“What the is this?!?”

 

The loud expletive burst ineloquently out of his mouth before he had a chance to think about his words. The reaction didn’t surprise the other members but the secretary in the corner of the room flinched visibly. She probably didn’t know what was written on the pages of the addendum to their contracts, but it was obvious that it wasn’t very good since it got such a loud violent reaction. 

 

Junmyeon put his hand up to the bridge of his nose, pushing desperately back against the quickly forming headache. They shouldn’t be surprised, considering their circumstances. Being high-profile celebrities in a country that was largely against relationships of that nature - even thinking those words made a bad taste in his mouth. Being the leader, he was expected to be “politically correct” at all times, but this was getting ridiculous. 

 

He watched the tallest of their group curl into himself, seemingly three times smaller than his usual larger-than-life personality. The handsome vocalist sat closely beside him, arms around his shoulders and leaning in, making quiet comforting noises, all while looking visibly shaken himself. 

 

The rest of the group eyed them with pity and understanding. 

This had crossed the line and they all knew it.

 

Sehun lifted the papers with the bold print. He cursed again in disgust then turned to the leader at his side. “Babe, we need to be more obvious so that not so much is said about them. The company can’t censor a whole group and get away with it when EXOL around the world love us so much.”   

 

Minseok spoke up. “They’ve done it before to others. Who are we to say they won’t try with us, too..?” 

 

Kyungsoo briefly adjusted his glasses. “Regardless of actual private relationships, at all times all parties shall refrain and abstain from using any and all wording or actions that could be interpreted as anything more than brotherly affection between each other. Should any of these unwanted actions or conversations occur in any possible public location, penalties in the form of monetary restrictions will be enforced. There will be individuals specifically employed and assigned to take note whenever these actions may occur, and they have been instructed to keep specifically detailed tallies as to the number of times and locations.” The words being read out in the actor’s clear precise diction seemed to hit like a death nell on all the people in the room. Even the secretary in the corner looked 3 shades paler than when she first entered the room with the stack of papers in her hands.

 

Jongin turned to the actor at his side and whined. “Why can’t they just leave us all alone…” He leaned in, nuzzling his head into the other man’s shoulder.

 

Kyungsoo put the papers down as he lifted his other hand to gently pat the dancer’s head. 

 

Junmyeon looked apologetically across the table at the other two still cuddled close together. “We knew this was possible the minute you told them of your engagement. Frankly, I’m surprised it took them this long..”  He sighed.

 

The girl in the corner inhaled a quick gasp but pinched her lips together even as her eyes grew wide. As Jongdae shot her a look she blushed in embarrassment and lowered her head . The secretary knew that whatever was said in the soundproof room was strictly confidential. If she even hinted at breaking the confidentiality agreement she could be fired and a heavy lawsuit brought against her.

 

The vocalist sighed and picked up his phone to check a new text. 

 

The oldest watched him a second then lifted his eyebrows with a wry grin. “Well, at least they won’t be so damn mad when you get hitched, Dae-Dae.” 

 

Jongdae whacked his best friend good naturedly on the arm. “MIN! I haven't even asked her yet!” 

 

Chanyeol gave a huff of amusement as he uncurled a bit and looked over at the bickering two. “Are you sure she’ll agree to your annoying ?” The giant playfully stuck his tongue out as the vocalist squawked indignantly. 

 

Baekhyun ruffled his fingers through the tall man’s hair. “He probably hasn’t even bought a ring yet…” he grinned over his shoulder as Jongdae continued to make noises of protest.

 

“At least she can wear hers all the time…” Chanyeol looked down at the slender fingers laced with his own. 

 

This time the secretary couldn’t hold back the sound of her gasp. All eyes in the room shot to her and Junmyeon placed his hand on Sehun’s shoulder in a restraining action as the younger man tried to stand up from his seat. The girl looked panicked and immediately shook her hands out in front of her in a denying motion. “Please don’t misunderstand! I would never- I mean- I support you! One hundred percent! I wouldn’t-”

 

“That’s enough.” The leader’s words stilled everyone in the room. Before he could add anything the girl spoke up again.
 

“Everyone deserves to be happy with whomever they choose and I will never do anything that would jeopardize this right for any of you. Please believe me.” She put her hands together and dipped her head in a short humble bow.

 

Junmyeon’s piercing gaze softened. “I believe you. Thank you.” He turned to the others. “So... What do we do about this?” he asked, indicating the papers in front of him.

