Dad Joke of the Day:
Q. Can February March?
A. No, but April May

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"It's stuck."

Sehun thumped on the door again but it didn't make any movement. No 'ding', not even the faint rumbling that showed it was functional.

He looked back at her for the first time. Horror was written all over his face. "Are we-- are we trapped?"

Somin gasped, "Hell no!" She pounded on the metal doors. Trying to form some space between the double metallic compartments, she tried to shove her fingers in between. "Come on, help me." She looked at him. He nodded and followed her movement.

They kept trying for some time but it didn't move an inch. Somin let go, wiping her sweat. Sehun turned to the long columns of buttons and started pulling them. Then pushed them back in. Somin nodded in approval because she remembered reading in a magazine once that it helps to restart an elevator. She walked around and rapped on other walls.

"Should we shout for help? Attract attention?"

Sehun looked uncertain. "I didn't see anyone around here."

"I did," Somin answered. Then she slapped her forehead. "Shit."

"What?!"

"I--I saw a waitress a while ago, she said something pointing this way." She explained. "Maybe she told me about this elevator."

Sehun looked at her like she was crazy. "Why did you use it then?"

"Because I didn't understand what she was speaking, duh." Somin threw him a isn't-it-obvious look. "I'm not Chinese, am I?"

"Ahh.." Sehun sighed loudly and looked at the floor. It was tiled and thankfully clean. He hesitantly sat down.

"What are you doing? Are you going to give up so easily?" Somin demanded him.

Sehun didn't reply. He was still intent on ignoring her existence, firm in his resolve. He looked around, the space inside was enough to hold at least ten people. It was well lit but a few energy savers looked fused.

Somin rolled her eyes. Throwing him a reproachful look, She searched around for an emergency button but there wasn't any. What the hell- why is he so calm about this, it could be dangerous!

Sehun's eyes were following her as Somin fretted around restlessly, looking for a way to magically evaporate through the walls. He almost jumped when she suddenly shouted at the doors, "HEY, is anybody there? HELLO?"

She barged on the metal again.

He started. "It's not--"

"Help--somebody please HELP!"

"Do you have claustrophobia?" Sehun asked.

She wrinkled her nose. "No."

"Then will you just calm down?" He shot her an annoyed look. "I got stuck in one a few years ago and trust me I got out alive within an hour without tearing anybody's eardrums apart."

Somin finally quieted down and only met eerie silence in response. Her eyes lit up. "Phone! Do you have your phone?" She asked.

Sehun nodded his head, pulling the iPhone out from his jacket's pocket. "No signal service."

Somin groaned in frustration.

"Yours?"

"Charging on the bedside table." She finally stopped moving and leaned against the wall. Sehun laid his head back, making himself comfortable. He was feeling sullen over the fact that it had to be her he's stuck with. But on a second thought, it would be worse if I was alone in this.

Somin didn't say anything and an awkward silence suspended between the two of them. For the next ten minutes, she kept fidgeting here and there, wishing she'd changed her dress and slipped into something cozy before deciding to take a walk. She wondered how happy and ecstatic Rio would have been if she was in her place. Stuck with one of the EXOs, isn't that any fan's dream? Somin could bet Rio would give away everything she owned to exchange places.

Thinking of Rio reminded her of something else. She coughed uncomfortably. "Umm.. I heard about your bandmate leaving.." Sehun looked at her quickly to check if she was making fun of him but her expression was solemn. "I'm sorry about that."

Sehun nodded.

She asked, "Were you close with him?"

A small smile worked it's way up to his lips. "Yeah."

Somin pursed her lips and hummed thoughtfully. "What was his name....umm- Pao?" She looked at him in confusion. Yeah, that's what Rio said, right? Yup, it was definitely Pao.

Sehun glared at her. "Tao."

Her eyes widened, and that's why you shouldn't get ahead of yourself, dumb. "Ahh..I see. Sorry."

Sehun smirked, "I think I recall you saying you were his 'biggest fangirl ever'."

When Somin frowned, he said, "At my fan meet."

Then it dawned on her. The guy she'd chatted with to avoid Sehun, he was Tao? The tall Chinese with baggy eyes. The realization became obvious on her face.

"So it's him, ohh." She shrugged. "Well we both knew it was a bluff, so I'm sure I left you in no delusion that I actually knew anything."

"Worry not, you've showed clearly how well you remember our names." Sehun rolled his eyes. "Biggest fangirl, hmph."

"He was cute." She added almost as an afterthought, earning herself a glare from the guy sitting across her on the floor. "It's a pity he left."

"Don't start crying."

She shot him an irritated look. "I don't cry."

"Pshh...liar. All girls cry."

"Well, okay I don't cry easily." She narrowed her eyes. "But when I do, everybody better watch you."

Sehun remained silent. He knew the conversation had started but he still wanted to put an end to it and show her that he didn't want anything to do with her.

Somin started walking in the small space there was, dodging his longs legs because her own were getting tired from being in the same position. "Why don't you just quietly sit down?" He asked.

