Opening Author's Notes
Whew, finally ready! I know this one is going long, but this is something of an SM Town Special, so I'm allowing myself to let it go for a bit in terms of length. Still been an interesting season for sure even though last week was abysmal (0-4 combined for C9 and FlyQuest and it's up to them to get back on track.) Also wanted to say thanks a lot to you guys because this has hit 6,000 reads, 500 votes and 3,000 comments since I last posted – you guys helped make it happen!

Dedication goes to Kurai_Sen – her supporting this story and challenging herself to write Taeyeon into What If? were definitely factors in me wanting to challenge myself to write an EXO scene. I hope I can get it right for her and the EXO-Ls out there! Also wanted to introduce you to the author who's the recipient of the co-dedication (even though Wattpad only allows me to make one official one per chapter)...

Jaycee_Tan – A London, Ontario native who is not just a K-Pop and League fan but also a SONE and someone who knows some C9 history. Fittingly, her favorite group is Red Velvet and her primary bias is Wendy – who studied in Toronto. Her stories include Once Upon A Time, a Valentine's Day special starring Sana, and Melody, which stars Lay and Irene. (She also has It Started With You, which stars BTOB, Girls' Day and GOT7 and which she is rewriting to make even better.) Incidentally, there is also a Red Velvet scene in here that I hope I get right for all the Velvets / ReVels / Cupcakes out there!

Also keep a look-out for another scene including Mikki110797 involving a pairing that she ships (she even named the ship) and something in both SNSD's and C9's future.

Glossary (for those new to K-Pop)
TTS – The all-main vocal subunit of Girls' Generation, also called TaeTiSeo after the first letters in Taeyeon's, Tiffany's and Seohyun's names. They have released a record that includes a hit single, Twinkle.

Sunbae / Sunbaenim – A Korean honorific for seniors (meaning more experienced people) at the same company. Often used by K-Pop idols when talking to other idols from previous generations.

The celebration dinner was a steak dinner for all seventeen of us, plus Jack and Heechul. We were all roughly about halfway finished with our entreés when Jack told us, "We do have bit of business news we need to share with you guys."

"What's that?" Lemon asked, in between bites.

"We're dropping G2A as a sponsor." Jack revealed.

"That's just fine by me – I'm actually kind of surprised we didn't do it even sooner." Meteos said frankly.

"I think that's a good call. Not like we'd be hurting financially anyways." Hai agreed.

"What's G2A?" Sunny asked.

"It's been C9's main/title sponsor since the start of the Spring Split. It's a website where people can buy and sell games, including online ones via game keys. Recently, information has surfaced that indicates a bunch of the game keys they sell are stolen." Jessica explained.

"Oh, I see. That does makes sense why you guys would be dropping them." Sunny said, nodding.

"Have we been talking to someone to replace them?" I asked.

"We have, actually. It literally only started today." Jessica replied.

She and the other Soshis exchanged looks, and their eyes lit up.

"Uh-oh." Balls said, seeing those looks and grinning.

He was right. Jessica then turned back to us and asked, "What would you do if I said our company wanted to sponsor Cloud 9?"

She indicated all of Girls' Generation and also Heechul as she said this. If left no doubt as to what she meant, but it was such big news that we could hardly believe it.

"No way." Meteos said.

"You can't be serious!" Balls yelled.

"Are you saying SM wants to sponsor us!?" Hai asked.

"Yes. Krystal messaged me not long after we won tonight. This idea came straight from the top." Jessica said, her smile growing.

Meteos' and Lemon's forks clattered to their plates. Aurora asked, "Your uncle, Sunny unnie?"

"Yes." Sunny answered. She then saw Lemon, Jensen, Sneaky, Meteos and Jack looking at her with puzzled faces and explained, "My uncle Sooman – the man who not only heads SM Entertainment but gave it his name – was watching the finals with Krystal and a number of our fellow idols." She then turned back to Balls, Aurora, Hai and me and said, "See if you recognize any of these names: Baekhyun, Xiumin, Chen, Seulgi and Wendy."

"Oh, my God." Balls said, his mouth hanging open.

"Holy cats..." I managed to say, before finding my voice and asking, "So it's potentially both of our teams, F(x), EXO and Red Velvet?"

"Oh, yes." Jessica answered.

"Quick...when was the last SM Town concert in Europe?" Tiffany asked, looking at Aurora and me.

"SM Town Paris in 2010." I answered.

"Very good, Carlo!" Jessica answered, smiling at me and making me grin back. "So you know SM has been looking for another opportunity to send multiple groups there, and with Worlds set to take place there with us going after a second straight world championship, interest in K-Pop over there has been rising to an all-time high."

