"Shiljang-nim, this transfer is so sudden... I've been working with SuJu for months now.  I have plans well in motion, I'm in control of schedules until the end of the year at the very least... There are so many loose ends I haven't even begun to wrap up... This really isn't a convenient time for this."

The Artist Manager leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms and regarding me thoughtfully. "To be quite honest, we anticipate this new group to have an even greater impact than Super Junior. Currently, you're the most well-qualified, successful staff member I have under me. It would be a shame to waste your talent on a group that will be getting old in only a few years. A transfer to a new group would be quite beneficial to you. A promotion, even. It will be a great addition to your resume for the job offer you have waiting for you once your year with our company is over, will it not?"

I bit my upper lip, hard, to prevent my face from expressing the inward freeze. The sudden reminder, the flash of realization. I felt blood trickle into my mouth. I my lips, ignoring the sting, swallowed, and answered, "I had thought that what Yun Sound Technologies required was experience. I was not aware that they required specific experience."

She smiled coldly. "Of course, their decision relies entirely on what I tell them."

I felt the blood trickle again, and my lips. Was she playing me? Did she know about the deception? I hadn't made it that obvious, had I?

She pursed her lips, winding her hands together in front of her. "To be quite honest, with the success you've had managing a group I myself considered hopeless, it's a shame to hand you over to Yun Sound Technologies." She sighed, flicking her eyes up at me. "Still, I did make the agreement with CEO Yun... so I will use you for as much as I can for as long as you remain here. In this case, I would like you to work with the new group. It's a complex project. Perfect for your abilities."

"What exactly do you want me to do?" I asked, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

She tapped her fingers on her arms, smiling up at me. "Of course, I want you to make them a success!" she declared, a hint of mockery in her voice. "Greater than Super Junior. Greater than Dong Bang Shin Ki. This company has undergone far too many... embarrassments. I will not allow it to happen again. Do you understand?"

She held out a packet of papers, and I took it, nodding. "Yes ma'am," I agreed, resignedly. If I argued, she would have been suspicious.

"Then you are excused."

I bowed, beginning to exit.

"Oh, and, Heeyung-shi..."

I turned back around. "Yes, ma'am?"

"I'm sure you're aware that I expect you to continue with your reports, even on this new project. You've done so well with them so far."

I felt my fist clench, but gave her a tight smile and bowed. "Of course, Ma'am."

~

Of course, the moment I was out of her office, I leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. My lip was still bleeding, so I pulled a tissue from my purse and dabbed at the bite, closing my eyes.

I didn't know what that woman knew or pretended to know, but she could get under the skin more than anyone I had ever met. It seemed like she could read my mind. Just when I had decided to pay back all of the mistakes I had made, suddenly it was all going up in smoke. 

"Heeyung-shi, you're bleeding! Are you alright?!"

I opened my eyes and Yesung was right in front of me, bending over to get a closer look at my lip. He reached up to touch it, and I flinched away, dabbing at the lip again.

He frowned. "How did you get a cut on your upper lip?" he asked, still trying to get a better look. "Did you get in a fight with somebody?!"

"I bite my upper lip when I'm nervous," I grunted, rolling my eyes and nudging away his hand with my elbow. "I'm fine."

"Nervous?" He looked up, noticing that I was in front of the Artist Manager's office. Then he grabbed me by the shoulders, eyes wide. "You had to talk to Shiljjang-nim?! Did she--"

"Shhhhhh, Yesung-shi. You may disturb the Manager," I murmured, hoping he understood the warning look I was giving him.

He choked on his sentence, his eyes bugging out, apparently realizing the bad location for discussion. I flicked my eyes down the hallway, and he nodded, starting to walk with me in that direction.

When we had gone down a few hallways, and I deemed us a sufficient distance away, I took the tissue away from my lip, looking at the still-crimson splotches. Yesung paused, again looking down at me with concern. "Did she find out? Are we all in trouble?!"

I shook my head, running my finger over the lip to make sure the bleeding had stopped. "I don't think so."

He sighed, smiling. "Ah, that's a relief. I was worried she was going to take you away from us, right when you're becoming our friend, for real this time!" He reached over and poked me in the philtrum, laughing. "Since Heeyung-shi has pretty much taken over Super Show for us, we were wondering if--"

"Forget it, Yesung-shi. It's over."

"Over? What's over?" he asked, seeming a bit stunned. "We haven't even..."

