_ dedication | part one

 

It was chaos. Hell, chaos might even be too light a word. It was like pandemonium trying to shove your way through the undulating crowd of over-excited, screaming – some wailing – fangirls as they moved towards the large group of boys walking together with arms locked together.

 

You felt bad for the bodyguards, but you felt even worse for yourself. Because on the last count – which was about three seconds ago – you were quite sure you felt at least eight forming bruises, two of which were surely on your feet from getting trampled multiple times. The others were scattered across various major body parts, like your face, from being elbowed and kicked.

 

All of that would have been dandy, had you been prepared for it. Except you didn't sign up for this !

 

---

 

“I'm all booked!” you cheered, throwing your hands up in the air as you wheeled your desk chair towards the door. “Jihae! I'm all booked~!”

 

Your friend came running up to the door with a wide grin on her face. “Really! Congratulations!” She pushed your rolling chair back up to the computer and leaned over to review your travel schedule. “When are you leaving?”

 

“The seventeenth. My flight is towards the afternoon, too! So I don't have to get up too early.”

 

She whooped quietly, and you moved aside to watch her eyes dart quickly across the screen. “Wait, did you say the seventeenth?” When her face dropped in an instant, so did your excitement.

 

“Y-yeah. Why?”

 

“The seventeenth of this month, right? Like in a couple of weeks?”

 

Your nod was uneasy. Oh, God. What was it? Did you miscalculate the time they gave you off at work? Did you mess up the departure and arrival times? Worse, did you book a flight to the wrong place? Looking over at the screen frantically, you re-read through the summary. “Yeah! What, did I do something wrong? Oh my God!”

 

“___! EXO is traveling that day, too, you know!”

 

“E-EXO?”

 

Her eyes were wide. “Yeah! Well, I mean, it's not confirmed yet that it's the exact day they'll be traveling, but they do have a schedule together in China a couple of days after, so the talk online is that's the day they'll be leaving from here.”

 

You couldn't pick up the pillow you were sitting on quick enough. With gusto, you swung it towards her and smacked her repeatedly. “Are you freaking kidding me right now?! EXO! That's why you almost gave me a heart attack?! Because of a freaking idol group?!” You hit her lightly with the flimsy pillow an extra couple of times before dropping it on your lap. “I can't believe you.”

 

“Hey! You don't understand, ___. These guys are known to have insane sasaeng fans. I would say it's dangerous to travel on a day they're traveling. You know how crazy females can get.”

 

You rolled your eyes, clicking the window closed on your laptop. “Yeah, I can see that, Miss I-Know-EXO's-Unofficial-Schedule.” She nudged your shoulder with a laugh. “It doesn't matter, Jihae. Besides, it's already booked. Not like I'm gonna let an idol group's schedule ruin mine. I have more important things to worry about.”

 

She stared at you for a long while, her face scrunched in worry. “Well... I guess so. I'm just warning you, prepare to be shocked.”

 

You shrugged. “I'm sure I'll be fine. Besides, you're coming with me, right?”

 

---

 

“I should've known!” you said through gritted teeth, bending down to pick up the exploded contents of your purse and shoving them back in. “I should've just listened.” You stood up, straightening out your shirt with frustrated, jerky movements before dropping your voice into a mocking whine that sounded nothing like Jihae. “EXO is traveling today! They are notorious for having crazy sasaeng fans!” You groaned as you slung your purse back on your shoulder. “Of course the airport would be a mess today! God, what was I thinking?”

 

Somewhere along the way – between all the punches, kicks, and pushing and shoving, you must have lost Jihae. A part of you started desperately wishing – between the day she warned you of EXO's possible same-day departure to the actual D-day – that she was misinformed and EXO's travel date was actually different from yours. But when the two of you stepped out of the car at the airport to find rows and rows of girls trying to climb over each other, even while they were outside, just for a glimpse... Well, that wish died.

 

“Notorious sounds like a pretty strong word.”

 

“What?” Your snippy tone shriveled slightly when you glanced up from rearranging yourself to meet an amused gaze. “Oh!”

