Chapter 1. Mingseok

 

I sat at my desk and tapped my fingers against the wood rhythmically, I stared at the blank paper in front of me and tried to picture the face of my good friend, Jongdae. I hummed the tune to a song I barely knew and pressed my pencil to the page, sloppily sketching a base outline. Just as I was satisfied with the structure and began to draw some details, a loud bang came from the door, "speak of the devil..." I muttered to myself, dropping the pencil as well as any hopes for making the picture worthwhile.

I gripped the door handle and pulled it gently, only opening the door a crack so I could see him, "hey Minseok! Me and Chanyeol came to see you since you're a lonely loser," Jongdae smirked and pushed the door open fully.

The giant soon came in after him with a stupid grin on his face, "can I have some coffee?" He smiled innocently.

"I swear that's all you come for Park Chanyeol," I scolded him.

"But hyung!" He whined, "your coffee is the best, and it's free!"

I sighed in defeat, "fine, but don't break anything this time."

Chanyeol grinned again and enveloped me in a bone crushing hug, "thanks hyung," he chirped.

As he let go of me, I gasped for air and leant against the wall to compose myself. I stumbled to the kitchen and set to work making the coffee that Chanyeol so dearly admired while he and Jongdae played rock, paper, scissors for no apparent reason. "Minseok, can you... come to the concert with us?" Chanyeol bit his lower lip.

I turned to them both with a scowl, "if I come will you stop bothering me about it?"

They looked at each other and then back to me, they both nodded, "fine... I'll go."

Both pairs of eyes flashed with excitement, "yes! It took us a month but yes! We convinced you!" Jongdae snickered.

"Don't push your luck," I sneered.

Chanyeol rose from his seat and walked into the other room, "wow, hyung has talent!" His voice echoed through the small apartment.

Jongdae raised a brow and and walked into the same room, I sighed and followed in close pursuit, making sure that the two didn't ruin my hard work. Chanyeol was gawking at the hundreds of sketchings I had stuck on my walls, "who's this? He's really handsome!" He pointed at one of them.

"That's you Chanyeol..." I face palmed.

"You certainly found a way to waste your time didn't you?" Jongdae smirked.

I growled at him and he chuckled, "so how about that coffee?"

I groaned and ran back to the kitchen, sorting out the drinks and pouring them in Chanyeol's favourite cups. He smiled thankfully and held the hot drink in his hands, savouring the warmth before gulping it down. I sighed happily as the taste of the drink calmed my nerves and soothed my senses a considerable amount. Jongdae analysed one of my sketches which he had brought from the other room and looked up at me curiously, "who's this then?" 

I looked at the familiar picture and shrugged, "I dunno, some guy I saw on the TV I guess."

"I was just testing you, you seriously don't know who this is?" Jongdae looked at me with disbelief.

I shook my head and Chanyeol's jaw dropped, "that's the Luhan, Xiao Luhan."

"...Nope never heard of him," I scratched my chin and took another sip of coffee.

"Wierd, you've drawn him so well, I tried to once but I could never get it right" Chanyeol studied the image thoroughly.

Jongdae smirked, "are you sure you've never heard of him? Because people's faces don't usually stick in your mind."

I shrugged again, "never heard of him and to be honest, I don't care."

"Why would you sketch him then?" Chanyeol looked up at me.

"Listen! I don't know so stop asking," I snapped.

We immediately dropped the topic and began to discuss our general everyday lives until something dawned on me, "wait... when is the concert?"

"Tommorow," Chanyeol smiled obliviously.

"What!? And you didn't tell me!?" I jumped up.

"What do you expect, we've been asking you for the past month," Jongdae laughed.

"You idiot," I hissed, "tell me the details."

Jongdae scratched his head and walked over to my desk, pulling open one of my draws and rooting through it to find a scrap of paper, he picked up my pencil that I had abandoned on the wood surface and walked back over to us. Jongdae began to scribble down the information and proudly threw the paper at me when he was satisfied, I scanned it quickly.

Concert tommorow

Meet us outside Chanyeol's house at 4 o'clock sharp,

Don't be late or I'll make Chanyeol hug you the whole way there.

Sincerely, Jongdae :)

I shuddered at the thought of being hugged by the giant and nodded my head in agreement, "ok then, I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Chanyeol grinned again and placed his empty cup on the counter, "we've gotta go now, my umma wants us to clear out our basement."

Jongdae grimaced and turned to me with a pleading look, "sorry Jongdae but nothing can get you out of this one," I snickered.

The two headed for the exit and the moment the door clicked shut, the apartment seemed to feel quite lonely. I sighed and cleared away the cups, making sure to leave everything in a neat order and well organised. I tried to pass the time, because, unlike my usual emotions, I was quite excited for tomorrow.

