Chapter Nine

 

A few odd seconds went by with Ileana and Kai processing each other. She thought something was different about him. She couldn’t precisely put her finger on it, but this Kai fellow was definitely different from the men she’d already met on EXO.

Another ding came from the entrance of the shop, signaling a customer had entered. Kai politely bowed his head in a very precise manner before walking off toward the female customer who just entered. Ileana felt a hand press itself against the small of her back and direct her away. She looked over at Sehun curiously since he was guiding her in a hurried manner.

“What’s-“

“Sh. Remember what I said about not sticking out?” Sehun whispered directly in her ear. She looked down at herself and then understood his urgency. She went to look over her shoulder at the person who entered the shop. Kai was affectively keeping them occupied.

“Do you know her? Is she bad?” She whispered lowly, nodding in the customer’s direction.

“No, but caution is key.” Sehun successfully pulled her out of sight and into a different section of the shop. It was an empty room, which confused her. Sehun smirked and pointed to the roof. Looking up, she saw a string with a handle dangling from the ceiling. Sehun reached up and pulled down on it, which pulled down a set of stairs along with it. He motioned her to go first. She hesitantly went up the stairs with Sehun following closely behind her.

She stepped up onto a platform and observed her surroundings. She was in an entrance way of she presumed to be Sehun’s flat. There were shoes littering the floor around her and a coat rack to the left of her.

“Sorry it’s a little messy. I wasn’t exactly expecting visitors.” Sehun mumbled as he lightly pushed past her. He set his things down onto the floor and walked further into the apartment. She quickly followed after him and attempted to examine everything in sight.

It was spectacular. Much like the shop below, a random mix-match of furniture and accessories were scattered across the living space.  Sehun’s apartment certainly had character. 

“Ileana?” She turned her attention to Sehun who was facing her, with a towel in hand. “Here, you can go wash up in the bathroom. I’ll go to the shop and find a change of clothes for you. They’ll be placed outside the bathroom door before you’re done.” Sehun explained. His expression paused and he looked her up and down.

“What is it?” She asked, feeling slightly self-conscious by Sehun’s shameless scrutiny.

“I was trying to gage your size. It’s a bit difficult with your baggy clothes…” Sehun supplied, still running his eyes over her body. Her lips formed an O-shape. She took the end of my sweater and proceeded to take it off.

“Does this help?” She asked with only a thin tank top to cover her. Sehun’s eyes widened and reflexively glanced away from her. He looked back, especially focusing on her shoulder and collar bone area.

“It’s fine.” He mumbled, a tint of colour forming on his cheeks. “ The bathroom’s that way.” He pointed to the right, shoving the towel into her hands and then rushing past her to the stairs. She turned around and watched as Sehun pushed the stairs back up from the floor below. She looked down at herself and shrugged. 

She eventually found her way to the bathroom. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw that he had a shower like the ones back home. Making sure the door was firmly shut; she stripped and the shower. She stepped in and purred to herself as the pleasant warmth from the water rushed down on her. She scrubbed the dirt and grime away from her body. She examined the different bottles on the shower shelves behind her, not quite sure what was what. Either way, she chose a random three based on the colour and consistency. She shampooed, conditioned and used what she hoped was body wash. When she was all done, she turned the shower knob and the water stopped.

She stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel securely around herself. She made her way to the door and opened it. She saw a pile of neatly folded clothes to her left. She picked them up and closed the door. She was surprised to see women undergarments in the mix, but was thankful nonetheless. When she finished changing, she admired the clothing choice in the mirror. It wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be. Sehun gave her a royal blue button up shirt, which was slightly on the baggier side. She tucked the tails of it into her pants, which were making a statement with its thick black and white vertical stripes. She quickly braided her wet hair and exited the bathroom, with her towel and clothes in hand.

She walked into the living room and was surprised she didn’t see Sehun. She heard some clanking from the kitchen area. She put her stuff down onto the couch and made her way into the kitchen. She smiled at the sight before her. Sehun was wearing an apron and was stir-frying something over the stove. He took a sample of his cooking and pursed his eyebrows in thought.

“Is this too much spice?” He asked, taking another sample and holding it in her direction. She wasn’t aware he knew she was standing there. Either way, she made her way over and chomped down on…whatever it was. She chewed and swallowed. It was wonderful. The salt and spice mixed perfectly together. She looked up and smiled at him

“It tastes perfect! How did you make this?” She looked down at the frying pan in awe. She looked back up at Sehun and noticed his nostrils flare as he stared at her hair. She took a step back once noticing how close they were and scratched her head. “What is it?”

