@Nikkilovesshinee: Mahh-shtda? Idk how to like...spell it out haha. If you watch U-Kiss' Vons Chicken CF, Dongho says it at the very end in almost a whisper ("Ah, mada!"). Keke.

@prince: Taemin is just kind of oblivious haha. Sulli only shows her nice side to him, but I'm not saying much more than that here ;P

@kibum0923: Thanks! I didn't think I'd write this much, but I ended up this far haha. I hope you enjoy the rest (:

@whiteheron: Thanks!

And just a general thank you to everyone! I appreciate every sub, comment, and view ToT

You got home, still a little over-excited over your new wallpaper. The excitement kept you awake, so you decided to keep packing. Mattie had fallen asleep on the couch again, and you were beginning to think that his room was becoming useless. You took some cold medicine and turned up the heater a few degrees, hoping to be fully recovered by the time you were back in Cali. 

The next two days passed quickly as you made your final preparations for the trip. Somehow, Mattie had packed all his things, too, despite his busy schedule. The SM artists were always busy doing special Christmas performances, and you sometimes tagged along to watch. The screaming of the crowds of fangirls became background noise that you had grown accustomed to, yet sometimes some girls would get really crazy and cause you to laugh. Thankfully, their noise drowned out your boughts of chuckling.

Finally, it was time to leave. You called a taxi and stuffed the two large suitcases in the trunk, directing the driver to SME in order to pick Mattie up. He waited in the car as your rushed into the warmth of the building.

"Matthew~!" You pushed open the door to his practice room, but no one was inside. Confused, you left and went in search of him in the upstairs recording studios. You'd never been there before, so you were kind of hesitant and scared you would get lost. Still, it would be an adventure, you decided.

The elevator doors opened to reveal a hallway of glass doors. Some had lights next to them, signalling passerby's to be quiet. You cautiously walked by, silent even though none of the lights were on. You peered through each door, and most of them were either empty, or occupied by producers. You were nearing the end of the hallway, and looked into one of the doors, finding Kwang Sun and Sulli deep in conversation. You quickly backed into the wall next to the door, hoping they didn't notice you. 

"Ugh, she's so annoying. Thinking she can just go wherever she wants." Sulli's voice rung in your ears; she sounded nothing like the innocent image she portrayed around others. 

"Agreed. She should stay in America. You know they're going back this week, right?" Kwang Sun's voice was full of malice and you scowled at the tone.

"They are? How long...? Maybe it'd give us enough time to..."

"Wait, I think someone's outside." You panicked and rushed into the room next to theirs, ducking under a table. You heard a door open nearby and held your breath. The sound of it closing allowed you to exhale in relief, and you peered around the table.

"____~! Why are you under a table...?" Onew smiled at you, holding out his hand to help you up. You silently accepted and smiled, peeking around him at the door. No one.

"Thanks~ I was...uhh...looking for my contact?" You mentally slapped yourself for that lame excuse. "Anyways...what are you doing here?"

"Oh! We're recording something with our f(x) hoobaes~" Onew grinned and sat down in an office chair, letting himself spin around a few times. You giggled at his childishness and shook your head. 

"Ah! I need to find Mattie...I mean, Matthew. Do you know where they are?" Onew looked at you and shrugged. 

"I don't know~ Why?" He spun around again and laughed, clearly amused from the chair. 

"We're going to the airport today. We're visiting our families for Christmas~ It's going to be so nice!" You smiled and pushed Onew's chair into another circle.

"Aigoo, I'm getting old!" He stopped the chair and held onto the desk, as if it would somehow stop him from being dizzy. "I'll help you look! I'm here too early anyways. They said there'd be chicken..."

He got up and followed you out, and you glanced behind you. Sulli and Kwang Sun were gone. 

The two of you explored the rest of SM. You were surprised to find a fully equipped gym on the second floor, as well as a floor full of old sets and props. The place was larger than you expected. 

Finally, you found Mattie talking to some fans outside. He smiled awkwardly and was glad to see you. You bid farewell to Onew, who stayed inside so he wouldn't attract more attention. 

Mattie waved to his fans as he got in the taxi behind you, and you assured the girls that you were related before leaving. The drive to the airport was brief, and the two of you chatted about stuff you didn't have time to talk about before.

You reached the airport, checked in your luggage, and started looking for a place to eat. You left Mattie in line, wanting to use the restroom before you exploded. 

"Oi. Why is the girls' line always so long?!" You tapped your foot restlessly and eagerly awaited your turn. After you finished washing your hands, you began to walk back to the food line. Somehow, Mattie had been spotted, and was yet again consumed with the task of pleasing his fans. You didn't feel like dealing with them, so you shrugged and walked to the window, staring at the planes outside.

Suddenly, you heard screaming behind you. There weren't that many girls around Mattie...

"Yah! How could not say bye to me?!" Your eyes widened in surprise, along with the other girls who quickly began to either glare at you, or look at you with expressions of sadness and jealousy.

"Err..Taemin..." You pointed at the crowd behind him and tried to hide your face, even though it was pointless.

"Aishh, this girl!" Taemin grabbed your arm and pulled you away from the frozen crowd of fans. You continued to hide your face with your free hand and almost broke into a run to keep up with him.

He stopped when you reached a secluded area, far away from everyone else. You looked behind you and there was still no sign of anyone. Taemin let your arm drop, then crossed his own against his chest. He avoided your eyes and turned his head to the side. He looked sort of...hurt?

"Yah, Taemin..." You nudged his arm and tried to get his attention. "I'm sorry? I didn't know if you guys were busy...and, I was sort of rushed trying to find Matt-"

You stopped short when you felt Taemin's arms around you. You hesitantly hugged him back, then held him tighter, relieved that he wasn't mad at you. Shortly after, he pushed off, his hands holding onto your shoulders. You stared at him, his eyes searching yours. 

"I'm confused." He didn't say anything for a few moments, and the two of you stared at each other, unsure of what to do next. 

A man announced your flight was boarding. You sighed, then smiled at Taemin.

"I guess I'll see you next week?" You punched his arm and stuck your tongue out at him, not really sure if you should just walk away. 

"Keke~" Taemin linked his arm with yours and started to pull you along to the gate. When you reached the terminal, you unlinked arms and started to say goodbye. He pulled out a boarding pass and handed it to the lady, then walked past you, on to the plane. Dumbfounded, you followed, and saw that Mattie was already seated, headphones in, and asleep. Taemin had taken the seat behind him, and you saw that the other SHINee members were nearby. What. The. Heck.

Unsure of what to do, you walked to the seat next to Mattie and slowly sat down, still trying to comprehend why they were with you. 

"_____~! Are you surprised?!" Onew grinned at you from the seat across the aisle. Seated next to him was Minho, who was trying to get comfortable and find a good sleeping position. Jonghyun and Key waved at you from behind Onew, smirking at your surprised face. Taemin smacked your head lightly from behind you, and you turned to look at him. He leaned back and closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep, then stuck his tongue out. 

You turned to face forward and buckled your seatbelt. You looked around at the other passengers; no one else on the plane seemed to be as surprised as you. The flight attendant announced that the plane would be taking off shortly, and you leaned back, uncomfortable with flying in general. The engine roared to life and you looked out the window; you had started driving to the runway and would soon be up in the air. You closed your eyes and held on to the armrests. What a strange flight this would be.

WOO. CHAPTER 23. WHAT.