Taming the Rowdy

Choi Seungcheol glanced around at the group of guys surrounding the ring, feeling betrayed by the very people he considered his brothers and closest friends. Amidst the loud hollers of the rookie boy group members sat Amber Liu, her cropped black hair tentatively ending at the collar of her tank top, and a single smirk from the hazelnut eyes sent the immature boys into a frenzy.

“Hyung, you said you’re a black belt! Get back our honor!” Yelled out Seungkwan, self-declared commentator of the exciting upcoming match.

“Yeah, S.Coups, isn’t your name supposed to stand for victory?” Jeonghan chimed in from the sideline, flipping his ponytail to strike anyone who comes too closed.

Stifling a chuckle, Amber stood up and wondered how in the world she got into this predicament in the first place...oh right, Weekly Idol. The infamous show for making celebrities abandoned their images and strive for the best versions of themselves, their adoring eyes concentrated on the delicious pieces of meat that whiffed up from the charcoal grill. Coincidentally, at one such moment, Amber was conveniently invited to be the special MC for the SEVENTEEN special, having been asked personally by the presence of the two hosts showing up at her waiting room in MBC out of the blue (courtesy of Himchan) and she could not sweet-talk her way out of what she knew would be a chaotic episode.

Standing in front of the leader of the rookie boy group, the 7-years experienced idol sensed the confusion from his eyes as she watched his movements. Despite the nervousness that emitted from the younger man, he was ready for an attack had she decided to sneak one upon him, but Amber would spared him the trouble.

“A taekwondo sparring match wouldn’t be much fun now, would it?” Hyungdon interrupted, an evil grin plastered across his face. “After all, Amber and S.Coups are both certified black belts, and we have no punishments for the losers. But that’s not the kind of show we are!”

“That’s right!” Defconn took over, “Weekly Idol is a people’s show, where we listened to requests from the viewers. A week before the filming today, we sent out a notification on MBC’s official website, displaying the full planned schedule of this episode-” “You do that?” “- and many requests had been sent in for the S.Coups vs. Amber special event!”

“What?!” All the idols turned toward the two comedians with clear fear in their eyes, knowing whatever that was about to happen would not end well.

“Yes, that’s right. It’s now time for Call Call Call~S.Coups and Amber Special Edition!”

“...Are you getting this?” Amber turned to her lifeboat partner, intending to rant to him about the incredulous turn of event...only to find his face bright red and his complexion having gone pale. “S.Coups?!”

Despite the commotion at the possible death of one of the two players, the MCs paid them no heed and continued toward the first call.

“A-Annyeonghaseyo…” A shy male voice appeared overhead, capturing the attention of everyone except for an increasingly worrisome vampiric-like S.Coups. “Seungcheol imnida.”

All heads whipped toward the SEVENTEEN leader.

“I…” “Tell her, hyung!” “I...sent in this request for f(x)...specifically Amber noona...Noona, my request is that you’ll go on a date with me!”

“Seriously, S.Coups?” Amber narrowed her eyes at the male in question, and the Pledis idol contemplated disappearing off the face of the Earth-”You could have just ask me in person. And what kind of lame joke is this. f(x) special? Really? Manager oppa!”

The famous manager of f(x) came in carrying a strangely terrifying-looking certificate and handed it to the female idol.

“Hyungdon oppa, Defconn oppa,” Amber’s sweet voice called out, eliminating all thoughts of escape from the two domed men. “Since you decided to give f(x) our own special so generously, why don’t you two sign this? After all, there should be a special contract right?” She advanced toward the cowering MCs, a cute smile appearing on her face as time passed by gradually.

In the background, an innocent Dino voice was heard. “Did she just ignored Seungcheol hyung’s confession?”

~A few months back~

Having reinstated Amber as their main MC, Show Champion went on to become one of the most entertaining music shows in the K-Entertainment industry, and every idol group who has a comeback or a debut performance occasionally dropped by to share some special memories with the tomboyish host.

Today just happened to be SEVENTEEN’s turn, and being the most clueless music show MC ever, Amber did not know the names of all 13 members and was subjected to a game of identification by the Show Champion crew. It was for her own good, they say.

“Why don’t we start from the people you do know, Amber ah? Here are 13 nameplates, and all you have to do is attached them to the front of their shirts.”

“Attach them?”

“Yes. Go up to them and pin it on their shirt for them.”

“Why can’t they do it themselves?”

“Because they know who each other are.”

“You’re actually serious about this, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“You guys are cruel.”

“You’re the show’s madame.”

“That is the most ridiculous phrase I have ever heard in my entire life.”

Oh, how wrong she was.

“Jeonghan...ah, the long hair devil,” Amber’s eyes flickered in recognition and walked up to the black-haired male, giving him the stack of 12 other names before leaning in and sliding the pin of the name tag onto his shirt. Standing back to admire her work, she nodded in satisfaction before glancing at the remaining dozen names.

