Jihyo POV on How They Met (Part 1) 

It all started back in August. I don’t know what he was thinking back then, it may be because we were in America, and was conveniently away from prying eyes but everyone was surprised when three Wanna one members stumbled upon our waiting room in between performances. While Sung-woon oppa and Lee Dae Hwi -being ex-jyp trainees- were no strangers in our waiting room, Kang Daniel certainly was.

Despite being the maknae, Lee Daehwi loudly introduced the group, and boldly walked in the room like he owned the place. He's such a character, always knowing how to brighten up the room ever since he was a trainee. Unlike the former, Sung Woon quietly walked in and as usual just beelined straight to Jeongyeon’s side of the room, leaving the tallest member to awkwardly shuffle around the entrance before finally walking towards their direction. 

Everyone assumed he was there to talk to Sana, since they previously filmed a variety show together. However after just a brief greeting to the girl in question, he startled her when he chose to sit on her side of the couch instead. 

“Hello Jihyo-ssi , my name is Kang Daniel.. And um... I’m a really big fan by the way. And also I really liked your performance earlier.. And oh! Congratulations on your awards!... and how are you liking LA? Have you been here before? ” He nervously rambles on before he lets out an awkward smile and stretches out his hand. 

As stunned as I was, I managed to shake his hand back and thanked him for being a fan and tried to respond to the other questions that she remembered. This was unlike the Kang Daniel she usually sees on TV. Athough she's never spoken to him directly before, she's greeted their group plenty of times and have seen them backstage at music shows and events. His charismatic and confident on stage persona  translated well off stage, and he was known to be friendly, humble and super respectful to not just to his fellow artists, but also to the staff and crew working at these events. 

The Daniel in front of her however was a nervous wreck. He was no longer the "It boy" she sees on TV, and instead acted like a star-strucked fanboy. Sure she knew he was a fan of Twice. She's seen clips of him singing Signal and TT online before, but she never thought that he'd specifically single her out like this.

Wait, is he actually hitting on her?  

She's had a number of admirers before. They'd usually try to secretly pass her a note with their number on it during a schedule, or if they were lucky enough to get her number from someone else, they'd message her directlty and ask her out. She'd politely turn them all down of course, she's too scared to get caught with a scandal, especially while their dating ban is still intact. At the very least, she'd offer them her friendship. While most of these "admirers" she's never heard of again, a handful of them actually kept in touch, and have become close friends of hers. 

That's why she doesn't know what to make of this situation. She's never had someone blatantly come up to her like this. So after one-sidedly attempting small talk for a few minutes, she finally had enough and asked him directly what his intentions were.

Silence seeped not only between them, but through out the room. Everyone seems to be trying to listen in to their conversation. Just when he looked like he was about to respond back, Wanna one’s manager -looking extremely pissed- burst through the door and frantically dragged the boys away while simultaneously bowing and apologizing for the interruption. Apparently they had a last minute interview booked and were running behind schedule. 

Everything happened so fast that everyone just stared at the door for a few seconds unsure how to process what just happened. 

“So he finally got the balls to do it huh?” Sana breaks the slilence as she gives me a knowing glance. 

“What the hell was that about?” I ask her. She shrugs and playfully pretends to zip up her lip before she gets up and walks away to the other side of the room. I see her whisper conspiratorially to Jeongyeon and Nayeon while they look at me and giggle. 

I have a bad feeling about this.

Just a short update to belatedly celebrate Daniel's birthday! <3 Even though I don't know him well, I've seen so many positive articles and fan accounts about him even before the dating news broke out. 

I wish him excelllent health, happiness and success. He's had a tough 2019, so I hope his 2020 would be full of blessings. 

Part 2 would be up soon~ Thanks to all the new subscribers!