A/N : Since I was inspired by your comments, here is a quick update. :D Enjoy. :)

CHAPTER 5 : Time to Retire?

Like a loyal assistant, I followed Luhan out of the hotel. Boy was he grumpy. As soon as he got into the van, he closed the door forcefully, my hand was almost shut with it. When I opened it again, he had his arms crossed like a little kid who didn’t get the toy he wanted.  I really didn’t understand why he was mad. But honestly, I’d be more surprised if he was all rainbows and unicorns.

I put down his luggage on the back and went to sit beside the driver’s seat. Woo Jin took over the wheels since the driver called in sick. We set off and on the way, the stern atmosphere from earlier was still present. Woo Jin, being his usual cheerful self, decided to turn on the radio to lighten up the mood.

“Noisy.” Luhan commented.

Woo Jin looked at me for a moment and then turned off the radio. Way to make it more awkward Luhan. I smiled at Woo Jin to make it known that he didn’t need to feel embarrassed or anything because Luhan is mean to anything that moves.

“So, did you download the song I asked you to?” Woo Jin conversed with me.

“Oh yeah, the one you made me listen to last night?” I smiled to him.

“Yeah, it’s nice right? You should try and listen to –”

“Does anybody ever do their job around here?” Luhan snarked. “If you’re asked to drive, focus on the road.”

What has gotten into Luhan? Seriously? I looked at Woo Jin and I knew he was already annoyed. Luhan on the other hand had a smug smile on his face. I heard Kris tell him off saying something about Woo Jin being Xiu Min’s assistant. With that, I put on my earphones and listened to music to avoid the undeafening silence that surrounded the van.

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After the most uncomfortable trip ever, we finally reached our destination: Haevichi hotel. The fan-signing event was to be held at the banquet of the hotel. We entered through the back door and found ourselves in a high-ceiling room complete with ten tables elegantly ornamented. I waved to the other assistants who were setting up some posters and albums on the entrance. I went over to them while Woo Jin with the rest of EXO went to the dressing room to prepare.

“You guys need any help?” I asked.

“Do you mind setting up the CD for their song number?” Tao’s assistant, Jenna, asked me.

“Sure.” I replied.

I went over to the sound booth with their minus-ones. Jenna told me that EXO was going to sing “Angel” and “Don’t Go” so I marked the CD their respective track numbers. Afterwards, I went over to the dressing room to check if Luhan needed anything.

“Water.” Luhan looked up to me while the make-up artist put a bit of color on his cheeks.

With a smile, I handed his Evian bottled water. And God it felt good. I finally fulfilled one of his orders.

“Jacket?” Luhan added. Prepared, I immediately handed him the jacket I brought.

I wanted to stick my tongue out, because I have won this round in our battle. I bet he didn’t even need the jacket, he was just testing to see if he could pick on me more. Luhan, I will not be defeated. I smiled in triumph inwardly.  

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The sound of excited fans filled the room. There were about fifty people inside, all impatiently waiting for EXO to come out. I felt my heart beat rapidly since this was the first time I would see EXO perform live. I stood by the side of the banquet right across the stage. If I weren’t on the job, I probably would’ve sat at one of the tables, along with my fellow fans.

The lights suddenly turned off and only a small spolight on stage could be seen. After a few seconds, the intro of Angel played and when EXO finally became visible, all hell broke loose and fans started screaming in awe. Luhan sang his part and I forgot to breathe.

Hao xiang shen me dou bu dong de yi ge hai zi yi yang chun zhen

Chong sheng na ge mei li de shun jian

I looked at him and realized how much I wanted to be here. How it didn’t matter that he wasn’t the kind of person I thought he would be. For the first time, it was clear why I left everything.

Ai shang ni de wo zai ye mei you di fang ke hui tou

Chi bang yi jing bu zai you

Yong heng de sheng ming bei duo zou, oh no

His voice echoed on my ear like a lullaby. I pinched myself, scared that I was in a dream. I admit that when I was about to leave Paris, a part of me was shaking, hesitating. But now, it felt like I made the right choice. It felt like all of it was worth it. If only Luhan knew what this song meant to me, maybe he would be nicer, I thought.

When the song ended, the fans shouted that they wanted more. I felt the exact same way. Who knew that it was going to be the death of me? When “Don’t Go” played, the members looked at each other in confusion. I knew there was something wrong. I went backstage to see if there was anything they needed but the song already started. Although there was something a bit off, they sang through it smoothly.

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The event ended after the fans got their own autographs and pictures with EXO. I smiled as I took notice of Luhan who was too respectful and nice. I wondered how much effort it took him to pretend. But after all the fans left, my old boss was back. He dragged me to the dressing room with fury evident on his face. What have I done this time?

“What the heck were you thinking?!” he shouted to my face.

“What do you mean?” I shook in fear.

“Do you know that none of us practiced for that song?” he threw the CD he was carrying to the wall and my shoulders rose in surprise.

In an instant, all of EXO was inside the room, they held Luhan and tried to calm him down. I felt tears well in my eyes, I looked down and a tear fell.

“All you had to do was choose the right song, and you couldn’t even do that!” Luhan put his palm on his forehead.

“I didn’t know, I’m so so sorr –” I sobbed.

“GET OUT.” Luhan ordered, his eyes distant.

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I ran as fast as I could. Out of the banquet. Out of the hotel. The tears didn’t stop falling despite the coldness outside. At the side of the hotel was an ocean. I sat by the shore and started crying my heart out. I lost track of time as I poured out all the pent-up worries I've kept. An hour or two passed and I was still shedding tears. I wanted to count how many times I cried when I came to Korea but I realized I was too exhausted to even do so.

It almost came off as funny how Luhan controlled all my moods. Just a while ago, I was in awe and admiration while watching him sing. Now here I am with red eyes and nose after he scolded me. It has been merely three days and I’ve felt like I’ve worked for him for three years. Maybe I should retire already. I laughed at the thought.

“Are you crying or laughing? Make up your mind already.” A voice from behind me said.

I turned to see who it was but a jacket was then thrown on my face. When I put it down, I saw the last person I wanted to see.

“Wear that.” Luhan said.