II. Luck & EXO 

                    

A D O R A

My whole entire being was very much aware of Sehun's staring, but rather feeling unnerved, I was actually quite flattered and utterly fascinated. On the outside, Sehun looked to be a cold person with his poker face. I could understand why the girls at school liked him, he was stunningly handsome.

I knew there was more to him then just a handsome face, I witnessed it with my own eyes when we spoke and how he treated Baekhyun. He looked warm and inviting, and I wanted to see him smile more than put on his poker face. It made him look expressionless and cold.

Baekhyun was another pleasant surprise amongst this school. I felt the brotherly vibes radiate off of him and I couldn't help but enjoy every second of his warm presence. Baekhyun was another stunningly attractive looking guy like Sehun, except it was in his own cutesy way. Instead of wearing poker face, he wore adorable smiles that made him look boyishly handsome.

It was amazing how perfect his hair was just like Sehun's, as if it was done by a personal stylist. Baekhyun was also amazingly funny, and I looked forward to spending more time with him and Sehun.

Especially Sehun... I mentally berated myself over my developing crush over the tall gentleman.

"Okay, Adora... keep calm." I reminded myself.

What Baekhyun said had me thinking about the other members, and it made me wonder what they were all like. Are they like Baekhyun? Or Sehun? Maybe their all different from each other...?

My stomach began to tie in knots at the thought of meeting them, after all, what if they don't like me? Baekhyun was sure they would, which made me feel slightly better.

Snapping myself out of La-La Land, I quickly walked into the semi-empty classroom that slowly began to fill with other students. My eyes scanned an empty row of seats surrounding the musical instruments. I was immediately amazed by all the types of instruments that laid bare in the classroom.

There were plenty different kinds of instruments, from acoustic guitars, to all different kinds of pianos and keyboards. The list of instruments were endless!

This is the school for the talented.

Since there was little to none students in class, I picked the seat in the far right corner of the classroom, near the rows of guitars and next to the grand piano.

Soon enough, more students began filling the class, but what really caught my eye was these two startling attractive guys, just like Sehun and Beakhyun.

What is it with this school having such handsome guys? I was stunned, turning into a blushing mess.

The taller one was handsome in a very cute fashion, and he had an amazing smile with a set of perfect white teeth, I'm pretty sure they even sparkled too! He radiated happiness and I found myself unconsciously smiling back at him.

The other one was noticeably shorter but was still just as handsome... and very pretty. 

He's definitely a pretty boy.

It was a combination I never knew could go so well together, he looked like Prince Charming, ready to sweep any girl off her feet. Surprisingly, they began to walk towards me instead taking the empty seats in the front. I felt my cheeks redden when I notice an increasing amount of stares directed at me.

Oh boy, here we go again. I was taken out of my thoughts when I heard both of them greet me in a friendly manner.

"Annyeong!" Both of them smiled at me, I was slightly taken a bit aback by their greeting but I smiled back nonetheless.

With smiles like those, how could I not?

I realized this must be the same Luhan and Chanyeol, Baekhyun was talking about.

The tall one gifted with wealthy teeth smiled kindly towards me, I immediately beamed at him. "I'm Park Chanyeol, it's nice to meet you!" He held his hand out towards me, which I gladly shook.

"It's nice to meet you, Chanyeol. I'm Adora Summers." I greeted him with much enthusiasm, which I'm sure had to do with his smile.

"The guy standing next to me is Xi Luhan-" He stopped to shout when the shorter boy punched him in shoulder. "OW!"

"I can introduce myself!" He hissed at him, before giving me a charming smile which I'm also sure made all the girls swoon. "I'm Xi Luhan, it's nice to meet you, Adora." I gave his hand a shake, before smiling up at him as well.

"Same goes to you, Luhan." I paused when I noticed the two guys standing anxiously in front of me. "Not that I mind you guys standing here in front of me, but class is about to begin... would you like to sit down?"

A sigh of relief escaped from Chanyeol. "Whew, I thought you'd never ask." With that said, he sat next to me while Luhan sat on the other chair beside me.

I giggled at Chanyeol antics, he seemed like a cheerful kind of guy just like Baekhyun. Luhan seemed a lot more quiet and calm but I still enjoyed both their company.

"Color me curious, but how exactly is it that you know me? Not that I mind!" I nervously twirl a long strand of my hair.

"You mean, besides everyone else talking about you in school?" Chanyeol pointed out, forcing a soft blush to appear on my cheeks.

