The doorbell rang. Hana looked up. "Oh, finally!" she exclaimed. "I've been waiting for this for weeks," she added to her sister Hae-yung. Gleefully, she ran over to the door, snatching a huge parcel from the stunned mailman's hand. Hae-yung shook her head and shrugged at the girl sitting next to her, Kyung-Mi, who suddenly blushed.
"It's not another…SHINee cosplay, is it?" said Kyung-Mi. Hae-yung giggled madly as they watched Hana rip open her package and pull out a complete Taemin cosplay outfit with a collared black vest, black tank top, red pants, and black boots, just like what he wore in SHINee's new MV for their song "Lucifer." "Yes, Kyung-Mi," Hae-yung replied. "That's exactly what it is. In fact, I think those new custom cosplay outfits are the only type of package that come through our doors nowadays." They laughed again, not noticing when Hana slipped into the bathroom with her bundle of new clothes, but after they started hearing shrieks of delight coming from that direction, they couldn't help but wonder what she looked like in Taemin's outfit. Five minutes later, Hana entered the room. Kyung-Mi stared as Hana adjusted the Taemin-style wig onto her short, black hair. Probably a million other girls bought that wig- the bangs were exactly the right length, plus the wig was the right color too. Kyung-Mi made a mental note that she would order that when she got home…"Well, how do I look?" Hana asked.
"Like Taemin. Duh!" Hae-yung said.
"Well, that's the whole point!"
"Okay, okay, I get it-"
"Hana, it looks perfect," Kyung-Mi finished Hae-yung's sentence, sighing. Sisters like these could be bickering forever and never stop. She glanced at the numerous SHINee posters that covered the walls. "You have all their outfits too, right?" Hana looked at the wall, smirking slightly. "Not all the hair, though. Well, I guess I could use hair gel to spike up my hair and make it look like Jonghyun, but basically, yes. I do have a lot of these outfits."
"That is so cool…" Kyung-Mi mused. What she would give to own that outfit! It looked so hot. But Hana and Hae-yung are my best friends, after all, she thought. Maybe if I just ask…No! That's so selfish! another voice said in her head, chuckling, You jealous Taemin fan, you probably just want to wear that around and show off…oh, all right, fine.
Kyung-Mi decided not to ask if she could try it on. Her face was already turning pink- probably from staring at those posters too long- but she glanced at the clock anxiously. Five-o-clock. Shouldn't they be leaving for that concert soon? "Hana! Hae-yung! It's five already!" she yelled. "We should be leaving in a few minutes!"
"Oh my gosh!" Hana screamed back at her. "This is so exciting! I'm just going to go change my clothes." Hae-yung was already prepared. As flushed as she looked with her "I LOVE SHINee" T-shirt, she managed to walk Kyung-Mi to the car without bursting into laughter. "First concert you've ever gone too?" Hae-yung asked.
"Yeah," Kyung-Mi answered. "I mean, it wasn't that long ago I became a fan. As far as I can tell, you two talked me into it."
"True. But they are really awesome."
"Definitely! What time is-"Kyung-Mi started, but she was interrupted when Hana slammed the front door and sprinted to the car, jumping inside. "It's only been five minutes, Kyung-Mi," she said. "We're getting so excited already…" Hae-yung started the car and drove off toward the theater. The three girls were all wearing SHINee T-shirts, and they chattered enthusiastically all the way, but Kyung-Mi didn't really know what to
expect. She loved Taemin (and the other SHINee boys too) and all, probably more than the others, but couldn't show it. It would look like she was the craziest of all fan girls. Bottom line.
The three friends could hear the sound of thousands of cheering fans even before they arrived at the concert. Traffic was so jammed up around the concert grounds that all they could see for a long way was a sea of cars and, near the entrance, a sea of people. Hae-yung had to park so many blocks away from the theater. She, Hana, and Kyung-Mi quickly got out of the car and ran towards the crowd- Hana practically dragged her sister and Kyung-Mi through the crowd and shoved them into the theater. After what seemed forever, they actually managed to squeeze into the front (an extremely hard task, in this case) just as the lights dimmed and the music turned on.
"Oh my god!" Hana screamed. "I love that song- Lucifer!" Everyone screamed as the SHINee boys walked on stage with their even hotter outfits, all holding microphones. Jonghyun, Onew, Minho, Key, and Taemin. The music started blaring, and the enthusiastic screaming continued as they danced and started to sing. The screaming alone could make any person with "normal" ears go deaf immediately...
