Yellow is Malay. Blue is English. Purple is Korean. Red is Chinese. Green is Japanese. Turquoise is French.

 

EXO-K - Angel (Into Your World)

 

---

"SURPRISE!  WELCOME  BACK  HOME,  STEPHANIE~!!!"

 

You stood there, shocked, amazed, touched and utterly speechless.

 

Balloons were tied to every corner of the room.

Streamers were hung all over the walls, surrounding the whole room.

A huge banner saying, "Welcome back!" hung right in the middle of the living room.

21 guys you grew up to know stood in front of you.

Tao, who you recognized, was standing in the middle of the group of boys, holding a cake in his hands.

 

"Guys..."

 

You were so touched, you were speechless to even thank them.

 

They all knew what you felt and went over to you for a hug.

Even your cousins, who were standing behind you at the door, joined the group hug.

Tao was left alone at his previous spot, still holding the cake.

 

"Noona~ Don't I get a hug?"

 

Everyone pulled away from the hug and turned to face Tao.

30 pairs of eyes were on him.

 

"I stayed up all night baking this cake for Noona~."

 

Behind you, Lay and D.O. stared at Tao in disbelieve.

They folded their arms in front of their chests and wanted to hit Tao in the head for lying.

But wanting to know your opinion on their cake, they stayed low.

 

You went over to Tao and looked at the cake he was holding.

"A plain tiramisu cake..."

 

Tao frowned and looked like he was about to cry when he heard your monotone voice.

He was afraid you didn't like the cake.

 

"I love it! How did you know I love tiramisu cakes? Especially plain ones."

 

Tao sighed in relieve.

 

"Noona~ Don't scare me like that. I thought you didn't like the cake I baked."

"Hehe. Mianhae, Tao-yah. I just wanted to see your reacting."

 

Tao pouted but resumed to his normal, maknae self.

 

"Yah! Yah! What do you mean 'you baked that cake'? Lay hyung and I stayed up all night, perfecting that cake. You stayed up just to annoy us."

"Yeah! You didn't help at all."

"I didn't help because hyungs didn't let me."

"That's because every time you cook something, the kitchen ends up a big mess."

"At least you could've let me make the chocolate."

"Not a chance!" They both yelled.

 

Lay, D.O. and Tao kept arguing while you secretly took the cake from Tao and went to sit on a couch in the living room.

The rest let the trio fight it off and joined you to eat the cake.

 

While the trio fought, you and the rest of the guys chatted.

Your cousins went to their respected rooms to rest after a long journey from Lotte World.

U-Kiss, JB and JR decided to let EXO, excluding Chanyeol, hangout with you since they've been with you longer.

 

"You do still remember us, right?"

"Nope."

 

Their mouths slightly gaped open.

 

"I was just kidding, Kris. Of course I remember you guys. How could I forget my most talented cousin's group-mates?"

"True..."

 

"Is it okay to just leave them fighting like that, hyung?"

 

You glanced back at the quarreling trio and heard Tao complaining while Lay and D.O. kept disagreeing with Tao and only agreed with each other.

 

"As long as they don't start hitting each other, it's fine, Sehun-ah."

 

"Why do you like tiramisu cakes, Steph?"

"Well, Bacon, to me, the chocolate, cheese and coffee blends well together. The flavours aren't too sweet nor too bitter when you eat it so it's a pretty well-balanced cake."

"Yah! We just re-met a few minutes ago and now you're already teasing us?"

 

You stuck out your tounge at him while he just continued to eat his slice of the cake.

 

"Ignore him, Steph. I kind of agree with your point of view of the cake but sadly, it's not my favourite."

"Oh! Really, Lulu Oppa? I'll bake your favorite cake next time."

"Komawo, dongsaeng-ah."

 

Lay, D.O. and Tao suddenly joined and sat amongst the group.

 

"So, how's the cake, Steph?"

"Your skills have really increased, D.O. You, too, Lay."

"Komawo." They both said in unison.

 

You guys chatted and talked.

You told them about the schools you went to and they talked about what happened in their daily lives at school.

 

"So, how's the company?"

 

They all went silent.

 

"Well? It can't be that bad."

 

No one answered.

A few minutes later, Kris spoke up.

 

"The language classes are doing well. We even had to create a few classes for each language."

"The Taekwondo and Kendo classes are impressive, too. We've won every single match we entered so far. That's about 46 matches." Xiumin said.

"The other martial arts classes, too, Noona." Tao said.

"I've checked the sport arenas and they're all getting the hang of it." Luhan said.

