She woke up the next morning to an empty house. She frowned as she walked into the dining room and found a breakfast covered for her with a sticky note on it. ‘We have a taping this morning. We should be back for lunch, with our manager. Don’t worry too much.’ She smiled and sat down to breakfast, wondering how their manager would react. Had they told him?

When they came home, Hyun Jae was in her room, curling her hair. They didn’t call her, so she finished doing her hair and adjusted the black, baby doll dress once more. When she came out, she did it slowly, so she didn’t startle anyone. “Did you all eat?” She asked, stepping into the living room.

“Not yet. We came back to get you.” Min Hyuk said and she smiled brightly. “You look really nice.” He said and she shook her head, giggling.

“Who the hell is that?” Someone roared and she winced a little. “Why is there a woman in your dorms? Have you all gone mad?” The large man she assumed was their manager continued to yell as the boys came to stand between her and their manager. “Is she the one the fans have been talking about?” He roared and she pushed her way gently between the boys to stand in front of them.

Hyun Jae bowed to a full ninety degrees and talked directly into the carpet. “I’m sorry.” She said quietly and the manager stopped. “Everything that happened was my fault. Please don’t blame them.” She waited a moment before raising her head. “I will take full responsibility for everything that has happened. If any of my actions cause another scandal, I will do as you request to solve it.”

The manager stared at her for a moment before grabbing the back of his neck. She held her ground and tried not to shuffle her feet. Oh, this was nerve wracking. “Everyone on your knees.” He said and she dropped to her knees first, raising her arms over her head. The boys followed her lead, quickly. “So, you will tell me how this happened. Afterwards, we will discuss how this will be handled.”

After twenty minutes, her shoulders were burning and her feet were asleep, but the story had been told and the manager was sitting on the couch, covering his eyes. He waved for them to put their hands down and the boys all sighed their relief as she stared ahead. “You all, you did the right thing. I’m actually almost proud of how you handled the situation. You,” He said, pointing at Hyun Jae, “have you decided who you’re going to date?”

“That should be decided within five days.” She said, as the feeling drained out of her calves. The manger hissed at her and snatched his neck again.

“Just pick one. It doesn’t matter who.” He said and she shook her head.

“We have a deal. Five days and you’ll be able to set all the rumors to rest. Besides, think of how many people are searching for them and me.” She said, smiling softly and the manager’s eyes perked up. “How many people do you think are curious about the mystery of it all. Even if someone saw me out with each of them, wouldn’t it make them more curious? Since I’m not alone with just one, but all of them, I could be someone’s sister, or a trainee.” She said and the manager nodded a little. “So let it simmer for five more days.”

“You haven’t eaten, yet, have you? You were waiting for the boys, right?” The manager asked and she nodded. “Come on, up, up. Everyone up. Let’s go have some beef.” He said and she smiled, standing. “I’ll go warm up the car. You all get changed.” He said and she nodded, waving him out of the door.

As soon as the door closed, she all, but collapsed back onto the floor and started rubbing her shoulders. “Did he have to make us sit like that for twenty minutes?” She complained as everyone crowded around her. She waved them off and smiled. “You guys go and change. I’m going to try and get some feeling back in my legs.” She said smiling and they nodded, slowly.

“You handled him really well.” P.O. said, surprised. She stretched her legs out in front of her and started rubbing them, smiling.

“My cousin was an idol for a while before he got sick. I had to help my aunt manage the manager sometimes. You learn how to hold your ground quickly against them. Handling them is pretty simple though. They tend to get excited over a positive spin.” She said before waving him off as well. He ran to change as she shifted her legs a little.

Taeil came out first, as she was stretching her back out. “You’re still down there? Up!” He said, holding out his hand. He pulled her up and spun her into her arms while she was off balance. She giggled when he dipped her. “Feel better?” He asked and she nodded.

“It’s not your night, so stop being cute.” Kyung said, pushing Taeil’s shoulder. Taeil righted her and she laughed, to herself. The others came out and all, but carried her to the van. It turned out that the manager was a kind man, when he wasn’t busy jumping down . He even said he would get her a tutor, since what they were doing might run into school. The beef was the home grown Korean kind she hadn’t had in a while.

After lunch, they went to karaoke and had a ball. Even though she couldn’t sing nearly as well as they could, she still managed to have fun. They almost forced her to have fun. They pulled her on stage and even drank with her until they were giggling messes. She was actually impressed by how much they could put away.

When they got home, she was relieved to find that she was sober. She walked to her bedroom to put on a pair of shorts and a tank top. She liked her dress, but she had mostly worn it to put the manager at ease. It was always easier for men