Happy reading 🙂🙂

October 2029...

Seoul, South Korea...

"Thank you so much! God, thank you so much!" she almost cried out in happiness.

This was the best day. Today was the best day. She had least expected this to happen. But, dreams do come true. Hard work always pays.

She had already learned Korean, but it was also important to learn the culture and ethics of the country. So, she had decided to start over from the beginning and had aced the program. With the course duration of a year and a half and six levels, she had learned things that the internet and the textbooks she had bought online couldn't teach. She could read essays with ease and read old, ancient novels too. With interactions with the local students and people as a part of her course, it helped her gain more exposure and experience and an accent.

"Shreya Kashyap" she looked at her name printed in bold on her certificate with a smile.

Now, all she had to do was to look for a job. It was her dream to work in the Korean industry. She also had a bachelor's and master's degree that she had just because her parents had forced her to.

"Remember, we're there to help" it was her bachelor's degree talking.

Yep, the ones she had always forgotten about. Her bachelor's degree degree in Mass Media and Communication and master's degree in Mass Communication.

It was enough to be bilingual to get a job as a video editor in Korea, but what worried her was, there were so many people on the field. How was she going to get a decent job?

Shreya took the bus back home and decided to buy some rice cakes, chocolate cake and sweet potato chips to celebrate. Her roommate was dieting, so the sweet potato chips must be good for her.

She pulled out her laptop and started to apply for whatever company that struck her mind. She was dead tired by the time she was done. She had to edit her resume for god knows how many number of times depending on the job description and requirements and then did add some of her best editing clips that she had saved. She did add some of her project files that she had done in the editing lab. Some companies did ask for photo edited works, which she gladly added.

"I am so tired!" she groaned.

"Shreya!" she heard a voice call her name.

"What is it?" she groaned.

"Dee's call" she heard her roommate from the living room.

She smacked her head and ran to the living room to grab her phone. How on earth did she leave her phone there? They were inseparable. Then, it struck her. She had thrown her phone on the single sofa after putting a word on the group chat that she had gotten her certificate. Her phone stopped ringing, but notifications buzzing didn't. The group chat and her personal chats were filled with congratulatory messages. Even her Instagram and Facebook messenger was spammed.

"Congratulations!" she heard her roommate. She turned around to see her roommate munching onto the chips, her eyes glued to the TV.

"Thank you Minah" she replied and walked back to her room, patiently replying to all her messages.

"Guys, give me a break" she mumbled to herself, punching down her keypad to reply.

Her phone rang again with Dee's call and she answered it with a happy smile.

"Congratulations little miss" Dee's happy voice was heard.

"Thank you!" she mumbled.

"Stop mumbling and be loud! You're supposed to be happy! Did you buy yourself a good treat?" Dee asked.

"Yep. Some rice cakes and chocolate cake" she replied.

"That's it? Madam you're supposed to give yourself a treat" Dee nagged.

"I'm okay Dee" she said.

"Oh, just come out. I'll get you in half an hour. Don't say anything. It's my treat" she heard her.

"Okay, imma get ready then!" she smiled "see you" she said.

"Bye" Dee said and hung up.

Shreya hopped happily as she clung on to Dee's arm. They were going down a narrow alley, to the restaurant where they always went. The woman there bowed and smiled at them to which they did too and took their seats.

"What do you want to eat?" Dee asked as she looked through the menu.

"Hot pot" Shreya smiled wide.

"And?" she asked.

"Mandu, taekbokki, samgyeopsal and gimbap" Shreya answered.

"From since when did you start eating pork?" she asked.

"A few months ago. Minah got pissed that she couldn't cook pork at home and had to go out. So, I decided to give it a try. It was not bad" Shreya shrugged.

"But isn't she like on a diet?" she asked.

"She is, but meh. I don't know" Shreya laughed which made even Dee laugh.

"Soju?" she asked.

"Nope, I'm taking lemonade" Shreya replied.

Dee smiled ordering a bottle of soju herself. This was the first time she had seen her order less than two bottles. Dee's alcohol tolerance surprised her.

