CHAPTER 38

[Sol Han Na’s POV]

We were happily hanging out at the cafeteria when Manager Song arrived with a huge smile on her face.

“I have good news,” she said as she took a vacant chair from the nearby table and sat.

“How good, Manager?” Suho asked, his tone masked with distrust.

“Ohh, Manager Ji Hye always scares me when she’s like that,” Sehun commented with a frown.

“She keeps on saying good news but it always ends up being bad,” Kai added, slowly pushing his chair away from the table.  

Manager simply rolled her eyes and ignored the members’ commentaries. She leaned in on the table and whispered, “The schedule of the SM Town Live World Tour is already announced.”

“World Tour?!” the boys exclaimed in unison. All of them had their eyes wide open. Some even stood up from their seats. I stared at them blankly, unsure what the fuss is all about.

Meanwhile, Manager Song nodded her head – obviously delighted.

“When’s it going to be, Manager?” Luhan asked, worry evident in his voice.

“2 months from now. The concert kick-off will take place here in Seoul. Then we’ll start going global,” she answered and I noticed the strong emphasis she gave to the word ‘global’. She seemed utterly excited by the idea.

“But what about our concert?” Xiumin suddenly spoke.

“Your concert will proceed as planned,” she replied calmly and I watched as the members’ faces turn ashen.

“What’s wrong?” Manager Song demanded after witnessing their expressions.

“You’re giving us a suicide schedule, Manager,” Tao complained and deep inside, I can’t say I don’t understand them. Doing two concerts at the same time really sounds like a suicide mission for me.

“Oh, you can do it!” Manager Song prodded. “Just imagine the tons of people who’d be happy to see you. Imagine your fans! Imagine the number of places you can visit!”

“Yeah. Well, all I can imagine is how dead-tired we’ll all be,” Luhan murmured to himself but was still loud enough for all of us to hear.

“Luhan,” Manager called, her tone consoling. “We have no choice, okay? It’s already been announced and finalized. Don’t worry. I’ll try to get you guys as much rest time as I can. I’ll never abandon you, I promise.”

The boys turned silent but worry and fear still remained on their faces.

Manager Song clapped her hands and faced me.

“I almost forgot. This is the first time you’re flying overseas, right, Hanna?” she asked, obviously trying to brighten up the mood.

I nodded my head in embarrassment.

Goodness. To be perfectly honest, Seoul has only been the farthest place I’ve ever been to from home. I’ve been stuck in Jeju for all my life.

“See? Imagine the amount of experiences you’ll be gaining here!” Manager Song continued, her hands flying animatedly in the air.

I wasn’t quite listening to what she was saying when I suddenly felt her hands wound around mine.

“I’m going to make sure to get you lots of time onstage, okay?” she said, her eyes burning with strong desire. “I’m going to get you as much performances as I can. We’re going to make this memorable for you, sweetie.”

At that, the boys livened up. They began sharing their thoughts about what kind of performances they think I should do, what suits me best, what would make me shine, etc. etc.

We were all so indulged in our conversation that we didn’t even noticed we’ve already had visitors.

“Looks like you’re already planning the concert out, Manager Song,” a familiar voice spoke – a voice that automatically sent shivers running down my spine.

Manager Song looked up from her seat to stare at the uninvited guest.

“We are, Taeyeon,” she confidently answered. I don’t know if it was only me, but the two of them seemed to be having a psychological battle right before us. What’s up with them?

“We’re planning what kind of performances we should give our Hanna. We want this to be extra-special for her,” Manager Song continued, making me gulp. Why does she have to involve me in this? She knows how much Taeyeon undermines me.

Taeyeon smiled a sweet smile but an alarm inside my head automatically goes off, saying it’s fake – that smile is totally fake.

“Oh, I see,” she murmured as her eyes moved towards me, suddenly making me feel like a prey trapped by my predator. Inclining her head to the side, she spoke again, “I heard we’ll be making a collaboration.”

My eyes widened in surprise.

“Co-Collaboration?” I repeated, unsure if I heard the right thing.

Taeyeon smiled again and I saw from the corner of my eye how Tiffany grabbed her wrist. She seemed to be stopping her from doing something.

“Yes, darling,” Taeyeon continued with her slow torture. “I heard some of the chosen directors talking about it. Isn’t it exciting?”

No. It’s not. It isn’t exciting at the least bit, was what I wanted to tell her.

But instead, “Ah… Y-Yes, eonnie… It’s exciting…”

Taeyeon seemed to be planning to say something more when Tiffany suddenly stepped in, cutting her off.

“I think we’d better go, guys, we still got some stuffs to do. Comeback’s coming soon and you know how hectic preparations can be,” she awkwardly said, obviously just trying to get away. Tiffany bowed, forced Taeyeon to do the same, then scampered away; leaving all of us dumbfounded.

“What’s up with those noonas?” Chanyeol spoke, breaking the ice.

“She’s really looking for trouble, is she?” I heard Manager Song mutter, making my eyes immediately dart off towards her. She’s looking at something far away and when I checked to see what it was, I realized it’s Tiffany and Taeyeon’s figures retreating from a distance.

I gulped, suddenly feeling nervous.

“You okay, Manager?” I asked, trying to catch her attention.

She blinked and after a moment of daze, she answered, “Yeah. I better go.”

She stood up from her seat and all of us immediately did the same.

“No. No. Sit down,” she ordered, shaking her head. “Continue with your break. I just need to return to my office. See you later.”

All of us bowed our heads and sat back down just as she ordered. But just before Manager Song was able to leave us, Baekhyun stood up again and followed her.

“Can I talk to you for a sec, Manager?” he said and instantly, they left.

***

[Byun Baek Hyun’s POV]

“Don’t you think it’s weird, Manager? That she hadn’