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"Let's run it again!" You twirled your finger in the air. "We can't make any mistakes, some of your lives depend on perfection!"

"Chase?" You turned to one of your performers and hummed. "Trick isn't eating, I think she needs you to feed her."

You nodded and took the bucket of meat from him. Trick had been your white tiger for over five years now. Very domesticated and very sweet, but she wouldn't take her food from anyone but you.

"Trickster?" You called and opened up her cage. Her favorite type of meat was pork, so you always got her the healthiest, which often meant the most expensive grade of meat.

You gave her a piece, and she ate it immediately. "Good girl."

Trick was the only animal in your circus, so audiences tended to assume that she was abused. Unlike most circuses, where animals are forced into tiny cages and mistreated, Trick was spoiled and showered with constant affection. She was the center of the circus, so you and everyone else in the Freak Show Stealerz wanted to do her right.

You handed her the last piece of meat and gave her a pat on the head. It was time for her to join practice, and she obediently walked beside you and into the ring.

"Sorry about the wait! We'll run the performance twice more, and we're done for the day!"

Jacob wanted to play basketball before school started, and everyone said they'd play a few games with him.

Changmin went to the bleachers to put his bag down, but he saw a person lying there. He screamed, a loud, high-pitched sound that immediately woke you up. You covered your ears and backed away from the source.

"I thought the fire alarm was going off!" You exclaimed.

"What are you doing there?" Changmin questioned in disbelief. "I almost put my backpack on your head."

You rubbed your eyes tiredly and gathered your thoughts. "I didn't sleep well. Jet lag caught up to me."

"Oh yeah," Jacob remembered. "Where are you from?"

"I was raised in LA, why do you ask?"

Eric started laughing hysterically and pointed between Jacob and Kevin. He doubled over and you stood up, on alert, unsure if he was okay or not.

"Don't worry, Minji," Kevin sighed. "He's just glad you're not from Canada."

At the look on your face, Jacob said, "We're from Canada and Eric thinks we're mean to him. He didn't want another mean person from Canada, or something like that."

"And," Eric took a deep breath. "She's from LA, just like me."

Jacob threw you the basketball, trying to wake you up. "I asked because Kevin heard you talking in English on the phone yesterday."

You nodded. "My family's in LA still, so I have to call them often to tell them that I'm okay."

"That's how me and my mom are as well." Eric took the ball from you. "Do you play? Jacob is really good."

"I played a little bit in junior high and during my freshmen year."

"One on one?" Jacob grinned.

"Let's go, pretty boy."

All day, you couldn't stop thinking about how Jacob absolutely smoked you in basketball earlier that morning. Sure, you hadn't played in a long time, but you expected to do better. What could you say? You tamed tigers and ran a circus for a living.

You realized how tired you were at lunch. Maybe playing a sport wasn't a good idea. You were at the lunch table by yourself, your head down, when someone picked your head up and put something soft underneath it. When you opened your eyes, Jacob was looking at you.

"Sorry, I probably made you even more tired this morning."

You smiled. "It's okay. I never turn down a challenge, so it's my fault."

"Minji, didn't you say that your family is still in America?" Chanhee asked, so you nodded. "Do you ever get lonely?"

"Sometimes, but I have my..." you trailed off and stuttered to find a word that wasn't "circus" or anything related. "Thoughts?"

"You sounded very unsure of that." Sangyeon pointed out.

"Okay, yeah. I do get pretty lonely."

Chanhee smiled brightly. "Sleepover at Minji's?"

"Do I have anything incriminating lying around the penthouse?" You thought. Even if you did, you'd probably have time to put it away.

You smiled. "Works for me."

"We'll add you to the group chat and you can get all of our numbers from there." Hyunjae said as he pulled his phone out. "Number?"

You quickly gave him your number and he successfully added you to the group chat. "Okay, I'll see you at my house later."