She shook her head. "I'm good." A twinge of pain shot up her ankles and traveled all the way up her knees. She bent to rest her hands on her knees, but when she realized her dress was riding up, she quickly straightened. Sehun looked away immediately, shuffled tensely in his place. Noticing her uneasiness, he quietly took off his denim jacket and threw it in her direction. Somin caught it, looking confused. "You can use that to... to cover yourself if you...want to."

Somin mumbled a thanks, wrapped the thick fabric around her bare legs, and settled down parallel to him. She couldn't pin down the reason but it felt to her that he was an old buddy now, having bumped into him so much. I mean of course, I am familiar with him but I don't really know him, do I? But I guess its a good time as any to do that. After a minute, she chuckled, "I wanted to get some fresh air."

Sehun said, "And I wanted to smoke." He took out a very familiar lighter.

Her eyes widened. "Don't do that--"

"I'm not, relax."

Her gaze wandered to his attire which was the same as she'd seen in the show earlier. He was a black printed T-shirt and ripped stylish jeans. His hair was swept up in a smooth wave.  She thought about all the awards his group had snatched, Best Male Group, Bestselling Korean artist... etc. etc. And that one simple award her group hadn't managed to get. He commented, "I bet you're the hot trending topic on the internet right now."

She frowned in confusion. "Why?"

"That stunt you pulled tonight."

Somin chuckled. "Yeah, they'd be talking how unprofessional it was of me to be in that situation. Not that I care."

Sehun asked, "Wasn't it unplanned?"

"It was. That's the problem. I didn't practice my moves well enough."

He smiled, "No, that's the point. I can't say anything about the netizens because one can never understand how their minds work, but it seemed pretty cool to me. The way you saved yourself from all the humiliation."

Somin's eyes bolted up to his face.Woah, did he say something nice about me. She nodded her head, "If you say so."
Then she said, "Check your phone again." He pressed on the small button and his handsome face became ablaze with excitement. "Thank god, I caught some signals!"

"Great." She grinned, slithering close to him. "Call somebody. Get me out of here, quick."

Sehun's face fell, his head drooped between his legs as if he just remembered something. "What?" She asked in despair. He faced Somin and answered guiltily, afraid she might hit him on his face this time. "I just remembered that I accidentally deleted all of my contacts yesterday."

"You're joking." She laughed.

"No, seriously."

"How have you been calling everyone since then?" Somin probed.

"I haven't." He explained. "I tend to do that a lot so I've backed up my contacts and data. I planned to get it back in the phone after returning from this trip."

She groaned, frustratedly kicking the metallic door. "Fate is really not on my side tonight."

He smiled. "Sorry."

"You wouldn't know anybody's number, do you?" She tried again. He shook his head. "I knew Suho hyung's.... but he changed it recently. Don't you remember anyone's? Your manager? your bandmates?"

Somin thought for a second and then shook her head. "I used to know my mother's a while ago but I don't think I still do."

He urged. "Come on, think about it! We'll call her, then she can call your manager or your friends and they can inform anyone who will get us out--"

"Hey, hey slow down." She grinned. "I'm not calling my mother. It will be a disaster."

"Why not? Somin, come on!" He whined.

Somin pressed her eyes to close, no matter how much she liked the sound of her name coming from her lips, he was still crossing his lines. "She's not here, okay? She's not in Korea and she's not even one percent interested so--"

"Where is she?"

"Cannes, but that's not even the point here--"

Sehun spoke over her again, "Cannes.. isn't that France." Then he gasped. "France, oh yes France!"

She raised a skeptical brow. "Are you okay?"

Sehun raised his head, his eyes sparkling like a little kid who came up with the solution in his Maths paper just before the ending time. "You're French. You said you've a nationality other than Korean and it's French." It was a statement more than a question.

Somin narrowed her eyes and nodded slowly. "Why is that such an Earth-shattering occurrence?"

He laughed unbelievably. He'd wondered a lot about it when she refused to tell him her identity at that time. He had suspected Japnese, Malaysian, even German. But I should have known, that musical accent, collected and poised attitude and chic beauty wasn't anywhere other than French girls. "Wow, why didn't I think of it before." He seemed to be saying that to himself so Somin ignored it.

"Anyways, as I was saying--"

"Can you even speak Fre--"

"Sehun, that's enough!" She retorted. "We can't lose the connection again so be a man and do something about it!"

"Geez." He muttered before facing his phone again. She continued in a stern voice, "I know my number. I will try that." She held out her hand for his phone.

As Somin dialed her number, there came no response except boring ringing. She rang again and again to no avail but when she realized she must have put it on mute because of the show earlier, she gave up. He chuckled when she handed him back his phone dejectedly. "It's almost half an hour and your bandmates aren't even worried for you? They wouldn't even check your phone?"

She replied cheekily with a cute pout, "What about you, dear darling maknae? Isn't leader eomma worried to death trying to call you?"