“Vernon...ah, English speaker!” Amber smiled happily, running straight to the rapper and begun a conversation in her native tongue with him. Caught by surprise, the half-Korean started replying to her in English unconsciously and Amber smirked. “Gotcha!” She cheered before following the procedure given to him.

And just like that, one by one, each of the SEVENTEEN members got their identities back and were not just nameless faces in the mind of their sunbae...all except S.Coups.

But he was the only one left. So how hard can it be, right?

Nope. That speculation is unjust to the fun-loving tomboy.

Glancing from the remaining nameplate in her hand and the lone leader of the pack, Amber stood in place, thinking cautiously as to who this S.Coups guy could be. She knew he was the leader, the oldest, and definitely younger than her. But those are the basics. The one fact she learned from her wide circle of friends is that S.Coups, aka Choi Seungcheol, is a black belt in taekwondo.

So she just did the most logical thing she could find.

She sent a flying kick in his direction, and instinctively, S.Coups blocked her attack without even bothering to take a step backward. The most chilling smile came over the female idol’s features.

Placing her foot back onto solid ground, she waved his nameplate in his face, and turned toward the camera. “This, Carats, is your leader. A smiling, happy 21 years old, unaware of the dangers lurking behind earning his name back.”

“Amber noona~!”

“S.Coups ssi, we’re never gonna be so closed that I would let you call me ‘noona.’” Amber interrupted with a serious expression, and if no one knew any better, they would think she was serious about the matter.

“H-Hyung...you just got wretched really badly…” Woozi muttered from his hiding spot behind Mingyu, a bubbly grin on his face.

Ignoring the team’s main composer, S.Coups focused all his attention on the female idol in front of him and he narrowed his eyes.

“Wow, glaring at your sunbae already huh?” Amber mocked, starting to stroll around the room casually as to not look like she was avoiding all expensive filming equipments. S.Coups, his predator instinct on, followed her with his eyes before starting to fall in step with the older female.

Before long, the two black belts were in a drawn out stalemate, their feet constantly moving but no one attacking the other. They still have a repu-

A loud, screeching sound of ripping fabric echoed throughout the room, silencing whatever noises that were made beforehand into a void forever. All eyes turned toward the source of the sound and…

Amber quickly jumped in front of the younger male idol, covering him just as the cameraman started to move in. Trying to hold back her laughter, she quickly ended the fun interview with a casual message about how well SEVENTEEN had adapted to the variety world and welcomed them back another day.

The moment the SEVENTEEN managers were able to shooed the cameras and crew out of the room, everyone had managed to recovered and watched as Amber wrapped a blanket around S.Coups’ torso, covering all the way from his waist to his feet. And for some weird reason, the other males present in the room never made any movement to savage their leader’s reputation. Because to them, in front of Amber Liu, no such thing existed.

“Noona…”

“Don’t worry, Seungcheol ah, I have seen much worse than what you have,” the tomboy reassured him, and it was the first time the SEVENTEEN members had seen their oldest turned that red.

“That’s not what I meant, noona. And why are you not bothered by the fact that I’m half-?!” the manliest (voted by the other members, mind you) guy in the boy group accused in sheer embarrassment, and Amber just shrugged.

“That’s like asking why you boys are so bothered by how short girls’ skirts or dresses are.”

“We are not that shallow!” The other members finally came out of their daydreaming to chimed in.

“Seriously? Have you not seen what you guys said when asked about your ideal types?”

“...”

“That’s what I thought.”

~Present Day~

After having suffered through reverse psychology, courtesy of one girl group member, Hyungdon and Defconn came out from their waiting rooms, prepared to face another few hours of filming.

“Let’s continue with our corner now, shall we? Next up is...win against the member!”

“What’s that?” Seungkwan questioned for the rest of his group, stationed between Mingyu and Hoshi.

“Win Against The Member is a game segment created specifically for SEVENTEEN. In this segment, all of you will competed against a selected member’s greatest strength, as answered by you yourselves a while back, and Amber shall be the official judge!”

“Alright, let’s do this!” The 13 males’ eyes sparkled as the sound of sizzling meat reached their ears.

“First up is our beloved Woozi Woozi!” Defconn announced and the group cheered loudly for their member.

“What are the rest of the members competing against him in?” Amber asked, propped up in her queenly chair beside the MCs. Her ‘throne’ consisted of a soft, plush red chair, decorated with gold linings and a single crown on her head. If asked how that situation ever happened, no one in the studio will have the courage to answer.

“Unexpectedly enough,” Hyungdon’s eyes widened as he looked at his script before turning to the small stature of the said boy, “it said here you’re the strongest?” He questioned in disbelief.

“Well, I wouldn’t say that I am…” Woozi chuckled modestly, rubbing his neck in embarrassment.