He gave a slight wince of pain when Luhan reached over his seat to hit him on the shoulder. "Aish don't speak so bluntly about it, she's already embarrassed enough as it is."

"It's fine, no harm done!" I quickly consoled Chanyeol.

"See Hyung? She doesn't mind." Chanyeol grinned with a smug tone, Luhan merely rolled his eyes in slight amusement. "Any who, we got a text from Baekhyun about you. He was practically gushing about you and Sehun-" The pink flush in my cheeks deepens at the mention of his name. "And we all wanted to welcome you to school!"

"All of you...?" I trailed off.

"All of EXO."

Luhan groaned in mock annoyance. "You weren't supposed to mention that."

"Oh ." Chanyeol must've realized his mistake and shot him an apologetic smile. "Oops, sorry, Hyung."

Now why did the name EXO sound familiar? I was so sure I heard the name before, but where exactly? Back home, where I originally went to school there was a mention of EXO but I never paid any mind to it.

Strangely enough, I didn't really talk to anyone back home save for a few friends. But even then we weren't that close. I went through my day like everyone else, that was pretty much it. My life had lack excitement.. but I had a feeling if I sticked with these guys, my life will be anything but boring.

My newly appointed music teacher wasn't even in class yet and the bell has already rung. "Is the teacher absent? It's already past the second bell..."

Chanyeol shrugged. "Dunno, she's usually late but I guess she might be absent today."

Luhan cleared his throat as he looked at me with an intrigued expression. "Adora, do you play any instrument? I play piano."

"And I play guitar, sometimes I even practice with Lay." Chanyeol added enthusiastically. I swear, I would never tire of his happy aura.

Lay...? Probably another member. I figured since it made the most sense. "Oh, well I used to take piano lessons but I never quite got the hang of it."

Chanyeol suddenly snapped his fingers in realization. "Ah! Then you must be a singer!" My eyes widen at his accurate guess, unfortunately my expression must've given me away. "Looks like I'm right, Hyung." He looked over at Luhan with a wide smile.

"Oh no! The only time you'll ever hear me sing is in the shower." I said, trying to dissuade them from trying to hear my vocal skills.

Luhan eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why not? You seem to have the pipes for it."

I shook my head. "You're assuming too much, I might sound like a broken record."

"But then again, you might not."

He does have a point... but alas, your not a singer, far from it. I tried reminding myself, but in the end, it sounded like I was trying to convince myself more than anyone. While I did enjoy singing in the shower by myself, it was completely different from singing in front of actual people. Just imagining it is terrifying.

"Have you guys ever preformed?" I ask.

"Tch, yeah!" Chanyeol chirped, but pack peddled when he saw the glare Luhan shot him. "I-I mean for school talent shows and stuff. It's amazing to preform live..."

"Amazing?" I questioned, still a bit unconvinced.

"He's right, nothing compares to the rush of being on stage as people appreciate your art and sound. It makes you realize that the hard work you put into it is worth it and so much more. It's the best feeling in the world." I was taken aback on how Luhan spoke so passionately about preforming.

I bit my bottom lip as I continued thinking. "You guys make it sound like your famous and living the dream..."

Luhan gave a gentle shrug of the shoulders. "Yes and no. After all, every dream has it's price."

Every dream has it's price... Those words echoed in my head in a continued mantra. It sounded like he spoke from experience. I had more questions to ask, but was interrupted by the school bell. I looked at the clock and was shocked by how much time flew by, it was a little too quickly for my taste.

Chanyeol looked at me in amazement. "Wow, class has never passed that fast for us. Thanks for the chat, Adora. We'll definitely be seeing you at lunch!" He chirped happily.

"As he said." Luhan smiled sincerely at me.

"Can't wait!" I called back, while I returned both of their smiles, before reaching for my school bag. The warmth in my chest grew when I heard Chanyeol shout "Baekhyun was right! I like her already!" Followed by a loud shushing noise which I could only assume came from Luhan.

Bless Chanyeol's heart, but he did not know the meaning of discreet, even if it hit him in the face.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

At least they seem to like me... I reigned in the sulky voice in my head. I tried ignoring the jealous stares the girls were giving me.

Those boys must've been something really special, if the whole female population at school acted like this over them. Minus the fact that their all devilishly handsome... At this rate, it was a wonder if I'll ever make a female friend in school.

