How to Marry Sunghoon | Enhypen

2. Shoelaces

<At the Salon>

GF: So why did you ask me to meet you here? G: For our makeover. GF: Seriously? What's wrong with how I look.  G: We need to adapt to Korean beauty standards.  Black hair, dark eyes, thin, long straight hair, natural-looking makeup, porcelain skins, modest fashion with short, short skirt, doll dole eyes, pouty lips, peach cheeks, small face, doll-like complexion, long socks, boots, summer sweaters, pony-tail, swaggy petite purse, cute hair accessories, fluffy accents, iPhone accessories. We need to learn all the aegyos. GF: Kill me first, before I do aegyos.

GF: About Korea, I thought about it more, and it's no way, gi. G: why not gif? GF: It's too big of a commitment and I'm not ready to throw my life away with some psycho B* G: Me? Did you just call me a B*? GF: Don't think I don't know that's what you think of me. G: Oh, come on gif, you know me, I wouldn't do anything without a plan. We can do this.

GF: You know you would never meet him, right, let alone marry him. G: I know it's a total long shot, but it will be fun trying. I just need to see it through, give fate a chance to intervene, and see where it goes. I don't know. I feel it in my soul. I think we are connected somehow. GF: What? 

G: We can do a blog, write a memoir, it will help me heal. GF: Not convinced. G: <I better lie about wanting to marry Sunghoon so she doesn't think I'm a psychopath and my brain is still functioning> I know I'm not going to marry Sunghoon realistically. I just want to make that my end goal. You know, aim high, that's all. I'll be happy to just meet him.  GF: Really? You're not going to drag us into an abyss right?

G: That's why I need you there, to keep me grounded in reality. It will be fun. We have always been about academics, let just take a year or two to find ourselves in another country. I don't want to be that girl who didn't do anything fun or interesting, you know by the book, what everyone expected her to be and follow what her parents planned out for her.  I just want to live my life my way.  I'm not saying I don't want to be a doctor. I just need to find myself first, that's all?

GF: You're not going to go over the edge right? G: Define edge? GF: Plastic surgery? G: I don't know. GF: Then I'm not going. You're already pretty. G: ok.  GF: Only if we get in SNU. I don't want us to be wasting our time for you to spending the whole time looking for ways to meet him. G: I know better, that's not the type of girl he wants anyway. I'm not going to be a sasaeng. GF: What's that? G: kpop idol stalker. GF: Not convinced, you have the making of one.

GF: <She wondered if her friend's memoir would fatally turn into the making of a foreign mensa sasaeng. What a nut case. Could she be incriminated? What trouble could they get into in a foreign country? Would their country's embassy be able to protect them? There are rules that could land them in jail that are considered harmless in their country, right? 

Maybe she should research more and keep a journal, perhaps others can learn from them. Once she's in, there's no turning back. Thinking their life will be forever changed. Cultural acceptance, global intervention? I can do this, I can make it work. I can sell them, I can sell us, after all, I'm a economics / business major. GF fell asleep dreaming of herself on the global stage of high finance and marketing in the world of entertainment. 

She woke up thinking S* I can't believe I didn't get into Harvard. MIT doesn't cut it, I want the best. I'll show those D* Harvard idiots, I'm better than them. They'll be begging for me when I'm done.>

<Fastforward to the first encounter>

<G noticed SH going down on one knee as if to propose, suddenly surprised, elated and overwhelmed with happiness. This was her time. All the efforts she put into coming to Korea and re-inventing herself into a likeness that would appeal to SH. She had to lose weight. All the Korean language lessons and research to perfect herself to be the person who SH would fall in love with. All the care and detail attention to personality, appearance, character, and talent.

She covered her mouth as if to appear modest and surprised. She looked around to see if anyone would witness this event. It was a public place, filled with people coming and going for their morning coffee before work. She imagined his proposal over and over many times, and how she would respond. She practiced her speech in her mind, like "Oh, SH. This is such a surprise, you love me. <covers her mouth> I feel the same. I love you so very much. Of course, I'll marry you."  Extends her left hand ready to receive her engagement ring place on her finger.

But wait, something is wrong, does he even know me. Why would he propose to a stranger? Oh, no, he noticed me, he knows me somehow? But how? Wondering how but also waiting for his speech which was taking somewhat long.  Fearful. But slowly looking down at SH.

It then hit her like a wrecking ball. Her jaw dropped looking dumbfounded as to what to do or say. In shock, she steps back and accidentally knocks over the ice cream in the girl's hand with her elbow.

SH finished tying his shoelace and noticed what happened in front of him. He got up and looked at G with a smile to ease her discomfort.  The girl who's ice cream was on the floor started yelling and screaming profanity at G. G covered her ear afraid and embarrassed.  She turned red.  As the other girl raised her hand to hit her, SH grab the hand and stopped the assault. G cried, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'll clean the mess. She went to get napkins and return to wipe the mess. 

SH helped G clean the mess.  The other girl continued to yell at G, calling her names, and pointing at her, like she was an idiot. SH handed the girl money to cover the ice cream and grabbed G's hand to take her outside away from that nasty girl who was ready to pull her hair and start a fight. He asked if she was ok and G nodded. SH smiled in relief, he wasn't sure if G wanted to say something, but the silence became awkward where SH then said don't worry, I hate mint choco too.  G giggled. SH finally said ok, I better get going then, looked at his phone and noticed the texts asking where he was, don't forget their drinks and ice cream, and said he was running late and had to go back but told her to take care.  G nodded. SH smiled again and waved goodbye.

G thought SH was so nice, but just stood there in total disbelief, she was finally in front of the man of her dreams and was speechless. She didn't get his #. She was clueless and had mistaken his action.  She prides herself on being smart and sociable, but in the face of such beauty, she was useless, idiotic, and embarrassed to say the least.  She couldn't even stand up to that girl who was bullying her in front of everyone.

G cried when she returned home. GF was nowhere in sight. She couldn't believe her first encounter with SH was disastrous. She wondered what SH might have thought of her. She shook her head thinking he must think I'm a helpless moron. Replaying the scene over and over in her head, concluding moron, I'm a moron. She continued to cry until she fell asleep.>

<The first encounter is never what you think.>

Bonus - 

SN: So where's my mint choco? SH: In the trash where it belongs.  Your shoelace is untied. SN: Don't think I'm proposing to you if I go down on one knee to tie my shoelace.  SH: Don't worry, I won't. SN: <pouts> Well, don't expect me to mow your lawn. SH: <cringyx10, slowly walks behind Jake> WTH. JK: Wait, what did you say? SN: I told Hueningkai that I was mad at SH, and he said, so I guess you don't want to mow his lawn. J: Dude, you got pranked. SN: <fuming, those sneaky txt sunbaenim>  

JK: So, do I need a backup plan to boost my confidence? Should I untie one of my shoelaces when proposing, in case that person doesn't seem happy that I'm on one knee, so I can tie my shoelace instead?  SH: <surprised> Who are you planning to propose to?  JW: Who's gonna reject you JK?  JK: <shrugs> Just saying.

NK: Can I be the ringbearer? HS: Can I sing at your wedding? J: I can cater the wedding.  SN: I'll bake an upside-down pineapple wedding cake with 7 tiers and a voodoo couple with pins on top.  SH: WTF. JW: Can I officiate since I'm the leader? SH: <wonders> What's my role? JK: <looks at SH and double points with a smirk and wink> Be your handsome self <then looks at everyone and double points to them> My bros, <does a head heart> love you. <does a shrug> But not today.

In the following days, the shoelace challenge went viral.