"Spicy or non spicy?" she asked.

"Spicy" a super happy Shreya answered.

Dee always asked her about the hot pot because the girl always changed her mind whenever they came to eat. Shreya had lived in Seoul for the past year and a half and she had had the worst time. Alone in a new country. Culture that was diverse. Knowing the language just wasn't enough. Searching for a house, managing finances to the cost of living of Seoul, it was not easy. She managed to find a decent apartment with Dee's help and learned how easy it was to live in the city if the expenses were managed well. Dee had also cooked Indian food for her at times when she had missed home the most. Be it Biriyani, daal chawal, rajma chawal, roti and a lot more.

Her dream to work and to settle in Seoul got the strongest when she had visited Seoul in 2025 for the EXO year end concert.

August 2025....

"How did you manage to get these Dee?" she asked a smiling Dee through the video call.

She saw her waving passes to the EXO concert. The concert where all nine of them would reunite after the eight members had completed their military service.

"You want to come or not?" was all Dee asked.

"I do-" she was interrupted by Dee.

"Sweet! Book the tickets. And I know by then your semester exams are going to be over" Dee stated.

"Yeah.. but what am I going to tell my parents?" she asked.

"You're an adult now. Not a baby. But, you are a baby. Oh what the hell! When you're going to go for your PhD or if you get a job posting outside the country, are they going to say a no? Or if you got married to an NRI? It's time you explore outside. It's time you talk and make them understand. I'm sure they will, so don't think too much" Dee explained.

"I will. Save that pass for me" she smiled.

"Done" Dee smiled "oh, and my sister will be coming too. It'll be good that the both of you won't be alone" she smiled.

"I'm glad" Shreya smiled.

"Cool then. I gotta go. See you in December" she smiled, waving.

"Bye" Shreya smiled, hanging up.

Things went well and it didn't take her much convincing to do. But her trip was cut short to a week because of the hike in ticket and hotel prices because December was the holiday season. But the only thing that mattered was, she got to go.

She got to go to South Korea!

She got to go to Seoul!

She got to go to the EXO concert!

Oh, to be lucky to see the artists up close. To be able to see all the other excited EXO-Ls like her. And to see the stars who'd come to the concert in the VIP area.

She was just so happy that she completed her first semester with a happy go mood. Her exams went well and she was ready to take off. She had packed some extra snacks, some good clothes and heavy thermals since it was going to be cold. Cold was an understatement. It was going to be freezing. There wasn't a lot of snow, but it still was freezing.

Seoul was so beautiful. She looked around places that she could with a schedule that Dee had made for her. It was needed for the little time constraint that she had.

Day one- Bonguensa, Itaewon.
Day two- trip to Busan.
Day three- Lotte world tower, the national museum.
Day four- the Hanok village.
Day five- EXO concert.
Day six- Namsan tower, street food adventure.
Day seven- some shopping?
Day eight- to go back home.

Going to Han river was not needed to be mentioned. She went there for her morning jog and in the evening for a walk to just relax. It was mostly to see the kids and dogs and yes, to see some passionate bikers biking around.

"I am going to get a job here no matter what and settle here. I am going to and nobody can stop me" she said to herself.

With the kind people around and the lovely atmosphere of the city, though it was a busy one, she had decided to do her best and get a permanent spot in the country.

The day of the concert came and she was way beyond excited. Her other EXO-L friends had warned her. They wanted some videos and pictures. Like a little sneak at least. Well, she was going to try. She obviously needed some memories for herself to keep. Till the next time she attended one, these were going to be her only memories of EXO, of Seoul and a concert.

No, it was not an online concert. It was going to be an in person one.

"Shreya, I won't be able to come to the concert" Dee said.

"Why?" she asked.

"I've got a night shift sweetie. It goes on till early morning. And I have to file some papers too. I slept all morning so that I can make it all night" Dee replied.

"It needs to be a national holiday today. It's EXO Day! Concert Day!" she pouted.

