+ four

Chanyeol found himself once again making his way towards the SNSD dorms which were a few floors down from where EXO lived. He normally wasn't one to visit labelmates at their dorms--the few times he had done so, he had visited his hyungs from Super Junior and his hyungs from SHINee. Most recently he had gone down to the other dorms to see Taeyeon, back when she said she had important information for him. It turned out to be a set of photographs of Narda and Baek together, which she tried to use to get him to be on her side.

Now he was going to the SNSD dorms again, but this time with a request from Narda. She had asked him for a favor--to let Taeyeon know that she wanted to talk to her about something. When Chanyeol asked her what it was, she apologized and informed him that it was something between the two of them. 

He didn't have to think too hard to realize that it was most likely something involving Baekhyun.

EXO was busy those days. They had be vocals for their new album through the winter time, and practicing new dances. They were also promoting the new album, filming for EXO Next Door, some of the members with their individual side projects, giving interviews and participating in variety shows. Award season had just passed them and EXO had been one of the most successful groups of the year 2014, along with former rivals now more like frenemies Baby Lips, after both groups had gotten their first tour over with. It had been a success for both and now they were both planning a second tour. Chanyeol felt at times like he didn't get enough of anything--no food, no sleep, no time to spend with friends and family.

What he always tried to do though, was to make time for his friendship with Narda. But things had gotten difficult when Baekhyun put the restraining order put against her. Now he had to sneak around to see her, which wasn't much of a burden for him because he loved her, but he always bitterly thought about how it was Baekhyun's fault that all of this was happening.

He had texted Taeyeon after getting her cellphone number from Acacia, who got it from Jongin, who got it from Krystal, who got it from Jessica. That phone number had traveled more than EXO itself before it got to Chanyeol's hands. He asked her to meet him in the lounge room of her dorm's floor because he had a message for her.

Chanyeol arrived first, and later Taeyeon, who was over ten minutes late.

The older idol nodded her head towards him in a cold greeting. "What brings you here, Chanyeol hoobae?" She wondered.

He heaved a sigh before he started speaking. The last thing he wanted was to even look at Taeyeon after the way in which she and Baekhyun treated Narda. But Narda asked that favor of him, and he had to do it. He had been sitting on the couch in the lounge while he waited, but the moment she arrived he rose from his seat. He didn't want to waste any time to pass on the message and then return to his schedules for the day.

"Narda asked me to let you know that she wants to talk to you." He said.

Taeyeon immediately scoffed, letting out a sarcastic laugh. "Who says I want to meet with her? She tried to steal my boyfriend." She pointed out with much hatred in her voice.

"That's between you and her." Chanyeol shrugged, trying to remain calm. But her tone of voice and the way she regarded Narda struck a nerve. He had to hold his tongue so that he wouldn't say anything that would insult Taeyeon. She was older than him after all, and just because of that, he had to speak to her with respect.

"What does she want?" Taeyeon asked.

Once more, Chanyeol replied with a shrug. "I don't know. But she asked me to tell you to go see her, since she's not allowed in here. She gives dance lessons in the afternoons after work. But she should be finishing up in about an hour." He informed Taeyeon, scrolling through to check for the address. It was an initiative from Florencia. She was not at all like most famous girlfriends who did nothing. She had her own career, but she also offered dance classes in a studio she rented. At first she had borrowed one of the SM practice rooms, but later the company asked her to take her classes elsewhere, since there were EXO fans infiltrating the building under the guise that they were her students. "I'll give you the address." He informed her.

Taeyeon finally sighed and gave a roll of her eyes, getting her phone out to copy down the address to the dance studio. "I guess I'll go see what she wants."

Chanyeol silently passed on the address and then stuffed his phone in his pocket. Without saying anything more to his labelmate--everything had already been said--he turned and left the room.

-

According to Chanyeol, Narda would be finishing up her dance classes in an hour. It was five thirty in the afternoon now when Taeyeon arrived. The studio was a small place, two doors down from the other building where Florencia's charity foundation operated, and girls dressed in work out clothes were leaving the building. They all watched her with surprise as she entered the now empty studio. Narda was at the far end of the room, where she turned off the boom box that was playing loud Latin dance music.

Taeyeon cleared her throat to get Narda's attention and the foreigner turned, surprised to see her. "Thank you for coming." She thanked her with a nod of her head.

She walked past her to lock the front door, in order to make sure that no one would barge in and listen to their conversation. It was something private that she only wanted Taeyeon to hear.

The SNSD singer nodded her head coldly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Chanyeol said it was something important." She said in English, the language that both of them could understand. Even after a year in Korea, Narda's handling of the language wasn't exactly the best. It was mostly because her friends accommodated her by speaking English, rather than letting her attempt to use her Korean on them.

"Yes." Narda agreed, making a mental note to thank Chanyeol for doing her a favor. She gulped nervously and paused for a good minute before she began to speak. "You know, Taeyeon, I was thinking about your behavior towards me since we met. And all this time I thought you were the bad person. I made myself out to be the victim in my mind because I didn't want to understand why you were so angry."

Taeyeon rolled her eyes at her, but said nothing.

