MinSeo dropped me just in front of the coffee shop, which was the spot where Sehun and I had met, in the absence of any other better meeting point, and she left after wishing me good luck and telling me not to stare blankly at him for too long. Being the café in one of the busiest districts in Seoul, there were people going up and down the street even though it was well past sunset time, so I felt quite safe just waiting there on my own. Either way, he didn’t take too long to appear, but not in the way I was expecting. Seoul, with its ten million residents, had its fair share of quite wealthy people, so it was not unusual to see expensive looking or simply flashy cars in the streets. Which was exactly what I was expecting from him. Instead, an also expensive white sports motorbike stopped right in front of where I was standing. I didn’t recognise him at first until he lifted the windshield from the helmet and gestured towards me as he handed another helmet for me to put on.

“I have never ridden a motorbike,” I said hesitantly, raising my voice over the sound of the engine. I think I heard him laugh.

“Don’t worry; I will not be speeding too much. Just make sure to hold on tightly.”

And there was certainly nothing else I could do. Right in the moment the bike started moving I had no other choice but to put my arms around his waist and sit closer to him. I didn’t really fancy all of that, the speed and the car dodging were making me sick, so I closed my eyes. I didn’t really know where we were going, as he had insisted in choosing the place, so I was surprised when I opened my eyes again and found ourselves driving through the main highway in Seoul and heading to the outskirts of the city. Probably, doing this leap of faith without not really knowing what I was going to find at the other side was not the best decision I could have made, but I hoped I wasn’t going to be kidnapped or worse. Also, the skirt of my dress was rolling a bit too high up my legs for my taste; good thing I was wearing tights.

More or less half an hour had passed by when I felt the bike reducing speed and I opened my eyes again. We were passing through a smallish town and heading up a hill to a quite big building. As the speed allowed it, I raised my windshield and tapped his shoulder for him to do the same.

“Where are we going?” I yelled so he could hear me.

“That place over there. It’s a really nice restaurant; you have nothing to worry about.”

When we finally got there, he parked the motorbike near the main door and I got off it. My legs were somehow stiff and wobbly at the same time and I had to grab onto his arm until I found my balance again.

“It seem like you’ve enjoyed your first bike trip a lot,” he mocked.

I gave him a side eye and answered.

“I didn’t have you as the kind of guy that is into motorbikes and speed and all that; I wasn’t ready.”

He chuckled and led me into the building. Right when we came in, the doorman approached us and took our coats away, and the person at the reception greeted us and the disappeared through a door after exchanging a few words in Korean with Sehun. A moment after, a middle aged man dressed with a nice suit and greeted him warmly. Looking at him and Sehun, who was wearing simple black trousers and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, I felt very underdressed. I would have to take MinSeo’s advice and let her take me clothes shopping. Sehun introduced me to the man who I greeted with half a bow and a smile, and he led us through the building leaving behind the main hall. We passed through a restaurant that had a few tables, elegant folding screens to add privacy and dim lighting, but we didn’t stop there. Instead, we got to a separated room which had a table dressed for two and behind it, a huge glass window from the ceiling to the floor.

Right in the moment I took a glance outside, I felt my breath being taken away from me. The building was on top of one of the medium height hills that surrounded Seoul. It wasn’t very far from the city but high enough so that the entire skyline could be appreciated. It was probably one of the most beautiful views of Seoul. Sehun and the middle aged man chatted behind me but I didn’t catch a word; I didn’t even feel the man leaving the room and Sehun approaching me behind my back.

“So, I guess I made the right choice with the place.” His voice startled me and I turned around to face him.

“This is incredible.” I smiled. “How did you find out about this place?”

“That man is one of my father’s best friends and he’s the owner of the place, so… This is actually a hotel, but it also has a restaurant,” he explained. “I like it here because it’s quite secluded and private.”

“So here’s where you take all your dates,” I sassed.

“If by dates you mean my family, then yeah, sure,” he smiled back. “Do you mind if we take a seat? I’m pretty sure you will still be able to see from the table.”