"And that's a reason why SM wants to bring us in?" Hai asked.

"Yes. And why the other idols who were watching have said they'd be excited to have Cloud 9 on board." Jessica replied.

"One very important thing." Balls said. "What's the history of pro players on Korean variety shows? Because I can only guess we're going to have to be on some of those as part of this deal and I know gaming is more accepted in Korea than it is here, but what's that been like?"

"Don't worry, I know we wouldn't be the first. CLG was on the True LOL Show on OGN just last year." I said.

"This was some time ago, but Tiffany and I were also on Introducing A Star's Friend with Nada..." Yuri added, referencing the famous StarCraft pro gamer.

"This really is exciting...I can only guess and believe we would still be able to prepare sufficiently for Worlds with this and I hope I'm not wrong about that." Jack said pensively.

"Absolutely, Jack. That means not too much of a schedule load – we'd help make sure that the players wouldn't have to do three shows a day plus solo queue or anything like that." Hyoyeon said reassuringly. "Also, Sica isn't going to put them on a show that would put you in a bad light."

"Yeah, keep in mind...part of the reason they call me the Ice Princess is that I wasn't that comfortable with variety at first either." Jessica said with a self-deprecating laugh. "So trust me when I say I'm not going to suggest or schedule appearances you wouldn't be comfortable with."

The other Soshis smiled at that before she added, "Although I know I've got a little bit of leeway with the four of you..."

She was looking at Hai, Balls, Aurora and me. We smiled and nodded before Hai said. "You're right about that. But I know that we wouldn't want to drag the rest of the team into this. And this would have to be unanimous, I feel – either we're all a part of this or or we all aren't."

Balls, Aurora and I all nodded at that, and Sneaky, Meteos, Jensen and LemonNation looked at each other.

"This could have a real big effect not just for us but the whole pro gaming profession, and not even just in League." Sneaky said after a moment, comprehension dawning on him quickly.

"Question is, are we ready for that?" Meteos asked.

At this point, Jensen smiled and told the Soshis, "I think so. And even if we get in over our head, I know we can trust Jessica noona and the rest of you ladies to help us stay ahead."

"Oh, thanks, Jensen!" Jessica said. "Speaking of that, there's something that the nine of us promised each other. I also know Chullie did as well, so that makes ten."

Heechul nodded as Jessica finished and Lemon asked, "What's that?"

"We'd be going into boot camp mode with you. So we'd be doing variety rounds with you but also focusing on making sure we're ready for Europe." Taeyeon revealed.

"Oh, my God." Sneaky said, his smile growing as was ours. "This really is going to be so f**king lit."

"Yeah, no kidding – it's more hectic, but we're all in this together and that should make it more fun than usual." Lemon agreed.

"I'm seeing the looks on your faces – there really is such a thing as a K-Pop boot camp, isn't there?" Jensen asked.

"Yeah." Yuri said. "Mainly during the trainee period. Back then, there were a number of nights where Hyoyeon unnie and I were at dance practice past midnight, so we'd be going back to those days." Hyoyeon nodded at that.

"Are you all thinking of working in some games with us too?" Lemon asked, now smiling more.

"I think we're definitely doing that. I'm just wondering just how we're going to set that up, but that can wait until we get there." Sunny replied.

"One more thing...I think this goes without saying, but we'd need SM to allow us to cuss on stream. I understand we'd have to zip it and go PG-13 when on variety, but that's a place for us to be ourselves and a bit outrageous." Hai said, and all of us nodded – even Aurora and me, who did our best to not swear.

"I don't think you need to worry about that." Sooyoung replied reassuringly. "Korea may be a conservative country, but SM's not stupid. I know because they initially stopped telling me to do impressions on variety and then realized they were making a mistake."

The other Soshis whooped at that, and so did Meteos and Aurora.

"Anything else?" Taeyeon asked.

"This is something more for the other groups who want to join in." Hai replied. "If they decide to join, are they willing to do the same and join the boot camp?"

"You know, that's a great question, Hai. You have our permission to ask that to anyone who wants in." Jessica said with a smile.

"I like that." Meteos said, high-fiving Hai. "Squad up!"

Jessica gave Hai Krystal's number, and it was at that point that Hai put together the text. Less than a minute later, Krystal was calling us to let us know that they were in, and as we all cheered, we could start to quickly feel that something that was big, beautiful and exciting beyond what we had experienced so far was being set in motion.

--------------

We definitely got an added thrill out of the fact that F(x) was the first full group to join since Krystal was Cloud 9 family as Jessica's sister. As Jessica, Tiffany, Taeyeon, Hai, Aurora and I were on Fifth Avenue when had split into smaller groups after dinner to go around Manhattan, Jessica called, "Hey, DJ Aurora!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Aurora replied.