"I went day before yesterday. I'm glad I did that and didn't get the passes for today" Dee smiled.

"Not fair" she frowned.

"I've always observed that we have something busy to do on the last day of the Seoul performance. So, my colleague got us passes from the dates in between. EXO performs six days this time. In the same venue. The dates are like that for the first time. It's always like two or three days when it's the time they wind up their concert. Maybe it's like this because they're performing together after so long. All nine of them. Three days twice with a break of three to four days in between" Dee explained.

"Oh, I'm glad you could see them" she smiled.

"Yep. Now get ready soon. The cab will be here to pick you up by 6. You need an hour to reach the venue and then it will take you a while to get in line and verify your pass and to be guided to the entrance you need to go to. So, the earlier, the better" Dee smiled.

"I'll be ready on time" she nodded.

"I'll see you later. Have fun! And yeah, do spam a bit or else you're gonna face the wrath" Dee laughed walking out of Shreya's room with a yawn.

"Bye Dee" she waved, watching her walk to the elevator at the end of the corridor.

It did take more time than she'd thought. The traffic was terrible. It took her an hour and a half to reach the venue. But it was quick to get in since more than half of them had already gotten in. She did notice the place where she was seated was right behind the VIP access. So, she was going to get a close look on all the celebs who were going to be attending. She walked further to see another Indian girl just around her age standing, looking around the venue with her light-stick hanging down her wrist. She saw her pull out her phone to record and capture pictures of the stadium that was continuously getting filled.

"Hi, I'm Shreya" she smiled, approaching the girl.

"You're the one my sister spoke about right?" the girl asked.

"Yes" she nodded.

"I'm Mayi" the girl introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you" she extended her hand for a shake.

"Nice to meet you too" Mayi gladly took her hand and shook it.

Shreya's eyes widened when she saw the NCT members along with other celebrities make way to the front to their seats. It was Mark, Johnny, Doyoung, Jaehyun along with Kun and Chenle. She felt her heart skip a beat the moment she saw them, especially when Mark turned around to greet all the other fans and the boys smiled and waved at Mayi and that had her suspicion bloom. She looked to see Mayi happily wave back at them.

There was a staff that approached them wearing a mask and cap to hand over some water bottles, slogan banners and tissues. She looked up to see her and Mayi and Mayi waved at her. She then walked way after a few seconds.

"Eunji nuna, bye" she heard Mark as she watched him wave.

And that had her heart fluttering again. She had heard his voice so many times, but up close, in real life, it was the first time. He sounded cuter than ever.

It was so hard for her to focus on the concert with Mark in the front. She was here to watch her dream concert, but the fanboy in the front had all her attention. But she managed to pull herself out of it and enjoyed the concert.

It was the best! It was the best because it was performed by the best of the best.

The concert ended late and she was thankful that some small restaurants were open. She and Mayi made their way to one and ate to their hearts content.

The day to leave came soon and she didn't want to. Nobody would want to. It was such a beautiful place. Dee had sent her off and she was at the lounge, waiting for the boarding announcement. She was done with her check in and all she could do was remember all the good memories the city and country had given her the past week.

"I will get myself here" she strongly reassured herself as she looked around, one last time.

........

"Hello?" she heard Dee's voice call out to her.

"Yep?" she asked.

"What happened?" Dee asked.

"Job" she lied.

"You'll get it. And in a good company. Stop stressing so much!" Dee said.

"Do you need my help?" she asked.

"Nope" Shreya shook her head.

"Aah look, the food's here" she clapped.

"Finally" Shreya heaved a sigh of relief.

"What companies have you applied for?" she asked, setting the hot pot, adding a few ingredients.

"A few advertising agencies, some broadcasting stations. A few entertainment companies including SM" Shreya replied to which Dee choked.

"SM?" Dee asked, rubbing her chest still coughing "I thought you hated that place" she said.

"You okay?" Shreya asked.

"Yeah, I am" she answered, coughing a little.

"I do, but I can still work there" Shreya shrugged, taking a bite of her Mandu.