“I feel a little out of place being here,” I said as I pulled my chair back from the table.

“Why do you say that?”

I shrugged it off. Then I grabbed the menu and took a look at the prices.

“Whoa, I’m definitely out of place!” The entire menu was written in Korean but I could pretty much understand the numbers. Some of the plates costed more than what I got working in a day.

“It’s okay. I’m paying this time.” I looked at him over the menu. “I mean it, don’t worry. If you feel bad, invite me to one of your drinks or pay for the second date, whatever you want.”

“Last time you wanted me to pay for your drink, you left the money on the counter when I turned back.”

“That’s true, but I mean it this time,” he said, browsing the pages. “What are you going to order, then?”

I closed the menu and left it over the table.

“I don’t get more than a few words, and as you are paying, you are deciding as well.”

“Okay. What about the drinks? Do you like wine?” he asked.

“I haven’t drunk enough to taste de difference between a cheap wine and an expensive one, to be honest.” I earned myself a laugh for that comment. “I’m not much of a drinker anyway. And if you’re driving, you shouldn’t be drinking yourself.”

“That’s true. And about you not being a drinker, that’s quite a statement in this country, you know that?”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed people tend to drink a lot, but I try to avoid it as much as I can because I cannot hold alcohol very well…” I was interrupted by the waiter who came in and took fast notes of Sehun’s orders and then left.

“So, Grace. Where are you from exactly? I think I never asked.”

“I’m from a small town in California, but I’d been living in Los Angeles for the past few years until I moved here.”

“That’s quite a change,” he nodded. “Didn’t you tell me your name was Jeong? Is it like a nickname to make it easier for us?”

“It isn’t, but a few people call me just that,” I said thinking of my landlady. “It’s actually my surname. My father was Korean.”

“Are you kidding? You don’t look Korean at all!” and he seemed genuinely surprised.

“I know, I take after my mother’s looks.”

“She must be a very beautiful lady, then.”

“She was,” I corrected. “But thank you.”

“Oh.” He looked really taken aback. “I’m really sorry for your losses.”

“It’s okay, thank you,” I tried to comfort him with a smile, but the conversation pretty much died at this point, so we both just stared out the window in silence until the waiter came back with our drinks and the starters.

******

“So, Grace,” he started after the food was brought to us, obviously trying to make some small talk. “How’s the Korean learning going? I apologize for being an about that the first time we met, I was not having a great day and I took it out on you.”

“It’s fine, I guess. I haven’t been attending lessons, because I have no time, but I think it will continue improving just by talking to people in the café, my neighbours and all that. MinSeo usually talks to me in Korean and I can understand to some extent, but I don’t feel confident enough to answer fully in Korean yet.”

“Well, that’s great. In my experience, you will learn more by having contact with people rather than just studying, so you are at the perfect position,” he said pensively. “The studio tried us to learn some English and Spanish when we started being more successful in foreign countries by hiring tutors, but it didn’t really work. Most of what we know, we’ve learnt it by ourselves, by talking to the fans and the interviews.”

“Your English is really good, I don’t think I will ever have the need to speak Korean for you to get me,” I smiled. “So, you, I mean, the group, it is quite successful, isn’t it?”

“We are,” he laughed. “It would be false modesty to say something different; but it’s also true that we’ve been working our asses off for some years now and have had a few people leave the group because of that.”

“Looks like competition is tough.”

“It is. I mean, we have lots of awesome things, free stuff, traveling, meeting interesting people, parties, money, the fact that we get to be in a stage and actually make our fans happy with that we do; all of that is brilliant and I will be forever grateful for it. But at the same time, I don’t think people really know what they’re talking about when they say they’d like to become idols.” He was looking down at his food at this moment and his expression was quite dark. “I’m guessing you don’t really know much about us, do you? Like, you’re not a fan,” he raised his head back again with a smile on the lips.

