The alarm went off at 4:45 the next morning and Jemma’s head shot up from where she had fallen asleep on the couch. The laptop was still open on the coffee table, displaying Ryeowook’s file.

She grumbled, rolling her shoulders in attempt to relieve some of the tension built there and stood up. Her legs wobbled a little as she stretched her arms, the smell of coffee already filling the small officetel. She picked up her phone from where it rested on the coffee table and scanned the day’s schedule. Looking up the address, she saw that the saloon she was taking them to was only a fifteen minute drive away from the dorms, and setting her phone back on the table, she hopped into the shower. Breaking the “No work before coffee” rule had become somewhat of a habit to her and she reminded herself to reinforce it again. Rules existed to keep everything in order; disobeying a rule always led to chaos, and chaos was to be avoided at any cost. Chaos was what hid in Pandora’s Box, and people feared that for a reason. Once chaos was released, there was no way for it to be contained again, not without making sacrifices. And sometimes the price was just too high to pay.

Not that much later and just a floor below, Super Junior’s dorm kitchen was filled with hushed voices, as Ryeowook and Sungmin were quietly discussing something. Kyuhyun was still in the shower, grumpy and exhausted after last night’s Starcraft losing streak. Sungmin munched on the pancakes Ryeowook had made, while eyeing his dongsaeng cautiously.

“…so, Heechul hyung actually let us ‘borrow’ Gunhee, which is really awesome, isn’t it, hyung?” the younger boy chirped, unaware of the dark gaze on him.

“Sure,” Sungmin eventually replied, ”By the way Wookie, are you okay after last night?”

The petite man stopped in his tracks, turning to face his hyung, the cup of coffee shaking slightly in his hand,

“I’d rather not talk about it. You know how I feel about new managers,” he said coldly, turning back towards the stove to flip another pancake. At that moment the front door opened and Jemma entered the kitchen.

“Good morning,” she said formally, her eyes narrowing as she noticed there were only two fully dressed boys in the kitchen,

“Where in Kyuhyun? We are leaving in seven minutes,”

Both band members pointed towards the corridor that led to Kyuhyun’s bedroom and Sungmin stood up, offering to go get him. Jemma shot him an ice cold glance and stormed down the hall herself, knocking on the door that she knew led into Kyuhyun’s room.

“Cho Kyuhyun, you have exactly two minutes to get to the kitchen or we are leaving without you,” she said, the ice seeping into her words. She heard someone grumble and the door swung open, a shirtless Kyuhyun trying to button up his shirt appearing before her. He yelped upon seeing her, almost expecting her to scream or feel embarrassed – however she just turned around and stormed back into the kitchen.

“Pancakes?” Sungmin offered in hopes of cheering up the new manager, who seemed rather grumpy. Maybe she wasn’t a morning person, or it was an American thing. Or maybe it was a woman thing. He shrugged, studying her, as she rapped her fingers on the hardwood top, annoyance visible on her face.

“No, thanks,” she said, “Four minutes,” was then added, as Kyuhyun finally entered the kitchen. Ryeowook turned off the stove and setting the plate of pancakes on the table for when the rest of the band would wake up, he took off his frilly apron – the one Sungmin had given him for Christmas, the one that he secretly loathed – and went into the hall to put on his shoes. His manner did nothing to suggest that he had even noticed Jemma’s presence, and Sungmin quietly wondered what had the younger boy so worked up – other than the obvious that is.

“Jemma-ssi?” he turned to her, as Kyuhyun went to join Ryeowook in the hall, “Please take good care of us, and especially Wookie. He’s a really nice kid,” Sungmin smiled at the girl who was suddenly at loss of words. There was something about the boy’s expression that she hadn’t seen in a long time – honestly. She was used to people around her offering fake smiles, yet the one on his face…it didn’t look fact. She coughed, trying to regain her composure and nodded, ushering him out of the room.

That small moment of pure sincerity by the young man left her baffled for the next few hours, while waiting for the hairdresser – who, she found out through Kyuhyun, was dating Heechul – to finish working on the boys. She didn’t let it show, but wondered what his agenda was. He didn’t look like he had one, other than making sure his dongsaengs were in good hands. He didn’t seem to doubt her abilities as a manager, unlike many others did, but instead…what?

If there was one thing Jemma didn’t take at a face value, it was kindness. Kindness in the industry was always backhanded, never to be trusted. Many would say that this was a pathetic way of life, never trusting anyone, but it was the only way she knew how to survive. Relying only on herself had been the only way she knew how to live, and she was more than content with her situation. As the lyrics to one of her favorite songs went I have no need for friendship, friendship causes pain.

While waiting for Gunhee’s assistant to finish washing Kyuhyun’s hair, Sungmin and Ryeowook quietly chatted in front of the mirrors, however Ryeowook’s eyes kept trailing towards the manager, now engulfed in her phone, her fingers rapidly tapping the screen.

“Wookie-ah, you listening to me?” Sungmin asked, nudging the younger.

“Yeah, I’m fine, fine, fine, fine, fine” he replied, though his mind was still on last night’s conversation. The girl’s words rang clearly in his ears, as she stared at him, a hard edge in her eyes, saying that she wasn’t going to be his friend or therapist. He had never expected to hear anything like that from anyone, let alone a manager that was assigned to take care of him. Yet, he wondered, wasn’t that the only way to make sure you didn’t get hurt by anyone? He remembered how much he cried when Hangeng left the band, how heartbroken he had been at the time, and sighed. Maybe she had it all figured out after all. Don’t get attached. Don’t get too close.

“That was one fine too many, Wook. What’s up?” Sungmin eyed him, expecting a reply, “What did she say to you last night?”

The boy just shook his head, “I was thinking about her demeanor. She seems cold, doesn’t she?”

“Yeah, and distant and organized and basically a person who has everything together,”

“I was just thinking, maybe she has everything figured out already. I mean, you know how Myungsoo hyung and Kwanghyung hyung and Seojin hyung are always...” he searched for a good word to describe how the other managers handled them, but came u