Sehun was slurping on his bubble tea as he sat down alone in the common area. He hadn't had much to do today. All the other members were busy doing their individual activities and he had just completed his modelling gig for a magazine. Before he had entered the dorm, he had tip-toed inside to make sure he didn't alert Suho to the fact that he had snuck outside to buy bubble tea. He was lucky that Suho had locked himself in his man cave as soon as they had arrived home together.

Sehun let out a sigh of content as the sweetness of the bubble tea caressed his taste buds. He loved bubble tea a lot. He had once been asked what he thought of when he drank bubble tea. Did it remind him of a special someone?

Of course, it did, Sehun thought to himself. It reminds me of Luhan.

Sehun sighed, sadly this time, as he thought of Luhan. Drinking bubble tea brought back bittersweet memories of him. Luhan was the first friend Sehun made when he first became a trainee at SM Entertainment. He was like an older brother to him and they spent a lot of time together. Sehun preferred chocolate, honeydew and taro bubble tea. Those were his favourite flavours but ever since Luhan had left, he hadn't been able to drink taro. It was mainly because it was Luhan's favourite flavour and drinking it would only make him miss Luhan a lot.

Before Luhan had left, he had told Sehun that he would find someone who would one day share his love for bubble tea. And in the future, he would start drinking bubble tea with someone other than him. Sehun laughed weakly as he reminisced on Luhan's words. He doubted he'd ever find anyone who loved bubble tea as much as he did.

"Oh? You're having bubble tea again?"

Sehun swivelled around and saw that it was Nami. She had just got back from her spa treatment with Stylist-noona. She looked pretty nowadays.

"Yeah, it's choco flavour" Sehun replied, showing her his half-empty cup.

Nami smiled at him. "You have bubble tea too much." She joined him on the sofa and pulled something out from her bag. "I bought some today too!" she grinned. "Don't tell Stylist-unnie, though! She said I have to lose some weight before filming starts for WGM."

Sehun chuckled. "What flavour is that?"

"Taro. It's my favourite" Nami replied, as she pierced the thin plastic film on the top with a straw. Sehun watched as she started slurping on her bubble tea, a happy expression graced her face.

Another taro lover... thought Sehun. He stared at Nami's bubble tea for a while as he got lost deep in his thoughts.

Nami, noticing Sehun looking at her bubble tea, offered it to him. "You want a taste?"

Sehun snapped out of his reverie. He shook his head. "No, I'm good thanks."

Nami took her drink back as she shrugged. They sat in silence for a while before she suddenly asked, "Do you know what WGM is like?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, how it's gonna be?"

Sehun smirked, "Why? Are you nervous?"

"Well, yeah..." Nami responded, scratching her head. "It's my first time being on a reality show."

Sehun's grin widened. "You don't have to be worried. One of us will be on the show with you. At least you know that much."

"But" Nami began, "It's gonna be awkward and all. What if I don't do it well?"

Sehun softened a little, "You'll be fine. Just act as you always do."

Nami looked at him uncertainly.

"Look, all you have to do is act really close and all. There's no big deal." He thought about how she was able to play along with dating Chanyeol for almost two months and then suddenly regretted the callousness of his words. Of course, Little Umma would be nervous. She's just come out of a fake relationship...

Nami shuffled on her feet. Why did she appear cute to Sehun all of a sudden?

"Then, Sehun-oppa, can I practise with you?"

Oppa? Sehun was startled. That's right, Little Umma is younger than me...But she had never called him 'oppa' before. She had always been closer to Xiumin, D.O and Chanyeol so they never really had any alone time together.

"Practise how?"

Nami looked at him blankly. "I don't really know. What would we do if we were a couple?"

Sehun hadn't thought of this before. Even though he had been wanting to go on WGM for the longest time, he had never really considered the possibility of him being on the show with Nami. What would he do if he was picked to be Nami's husband for WGM? He had never really taken her seriously as a woman. After all, she was like a guy friend to him, someone to have fun with and hang out. And then, she became Chanyeol's girlfriend so that made him rule her out completely. But above all, he had always thought of her as their little dorm mother--never once had he considered her as a potential love interest.