"Nu ABO. Crank it." Jessica requested with a smile.

"You got it! Here we go..." Aurora said.

She quickly pulled up the song on her phone and started playing it through her headset, which was around her neck.

Author's Note – This is my favorite Nu ABO performance, which comes from the June 18th, 2010 edition of Young Street with Heechul as the host (added bonus is Heechul's craziness):

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

Rap
[Amber] Nae mal deureobwayo unnie – I'm in the trance
Jigeumi kamjeongeun mweojyo nan cheoeuminde
[Victoria] gaseum dugeundugeun machi ggumgguneun deut
Na gureum wireul dungdung sarang ingabwa

[Sulli] Ddak sebeon ssaweobogi
He-eojil ddae insa anhgi
Bogosipeun na saenggak deulddaen
Keopeulling manjyeobogi

Rap – English
[Amber] Listen to what I say, unnie – I'm in the trance
What is this feeling? This is the first time
[Victoria] My heart is fluttering like crazy, like I'm in a dream
I'm in the clouds – boom boom, this must be love

[Sulli] Just argue 3 times
No hugs in the breakup
When you miss me and think of me
Look at the couple rings

"You know, I was playing the heck out of this before we went to All-Stars last year with Carlo and me as stand-ins." Aurora said. "We'd been doing very well in practice, so while people were understandably low on faith that we could hold up onstage, I kept playing this to tell myself that our opponents weren't prepared for what we could bring."

"I can see why!" Tiffany said fervently and with a smile.

[All] Mystery, mystery, molla, molla, ajik naneun molla
Gibon, gibon, saranggongsik saramdeurui ibyeolkongsik
Hysteric, hysteric, dalla, dalla, naneun neomu dalla
Nae mamdaero nae ddeutdaero joha joha Nu ABO

Na-na-na-na, Na-na, Na-na-na-na, Na-na-na-na-na, Na-na-na-na
Na-na-na-na, Na-na, Na-na-na-na, Na-na-na-na-na Nu ABO

English
[All] Mystery, mystery, don't know, don't know, you don't know yet
Basics, basics, love formula, everyone's breakup formula
Hysteric, hysteric, different, different, I'm too different
My own will, my own preference, good, good Nu ABO

Na-na-na-na, Na-na, Na-na-na-na, Na-na-na-na-na, Na-na-na-na
Na-na-na-na, Na-na, Na-na-na-na, Na-na-na-na-na Nu ABO

"Can I tell you guys something?" Jessica asked.

"Sure!" We answered.

"This part coming up – Krystal, Luna and Amber – is in my mind a segment from a song not by us that fits us so well." She said, smiling.

"I see what you mean." I replied with a grin.

[Krystal] Saranghae bbajingeon neomu meotjin irinde
Namanui gamjeongeun
Mot ijeul geudaero gatneungeol, yeah
[Luna] Saerobge jomtwige machi ggumeul kiweoganeungeot
Mystery ABO geugeon moduda neoingeol
Baro neorangeol, ooh
What you, what you call, what you, what you, what you call?

English
[Krystal] It's so amazing, falling in love
It's like having my own
Unforgettable feelings, yeah
[Luna] It's like taking care of my own dream by coming about freshly
Mystery ABO, that's all yours
That's you, ooh
What you, what you call, what you, what you, what you call?

Rap
[Amber] Yes, this is how we do it! Our love, F(x)!
[All] Yeah! Yeah!
[Amber] Yeah, this is how we do it! Pure love F(x)!
[All] Yeah! Yeah!
[Amber] Yeah, this is how we do it, baby! Love, F(x) – uh!

"Holy crap, this one goes hard." Hai said.

"No kidding. And to think those are our teammates now too!" Tiffany added.

[Luna] Ireon moseub eoddae ige nain eoddeokhae
Naegyeote nigaisseo teukbyeolhangeonde, yeah

English
[Luna] How does this look? This is me, so what to do?
You're considered special if you're next to me, yeah

[All] Mystery, mystery, molla, molla, ajik naneun molla
Gibon, gibon, saranggongsik saramdeurui ibyeolkongsik
Hysteric, hysteric, dalla, dalla, naneun neomu dalla
Nae mamdaero nae ddeutdaero joha joha Nu ABO
Na-na-na-na, Na-na, Na-na-na-na, Na-na-na-na-na, Na-na-na-na...

English
[All] Mystery, mystery, don't know, don't know, you don't know yet
Basics, basics, love formula, everyone's breakup formula
Hysteric, hysteric, different, different, I'm too different
My own will, my own preference, good, good Nu ABO
Na-na-na-na, Na-na, Na-na-na-na, Na-na-na-na-na, Na-na-na-na...