 

After you'd managed to extract yourself from the sharp claws of a confused throng of girls, you practically sprinted away from the wave of flashing cameras and bright fanboards as fast as your heavy load of travel bags would let you. Of course, you only managed to get about six feet before you felt someone snatch your hand and lead you away to God-knows-where. As you looked around, you were a little relieved to see it was just a corner by the terminal gate, conveniently hidden from the range of all the ready cameras. “Thank God.”

 

You looked back at the mysterious stranger when he let out a quiet laugh. He didn't look threatening, but his big dark eyes were stark against his cute, fair face. “Uhh... Were you the one who dragged me away?”

 

He scratched his neck with an awkward chuckle, turning away from you. “Ahh, yeah. Sorry about that. I figured you could use some help. You were looking a little like you were drowning over there.”

 

That was an oddly appropriate way to put it. “Yeah, I kinda was.” Pulling yourself together, you tried for a polite smile. He was just trying to help. It wasn't his fault your purse decided to throw up all its contents. “Thanks, by the way.”

 

A smile lit up his entire face and when he brushed his light brown hair from his forehead, you couldn't help but follow the movement. “No worries, I understand. You were saying how EXO is notorious for their sasaeng fans, right?”

 

You bit your bottom lip guiltily, looking around at the much calmer atmosphere of the gates. “Ahh, you heard that?”

 

His laugh was soft. “Well, it was interesting to hear you so worked up about it.”

 

You pursed your lips. “I wasn't worked up about that. I was just a little shocked about all the craziness, I guess.”

 

“Yeah.” He rolled his head slowly to one side, a gesture of his own disbelief. “I'd say the fans are just very... dedicated.”

 

You sighed. “I guess so. I mean, they do go through a lot, from what I've so unfortunately experienced. I should've known better though. My friend warned me about it.”

 

“Your friend?”

 

“Yeah,” you said with a sigh. “She's a fan of them, too. I guess she knew they were leaving from this airport today, and she told me to reconsider because there would be a lot of people, but I figured it couldn't hurt.” You rolled your eyes at that idea. “Guess I was wrong about that one.”

 

“Are you hurt?” The genuine concern in his tone had you glancing his way again.

 

“Oh, no. I'll be fine. Just a few bruises, maybe, but I'll survive.”

 

The look of relief that washed over his face was actually quite endearing, especially on his face – which you were finding cuter and cuter by the second. You wondered briefly how old he was, considering the youthful glow of his face. “Wow, sorry about the bruises.”

 

You waved it off with a free hand, giggling uncharacteristically. “It's no big deal, really. It's not like it's your fault.”

 

“Mm...” He leaned to one side with a frown, looking past the little pillar that kept you two hidden. “Where are you headed, Miss- Umm...”

 

“___,” you supplied almost instantly. “And I'm heading to Hong Kong, actually.”

 

“Ah.” He ducked back in front of you with a grin. “My brothers and I are headed near there, actually.”

 

Now boarding for flight number three-six-three, Seoul to Hong Kong. All passengers please proceed to gate seven as soon as possible.

 

“Well, speaking of which,” he said with a surprised chuckle. “That's you, I'm guessing?”

 

You glanced down at the ticket and passport clutched in your hand, reviewing the flight number and gate before giving him a nod. “Yup. That's me.” You fixed your bags on your shoulder again, just to make sure they were secure. “I should probably be heading there then.”

 

“Great.” He held out a hand. “Do you need some help with those bags?”

 

You shook your head, probably a little too quickly. “Oh no, no! I think I have it under control now. But thanks for the offer.”

 

His hand retracted, and his lip curled in what looked suspiciously like disappointment. “Sure. Have a great flight then.”

 

“You too,” you replied as you stepped out of your little nook into the relatively quiet shuffle of boarding passengers. “And thanks again...” You hesitated, not quite sure if in the craziness of the moment you'd just forgotten the name he already told you or you really just forgot to ask for it. “Sorry, I don't think I caught your name earlier.”

