A K-pop Idol 67.3

Byun Sehun took Alex to a trendy restaurant among young adults in Seoul. The actor behaved like a perfect gentleman, opening the car door, and pulling Kim Hana's chair out in the restaurant. Alex was still very, very nervous – he was feeling like a prey trapped by a predator. Realizing this, Byun Sehun did his best to make him feel at ease.

"So, what would you like to drink?" he asked at some point. "I believe alcohol is out of the question, right?" 

He was right. His manager had told Alex countless times that he couldn't drink alcohol in public at all. "But I don't know why he's being so strict about it" Alex said. "It's not like somebody's watching over us now."

"Oh, you have so much to learn about being an idol... Look covertly at that girl in the blue dress at the back of the room. She's taking a picture of us with her phone right now. And that guy with red hair behind me, he's been filming us since we arrived."

"Wow, I hadn't realized that!" Alex said, now looking around paranoidly. 

"You get better at recognizing this over time. Also, your manager won't be so rigid in a couple of years. I remember that in my debut year I couldn't drink alcohol either because the public could react badly."

Alex then ordered mango juice while the actor drank wine. They had a delicious meal with several typical Korean dishes, including Dak-galbi (spicy grilled pork ribs), Doenjang-jjigae (paste soup) and Bibimbap (a kind of risotto with vegetables). 

Throughout the night, Alex slowly relaxed, and saw that Byun Sehun wasn't a monster that would attack him anytime as he had foolishly imagined before. In fact, he was a very nice company and Alex realized he was actually having fun.  

When they were almost finished dinner, a young woman approached their table embarrassed. "Hmm... Excuse me?" she said. "You two are Byun Sehun and Kim Hana, aren’t you?" 

"Yes, that's right" the actor said. 

"Oh my gosh, I like you two so much! Could you take a selfie with me, please?"

"Sure, why not?" Byun Sehun. 

After the photo, the girl thanked them and walked away. But now that she had had the guts to ask for it (and had been successful), a lot of people did the same, and soon there was a long line in front of their table.

"One of the downsides of being famous..." Byun Sehun whispered to Alex when he had opportunity, smirking. But what was troubling Alex at that moment was something else. He was sure that soon all those pictures would be on Instagram (some of them had probably already been uploaded), and then the news that he had gone out with Byun Sehun would spread rapidly… Alex got very nervous at the thought of the buzz it would generate.

Some time later, Byun Sehun parked his car in front of the building where Alex lived. "Here you are, safe and sound, and at the time your unnie ordered!"

"That's right!" Alex laughed with her hands over her mouth. "You know Choi Hyun-Unnie could have killed you otherwise!" he joked.

They then walked to the entrance of the building. "I loved the night, Kim Hana."

"Me too, Byun Sehun" Alex said, and he was being honest. "Thanks for inviting me!"

Byun Sehun then put his hands on the feminized man's waist and leaned closer. Alex knew what was about to happen. However, he made no effort to avoid this. Somehow it seemed right. The date had been perfect and that was the only possible outcome…

Byun Sehun kissed Kim Hana softly and she put her hands around his neck. This had already happened in her dreams, and also during the recordings of the two Sweet Dolls’ MVs. That time, though, it was different. This wasn't her imagination or a staging – It was real, and Kim Hana really loved it.

Then, suddenly, this was over. "Good night, Kim Hana. I'll call you later." 

Is that it? Alex thought, confused. The actor hadn't even tried a French kiss nor had touched her butt and breasts as a lot of other guys would have done. Alex himself used to do this in his first dates when he was the man in the relationship. 

Oh, Byun Sehun must really respect me and like me, Alex realized as he entered the building. He’s such a nice and sweet guy. He was feeling something he had never experienced before and he couldn't explain it. What was that? 

As soon as he stepped inside his apartment, he was surprised by what seemed at first as an assault. Two people jumped on him and started yelling. He soon realized, relieved, that these were just Choi Hyun and Song Yeon. The girls were screaming excitedly that they wanted to know everything about the date.

"There's not much to tell..." Alex evasively said.

"Oh, really?" Song Yeon said, raising an eyebrow. "Oh my god, look at your face!" 

"What's wrong with my face?" Alex asked, puzzled.

"Oh I can see!" Choi Hyun said.

"What, what?" Alex insisted. 

"This dreamy expression... This silly smile…" Song Yeon started. "I think you're in love, Kim Hana!" 

"What? Are you crazy? I'm not in..."

But it was already too late. Song Yeon wasn't listening anymore. Instead, she began to sing, "Kim Hana loves Byun Sehun, Kim Hana loves Byun Sehun..." and soon Choi Hyun joined her. Alex was impressed by the fact that his unnie, who had acted like a responsible mother just a few hours before, now was behaving like a fifteen years old girl. 

But then he thought about it. That feeling he couldn't explain… Was it love? The truth was that Alex had never fallen in love before, so he wasn’t sure. But was that possible? Oh my gosh, what if I really am in love with Byun Sehun? What should I do?

His thoughts were interrupted by the girls who dragged him into the bedroom. They said they would put on some comfortable nighties, and eat some chocolate while Kim Hana told them everything that had happened. She wouldn't escape that time...