--------------

Red Velvet also met in the top floor café once F(x) had left. Their meeting was relatively short since they had gathered from each other via text that they were all interested in joining.

"I'm going to keep my part short because I think we'd all like to go and we're prepared to do our part to make sure we make it to Europe and do a great job." Irene said with a broad smile. "I'd be interested in hearing more about why we want to be on the plane there."

"Yeah, Aurora's my girl from Toronto, so I'd like few things better than to go." Wendy said fervently.

"And you know what the rest of them can do after meeting them last year." Seulgi said to her. "Watching this morning with you, President Lee and the boys, I could see what you were talking about."

"Although that was just at the semifinal stage, so it was a week before the final when Cloud 9 Generation really became a thing." Wendy replied. "Even then, I could sense that they knew they were playing for something much bigger than themselves and they know how to come up big when people are counting on them. They've only become stronger since."

"Yeri and I were talking on the way here and she was telling me she'd love to go especially because of Yoona." Joy chipped in.

"I would." Yeri replied. "I'm interested in finding out more about all of Cloud 9 too – including Jensen oppa. I certainly feel a kinship with him in that we're both people added to winning teams and trying to do our best and prove that we belong. The problem is I need to figure out how to do it without Seohyun sunbaenim thinking I'm trying to get between them."

Everyone laughed and smiled at that, and Joy said, "Oh, Yeri, it's cute to hear that! Don't worry, we'll help make sure you don't make her mad."

"Let's make the call." Seulgi said. "Shall we talk to Taeyeon sunbaenim?"

"Absolutely." Irene answered. "I half-thought for a second that you were about to say Taeyeon umma (Mom)."

Everyone laughed and smiled again, and Seulgi said, "At the worst, you wouldn't be far off – if you're the oldest sister, she's the mother! I know Wendy and I were talking about getting to spend that day with Taeyeon sunbaenim and how much fun that was."

"Aurora's going to be so happy." Joy said knowingly. "Hyoyeon unnie was telling me how she was practicing Happiness with her before the quarterfinals last year. I'm now hoping we can nail Dumb Dumb too and get her and the others jamming to that."

She was too right. Less than a minute later, we were celebrating and adding five more names to the list:

Red Velvet
RV | Wendy (Wendy Son / Son Seungwan, South Korea)
RV | Seulgi (Kang Seulgi, South Korea)
RV | Irene (Bae Joohyun, South Korea)
RV | Joy (Park Sooyoung, South Korea)
RV | Yeri (Kim Yerim, South Korea)

Author's Note – To that point, here's a bit from Daily Taeng9Cam when Wendy and Seulgi visited Taeyeon and baked together. This actually happened in December 2015, but I envision a similar scene happening before this.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

Perhaps the most animated meeting of a group that had members at the watch party was EXO's, in no small part because they'd had the most members at the watch party.

"Are we going over the VODs to check out our new teammates?" DO was saying. They were gathering in a lounge similar to the one that the watch party had been held at.

"Yeah." Chanyeol answered, leading DO over to the TV screen, where they were watching the Riot VOD of the series.

"Okay, let's go over what we know about them." Suho said. He was talking to Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen – the three members who had been at the watch party – who had been in front of the monitor.

"They've still got many ways to win games, but their calling cards are still teamfights, vision control and presence all over the map." Chen said, indicating various parts of the footage that they had picked out. "They have a definite entertainer's streak too that's only grown since last year, but they do a good job of not letting it get in the way of playing smart. And we haven't even talked about Aurora as a singer and dancer and Hai and Carlo as rappers yet."

"What we saw a lot of today was them utilizing that triple mid-laner setup that loves to fight, enabled by the fact that they've got a support that helps with playmaking, vision and getting information as much as Aurora does and an AD who is consistently able to truly carry like Sneaky is – or rather, not Baek."

"Hey, it's not my fault! Or not always my fault anyway – I'm stuck in ELO hell!" Baekhyun exclaimed, hitting him in the shoulder. Then he turned back to Suho and said, "That triple mid setup in mid, top and jungle basically felt like their TTS in that series. They're all used to being the primary carry – or at least one of them – but they can play off each other well too without getting in each other's way."

"It really is both funny and fitting that you say that after Seohyun and Jensen were talking about how she was making sure he was feeling comfortable and focused during his first final and his first time working with Girls' Generation. Meanwhile, we know how Taeyeon and Tiffany are already close to Hai and Carlo respectively and they do share personalities a bit." Xiumin said.

