"Oh," he frowned as he moved to put the mask back on, "I'm sorry."

Naty's mouth hung open in disbelief. He quickly placed his mask back over his nose and mouth with another apology. She shook her head yet could not communicate any further.

"Do you want me to keep my mask on?" he asked in confusion.

She blinked quickly and looked down to the JYP symbol on her phone, "N-No, no. I'm not worried. I'm vaccinated and live alone. It's just…"

"Yes?"

"I…" Naty took in a deep breath then met his eye, "I know you and it feels illegal?"

"We met before?" he smirked.

She narrowed her eyes on Bang Chan before locking her phone and tossing it in her carry on, "No. But you know that."

"So. You're a Stay?" there was a twinkle in his eyes.

"A newish one," she nodded.

"Oh, a Baby Stay," he seemed to soften for a moment before grinning, "Thank you. I'm happy to hear that. What's your favorite song? Who is your bias?"

Naty's face immediately went red as she motioned toward the touch screen, "You should order your food."

"Right!" he chuckled, turning his attention downward.

She chewed on the bottom of her lip as her mind raced. Of all the faces she imagined seeing she did not think of it being a K-Pop Idol—let alone, yes, her Stray Kids bias. She recalled the comment from her live about a small trip home before their next comeback but home for him was Australia…not the U.S.! What was he doing there?

Naty immediately grounded herself with the fact that it wasn't her business. Yes, she was a fan but more important was he being a human. She needed to respect his privacy.

"So…you like K-Pop?"

"Yeah," Naty smiled, caught off guard a moment by the pleasantness of his voice. She expected him to be afraid, worried, almost disgusted by her being a fan and invading his alone time. But he was so calm and so relaxed. She couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure you're okay sitting with me?"

"Should I not be?" he looked a bit concerned.

"I just mean…since I know who you are. Does that make you feel weird?"

"Hmmm," he paused to consider, "I guess it is a bit weird you know my name and I don't know yours."

For some reason that reply made Naty's shoulders lower and her jaw soften, "It's Natalia but everyone calls me Naty."

"Naty, that's nice," he looked up, as if considering if he had ever heard it before then looked back to her with a smile, "What do you do?"

"Ummm," she suddenly felt bashful. The man farting her out of the First-Class Lounge made her hesitate but she answered his question, "I'm actually a full-time influencer. It just recently became full time."

"Ohhh, an influencer. That's cool," he pulled out his phone, "What's your Instagram handle?"

"No," she had in the last three weeks mentioned something about wondering if Bang Chan would like a very scandalous dress of hers and she did not need to hear his opinion in that moment.

He chuckled, "I am your bias, aren't I? Don't be shy!"

"No!" her face was hot as she scrambled for an excuse, "I'm just in the middle of updating my profile grid and it doesn't look presentable."

"Sure," he laughed, "I don't mind if your Instagram is all pictures of me. I appreciate all Stays and their creativity."

She opened her mouth to defend herself but the arrival of drinks distracted her. She immediately got to work unwrapping her straws and, in the middle of that, fixed her eyes on the man in front of her, "What are you even doing out here anyway. Shouldn't you be in VIP or something?"

"Well…I was in the First-Class Lounge."

Naty nearly felt Coke come out of her nose in a combination of surprise and amusement at his expression, "I was there too. That guy really cleared it out, didn't he?"

"You could say that," he shook his head, "And you? Shouldn't you have like…an entourage or Instagram boyfriend taking pictures of you?

"No. I wouldn't subject anyone to doing that for me and I've never heard of an Instagram boyfriend," she looked to him with amusement.

He seemed to blush at that, "I heard it's just a name for guys that take pictures of their girlfriends for Instagram or something."

"Ohhh," she wondered how she had never caught that, "Yeah, no significant other to speak of. Plus, if I did, I still wouldn't make anyone take pictures of me. I don't always like how I look so I usually take a million pictures until I get the right one."

"Really?" he seemed genuinely surprised and on the verge of saying something else but caught himself as the nachos arrived. "Oh, this looks amazing."

"Help yourself!" she pushed the plate in the middle of the table.

"Are you sure?" he looked so thankful and seemed to nearly be bouncing.

"Please!" she gestured to him and he quickly obliged, doing a subtle little dance as he ate. Naty followed him and took a bite with a bit of everything on it, "Whoa, this is so good."

"I know! I really appreciate you allowing me to have some and jumping in on your booth like this," he spoke with so much earnestness.

