Chanyeol's eyes never left Nami's profile as she danced alongside her idols. He saw how her smile never left her face and how she danced with fervour and spirit. Her happiness was infectious. Once the song was finished, he approached Nami and the other BTS members, who had crowded around her again as, they took turns to talk to her.

Chanyeol couldn't help noticing how Nami acted differently when she was around the BTS members. As he watched her act shyly while she spoke with Rapmon, he couldn't help noticing how Nami bore some resemblance to a typical fangirl. She was completely smitten by Rapmon.

And that made Chanyeol feel a tinge of jealousy.

"Why the scary face, Chanyeol-ah?" Chanyeol tore his eyes away from Nami to find that Suga was in front of him.

Suga glanced to where Chanyeol was looking at and he smirked upon seeing Nami and Rapmon together. He turned to Chanyeol, "She's quite the character, your dorm mother."

"She is, isn't she?" Chanyeol responded.

"You know, it really surprised me when you contacted me the other day" Suga began, "I didn't expect to hear from you. We hadn't spoken to each other in ages."

Chanyeol looked at Suga apologetically. "I'm sorry, Yoongi-ah. It's been pretty hectic with our schedules."

Suga smiled. "No need to apologise. It's the same with us."

"Will you be coming to this year's Gayo Daejun?" Chanyeol asked.

Suga nodded. "Of course."

The pair inevitably glanced at Nami and Rapmon again. Chanyeol frowned. Suga watched as Chanyeol's frown deepened the longer he stared. He was amused. "She must mean something to you for you to want her forgiveness."

Chanyeol was taken aback. "Sh-she's just a friend" he stuttered.

But Suga didn't believe him. "I saw some of the photos you guys took the other day," he said while eyeing Chanyeol closely. "One of them was quite daring. It would probably cause a stir amongst your fans."

Chanyeol averted his gaze. "Yeah. But luckily the model had a mask so, it would make it harder for the saesangs to identify her."

"She must be a very lucky girl to model with you guys," he said, prying further. "Did you find out if she was your fan?"

A small laugh escaped Chanyeol's lips. "Quite the opposite: she's actually one of yours." Suga watched as Chanyeol's eyes focused on Nami once more. He glanced from Chanyeol's face to Nami's and grinned at the realisation.

"It must be interesting living with one of our fans" he decided to say while gesturing at Nami. "Who would have known that your dorm mother was going to be an ARMY?" He laughed deviously. "It must have shocked Junmyeon."

"It shocked all of us" Chanyeol admitted but then, his eyes softened as they found their way back to Nami again. "But she's our little dorm mother now." He turned to face Suga, "And she's one of us."

Suga grinned. "We are one, right?" he asked, reciting EXO's motto.

Chanyeol grinned back. "Exactly."

~*~

Nami swatted his hand away. "I'm fine" she insisted. But Chanyeol saw that she wasn't. She was swaying a little.

"You should probably sit down" he suggested while steering her where he had spotted chairs. Obediently, Nami allowed him. "And, you should probably sit out from any more dances" he added sternly.

"Is Nami-ssi okay?" Jimin asked from behind Chanyeol.

"She's fine. Just got over-excited" he explained.

"Well, we're going to be rehearsing our next song soon so if she wanted to join us--"

"It's okay" Chanyeol abruptly replied. "I think we'll just watch this time."

Jimin gave a curt nod and left to join the others.

"You didn't have to snap at him like that" Chanyeol heard Nami say. He saw that her face was starting to return to its natural colour.

"If I didn't decline for you, you would have joined them," he remarked. "And that would have been a bad idea."

Nami looked like she was about to say something when the music suddenly started playing and the BTS members started their rehearsal. It was 'Blood, Sweat and Tears'. Chanyeol watched as Nami came back to life as she ogled at the BTS members. Once their dance was done, she applauded them enthusiastically and showered them with compliments. He was really starting to dislike Nami's fangirling side.

"You're so good at rapping!" Chanyeol heard Nami say as she ran up to Rapmon. "I especially love the part you say in English."

"Peaches and cream. Sweeter than sweet. Chocolate cheeks. And chocolate wings" Rapmon recited with flourish.

