Chapter 15
Case EXOTIC
A/N Please read A/N at the bottom.
Soohyun’s POV
“Are you sure you don’t want to come in?” I asked Kai as he pulled up at my house.
“It’s fine , I need to make a call anyway,” Kai assured me with a boyish grin.
I nodded, “Ok then, I won’t take long.”
I hopped out of his very, very nice car, unlocked the door and entered the familiar yet unfamiliar place once called ‘home’. There’s this cold, stale smell that lingered in the air due to the lack of habitants. I pulled the curtains apart and pushed some windows open to finally let in some sunlight and fresh air. A streak of golden light shone into the house and landed onto the counter where there’s a framed family photo of omma, appa, and the younger me. A thin layer of dust has collected on the glass over time. I quickly grabbed a wet towel to clean it and finally I headed upstairs to pack my stuff.
Frantically I rummaged through my wardrobe and chucked whatever I could find into my suitcase. I didn’t have much to choose from since I rarely went out. The only place I probably go when I’m not at the house will be.....you guessed it..... HQ.
After zipping up the case, I took a deep breathe, “Okay, all done. Let’s go.”
I felt bad making Kai wait for me so I quickly made my way outside.
On the way, I passed the dark wooden door of appa’s office that was tightly shut like always. He never allowed me to wonder in his office. Even omma rarely went in there. It was kind of like his private space in the house. When I was younger, I had always thought that perhaps he stored some TOP classified government documents in there or something. But those things, I had later found out, were all stocked in his office in HQ, which I may or may not have secretly rummaged through.
As I made my way back to the car, Kai was leaning gracefully against his silver Mercedes as he spoke in a rather serious tone over the phone.
“So it’s all at 169?”
......
“Only that much?”
....
“Ok, report everything to D.O afterwards.”
....
“Ok.”
......
My agent instincts immediately took over.
Who was he talking to? What’s 169?
Kai noticed me, and quickly he ended his call.
"You’re done quick," his voice returned to his causal tone.
"Yeah.....” my brain was still trying to piece together the new information.
“Gomawo Kai, for being my personal chauffeur today," I laughed as he fit my suitcase into the trunk.
After shutting the trunk, he turned towards me, hands on his hips, “ how many times do i have to tell you that you must refer to me as Kai oppa....."
Seeing Kai trying to speak with authority was funny. I giggled as I ignored his words and made my way into the passenger seat. Kai was yelling at me in this high frustrated voice, "Ya Soohyun, call me oppa. Oppa!”
Given up, Kai sunk into the leather driver seat.
"So, where do you want to go now m'lady? "
He leaned onto the driving wheel and lazily looked at me.
"Hmmm...how about the supermarket."
"Super market?"
I nooded. "Yes the supermarket. You know, where you can buy food?”
"This isn't really what I’d expect on a first date,” Kai mumbled as he started the engine.
"Who said that this was a date?" I argued as I felt my cheeks turn really hot.
"Well.... It’s two single people spending the day together."
"That doesn’t mean that were dating. And how did you know I was...." my mouth dropped open, “you guys did a background search on me didn’t you."
“Sorry, but it’s kind of compulsory....”
My eyes narrowed, "I bet searching for my relationship status wasn’t compulsory.” I teased Kai who immediately tensed up.
"It was...uh....”
I folded my arms, "real smooth Kai."
..................
"So why are we here?" Kai asked me as he pushed the trolley, obediently trailing after me as I made my way down the aisles.
I scanned the rows of freshly displayed vegetables, mentally ticking off the shopping list I had in my head as I piled trolley with food.
“This is a little reward for your hard work," I answered as I chose some onions.
Kais signature grin was on display once again, "reward? Is it going to be food?" then his eyes widened, "can you cook Soohyun?"
"You shall see tonight," I answered with a hidden smile.
I heard some mouse like squeals that sounded from behind a nearby food stand. I looked up and immediately rolled my eyes.
"Kai, you have some visitor. Poor girls have been crouching there ever since we came in."
