Emily looks like a completely different person, Jiho thinks to himself. It’s Friday afternoon and they’re all crowded into the now-familiar recording studio, sheet music in hand and microphones at the ready. It’s the last track they need to lay down for their upcoming album and, for some inexplicable reason, Emily is there in the studio with them.

“I’d like her to see how things work in the studio,” Chanyong had said when Jiho – rather petulantly – had asked why she was accompanying them to the recording session.

He had pulled a face like only he could. “But she’s a translator, right? We don’t need any translating while we’re recording.”

“Just humor me, Jiho,” Chanyong had said with an almost pleading note in his voice. “Keep an eye on her for me.”

So, like he’d promised, Jiho is keeping an eye on Emily, and she looks like a completely different person than she did a few days ago.

The black eye she’d been sporting so spectacularly has faded, which almost makes it look worse. Now it’s a sickly purply-green color that looks like maybe she’s got some sort of exotic skin condition or something. But she’s dressed better now, in clothes that don’t appear to have been worn more than one day, and she’s wearing shoes, though she definitely seems upset by this fact. Her hair is brushed and she’s even wearing a hint of makeup. In fact, she could pass for a normal human being if it weren’t for the look of utter disgust on her face.

Because Emily looks like this is the last place in the world she wants to be. She’s sort of got this expression like she’d rather be being torn apart by rabid dogs or fed bit by bit to hungry sharks than be there in the recording studio with Jiho and his boys.

In fact, she’s sitting in what must be the most un-ladylike pose Jiho has ever seen. She’s got her legs thrown over the armrest of the chair she’s currently perched in, picking at her chipped nail polish and muttering under her breath in English.

Jiho catches Taeil staring at her with a look of consternation, and he shakes his head in a silent warning to just let it go. If Chanyong wants them to keep an eye on her for the afternoon, then that’s what they’re going to do. Chanyong has done a lot for them, so he supposes it won’t kill them to put up with his whiny niece for a few hours.

They start recording not long after noon. It’s a song they like and they’re really proud of, and so they’re eager to get it recorded. Jiho can’t help but glance over at Emily every once in a while, just to gauge her reaction to their music. She’s completely disinterested, even drawing designs with a ballpoint pen on her bare leg once when he looks up. He tells himself that he’s only disappointed because he wants everyone to enjoy Block B’s music. Yeah, that’s it, of course.

Though he doesn’t want to be curious, Jiho finds himself wondering just what the story is behind Emily. He knows from brief conversations with Chanyong that, though born in Korea to Korean parents, she’d grown up overseas in America due to her father’s job. He also knows that something happened in America, which is why she suddenly came back to Korea to live with her uncle. Whatever that something was, however, Chanyong is strangely tight-lipped about it. Jiho wonders if she got arrested. He honestly wouldn’t put it past her. He’s surprised she hasn’t been arrested here yet.

“What are you staring at?” her harsh voice interrupts his thoughts.

He gives himself a little shake and realizes that he has, in fact, been staring. And now everyone else is staring at him: Emily, the other guys, even the recording assistants.

Jiho blushes and cards his fingers through his blonde hair. “Ah, I guess I got lost in my thoughts.” Then, mostly because she’s giving him that look, he adds, “And I wasn’t staring at you. I was staring off into space.”

She snorts as if she doesn’t believe him – which annoys Jiho for some inexplicable reason – and goes back to drawing the ink tattoo on her leg. It’s gotten quite intricate by this point.

Jiho tries to keep his eyes trained on anything other than Emily for the remainder of the recording session, but it’s a little difficult. He’s seen the other guys and the assistants and this tiny little room a billion and one times before, so many times that all the details are forever ingrained in his memory. Only Emily is new and unknown, so he finds his eyes drifting to her more often than he’d like to admit.

She could be pretty under different circumstances, he thinks to himself. She’s got a decent figure and good bone structure, but he can’t really tell with the bruise covering half her face. Well, that and the expressions she’s constantly twisting her fact into. Honestly, hasn’t the girl ever heard of a smile? Or anything other than a sneer? It’s not like he’s thrilled that she’s there either.

Eventually Emily gets bored with her pen tattoo and, tossing the pen onto the table, she begins to sigh and groan like it’s the end of the world. Jiho is more than pleased when they finish for the day and they are able to leave the tiny, stuffy little recording studio.

Emily seems almost as pleased as Jiho by this development. “Is it over?” she asks eagerly. “Are you done? I can go now?”

Jiho shrugs noncommittally. Chanyong hadn’t said anything about Emily coming with the boys afterwards, only during. So he doesn’t really care where she goes at this point. Back to America would be nice.

Emily takes his shrug as an affirmative, so she slings her bag over her shoulder and is gone in an instant.

“She’s a weird bird,” Jihoon comments mildly.

Yookwon bumps his shoulder playfully. “You’re one to talk,” he accuses with a grin.

Jiho’s cell phone rings as they’re waiting for the van to take them back to the dorm. He sees that it’s Chanyong on the caller ID and so answers. “Hey, hyung.”

“Jiho.” Chanyong sounds almost worried. “How did the recording session go? How was Emily?”

“It was okay,” Jiho mutters. “She just sort of sat there and was really bored the whole time.”

“But she didn’t act out or anything, right?” Chanyong presses. “Nothing got broken? Security didn’t have to be called?”

Jiho’s brows knit together in surprise and confusion. “Uh, no? Nothing got broken and no security had to be called. Jeez, what did you think was going to happen? A nuclear meltdown or something?”

“You don’t even want to know,” Chanyong says with a sigh. “Where is Emily now? Is she still with you?”

“Nah, she high-tailed it out of here the second we were finished recording,” Jiho replies.

Chanyong sighs again as if he had been expecting this. “I see. Thanks for today, Jiho.” He hesitates. “Listen, can I ask you another favor?”

Jiho groans. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”

Chanyong chuckles, but it’s not exactly humorous. “Look, I know it’ll be an inconvenience, but I was wondering if you and the boys could keep an eye out for Emily for the next few weeks,” he says. “I’m too old to be able to properly connect with her, and she doesn’t trust me anyway because we’re family. I think that, since you guys are closer to her age, you’ll be able to get closer to her than I will.”

“Hyung…” Jiho says, and his voice is verging on whiny. The other members give him sidelong glances but they can’t hear the conversation taking place.

“Look, I know it’s asking a lot,” Chanyong presses on. “But it’s really important to me. I need to know that Emily is alright.”

Jiho sighs. He can’t really say no to Chanyong anyway. “Fine, we’ll do it,” he gives in.

Chanyong is obviously relieved. “Thanks a lot. I owe you guys one.”

“Damn right,” Jiho mutters, but he waits until he’s hung up with Chanyong to say this. 

Mmm so Block B now has to babysit Emily. This should be fun.