"Dancing classes are increasing students by the day but that isn't much of a problem, Noona." Kai said.

"To put it in conclusion, all the classes, studios, shops and galleries are doing well except..."

 

Suho couldn't bring himself to say it.

D.O. decided to finally tell the truth.

 

"...Except the food department. The restaurants are doing excellently well but the cafés, bakeries and chocolatier shops are lacking workers."

"Aren't you and Lay working in the Seoul branch bakery?"

"We are, as bakers. We also work at the Seoul branch cafe. The problem is we don't have enough waiters and waitresses at the cafe. We're not experienced enough to make the chocolates at the Seoul branch chocolatier shop."

 

You nodded, accepting the information given.

 

"Today's Sunday. I'll think about it tomorrow. Why don't we go out for today?"

 

Everyone brightened up and the mood in the room changed.

Everyone agreed and went to their own rooms to get ready.

 

You went to your room and closed the door.

As soon as you closed the door, you leaned against the door and sighed.

You went over to your bed and laid there for a moment.

 

"This is going to be harder than I thought."

 

You got up from your bed and decided to freshen up a bit.

 

You wore a plain dark blue t-shirt with a black leather jacket and a pair of black jeans.

Your precise necklace hung over your neck while the bracelet was dangling on your left wrist.

You fixed your hair and wore a dark blue Ice Watch and a pair of sunglasses.

You got a pair of black sneekers with purple out-lines from under your bed and put them on.

 

A few minutes later, someone knocked on your door.

 

"Noona, are you ready?"

"Yeah! I'll be out in a sec, Sehun-ah!"

 

You answered, recognizing the owner of the voice.

You quickly got your wallet and phone and shoved them into your pockets.

When you walked out of your room, you were greeted by 11 guys in disguises.

 

"Have you guys told the others?"

"Yeah. I told them we're heading out and asked if they wanted to join us, but they all said no so it's just us."

"Komawo, Chen."

"You're welcome."

 

As everyone walked out of the dorm, they all talked about school and how much homework they got and had to finish by tonight.

You locked the door and joined the group of male Korean idols.

 

"So, what's the school like?"

"It's okay since our teacher's only a few years older than us and understands we're busy with schedules, but it's so tiring since he gives us homework on every subject."

"Well at least he gives small amounts of homework on each subject and not huge amouts on 5 to 6 subjects, Lay."

"He's actually very nice. He's talented, too. Almost like you, Steph."

"Jinjja, Lulu Oppa? Wah~ He must be really talented."

"Yah! Are you saying a teacher, who hasn't even debuted, is way talented than us, a group of boys who debuted under S.M. Ent. ?"

"Ehmm... Pretty much. Yeah! But I haven't actually met the guy so how should I know, Bacon?"

"Yah! Why do you keep calling me 'Bacon'? You only call Luhan 'Oppa' ?"

"I don't know. I remember calling him 'Lulu' but that seemed too girlish so I added 'Oppa' to it."

"You're just jealous, 'Bacon'."

"Shut up, 'Lulu'. At least my nickname isn't a girl's name."

"At least my nickname isn't a strip of cured meat."

"Yah!"

 

Luhan and Baekhyun kept arguing while you slipped through them and went to the front part of the group, leaving the quarreling duo to their own little battle.

 

"So... Where are we going?"

 

Everyone, excluding the quarreling duo, faced you and stared like you did something wrong.

 

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just..."

"Just what, Chen?"

"You're really good at escaping yourself from fights, aren't you?"

"Well... I actually don't like it when people fight. It seems childish and eventually I laugh when I think about it, which is a weird thing to do when you see a fight, so I try to avoid them."

 

Everyone just nodded in understandment.

 

"To answer your question earlier, we actually don't know. We thought we would just follow you."

"Why didn't you say that earlier, Kris?"

 

He just shrugged his shoulders.

 

"I was wondering... How can you guys dye your hair when you're still attending school?"

"The principal gives exceptings for us idols. He also lets us wear regular clothes instead of uniforms but we chose to wear the uniforms."

 

You nodded.

 

"Then we're going to the mall."

"The mall?"

 

Everyone asked in unison.

Even the quarrelling duo asked since they stopped arguing awhile ago.

 

"Yeah. You guys can go eat ice-cream or something while I get my hair done."

"You aren't going to cut it, are you?"

"Neh. Wae?" (Yes. Why?)

"DON'T!"

 

They all yelled in unison.

The boys 'coughed' after they yelled.