“You used my shampoo.” He stated and looked away, stir frying a little more aggressively.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t think you would have minded.” She frowned. He quickly shook his head and stared into her eyes.

“It’s not that. It’s just…it smells differently on you.” He mumbled and turned the stove off. He went to the cupboards and took out two plates.  He nodded his head to the kitchen table. She went over and sat down. Sehun later joined her with food filled plates and they quietly ate the meal. She insisted she clean the dishes but Sehun wouldn’t have it. So, they agreed that she would wash and he would dry. 

“So Sehun…” She was feeling a little awkward, especially since they haven’t spoken since they started eating. “Is Kai a friend of yours?” She blurted out without much thought. She inwardly grimaced.

“You could say that.” Sehun replied. She frowned. There was another silence between them.

“How did you two meet?” She asked, handing him a plate.

“In an alleyway.” Sehun supplied, while wiping the plate dry. She stopped cleaning the frying pan she grabbed and looked up at him with a confused expression.

“Do I get to hear a story behind that or what?” When she finished speaking, Sehun sighed and reached over her and finished cleaning the frying pan for her. She continued to stare at him, hoping he would feel it pierce through him.

“I just found him shut down in an alleyway. I took him here and fixed him. His memory slate was wiped, he didn’t remember where he came from or who created him. Since I just got promoted in the lab and was looking for someone to watch over the shop, I offered him a place to stay and work.” Sehun finished drying the frying pan and drained the sink. Wait…shut down? “Fixed” him? Memory slate? She thought.

“What do you mean by shut down?” She asked, taking a rag that Sehun offered to dry her hands.

“I meant shut down. Kai is a robot.” Sehun supplied and the pieces starting to fit together in her head. Though she was still in disbelief that a robot could look so realistic and function so much like a human would.

“A robot? But he’s so…real looking.” She leaned against the counter, placing the rag on it. Sehun nodded, looking pensive.

“He does, and that’s mostly because parts of him are derived from real human cells, which were modified to regenerate quicker and tougher. Robots like him are usually government made and are used for spying. They’re properly taken care of so, it’s rare for them to just be abandoned like he was. Either way, don’t mention it to Kai.  He’s sensitive to the fact that he’s different from others. He has his own friends and I leave him to his own devices. “ Sehun explained. She immediately nodded.

“Good, now-“ A telephone rang, pausing Sehun in his speech. He walked over to it and picked it up.

“Hello?”

“Yes, she’s here.”

“Yes, she ate.”

“Luhan, I’m not telling her that. What do you want?”

“Now?”

“Where?”

“Yeah I know where that is.”

“Okay, I’ll meet you in 20.” And Sehun hung up the phone. He raised an eyebrow at her, “What exactly did you do to him in the RV?”

“Oh, nothing.” She smirked evilly to the side. Sehun did the right thing not to question any further.

“Anyways, change of plans. I have to go meet up with Luhan. He managed to contact some people who might have some useful information for us.” Sehun explained and went to grab a coat. She quickly walked after him.

“And what about me?” She asked, “Am I coming?”

“No. You can’t come. It isn’t safe yet. We aren’t that close with these people and we don’t know how trustworthy they are.” He pushed down the staircase, “By the way, I found you some boots.” He pointed to the side where a pair of brown combat boots stood. Sehun started to walk down the stairs. She quickly shoved the boots on and rushed down after him.

“Are you going to be okay?” She asked, feeling slightly worried.

“We’ll be fine, we know how to handle them. So, don’t worry about us. In the meantime, you can help Kai out in the store. Just don’t…look so surprised when you hear something you’re not used to, okay?” Sehun pushed the staircase up and she continued to follow after him. They enter the shop and saw that Kai was cleaning the top of a table. He looked up and bowed his head to both of them.

“Where are you going?” Kai asked, taking in Sehun’s appearance.

“Out. I’ll need you to look after Ileana for a bit. Show her the ropes, will you?” Sehun replied. He grabbed a random hat off a coat rack and placing it on his head before exiting the shop. She stood there dumbfounded. She looked face Kai, who was openly observing her.

“Who are you?” He asked.

“Ileana.” She nervously replied. He’s a robot. He’s a robot. He’s a robot. She repeated in her head.

“I know that, who are you?” Kai walked around the table and made his way over to her. “You’re not the type Sehun usually brings over.” She felt her face flush probably 15 different kinds of red.