Kai looked towards the girls hiding behind the food stand and gifted them a wink. Suddenly a burst of hysterical squealing and muffled screaming sounded inside the supermarket.
I rolled my eyes again, “don’t do that again, their fragile little hearts won’t be able to take it," I said in a slightly annoyed tone. Honestly, I really didn’t care about whether or not the girls could stand the flirting of this seemingly womanizer, Kai.
I just wanted them to shush because their squealing was giving me a mild head ache.
"Are you jealous Soohyun?" Kai teased me with a stupid grin hung across his face.
I shoved past him to reach the sauces on the shelf.
Dammit, why in the world do they put them so high?
I was already on my tippy toes and my arms were outstretched to the max and beyond, yet I was still shy of the top shelf.
"Let me get that," I felt Kai’s hands rest on my shoulders as he reached for the top shelf.
"Is it this?" he asked.
I swiftly grabbed the packet out of his hands.
"I am not jealous."
……………………………..
The cashier packed the sixth full bag of food before finalizing the payment.
“So how much is that altogether?” I asked as I took out my card.
“Don’t worry ma’am, the payment has already been settled.”
I frowned, “what do you mean settled? I haven’t paid yet.”
“Uh...what I mean is that the payment has already been paid for you. We will bring the bags to your car. Thank you for shopping with us. Have a great day,” the cashier dismissed me and prepared checking out the customer behind me.
“Hey, I still-“
Kai gently pushed me towards the exit, “chill, the cashier said that it’s all been settled.”
“But I haven’t paid! Who could have settled-“ I vigorously turned towards Kai with my hands on my hips, “was it you?”
Kai, chose to ignore my words and continue pushing me out the supermarket. A mischievous sort of smile hung across his face, “come on, let’s go.”
I stood my ground firmly, “you shouldn’t have paid! This was supposed to be my treat,” I whined. But then I realized something, “but you were with me the whole time, you couldn’t have paid for it.”
“Well, technically I didn’t pay for it,” Kai answered as he pulled the very confused me towards the car. Some workers from the supermarket had just finished loading the bags into the trunk.
Kai nodded his thanks and the two workers bowed before leaving.
And my thoughts immediately clicked.
“Oh my god. It can’t be.”
Kai opened the passenger door for me to get in. He leaned in to click up my seat belt as I sat frozen in my seat gaping at him.
“Come on, it’s not that surprising.”
I scoffed, “from hospitals to supermarkets? Is EXO a gang or are you guys like business tycoons?”
“Both I guess....we’ll that’s what Suho had in mind when he started it all,” Kai answered honestly, “and Soohyun, it’s not ‘you’ but ‘we’. You are part of us now.”
…………………………………
No One’s POV
“Can’t I help......” Kai whined as he slouched on the kitchen counter, watching Soohyun prepare the meat and vegetables.
Before him, chopping the vegetables skillfully into a variety of shapes and sizes was Soohyun who briefly glanced at Kai and laughed. “With that chopping skill of yours, you are bound to choke someone tonight.”
Kai pushed himself off the counter and reached for a piece of radish he had cut, “look at it, it’s perfectly edible.”
Soohyun shook her head in disappointment, “Kai, it’s the size of my fist.”
Kai sulked in defeat as he placed the radish back into the bowl that was now filled with perfect thin slices which Soohyun’s magical hands had created. He picked up a piece and observed it with pure admiration, “how do you do this?”
Soohyun, who just finished slicing up the rest of the cabbage, turned to the stove to check the broth boiling in the pot. As she turned, her baby blue apron, which Kai had personally chosen, flared like a skirt around her waist. Kai smiled smugly at his great choice in apron.
“Practice. Tons and tons of practice,” Soohyun replied as she lifted the lid of the pot, releasing a whole heap of steam carrying the rich essence of the delicious kimchi broth within.
“Holy that smells good,” Kai made his way to the stove so that he was just leaning over Soohyun to see the rich smelling broth.
“Out of my way,” Soohyun pushed Kai out of the main working area.
“I’m hungry....” Kai whined.
“When is everyone coming home? I need to start cooking the food.” Soohyun asked.
