Walking through the market was very interesting. I wasn’t buying anything but only watching. It is so different from stores in America. There were people everywhere shouting and trying to get my attention.  It seemed like anyone could come here and make a living and that made me smile. As I walk past a large Korean lady selling crabs I run into what felt like a brick wall.

“Mien he” I said to the giant I ran into.

I look up to see a tall, muscular man with a big smile.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

He speaks English!

“No, I’m fine. Thank you.”

“Are you new here?”

“Yes, I just moved to Korea earlier this week.”

“Wow! Welcome to Korea!”

“Thanks!”

“Can I take you to breakfast as my way of saying ‘Welcome to Korea’?”

I pause, looking at the man in front of me. Where I am from, I should always say no to these kinds of offers. But is it the same in Korea? He seems so innocent, there is no way this man has ill intentions.

“Sure!”

I wanted to see more of Seoul anyway. He takes me to a diner not far from the market. It is a small diner run by elderly woman; the kind of diner you could sit in all day and never want to leave.

“Why did you move to Seoul?” Siwon asks after we are seated at a booth by the window.

“Um, I have always wanted to come to Korea, so I just moved here.”

“Wow! That is such a bold move!” he exclaims.

“Well, you only live once” I answer. My lying about my life has begun and it feels horrible. I hate lying. I wish I could just tell him everything honestly but this guy is in Kyuhyun’s band; I definitely can’t tell him.

“That is a great way of thinking! You have a lot of courage, I like that!” His smiling never ends. His happiness is contagious and even though I feel bad about lying to him I can’t help but to smile back at him.

“I wouldn’t call myself courageous, but thank you!”

“What would you call yourself?” he asks. I then realize that we never actually exchanged names. I laugh and answer, “I call myself Julie!”

“Julie? That is a very pretty name! I would like to call you Julia all the time! Can we exchange numbers and hang out more often?” he asks.

“Of course! I would like that very much!” We exchange numbers as our food is brought to us. I am so glad that I have a friend now that I can hang out with! Staying in the apartment all the time will drive me crazy at some point.

“My name is Siwon by the way.” He says before shoveling food into his mouth. Should I play it cool and pretend like I didn’t know who he is or should I just tell him that I am an ELF? It will be embarrassing if he finds out I’m an ELF without me mentioning it first right? I should probably just tell him now.

“I actually already knew.” I say smiling at my food.

“Ah, are you ELF?!” he asks excited and I nod my head. “That is so cool! Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

“I didn’t see any need to; I figured you would rather I treat you like a normal person.”

“Ah, I see! Well, thank you for that! You are such a cool person! So, who is your bias?” he asks leaning closer. Why do these boys want to know my bias so much?

“I am not telling!”

“Why not?” he asks with a pouty face, “Is it not me?” He studies me and then adds, “You look like you would be a Ryeowook fan, but it should be me. It’s me right?” And why do I look like a Ryeowook fan?! I mean, he is talented and all but I am a Kyuhyun bias! I shake my head at him to say that I still won’t tell him. “Aish, darn it Ryeowook!” he says and I laugh. I like him, he is fun to be around.

---

Kyuhyun’s POV

It has been a week and I am back at dance practice as Eunhyuk has ordered. I am way behind so I will be spending all of my time here. I will only be seeing Julie late at night because of my schedule but I have felt so awkward around her so I don’t mind it. I am still annoyed and scared. We have moments when I really like her but when I remember how terrifying the situation is I get angry and annoyed and take it out on her. I know it’s not her fault; I need to be better towards her. I thought I would see her a lot at home while I was resting my ankle but she was out a lot. I think she made a new friend at the market. I am glad she is making friends, she needs friends. I look over at Eunhyuk who is stressed and pacing. Why is Siwon so late to dance practice? With the way he dances, he can’t afford to skip practice like this. 

“Yah, is Siwon still not here?”  Eunhyuk said frustrated.

“I’m here!”

Siwon walked into the practice room wearing a big goofy smile.

“Yah! Why are you so late?”

“I just had breakfast with a pretty American girl!”

“Was she drunk?” Heechul asked.

“No! She was smiling prettily at me the entire time and was completely sober! Unlike some people I don’t need to get a girl drunk to eat with me!”

He winked at Heechul.

“Siwon! You have wasted enough time, come and learn this dance.” Eunhyuk demanded.