It was nine forty-five that evening when we got to the restaurant.

 

After some debate amongst the members, they, including Seunghwan sunbae, had insisted that I make the decision, since I was the guest of honor. Tapping my fingers against my lip, I took a moment to come up with what I was craving for and after a second of contemplating, I concluded that I really wanted to eat some samgyeopsal.

 

Which lead us here: a small, dainty little place located around the corner of the S.M office, for two reasons. Firstly, it was the closest place on foot and secondly, it was one of the cheapest joints with the best quality.

 

Hundreds of twinkling lights lined the doorframe of the restaurant, as if to say “Welcome! Come on in!” As soon as I saw them, I just took a moment to capture that feeling. I stopped immediately in front of the door, my head tilting up to gaze at those many lights and instinctively stepped to the side as the members passed, oddly fascinated by those clutters of light attached to the frame.

 

“Nice aren’t they?” I heard someone murmur behind me.

 

I jumped, turning to see Kai standing behind me.

 

He was gazing at me with amused curiosity, trying to stifle the grin that was forming on his lips.

 

I hadn’t even realized that someone had been watching my enthralled and stupefied expression this entire time.

 

A blush spread across my face as I gave him a small nod and a quiet “yeah,” while he merely chuckled and followed s inside. After pulling myself together, I shuffled in right behind them as the waitress lead us to a booth in the back.

 

“Mari, over here,” Baekhyun called, pointing to an empty spot in between himself and Sehun. “Sit next to me.”

 

I gave him a small smile, happily complying with his request as Sehun stood aside and allowed me to slide in. As usual, I was pulled into one of Baekhyun’s many incessant ramblings. From what I could understand, they were all regulars her, often coming whenever their practices ended early.

 

This was one of those nights.

 

“So Mari, ” Baekhyun began, propping his elbows against the counter as the waitress passed out some glasses filled with water, “you just graduated college, right?”

 

“Sure did,” I answered. “Do you guys go to college?” My eyes had wandered around the table, as Chanyeol, Kai, and D.O gave me awkward glances. Oh, right. They were idol stars— I’d forgotten. “Sorry. Stupid question.”

 

Baekhyun laughed and the others joined in as well. “Our career is what we’re focusing on right now. I don’t think I would be able to juggle my busy schedule— and get a passing grade in anything.”

 

“Although, our leader here is attending college,” Chanyeol pointed out, placing an arm over his hyung’s shoulder.

 

Suho merely rolled his eyes at him, pushing his arm away and then giving me a sheepish smile in return. “I’m not anywhere close to finishing; I’ve still got a long way to go,” he said. “What did you major in?”

 

“Photography,” I replied.

 

Suho’s eyes widen just a tiny bit, astonished by my answer.

 

“Interesting,” Kai muttered under his breath.

 

“Photography? So that means you can take really good pictures?” Chanyeol asked, also mildly interested by my choice in major.

 

“I guess you could say that,” I shrugged. “Photography has always been a hobby of mine.”

 

Was a hobby of mine to be exact; if they only knew about the motivation I’ve lost for it.

 

“You should show us your works sometime,” D.O chimed in, taking a sip of his water.

 

Seunghwan sunbae, who had been quiet for most of the conversation, also agreed with him. “Yes, please do.”

 

I nodded in compliance just as the waitress came by again to take our order.

 

Our waitress was a tall slender woman, appearing to be in her late thirties— with crow’s feet visible on the corners of her eyes. She was pleasant looking, and introduced herself with a radiant and genuine smile, unlike the feigned ones that I would normally see on waiting staff; this woman seemed like she appreciated her job.

 

One by one, she went around the booth, asking each person what they wanted order. After quickly jotting the orders down into her little note pad, she collected the menus already stacked into a neat pile by Sehun. It was then that she paused in her place, menus already held against her chest.

 

She observed the six boys seated in the booth with furrowed brows. It was pretty clear, with all the expectant expressions that everyone held, that no one was oblivious to her scrutiny.

 

Clicking my tongue, I watched as the waitress let out a small gasp of recognition. “Oh, you’re that new boy band from S.M! EXO K right?” she replied enthusiastically. “My daughter is a big fan of yours.”

 

I was astonished at how knowledgeable she seemed, despite her age. My own mother isn’t too familiar with the Hallyu wave besides ‘Gangnam Style’.

 

With a smile of his own, Suho gave the women a small nod. “Ah, thank you we appreciate your daughter’s dedication.”

 

“If it’s possible, do you think I can get your autograph before you leave for the night?”

 

Suho shifted his attention toward Seunghwan sunbae for approval. I veered my own gaze toward my supervisor, awaiting his consent, which he gave through a curt nod. Suho turned his head back toward the waitress again, the smile on his face never fading. “Since it’s okay with my manager, we will all give you our signatures before leaving tonight.”

