"Wh-what are you doing here?!" Liz cried, staring at Chanyeol, shock written on her face.

     "I...I'm part of it." He murmured, looking sheepish as he stood in front of 11 other boys, all looking at Chanyeol with an incredulous expression. "This is EXO... And I'm one of them."

    Feeling hurt, Liz pursed her lips and lowered her gaze. Taking a deep breath, she raised her eyes up again, plastering a smile on her face. "H-Hello everyone. I'm Liz Benning, and I'll be your assistant choreographer."

    Chanyeol stepped forward, eager to make amends. "I'll introduce you."He paused, then went and pointed to the various men amongst the group. "Our leader, Suho. Then Kris, Xiumin, Baekhyun, Luhan, D.O., Lay, Chen, Kai, Tao and this is our maknae Sehun." The boys all bowed to her as they were introduced, beaming at her excitedly amongst their ranks. The one he named Tao, a tall lanky boy with a darkened expression stepped forward, smiling warmly.

     "Benning? You must be Cat's sister. She designs the makeup, yes?" He murmured, looking at her with curiosity written on his brow.

     Her eyes flashing toward Chanyeol, starting to put together why he said his friends knew about her sister. "Yes. She designs makeup at the same school that I dance in. How do you know?"

     The maknae Sehun suddenly stepped forward, grinning. "We have our ways, Liz-ssi. She does some beautiful work."

     Curious, she smiled and nodded, beaming. "Thank you, I'll be sure to tell her. But now, we must get to work. Can I hear the song?"

      Nodding, Jo gestured toward the DJ stand, and an upbeat song blasted through the stereo. "This is called 'History' and will be their debut song. They're split into two groups, EXO-K and EXO-M, and we're planning to debut them in Korea and China with this song."

      Listening to the song, she allowed herself to go into her own world and pace the room, very aware of all the eyes on her. She allowed herself to move to the music, and she found herself doing some rather tricky footwork, then looked up, seeing the majority of the boys mimicking her moves slightly, including Chanyeol and the maknae Sehun. Despite herself she smiled, nodding to Jo who cut the music. "I can work with this. If you could please split into your two groups I'll work with you all individually."

      The boys did as they were told, and before long Liz was putting them through their paces, with moves she thought would fit, asking them to experiment as well. She was rather surprised about the skill some of them possessed, and concerned about some of the others, but enjoyed getting to know the 12 of them. "Alright. I think we've done all we can for the day. Are there any questions you have for me?"

     The majority of the guys looked at each other, then grinned, nodding. "Are you hungry?!" They cried in chorus, causing Liz to bust out in laughter at their excitement.

     "Starved. But I'd need to go home and change first." She mumbled, looking down at her sweaty gym clothes.

     "Aiiish that's alright. We need to go change too." One of the boys, Kris replied, smiling and nodding at her. "I'm sure Jo could arrange a van for you?"He looked at the man, grinning.

     "Well... the lady has to eat!" Jo acquiesced, laughing at the cheers that came from the guys then turning back toward Liz. "The van is waiting outside, feel free to go home and get cleaned up. When you're ready, go back into the van and the driver will bring you to us." He bowed deeply, and the boys immediately followed suit, with Chanyeol dipping the deepest.

     Smiling and waving, she practically ran from the studio, grabbing her bag and running back to the entrance, diving into the van the moment she saw it. The driver apparently knew what was going on, as he wordlessly took off, soon arriving at her house. "I'll be waiting here, Miss Liz."

     "Thank you!" She grinned and bowed, running back inside. Quickly taking another shower, she stared at her closed in her underwear, chewing on her lip. Shrugging, she decided simpler was better and grabbed a pair of skinny jeans, a white 3/4 sleeve tee, and a red leather jacket. Slipping red sneakers on her feet, gold chain necklace around her neck and gold earrings completed the look, but she did grab a pair of sunglasses and a "queen" hat from her closet. Since her sister wasn't around to do her makeup, she slid some red lipstick on, and her usual cat eye with some serious mascara. Spritzing herself with some more perfume, she nodded at her reflection and slid her wallet and phone into her pockets, then walked toward the door.

