“Rain”

               It has been over a week since I started working for EXO and I’m really starting to miss being in control of the things that I handle. Being involved with the music industry is no joke and I regret ever thinking little of music celebrities in the past. I’ve been jumping from one country to the other with EXO, and they’ve been performing with all their might. It’s a blessing if they get to go to an event where they’ll just attend and not perform. The travel always serves as a time for rest for everyone, including me. Though, I’ve been developing coughing fits during every arrival—I guess I’m not used to travelling too often yet.

               Though, seeing EXO perform and watching the audience cheer for them is truly magical. Somehow, I could feel the rush that EXO probably feels whenever they’re on stage while I watch them. It’s an exciting life, but I’m not sure if it’s a life for me.

               Besides, EXO’s fanbase is still trying to wrap their heads around the fact that I’m EXO’s new nanny so my journey with EXO hasn’t been peaceful on social media. SME was kind enough to make an announcement, clarifying my purpose and clarifying that I am not anyone’s girlfriend to calm the fans down. The boys made sure to show me the state of my name on social media, too, wherein a lot of fans are still questioning why I look so close to them already.

               Kudos to them, though, for being able to track us down everywhere we go. I’ve been careful not to stick around the members too closely while out in public but the boys make it far too hard to do.

               Anyway, that shouldn’t bother me too much because I have far more on my hands than fans following us around. EXO had just finished their performance in China and everyone is cranky. They were asked to practice late last night and they probably didn’t get enough rest. Now, they’re crammed in a dressing room, complaining about when they’ll be able to go back to the hotel to rest.

               “My arms feel heavy,” I hear Xiumin complain as he slumps down the sofa next to me, still drenched in sweat. “My head hurts, too.”

               “I’m sure our will get here soon,” I say, trying to reassure all of them as most of the members are pacing impatiently in front of me, “I can order some food if you guys want me to.”

               “But we’re not hungry—we’re tired,” Kyungsoo whines as he takes a seat next to me as well before resting his head on my shoulder. He looks up to me and I swear he perfected the puppy-dog-eyes, “Noona, I want to sleep now.”

               I place a hand on his head as I coo, “You can take a nap, don’t worry. I won’t move.”

               I then hear a flash go off before spotting Chen with a phone aimed at me. He snickers as he checks the picture he had just taken, “Aw, Noona, you look really cute here!”

               “Chen, please don’t post that on social media,” I say, almost whining but making sure that I won’t disturb the already napping Kyungsoo on my shoulder. “Delete that now.”

               Chen sticks out his tongue at me, “No! You look cute and DO is sleeping on your shoulder!”

               “Delete that, please! I don’t want to upset more EXO-Ls—!”

               “Just delete it already and keep quiet!” Kai suddenly shouts while sitting on another sofa opposite from ours, next to Chanyeol, Sehun and Lay. He then glares at me, “Is it so much to ask of some peace and quiet from you?”

               I glare back at him. I guess someone’s extra cranky tonight.

               Though, I don’t get a chance to snap back when Suho and Baekhyun enters the room, ready to usher us out. “The driver said he’s out in the parking lot already,” Suho announces. “We should hurry so let’s get going.”

               The members wasted no time and followed Suho and Baekhyun out. DO follows behind me with a soft grip on my arm as he tries to recover from the daze of napping. Only the staff is left so it’s easy for us to make our way out without being blinded by camera flashes.

               Though, once outside, we’re welcomed by the dampness of the air and splashes due to heavy rain. The wind is cool and strong, and it almost blew my skirt up if my hand had not reacted fast. I hear most of the members whine as they see the driver approach with only one large umbrella. He gestured for us to start walking closer and told us that he’ll everyone into the van one-by-one.

               Everyone’s in a hurry, though, so everyone proceeds to grab a partner to share the umbrella with. Suho grabs Lay, Chen grabs Xiumin, Chanyeol grabs Baekhyun and Sehun grabs Kai. I stick with Kyungsoo, of course, because he’s already holding my arm. Suho and Lay go first, easily getting into the car without getting wet.

               Unfortunately, Chen and Xiumin have other plans. Once out in the rain under an umbrella, Chen proceeds to stomp on the slightly flooded ground, hence getting Xiumin wet with rain water. He retaliates, of course, until they’re both fully under the rain. I shout at them, along with our , but they don’t seem to hear us.