She shook her head, "Don't worry about it. Food always tastes better when it's enjoyed with another person."

"Yeah, I guess you're right about that!"

Naty smiled softly until another thought popped in mind, "Don't you have a bodyguard or something?"

"Oh, right. Well, he's here somewhere," Chan looked into the aisle beyond her as if in search for him, "I told him I was off to get away from the smell. But he trusts me. I'm sure he's not worried."

"Yeah, you don't really strike me as the one to be causing too much trouble," she mused.

"Is that why I'm you're bias?"

Her face bloomed into something she could only consider to be 'hot' before shaking her head, "Anyway, I feel like we're talking a lot about me. What about you?"

"Well, what would you like to know?" he gave a face that reminded her that it was a difficult situation to be in. She was his fan, after all, and did know a lot about him already. Anything she didn't know would be inappropriate to ask.

"I don't know," she shrugged, "Should we ask the fart guy to come sit with us?"

At this he laughed and she found herself smiling at the stupidity of her statement. It was not funny—she was not funny—but it was a question silly enough to get them back on track to a lighthearted atmosphere. Naty supposed Chan would be kind enough to really answer whatever she asked but she also supposed that would turn the shared meal into an interview and that interview into work.

Bang Chan was on vacation. She wanted to keep it that way for him.

"Oh no!" he looked down at the food, "We did something terrible."

"What was that?" she frowned, looking at the nachos they had already gone to town on.

"We didn't get a picture of it before we started eating," Chan shook his head furiously.

"Yeah," she laughed, knowing he was joking but she realized that since he arrived, she hadn't thought about her phone or content once. Well, she was eating with a famous K-Pop Idol. How could she think of anything else!

"We can order another plate?" he seemed to genuinely offer.

"Oh, no. I'm not that kind of influencer. Plus, if I do usually post a picture of something I ate there's a lot more content with it and if I eat alone then I usually do a live. If I'm not doing either, my followers will start to wonder," she tried to explain in a way that didn't make her seem self-absorbed or grandiose. Naty knew it sounded ridiculous to even talk about followers with a man who had thousands of millions of people thinking about him every day.

"I get that. Stays can be pretty perceptive," he gave a small shake of his head, "Plus, I'm sure you're on vacation yourself now. Don't want to be working too much, right?"

"Well, yes and no. This is a vacation but also a sponsored vacation," she couldn't help but smile a little with disbelief.

"Oh, wow! Where you going?" the genuine interest in his expression was only heightened by the little dance he did with each happy bite.

"I'm going to Greece!"

"Greece! Have you ever been before?" he asked, pausing his little dance to smile at her.

Naty shook her head as she took a sip of her Coca Cola and then her water, "No, I've never actually been outside of the country. I don't know how you can get on airplanes so much. I get scared each time I get on one!"

"Oh…it's not too bad after the tenth flight," he chuckled. "Can I ask you a question?"

She nodded, once again enjoying another round of her drinks.

"I noticed that you take a sip of Coke and then a sip of water. Why is that?"

"Oh that," she blushed, "I used to have an issue with sugary drinks. I don't enjoy them too often but when I do, I always have some water. I just feel like, whether it's true or not, if I have as much water as I have the sugary drink then it cancels out in some way."

There was a laugh hiding in his smile as he nodded, "That makes sense."

"I know it doesn't," she tried to hide her face with her hands but the entrees came to thankfully save her.

They both quieted as they ate their delicious meals and Naty found herself thankful she had followed her nose to the restaurant. She would have to leave a review for the place and recommend it to anyone that was going through that particular airport. A mental note to take a picture of the restaurant name was added.

"So," Bang Chan captured her attention again, "You like K-Pop. What other groups do you like?"

"BTS," she said without hesitation.

He nodded with a seemingly all-knowing smile, "Of course. Are they the first ones to get you into K-Pop?"

Naty nodded, "I feel so basic but it's true."

"Hey! No judgement. That's amazing. That's pretty common these days!" he spoke with encouragement that made her feel a little less embarrassed, "Any other groups?"

"So many! I actually like a lot of groups from JYPE. Obviously, Stray Kids, but Twice was another one of my favorite groups. I love ITZY and NMIXX," Naty became excited at the thought of the groups she listened to most often.

"Ohhh, so do you find yourself leaning more toward girl groups or boy groups?" he asked after a pause to swallow his mouthful.

"Definitely girl groups," she grinned, "I don't know. They boy groups just aren't serving like they are."