The snide comments were becoming increasingly difficult to ignore, particularly when I hear a snotty insult thrown my way. "I've been here the whole school year and none of the EXO Oppa's have noticed me or my advances, she's only been here one day and their already flocking around her! Even Sehun-Oppa smiled at her! What's so special about her besides the fact that she's just another pretty face."

Her comment stung quite a bit. I worked hard in school to not be just recognized as just a pretty face. I wanted other people to know I was smart too, that I didn't rely solely on my looks to get me by.

I sigh. Best to ignore them...

Even moving to another country didn't allow me to escape people's assumptions.

Looking back at my schedule, I noticed I had at least one more class before lunch, since I missed first period home room. I barely managed to contain the groan that threatened to escape from me.

This day was just getting longer and longer, although a part of me was excited to see more of EXO and meet the rest of them. Especially seeing, Sehun again... The voice in my head really needed to stop teasing me, it was getting as bad as my mother.

Releasing a quiet sigh, I ready myself for my next class. "Chemistry, here I come."

---

S E H U N

I knew I was annoying Kai by continuously tapping my pencil against my hard wooden desk. If the dirty looks he gave me weren't evidence enough, I could also hear him cursing under his breath at.

Kai must've finally had enough, because when the teacher wasn't looking, he snatched the pencil out of my hand and threw it across the room when our teacher wasn't looking.

"Finally, now you can stop!" He hissed with annoyed tone.

I felt my lips form a small pout. "What was that for, Hyung?"

"It was because of your insistent tapping! Now what has gotten you so anxious? Is it the new foreign girl?" Kai asked in a casual voice.

I groaned, slightly annoyed at his spot on guess. "How do you know about her?"

Kai scoffed at the question. "I'm not deaf, you know? Everyone is talking about the new foreign girl at school, even Baekhyun and Chanyeol texted me about her." He held up his phone and scrolled down to both messages he received from them.

"What did they say?" I quirked an interested brow at him.

"This girl must be really something special if she left an impression on Baekhyun and Chanyeol. Even Luhan likes her." He said in slight disbelief. "What's her name?"

"Adora Summers." I answered, a bit proud of the girl I've mentioned. Maybe if the rest of the guys like her, it'll be easier for her to stick around us.

"From what Baekhyun texted, it seems like she doesn't know who we are... interesting." He paused with a raised brow. "Are you going to tell her? I mean, she must be suspicious if she's noticing all the looks she's getting."

My body spun around to look at him. "Of course I'm going to tell her, we're all going to tell her at lunch. It wouldn't exactly be wise to leave her in the dark."

"Oh boy..." Kai chuckled in amazement. "This Adora girl, is going to freak out when she finds out, her new friends are EXO. She must be pretty special."

"She really is..."

Suddenly, I heard a choking sound coming from next to me. It was similar to the sound Baekhyun made. "Oh my god!" He whispered harshly.

"What?" I hissed, a bit put off.

"You like her!" Kai exclaimed in disbelief, drawing a few unwanted eyes on us.

I quickly leaned over to cover his mouth with my hand. "Shh! Be quiet, would you? You're making a scene!"

He looked over at me with wide eyes. "I just can't believe it. Our Maknae finally likes a girl..."

"I know, shocking right?" I retort dryly.

Kai shook his head as he patted me on the shoulder. "It's just shocking is all. You've never shown any interest in girls, even before our debut, but now..."

"But now..?"

"Now you look plain adorable crushing on the new girl!" He teased.

"Hyung!" I throatily whisper to him.

Aside from his teasing, I also needed advice on how exactly to deal with this situation. With the luck I had, I was sure Adora was beginning to notice how differently I acted around her.

To my relief, she hasn't shown any signs that she's repulsed by me. "This is confusing the hell out of me."

"Just take it slow for now, she's new and still adjusting here. Be friends with her first, and at least then you can take the lead from there." Kai advised. It was moments like this where I was thankful for my Hyungs.

They were more like a family to me than anything else.

Kai's advice made sense. I didn't want to pressure Adora, but nor did I want to wait long for our relationship to progress into something more. 

"You're surprisingly right, Hyung." I paused for a moment before looking seriously at him. "Since when did you become so good at giving advice?"

"Yah!" He gasped, landing a playful punch to my arm. "I've always been great at giving advice, it's not my fault you never listen!"

I pursed my lips together to keep the laughter at bay. "Whatever you say."

"Yah! Don't disrespect your elders!" Kai shouted.

