“Joanna?”
“What is it, oppa?”
“Would you…”
I had always loved Junyoung ever since I had discovered ZE:A. He seemed to appeal to me so quickly and just easily captivate me. I’m not sure if it was his plump lips, large ears, or his almond shaped eyes. However, he had captured my heart in one look. 

Being a ZE:A fan had greatly inspired me to learn Korean. I wanted to be able to understand that they were singing and to read their album lyrics. I put tons of hours into learning the language, staying up until the early hours of the day, receiving little to no sleep (not like I slept much earlier before). I never planned on taking up acting as a professional career, despite going to a school specialized for it. Instead, writing was on the agenda for my future.

That is, until a talent scout had found me.

They had gone to my school to pick out a student in which they thought would fit for the role in their film. Shockingly, I was picked, most likely to my knowledge of the Korean language, as I had later discovered it was for a Korean Drama. I signed a few contracts, packed my bags, and was off to Korean to filming. Korea was just so fantastic and I had done everything I wanted.

That is…

Except for meeting ZE:A.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I would have asked to meet them in a freakin’ heartbeat. I was too scared about what to do when I met them, though. Scenarios would always play in my head of me messing up my Korean and speaking gibberish, making a fool of myself, and, eventually, running out of the room and hiding under a table.

I had voiced my concerns to my dear friends Katrina, Cassandra, and Rosanna one day as they all had come together for a family gathering. After a few hours of being yelled at and convinced, I finally worked up the courage to get my manager to me to meet ZE:A.

They had been a group for around four years and were finally receiving the popularity they deserved. They took the spots of the top artists in South Korea, publishing amazing music every time that they could get. One day, after attending a filming of Inkigayo, I was directed back stage into their dressing room and I saw them.

They were all flawless. It was hard to believe that they were even humans to begin with. They were so much more handsome in real life and were just like walking angels. The boys didn’t pay much attention to me at the beginning, as they were all rushing to get their items and puts on their jackets, prepared to race outside to their car to go to their next schedule.

However, he managed to notice me.

When I saw him for the first time I felt like I was going to faint. I was astonished, shocked, and internally spazzing. My emotions were so overwhelming that when he first spoke to me I did nothing but stare back blankly. He repeated his words again which seemed to snap me into reality as I quickly and shakily bowed and greeted him with a flushed face.

His laugh was like sweet honey and rang in my ears, bringing a deeper, darker, and redder color to my face. I felt like fainting and had a strong urge to hold him forever. I’ll always remember the one thing that he said to me.

“You’re so cute!”

And like that, that silly boy had me under his spell. The rest of the members came over to greet me and speak to me, making my heaven even more enchanting. However, I would constantly steal glances at Junyoung, just standing on the side, smiling politely and remaining quiet as the rest of the members spoke.

Afterwards, when all the other members said their goodbyes, Junyoung gave me a sheepish smile and slipped a piece of paper in my hand. I only looked at it when I got home, and, along the way, was vowing never to wash my hand ever again. 

It was his number. And like that, we began to speak, meeting up whenever we were free and would laugh in the back of restaurants and cafes. Every time we met, though, my feelings just began to become deeper and deeper, transferring from a fan girl crush to pure love. I’d stress at night over how he felt about me, whether I was just a dongsaeng or a little sister to him. It killed me, bringing tears to my eyes as I thought we would never be.

One day Junyoung called me to come meet him at the nearby park. It was very late, perhaps around midnight – not to mention cold, too. It had been, approximately, 10 months or so since we first had met. It was beginning to become cold as the sun hide behind clouds and the wind grew aggressive. Bundled up in a large jacket, I went outside to the park, sure to be quick incase he was already there.

Sure enough, he was. I wasn’t sure how long he was there, to be honest – he wouldn’t tell me. The only reason why I let it slide was because he was too darn cute – and y. He’s always y though. We began to play on the swings, challenging each other on who could get higher quicker. He let me win, and, although wanting to frown and scold him for doing so, not even my acting abilities were able to hide the large grin on my face.

I was growing cold out in the weather and he seemed to notice – he always was good at noticing the smallest things. Wrapping his arms around me, I was engulfed in his warmth and protection. With closed eyes, I placed my arms around his back and we stood there for a matter of minutes before he let go, directly looking at me.

“Joanna?”
“What is it, oppa?”
“Would you… Be my girlfriend?”

The feelings that exploded inside me at that moment were unexplainable. I wanted to sing, dance, run around and do cartwheels. Small, uncontrollable giggles escaped my mouth and floated in the air as I was unable to say anything. I nodded a ton before being able to control my voice, doing so by smiling giddily and happily. “Yes.”

A smile of relief spread upon his lips, the corners of his mouth turning upward. Gently resting his hands upon my cheeks, he leaned forward, his head slightly tilted, and slipped his lips between mine, lightly applying pressure to them. Shocked, my fingers curled up on the front of his shirt, a pink color spreading across my face. As I pressed against his lips in the same gentle manner, he pulled away after a few seconds of our lips lingering upon each other’s and stared at me dreamily. A chuckle could be heard as his thumb caressed the upper part of my cheek, smiling.

“I love you, Joanna.”

As happiness laced around me, I bite on my lower lip, trying to control a broad smile, but failed to do so and just placed my arms around his back, nuzzling my face into his chest. As his arms fell around me, I looked up at him, resting my chin on his chest in the process. Examining his face and the positive emotions that were filling it, I began to trace small circles into his upper back. I released a sigh and returned to rubbing my nose into his chest, closing my eyes and wished to be in his arms forever.

“I love you too, oppa.”