“OH, no! NO. I’m definitely not…um, I’m only his friend. We’re friends…helping each other out. I’m staying with him until further notice.” She lifted her hands in protest. “Um, so is there a job you need me to do? I can clean well.” She added, desperately trying to change the topic. He eyed her more closely.

“I’ve seen you before.” He said and leaned in close to her face, too close. She quickly took a step back and remembered the vision.

“I suppose you have.” She mumbled, making sure Kai didn’t advance too close.

“What was it, that connection?” Kai asked tilting his head in an almost adorable manner.

“I’m not sure. I don’t think anyone is. I just know that I’m probably connected to you and the others in some way.” She supplied, rubbing her elbow. She pulled up her sleeve and cursed under her breath. It had changed again.

“What’s that?” Kai leaned in to see what was on her elbow. When he saw it, he grabbed her arm and raised it closer to his face. “How did you get this?” He asked, staring at her with wide eyes before examining it more closely.

“I opened an envelope, that vision happened and then I was given a tattoo which changes on its own accord.”

“These aren’t supposed to be possible anymore. It requires far too much energy” Kai mumbled, rubbing his cold thumb over her tattoo.

“Wait,” She paused, “You know what this is?” She pointed to the mark. Kai nodded.

“You don’t?”

“No! Otherwise I wouldn’t be asking. What is it?” She tried to calm herself. Kai looked at it once more before meeting her gaze.

“It’s a progress tracking mark. It marks your progress on a task given to you by a divine power. And if I’m correct, it seems your task was given to you by the Tree of Life.” She quickly pulled her arm back and analyzed the tattoo closer. The small sapling grew into a more matured sapling from the night before.  She looked back up at Kai.

“What is the Tree of Life? How do you even know this?” She questioned. Kai sighed and looked her over.

“The Tree of Life is an old divine god and is considered the main raw energy source for EXO.” Kai paused. “I’m guessing Sehun told you about me…” Kai mumbled looking a little displeased. She bit her lip and nodded.  “Although my main memory slate was wiped when he found me, but the rest of my original database is fine. I know how to walk and talk. I know the history of EXO and how everything works. There’s some data I have that a lot of other humans have already forgotten. The Tree of Life and the progress mark being two pieces of data like that.” Kai explained.  She nodded, minding her tattoo. So, as long as the sapling continued to grow, she knew she was along the right track. What she once thought was a curse, was now a blessing.

“Thanks Kai, I’m glad you knew.” She replied, smiling a little at him. Kai nodded back.  “So, what do you do when you have no customers?” She asked, looking around the vacant shop.

“I clean. “ Kai commented, motioning to the table he was just cleaning.

“And if there’s nothing to clean?” She continued. There was a lot of mismatched items, placed around in a disarray but she couldn’t see one speck of dust. Kai hesitated for a moment before walking over to an old device that looked like a radio.

“Do you really want to know?” He asked with a smirk on his face as his fingertips glazing over the dials of the radio. She raised an eyebrow and nodded. He clicked down on one button and music began to play. She listened intently and found herself liking the song. Kai glided over to the coat rack smoothly. He took a white blazer down from it. “This… Is what I do when there aren’t any customers around.” And he danced.

His movements were swift, yet sharp at the right moments. He perfectly matched the tone of the music that was playing. He took the white blazer and started to dance with it as if it were a dance partner. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Such grace and confidence radiated off of him when he danced. It was like she was watching a completely different person.

Kai threw the blazer back on the coat rack and caught her eye. He smirked as he danced his way slickly over to her. She froze firmly in her place as she watched him dance around her.

 A breath caressing her neck.
 A brush against her lower back.
Fingers lightly touching her collar bone.

Oh my god, even robots have the moves on EXO. She thought. His hand ran down her arm and clasped her hand tightly, forcing her to face him. A hand was placed firmly against her waist, and she felt herself following his pace. She wasn’t a professional dancer by any means, but she knew the basics of how to follow someone. Kai twirled her, which made she giggle a little. Kai pulled her a little closer, having their foreheads touch. The smirk on his face was asking for her heart to beat faster, and boy, was it following its wish.

He swung her down and she let out a small squeak as she kicked her foot up. The song stopped at the time. Kai slowly brought her back up and made sure she was steady. He took a step back and bowed his head to her.

“Thank you for the dance. I thought I should take advantage of having a dance partner for once.” Kai smiled at her, resembling a small child. Her heart ached, realizing how much this boy loved to dance.