“I hope none of them comes home so that I could eat all of this myself....” Kai moaned and just as he finished speaking, footsteps sounded in the doorway and soon Chanyeol entered the room, followed by D.O.
“Damn, it smells good! What is it?” Chanyeol exclaimed as he rushed towards the kitchen. He swallowed hard after seeing the delicious food before him.
“Wow Soohyun, I didn’t know you cooked this well,” D.O complimented her food as he stared wide eyed at the rare sight before him. This was his first time in many years to see and smell such delicious aroma and food inside the kitchen.
Soohyun smiled, “its hot pot, a family recipe omma taught me. And D.O oppa, you haven’t even tried the food yet. How do you know if it will taste good?”
“It smells amazing already,” D.O answered as he took a seat at the counter next to Kai. He was completely amazed at this rare sight before him. After all these years, finally the kitchen had been used to its full potentials.
Soohyun smiled happily as she began dropping the sliced vegetables into the thick broth. Chanyeol snuck his way behind Soohyun and scanned the counter, “Soohyunnie, is there anything I can do?”
“Hyung, don’t you mean is there anything I can eat right now?” Kai corrected Chanyeol who gave him a cheeky smile. Chanyeol was the type of person whose actions seemed way younger than his actual age. If Kai would describe him, Chanyeol hyung would be a big dorky baby-foolishly cute. But that side of Chanyeol was only seen at home anyway. To the outside world, Chanyeol was the cold and brutal second in command and head of EXO weaponry. Kai wouldn’t manage to count just how many men have cowered to their knees before this hyung.
“Gosh, how are you guys all so hungry?” Soohyun said as she stirred the contents in the pot.
“It’s because we are men! And we have a lion’s metabolism,” a new voice said, “and it smells so good Soohyun.”
Baekhyun entered the open lounge followed by Taeyeon who was nicely dressed in a pastel pencil skirt matched with a delicate white lace top.
“Oh, Taeyeon unnie!” Soohyun immediately dropped the utensils of the kitchen table as she made her way to Taeyeon who was also rushing towards her.
“ Omo Soohyun, how are you feeling? Mianhae, I couldn’t spend the day with you because the shop had just finished renovating and my phone had been bursting with phone calls from my customers,” Taeyeon sincerely apologized, “but omg the food smells so delicious. And the apron, omg you look so cute with that apron on!”
“I chose it!” Kai called from the back. He never let go of a chance to be in the center of attention.
But, no one seemed to notice Kai’s words with Soohyun and Taeyeon busy in their conversation, Baekhyun talking with D.O, and Chanyeol is poking at the food in the pot, hoping to be able to eat something.
Poor Kai sulked in his chair.
“Omo, the food! I nearly forgot,” Soohyun broke from her conversation with Taeyeon and rushed back to the stove.
“Chanyeol oppa, can you please wait outside, the food will be done very, very soon,” Soohyun shooed Chanyeol out of the kitchen like she did with Kai.
Chanyeol pouted as his eyes glued to the steaming pot on the stove.
Soohyun gave the enormous pot of food a little stir, checking if it has been fully cooked or not.
“Woah, what is this that smells so good?” The last person made his way into the lounge. Suho took off his grey coat and laid it over the couch before making his way to the kitchen counter.
“ Ah, Suho-oppa, you’re just in time, hot pot is ready!”
Suho blinked blankly for a few seconds as he recalled what the little girl before him called him.
“Oh my god, ancient Suho is shocked by Soohyun calling him ‘oppa’,” Chanyeol laughed.
Baekhyun was laughing too, “how long has it been since someone had called Suho ‘oppa’?”
Kai, always ready to say more added, “the last time I remember, he was called ajusshi?”
Everyone was cracking up as Soohyun set the steaming pot of delicacies onto the oak wood table.
She was laughing, again. “Let’s eat!”
………………………………………
Soohyun didn’t eat.
Instead, she sat there, dumb folded with a bowl of steaming white rice in one hand, and chopsticks in the other. She couldn’t quite make sure if she had just cooked dinner for a group of handsome young gang leaders or a pack of starving wolves. The boys before her were just stuffing their mouths with rice and food, or more specifically, meat. Purely meat. The vegetables in the pot were completely untouched.