-

Little did they know, leader eomma was worried to death for his dear darling maknae. Suho paced in the living room of the suite as he kept watching the clock. It was two in the morning and Sehun wasn't back yet. Suho was calling him but there was poor signal connection. Usually it would be okay for him to be so late but the leader always felt anxious when it happened abroad.

He sighed, picking Baekhyun's tossed jacket from the floor and wearing it over his night suit. He walked to Lay's room, who was the only one awake. "I'm going out for a while. Reach me out if Sehun returns."

He looked up and smiled, nodding. Lay was serenely sitting by the open window, a cool breeze was blowing in. He was writing something. Suho's heart pained, he must be so happy being back at homeland, no matter how short his trip is.

Shoving his feat in the hotel's white cotton slippers, he set out hoping Sehun would be just hanging out on a balcony. As he strode past the deluxe lobby, ignoring the oh-so-appealing Turkish painting and tapestries hanging on the walls, he decided to start searching from the third floor.

Rio grinned in happiness. Today, she had finally watched a live award show, witnessed EXO going on stage and receive numerous titles and awards, danced along to their performance. She could never save up enough money to attend a ceremony like this before, it was a dream fulfilled finally. She aimlessly strolled in the corridors until she remembered she was there for a purpose, 'Go find that girl, I'm sick of her ways! Even left her phone lying here. Rio dear, my head is aching, please just bring Somin back. Tell her I'm serious I'll issue a complaint this time.'  Her manager's words popped up in her mind and she scowled having appointed the hard job.

She walked to the elevator, pressing the button. It didn't produce a sound or flash any light. She jabbed on it repeatedly but it was all in vain. "I guess I'll have to take the stairs." So Rio set to the large staircase, cursing at Somin in her breath. Huffing and whining, she made it to the second floor. Just as she was turning to the right for another arduous hike, she bumped into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't looking--"

She screamed. Her eyes turned the size of a football and her whole body was trembling. In front of her, wrapped in a very familiar jacket, wearing a pair of cutest slippers, supporting a startled look, stood the man of her dreams. Kim Junmyeon.

"Are you okay?" He was even more taken aback at her sudden outburst. Did I hit her so hard that she is shaking in pain? Or is that fear? I hope I didn't scare her. He really wanted to walk away but leaving this girl wouldn't feel right.

Rio bobbed her head up and down slowly, still holding that expression like she'd seen a ghost. As he turned to leave, she was overcome with a rush of adrenaline, knowing she had to do something. So she blurted the first thing that came to her mind, "Have you seen Somin?"

Suho turned around in confusion. That's when she realized how the hell would he know about her bandmate. Rio quickly bowed 90 degrees and piped, "I'll introduce myself. I am Aurora's Rio!"

Aurora...Somin. Oh yes, now he remembered her. Smiling slightly at the girl in front of him who was grinning so widely that he wondered if it was humanely possible. He shook his apologetically. "I'm sorry I haven't seen her."

Suho walked, leaving Rio in a stance. She was in awe, she couldn't move a finger and doubted if even her heart was beating right now. She'd pictured interactions with EXO a thousand times but it was never like this. It consisted of smiles and love and ended in them proposing her but she realized meeting him like this, so vulnerable and so unprepared, was better than any of her imaginations.
Because it was at least real.

Suho's mind strayed to where he'd heard that name. Somin. Then he realized it was the girl from tonight's show. How she'd left everyone shocked. Even EXO's own best dancers Kai, Lay, Sehun... Shit, Sehun! I'm here to look for him. What am I doing!  Suho focused back his attention on finding the maknae as he made his way to the VIP drinking lounge when suddenly Rio's words echoed in his ears again. 'Have you seen Somin?'

Sehun...Somin.

Suho's mind was now racing to possibilities as he halted in his tracks. He'd almost forgotten how much Sehun was tempted by this girl when he'd first seen her. Is it a coincidence that both of them are missing at the same time? Suspicion started kicking him in the shin as he pondered if the two of them were up to something. And there was only one way to find it.

Suho whipped back and raced to the second floor. Upon his surprise, he found that girl in the same place he'd left her, staring dreamily into space. He called after her, "Hey?"

She finched and blinked at him several times. Then she just laughed at herself, shaking her head and turned around, walking towards the west hallway. Suho narrowed his eyes, Is this hotel haunted or something?  He called her again and this time she looked back with a gasp. "Are you really here? Are you talking to me?"

Suho nodded and went forward. "You said your bandmate was missing, right? Mine is too--"

"Who?"

"Sehun." He answered. "Anyways, can you call your friend? I have a hunch that if we find one, the other will be there too."

Rio frowned. She still couldn't believe he had come running to talk to her. She made her mind to thank Somin when this ended, that wretched girl had given her an opportunity to meet EXO. "Why would they be together?"

Suho just shrugged. Rio replied, "She doesn't have her phone with her. But I know, she wouldn't be outside the hotel premises. If you're sure she's with Sehun then he must be somewhere here too."

"Probably." Suho smiled gratefully. "I've tried to call him but--" He glanced at his phone. His face broke out into a relieved smile as his phone showed signals. "Oh wait, I'll call him." He dialed Sehun's number that hardly rang once before he picked up, "Hello?"

