Ga Young couldn’t stop looking around her as she followed Chanyeol back to where the others were. Everything seemed to amaze her. It’s basically just a simple place – studio – but there were lots of staffs moving about doing their jobs and there were tons of equipment for the shoot as well.

Chanyeol glanced over his shoulder and saw the look on her face, making him smile fondly before he slowed his pace to match hers, and she turned to him when she realized they were walking side by side.

“This is amazing,” she said to him, eyes sparkling in delight.

He chuckled quietly and nodded his head. “It kinda is, but I’m used to it by now. It gets rather crowded and stuffy around here though, so I tend to get annoyed.”

“You get annoyed with everything,” she snorted.

“True.”

They reached the doors leading to the boys’ dressing room and Chanyeol glanced at her for a brief second, still a bit hesitant to introduce her to s, but eventually pushed open the doors and pulled her inside with him. Yixing was the first to notice them and his eyes widened comically when he realized that Chanyeol’s fingers were wrapped around her wrist.

“Hey, guys. We have company!” Kai yelled out of the blue, having noticed the two when he saw Yixing’s reaction.

Everyone paused and turned to them, and Chen hollered when he saw them. “Ha! See, I told you it’s her,” he exclaimed as he turned to Xiumin. “I wasn’t trolling you guys nor did I get the wrong person. You idiots owe me an apology!”

Xiumin rolled his eyes at the younger, chuckling quietly when Chen made a whining sound.

“Hi, noona!” Sehun greeted her with a wave from where he sat next to Suho. “Long time no see.”

“Hi, Sehun.” she smiled, looking around shyly when the boys smiled wider at the sound of her voice. “Uh, hello everyone.”

Chanyeol took it as a cue to introduce her to the others and cleared his throat, garnering their attention. “Guys, this is Moon Ga Young. Ga Young, these are my members.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you guys,” she replied, bowing to them with a smile.

“It’s our pleasure, actually.” Suho smiled, and she gasped quietly when she saw him. So handsome… and that angelic smile, my gosh! “We’ve heard so much about you, Ga Young-sshi. It’s good to finally meet you in person.”

She blushed at that. “Th–Thank you. I’ve heard a lot about you guys too.”

“Courtesy of me,” Sehun proudly exclaimed, grinning at s and giggling when Suho playfully patted his head. “Seriously though, she wouldn’t have known who’s who if it weren’t for me.”

Ga Young blushed again, chewing onto her bottom lip in embarrassment. Once when she was drying the plates in the kitchen, Sehun had come to help her out of boredom and told her stories about the EXO members. He had strong affections for all of them, but Ga Young realized that he was the closest with Suho, his leader and roommate. Sehun would smile so widely whenever she asked about Suho, and the fond tone he used to talk about the elder had made her feel warm as well.

The corners of Chanyeol’s lips tugged into a smile when he saw how embarrassed she was, and he nudged her lightly with his elbow just to , making her scowl at him and nudge him back. The EXO members witnessed this and grinned knowingly to themselves.

“Ga Young-sshi,” Kyungsoo suddenly called, making her turn to him and made Chanyeol frowned a little when her attention was suddenly on someone else other than him. “Are you going to stay here with us?” he asked, smiling kindly at her.

She nodded with a smile. “Chanyeol said I could stay, and if it’s okay with you guys–”

“Of course it is!” Chen and Baekhyun exclaimed at the same time. “You’re welcome to stay,” Baekhyun added.

“Chanyeol-sshi, I need to get your hair fixed again.” one of the hairstylist said before walking away.

Chanyeol sighed. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Can I watch?” Ga Young asked, tilting her head up to the annoyed male.

Chanyeol raised a brow at that. “You want to watch her style my hair?” She nodded innocently, looking like she was really interested to watch someone play with his hair. He shrugged. “Okay then.”

She grinned and Chanyeol scoffed in amusement before pulling her to the other room, oblivious to the amused eyes watching their every moves. Only when they were out of sight and hearing range did Xiumin let out a whistle and turned to Baekhyun.

“Wow, you weren’t joking at all.”

Baekhyun smirked. “Of course I wasn’t,” he snorted. “He’s my best friend. I know him best.”

“How long has this been going on?” Chen asked, glancing to the direction of the room where Chanyeol and Ga Young had disappeared to.

“For a while now, possibly since we moved in.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Yixing asked, looking adorably confused. Kai chuckled and fondly smiled at his hyung but said nothing to ease his confusion. “What’s going on guys?”

“Isn’t it obvious, ge?” Tao piped in with a grin. “Chanyeol hyung is in love!”

“Quiet down, panda. They’re right next door!” Sehun hushed, glaring at the other who rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat with a pout.

Suho merely shook his head at them.

***

“Chanyeol hyung is in love!”

Kyungsoo frowned deeper as Tao’s words echoed in his ears. The dull pain in his chest had now began to bleed deeper, and he gritted his teeth to stop himself from getting angry at himself.