It took everything that I am not to laugh at him. "You're only older than me by a few months, I'd hardly call you my elder."

My right knee began bouncing up and down anxiously as I waited for the bell to ring. Class could not have gone long enough and frankly I just wanted to get the out of this class. Lunch seemed too tempting to wait for, especially when a certain beautiful brunette came to mind.

I groaned into my arms. "When did this class become so long..?" I didn't mean to sound whiny, but this class was incredibly bland. Scratch that, when is school ever not boring?

Kai looked amused by my sudden behavior. "Since when did you become so whiny?"

"Since I realized this class is literally boring me to death." I say dryly.

He simply waved if off. "Stop being so dramatic, class is almost over." As soon as he said those words, my eyes lifted up to the clock that hanged above the chalk board.

He's right...

My prayers were soon answered when I heard the bell ring. Jumping onto my feet, I quickly gathered my things and practically ran out of the classroom like a mad man. "Hurry up, Hyung!" I called out behind me, amusingly enough watching Kai trying to keep up with me.

All eyes were drawn to us as we ran down the halls, most of them were probably shocked at seeing me like this rather than wearing my usual poker face. It was a sight they were not used to seeing.

I heard Kai behind me, panting for me to stop. "Not that I don't like seeing you happy..." He paused to inhale a deep breath. "... but could you please slow down?!"

"Come on Kai! Can't you keep up?" I teased. "What about all your fangirls? What do you think they'll think if they see you out of breath over a little run?"

That straighten him up immediately, because he quickly ran up beside me. Kai must've noticed the amused look I gave him. "Oh shut up."

"What, I didn't say anything? I shrug innocently.

He rolled his eyes. "You didn't have to."

"Ouch, you wound me, Hyung."

We came to a stop at the school's cafeteria as other students gathered and went to their respective tables. My eyes zoomed in to our table when I noticed the rest of the EXO members gathered around a table near the window in the far left hand corner of the cafeteria. From here, I could see Suho acting like a complete mother hen while both Baekhyun and Chanyeol were in an animated discussion.

"We better head to the others, I'm tired of being stared at like a piece of meat." Kai shuddered beside me.

"When has that ever bothered you before?" I throw him a sly smirk.

"Let's just go." He said before walking towards the table now being occupied by EXO.

I shifted onto my feet and trailed right behind him. "Couldn't agree more."

---

A D O R A

The cafeteria was nosy and loud, but I expected that with the hundreds of students filling their spots with friends in their own tables. Other then the loud noise, the canteen was pretty clean and neat. The food looked actually edible.

I gave a sigh of relief when I remembered that I packed my own lunch and didn't have to go onto the hectic line for food. I was already walking towards a vacant table when I heard my name being shouted from across the cafeteria. "ADORA! OVER HERE!" I heard Baekhyun shout over the masses of other voices.

"WE SAVED YOU A SEAT!" Chanyeol shouted with a wide smile. Even from here, you could see his sparkling white teeth.

The cafeteria became deathly still as all watchful eyes stared at me.

I downed a nervous gulp, before carefully walking towards them. I felt the vicious stares of girls as I walked towards EXO's table, my breath hitched inside my throat when I noticed 12 incredibly handsome boys occupying a large table.

Do all Korean schools have guys who look like this? I was stunned. Again.

Through my starstrucked haze, I finally noticed all of them had rose up from their seats to greet me. One of them stood in front of me and sent me a kind smile. "Annyeong, I'm Kim Joonmyun, but people call me Suho. I'm the leader of EXO, I've heard such wonderful things about you."

Oh my...! My cheeks began to sport a rosy hue. "Annyeong, I'm Adora Summers. It's lovely to meet you too." I beamed at him.

Suho looked expectantly at the other members. "Who wants to go first on introducing themselves?"

Baekhyun and Chanyeol looked at me with wide grins. "Well, she's already met us handsome devils."

I shyly smiled at them. "That I did."

"Then I'll go next!" The tanned skin one said in a child like manner. He stepped away from his place beside Sehun. "I'm Kim Jongin, but I prefer to be called Kai. It's nice to meet such a beautiful girl like yourself." He added with what appeared to be a flirtatious smirk.

My cheeks reddened slightly at his compliment, but I wasn't fazed by it much. I noticed he has slightly darker skin compared to the rest with fair skin.

Sehun however did not look amused and punched him the shoulder, earning a loud, "Ouch!" From Kai.