"Shiljjang-nim has decided I am better off working for the group the company plans on debuting soon. I have three days to train my replacement. Then my time with Super Junior is over."

He seemed completely floored. Just like I still was, to be quite honest. "You mean... just... over? Just like that?"

I swallowed, giving him a half-smile. "For what it's worth... I don't really want to go."

"But it's all for your career, right?"

I nodded, looking away. "I'll try not to hurt anyone else in the process, though." I looked down at my feet. "Not this time."

He looked at me for a long time, and then nodded. "Tell your brother that we wish the best for both of you."

"Ayyy, it's not like we won't see each other!" I said with more strength than I had. "I was running into you guys long before I was ever transferred to Artist Management. We'll see each other pretty often, still."

"Yeah."

And then suddenly he was reaching out to hug me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders, surprising me. 

"Yesung-shi... what are you--?"

"I just want to know why you have such a low opinion of yourself," he muttered, "I hope that you can find a way to forgive yourself for all of those things that aren't your fault."

He let go, bowed to me, and then began walking away, leaving me to wonder where I'd heard those words before.

~

"Ah, there's too much, Heeyung-sunbae!" the girl in front of me crooned. She was my replacement, a new recruit to the Artist Management department, just like I had been. We were in one of the temporary offices, in front of a Powerpoint presentation, and I was trying to teach her all that she would be responsible for.

I rolled my eyes. "Lee CheonHwa, we haven't even gotten to the end-of-year awards shows yet!"

"Awwww, there's MORE after Super Show 4?!" she groaned, falling forward onto her notepad. "Heeyung-sunbae, are you sure you're a human being?! How do you keep track of all of this?"

"Perhaps I'm not human. You're not the first person to ask."

She groaned again, face planted firmly in the notebook. "That's the only explanation, then. I mean, Just the day-to-day stuff is a nightmare. The individual schedules, like radio and MCing, or even just variety show appearances, and then you add on crazy, expensive, extremely detailed projects like Super Show, all while predicting the expense and income of the group as far as MONTHS into the future?! No human could possibly do all that!"

I pursed my lips. "First of all, I don't do it alone. Recall that there are multiple departments in this company. Second of all, all you have to do is balance the schedule, contact various assets, and make cost predictions. Aside from that, you just make sure that the staff follow your directions." I gave her a limp smile. "If you try to do it all yourself, you won't get any sleep."

"But all of that is already giving me a headache, and I haven't even started!"

I shrugged. "Just try to take it one step at a time. When things come up, write them down right away. Make sure you have an efficient organization system. Categorize everything. And don't worry too much about the guys' individual schedules. For the most part, they handle it fairly well on their own. Remember, technically you're in charge of the staff, not the group itself."

I patted her on the back, and she didn't move.

"Lee CheonHwa. Lee CheonHwa!"

I leaned over, hearing the sounds of light snoring.

"AISH!" I shouted, standing up abruptly. Still, CheonHwa didn't move. She must have been a really sound sleeper.

I'd already wasted half a day with this girl. She was trying, I knew she was, but there was no way I could teach her the skills I had been developing for months in only three days. This was a critical time for the guys. I couldn't let the new girl screw it up. Not after all of the pain and hard work I had gone through over the past several months just trying to make everything perfect.

Maybe I'd be calmer if I got something to drink. There were vending machines near the practice rooms, so I headed down that way, leaving CheonHwa to her spontaneous nap.

As I passed by the vocal training room, though, I heard voices. Singing, of course. But my curiosity got the better of me, and I looked in.

"Oh for you I would have done whatever,
and I can't believe we ain't together,
And I wanna play it cool, but I'm losin' you
I'll buy you anything, I'll buy you any ring..."

When I looked in, I saw two people, both foreign-looking, sitting on a piano bench, one boy and one girl.

I knew that they were talking, but my English was a far cry from what they were speaking. I only recognized the lyrics of the song because I'd heard the annoying pubescent waste of testosterone singing over the radio many more times than I'd desired. 

These two, though, had no relation at all to Justin Bieber. Foreigners, yes. English-speaking foreigners, even. But they had distinctly Asian features.

Hearing them speak, I suddenly identified them as Amber Liu, from f(x), the same group that Luna was from, and... Henry Lau. Of Super Junior-M.

