“Thank you!” I say while bowing my head as my new landlord leaves my apartment.

I softly shut the door behind the elder’s back and survey my new home. It’s much smaller than my apartment in the States, but it has a cozy feel to it. The kitchen is to my left and the living room consists of the rest of the square-shaped room. A door to the right leads to my bedroom, and the door next to it is the bathroom.

I feel bad for arriving so late and making my landlord wait, but at least the convenience store down the street is open 24/7. I’m excited to try all of the ramen flavors they have to offer. With this thought in mind, I quickly unpack my belongings and settle into my apartment. By the time I’m finished, my phone shows that it’s already midnight. The school gave me a couple of days to become accustomed to the time difference before I start working, so I have no problem going to sleep late at night. Filled with the energy from just unpacking, I grab my coat and switch my new slippers for my Adidas sneakers.

Winter in Seoul consists of cold weather and anticipation for the first fall of snow. One of the first Korean dramas I had watched when I was younger was during the winter season and the actors had red noses and ears the entire time. Now, I finally understand their pain. The lack of direct sunlight makes the cold bitter, and the night out any remaining heat. The lamp posts cast a soft yellow glow on the quiet street as I shove my hands into my coat pockets. I turn right and walk in the direction of the convenience store, which is close enough to see the lit up sign.

The small corner store has seats against the window for those that want to eat inside. The idea seems appealing as I open the door and see the wide array of ramen. The heat from inside almost immediately warms my body as I beeline for the ramen. As I scan the flavors, the door’s bell jingles, signaling another customer. I glance up and see a man that’s wearing a mask. His top half of his face is handsome, making me wonder if the bottom half adds to his charming eyes. He carries himself confidently and begins to walk towards me. My eyes widen slightly as he continues in my direction, but then he walks right past me. My eyebrows scrunch together as my eyes follow the stranger, who is scanning the ramen flavors like I was. The way he had walked confidently made it seem as if he intended to speak with me, and this thought made me feel a little disappointed.

Why? I have no idea. Maybe because he looks like an idol. 

I turn back to the shelves feeling a little embarrassed and look for a beef flavored packet. As soon as I spot one, I grab it and walk towards the register, albeit a little faster than normal. I’ll just eat my embarrassment like I eat my sadness.

After paying, I use the hot water that’s available next to the coffee machines and make my ramen. After stirring in the flavor packet, I grab a set of wooden chopsticks and bring my bowl to a seat. I sit on a stool and realize my feet don’t touch the ground. I look down and laugh at myself. A deeper laugh resonates in my ears right after.

I look up to see the man from earlier sitting on my left. He set his own ramen cup down on the counter and brakes apart his chopsticks. I realize he was laughing at me and my eyes widen once again. His eyes crinkle at the corners as he raises his hand to remove his mask. 

Yup, his whole face is 10/10.

He shakes out his silver-brown hair, or is it a dark silver, and gives me a gentle smile.

“Hello.” He says in English.

“Hello.” I say in Korean.

He laughs and his eyes disappear again. “Do you speak Korean?” The man asks in English, making sure I understand what he’s asking.

I nod my head and answer in his tongue, “Yeah, I do.”

He smiles again, but it seems more relaxed. “My name is Kihyun, what’s yours?”

I look down at my ramen and break apart my chopsticks as I answer. It’s been less than 24 hours and I’m already having a conversation with a must-be-famous cutie. Maybe I should just outright ask him so my curiosity doesn’t eat me up. Well, who knows if I’ll ever get this kind of opportunity again.

I turn to Kihyun as he takes a large bite of noodles. “I’m sorry for asking so suddenly, but my curiosity is going to eat me...” I start with a tentative expression. He looks at me and nods as he continues to chew. “Are you an idol or actor of some sorts? You just have that kind of air around you that I can’t help but wonder...”

After he swallows, he laughs with a little embarrassment. “I am actually, but I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.” He adds with a subtle wink. I laugh at that and dig into my noodles.

After eating about half of my bowl, I notice that Kihyun bought multiple ramen packets that were all in a bag. “Are those all for you?” I ask, pointing to the bag on the counter.

“Ah these? I have a bunch of hungry kids at home that’ll eat about anything.” I raise my eyebrows at this. 

“Kids?”

He laughs again, but this time it came from the heart. “I mean, I live with six other guys and I’m basically the house cleaner.”

“Oh wow... six? Do they all have the same job as you...?”

“Yeah, we were actually at the airport earlier today. We just arrived from Japan.”

“Oh, that’s...” The smile on my face slowly drops as I come to a realization. Kihyun’s eyebrows meet as he looks me over, a worried expression rising.

“What is it?”

“When...” I start, but my voice seemed more shaky than it should have been. “When did you guys arrive?”

“Um, about ten at night. A little while ago. Why?” Kihyun answers as his face clouds with confusion.

“So, um...” My head dips as I bring myself to whisper the next part. “Are those girls here too?”

“Huh? Girls?” After a few seconds, Kihyun’s face lights with recognition. “Oh! You mean the girls taking photos?” When I nod, he smiles. “Those are our fans. And no, they’re not here.” At this, I give a little smile. “They’re not allowed within a certain vicinity of our apartment, so you don’t have to worry about them in this neighborhood.”

“Ah, is that right?” I try to laugh off my embarrassment and stir my now cold noodles. Just remembering the glares from a couple of hours ago is enough to make my arm hairs stand on end. My hand freezes as I feel something pat the top of my head. I look up to see Kihyun smiling reassuringly.

“So, I assume you just moved here? Seeing as you were at the airport earlier.” I nod and he moves to grab something off of the counter a little bit farther down. He places a post it note on the counter and begins writing something with a pen. Once he’s finished, Kihyun holds the note out to me. “These are our numbers. Mine and the six other guys I live with. I figured you might need some help getting used to a new country, so just call any of us if you need anything.” As I grab the note, “I’m pretty sure one out of seven will answer every time.” Kihyun adds with a wink.

“Thank you...” I say as I read the names scribbled next to their numbers.

Kihyun, Jooheon, Hyunwoo, Changkyun, Hoseok, Hyungwon, and Minhyuk.

“Trust me when I say you can text us at anytime. Someone’s bound to answer you at some point.”