"My turn!" Another boy called out with beautiful big eyes and luscious lips. He was extremely cute. "My name is Do Kyungsoo but people call me D.O, it's nice to meet you."

I looked over to see another handsome boy smiling friendly at me. "Hello! I'm Kim Minseok, but everyone else calls me Xiumin."

A bit more muscular boy stepped in front of Xiumin but not before giving me a shy smile. "I'm Zhang Yixing, but I'm better known as Lay." This must be the same Lay, Chanyeol mentioned... I smiled happily at him and was relieved to see him give me a less shy smile in return.

He has adorable dimples! Inner me squealed.

Another boy with a bright smile stepped towards me. "Hello, I'm Kim Jongdae but people just call me Chen. It's nice to meet you."

A boy who vaguely reminded me of a panda because of the dark circles under his eyes, stepped excitedly towards me. "Hi! I'm Huang Zitao, but people call me Tao."

A lot of stage names going on here... from now on I'll call him panda.

"I'm Kris." A tall boy simply greeted me. He looked handsome in a cold bad boy kind of way, but the thought soon vanished when he sent me a small breathtaking smile. "Nice to meet you." I noticed his English was definitely more clearer then the other members.

I immediately perked up. "Your English sounds very fluent, how...?"

"I lived in Canada for awhile, before moving back to China." He answered.

"China...?" I asked.

"My real name is Li Jiaheng, then I changed it to Wu Yi Fan-"

"You must really like changing your name." I joked, earning small cracks of a smile from him.

Good to know he doesn't actually act like a cold guy. 

I looked over to see Luhan smiling at me as he stood next to Lay. "And I've already met Luhan and Sehun..." I flush lightly under their gazes as I took a chance to look at Sehun.

Simultaneously all of them bowed at a 90 degree angle after they finished their separate introductions. "Annyeong! We are EXO! We are one!"

I was a bit startled by their loud intro, but was severely impressed at how much they were in sync. It actually looked like they've introduced themselves like that plenty of times.

"It's lovely to meet everyone." I sincerely smiled at everyone. My heart was filled with warmth at their warm welcoming.

"Can we eat now, Hyung?" Baekhyun pouted at Suho.

Suho blew an exasperated sigh. "Yes. Now we can eat."

"Oh, thank god!" He shouted before sitting back down with the rest of the members. I barely managed to contain my giggle at this amusing sight.

My attention was captured when I notice Sehun patting the empty seat next to him. I sent him a grateful smile before sitting down next to him. I quickly unpacked my lunch from my school bag. It was a simple peanut butter and banana sandwich with a side of mangos and a bottled water.

I quietly began eating my lunch when I noticed all of them staring at me. "What?"

"I've never seen a sandwich like that..." Chanyeol gulped hungrily.

I smiled. "You should try it, but this ones mine." Showing that it was just that, I took a delicious bite out of my sandwich. Purposely groaning loudly in satisfaction. "So yummy!"

"Stop being so cruel!" Chanyeol pouted. I couldn't resist but melt a little bit.

"How about this, as a peace offering, tomorrow I'll make you the same sandwich?" I offered as a truce.

His eyes lit up like a kid opening presents on Christmas morning. "Really?"

"What about me, Adora?" Baekhyun whimpered.

Why do all of them have to be so cute...?

D.O eyes widened even further. "I want one too!"

Soon enough the rest of the table was practically begging me to make them a simple sandwich. "Alright, alright! I'll make all of you a peanut butter and banana sandwich, does that sound fair to all of you?"

"Yes." All of them chorused.

"Good." I said, before taking another bite of my sandwich. I was content on hearing the loud chatter of the excited EXO members. They all seemed like a family, and it was a family I wanted to be a part of.

My peaceful musings was short lived, when I noticed a group of girls glaring so distastefully at me. What did I do now...?

I bumped my shoulders with Sehun to gain his attention and it quickly worked. "What?" He asked with a mouthful of food. I internally cringed at the sight. He was indeed handsome, but speaking with a mouthful of food was just plain gross.

"Care to explain, why the female population of this school hate me?" I asked gesturing towards the glaring girls with a nod of my head.

Everyone at our table stopped and looked expectantly at Sehun, as if they were waiting for a big reveal. "Well..."

"Well...?"

Baekhyun looked at him with a shrug. "You might as well tell her now, Sehun. It's shocking enough that Chanyeol has managed to keep his mouth shut this long."