-

"How did that happen?" Somin peered at Sehun's hand. She drew her knees to her chest and was laying her head down. He looked down where she was pointing underneath his thumb, where there was a small burn.

"It happened when I first tried smoking a cigarette a few months back." He answered, smiling at the memory. "It was just Tao and I awake at that time of the night in our dorm. We were playing video games when he suggested it. I was really excited to try it but we didn't have any cigarettes and it was too risky to go to the convenience store for that kind of thing."

Somin's eyes were filled with curiosity. "So what did you do?"

"We sneaked to our manager's room and stole his. But none of us still knew how to light it up."

"You didn't use a lighter?"

He laughed. "We did! But Tao started showing some tricks with it and that's how I ended up burning my thumb."

"Wow." She grinned. "Then?"

"We were worried that somebody might notice. There wasn't even any ointment so we sneaked out and got one. Suho hyung had woken up when we returned and he scolded the life out of our bodies." Sehun leaned his head on the shiny wall and raised a big sigh. "Ahh..good old days."

She cracked a lop-sided smile. "What about your first time?" Sehun asked.

She took in a deep breath as her mind traveled to those cursed times. "The first time I attempted to smoke was when I'd nicked the secret cigarettes from under my brother's pillow because I was just too fascinated by the idea of puffing smoke. I was just fifteen then." She smiled. "It didn't end so well because I had no idea what was I supposed to do, which end to put in my mouth. I think I inhaled all of it."

"Seriously?" He gaped.

She laughed, "Yeah." She was feeling suddenly cold so she removed his jacket from her legs and wore it, making sure her legs were still covered by the fabric of her dress. "I just ended up with a very bad cough that lasted for days. So I didn't try again for a long time. By the time I was eighteen, I was so expert, I could give classes on how to smoke like a pro."

Sehun raised an eyebrow but his face expressed that he was impressed. Not that it was something to be impressed about. "Did your brother find out?"

"Yeah, he noticed. We were chill, no trouble." She shrugged nonchalantly, hoping he wouldn't ask more. She never felt comfortable opening up about her family to anyone.

"I like your charms." He suddenly blurted out.

Somin raised an eyebrow. "What did you say?"

Color filled Sehun's cheeks as he realized what he'd just say and the wrong meaning it depicted. "No, I-I meant.." He pointed at her wrist. "Your bracelet. The charms on it are very. . . unusual."

She smiled and looked down at it. It really was unusual. But it meant the world to her, each charm held a special meaning to her, a special memory, a special person. "Yeahh.." She started fumbling with it. There was a simple silver chain twisted to give a classic look, on it many weird charms were attached. There was a miniature logo of Aurora, a tiny magnetic rifle, a black shiny button, a red band dotted with emerald stones, and a thin beaded heart-shaped charm hanging from the chain.

Sehun's eyes gazed at her. His jacket fit her well, but not only that, it brought back many memories. It was the same one he'd wore when he met Somin in Vibe for the first time. It reminded him how playful she was the night, how intriguing.
The flecks of mascara hanging from her eyelashes, a faint sign of a red lip color, the shimmery highlighter still shining on her elegantly straight nose, and her glossy hair cascading over her shoulders made him wondered how had he managed to not think about her all these months.

Somin's eyes met his and she found him staring back with a straight face. She expected him to say something but he was intent on pouring his soul out. Amusement flashed in her eyes as she realized they were doing a staring contest and she chuckled, trying not to blink. Her smile dropped after a few minutes and she was surprised her eyes hadn't started watering. Maybe they didn't because he looked damn hot with that smirk back in place.

They kept on until Sehun's loud ringtone broke the intense eye contact. They jumped in surprise at the loud interruption, but he picked up in a heartbeat. "Hello?"

She could hear muffled sounds from the other side. Sehun explained the situation, "Yes, yes, its the elevator on the fourth floor...... don't worry, I am okay ... no idea ..... hmm please be quick...yeah she's with me....how did you know? ..... okay..... thanks hyung."

Sehun hung up. "They will inform the maintenance office and bring them here to fix it."

She nodded. "They?"

"He was with someone." He shrugged. "Maybe your manager?"

Somin wondered how much trouble she's going to be in if her manager is awake at this time of the night and searching for her. I better brace myself for a big blow. She glanced at her wristwatch. "It's almost two."

A crevice popped up between his eyebrow. "Two?" He checked his phone. "It's 3:15, your watch isn't working."

She looked at it in annoyance. "What the hell."

"Show me."

Somin wriggled the white leather strap off her wrist and passed it to him. "Yeah, you're a guy, fix it."

Sehun laughed, "What has that got to do with me being a guy? I'm not a mechanic."

"True, but guys know about this kind of stuff." She reasoned.

His eyes were narrowed in concentration as he kept fumbling with the hands by rotating a tiny knob on the side of the watch. After a while, he sighed in confusion, shaking his head. "That's not the problem here.."

