~~~ Been Through - EXO ~~~

"Dear passengers, please fasten your seatbelts, the aircraft is getting ready to descend for our final destination at Incheon airport," the women's voice coming from the speakers, made her jump out of her sleep. She opened the blind on her window and looked down on already visible land, showing beneath the white clouds.

Here she comes again.

She sighed, remembering her first and last visit of Seoul, before this big step she had decided to make. She buckled her seatbelt and put her seat back into the normal position. She felt the jitters rising inside her. She let out breath, still looking out of the window, trying to contain her nervousness.

She felt the same last time.

She remembered her pledge, when she was leaving this place before, to never come back again. And here she is all over, breaking her own promise, for the sake of her future and dignity.

It didn't take too long, until they found themselves on the ground, leading to their arrival gate. In no time she was out of the airplane, inside of the main building of the airport, with all the other travellers.

Someone was supposed to pick her up, once she passes the control. And no, it definitely is not Baekhyun, if you were thinking that. Someone working for the company is already waiting for her. That made her think of how glad she would be, if it was actually him, but she knew there is no way he can do that.

~

"Hello?" Baekhyun's voice came out of speaker of her phone, while her heart decided to start doing crazy dance, making it worse for her to focus on the reason, why she is actually calling him. She couldn't bring herself to start talk, fighting to catch a breath, like normal people do. She was ready to hang up on him, when he spoke again.

"Iseul?" that was the first time he used her real name, taking away her ability to speak. When her name came out of his mouth, she was able to just stare into the space of her room. She already knew, he is familiar with everything when it comes to her, but hearing it again, gave her a different feeling.

"Dee, is it you?" he asked once again, when no response came from her.

"Yeah," she let out eventually.

"Is it really you?" he sounded like, he can't believe what he is hearing. "Is everything okay?" he wondered right after, melting her already struggling heart.

"I'm okay," she said. Why is she actually bothering to call him? It was day after she spoke to Chan, going all kind of crazy, making rash decisions. There was a few seconds of silence between them, her gathering the courage and him, letting her to do so.  She squeezed her eyelids together, trying to pull herself together.

"I... I will do it," she finally managed to say, hearing him releasing breath that he was holding until the moment she at last went along with his idea. There was another pause, before he took over the whole situation.

"Okay, you don't have to say anymore. I will take care of everything. I'm leaving with guys, tomorrow. I will give you two weeks to solve your stuff, then you will come to Korea," once again she was impressed, how prepared he was, not wasting a time at all...

~

During those two weeks he has set for her, they had many chats over the phone, which mainly contained their negotiations. Of course she didn't stay quiet for too long, when the urge not to let anyone control her life kicked in, she had her own conditions, before she definitely sits on the place to Korea. She wanted to continue her studies and made him promise, she can attend private distance learning in Seoul.

When he demanded from her to sign the contract with SM for at least two years, she wasn't too excited about it, but he managed to persuade her in the end. Two years are nothing and in the end she is to start working on the project with EXO.

He explained to her exactly what was going to happened when she arrives to Seoul. It was overwhelming and she was sure, she is not going to remember half of the information, Baekhyun was trying to cram into her little brain.

Then there was Chan, who somehow managed to get her phone number, she was secretly blaming Baekhyun. Chanyeol was blessing her, by sending her bunch of messages, full of pictures, which mainly contained Baekhyun doing stuff.

Either it was him, sitting in front of the mirror, while some girl was doing his make up and hair. Or Baekhyun giving away smile, she has seen just few times. Then it was Baekhyun sitting behind piano, this time looking directly into the camera, with serious and slightly seductive look, with this expression she was familiar more, than the other ones, which he obviously had hidden down his sleeve. And there was so much more, because Chanyeol didn't know when to stop, not taking her begging seriously, saying that he is doing it, so she is not missing Baekhyun too much. She then just rolled her eyes and ignored his demand for her to take some photos of herself and send it to him, so he can direct them on Bakehyun.

Then there was Eve.