 

"What we meant was, even though you can pull off any hairstyle, we like it the most when your hair's long."

"Oh. Okay... Then I won't."

 

They all sighed in relieve which made you secretly raise your eyebrow.

But you just shrugged it off in the end.

 

***

 

You all finally reached the mall.

 

"Okay guys. I'm off to the salon. You can go and do your own things."

"We'll meet up at Apgujeong-dong, okay?"

"Okay, Suho. Annyeong~!"

"Annyeong!" They all said in unison.

 

You went to a salon you used to go when you came to visit Korea.

When you entered the salon, a hairstylist greeted you at the front counter.

 

"Annyeonghaseyo. Welcome to Shining Miracle Hair Salon. How may I help you?"

 

She bowed and gave you a smile.

You slightly smirked as you recognized that hairstylist.

You took off your sunglasses and looked back at the her.

slightly gaped open and her eyes widened in surprise when she recognized you.

 

"Omo! Stephanie-shi, I didn't recognize you. What are you doing here? When did you arrive in Korea? How have you been? Are you here for a visit, again? When are you leaving? Are you-" (Oh my! ...)

"Ayumi-chan! Just because you're already fluent in Korean, doesn't mean you have to talk so much in that language. Especially with me."

"Hehe. Gomennasai, Stephanie-san." (... I'm sorry, ...)

 

(A/N: '-chan' is a nickname added to a person's name. Mostly for and/or among female children and teenagers. Kind of like Tao-yah or Sehunnie. '-san' is added to address a person formally. Like '-shi' or '-ssi' in Korean.)

 

You just shook your head unacceptably.

 

"Ayumi-chan, I've told you like a million times. You don't have to be formal with me just because I'm your boss' business partner. And you have to call me by my Japanese name."

"Gomenne. I'm not used to it yet, Sakura-chan." (Sorry. ...)

"Daijōbu. You'll get used to it, eventually." (It's alright. ...)

 

Ayumi nodded while smiling.

She went back to her working mode.

 

"So how may I help you?"

"I was actually thinking of dyeing my hair."

"Oh! That sounds interesting. What color?"

"I haven't thought of that. You're the hairstylist so I leave it to you."

"Okay... You may go and sit on a chair while I go get the perfect color for you, Steph."

"Thanks, Ayumi."

 

She just nodded while heading to the supply room.

You went and sat on a chair at an unoccupied hairstyling space.

You waited for Ayumi to come back with the hair dyeing supplies.

 

After a few minutes, she came back with a few boxes of different hair dyes and the other tools.

 

"So... Since you have natural black hair, I thought maybe you should just get highlights instead of dyeing the whole thing."

 

You nodded, agreeing to her idea.

Ayumi continue what she wanted to say.

 

"I thought maybe dark brown or red would make your hair stand out more but dark blue would make it look more soothing and since your hair is a bit wavy at the ends, it would make it more unique. White would be a bit original since no one has ever tried to highlight their hair white but it might make you look old. I didn't want to think of pink and purple since those colors are too girlish and soft for you. Blonde is quite like white but it would still make your hair look unique. Yellow isn't quite suitable for your hair. Green is totally out of the picture. And in the end, I seriously couldn't decide so I brought them all out here, except pink, purple, yellow and green."

 

You were amazed at how Ayumi could think so seriously when it came to hair.

 

She could definitely think of one hundred and one ways to style everyone's hair in the entertainment industry.

Well, maybe at least everyone who's living in the dorm.

 

You stared at the boxes of hair dye foundations.

Well, one thing was for sure, you loved the color red and blue so those colors were a 'yes'.

 

"I agree on the dark brown, red and dark blue. The rest aren't quite appealing."

 

Ayumi immediately took the rest of the boxes of hair dye and ran to the supply room.

While she was re-arrangging the boxes, you picked up the three remaining boxes of hair dye and thought of the possibilities if you dyed your hair in each color.

 

"I've dyed my hair dark brown before so I'm going to try out a new look."

 

You placed back the box of dark brown hair dye and looked at the two boxes in your hands.

 

"Blue might make me look like a carefree and easy-going person again but red will make me look like I'm not as carefree as people say."

 

You finally made up your mind.

Ayumi came back while wiping her hands on her apron.

 

"So... Have you decided on a color?"
 

You nodded and passed her the box of dye you wanted.

She raised her eyebrow while taking the box from you.

 

"Are you sure?"

 

You nodded again with a smile.

 

"Okay..."

 

***

 

After a few hours, Ayumi finished dyeing your hair and it turned out better than you expected.