 

Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol. The tall man squeezed their joined hands then straightened up in his chair. “We fight fire with fire.”

 

Sehun snorted. “Are we using our ‘GIFTS’ now?”

 

The leader gave the maknae a look of mild disbelief and lightly whacked him on the back of the head. Baekhyun’s quick huff of laughter echoed as Sehun reacted by holding the spot on his head and pouting. 

 

“Thanks Suho.” Chanyeol grinned. “No, what I mean is we can make our own demands. I’m not afraid to use my own money to pay a fine if they want to be that petty, but I think we as the ones in the public eye have the right to a compromise.” The other members looked interested as the tall man continued. “We only agree to this if SM lets us have more say in the writing of our songs. Use the writers that we want and have input on the lyrics and such.. y’know..? I mean- we know they won’t let us put out a song that’s completely written and produced by us, but with all of us sticking to this then the words and meanings we want to say will still be heard by EXOL and the public.”

 

The others began nodding their heads slowly in agreement. The secretary leaned forward and raised her hand as if in a classroom, asking for permission to speak again. The leader gave a subtle nod of acknowledgement.

 

“I am not ashamed to admit I am EXOL. And please believe me when I tell you that my friends and I always pay attention to all the words in every song that you sing.” The girl seemed to gain confidence as she continued. “We know you don’t always get to choose which song is written for you, but if management agrees to let you choose your own lyrics and maybe even write some, EXOL will listen. And we will know and understand.” 

 

The looks of doubt on the members' faces began to be replaced by more confidence as the secretary’s words registered in their minds. Baekhyun leaned back in his chair with a proud look on his face. “We can trust our Aeri.” 

 

Minseok nodded. “I agree. They’ve always commented online about the lyrics of our songs, even the OSTs. They will hear us.” 

 

Suho stood up and bowed at the secretary. “Thank you for your reassurance and believing in us. We believe in you too.”

 

The girl looked flustered and turned red but smiled widely and returned the bow. The leader turned to the other members. “Ok. Kyungsoo-ya, will you write this down for us? I want to get the wording right, but I also want it legible so there’s no room for doubt in management’s eyes." He sat down and grabbed his phone. "We’ll text Xingy to let him know what’s going on as well. And if anyone wants to come along with me to the lawyer’s office after this I’m sure it will help..” 

 

Ten minutes later the secretary gathered the papers back into her arms. She exchanged bows and smiles with the men as they left the room, then purposely waited another 15 minutes to allow them to be fully out of the building before getting on the elevator and going up 3 floors to bring the papers to her boss’s desk. The man was on the phone and she heaved an inward sigh of relief as she placed the papers on the corner of his desk, bowed, and quickly left the room.

 

As the secretary made her way back to her own desk she bit back a smile. The sound of yelling could be heard through the walls. “What the hell is this?? These aren’t signed! And what is this- what further demands- Those punks! Do they think this is funny?!? I swear they just-” 

 

The woman slipped an earphone into one ear and clicked the play button on the MP3 player sitting in the side drawer of her desk. Flipping through the paperwork that had been waiting on her, within seconds she began singing lightly under her breath. “Eureureong, eureureong, eureureong dae… Eureureong, eureureong, eureureong dae…” 

 

 

Observers occasionally made comments, wondering why EXO’s onstage lineup kept specific members from standing next to each other. And they also noticed that the managers around the stage seemed frustrated when this lineup sometimes changed unexpectedly. Regardless of where the members stood, they all still exchanged familiar, inside looks of all kinds with each other. Sometimes onlookers observed winks between some, giggles between others, pointed looks between some, and once even a flying kiss between some others. The position in the lineup didn’t change their playfulness and, some would say, daring nature.

 

Sharp-eyed EXOL also noticed the lyrics of EXO’s songs seemed to be more and more personal as the years went on. It was as if they were singing the words from their heart. This always made those listening pay closer attention and love their music even more. 

 

Subtle changes happened in regard to how the members interacted. The familiarity between them made it obvious that they were more than just group-mates. Even though their own company drastically slowed down on promotions, the members continually supported each other’s projects and did their own version of promotions through spoilers and live chats. They showed the strength of their bond and the depth of their love for each other more and more.

 

No one was certain what pushed the members to be this way. But anyone could see that EXO and Aeris stayed true to their motto:

 

WE ARE ONE.