     Back in the van, she was halfway down the street when her phone buzzed, Cat texting her about what to do for dinner. Sighing, she rubbed the back of her neck, immediately feeling guilty. Again she was leaving her sister for boys... but what could she do about it? It wasn't her place to just invite someone! Quickly penning back that she already had plans with her job, she sighed and slid her phone back into her pocket and turning it silent.

     Soon they arrived at the restaurant, a rather posh place in downtown, and it was roped off for the group, guards standing everywhere. Stepping out of the van she took off her sunglasses, swallowing hard as she walked inside, nervous about eating with the boys. Once inside the bar, a loud cry of excitement immediately directed her to the boys, and she smiled, heading toward them.

     The twelve of them were seated around a very large table, with two empty seats left; one between Chanyeol and the boy Kai, and the other between Sehun and Tao. Since the other chair was on the other side of the table, she walked over to the one next to Chanyeol and slid into the seat, bobbing her head toward everyone. "Hello again! Thank you for inviting me."

     "Yaaaaaah!! Why does Chanyeol get to sit next to Liz-noona?!" Kris cried from across the table, pouting as he pushed his water glass around the table, looking at the water rings.

     "That's because I've got a way with the ladies." Chanyeol grinned, sliding his arm around Liz's shoulders and leaning in close. Immediately his cologne filled her senses and she flushed, hiding it by grabbing her water glass. The boys chuckled, seeing her embarrassment immediately and began goading her.

     To take away the focus on her, she pointed at the empty chair with her brow raised. "Who's that saved for?"

     Immediately the boys quieted down, and they looked at each other before nudging Tao to answer. "Well... we thought you could invite your sister."

     Shock and awe slid across her face as she saw the boys smiling at her happily. "R-Really?! Well... I guess I could! Excuse me, I'll call her." Pushing away from the table, she ran out to the front of the restaurant, dialing her sister. Once she had explained the situation, she looked up and saw that the driver had nodded toward her, motioning that he'd go get her.

     Returning inside, she laughed as she saw the excitement all the guys obviously had. "She'll be on her way! Thank you so much for letting me invite her! You fixed a problem you didn't even know I had." Bowing appreciatively, she took her seat back, realizing immediately that Chanyeol's arm went back around her shoulder. "Who's idea was this?"

     "All of us, really." Another boy, Xiumin, chirped from the side of the table. "We knew that you'd be spending a lot of time with us and less with her, so we wanted her to know she's welcome with us at any time." He grinned at her, his eyes crinkling happily. "We're a family, and you're a part of it now. And, by extension, she is too."

     Touched by the sentiment, she rubbed the back of her neck and smiled. "T-Thank you everyone. This means a lot."

     The waitress came up, quietly requesting what they wanted to eat. Chanyeol sat up immediately, and began ordering a very large amount of meat, two things of rice, a bowl of kimchi, and more sides than she could count. Quickly she raised her finger, requesting two bubble teas, green tea for herself and mango for her sister. "She likes bubble tea!?" Sehun gasped, leaning across the table excitedly.

     "...Yea...? Why?"

     The boys all laughed, then Chanyeol leaned near her, smirking as he put his lips very close to her ear. "He's obsessed with it. And I think you made him fall in love with your sister immediately."   He chuckled quietly, as if amused by some secret joke.

     Shivering at the vibration of his words, she looked at him through her eyelashes and flushed. "Well then. I guess I'll have to warn her about the maknae!" This brought a chuckle to the group, and Sehun flushed deeply, lowering into his seat.

     "...Lizzy?"

     Liz whirled around and saw her sister, then grinned at her look of shock. Jumping up she ran over, grabbing her hand. "Kitty Cat, this is EXO. These are the boys I'm training!" She had been pleased to see she had dressed both cutely and respectfully. Pre-ripped acid washed jeans, a lacy white crop top showing off a sliver of tummy with a white blazer over it and matching white pumps which contrasted nicely with her delicate coloring. Gold bracelets jangled merrily on her wrists and a gold chain collection hung around her neck, peach sunglasses over her hair and a gold purse hung from her elbow.

     Sweeping her sister forward, she quickly introduced all the boys to her, noticing immediately that Sehun's eyes locked on her sister, becoming very still as he stared at her. Cat must have noticed too, for she flushed deeply and looked at her sister. "That's your seat, Kitty Cat." She grinned lasciviously, pushing her lightly toward the empty seat.

