Act.1

Shisus.

That was close. I was nearly screwed up.

You know I was in MY room (well mine and Wu Fan ge's room) and Minseok hyung came in like it was a ing public park! He said it was to check, but I bet he was trying to catch me in some awkward activity for blackmailing purposes. In the end he caught me with the diary in my hands instead. Luckily, once he knew what was, he was so eager to go and tell Luhan ge that he didn't try to take a better look. Thank God!

Anyway, of course all the members now know and they find it hilarious. Chanyeol and Baekhyun video-called just to laugh in my face. Friendship. Eww. Well I don't care—I think it's pretty cool. Junmyeon hyung thinks so too (he actually complemented me!) and Zitao was eager to start one himself (see? I'm trending!). So now at least I don't have to hide when I'm updating, however I think it would be wise of me if I hide the diary in a secret place. I'm not worried about the two gramps in baby disguise (Luhan ge and Minseok hyung), what worries me is Wu Fan ge. He gave me a look that was mischievous to say the least, and they dare to say I'm the weird one!

Now, now, I have to resume what happened during these first days in China.

Gosh. That was hilarious.
 

You can call me crazy but actually the first time when I felt like I was at home in our new dorm was some days ago when I bumped in Wu Fan ge's routine (if it can console you, ge, the demolition of your image helped me to feel normal! Ke ke ke). It was after dinner and everyone was in his room exercising or studying. I was on my way to my room after having taken a shower. The lights in the kitchen were on and I thought I could pay a visit to our fridge (I'm not called skinny Pig for nothing!) after putting on my slippers. So I opened the door of my room, relaxed and even whistling, when my gaze met the face of a green monster. It's not like I've never seen a guy with a green mask for skin care before (Junmyeon hyung has an awful lot of creams), but seeing Wu Fan ge with one on his face was shocking. He seemed so cool and collected that you can't really imagine this habit of him. He didn't flinch at my presence; he just arched his brow at me because I probably had a stupid expression plastered on my face.

“Never seen a face mask before?” he asked me half chuckling. And to think I was starting to admire you, I thought.

“Ugh. Sure.” I exited the room like a robot only to bump into Xing ge who was munching some chips because I'm not the only pig here.

“Zhong Da, are you feeling ok? It seems like you have seen a ghost,” he asked me in his accented Korean.

“I might have seen something really disturbing.”

Xing ge checked the watch on his wrist and laughed in that amusing way of his.

“I bet you bumped into Yifan's beauty time!”

“I'm afraid so. Xing xing ge, I'm scared! Is this some leader's disease? Junmyeon hyung is like that too, but we all know that hyung is a weirdo and I thought Wu Fan ge...”

“Hahaha, now that you are his room-mate you'll come to realize that Yifan is a weirdo too!”

“Xing Xing! I can hear you!” came the baritone voice from my room. Xing ge blushed but he still mouthed “weirdo” to me, making me laugh. I don't know why he gets embarrassed and he is uncomfortable every time the others use the nickname I gave him back then in Korea, which is odd, because if I call him like that he seems fine; he even smiles.

Anyway it was still early, so we decided to go watch some movie on the TV. In a couple of days we were going to start our new crazy and hectic schedule so those were the last few days of relax before the roller-coaster. We gathered the other members, and even Wu Fan ge joined us once he finished his beauty time. We sat messily on the couch and on the carpet. Tao was back hugging Minseok like he was his personal teddy bear because Zitao—the wushu killer—is actually a monster of a cuddler; Yixing and LuHan ge were teasing in each other in Chinese in that perfect way of theirs that manages to make me feel envious every time. Wu Fan ge ruffled my hair making me smile again: I could miss the other members—the two beagles and Junmyeon, mainly, but even shy Jongin, the evil maknae and caring Kyunsoo—but I will always try my best to create deep bonds with EXO M members too.