Nami squealed and Chanyeol rolled his eyes. What was so good about his rap? He could rap in English too if he wanted.

While Chanyeol pondered over this question he suddenly remembered what Nami had said to him before: Rapmon is a better rapper than you. Her words echoed in his ears repeatedly like a broken record. Well, he thought to himself, I can finally prove her wrong.

With a determined stride, Chanyeol went up to Rapmon, sizing him up. He was just about taller than him. Rapmon turned to face him, curious as to why Chanyeol was staring at him with hostility.

"Is there something wrong, Chanyeol-ah?" he asked.

Nami looked up at him from Rapmon's side. She was equally as puzzled, "Chanyeol?"

"Let's have a rap battle" Chanyeol declared. He glanced at Nami, "Remember what you said? Well, it's time I proved you wrong."

Chanyeol took off his jacket to show that he was serious. Rapmon raised his brow.

"Chanyeol now's not the time for this!" Nami hissed. She turned to Rapmon, "Ignore him, he's just being foolish."

But Rapmon's expression had changed. He had his game face on. "All right, let's get this battle started."

The BTS members crowded around to see what was brewing amongst the pair.

"Are we having a rap battle?" An excited V asked.

"Between who?" Jimin queried.

"Rapmon versus Chanyeol!" Jin replied back.

"Ooooh, things just got interesting" J-hope commented as he took out his phone.

"Are you gonna video it?" Jungkook asked him.

"It only happens once in a blue moon" J-hope answered.

Nami watched as Chanyeol and Rapmon circled each other without breaking their stare down. She couldn't believe what was happening. Why did Chanyeol suddenly want to challenge Rapmon to a rap battle?

"I'll act as arbiter" Suga announced. "Jimin, hit the music!"

Jimin tapped his phone, which was connected to the Bluetooth speakers, and a beat started playing. Nami watched as Chanyeol went first and he started his rap. He was spitting out lyrics as fast as lightning, without faltering, and that amazed her. Nami watched as Chanyeol put on his swagger as he continued to rap. It was impressive that he was able to produce coherent sentences from as little as a beat playing in the background. Once he ended his turn, Rapmon continued on and did the same. Nami was captivated by Rapmon's easy beat and eloquent speech. While Chanyeol's rap was smooth, Rapmon's was slick. Both rappers were as equally as good as each other.

The BTS members cheered once the rap battle was done. Nami watched as both Rapmon and Chanyeol panted for breath. They looked at each other and smiled as they entered a guy hug.

"And the winner is..." Suga began. The BTS members started drumming the floor to add to the suspense. Nami looked between Rapmon and Chanyeol and they stared at Suga in anticipation.

"Me!" Suga exclaimed.

The BTS members booed and both Chanyeol and Rapmon protested. Suga laughed at everyone's reaction, "How can I announce who won when they were as equally as bad as each other?"

"Yah, Suga you're so unfair."

"Attention hog!"

"Bad referee!"

The other BTS members continued to criticise Suga's decision but everyone knew it was all light-hearted fun. Nami smiled at the BTS members. She wouldn't have been able to see their fun side if it weren't for Chanyeol's impromptu rap.

While the BTS members continued to bicker, Suga approached her privately. "Who would you have chosen as the winner, Nami-ssi?"

Nami hesitated. She glanced at both Chanyeol and Rapmon who were busy discussing their performance. "I guess I would have chosen you too."

Suga smiled as if he knew what she meant by that, "I see."

Nami and Chanyeol stayed with the BTS members for two hours more before they decided to go home. By then, it was already late in the afternoon and the BTS members had to leave to attend a variety show. As Nami and Chanyeol headed towards the bus stop, Chanyeol saw that Nami had Rapmon's cap on her head and was still beaming at her phone.

"You can stop staring at your phone now," he told her. "The picture won't go away."

"I can't help it," Nami said, still grinning. "I still can't believe that I took a picture with them!"

Chanyeol smiled behind his mask. Even though he didn't like fangirl Nami, he couldn't help smiling when he saw her happy. It was like she was a happy virus or something. His happy virus.

They continued to walk even further but stopped when he suddenly heard a strange gurgling sound. Chanyeol peered down at Nami, who was clutching her stomach. She looked away, embarrassed.

