DAY 1

It was your first trip to Korea. Ever. You are excited and you desperately need this trip. You had just survived an awful break up with your now-ex boyfriend and your friends, seeing your sorry state, had told you about their plan to visit Korea.

It's a great place! Trust me! They had told you. Plus, don't you want a chance to see all those KPOP stars? They had giggled after saying that. You weren't a big fan of KPOP (you only knew a few bands) but you had agreed anyway. They had told you that they had been saving for this trip and that they had more than enough money for everything. You only needed to contribute a small bit. You had been excited to go and your friends had eagerly showed you all the KPOP bands they loved. SHINee, B.A.P., EXO, Girls Generation, Miss A, B1A4. There were so many, you barely remembered them all. You could tell which ones were the most popular, though, and you hoped that'd be enough to get you by. But it wasn't as if you could remember all the members if you'd ever actually see them in real life.

The plane ride there was long and tiresome. You got by with the few books you packed, your iPad (first generation) and whatever songs and games you had on that. Your friends all sat around you, they had short bursts of chatter whenever they thought of something to do. You dearly loved your friends but sometimes they were just so girly. You couldn't help but think that maybe if you were girlier...

But no, you snapped out of your depressing trance. It wouldn't do to dwell on your old memories and insecurities now. Overall, happy wasn't exactly a word that could describe you. Sure, you had your good moments, but you were a more serious person. You had a weird side, a hyper side, a serious side, and a good and bad side. Sometimes you overthink things, and you worried a lot. But that was because you cared. Some part of you felt like you didn't really completely belong with the group of friends around you. Some part of you felt a bit out of place.

For the rest of the flight, you slept your way through. At the airport, your Korean friends guided the way through the crowds and out. You feel lucky that a lot of your friends were Korean. There were four of your friends with you, and you of course. And luckily, three of them were Korean. All but you were major KPOP lovers. 

They had planned a three week trip and at the perfect time too. The weatherman had promised wonderful weather and bright sunny skies. Your friends had taught you enough Korean to get by and you were thankful for that. In the taxi cab that would take you and your friends to the hotel you all were staying at, you managed to understand the small talk the cab driver had offered and the price that had been exchanged at the end of the ride. You breathe a sigh of relief as you realize that you wouldn't have to completely depend on your friends on this trip. 

It's early afternoon when you and your friends arrive and check in at the hotel. Which means that your friends will probably want to go shopping. Your Korean friends had told you all about the nice shopping districts and such and such and it all sounded nice but you couldn't help but feel like you just wanted to lie on the fluffy white hotel bed and sleep. Maybe even cry a little.

It really had been a bad break up after all. 

You thought about your ex for a while. He had blond hair, tall, and was very athletic. Maybe not the brightest, but he had been so kind to you. And then he dropped the bomb and left you for another girl. It was a tough life. 

You get cleaned up in the small bathroom you shared with one of your friends. She was one of your bestest friends and a trustworthy one at that. She understands how you feel at this point, but urges you to look good anyway. She offers to do your hair and you accept. She doesn't change much, but instead pulls out the hair tie you had on and lets your hair fall. You feel a little uncomfortable, the hair tickles the back of your neck, and you start to fidget with it a little. Your friend smiles at you and says "Leave it. It looks good." And you try to smile back. 

One store after another is how the trip goes. They take you to a small boutique and they instantly begin looking around. You also glance around but don't buy anything. A girl who appeared to work for the store comes up to you and asks if you need help. In your rusty Korean, you say that you're just looking around and "no, thank you".  

The same thing happens at the next store. And the next. Your friends are happy and laughing and you smile with them. In fact, you feel alright. You hadn't bought anything, but still you smiled with them. Their laughs are contagious. 

You're blanking out and about to cross the road when suddenly you hear one of your friends call your name in surprise. You turn your head and that's when that happens. An arm is suddenly around your waist and pulls you out of the way. Your eyes are wide open and your mouth is slightly gaping in shock. You try to say something--anything-- but no sound comes out. Your friends are also frozen in shock, but one seems to unfreeze and walks up to you slowly, then stops, looking at something...above you?

You realize that your head is leaning against something. You look up and someone is looking down. His arm is still around your waist. His face is sculpture-like, carved, and his perfect skin is tanned yet pale at the same time. His eyes stare back at yours. His lips are full and his black hair falls around his eyes like little curls almost. He's so gorgeous... You think to yourself. Then you feel embarrassed. You've never really been one to think things like "sexy" and "gorgeous", but you couldn't help it. 

"Than--" You try to say. But before you can thank anyone, he lifts his arm, takes your hand and starts to run. You stumble behind him and hear a chorus of voices behind you. You hear your friends calling out your name and you hear some male voices calling out "Kai!" and "Jongin!" Is that his name? You wonder. Strangely enough, their voices sound so familiar. You turn around when you finally find a  steady pace to run with and you see the boys who were yelling out the strange rescuer's name. Is he a rescuer or a kidnapper? You think to yourself. As you catch a glance at their faces, you start to recognize them a little. You turn around as the person dragging you seems to take a turn and you cross the street. Where are we going? 

As your friends are finally out of sight you keep thinking about who those people were. They had seemed so familiar for some reason. Your "rescuer" finally stops inside a small cafe. In fact, it seems a weird place to stop. He even orders a drink and invites you to sit down. You feel shy all of a sudden. And then it hits you.  You think back to all the music videos your friends made you watch over and over again. Weren't those the members of EXO? EXO-K? And they were calling out a name.. Kai, was it? Kai... Kim Jongin? Of EXO-K?

Oh you've got to be trolling with me now... But no, you look up at him. There he is. The main dancer of just one of the many KPOP bands that your friends showed you. He sits down across from you, sipping on what looks to be an iced coffee. He is silently staring at you, but he finally says something. "Sorry for stealing you away from your friends." He even bows his head slightly. 

"No, thank you for helping me." You bow your head too, and then cringe at your Korean. You really needed to work on it. 

There's another silent pause. "Um...where are we?" You ask him. He rattles off the name of the small cafe. And then he says:

"You didn't look very happy back there."

"Huh?" You think back. Weren't you smiling and laughing happily with your friends? Weren't you convincing enough? But you don't say anything. Instead, you pull out your phone. "Look, I have to go back, OK? Thank you again. But my friends need to know where I am, ah, hey!" He grabs your phone from you. Then he starts typing something and hands it back. You look at the screen. You're looking at a contact page. "KIM JONGIN (KAI)" it says, with a number below it. And then something else pops up. "Message sent." the little box says. "What did you do?" You feel a little hostile now. 

A phone rings somewhere. Kai pulls out his phone from his pocket and shows you the screen. It says "1 NEW MESSAGE FROM.." and then your phone number.  He sticks out his hand and gives you a small smile. "I'm Kai, from EXO-K. Have you heard of us before?"

"Yeah. I have. Briefly." Is what you want to say. Your limited Korean vocabulary only permits you to say "A little", however.  You shake his hand and introduce yourself. Why did he have to be so good looking? He turns to leave. 

"Why don't I show you around here sometime? I bet I know the place better than your friends seem to." Something about him was so full of confidence, yet he was being very kind to a stranger, someone he just met and barely knows. 

But you take the offer. Because something in you craved the possibility of friendship. "That sounds nice," you say.

He raises his hand to his ear and makes a little signal. "I'll call. See you." He says coolly. He gives you another smile, then leaves the cafe. 

That was only the beginning.

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[TO BE CONTINUED] 

Note from the author A.K.A. MEEEEE: For all you Kai fans out there :D I hope you enjoy~ Sorry if there's any typos! I'll fix them ASAP!