Nine

A week and a half later marked the return to Korea for EXO-M and their staff members.  By then Kadence was feeling better than ever thanks to the vitamins Wu Fan had provided her with.  He had only continued with his caring acts, especially as she was recovering from her illness and she had all but given up on fighting her feelings for him.  Instead she tried to keep them hidden from everyone else except for Yoonhee; the girl having become her confidant.  After all, there was no use making things complicated.  It became habit that the girls often met to whisper complaints to each other, the Korean admitting that she wouldn’t mind dressing, or rather undressing, Luhan.

Everything in her professional life seemed to be going a lot easier now that she was back in familiar territory with a language she knew; though she was still keeping up the Mandarin lessons.  In their spare moments she had taken to practicing with Luhan and any of the other Chinese members who happened to stray upon their lessons.  Although she had become good friends with all the members, Luhan and Minseok were a level above.  She spent most of her time with the two boys, as well as Wu Fan, who to Kadence seemed to want to adopt her into some form of paternal care.  It made her heart dip to be seen as an extended member of the family, though she knew that it was the best she could hope for.

“You want me to get what?” she asked, having no clue what the object was that she was supposed to be collecting for the choreographer on the other end of the radio.  She heard him laugh and blushed lightly despite him not being present.

“It’s in a black bag in the third practice room, just bring the whole thing down,” he told her and she acknowledged him, spinning on her heel and retracing her steps through the building.  If luck was on her side this would be her last task for the evening and she would be able to leave once she delivered the bag and located Yoonhee.

Pushing the door to the dance room open she entered quietly, aware that a small group of trainees were still practicing.  The girls didn’t seem to notice her entry and she scanned the room for the bag, her heart jumping to when she noticed a figure sitting against the wall.  It was almost like her dream was coming to life and she had to force her body to move as she headed in his direction.

“Ayo wassup Kay, what are you doing here?” Wu Fan asked as she approached, and she couldn’t help but sigh internally at his use of her nickname.

“I’m looking for a black bag with... well I don’t actually know what it is in it.  One of the choreographers left it here,” she said and he looked around himself for several moments before pointing to a corner a few metres away.

“Is that it?”

“Yup, thanks eagle eyes,” she said, causing him to chuckle.  It was her plan to retrieve the goods and get the hell out of there as fast as possible, however fate seemed to foil it as the music stopped and a figure bounded towards them.

“Oppa, please tell me you can see an improvement,” the girl asked and Wu Fan’s eyes shifted from Kadence to her, nodding. 

“Even in the little while I’ve been gone you’ve gotten better.”

“Good, because I’ve been putting in a lot of extra effort,” she said, before turning to Kadence and looking her up and down.  “I’ve seen you around before.”

Pulling himself to his feet Wu Fan rubbed the back of his neck and looked between the two girls awkwardly.  Kadence stood patiently waiting for an introduction, wondering why he seemed so uncomfortable about the meeting.

“This is the new staff PA for us, Kadence,” he introduced and the redhead bowed at the girl.  “This is my girlfriend, Gayun.”

Kadence had presumed that she was the girl who owned Wu Fan’s heart, but she felt herself sink into dismay at the sight of her.  She was much different to the girl that had appeared in her dream, and appeared only slightly younger than herself.  She was taller too, and even with the sweat plastered to her from hours of dancing looked stunning.  Kadence figured that she could probably wear a potato sack and make it look like a ball gown; then again, she was an idol in training.

“Pleased to meet you,” Kadence greeted, forcing a smile on her face and Gayun returned it, looping an arm through Wu Fan’s.  She expected him to reciprocate the affection, but he simply stood with his hands shoved in the pockets of his pants.

“Thank you for looking after Kris for me while he was in China,” Gayun said, gazing up at the boy lovingly and Kadence had to struggle to keep herself steady, barely registering the words as she responded.

“I think he spent more time looking after me.”

Gayun looked curiously between the two of them and Wu Fan’s eyes widened slightly as he chuckled, scratching the side of his face idly.

“Kadence ended up sick because she was a pabo and didn’t take her vitamins,” he explained and the girl’s face immediately changed, flooding with concern.  This was not what Kadence wanted to deal with.

“Oh no that’s terrible, I hope you’re feeling better now.”

“Much, thank you.  Anyway, I better get what I came for and give it to the choreographer before he gets angry,” Kadence excused herself, needing to escape before she exploded.  “Have a good night.”

The pair farewelled her and she immediately turned her back on them, darting over to where the bag was and slinging it over her arm.  She tried to look straight ahead as she made her way to the door, though the whole way there she was aware of someone’s eyes on her.

It was only once she was out in the hallway that she was able to breathe properly again, feeling a little of the tension subside.  In no way was she trying to gain Wu Fan’s affections, but meeting Gayun only solidified the thoughts already running through her head.  There was no way that she could even compare to the Korean girl.

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And so we've finally met his girlfriend.  What do you alll think of Gayun?