Suho then suddenly looked at the door and saw that nobody else was at it.

"What is it, hyung?" Xiumin asked, seeing it.

Suho turned back to them and revealed, "There's still more to that. Hai and Carlo started dating Taeyeon and Tiffany respectively after Worlds."

The others' faces lit up with the exception of Baekhyun's. He groaned, "Aish... (Crap...) I knew I was fighting an uphill battle after Worlds and all that Cloud 9 did for them, but I still held out some hope..."

"It wasn't a mistake – I know you like Tae noona, Hyunie." Sehun said. "But I can't say I disagree with Suho hyung telling you the truth now before they arrive."

"Mianhe, Baek...are you all right?" Suho asked.

"I'll be honest...it does hurt, but I'm more happy for her – for them. Junmyeon hyung..." Baekhyun said sincerely, using Suho's real name and also meeting his and everyone's eyes to underline his point, "If whatever I feel for Taeyeon noona gets in the way, please feel free to leave me off the plane to Europe. If I can't control it, then I don't deserve to be on the team."

Everyone was looking at Baekhyun and seeing a resolve in his eyes that they had not seen before.

"We're proud of you. We're counting on you to live up to that, but we believe in you." Chanyeol said, patting him on the shoulder.

"We'll make sure Sneaky does what he can to help you get out of Silver, but I think he'll be happy to." Kai added.

"Thanks, guys." Baekhyun said gratefully.

Sehun and Chanyeol offered to take him to get a drink elsewhere on the floor to cheer him up before coming back, and he readily accepted. As they left temporarily, Lay approached Suho.

"Yes, Yixing?" Suho asked, using Lay's real name.

"I was thinking how funny it's going to feel being there when C9 goes up against LPL teams after they got so many players from the Korean Exodus." Suho replied. "It kind of feels like Qian – Victoria – and I are the only exceptions to the rule at SM with no Chinese players in the LCK."

"That does make me wonder...Do you think we could end up meeting Kris, Luhan and Tao again? Could we end up on opposite sides of a League clash if they end up supporting a team that goes against Cloud 9?" Xiumin asked.

"At this point, anything's possible." Suho replied. "But after what Girls' Generation and Cloud 9 did last year, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Ever since Worlds last year, it seems like they have a way of working miracles when they're together."

"That they do." DO agreed, smiling.

"I'll make the call." Suho said, his own smile growing.

--------------

"Thanks, Suho!" Taeyeon said brightly as we high-fived each other before Suho hung up and we passed the news to the others via text.

"Did you know Baekhyun had a crush on you, Taengoo?" Tiffany asked.

"I caught him looking at me a few times and he blushed, but his eyes lit up." Taeyeon said frankly but with a smile. "I thought it was cute and he's a good man, but I wasn't yet interested in dating until not long before Worlds."

At that, we turned to Hai, but he amazingly managed to smile and say, "Yet another reason why I've got to work hard and make sure you don't leave me, Taengoo noona. If I f**k it up, there's a member of EXO who'd love nothing better than to give his heart to you."

"Aigoo, Hai, don't worry..." Taeyeon said reassuringly, giving him a hug. "Just keep being your beautiful self. I love you so much..."

"I love you too..." Hai said, hugging her back.

We all watched and smiled, not wanting to interrupt such a moment.

Aurora whispered to me, "I tell you what, Baekhyun really does deserve a hand after he told his members that they can leave him off the plane if he lets his feelings get in the way."

"He really does." I answered in a whisper, nodding. I then took the chance to pull out my iPad and add EXO's names to the list:

EXO
EXO | Baekhyun (Byun Baekhyun, South Korea)
EXO | Xiumin (Kim Minseok, South Korea)
EXO | Chen (Kim Jongdae, South Korea)
EXO | Suho (Kim Junmyeon, South Korea)
EXO | Chanyeol (Park Chanyeol, South Korea)
EXO | Sehun (Oh Sehun, South Korea)
EXO | Lay (Zhang Yixing, China)
EXO | DO (Do Kyungsoo, South Korea)
EXO | Kai (Kim Jongin, South Korea)

"You know, you've heard a bit of it because Krystal's visited us, but I haven't talked about it until now...our peers are among those who have drawn inspiration from what we've accomplished together since last year." Jessica told Hai, Aurora and me.

"2014 was so difficult not just for us or even just SM but for K-Pop in general, between EXO losing Luhan, Kris and Tao and the Ladies' Code accident, among other things." Taeyeon explained. "Had it not been for what happened at Worlds, we could have so easily been part of that, but instead, they look at us as living proof that things like those can be overcome and we can still be a family."

"Oh, wow..." Hai said in awe. "I really should thank them, because that's really cool."

