Chapter 2: Meeting

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“How did it come to this?” I wondered as I was searching on the internet information and facts about Lee Joon. If I had to seduce him, at least I should do some research about him.

I let a loud sigh escape from my lips. I wouldn’t mind having to seduce him, or go on a date with him. It would be easy, and not too damaging. But having to have with him? That was just too much.

But I couldn’t back down. Not anymore.

I tried to ease my mind. After all, he was an idol, who would have probably dated –and slept with- dozens of girls. I would just be one more on the list, and that was it.

Of course, to actually sleep with him, I had to meet him first. And date him, most likely…

My search ended at 3AM, when I decided to call it a day. I glanced down at my notes (and sidenotes), studying them some more.

• Modern dance major, actor, singer, model etc (the whole idol package)
• Bad at maths (what a surprise!), idiot of the group, called “muscle idiot”
• Doesn’t like ‘dirty aegyo’ (What the hell is that supposed to mean??)
• HyunA – Best girl group dancer in his opinion
• Kim Yuna – Ideal type (Pff… Kim Yuna? Seriously? Can’t he set the standards even higher?)
• Is a quiet and timid person with new people (For real? I would have guessed the opposite…)
• Mole on left side of neck (why this is important to fangirls, I have no idea…)
• He doesn’t wash a lot (Ewww… just ewww.)

Before completely ending my search though, I decided to browse through some videos, just to have a better image of who he was.

I started by watching some of his group’s M/Vs. Their music wasn’t that bad, and neither was their dancing. “Smoky Girl” and “Stay” were even kind of catchy.

After four or five M/V’s, I looked up variety shows that had hosted him. There were several small videos of them, and, as I pondered on which I should watch, a particular one caught my attention.

“MBLAQ’s Lee Joon rips his pants”

“Well, that seems interesting” I muttered to myself as I clicked on the link.

A few minutes later, I closed my computer and went to sleep, with only one thought in mind: “What. An. Idiot.”

…

The next morning, in the grocery store, I started asking my co-workers whether Lee Joon was a regular customer or not. My Ri’s concern was apparent as she hesitantly said that “Joon oppa” wasn’t exactly a regular, but that each time he shopped once, he returned back at least twice, as he always forgot something he should have bought the first time.

If I was lucky, he would come again in the next few days. And if he did, I would talk to him.

I asked to take the place behind the counter today. I had more chances to talk to him like that. I could easily start a conversation, even if, as a member of the staff, especially in Korea, it wasn’t the right thing to do. But hey, I was American, and if my American spirit wanted to express itself in that way, I could do nothing but accept.

The day had almost ended, and my disappointment was gradually growing. Was I already out of the game, when I hadn’t even had a chance to play?

It was only when I had given up completely, that the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of a new customer.

That punk… He really got me worried, at some point.

“Okay, Lydia, calm down. He’s used to girls swooning over him, so don’t let him mistake your nervousness for excitement. Just be cool…” I thought to myself, as the one and only Lee Joon entered the store, swiftly moving on to the shelves to find what he was looking for. I noted that he had a shopping list, that time.

I studied him carefully. He wasn’t very different from his idol persona. He was a handsome man, even in real life, and it was obvious that he cherished his body a lot (as did half of the Korean female population, but oh well…).

However, he was quieter than yesterday, and much less energetic. I remembered the search I had done the day before, and how it said that he was reserved and a bit shy with new people. I couldn’t really believe it at first, but today’s quiet Lee Joon matched more with that image.

In which case I would have to be careful not to scare him by coming on to him too aggressively.

It didn’t take him a lot of time. In ten minutes or so, he was in front of my counter.

The other girls, that had started to make gestures at me since he set his foot here, came to a halt. Yong Yee seemed excited, and even nodded at me to encourage me. Guess she had no hard feelings about our heated conversation the previous day.

I smiled at lee Joon, as I began to check the things he was about to purchase.

He didn’t smile back.               

What the hell was wrong with that man? Couldn’t he just smile?

…Well, he did have his eyes lowered, so he probably hadn’t seen me, but still…

I was currently taking care of his things, trying to find a way to talk to him. I could comment on some of his items, by making a cute remark or something, but it was kind of hard to make such a comment out of the broccoli or the digestive cookies he had chosen.

…And well, he seemed so down, that I doubted that some cute comment would catch his attention.

It was then that a sudden idea crossed my mind. “You know, chocolate usually helps.” I said out of the blue, obviously startling the poor idol. Yeah, I know, totally random… But, can you blame a girl for trying?

“…Sorry?” Wow. Such a smart remark. But at least, he was now looking at me, curiosity apparent in his deep brown eyes.

“No matter the problem, I’m pretty sure that chocolate can help.” I explained, and smiled again.

That time, he smiled back.

“Win!” I thought, along with: “What a beautiful smile.”

“Wait a second, please.” He said, and he guided himself towards one of the shelves of our store. He was soon back, with a bar of chocolate in his hands.

…White chocolate.

“White chocolate is not technically chocolate, you know?” I asked him, as I passed that item through the counter as well.

“…Sorry?” Seriously?! What the hell was wrong with that man’s vocabulary?

“White chocolate doesn’t have cocoa in it, so it isn’t really chocolate.”

“Oh…” His smile vanished, making me realize that being a smartass probably wasn’t the fastest way to his heart.

“But as long as it makes you happy, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t matter whether it’s chocolate or not.”

Omo, was that too much?

He didn’t seem to mind though, as his smile re-appeared, along with a quiet chuckle.

“So, you don’t like white chocolate?” he asked, trying to make conversation. …Had it really worked?

“No, not really…” I trailed, waiting for him to keep up with my pace, and to see if he really was interested.

“Then what is your favorite kind of chocolate?”

That was it, the question I’d been waiting for. I brought a finger to my lips, whispering playfully “It’s a secret”. I even added a wink in the end, for good measure.

…You could say I was flirting with him.

Lee Joon blinked a few times, then smirked.

…Oh, he caught up quickly. I imagined he would be quite dense, blushing profusely and all, but probably not.

 “Well… are there ways to find out?” he said, while leaning in, and his voice had a different vibe now: it was deeper, huskier… y.

Jeez, where did that came from? He wasn’t acting like that before.

…Then again, he was an idol, and charming women was part of his job. And his you-are-my-prey smirk told me that he did his job very, very well.

But being his prey –or anyone’s prey, for that matter- really wasn’t my thing.

I wasn’t one of his fans. I wouldn’t scream in delight with everything “oppa” did.  And I wasn’t going to fall into his trap.

“We’ll see…” I said as I handed him the bill. I made sure to keep a smile on my face. I still wanted to win that challenge, after all.

 I would just do it in my own terms.

~~~