10.30pm

Manager Kotoba peers between the blinds covering the windows. "Wow, there's a lot of them. Reminds me of when I was managing AKB48," she mutters in Japanese.

"Alright, kids." Manager Kim calls out in a clear voice, and the members turn to him immediately. "This is nothing we haven't had to deal with before, although it's unexpected. You know how to deal with these situations. I'll explain everything in the car." He turns to me, and I jump. "In a couple of minutes, two cars will pull up outside the building. Follow Yixing closely, and get into the same car as him. Yixing, look after Aika. Aoki-sama," he turns to Mama. "I still have some discussing to do with Aika and Manager Kotoba. We'll be taking Aika back with us to continue our discussion, as it's not safe for us to hang around here for much longer. In about ten minutes, a member of staff will you to your vehicle. Aika will be safe with us."

Mama looks bewildered. "Oh, okay then. Well, this takes me back..." She mutters under her breath.

Manager Kim holds a phone up to his ear. "Okay guys, time to go. Aika, make sure you cover your face."

"Ne?" I blink twice, confused. This is all happening so fast, I can barely register what's going on...

Suddenly, a plain black face mask dangles in front of my eyes. I look up at Chen as he silently hands me the mask, and I take it from his hands, gratefully.

"K-kamsahamnida..." I mutter, my cheeks glowing red.

Chen smiles and winks in reply, before crossing the room towards the others. My eyes widen slightly, my face burns brighter, and I hurriedly pull on the black mask. Only my eyes are visible.

I hesitantly stand beside Lay as we all file out the room. He notices me, and turns to me with a bashful, sad expression. "I'm sorry about this, Aika-ssi."

"Sorry?" We quickly walk down the corridor, and I jog a little to keep up with him. "Yixing-ssi, this isn't your fault. And I am used to this, too." My voice is a little breathless, but I manage to keep it calm.

Yixing glances at me for a moment, and gives me a quick smile. Whoa. He really needs to stop with the random smiles and hugs, my heart can't take it. Focus, Aika. He's your brother. He's your brother, he's your brother, he's your...

The sliding doors at the end of the corridor slowly open, and I notice the small group of staff and security waiting for us at the entrance.

Chanyeol is the first to step out, and a hysterical female scream cuts through the air, followed by a deafening chorus of high-pitched screaming from the small crowd that had gathered outside.

The loud noise pierces my concentration, and I falter in my pace. Lay notices, and slows down to step behind me. A moment later, I feel his hands on my shoulders, guiding me towards the security.

Thank you, brother.

I have been trained for these situations. Am I so out of practice? Why do I feel so anxious? The members of security form a loose wall that separates us from the fans, but as soon as I step outside, the volume from the fans breaks through my focus. If I didn't have Lay's hands guiding me, I would've frozen up on the spot.

I keep my head down, and try to concentrate on placing one foot forward after the other. The bright flashes from the fans' phones and the deafening noise makes me want to run and hide. Only a couple more meters to the van. I can't help but sneak a glance at the fans, so desperately trying to command the attention of the Exo members. A few days ago, I was just like them. (Well, maybe not as hysterical as these fans are, although Eunseo would definitely fit in with them...)

My heart sinks as my eyes meet the gaze of the fans. It's dark outside, and I can only see their faces from the light of the streetlamps, but even though their screams are desperate and pleading, their faces almost seem... upset? Angry...?

I don't have time to think about it. Within a few seconds, we make it to the van. The sliding door is pulled back for us, and the members jump in, one after the other. I'm one step behind Baekhyun, and as soon as he moves towards the back of the van, I jump in after him.

I take a deep breath, and have a quick look around me. Manager Kim sits in the driver's seat, and Chanyeol has taken the front passenger seat. Kyungsoo, Xiumin and Baekhyun had taken the three seats at the back, leaving the two seats in the middle for me and Lay. I quickly shuffle over to the chair on the furthest side, and Lay smoothly steps in after me. A member of security slams the sliding door of the van, and the screams are immediately muffled.