"Hey! I can keep a secret, thank you very much." Chanyeol defended, his lower lips jutted out in a small pout.

I was becoming increasingly suspicious of what they were hiding. "What exactly are you guys not telling me?"

"Adora..." Sehun began slowly.

"Sehun..." I echoed.

He blew a heavy sigh. "Remember when you said I must be very famous in school...?"

I recalled the moment when we were in the halls and he was escorting me to the main-office. "Yes..."

"Well..." Sehun scratched the back of his head in a nervous manner. "... you were partially right."

"I'm sorry, but I still don't understand..." I was too confused as to what was going on.

"Before today, does the name EXO ring any bells to you...?" He asked.

I tilted my head at him as I began thinking. "Now that you mention it, I've heard the name a couple times at back home. I've never payed much mind to it, why ask?"

"You see, Adora... the reason is-"

"Is...?" I reached over to take a drink of my water.

Sehun then decided at this very moment to spill the beans. "We are the famous boy-band EXO and just recently debuted." As soon as those words slipped from his precious lips, I choked on the cold liquid disappearing down my throat.

Forcing me into a huge coughing fit.

", Adora!" He called out worriedly while patting me on the back.

By now, I was sure my face was redder than a tomato and my lungs were deprived of oxygen. "I-I'm okay, I'm okay!" I said, trying to smile at their worried faces. As I regulated my breathing, I peek at him through long lashes. "Now correct me if I'm wrong, but I think something's wrong with my hearing, I could've sworn I heard you were a famous boy band called, EXO."

"No. You heard right." Chanyeol answered for him.

All of them looked so serious.

Quickly reaching for my bag, I reached in for my cellphone and went onto my safari app. I typed in the words EXO immediately into my search engine.

Thousands upon thousands results came up.

I looked at the images of the same boys who sat around me, they were still incredibly handsome, but in these pictures they looked more intimidating and radiated pure talent. I went back to my search engine and saw some of the few songs they've released, ranging from MAMA to Machine and History.

They even had a couple of music videos for their songs, which was tempting to watch. I made a mental note to watch them later.

I covered my mouth with my hand as a fit of giggles started to bubble from me, it wasn't long until I began laughing like a complete maniac.

"Hyungs... I think we broke her." Baekhyun whistled, the rest of them staring at me with worried faces.

I did try to stop laughing, but I couldn't help myself. I held up my hand to signal that I was fine, that I just needed a moment.

"I-I'm sorry, but this is just my luck! My first day of school is spent being a absolute eyesore, and now I'm also friends with a popular boy-band!"

Kai chuckled along with me. "It does sound kinda funny-" he stopped short when he noticed the dark look Sehun shot at him. "I mean, it's very serious."

"My life has officially become complicated and the day isn't even over yet." I quietly sigh, raking a small hand through my long ebony locks. "This only happens in movies..." I trailed off in mid-sentence.

'At least now I know why the girls at school are hostile towards me.'

Tao looked at me with a mouthful of food. "I think complicated is way better than boring." He would sound more wise if he didn't have a pile of food in his mouth while speaking.

Maybe he is right... even if his mouth if full of food.

"Surely, you would prefer being homeschooled...?" I tilt my head at them.

"Well the label were under is one of the founders for the school, mostly because they scout for future talents here and offer them to become trainees." Suho answered.

"Trainees?"

Kai this time stepped in. "It's training to become an idol, it only happens if they see enough potential in you to be the best. It takes hard work and constant trying to do better."

"It sounds like a lot of work to become an idol." I noted softly.

This time Sehun nodded. "It is, especially managing your work schedule with your school schedule. It's also worth it in the long run, you do what you love."

Luhan said something very similar...

"This school is basically full of potential idols then?" I ask while looking around the cafeteria.

D.O nodded. "Yes, some for other labels, but even if they do posses the potential in being a trainee, there's still a chance that they won't become successful and have to wait even longer to debut. Debuting could take years, depending on your talents."

"Sounds scary..." I mumbled.

"Oh, it is. Especially going through the auditions." Suho added.

Being an idol is serious business...

"What does it take to be a trainee...? Color me curious."

"Well... you have to have a certain look to you that separates you from the rest, you also have to have many talents which attributes to your singing and dancing. Some idols have successful solo careers, because they have talents strong enough to become a solo artist." Suho explained even further.

"What about those in boy-bands and in girl-groups?" I ask.

"Each member has a role that involves their strengths as a performer. Some members are better at singing, while some members are better at dancing. They're both put into the same group because they help compensate for each other's weaknesses."

