Chapter Thirty-five: Marks

They ended up going back a day early from what was scheduled because Taemin got a call from his manager. It turned out that he had a commitment that was added to his schedule last minute. It was something they could not cancel or reschedule. 

Their vacation may had been cut short, but in those two days, a lot of things had happened. They had a fight, got back together, and then ended up sleeping together. Naeun was glad they weren’t as awkward as she had expected about all the things that happened. She thought they both handled it pretty well. 

“Good evening, Naeun-ssi!” One of the SM staff greeted politely.

“Hello,” she greeted back with a slight nod and continued walking. Her stilettos made a clicking sound as she strutted along the corridors of the SM building. 

She was there to pick up Taemin. They both agreed to meet with the investigator who was in charge of their case against K after they were done with their schedules. She finished early so she decided to go to him to save time. He should be done recording and practicing by now. 

She hid an amused smile as she observed the varied reactions of the people around her. The employees who had worked there for at least five years were already used to her presence. Some even looked excited to see her since it had been a while since she was there.The newer ones, on the other hand, eyed her with curiosity and intrigue.

The prying eyes were the least of her concerns though. She knew that SM, like most companies, was very strict when it comes to the privacy of its artists. She was positive the employees knew the high price they would have to pay if they were ever caught leaking out any information about their artists. 

When she was close to the room where Taemin was supposed to be at, she saw Kai and Baekhyun standing by the opened door. Both were laughing and giggling. Their hair were slightly damp suggesting they just took a shower. 

The two paused when they saw her. 

“Oh, Naeun-ah you’re here!” Kai greeted before he turned to Baekhyun.

She was about to return the greeting when the two started giggling after exchanging knowing looks. 

Her brows knitted. ‘What was so funny?’ she thought. 

She was about to ask when a frowning Taemin came behind them. His hair was also damp like his friends. She noticed that his face was red. 

Upon seeing him, the Kai and Baekhyun’s soft giggles turned into a loud laugh before they took off and ran towards the elevators. 

Puzzled, she turned to Taemin. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“Nothing,” he murmured and looked away. “We should get going. We might get stuck in traffic if we don’t leave now.”

Ignoring his dismissive tone, she hurriedly stepped in front of him, successfully blocking his way. “We’re not leaving until you tell me what happened,” she stubbornly insisted, crossing her arms across her chest. 

He eyed her for a few moments, contemplating.

Her frown deepened. What was so hard about her question?

After a period of impatient waiting, he gave her a defeated look and let out a slow breath before explaining. “We were all in the shower room earlier when they saw…” His voice trailed.

“What did they se