"Saran-gieot dam-yeon jeong-mal sarang-haet-deon geo-ram-yeon…" came Jonghyun's amazing voice. "Stop daydreaming!" Hana yelled at Kyung-Mi over all the noise. "It's starting!"
Hot. That was the one word that could describe their dancing. It didn't even matter if all they played was the instrumental for this song. No voices was perfectly fine. SHINee had turned this concert into a dance party with the whole of K-pop fans tuning in to watch. Everyone lost sight of their friends as they glued their eyes on Taemin, lead dancer of the group, as he stepped up to the front and started dancing the famous "tutting" part…Hana was dancing too. Hae-yung was trying to imitate her, so drunk with excitement that Kyung-Mi thought that hangover would never stop. (Honestly, that's what I would do at a concert too. And unfortunately, I do not speak from experience.) Afterwards they played more songs- Electric Heart, Up and Down, the whole Lucifer album…
It lasted four hours. As the gigantic mob of fans reluectantly pushed their way out of the theater, Hana met up with Hae-yung and Kyung-Mi, glancing over as the SHINee boys made their way backstage. She was so hyper; they knew what she was going to say before she even said it. "Guys," she said. "You want to sneak backstage?"
"Oh, come on, Hana," Hae-yung reproached. "I know what fan girls are like, but that's just too much-"She faltered slightly as she saw a group of girls, all laughing madly, sneak into the backstage area. "Well, fine. If you want to. But I'm not going in."
"Well, okay then. Maybe next time. For now, this bunch of souvenirs is enough."
Kyung-Mi timidly stared at the stuff in her hands. Flag, poster, and…autograph? How on earth did she manage to get THAT? Well, it's my turn, she thought. They're doing it to. I'm going back there. So when Hana and Hae-yung's backs were turned, she slipped quietly through the retreating crowd and sneaked backstage. Surprisingly, she found no one there. Laughter came in from behind her, but when she turned around, there was no one there. "Hmm," she said to the empty space. "Maybe I should leave." There was a crack of light in the far end. Creeping over, she saw that it was a door with a window. And Jonghyun, Onew, Minho, and Key were there signing fragments of paper for that crowd of girls that previously went in. Shivering with excitement, Kyung-Mi followed, targeting Jonghyun first. "Your voice is amazing!" she said. "I'd really like your autograph."
Jonghyun stared. "Thanks," he laughed, taking out his pen for the millionth time. "Here you go." Kyung-Mi smiled, running over to the other boys, fleeing the room before those other girls accidentally ran her over. Hmm, she thought again. But where is Taemin? I'd have loved his autograph too, but oh well. Maybe not this time…Sighing, Kyung-Mi crept out into the dark main backstage room. She felt as if someone was watching her from behind. Looking back, she saw no one, and walked on. But the person walking towards her wasn't really looking either. They crashed hard, and Kyung-Mi stumbled, falling to the ground. "Sorry," came a voice from directly above her head. The dark figure reached out a hand and pulled her to her feet. "It's okay," Kyung-Mi replied. "Thanks," she added, squinting in the darkness, trying to see the person's face. "Sorry again, I think we should've turned the lights on again," came the same voice. Definitely a guy, from the sound. But who? Kyung-Mi thought. Suddenly she shivered with apprehension. Was there already no one else backstage? The lights were off; it was pitch black in the area. What to do? No, it couldn't be- The lights turned on with a flash, and the previously dark room became bright white. Kyung-Mi squinted at the brightness, turning to face the person who had given her his hand and helped her up. It was Taemin.
Kyung-Mi tried hard to stifle her scream of surprise and delight. Taemin, however, looked unsurprised. Maybe fans did that all the time and snuck backstage getting all these autographs. They probably flooded that place for hours after every concert. She suddenly flushed bright red. "Um…hi," was all she managed to say. Come on, Kyung-Mi! she shouted at herself in her mind. Don't just stand there looking like a complete idiot! "Your dancing is so cool. I had my eyes on you the whole time," she blurted out. Oh, wow, she thought. What is this- you're flirting? You're completely out of your mind! Luckily, Taemin didn't look offended. Instead, he gave Kyung-Mi this cute, cheeky smile that she recognized in his many pictures online. "
"Sorry, um…can I have your autograph?" she blurted out. It was more like an accident- a purposeful accident? But Taemin only smiled again. She handed him a small picture from her other pocket- a picture of him, which he signed slowly, handing it back to her. "Thanks a lot!" Kyung-Mi answered. "I think that's one of my best pictures. But you've probably seen others too," he added.
