FIRST MEETING

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking.”

People start to wake up as the sound of the captain speaking through the loudspeakers echoes, stretching their sore bodies and yawning. The lights have also again. It has been such a long flight and people just couldn’t wait to land and get out of this stuffy compartment.

Stretching his long limbs, Sehun then moves to open the blind of the window next to him. The sun is shining brightly outside and the view is just magnificent. Like the other passengers, he, too, could not wait to get his feet back on the ground. His body is just aching all over. He really regretted not getting the first class tickets.

Breakfast is going to be served soon so he decided to make a short trip to the restroom to freshen up. Besides, he could use some space and freedom for a while. Being stuck on the seat all night was very suffocating. Muttering a polite ‘excuse me’ to the passenger beside him, he then stands up and makes his way to the back.

The first thing he does once in the restroom is to splash his face with cold water. Ah, how refreshing. He really needs that to awaken all his senses. Sehun then grabs the small bag the stewardess gave him before they took off and takes out the small, disposable brush and toothpaste, and continues with his morning routine.

Ten minutes later, he is back in his seat and breakfast is served soon after. He makes use of this time to think over his schedule while enjoying the American breakfast he has chosen, which is surprisingly quite delicious for a mediocre airplane meal. He has bought the tickets without thinking much. After being told they were granted a month holiday, he immediately knew he wanted to get out of the country. He really needs a getaway from everything and everyone.

Much to everyone’s delight, the plane finally lands less than two hours later. They all let out a cheer once they have touched down. One, they have safely reached their destination and two, they could finally escape the small confinement of the transportation. However, going through immigration and customs is quite a nuisance. They spend over an hour just queuing up.

Once that is over and done with, Sehun immediately rushes outside and looks for the shuttle bus that would take him to the rental car company. But to his dismay, he needs to wait another half an hour for it to arrive. Unluckily for him, his misery does not end there. A long queue awaits him when he arrives at the place, eliciting an annoyed groan out of him. He is so done with waiting!

After what feels like a century, he is finally sitting in a small pink Kia Picanto. Don’t even ask him why. It is the only car left that is available for rent. It is uncomfortable to say the least but he doesn’t have much option. Unwillingly, he has to settle for the next best thing. He’d rather drive the small and girly car then wait another hour for another car, which may or may not be returned back today. So, punching in the address of the hotel on the navigation system, he then starts a new adventure.

Little did he know that this adventure would bring a whirlwind of emotions and never ending surprises that would change his life forever.

Meanwhile…

“No, mom, I haven’t seen any hot New Zealand guys yet,” Minzy cannot help but roll her eyes at her mother’s immaturity.

“Damn, that’s a shame,” the middle-aged lady said sadly through the phone before her voice turns enthusiastic again, “But hey, you just arrived and you’ve got a whole month ahead of you. I’m sure you’ll meet at least one hunk before you get back.”

Is she being serious right now? Her daughter just had a major breakdown not over a week ago and decided to go somewhere on the other side of the world for a supposedly healing or soul-searching trip – whatever you call it these days – and the first thing she talks about is hot guys? You can always count on her mother for being so carefree.

“Have you reached the hotel yet?”

“Oh now you’re worried about my being? Wow, mom, I’m so touched,” Minzy mocked with a dramatic gasp.

“Oh, come on, we all know how responsible you are. I’m not that worried. Just make sure to give us a call once a week or something to let us know that you’re not kidnapped by some serial killer.”

Her mother’s right. Minzy has always been such a responsible person. She listens to her elders and does whatever she’s told to do without any complaints. And because of this trait of hers, she never got the chance to explore anything out of her comfort zone. This is, by far, the most brave and spontaneous thing she has ever done in her entire life. If it were a year ago, she really couldn’t imagine being in a foreign country all by herself.

Things have been tough ever since the news about her departure from one of the top girl groups in South Korea broke out. Not only has she been bombarded with questions and hate comments left and right, she has also found herself a bit lost. She isn’t really sure what she wants anymore. She thought she knew. Everything just seems so confusing right now and she really needs this break to clear her mind and maybe, just maybe, she is able to find herself again.

Heaving a sigh, Minzy carries her hand luggage and places it into the trunk of the taxi, the driver helping her with the larger one.

“Not yet, mom, I just hailed a taxi. I need to tell him the address of the hotel so I’m hanging up. I’ll text you again once I reach the hotel, okay?”

“Alright, dear. Take care!”

After showing the address to Preston, the taxi driver, the car finally departs. The girl leans back against her seat, letting out another sigh. She is tired from the long flight and thankfully, the ride to the hotel won’t take that long. She is also thankful that Preston is very friendly, or the journey would be boring as hell.

Other than the green sceneries, which she finds incredibly calming, there isn’t much to see. But when they do pass by an interesting place, Preston never fails to explain the history behind it. He’s like a driver and a tour guide at the same time. Although she isn’t much of a talkative person, Minzy finds his company rather refreshing. It helps relieve the tiredness in her away somehow.

This really is a great start to her vacation. She just hopes that everyone here is as nice as Preston. As if god could hear her wish, the girl is delighted when she is greeted by big smiles and warm welcome as soon as she arrives at the hotel. Every staff that passes by would always greet their customers warmly and although she knows that it’s part of their job, she can still see that every smile they have shown is sincere.

The check-in procedure is done in a flash and she soon finds herself heading towards her room, with the bellboy following closely behind. Her room is situated on the first floor of the right wing and her breath is taken away upon stepping inside because the view that awaits her is simply magnificent. Picturesque, that’s what it is, like one of those photos on a postcard.

The bellboy leaves after receiving a generous tip and Minzy continues touring around her room. Her first target being the veranda that is facing a river, with the city of Auckland as the landscape. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, relishing on the feeling of sunrays kissing her skin and the soft breeze blowing through her dark brown locks. The tiredness from earlier instantly vanishes. She feels so calm and relaxed, finally.

The tranquility, however, is short-lived because the second she turns around, she is greeted by a half- man, with only a white towel wrapped around his waist. His hair wet, probably from the shower he just took, and his eyes as wide as a saucer. Five seconds… ten seconds… fifteen seconds… Neither of them seems to utter a single word, both are too shocked to react. It isn’t until a minute later that it finally clicks in their minds what really is going on, or who exactly is standing right before them.

“Oh Sehun?!”

“Gong Minji?!”

Author's Note

So here's a short introduction to the story. I hope you liked it! :D

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Love, A.

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