(A/N: Just imagine the girl in this picture with hair like the pictures above.)

 

"Thanks, Ayumi."

"Anytime, Steph."

"Do you want to tab that to my credit card or the company's?"

"Oh, no no no. Not again. Mr. Kim clearly said to not charge you everytime you come for a hairstyle. You practically own half of this store."

"Fine. I'll see you when we meet again. Annyeong."

"Annyeong."

 

***

 

You dialled Luhan's number as soon as you reached Apgujeong-dong.

 

"Yeoboseyo?"

"Luhan, where are you guys?"

"Oh! You're done? We thought it would've been for a couple of hours."

"Who do you think I am? A typical girl across the street?"

"Arasseo. We're near the S.M. Ent. building. Meet us at Caffè Pascucci. Jeez, woman. No need for being overly sarcastic."

"Don't you dare start with me."

"Bye~!"

 

He hung up before you could talk back.

 

"That guy is seriously getting a payback."

 

You smirked to yourself as you already had a perfect payback plan for Luhan.

 

***

 

As you entered the Italian coffeehouse, the smell of freshly made coffee filled your smelling system which made you inhale the scent of the coffee.

You went over to a table that would fit 12 teenage idols with a window view and sat beside the window.

 

A few minutes later, 11 guys in disguises entered the coffeehouse while in search of a certain someone.

D.O. spotted that certain person and nudged the rest of the guys.

The guys turned to the direction D.O. faced and saw a familiar girl sitting at a long table.

 

The girl was resting her head on her right palm while her right elbow was on the table.

She was looking out the window on her right while her eyes wandered through the busy streets.

Her features were very familiar to the group of boys but something else was different, her hair.

 

Meanwhile, you were distracted by the view of people walking past the coffeehouse.

You were too focused on a girl who was sitting inside an art gallery across the street, painting on a blank canvas with her hair tied up and was wearing an apron.

 

Someone tapped on the edge of the table which made you turn to the person.

Upon seeing the group of boys, you smiled at them and immediately shook off the thought of the girl earlier.

 

"Annyeong."

"Oh! Annyeong, Steph-ah."

"Anjda. Baegopa?" (Sit. Hungry?)

 

They all sat down.

The position was like this:

You   Luhan    Sehun    Suho    Xiumin    Lay

Table

Tao     Kris     Kai     Baekhyun     D.O.   Chen

 

"Ani. But we could have a snack before going back, right hyung?"

"Arasseo, Kai."

 

A waiter came over to the table and took their orders.

A few minutes later, the waiter came back and brought your orders.

 

"Nice hairstyle, Steph."

"Oh! Komawo, D.O."

"Why red?"

"It kind of suits me, doesn't it, Baekhyun?"

"Whatever you say, Steph."

"So, what did you guys do?"

"We went to the S.M. Ent. building after walking and looking around in Apgujeong-dong."

"Jinjja, Xiumin? Did you guys see Lee SooMan-shi?"

"Yeah, we did. We had a talk with him."

"Oh? What did he say, Lay?"

"He said to tell you that he'll accept you into S.M. anytime and he'll be waiting for your decision. Like, seriously? Why can't you just accept his offer so he won't bug us everytime he sees us? It's like he's practically begging you to join S.M."

"He's not the only company asking me to join them, Baekhyun. YG, JYP, Cube, LOEN, TS, Woolim and many more are offering me to enter their companies. And besides, you know that rumor about me and Miracles Inc. ?"

"Yeah. The one about you working under your own company like Park JinYoung-shi is under JYP Ent. They say since Miracles Inc. is like an international company and because it has different franchises, you're practically under Miracles since you release your music under your own company."

"That's the problem, Kai. I make music. I write my own lyrics and compose my own music but I release it to the world just like you guys. I'm just not labelled under any entertainment. I appreciate the offers but I just don't like to be labelled. All the other entertainments do concerts and they just invite me as a guest or for a surprise performance. They help me to promote my music and I appreciate it. I don't think I can join any entertainment if every entertainment wants me."

 

The guys just nodded.

 

"Arasseo. We'll tell Lee SooMan-shi that. For now, loosen up a little. We know it's hard being a teen with an idol life and a company to handle but we'll be there to support you so don't give up, okay?"

 

You nodded while smiling.

 

"Thanks, Kris. That really cheered me up."

"Anytime, kid."

 

Suddenly, someone coughed, making you and Kris break eye contact.

Turned out, it was D.O.

 

"Yes, D.O.?"