"All that excitement has made you hungry, huh?" he joked.

"Yeah, I guess so. I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast."

"No wonder you weren't well earlier!" He looked around and saw that there was a convenience store nearby. "Let's grab something quick to eat."

"No, it's okay," she replied. "It's already late. I can eat when we get home."

But Chanyeol insisted, "No. You should eat. Skipping meals isn't good for you, Nami-ah." He frowned at her before changing direction so that they were heading towards the convenience store instead of the bus stop.

Nami followed Chanyeol as he led the way. Maybe D.O was right, she thought to herself, Chanyeol was kind and thoughtful.

As they made their way towards the convenience store, the sudden sound of a shrill voice calling Chanyeol's name made them both swerve around.

"Chanyeol-oppa!" The voice called again. Chanyeol squinted his eyes as the person drew nearer towards him and Nami. His eyes widened when he saw who it was.

It was Lee Suji.

"Oppa!" she said in that high-pitched voice, "What are you doing here?" She searched Chanyeol and noticed that he wasn't alone. "You should be back at SM Entertainment."

"Ah, I'm heading there now" Chanyeol quickly responded. Though, Suji looked at him doubtfully.

"Appa's furious at you, you know? I heard that you've been playing hooky." She narrowed her eyes at Nami who was obscured by Chanyeol's large frame. "What were you up to all day? And who's that next to you?"

Chanyeol did his best to hide Nami. He hadn't really thought of an excuse to say to everyone once he got home or if he got caught. He was planning to make up an excuse on the bus ride home. How he'd wished he'd thought of one earlier!

"I was running some errands" he quickly said and mentally kicked himself for giving such a lame excuse. "And Nami-ah was just accompanying me."

Suji raised a brow at him. "Running some errands? All the way here?" she asked, gesturing at their surroundings. "You came a long way just to run some errands," she said sarcastically. It was clear that she wasn't buying any of it. She glanced at Nami and narrowed her eyes at her. "And why is she with you?"

"Because he asked me to come with him" Nami replied coldly.

Chanyeol was surprised at Nami's tone.

Suji scoffed, "I haven't forgotten our little incident the other day."

"Neither have I" Nami retorted back.

Chanyeol watched from the sidelines as Suji and Nami engaged in a staring contest in the middle of the pavement. He was acutely aware of how the pair were starting to draw attention from onlookers passing by.

"Looks like they're arguing over the guy" Chanyeol heard an old woman say to another.

"Omo, youngsters shouldn't fight in public" The other woman replied back.

"Must be a love triangle" he heard a middle-aged man whisper to the woman next to him.

Chanyeol quickly interrupted the pair. "Let's not make a scene here" he whispered urgently.

Suji broke away from the staring contest and collected herself. She turned to Chanyeol, "You're right, oppa. Let's go back to SM Entertainment together. My driver was just refuelling the car not too far away from here when I spotted you. You can come and ride with me."

Chanyeol was grateful that Suji had some sense to stop. He turned to Nami, "We can grab something to eat when we get to SM Entertainment."

Suji scoffed, "She's not coming with us". Chanyeol's gaze darted to meet Suji's and he saw that she was serious.

"And why not?" he asked, confused.

Suji let out a sound of disbelief, "She's a housekeeper. Why would I let a housekeeper ride in the same car as me? She should take the bus like all the other commoners."

Chanyeol couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was Suji always this selfish? He was about to argue for Nami's sake when he suddenly felt her tugging on his sleeve. He turned to her.

"It's fine, Chanyeol," she said, smiling weakly. "You go with her. I can take the bus from here."

"But--"

"Great!" Suji exclaimed gleefully. She took hold of Chanyeol's other arm and began pulling him in the direction they came. "The car's just over there. Let's go before any of your fans recognise you."

Chanyeol planted his feet on the ground so that Suji wasn't able to tug him away any further. He called out to Nami, "Are you sure about this, Nami-ah?"

Nami shook her head. "Just go. I'll meet you at the dorm later."

Chanyeol turned hesitantly. Somehow, he felt like it was wrong to leave Nami alone to take the bus.

