s e o u l | k p o p - o s

105. NCT Vernon - Don't you recognize me?

Tumblr : 17-imagines 

Member: Hansol

Genre: fluff?? // first encounter

Word Count: 1073

You're sitting in a Starbucks facing the busy New York City traffic, slowly working on a paper that was due at 11:59 PM, on the dot. You smash the backspace button rapidly for the hundredth time, leaving you back at square one.

"Excuse me?"

A male, donning a black mask and matching baseball cap catches your attention with a wave. With the way he's dressed, he resembles one of the many foreign tourists that wander around Times Square, so it doesn't bother you.

"Can I help you with something?"

You shut your laptop, not that you were getting anything done, anyway. He nods, his eyes crinkling at the edges as he smiles at you from beneath his mask.

"My friends and I are kinda... Lost," he admits, gesturing to the large group of males, wearing a variety of masks and hats. You raise an eyebrow at him, and he chuckles nervously. "I was wondering if you could help guide us back to our hotel? I should know, but I didn't live here for very long."

Two things weighed heavy on your mind: either to sit in Starbucks for another three hours, regurgitating research into a Word document, or to guide a group of lost foreigners back to their hotel room. You chose the latter.

"Sure, why not? Just let me pack my things up." You slip your things into your bag and the male stands by awkwardly, his hands in the pocket of his over sized hoodie. "I'm (F/N), by the way."

"I'm -" He hesitates, biting the inside of his lip, eyeing you from head to toe. "Hansol," he finishes after a few seconds of staring. He sends you a strange look, expecting a reaction from you - but you're out the door, gesturing for them to follow.

The large group of 13 boys, including you, 14, took up a good chunk of the sidewalk. You walk in the front of the group, Hansol beside you.

"Where are you guys from?"

"Korea. We're in the city for work," he muses.

"You speak English and Korean fluently?"

"Yeah. I'm originally from New York, but I moved to Korea when I was really young."

"Huh. I've always wanted to learn Korean."

"You should. I could return the favor and be your guide in Korea."

One of the taller males of the group exclaims something in Korean followed by a suggestive grin directed towards Hansol. The other boys begin to hoot and holler, and from what was visible of the male, the tips of his ears were a shade darker. He looked away from you, embarrassed.

"What'd he say?" You ask, and he shrugs in response.

"Dunno."

"Liar," a voice cuts in, "He said that you and Hansol look good together." He smiles sweetly at you, and the glint of his cartilage piercing catches your eye. "I'm Josh- er, Jisoo."

"(F/N)," you reply, mulling over the translated sentence. "Good together? As in like, dating?" Jisoo hums lightly, enjoying the torture Hansol is trying his best to endure, ears reddening even further.

"You said it, not me," Jisoo grins. You flush slightly, not understanding why you thought so fondly of the idea - you couldn't see half of his face, and you had just met him 20 minutes ago - but there was something about him, that you couldn't put your finger on.

After another 10 minutes, you arrive at their hotel, only to be engulfed by a crowd of screaming girls holding banners of faces, names, and bands. Confused, you hear calls of unfamiliar names directed toward the group of males you led here.

An unknown hand grabs your wrist and pulls you through the crowd, camera shutters flashing rapidly and blindingly. Your savior, mumbles aloud in clear, distinct English: 'Stay close to me'. A hat is pulled messily over your head, concealing your face but revealing his - mesmerizing brown eyes and smooth even-toned skin.

You enter the warmth of the hotel lobby, the doors guarded by a group of security guards. The group of boys smile and wave at the glass doors, before they're led further in for more privacy.

When the fans are out of sight, the boys remove their hats and masks and bask in their newfound privacy.

"Care to explain?" You ask, arms folded across your chest. "What kind of 'work' are you in the city for?"

"We're Korean idols here for KCON NY," he admits, eyes studying the floor. "We're Seventeen."

You have a vague memory of seeing them on an electronic billboard - it was hard to miss such a large group of handsome boys being displayed - and you feel a bit dumb for not putting it together right away.

The boys introduce themselves one by one, in broken English. It begins with the oldest members, down to the youngest.

"I'm Vernon, one of the rappers from the hip hop unit. Real name, Hansol Vernon Choi." He smiles at you, this time without the mask, and you have to admit, he's charming. He approaches you as the boys disperse into the elevators.

"You must be kind of weirded out, huh?"

"Confused, because there are too many names to remember - but no, not weirded out. Why would I be?"

"I wear makeup and dance on stage, I can't go out without cameras following me."

"That doesn't bother me," you answer, shrugging. "You're still human."

He snorts at the cheesiness, and you send him an eye roll. "Anyway, thanks for helping us get back and... For liking me for me, not my idol persona."

"What do you mean by that?" You ask, and he sighs, smiling faintly.

"In the Starbucks... Normally, we'd be recognized and asked for photos and autographs - but you spoke to me casually, so I thought, 'wow, this feels nice', you know, not being recognized and fawned over. You weren't nice to me because I'm Vernon from Seventeen, but because I'm Hansol from New York. Thank you for that."

"No problem," you grin, and he returns it. Shyly, he reaches for the hat snug on your head, and pats the stray strands of your hair down.

"Um... I hate to break it to you, but you're virtually stuck here until the crowd dies down, and that doesn't happen until around midnight."

"Well, Hansol Vernon Choi, I hope you like American Literature, because you're helping me write my paper."

"Sure, if you want to turn in rap lyrics for a grade."