"Yes," Kyung-Mi's face turned a brilliant red. "A lot." Oh, a whole collection! Hana would be so jealous. She turned to leave, but found that Taemin was still glancing at her. But his expression had changed- he was looking at her with an expression of wonder, excitement, and…Kyung-Mi couldn't believe herself. She was, unknowingly, staring dumbfounded at him the same way. Um, hello? Her conscience voice interrupted. Time to leave, smart one. Hae-yung is waiting! Reluctantly, she broke eye contact. "Thanks, Taemin," she said again. Taemin smiled. "I never got your name," he said. My name? What is he thinking? Kyung-Mi thought. "It's Kyung-Mi," she said timidly.
"It's beautiful."
"Um, well, I'm going to go now. Thanks yet again…totally coming to every concert from now on."
"Catch you later, Kyung-Mi. Oh, and call me?" He grinned cheekily, walking away. Kyung-Mi headed toward her ride, stuffing her autographs into her pocket, still fingering Taemin's like it was some huge piece of pure gold. She opened the folded paper and stared. A phone number. Why in the world would a celebrity- and the hottest at that- give her a phone number? It couldn't be what she was dreaming. Taemin wanted to talk to her again. On a phone. "Okay then, " Kyung-Mi said out loud to the once-again empty space."I'll remember to call you. If this was even real."
"Hey! What took you so long back there?" came Hana's shrill scream
"Nothing!" Kyung-Mi hollered back. "Let's go home." All the way home, her hands never left the small bulge in her pocket
Taemin walked back into the dressing room, where Jonghyun and the others were waiting. "Hey, where were you?" said Minho. "We've waited a while. After all these girls swarmed us for autographs. You give out any?" Taemin hesitated, then told them what had just happened.
"And you gave her your PHONE NUMBER?" Jonghyun said disbelievingly. "You've never done that to fans before, Taemin!"
"Yeah, well…I don't know. I felt kind of…different," Taemin replied, sighing. "She was so beautiful…I couldn't think of anything else to do, anything to say."
"Looks like you like someone, Taemin," added Onew, grimacing.
"I do not!" Taemin said, flushing red. "Who can like someone after just seeing them once and saying a few words?"
"Try to say that to yourself and not have your face turn red." The others laughed.
"I need help here, guys! I just met some girl and I don't know what I'm thinking."
Jonghyun looked surprised. "Wait until she calls back- if she does- and think about it then."
"Good idea. Anyway, I think we should be getting back home now…"
"Yeah…"
The following morning, Kyung-Mi felt as if she had woken up from the best dream ever. Being so tired that she even forgot to change in to her pajamas; she suddenly realized that she was still wearing the same SHINee T-shirt from last night and jeans with pockets. Pockets. Shakily, she put her left hand on the left pocket. There was something in it; she pulled out the small stack of autographed pieces of paper from last night's concert, smiling to herself. So it wasn't a dream. She had really met Taemin, and he really had told her to call him back. Kyung-Mi changed and raced off to her computer and turned it on, planning to e-mail Hana and Hae-yung. "No need to be in a hurry," she told herself. "Just because you met some celebrity doesn't mean you get to show off to your best friends." Sighing again, she went to the kitchen and picked up her cell phone from the kitchen counter. Hana would explode with jealousy and never talk to her again, she figured, slowly dialing Hae-yung's number instead. Little did she know that that was exactly what would happen. Unfortunately enough, Hana picked up the phone.
Ten minutes later, Kyung-Mi hung up the phone. Why was Hana doing this to her? She thought, looking at the clock. Time to get to school. Hurriedly, she grabbed her backpack and ran out the door. As expected, the minute she got to school all the girls were chattering loudly about how awesome last night's concert was and how great the dances were. Another number of girls were crowding around, showing off their newly collected souvenirs and autographs. Kyung-Mi tentatively edged away from the noise, finding her first classroom to be empty and dropping down gratefully in a back seat.
Hours later, it seemed, everyone rushed out to lunch. Kyung-Mi continued her search for Hana and Hae-yung. She almost managed to corner them in a hallway, but Hana ignored her, walking away. Hae-yung tried to stop her, but failed. "Hae-yung, I need to talk to you," Kyung-Mi said.
"You know that story isn't quite believable. Although that huge crowd of fan girls over there might just lap it up," Hae-yung replied, staring her down.