“Well, I didn’t really know any of you before MinSeo told me who you are, and even then I didn’t do much research, to be honest. I’ve watched a couple of your videos and that’s about it. I’m not much into those fandom movements, so yeah.” I somehow felt a bit embarrassed saying that. “But hey, the other day I recognised one of the songs I listened to when it came up on the radio, so that’s a bonus point!”

His head fell back as he laughed at my comment.

“I think it’s actually a good thing that you don’t know who we are. I then will have lots of things to tell you and you won’t be able to see that I’m actually boring.”

“I bet that’s not true!” I replied. “Besides, I work at a coffee shop, have only one friend and can barely communicate with the world around me. You are no competitor against me in the Boredom Olympics!”

“Your life is so different from my own, there’s no way I could ever be bored hearing about it,” he stated. “Besides, think about it. You are an unknown person, so you are free. You can do whatever you want, anytime you want, go anywhere you want to go and there’s definitely no one that’s going to be following you with a camera trying to take the worst picture possible or to catch a moment that could make for a good story.”

“Hmm, I see what you mean”, I said as I leaned back on my chair. “But you know,  it’s not that easy. I can’t always do whatever I want, because money is usually tight. And on the other hand, you’re living the dream of many people! Who wouldn’t want to go on a stage, sell records, sing and dance, be an artist for a living? I work in a coffee shop and I don’t dislike it, but the most exciting part of my day consists of dodging dirty handed kids.”

“That sounds thrilling, indeed,” he joked. “So, I’m guessing this is not your dream job, is it?”

“Unless you’re my boss, Mr Park, I don’t really think it is anybody’s dream job. I think all of us are doing it while we wait for a better chance to come around.”

“And what would be that chance for you?”

I blushed a little and crossed my arms over my chest after putting the chopsticks down on the plate. I was having a good time and he had been really nice the whole time, but I thought it would be a little awkward to confess I would like to be doing part of what’s his job.

“You know, I have already had some experience with what I’d like to do for a living. Not anything big, so I haven’t really had a taste of what it could really be like, but I’d like to try.”

He seemed more confused than not by my blabbering.

“I’m talking about modelling.” He raised his eyebrows in surprise and I lifted my hand to stop him from talking. “I know it’s stupid, so please don’t say it if you think so as well. It’s just something I would like to try and see how it goes.”

“I don’t think it is stupid. Lots of people want to have a go at it and I’ve met many people in the industry, so I don’t believe in the stereotype that models are vapid or silly. I was just surprised.” He cleared his throat before asking, “Have you tried to find something in the time you’ve been here?”

“I have. I still do, sometimes. But the agencies have not been really nice about it, because I don’t look Korean enough, I guess.”

“I see,” and I could feel his eyes scanning every part of me that wasn’t covered by the table. He was making me feel quite self-conscious. “I think you’re beautiful. But it’s true that at least here, they try to look for more Asian looking people, so this is probably not the best place for you to start. But keep on trying. You never know what may come, right?”

“Sure.” I smiled because he was being encouraging and I really could appreciate that. “And what about you? How did you land your dream job?”

“My dream job. It just kinda happened. I mean, I was always a good student but not a brilliant one and I did never really have a vocation or a passion that would eventually led me to a profession. So, one day I was just hanging out with some friends and this representative guy from the company approached me. Long story short, at the time I thought it could be a great idea and got my parents to support me. I spent the next couple of years training on my own and auditioning and I finally got in,” he described. “I was put into official training and sometime later, we all got sorted out and Exo was born.”

“That seems like quite a thrill for a young boy.”

“It was really exciting at first. Still is, actually. But it can be a little bit too much sometimes.”

“You talk like you need a vacation,” I joked.

“Yeah, maybe a vacation would be nice…”

Once again, the conversation went flat. I guess that’s normal when you don’t really have much in common with the person opposite you, but I was having a good time nonetheless. We both focused on the food, which was delicious despite the fact I could not quite figure out what ingredients made up every plate. I can honestly say I was feeling the happiest and most at ease I had been since arriving in Korea. The food was amazing, the views were wonderful and despite being at a proper “first date”, I never felt too awkward.

