I'm sorry that this is going so slow. I have to work harder on this. Thanks for your support.

reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXX-7WtiG84

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Around 7:30am we are wound up so tightly that we decide to get going. Incheon airport isn’t exactly around the corner and although the snow is slowly dying down we might get in trouble on the highway.

Most of the fans that were staying around are gone now. Peering out of the window I see only four people, probably girls, huddled together in thick overcoats and wooly caps expectantly watching the front door.

“Minho can you drag them away and meet us two blocks down on the west side?” I ask.

“Yeah, send Minho”, Taemin agrees with a big smile, “he runs fastest anyway.”

Minho makes a face but gets ready. I check for the hundredth time if I really put the envelope with the money into my pocket. Taemin takes the bag with the clothes. We look at each other and nod. Minho rushes out.

We watch him from the corridor-window as he is swiftly marching past the girls who immediately start to take pictures and record our flaming charisma member. For a moment they look back at the front door but when nobody else comes out they run after Minho to get the most out of at least one piece of SHINee. 

As soon as they are out of sight we leave as well, hurrying the other way around to the rent-car that Jonghyun has parked one block down the road. It’s a Daewoo sedan that looks crappy enough, but as long as it moves, and quickly, I don’t care about anything else.

We hastily wipe off the fresh snow from the windows and while we’re at it I notice that the car doesn’t have snow-tires. But we can’t stop now. So I decide not to say anything yet. Maybe we can get a different vehicle at the airport.

Jjong slides behind the wheel before Taemin can protest so we both sit in the back and leave the front seat open for Minho in case he couldn’t shake off the girls and we have to hurry.

But when we spot him he’s almost casually strolling down the street and winks at us with a big grin.

Getting into the car he asks:

“Why the doesn’t this car have snow-tires?”

And then Jonghyun pulls his disarming ‘oh--don’t-hit-me’ face and Taemin looks puzzled as if he’s never heard of snow-tires before and I almost laugh and cry at the same time because being with them just makes me so freaking happy, every time.

It’s hard enough to get out of the city but when we reach the highway I’m really worried that we won’t even get to Incheon not to mention Mokpo when we inch forward in an endless cue of vehicles that share a single lane on the four lane highway because the snowploughs have only managed as much.

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I don’t know how many times we have rode this way in a car before to go to Japan, China, Taiwan or South America, even to Europe. It’s an hour’s ride or even less if you’re going fast but this time it takes forever. And while Jjong is fighting his way towards Incheon every once in a while slithering on the frozen over blacktop I think about other rides.

It must have been Lucifer-promotion time because I remember Kibum’s haircut so vividly. We were going back to the studios from a recording at The Muzit. We were dead tired and still had a couple of hours of practice waiting for us back home.

Taemin almost fell asleep in the backseat of our limo beside me before it even got dark. And Minho sat next to the manager in front to be out of the way of Kibum’s camera. I was feeling gloomy and a bit fed up with our tight schedule.

But then our manager the radio and they played Wheesung hyung’s “Girls” and Jjong started to rap along with it while Kibum kept recording. They were fooling around with each other, singing, seat dancing and flirting with the camera.

As I said, I know that JongKey is a myth, but at that time I’m sure that Jjong was a little bit in love with Kibum, just like you are, when you feel really close to someone and just enjoy his presence so much that your heart sings. It’s a bit like being in love and yet very different.

I remember watching them and envying them for their recklessness and at the same time being happy because I was part of SHINee and friends with them. I had never been friends with the cool and hip guys with the daring haircuts and clothes. I’d been Dubu, the good natured and weird kid that was bullied by classmates and loved by old aunts and grannies.

But now I was one of them, these two exciting guys were my fellows, my friends and I mattered to them.

Jonghyun has the radio for weather and traffic reports but when they play Infinite’s “Last Romeo” he unconsciously starts to hum along.

Taemin is slouched into the seat like old times as well. When he catches my eyes he smiles and nudges me friendly. I was probably making a Dubu-face again.

It’s 09:30 already when we finally reach the airport.