Somin stretched and yawned, gathering all of her hair and twisting it to form a bun on the top of her head. Her legs were getting stiff from sitting on the cold, hard floor. Suddenly a heavy feeling of parting descended on her and she realized she was actually enjoying this setting. Sehun's voice broke her train of thought. "Tell me a story. Anything. I'm bored."

She threw him a questioning look. "Do I look like your nanny?"

"No, my nanny is prettier."

Somin tried to glare at him but ended up chuckling. "I'm sorry, I wasn't ever told nursery rhymes even when I was a baby." Because Mom didn't know any Korean ones and Dad didn't like every kid of his speaking French when he didn't understand one bit of it. Sometimes, when she thought about it, her brought up had been really never like the kids in her school, like everyone in many aspects. They couldn't celebrate all holidays together, their cousins and relatives were never on good terms, couldn't go on vacation without one of her parents in a really bad mood.

Sehun sat up straighter. "By the way, I was wondering something. How come I met you in Vibe before you were an idol? Don't they have a criteria for membership?"

"They do." She shoved her hands in the flapped pockets. "But the owner is my cousin--" Somin stopped when her hands felt a small piece of paper in the pocket of the denim jacket. Her fingers traced it and slowly pulled it out.

Sehun's eyes widened when she brought out the familiar piece and he rushed to wrestle it out of her grip which he believed was too strong considering the size of her wrist.

Her eyes sparkled roguishly, "What is this?"

"None of your business." He grinded his teeth. Somin was pulling from one end, him from the other. He feared it would just rip apart and she would read the contents. It was the piece of paper where she'd written her number after Sehun had asked for it. It still lay in his jacket untouched but it could come to use now.

Suddenly, as if God had sent help in the precise moment to save him, the elevator began quivering like a leaf. She gasped, looking around in surprise and he chose the moment to pry it out.

But Somin's focus was on the shuddering vibration crawling all through her body. They quickly shuffled to their feet and stood up, looking around in confusion. The lights were flickering on and off and finally, the faint rumbling making the elevator move. She breathed a sigh of relief.

As it should have been, the elevator took them to the fifth floor. The 'ding' it produced on reaching its destination was sweet and welcoming to their ears. When the doors opened, a gust of fresh air slapped them. They were expecting somebody outside. Suho, the technicians..anyone. "Ahh they must be downstairs. One floor below."

Somin nodded. He was about to press on the buttons but she quickly grabbed his hand. "No. I am not riding this elevator again. We'll use the stairs." Sehun grinned and complied with her. The walk to the magnificent staircase was silent and tense. Her company wasn't so bad after all, he knew he had resolved on ignoring her but it was easier said than done.

She gulped, she wanted to say something but she knew it had to be the right words. As they ventured down they could hear people talking and sounds of machinery coming from the elevator that they initially used. These few hours had done wonders to their....whatever it is that they had. She couldn't name it.

From a distance, she saw EXO's leader, a few repairmen in bright orange clothes, a medium-sized motor and... she looked closely was Rio. Okay, weird. Sehun cleared his throat making her look at him. "Umm.. I'll see you around hopefully?"

A few steps. In a few steps, they were to join the others waiting for them. So she went ahead and said what he was just plucking up the courage to. "Call me," She bit her lip. "when you're free, Sehun, give me a call."

Before he could respond, the others shouted, "They're here!" Naturally, some space formed between them, and they eventually parted towards their members.

Rio was jumping up and down, her face was a bright shade of red. "Somin, oh my god, will you believe this! I went all the way to the maintenance office with him, we filed a complaint together and brought them--"

"Sir, miss, we're really sorry for the trouble we caused you." A man in a three-piece suit, folded his hands in front of her and bowed. He was Chinese but spoke good Korean. "Actually you see this board?" He pointed at a red notice board just next to the elevator. It held a big warning sign and an apology letter posted on it. "We put it up but I think you didn't see it. But we're very sorry. Our team is working on it."

Sehun's mouth dropped and he looked at her surprise. She was smiling, shaking her head in embarrassment. Neither of them had noticed the warning sign. Before they knew it, Rio was crazily waving goodbye to Suho as he sternly escorted the maknae back who was still fumbling with a certain white-banded wristwatch.

Rio hurrahed. "Ahh!! it was such a great great night, I am sure I'm going to dream about him tonight." Somin smiled at that. I think I will too.

Rio told her the whole story on the way back with a high pitched sound, how she met Suho, what she said to him, how they worked as a team and how she was totally in love with him. But nothing really registered in Somin's mind until Rio gawked, "Hey, when did you get this jacket?"

-

Saebyul fanned her face and rolled down the windows. The car's cooling system was broken down but she was still grateful of Jae for lending her car for a day. 

They returned from Bejing three days ago. The schedule wasn't too tough either and girls had plenty of time to relax. They were even given a two-day break to visit home. And that's where she was. At least that's what I was trying to.

