One accidental meeting led to another,

With love at the first sight presented in between …

***

He tilted his head upwards, looking at the blank ceiling of the moving subway train. He heaved a sigh. ‘Another day of training.’ He closed his eyes for a while, keeping his balance for he had been used to stand without any support inside the moving subway train as subway had been his main transportation every day.

He kept his eyes closed. For how long, he had been the ordinary him but in a few years more, he would become a different person. He would debut and people would recognize him more. His freedom would be gone by that time and that would be the price he had to pay to pursue his dream, his passion.

The loud ringing of his phone broke his train of thoughts. He didn’t bother to look at the caller ID as he directly accepted the call. “YAH! KWON JIYONG!” Came the ‘greetings’ from the person on the other side immediately after he received the call. He put his phone away from his ear, afraid that the loud voice could break his precious eardrum.

“Hyunsuk hyung,” he greeted the person who called him. “Where are you? You’re late for your training!” The person on the other side, Hyunsuk, scolded. “Sorry, hyung. There’s something at home. I’m on my way right now,” he replied calmly. “Okay. Come quick!” “Arasseoyo, hyung,” he said as Hyunsuk hung up the call.

He wandered his gaze around the subway train he was in, taking in the sight of peoples varied in age inside the train. One elderly woman was sitting, doing nothing in particular. A group of students in the corner was busy chatting noisily with each other. A middle-aged man was reading a newspaper with a pair of earphones attached in his ears. A young man around his age was playing some games in his phone.

His gaze stopped at a particular person, a female to be exact. His gaze on her lingered longer than he wanted to. The female he was looking at was reading a book quietly, also with a pair of earphones attached in both of her ears, a common modern culture in his country. He traced her features and he couldn’t help but be awed. She was like a living goddess. Her pearly white skin glowed even with enough clothing she wore to cover her body.

She was pretty, really pretty, and she had that innocent look on her. She flipped the book to another page as she didn’t seem to care about her surroundings. She didn’t even realize his gaze which had been focused on her since minutes ago. From the first time he laid his eyes on her, she caught his attention already. It seemed like he had been in by her appearance that he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He was mesmerized.

“This stop is Hapgujeong. Hapgujeong.”

The sound of the subway’s reminder snapped him out of his trance. Looking at the watch circling his arm, he quickly dashed out of the train only to look back to where she had sat before but she was nowhere to be seen. He shook his head. ‘Focus,’ he told himself inwardly. He huffed and fixed his cap as he started walking in a fast pace.

“YAH KWON JIYONG! Where are you now?!” The person on the other line said as he picked up the call after a few rings. “Hyung! I told you I’m on my way right? I’m near now,” he spoke, or rather sneered. “Make sure you arrive in 10 minutes or else,” Hyunsuk reprimanded. “Or else what, hyung?” “YAH KWON JIYONG!” Hyunsuk screamed to the phone.

He was about to reply when he bumped into a person on his way. “Jwesonghamida,” the person whom he bumped into apologize immediately in her sweet voice. No doubt, the person was a female. He looked up only to be stunned for the second time that day. It was the goddess, his goddess in the subway. The phone call was long forgotten.

“Are … you alright?” The female asked hesitantly, “You looked lost.” He secretly pinched his own arm to see if he was dreaming and it did hurt. He grimaced inwardly, subconsciously closing his agape mouth. “I’m okay. Sorry,” he bowed. “If you’re okay then, I’ll get going. Sorry once again,” the female bowed before leaving the dazed him.

“YAH KWON JIYONG! DO YOU HEAR ME?” The shouting from his phone brought his sense back. “N-n-ne hyung. I-I-I’ll be there right away,” he stuttered, still hadn’t recovered from the little scene happening earlier. “You better!” Hyunsuk said before hanging up.

Day after day, he would always take the same train, in the same subway line and get off in the same station. Yet, he couldn’t see her. It was like she disappeared into the thin air. He wanted to see her again, to talk to her, to get to know her, to befriend her, or better, to make her as his girlfriend. Albeit he only met her once, it seemed that cupid’s arrow had struck him hard. He didn’t believe in love at the first sight before but the way everyone think changed, right? So did him. He couldn’t deny the sparks he received from simply looking at her and that he fell in love with her. He found himself thinking about her from time to time.

Regrets had always filled his mind along with the pictures of her. What would be changed if he asked her name, talked a little bit more? Questions and regrets. He should’ve asked for her name at least but he was too stunned to utter more words.

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, months turned into years. Back then when he was still a trainee, he could freely take the subway every day, every time he wanted to. But since he debuted, he couldn’t anymore. Gradually, he stopped taking the subway, stopped looking for her. Even so, he didn’t stop hoping that maybe, she would somehow appear in front of him again.

Five years passed. The world had renowned him as the famous singer-songwriter, G-Dragon. Many people had asked him, where he got those inspirations for his songs or perhaps if there was someone behind his inspirations. He only smiled knowingly when being asked. She had always been in his mind when he wrote his songs. Every time he thought about her, the ideas just came flowing naturally. He wondered, if he had known her, how many songs he would’ve written with her as the inspiration. People said that usually producers at least had a muse who inspired them to produce good songs. To him, she, who was a stranger to him, was his muse. The renowned G-Dragon’s muse, the one he called ‘Butterfly’.

“Today’s schedule is finished, right hyung?” He asked his manager after he had finished his goodbye stage performance on Inkigayo. “Yeah. I’ll drive you home so rest well, Jiyong-ah. You have a fan signing event tomorrow morning. You have to wake up early.” He groaned upon hearing his manager’s words. “You know very well that I hate waking up early, hyung,” he whined. “Work is work. You can’t change the schedule, Jiyong-ah. Just it up. Common, let’s get you home,” his manager chuckled while patting his back again. “Arasseoyo, hyung,” he answered weakly.

***

The beaming sunrays that peeked through the curtains made him stir in his sleep. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and sat up on the bed abruptly. Still with his half-lidded eyes, he smiled. He usually hated waking up early in the morning but that day was strangely different. He felt light, he woke up in a good mood and his feelings told him that something good would happen that day.

He got up from his bed and did his morning routines. Stretching his neck muscles, his arm and leg muscles lightly. Humming a soft tune of a song from his latest unreleased album, he walked to the bathroom to freshen himself up.

“You look like you’re in a good mood today? I thought you don’t like waking up early?” His manager when he came to his condo unit to pick him up. “I don’t know hyung. I woke up in a good mood this morning. So yeah, just be grateful,” he grinned. “Yeah yeah. Tsk,” his manager clucked his tongue as he put a plate of kimchi fried rice on the table. “Here, your breakfast. Better eat it faster if you don’t want to be late.” “Hmm,” he hummed as he took a spoonful of his breakfast.

They, he and his manager, immediately departed when he had finished his breakfast. He had to go to the salon first to get his hair and simple makeup done. And all through the way, he had been smiling non-stop to everyone who passed by him. Even during the way to the fan signing venue, he had been looking out the window constantly, not something he did every day.

Admiring the view of busy Seoul city streets, his smile had never faded. He paid unnecessary attention to the peoples walking down the street, to the elite t