Chanyeol stifled a groan as their performance on stage ended and they had to leave to make way for BTS. He had hoped to be on stage for longer. Not just because he loved performing and the sound of the audience chanting along to their songs but, for another reason. And that reason was the longer he stayed on stage, the longer he was able to avoid meeting Lee Suji.

Prior to their performance, the EXO members had gathered for a pep rally by Suho. They normally did this before every performance. It was like a ritual to them; a way of banishing their nerves and providing each other with the reassurance that everything will go smoothly.

"But the most important thing is," Suho concluded, "that we have fun tonight."

The EXO members nodded in agreement. They had this performance in the bag. But while they were busy egging each other on, they failed to notice the entrance of an unwanted visitor to their dressing room.

"Oppa!" Chanyeol heard a shrill voice say. Dread filled his every being as he slowly turned around to greet their uninvited guest. "Hello, Suji-ssi."

Suji approached him with the widest smile. "Oppa, I have some good news for EXO." She joined the rest of the members in sitting down in a huddle around the table. "I've just arranged for you all to take part in an interview for the national news channel! Isn't that exciting?"

The EXO members exchanged looks with each other and feigned excitement. The last thing they needed was an interview.

"That's great, Suji-ssi," Suho said forcing a smile on his face. "When will it be?"

"It will be straight after you perform. You will need to go to the empty hall at the end of the corridor" she instructed. "It's all been set up. You'll get full coverage and everything!"

Chanyeol wasn't alone in inwardly groaning. They hated attending interviews straight after performing. Mainly because they were always exhausted and they were subjected to sitting or standing awkwardly for long periods of time.

"Okay, Suji-ssi. We'll go straight there after our performance" Suho replied.

"Great, oppa! I'll be waiting for you all there" she chimed. She eyed Chanyeol specifically and noticed that he was wearing the tie she had gifted him. "That tie really suits you, oppa."

Chanyeol flashed her a quick smile before she left. And once she was out of sight, he sighed. Suji's affection was like a piece of food that had gotten stuck in between his teeth and wouldn't come out: it was annoying and incredibly uncomfortable. He needed something or someone to pluck her away from him like a toothpick would. The question was, where was he going to find a toothpick big enough to get rid of a nuisance like Lee Suji?

Chanyeol let out an audible sigh as he trudged behind the EXO members. They were now making their way to the empty hall where they had promised to meet Suji for the impromptu interview.

"I think we killed it out there" Baekhyun commented as they walked.

Sehun agreed, "We definitely slayed it. There was no doubt. Did you hear how loud the crowd was?"

"They were wild!" Chen exclaimed.

But as the other members talked noisily about their performance, Chanyeol noticed that Kai was strangely quiet. "What's up, Kai?" he asked him. They were both trailing behind the others.

Kai looked up at Chanyeol. "I noticed something weird while we were performing" he began. "I saw someone that looked like Little Umma being escorted by security."

Chanyeol was intrigued. "By security? Why?"

Kai shrugged. "I dunno. She was wearing a white dress so she stood out. I just saw her from the corner of my eye."

Chanyeol pursed his lips, "Maybe you were mistaken? Why would Nami-ah get escorted by security?"

Kai shrugged. "I dunno. But do you think we should check up on her just in case? I mean, we can text or something, right? Or maybe call her?"

Chanyeol shook his head. "It'd be too loud outside for her to hear if you call. But we can try texting her."

Kai nodded and started searching his pockets. "I don't have my phone with me."

Chanyeol reached the same conclusion, "Neither do I." The pair slowed down their pace as they began to feel uneasy, creating a gap between them, and the other EXO members, who were walking ahead.

Chanyeol was preoccupied, what if something bad happened to Nami? Ever since Nami had gotten hurt because of him, he had been really sensitive about her being out of his sight. It was like he was always feeling guilty. It was better to be safe than sorry, he thought. "I'll go back to the dressing room and quickly get my phone," Chanyeol informed Kai as he started walking in the opposite direction.

"What about the interview?" Kai asked as Chanyeol began to walk even further away.

"I'll join you all later" he replied, "I won't be too long. Tell them I went to the bathroom or something."

Kai watched as Chanyeol sprinted into the distance. He knew he definitely saw someone wearing a white dress, being escorted by security, but he wasn't sure if it was Nami. He just hoped that he was mistaken and that it was all a trick of the eye.

~*~

"That was a stupid thing to do, Mirei!" Nikka screeched. "What if you had gotten hurt?"