 

The waitress nearly leapt into the air, and she probably would’ve if she wasn’t working. She bowed gratefully and thanked Suho profusely for his kind consideration.

 

It was only a little bit later that she had finally left to retrieve our meals, leaving the table to an uncomfortable silence.

 

Taking a sip of my water, I found my gaze wandering around the table and I could tell that they all seemed quite embarrassed, especially from the way that they kept avoiding my stare. They probably thought I wasn’t going to be used to their kind of attention, with being new to the assisting job and everything.

 

Clearing my throat and my lips I said, “So, do you think after dinner, I can also get your signatures too?”

 

I had to admit, I didn’t have the best social skills; however, I felt that a harmless joke seemed appropriate at that moment. For a second, I thought that I made myself look like an idiot, but then Chanyeol burst out into a laughing fit, clapping his hands together and causing everyone to laugh.

 

“You’re funny,” he chuckled. “Who knew she was funny?”

 

I felt a smile grow on my lips, and I couldn’t help but laugh along with them. The waitress returned with our orders shortly afterward, passing out the various meats for us to grill. I could feel my mouth begin to water as I eyed the sliced pork bellies.

 

Back in California, whenever my friends and I would go to Korean BBQ, that was really all I would order. I just absolutely adored the taste, especially when pork bellies are grilled it to the point of being crispy. Honestly, I wasn’t one of those rice cake and salad girls (that type, actually, was Stacey). I loved to eat.

 

“God, Mari. You’re such a glutton and yet you fail to gain any weight,” Stacey used to complain to me.

 

Because my stomach was, according to Stacey, like ‘an endless black hole,’ and no matter how much I ate, I would never gain those few extra pounds to fill in the nice curves I’ve always been hoping for.

 

I placed the meat I had ordered on the grill, watching with anticipation as it cooked. When it was done, crispy on both sides, I took my chop sticks and grabbed some of the cooked pork bellies, and placing it on my plate and eating a couple of the slices.

 

As I ate, I sensed that the table had fallen silent again and I looked up from my plate, realizing that they were all staring at me curiously. Instantly, I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment, my eyes growing wide as I wondered what I had done. Swallowing the food that was in my mouth, I cleared my throat. “Ummm…”

 

“Oh sorry,” Suho finally spoke. “We didn’t mean to stare.”

 

“Yeah, it’s just, we’ve never seen a girl with an appetite like yours before,” Baekhyun continued, smiling. He placed an elbow on the table and leaned forward conspiratorially. “And besides, Kai was the one staring first.”

 

“Yah! I was not!” Kai replied hastily and I could see how easily flustered he had gotten.

 

I watched as Chanyeol’s lips twisted up into an amused smirk while he playfully placed an arm over Kai’s shoulder. “Oh sure you were~”

 

Kai rolled his eyes at him before shrugging Chanyeol’s arm off of his shoulder. “I was only staring because…” He paused for a moment as everyone gazed at him in anticipation for his answer. I saw him swallow, the blush on his cheeks only darkening. “She… She eats so heartily that it reminded me of a baby dinosaur.”

 

Well then.

 

I raised an eyebrow at him, not sure if I should feel insulted or complimented because it wasn’t everyday that the way I ate is referenced to a creature off of Jurassic Park. Instead, I replied with an, “Uh… thanks?”

 

At that point, everyone was laughing again, while Chanyeol repeatedly slapped Kai on the back and Kai buried his face in his arms, utterly mortified by his own stupidity. I laughed a little bit as well, turning my attention back to my plate, which was now filled with the pork bellies that I had absolutely adored.

 

“Please continue to eat, noona.”

 

I shifted my gaze toward Sehun, who gave me a sheepish grin, pushing the dipping sauce closer to my reach.

 

“Ahh, thank you so much.” I replied, using my chopsticks to take another bite of the meat.

 

After a while, I began to feel myself getting past that awkward barrier that I had been feeling for the majority of the day. We were all communicating well as they asked me countless questions, like how I spoke Korean so well, or where in the US I had grown up.

 

“I was born and raised in California,” I said, taking a sip of my water.

 

“Ohh! California?” Baekhyun asked and I couldn’t help but notice the cheerful sparkle in his eye, the same optimistic sparkle that reminded me so much of Stacey. “We were actually there three months ago for SM town.”

 

“Yeah, we, including EXO M had gone to Disneyland together afterwards,” Chanyeol chimed in.

 

“Disneyland? I love going to Disneyland,” I confessed with a smile. Before moving here, I used to go frequently since I had a seasonal pass.  It was one of the few places I was going to miss besides my home city of Irvine.

