It was mere coincidence, of course, that you happened to be at the airport that day. You were visiting some family and you decided you were old enough to travel by yourself. Navigating through the airport in Beijing was difficult, especially with your amateur Chinese, but you somehow made it out of the arrival zone. Walking around now, you find yourself in a more open area unsure of where to go. This would prove to be a problem. , I should have asked for directions. You think to yourself as you thought back to when you finally found someone who could speak good enough english to tell you you were headed in the right direction. Looking around, you try to find someone who seemed to stand out, even if only just a little. 

You saw someone who looked about twenty years old, wearing all black, staring straight ahead with a rather scary expression. You didn't know what drew you to him, but you walked up and said to him, "Excuse me, but how I do leave the airport from here?" (Yes, you were very obviously lost). 

He turned to look at you, a surprised expression on his face. When he spoke, he sounded shy "Oh...um...well you go this way..." And he gave you directions. As you looked closely at him, you noticed his sharp eyes, the several piercings on his ears, how very tall he was compared to you. His lips had the most charming appeal to them and his eyes, black as coal (they looked that way from here) were also rather charming. He looked kind of scary at first, but in truth seemed a bit scared of you. He was an attractive guy, you had to admit.

After he gave directions, you politely give a small bow with your head and say "thank you" then turn to leave. But as fate would have it, right as you spun around to leave, your foot slips and you find yourself falling forward. Fully expecting to land on your face, you lift your hands to brace yourself. When you realize that you felt no impact, you open your eyes. An arm is around your waist; the arm of the stranger you just asked for directions from. You look at him, unsure of what to say, only to whisper a small "Thank you...um...sir."

"Tao." He says to you. "You can call me Tao. That's...that's my name."

"Yeah," you say, still a little shaken. "OK." You realize his hand is still on your waist and you stand upright, feeling a little embarrassed. "I have to go now." You say, giving another mini-bow. "Thank you again, really. Maybe I'll see you around, um, Tao." Something about him seemed awfully familiar, but you couldn't quite place what it was. But before you can leave, he puts his hand on your arm and stops you. You feel your heart skip a beat, though that could have been for good and bad reasons.

"Wait," he says. He realizes that his hand is still on your arm and he quickly pulls it away. "Um...what's...what's your name?" You're a little shocked, but you give him your name. "OK. I'll, uh, see you around." He says with a little smile that you thought looked kinda cute.  So with that, you turn to leave.

It was the start of a weird vacation. 

You arrive at the house of your grandparents, a nice apartment that was more than enough space for them and you.  You put your backpack down for a second, then noticed something peeking out of the side pocket that was for water bottles. You couldn't remember anything being there before. It was a small slip of paper folded many times. You unfold it and it says this in very messy scrawled writing:

Here's my number: ###-###-#### 

Just in case you ever need someone to hang out with. 

-Tao

It was sweet. And strange. But you thought it was mostly sweet, so you added the number under your contacts list on your not-so-fancy phone. You realized that you really did need a tourguide for this little vacation. Your cousins were busy this year and they didn't have time to hang out with you (which they were sorry for). You were some years younger than them, and they were already getting married so it was to be expected. But without them, you really couldn't find your way around this place. You've been here before a few times, but the streets of the city were much too confusing for someone like you who lived in a simple town that wasn't anything like here. 

And then you thought about it some more. What if he wasn't even close by to where you are? What if you called, but no one picked up? Or he gave the wrong number? Or maybe he'll say no because he doesn't have time? How strange would that be? 

But why are you even thinking about this? He was just a [good-looking] stranger that you met at the airport. You wondered why he looked so familiar earlier, but you were tired and it was late at night, so you let it go and went to sleep.

You dreamt of sharp, beautiful eyes, and a tall handsome figure.

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Waking up the next morning was like waking up to another dream. Looking at the clock on the wall of your bedroom (which was an extra room your grandparents had), you saw that it was a Saturday and the sun was out and shining and the sky was blue. Just perfect. It was almost the afternoon, time for lunch almost, and you had a plan in your mind (though you weren't about to admit it). 

You grabbed your phone and scrolled through your contacts list until you reached "TAO". You put your thumb over the dial button and hesitated for a second. Then shrugged. Why not? You thought to yourself. Without anyone else to go with you, you'd end up being lazy all day anyway.

