Chapter One
Merely StrangersA red envelope was delicately held in her hands. Unbeknownst to her, this one little envelope had the potential to change her entire life. Her fingers traced the folds and creases of the stiff red paper. Curiosity was threatening to overtake her. She dearly yearned to rip through the outer wrapping and read the clue on the inside, but she had to wait.
At the moment the camera wasn't trained on her every move, she knew that soon that luxury would be taken away. The camera would soon become a constant surveillance keeping tabs on whatever she did. From what she knew by casually watching in the past, she felt like she was headed into this situation completely blind. Cameramen and women signalled for her to begin. She quickly and swiftly attacked the envelope's outer skin. Inside, a card had a message printed upon it. As she read, her expression grew dimmer, yet her excitement was still evident. She was incredibly nervous. She didn't want to admit it but she was scared of the countless possibilities and outcomes darting around her head. All the "What If"'s bombarded her. Instead of showing and giving in, she stuck on her game face and put her mind to the task at hand. The card in the envelope told her to meet a taxi right outside the apartment in which she lived in three hours. All her belongings were already packed and ready for the trip. As the time slowly but steadily ticked on, she sat and thought of anything and everything that could happen as she met him. All she could do was close her eyes and imagine her soon to be husband.
As the taxi drove off, she stood outside what seemed to be the entrance to a shopping center. Confused, she opened the envelope again and read the address inscribed. The addresses matched, she was at her location. She walked towards the doors. A young woman, possibly her age, walked towards her. The woman's heels clicked against the linoleum and her professional looking dress looked strangely out of place. The woman's hair was pulled back into a tight bun, her face looked as though it was pulled back tightly as well. She was beautiful in a strict, almost striking way.
"Hello, I bet you are terribly confused right now." The woman spoke gently. "I am Kihun. I will take your luggage so that we can begin."
Kihun took the luggage and belongings she had and continued to explain the situation.
"What is your name?" Kihun asked.
"I am Seunji." She responded in a soft voice, bowing slightly.
"Alright Seunji, are you prepared to meet your husband?" Kihun did not wait for Seunji's response and held out another red envelope in her palm. She retrieved the envelope and began to tear into it. Seunji read the words on the page as if they were the last words she'd ever read. Her eyes hungrily slid over them taking each one in. According to the envelope, her husband was somewhere inside the mall. Seunji paused and took in the sight of the center around her. The mall, was a total of three floors high, lined with shops and stores wall to wall on every floor. To top it off, she wasn't allowed to say anything besides "The lovebirds leave the nest." To anyone that spoke to her.
'Great' she thought. 'Lets do this.'
Seunji looked up from the envelope and Kihun had disappeared along with her luggage. Her stomach growled impatiently. To start off her journey she headed towards the food court. After being reminded, by the kind cameraman, that she could only speak those specific words, Seunji gave up on her expedition to the food court. How embarrassing would it be to order food if the only thing she could say is "The lovebirds leave the nest."? She was sure to get a few stares. Instead she sat on a bench nearby some kiosks.
'If she was a man looking for his wife, where would she look first?' She eagerly thought. Of course he'd go to any women's clothing store! Seunji burst into the nearest clothing store and ran up to a young looking man and said her key phrase, "The lovebirds leave the nest". She hesitated as she neared the last word of the phrase. The young man's blank stare was the only answer she needed. She quickly bowed, her face burning a bright crimson with the heat of a furnace. She convened at another bench outside the shop. As soon as she sat, her face buried itself in her hands. How could she have been so thoughtless? With the cameras trained on her no less! Her embarrassment crept into her face again at the thought. She needed a plan.