"I knew what I was doing" I huffed at him. "I'm not a child, Nikka. I can look after myself."

Nikka paced around the dressing room.

While I was being escorted out of the venue by security, Nikka had spotted me and had intervened so that I could be released. For some reason, Nikka had a lot of influence over the staff since he was holding a prestigious position as an international news reporter. And since I was unable to return back outside to join the audience, he had led me to an empty dressing room, to confront me about my behaviour.

He sighed as he stopped pacing. "You were really reckless, you know."

I nodded guiltily. "I know. But like I said, there was no other way of stopping them."

"You could have got security!" he retorted. "You didn't have to rugby tackle the person next to you. Geez Mirei, you're too rough. And you're too impulsive too!"

"Why are you getting angry?" I shouted. "Nothing bad happened and I managed to stop them from ruining EXO's performance. You should be praising me."

"But that's not the point!" Nikka shouted back. His thick black brows were furrowed deeply. "You could have gotten hurt. What if it weren't water balloons in the bag? What if it was a bomb or even acid? You could have put yourself in danger!"

"I wouldn't have gotten involved if I knew they were dangerous" I chided. "I'm not that stupid."

"No. You're just stubborn," he said bitterly. He looked at me with concern all over his face. "And I'm worried that one day, you're going to get yourself into a big mess and I won't be there to help you out of it." He stared into my eyes deeply as if he was searching for something inside of them. "Mirei, I think you should just quit this undercover report and come home."

I blinked. Did I just hear right? "What?"

Nikka curled his lip, "I think you should just come home back with me" Nikka said again. "This undercover report isn't going to be worth it if you're putting yourself into compromising situations like that. I rather you come home safely, in one piece, than find out you got involved in an assault in the news."

I shook my head in disbelief. "Nikka. Are you seriously telling me to give up? All because I rugby tackled someone to stop two girls from throwing water balloons? Do you know how ridiculous you sound right now?"

Nikka's eyes flared. "I'm telling you to give up on the report because I could see that you're too involved with EXO!"

My jaw dropped. "What?!"

"Mirei, I don't think you realise what's happening. You're getting too attached to them and it's affecting your ability to stay focused on the job."

"How is my job as a reporter related to me stopping two girls from throwing water balloons?" I asked exasperatedly. "You're not making any sense!"

Nikka growled, "The Mirei I know wouldn't have gotten involved in anything like that. She would have let it happen so that there was news to tell-- a scoop for the following day. But you intervened. And for what? To help EXO of course. You helped them because you've grown attached to them. And that means game over!"

I stared at Nikka, completely dumbfounded at how he managed to reach that conclusion. "You're wrong," I told him firmly. "I didn't do it for EXO. I did it for BTS."

"What?" It was Nikka's turn to be surprised.

"Those girls were also BTS fans" I explained to him, "they were EXO Anti-fans. If I had let them drench one of the EXO members, it would have started a riot amongst the EXO-Ls and ARMYs. Even though BTS and EXO are good friends, their fandoms aren't. I did it to avoid tarnishing the ARMY name."

Nikka's eyes softened at my words. "It was all for BTS..." He covered his face in shame, "I'm such an idiot" he said.

I smiled at him weakly. "You really are."

"I was just so worried about you," he said, massaging his temples. "When I saw you being escorted away by security, I thought that something bad had happened."

"You're such a worrywart" I teased. "And like I said Nikka, I'm not a child. I can look after myself. I've been doing fine so far, haven't I?"

Nikka's eyes fixated on mine and something about them looked different. He looked at me earnestly, "But that's what makes me worry about you more. You don't depend on others. If I hadn't intervened you would have been taken away somewhere." He approached me so that our bodies were very close to each other. Too close. "And I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I had found out that something had happened to you and I could've done something to prevent it."

I took a step back as I started feeling uncomfortable with how close Nikka was. "You don't have to worry" I reassured him. "I won't do anything reckless again so don't tell me to give up on this report. It's my gateway to getting promoted, remember?"

Nikka sighed and then smiled weakly. "Of course."

He reached out his hand and caressed my cheek. It was so sudden that I jumped back. "Nikka?"

There was something strange about the way he was looking at me. It was as if he was a different person. His chocolate brown eyes were filled with such intensity that I felt like he was staring straight through me and into my soul. His expression was serious and the effeminate air around him seemed to have disappeared. It was like seeing Nikka but not Nikka at the same time.

"Mirei, there's something I've been meaning to tell you," Nikka said abruptly, his tone was low and husky.

I gulped. Somehow, his expression was making me feel nervous. "W-what is it?"