"It isn't what you think it is," Kyung-Mi insisted. "I can prove it to you," she added quickly, sensing that her friend was running out of patience. She pulled the stack of autographs out of her pocket, looking around to make sure no other people were there who would steal her valuable possessions she was holding. She put them in Hae-yung's hand along with the picture Taemin had signed, with a phone number on the back.
"Well," Hae-yung calmed down, almost smiling. "This all looks pretty real. But the phone number I can't really believe."
"I don't know if I can either. But these autographs are real, and I got them from the concert last night. It's okay if you don't want to, but take my phone," Kyung-Mi said, holding out her cell phone. "Call the number."
Hae-yung hesitated. She slowly took Kyung-Mi's phone and flipped it open, reading out the numbers on the picture, dialing them even more slowly. The phone rang three times, building up suspense until finally, someone picked up the phone.
"Hello?" came Taemin's voice. "Who is this?"
"Oh my gosh," Hae-yung whispered. "I can definitely tell it's his voice. It's…wow, Kyung-Mi! Lucky you! Sorry I didn't believe it at first."
"It's okay," Kyung-Mi said. Softly. "But this is my call, and I think I'll answer it." She smiled gratefully.
"Hey- um, it's me, Kyung-Mi."
"I thought you'd call soon- sort of," Taemin replied. Kyung-Mi laughed. "Oh, really? So, how's it going?"
"Empty schedule today- finally! No performances, no rehearsal until 8 tonight!" Suddenly Kyung-Mi heard laughing from Taemin's side of the phone. "And the other guys are eavesdropping on our phone conversation."
"Wow…your concert was amazing last night though."
"Can't do that kind of stuff all the time- too tiring."
"True…" Kyung-Mi smiled to herself. An almost-all-private conversation with the celebrity crush of her dreams! A second later, she heard a small yelp of surprise on the other end of the phone line. Onew had suddenly grabbed Taemin's cell phone from his hands. "Hey! Give it back!" "Oh, all right. Fine."
"Sorry about that," Taemin said after a while. "So, Kyung-Mi, do you want to, uh…do anything with us later?"
"Us? Well, what do you want to do?"
"Okay, wait a second. I'll be right back…" Taemin said quickly, taking his phone away from his ear and turning to his friends. "What? I'm talking to someone here…"
"Dude! Are you asking her out?" asked Onew and Jonghyun, grinning slyly.
"So what if I am? Could you guys um…stop laughing here for a second?" Taemin shook his head, rolling his eyes. He got back on the phone, hoping that the girl he was trying to talk to didn't hear that part of the conversation. Little did he know that, actually, she had heard everything…
"Anyway! So, you want to go watch a movie or something?"
"Um, sure. At the theater next to the park, right? What time do you want to go?"
"How about…4:00?"
"Deal."
"All right."
"See you later then, Taemin," Kyung-Mi. "Saranghae yo," she added silently. "Some way, somehow."
"So, Hae-yung," Kyung-Mi put her phone away. "Looks like I've got a date after school today.
"And I'm really happy for you," Hae-yung said. "It's just that…if someone like that, in this case a really wide-known celebrity, asked a girl out, I think he would want to look at someone that wasn't a fan for a change. Know what I mean?"
"How could anyone possibly know what you mean by that?"
"I mean, look. He has a free schedule and a chance to go out with someone he likes, and-"
"You think he likes me?"
"The only reason he would ever ask you out. BUT what I mean is that he'd want to like, 'take a break' from all this paparazzi fan stuff. I know you're obsessed with him, but think about it. Who are you looking at, Taemin on stage, or like, the real…Lee Tae Min?" Kyung-Mi pondered this in silence. Hae-yung continued.
"Just show off yourself. You. Not the "obsessive fan girl" you. Some advice you should probably take, in this case."
"Thanks, Hae-yung," Kyung-Mi nodded. "That's…exactly what I'll do." She ran off by herself, thinking about how she could possibly be so fortunate…Later, as she arrived home, she found herself still thinking about what Hae-yung had said. I admire Taemin on stage, she thought, but…Lee Tae Min seems kind of the same. If I got to know him more, I might be able to figure all this out. Excitedly, Kyung-Mi bounded off to her room, glancing at her clock every few minutes. That afternoon she finally knew how those self-conscious teenage girls felt as they spent hours in front of the mirror trying out every garment they had, just trying to find out which one looked better on them.
