I rushed up the stairs of the building, my sneakers making a loud ‘clang!’ sound with each hurried step. I was supposed to be in the guys’ dorm by seven, and it was almost eight. There had been snow the night before – granted it was very, very little – but it was just enough to cause a power-outage that lasted less than ten minutes. It had happened while I was dead asleep after a long day of hard work, so it had also re-set my alarm. Thank God my internal clock woke me up hardly fifteen minutes after my usual alarm. I had thrown on the first thing I could find – jeans and a t-shirt – and practically ran out the door. I had almost made it to the end of my hall when I realized that not only had I forgotten my purse, I had also forgotten to grab a jacket and lock my door.

Of course I always put my keys and purse in the same spot, but I usually alternate jackets. I was in such a hurry I just grabbed the first one my hand reached and took off down the hall towards the elevator. I saw a sign that said, “Elevator out of order. Use stairs,” and almost cried.

“It’s probably because of the power-outage,” my neighbor told me, seeing my distress when she left her apartment to get her mail from the hallway.

“Power-outage?” I tried not to scream.

She nodded as she casually flipped through the envelopes. “There’s a voice message on everybody’s answering machine from the landlord to all of the building residents – the snow messed up the circuit breaker and the power went out for about ten minutes around three a.m.”  Of course – I never checked my voicemail in the morning.

When I was outside I had realized that I grabbed an oversized hoodie by accident, which hardly supplied me with enough warmth. I had chosen to wear sneakers, which were difficult to walk in on the slippery sidewalks because of the quickly melting snow. I must have slipped seventeen times on the twenty-minute walk, since I actually ran and made the usual distance in ten. My nervous sweat combined with my running kept me warm enough, but I quickly grew cold again when I arrived at U-Kiss’ building.

When I was on the boys’ floor I collapsed against the wall just outside of their door and tried to compose myself.

Long story short, my morning . With hands shaking from exhaustion, I managed to find my keys in my purse and fumbled with them for a minute before finally pushing it into the keyhole. With the stealth that I had mastered since I became the boys’ P.A., I snuck into the dorm and closed the door behind me. I snuck towards the kitchen and stopped when a familiar smell reached my nose.

It was Kibum’s favorite coffee - The coffee that he grudgingly shared with Kiseop and Eli, because those two were just as terrible morning-people as he was.

.

I poked my head around the corner and winced at the sight of the three men in various spots around the kitchen, sipping the caffeinated beverage from “their” mugs - The mugs that I washed every night and left on the counter in a spot where they could easily find them in the morning. Kibum was the first person to see me and blinked slowly, the caffeine not taking effect on his body yet.

“… You’re late,” he said, grabbing the attention of the other two.

“You didn’t make the coffee,” Eli declared, taking a sip from his mug. He then lowered it and glared into the cup. “So hyung had to make it,” he told me, and then directed his gaze to me, “Hyung’s coffee is terrible.”

Kibum glared at Eli, “You would have broken the coffee machine!” He accused.

“I’m sorry!” I blurted out and rushed over to the counter beside Kibum and started to grab the coffee pot. “Please, let me make you some -”

“We thought you were taking the day off,” Kiseop cut me off from his seat at the table, not even looking up from his coffee.

“Day… off?” I mumbled to myself and wrinkled my forehead in confusion. Kibum standing next to me, so it figures that he was the only one who heard me.

“Yes, Jae Hwa,” Kibum said softly with a small smile, slowly taking the coffee pot from my hands. “You’re long overdue for at least one day off. You’ve been putting up with us from the beginning; you deserve an entire month to yourself.”

“Why would I want that?” Was the first thing I said, still confused.

“Because it’s normal to want a day off once in awhile,” Kiseop said and stood up, then walked over and put his empty coffee cup in the sink.

“There’s some American quote I heard once – “Find a job that you love, and you’ll never work another day in your life.” I love looking out for you guys and making sure that you’re as comfortable as possible, since you’re always working so hard,” I told him and rushed over to take the cup from the sink and rinse it out.