You click 'dial'.

The phone rings for a while and you start to worry about whether or not he'll actually pick up. But he does, and you hear his voice. "Hello?"

"Hi. It's, uh, me. The girl you met at the airport yesterday."

"Oh!" He seems to recognize your voice by now too. His voice turns shy again. "Hi. Um..how are you?"

You almost laugh at how awkward he seems to sound. But instead, you say, "I'm good, thanks! I have a free day today and I, uh," You cringe when you hear the word "uh" come out of your mouth again. "I was wondering if you could be my tourguide for a day? I don't know my way around very well." It was your turn to sound shy.

"Sure!" He says, almost sounding eager. "I'm a little busy now, but what about in an hour? I'll meet you at your house." You smile even though you know he can't see you.

"OK, sounds good." You give him your grandparents' address, say a quick goodbye, and hang up. You have some time to kill.

After a quick shower, you change into decent, but comfortable, clothes, brush your tangly black hair that just never seemed to work with you, until it was halfway normal, and leave your room.  You greet your grandparents and say a warm good morning to them. They smile at you and offer you breakfast. You eat some snacks and see that there was still twenty minutes left until Tao said he would come. You told your grandparents about your plan for the day. They seemed a bit worried when you told them that you met him yesterday, but they trusted you and your opinion, so they let you go with a more relaxed attitude. 

Glancing at the clock again, you see that there are three or so minutes left. You grab a small messenger bag (for convenience) and everything else you'll need for the day and you head out. You wait at the entrance of the apartment complex and wait. A  few minutes later, a really fancy car (you weren't good with cars) stops in front of you and Tao comes out of the back. He still looks the same, his earrings were different though, and his clothes a little more casual and fit for long walks and the like. His hair stopped just above his eyes and had a slight part on the right. He greeted you politely and his expression was still shy with a hint of amusement, as if he didn't expect you to actually call him. "Have you eaten lunch yet?" He asks you. You shake your head no. He looks a bit surprised but keeps talking and tells you about a small place nearby that's really good. You quickly agree.

As you walk to the restaurant, you two chat about each other, basically introducing yourself. You start to warm up to each other. He mentions that his family actually lives in Qingdao.

"Wait, so why are you in Beijing?" Some thought in the back of your head was nagging at you. Something sounds familiar. There's a ringing in the back of your mind now.

"Oh well, I'm working on my...career." He smiles at you.

The ringing becomes louder. "What do you do?" 

"I sing." He smiles at you again, sheepishly.

And suddenly, the ringing is gone. Tao! Tao from the band that you absolutely loved just some months ago. The band that was on a pause, but rumored to be coming back! Tao, from EXO-M!

Your expression is one of shock, and he sees it.  "You're..." You try to say. You calm yourself down and start again. "You're Tao...from EXO-M?"

He looks a bit surprised now. "Well I thought... I mean, yes. I...uh..." His voice fades out.

"You didn't tell me sooner."

"I didn't think it was important." He looks a bit worried now. You try to imagine what he must be thinking. You realize that he might think that you might act like a crazy fangirl now. 

"No." You try to say. "It's not like I'm going to go crazy or anything. It's just really cool!" You give him a smile.

He looks relieved now and the expression he has on is really...cute. Or at least, that's what you're thinking to yourself. You arrive at the restaurant and take a seat. You two talk and talk, and eventually you find that you're really quite glad that you met him. Ignoring the fact that he was part of your favorite band was a bit difficult, but even ignoring that, he was a wonderful person. Despite his scary, but handsome, looks, his personality was adorable and probably one of the nicest people you've ever met. 

After lunch, he showed you around the streets and showed you the building he worked in. He did not introduce you to the other members (which you were rather relieved about because you didn't want him to think that you might act crazy again) but he stayed with you until the sun was about to set and then he walked you to your grandparents' apartment. You introduced your new friend to them and everything went well. 

"I have to go now." He says to you, seeming a bit sad. "I'll see you some other time." He smiles at you shyly once more. 

"Of course! I still can't find my way around yet." You smile at him, feeling more at ease around Tao, who was no longer the stranger he was yesterday. "I'll call again." He leaves and you head to your room for a small nap before dinner.

Your dreams were sweet.