A K-pop Idol 56.3 (Patreon)

Alex wanted more than anything to run to the backstage and lock himself in there. Maybe he should run away from the studio – or even from that country. However, he was too nervous to even take a step, and Song Yeon was holding his arm tightly, hoping for the handsome actor to come toward them. 

She didn't have to wait too long. The actor was welcomed by Yu Joo-Hyun, the manager of "Sweet Girls", who soon began to cross the studio beside to the younger man. Alex watched in horror the men approaching. His mouth was dry and his heart was beating so hard that it was painful. 

Song Yeon was awake of her friend's nervousness, but she concluded it was simply due to the fact that they were about to know that attractive and famous guy. Alex was acting as a Korean girl so well that his bandmate couldn't see him as anyone but Kim Hana. It was almost like she had forgotten who he had been before. 

"Ladies" said the manager when they got in front of Alex and Song Yeon. "This is Byun Sehun, as I'm sure you already know. He kindly accepted our invitation to participate in the first MV of "Sweet Girls". I kept this information to myself so I could make a surprise to you.” 

"Nice to meet you, girls" Byun Sehun said, smiling and extending his hand. 

Alex got even more distressed because of it. In the West, it could be normal for a man to shake hands or even kiss the check of a woman he had just met, but not in Korea. There, any kind of physical contact (especially between a man and a woman), however simple and innocent it may be, usually only happened when people had great intimacy. 

Alex wasn't a Korean for real, sure, but he was so immersed in that character that he really felt like an anxious Korean girl seeing that hand extended before him. Blushing, the feminized man shook the much larger actor's hand. 

Byun Sehun shook Alex's hand gently but firmly, while the feminized man did this as a woman, with his hand loose –the only way he could do it now with long nails. Alex was then able to observe the actor closely. 

Oh, He's even more handsome in person than on TV! He thought. The man was very tall (even taller than Alex wearing heels), and it was possible to see that he had an athletic body, even though he was wearing a dress shirt; his face was manly and long, with a perfect nose, fleshy lips and piercing dark eyes; his hair was black and short and, it was perfectly combed. 

He's so perfect and charming… I wonder how it would feel to be kissed by him... When Alex realized what he was thinking, he got even more shocked. Why that guy was messing with his mind that way? 

"Nice to meet you too. I’m Song Yeon and this is Kim Hana" Alex’s bandmate said, when she shook the man's hand, noticing that Alex seemed unable to say anything. "It's a great honor for us to know that you’re going to participate in our MV, sir."

"It's my pleasure. I heard that you girls are going to be a big thing in K-Pop. Maybe you can help me get famous" he said, and Song Yeon laughed with her hands over her mouth. The joke hadn't been bad at all, taking into account that he already was one the most famous people in the country. Still, Alex couldn't even afford a smile.

"And please" the man continued. "Don't call me sir. It makes me feel old. You can call me by my name. And how about your friend?” he said looking at Alex. “Has the cat got her tongue?”

“Please forgive my unnie Kim Hana, Sir... I mean, Byun Sehun. The thing is, we watch your show every night, and she's a big fan of yours. I even think that you're her type of man.”

"What?!" Alex exclaimed when he realized what the girl had said, blushing furiously. "Oh, Song Yeon, why are you doing that to me?" he asked, with all the cuteness of a Korean girl. "Don't listen to her, Byun Sehun… Well, I'm not suggesting you're bad looking… I think you're very handsome indeed… No, that's not what I wanted to say... Oh, I'm so confused now... And I'm making a fool of myself" the feminized man added, pouting and crossing his arms over his chest. 

"That's okay, Kim Hana!" Byun Sehun, laughing. "If it makes you feel better, I have to say that I think you're very pretty too!" 

Hearing this, Alex felt a shiver go through his whole body. And before he could control himself, he said excitedly: "Oh, really? It’s so kind of you to say that, Oppa!"

"What did you just call him?" Song Yeon asked. 

"Oh!" Alex exclaimed, realizing what he had said. "I'm so sorry! I'm not being able to think straight... And I’m making a fool of myself again!” he added, and everyone laughed. 

To understand Alex’s despair, a little context is necessary. When he was learning Korean, he soon noticed that harder than the language itself was learning the right way to address each person. In Korean, it was essential to show respect to those who had higher status (any person of greater age, employer, etc.). It wasn't just something polite to do, but one of the social bases of the country. 

There were several titles for different people and contexts. Oppa, for example, could be used by a girl when referring to an older brother. However, depending on the intonation and situation, this could also be used by a girl to demonstrate she was interested in a guy – In other words, this was a kind of flirt, and a very significant one. So, a girl shouldn't refer to a man she barely knew that way.

And Alex had called this guy Oppa less than five minutes after meeting him. He just couldn't understand what was going on with him...