Seoul was much more beautiful than Lia had remembered it. Back when she was a child, she'd always experienced the worst that it had to offer, but now that she came back as an adult, she was able to see more of the wonders Seoul had to offer. She wandered the streets, looking for the necessities for her apartment. With the money she'd saved up from all her years of working back in America, she was able to have enough money to get her through her studies in Korea without needing to get a job until it suited her.

It was around eight, and she'd just finished all her shopping as she begun to head back. The main streets were thick with tourist crowds, so she opted to cut through the alleyway. She reckoned that she'd lived in Seoul long enough to know a few shortcuts, so she turned down a dark corner, pacing quickly through the narrow pathway.

After a few minutes of walking, she realized what a stupid mistake she'd made. The streets had obviously changed after seven years, and at this point she had no idea where she was.

Just as this thought struck her, two figures emerged from the pathway beside her. With their sudden appearance, she had no time to dodge and rammed straight into one of them. Immediately, she jumped back, apologies spewing from . She bowed quickly, wanting to continue away before they became angry.

"Wait!" the man shouted, grabbing her wrist gently. She whirled around, jerking herself free and kicking him hard in the knee.

He dropped to the ground, nursing his wound, and the man beside him knelt down. "Jongin-ah!" he shouted as she began to dart away, and she froze.

"Jongin?" she muttered to herself, wheeling back around to look at them more closely. Her eyes narrowed as her eyes focused in the dim light. They both looked up at her as she stopped, and it was in that moment that the street lamp blinked on, illuminating the entire alleyway.

Her eyes widened as she realized that it was no one other than her childhood friend, Jongin.

"A-are you Kim Jongin?" she stuttered, and the man beside Jongin sighed loudly.

"Look, we're sorry that we startled you. If you want a picture, go ahead and take it. Just don't freak out."

"Picture?" she echoed. "Why would I want a picture?"

"Aren't you a saesang fan?" the man asked, and her brow furrowed.

"What the hell is a saesang fan?"

"Well, then how did you know my name?" Jongin asked, and Lia cleared .

"Do you not recognize me?"

A strange look passed between Jongin and the man sitting beside him, and he looked back at her, squinting hard. "No, I- wait," he cut off, an expression of disbelief crossing his face. " . . . Lia?"

Lia nodded eagerly, and Jongin jumped up from his position of the ground. "Lia? Is it really you?"

"Wait, do you know her Kai?" the man beside him said, standing up as well.

"Yeah, she was my best friend when I was a kid. Before I auditioned for SM." Jongin's eyes darted back to her, a broad smile crossing his face as he marched over to her, enveloping her in a warm hug. "I missed you," he said, squeezing her tightly and momentarily lifting her off the ground.

"I missed you too."

Putting her down, he squinted at her dubiously. "When did you get back from America?"

"Yesterday," she answered, and he straightened himself in surprise.

"Really? Did you go to see Miss Park?"

Lia bobbed her head. "Yeah, I did. I stayed there last night."

"Where are you staying now, then?" he asked, and she gestured vaguely.

"I have an apartment. I'm trying to find it, but I'm kind of lost."

"Oh, tell me where it is and I'll take you there," he proposed.

"Kai," the man behind him chided, and waved. "Hi. Yeah. Baekhyun here. We need to leave."

"Shut up, hyung," he complained, turning back to Lia.

"Ah, you don't need to take me there," she mumbled. "I'll find my way."

"Wait, there's something I need to give you," he said, catching her arm as she began to move away. "But, first, don't kick me again."

"Haha, sorry about that," she apologized, rubbing the back of her neck.

"It's fine. I probably scared you anyways," he guessed, pulling a piece of paper and a pen out of his pocket and scribbling something down quickly. After a moment, he handed it to her, recapping the pen and stuffing it in his pocket. "Here. This is my number. Text me when you get home safe."

She nodded slightly, beginning to turn away. "Bye, Jongin," she called as she turned away.

"Bye, Lia."

 

---

 

After a few minutes of searching, she finally found herself back at her apartment. Somehow she was able to lug all of her bags up to the second floor, and once she closed her door behind she dropped everything. "I'll put it away tomorrow," she promised herself, trudging to the bedroom.