               They’re both laughing like kids until the other members gradually joined in, Suho and Lay being the last ones to jump out into the rain. Jumping, splashing and laughing out their hearts, I watch as these grown men release stress into the rain. Thankfully, no one else is out to see these dorks have fun.

               I laugh as I continue to watch them enjoy a little free time until I feel Kyungsoo pulling my arm. I look at him, confused as he continues to pull, “You can go ahead, DO. I’ll stay here.”

               Kyungsoo flashes his eyes at me again, “Join us, Noona! Have some fun once in a while!”

               My jaw drops at his suggestion until he successfully pulls me under the rain. I shiver at the immediate touch of the harsh raindrops, taking only seconds until I’m completely drenched. I hear our laugh as everyone watches me stand there like a lost child.

               Then, the boys begin to jump around again as they approach me, pulling me out further with them. I laugh, genuinely, as I get pulled, hugged and held around to join their frenzy.

               Kai even takes a break to laugh at me while Sehun attaches himself on my back, pulling me around as they all sang broken lyrics from various EXO songs.

               I don’t think I’ve ever been able to have fun under the rain like this when I was a kid. Connor and I made sure that we used our time efficiently, even at a young age. We barely allowed ourselves to let loose but that was never a problem to me, to us.

               Though, I’m glad I get to experience this kind of fun, this freedom, with these nine boys.

~-~-~-~

               EXO and I return to the hospital drenched from head to toe—a sentence I never thought would actually make sense and one that I never thought I’d actually say. Our driver drove as fast as he could; probably scared to us all back wet and late. Though, Suho and I made sure to send a message, updating about where we were.

               We head straight back to their hotel room after running into room service and asking for extra towels, hot drinks and dinner. Obviously, we weren’t able to order our own food so hotel food will have to do. Plus, it’s still raining outside and the boys didn’t want to ask the staff to go get food for them under that downpour.

               We enter their room and I sigh in relief—Mr. Tak isn’t here so that means I’m not in trouble. The boys rush to take a seat, tired and hungry, with their towels in their hands. If I didn’t know better, I would have never thought that these rain-soaked men had just finished a performance in front of thousands of people.

               Immediately after getting comfortable on the couch, I see Lay pull out his phone and starts dialing. I let out a loud “tsk” sound to get his attention, “You should leave all the arrangements to me. You should just rest.”

               “I can’t yet, Noona,” Lay childishly whines. “I need to make arrangements for tomorrow, so I know when I’ll be escorted.”

               “Escorted?” I ask, confused. “EXO’s going to be escorted at eight tomorrow morning—”

               “No, I mean, just me,” Lay explains with a guilty smile, “Mr. Tak clearly forgot to tell you that I need to attend to another project here in China tomorrow.”

               My shoulders drop in disbelief, “You’re not coming with us to Korea?”

               “No, but I’ll be right behind EXO. I’ll be at the last show, I promise,” Lay tries to reassure me. “Noona, you don’t have to worry.”

               I give him a small nod before he goes back to his phone. Well, that’s one less EXO member for now.

               “Noona, you might catch a cold,” Sehun suddenly says from behind me before placing a fresh towel on my head. He then proceeds to ruffle my hair with it, drying it. “I can’t believe DO-hyung dragged you out under the rain. Now you’re soaked, too!”

               I let out a laugh before turning around with my hand on the towel on my head. Sehun towers in front of me, and only now do I realize how tall he is. He has a towel on his head, as well, but it doesn’t help much because water is still dripping from the ends of his hair. “You should be drying yourself off—you might catch a cold.”

               Sehun pouts at me, “But Suho-hyung told me to get you a towel.”

               I turn around momentarily to see Suho pacing behind the sofa where the rest of the members are all crammed on. He’s on his phone, probably helping with the arrangements for our next flight. His towel is on his shoulder and he probably hasn’t even attempted to dry himself off.

               I turn back to Sehun, raising a brow, “Did he really tell you to do that?”

               Sehun takes a moment before smiling shyly, “No, but he doesn’t have to.”

               I smack his shoulder playfully, making him flinch a little, “I should be taking care of you—of all of you—not the other way around.”