He looked at me with earnest eyes, "The truth is, I--"

The door suddenly burst open causing Nikka to stop midway his sentence. Both of us turned around to face the person who had suddenly interrupted us. And as soon as my eyes landed on him, I was paralysed.

"Nami-ah?" he said in Korean. "What are you doing with that reporter?"

And at that moment I knew.

My cover was blown.

~*~

Chanyeol was relieved to find his phone where he had left it. With one swift motion, he unlocked it and started typing a message, asking if Nami was okay. But as he walked out of EXO's dressing room, and started making his way back to join the others, he suddenly heard shouting from the end of the hall.

It sounded like a man's voice. And he thought he heard a woman's voice too.

Normally, Chanyeol would have ignored it but, he couldn't help noticing how their accents sounded peculiar. He could tell they weren't speaking Korean because he didn't understand a word they were saying. And why would there be foreigners in the dressing rooms? He knew that some K-pop groups had members from other countries but, he also knew that all of the K-pop artists were on standby for their performance. There shouldn't be anyone in the dressing rooms now.

Chanyeol tip-toed towards the direction of the voices. Once he found out where the voices were coming from, he hovered outside the closed door. Their voices were slightly muffled now that they were no longer shouting. But as he strained his ear to eavesdrop on their conversation, he heard the woman speaking.

His eyes widened. It sounded like Nami.

Without hesitating, he opened the door and saw that it was Nami. It took him a moment to register that there was someone next to her too. Chanyeol saw that it was the man with the man-bun and navy suit he had seen walking away from her earlier. But now that he could see his face, he observed that he had arabesque features. His chocolate brown eyes, chiselled jaw and neatly trimmed beard and moustache felt somewhat familiar to him. He was handsome and very alluring, and that was when Chanyeol realised where he had seen him before. He was the guy from the news.

Chanyeol's eyes darted from Nami and the news reporter like a pendulum. He was trying to understand why Nami was with this handsome foreigner. "Nami-ah?" he said, still quite confused. "What are you doing with that reporter?"

Nami was speechless. She exchanged looks with the reporter and then met eyes with Chanyeol again.

"Chanyeol, this is--"

"I heard you both speaking a different language just now," he said, his brain working hard to understand. "Your accent and his accent... it almost sounds the same." He searched her eyes and saw that they had a hint of desperation in them. He looked at the reporter and then back at Nami, "do you two know each other?"

"Mirei, let me talk to him," said the reporter to Nami in English. "I can try and explain to him that--"

"No, Nikka" Nami replied firmly. "It will make things worse. Chanyeol doesn't understand English fluently."

Chanyeol watched as Nami and the foreigner argued in front of him. The way they talked to each other confirmed his suspicions that they did know each other. But how? Nami was their dorm mother. She hardly went out so, how did she manage to befriend a foreign news reporter? And why did she have a strong British accent when she spoke English? She did mention before that she studied overseas for a year but people didn't acquire strong accents that fast. She spoke English as if it was her native language...

Suddenly, Chanyeol started to fit all the pieces together.

When they first met Nami, her Korean was so-so and when he had snatched her phone that one time, he saw that her language settings were in English. Even when they went to karaoke she was better at singing English songs than Korean ones. It was as if Korean was her second language rather than her first. And now, she was bickering with a foreign reporter as if they were friends. And if they were friends, didn't that mean that--

"You're a reporter?"

Nami stopped arguing with the reporter and turned to face Chanyeol. She was wide-eyed.

Chanyeol searched her eyes and knew that he had got it right. He was shocked. Nami was a reporter?

She looked at him pleadingly, "Chanyeol, please. Let me explain--"

But Chanyeol took a step back, his head spinning with so many thoughts as he tried to digest this newfound but, shocking piece of information. Nami was a reporter. Nami had been lying to them all along. Nami had betrayed them to the media.

"Look, it's not Mirei's fault" the reporter started talking to Chanyeol but, Chanyeol didn't understand him. It didn't matter anyway since he wasn't listening to him in the first place. While the reporter tried his best to explain the situation to Chanyeol in English, Chanyeol stared at him blankly. His eyes fixated on Nami and they were cold and unforgiving.

Nami shuddered. "Chanyeol please--"

"Nikka-ssi!" called an unfamiliar voice from the door. "There you are!" A small man wearing a black shirt and a pair of denim jeans appeared. He was one of the staff members. "BTS has just finished their performance and are making their way to the interview room as we speak! You need to go there immediately!" He turned to see that Nikka wasn't alone. He raised a brow. "Erm, is there something the matter?"

