so i'll call you bao zi
pale skin, big eyes, round cheeks.
before exo was really exo, and the members were all just trainees working toward a common goal, lu han was obviously the strange one out. he was just so pretty and foreign and people seemed to like picking on him. except they wouldn’t, because pretty people always debut first and if they wanted a chance to stardom they would pick the right allies. so lu han always had a string of trainees hanging at his every word. he thought it was simply quite silly, but lu han was taught at a very young age to take advantage of every little thing he could get his hands on. that’s the way the world goes, his mother had always preached, it’s my way or the highway.
after exo was formed though, those trainees felt a little too intimidated to approach lu han. there was, after all, a very tall, scary dragon nearby. with the loss of his followers, lu han was just slightly miffed. he was never used to being alone, and even though he had eleven new brothers by his side, they just weren’t the same as his fans. they wouldn’t bring him jiaozi in the middle night just because he missed home. even his pouts wouldn’t work on them.
mandu just isn’t the same, grumbled lu han, stabbing the dumpling with the fork. it was currently just a little past midnight and lu han was sitting in a quaint, little restaurant. alone. and lu han was never alone. stupid duizhang and his stupid eyebrows.
the bell rang, signaling another customer. lu han looked up, and oh, it was another member. who was it? while lu han was racking for names, it seemed the other guy recognized him.
“lu han!” he grinned, sitting himself down. “ni hao!”
the chinese man winced slightly at the improper intonations the man, minseok, used. he usually didn’t mind when people spoke in “mandarin”; he found it quite flattering really, but sometimes... it was a little too much.
“i can speak korean, you know,” he snapped back.
“whoa, no need to get all touchy,” minseok shrugged. “just thought you missed home, you know? i do, and i’m not even the one living in another country!” he laughed fully, as if trying to lift the mood. it didn’t work. lu han poked at another dumpling quietly.
“so, minseok,” lu han said, finally recalling the older man’s name. “what brings you to this quaint, little restaurant?”
“it’s a restaurant,” he blinked. “what else would i be doing other than eating?” now that lu han could see minseok from a closer view, he realized how round minseok’s face was. wow, look at this guy. so cute.
“your face is kinda round, you know,” commented lu han, “and pale.”
minseok made a face. “okay, i get it, i’ll diet,” he puffed, cheeks blowing up.
“no!” lu han said. “it’s fine. it’s cute. i think i’ll call you bao zi.”
“bao zi?” minseok repeated, butchering the pronunciation.
“yeah, bao zi.” lu han smirked, finishing up his meal. “well, i guess i’ll go pay now. enjoy your meal.” as he picked up his jacket and began leaving, he heard minseok calling from behind him.
“wait! what does bao zi mean?”
lu han just left, because after all, what was the fun of telling minseok everything? there was something called a search engine.
“oh, fuck you,” minseok cursed, later than night. the bright screen from his laptop illuminated his face as he took in the definition of bao zi.
bao zi: steamed bun
lu han would later on claim that it was the start of a beautiful friendship.