Kiseop made a clicking sound with his tongue and took the cup from my hands quickly, shutting off the water before I hardly had a chance. “No working today,” he said and then went into the living room to turn on the television.

A few minutes later, Alexander walked into the kitchen with the eyes of a zombie and looked around. His eyes looked at the clock on the oven that Kibum must have been wise enough to re-set when he woke up to the alarm on his cell phone. “You’re late,” he stated when his eyes landed on me. I groaned and rolled my eyes, then rushed over to one of the cupboards to prepare breakfast for everyone, completely ignore Kiseop’s demand.

 I had completely ruined our daily routine – I would arrive at the boy’s dorm at seven and prepare coffee for Kibum, Kiseop, and Eli. Kibum always woke up at seven-fifteen to the alarm on his cell phone that he set every night. His alarm would wake up Kiseop, whom he shared a room with. I would usually have a pot of coffee waiting for them, which would entice Eli from his room less than ten minutes later. On an average of ten minutes after that, the smell of breakfast would attract Alexander. Shortly afterward, I would hear a shower start, which was probably Kevin. A minute or two after the shower started, I would expect -

A whining sound came from the door and I whirled around, immediately seeing Dong Ho standing in the kitchen doorway wearing his pajamas, which were as disheveled as his hair.

He looked around the kitchen with bleary eyes until his gaze finally landed on me. “Noona,” he muttered in a demanding voice like a child and opened his arms. I smiled and rushed over to him, pulling him into a tight hug.

“My Dong Ho-ah,” I cooed in his ear, and he sighed into my hair since he was roughly five inches taller than me. All of “my” boys were taller than me.

He lifted his head enough to see the kitchen clock and squinted at it, still partially blind from the transition of the dark hallway to the brightly-lit kitchen. “Noona, you’re late,” he said, in the same way as one would make a simple observation.

“I know Dong Ho-ah, and I’m very sorry!” I stepped back and gestured at his seat at the table. He pouted, making part of me want to grab him in a hug and gush about how adorable he looked.

“When’s breakfast?” He asked, making me smile.

“In a few minutes,” I assured him

“Yah!” Alexander called from the living room, “Dong Ho-ah, stop harassing your noona!” Dong Ho pouted again and muttered something about sleeping and food then dragged himself into the living room with the rest of the boys. Now I expected two things before I would finish breakfast.

“JAE HWA!!” I grinned and whirled around, straight into Kevin’s hug. I forget whose idea it was, but they decided to put the two morning people in the same room so that they didn’t bother everybody else – the two morning people being Kevin and Soohyun. Maybe it was because they always showered in the morning before I saw them?

Well, Kevin had the courtesy to dry his hair completely and be fully-clothed when he walked into the kitchen to hug me. “You’re late,” he stated, making me groan and roll my eyes as I pushed him away. He laughed and ruffled my hair, which normally would have upset me. But I was already a mess, so I hardly cared.

When Kevin had left and I was alone in the kitchen, I became hyperaware of the sound of the shower running. My heart started to speed up when the water was turned off and I heard the sound of the bathroom door opening. I listened intently to the footsteps that went further down the hall, followed quickly by a door shutting. I sighed and tried to calm down, casually flipping one of the last pieces of bread I was using to make egg toast for the boys. I focused intently on mixing the eggs and a few other ingredients, trying to avoid burning breakfast. As soon as I started frying the eggs I heard loud running down the hall.

“PJ!” I whirled around and was swept into a tight hug by Soohyun. My heart was pounding in my ears and I couldn’t fight a smile as he buried his face in my hair. He was grinning and had lifted me a few inches off of the ground to do so, swinging me in his arms. It was impossible for me to control my fit of giggles.

“Oppa, I don’t want the eggs to burn!” I managed to say.