As she collapsed on the bed, she felt something in her back pocket. Digging through it, she pulled out a slip of paper. "Ah," she mumbled, grabbing her phone and punching in Jongin's number in.

Hi. It's Lia.

Her eyes traced the screen for a moment, and instantly she received a reply.

-Hey! Did you get home alright?

Yeah.

-That's good. Can you talk on the phone?

Yeah.

-Okay. Hold on.

A few seconds later, her phone buzzed loudly. "Hello?" she asked.

"Hey!" Jongin called on the other end. "It'd be easier to talk than it would to explain it through text."

"What would?"

"Well, there's a lot . . ." he trailed off.

"Go ahead. I've got time."

He cleared his cleared his throat. "I wanted to ask you . . . why didn't you ever respond? To my letters, I mean."

She hesitated. There was no way she could tell him the reason. "I-I couldn't."

"Couldn't?" he echoed. "Why?"

"I . . . Jongin, I don't think I can tell you."

He sighed, and didn't respond immediately. "Are you sure?" he asked after a moment.

"Yes."

"Okay," he resolved. "Then, I've got some things to explain, since you never read those letters."

"Like what?"

"Remember when I told you I was trying out for SM?" he recalled, and she grunted in reply. "Well, I got in."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was a trainee for the longest time, but about year ago that changed."

"What happened?" she pressed, and he laughed at the tint of worry in her voice.

"Well . . ." he trailed off, and she let out an impatient breath. "I'm in a band."

"What?" she shouted in disbelief. "Seriously?"

"Yeah! It's been almost two years now. I'm in the group EXO."

"Wow," she breathed, leaning back against her bed.

"I know. Even now it still seems pretty surreal. Especially knowing how many members we have."

"How many members do you have?"

"Twelve," he chuckled, and she gasped.

"Twelve members?" she exclaimed, accidentally switching to English.

"I don't know what you just said, but I'm assuming you've never heard of us."

"No," she said ponderously. "I mean, I think I've heard of you all a few times, but never actually listened to your music."

"I figured. I don't really know how popular our music is over in the states."

"What's your group called again?" she questioned as she pulled her laptop over from her bedside table.

"EXO," she insinuated. "E-X-O."

"Okay," she muttered, typing it in on her computer. "Wow, look at all your members," she murmured as she scrolled through pictures of them. "Oh! There's you! Why do you change your hair color so often?"

"It's fun," he joked, and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, well it's not good for your hair. Give it a break everyone in a while."

"Okay, mom."

Her eyes trailed the faces of each member, until she landed on one she recognized. "Oh, here's the one you were with! What's his name?"

"Baekhyun."

"Ah, Baekhyun. Cool name," she praised.

"Yah, Baekhyun-hyung," she heard Jongin shout on the other end, followed by a muffled grunt in reply. "Come say hi to Lia."

"Hello, Kai's friend," she heard another voice, apparently Baekhyun's, call to her.

"Hello. I'm sorry I bumped into you," she apologized, and the two on the other end laughed.

"Ah, don't apologize," Jongin chimed. "We were the ones that scared you."

"Yes, but I'm the one that kicked you in the knee," she protested.

"She's got a point there," Baekhyun teased, and she heard him grunt in pain as Jongin smacked him. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding!"

"Whatever. Go away, hyung."

"Alright, alright. Bye, Lia!" Baekhyun trilled.

"Bye!"

With Baekhyun gone, Jongin groaned loudly. "He's so hyper," he complained. "How can he be so hyper with all the rehearsals we've been doing? I can barely sit up straight, and here he is, bouncing around the house!"

"Vitamins," she suggested, and Jongin burst out laughing.

"Probably."

"Wait," she paused, a thought hitting her. "Who is Kai?"

"Ah," Jongin spoke. "Kai's my stage name. Most of the time, the members call me by my stage name rather than my given name."

Lia nodded slowly. "Makes sense." There was a long pause, and she cleared awkwardly. "Well, I've got to go. I have to wake up early in the morning to start unpacking all my things into the apartment."

"I wish I could help."

"Oh, I don’t need help. It shouldn't take that long," she guessed. "Goodnight, Jongin."

"Goodnight!" he chirped, and she hung up, a slow smile creeping across her face. After so long, she'd been able to talk to him. It was a wonder that he'd hardly changed.

However, she had.