“Just keep smiling. You look cute when you smile.”

 

Dark eyes fluttered open, only to squint in the light of the sun-soaked room. The young man groaned, pulled the large blanket over his head, and cuddled deeper into his bed. Even in the quiet warmth of his bedroom, he couldn’t keep his thoughts from thrashing around noisily in his mind. Why was he thinking about him now, all of a sudden? It had been months since he had thought about him. But then again, moving all the way from a small town in China to the large city of Seoul had been rather daunting. Tao hadn’t had the time to think of anything else.

 

But a few months later, he had settled down into a small apartment not too far away from the center of the bustling capital, and his rather quiet life had elevated to one full of tall buildings, bright lights, and people everywhere.

 

Even so, Tao’s life had calmed down for the time being. But when things were calm, thoughts tended to creep in. More specifically, thoughts about a certain person. In the stillness of the bedroom, he allowed his mind to wander to him.

 

A figure started to take shape in his mind. A figure that had never left really, simply remaining docile somewhere far back, waiting to come forth at times when Tao allowed it. Dark brown hair cut into a cute little bowl, a bright smile, and eyes that never ceased to shine in excitement or mischief pushed themselves so vividly before Tao’s closed eyes that he could almost imagine that person was right there with him in that moment. But he already knew that could never be true. That person had been taken away from him a long time ago.

 

Tao groaned and pulled back the covers, taking the assault of sudden light as punishment for letting his thoughts drift so far. Thinking of him so early in the morning really wasn’t helpful at all. He stumbled out of bed and started to get himself ready.

 

Today was an important day.

 

---

 

Tao hurried down the steps of his building and quickly turned a corner onto a different block. He had let time get away from him, and now he was running late. Not to mention that his interview started in twenty minutes and he wasn’t even sure where the place was!

 

He scrolled through his phone as he made his way down the small street, trying to find the set of directions that he’d saved. It was no use. He was going to be late for his first job interview in Korea; what a great start to his new life. He looked around for someone he could ask for help, but he only saw two boys playing on the side of the street up ahead. His eyes settled on them and he was suddenly reminded of himself and that person.

 

‘Now is really not the time for that.’ he reminded himself.

 

A woman standing nearby looked at him as if he were a suspicious person, and he realized that he had been staring at the two boys this whole time. Not wanting to seem like  a creep, Tao smiled and bowed politely to the lady he assumed to be their mother, then hurried on his way.

 

The tall young man was glad when he came upon a group of boys standing outside of a restaurant. They seemed to be no older than him, and they were clearly Korean, so perhaps they could help him.

 

“Um, excuse me? Could any of you please help me find this place?” he asked politely, fishing a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. He smoothed the wrinkled paper and handed it over. He couldn’t help a feeling of uneasiness. This was the first time he was talking to any strangers since he’d moved in. Apart from brief words with cashiers and waitresses, he’d kept to himself. Tao wasn’t really good at talking to people. He’d been that way since he was young.

 

The group of boys turned to him and a voice chirped, “Sure!” Their chests were adorned with small nametags, and the colors of the aprons they all wore matched the banners of the place behind them. Tao assumed they all worked at the small restaurant.

 

“Whoa, you’re looking for SM Entertainment?” one of them asked in surprise.

 

“No, he’s not, Suho. He doesn’t even look like an idol!” another countered, this one with rather large ears. He snatched the paper from the one called Suho and glanced at it. “Wow, I guess you are.”

 

“Um, yes I am. And I am kind of running late, so if you could please direct me…” Tao responded softly.

 

“Oh course, of course!” the big-eared one said, whose nametag read Chanyeol.

 

After some helpful directions from the group of boys, Tao was quickly on his way. Perhaps he would be alright after all.

 

Fifteen minutes later, he found himself standing in front of a large building. His eyes scanned over the large glittering logo above him and he wondered what he was walking into. An old friend of his had recommended that he seek a job here, but he honestly wasn’t too sure exactly what this place was. The group of boys from earlier had said something about idols, so perhaps this was some sort of talent recruitment agency? He exhaled in determination before pushing open the large glass doors and stepping inside.

 

The interior of the building was just as beautiful as the exterior. As Tao walked through the lobby, his shoes clacked pleasantly on the shiny stone floors. Modern furniture sat on the side of the room, arranged to mimic a chic waiting area. When he looked up at the ivory walls, large pictures of beautiful men and women adorned the walls. He assumed that they were the “idols”. There had been famous singers and actors in China, but Tao had never paid much attention to them. He finally came to the front desk, where a young woman typed away at an expensive looking computer. She noticed his approach and turned to him with a wide smile.

 

“Welcome to SM Entertainment, how may I help you sir?” she asked.