Saying her good byes with Eve was hard, but the promise they made, helped her to be calmer and the thought of Eve coming to visit her soon, gave her the right amount of courage, she was missing. Eve was happy for her, providing her with the last bit of a conviction she needed.

But the last decision was on her anyway. In the end, after endlessly thinking about her options, she thought about herself and her own future. This is for her, she got this chance, coming to her without warning and she needs to grab it since is there.

And that was one of the biggest reasons, she is now at the Seoul's airport, waiting for someone to pick her up. She was looking between many of available signs with names, for her own. It took her some time, until she finally saw her name scribbled on the cardboard, taking her suitcase and making her way towards that person.

"I'm Kim Dee," she introduced herself to a man in his thirties, with messy longish hair, of washed out green colour. He glanced at her, after he slipped his sunglasses all the way on the tip of his nose, checking her out, without any shame.

"Are you sure?" he said in the end of the weird inspection. She couldn't help and feel annoyed.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure," she was talking English, still not switching into the Korean, knowing exactly what is he thinking.

"I was told she can talk Korean," he murmured to himself, causing her to roll her eyes.

"I speak Korean, I was just testing you. I'm tired, so can we proceed?" she finally told him in Korean, when his eyebrows shot up, opening his mouth slightly. His facial expression completely changed, when he realized it's actually her.

"Sure, let me take your luggage. My car is outside," he changed from mighty looking businessman to helpful elf within a second, which almost made her laugh, shaking a bit of her nervousness away. She followed him, when he took away her suitcase and made his way out of the terminal. She sat in a back, while he stuck her suitcase in a boot of the car and then made himself comfortable on the driver's seat.

"I  was told, that I have to first visit the company building and I will be able to settle in the dorm, but is it possible to skip it?" she asked. She really wanted to postpone the inevitable as much as possible, even if it made her look like chicken.

"I'm sorry miss, I have to take you there first. People from legal department, always want to have everything under the control and even you are a bit of a exception, they don't like to play around. They need your sign," he explained kindly.

"I understand. I'm sorry I didn't even ask your name," she realized, that she was a bit rude.

"Don't worry, I'm nobody, I'm just porter, doorman, sometimes bodyguard, I'm the ears and eyes of the company. Simply, I am Nam Ki Tae, nice to finally meet you, everyone is very excited to see you," he winked at her through the rear mirror. He definitely was easy person to talk to, even though he kind of looked like Joker, without all the messy make up. If he ever utter the "why so serious" line, she will go crazy.

"Nice to meet you. And what do you mean by, everyone. I'm just one new trainee in the sea of them," she didn't like that idea, that there is bunch of "everyone" expecting her. She wanted to go through the necessary without any problems and it didn't look like it will work for her.

"You are exceptional trainee, there is only you, who came into the company, the way you do right now," he said excited, while his focus was set on the road in front of him. So Baekhyun's ticket to the better future for her, includes even this? Her stomach squeezed in panic.

She didn't dare to say another word and just looked quietly out of the window, watching passing scenario. It didn't take too long, until they found themselves in the middle of the Seoul's busy streets. Last time she didn't sit in the sumptuous looking car, instead she was sitting in the airport shuttle, with excited heart, being happy to be here.

This time, she was just nervous; nothing else could beat that feeling.

In the next five minutes, they stopped in front of the unfamiliar building. She peaked out of her passenger window, spotting the white sign, saying SM Entertainment all the way on the top of, at least ten floor tall glassy building. Nam Ki Tae, started driving again, after he spoke with someone on the phone, when he got to the big metal gate, which was now rolling up, so they can go down to the underground parking lot.

"I will leave you suitcase in the car and escort you inside," Nam Ki Tae said, when he opened her door. She grabbed her handbag and let him lead the way to the elevator, which took them to the sixth floor. They went through some kind of welcoming hall, nodding at the secretary sitting behind the desk, continuing to the section with offices, she was guessing, when they stop in front of wooden door. Nam Ki Tae knocked on them.