"Hey! We're doing our best, you know!" he chuckled.

"I know, I know. That's one of the things that I like about your group the most. I feel like you keep getting better and better. I don't think I've ever heard a comeback that sounded like a plateau," she found herself beginning to blush but the change of his smile made her stop in her tracks, "Or at least that's what my followers are telling me. They all seem to like you. I'm just…uh…jumping on the trend."

Chan laughed softly, "Are you ever going to tell me who your bias is?"

"Oh, look at the time, I've got to catch my flight," she pretended to look at her watch.

This made him laugh in a genuine way Naty had yet to hear and it made her grin with admiration. He shook his head, "Okay, okay. I'll stop asking. Have you picked up any Korean while listening?"

Naty's face immediately went red.

"What is it?"

"I just feel like one of those cringe K-Pop fans that starts listening and studying Korean," she covered her face, "I know a small amount. I've been teaching myself at home."

"That's not cringe! I love to hear that. I think it's so impressive when international fans do this. Tell me what you know," his smile was so endearing that Naty felt her embarrassment melt just at the sight of it.

She sighed and introduced herself in the way she had memorized over and over.

"Wow! That's wonderful. I can definitely understand you," he grinned.

"Ahhh," she covered her face with her hands as he laughed, "I know my pronunciation is all off. I just want to be able to sing to the songs. I met some friends that live in South Korea on a language exchange app and they are constantly working with me on my accent."

"You're doing wonderful. If you keep at it, in one year you will be totally fluent. In fact, do you have KakaoTalk?"

Naty felt her heart race as she nodded her head, "I do."

Chan brought his phone out again, "Here, we'll add each other and in one year I want to see how much you've improved."

"Okay," the word left her mouth and her fingers found her phone before she could register that she was exchanging contact information with an Idol.

"I really mean it. I'm going to call you and not speak a word of English," the expression he gave was of playful seriousness that made her blush.

"Well, I love a challenge so you are on. Just make sure not to forget me," she teased.

"I'll never forget you," the words left his mouth before it seemed he could register them. They both paused and he immediately looked around at anything to change the subject, "Anyway! What made you want to be an influencer?"

The time passed so easily with Chan that, before she knew it, it was suddenly time for Naty's flight. Naty reached for the touchscreen device to pay but suddenly Chan grabbed it with a steel-tight grip. She frowned, "What are you doing?"

"I'm paying for the meal," he spoke calmly as he pulled out his credit card.

"You are definitely not!" she gasped, trying to reach for the device over the table but failing to avoid his reflexes.

"I certainly am," he smirked with little taps on the screen.

"Come on," Naty felt a deep nervousness inside of her. She hated when people paid for her. Growing up with low income taught her how difficult it was to earn a dollar and she hated when anyone wasted theirs on her, "I ordered so many expensive things. You don't have to pay for me. I've got it."

Bang Chan seemed to notice the seriousness of her tone and so he paused his motion to look into her eyes. There was a silence for a second, as if he struggled to gather something to say, but then there was a smile, "Naty…I hate to say this but you paying would be a huge insult to be, Stray Kids, and Stays all over the world."

"WHAT!" she nearly yelled.

He nodded his head with the same serious expression, "You paying would mean that you think I can't afford to pay. You thinking I can't afford to pay would mean you don't think Stray Kids is that good. You thinking Stray Kids isn't that good would mean you think Stays aren't important or powerful. How can you say that about my Stays, Naty? Do you really not believe in Stray Kids?"

"Wha- I- U-," she was at a loss for words until she groaned in defeat, "Ugh! Fine. Go ahead and pay and, while you're at it, I want six neck pillows!"

"That's more like it," he chuckled.

Naty shook her head as she put her mask back on then waited patiently for him to do the same. It was amazing to watch him put on his winter jacket and his mask. Suddenly his identity was obscured and he was just another person at the airport. No one knew he was a famous Idol with thousands of millions of adoring fans. No one knew she was one of them.

"Ready?" he asked, his voice slightly muffled by the mask.

She nodded and stood, leading the way out of the restaurant until they could walk side by side, "When is your flight?"

"It's not for a while. We came extra early," though she couldn't see his face she knew there was a friendliness in his tone, "I can definitely walk you to your gate."

"Oh, that'd be so nice!" she didn't expect it but certainly didn't want to turn it down. She checked her phone for the ticket once again before turning to guide them in the correct direction.