 

“Um, my name is Huang Zitao. I have a job interview with….” he trailed off as he reached back into his pocket for the piece of paper.

 

“With Kim Jongdae?” the receptionist finished with a knowing smile.

 

“Ah, yes.” Tao nodded in embarrassment. He was never good with remembering names, and having to remember Korean ones was even harder.

 

“He’s been expecting you. Straight down the hall, then the first door on your left.”

 

Tao bowed slightly in thanks then went off in the directed path. He was glad to find the office without issue, and knocked lightly on the wood and glass door.

 

“Come in.” a voice called from inside.

 

Tao braced himself and smiled slightly as he entered the office and closed the door behind him.

 

“Huang Zitao?” the dark-haired man asked.

 

“Yes, sir. I’m sorry if I am a bit late.” Tao answered, bowing politely.

 

“Don’t worry, you’re alright. Please have a seat.” Jongdae said lightly. The man reached into a drawer on the side of his desk and pulled out a folder that Tao recognized as his own resume portfolio.

 

Watching him carefully, Tao sat down in one of the comfortable leather chairs in front of the desk. He noticed the man’s soft but distinct facial features as he read over the documents. His eyes then wandered to the many things that covered the large desk. Not only various stacks of papers, but a computer, a few CDs, and an opened letter addressed to someone  named Chen. Perhaps that was his nickna--

 

“Huang Zitao, known as Tao. Born in China, but recently moved to South Korea. It says here that you’ve trained in Wushu and other various forms of martial arts since you were five years old, is that correct?” Jongdae clarified.

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

“Very good. Security is serious business here at SM, and we want to make sure that our performers are protected at all costs. With this in mind, we make sure to do extensive background checks on all of our personnel. We tried to look into your parents, but it is listed here as unavailable. Why is that?”

 

Tao swallowed slightly before answering. “I was raised in an orphanage until I became of age.”

 

Memories threatened to pool to the surface of his mind, but he kept them at bay.

 

“I learned Korean throughout my high school years in addition to my martial arts training, and when I turned twenty one, I moved here.”

 

Jongdae nodded in approval. “Alright, I think I’ve heard all that I need to hear. You seem like an asset to our security team. Just to be safe, we’ll set up a trial period with the artist you’ll be assigned to. If things go smoothly, you’ll be hired full time.” he said.

 

Tao didn’t comment on the other end of that proposal, simply smiling and nodding. “Thank you very much.” he said gratefully. Hopefully, this job would be the start of his new life. A weight that had been pressed over him since he’d woken up this morning slowly seemed to lighten. With at least one thing sorted out, he felt a bit more comfortable. He had been so worried about getting this job and things working out here in Korea that he had begun stressing out. But it seemed that everything was moving forward in the right direction.

 

“Alright, let’s get you acquainted with your idol.” Jongdae said casually as he stood up from the desk. “Did you ever listen to Korean music when you lived in China?” he asked.

 

“Not really. I listened more to Chinese rap than anything.” Tao admitted. He stood and followed the older man out of the room and down a long hall.

 

“Ah, well you’ll find that Korean music is slightly different. It reaches out internationally, so you’ll be traveling a lot. I hope flying isn’t a problem for you.”

 

“Not at all, sir.” Tao said softly. They came back to the lobby, and Jongdae sat down on of the leather couches in the waiting room.

 

“He just finished up a concert in Incheon, and he’s set to perform here in Seoul next week, but I asked him to come here today to meet you.” Jongdae informed. “Feel free to get a drink from over there.”

 

Tao nodded and looked over to the small table where complimentary drinks and snacks were set up. He went over to grab a bottle of water. Not knowing much about celebrities, he hoped that this idol would be easy to get along with. Many famous people were characterized as being self-centered and inconsiderate, and Tao didn’t want to deal with someone like that everyday.

 

“Here he comes now. He’s one of our most dedicated artists, I hope you two will get along nicely.”

 

Tao turned to see the person in question, accidentally knocking over a stack of cups on the table. He cursed his clumsiness and hurried to pick them up. In his haste, he hadn’t heard the rest of Jongdae’s words and missed the introduction.

 

‘What a great first impression.’ he thought sarcastically as he finally turned to meet the person he would be protecting.

 

His eyes trained on the person’s face and he suddenly felt like the air had been snatched from his lungs. His lips parted in shock. He had to blink a few times to make sure what he was seeing was real and that his mind wasn’t just playing tricks on him again. Moving his lips to finally speak, Tao tried to respond but nothing would come out.

 

“This is your new bodyguard, Huang Tao.”

 

“Tao, this is the artist you will be in charge of keeping safe…”

 

Tao finally found the strength to speak and uttered softly,  “Oh Sehun.”