When the time for dessert came, he refused to have any dessert.

“Come on, I’ve seen you dance and I’m pretty sure you’re going to burn off any calories you may eat up today,” I tried to convince him. “Besides, you come to the café almost every day for drinks. Do you know how much sugar is there in that stuff?”

“None?”

“Well, there’s none if the fruit’s already sweet. But the bubbles have sugar in them, so does the coffee”. I pouted a bit. “Pleeease, just for today. It’s the first time we met outside the shop. It’s worth celebrating.”

“Okay, okay, but if my manager comments on my weight after hanging out with you, I will report you immediately!” he almost yelled out, in laugh. It hadn’t been so difficult, after all.

We finished eating the desserts I had chosen after making him translate what was on the menu and he asked for the bill. I didn’t even make the effort to look at it, I’d rather simply not know. Then, Sehun’s father’s friend came to say goodbye when we were at the door, putting on our coats and asked me if I had enjoyed the dinner.

“Everything was delicious. I hope I can come back someday,” I managed to say in Korean (and honestly felt so proud of myself for it).

“Oh, that’s really nice Korean!” he congratulated me, as all Korean people use to do when you’re able to say even just the littlest expression besides “annyeonghaseyo”. “I like this girl, Se.”

Sehun looked startled and uncomfortable as the man and I crossed glances and laughed at the same time.

Once outside the building, Sehun opened the booth of the bike, pulled the two helmets out and handed one to me.

“Are you going to be chickening out the whole trip this time again?” he teased.

“I was not chickening out! Just a bit scared, it was the first time I ever rode a bike.” I pretended to be offended.

“Okay, okay,” he laughed. “Are you scared of many things?”

“What kind of question is that? I’m not scared of many things, just of your motorcycle driving,” I made a pause. “And very deep water.”

“Fair enough, no scuba diving for you.” He passed a leg over the motorbike and waited for me to do the same. “Just hold on tight, but try to keep your eyes open this time. It’s actually a good kind of thrill when your get used to it.”

And it kind of was. In that occasion, out of pride more than bravery, I sat more upright and actually managed to keep my eyes open (most of the time). I got the impression he actually was driving slower; still it was too fast for my liking and it made me feel vulnerable. The light posts in the highway were passing by so quick they seemed just a luminous line and the cars drove around us even faster than ourselves, with all their occupants safe inside their metal cages. With all of this happening next to us, I surprised myself holding on tighter onto him and thinking how broad his shoulders were for being such a slender guy.

Sooner than it felt the last time, we arrived at Seoul and by gestures, I signalled him the directions towards my house. I got off the bike right when he stopped in front of my apartment block.

“Well, Grace. I can say I’ve had a good time.”

“Well, Sehun, so can I,” I replied trying to mock his solemn tone. “Thank you very much for inviting me. It’s been nice to go out; the restaurant and the dinner were really great.”

“Glad to hear that,” he smiled. “By the way, I didn’t say anything, but you look good wearing something else apart from the uniform.”

I pulled at my skirt in case it was still up my legs due to the wind.

“It’s actually MinSeo’s dress. She came here this afternoon and spent quite a lot of time making me look presentable.”

“I think you would probably look presentable in any way,” he complimented. “I’d like to hang out some other time. To get to know each other and stuff.”

“Sure!”

“Yeah…” he looked down, biting his bottom lip. “I think I will be leaving now, if you’re okay here. It’s quite late in the night and I have rehearsal tomorrow.”

“Yes, of course! I’ll see you around in the café.”

Still with the helmet on his hand, he approached me. I didn’t really know what to expect and he obviously didn’t know what he was aiming for, so it ended up being an awkward side hug which just made very apparent the difference in height between us. Then, he put on his helmet, got on the bike, waited for me to approach the front door of my building and pull out the key, waved me goodbye and left.