     Cat’s eyes widened as she was pushed toward the boys who were eagerly waving her toward her seat.  Tao jumped up, pulling her seat out for her as she approached, then smoothly slid her into the table.  Smiling politely at him, she bobbed her head at all the boys who were waving at her excitedly.  “H-Hello.”

     Tao smiled at her, holding his hand out.  “I’m Tao.  Nice to meet you, Cat-ah.”

     Not to be outdone, as soon as Cat had placed her hand in Tao’s, Sehun immediately leaned over and grinned, holding his own out.  “I’m Sehun. I’ve heard a lot about you!”

      Surprised, Cat looked over at her sister, suddenly very aware that everyone was staring at her.  Liz smirked, then jerked her chin towards Sehun, clearly wanting her to talk to him.  Shaking Tao’s hand quickly she turned to him, placing her hand into his, smiling softly.  “Hello, S-Sehun.  I’m Catherine… B-but you can call me Cat!”

     His eyes crinkled as he grinned, nodding his head.  “Okay!”  When he dropped her hand, he reached up to pull his hood on over his hair, causing Cat’s eyes to widen.

     “Do I know you…?  You look very familiar…”  Cat murmured, looking at Sehun with a curious expression on her face.

     Surprised, he turned to looked at her, rubbing the back of her neck with a confused expression. “…I don’t think so…”

     Chanyeol chuckled, then leaned back in his chair, tilting his head as he looked at the maknae.  “He was in the studio the first day of your classes.  I believe you saw him dancing?”  Liz straightened in her seat, shocked, then immediately turning her gaze to her sister.

      Cat was sitting there, staring at Chanyeol with wide eyes and a terrified expression, his smirk clearly showing that he knew she had watched him dance. Swallowing hard, she turned and shrugged, feigning innocence.  “Oh, that must have been where I saw him from.”

      Eager to change the subject from her clearly embarrassed sister, she looked up as the waitress approached, a large platter of food perched on her shoulder.  “Aishh!! Why did you boys order so much?!” 

     “We’re growing boys!  We need to grow big and strong.” Flexing his biceps, Chanyeol grinned impishly as he accepted the large platter of pork from the waitress and placing it in front of him, immediately cutting it into manageable pieces. 

     Kai accepted the bowls of rice, and began spooning them into smaller portions, handing the bowls to his neighbor Suho to pass around.  “And we didn’t know what you liked, so we ordered a lot of stuff.”

     “I’ll cook the pork, Chanyeol.”  Cat called over the hubbub of the food being passed around, and reached out for the platter.  When he nodded and handed it over, she placed the thick chunks onto the grill in the center, watching them carefully as they crackled enticingly.  Hands reached out to grab the meat from the grill, and she swatted at their hands, glaring at them.  “Hey!  Calm down.  It’s not even cooked yet!  The last thing I need is for you guys to get sick on me.  I’d never hear the end of it from Liz.”

     Grinning, she winked at her sister, accepting her bubble tea from the waitress and pointing toward Cat for the other one.  “I got your tea, Kitty Cat.  You liked the mango one, right?”

      “Yes!  It’s my favorite!”  Clapping her hands excitedly, she saw Sehun watching her very carefully as she accepted the glass.  “D-do you want to try it?”  She chirped, holding the glass out good-naturedly.

     Sehun hesitated, his lip nervously.  “Go ahead Sehun… Try it.”  Kris grinned, waggling his brow at him. 

     “…Okay, sure.”  Carefully taking the cup from Cat, he sipped at the drink, smiling pleasantly.  “It’s really good.  Thank you.”  Handing it back, Cat jumped slightly as their hands connected, and she flushed, lowering her gaze to look back at the now sizzling pork. 

     “The meat is almost done, guys.” Flipping the pork over to ensure it’s cooked thoroughly, she laughed as 12 plates were immediately extended toward her, the boys staring hungrily at the pork.  Carefully she portioned the meat out, warning them carefully about it being hot.  She then grabbed her sister’s plate and gave her son, ignoring the fact that there wasn’t any left over for her.  Sitting back down, she looked down at her plate to grab herself some rice, and was surprised to see there were four pieces of the pork sizzling deliciously.  “But... who gave this to me?  You don’t have to!” 