That does make sense... I was truly fascinated by the idol world, but I don't think it would be a world I belonged in.

Chanyeol sighed dramatically. "Aish! Enough of all this idol talk, we hear enough of it at our dorms. I want to hear more about, Adora!"

My body froze when all eyes turned towards me while I had a mouthful of peanut butter in my mouth. "Oh?" I hummed as I tried to swallow down all the remaining peanut butter and quickly downing it down with a sip from my water.

"Oh, I have a question for her!" Kai's hand immediately shot up, resembling a child in a lot of ways. He looked across from Sehun and focused his eyes on me.

Everyone was silently waiting for his question like it depended on life itself.

There was a pregnant pause.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" The question made me want to hide under a rock as my face became a fiery shade of red. A collective shouts of "KAI!" were heard from around the table.

His lips pursed into a small pout. "What? It's just a question."

"It's okay! I don't mind answering." I bit the skin of my bottom lip, suddenly feeling very small. "I've never had a boyfriend..."

"BWOH?!" All of them exclaimed with wide eyes.

Even Baekhyun looked shocked at my admission. "How...?"

I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, giving him a shy smile. "I don't know, I wasn't very talkative and kept most to myself." My eyes drift to Sehun, who looked back at me with an unreadable expression.

Chanyeol head snapped towards me. "You don't seem very shy now, besides as your new friends you won't have a chance to be silent! Right, Hyungs?" He looked at the rest of them expectantly.

"Chanyeol is right... shockingly." Baekhyun teased. "Hey!" But he ignored Chanyeol outburst and instead focused on me. "We are friends now-"

"If she accepts us." Suho added with a smile.

I was extremely touched by the sincerity of their words and the genuine kindness they have shown me since arriving here.

Glancing around the table, I could see their kind faces, warming up my entire being. My heartbeat sped up when I caught the special smile Sehun flashed me.

Where was the girl who was worried she wouldn't be accepted...?

The answer was simple. She was gone.

I beamed happily at all of them, trying to convey all my feelings into this one smile. "I'd like that."

My answer must've been amazing, because the next thing I knew they all shouted in a loud cheer. Even Sehun's usual poker face was gone and was replaced by a small smile. The sight of it sent a surge of warmth directly into my heart.

"That settles it!" Chanyeol clapped his hands enthusiastically. "To officially welcome you to Korea as our new friend, we should go out and do something fun!"

"I second that!" Baekhyun joined.

D.O wore his thinking face. "But what should we do? Would Manager-Hyung even allow us out?"

"We could convince him for a little R&R time...? He might say yes then." Suho helpfully added.

"Alright, now that we know how to deal with Manager-Hyung... what exactly should we do to welcome, Adora?" Sehun asked.

"We could take her to a coffee shop!" Xiumin suggested.

He's truly adorable... I smiled to myself.

Chen groaned. "That sounds so boring! Besides, you only want to go there, because you want to learn how to become a barista."

Xiumin pouted. "You're just jealous because you don't know how to make a proper cup of coffee."

Thankfully, Chanyeol stepped in before they got into an argument about coffee. "Oh, I got an idea!"

"What's this idea?" Luhan asked.

He smiled widely at all of us with a wealthy set of pearly teeth. "Since I'm the brightest member of the group, I figured we could take Adora to the Karaoke place we used to go to before we debuted!"

"That does sound like a lot of fun... and we haven't been there in awhile." Suho said wistfully as if he were recalling a happy memory.

I anxiously fidget in my seat, the idea of me singing in a public place with actual people made me feel a quite bit nervous. "K-karaoke? I don't know..."

Baekhyun nodded vigorously. "Come on, Adora! It'll be fun and I miss the food, you have to come!" His mouth was set into an adorable pout. Soon enough, everyone began to gather around me and starting shooting me their best puppy dog looks, even Sehun!

"I suppose I could go..." All of them released a loud cheer of excitement. "... but I have to call my mom first!" I quickly added.

"Of course." Suho nodded in agreement.

I noticed that the chattering around the table continued endlessly with happy conversations and playful arguments filled with harmless teasings. My lips graced a bright smile, from the sight of them speaking so animatedly to each other.

Leaning over towards Sehun, I softly whisper to him. "Is lunch time always this exciting for EXO?"

His mouth gave a slight twitch. "Think you could get used to it?"

"Definitely." I smile at him.

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