Chapter Text
Just like many other travelers down the k-pop rabbit hole, your first introduction to the k-pop world was due to one man. It was the man with an angelic face, adorable freckles, and an insanely deep voice. It was sunshine personified, Lee Felix. Unlike others, you didn’t casually stumble across his infamous Tik ToK or wonder who the sexy blonde was at the VMA’s. No, your relationship with Felix began a lot earlier. It began on a random Friday in the fall of your 7th grade year.
Mr. Williams was your favorite teacher that year and in an effort to teach his students proper typing and email etiquette, he devised a plan to pair his students up with the students of his close friend back in Australia. The students would become pen pals for the year, emailing each other at least once a month. You were randomly assigned a student by the name of Felix Lee.
You were nervous the first time you sent an email to a stranger on the other side of the world. What would he be like? Would you have anything in common? Would he even want to talk to you? You never should have worried. After the first email exchange, you knew that Felix was special. Over the course of the year, your bond grew as you emailed each other weekly, exceeding the monthly expectation. As the year ended, you vowed to not lose contact with each other.
Your relationship expanded beyond emails, to social media, chats, and the occasional video calls. You were there for each other through all of the teenage ups and downs. You celebrated his taekwondo victories and he mourned with you the loss of your hamster, Mr. Pickles. You told him about your first boyfriend, Ben and he told you about his crushes on Julie and Mark. He checked on you when you lost your virginity to Ben and threatened to buy a plane ticket when Ben later cheated on you with that floozy, Brittany. You celebrated with him when he passed some kind of dance audition and calmed his nerves when he told you he was moving to Korea. You had never met each other in person, but you knew you were soulmates.
You still remember the day he video called you, full of excitement because he was in a music group and they were getting the chance to debut. He was slowly introducing you to the world of k-pop and you knew this was a huge deal. You listened to the songs he sent you, only understanding some of the lyrics, and watched all of his dance choreography videos. You teased him about the other members of the group and how attractive they were, asking what the dating policy was.
You remember the day he called you in tears because he got cut from the group. This time you threatened to buy a plane ticket so you could show that JY-whoever that no one makes your Felix cry and lives to see tomorrow. You promised that you would learn Korean with him so you could practice together and he would never be told that he isn’t good enough again. You cried with him when he told you that was given a second chance and the group, Stray Kids, was going to officially debut. You still teased him about the other members and asked if any would be interested in a long distant, American girlfriend that spoke limited Korean. He said he knew one for sure was interested, but he never expanded on that.
December 2019, Felix called you with news that would change your life. Stray Kids had been on their first world tour and the American leg was just announced. Felix was coming to the United States! In less than two months, he would be within driving distance. Forget work, forget college classes, nothing would stop you from finally meeting your soulmate.
Felix reserved a concert and backstage pass for you. Management knew all about their sunshine’s little American pen pal and were happy to help him. You drove six hours and somehow managed to get a room at the same hotel as the group (thank you Dad and your hotel rewards!). You watched the show in awe. The music was amazing, but the visuals! How could these men be so attractive?
You were nervous as the set ended and you made your way backstage. This was it, you were about to meet Felix. Your stomach was in knots. What if he didn’t like you? What if you weren’t cool enough? Weren’t pretty enough? You should never have been worried. As soon as Felix saw you, he yelled your name and ran to embrace you. He pulled you into a private room and immediately kissed you. It wasn’t what you were expecting but apparently your body was. You melted into him as you returned the kiss. You spent that night in his arms. Felix has been many things to you over the years. An assignment, penpal, confidant, friend, soulmate, and now…boyfriend.
Felix Lee was your boyfriend. You only had one night together before he had to travel to the next tour stop, but you remember it as one of the best nights of your life. Life went back to normal. Felix went back to Korea and you went back to daily college classes. The only thing that changed was your daily messages to Felix. He was no longer a pen pal, he was your boyfriend. The tone of the conversations changed. They became flirty and heated. Dating bans were ignored as you made plans to move to Korea after you finished your degree.
March 2020, everything changed. The world got sick and stood at a standstill. World tours were canceled, classes moved online, plans changed, time became more free. Your only bright spot was Felix, your sunshine. The video calls became a part of your daily routine. Occasionally another member (or seven) popped on the screen to say hello. By the time the world opened back up, new relationships had developed and you suddenly found yourself with seven new best friends. Seven very attractive best friends.
Your relationship with Felix was built on honesty. He was well aware of your attraction to the other boys and you knew how relationship lines sometimes became a little bit blurred between the members. Jokes about polyamory turned into serious discussions. After graduation, you were finally able to move to Korea and you spent more time at Felix’s dorm than you did at your own apartment. The members quickly realized that you were just as affectionate (and enticing) as Felix. They began to realize that yours and Felix’s relationship was maybe a little more open than what society expected. While they knew you were fully committed to each other, they also knew that neither of you minded sharing a cuddle and the occasional kiss with the other members. What they didn’t realize, was that your relationship was only open to them and you both had the desire to make it more.
This brings us to the present. The day a simple game changed everything.