Hearing that, I smiled, pulled my iPhone out and started tracking down a song to play through my headset around my neck.

"Oh, what are you about to play, Carlo?" Taeyeon asked.

"Peter Pan. I'm going to put on the Chinese version first and then go to the Korean one." I answered.

"Oh, giving credit to both EXO-M and EXO-K? I like that!" Aurora said.

"That's to say nothing about that being a good song for a situation like this." Tiffany added, and Aurora and I both nodded firmly at that.

Chinese (Mandarin)
[Luhan] Lao qu de ri ji
Zai qiang jiao bei yi wang
Fan kai bei hui chen
Fu gai diao de guo wang
[Chen] Zai na yi ye
Ni hai na me yao yan
Yi ran liu zai li mian

[Lay] Guo qu de hua mian
Jian jian dou xing guo lai
Xin tiao ye hao xiang
Na tian yi yang peng pai
[Xiumin] Ke xi shi jian
Que bu neng sui xin
Suo yu de dao tui

English
[Luhan] An old diary
Was forgotten in a corner
Flip open the past
That has been overwritten by dust
[Chen] On that page
You still shine as before
Still inside there

[Lay] Each of those scenes
From the past reawakens bit by bit
My heartbeat is also surging
Like it did on that day
[Xiumin] Unfortunately,
Time can't go turn back
According to what the heart wants

"People still want a reason to dream, fight and sing. And that includes our fellow idols." Tiffany said.

"Well, one thing hasn't changed – they know where to look, or rather who to look to." Hai said with a smile that we returned.

Chinese (Mandarin)
[EXO-M] Ni de Bi De Pan
Li kai ni you yi dian gu dan
Hui dao wo men de Neverland
Hui yi dou hai zai
Wo men bi ci ning
Wang wei xiao dou hai zai
Wo yong yuan shi ni Bi De Pan
Wo hai liu zai shi jian li qi pan
Chuan yue yun cai
Fei guo ji yi de hai
Qu kan wu ke ti dai de ai

English
[EXO-M] Your Peter Pan,
After leaving you, he was a bit lonely
Come back to our Neverland
All the memories are still there
Our smiles as we stared at each other
Are still here
I'll forever be your Peter Pan
I'm still here in time looking forward to it
Travel through the clouds
Fly over the sea of memories
Go to see your irreplaceable love

I then mimed working the crossfader and brought in the Korean version.

"I'm glad you start with Baekhyun's part after he did that." Taeyeon said appreciatively.

"Hey, it's the least I could do, Taeyeon noona. It also happens to be one of my favorite parts of the Korean version." I replied.

[Baekhyun] Neol manhi goerophyeotdeon jitgujeun akdang
Modu mullichyeojun gieogi saengsaenghae
Geu sunganbuteo
Neoui mameul eodgo nanun kiseukkaji

[DO] Nae mameun
[DO / Suho] Hangsang gureum tago naratji
Neoneun Wendi Shinderella boda yeppeotji
[Suho] Gaseum ttwige mandeun dan han saram
Neol neukkinikka du nuni bitna

English
[Baekhyun] I clearly remember beating away
All the villains who bothered you
From that moment
I had your heart and even shared a kiss

[DO] My heart
[DO / Suho] Rode the clouds and flew
You were prettier than Wendy or Cinderella
[Suho] The one person who made my heart pound
As soon as I felt you, my eyes shone

"I'm ready to take these fans to Neverland." Aurora said, her eyes lighting up.

"It's time to fly, I know that much." I replied with a confident smile. "And we've got just about all we need – faith, trust and pixie dust."

"Spoken like a Disney College Program grad." Tiffany replied, smiling. Then she took my hand and asked, "Say, the subway's here...did you want to go to the Disney Store at Times Square? Go pick something out – it's my treat."

"Oh, you're too kind...thanks!" I said, and we shared a quick but warm hug.

"Mind if we come along and look around too?" Taeyeon inquired.

"Oh, no problem!" Tiffany replied.

We all smiled at that and headed down the stairs to the Fifth Avenue station.

[EXO-K] Neol chajaganda chueogi bonaen Tingkeobel
Ttaranaseotdeon Neverland
Geu gose naega
Neowa barabomyeo utgo isseo
Nan yeongwonhan neoui Piteopaen
Geu sigane meomchun ne namja
Seotuljiman neomu saranghaetdeon
Naui neoege danyeoga

English
[EXO-K] I'll go looking for you to Neverland
By following Tinkerbell
Who was sent by the memories
At that place, you and I are smiling at each other
I am your eternal Peter Pan
Your man who has stopped in time
I may be clumsy but I loved you so much
And I will run to you

--------------

Back in Los Angeles, we mainly focused on getting packed and also mentally prepared for what we were about to undertake, but we still found time to take Girls' Generation around the city again.

