a sigh. He could hear the other members from inside and he hadn’t even unlocked the door. The two exchanged looks before he reached into his pocket and pulled out his key.

                “Good morning, Hyungs.” He said automatically, holding the door open for Mi Young.

                “Good morning!” She echoed.

                “We got your note.” Hyesung held up the piece of paper. “Let’s eat before Dongwannie-ah gets back.”

                “Yeah, what’s for breakfast?” Minwoo asked good-naturedly.

                Andy placed the food on the table, pulling the two loaves from the bag. “Try the melon pan.”

                Minwoo, Hyesung, and Jun Jin all hovered over their breakfast, looking hungry and curious.

                “Melon pan?” Jun Jin chipped in. “Sounds strange.”

                “Mi Young-ah recommended it.”

                Hyesung and Minwoo looked up with wide eyes, silently acknowledging the way Andy had addressed the young woman. Jun Jin reacted more strongly to it and was about to say something when he was interrupted:

                “Ooh, thanks Mi Young-ssi!” Eric had suddenly appeared next to Mi Young, eyeing the coffee in her hands. He attempted to pull the beverages out of her hands, but she was too quick for him.

                “These aren’t yours, Eric-ssi.” She reprimanded, dodging out of his way.

                “Where’s mine then?” Eric held out his hands expectantly.

                “Over there.” Mi Young gestured towards the coffee pot on the counter.

                “Hmm, no thanks.” Eric wormed his way around her again and Mi Young sighed, raising her voice.

                “Andy-ah, Eric-ssi is trying to steal your coffee!”

                “Aish, Hyung!” Andy immediately jumped on Eric, giving Mi Young the opportunity to escape. He braced himself, expecting Eric to fight back, but he was met with no resistance.

                Eric had frozen, a delighted grin spreading across his face. “Andy-ah.” His voice was high-pitched, obviously imitating Mi Young.

                Andy pulled the leader into a headlock but he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “Shut up, Hyung.”

                “Andy-aaaaah.” Eric burst into raucous hoots.

                Mi Young’s face was red, but she just rolled her eyes and took a seat next to Minwoo, handing the others plates before helping herself to the melon pan. She pointedly ignored the scuffle that had broken out between the leader and the maknae.

                “So,” Minwoo returned to his senses first, the prospect of food overcoming his desire to watch Eric and Andy fight. “You’re on less formal terms with Andy-ah now, huh?”

                Mi Young took her time answering, chewing her bread carefully and chasing it with a sip of her mocha. “Andy-ah asked me to, and he gave me a good reason for it.” She said emphatically.

                “Yah, you’re so cute,” Minwoo grinned, glancing over his shoulder at Andy, who had barely managed to pin Eric down and was cheering at himself for his victory. “Both of you.”

[Whoo, this was a really entertaining chapter to write! I was smiling like a dork the entire time while thinking about how this would play out and probably creeped out my supervisor when he walked in to find me in a giggle fit, but alas, it’s all in good fun, right?

It was awesome writing out basic Romanized Japanese again; it brought back a lot of my old high school lessons, where my friends endlessly called each other creative names in the language. I figured with Shinhwa being the dorks that they are, they would naturally be inclined to do the same. Also, I'm not too sure in Korea, but I know in Japan they make a pretty big deal about how formally/informally people address one another, so I wanted to do the same thing between Andy and Mi Young to show that they're getting more comfortable with each other, hence the change from -ssi to -ah. And speaking of the Japanese culture, I loved and hated looking up Japanese pastries for this… I’ve tried all of the baked goods I used in the chapter and writing them out made me want to go out and get some…Now I’m hungry now, boy oh boy…

I’ve been a bit negligent with Hyesung’s character as I progress with Andy’s development and the oh-so-necessary plot, but fear not fellow Crab Prince Biases! I will be getting back to his angelic-ness in a few chapters to come… With possible allusions to a certain oil and water pairing we all know and love…

I wanted to post this in time for my 20^th birthday and I’m glad I met my deadline! Happy belated Valentine’s Day to all who had Valentines, and here’s to the fellow singles out there who are just waiting for their prince—or princess, if you may—to find them and sweep them off their feet! I hope you enjoyed this fluffy, cute chapter and I will be back soon with more to come!!]