"Aish, it's been a while since they've been that crazy," Manager Kim sighs, starting the car. "At this hour, too." He beeps the horn as a stray fan steps in front of the van, but a member of security quickly pulls her out the way. I've only just put my seatbelt on before the van lurches onto the road.

I lean forward and look out of the -out windows. In the side mirror, I can vaguely see an identical van right behind us. That must be Chen and other staff members.

"Yeah, hyung-nim. What was all that about?" Chanyeol asks, looking over at his manager.

Manager Kim laughs. "Just some drama to do with Yifan. A 'friend' of his has been spreading rumors about the hardships he supposedly went through for his debut, so his loyal Korean fans turned up tonight to express their disapproval. The crowd you saw was only half of what was expected - we did good to get out in time. It was probably directed more at the managers and staff than you guys, so don't you worry yourselves about it. Everything will clear up eventually."

"Bo?! What?" Chanyeol stares at him in disbelief, before pulling his phone out of his pocket and pulling up a search. Half a minute later, he exhales loudly, and mutters a line of Korean curses under his breath.

"I said, don't worry about it. It's a temporary setback, if anything." Manager Kim says in a strict tone, and Chanyeol goes quiet.

The whole van falls silent, and underneath Chen's mask, my cheeks burn uncomfortably. My outsider presence makes this situation even more awkward. I force myself to look out of my side window, and not across at Lay, or towards the front at Chanyeol. The streets of Seoul pass over my vision, and I can't help but wonder what caused Kris' fans to gang up around the building like that. I'll have to check the internet later.

To make things worse, the realisation has only just hit me that I am the only girl in a car of insanely talented and beautiful guys...

The van pulls up at some traffic lights. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Chanyeol suddenly twists around in his seat to face me. "Aika-ssi?"

"Hm?" I quickly sit up straight in surprise. "Y-yeah, Chanyeol-ssi?" My answer is embarrassingly high-pitched.

He grins, mischievously. "Ne, is it true that you have Lay's KFC China ringtone as your wake-up alarm?"

My eyes grow wide.

"And his EXO-M poster on your wall?"

My mouth falls open in horror. I look at Lay in shock.

Lay sighs, loudly. "Channie..." He whines, leaning forward and thumping Chanyeol's shoulder. "I told you not to tell anyone-"

"BO?!" I jump as Baekhyun yells behind me. "What's this?! I didn't know about this!" He suddenly leans forward past my seat, and I flinch as his face appears inches away from mine. "Aika-ssi, is that true? So you really didn't know Yixing is your brother?"

"Ah. Ah." I stutter, my train of thought repeatedly crashing the longer Baekhyun stares at me.

"Ahh," Baekhyun shakes his head, sympathetically. "It must have been so difficult for you." His expression changes, and a wicked grin crosses his face. "Aika-ssi, does this really mean... Your bias is your brother?"

Everyone bursts out laughing, and Chanyeol slaps the dashboard, tears of laughter in his eyes.

Baekhyun's voice and Chanyeol's ridiculous laughter strikes a nerve of annoyance within me. I turn to Lay with a betrayed expression, and I pull my mask down. "Lay-ssi! Why'd you have to tell everyone...!" Before I can stop myself, I slap his arm, causing Baekhyun to explode into a new fit of laughter.

I gasp, and my hand flies to my mouth as I realise what I've done. "Yixing-ssi... I'm so sorry..."

"Aika-chan," Lay looks at me with a forgiving expression, and he tryies to keep the smile off his face. "I'm sorry I told everyone. I hope you're not hurt?"

"I'm sorry I hit you, Yixing-ssi," I can feel tears creep into my eyes. "I didn't mean to, I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself..."

"Ah, your little sister's so cute," Xiumin sighs behind me, and my cheeks flare up.

They start laughing again, and Lay reaches over to pat my head. "I forgive you," he says. His eyes are playful, and he smiles at me.