 

***

 

I constantly looked at the clock as the time got closer to 4, I was growing impatient and as soon as it was half past 3, I ran to my room and pulled on the clothes that I had left out for today. I grabbed my apartment keys and anything I might need before running out to the taxi I had called and beginning the 15 minute drive to Chanyeol's. The traffic was slow so I was glad I left a bit earlier, as I arrived the two were waiting with massive grins on their faces, "talk about prompt," Jongdae laughed.

I smiled at Chanyeol and scowled at Jongdae, behind them, Kyungsoo came running out of the house, closely followed by Tao. "Wow... you actually got Minseok to come?" Tao stared.

"They wouldn't stop begging me," I scoffed.

"Well we're all here so let's get going," Kyungsoo smiled sweetly at me before sending a death glare at Jongdae, "I'm driving."

We all clambered into Kyungsoo's car and tried to console a very emotional Tao who couldn't believe he could see his favourite celebrities in person, and a very sour Jongdae who couldn't believe he wasn't the one driving. I stared out of the window as we went, watching the world flash by in seconds, how awfully dull the world was.

When we finally got to the concert, after much argument and cat fights, we all stared in disbelief. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before, the lights were flashing and shimmering, illuminating the walls and ceiling, the crowd was roaring and echoing through the place. I leant on Chanyeol for support, who laughed at my reaction, "this is what they all look like hyung."

We all walked in and showed them our tickets, and we all managed to get in a really good position to see the stage, the concert had only just started and I watched the artists sing, they were good but a lot of them were just too over the top. 10 minutes in, I already started to feel sick, the sheer number of fans was almost choking me. I turned to Chanyeol and told him I was going to the restroom, quickly pushing my way through the swarm of people and ending up back in the long hall where we came in from. I quickly found the bathroom and slammed the door behind me, letting out a sigh of relief to be away from it all, another person was in the room with me, he looked at me curiously before smiling and turning to me, "hey, aren't you gonna miss the concert?" He smiled warmly.

"To be honest, it's all a bit too spontaneous for me, " I leant against the wall.

I studied his face closer and snapped my fingers, "wait aren't you that Lu... Lu..."

"Luhan, my name is Luhan," he smiled.

"Oh right, cool, my friend will probably kill me if he found out I met you," I chuckled.

Luhan seemed amused, "I like you, you're the first one who hasn't freaked out immediately after seeing me."

"Well I am kinda boring," I smirked.

"No, you're... interesting, unlike the others... one of a kind!" He grinned.

I laughed, "really? Try asking my friends how I am, they'll all tell you that I'm boring, irritating, a clean freak, a..."

"Baozi," his doe eyes sparkled. 

"... hold on a sec, we've just met and you're already naming me after a piece of food?" I raised a brow.

"Well yeah, you're cheeks are so round like a baozi, so cute!" He squealed, clearly holding back the urge to pinch my cheeks.

"I'm not chubby!" I pouted.

"I didn't say you were chubby, I said you were baozi," he remarked looking like a little boy, "anyway, what's your name?"

"Minseok, Kim Minseok," I sighed.

"Min... Mingseok?" He tilted his head slightly making him look even more adorable.

"No, it's Minseok," I corrected him.

"Okay then Min... gseok, can I... have your number?" He scratched the back of his neck shyly.

I stared at him wide eyed, a celebrity wanted my number, I was speechless until I managed to stutter slightly, "s... sure... h... here."

I quickly scribbled down my number on a scrap piece of paper I had in my pocket, "thanks," Luhan chirped.

He left in a seemingly great mood, I just stood there motionless thinking,

Chanyeol's gonna kill me.

 

***

 

I returned to the concert shortly after and found Kyungsoo, who had set out to find me, in the hall, "Minseok where were you? Jongdae wants you to see the next singer."

I stood there and hesitated for a moment, "I... have you heard of Luhan?"

"Yeah, who hasn't?" Kyungsoo scoffed.

"Well would you be mad if I said I met him?" I winced slightly.

Kyungsoo's eyes narrowed, "if that means he has been in close proximity to Kai then yes."

"... Okay then nevermind let's get back to the others," I laughed nervously

Kyungsoo stared at me the whole way back to the others and I prayed that he didn't put me in a headlock, at last I could see my salvation, "Chanyeol!" I ran over to him.

He grinned at me and I placed my self on the opposite side to Kyungsoo, "hey Minseok, Luhan's next, you know, the one we told you about?"

"Oh... oh yeah," I pretended to have only just remembered.

Jongdae smirked and wrapped his arm round my shoulder, "now you can admire him in person."

I scowled and pushed him arm off me, looking up at the stage and watching the group of singers finish the current song, not long after Luhan's name was announced and the fans all screamed in the crowd. I watched the fairy like male put on a fake smile, I seemed to be the only one who noticed, as he sang, his words were not joyful like the song, they had a slight ring of sorrow. I frowned and decided to focus on his features instead, shimmering doe eyes, cute lips, pixie nose, he was probably the definition of perfect. I snapped a picture of him in my memory so I could draw him later, only then did I notice that he looked at me, then winked, I felt my cheeks heat up immediately and I laughed at Chanyeol who thought that he was the one he winked at. Chanyeol giggled and jumped up and down, grabbing Tao's arm in the process, "hey, when's Kris coming up?" He snapped at the giant.