“Uh.....should I cook some more meat into the pot?” I asked carefully.
Five pairs of hungry eyes suddenly glared at me after hearing the words “more meat.”
They all vigorously nodded their heads, mouths still exploding with food. There was still a piece of beef hanging half out of Chanyeol oppa’s mouth.
“Ok.....” I rose from my seat to find Taeyeon unnie pulling me back down.
“No more meat for you carnivores. You must have a balanced diet, so finish the vegetables in the pot,” Taeyeon unnie ordered.
A whine escaped from Kai’s mouth.
But all the boys obeyed, as they reluctantly cleaned up the remaining vegetables in the pot.
Taeyeon unnie turned to me and smiled proudly, “eat up Soohyunnie!”
I let out a shaky laugh as I picked up my chopsticks once again.
……………………………….
“This is soooooo good,” Chanyeol mumbled.
“Hell yeah,” Kai fished out another piece of meat, “Oh, I found another one!”
Baekhyun immediately stole the piece of beef from Kai, and instantly devoured it.
“Yah! Hyung! That was my meat!” Kai shouted from across the table, seriously angry.
“Too late, too slow,” Baekhyung teased victoriously with a smug smile which instantly earned him a kick in the shin from Taeyeon.
“Ow!”
“Shame Baekhyun hyung. And komawo noona.”
Taeyeon playfully winked at Kai.
“I want seconds,” Chanyeol said with a mouthful.
“Me too,” Kai replied.
Soohyun rose from her seat, “I’ll grab you guys seconds,”
“And me too please Soohyun,” D.O added.
“And me!” Beakhyun chirped.
“Get it yourself,” Taeyeon replied, causing Baekhyun to sulk. He leaned in towards Taeyeon and fluttered his eyes, “won’t you get it for me?”
Taeyeon unnie turned at gave Baekhyun a ‘look’, making him immediately retreat.
“I’ll go grab seconds myself,” Baekhyun quietly left the table.
Soohyun turned to Suho, “Suho oppa, do you want seconds too?”
“Yes please.”
When Soohyun went back to the table after serving everyone with seconds, the food was basically all gone.
“Ah....I’m so stuffed.....” Kai leaned back into his chair.
“ Yeah....me..too.....” Chanyeol rubbed his full tummy with satisfaction.
Suho and D.O also relaxed comfortably in their seats with a grin as they enjoyed the beautifully warm atmosphere around them.
“I’m glad you liked it,” Soohyun smiled as she cleared the plate, feeling a warm sense of appreciation inside. Although she had not eaten that much, she felt weirdly full. This fuzzy feeling inside, was got to be the last thing she’d expected to feel at EXO.
“I’ll help you clean,” Taeyeon unnie smiled.
……………………………………
Suho cleared his throat, “So Soohyun, I was thinking perhaps, if you’d like to be Taeyeon’s bodyguard during your stay here? You see, it is quite difficult to have you stay here without a proper reason, if you understand what I mean....”
“And on top of that, seeing how you managed to save Taeyeon last time at the boutique, we thought you would be a perfect candidate. And currently Taeyeon’s safety has been a concern of ours, and seeing your close-“ Baekhyun was cut off.
“Yes! Yes I would love to be unnie’s bodyguard!” Soohyun replied a little too cheerfully. “Ah, but that is if I am skilled enough to do so....” Soohyun added carefully.
She was more than capable of being Taeyeon guard, but she couldn’t forget the fact that in EXO’s eyes, she was just some witty, gutsy, teenager who knew a few moves. They didn’t know that she could use anything from pocket knives to machine guns or that she knew how to drive a tank.Yes, a tank.
They shouldn’t know.
Taeyeon unnie was just as excited, “really? OMG! This is so great! I can be with the adorable Soohyunnie rather than be followed by those emotionless bricks you guys call guards.”
Suho sighed as he watched the two girls celebrate.
“Well, this went far better than I expected.”
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