"Okay, good luck" she smiled to which Shreya nodded.

The two of them ate at the slowest pace. It was the first time that they had eaten this slow. It was always either of them rushing up or leaving half way, leaving the other one to finish alone. And it was mostly the older one to leave. The two of them walked the busy, yet calm streets with their ice creams.

"Get some sleep okay" Dee said.

"Dee, will I ever be able to meet Mark?" she asked.

"You can! At fan signs" Dee smiled.

"I'm broke" she sighed.

"Try. You never fail when you try" Dee smiled.

She was about to answer, but stopped when Dee's phone rung. She looked disappointed when Dee sighed.

"I gotta go. It's Mayi" she sighed.

"All okay?" Shreya asked.

"Definitely not if she's calling now. I'm so sorry Shreya. Bye" she apologised.

"Don't be. Go" Shreya smiled, playfully pushing her away.

A week and a half had passed and she was done with all her interviews. All she had to do was wait for her offer letter. She kept refreshing her mail with her fingers crossed every five seconds. Minah was at work and she was bored to death. It was so not nice to be alone. That was when a new mail popped up on her inbox. She opened it with disbelief. She least expected for it to happen, but did hope for it the most at the same time.

It was her offer letter from SM Entertainment. As a video editor. And the coming Monday was the joining date. It was a Saturday today. She wanted to jump and scream, but she didn't. All she did was stare at the mail for a good long ten minutes and then ran to the kitchen to pull out a stack of her favourite chocolates. Taking out a bar, she munched it all in a go.

"I MADE IT! I MADE IT IN!" she whisper-hissed.

"I GOT INTO SM ENTERTAINMENT!" she whisper-hissed again, clutching another bar of chocolate tight in her fist.

She informed her parents and friends who were super happy about it. She was glad she had some formal outfits already bought. Minah loved shopping, but hated shopping alone. So, she had pulled Shreya along with her when she had got a job and made her shop just as much as her.

"Let's take the bus together" Minah smiled.

"Aren't you getting late?" Shreya asked.

"I start in the afternoon and go on till midnight. So, I have time" she smiled "it's your first day and I'm sending you off to work like my baby" she smiled.

"Thanks. I could really use your company" Shreya grinned.

The two of them walked out of their building and took the bus to the new SM Entertainment building.

"Good luck!" Minah smiled "hwaiting" she fist bumped her roommate.

"Thank you!" Shreya smiled and walked into the building.

As already instructed, she was supposed to go to the eight floor and meet the head manager of a group who'd assign her task and schedule and she'd be left in the care of the chief manager. The moment she entered, she was in for a shock.

"Dee?" Shreya called out.

"Shreya?" Dee gasped.

"You both know each other?" the head manager asked.

"We do. We're friends" Dee replied.

"It's good then. Since we're all going to be working together! I really am looking forward to this" Jungwoo, who was sitting next to Dee smiled.

"Pleasure's mine" Shreya smiled a nervous one.

"How did I not know you were going to be here?" Dee looked confused.

"I did text about it in the group" she said.

"I'm not at all active there. So, yeah. But I miss that place though" Dee shook her head, pursing her lips.

Shreya took the seat next to Dee that was empty and held her hand right. She was nervous, yes. It was her first day and she did not expect this encounter. She did not expect to see Dee at SM and for her to be working there.

Oh, and to see Mark. For the second time in real life. And Jungwoo too who sat there with a bright welcoming smile.

Mark who sat quietly in between Jungwoo and the Head Manager observed Shreya. His lips unknowingly curved into a smile as he remembered her. The first time he had laid his eyes on her was at the EXO Concert. She was there with Jieun, smiling and waving her light stick as she had her eyes glued to the screen as his hyungs performed. It was hard for him to keep his eyes to the front. He didn't want a rumour stirring up and to get her into trouble. Why pull an innocent commoner to the deep with him?

"Angel" was the word that echoed his mind the moment his eyes caught her's.

"You finally did make your way here" he smiled.