Chanyeol can’t be in love with Ga Young-sshi, he thought and shook his head to himself. He didn’t know how close those two had gotten lately nor does he know the truth about their relationship, although Ga Young was very much in the dark about the matter like he was. However, he couldn’t deny the obvious pull the two had for each other and how Chanyeol seemed to be soft and pliant around her. He couldn’t deny that they actually looked good together.

“No, cut it out.” he whispered harshly to himself, wanting to rid his mind of such thought. “He doesn’t like her. He’s just making up for the time he yelled at her and made her cry.”

Or the time she spent taking care of him when he was sick, his mind supplied. A voluntary act, in case you forgot.

Kyungsoo’s fingers clenched into fists. He closed his eyes and released a heavy sigh just as he heard a familiar voice calling his name. Immediately his eyes snapped open and he turned his head to see Ga Young approaching him. A smile graced his lips as she stood before him.

“What are you doing here all alone?” Ga Young asked after using a brief second to appreciate his figure in the grey suit.

“I just needed some peace and quiet,” he said, easily masking his prior inner turmoil like a great actor that he was. “The boys are always so noisy, so sometimes I need to run away to get some peace and quiet for myself.”

“I understand,” she replied, chuckling a little. “They’re very… boisterous.”

“I’m glad you understand, Ga Young-sshi.”

They both chuckled at that.

“Ga Young-ah, what are you doing? We’re going to start soon, so get Kyungsoo to come with you.” Baekhyun suddenly called from the end of the hallway.

“Oh, okay. Come on, Kyungsoo-sshi. I can’t wait to see you guys at work!”

Kyungsoo smiled and nodded his head, feeling very amused at the obvious excitement on her face as she practically skipped down the hallway, leaving him behind. He loved seeing her smiling and being excited like that. Then a sudden realization hit him, making him pause in his steps.

Baekhyun just called her Ga Young, he thought and frowned a little. Even Sehun calls her noona and speaks informally with her. And Chanyeol too… am I the only one who is still not close with her?

***

Ga Young sat next to one of EXO’s managers, Seunghwan, the same guy she saw talking to Chen earlier and one of the managers she’d met briefly in her mother’s office when she was first asked to help around the house. The man had smiled kindly at her and invited her to sit close to him, warning her that the staffs might kick her out if she loitered around alone, thinking that she was a fan who managed to break into the studio.

They sat behind a few screens where they were able to check out the pictures taken by the photographers, and Ga Young had been amazed and speechless at the boys’ flawless looks and handsome poses on the screen.

They started the session by calling the boys in one by one. Sehun had playfully winked at her when it was his turn, and she giggled and watched fondly as the guy showcased his lean figure in front of the camera, mostly keeping his face straight and occasionally flashing a smile or two when he’s asked.

Baekhyun’s turn consisted of bright smiles and adorable poses, making her smile to herself. He would occasionally show his charismatic side when he needed to, pushing aside his puppy looks and playful smiles for a deep glare or a smirk. Kyungsoo, however, remained smiling all the while and eventually burst into deep laughter when Kai hollered playfully from the side.

When Chanyeol’s turn came, Ga Young found herself sitting up in anticipation. She watched in admiration as the man turned from one side to another, gazing deeply into the camera and occasionally letting his lips tug into a small smile as he posed. At one point, he turned his body to face hers and their eyes met. Chanyeol saw the admiration in her eyes which made him smirk, and she blushed a little but kept her eyes on him, unable to pull away.

Ga Young found it really hard to look away from the man, and she would involuntarily blush whenever she caught his eyes. She sighed in relief when his turn was over and walked out of the studio to take a seat at a bench right by the door. Breathing turned out to be a difficult thing to do when she’s surrounded by eleven good looking idols, and it was worse since the studio had been packed with people as well. Still, Ga Young had enjoyed herself and considered herself lucky to be able to witness famous idols at work.

She was soon joined by Chanyeol who offered her a bottle of water, and she took it gratefully. They sat in silence at first, Ga Young fiddling with the cap on the bottle while Chanyeol took a few gulps to quench his thirst.

“So…” She turned to him at that. “What did you think of today?”

“You mean your photoshoot?” she asked and he nodded. “Impressive, really. I still can’t believe I got to witness the famous EXO at work. You guys were really good at what you do.”

“Of course we are. We’re EXO, after all.”

She rolled her eyes at him but was unable to hide her smile. “Stop being so conceited, Park.”

“Can’t help it,” Chanyeol shrugged, smirking a little when she glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. “You know I have the right to act a tiny bit conceited here. You just admitted that we looked great just now.”

She scoffed. “Whatever.” Chanyeol chuckled to himself as she threw her gaze away from him. “But I was impressed. By you, I mean. It’s nice to see you working so hard like that. I felt… proud, you know, and honoured because I got to witness this side of you.”

Chanyeol felt his heart beating fast in his chest, and he smiled under his nose as he stared at her from the side. He, too, felt proud of himself for being able to do well today thus showing her the idol side of him, even though it was through a simple schedule like this. He also knew that she was shy to admit this, so he smiled wider and nudged her arm gently with his elbow.

Ga Young turned to him at that.