I'd been working with Henry, of course, at least a little bit, while the group prepared for Super Show. But, to be honest, I was rather uncomfortable with him.There was just something so... other about him that I couldn't help but avoid him a little bit. And Zhou Mi. I knew it wasn't fair, and they had endured plenty of mistreatment, but... thirteen already seemed like such a big number. It was better for me to not be around them at all than for them to be around my discomfort.

Henry, though, looked up, seeing me in the doorway. "Oh, Heeyung-noona!"

I cringed. "I've told you before, Henry-shi, that 'noona' is a far too familiar term between the two of us. I spend far too little time with you to have you refer to me in such a manner."

He grinned. "Amber, this is Han Heeyung, our staff lady." He nudged her in the shoulder, adding, "the Hyungs all love her. Nobody handles them like she does."

They both laughed, and Henry looked up. "Did you need anything, Heeyung-shi? Is it about Super Show? Do you need me for anything? I'm practicing, hard at work, as you can see."

I smiled thinly. "No. I was only wondering who was performing. If you'll excuse me..."

"Wait!" This time it was Amber, standing up to join me in the doorway. "Are you the Heeyung that Luna's been hanging out with?"

"Yes... that was me."

She shrugged. "Just curious. Sorry."

"No worries. She's becoming... a good friend."

~

"Heeyung-eonni, I heard you were getting transferred to those new groups!" Luna whined, falling into step with me as I began walking out of the lobby. 

"Groups?" I asked. "Ah, you mean Team A and Team B." I grimaced. "They really ought to think of a name for the group," I muttered, then frowned. "Anyway, it's not really two groups. Think of it as... two sides of a coin. It's the same object, but each side is different."

"Ohhhh, I see," she replied.

"Really?"

"Nope," she answered, laughing.

I laughed with her. "Well, maybe it will make more sense when the group debuts."

"So what do you think of them?" she asked. "The new guys, I mean. I've met them a few times, but how do they feel, after working with SuJu for so long?"

I waited until we had exited the building before answering, "pressured."

"What do you mean?"

"Well... I've only been working with them for less than a day, but it seems that the expectations placed on them are incredibly high. Just walking in the practice room, the air feels tense. They look exhausted, Luna. And they haven't even debuted yet."

"And it wasn't like that with SuJu?" she asked, digging into her bag and pulling out a protein bar.

I shook my head. "No... with SuJu it almost felt like the exact opposite. They were never expected to succeed in the first place, so all of the pressure on their shoulders was done by themselves. I'd thought their stress levels were ridiculous, but compared to these new guys... SuJu seemed so free, so relaxed. They were so in control. Crazy, but it felt like they had their together, more or less... pardon me for cursing."

She shrugged. "I don't mind. Bite?" she asked, holding out the protein bar.

I declined, waving it away. "Anyway, it seems like the members are actually quite talented, but at the rate the company is pushing them, the group is bound to fall apart in a hurry."

"Can't you do something to help? Since you're their Chief of Staff now?"

"I don't know. I'm trying," I replied, shifting my purse to my other shoulder. "To be honest, most of what I do is just orders from up top. I just make sure it's physically possible, like not being in two places at once."

"You can't give them a break, like you did with SuJu?" she asked, taking another bite of protein bar.

I almost bit my lip, the sting of the soft flesh there serving as a reminder of why I shouldn't do that. "I don't think so. With the Artist Manager always hovering over my shoulder, it's hard to do much of anything for either group. But this new group... I feel like, more than anything, she wants them to be a global sensation, to make up for the losses we suffered from losing the majority of Dong Bang Shin Ki. She refuses to admit that it was the company that caused them to leave in the first place, and so her solution to the problem of preventing them from leaving is to work them until they drop."

Luna ate the last bite of protein bar and tossed the wrapper in a bin as we passed by. "Won't that make them more likely to sue the company?"

"That's what I thought," I answered, nodding. "But defying that woman is like walking up to the edge of a cliff and standing on your toes. I'll do what I can, but... I'll still have to push them, and push them hard. And they'll probably hate me for it."

We arrived at the gym, and she opened the door for me, but stopped in the entryway. "But do you know what to do?"

I shook my head, following her inside the entryway. "To be honest, I have no idea where to start. I've been working with SuJu for so long... it'll take me weeks to figure out how I want the project to run, let alone maintain schedules," I groaned, shaking my head. "They want this group to be too many things at once, and I just can't handle that. Neither can they."

