The next two hours are a blur and I honestly don’t know why I’m running back and forth the studio, scrambling like a mouse, while the guys are getting everything did- their hair, face, clothes and even their nails?!?!? Actually princesses. All of them.

Apparently today is a shoot for their upcoming music video, ‘Overdose.’ As a manager, I expected that helping out with these type of things was a given. What I didn’t anticipate was becoming coffee girl, juice girl, wardrobe girl, catering girl, sound girl- basically every single role there could be to play. The sets are finally set, one is a white hexagon room and the other a black circular arena and I take the opportunity to sit my tired arse down. I fish out a clipboard with the group’s schedule from my bag, the one Suho handed to me during the drive here. He realised I didn’t have one when he asked if I had called the driver yet back in the dormitory and I just gave him a ‘What are you talking about?’ look. Thanks for conveniently forgetting to give me the schedule of the group I’m managing father, super helpful move there! But truth be told, I should’ve known this apparently super popular boy band can’t just sit around and eat muffins all day and probably had places to be. Suho had to call the driver, which he kept insisting was fine and handed me the contact number but as the day progresses, I realise I have no affinity for this manager thing. Like where is the job description, where is the checklist- I’m literally going with the flow and hoping for the best. Everyone on set seemed to be already be informed that I was the new manager, but they probably thought it was because I had experience in this field. Not that I have to clear a 100k debt. I’m not about to tell them that anytime soon either. With their schedule in front of me, I take a sip of a can of soft drink that was on the snack table.

Schedule 08/24:

8.30am: Set arrival - "Overdose"

9.00am: Rehearsal

10.00am: Hair/Makeup/Wardrobe

11.30am: Filming

11:30pm: Wrap up Day 1 of filming

Midnight: Rehearsal in studio

1.00am: Vocal training

2.00am: Dismissed

Schedule 08/25

8.30am: Set arrival- Overdose

….

This repeats for 10 days straight.

Damnn, these boys had a long, long week ahead of them. I take back what I said about them being princesses, they deserve all the pampering, hands down. I look at them in the makeup area and give them sympathetic looks. A voice chimes out beside me, ‘Why are you making that face?’ I look over and see the tall mop head boy, Chanyeol I think? But his mop hair has transformed so that it’s all gelled, sleek back and omg the makeup, the eyeliner, the whole works-  all k-popped up and dressed like a 12 year old boy you’d find in a skateboard rink. He’s sporting a snapback, and in a blue tracksuit wearing a huge grin. ‘My name is Chanyeol,’ he extends his hand. I shake it nervously because Kyungsoo’s warning is playing in my head. What if he has one of those electric zapper things in his palm? He firmly clasps my grip and to my relief, its just his bare palm. ‘I’m Ahri, it’s nice to meet you!’ He sits down next to me, taking a peek at what I’m reading. ‘I feel sorry for you guys, this is a hectic day.’ I say trying to fill the silence. He just laughs, ‘I love what I do so it doesn’t feel like work. I’m really grateful Exo has a busy schedule, it means we’re doing well.’ That’s one way of looking at it. My dad has been in the kpop industry for years and he has mentioned that for every 100 groups that train, less than half will debut and less than quarter will be successful. These boys must have waited for this moment for a long, long while. ‘Also, I feel more sorry for you,’ Chanyeol interrupts my thoughts. I shoot him a puzzled look. He laughs again, ‘That schedule isn’t just our day, it’s yours too.’ Excuse the fk me?  I try to mask my utter confusion. Staying for the filming is warranted, I mean leaving at 11.30pm isn’t ideal but it’s not that bad either. But what the heck was I supposed to do for their rehearsal and vocal lessons after?? Literally hold their legs and move it for them for their dances? He starts laughing so hard and I realise I just said that out loud. ‘You’re our manager. Wherever we go, you go,’ he says simply. I contemplate how to say ‘Listen boy, I know I sound like a lazy but honestly I’m just going to be a waste of space in the room,’ but instead I ask what the other manager did while they rehearsed. ‘Oh he would tell us areas to improve, organise extra coaching with the choreographer/ singer if we needed. Most of the time he ordered fried chicken for us though. He was there to make sure we had everything we needed. Great, seeing as I have no musical inclination, I guess my sole purpose until 2am is  being the chicken order-er. Amazing. At least I can rejoice in the fact that I get to eat chicken.

Chanyeol continues to blabber about the old manager- his sternness, his favourite yelling/ scare tactics and about his family when one of the set co-ordinators jogs up to us. ‘Ahri, can you please bring Kai. We’re ready to film his solo scene.’ She rushes away to a different room, speaking to someone on her headset before I can ask any further questions. ‘Kai?’ I mutter, unfamiliar with the name.

‘Oh Kai, he’ll be in the make-up room,’ Chanyeol advises me.