“Did you fall for me?” he asked playfully and got the honour to see her reaction. Her eyes widened and immediately her cheeks were tinted pink, making him laugh in delight. “You did, didn’t you? I knew it.”

"I did not!” she denied, hitting his arm lightly in embarrassment. He continued to laugh. “Stop laughing at me! I didn’t, okay?!”

She continued to deny it, but Chanyeol thought that it was fine because he knew. Of course he knew. Even after sixteen years apart, he’s still the one who knew her best.

***

A few days later, Ga Young woke up to find Sehun in her kitchen while Kwang Soo was making coffee, and the former waved her over to the dining table excitedly at which she complied. On the table was Kwang Soo’s laptop, and there was an unfamiliar hard drive plugged on the side of the device.

“What’s up?” she asked as she settled in her seat.

“I’m going to show you the pictures we took a few days ago,” Sehun said. “Remember, from the photoshoot?” She blinked and nodded her head. “We just got our copy yesterday and I was just showing them to Kwang Soo.”

“Yeah, did the pictures turned out alright?”

“Uh-huh. More than alright, actually.” Sehun then clicked onto a folder which revealed at least twenty or more photos, before he clicked onto the first one which was a picture of Kai and Suho together. “Just press the arrow here for the next pictures.”

Ga Young smiled to herself as she saw the pictures. She remembered witnessing everything behind the scenes during each of when the photos were taken, laughing lightly to herself when she came across a picture of Tao and Sehun laughing. There were single shots of the members as well, and she admired all them, pausing to stare a little bit longer when she came across Chanyeol’s photo. Then came the photos which consisted EXO as a whole, and she smiled at the wide smiles on their faces as they had their arms around each other.

“This is really pretty,” she muttered and Sehun turned to the screen and nodded in agreement.

“It is, isn’t it? Ah, it would’ve been better if it was completed though.”

Sehun mostly mumbled the last few words and she had to strain her ears to understand what he was saying. “What do you mean? Aren’t you all here?” she asked, glancing at the screen again.

The younger smiled, but it seemed forced and restrained. Ga Young thought he looked sad as well. “It’s nothing, noona. Forget I said anything,” he said before turning to where Kwang Soo stood. “Yah, what’s taking you so long?” he asked, or more like whined, but Ga Young knew he was just trying to put an end to the topic.

She was curious, but she didn’t push it.

***

The same picture of EXO with their arms around each other and wide smiles on their faces were now hanging on the wall in the living room of the next door house, and Ga Young stopped to stare at it with a feather duster in hand. Sehun had sneakily gave her a copy of the same photo, telling her to keep it to herself first because the photo won’t be released until months later for a brand advertisement, and she had saved the picture in her hard drive and locked the object in one of her drawers.

She didn’t want Doyeon finding it either although she knew her friend wouldn’t have leaked such thing online. Better be safe than sorry…

“What are you doing?”

She jumped a little and whirled around, finding Chanyeol standing at the last step of the staircase with a backpack slung over his right shoulder. She smiled sheepishly, took a step back from the picture and showed him the feather duster she had been holding.

“I was just dusting,” she replied.

“You looked like you were drooling over that picture instead,” Chanyeol retorted. She merely smiled at him and he rolled his eyes before heading over to the kitchen with a loud yawn. “Did you see Baekhyun leave earlier?” he asked when she walked into the same room seconds later.

“No, but Sehun is in my house, playing games with Kwang Soo.”

Chanyeol sighed at that. “That guy has been skipping practice and now he’s playing games,” he mumbled under his nose. Ga Young watched as he poured himself a glass of milk and chugged it all down with a second before he placed the glass into the sink and grabbed a banana. “I’m going!”

“Schedule?”

“Recording.”

“Oh… have fun!”

Chanyeol nodded, waving absentmindedly at her before letting another loud yawn as he disappeared out the front door. She chuckled to herself and shook her head in amusement, and she turned around when she heard footsteps walking down the stairs before Kyungsoo appeared.

“Good morning, Kyungsoo-sshi!” she greeted him.

“Morning, Ga Young-sshi,” Kyungsoo replied with a smile. He glanced at the front door and tilted his head. “Was that Chanyeol I heard?”

“Uh-huh… he said he has recording. He looked like he was still half-asleep though. That guy should really sleep early instead of spending the whole night writing songs.”

Kyungsoo nodded, feeling slightly bitter at the obvious concern he could hear in her tone, and followed her to the kitchen when she said she was going to wash the dishes. He poured himself a glass of water and leaned against the counter, watching her silently as she began doing her work while humming to a Super Junior song.

“Ga Young-sshi?”

“Hmm?”

“Now that you met all of the members, what do you think of us? You know, EXO?” he asked, and she glanced at him.

“Hmm… you guys are amazing. Maybe a little loud, but Suju is like that too," she said affectionately, giggling a little at the thought of her favourite boy group. "But you guys are very nice people and I really enjoyed spending time with you.”

“Then, who is your favourite member?”

Ga Young paused and turned to him at that. She stared at him in confusion when she saw the serious look on his face. “Kyungsoo-sshi?”

“Your favourite member… can’t it be me?”