Her car was parked across the street where she used to play, walk to school daily, where she lived her whole teenage. Two blocks away was her house but she couldn't pluck enough courage to go inside. Hence, the reason why she was here for almost an hour. The car was well hidden behind a large willow tree so she could make nobody would recognize her.

Saebyul sat straighter when a car pulled out from the gates on which her eyes were fixed. Her sharp gaze made out the figure as her father's. He was driving. There was somebody on the passenger seat and but judging from the bulky built up, she guessed it might be her younger brother.

This is the moment. She gulped, quickly unlocked the car, and stepped out. Saebyul had worn the most simple and plain clothes she could find in her wardrobe to fit in the small, dusty neighborhood. With hesitant little steps she made her way, looking around. The park where she'd go play on the merry-go-round with her friends, the small convenience store where her father used to treat her to ice cream . . . and that unforgettable bus stop that once had been bright red and now was a bad shade of rust, where she'd took the bus to fulfill her dreams...the bus stop where Saebyul had killed all her parents' hopes and wishes.

Thankfully, the main gate was ajar so she slipped in, walking through the unkempt front yard. She took a deep breath. Her heart was beating rapidly as reached forward and pressed on the bell. It wasn't working. She knocked. After a few moments of silence, it opened revealing a worn-out face.

"Mom." She whispered, her breathing became fast. Her mother's eyes widened in shock. She pulled her daughter inside and slammed the door. Saebyul started crying as she quickly enveloped the frail figure of her mother. She could feel her mother's body shaking and the faint sound of her sobs.

"Saebyul.. oh dear." She pulled back, caressing her only daughter's cheeks longingly. "I was starving to see you."

"Mom." She didn't know what else to say. She was ashamed...ashamed to leave her mother at the mercy of someone like her father and brother. The men who hated socializing, despised singers and actors and newscasters; everyone who appeared on TV. Men who loathed fame and stardom. "I missed you."

"Are you okay? How are you doing?" Her mother scanned her from head to toe anxiously. This was the first time in four years that she'd seen her daughter's face after she betrayed their trust. "Don't talk about me, Mom. How are you?"

Her mother's wrinkled mouth silenced as she looked down. Her hair looked like it hadn't been tended for weeks. There was a bandage on her thumb. Her clothes were stained with oil and grease. Or maybe it was always like this...but I noticed it now for I wasn't accustomed to dirt anymore. "I'm okay, darling. Your father... oh your father.." The woman broke out in a sob.

Saebyul's eyes pooled with tears again and she held her mother's shoulder tightly. "What happened?"

"He will never forgive you. I have but he is a cold man." She shook her head frighteningly. "You did an unforgivable thing, Saebyul, you are a bad daughter."

Her accusations were gentle but they filled her with guilt. Saebyul's lips quivered as she cried out, her voice laced with ache. "I know... I will never forgive myself too." The tears were falling down like an overfilled sponge. "I'm so sorry..."

Her mother shook her head. She wiped her cheeks roughly, "They will be back. Jisung said he'll come earlier, if they see you--"

"How is Jisung? I brought something for him too." Saebyul gestured at the bags she was holding. She knew she couldn't bribe her family but it was worth a try. She handed the bag to her mother but the elder woman pushed it back. "You know I can't use it. Your father will notice."

"Mom--"

"Have you forgotten what it used to be like living here?"

Suddenly the door opened behind them revealing a young face. The guy had light brown hair and was tall. Taller than the last time she'd seen him. Jisung's eyes widened in shock. "What are you doing here?!"

Saebyul neared him. "Jisung--"

"Mom, how could you let her inside!" He hissed, looking accusingly at his mother who was close to tears. "You know she does not belong here anymore. Get out, Saebyul!"

She shook her head. "Jisung, please. I wouldn't take long. Just let me see you guys for--"

He snarled. "Oh, now you care enough to see us? Saebyul you're one of them now, just leave." Their mother was speechless.

Saebyul sighed. She knew this would happen. She'd made a heartless decision in her life and it earned her the disapproval and abhorrence of her family for a lifetime. She was aware of how firm they were in their beliefs and she could never be able to change their minds. Her heart pained for her mother, she wished she could save her somehow.

Slowly she stood up and hugged her mother tightly who kissed her daughter's forehead. Then Saebyul pulled back and went closer to her little brother who was glaring daggers at her. He picked up her bags and shoved it in her hands. "Take your fancy things and get out."

She smiled ruefully. "Jisung, I have missed you so much."

He turned around and held the door open. "I can't even stand watching you. Never come again. Don't disturb us please."

With a small sob, she stepped out. She remembered the last time she was leaving this house. She could recall how she felt then... full of zeal and zest, angry at her family's unfair biased attitude towards her dreams, blinded by her passion, and holding the acceptance letter from Cube Ent.
But this time, she looked back.

She looked back and heard her brother's angry howling at their mother but she could do anything. She had lost that right. She hoped a car would drive over her and end this pain she was feeling. As she stepped on the street, her teary eyes met with another eager pair of eyes.

"Byul?" He called, his handsome face held an expression of surprise, hurt, and pleasure. He still looked at her the same way, with affection.

