Life was sometimes a conundrum, in a way that all of its’ ironies seemed to sum up into one and then all of a sudden, you realize that they’ve been piling up little by little somewhere along your blind spot. Now that my phone was gone (along with Kris Wu’s phone number), I somehow began seeing Kris’ face everywhere.


“Sweetheart, pass me the poster box, will you?”


I found it all similar to a big slap on my face, this one. My mom, Lee Haneul, was a 52 year old business woman who targeted young girls with cosmetics and several trendy clothing lines with her store 1&1. But as I entered the familiar pink painted teenager-ish shop, I realized that the walls were filled with one particular boy band I now somehow recognized: EXO. One would think I know all about them but truth be told, I knew nothing about them besides the fact that Kris was in it.


“Mom, how long have you been selling EXO merchandise?” I rolled my eyes, handing her the box I picked up yesterday at the mall, the one I had to fight a war to get due to all the fangirls that engulfed the place due to their precious boy band being there. I watched as she opened the flaps, revealing unrolled solo photographs and books of presumably each member.


If I looked around the shop earlier, I would have probably realized that my mom’s shop was filled with nothing but their faces.


“These boys do wonder.” Her mom smirked in pure triumphant, pointing to the photobooks she now held in her hands. I snatched one from her and began browsing through the first pages as she continued. “Plaster one of their faces in the window and about 10 girls enter all at once. Plaster all 12 of their faces, you’ll never see this place empty.”


True to her words, the place was always surrounded by a band of giggling freshmen girls, so eager to buy things that had their idol’s faces heatpressed on it.


I found myself looking for Kris at each photograph. I guess this was recent pictures, since his hair was still blonde. There were some posters in the shop that had him with black and orange hair and honestly, I think the blonde suits him so much better. Now that I gave my penny in it, he was beginning to remind me of those manhwa characters I’d read, those dashing, collected, yet cold hearted leads that always got the girl at the end of the story.


His height didn’t really make it hard for him to imagine as someone sweeping his woman off her feet. A couple of girls were beginning to eye me, rather the photobook in my hand. Nervously, I set it down and they must have thought I was a noona fan because they began to look at me with disgust, whispering inaudible things to one another. Oh please; how old were they, five?


“I’m going to the phone company today.” I told my mom, pushing the book far behind the counter so that the girls couldn’t see it. They were probably going to ask about it once she was gone anyways. I couldn’t really tell my mom that I lost my old phone since she’d throw a fit. As much as we both wanted to get rid of my phone, she’d probably throw a hissy fit if ever she found out that I’ve lost it in such a careless way. “Er… I guess I’m finally getting a new phone.”


She waved her hand off as she welcomed a batch of new customers. “Well, it’s about time you get rid of that old iPhone 4 of yours, don’t you think?”



♦ ♦ ♦



The thing that I hated about going to phone companies is the fact that they made you wait for such a long time. Here you are, ready to hand in the money they need from you, and yet they still make you wait. If I was the one to be asked, I wouldn’t make them wait anymore as soon as I see some bills. Isn’t that all we want anyways?


I twirled from side to side in the revolving chair in front of the personnel’s desk and when I accidentally bumped my first into her mouse pad, her desktop screen blinked on, revealing a picture of a 12 member boy group. I didn’t really know it was EXO at first but then, as I skimmed through the boys, I suddenly found Kris’ familiar gum-flashing smile. I didn’t get to notice it when he hitched a ride with me but from the looks of it, his smile was really horrendous looking.


“So you’re a fan of EXO, huh?” I couldn’t help but strike a conversation as soon as the woman comes back. She held the paperbag of my phone with one hand and the receipt in the other but since I found something nice to talk about, I suddenly didn’t want to go just yet.


She flushed, tucking in strands of hair behind her ear. “It’s so embarrassing right? I’m way ahead of their years and yet here I am, fangirling like I’m a hormonal teenager or something.” The woman looked like she was in her late 20’s. “Are you a fan too?”


I wouldn’t really exactly say so.


“Yeah, I am.” I giggled like the school girls at my school shop, feigning innocence. “I actually got to know them through a friend. She introduced me to them just recently so I’m not too familiar with the group.” When you’re curious about something (or rather someone), you come to realize that you’ll probably do everything to find out more things about it (or them). In my case, I couldn’t help but be curious about Wu Yifan. “That Kris Wu has been on my mind for a while now.”


The woman smiled at me broadly, as if we were suddenly longtime friends, chatting on about home recipes and soccer games. “Oh, he’s under EXO-M though.”


