:prologue:

*

Moon Jihye has a hairbrush in her hands as she sways her hips and lip syncs dramatically, loud music playing from her father's old speakers she's 'borrowed' from her his 'completely-off-limits' office-slash-man-cave. 

The door slams open, then, and she jumps in shock, practically tipping off her bed and hitting the wooden floor with a loud crash, a string of expletives leaving instinctually.

Jihye can just make out her tiny, old mother at the doorway, right through the cracks between her bedposts. Her mother's eyes are narrowed, arms crossed and sleek black-and-grey hair pulled up into tight little bun. Her mother rolls her eyes then and Jihye scoffs into the woolen rug beneath her.

Three.

Two.

"Moon Jihye! You are too old to be jumping on your bed! Now get up and put on a pretty dress. And for God's sakes, wear something decent for once. This is important."

Jihye crosses her legs and pouts as cutely as she can. It doesn't affect her mother in any way and Jihye fleetingly wonders if the woman is actually made of ice. "Why?" Jihye asks (whines, really).

"You're meeting that lovely boy again and-"

"No." Jihye snaps, jumping to her feet. "Umma, I am not meeting that boy. I'm not going to get married."

The look on her mother's face morphs into something Jihye can only describe as terrifying, her mother's eyes becoming slits. "You're almost twenty years old, Jihye."

"I'm still in college!" Jihye exclaims, shaking her head franticly. Community college, but still college nonetheless.

"You know we don't have enough money to pay for that anymore. We're old, Jihye, we can't do this anymore. Your father is dying, sweetie. You need to get married. We need to know that you're secure, just in case-"

"Don't say it!"

"We die." She finishes, her eyes steady.

Jihye just stares at her mother, because she knows her mother is right, but she doesn't want to get married to some village boy, she doesn't want to be subjected into nothing but a maid and possibly a baby making machine, she wants to be a star. Perhaps she's being selfish, but there were audtions soon for SM Entertainment and maybe, just maybe, she would make it through.

But she can't say anything as her mother gently drops a dress in her hands and speaks sternly, leaving no room for dissent. "Wear this and brush your hair. Today will be the announcement of your engagement. This is important, Jihye-ah. Don't be selfish. Think of your appa."

The door clicks shut with a sort of finality Moon Jihye refuses to accept.

Not when there's an audition in Seoul in exactly one week. Not when she has her own separate savings account full of thousands upon thousands of won waiting for her.

Not when Seoul, her dreams, are just within her reach.

~.~.~.~.~

Little does she know, a young man is going through a similar situation kilometers upon kilometers away from her.

A few days later, it's dark, the stars shining brightly in the village sky, as he takes one last look back at the cozy house he grew up in. 

"I'm sorry appa. I'm sorry umma. But I need to do this." He murmurs into the darkness, smiling sadly.

I'm not cut out for farming, he thinks wryly as he lets his gaze sweep across the vegetable garden growing just behind the house.

He takes a deep breath and slowly turns away, fingers curling around the single suitcase in his hands.

Then he begins to walk down the dirt road, slowly exhaling with each step.

"Seoul, here I come." Kim Jongdae whispers, his chest bubbling up with excitement.

~.~.~.~.~

"Congratulations on your new position, Minseok-ssi."

Kim Minseok smiles, softly, at the doe-eyed newbie staring at him in a way Minseok can only describe as childlike. Minseok feels a little bad, however, because he knows (from past experience) that the childlike ones are the ones who change the most, in this profession. Nonetheless, Minseok smiles, "Thank you, Luhan-ssi. I'm still so surprised."

Luhan eyes Minseok with the strangest expression, a single brow rising almost challengingly, "Are you really surprised, though?"

Minseok eyes Luhan for a second, completely rethinking his previous assessments of the boy. Then Minseok allows himself a tiny smirk, eyes twinkling slight. "No, not really. But don't tell anyone that." Minseok says.

Luhan laughs, then, and Minseok doesn't understand why Luhan finds this so amusing. "Good luck, Captain Kim. The last captain nearly exploded from the stress Seoul brought him."

"I take yoga classes on the side." Minseok says, casually, as he leans back and looks at Luhan. Maybe Luhan isn't quite the 'doe-eyed newbie' Minseok had originally believed him to be.

"Well I expect you to stay in the game, then. I've got my money on you, Captain Kim." Luhan says, eyes twinkling mischeviously before he steps out of the office.

Minseok watches him go and grins when the door clicks shut.

Captain Kim.

Minseok really likes the sound of that.

Kim Minseok stares out the window, gaze sweeping across the bright city lights, and grins.

"Hit me with your best shot." Minseok murmurs, not caring if he sounds a bit strange talking to a city skyline.

~.~.~.~.~

Welcome to Seoul, South Korea.

a/n: I'm super duper excited to write this but I need to finish Good Girls first! And then I'll begin this, although Salt Skin will be slightly more focused on until that;s done!

This is a short prologue but it's introductions, pretty much, and I'd really appreciate some feedback! CHEN NEEDS MORE FICS LIKE?? AND XIUMIN OK so I'm gonna write something even though I'm terrible at this. Anyways, remember to subscribe and comment and I guess this story will be coming very, very soon! :)

xoxo