"Mark has a solo photo shoot session tomorrow. You are supposed to take care of the shoot. It is an outdoor shoot, so it's going to take a day" the Head Manager said.

"A whole day?! And to Busan?! Can't we give her something simple to start off with?" Dee sighed.

"Dee I'm okay" Shreya assured her.

"Is it because she's your friend?" the head manager asked.

"Sister. My little sister" she corrected.

"Nuna, she'll be fine. It's going to be fun. It'll also give us time to get to know each other. Right Shreya?" Mark smiled, looking at her.

That threw her off "y-ye, yes. Yes" she stuttered.

"You can't be nervous around Mark. He's a sweetheart. My hand Shreya" Dee laughed, pulling it to show how hard Shreya clinged on to it.

Everyone burst out laughing to which Shreya smiled. They were all so nice and welcoming. Trying to ease off her tension and nervousness. She took a few breaths and was as calm as ever.

"We don't bite" Jungwoo stated.

"I know you don't" she smiled "you all look so good!" she gasped.

"Thanks" Mark and Jungwoo grinned in unison.

"So, where we going for the shoot?" she asked.

"Busan" the head manager said.

"Food and pictures. Shreya make sure to capture every picture of Mark. Any kind. I need some expose material" Jungwoo laughed.

"Yo! Privacy!" Mark pouted with his arms crossed.

"I will, don't worry" she smiled.

"Dee, what's your job role here?" she asked.

"I'm the Cheif Manager to the group and also Johnny's personal manager" Dee replied.

"No wonder you were always busy" she stated to which Dee just smiled.

"I'm Lee JinYoung" the Head Manager introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you" she smiled.

"I will give you a tour around the building since you'll have to be on your toes. All the time. And I am free" Dee breathed out at the last part as she got up from her seat.

"See you later" Mark smiled.

Shreya waved at them as Dee pulled her out of the room. She was going to Busan for an outdoor shoot with Mark. She had to get her senses right. It was going to be professional. But she did feel her heart thud and flutter and skip a beat all the same time. She really had to think straight.

Dee did notice how Mark had been staring at Shreya. She knew it was a no normal look. She was happy, but feared his downfall. The public was her fear. Mark was a sensitive soul and so was Shreya. She couldn't take the two of them getting hurt. She could NEVER.

"You'll be okay" she felt Dee pat her back "I know you like him and look upto him. Even if you both start dating, please think about your careers first. I'm not discouraging. But all the hard work you've put in to get here. I just want you to think about it" she sighed.

"Why are you telling me this?" Shreya asked.

"Your heartbeat" she replied casually as she walked further, leaving behind a shocked Shreya.

Shreya followed Dee as she showed her rooms on each floor in the building. She knew she was in trouble for falling quicker than she had expected. But she couldn't help it. After the tour, she edited a long video that was supposed to be released in parts and got back home.

"How did it go?" she heard Minah the moment she entered.

"Going to Busan tomorrow for a shoot" she replied.

"Cool. You're already on a head start" Minah smiled "go pack" she pushed her to her room.

Sleep was nowhere near for her and it was the same for Mark. He was more than ready to spend time with her, even if it was a few minutes.

"Stay strong my dear heart. Stay strong" Shreya whispered to herself, patting her chest.

"It's going to be epic" Mark smiled to himself.

WOOH! I CANNOT BELIEVE I JUST DID THIS!

I NEED HELP!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHREYA PiyaKashyap8 !

HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY TO THE LITTLE SISTER ANYONE WOULD WANT TO HAVE! HAVE THE BEST DAY EVER AND MAY YOU GET EVERYTHING YOU DREAM OF!♥️

IM SO SORRY I LIED TO YOU IN THE AFTERNOON.. I HAD THIS ONE GOING ON IN MY MIND EVER SINCE I GOT TO KNOW YOUR BIRTH DATE.

BUT I REALLY WANTED TO DO SOMETHING FOR YOU.

HERE ENDS PART ONE.

I LOVE YOU🤍