The next day manager hyung came early in the morning to announce us that our schedule was moved up and the roller coaster of interviews would have started the day after. I couldn't help but to shiver in fear; what a good way to ruin breakfast. I bet everyone froze in that moment but Minseok and I were terrified: we exchanged nervous glances through the room that didn't pass unnoticed from our leader. Wu Fan ge said that we didn't have to worry, that the translator was going to be there and he would have personally helped us. LuHan ge assured the same thing but it didn't relax me; not even a bit. Even Zitao tried to be of support and nodded to me and hugged Minseok hyung, in a gesture that it was becoming a habit. It's a mystery but apparently those two can communicate pretty well. I mentally took note to ask Minseok how he managed to do so but well Minseok hyung has this big brother aura that is hard to resist. To tell the truth, I'm a little envious of him; of how he goes so along with Lu Han ge and now with Zitao. But before I could drown in self pity Wu Fan ge told us to get prepared to our lessons. For Minseok hyung and I those consisted in Chinese lessons, while the others had lessons in the fields they had to improve: Yixing ge trained in his singing, LuHan and Wu Fan their dance, and Zitao had to practice for his little wushu exhibition. We came back in the afternoon but despite the mild day we were all quiet and stressed. Wu Fan ge insisted to eat early and then go directly to bed. Nobody had the energy to do otherwise not even Zitao who liked to challenge our leader.

Anyway, that night I barely got a wink of sleep (and not because Wu Fan ge was sleep talking as usual) but because my heart couldn't stop beating so fast. So it was obvious that the next morning I was as pale as a ghost. Anyway, the other members weren't better so nobody dared to mock the others. Aww. How I missed Chanyeol. He would have teased us to death (Junmyeon would have scolded him later though). Zitao wore the same shade of green he had worn when he had to enter first in the line during the talk section of our showcase. Honestly I don't really remember a thing from our first interview, because I didn't understand a thing. The translator couldn't translate every little part of the talk for us, such as the comments and the inside jokes. At some points Minseok hyung and I exchanged subtle glances. I touched his back because I needed some body contact with the only person who could understand how I was feeling in that moment. However it wasn't like the others were doing so much better, LuHan ge remained quiet despite his usual bubbly personality. Wu Fan ge did most of the talking; and he is not a talkative person. Actually, I felt bad for him. As our leader he has to give the example no matter what. Furthermore, he is the one in charge of the introduction of our concept and mini album. The only one at ease was Xing Xing ge, who didn't talk too much. Still, he had, in general, this air of being completely in his element. Then I remembered that time when Junmyeon hyung told me that Xing ge was once a child star, so having cameras following his every move was probably nothing new to him. I sighed inside. It all felt so wrong. If only I could communicate! I'm an outstanding person, you know. They asked me to sing—at least that was something I could do. Finally the interview ended. I sighed in relief, laughing to shake the tension away. I naturally attached myself to Minseok hyung; yes he is the one who disciplines me, but he's also my guardian brother when Junmyeon hyung isn't here. I’m starting to miss the gramps. When I'm with hyung everything seems possible; maybe it’s because I know I'm beside a person who didn't give up even after nearly seven years of training. I back hugged Miseok hyung, while watching Xing Xing ge greeting every staff member. Xing ge is always so polite.

In the afternoon we had a magazine interview and, the next day, another interview for a music channel. I wasn't satisfied with my first recording so I made a mental note to try and communicate a little more if I had the chance.

The next day was still awkward but I felt a little better. “Da jia hao, wo shi Exo M member Chen!” I said, trying to sound cool despite still being unfamiliar with my stage name. After that they talked and talked and, as far as I understood, they asked us some personal questions that Wu Fan ge dodged perfectly. But I didn't want for people to think we were boring so when they asked for our nicknames I boldly answered that I usually call Yixing Lay “Xing Xing ge”. They all seemed amused and I could clearly hear LuHan's laugh echoing in the room. I was sincerely proud of myself. What I didn't expect was for Wu Fan to say that he called me Chen Chen in compensation. It wasn't true but I suspected that from that day on they would start to call me like that.

