A/N: My story turned thirty today! Thank you for those who have been reading since the beginning and thank you to my new subscribers! Please don't be shy and comment your feelings, opinions, or anything at all, really. Hope you've been enjoying the story as much as I love writing it, lovelies! ►►►

Before I knew it, I fell asleep to me hugging my knees on the practice room floor. I could hear music playing and I couldn’t remember if I left music playing or not, but I was too exhausted to get up. Both mentally and physically. Then out of nowhere, I felt something cold touch my face, making me flinch and open my eyes.

            “Oh! Taemin Oppa, you’re here!” I sat up and took the iced can of coffee he was handing me. It’s still weird calling this baby maknae ‘Oppa’, but he is older than me so… push the weirdness aside! I was just so used to seeing him as the younger brother, even though he’s an older brother.

            “Sorry, I woke you, but it looked like you needed to drink something, you’re pale, Ellie-ah,” he said, sitting down on the floor across me. “Good thing the loud music didn’t wake you though, all the practice rooms are being used so I just came in here and saw you, so I just used it while you were sleeping, hahaha,” he chuckled to himself and stretched out his legs in front of him.

            “No no no, that’s okay. I didn’t even mean to fall asleep, I guess I was just tired,” I opened the coffee he gave me and gulped it down.

            “Yeah it looks like it… How’s being a trainee?” he looked at me worriedly. All I could do was sigh and he gave me a sympathetic look. “Aigoo… you must be sick of it already,” he said and stood up.

            “Uhh, not really… I like that I’m doing something I’ve always loved but to be evaluated on it everyday… it’s… well, it takes a lot out of me,” I sighed again.

            “I heard from T. Hyun Soo that your evaluation today was really good. Actually, he showed me the video. It seems like you’ve danced a lot, I really liked the choreography you made,” he said, nodding his head. I was honoured to hear such a compliment from one of the best dancers in the industry.

            “Do you wanna learn it? I need to make some changes to it too, maybe I could get some advice,” I said, getting up.

            “Oh really? That would be nice! I’m looking for something fresh anyways, my concert is coming up and I wanted to do something new. I need inspiration,” he got up as well and jogged to the speakers. “Do you have the song on you?” he asked, unplugging his phone from the speaker.

            “Yeah, here,” I threw my phone and hoped that he would catch it, but he didn’t.

            “Omo-yah!!” he said after picking it up as quick as he could. Still clumsy as ever. “Oh, it’s not broken! Thank God,” he said, wiping the screen. “Let me see it first and try to learn it while you dance,” he played the song and I started. Taemin made remarks like ‘whoaa’ ‘that’s good!’ ‘funky and groovy, I like it’ throughout my dance. When I finished the two minute dance, there was clapping, but it wasn’t from Taemin, but from Kibum??? I ran towards Key who had just entered the practice room with convenience store bags in one hand. I hugged him, even though I was as sweaty as I could be.

            “Hahaha, are you okay?” he said, after I pulled away. I sensed Taemin look away and check his phone.

            “Yeah… it’s just been a… bad day,” I gave him a quirky smile and put my head on his chest without touching any other part of him. He chuckled.

            “I brought snacks!?” he said, lifting up the bag. I stepped back and glared at him, then walked towards the speakers. Taemin passed me and walked to Kibum. “Do you know anything about the weight evaluation?” Key whispered to Taemin. I pretended not to hear and played the song again, to practice.

            “I talked to T. Hyun Soo, he said that Ellie talked back to T. Ye Jin…” Taemin replied loudly, so Kibum would be able to hear him over the music. I walked over in front of the mirror and dance the piece again. Then Taemin was beside me, trying to copy some of the moves. Kibum set down his bag and the snacks he got on the couch and walked towards us. He tried to learn the choreography with us and we ended up practicing for an hour before they both had it memorized. I kept playing the music and they perfected it by the time we sat down on the ground, gulping down water.

            “How come you’re here? You should be resting at home, you’re filming again tomorrow,” I tapped Key’s shoe with mine.

            “I wanted to see you, I haven’t seen you in days,” he said, crossing his legs. Taemin made a fake puking sound then Kibum hit him with his bottled water.

            “Ahh…” I said.

            “You look horrible,” Kibum said.       

            “Omo! You don’t say that!” Taemin pushed Key pretty hard.

            “Hahaha, it’s okay, I’m used to his…honesty, but yeah I know I look horrible, I’m tired and hungry, but I can’t rest and I can’t eat,” I laid on my stomach on the ground.

            “Can I ask how the weight evaluation went yet?” Kibum said and Taemin made a ‘tsk tsk’ sound.

            “Well, if you must know, it went very badly. I was supposed to lose 5kg this week, instead I gained it…” I mumbled quietly, hoping they wouldn’t hear me.

            “Oh,” they said at the same time. “You know, with all the dancing today, you probably already lost 2 kg, how ‘bout you eat one snack I bought? Just one? You look like you’re about to pass out, I swear,” Kibum walked over to his bag of snacks and pulled out a triangle Kimbap.

