It's slightly more crowded than it usually is at such a late hour in the cosmetics store Lu Han works in. Normally there are only a handful people on their way home from work and a few groups of teenagers skipping on their academy classes, but their newest campaign has brought in plenty more customers.

The cosmetics chain Organic Kingdom has recently launched their third promotional campaign with SM Entertainment and their popular ten-member boy group EXO. Just like with their previous two campaigns, it has proved itself to be an extremely successful one: the products promoted in the campaign are flying off the shelves and students and office workers alike are lining up daily to receive one of the collectible items given away upon request with every purchase.

In truth, it was the reason Lu Han first applied for a job at Organic Kingdom, too. EXO was the incentive for Lu Han traveling all the way to Seoul to study, so it was no surprise to anyone who knew Lu Han that having access to collectibles and being able to use the staff discount on the campaign products eventually lured him to work part time at the cosmetics store. Being able to chat with the customers and practice his Korean was an added perk.

Lu Han's flower boy looks soon made him popular with the customers, especially women of all ages, so seeing plenty of women enter the store during his shifts has become ordinary for him. On the other hand, seeing the same man enter the store late in the evening more than once per week was rather unusual – which is why Lu Han's eyes are following a tuft of light brown hair moving between the aisles of the store.

This is the young man's second visit on the same week and the week is only halfway finished. In total, Lu Han remembers seeing him at least six times. He doesn't seem like one of Lu Han's admirers, not with the way he keeps his gaze focused mostly on the floor and dashes in and out of the store much faster than most customers. The most curious thing about the man is the fact that he always purchases EXO campaign products and asks for the giveaway items he's entitled to. So far Lu Han's given the man four cardboard cutouts of different EXO members and two paper fans, along with six photocards.

Meeting other male fans is a rare occurrence and plenty of the guys buying products during campaigns are buying gifts for their girlfriends. However, this guy has visited so many times that Lu Han has begun to suspect he has found a fellow fanboy. He just isn't sure how to approach the matter with the man. A lot of fanboys tend to be secretive about their love for boy groups. It's not like Lu Han is shouting his love for EXO off the rooftops, either. When even teenage girls sometimes get judged for being fans, it's not easy to be a male fan in his twenties.

The man walks over to the shelf carrying Organic Kingdom's new hand creams, each tube of scented lotion decorated with the face of an EXO member. He is wearing a suit with a pale blue pressed shirt and a black tie that's been loosened around his neck. He's most likely on his way home from work. Since he doesn't seem to be interested in Lu Han and visiting the store because of him – unlike many of Lu Han's other customers – he probably works or lives somewhere nearby.

Lu Han is receiving a payment for two lip glosses from a schoolgirl when the man finally approaches the counter, holding three hand creams, an aloe vera lotion and a face pack in his hands. He takes a spot in the line for Lu Han's cash register, keeping his eyes on the floor as usual, occasionally gazing at the items he's holding.

Lu Han drops a body wash he's supposed to be checking out, too busy searching for possible fanboy clues. Luckily the office lady he's serving only thinks it's adorable for someone as handsome as Lu Han to be clumsy.

Once the man is finally in front of Lu Han, he places the products on the counter and Lu Han proceeds to check them out, hoping to find something to use as an ice breaker.

The ice breaker comes in the form of Chen's face on one of the hand cream tubes.

“Chen, huh? That OST track he did was the greatest, wasn't it?” Lu Han asks while grabbing a shopping bag to place the items in.

The man only hums, non-committal, and pulls a card from his wallet. When Lu Han hands him the shopping bag, the man finally speaks up.

“I would like a photocard and a giveway item, please,” he says, his voice soft and quiet.

Lu Han takes the chance to try and dig up more information.

“I've noticed you collect them. Any chance you're a fan of EXO?”

The man looks at Lu Han partly in surprise, partly in poorly masked horror.

“No!” he protests. “It's... it's not for me, I swear. It's for... my sister.”

Once Lu Han has given the man his campaign items and his card back, he dashes out, without a word of goodbye or thank you, with the shopping bag clutched tightly in both hands. Lu Han is left behind the counter, holding the man's receipt. It isn't until a group of three schoolgirls clear their throats in front of the counter that Lu Han begins to recover from the man's reaction.