“So now you are Chen Chen!” Minseok hyung teased me once the interview ended.

“Shut up,” I replied embarrassed. I glanced at Yixing ge who was chatting intensely with LuHan ge.

How I easily guessed, from that day one all of them called me Chen Chen. Even Zitao, who was the member with whom I spoke the least, seemed to find it amusing, but if calling me like that was making him warm up towards me, I won't complain. The only one who continued to call me Zhong Da, was Xing ge, and I don't know why, but it made happy.

We had other interviews, in some of them we even made charades and silly jokes. It was still awkward but we managed to have fun. But there was one person who seemed not satisfied as the days passed by and that person was LuHan ge. And one could clearly guess why and despite the topic being amusing I tried hard not to laugh—at first, that is.

“I don't know why people continue to ask for my aegyo. Do I have the aegyo face? I'm 22 for God's sake!” He complained in Korean because he wanted for all of us to understand his frustration. I swear I tried my best to restrain myself and not roll on the floor in laughter.

Minseok hyung patted his back to express his sympathy even though he too was trying hard not to laugh. Normally that was a sensitive topic for him too—the tragedy of having a face that didn't match his age and all, (Once Kyungsoo and Minseok talked for an entire hour about that!) but this time he wasn't so sympathetic, because it wasn't him who was asked to do a Marilyn Monroe pose.

“Well, I trained wushu since I was six but people ask for my aegyo too!” complained Zitao from his seat.

I nearly choked on my soup, earning a glare from the maknae. But I didn't feel guilty because Yixing was laughing behind his hand and Minseok was looking at him with a gaze of pity.

“Zitao, you used aegyo to me this morning because you wanted a smoothie and you did it when we were in front of the staff. Of course people would ask for your aegyo! You use it for every single silly thing!”

“That doesn't count! I was really hungry! And you are so stingy that you don't buy me things if I don't use aegyo. It wasn't “acting cute”; it was a military strategy.”

Wu Fan ge shook his head, because against Zitao he always lost. In that moment I remembered a conversation with Yixing ge. That time I asked what type of person Zitao was, since I wanted to approach him and bond, and that time he said something like “a good kid with a unique way of thinking.” I was starting to understand what he meant. I exchanged glances with Xing ge who, I bet, was thinking about that conversation too. We smiled at each other in amusement.

“You know I'm manly. I can play soccer, do push ups every day, and can beat everyone’s asses if I want (with the exception of Minseok and maybe Zitao) and last but not least I'm the only one who can successfully deal with the kid (and for the kid he intended the evil Sehun)... how can you say I'm a cutie?” Luhan shivered in annoyance.

“ The Taemin curse,” I coughed, making everyone laugh.

“Shut up, Chen Chen!” he could even call me a crazy horse but I couldn't care less.

“What is the Taemin curse?” I heard Zitao whisper to Wu Fan ge. The Taemin curse is simple to explain: if you are pretty like a girl then it follows by default that SMent will make you cross dress. This fate is called Taemin curse and includes gender misunderstanding, appreciation in male gazes and the impossibility to date a girl because they would tend to see you as a fairy. LuHan glared at us but there was no way we could have stopped laughing.

“I hope you all choke on your meals!” he growled in a menacing tone. Usually we would have run in fear but it was too funny and we needed this—to laugh and be happy together. Eventually LuHan ge gave up and cracked a smile too.

The next day I received a video call from my best friends Chanyeol and Baekhyun. I was so eager to hear from them even though I knew they had a tight schedule like us. I was dying to hear Junmyeon hyung but as the leader he was even busier. Junmyeon hyung! Sigh.

“CHEN CHEN ANNYEONG!” they shouted in unison.

Crap.

Of course LuHan ge got revenge by spreading the gossip around.

Membership. Eew!!!

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