“Night Out”

               I’m definitely going to have my head handed to me on a plate when we get back to the hotel. After a rather long unnecessary discussion as to where the members what to go, they finally decide to stop by a club that I spotted. It’s not a club, per say; it’s more like a restaurant for social gatherings with a bar. It’s empty, too, which is not a surprise considering how late it already is. The bartender greeted us warmly and all the members took their seats at the bar. The driver took a seat at a table next to the door. I joined EXO at the bar, of course, sitting conveniently in the middle of the line of men.

               Each member has ordered their own drink and are now gulping them down. None are alcoholic, because Suho practically snarled at them when they tried to order one. A few shakes and sodas—pitiful, really, to see such tamed drinks on a bar in front of nine grown men.

               “So, what’s it like during your first official day with EXO?” Baekhyun asks, sitting to my left before taking another sip of his drink. “Did you enjoy it?”

               “It’s a lot more demanding than my previous profession, that’s for sure,” I say, laughing before raising a hand to look at my fingertips. “But I still get my hands dirty so that’s not very new.”

               “We need to get those checked soon, noona,” I hear Chanyeol declare, sitting next to Baekhyun. “Those might leave scars, you know.”

               “I don’t really mind scars,” I say, taking a sip of my own drink. “They’re just bruises on my fingers—”

               “But we do,” I hear Chen say, interrupting me at the end of the bar. “We don’t want you to have scars, nor get hurt again. You should be careful next time.”

               I stop for a moment before smiling at them shyly. It feels…warm…to have this much concern centered at me. I’m used to having my younger brother care about me this much but it’s different coming from strangers. I have nothing against it, though, but nor do I know how to respond to it.

               “Hey, does anyone want to play at the dart board with me?” I hear Lay ask, standing up and approaching the dartboard near where Chen is sitting. He picks up a bundle of darts for it and raises another bundle for anyone to take.

               Chanyeol stands up and takes them from Lay before nearly every member stands, joining the game. Xiumin even tries to steal the bundle from Chanyeol. It’s funny to look at, really—it’s like they have a hive-mind of a bunch of teenagers in grown men’s bodies.

               “Please don’t aim the darts at each other,” Suho reminds them with a chuckle. “And hurry up—we should already be at the hotel by now.”

               I remain seated, though, surprisingly next to Kai, who is next to Sehun. I turn to them, only to see Sehun looking at his hyungs and Kai looking at his drink blankly. Somehow, these maknaes look like they’re years apart. Kai looks far more serious than Sehun and that surprises me because he looks fairly jolly in most videos.

               “If you keep staring, I’ll poke your face with my straw,” Kai threatens without much intimidation. “Am I really so interesting to look at?”

               “I wasn’t looking at you,” I try to lie as I place a hand on my drink. “I was looking at your lame fruit shake.”

               Suddenly, Kai takes my drink, placing a hand over mine and takes a sip. I stare at him, astonished, before he scoffs, “Your drink is lame. It’s just plain soda.”

               I bring my drink closer to me as I smirk, “But mine tastes better.”

               “Joke’s on you, noona,” he says, laughing. “But my drink is tastier and healthier.”

               I grin at him as I laugh along, watching how his eyes would squint as he smiles, “I didn’t know you could smile.”

               “I didn’t know you’re competitive,” he says, grinning back. “You look pretty boring.”

               “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Kim Jongin,” I say as I stir my straw in my drink, making the ice crash against the glass. “And there’s a lot that I don’t know about you and why you’re so cold towards me. But I guess that’ll change eventually because we’ll be working together from now on.”

               Kai’s smile slowly fades as if he tried to keep it on but he failed. He heaves a small sigh before standing up and leaving the bar to join the others, “Don’t count on it.”

               I watch him as he leaves, surprised yet again by his sudden mood swing. He jokes with me, even invades my drink and then he gives me the cold shoulder once again. He’s worse than me when I’m on my period. What is his problem?

               “Don’t mind him,” I hear Sehun call out to me, snapping me back. “You’ll grow on him soon enough, noona.”

               I give him a laugh and a smile, “How come I can get along with everyone so quickly but not him? Is he always a special case?”

               “No, not always,” he says, smiling. “Just give him time, I guess. He’s a baby like me, after all.”

~-~-~-~

               Suho and I nearly dragged every member of EXO back into the van when we realized that we took up far too much time—more than we planned. I swear I was praying at the back of the van while the driver tried his best to drive as fast as he legally could. If this is how I’ll lose this job, I would not want to explain it to my father.

               After what felt like decades, we finally reach the hotel and we were practically running to get to their room. Though, my heart drops as we open the door to see Mr. Tak already waiting inside with his arms crossed. He stares at me but he doesn’t really look very angry—just a bit disappointed.

               Although, I still get to hear a booming voice, greeting me with an insult, “I didn’t know my cousin was such a pitiful slacker.”

               I feel my own pulse quicken as I turn to my right, only to see a face that’s far too familiar. Black hair and dark brown eyes. I wish it could have been my brother but my Connor is far more attractive than this man. Keith Harrison. What the hell is he doing here in Las Vegas?