 

The grin that brightened that adorably young face made you blush – a full-on, hot blush. “Ah, umm... Minseok. My name is Kim Minseok. It was nice to meet you, ___-sshi.”

 

You just gave him an uneasy laugh and looked away, afraid that he would catch your red cheeks. “Y-you too, Minseok-sshi! Take care.” Not wanting to prolong the awkwardness that you felt any more, you just bowed slightly to him and shuffled away with a crooked smile.

 

---

 

You glanced down at your phone for the sixth time in the span of two minutes, scowling slightly. You wanted to call Jihae, just to make sure she was still alive after the mess you barely managed to pull yourself out of. Then again, she was quite the experienced fangirl herself, so she probably knew how to manage on her own much better than you ever could. Tucking your phone in your sweater pocket, you just sighed loudly and leaned back against the headrest of the seat, letting your eyes slip closed.

 

“Excuse me, miss. Are you ___?” The soft, feminine voice almost made you cringe. All you needed was a second of downtime before take off.

 

Peeking through half-closed eyelids, you spotted a flight attendant leaning over beside your seat. “Y-yes, I am.”

 

“Great!” She held out a small piece of folded paper with a warm smile. “I was told to give this to you. It's from a... Minseok-sshi?”

 

Your eyes darted to the paper with lightning speed, kind of like it was on fire – which was silly because it was probably just your cheeks. Gingerly, you reached out for it, taking it between your thumb and index finger. “Umm... Th-thank you?”

 

“And he wanted to let you know that he would have given it to you himself, but unfortunately, he wasn't allowed on the plane without proper ticketing.” She just looked at your flushed, open-mouthed face and nodded before taking her leave. “Enjoy your flight, miss, and let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.”

 

You must have stared at the tiny scrap of paper for the longest time because before you could even open it, the flight attendants were already going over the safety procedures. You dropped it on your lap and feigned interest as they droned on, almost cheering when the pilot announced take-off. It wasn't until you were cruising smoothly in the air that you finally reached for the thing – feeling like a huge weight was lifted when you plucked it from the folds of your sweater that it had managed to settle into. Unfolding it, you leaned conspicuously towards the mini tabletop, shadowing the piece of paper like it contained some very vital information.

 

Except it didn't. Well, kind of.

 

Sorry that I'm too much of a chicken to do this in person, but I couldn't let it go just like that. Dedication, right? ^-^ No pressure, but please consider giving me a call sometime. Maybe we can help each other with our Mandarin? Keke~ xxx-xxx-xxxx Minseok.

 

You must have read and re-read it about seven times before it fully sunk in. Really nice, cute guy who saved you from a horde of potentially homicidal fangirls wrote you a note to be delivered by a flight attendant. Simply because he wanted to give you his number... to help each other out with your Chinese? Your brain threatened to implode for a minute with the shock of it.

 

Acting like it would help, you stuffed the now-crumpled little note into your pocket, turning the information over-and-over again in your head until it finally lulled you to sleep.

 

---

 

___! Call me as soon as you land! I really need to tell you something!

 

You ignored the text message, but even when you arrived at your hotel, it was the same. “Miss, you have an urgent message from a Miss Lee Jihae. She would like you to give her a call ASAP.”

 

Before you could even put away any of your things and stretch your muscles from the flight over, you found yourself sitting on the edge of your hotel bed with the phone receiver tucked between your ear and shoulder. The note lay open on the nightstand, right beside the phone, and you stared it down like it might spontaneously combust.

 

“___!”

 

“Jihae?” She sounded out of breath. “Are you okay? You actually called my hotel before I even got here and left a message? What is going on?”

 

“___! Why didn't you tell me? How could you not tell me?” The hurt in her voice was tangible, even through the crackly earpiece of the phone. Not to mention it was a pretty long distance phone call.

 

“What are you talking about, you crazy woman? I didn't have the chance to tell you anything. We got separated, remember?” Exasperated and more than a little exhausted, you plopped down on the fluffy pillows.