He pouted and stopped swinging me. It was semi-awkward, but completely funny when he stopped. He still had me tightly wrapped in his arms, and I was still dangling an inch or two above the ground. He just stared at my face for a second, a blank expression on his face. “Oh,” was all he said, putting me back down. “If it burns…” He drifted off and leaned down to whisper in my ear, “We’ll just give it to Dong Ho,” he whispered, his warm breath caressing my cheek. I felt my neck heating up, and not because of the high-neck shirt that I had worn because of the cold weather outside - I’m lucky in the way that when I blush, my neck and ears turn red instead of my cheeks.

“Dong Ho-ah is my baby!” I objected, hiding my embarrassment. I had learned to hide my schoolgirl crush on him ever since it started – when you’re working for a celebrity, it’s very, very bad luck to get a crush on said celebrity. “Since you’re the one who’s distracting me, you should probably get the burnt ones!” I chastised him and whirled around to check on the eggs. I let out a sigh of relief as I turned them over, glad that I hadn’t burned them.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up when he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and nuzzled his face in my hair again. “I’m sorry, PJ,” he cooed in my ear. PJ was the nickname he had given me when I had been working for them for about four months, and had started to become less than a personal assistant, and more of a close friend who was paid to look after them.

I closed my eyes and fought my urge to turn off the stove and sink into his embrace. My throat was dry and I could hardly breathe because of his hard chest and stomach pressed against my back. I cleared my throat and nudged his arms from around my waist. “You have morning breath,” I stated. “But there’s no point in brushing your teeth since breakfast should be ready in less than ten minutes. Instead – go dry your hair, you’re getting mine all wet!” I told him, turning around and pushing on his chest playfully. He laughed and shook his head like a dog, flinging a few drops of water off of his hair and onto me.

After a few more nudges and giggles on my part, he blew overdramatic kisses in my direction before disappearing down the hall. I forced myself to look away from the threshold as soon as he disappeared, and then walked over to another cupboard to find the brown sugar. I frowned when I saw it on a higher shelf and sighed, then went to get the stepping stool that they had gotten for me as a joke. Unfortunately for them, I actually made use of their gag-gift.

Once I had unfolded it and set it down on the floor in front of the counter, I started to reach for the brown sugar. I let out a noise of objection when a lanky arm reached out from behind me and grabbed it with ease, just when my hand was less than an inch away from it. I turned and glared up at Alexander, who was still taller than me, even when I was standing on a stepping-stool.

He grinned and wordlessly handed me the brown sugar, “You two would be cute together,” he said as I moved from my stool back to the stove and continued preparing breakfast.

“That’s a silly idea,” I told him, sprinkling generous amounts of sugar on each sandwich. “You’re all my friends, but don’t forget that I also work for you.”

“A silly idea,” he giggled, “But a nice one, all the same. Don’t you agree?” I stopped and turned around to look at him with a confused expression, and he giggled again. “Don’t worry,” he waved and took a seat at the table, “I think I’m the only one who’s noticed the way you two give each other googly-eyes.”

“Each other?” I blurted out, and then realized my mistake. I gasped and whirled around, working on the sandwiches with more haste.

“Jae Hwa?” He spoke up, addressing me casually, as all of the boys did.

“Yes, oppa?”

“I can see your ears. And part of your neck.”

I stopped for a second before moving on to the next sandwich. “So?”

I heard his chair moving and then he put his hand on my head, despite my sound of objection and tugged on the high collar of my shirt. “You’re neck and ears are bright red!” He laughed. “No wonder you never blush – your cheeks aren’t what turn red!” He giggled like a little girl and turned to run towards the living room. “Guys, you’re not going to believe what I just found out!”

“What?” I heard Kevin say from the next room.

“I know why Jae Hwa doesn’t blush!”

“Really?” Dong Ho piped up. I groaned and put down the brown sugar so that I could massage my temples. Their conversation was muffled since it was coming from the next room, but I could still hear it.

“How?” Eli asked, and I could hear movement from where his voice originated.

“I saw her ears turning red. And then I saw part of her neck, and that’s red, too!”