Suji looked back once more to see if Nami was still standing in the same spot. She noticed how her skin was caramel and how her jaw was angular. She watched as Nami bowed her head as she looked at her phone, her black cap obscured her eyes so that only the lower half of her face could be seen. Something about her jawline felt familiar to Suji. It was as if she had seen her somewhere before...

And then Suji realised.

She stopped leading Chanyeol away which he noticed. Suji started marching her way back to where Nami was still standing. "You're the girl from the photo shoot!" she shouted as she approached Nami. "You modelled with EXO!"

Chanyeol immediately chased after Suji. Her sudden outbursts had caused the bystanders around them to stop and stare at the scene unfolding.

"You're the dark horse!" Suji continued to scream.

Nami was baffled, "What?"

"That's enough, Suji-ssi!" Chanyeol hissed as he grabbed her hand. But Suji must have been startled by Chanyeol's sudden touch because she jumped and flung her arm in reflex to break free from his hold. Chanyeol's black cap went flying from his head, revealing the top part of Chanyeol's face. Chanyeol scrambled on the floor to quickly put it back on.

"Hey, isn't that Chanyeol from EXO?" Nami heard some nearby teenaged girl say.

"It can't be!" her friend replied.

"But those ears..."

"He looks a lot like him."

"Wait a minute--it is him!"

A few seconds later, screams could be heard from one end of the pavement as a small group of teenage girls came rushing towards them. Chanyeol looked up in panic. His cover had been compromised!

"We need to leave, now!" he shouted to both Suji and Nami.

Suji quickly turned tail and ran. Nami tried to follow but she couldn't go very fast because she suddenly felt light-headed again. Chanyeol raced ahead but stopped when he saw that Nami was lagging behind, "Nami-ah!" he called to her. But it was too late. The fangirls had caught up to them.

Chanyeol stood, paralysed to the spot as a legion of fangirls swarmed around him, blocking his every chance of escape. Suji cowered next to him. The fangirls had their phones out and they were videoing them like animals in a zoo.

"Chanyeol-oppa, what are you doing here?"

"Oppa, sing us a song!"

"Oppa, who's that next to you?"

"Chanyeol-oppa, is she your girlfriend?"

"Oppa! Oppa! Oppa!"

The buzzing from the fangirls was deafening. Chanyeol saw that the aggressive fangirls were trying to make Suji turn around so that they could see her face so, he quickly drew her close to him. He cradled her protectively in his arms so that her face wouldn't be seen while she was in his embrace. He knew that Suji was trying to avoid getting caught in a scandal. He only hoped that he was doing the right thing by hugging her.

Chanyeol searched the perimeter for any sign of Nami. He had lost sight of her as soon as the fangirls came swarming in. His eyes darted from every direction but, he didn't dare to call out her name, in fear of implicating her in the media. He knew that whatever he said would be uploaded online and would spread like wildfire amongst the fans. How he wished so badly that he could just be a normal person at this point in time!

"Agassi!" Chanyeol heard a gruff voice say. He swerved around and saw that it was Suji's chauffeur, beckoning at them from his car. Chanyeol was relieved that rescue had come.

"Your driver's here" he whispered to Suji's ear. "We have to make a run for it."

Chanyeol watched the top of Suji's head nod slightly. She had understood what they had to do.

In a split second, Chanyeol and Suji made a break for the car, which was a little further away from them. The fangirls snapped into motion at Chanyeol and Suji's sudden departure and chased after them. The chauffeur revved the engine as Chanyeol helped Suji climb into the back seat.

"Quickly get in!" Suji shouted at him, once she was safely inside.

Chanyeol hesitated. He looked back searching the crowd, of approaching fangirls, for any sign of Nami. Where was she?

"Oppa!" Suji urged.

"What are you waiting for, Chanyeol-ssi?" asked the driver irritatedly. "Please get inside so that I can start the car and go!"

"But my friend--"

"There's no time!" Suji snapped at him. The fangirls were drawing even closer now.

Chanyeol looked back one last time. Why couldn't he see Nami anywhere?

