Chapter 3 The First Volume of EXO Newcomers

Leaning against the chair, Lucy looked out of the window in quiet contemplation. She was drumming her fingers on the table when suddenly she got an idea. She quickly stood up, put on her coat, and ran downstairs. Behind her lay a sea of papers with the word EXO written on them!

The street was bustling with people. Lucy marched to the shopping mall. Warmth from the heaters enveloped her as soon as she entered the mall. She took a deep breath and stood in the center of the mall, scanning all the stores until her eyes landed on one store on the second floor. Just what she was looking for! With a hopeful smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, she headed to the elevator.

"Excuse me, do you have EXO's poster?" she asked in anticipation.

The shop attendant turned around and saw Lucy's delicate face. Her eyes lit up and she bowed in greeting.

"Hello, handsome! Unfortunately, the posters are sold out today and won't be available until a week later. Tee-hee!" said the attendant, winking flirtatiously at her.

Lucy was speechless. How could this woman think she was a boy?

Disappointed to hear that there was no poster at the store, Lucy turned around to leave without another word. The attendant hurriedly called out, "Hey handsome, leave your phone number! I'll call you when the posters come in."

Lucy was at a complete loss of words at the lady's behavior. How could she flirt with someone so blatantly? Not to mention she was a woman. If that attendant knew, she would be red-faced. She should find a hole in which to bury her head! Lucy chuckled to herself thinking about this. Then she took out her mobile phone and searched for shopping malls and supermarkets nearby. The cold wind outside was harsh. She zipped up her coat and shoved her hands into her pockets. Shaking her head vigorously, she then ran to another shopping mall.

"Sir, do you have the EXO poster?"

"No, it's out of stock. It will take many days to come."

"Oh. Well, thank you." she left feeling crestfallen. The weather had taken a turn for the worst. It became colder and colder and her face started turning pale. She shook her head determinedly and continued her hunt for the poster.

"Sir, do you have EXO's poster?"

"Sorry, I just sold the last one."

"Oh, that's too bad. Thanks anyway." Lucy walked out of the store sadly.

Staring glumly at the blue sky, the faces of the 12 boys gradually appeared in her mind. It cheered her up again and motivated her to not give up.

"Sir, by any chance do you have EXO poster?"

"No, sorry."

Another disappointment. But Lucy still didn't give up. She went from one shop to another, seeking her beloved poster.

It was getting dark now. She sighed and thought to herself, 'How popular are they? The poster is sold out in all the stores!' She couldn't get her hands on even one!

Feeling dejected, she was about to go home when she suddenly saw a restaurant, which was covered in EXO's posters. Hope sparked in her eyes again and she pushed the door open excitedly.

"Sir!"

The man behind the counter immediately turned around and smiled at her. "Hello, young man, what would you like to eat?"

Lucy was speechless. "I'm not here for the food. I want to buy all the posters in your restaurant," she sputtered.

A couple sitting next to her overheard her. The girl looked at her contemptuously.

"There are people who go to restaurants to buy posters also. Ha-ha, idiot!"

The boy shook his head, signaling his girlfriend to be quiet. She simply rolled her eyes at him unhappily and continued to eat.

Lucy stared at the shop owner. Her determined look made the shop owner realize that she was serious.

"Yes, you can but I worked very hard to get these posters. What price are you willing to pay?"

Lucy took out a stack of money from her pocket and threw it on the counter with a sneer.

"One thousand! Is that enough?" She looked at the shop owner in disgust.

When he saw the money, his greedy eyes lit up. He immediately grabbed the money and laughed happily.

"Of course, it's enough! Ha-ha!"

Lucy narrowed her eyes at him and ordered, "Go and remove all the posters. If you damage any of them, I won't take them."

"Ok, ok! Lily, Jenny, come here and take down all the posters. Give them to this young man. Hurry up! And be careful; don't tear any." commanded the shop owner. The two girls, who seemed to be 17 or 18 years old, dashed across and started peeling off the posters slowly.

Looking at their clumsy movements, Lucy knew that she would have to wait for a long time. As she hadn't eaten anything all day, so she decided to grab a bite.

"Sir, I'll have a banana milkshake and medium-well steak, followed by a slice of black forest cake."

Sitting at the table by the window, Lucy stared out at the bleak street. It was almost deserted. It was getting darker and colder, and she was glad to be warmly ensconced in this cozy dining room. She rested her chin on her hand and looked at the sky, dreaming of their beautiful faces. A contented smile formed on her mouth.

"Here you go, young man."

The shop owner placed the food on her table with a genial smile. Lucy distractedly picked up the knife and fork and ate the steak. She stopped chewing to sip the milkshake every now and then. Meanwhile, she turned to look at the two girls, who had been tearing down the posters. One of the girls spotted Lucy looking at them and quickly turned away. Her head hit the wall. When the girl turned around again, she noticed that Lucy was still looking at her, and she blushed.

Seeing this, Lucy looked away. 'Why was she blushing as looking at me?'

Lucy regarded herself in the mirror. She had to admit, she did look like a boy. With her short red hair and casual clothes, she wasn't exactly oozing feminine grace. It was natural for people to think that she was a cool guy. Watching the two girls pull down all the posters, she finished eating her cake. Then she walked over to the counter.

"Please pack these for me. How much is the meal?"

"It's 384 in total."

Nodding, she took out 400 dollars from her pocket, put them on the counter, and walked out of the restaurant with the posters in her hand. When she crossed the road, she turned to see the name of the restaurant.

Exo Sweet Home

By the time she got back home, Sean and Molly were asleep. Lucy tiptoed upstairs softly. Once in her room, she spread out all the posters and began pasting each one on the walls. When she finished, the whole room instantly became a kingdom of EXO. Beautiful faces smiled down at her from all directions.

"EXO, please wait for me."