They were quiet as they walked and for the moment Naty imagined them to be going on the same flight to the same destination. It was a thought that made her feel warmer than the steps away from him she imagined would be. She shook her head to get rid of the fantasy.

"So, I guess I can tell you my Instagram handle now," she spat the words out because she couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Really!" the excitement in his voice made her laugh, "What is it?"

"It's just 'NatyHiguera101'," she spelled it out for him as he typed it into his phone, "It's really nothing special."

His eyes seemed to grow wide before he locked his phone and put it into his pocket, "100k followers is not my definition of 'nothing special' that takes a lot of hard work."

"Yeah, maybe you're right," she sighed as they arrived at her gate. She could already see that First Class was already lining up to enter. "We're here."

"Yeah, I guess we are," his tone was flatter than it had been the whole time they spoke.

Naty found that there was a deep yearning inside of her for the conversation not to end and so she looked to him and spat out, "I'll tell you who my bias is."

"Really!" that perked him up again.

"You're not going to be happy though," she teased.

"Oh, just tell me," he was bouncing on his heals.

"It's…" she dragged her words before spitting out, "I.N."

"I.N.?" his whole body gave off the image of a question mark.

She laughed as she nodded her head, "It is!"

"Why?" the question mark left his body but not his voice.

"Oh, the Maniac music video. His did this little dance move and this smile that was so sweet," she acted it out for him.

He let out a chuckle at her mimicking, "Aww, I'll let him know. I always liked that part of the choreography too."

Naty let out a deep breath, her heart beating wildly in her chest as she looked down, "Okay, maybe I have another bias too."

"Oh?" there was a smile on his lips.

"Okay, it's you," she covered her eyes with her hand.

A laugh left his mouth, "I knew it!"

"But it's not for any reason you might think!" she tried to defend herself while also not looking at how adorable he was in his triumph.

"Oh, then what reason could it be?" he playfully mused.

"I had this dream," she tried to quickly explain.

"Ohhhh, a dream," his tone was a lot flirtier than she had heard before and she nearly died right in that moment.

"No, no, no," she shook her head and hands, "Not that kind of dream. It was like a year ago I was going through this breakup that was really upsetting. I went to sleep crying and was very upset and then I had this dream and you told me it was going to be okay and you gave me a hug. I woke and I felt a lot better after that and was able to get over the breakup in a healthy manner. It just felt like…you had my back or something ridiculous like that."

Chan was quiet. He seemed to be absorbing what she said but with the mask his expression was hard to read. Naty immediately regretted what she said.

"Or not! I mean. I totally just made that up," she tried to laugh but it sounded hoarse and odd and obviously fake.

"You had a dream I hugged you," his voice was soft.

She replied in kind, "Yeah."

"Would you like a real one?"

Naty felt her eyes water immediately beyond her control. The memory of those feelings came flooding through her. As silly as it was, that dream had helped her through so much of that difficult time it was almost impossible to comprehend that it could be a reality. Her throat was filled with a cry she did not want to release. She simply nodded her head.

Chan opened his arms and she fell into them.

There was nothing she could compare it to—no one she could compare it too. The tears that Naty had held back came forward as she felt his arms wrap around her and her arms wrap around his middle. Layers of clothing prevented her from really feeling his body but it didn't prevent her from feeling his warmth. The hug was nurturing. She was nurtured. She was reminded, just as she had in the dream, that it was okay and she would be okay and everything would be okay even if it wasn't.

It was everything every Stay commented to imagine his genuine hugs would feel like.

She did not want to pull away.

"Now boarding."

With reluctance they separated and Naty quickly lowered her face to wipe at her eyes before she looked at him, "Thank you…I can't put into words how powerful that was for me."

"Well, thank you for spending this time with me. You made me feel like a regular person and not many people do that for me anymore," he sighed.

The two were quiet for another moment before Naty tapped his arm, "One year, right?"

He chuckled, "Yes, one year!"

"I'll talk to you then," she smiled, "Have a safe flight, okay?"

"You too," he gave a small little wave and she returned it before entering the line of moving bodies onto the airplane.

Naty risked a glance back to see him looking down at his phone and just as he looked up and smiled, she felt her phone go off in her hand. She looked down to see a message from him on KaKaoTalk with a screen shot of her in that scandalous attire with the caption "I wonder if Bang Chan likes this dress?" The message after the screenshot simply read, "I do." Naty's face bloomed into multiple colors as she looked daggers in his direction and she saw from his eyes he was laughing. She gave an angry wave then quickly followed the crowd into the plane.