“You’re welcome. I’m not sure how good of a partner I was, but it was fun.” She replied, straightening out her outfit before flashing a smile.

“Oh, no. You were perfect.” Kai reassured her.

Ding

“Kai, my man! You coming out tonight? Lay’s supposed to be the guest dancer and-“ A boy rushed into the store and slapped Kai on the back with a brilliant smile. The boy froze when he saw her.

“Ah!” He explained when realization hit him. “You’re that girl I saw that one time.”

She looked over the boy’s features and started to recognize him as another one of the boys from the vision. She deemed him as the boy with the curious shaped eyes.

“I’m Xiumin.” He said cheerfully, putting out a hand. She reached forward and accepted his handshake.

“Ileana.” She replied with a small smile.

Xiumin looked between Kai and her excitedly. “So are you coming out tonight Kai? She can come too, I bet she’ll love it. And I know you’ve been waiting to battle it out with Lay for forever.” Kai bite his lip and looked at Ileana who was dumbfounded. Where did he want them to go?

“I guess I could close the shop a little early.” Kai sighed before cracking a wide smile, “But are you serious about Lay being there? I thought he was too chicken to face me.” Kai elbowed Xiumin and snickered before running over and turning off the lights in the window and locking the doors. Ileana looked between them in shock.

“B-But, shouldn’t we wait until Sehun comes back?” Ileana stuttered out as she saw Kai running around and cleaning things up.

“Sehun?” Xiumin commented, “Forget that crump. Come out with us, it’ll be fuuun.” Xiumin raised his eyebrows comically in her direction which made her hesitate even more.

“Kai-“

“It’ll be fine Ileana, I said I would take care of you when he was out. So, that means you have to come.” Kai said while he threw a checkered coat and checked himself out in a mirror.  She didn’t really feel like it was the best idea. She could just imagine Sehun’s wrath when they came back.

“Where are you going?” She asked, biting her bottom lip.

“Only one of the best dance clubs in Sector M.” Xiumin replied and high fived Kai. Her eyes grew in surprise. They were going to Sector M. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She thought back on her entering Sector K.

“Wait, do I need an ID to get in? Cause I lost mine. Darn, looks like I can’t-“ She stopped when Xiumin and Kai walked over to her and stood on either side of her.

“Sweetie, you don’t need ID when you’re with Xiumin the Great and Kai the Beast. Heck, you’ll be treated like a high officer.” Xiumin smirked and started to guide her to a door.

“Um, I’m still not sure-“

“Ileana.” Kai cut in, she looked over at him with panic evident in her eyes. “Relax. Let’s go have some fun. I doubt you’ve had any since you’ve been here.” His smile calmed her down and got her thinking.

He was right, she didn’t have any fun since she’s been here. She did like dancing. Clubs were all right when you went with male friends who looked out for you. She thought to Sehun and his angry expression. She shook her head, she’ll forget about him for now. She needs to let off some steam. So, she nodded.

“All right, let’s go.” 

 

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Oh hi :)

I haven't updated in a few days, so I offer you a longer than usual chapter. (Not because I couldn't find a good time until now to cut it off...pffft). If you interested in what her outfit looks like click here. 

I stalked tumblr for EXO's showcase info. A highlight:

Then I saw their Mama Teaser and was all:

Then I was like:

BECAUSE I WANTED TO TEAR MY STORY TO SHREADS AND REWRITE IT ALL OVER AGAIN. The teaser is so epic, my story cannot compare D: So many connections made. It was awesome. The only thing I guessed right was D.O's connection to the earth. Everything else...meh. So to conclude, the MAMA teaser will probably have little significance in this story. I'M SORRY, I can't just magically give people who I said didn't have powers, have powers. Damnit...

Also, I decided that this is going to be a fan service fan fiction. Because I subconsciously write like that apparently. So Ileana will have her moments with the majority of members, though she will end up with just one. Why? Because who the can pick a bias out of EXO? It's impossible.

Anyways...

Thanks for readdddinnnnng. Love to my subscribers and commenters <3 Let's have cyber children that will be fanfiction writing slaves? Too much? Okay...

Giveaway of the day:

Kisses from Suho. YOU'RE WELCOME.

kay, buh bye

ps: Photo obvi not mine. Want creds or them down? Tell me and I will do accordingly. 

pss: I keep adding more and more gif/pics. You likey? Or should I stop :(?