Sehun eyed her now. She was wearing tight jeans and a turtleneck jumper which highlighted the curves of her body. Her long raven black hair hung loosely past her shoulders. She was still looking at him, her dark brown eyes had a hint of wonder in them.

His mind went through a string of thoughts like it was crossing off an invisible check-list as he registered Nami's features. Ultimately, Sehun's mind led him to two conclusions: he thought she was pretty and he never thought of her as a love interest... until now.

Sehun was quiet for a while as he realised his feelings. "I guess we could get bubble tea together since we both like it" he finally suggested.

Nami giggled which made Sehun's heart flutter lightly. "That's typical of you. And then we'd share drinks?" She got closer and picked up her half-finished taro drink. She plucked Sehun's straw from his finished chocolate bubble tea and stuck it into her bubble tea.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm sharing my drink with you."

"Why?"

She raised her eyebrow. "We're practising as a couple, right?" She leaned the straw towards his mouth. "Have a taste."

Nami put her lips against her own straw and started sipping on her bubble tea. Sehun was hesitant.

"C'mon! What would you do if we end up being on the show together? You're gonna leave me hanging?"

Sehun was still reluctant but he knew she was right. WGM was filled with awkward challenges that encouraged intimacy between the participants. If Sehun couldn't even manage this, how would he be able to cope with the more daring tasks? He would have to comply if that was the case. Hesitantly, he took a sip. The familiar taste of taro washed over his tongue and brought back many memories. Memories of when he used to go with Luhan to bubble tea shops and laugh together.

He stopped abruptly.

Nami looked up at him, "Had enough?"

"Uh, yeah."

Nami smiled. "At least it won't be awkward anymore if we end up being a couple together."

"What do you mean?"

She smiled. "The first step is sharing. We can do better next time."

Suddenly, Suho's voice boomed from the other side of the dorm. He was calling for Nami to come upstairs.

Nami replied that she would be there soon. "Well, I guess I better go. Let's grab a bubble tea together one day."

Sehun watched as Nami scuttled off upstairs. He touched his lips where the taste of taro still lingered. Instead of thoughts of Luhan, his mind's eye was suddenly seeing Nami. Suddenly, Luhan's words repeated in his mind again and he laughed at the realisation.

Luhan, maybe I've finally found someone to share my bubble tea with.

~*~

Suho greeted me with a smile when he saw me peering into his room through the crack in the door. With his free hand, he beckoned for me to come inside while he held onto his phone with the other.

"Okay, Manager-nim," Suho said to the receiver. "Yes, I'll let her know now. Bye." Suho put his phone away and turned to face me completely. "I was just on the phone with Manager-nim" he informed me.

"Oh?" I replied. I wondered what Manager-nim had instructed Suho to do this time.

"He told me to pass on the message that he needs you to go shopping for new clothes."

I scrunched up my face, "What? Why?"

"We'll be starting filming soon and they need you to look presentable" Suho explained.

"What's wrong with my current wardrobe?"

Suho gave me an apologetic smile. "Nothing. It's just that your current set of clothes isn't..." He peered at me hesitantly as if he was wary of offending me.

"Go on" I prompted.

"Well, it isn't, erm... feminine."

I frowned at him.

"But that's why I'll be lending you my card" Suho extended his hand towards me, revealing his black credit card. My eyes bulged at the sight. I had never seen a black credit card before! In South Korea, owning a black credit card meant that you were loaded. And if Richie Rich was loaded, Suho was on another level.

I gaped at his credit card in wonder.

"You can buy anything you want and spend as much as you like. Just make sure you buy clothes that are appropriate for a model."

I ripped my eyes away from his card and stared at him questioningly. "For a model?"

He nodded. "As part of your disguise, Manager-nim and I will inform the media that you are a model from overseas. We can't tell the viewers that you're our dorm mother as it would complicate things with the fans."

I sighed at the thought of it. "I'm in for another rough ride, huh?"

Suho smiled weakly, "Unfortunately."