 

And I had to admit, I was a huge fan of Disney. I was, in fact, one those people who collected the entire special edition DVDs that came out yearly, because I grew up with it.

 

The waitress arrived with the check a couple minutes later and as I was about to take out my wallet to pitch in for my share of the bill, Seunghwan sunabe quickly handed the waitress his credit card, beating me to it. “Don’t worry I’ll take care of it,” he said with a smile of his own.

 

Really, all I could do was give him my thanks. Seunghwan sunbae had done a lot for me today and now he was paying for dinner. I knew that I was going to make it up to him by doing my best with this job.

 

Once again the waitress returned, only this time with a pad of paper and a marker; like the members had promised, they each signed their names and their own personal messages on the note pad for her daughter.

 

“Thank you so much,” She said, bowing repeatedly for their kindness.

 

Suho, being the leader, returned her bow as well, forming a small smile on his lips as he spoke on behalf of EXO K. “You’re very welcome Ma’am,” he said, while the other members gave her grins of their own.

 

I couldn’t help but find my own lips twisting up.

 

“Please come again soon,” she replied, bowing once more and heading back.

 

It was eleven- fifteen when we made it back to the company; I was walking alongside the six men, my place being in between Baekhyun and Chanyeol, who were chatting away incessantly. Like I had hoped, I was beginning to get along well with everyone, including Kai, who I found was quite humorous.

 

“Noona will you be leaving, now?”

 

We were already inside the SM building and back into the practice room, when I heard Sehun asking me that question. “Yeah,” I replied with a nod. “It’s getting late.”

 

And as much as I would have liked to chat some more with them, I was honestly pretty exhausted and I still had that hour drive ahead of me.

 

I saw him pout with disappointment, while Baekhyun merely patted his back, amused by his silent fit.

 

“Don’t worry,” I assured him. “We’ll see each other tomorrow.”

 

Hearing that, he perked up just a little bit, relieved that this won’t be the only day I will be visiting.

 

I chuckled, turning my attention to Seunghwan sunbae in order to give him my thanks one last time with a bow. “Thank you again. I’m really grateful for everything that you’ve done for me today.”

 

“You’re welcome Mari. You’ve made quite an impression. Please, continue to make more good impressions in the future.”

 

I nodded again as I brought my hand up to wave at them. “I had a fun time today. I’ll see you all tomorrow,” I said, turning away.

 

Pushing the door open that led to the back, I was already in the parking lot when I heard a shuffling of feet behind me. I craned my neck to the side to see Kai jogging in my direction. “Kai?” I questioned, confused, wondering if I had forgotten something inside the practice room.

 

He heaved out a breath, bending down to clutch onto his knees before tilting his head upwards to gaze at me. “Mari noona,” he said breathless. “I- I mean the members thought I should you to your car. You shouldn’t be walking out on your own so late at night.”

 

I blinked at him a couple of times, feeling a small half smile forming. There was truly a lot of chivalry in this group. Really. “Ah, thank you,” I replied, when he slipped right next to me.

 

Throughout the day, as I evaluated and observed my first impression of these boys, I felt like I never got to know Kai as much as I would’ve wanted to. He was quiet and witty, although, he kept to himself most of the time and only spoke whenever he felt it was necessary or when he was spoken to. But other than that, it was like he was in his own secluded bubble. Of course, it was pretty easy to tell that he was close to his fellow members, but when he was around people he wasn’t comfortable with, like myself, he just seemed serious.

 

I know, I know, it was only the first day. It takes time for people to get used to another person’s presence. However, knowing that fact only heightened my interests to get to know him more. Kai was quite the mystery.

 

“Thanks for today,” he replied when we were already by my car. He pointed toward the wrap around his wrist, lips turned up into a sheepish grin.

 

“Don’t mention it,” I told him. “Just try not to wrestle with Chanyeol anymore.”

 

He chuckled at my remark before using the tips of his toes to rock back and forth awkwardly. It felt like he wanted to say more, so instead of getting into my car like I had intended to in the first place, I curiously tilted my head to the side and waited for him to speak.

 

“Um Mari noona, about what I said at the restaurant,” he began, smacking his lips together nervously, “I don’t really think you eat like a baby dinosaur... uh well, what I mean to say is just please don’t take what I said to heart.”

 

I wanted to laugh. I really did and it was because of the way he was getting so worked up over that silly comment he made— to which I wasn’t at all affected by. I mean, I should know; I always find myself getting into embarrassing situations all the time.

 

“Don’t worry about it,” I chuckled. “I wasn’t insulted or anything.”

 

I saw him let out a sigh of relief, a smile spreading on his lips. “I’m still sorry though, Noona,” he said.