     About to protest, she saw from the corner of her eye that Sehun didn’t have half of what she had given him, and was contentedly nibbling on the small pieces he had left over.  Refusing to make eye contact with her immediately elicited choruses of “AWHHHH” and “How precious!” from the boys around them, causing both of their faces flamed red, and they focused intently at their plates in front of them. 

     “Aiisssshh!!” Tao chastised, throwing his arm around the embarrassed girl and glaring at all the others.  “Leave them alone.  We invited her here and now we’re making fun of her?”  Hissing at the now shame faced guys; he leaned down to her and brushed her hair back from her face.  “I’m sorry, Cat-ah.  Tell you what.  To apologize, the hyungs will take you shopping tomorrow.  Suho?”  He looked up, holding his hand out to the leader of the group expectantly.

      The man nodded and reached into his pocket, wordlessly handing over his credit card across the table.  “Absolutely.  It’s only fair.”

     “Oh, that’s not necessary…”  Cat murmured, holding up her hands in protest.

     “We insist.  Some of us have other obligations, but there are a few of us available tomorrow.  We’ll make a day of it!  Show you the town.”  Tao protested, pushing her hands back to her lap.  He smiled, pocketing Suho’s credit card.  “Tao Panda will parade you around!” He announced, puffing out his chest and looking all proud.

     Unable to help herself, she laughed and nodded.  “Fine, fine.  Who all would be going?”

     “Well, Liz of course.  Can’t have one without the other!”  Chanyeol smirked, waggling his eyebrow, looking around the table at the guys.  “I think everyone has a rather busy schedule, except for myself, Tao and Sehun.  Would that be sufficient for body guard?”

      Chuckling, Liz socked him in the arm, shaking her head.  “That’s fine.  And we don’t need a body guard!  We can take care of ourselves, but friendswould be nice to tag along.  And it’s getting late, guys.  If we’re going to go out tomorrow we need to get our beauty sleep!  So finish eating!”

      As if the boys needed any encouragement.  Wordlessly they all finished eating, except for Sehun who just stared at his food, pushing it around with his chopsticks.  When they stood up and paid, he lingered around the table as the rest of the guys shuffled out, fiddling with his coat.

     “Sehun-sii?  Are you okay?”  Cat murmured, stopping a few steps away and seeing him still standing there.

     “Hn?  Oh, yea.  I’m fine.”  He replied, looking up and putting a fake smile on her face.

     “Liar.”

     Shock flashed across his face as she responded like that, and he stared at her baffled.  Opening his mouth to retort, he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.  “It’s just that… you didn’t get anything after cooking for us.  I didn’t want you to be hungry… and they made fun of me.”  He spoke, hurt dripping from his words as he stared at the floor.  “And Chanyeol-hyung said that you had seen me dancing, but he obviously didn’t tell the entire story so… Was I bad?”

      Blinking, Cat blushed, covering with her hand.  “What?!  N-No!  Not at all!  I was-…  I was very impressed.  I know I could never dance like that.”

     “And I could never do makeup like you.” 

      Pausing, she looked down at the ground, fighting the inner ‘squee’ that was going on.  “Are you going with us tomorrow?”

     “I don’t know.  I’m not sure.”  Shrugging, he pushed his sunglasses down onto his nose and shoved his hands into his pockets. 

     “…I wish you would.”  Her voice was breathy and low, and she looked up at him through her lashes, trembling from head to toe.

     Sehun’s breath caught and he swallowed hard, then shrugged again noncommittally.  “I’ll see; maybe.  And we should go.  I think the vans are waiting for us.”

      Half-heartedly she nodded, turning toward the door and heading toward it, suddenly very tired.  She felt hurt that he didn’t seem to want to go to with the rest of them into town, but knew she couldn’t make him.  Inspiration struck her, and she turned around abruptly, causing him to stop quickly and take a step back in surprise.  “I never thanked you for dinner.”  Standing on her tip toes, she leaned up, rested her hands on his shoulders, and kissed him on the cheek.  “Thank you, Sehun-ah.  You're sweet.” 

     As quickly as she had done that, she turned around and raced out the door, into the van in which her sister was waiting.  Sehun stood there for a moment, dumbfounded, then as their van drove away a silly smile slid onto his face.  Walking toward his own van, he couldn’t help but think… What a wonderful night.