Just then, Chanyeol felt a sharp tug on his arm as Suji pulled him inside the car with brute force. He clambered inside awkwardly and Suji shut the door just in time as the fangirls reached them. They drummed on the tinted windows of the car aggressively, willing Chanyeol to open up and heed their demands of taking a picture with them. The driver honked the horn to repel the fangirls away and eventually, they were able to escape unscathed.

Chanyeol looked through the back window of the car and saw that some of the more resilient fangirls were still pursuing them. But he wasn't worried about them anymore. He was more concerned about Nami. What had happened to her?

"We need to go back" he ordered the driver. "My friend was left behind."

"No can do, Chanyeol-ssi" the driver replied. "You barely got away from those crazy fangirls. There's no way I am letting you, or Agassi, go back there."

"But my friend--!"

"You mean your housekeeper?" Suji corrected. "She'll be fine. Those fangirls won't hurt her. She's a commoner like them."

Chanyeol glared at her. He was finally seeing Suji's true colours and he didn't like it.

"More importantly," Suji suddenly said in a silky voice, "You saved me, Chanyeol-oppa." She fluttered her lashes at him, "You were like my knight in shining armour."

Chanyeol shrank away as Suji leaned in closer.

"I am in your debt. I'll make sure appa learns about the heroic act you did tonight."

As Suji blabbed her version of events to her chauffeur, all Chanyeol could do was worry about an abandoned Nami. He worried about her all the way to SM Entertainment and even when he should be worrying about himself when he was finally in the presence of an angry Suho.

"What were you thinking skipping practice like that?" he growled. They were in the dance studio with some of the members.

Suji intervened, "You shouldn't be too hard on him, Suho-oppa. If it weren't for Chanyeol-oppa being there, I would have been in trouble." She gazed lovingly up at Chanyeol, "He saved me tonight."

Suho pinched his nose bridge. "I beg your pardon Suji-ssi," Suho began, "but if it weren't for Chanyeol sneaking out, you wouldn't have been chased by fangirls in the first place."

"We can talk about my punishment later" Chanyeol interrupted impatiently, "what we need to focus on, right now, is finding Nami-ah."

"Nami-ah?" D.O repeated, suddenly jumping up. "What happened to her? Why do we need to find her?"

Chanyeol looked at the rest of the members uneasily. "She was with me the whole day" he swallowed, "up until we were chased by fangirls. That was when I lost her."

"So you mean to say, Little Umma was left behind?" Kai asked in shock.

Chanyeol nodded solemnly.

"But it's already dark out!" Sehun stated, pointing to the pitch-black windows. "It's dangerous for Little Umma to be left wondering the streets alone in this hour."

"I didn't want to leave her behind," Chanyeol said bitterly. "But Suji-ssi dragged me into the car before I had time to search for her!"

"Don't blame this on me!" Suji retorted. "Oppa, if I didn't pull you inside, you would have been devoured by those crazy fangirls."

"If it weren't for you" Chanyeol spat, "none of this would have happened in the first place!"

Suji was speechless. Her eyes indicated that she was hurt by Chanyeol's comment.

Chanyeol sighed as he rubbed his temples. He was developing a headache. "If you didn't cause a commotion earlier on, none of this would have happened and Nami-ah wouldn't be missing right now."

D.O turned to him. "How do you know she's missing?" he looked at everyone else in the room. "Has anyone tried contacting her?"

Chanyeol looked up. Why didn't he think of that? He searched his pockets for his phone and found that it wasn't where he normally kept it. "I can't find my phone!"

"You must have lost it during all the kerfuffle" Kai suggested.

"Does anyone else have Nami-ah's number?" Suho asked the group.

Kai, Sehun and D.O pulled out their phones and their faces fell at the realisation. They all exchanged embarrassed looks and shook their heads.

"How is it that none of us have her number?" Suho asked, exasperated.

"Because Little Umma hardly ever left the dorm" Sehun explained. "And she would always tell us where she was going if she ever went out."

"It just slipped our minds, I guess," Kai uttered dejectedly.

"What about Xiumin-hyung?" D.O suggested. The others turned to him. "He's really close with Nami-ah, isn't he? Maybe he or Chen or Baekhyun might have her number?"

"Good idea, D.O!" Suho exclaimed, "I'll call them right now. They're currently at a CBX event, though."