Narda continued. "Then I realized it was only natural. You were right to be angry. Baekhyun was your boyfriend--" Even if it was all a lie created by SM Entertainment, she almost wanted to add. But she knew there was a time and place for everything. This wasn't the time to remind Taeyeon that her relationship with Baekhyun was not real. "I snuck around with him behind your back, and we hurt you. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for everything. I know that if I had been in your shoes, I would have gone Mujeres Asesinas on him." Mujeres Asesinas, or Killer Women was a show she used to watch back home with true stories about women who had killed people. A particular episode came to mind. In which a woman whose husband was cheating on her, kills him, and his lover, and disposes of the evidence by cooking them into tamales for her Christmas party. "I'm truly sorry, even though that doesn't make things better. Now he and I can't be together, but I'm sure that never really mattered to him--"

"I don't accept your apology." Taeyeon quickly decided, nose in the air with defiance and pride. Narda's expression shifted into one of confusion, but she understood Taeyeon for refusing to forgive her. She had already done her part in offering her a sincere apology. Narda'a heart dropped at the next words that left Taeyeon's mouth. "Though maybe I should forgive you, since Baekhyun and I plotted this all from the beginning for our own entertainment."

"What?" The word was barely able to make its way out of Narda's mouth.

Taeyeon now laughed a convincing laugh. "Wait. You actually thought he liked you? That's precious. You know, each time you two would go out together, he'd come back to me that night and then we'd laugh at all the ridiculous things you'd say to him. It was the most fun I've had in years."

Though at this point nothing surprised Narda, it still managed to hurt her because part of her still wanted to think that even if a little bit, Baekhyun did love her. 

From outside the studio, Florencia knocked on the glass door when she saw the two girls inside. There was a look of concern on her face as she saw Narda's brown eyes pool up with tears. She hurriedly got her keys out and unlocked the door just as Narda ran out crying.

Florencia walked up to Taeyeon, eyebrows furrowed in displeasure. But on Taeyeon's face was a victorious smile. She quickly complained to her temporary labelmate. Florencia had signed a temporary contract to be a model  and possible actress under SM Entertainment. "What is wrong with you? Why can't you and Baekhyun just leave the poor girl alone? She's not bothering you anymore." Florencia had heard from Narda that Baekhyun had been stalking her earlier in the week, to the point where she couldn't even leave the apartment building. They both assumed that he was probably trying to get her in trouble.

Taeyeon shot her a glare. "Don't try to take me on, Kkoch. You wouldn't like to have me as your enemy. I'll finish you too."

"No, perra." Bitch, she called her in Spanish. Florencia shook her head, taking a few menacing steps closer to her. Her upper lip curled in anger as she responded to her with a warning of her own. "You don't want to have me as an enemy. You don't know what I'm capable of to defend the people I care about. In the modelling world, I've been around plenty of snakes like you, and I know how to deal with snakes. So you'd better stop messing with Narda if you don't want to find out what will happen if you hurt her again. You're gonna be picking up your teeth on the fucking street."

-

It was past midnight when Baekhyun returned from his schedules. Most of his group mates had arrived hours earlier, since their schedules were lighter for the time being. Even despite the time and how late it was, Taeyeon was in his room waiting for him. She sat on the bed with the empty side of the room, which had once belonged to Chanyeol. Chanyeol had long since moved down to the last dorm in the hall, which had once belonged to Yifan and Tao, then Yifan and Minseok, then just Yifan until the EXO M leader decided to leave the group.

The EXO rapper had noticed the ripped photograph of him and Guti on the floor, and automatically knew it was Taeyeon's doing. Out of spite, he printed out a fabricated picture of Baekhyun and Taeyeon, writing the word traitors across it in bold red marker.

He did it so that Taeyeon could see it. It was his way of getting back at her. But the picture hadn't made it onto the room bulletin board, but the one in the staircase to the sixth floor, where the flyers of missing children Kyungsoo and Chanyeol were still tacked on. No one had taken them down in months because they found it funny the way Junmyeon acted as though they were five years old.

Baekhyun let out a groan. "What do you want?"

He was so tempted to turn around and leave the room. But with everyone else mad at him, none of them would be willing to share their rooms or their beds with him. His only option was to hurry to the safety of the lounge, but it wasn't warm enough in there because it was winter.

"I just came to see my boyfriend." She said innocently, with a shrug of her shoulders.

But he was having none of that. "I've been out all fucking day. I'm tired. Please don't play with me."

"Okay." She gushed with happiness at what she had done to Narda most recently. "Guti called me today and asked me to meet. So we met and she apologized."

Baekhyun eyed her with curiosity.

Taeyeon continued, barely able to contain herself or her happiness. Making Narda miserable seemed to bring her a sickening kind of joy. "I told her I wouldn't forgive her, and that you and I planned to mess with her from the very beginning. That you never loved her and that we'd always laugh at all the dumb things she'd say to you."

His eyes widened in horror. "Why do you keep messing with her, and including me in this? You're a horrible person."

Taeyeon replied with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. "Serves her right for trying to take my boyfriend."

-

another update for this story. im also currently working on updates for the other stories that take place around the same time. so please stay tuned for that. i should probably work on "twelve" "distance" and "mexico" more since they take place before this one and "talk about boys."

i just hope i dont start getting confused with the details. my brained hasn;t failed me yet. tomorrow most likely another update for "twelve" and the first update for "distance".

please look forward to those.

thank you for reading!

-clary