It's a week later when the man finally returns. It's late, only ten minutes until closing time and Lu Han has already carried in the ad signs from outside the store. He's looking at a presentation for a new line of products, making sure it's ready for the following day, when he notices a familiar tuft of light brown hair moving next to a shelf of coconut butter products. Lu Han had already assumed that the man changed stores, too embarrassed or angry after having been accused of being a fan of a boy group, but apparently that wasn't enough to scare the man away after all.

Once Lu Han has checked out the purchases of two schoolgirls and reminded them to catch the next subway home instead of loitering around the city, he sees the man approaching the counter with several products in hand and realizes they're alone in the store. Maybe with no one else around, the man might be encouraged to be a bit more chatty?

“Ah, EXO again, I see,” Lu Han muses when the man hands over the products he has chosen. This time it's three hand creams and two moisturizing face masks. “How is your sister going to be able to use all of these before they go bad?”

The man doesn't reply, only digs into his wallet to grab his card. Breaking the ice with him is more difficult than it was getting that super cute Sehun photocard from the Exodus albums, which, for the record, took Lu Han 34 purchases (and was so worth it).

“You know, you should tell her to come to the store herself if she can. I'm sure she'd love to take photos of herself next to the life-size cardboard EXO members. We even allow selfie sticks! And she'd meet plenty of other fans, too,” Lu Han tells the man while placing his products into a paper bag.

“Although I can't guarantee their sanity or perception,” he says, handing the bag to the man, who once again mutters about wanting the campaign freebies he's entitled to. “Some girls were actually discussing the possibility of taoris as a legitimate real-life ship! Can you believe that? Everyone and their mother knows taoris are like brothers and if Tao is in a legit couple with anyone in the group, it's my bias Sehun! Taohun for life!”

Lu Han laughs, but stops short when he notices the displeased look on the man's face. He hands the man his photocard and paper fan, both with Suho's face on them and hears him utter a small, soft 'thanks', which Lu Han considers improvement on their barely-there relationship. Then the man walks away without another word. The little bell at the door rings, signaling that Lu Han has been left alone in the empty store.

Lu Han locks up the doors at the end of his shift, slightly bummed out that the brown haired man isn't reacting very well to any of his attempts at a conversation.

He isn't ready to give up, however. Although the man doesn't outright admit he is a fan, it doesn't mean he really isn't one. After all, the pink tint on the man's lips looked suspiciously like he had applied one their EXO lip balms.

Lu Han should know, he wears the same shade of pink.

“I don't know if you've guessed it by now, but I'm a fan,” Lu Han blurts out two days later when he's once again face-to-face with the young man. “Of EXO, of course.”

The man doesn't react, just pushes his chosen items onto the counter for Lu Han to check them out. His light brown hair is slightly matted against his head because of the rain outside.

It's been a very slow day at work for Lu Han, thanks to the rain. It had been pouring down since the early morning and very few people seem willing to go outside and risk a cold. He was surprised to see the young man walk in with his bright blue umbrella, wearing a pair of sopping leather shoes.

There are only two other customers at the store and they appear to be tourists more interested in taking photos with the EXO cardboard cut-outs than observing Lu Han's interactions with his favorite customer. No better opportunity to try and finally make fanboy friends with the man.

“Like I told you the last time you were here, my favorite member is definitely Sehun and naturally my favorite ship is taohun, I mean look at them,” Lu Han says, pointing at a poster where Sehun and Tao are posing with jars of aloe vera lotion, “it's basically like having two models together! The visuals are overwhelming!”

The man's gaze follows to where Lu Han's finger is pointing. Lu Han is absolutely certain there is recognition in his eyes, despite the fact that he quickly turns his head back to stare at the counter and the look on his face hasn't changed at all.

“But I also have a soft spot for krisoo,” Lu Han continues, pressing on. Even if the guy turns out to really and truly not be a fanboy, he rarely gets such a chance to gush about his favorite group in public. “Kris is so tall and big and Kyungsoo is so tiny and cute and that heart-shaped smile! They're like a couple from a really cutesy manga, the nice handsome guy who melts the heart of a little grumpy guy. Like, have you seen them hold hands? The visuals! Oh my gosh. They're just the ultimate big guy, small guy ship!”

Lu Han grabs a paper bag from underneath the counter when...

“Are you nuts? Everyone knows the ultimate big guy, small guy ship is krisbaek, haven't you see--”

Lu Han looks up to see the man slap both his hands over his mouth. His eyes show terror for a brief moment before he rushes out into the rain, leaving everything but his wallet behind.