"Will you tell the media that I was the same model as before?" I asked nervously. I remembered Chanyeol's concerns about me being exposed to the media's scrutiny and butterflies started fluttering in my stomach. It was only now that I began to feel the weight of being on live television.

"No" Suho reassured. "We won't mention that at all. All we're telling the media is that you're a model from overseas. Probably from Thailand or something."

I gave him an acknowledging nod. I stared at his card again and attempted to return it to him. "If I have to buy new clothes, I'd like to buy it with my own money."

Suho looked surprised by my statement. "No, I insist" he replied, pushing my hand, that held his card, away from him.

"But, Suho-oppa--"

"Nami-ah" his voice was suddenly steely that it made me jerk back. "Please use my card. I know you don't like relying on our help. But, even if you are our dorm mother, I am still EXO's leader and it's still my responsibility to take care of everyone" he looked at me seriously, "and that includes you."

"I just feel bad" I admitted. "I don't want to buy things at your expense."

Suho looked sad. "Please let me do this for you. To be honest...I have been feeling guilty about the incident."

I flinched.

"Because even if I'm called Suho, I had failed to protect you from being harmed." He looked at me apologetically. "So I want to make up for it. Honestly, it's for my benefit rather than yours." He took a step forward and curled my fingers so that I was holding onto his card firmly. "Please let me be a good oppa to you."

I shied away from Suho's sincere expression and looked down at the card I held in my hand. I had never thought about how the incident affected the EXO members personally. I had been so wrapped up in my own problems that I failed to notice the massive impact it had on everyone else.

Not wanting to reject his kindness, I finally gave in. "I'll use it well."

Suho smiled. "Please do."

I returned his smile and was about to leave his room when he suddenly added, "Make sure you bring someone with you."

I turned around. "Huh? Can't I go by myself?"

Suho looked like he was about to reply when he suddenly saw someone passing by his room. "Kai!" he called out. In a few moments, Kai's head appeared through the door.

"Yeah, hyung?"

"Go to the department store with Nami-ah. She needs to buy new clothes for WGM."

Kai exchanged looks with me and protested, "What? Why me? I was just about to play video games with Sehun!"

"You can play video games when you get back" Suho replied bitingly. "It won't take long."

"Why can't you ask someone else to do it?" he whined.

"Everyone else is busy."

"Sehun isn't--"

"Kai" Suho's voice was edgy as he loured at him. They engaged in a silent stare down until Kai finally surrendered.

Kai huffed as he gave me a sideward glance. "Fine. C'mon, Little Umma" he barked, as both of us left Suho's room.

~*~

Kai watched over me like a vulture as I inspected the clothes in front of me. He was wearing a cap so that his face was partially covered but he wasn't wearing his surgical mask as he said that it would attract too much attention in the store. He was staring at a blouse that I was feeling with my fingers, testing the quality of the material, before proceeding to take it out from the rack to inspect it even further. I heard him groan from over my shoulder.

"You can go and look for clothes you like too, you know," I said trying to placate him. I was slightly guilty that I had to drag him along but, I was mostly irritated by his childish behaviour. He was acting like a fussy toddler who was made to accompany his mother while she shopped.

Kai huffed as he mumbled, "I can't do that. If Suho-hyung finds out I left you for even a second, he'd skin me alive."

I smiled weakly at his response. I had hardly spent any alone time with Kai so the atmosphere between us was a little awkward. As the youngest ones in the dorm, Sehun, Kai and I had always hung out as a trio. I had never hung out with one or the other alone so, I didn't know how to interact.

I pulled out a skirt which I thought suited the blouse and tried to see if the two complemented each other. I placed them in front of my body and turned to Kai. "What do you think?"

Kai glanced at me from the bottom to the top. He shook his head. "They don't match."

"Huh?" I peered at the mirror and couldn't understand where he was coming from. "How don't they?"

Kai pointed to the skirt. "The colour doesn't match with this one. It stands out more than the blouse" he explained. "Look, this is what you should pair that blouse up with." Kai proceeded to take out a different skirt and I immediately saw the difference it made. "See?"

I was amazed. "Wow Kai. You're good at this."

He smirked, "Well, being an idol and a fashion icon does have its perks."