Two days before our flight to Seoul, we were finished packing and were about to have a group day out at Disneyland with all seventeen of us. Before we arrived at the park, Sunny and Balls decided to drop a bomb on Mikki. They'd started going out when we got back to LA, and Sunny texted a photo of her kissing Balls on the cheek with the simple caption "#Bunny".

Not two minutes passed before Sunny's phone went off with a call from Mikki, who squealed, "Oh, my gosh, congratulations, you two!! I'm so happy for you guysssss!"

"Thanks so much, Mikki-yah!" Sunny replied brightly. "We're heading back to Korea in two days. Expect big news! I wanted to let you know not just because of Balls and me dating but because here's going to be something in that announcement that I want to ask for your help with."

"Ohhh, I'm excited!!! What do you need my help with?" Mikki asked.

"You mentioned you speak Spanish, right?" Sunny inquired in response.

"Yush – I speak Spanish fluently." Mikki answered.

"That's what I thought!" Sunny said, and she revealed, "We'll be in Madrid for an SM Town concert around the time of Worlds and we need a translator. Fany knows some Spanish from her schooling in LA but she's not fluent."

There was a pause where Mikki was clearly taken aback before she answered, almost breathlessly at the end, "I don't wanna jump to any conclusions, but...are you asking me to come with you?!!"

Sunny beamed and answered happily, "We are! You've got the grades and we also know personally that you love working with us and that we can trust you. I'm even willing to write an explanation to your teachers and principal so you can come to Madrid – and to the Worlds Final in Berlin if C9 makes it again!"

"Oh, my gosh, thank you!!!!¡¡! This is gonna be so cool!!!" Mikki cheered. "I just need to run this by my parents – I'm sure they'll say yes! – so that I can renew my passport."

Author's Note – For reference, here's a clip that includes a bit of Tiffany speaking Spanish (and Mikki says she would give her some finer pointers):

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

About 36 hours later, all seventeen of us plus Jack and Heechul were arriving at LAX to fly to Seoul. It was the first time both Girls' Generation and Cloud 9 had flown to Korea together in our entirety – we'd had a bit of it when Taeyeon and Tiffany had brought Jessica, Hai, Aurora and me back to Seoul for the OGN pro/celebrity showmatch the previous December, but this was something else. We were going for an unprecedented shared bootcamp – and not only that, but just what it was for apart from Worlds and who else was involved made for an upcoming bombshell announcement. It made us feel like we had a pouch of pixie dust in our pocket with the power to rock and light up the world.

Like we had when we were coming back after Worlds the previous year, we all flew first class and found times to swap seats so that we weren't sitting with the same people for the whole 13-hour journey.

We were nearing the eastern coast of Gangwon-do (the northeasternmost province, on the North Korean border) and taking turns getting up and pulling on a new special dual team jersey that we had come up with. Sooyoung had just put hers on when she saw Meteos peacefully sleeping in the next seat over from hers. She smiled, gently kissed him on the cheek and began to sing,

Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me
Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee
Sounds of the rude world heard in the day
Lulled by the moonlight, have all passed away

Meteos lightly stirred, smiled and then opened his eyes. When he saw Sooyoung, "Holy s**t, I wasn't dreaming, was I?"

"Not at the end, you weren't, Will." Sooyoung said warmly. "We're getting the special jerseys out. We're almost home."

The dual team jersey we had come up with and that the seventeen of us were pulling out of our carry-ons had a white base, while on either side of a Vegas gold diagonal stripe from top right to bottom left was a large GG Crown logo on the top left and a large C9 logo on the bottom right. Both logos were in charcoal gray except for one large stripe also from top right to bottom left that "peeled" away the charcoal so one could see the respective pink and blue underneath. One sleeve had the pink stylized SM script logo, while the other had the Worlds logo, and on the backs, in jersey fashion, were our names in either Girls' Generation pink or Cloud 9 blue.

Less than 30 minutes later, we had landed and were stepping off the plane and into the main terminal at Incheon International Airport.

"It almost feels too quiet..." Meteos remarked.

"That's because all these people are travelers, meaning they have their own flights and schedules to worry about." Seohyun reminded. "I think once we get to the baggage claim, we'll have a better idea."

"You think the fans are rolling out the red carpet?" Hai asked.

"Only one way to find out." Jack said. "Once we go through the customs baggage inspection, I'll go ahead a bit and see if there are people around."