Too shocked to feel happy about his plan finally working, Lu Han is left standing behind the counter with the man's purchases in hand. After a couple of confused blinks he notices the man's umbrella standing next to the counter.

Lu Han has been explicitly told not to abandon the store for any reason. But this isn't just any reason. Grabbing the umbrella, he shouts at the two tourists that the store is closing and rushes out into the rain to find the young man.

After a failed dash to the nearest subway station, running around the station area and not finding the one he's looking for, Lu Han decides to return to Organic Kingdom. After all, it's unlikely that the man would want to see him, anyway.

He's holding the blue umbrella above him to fight off the rain, so it isn't until he's already almost at the door that he notices there is someone familiar huddled underneath the eaves in front of the store. Lu Han jogs the last few steps to the door and lets the man enter before shaking the water from the umbrella and following him in.

“Let me guess,” Lu Han begins after the man's wet shoes and jacket have been placed next to the radiator in the back room to dry off. “You came back for your umbrella right after I had dashed out to give it to you?”

The man looks up from the floor where he is sat on top of a small pillow, leaning into the warm surface of the radiator.

“Well...” he starts. “That, too. But mostly for the giveaway items,” he confesses sheepishly.

Lu Han can't help but laught, so he does. It's light and addictive and it's hardly a surprise that the man joins in a few moments later, breaking what's left of the ice between them.

It's no longer awkward or uncomfortable for either of them, Lu Han can tell. So once they've both calmed down, he asks: “So, krisbaek, huh?”

The man looks nervous for a second and Lu Han understands this is most likely his first time – at least outside online message boards – coming out to someone as a fanboy. He knows the feeling and feels a little proud to be the man's first. Person he comes out to. As a fanboy.

“Yeah...” the man starts, looking down at his now bare feet. “My name is Kim Minseok, sorry for not introducing myself earlier.”

“Hello Minseok, I'm Lu Han,” Lu Han tells him, reaching out to shake the man's hand. “Who's your bias, Minseok?”

“It was Baekhyun at first but since then I've discovered all the other members and now it's tough to have a bias anymore because everyone is so awesome, you know? But I'll still defend Baek's singing skills, cuteness and public speaking talents 'til my last breath!” Minseok announces.

“Oh yeah, he's put his foot in it a few times, hasn't he?” Lu Han chuckles but stops once he notices Minseok's look of disappointment.

“Don't be one of those fans, everyone messes up sometimes,” Minseok chastises but then goes back to babbling excitedly about his love for the group.

They stay in the back room of Organic Kingdom for a few hours, waiting for the rain to stop and eating through the stash of snacks and ramen Lu Han has stored in the back in case of sudden cravings. Lu Han finds out they both ship taohun and suchen but can't see eye to eye on which is the ultimate big guy, small guy ship: krisoo or krisbaek. Minseok provides fan accounts and short videos as proof of his view on the matter and they huddle together to watch the videos on Minseok's phone. After some time has passed, Lu Han no longer cares about the battle of the ships, he just really enjoys spending time and talking with Minseok and doesn't want it to end.

It's dark outside when Lu Han and Minseok finally emerge from the back room and head home. Lu Han is reluctant to leave and go their separate ways but doesn't know how to approach the matter with Minseok without sounding clingy.

Luckily, he doesn't have to.

“Ummm, I was just wondering,” Minseok says, visibly nervous again for the first time in a while. “If you're not busy some day, maybe you'd like to go to karaoke together? I go alone once a week or so and sing through EXO's albums, but it gets lonely sometimes so I was just thinking--”

“I'm free tomorrow evening!” Lu Han exclaims, not stopping to fear he might sound too excited. “I'd love to go! And maybe next week I can take you to a music show recording since you've never been to one before?”

Minseok laughs. His cute little hamster teeth and curved eyes are such a pleasure to see, Lu Han wonders if he's a little bit in love with the man. It would definitely explain his need to pester the man to get him to talk to Lu Han.

“Sounds good,” he tells Lu Han. “Text me tomorrow when your shift is about to end. I'll come by to pick up my giveaway items before karaoke.”

It's Lu Han's turn to laugh. But if the items keep Minseok coming to him, he better keep it a secret for a little longer that Lu Han could use his employee benefits to provide the man with his missing items.