Chanyeol stifled a groan as their performance on stage ended and they had to leave to make way for BTS. He had hoped to be on stage for longer. Not just because he loved performing and the sound of the audience chanting along to their songs but, for another reason. And that reason was the longer he stayed on stage, the longer he was able to avoid meeting Lee Suji.

Prior to their performance, the EXO members had gathered for a pep rally by Suho. They normally did this before every performance. It was like a ritual to them; a way of banishing their nerves and providing each other with the reassurance that everything will go smoothly.

"But the most important thing is," Suho concluded, "that we have fun tonight."

The EXO members nodded in agreement. They had this performance in the bag. But while they were busy egging each other on, they failed to notice the entrance of an unwanted visitor to their dressing room.

"Oppa!" Chanyeol heard a shrill voice say. Dread filled his every being as he slowly turned around to greet their uninvited guest. "Hello, Suji-ssi."

Suji approached him with the widest smile. "Oppa, I have some good news for EXO." She joined the rest of the members in sitting down in a huddle around the table. "I've just arranged for you all to take part in an interview for the national news channel! Isn't that exciting?"

The EXO members exchanged looks with each other and feigned excitement. The last thing they needed was an interview.

"That's great, Suji-ssi," Suho said forcing a smile on his face. "When will it be?"

"It will be straight after you perform. You will need to go to the empty hall at the end of the corridor" she instructed. "It's all been set up. You'll get full coverage and everything!"

Chanyeol wasn't alone in inwardly groaning. They hated attending interviews straight after performing. Mainly because they were always exhausted and they were subjected to sitting or standing awkwardly for long periods of time.

"Okay, Suji-ssi. We'll go straight there after our performance" Suho replied.

"Great, oppa! I'll be waiting for you all there" she chimed. She eyed Chanyeol specifically and noticed that he was wearing the tie she had gifted him. "That tie really suits you, oppa."

Chanyeol flashed her a quick smile before she left. And once she was out of sight, he sighed. Suji's affection was like a piece of food that had gotten stuck in between his teeth and wouldn't come out: it was annoying and incredibly uncomfortable. He needed something or someone to pluck her away from him like a toothpick would. The question was, where was he going to find a toothpick big enough to get rid of a nuisance like Lee Suji?

Chanyeol let out an audible sigh as he trudged behind the EXO members. They were now making their way to the empty hall where they had promised to meet Suji for the impromptu interview.

"I think we killed it out there" Baekhyun commented as they walked.

Sehun agreed, "We definitely slayed it. There was no doubt. Did you hear how loud the crowd was?"

"They were wild!" Chen exclaimed.

But as the other members talked noisily about their performance, Chanyeol noticed that Kai was strangely quiet. "What's up, Kai?" he asked him. They were both trailing behind the others.

Kai looked up at Chanyeol. "I noticed something weird while we were performing" he began. "I saw someone that looked like Little Umma being escorted by security."

Chanyeol was intrigued. "By security? Why?"

Kai shrugged. "I dunno. She was wearing a white dress so she stood out. I just saw her from the corner of my eye."

Chanyeol pursed his lips, "Maybe you were mistaken? Why would Nami-ah get escorted by security?"

Kai shrugged. "I dunno. But do you think we should check up on her just in case? I mean, we can text or something, right? Or maybe call her?"

Chanyeol shook his head. "It'd be too loud outside for her to hear if you call. But we can try texting her."

Kai nodded and started searching his pockets. "I don't have my phone with me."

Chanyeol reached the same conclusion, "Neither do I." The pair slowed down their pace as they began to feel uneasy, creating a gap between them, and the other EXO members, who were walking ahead.

Chanyeol was preoccupied, what if something bad happened to Nami? Ever since Nami had gotten hurt because of him, he had been really sensitive about her being out of his sight. It was like he was always feeling guilty. It was better to be safe than sorry, he thought. "I'll go back to the dressing room and quickly get my phone," Chanyeol informed Kai as he started walking in the opposite direction.

"What about the interview?" Kai asked as Chanyeol began to walk even further away.

"I'll join you all later" he replied, "I won't be too long. Tell them I went to the bathroom or something."

Kai watched as Chanyeol sprinted into the distance. He knew he definitely saw someone wearing a white dress, being escorted by security, but he wasn't sure if it was Nami. He just hoped that he was mistaken and that it was all a trick of the eye.

~*~

"That was a stupid thing to do, Mirei!" Nikka screeched. "What if you had gotten hurt?"

"I knew what I was doing" I huffed at him. "I'm not a child, Nikka. I can look after myself."

Nikka paced around the dressing room.

While I was being escorted out of the venue by security, Nikka had spotted me and had intervened so that I could be released. For some reason, Nikka had a lot of influence over the staff since he was holding a prestigious position as an international news reporter. And since I was unable to return back outside to join the audience, he had led me to an empty dressing room, to confront me about my behaviour.

He sighed as he stopped pacing. "You were really reckless, you know."

I nodded guiltily. "I know. But like I said, there was no other way of stopping them."

"You could have got security!" he retorted. "You didn't have to rugby tackle the person next to you. Geez Mirei, you're too rough. And you're too impulsive too!"

"Why are you getting angry?" I shouted. "Nothing bad happened and I managed to stop them from ruining EXO's performance. You should be praising me."

"But that's not the point!" Nikka shouted back. His thick black brows were furrowed deeply. "You could have gotten hurt. What if it weren't water balloons in the bag? What if it was a bomb or even acid? You could have put yourself in danger!"

"I wouldn't have gotten involved if I knew they were dangerous" I chided. "I'm not that stupid."

"No. You're just stubborn," he said bitterly. He looked at me with concern all over his face. "And I'm worried that one day, you're going to get yourself into a big mess and I won't be there to help you out of it." He stared into my eyes deeply as if he was searching for something inside of them. "Mirei, I think you should just quit this undercover report and come home."

I blinked. Did I just hear right? "What?"

Nikka curled his lip, "I think you should just come home back with me" Nikka said again. "This undercover report isn't going to be worth it if you're putting yourself into compromising situations like that. I rather you come home safely, in one piece, than find out you got involved in an assault in the news."

I shook my head in disbelief. "Nikka. Are you seriously telling me to give up? All because I rugby tackled someone to stop two girls from throwing water balloons? Do you know how ridiculous you sound right now?"

Nikka's eyes flared. "I'm telling you to give up on the report because I could see that you're too involved with EXO!"

My jaw dropped. "What?!"

"Mirei, I don't think you realise what's happening. You're getting too attached to them and it's affecting your ability to stay focused on the job."

"How is my job as a reporter related to me stopping two girls from throwing water balloons?" I asked exasperatedly. "You're not making any sense!"

Nikka growled, "The Mirei I know wouldn't have gotten involved in anything like that. She would have let it happen so that there was news to tell-- a scoop for the following day. But you intervened. And for what? To help EXO of course. You helped them because you've grown attached to them. And that means game over!"

I stared at Nikka, completely dumbfounded at how he managed to reach that conclusion. "You're wrong,