My Summer in Seoul

And then he started to hum.

I was by the couch, unable to move, when he continued playing the song. It was Lucas; I could see patches of his red hair reflecting in the ambient light as his hands danced along the piano keys. He was the main rapper and the one that I had to watch the most despite his meanness.

I wasn’t sure if I should tell him I was there or if I should make a quick escape. I figured he wasn’t the type to be excited that the water girl was spying on him.

But the music rooted my feet to the ground.

He was singing it in Korean.

And it was everything.

Beautiful.

Effortless.

He had a voice that was both raspy and deep but had just the right amount of ease that you wanted to close your eyes.

This. This was why I was here.

For moments when music transcended culture, personality, demographic, everything.

For these huge moments in dark rooms, with nobody watching.

When music communicated for you when the notes had no choice but to bravely shout their truth, demanding the world listen.

I didn’t realize I was crying until my chin tickled as a tear dripped from it. My throat felt sore and heavy as he jerked his head up and shoved the piano bench back.

“I’m sorry,” I rasped. “That was beautiful. I didn’t mean to intrude.” Another tear trailed wetness down my right cheek.

He scowled and then slowly made his way toward me, stomping, not swaying, as though I was about to get told off in a very graphic and aggressive way.

When he was right in front of me, still dressed in a black hoody and joggers, he narrowed his eyes, said something in Korean that sounded like a curse word, and very gently reached out and wiped the tear from my cheek before semi-bumping into me and leaving the room.

Was he mad because I was crying? Or mad that I’d listened in?

Either way, I was adding something new to his profile.

Lucas wasn’t just beautiful, or according to his bio, a good dancer. He could sing like an angel and play the piano like he was born with one glued to his hands.

He was also… angry.

I shuffled back to my seat and scribbled down the notes, and tried not to dissect his behavior too much. I’d been eavesdropping—I was the one in the wrong, not him. This was his apartment, his sanctuary.

I was merely a three-month intruder.

My body broke out in goosebumps, maybe as a sign that I needed to remember that. I wasn’t there to understand them or to get close. I was there to do my job.

With a second wind, I crossed my legs over the chair’s armrest and pulled out the profiles again.

I had three and a half hours to memorize everything I could about the guys and their group.

Not just another K-pop group, which was a style of music that was taking the world by storm.

No, they wouldn’t act normal around me.

Because it wouldn’t be possible for the most famous group in the world with almost a billion likes on their videos to understand normalcy.

Bigger than One Direction could have possibly prayed to be.

And weeks away from Showcasing their sophomore album.

No big deal—only a few hours to learn and memorize the different idols in SWT and not mess up.

No. Pressure.

Chapter Six

Misunderstandings

Grace

I woke to a loud knocking on the door behind me. Somehow, I’d fallen asleep again, maybe because I wasn’t as superhuman as I’d like to believe. I scooted the chair to the side as quickly as I could, which meant it took me at least two minutes while the aggressive knock caused my adrenaline to spike past the safe levels of what a twenty-two-year-old should experience in such a short life.

I looked through the peephole and noticed two cameras and a few people speaking to each other loudly, including one guy with a boom mic.

The camera crew.

It was four a.m.

And I still needed to shower.

I jerked open the door and waved, then opened it wider as each of them started firing out different things in Korean.

“You guys are here.” I could not have chosen a more obvious blanket statement to use, but they seemed to understand enough for them to nod and make their way into the hallway.

The guy in front of the camera nodded toward Rae’s room and then gave me a little shove and made a motion to knock.

Okay, I could communicate this way. I made the motion again, all five of them nodded with wide smiles. See? Didn’t even need my handy language app!

“All right…” I knocked softly and took a step back, hoping I didn’t scare the guy with my bedhead and raccoon eyes.

When I looked over my shoulder, both cameras were on. Wasn’t I supposed to be behind the camera?

The door slowly inched open as Rae peered out with sleepy eyes and his hair all over the place.