“He definitely has the best endurance amongst all of us!” Seungkwan replied for his shy hyung. “We had a spontaneous competition once and he outdid all of us in push-ups and sit-ups!”

“Oh?” Amber’s eyebrows perked up. “We should compete against each other to see then!”

Hyungdon turned to the female idol and suddenly smirked, “You sure are a unique girl, Amber. But no, I’m sorry, but you’re stuck with being the princess today.” He announced a bit too happily. “All members who think they can beat Woozi, stand up. The prize for this game is 10 pieces of meat, but be warn, the rules are quite special~”

“You got that right!” Defconn continued, “Any competitor who want the meat will have to do squats with Amber in their arms, with Woozi going first to set up the standard.”

“I’m fine with that,” Amber said, having already been prepped by the producer about her role before the segment began. Plus, she didn’t mind being treat like a normal girl for once...but that thought shall be keep locked in her mind.

“Woozi ah, are you ready?” Hyungdon asked the reigning champion, who was stretching on the floor next to the rest of the boy group, much to the surprise of others. Apparently all of them think they can beat Woozi when it comes to strength.

“I’m ready!” The energetic boy stood up with a bright smile. “Noona?” He said, offering his outstretched arms.

“How do you want to do this? Shall I jump or will you lift me up?” Amber stood up, suddenly confused as to what she should do to help the boy.

“Just trust me, noona,” Woozi nodded confidently and marched up to Amber. Bending his knees, he wrapped one of his arms around Amber’s waist before placing the other under her knees. Lifting her up almost effortlessly, Woozi’s eyes widened and he stared at the female in his arms in shock. “Noona, why are you so light?!”

Amber did not answered his question and instead focused on maintaining her own safety. Wrapping her arms around Woozi’s neck, she stilled herself and prayed to the lord for him to not drop her. “The moment I’m up here, you’re my safety net so all of you better not drop me!” She threatened the others who were preparing for their turn. No one had noticed, but at the very back stood one man who was working harder than ever to strengthen his arm and leg muscles last minute in order to beat Woozi.

“Alright, guys, calm down. You will have your turn lifting Amber up eventually, so don’t kill each other over her, okay? Now then, Woozi, start whenever you’re ready!” Defconn told the boy.

Almost immediately afterward, Amber felt the force of gravity pulled her down toward the plummeting ground and clung onto Woozi for dear life. The surprised boy stopped in his track at how tight the female idol was squeezing him and his ears turned 5 shades redder before he fell backward, but had made sure to steady Amber so she won’t fall on the ground with him. He didn’t have to worry though, because the moment everyone saw his doom, they reached out for Amber. None as fast as S.Coups though, and before anyone even realized, the leader had already pulled the tomboy into the comfort of his arms.

That was the moment when the editors and producers of Weekly Idol decided that Amber Liu is going to make their job very easy.

“I’ll go this time,” S.Coups declared and before anyone could even say anything, he lifted Amber up into his arms, tugging her protectively against him before starting to do the required amount. Which, frankly, was 1.

S.Coups went on to win the segment with 35 squats. Everybody else decided to forfeit in fear of their leader’s wraith later on at their shared dorm. Plus, they already knew S.Coups was the winner in their sunbae’s eyes, with the way she had stared at him in shock the whole time he held her in his arms, a tiny smile playing at the corners of her lips.

“Noona, would you like to watch a movie with me tonight?” S.Coups stood outside of her car, leaning his body against the opened door.

“7 o’clock at my place?” Amber smirked, taking the ring in S.Coups’s outstretched hand and sliding it to perfectly fit on her ring finger.

“As usual,” was the leader’s reply before he leaned down to pecked her forehead. “I have a performance at Music Bank until 6:30 though, so I may a bit late.”

“You know the rule Cheolie, 1 second late and you’re locked out.” Amber reminded him just as she spotted her manager walking toward the car.

“But what if I bring the kids? They’re too cute for you to reject.”

“Cheol, I will not have 12 kids trailing after me at only 24 years old, okay? But if you’re bringing extra company, I expect them to deliver foods and drinks to my place as the entrance fee. Or you’ll be the only one stuck outside,” she smiled brightly at the prospect of free food, not minding the fact that his face just failed at her last words.

“But noona~shouldn’t you be locking them out instead of me?”

“Nope. I’m not an abusive mother, Cheol. If anything, you’re the dad who’s never home.”

“Noona~!”

And that, dear Carats, is how Amber Liu tamed the leader of the pack.

After almost 3 months, I'm back with a fluff to start off the SEVENTEEN Era. I wasn't sure who shoudl start it, so I just chose S.Coups since he's the leader and the oldest, but all stories after this one will probbaly be by random. 

Who do you want to see next? 

Also, as you all know, I usually do a survey whenever I start a new era to ask the same questions with different options ^^

Which boy group shall be next? 

I will let you guys suggest some and will decide what to do afterward. Hope to see lots of answers :D