Saebyul didn't answer. She gulped, accelerating her pace towards the car.
You're a selfish girl, Saebyul. You don't deserve anything. Not your family's love. Not even him.

-

Jiseok licked his lips in nervousness. His fingers fidgeted with the cloth of the leather-bound chair, as he expectantly looked at the men seated before him. Jung had said SM had good news for him. I hope it was true.

The men talked in hushed whispers, sometimes nodding. They had summoned him back in the conference room for a meeting after four months. Jung, his peon, was sure they wouldn't fire him permanently for Jiseok was a senior employee who had served the agency since the early years, he was good at his job too. But the last few months were torture for him. He was unable to find work anywhere because his résumé was stained, he couldn't even meet eyes with his wife, hold his daughter in his lap, everybody was either hurt or scared to see him. But now, he was going to prove his worth if SM kept him back on work. Oh yes, he will.

One of the men smiled at him. "Choi Jiseok, are we correct in assuming that you have been appointed nowhere else?

He coughed. "Yes." It felt like going through an interview again.

"Have you kept SM's comeback plans and other procedures confidential during the period you were suspended?"

You mean all your dirty little secrets? "Of course."

"Good. Because, it would be a loss to lose you." They nodded. "As the scandal has died down, we would like to take you back. But you must understand that you will get less than before in terms of rank and salary. At least in the beginning."

Jiseok's throat tightened but he nodded tersely. "I understand."

The man looked from the file opened before him. "Red Velvet's manager has already been replaced and we suggest it will be better if we keep you under the wraps this time so the public does not know. Also, we can not let you work for female artists this time."

It was an insult to him. To be referred and seen as a pervert. Someone who can not be trusted, someone with whom people should not feel safe. I was never disrespected like this before, Jiseok thought angrily.

"But we have a very good proposition for you." The man smiled, catching his attention. "As you must have heard, EXO is about to go through some subgroup changes." EXO? where the hell did that come from.

"Lee Sooman seonsaeng-nim wants EXO-K and EXO-M to be merged as one single unit so that they could promote as one group." He explained. "We have been working on that lately. I'm sure you must have figured out by now that change in line-up means a change in staff and managers too."

Jiseok nodded slowly. "Yes, but.."

He continued. "Since they are our biggest group, we have to provide them with the best we have." The man glanced at the statistics sheet in front of him. "We've already prepared a fresh list of managers, stylists, trainers, and designers for them. We discussed with the boys and they feel comfortable with keeping their personal managers as it is. So long story short, we have decided to appoint you as one of EXO's sales managers."

Jiseok's mouth dropped. He composed himself but his eyes were gleaming. EXO is a big shot, working with them is going to bring me more dollars than any other band in this industry. He cleared his throat. "That's a--that's a very promising position."

"Exactly." The men smiled widely. "Think over it for a day or two and--"

"No, I'm up," Jiseok said quickly. "Actually, I want to get to work as soon as possible. I have had a long break."

They shifted in their seats. "Okay then. We'll discuss this with Lee Sooman seonsaeng-nim. You will get a call this week so you can come over to sign your contract and start." They leaned forward and offered a hand.

"Welcome back, Jiseok."

"Thank you." He grinned, shook it back and said, "I'll wait for your call."

Getting up, Jiseok left the conference room to see Jung who was waiting outside the room. He stood up as soon as he saw his boss. "How did it go, sir?"

"I'm EXO's new sales manager," Jiseok replied with a big smile. "I was not expecting us to be offered this."

Jung gasped. "Wow, that's good news, sir. Congratulations! I was afraid because that scandal had hindered your promotion but you're still going good."

"What scandal?" He rolled my eyes. "It was all a bluff. The girl had elevated a matter that had no significance."

"Anyways, forget her," Jung answered. "When will we join?"

"Forget her?" Jiseok's lips curled in a sneer. "What do you mean? I am going to track her down for sure."

Jung's forehead wrinkled. "We don't even know her name, sir. I think we should leave this  matter."

"I think I was the one giving give orders here." His boss's voice was terse making Jung's head droop low in apology. "Either she is a student, doctor, singer, teacher... anyone, honestly. I will get to her."

-

For the last few days, Somin felt herself checking her phone a little too much. Maybe it was so because she wasn't very busy with her activities, which only comprised of photoshoots. The hype of her performance in V Chart awards had died down finally, some were praising her and others called it sloppy but she was happy that at least her group noticed.

As she waited in her dorm for the cab, she pulled out her old notebook. She used to write on it during trainee days but lately it was left untouched. She turned on the first pages and read the lyrics she'd written.
It was terrible.

Somin was laughing when she reached the end. Although she could note her progress in song-writing but there was still a lot to work on. Maybe I should start on it again when I'm free, she decided. Her phone vibrated and she checked it quickly. A disappointed frown took its place on Somin's mouth. It was just a new update.

How can I expect him to call me I haven't even given him my number? She scowled. Or at least my actual number? For all I know, he might be trying that ajhuma's cellphone and getting nothing but a scolding. How can I be so stupid.