‘Thanks heaps Chanyeol!’

‘Anytime,’ he replies with a warm grin.

I make my way to the make-up room where most of Exo K are ready (they’re shooting their music video first) and Exo-M are getting their makeup done now. ‘Kai, they’re ready for you,’ I announce to no one in particular, trying to locate this unknown person. I hear someone say yeah but then get shut off, while Baekhyun (I think) who has his hands over Jongin’s mouth, throws a stuffed toy in my direction. I catch it with one hand and pull it closer; it’s a stuffed wolf. ‘That’s Kai!’ Baekhyun exclaims, while headlocking Jongin who is trying to release from his grip. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve felt confused today. A stuffed toy wolf that has a name and is apparently required for its own solo shoot in a boy band’s music video. I give my thanks and walk to the where the cameras are set up. This not the time to be judgemental Ahri. You’re literally shooting a kpop music video which are renowned for being super random. Just go with the flow. I find the co-ordinator who came to me before, who is still running around the set like a headless chicken. She sees me coming from the corner of her eye and greets me with a smile. I bow, hand over Kai to her and asks if she needs anything else. She stares down at the toy for a good minute before she looks at me with really, really angry eyes. ‘What is this?’ she says as if she’s trying to control her breathing. ‘Umm, it’s Kai?’ I say meekly. Behind me, I hear Chanyeol and Baekhyun cracking up, high-fiving each other and telling everyone around them to look in my direction. Those twats. I let out a long sigh and apologise to the coordinator, who also notices the obnoxiously loud laughter behind me and kinda catches on that I’m the latest victim of the famous duo’s pranks and eases up her death stare. I bow down and apologise several times, promising to bring the real Kai asap. I turn my heels and walk straight to the proud pranksters about to give a long lecture in my weak Korean, when I see Kris walking up behind them and hitting the back of their heads with a display folder. ‘Ouchhhh Kris, what the hell was that for?’

‘Don’t be to Manager Choi. No more warnings or the X-box goes. Go apologise.’ Kris uses the most authoritative voice I’ve heard. The two rub the back of the head and grudgingly walk up to me with heavy feet. ‘Sorry about that Ahri! It’s all good fun! You know there’s no hard feelings right??’ I give them my iciest poker face and they crumble. Baekhyun bowing up and down a million times per second and Chanyeol encourages me to a punch at him, bracing himself. My saltiness dissipates as I see them trying so hard for my forgiveness. I start giggling against my will, ‘I was pretty stupid haha. I hate to admit it but that was a good one.’ They squeal in delight and start jumping up and down. ‘However…’ I try to imitate Kris’s ‘don’t fk with me’ voice, ‘Next time you pull a joke on me, I’ll not only confiscate the X-box, but I’ll beat all your high scores, post it on your social media and then proceed to delete all your game play history.’ Their mouths gape open, not expecting that from me. I flash a wide grin in their direction. ‘Now if you excuse me, I need to go find Kai.’ They both nod silently and look at me with awe. Baekyeol 1: Ahri 1.

I go back to the makeup room and find Kris back in the make-up chair, now getting his hair done. ‘Thanks for sticking up for me earlier,’ I tell him while I search for a Kai in the room. ‘Anytime,’ he curtly responds. His tone is harsh, like he is angry about something. ‘Hey do you know where I would find Kai?’ I ask him, hoping this time I’ll get an actual answer.

‘Are you kidding?’ He snaps and gives me the most judgemental look ever. ‘No, I’m really not. I was asked to bring him to set like 10 minutes ago.’ Kris shouts towards the break room where all the food is. ‘Hey Jongin, it’s time for your solo. Come, follow Ahri!’ he bellows and sits back down. ‘How are Kai and Jongin related?’ I ask as Jongin finishes his rice paper roll and walks over to me. Kris rolls his eyes in the most exaggerated way ever. ‘Kai is his stage name. D.u.h.’ He looks at my mortified face. ‘Are you seriously telling me you don’t even know the names of the members?’

‘I do! But I didn’t know you guys had stage names! That’s so confusing!’ I announce dramatically.

‘I’m not trying to sound cocky but literally how do you not know the names the entire world calls us by?’ he says, genuinely baffled.

‘You said it yourself! I’m new to this K-pop world stuff.’ I try to explain.

‘You’re dad is literally the top manager of one of the biggest Korean entertainment groups. Don’t even try to give me that excuse- have you been living under a rock the last two years?’

That shuts me up. He’s right. The last two years I have only known one thing. Basketball. Not to mention I made a conscious effort to avoid everything and anything KPOP, literally treating it like the plague because that meant remembering Hana and… Josh.  I shudder inwardly and try to change the subject. ‘What’s yours then?’

‘My what?’ He has his eyes closed as one of the stylists massage his scalp.

‘Your stage name.’

