Four; Jongdae

In my second year of high school, I had my first obsession with an idol. 

His name was Kim Jongdae, and he was a singer who went by the stage name Chen. Chen was the new kid who was taking over the music scene, around two or three years older than me. He had a sharp jawline, piercing eyes, and a mischievous quirk of the lips. Except for the fact that he wasn’t very impressive in height, Chen was the perfect man. 

My obsession with Chen was fleeting, but while it was occurring, it was intense. That’s the thing with idols; the fandom is like a cult – loyalty without reason.  If anyone said something bad about Chen, I felt as if I was being personally attached.

It was ridiculous, I knew that it was ridiculous, and at the time, I couldn’t have cared less. Instead, I stayed up until weird hours of the morning for album launches, paid a ridiculous amount of money on albums, concert tickets, posters, and other merchandise, and even once followed him to the airport.   

That period of my life lasted around seven months. Then, life just moved on. I got busy with planning a huge event with the student council, and the next thing I knew, Chen had slipped away from my mind. That was another thing with idols – they tend to come and go. 

It was almost winter again when I actually met him. Ironically, I wasn’t even trying. Sehun had gotten into photography lately, and had actually entered his work in a city wide contest. He was chosen as many of the select few to be featured in a gallery for a month. As his very best friend, it was only right that I attended opening night. 

I had run late, very much by accident. I decided to take the bus instead of the subway, and had gotten stuck in traffic due to an accident up ahead caused by icy roads. I ended up getting off the bus and walking the last three blocks in my heels, in the snow. By the time I got to the gallery, I was half frozen and completely cranky.