Kyung-Mi arrived at the theater five minutes early. It was pretty crowded outside, not to mention that it really was getting cold. She looked around her, trying to see if she would be able to recognize Taemin even with all these people standing around, but he wasn't there. As if he would actually appear normally outside at a time like this- don't worry, she told herself. Celebrities do this; try and disguise themselves when going out so they don't get swarmed with the media and fan girls. Glancing at her watch, she sighed again. It was only 4:57. She moved nearer to the trees outside the theater's front doors. It was strangely quiet, despite the many people wandering around outside or buying movie tickets. Finally, Kyung-Mi looked around the corner just to see if anyone was there. Coincidentally, the four SHINee boys were apparently taking a walk towards the theater, traveling undercover. As suspected, they didn't really feel like being followed by crowds of people. She realized that she could actually recognize them, even though they tried to disguise themselves…Wait, four? Weren't there supposed to be five guys there? Where was Taemin?
Walking toward their direction, Kyung-Mi caught Jonghyun's attention for a few seconds. "Where's Taemin?" she asked. He and the other boys walked toward her too. "Oh! Um…I'm pretty sure he went looking for you. I mean, he DID ask you out, right?" he said.
Kyung-Mi wasn't sure what to say, but she nodded shyly. "So I guess he told you guys about that, too?"
"We're all like brothers," Jonghyun said matter-of-factly. "We tell each other everything. Or make each other tell everything…" He smiled at that thought. Kyung-Mi nodded approvingly and was about to answer when Jonghyun pointed to somewhere past her head. "I think that's him over there."
Taemin walked toward the group from behind. He was wearing his hair normally, much like the style he had worn at the concert last time, but as he was attempting to not be noticed among all these people outside, he covered his bangs with this cool hat. Looking closely, they could see that it said "I LOVE SHINee".
"Some disguise, Taemin," snickered Jonghyun, trying to keep himself from smiling. "I almost didn't recognize you because you cosplayed as a cosplayer of yourself." Taemin sighed. "At least no one notices exactly who we are…"
"Except for us," Kyung-Mi cut in. "True," said Key. "No one but us and Taemin's girlfriend." ("Hey! We aren't-"both Taemin and Kyung-Mi interrupted at once. Immediately they both went red.) Key stared at them for a moment, and then continued speaking. "I was inconspicuous enough to wear a T-shirt with a key on it- lots of people send me keys as presents. One kid sent me car keys; he just never told me where the car actually was." Kyung-Mi giggled. "I sent you keys once."
"Oh? I thought you looked slightly familiar…many fans do send us pictures of them. Hey, Taemin!" Key grinned slyly. "Looks like I know exactly what to get you for Christmas!" Kyung-Mi turned around so no one could see her blush. Luckily, Taemin did the exact same thing, pulling his hat down so the guys couldn't see his face. "Anyway, time to get going. Movie starts in ten minutes."
"So," said Taemin, finally turning to face Kyung-Mi. The red in his face still hadn't subsided. "Shall we?"
"We shall." Together, the entered the theater, the other four SHINee boys chuckling to themselves from behind the whole way. The group ended up sitting in two rows, Taemin and Kyung-Mi in the front, Jonghyun, Onew, Key, and Minho in the row behind them. They even ended up watching a Korean romance movie, just pigging out in the theater and extravagantly buying this huge amount of popcorn and snacks. Later, when the most romantic part was playing and the characters in the movie were about to have their first kiss…strange things started happening. It was lucky that the rooms in a theater were so dark that the only lights were those emergency lights that showed the way out and the movie screen- no one could see Kyung-Mi's red face. Absently, she reached for the popcorn while staring at the screen and her hand brushed something- Taemin's hand was there too. They glanced at each other, and she decided that if he wanted to eat this, she should probably reach for something else so she wouldn't bother him. But apparently he was thinking the same thing, because as he reached for the candy, their hands accidentally touched. This time, Taemin grabbed it, not knowing if it was just some reflex action or really him wanting to hold her hand. Kyung-Mi couldn't even look back at him- she slowly dipped her head down so her face wasn't visible, and smiled, blushing furiously. Behind them, Jonghyun and the others laughed quietly. "See?" Key mouthed to them. "I told you! I told you our Maknae likes her!" Taemin heard them, groaning slightly when he realized that his companions would be pestering him about that all night. "She probably heard that too," he thought to himself. "So why can't I think of anything to say?"
"Earth to Taemin…" came Jonghyun's voice. "How's the weather there on planet Kyung-Mi?" Taemin, startled, smacked his head with his papers again…