 

Instead of D.O., Chen answered for him.

 

"I think he wants you guys to speak in Korean."

"Oh! Mian."

 

"I think it's time for us to get back."

"Aww~ So soon, hyung?"

"It's a quarter past eight, Sehun-ah. We have to get back before Dara Noona floods Suho's phone with misscalls."

"Arasseo, hyung. Just let me finish my hot chocolate before we go back."

"I'll go and pay for our drinks."

"Ani. Let me pay."

"You sure, Kris?"

"Possitive."

 

Kris got up and went to the counter to pay.

Tao suddenly looked at you and stared.

 

"Something wrong, Tao-yah?"

 

He just shook his head.

 

"Ani~"

"Then why are you staring?"

"Geunyang... Noona neomu yeopeo." (Just... Noona is so pretty.)

 

You just smiled at his compliment.

 

"Wow! First time seeing someone who doesn't blush at Tao's compliment! Good job, Steph."

"Really, Kai? Who else did he compliment?"

"About all of the girls in the school, except the idols. They all blushed at his compliments and fall for his cuteness. He's such a big baby."

"Chen hyung! Don't tell her that!"

"Mian, Tao-yah. Had to tell her."

 

Tao just pouted and sulked in his seat.

Kris came back a few minutes later.

 

"I already paid. Let's go."

 

Everyone got up except Tao.

Kris and Suho stopped walking and the rest followed.

 

"Tao-yah. Why aren't you getting up? We're leaving."

 

Tao ignored Kris' question and continued sulking in that chair.

Suho patted his shoulder and explained.

 

"Steph didn't fall for his cuteness, so he's sulking to protest."

 

Everyone sighed at the third maknae's hard-headedness.

 

"Tao-yah. I'll buy you the latest Gucci bag if you get up~"

 

Tao immediately stood up and ran towards you.

 

"Jinjja, Noona? You'll buy me the latest Gucci bag?"

 

You nodded in defeat, but smiled anyway.

Nothing would cheer up Tao more than a brand new Gucci bag.

 

***

 

After getting back from Apgujeong-dong, you were surprised, yet again, by the other idol groups.

Bing Bang, 2NE1, Beast, A Pink, Teen Top, MBLAQ, B1A4, U-Kiss, JB, Jr. and your cousins were all waiting for you in the living room when you got home.

EXO, of course, knew about them being there so they kept it a secret.

 

"Welcome back, Steph!"

 

Everyone hugged you, greeted you, complimented on your hair and asked you a lot of questions.

You thanked them for the compliments and answered all the questions, one by one.

Soon, the chaotic atmosphere died down.

You felt like a few people were missing so you decided to ask.

 

"Where's Infinite?"

 

You turned to Sungyeol and Sungjong.

 

"They had a long day today and when they got back, they literally fell flat on their beds and fell asleep." Sungyeol explained.

"We didn't want to bother Infinite hyungs, so we let them sleep." Sungjong continued.

 

You nodded in understandment.

 

"Well, I've had a long day, too, so..."

"We get it. You're tired. So are we. You can go to sleep."

"Merci, CL." (Thanks, CL.)

"De rien." (It's nothing.)

 

You turned to everyone else and told them to sleep since it was late.

Everyone agreed and went to their own rooms.

You went to your room and set the alarm clock to 4 a.m. for tomorrow.

 

 

---

 

Was I missed? Hehe. Sorry for the long hiatus. I'm currently not able to use any computers or laptops in the house since mine broke. I did this chapter a few weeks ago but wasn't able to finish it. I finished it today, using my little brother's laptop. After this, I'm not allowed to update anymore chapters since mine broke and I had to beg my little bro to use his. My phone's too small to write a chapter with so please be patient. I know it's sad knowing you won't be able to read what happens next in the story, but don't be sad. I'll be back soon. (I hope)

Other than that, I've noticed the increasing of subscribers. I'm glad. Actually, I know my friend Annoying_Bug sent most of you guys messages to read my story. I would really like to thank her. She's been supporting this story from the start and I couldn't thank her enough. She's also my best friend which happens to go to the same school as me. But after this week, (in Malaysia, we had a week of holiday and we'll be staring school again tomorrow) she'll be transferring to a new school so I'm kind of sad. That's why I decided to finish this chapter before she transfers. As a gift of friendship.

If I could just make you guys comment more... Kidding! I don't mind not having comments but they make me know how you guys feel about the story so feel free to comment and upvote! To the silent readers out there, do subscribe.

 

Thanks~!