Seunji stood from her solitary bench and walked with a new determination to the food court. She sat herself right in the center at an empty table. In her mind she formulated a new plan of how to find her "husband", she would carefully study the people around her. Most people were discussing amongst themselves, laughing and smiling, some even crying. A few people hesitated near her table because they recognised her, the cameramen shooed them off. Going out in public was never an easy job for an idol. Even a lesser known idol, like Seunji, was followed relentlessly. Across the food court Seunji could hear excited squealing. Many idols came to this mall on their days off from their busy schedules, it could be anyone. She still couldn't help but hope that her "husband" had gathered the attention of fans. With a rush of nerves and excitement, Seunji left her lonesome table to get a better look at where the commotion was coming from. Behind cameramen and other paparazzi, blocked by a wall of screaming fangirls, Seunji could make out the figures of four boys lazily waltzing through the mall. As she got closer she realised that all four of those boys belonged to a group called EXO. Seunji's breath hitched. Could her "husband" be a part of the famous boy band? Doubt crept into her mind. The show wouldn't place a rookie idol like her with a famous band member, would they? If one of them was her husband, would they even recognise her? Seunji had been in a few films and a drama or so, she even had a mild singing career, but she was nowhere near as well known as EXO. Seunji decided that getting closer to the four boys was her best bet. The area surrounding the boys was a zoo. She had to practically shove her way through to get even the slightest bit close to them, even still she was yards away. She spotted a close friend of hers, Kyungsoo, whom she'd filmed a drama with. How could she forget that he was a member of EXO? She didn't know many of the members, but she did know they were extremely popular in the industry. Perhaps Kyungsoo could help her locate her husband. She brought out her phone and sent him a text to meet her at her table in the center of the food court. Seunji hadn't spoken to Kyungsoo for a few months since their drama ended. The mob of fans and paparazzi slowly dispersed as the four boys got closer to the table, led by Kyungsoo. Seunji stood and bowed to the boys as they arrived. The cameraman pulled Kyungsoo aside briefly and explained that Seunji could only say one single key phrase. He nodded in understanding and said hello. Seunji obediently responded with "The lovebirds leave the nest.". Kyungsoo snickered quietly to himself. Seunji shot him a threatening glare across the table.
"Is that so Seunji-yah?" Kyungsoo decided to poke some fun at her.
"The lovebirds leave the nest." She annunciated each word clearly and sharply. Another band member's head poked up suddenly out of his thoughtful daze. The boy stared carefully at her for a moment. Kyungsoo's stare could've bore holes into the other boy's skin, she was honestly surprised it didn't. The tall, smiling boy, with the large ears didn't seem to notice Kyungsoo's harsh staring until Xiumin, who sat in between the two, shoved his elbow in the younger's ribcage. A look of wild surprise and annoyance flashed across the tall boy's face, followed by a wide eyed look of understanding.
"Oh!" The boy paused. "What a lovely day to go flying." He recited. Seunji's heart stopped, falling completely open. The other three boys lost all control in a fit of laughter. Kyungsoo grinned at the awe-struck looks on both Seunji's and his band members' faces.
"Well? Aren't you going to say something or do I have to introduce you?" Kyungsoo asked in between the fits of giggles of the other members.
"They look like they need a little help hyung." Said a member with slightly struggling Korean and disheveled blonde hair. The boy who spoke didn't look like someone you'd see in Korea. He was tall and lanky but also slightly harsh looking. He was devilishly handsome. Who in this group wasn't? 'He must be a Chinese member of EXO.' Seunji thought.
"Chanyeol hyung, say hello to Seunji. You remember her from the drama we filmed together right?" Kyungsoo earned a quick nod from Chanyeol who was still staring at Seunji with wide eyes. Seunji fixed her hair and nervously fiddled with a clasp on her jacket.
"Hello Seunji. You're m-my.... wife?" Chanyeol stammered. It was very unlike the cheerful boy to clam up like this. Seunji had never personally met Chanyeol before but had heard plenty about him from Kyungsoo. It was nice to finally be able to put a face to all the crazy stories Kyungsoo told her. His voice was so much deeper than she had expected.
Seunji shyly smiled and nodded. "Hello Chanyeol, it looks like I am. I hope you aren't too disappointed."
"I'm not disappointed at all!" Chanyeol let out a laugh of surprise and relief. Both partners placed their red envelopes on the tabletop.
"I was going to ask you to help me find my husband, but I suppose that wasn't very difficult." Seunji laughed as she spoke to Kyungsoo.
"What a small world. I never expected you to be Chanyeol's "wife"."
He air quoted around the word wife as he spoke. Another red card abruptly interrupted their conversation. Seunji quickly grabbed it from the cameraman and motioned for Chanyeol to sit beside her to read over it together. He clumsily slid onto the chair to her left and read over her shoulder.
"A taxi with your belongings is outside waiting, hopefully you're ready to see your new house."
Seunji and Chanyeol collectively gasped and showed the others the mission card. Could they really be getting a house this early? The boys laughed yet again and playfully punched Chanyeol. The boy's chairs squeaked across the floor as they stood.
"Good luck, newlyweds. Have fun!" Kyungsoo exclaimed as the other members said their goodbyes and left the table. Chanyeol stood from the table as well and looked into Seunji's eyes.
"Our house is waiting, Jagiya. Are you ready?" Chanyeol asked jokingly. Seunji could feel her face returning to its heated red color. She giggled slightly and hid her face behind her hand. Off the two walked through the mall to their taxi that would lead them to their new home.
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