"Don't know, my favourite is Kai," Chanyeol chimed.

"He's my favourite!" Kyungsoo snapped.

The two began to bicker amongst themselves and I groaned, looking up and seeing that Luhan had finished his song, he bowed and I saw him smiling at me slightly before making his way off stage. This time Kyungsoo caught him and he glared at me, I sighed as he dragged me away from the other three, Jongdae gave me a look that told me I was screwed. "You've met him haven't you?" He folded his arms.

"... Yeah," I gave up.

What I didn't expect was for Kyungsoo to freak out and squeal like a fangirl, he gripped my arm tightly and his wide eyes were filled with excitement, "how? When? Where? Details!" 

I scratched the back of my neck, "well, we just kinda met by accident, he called me a baozi, said he liked that I didn't freak out when I saw him, asked for my number then left." 

Kyungsoo's eyes widened, I never thought they could get even wider than what they already were, "he got your number? Luhan got your number?" 

"Wait, Luhan got what?!" Chanyeol popped out of nowhere.

"Luhan got Minseok's number," Kyungsoo blurted.

Chanyeol gave the saddest expression, "you met him and you never told me?"

"Met who?" A familiar voice chuckled behind us.

"Oh, hey Luhan," I shrugged.

Kyungsoo and Chanyeol began to freak out, "told you they all go crazy," he whispered in my ear.

I liked him whispering in my ear... I could get used to this. Jongdae and Tao walked in the hall and soon began to freak out too, Tao even began crying. "Woah, is he okay?" Luhan raised a brow.

"Don't worry about him, he's usually like that," I laughed.

Jongdae turned to me with an evil look, "when did you get so close to him huh? I thought you said you didn't care about singers like him?"

Luhan looked at me with a hurt expression, "I said that so they'd shut up."

He grinned and petted me on the head, "it's ok Mingseok."

"It's Minseok, and respect your elders," I scowled.

"What? There's no way you're older than me!" Luhan smirked.

"Year?" I raised a brow

"1990," Luhan grinned.

"Same, what month?" I questioned again.

"April," Luhan folded his arms.

"Ha, I was born in March," I leant against the wall with a smug expression.

"What!? How? But you're so cute!" Luhan's jaw dropped.

I blushed furiously, "you don't just go around calling people cute!"

"I didn't, you're the only one I've said it to," he pouted.

"Hey guys, forget about us?" Jongdae frowned with irritation clear in his voice.

Chanyeol's eyes practically turned into stars as he stared at Luhan, "please sign everything I own," he sighed dreamily.

Luhan laughed, "these guys are funny, anyway I hope to see you guys again sometime."

Luhan vanished again and I was left alone with a bunch of idiots who were all annoyed at me, "come on lets just go and watch the rest, I think Kai is next, then Kris."

They immediately forgot everything and ran back into the crowd, as I was about to follow them, a buzz came from my phone, I lifted it up and saw I got a text from an unkown number. 

Hey Baozi, can I see you again sometime :)

I chuckled and listed the number under my contacts as Luludeer.

To: Luludeer

Sure,I think I'm free tommorow :3

From: Luludeer

It's a date! ;)

To: Luludeer

What!? NO it's not a date >:(

From: Luludeer

Face it Baozi, it's totally a date ;) See you tommorow

To: Luludeer

I hate you

From: Luludeer

No you don't Baozi :3

To: Luludeer

Whatever, I'm going, I've gotta finish this concert

From: Luludeer

;)

 

I put my phone away and walked back into the concert, the others were all hypnotised by the singers and I just wanted it to end. "Nothing worth drawing anyway," I mumbled to myself.

 

***

 

After the whole thing ended, me and Kyungsoo had to guide the others, who were still in shock of seeing their favourite idols up close, back to the car. I pushed them all in and slammed the door behind me, "drive Kyungsoo," I snapped.

As we were driving back my phone buzzed again, I saw that Luhan was texting me again, "this guy dosen't give up does he?" I chuckled softly.

From: Luludeer

Where should I meet you tomorrow?

To: Luludeer

My apartment, I'll text you the adress later

From: Luludeer

okay then Baozi :3

I smiled, even though the nickname was annoying, it was still kinda cute. Kyungsoo snapped me back into reality by showing we had arrived, I nodded and walked up to my apartment, pushing the keys in the door and twisting the lock. After hearing the satisfying click, the door opened and I dragged myself into the kitchen and made some coffee. Taking a seat at my desk with the hot drink clasped firmly in my hands, I placed it down and lifted the pencil from earlier, twiddling it between my first finger and thumb. The image of Luhan was still burned into my mind and I took a blank piece of paper, beginning to draw what I did not know was the start of something a whole lot bigger and my dull world was about to change forever thanks to one deer who noticed me out of a million.