We first passed through customs, where each Cloud 9 member save Jessica (meaning each of us who wasn't a registered Korean resident) said our purpose in Korea was business. Stunningly, the customs officer who processed us said she had a daughter who was a SONE and a son who was a C9 fan, and she thus asked if she could get our autographs for them. We were all too happy to oblige as we did so and saw the big smile on her face before we moved on to the baggage claim.

Once we got our luggage and went through inspection, Jack quickly came back to tell us that a sizable crowd – about 50 people or so in full voice with banners and signs – had gathered inside of the building to welcome us. They thankfully knew we couldn't stay long for autographs, but they were hoping to catch a glimpse of us.

Yoona and Sneaky happily went out to meet them, and we quickly were close behind in single file and went down the lines of them, slapping hands. We also got a photo with them before we started loading our luggage into a set of vans and set off down the Incheon Airport Expressway bound for Seoul.

"It almost feels like the city itself is welcoming us." Aurora remarked as the highway led us into downtown Seoul. She was in the same van as Sooyoung, Yoona, Meteos, Sneaky and me.

"I can see what you mean, Aurora." Meteos agreed, making Sneaky and me also nod. I then started looking through my iPhone, and the others knew I was looking for a song.

"Oh, what do you have in mind, Carlo?" Sooyoung asked, seeing what I was doing.

"It's actually a Yoona solo from a vintage commercial of hers." I said with a grin.

"Is it Innisfree Day?" Yoona asked, smiling and blushing slightly. Innisfree is a beauty product line based in Jeju that she had been a spokeswoman for.

"Yeah – and don't be embarrassed! I think it both sounds great and fits the moment." I said encouragingly.

"Oh, snap! I'll be interested how you sound alone, Yoona noona!" Sneaky said, also smiling. He then told me, "Hit it, Carlo."

Emboldened by how we were looking at her, Yoona smiled grooved to the opening before she began to sing,

Author's Note – This is the song, with the video taken from Propose by Lee Sangchul (the author and original performer of the song Girls' Generation, which the group covered in the previous chapter.)

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

Annyeong, ibul gateun haessal
Annyeong, sallang daeneun baram
Annyeong, satang gateun gureum
Modeun ge banga wojyeo

Annyeong, hyang giro unkko ip
Annyeong, norae haneun saedeul
Annyeong, nuni bushin achim
Jigeum neol manna reoga

Bamsae gu un kukil dama pojangeul halkka? Jongi pojang gwaenchan heulkka?
Eojjeom niga naege jun seonmul, sonsu geoneul sseodo joha

English
Hello, blanket-like sunshine
Hello, gently blowing wind
Hello, candy-like cloud
Everything is becoming pleasant

Hello, fragrant flower
Hello, singing birds
Hello, dazzling morning
I'm on my way to meet you now

Should I wrap the cookies that I baked all night? Would paper wrapping be okay?
Maybe the handkerchief that you gave me as a gift might work as well

The rest of us smiled at Yoona, who blushed but smiled back sincerely.

"Where are we bound, Sooyoung noona?" Meteos asked.

"Familiar surroundings." Sooyoung replied with a smile.

We could see what she meant as all of our heads turned when we saw SM headquarters, which we were within sight of. We wouldn't be there until the next day when the big announcement would be made, but even Sneaky and Meteos were looking at it with widened eyes.

"Some building, isn't it?" Yoona asked. They nodded, and she then said, "All right, let's get ready to get out. We're just about there."

It turned out that SM was allowing us to use of one of their larger spare dorms as the Cloud 9 boot camp base. It compared very favorably to Fraser Place – as a matter of fact, this dorm was a bit bigger, which was definitely important since Jessica and Jensen were with us now too. It was within walking distance of Girls' Generation's dorm and SM headquarters, which further added a campus feel to it and made things cooler.

Even though it wasn't terribly late by the time the other Soshis had finished helping us unpack, we went almost straight to bed afterwards, knowing we had a big day the next day and that we had to make sure we weren't jet-lagged. I put Innisfree Day back on since I wanted it to be one of the things I fell asleep to that night:

Love you, Inni Girl, haneureul dalmeun na
Love you, Inni Boy, bada gateun neo
Love you, Inni Day, pureun i sesange neowa naega

Love you, Inni Girl, haengbokeul julgeoya
Love you, Inni Boy, sarang halgeoya
Love you, Inni Day, pureun i sesangeul neukkyeo jigeum

English
Love you, Inni Girl, sky like me
Love you, Inni Boy, ocean like you
Love you, Inni Day, you and I in this blue world

Love you, Inni Girl, I'll give you happiness
Love you, Inni Boy, I'm going to love
Love you, Inni Day, feel this blue world right now

.