‘Kris.’

‘But that’s your real name.’

‘Is it?’ he shoots back.  I throw him an annoyed look. He was so pleasant last night and even told off Baekyeol for me but now look at the little giving me attitude. ‘Whatever, I don’t care anyways. Kris is all I need to know.’ Just then Jongin arrives and says he is ready to go. We start walking to the direction of his set when Kris yells out from behind us. ‘Choi, a word of advice. Read the file your dad gave you, it’s designed to educate the ignorant. Well, that’s assuming you can read!’ It was at that moment I knew, that it wasn’t just bad timing or an unfortunate series of events but in fact it was decided by the gods that we were destined to be enemies. I look back at the bipolar man, smile at him and flip him off in front of everyone. No one really notices and I don’t even know if giving the middle finger has any negative connotations in Korea. But Kris sees and his annoying grin momentarily breaks as he registers my actions. His hand makes a motion to catch the air and put it to his heart, as if I just blew a kiss or something.

That idiot. Boys are so stupid. I walk straight ahead with Jongin quietly following me. Head up, shoulders tall and each stride with purpose. Only 2 more months to go Ahri. It suddenly hits me. I’m not just going to survive through the next 59 days, I’m going to conquer it.. Just you watch me Kris Wu.

Watch me become the best manager this place has ever seen.

He watches her figure stride firmly in the opposite direction. 

Kris sighs and sinks into his seat. He was being a jerk to everybody and he knew it, and he absolutely loathed himself for it. Luhan takes the free seat next to him in the room and gives him a sympathetic look. ‘That was unlike you Kris. Let me guess? Trouble with the girlfriend?’

Kris smiles meekly back, ‘Yeah, how’d you know?’ Luhan could somehow always tell if something was bothering him. ‘Because what else ever makes you this angry?’ Luhan replies. Kris stares at his phone. ‘I don’t know dude, I mean I just got back and instead of catching up with each other, she’s freaking out we have a girl living in our dorm.’

‘I mean, that’s understandable. A lot of girls in her position would feel the same way.’

‘Yeah, but its her. Have you ever seen her give attention to any female that is not herself?’ Luhan looks deep in thought and then shakes his head no. 

'Exactly! She wants me to kick her out like she's some criminal and that I'm somehow in control of the situation.' Kris sulks. 

'So you plan to bully Choi into leaving so your girlfriend is happy?' 

'No, no that's not the plan. I think I got frustrated because here I am getting yelled at because I defended her and then how does this Choi girl act? She brings a toy wolf to the staff when they ask for Kai. It's like at least try to not make us look like idiots.'

Luhan starts laughing out loud. 'Hahahah, what a confused soul!'

'It's so not funny dude, it's embarassing!' Kris shakes his head as he remembers their new manager sincerely presenting the wolf plushie as Kai and then bowing a million times in apology when he starts giggling. 'Okay, maybe it was funny. She's so gullible geez!' Luhan grins as he watches his friend laugh wholeheartedly for the first time in ages. He had started to forget what Kris' laugh sounded like but coming back from seeing his family had seemed to put him at ease and overall happier. Kris is still giggling softly as the stylist finishes his hair and makeup and they leave to start Exo-M dress rehearsal.

Luhan wonders; if this Choi girl can bring back Kris' missing laugh in just a one day, then what will she achieve in her two months here? Kris interrupts his thoughts as they take their positions on the third music set, a white cube. 'Anyways, yeah she [the girlfriend] was being so weird. Saying how she's going to make sure Choi gets kicked out by next week or so.' Luhan gives Kris a puzzled expression, 'Jealousy is a monster I guess,' he replies shrugging. Kris sighs deeply and nods. 

As the Overdose music cues and the choreography starts, Luhan sees the Choi girl running off with a clipboard, delivering an ear headset to Kyungsoo and helping him put it on. Then she dissapears out of the studio for a few moments and returns with two trays of bubble tea and hands the first one to Sehun, who beams at her. Luhan smiles gently- without a doubt Choi is going to make a difference in Exo, and he's going to make sure she sticks around so everyone could see it. No matter what. 

omg guyss sorry for slow updates but this one is slightly longer than normal so hope it makes up for it!! alsoo i'm so sorry if shifting the point of view in the same chapter is confusing, I just didn't think the Kris part at the end was enough for a separate chapter~

 buttttt omgg KRIS HAS A GIRLFRIEND?? AHRI AND HIM ARE BACK TO BEING ENEMIES?!?! LUHAN GONNA BE A SECRET ALLY!?!?  i'm also asking these questions fam what is happening hahaha 

ALSO THIS SMERALDO THEORY FOR BTS' COMEBACK IS BLOWING MY MIND SRSLY

http://www.allkpop.com/article/2017/08/a-discovery-of-btss-possible-september-comeback-concept-goes-viral