"I will wait here for you," he said, when they heard voice from inside, saying to come in. She nodded at him and went inside, closing the door behind her. She saw women getting up from her seat behind huge desk, walking around it, straight to her.

"Good afternoon, I'm Park Hye, the lead head of legal department. Welcome in SMent, please sit down miss Kim," she said, when she bowed her head, pointing at the seat by another huge table in the room. Dee didn't say a word and followed Park Hye's instruction, while the woman sat on the opposite side, with stock of papers in her hands. She looked like she had done that countless times.

"I hope you flight was pleasant," Park Hye said, while not even bothering lifting her eyes from the papers, she now organized into few piles.

"It was, thank you," she didn't know what else to say.

"Alright, let's get to it," she started. In the next hour she thought her head is going to explode from all the stuff she had to listen and remember. "Here is your copy of the contract, please read it carefully. Once you sign it, the termination fee is ridiculously high to just end it and the same goes for the company. There is no way for either of the party, to just end the contract, without consequences," she got warned, once she had her pile of papers on her side of the table. "I suppose you already know the important, but I still have to go through all the aspects again," Park Hye continued, almost without a break for Dee to think. Baekhyun already gave her idea, what is it going to be like to be trainee in SMent, she wasn't scared, even after hearing it, that means she can do it.

"Contract will terminate after two years, even if you are chosen to be in a group, individual, or if you end up leaving. In case of you staying, there will be renewal of the contract, but there is no point of tell you that now," Dee was glad, Baekhyun found the time to tell her some information, she remembered her surprise, when he said the basic period for trainees is two years. She didn't want to start screaming at her, like she did with Baekhyun.

The legal woman didn't waste any time and tell her all about what is expected from her, including her schedules, singing classes, playing on any instrument, gym, language, dance class and other stuff she couldn't remember. She wasn't afraid of any of those things, except one. Dancing. She was rubbish at it. She never could move and she was sure, she never will. But she was ready to work hard.

"I see side note here, that you wish to attend the private distance school. Seniors didn't like that idea, but it was already negotiated that you are able to, but all in your own spare time," Park Hye said, when she stumbled over the little catch, Dee created. She was pleased; she got what she wished for.

After few warnings, and list of what she can and cannot doo, she got to take a pen and seal her fate here. After that she was excused, with her paperwork.

Nam Ki Tae picked her up and drove to place, she is going to live at, for next two years.
She didn't pay much of a attention to her surrounding when she finally got to the house, which didn't look all that bad. Nam Ki Tae helped her with her luggage, all the way to her room, as it looked like he got the instruction.

"Here is the key from the house. There is no one here at the moment, everyone has their schedules, but from what I know, you have this room to yourself for now, anyway," he informed her, while she was looking around cozy looking room, with two single beds. She was glad, she is on her own.

"Thank you, I guess I will be seeing you often," she smiled at her driver for today.

"I guess we will. Have rest for today, you won't have much, once you start," he advised her and left her alone. She walked farther into her room, noticing something on one of the beds.

"No way..." she murmured and looked at the box closely. It was paper case, which contained her favourite lemon maroon cheesecake and plastic spoon. "How did this end up here?" she smiled, opening the box, ready to eat the whole thing straight away. Before she put the first bit in her mouth, she pulled out her phone and took a photo of herself with the cake on the spoon, typing thank you under it.

And that was the first time she sent picture of herself, to Baekhyun.

~~~

- I realise that this chapter is wholly about nothing, and about everything  at the same time hah, but it was necessary.. I was struggling to keep the length of the chapter this way, as I was planning to describe exactly what is it gonna be for her to be trainee (I've done my research hah), but then I kept the usual lengtht, deciding to follow my plan gradually. I know Baek is nowhere to be seen for two chaps now but no worries he might be in the next one... He might 💜

You found out this is not the first time Dee is in Seoul.. That probably gives you many ideas about her connection with Baek... I'm not gonna say anything just, whatever you think it is... It's most likely not it😀 I'm mean😈

Next chap will be more fun, just saying 👌🔥

Until next time!
Love ya fam!