~

 "Okay... so the company wants you guys to participate in the planned performance of... um..." I shuffled through the papers I'd been given, biting my lip nervously. "SM the Orchestra, for SBS's 'The Sound of Hallyu'. The performing members will be..." I hesitated, carefully reading the strange-sounding Chinese names, "Hu...ang Ji-ta-oh..."

"Huang Zitao," he corrected, smirking a little bit. I felt my cheeks heat up, but tried to maintain calm. "Yes. With a Wushu performance. And then Kim Jongin, from Team A, in a group dance performance."

Kim Jongin always reminded me a lot of SHINee's Taemin. Which wasn't all that surprising, considering that the two of them always spent time together. Since I'd started working with Team A and Team B, I'd started seeing an awful lot more of Taemin than I used to, which was interesting, because I wasn't even working with SHINee. 

Aside from that, they were both the dancers of their teams, about the same height, and with similar face structure. So occasionally I had to actually stop myself from calling him "Taemin."

"And then, uh... Luhan, you're in another dance group. And then... Kim Jongdae... you have a brief solo. That's everyone performing. So you'll be meeting with the coordinator in charge of the project for the specifics of, uh... what you're supposed to do."

They looked like they were bored. Ki Junmyeon, the guy I had been told to go retrieve what seemed like ages ago, was falling asleep.

"So you'll have a different training regimen from everyone else. The rest of you just... continue... training?"

"Ahjumma, is this meeting over, or is there something else you need to tell us?" Oh Sehun asked, as I continued to shuffle through papers.

My head snapped up. "Ahjumma?!"

But they were already dispersing, to the dance practice rooms, the vocal training room, or just going to their managers or coaches.

When they had dispersed, I let the papers plop onto the floor with a slap, and massaged my forehead with my fingers. 

Working with these kids was quite stressful. In addition to having multiple foreign members, even more than SuJu, which made me confused and uncomfortable, the youngest of them was barely eighteen, and since they hadn't actually debuted yet, unlike SuJu, I really had no idea what I was supposed to do with them. I could plan things for when they did debut, sure, but unlike SuJu, I coudn't compare what they had been successful with in the past to what options they had open in the future. The whole group was a giant question mark to me. But where SuJu's question mark had been "what the hell are these guys doing?", with Team A and Team B it was more "what the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Ya, Heeyung-noona!"

I turned to see Eunhyuk, leaning against the training room door. "Eunhyuk-shi, what brings you here?"

He straightened up, looking around, to where Yee-shing... Yixing? was practicing, their dance teacher pushing him on relentlessly. "What do you think of the new guys? They're good, right?"

I pursed my lips. "Yes... they are."

He frowned. "Something's bothering you."

I nodded. "It's taking me far too long to adjust to the needs of a new group. I'm afraid that until I get into the swing of things, I'm more hindrance than help..." I looked up at him, shaking the ill thoughts away. "What about you? Is my replacement taking care of you well enough? Does she have to write reports?"

He paused, frowning, before throwing his arms around me and crying, "Heeyung-noona, please come baaaaaaaack!!!!!!!"

I pushed him away, looking around with embarrassment. "Eunhyuk-shi, control yourself!" I scolded. Fortunately, Yixing seemed far too focused on his practice to even notice.

I straightened my clothes, pursing my lips. "Besides, I had thought you'd prefer the new girl. She's much more friendly than I am."

"She has no idea what to do, Noona. She lets Kyuhyun say whatever he wants, and when we ask her for help it takes her like ten minutes to tell us to do something!"

I raised an eyebrow. "So what you're saying is... she doesn't yell at you enough?"

"YES!"

I massaged my forehead with my fingers again. "What am I supposed to do? You know that I have new responsibilities. These guys are going to debut soon. They need somebody with experience, like I have. Unlike you guys, they aren't going to be used to being bustled back and forth, handling schedules... they need me."

He had his hands on my shoulders, looking right into my eyes, his gaze pleading me, "but Heeyung-noona, we need you!"

I shook his hands away, crossing my arms. "Eunhyuk-shi, I've only been gone for a few days. You need to at least give the girl a chance. Besides, isn't it better for her to learn from a more experienced group, who has more of a handle on what they need to do, than for her to learn from a rookie group, who don't know what they're doing any more than she does? These guys need control, and you need freedom. Just because you're used to me doesn't mean that you need me. I have no skills that benefit you more than anyone else. Both she and I have received a large amount of college business education, and we're both equally qualified to work with you." I glared straight up at him, pausing for emphasis. "Disregarding her just because she hasn't been with you for that long is insulting for her, and if she found out you felt that way about her, she would probably be quite hurt, since she's not emotionally incapable, like I am. Do you understand, Lee Hyukjae?"