It didn’t take me long to figure out that EXO-M must be a subgroup. They definitely needed it anyways, since they were such a big group of boys.


“EXO-M?” I asked.


She bobbed her head in a nod. “Yeah, they promote in China. Well, he’s Chinese so that makes sense. He’s the leader.”


Leader?! Chinese? Well, I wouldn’t have expected it, he was so fluent in Korean when he spoke to me! He doesn’t look foreign either; he looked so accustomed to the country!


Aren’t you EXO’s stylist noona?


No wonder he sounded so high and mighty. I couldn’t help but fake a laugh, finding myself too absorbed in the topic. See what I said about life’s greatest ironies?


Kris Wu was like a riddle I was slowly starting to get a hang on, slowly starting to solve.


“So they don’t promote here in Korea?”


She shook her head quickly. “Oh, they do, they do. They promote the same songs in China but for performances, they usually perform as a whole group on stage. Just that I guess he’s often one of the members you’ll find in and out of the country.”


First class, up in the sky. So that’s what it’s like to meet an idol. Surreal. Bizarre.


What a conundrum. Definitely a puzzle.


The sales staff finally handed me my new phone, a small flip phone from LG called Ice Cream. Definitely a downgrade from my iPhone but I didn’t think anyone would steal it anymore, since it was such a cheap one. “Here you go, ma’am.” She said with a large beam pasted to her cheeks. “It was a pleasure chatting. I don’t blame you for liking Kris. His cold city image is really something, isn’t it? The preview for EXO’s Showtime is something to look forward too.”


I answered weakly, laughing along.


Showtime? What Showtime? Cold city image?


What?


♦ ♦ ♦


“It isn’t much compared to my old phone but I guess it’d have to do.” I mumbled to Hana who was barely awake. I don’t think she was really listening to me either but since it was 2 in the morning and I was on my way to Minimart with no one to talk to, I decided a phone call to my dear best friend would do.


“Hnngh.”


I smiled as I listened to her incoherent mumbles. “Well, lovely.” I pushed the store’s door open and spotted a group of what looked like high school kids in the corner, laughing their selves away as the kid in the front held up a piece of pocky stick to his mouth, cooing at it. I rolled my eyes. Kids.


“You realize you’re disrupting my beauty sleep?” Hana finally croaked hoarsely.


I did. But it didn’t look like I cared, right?


“You realize you’re disrupting my beauty sleep?” Hana finally croaked hoarsely.


I did. But it didn’t look like I cared, right? However, as lonely as I was, I kind of did care and my best friend not getting sleep because of me made me feel slightly guilty. “You really can’t come to the convenient store?” I asked one last time in my best pleading baby voice.


Why isn’t it a surprise that she clicked on me.


I shoved my phone into the pockets of my jeans before pulling up my long dark hair into a high ponytail, irritated to the bones by this summer wave. Strolling past the vendies and grabbing as much strawberry flavored ice cream and yogurt as I could sweep, I went straight to the cashier and rashly laid it all down, swiping my wallet quickly from the back pocket of my jeans.


It was then when I suddenly felt a glare to my side coming from one of the guys by the entrance earlier. This guy had a hood on top of his snapback, his face hidden by the shadows of his clothing. I tried to ignore him at first but he just wouldn’t look away.


What was up with this high school freak?


“You coming?” I turned to one of the guys that was with the creeper earlier. His facial structure was familiar, like I had seen that sharp edged jaw boy before… Maybe he was a friend’s of Hana’s younger sister, who was still in high school.


That could be it.


The guy who asked if his friend was coming strayed away and exited along with his other friends and I watched as they turned around the corner of the store, just outside the streets. The creeper guy still stood not far away from me and I was seriously starting to contemplate whether to ask the cashier to walk me out the door.


I paid in exact amount, no change, and grabbed the plastic bag in a feverish tug but creeper guy trailed me from behind.


“Can I help you with something?” I finally asked when the glass doors of the mart shut behind the both of us.


The guy began to chuckle, a sound similar to one I’ve already heard. He then pulled on his hood and untucked his cap, revealing a bundle of mess of platinum blonde. With a smug smirk, he said, “You know, not answering your call when someone’s ringing you isn’t exactly a nice feeling.” I felt my whole body suddenly stiffening as I found myself facing Kris Wu. What were the odds. “I thought you’d answer in a heartbeat but I guess you really don’t know who I am.”


I frowned. “I know who you are.” I told him firmly. “At least, I do now.” 

“Then who am I, exactly?”

“EXO-M’s leader.” I answered. “Kris Wu.”