She lifted her bag and went to the living room. Rio was laughing loudly while stuffing her face with potato chips. Somin raised an eyebrow, our manager must not around then. She was watching something on her phone because they couldn't afford a TV. The dorm was empty everyone was at home, even Ariya was at a relative's place in Korea. As Somin joined her, she surprised to see a drama called EXO Next Door. "Wow, they're into acting too?"

"There's nothing EXO can't do," Rio replied without taking her eyes off the screen.

Somin rolled her eyes. "They can't call without pissing off the other person."

"Hmm?"

She shook her head "Never mind. What are they up to these days anyway?"

"Indonesia. They are in Indonesia." Rio answered, raising the volume, an indication that Somin should stop talking and let her watch the lastest episode in peace.

As the cab dropped Somin to her apartment, she entered and shouted, "I'm here, Seungmin Oppa!"

Only silence greeted her. She looked around in confusion. "Hey, where--" the truth sprung to her mind as she shook her head sadly. "Oh."

She wasn't expecting to spend the night alone. She had planned to tell him all about China hoping he would help get things off her mind but she had forgotten that he was in China himself. After a good, relaxing shower and fixing herself a meatball sandwich, she settled in front of the TV.

Her mind could hardly concentrate on the movie she was watching. Either it was the eerie silence in the apartment or the regret she felt on giving Sehun the wrong number, she couldn't tell. But one thing she was sure of was that her two-day break was going to be a disaster if any of those two problems didn't get fixed.

"Yahhh... Nam Somin. Why do you have to be so dense all the time." She groaned in annoyance. A simple call from a random guy shouldn't be a big deal.

She considered texting Sooyoung.

6:58 pm   Hey, you there?
7:15 pm    Busy?
7:50 pm   Yahh...?!
8:30 pm   Come on for heaven's sake.
8:35 pm    I wouldn't take long, just answer me.
8:40 pm    nevermind this is the end of our friendship -_-

At around nine o'clock, she called back, panting. "Sorry, I was busy. What is so urgent? You okay?"

Somin made a face, "Where were you?"

"Concert." Her breath was short.

"Who's concert?"

"My concert, Somin what's wrong with you??" Sooyoung exclaimed.

"Oh."

"What's up?"

Somin gulped, it was such a pity question. She felt shame doing it, indignified. It felt like stepping on her own pride and killing all the ego she had when she tried to say the words aloud: Can you find me Oh Sehun's number?
Fuck no! Somin, you're not that desperate. She shook her head, "Nothing, I just wanted to hear your voice, thanks. I'm good now. Bye!"

She hung up quickly, knowing that Sooyoung was going to be cursing at her from the other end. But now she felt like a loser.

"Ahh waee.." She gripped her hair tightly and moaned. What was on going my mind when I thought it would be funny to play a trick on Sehun like that? Didn't I know it will kill me? Was I possessed or something?

There was nothing that Somin wished for more than to go back in time fix her mistake. She knew it would take another six months or so for her to bump into Sehun in some music show or somewhere else, and then it would be so awkward because they would be back at zero and honestly, a lot more embarrassing too. That she'd asked him to contact her and he didn't. Maybe he tried to but couldn't. Whichever it is, she ended up thinking, is that how Karma pays you back for playing with a guy? That, in the end, you're the one who's freaking out?

'I just remembered that I accidentally deleted all of my contacts yesterday.'

Her mouth fell as those words rebounded in her memory. She chuckled, there is no way Sehun must have my number now, right or wrong. Somin laughed at herself. What a joke I made of myself!

Around an hour, and after a tub of ice cream, she felt better. Somin came to the conclusion that it was wrong to fret over something so petty. In fact, she got used to the loneliness too. She played loud music and tried to relax her jumping hormones. To top it off, the weather was windy and she opened all the windows and doors to air the apartment.

When she was vacuuming her bedroom, around ten-thirty or something, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She checked; there were a couple of messages from Eunwoo that she was going to reply later and a few threats from Sooyoung. But there was particularly one from an unknown number that caught her attention.

Somin smirked. The thirteen words written on her phone were hardly a confession of love, but they still made her heart go wild.

Hi, it's Sehun. Send me your address quick, I have to see you.

---------------------------

I kind of feel weird that it was Somin who made the move because usually it's always the guy who initiates (as far as the fiction I've read) but I wanted to break cliches and Somin's personality is very likely to do something like that so I hope you understand.
~Also one of my concerns is that you might feel that things between them are going very fast. What do you say?

By the way...this reference photo XD

I introduced a little of Saebyul's life here but overall I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Will be back soon!

We all know @Elle_S4M is the cover expert and my buddy surprised me with another of her wonderful creations leaving me in complete awe!
Go and check her 'Cover Shop' out if you want to request for your books :D

P.S Feeling so, so heartbroken over Suho's enlistment but then again, 'if we're happy to wait, then it's love'. Which version of Delight is your favorite? You gotta pick one!