“How’d you get her to turn red? How do you know it’s not just her hair and shirt?” I breathed a sigh of relief at Kibum’s reasoning.

“Because I was teasing her about something.”

“Oooh, what?” Kevin was using his girly voice, which made me compulsively roll my eyes.

‘Alexander, I swear to God if you tell them…’ I thought, clenching my hands into fists.

“Boys, and about how she’s never dated one.”

I restrained my sigh of relief. “That’s because I’m too busy taking care of you people!” I called, finishing the last sandwich. “Now, come get breakfast!” There was a stampede of feet and the boys fought each other for seats at the table. They had devoured their first sandwiches and moved on to their seconds, since I always made two for each of them.

 

“Can I have Soohyun’s?” Kevin finished first and asked, pointing at the only plate left on the counter.

I realized that the hairdryer had stopped in Kevin’s and Soohyun’s room, and there was now loud footsteps running down the hall. I snickered when Soohyun slid into the kitchen, his eyes wide with alarm.

“Don’t touch my sandwiches!” He cried. I only giggled and took the plate from the counter, handing it to him.

As soon as he had sat down with a pleased grin, terror gripped me. “Oh my God!” I yelled, surprising him in a way that he nearly choked on his sandwich.

“What, what is it?” Alexander asked as Kevin and Dong Ho lunged to their feet, squishing me in a hug between them.

“I forgot to call your manager and tell him that you’ll be late! Oh my God, I am so fired!” I cried, pushing them away so that I could make a beeline for the phone.

Kevin and Dong Ho grabbed me when I tried to run and pulled me back into their sandwich-hug.

“Taken care of,” Kiseop said as Soohyun finished his first sandwich and leaned back to rub his stomach. “Kibum called while you were making breakfast and let him know.”

I stopped struggling. “Really?” I was confused.

“He’s less likely to get mad at one of us, anyway,” Eli sighed, and then pursed his lips together to muffle a small burp.

“Does he not like me?” I asked, slightly hurt.

“No – he adores you,” Kiseop grabbed a toothpick from the center of the table. “He just gets really grumpy whenever a schedule gets messed up.”

“Maybe the rest of the city was screwed up by the power-outage?” I squeaked. All of the boys were confused.

“What power-outage?” Soohyun asked after he finished his last sandwich.

I started to panic. “The snow messed up the electricity! The power went out in my building around 3 a.m. – my neighbor was getting her mail and told me -“

“Jae Hwa, the power-outage didn’t affect the entire city,” Kibum told me with a worried expression. “Jae Hwa, are you alright? You’re looking kind of pale.”

Kevin and Dong Ho and released me from their death hug, and now Soohyun and stood up and walked to my side. “PJ, what kind of building do you live in? It must not be in very good condition if the snow last night was enough to knock out the power.”

I didn’t say anything. My building was the only one that lost any power. There was no way U-Kiss’ manager would accept an excuse as poor as that if my building was the only one that experienced it. I was panicking. The building I currently lived in was the closest to U-Kiss’ dorm that I could afford on my paycheck.

‘I am so fired, I am so fired, I am so fired…’ I kept thinking. I needed this job, I loved this job –

“PJ?” Soohyun asked again, gently placing his hand on my shoulder. Unable to handle the stress any longer, I passed out.

-----

So, in the prologue I mentioned that this would be a one or two-shot. Well, I usually type my stories in Microsoft Word first, so when this chapter hit seven pages I was like, "Ehhhh..."

So, I'm not sure how long this story will end up being. As you can see, I like making my chapters pretty long. Which means they take awhile to type. Which takes a lot of motivation. Would you people who are so wonderful as to read my story also review and subscribe? Not necessarily in that order...

Also, the picture in this chapter is what Jae Hwa looks like. Since you have a picture of her, and a picture of Soohyun being y, could anyone make me a banner? I'm probably going to use more pictures of Soohyun, but that's the only one that I have of her. So... Yeah. THANK YOU! ^_^