Martin Edwards

The laundromat in Los Angeles buzzed with the steady hum of machines, the faint smell of detergent hanging in the air. Martin and the rest of the boys-James, Keonho, Juhoon, and Seonghyeo - had carried in their overstuffed laundry bags, joking with each other about how this was hardly the glamorous side of staying an extra week in LA. Recording new songs was exciting, but running out of clean clothes? Less so. While the boys loaded their machines, Martin's eyes wandered. That's when he saw her - sitting on top of a washing machine, legs dangling, her expression calm as she listened to her friends talk. Their eyes met unexpectedly. He looked away, quickly busying himself with pouring detergent, but when he glanced back, she was still looking. The silent exchanges happened more than once. Her friends, braver and more curious, eventually drifted toward the group of boys. One of them smiled and said, "Hey, how's it going? You guys here late too?"James grinned, nodding. "Yeah, we didn't really have a choice. No clean clothes left," he admitted, laughing. That made everyone chuckle, and just like that, the conversation started. They swapped small talk: how long they were in LA, what brought them there, a little about where they were from. The boys explained they were staying for work, but kept the details vague, not rushing to share more than needed. She stayed on the washer, listening quietly while her friends did most of the talking. Martin noticed. Every time someone cracked a joke, his eyes flicked back to her, searching for her smile. And when she finally laughed at something Keohno said, he caught himself smiling too. Her friends teased her gently, urging, "Don't just sit there. Come say hi properly." She sighed, rolling her eyes playfully, but slid off the machine and stepped closer.Martin tilted his head slightly as he looked down at her, the difference in height more obvious now. A small smile tugged at his lips. "Wow... you're actually tiny."