After that, Kai began helping me out in choosing which clothes to buy. I was in awe of his extensive fashion knowledge and natural knack for coordinating clothes that it left me questioning my femininity and pride as a woman. How can a guy beat me at clothing coordination? Not to mention the fact that whatever he chose automatically went with the previous article of clothing.

"And you should wear this kind of necklace if you really want to bring out the colour of those shoes" he advised.

"Seriously Kai? You're even good at coordinating accessories too?"

He smiled slyly, "What can I say? I'm a natural."

"You have really good taste," I said to him as I examined the necklace he had picked out for me. It was a plain silver chain with small, sparkly beads as pendants. "Your girlfriend would be proud."

Kai smiled sadly at my words. "Yeah, I guess so." He inspected a row of earrings that was next to the necklaces. "I've always wanted to do stuff like this with her. Going shopping and buying things that I think would suit her." He sighed.

Oh damn. I thought inwardly. How could I be so stupid? I mentally kicked myself as I had forgotten that Kai and Krystal had recently broken up.

"But anyway," he said, suddenly cheering up as he tried to dismiss his negative thoughts, "why don't you go and try some of the clothes I picked out? Let's see if they fit you."

Keen to recover from my blunder, I did as I was told and started trying on the clothes that Kai had chosen for me. Once I had changed, I revealed myself to him. Kai smiled once he saw me appear from behind the curtain. "Now, that's what I'm talking about" he commented, pleased at his handy-work.

I twirled around for him and the skirt that I was wearing swished around me. "It feels just right" I informed him gladly.

"Of course it does. I chose it after all."

Once I had shown him enough, I started heading straight back to the changing rooms. He stopped me, "Wait, where are you going?"

"I'm changing back."

He waved his hand dismissively. "Nonsense. We'll just pay for it as it is."

I was bewildered. "But--"

"Let's just go pay. I wanna show the others how great my fashion sense is when we get home!" Kai smiled sneakily and I couldn't help giggling.

As we were leaving the store, after paying, Kai suddenly stopped me again when he saw a full-length mirror. "Wait, Little Umma" he ordered. "Stand right here." He guided me by my shoulders so that I was standing in front of the mirror.

"Kai, what are you--?"

Kai lifted his arms above my head as he placed the silver necklace around my neck. He gently pushed my hair to one side, leaving my nape exposed to the elements. His hot breath breathed down on me as he tried to do the clasp. The cold metal made contact with my skin and I shuddered. I could feel myself growing hot from how close he was while his delicate fingers tickled me as they brushed against my exposed skin. "There," I heard his voice say from behind me as he pulled away to examine my reflection in the mirror. "Now, your full transformation is complete."

I gaped at my reflection and I saw a pair of eyes looking back at me. Somehow, I couldn't recognise who it was staring back in the mirror. The person in front of me looked confident, fashionable and had the air of a sassy model-- all of which, I knew I didn't possess.

Kai smiled at me from behind, his body pressed close to my back. "You look like a different person" he murmured.

"I feel like a different person."

"Aren't you the cutest couple!" we heard a bubbly voice suddenly say. We turned to our left and saw that an attendant was gaping at us with goo-goo eyes.

Kai pulled away hastily so that there was distance between us.

"We're not a couple" I explained, blushing slightly.

"Omo. You're not?" the attendant was embarrassed. "I'm so sorry! You just looked so good together. I thought--"

"It's okay. Mistakes happen" Kai quickly interrupted. The attendant nodded but then her expression changed from apologetic to wonder. Kai noticed this and quickly turned to me, "C'mon Little Umma. Let's get out of here."

I nodded as I became aware of the attendant's awestruck gaze. It seems as though she had realised who Kai was.

"Wait!" she called after us. "Aren't you--?"

But we didn't hear the rest of her question because, by that time, we had already sprinted out of the shop.

~*~

Kai was laughing when we finally stopped running.

"What's so funny?" I asked between gasps of breath. I was still panting from our hasty departure. 

He looked at me, his eyes twinkling. "I hadn't run away like that in ages. I don't normally get caught up in fans chasing me."