Eric gaped at the top floor of the luxury apartment complex. "Did Minji say hers was the penthouse at the top?"

Jacob nodded slowly. "She sure did."

They found your motorcycle and parked next to it. They quietly walked into the lobby and found the elevator, hitting the twelfth floor button. Since your penthouse was the only one on the twelfth floor, they rang the doorbell and you opened the door.

"Welcome to the Han House," you smiled as you let them through the door. "Please make yourself at home."

They took their shoes off at the door, and you chuckled at how many were on the ground. You watched as they all looked around, then at you as you walked into the living room.

"This fits you really well." Chanhee said. "I didn't expect your place to be so fancy, but it's fitting."

You smiled. "Thank you. I was actually kind of nervous about you guys coming over."

"Why?" Younghoon asked.

"I don't want you guys to think I'm showing off or anything."

Sangyeon laughed cutely. "You're definitely not showing off. There's a huge difference between you and the people who brag about their money."

You nodded, reassured. "I'll show you guys where everything is."

You walked them around the penthouse, showing them where everything was: the bathroom, the guest bedroom, the closet full of pillows and blankets, and everything else that seemed crucial.

"I figured we'd order some pizza tonight if you guys want, we can make a bunch of comfy pallets on the floor, and get to know each other some more."

They were happy with the idea, so you quickly decided on the different pizzas you would order, then you sat back down after placing the order, and Sunwoo started the questions. "How did you get into motorcycles?"

"My mom actually," you laughed. "When her and my dad were younger, they both rode motorcycles, but my mom was really into them. So I guess my brother and I just grew up liking them."

"What school did you go to, Minji?" Eric asked, so you told him. "I went to a school not too far away from there."

You smiled. "It would've been crazy if we went to the same school." You thought of the perfect question. "Have any of you been to the circus?"

Haknyeon shook his head. "I haven't."

Everyone seconded him, so you tapped the ground excitedly. "There's a pop up circus happening in three days. It's called the Freak Show Stealerz. You guys should watch one night."

"Will you be going?" Hyunjae asked.

"Oh, yeah. I'll be there."

Your phone started ringing, so you quickly apologized and answered it. "Hey, Mom."

Kevin, Jacob and Eric weren't trying to listen, but it was hard for them not to. As you spoke, Jacob looked at Juyeon and said, "Doesn't she seem to shine whenever she's in a comfortable place?"

Juyeon nodded. "She seems like she's glowing."

"I'm glad that she trusts us enough to let us come here." Changmin whispered.

Jacob and Juyeon nodded in agreement.

"Minji, have you seen the news?" Your mom asked through the phone.

"No, I haven't," you paused and looked at Jacob. "Jacob, Can you put the news on?"

He nodded and your mom made a sound in the background. "Who's Jacob?"

"I have friends over." You laughed.

"Boys?" Hyunjoon questioned.

You hummed as a yes and looked at the tv. "Hold on, I'm looking at the news."

"The pop up circus, Freak Show Stealerz, will be in Seoul in three days. Trending on social media, is the infamous ringmistress, Chase." The announcer said. "Fans of the act and audiences to come are wanting a reveal from the tiger tamer."

"A reveal?" You whispered.

"It'll bring in a bigger audience," Hyunjoon said. "You know how the circus business works, Minji. When people see the words: Grand Reveal - they'll go nuts."

"I mean, that's fine." Your voice was quiet now as everyone kept watching the news. "But the mystique has been a part of my performances since I started leading at fifteen. Mom and dad even kept our faces hidden when we were child performers."

"I know," your dad came in this time. "But when you took over the business and renamed the circus, everyone went crazy. You started with your family at ten, and five years later, you start running it on your own? It's only natural for people to want to know who you are. But it's up to you. You'll be everywhere - that's good business."

You smiled at the idea. "I'll think about it."

They hung up after saying goodbye and you looked back at the tv.

Could you pull off revealing Chase while keeping that certain mystique that made you so interesting?

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