               Sehun just laughs but I know he won’t drop the brotherly love anytime soon.

               He was just about to say something to me again when the door to their hotel room opened. Both Sehun and I turn around, along with the eyes of the rest of EXO, to see who has entered. My heart drops when my eyes fall onto a familiar dark haired man. You know that feeling you get when you miss the last step on the stairs, and your foot falls to the ground?

               Keith. He’s back and he’s in Asia now, instead of being in Europe where he should be.

               Keith smiles at me slyly, and gestures for me to approach him, “A word with you, please?”

               I gulp—hard. I drag the towel down from my head to my shoulder, making Sehun pull his hands away. I take slow steps, approaching the door with Keith standing aside, giving me space to walk out. My heart continues to pound as I take a few more steps out the door. I can feel nine pairs of eyes watching me leave, so I try my best not to tense up.

               Keith waves at the boys for a second before closing the door behind him. I try not to flinch as he approaches me with a fake smile plastered on his face.

               “So, how’ve you been, Alice?” he asks me in English without actual concern in his voice. “Are you enjoying your stay with EXO?”

               “It has been manageable,” I say almost quietly as I try to end the conversation with him as soon as I can. “They actually need me in there right now because we need to get ready for our next flight.”

               “Responsible and organized as always,” he comments before he reaches a hand towards me. This time, I actually flinch as he takes the tip of a damp strand of my hair in between two of his fingers. “But you’re surprisingly reckless. You’re lucky Mr. Tak didn’t catch you playing hooky with them before traveling back here. You love risking those odds, don’t you?”

               “W-We weren’t playing hooky,” I stutter out. “They were just having a little fun under the rain before going back—”

               “So, you were trying to get them sick?” he accuses as he flicks the strand of hair away, startling me. “You’re really trying your best to mess up, Alice.”

               “That’s not true—!”

               He turns his back at me, stopping my words, “You’re clearly not fit to handle these nine men. I’ll have you transferred to a different position in SME.”

               I feel my heart sink as his words echo in my ears. He smiles at me, taunting me, as I stutter out words, “Y-You can’t do that. I’m fine with EXO!”

               “No, you’re clearly not fine with EXO,” he says, scoffing. “You don’t take your job seriously here. Clearly, the fact that everyone who has eyes on EXO has eyes on you as well hasn’t lingered in your head yet.”

               “I-I know my responsibilities,” I try to argue. “A-And you can’t transfer me away from EXO; we still have a few more shows before their break—!”

               “That’s why I’ll transfer you when their break starts!” Keith says happily, throwing his hands up like he just made the brightest idea of the day. “Hassle free, Alice.”

               My lips begin to quiver, in fear clearly, as my mind rushes to try to argue with him further. He can’t do this to me! I’m finally getting used to EXO and then he gets to rip the rug from under my feet? I glare at him, but I gulp at the look he’s giving me as well. Like he’s daring me to fight back.

               “Y-You’re just afraid to lose the company, that’s why you’re trying to control me,” I finally say, as my heart beats seemingly faster than ever before. “The company that you’re actively neglecting by being here—”

               A familiar sharp pain invades my cheek once again as I fall to the ground. My hand instantly flies up to where the pain is coming from as I look up only to see Keith giving me a death glare. He backhanded me. Again.

               Keith kneels down before grabbing a handful of my hair. He pulls, making me want to scream but I my lips in. He laughs before practically snarling at me, “Didn’t I tell you not to talk back to me like that? Your fate in SM Entertainment lies with me, so you better remember that. I’ll transfer you if I want to, and I will. So say your pretty little good-byes to your boys soon.”

               With that, he throws me to the ground again, jogging my head a little too hard. He then leaves without even giving me another glance, confident that he doesn’t need to intimidate me further—that he has me wrapped around his finger.

               And he’s right.

               It takes me a few minutes before I gather my strength and return to EXO’s room. All heads turn to me with a smile and I fake a smile back.

               My eyes travel to Suho, who has finally gotten off the phone but is suspiciously leaning on the couch with his hands to support him. He has his head down and was obviously breathing heavily and a bit too fast.

               The pain on my cheek seemingly disappears for a moment as I call out to him, “Suho—?”

               His name is the only thing to leave my lips before Suho faints and hits the ground.