"You should go," Nami told the reporter in English. "He said that BTS have just finished their performance."

The reporter looked at her worriedly. "I can't leave you here by yourself." He glanced at Chanyeol, "What if he does something to you?"

"Nikka-ssi!" The small man urged. He looked at Nami, "please tell him that we need to go!"

Nami nodded. "I'll be fine, Nikka. I can handle it. You go and do that interview. It's what you were sent here for."

Hesitantly, the reporter left the room with the impatient little man. Once they were gone, an awkward silence was left as Chanyeol continued to stare at Nami. Finally, Chanyeol spoke "I'm right, aren't I? You're a reporter."

Nami looked at him guiltily. "Chanyeol, let me explain--"

"How could you do this to us?" he shouted angrily. "We trusted you. We thought of you as family. And all this time, you were lying to us?"

Nami retorted, "I had no choice!" She was frustrated that Chanyeol wouldn't listen to her. "I'm a reporter--it's my job. What else was I supposed to do? I was never meant to be your housekeeper in the first place!"

"What?"

Nami took a deep breath as she explained her situation to Chanyeol in the simplest way possible. She explained how it was meant to be another girl who was meant to go undercover and how she was meant to be doing the BTS interview. She told him about how her boss had sent her as a replacement and how she never expected to get along with EXO.

Chanyeol stood quietly as Nami revealed everything to him. He stayed quiet even when she had finished talking.

Nami looked at him with a flushed expression on her face. She felt hot after exposing herself to him. Everything was out in the open now and she hoped that Chanyeol would be understanding.

"Do you expect me to believe you? After all this?"

Nami's heart sank at Chanyeol's words. It was no use. "I don't care if you believe me or not," she said finally. "But now that you know, I guess that there's no point in pretending anymore." She walked past him as she tried to leave but as she did so, Chanyeol stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"Where are you going?" his grip on her was firm.

Nami winced. "I'm leaving. I'm going back home" she paused. "I'm going back to the UK."

Chanyeol's eyes flickered. "No."

"What?" Nami was startled.

"You don't have the right to call the shots anymore. I don't think you understand the predicament you're in." He tightened his grip on her arm as he pulled her close. "We can get you arrested for fraud and invasion of privacy. You can spend a few years in prison."

Nami was speechless. She hadn't thought about the consequences of getting caught. She never thought she ever would! She looked into Chanyeol's eyes and saw that he was serious. Nami felt nervous. "Are you going to hand me in?" her voice was small.

Chanyeol gaped at a scared Nami and he loosened his grip. He liked seeing her at his mercy. His playful side took over. What could he do to punish Nami for deceiving them? Should he make her his slave? As Chanyeol opened his mouth to suggest her punishment, the sudden sound of a shrill voice interrupted him.

"Chanyeol-oppa!" Suji called out his name.

"Chanyeol! Nami-ah!"

"Little Umma! Hyung!"

The others were outside in the corridor. They must have come looking for him since he had been away for too long. It was only a matter of time till they found them. Chanyeol looked at Nami again as he heard Suji call out his name once more. The nuisance was back and was out to get him again. As he stared at Nami's expectant expression, a sudden thought entered his mind. He needed a toothpick to get rid of Suji and he had just discovered Nami's secret. Nami didn't want her secret to be known and he wanted to get rid of Suji. He smiled slyly as he realised that he had found the toothpick that he was looking for.

"No, I'm not going to hand you in," he told her.

Nami looked relieved.

"But, I'm going to need you to do something for me."

Nami was confused. "Huh?"

"I need you to trust me."

The sound of approaching footsteps got louder as the EXO members and Suji drew closer and closer to where they were. Chanyeol turned hastily to Nami, "Choose. The others are almost here. As soon as the door opens and the others come in, I will either tell them your secret or you will have to trust me with what I'm going to do."

Chanyeol searched Nami's eyes which were still lost in confusion. "I don't understand, Chanyeol. What are you going to do--?"

"There's no time to explain!" he told her urgently. The sound of footsteps was close now. They were probably just one step away from them. "What's it going to be? Do you trust me?"

The door opened.

Nami looked at Chanyeol. "Fine, I trust you--!"

Chanyeol pulled her face close and his lips met hers.

~*~

Author's Note:

Hi reader! Thanks for reading chapter 25 or Our Little Dorm Mother.

*Gasps*

What will happen next? >.<

Find out next time!

P.S. Comment, vote and share!