"Lucky you" I joked.

After I had caught my breath, Kai and I started making our way back to the dorm. It wasn't a long walk from where we were since we ran half the way there already. Kai and I walked in silence as we passed by the neighbourhood. It was a quieter part of town so there weren't many people around. All the same, Kai wore his cap so that it hid his eyes.

I was content with walking in silence but then, I suddenly spotted an arcade nearby. I poked Kai to catch his attention. "Do you want to make one more stop before we head home?" I asked, grinning at him as I pointed to the arcade.

Kai arched his brow, "You think you can beat me this time?"

My grin didn't falter. "Is that a challenge?"

"You bet."

We went inside the arcade and was immediately overwhelmed by how crowded it was. Since it was late in the afternoon already, there were many school kids playing. The funny thing was, they didn't seem to pay attention to my or Kai's presence: they were too absorbed in the flashing, pixelated screens to notice that an idol was amongst them. 

Kai and I slinked our way around the cramped arcade to see if we could find a two-player game that was free. Kai almost pummelled a kid over as he jumped at the first game he spotted, that wasn't occupied.

"Little Umma! Over here!" he waved, as he claimed a massive machine that had a wide-screen TV and two gun-shaped controllers. It was a post-apocalyptic zombie shooting game. I grabbed one of the controllers and he inserted coins into the machine. The screen came to life.

"I thought we were meant to be competing?" I asked. "This is a team game."

"Is it?" he read the instructions that appeared on the screen. "Oh. Well, we can compete on who gets the highest kill ratio." He smiled at me deviously, "I hope you're not squeamish."

I scoffed. "Bring it on, Kai."

A countdown began and our characters came to life. It was one of those games where you have the first-person perspective so you only saw the hands that carried the weapon on screen. Kai went berserk and started shooting at whatever came his way while I did things strategically and only fired when a zombie got too close. The hubbub of the cramped arcade seemed to fade as my and Kai's voice overtook one another in a screaming contest. We squealed as we progressed further and further into the game, neither one of us backing down until we reached the big boss, which was the hardest level.

"Not bad" he commented as he saw my score against his. I was currently twenty points behind him. "I didn't think you'd get this far."

"Well, you shouldn't have underestimated my ability" I smirked.

He smiled back as the final level commenced.

A very strong zombie appeared and in this level, we had to cooperate to bring it down. Kai shouted at me to take care of the smaller zombies while he took care of the big boss. But, I saw that his health bar was already amber meaning, he was close to dying in the game. I quickly aimed my gun at the big boss once I saw his life bar reach an alarming red colour.

"Kai! Stand back!"

His character moved behind mine and I used a bazooka on the big boss. The big boss got hit and it's life bar came close to zero. With what ammo Kai had left, he aimed at the big boss until it collapsed and a graphic display of guts and gore flying everywhere splattered across our screen. We had won the game. Kai and I celebrated by cheering and giving each other a high-five, unaware that a crowd of kids had congregated behind us to watch us play.

"That was awesome!" we heard a young boy exclaim.

"You were so cool, noona!" another boy commented.

"Hyung, you were great!" an older kid praised.

I exchanged looks with Kai and we both grinned at each other.

"We make a great team, Little Umma," he said as we left the arcade at last.

"We do, don't we?" I stated as I stared up at the sky. The sun had already started to set, which made me a little nervous since that meant darkness was approaching. I quickened my pace. I turned to face Kai and saw that he was staring at me. "What?"

Kai turned away quickly and mumbled, "Nothing." He rubbed his nose as he tried to hide a small smile that graced his lips. It must have been my imagination but I thought Kai was acting shy. "Let's just go home, now."

I nodded, "Yeah. Let's."

And just like that, Kai and I walked home together against the warm amber glow of sunset.

~*~

Author's Note:

Hi reader! Thanks for reading chapter 45 of Our Little Dorm Mother!

I thought it was time I wrote a little more about the feelings of the other EXO members, Sehun, Suho and Kai. After all, who knows, maybe one of them will end up joining Nami in WGM...? >.<

Not long left to wait now!

Next time...