Eunhyuk looked like he was about to cry. Again. Damn that kid and his tears!

"Eunhyuk-sunbae just got SHUT DOWN by Heeyung-noona!" I heard one of the kids shout.

"Get back to work, Luhan," I growled, and saw him scurry away out of the corner of my vision.

"It's okay," Eunhyuk replied, looking straight at me, "it's not the first time."

"Look, Eunhyuk-shi. I appreciate that you've tried to help me, even though I haven't been the nicest or most grateful Chief of Staff. But as the sunbae, you can't be selfish."

He looked down again, looking like he was about to cry. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I am being selfish. Any other time of the year, maybe it would be okay to let her take over. But Super Show is a big deal! Switching you out just before it happens could be a big problem! It inconveniences everyone. And didn't you just say that, since you have to get used to them, you're more hindrance than help?"

"Heeyung-shi, it's not just about us." To my surprise, it was Leeteuk, and SuJu's manager.

Manager Kim nodded to me. "Wanna come with us, Heeyung-shi?"

I hesitated, then said my parting to the kids, and began walking with them. 

"We just want the concert to go off without a hitch," Leeteuk explained. And with you trying to catch up with the new guys, and CheonHwa trying to catch up with us, both of us are going to be affected."

I frowned. "So what are we doing?"

"We're going to go talk to Shiljjang."

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes, and then opening them when I had control of myself.

"What do you need me to do?"

~

"You want me to rescind your transfer?" the Artist Manager asked, disbelief in her voice. 

"To be honest, Ma'am, I don't disagree with points of your idea. It does make sense to give the new group a more experienced Chief of Staff. However, the timing for it is ill-planned. The new group is not set to debut until April. From the few days of experience that Lee CheonHwa has received while working with Super Junior, it is clear that she hasn't learned nearly enough to be in charge of such a large project as Super Show. Despite the embarrassment that the company endures daily at the hands of the group, we cannot deny that it is a major source of income for SM Entertainment. Allowing it to crash and burn would be ill-advised."

She pursed her lips, regarding me carefully. "Continue."

I swallowed, making sure I chose all of my words carefully. "At this rate, by the time I adjust to working with a new group like the Teams, and Lee CheonHwa adjusts to working as Chief of Staff at all, we'll have lost millions of Won on the part of Super Junior, and I will have only had control of the Teams for a brief amount of time before I leave in February." I swallowed, wincing at the reminder of my departure date. I sincerely hoped that Leeteuk and Manager Kim, waiting outside, were not able to hear it. "It would be a waste of time and money. Which, from what I've gathered from my experience of SM Entertainment so far, would be the opposite of what the company wants."

She blinked lazily, thinking. "What do you propose, then?"

"Allow me back as Super Junior's Chief of Staff. I had the project well in hand before I was transferred. I have experience with Super Junior. I know how much control they require." I mirrored her cold smile for effect. "Have CheonHwa stay with the group, as my... apprentice, for lack of a better term. That way, when I leave, she'll, this time, be well prepared to take the group on."

"Interesting," she replied. "And what about EXO?"

I frowned. "EXO, ma'am?"

She smiled coldly. "Team A and Team B. We've decided to name them, collectively, 'EXO'."

"O-oh. Yes. EXO. Well... if you recruited one of the older staff members from an experienced group, like, say Dong Bang Shin Ki. They'll have plenty of experience, and becoming Chief of Staff to a group like... EXO... will be a promotion for them. Meanwhile, the group will still have a Chief of Staff."

She tapped her fingers on her desk, thoughtfully. "So, you think you're too skilled to be taken away from Super Junior, do you?"

I controlled myself enough not to wince. "No, Ma'am. I merely believe that my knowledge of the group is important. It has nothing to do with skill."

She smiled again, sitting up. "Alright."

"Ma'am?"

"I'll get the paperwork finished today. You'll return to your work with Super Junior. Lee CheonHwa will study under you. I'll handle EXO. You are quite an intelligent young woman, Han Heeyung. I will miss you when you leave."

I bowed, hiding the grimace on my face. "Thank you, Ma'am."

She shook her head. "Don't thank me. Thank EXO and SuJu's managers. They were in here before you, saying how hopeless you and CheonHwa are."

I bowed again, exiting the office, trying to decide if I was happy or furious.