            “Can I have some?” Taemin asked. I looked at the kimbap, but held myself back. Taemin grabbed one that Key handed him and I just stared at the other one that Key was trying to hand me. I shook my head and stood up.

            “No, I’m gonna get yelled at again,” I turned away and looked at my reflection on the mirror. What’s become of me? I quit a good job, I started school last week and didn’t understand anything at all except my English class, I ended up training here, and the CEO hasn’t even published the article yet. Why hasn’t he done that? I agreed to be here and do this and I agreed to attend school here. The contract clearly stated that he would be publishing the article once I signed and I did that. Finally, I stood up faster than lightning and stormed out of the practice room. I didn’t look back to see Taemin and Key’s reaction, but they weren’t behind me. Good. I dialed Ji-Hye’s number and asked her to give the phone to her uncle, the CEO.

            “Yeoboseyo? Director, we need to talk,” I said firmly. I sat in the fire escape and let my voice echo through each flight of stairs.

            “What is this about Ellie? I’m a busy man,” he said calmly. He sounded like he was lounging on a hammock, what does he mean ‘busy man’.

            “Why haven’t you published the article?” I got straight to the point, despite my shaky voice.

            “I- I just haven’t gotten around to it,” he replied. My phone beeped and it was a text from Kibum asking me where I was, but I didn’t reply and proceeded to interrogate the great Director.

            “Why not? We’re tired of hiding and I’m doing everything you asked for,” I said, almost sounding like a whine.

            “Yes yes, I know, I’m really busy, I’m hanging up,” he said then all I heard was a dial tone. My phone rang again and I picked up, hoping it was the Director.

            “Ellie-yah, where did you go?” it was Kibum’s voice. I sighed and told him I was at the end of the hall, at the fire escape stairs, then there he was. I had no idea why but at this point I suddenly felt the overwhelming exhaustion, the stress from language barriers, the work, the secrecy. I watched Kibum rush to my side and before I knew it, everything had gone dark.

            “Uncle, you have to do it now, look at her. Why did you even blackmail her?? Stop postponing it, there's no reason to,” wait, that’s Ji-Hye’s voice… Why do my eyes feel so heavy? I’m trying so hard to open them but they.just.won’t.budge!

            “Blackmail?! Be careful with your words, Ji-hye-ah,” the Director’s voice gave me chills even with my eyes closed. Am I laying down?

            “Let’s go, you’re being too loud,” I listened to feet shuffling, then suddenly I felt a hand go up and down my arm.

            “Ellie, I told you not to do this trainee thing. You already knew how hard it was gonna be and now, look at you! You’re passed out from exhaustion or something! You know, Jinki Oppa told me about his enlistment and I guess I was already prepared for it… I just didn’t want it to happen yet… Especially since I just got here... I’ll talk to you more when you wake up, just rest sweetie,” there was no mistaking that was Kris. Nobody else spoke English and who else would kiss my cheek? Onew told her about his enlistment? I want to be there for her… I passed out?? When????

            “Ellie-ah, it’s Minho, Jonghyun, and Taemin here,” that was Minho’s voice.

            “I don’t think she can hear us, why are you talking?” Taemin said and I could already imagine him hitting Minho’s arm.

            “Sssshh, she’s tired, we shouldn’t be talking,” Jonghyun whispered. I heard chairs being pulled closer, scraping the floor of wherever we were. “Yah! Sssshh,” Jonghyun said again. I was guessing it was to Taemin. Then a television .

            “Yah, what did we just say,” Taemin said this time.

            “Oh, right,” Minho replied and the volume of the television decreased. Where’s Kibum?

            “I can’t believe Kibum went to work again… I can only imagine how lonely Ellie must be…” Jonghyun said. I tried to open my eyes and open my mouth to talk, but I don’t think it did anything.

            “Yeah… I found her sleeping on the floor inside the practice room the other day…She looked tired,” Taemin said quietly.

            “Kibum shouldn’t be working so much right now, I think Ellie needs him, she’s too nice to say anything,” Minho said. “But then again, she always says that more work is better because that’s just the nature of our jobs…” he added.

            “She’s right… If we’re not constantly working, we’re just… on a hiatus or something like that,” Taemin said.

            “Speaking of jobs, I have to leave soon, I have a radio appearance in two hours,” Jonghyun said, then nobody said anything. Did they fall asleep too? Suddenly a phone rang.

            “Mmm? Oh yeah we’re here, we kind of just fell asleep, talking.. Mm? Yeah she’s still out. I think she’s just really tired,” Jonghyun said softly into the phone. “I have to leave right now, but the other two here are asleep too,” he added. “Just call them later, they’re both tired… Yeah, no, Manager Hyung is, I think he’s already outside… Yeah…” then his voice faded out. Did he leave already?

 After that, I fell back asleep.