 

“But this is crazy! I never even-” She broke off with what sounded like a sob. “I didn't know you knew him! Are you dating? Is that why you always try to avoid anything concerning EXO?”

 

EXO again? You squeezed your eyes shut, ready to hang up at this point. “Jihae, you've got to be kidding me. We're spending money on a long distance phone call for you to rant about EXO? Really?”

 

“No!” she practically wailed. There was a loud thud on the other end of the line as she squealed and huffed. “Wait, sorry! I fell, but don't hang up! Don't hang up!”

 

Rolling your eyes, you pinched the bridge of your nose out of habit. “Okay, I won't. Now what are you babbling about with this EXO business? And is this really necessary right now?”

 

“Yes, of course it's necessary! I would think that since you're dating a member of EXO, you would have the courtesy enough to tell your best friend!” She was whining by the end, which didn't help your complete and utter confusion about her words, much less the situation. “Get on the computer, right now. I'm sending it to you.”

 

“Wh-what?”

 

“Now, ___!”

 

Jumping at her hard tone, you rolled off the bed and crawled to your bag, rummaging for a second to find your laptop. It took a few minutes, but you finally managed to start it up and log onto your e-mail, despite Jihae's constant nonsensical questions in your ear. “Okay. I'm opening it now.”

 

“Good. And then you can get to explaining why you would ever hurt your best friend like this.”

 

Groaning, you clicked on the attachment on the e-mail and pulled up the picture. Of you. Or at least your back. And a man who had to be Minseok. His hand was clutching yours as you desperately tried to hold on to all of your bags, the two of you facing away from whoever took the picture. Trying to get away.

 

“What the f-!”

 

“Yes, that's exactly what I thought the first time I saw it. It's everywhere. On almost every single EXO fansite, all over Tumblr, all over Twitter. Everywhere, ___.”

 

Jihae's voice started crackling and fading, and it had nothing to do with the phone reception. Your brain was just shutting down. “Wh-what? N-no. No.” You shook your head vigorously, sounding like you were trying to convince yourself more than anything. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” With a lunge, you snatched the handwritten note with his phone number from the nightstand and almost ripped the paper holding it open. “His name is Minseok! That's not an EXO member. Is it?! That doesn't even make sense!”

 

“What the hell are you talking about? Are you playing games with me right now?” Jihae's frustration hiked her pitch up a few notches. “Minseok, Kim Minseok. AKA Xiumin of EXO-M. Hello?”

 

Xiumin of EXO-M.

 

Xiumin... of EXO-M...

 

Holy .

 

“What? What does this mean? Why would he even-?!”

 

“___, you're not making any sense,” Jihae grated through the phone.

 

“No, listen to me! I didn't even know who this guy was until a few hours ago! I didn't even know his name! He introduced himself to me as Kim Minseok after he saved me from some crazy fans!” You were yelling, and it was probably freaking the hotel occupants out, especially considering you'd just arrived. “And then he sent me a freaking note with his freaking phone number, and told me to call him! And-and- What the hell?!”

 

“He gave you his number?!” You could practically see Jihae's mouth falling open, her eyes bulging from her skull. “Holy , ___!” A brief pause to take a shallow breath. “Wait, does this mean you're not secretly dating?”

 

“No, what did I just finish saying, Jihae-yah? God!” You threw yourself onto the floor, rolling senselessly. “What the hell is going on here...”

 

There was a long moment of silence, where all you could hear was Jihae muttering something unintelligible and your harsh breathing. Because you were pretty sure you were close to hyperventilating.

 

An EXO member – saving you from a crowd, hiding you from his fans (albeit a little unsuccessfully), and then giving you his phone number. And the fact that you didn't even recognize him... It made your head throb.

 

“Well, you know what this means, don't you?”

 

“What is that?” you groaned.

 

“You're gonna have to call him, of course.”

 

---

 

end note: (ﾟДﾟ ) My stories have a mind of their own. They run this . xD Expect a sequel. Because heller – it's practically throwing itself on the page. Hope you enjoyed and look forward the next part! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