While Suho tried calling Xiumin, D.O ran his hand through his hair. He was starting to feel anxious, what if something bad had happened to her? He glanced at Chanyeol and saw him nervously biting his nail. It was all his fault. No matter how much he blamed Suji or anyone else, it was still all because of him that Nami wasn't with them right now. Why was she with him all day anyway?

"I'm going to look for her" Chanyeol declared, getting up.

D.O stood up and blocked his path. "Back off, Chanyeol. You've caused enough trouble already."

Chanyeol stood his ground, surprised that it was D.O who blocked his way. "Move, D.O. I have to go and find her. I can't just sit here and do nothing."

But D.O didn't move. Chanyeol saw that his eyes had formed half-moons which indicated that he was serious. D.O was on the verge of unleashing Satansoo. "If you go back outside, you will only cause more trouble. The fans already know you were out this evening. They'll be keeping their eyes peeled for any sign of you."

"He's right, Chanyeol" Suho joined in. He had finally hung up on his call. "As much as I hate to admit it, you attract a lot of attention. But this time, it's unwanted attention. Going back out there will do more harm than good."

"What did Xiumin-hyung say?" D.O asked.

Suho shook his head. "There was no answer. All of their phones are off. They're probably still in the middle of performing."

Chanyeol clenched his fist. "We have to go and search for her. We can't just wait here! What if something bad happened?"

"Then it's all on you" D.O replied coldly. He was glaring at Chanyeol now. "You should have taken better care of her if you were with her!"

"Yah, I tried, okay?" Chanyeol countered. "But like I said, if it weren't for Suji--"

"Don't try to pin this on others!" D.O retaliated. The other members instinctively backed away as Satansoo made an entrance. "If Nami-ah was with you then, you should have kept her safe too. You knew the consequences of sneaking out without private transportation or security and yet, you did it anyway. And you dragged Nami-ah with you!"

Chanyeol was silent. He knew that D.O was telling the truth. He just didn't want to admit that it was his fault.

"Don't yell at Chanyeol-oppa" Suji suddenly spoke. She had been quiet for a while that the EXO members had forgotten she was with them. She sighed, "If it makes things any better, I can ask my chauffeur to go and search for her."

Chanyeol brightened up at her words, "That would be great, Suji-ssi."

Suji smiled at him meekly. "I'm only doing this for you, oppa, because you saved me tonight. But I won't help her again."

Chanyeol nodded. "Understood."

As Suji led the way, Chanyeol followed her.

"Wait, Chanyeol, where are you going?" Suho asked, stopping him.

"I'm going with the driver, of course."

"But the fans--"

"I'll stay in the car, hyung," Chanyeol answered abruptly. "I was the last one to be with her so I can help point out where I saw her last."

Reluctantly, Suho let him go.

"I'm coming too," D.O said, grabbing his black jacket.

The maknaes exchanged looks with each other. "Then, so are we."

"This isn't a field trip!" Suho snapped. He turned to D.O, "Okay, you go." He turned to Sehun and Kai, "But you two will stay with me."

The maknaes moaned.

"There might be a chance that Nami-ah might have gone home so, we will head there now." He glanced at both D.O and Chanyeol. "Keep us informed, okay? We'll wait up for you."

The pair nodded as they followed Suji to the car outside the building.

"Oh and Chanyeol!" Suho called to him from the entrance of the studio. He turned around. "Bring our little dorm mother back safe to us."

Chanyeol nodded determinedly. "I will, hyung. I promise."

~*~

Author's Note:

Hello reader! First of all, thank you for reading chapter 17 of Our Little Dorm Mother.

And, I apologise for how long this chapter is! I was trying to stay within 2000-3000 words but then, I lost track of my word count and boom. This chapter was born.

I hope you liked the interaction between Chanyeol and the BTS members. I wish I could actually see them do a collaboration or something, it would be so awesome!

I hoped you enjoyed this chapter and that you'd continue to read on to find out what happened next!

What do you think happened to Nami? Will D.O and Chanyeol find her?

Stay tuned for the next chapter!

Next time...

P.S. Please vote, comment and share (send me some love~).