 

I shook my head, bringing my hand up to his shoulder to give him a small pat. “Like I said, don’t worry about it.”

 

Turning my body again, I stepped inside my car, placing the keys into the. Ignition. However, before actually leaving, the tips of my fingers gently pressed down the button for my window, while I shifted my attention toward Kai once more.

 

“Oh, before I forget, you don’t have to speak so formally towards me,” I told him. “I’m not too about formality. So, Noona, Mari, whatever you feel comfortable with is fine.”

 

Because we were all pretty much close in age and because I was brought up very westernized, it honestly didn’t matter to me. Kai seemed surprised by my request, staying silent for a brief moment.

 

I, on the other hand, laughed again. “You don’t have to, if you don’t want to,” I explained, sensing his discomfort. “It was only a suggestion. I just want to get along well with everyone.”

 

At this, Kai finally realized my intentions and he shook his head, quickly. “Oh no,” he said, “it’s just that no one has ever proposed that request before. It caught me off guard. So you’re really okay with the informalities?”

 

I nodded. “Yes. It’s perfectly fine with me.” I smile at him last time before saying, “Well, I better get going now. Thanks for escorting me to my car.”

 

“No Problem Noo— I mean, you’re welcome Mari.”

 

For a minute, I let the sound of my name ring through my ears when he said it; it sounded nice and I liked it. I liked it better than noona.

 

I shook my head quickly, pulling myself from my thoughts, and brought my hand up to wave farewell to him. “Goodbye Kai, see you tomorrow.”

 

Kai also returned my small wave with his own, another smile twisting upwards. “Goodbye Mari.”

 

With that, I backed my car out of its parking spot and drove off into the streets and toward home.

 

When I got home an hour later, my Grandmother and my mother immediately overran me with questions, even though I had already thoroughly explained to them the reason why I was coming home late in the first place.

 

“But you got the job, right?” my grandmother asked me, excitement hinting in the tone of her voice.

 

I nod at her. “Yeah halmeoni, and it’s all thanks to you.”

 

“Oh you,” she said, obviously flattered. “You’re my granddaughter after all. I want to be able to help you as much as I can.

 

I grinned at her. Thanking her one last time, I decided to head off to bed for the night. As I sauntered down the hallway, I realized that I had forgotten to text Stacey all day. So when I made it into the confines of my room, I slipped my hand inside my purse to pull out my phone— noticing that Stacey had already sent me a text message earlier today.

 

From: Stace

Hey bestie. Your mom says you got a job interview today. Tell me ALL of the deets later.

 

Oh, I was going to tell her all right. My best friend was never going to believe that I was the new manager’s assistant for an idol group.

 

---

Authoress's Note:

So I would just like to point out how terrible of a human being I am for not updating like I said I would. OTL. Honestly, I blame school but I am also at fault here as well. Being a senior in college is tough, especially when you're an art student. You have all of their projects to do and then you have to prepare for your final portfolio show (which I still haven't started on btw) it's like crunch time everyday for me, but being able to write this story helps take off the stress that builds up sometimes. Therefore, I am Gomen. u__u

Anyway, for my international readers who don't know; here in California, Disneyland has these yearly/ seasonal passes that give their holder the ability to experience both California Adventure and The Disneyland Park itself. It also benefits the holder with discounts, and exclusive invitations to special events. Most of my Disney obsessed friends own one and according to them, there's like four kinds of passes, two are just regular annual passes and then there's deluxe and premium. It's pretty expensive but they do give the holder the option pay monthly and that's of course after you pay for the down payment.

TBH, if you're a disney fanatic and you happen to move or live around Disneyland, it's actually a great buy because the monthly payment plan isn't a bad idea. It's very reasonable. But if you happen to be like me and live in, what my friends like to call, 'farmland' then there's really no point in buying one. 

Oh yes, Mari's home city, Irvine, is indeed a real city. Haha. It's actually one of the safest citites here in CA and one of  the many cities I am thinking of moving into when I get out of college. Also, The Art Institue of California, it's also a real College, LOL. It's the college I'm currently attending right now XD. If you'd like to learn more about the city and the school, you can just google it. Overall, the story is beginning to move along quite nicely. Although there are still some unanswered questions that probably still have you readers confused, like why she's lost interest in photography and why she's come to a dead end in her life. Really, all of those have been half answered so far, there's actually a deeper reason why. But that will be revealed later on muahahahahaha~ 

I'm actually open to theories, if you have any, so please don't be afraid share them. So yeah, this was like an incredibly long author's note, it just made this chapter twice as long now (possibly) haha. 

Don't forget to comment and subscribe! <3

((OH and someitme this weekend I might change the background I realized how unappealing it looked, so it'll be white for now, until then.))