I saw you before I met you.

005.

"you rarely tell me much about yourself when we meet." dex's eyes are fixed on kimura as they sit across from one another at the same cafe by their same window seat. nothing much has changed since the last dream except the haze is lighter than before and dex's face is a lot clearer for her to see his features. only now she will notice this because morning will render her memories fragmented. the atmosphere is very calming, as if she had been waiting for this moment for years and only now it had arrived for her enjoyment and pleasure. the happiness she feels is foreign to what reality brings and it's all because of dex. her subconscious weeps with knowing that none of this will be remembered when she wakes, but for now she can try to bathe in the feeling.

"i'm an english teacher who just recently moved here a few months ago after graduating college." what a lie, she subconsciously says to herself. there's no way in hell she would ever go back to school at this rate and a teacher? how does one migrate from janitor at a community college to a teacher of a language in a country so far away? she couldn't survive in a strange country with different cultures and languages! at least her father seemed to doubt her self sufficiency and sometimes, it felt like with good reason. nevertheless, this...dream her was more than capable of being independent. or at least she seemed like it from what kimura was experiencing. a glance at her own reflection and she saw that the half cherokee native was indeed really her. long flowing curls, still makeup free and round rims on her face, she looked the same as she does now in reality. she wore the proper attire on most days, but for now she was dressed casual like how kimura was.

"your life sounds interesting," dex comments with a chuckle, that familiar deep warmth that made kimura flush red from hearing.

"it's boring though." she mutters and picks up a muffin that just randomly appeared out of thin air, all due to a single thought. taking a bite and swallowing,  she continues. "it's nothing exciting like being an idol but being here is where i'm supposed to be." why was that? what made her say such a thing? being in seoul seemed so far from where she even thought she would be as a kid. it was crazy how life changed over and over until finally the path that's meant to be taken was.

"i would rather have a boring life, full of all the simplicity and privacy i desire. don't get me wrong, i love dancing and being on stage, but being an idol is very stressful and demanding. it's hard." he confesses and kimura seems to relate to all his struggles even if she's only ever really saw him on fancams and reality shows that his group often participates in. dex kim was really a simple man even when he was being an idol, simple and hardworking. it's one of the many things she found attractive about his personality.

they continue to talk for a bit more before dex suddenly gets excited about an idea that's fresh in his mind and must be taken up while they still had the chance to talk. "do you think that maybe we could meet for english lessons? in return, i can help you learn korean better."

kimura wasn't aware that her korean was bad even in a dream and giggles shyly from partial embarrassment, nodding her head as she does so. "yes, of course. i just hope your managers and fans don't get too nosy and start rumors. the last thing i want is to make you be involved in another scandal." and the last thing she needed was for her face to be plastered all over the websites which would produce a lot of angry fans ready to burn her alive for asia's first love. the smile on dex's face grows until his dimple strikes through sunkissed skin and his eyes are half moons.

"no one will know, it's only us here." dex doesn't seem to realize that his comment confuses her due to the influx of people working at the cafe and also customers piling in. hell, they even sat in front of the picture window where pedestrians could see them, not even just dispatch. while she continues to gawk at him, he only shows more fondness in his eyes. "and if someone did, which i doubt, my managers would clear things up once i tell them you're teaching me english in my spare time off."