Mark threw the pen down in frustration. He had spent the last two hours trying to write some lyrics but nothing was good enough. Half of the members had no schedules today and decided to make the most of their day off. Youngjae and Yugyeom went to the agency to practice on their own and JB said something about meeting a friend for lunch. The other three had schedules and were not going to be home until night time.  Flipping the notebook close, he grabbed his phone and sprawled out on his bed.

He had been feeling a little down lately. Originally, he wanted to go with Youngjae and Yugyeom to go practice but he was told to stay home and rest. All because he sprained his leg when he was learning a new martial art trick. He didn’t think it was that bad and the doctors said it would heal quickly but the managers and his band members had teamed up against him. They didn’t want him to aggravate it and would not let him practice. Instead, he was stuck in the corner watching Yugyeom trying to learn the trick in his place. He didn’t like it. It was his job as the oldest to do the dangerous stunts so the youngest wouldn’t have to but he insisted on trying. Mark was scared he would get hurt too.

“Mark?” he looked up and saw Selena poking her head in the room to check on him. “I made som –“

She stopped midway and he saw her looking at the mess on his desk. There was crumpled paper all over the place. Some had fallen on the floor. He was waiting for a scolding knowing how much she liked cleanliness but instead, she walked in and started to pick up the mess on the floor.

“Noonnnnaaa, leave it. I’ll clean it later,” Mark sat up quickly trying to get her to stop. She shot him a warning look and Mark knew better than to say anything else. He sat there fidgeting as she quickly cleaned the mess and threw away the trash. He still wasn’t used to having her around as their manager and caretaker. They had started getting more and more individual activities and Seunghoon hyung was having trouble managing all of it. That and PD-nim insisted they needed a caretaker. Something about having someone there to watch out for them in case something happened to them which was just odd in and of itself since she was so much smaller and shorter than all of them. But he knew better than to underestimate her. Yes – he had watched her bring down someone twice her size multiple times and was in awe of it each time. Quite honestly, it would be quite scary if they didn’t know and interact with the other side of her – the loving, nurturing side of her who made sure they were fed and taken care of. The side that always knew what they needed and provided it without them asking.

Don’t get him wrong. It was nice having another one person taking care of them but sometimes it was all too much for him. Like right now. After she was done cleaning his mess, she proceeded to kneel in front of him and check his ankle. Turning slightly red, Mark whined and tried to squirm away from her. He was the oldest and he didn’t need to be taken care of! “Noonnnnnaaaa.”

She pinched his uninjured leg to stop him from squirming and after she was satisfied with her check, she finally looked at Mark frowning petulantly. He could tell she was trying hard not to laugh at him as she bit her lips and her face twitched slightly.

“It’s healing. Be patient,” she got up and headed towards the door. “Think you can make it to the kitchen?”

Mark huffed exasperated and followed her out of the room. That was the thing with her. She never went overboard with taking care of them. Every once in awhile, she would fuss over them but at the same time, she expected a lot out of them and respected their need for space. It was refreshing and he was just glad she wasn’t totally babying him like everyone else was with his injury. As he approached the kitchen, he could smell the sweet aroma of one of his favorite dishes.

“You made it?” his mouth was watering as soon as he saw the pot of beef soup and a bowl of noodles waiting for him on the counter. Brushing past Selena who was leaning against the kitchen entrance, he grabbed the bowl and scooped out some soup from the pot. Bringing it to the dining table, he ate noisily as he slurped the soup. She joined him with a bowl of soup on the other side of the table. “It tastes like mom’s! Thanks noona.”

She merely shrugged and went back eating but Mark could see the slight smile on her face. She always knew he or the other members were down but she never forced them to talk about it and for that he was grateful. Sometimes, he just wanted silent companionship. And as much as he complained about how he didn’t need to be taken care of, he secretly enjoyed the attention and really did appreciate all the little things she did for him and s. She was there for them and that’s all that mattered.

.

“Gyeomieee!!!” Yugyeom eyed Selena with caution as she approached him. Was she doing aegyo on him? She rarely did aegyo and he wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. He had spent the last 2 hours practicing and was quite spent. Earlier, he was scolded by his instructors which resulted in the two hour practice and he was not in the mood to do anything right now. He was so strung up and frustrated with his lack of progress. The frustration settled uncomfortably in his chest and the feeling was suffocating.

By now, Selena was right next to him tugging at his sleeves and pouting. Yugyeom scowled and considered ignoring her but he knew she wouldn’t leave him alone. Was this the same person who was in the practice room with them earlier? The same person who may or may not have chewed out his instructors’ for pushing him to do same stunt that landed Mark with an injured ankle? She was livid and so were s. He could barely flip and was still traumatized from his previous experience yet they kept pushing him to try such a difficult move. It was a miracle he didn’t injure himself during practice.

“Yugyeom .. can you help noona beat this game? I seriously can’t beat it.” She had thrown him a pout and he was already walking to the gaming console to set up the game. He didn’t know why but he could never say no to her. Maybe it was because she always knew what to do and knew how to take care of them but he knew he was just as equally protective of her as she was towards them. So even if he was a little obstinate towards his hyungs, he always listened to her without question even if he was slightly unwilling. As he set up the game for two players, she had brought out some snacks and drinks to eat while playing. Mark had also come out of his room and sat on the couch. Yugyeom handed him a controller expectantly but Mark shook his head.

“You play,” Mark patted his thigh comfortingly and he knew that Mark had heard about practice. But before he could say anything, Selena had sat down next to him and grabbed the other controller. They started to play and Yugyeom was starting to understand why she asked for help.

“NOONA!!” he started to whine after they had lost for the third time in a row.  He had restarted the level again but she was literally hitting buttons and Mark was sitting next to him laughing at how horribly they were doing. No wonder she couldn’t beat this game. “You can’t just go up to them and punch them!”

“Why not?” she was so focused on the game and was still jabbing the controller furiously as if it would help her magically win. He watched as her character would run out and punch the enemy only to be surrounded. She would them scream as she attempted to flee. It was quite funny how bad she was. She couldn’t even run through the door. “AHH. Get away!! NOOOOO! Yuggieee save meeee!!!”

Yugyeom was so close to face palming when they lost yet another round. Mark was howling hysterically next to him and by now, Youngjae and Bambam had come out to see what w