I nod, and hold in my tears. Why am I such a crybaby at a time like this? It only makes me look immature and unprofessional. Which I'm not.

I blame the emotional roller coaster that has been this week so far.

"Okay guys, quiet now." Manager Kim slows down the van, and I notice we've pulled up outside a pair of familiar-looking iron gates. My heart freezes as it dawns on me where we are.

Is this... It can't be... Exo's dorm?

The gates automatically open, and the car pulls into the drive.

There must be some kind of mistake. I can't be here. I can't believe I'm here - well, actually, I'm ready to believe anything at this point.

"... Uh..." I slowly speak up, as we all get out of the car. "I'm sorry, but... why are we here?"

Manager Kim slams the van door. "We've had a busy day of filming, and it's getting late. You and your manager can stay in the spare room once we've finished our discussions. It'll make things easier for tomorrow."

Stay... overnight?!

The second van pulls up, and Manager Kotoba gets out first. I try to catch her eye, but she's talking on her phone. Does she know about all this?

I casually glance around at the boys as they all climb out of the van. They don't seem to be fazed in the slightest that random people are stopping by their boarding house.

Unlike me. My hands are shaking, and I clench them into fists to try and get them to stop.

I go and stand by my manager's side, even though she hasn't taken her phone away from her ear ever since she got out the van.

Manager Kim types a string of numbers into the keypad at the side of the door, and the door opens. I anxiously shuffle from foot to foot, all too aware of how close I was standing beside Xiumin, and how Lay is standing right behind me. This constant feeling of awareness is wearing me out.

We all file into a large hallway, and Lay waits for me as the others go ahead and walk into the other room. Both of our managers disappear around a corner, already talking business.

"... Aika-ssi? Are you okay?" Lay asks quietly, after a few seconds.

"Oh, yes. Yes, I'm okay." I smile at him and stand in the doorway, nervously fiddling with my face mask. I can hear new voices in the other room, and I know who they belong to. My heartbeat pounds fast in my chest.

"Hey, hyung, Yixing's sister is here," I vaguely hear Kyungsoo's voice casually announce my presence in the other room.

Yixing smiles down at me. "It's alright," he says. "We're all normal people. There's no need to be scared of us. Shall we go in?"

I nod, slowly, before I change my mind and run back out onto the streets of Seoul.

With a grin, Yixing suddenly takes hold of my wrist, and pulls me into the other room. I almost fall over at the sudden movement, but I quickly right myself.

The other room is big and modern, and has a semicircle of four couches set in front of a massive TV. However, the room isn't what catches my attention.

I suddenly clutch Yixing's arm as four new faces turn to look at me.

Lay takes hold of my shoulders, and stands me in front of him. "Guys, this is my sister," he says, smiling. Something in his voice makes me glance up at him. His expression looks... proud? Happy?

Is he proud to call me his sister?

My thoughts abruptly turn off as Suho, Sehun, and Kai all stand up from the sofa and politely bow in my direction. "Annyeonghaseyo," they all say in unison.

"A-Annyeonghaseyo," I answer, breathlessly. I can't believe how beautiful they all look. I can't believe they're real. And the maknaes are so tall! Seeing them in reality and not on a screen is so completely different to what I'd imagined.

Suho comes over to us. "Aika-ssi?" He smiles, his voice gentle and caring. I'm suddenly torn between the strange urge to leap forward and hug him, or turn around and run out the door.

"A-annyeonghaseyo," I echo, and bob my head. "I'm honored to meet you, Junmyeon-ssi."

He grins shyly, and a new wave of butterflies sweeps through my being. "It's a pleasure to meet you too. I can't wait for us to start working together."

"Hyung, where's Tao?" Lay asks, one hand steadying my shoulder as I subtly sway a little from Suho's prince-like presence.

"He's gone to the kitchen. It's been a big day today, make sure you get some rest." Suho smiles at me once more, before going back to one of the luxury sofas. A Chinese variety show is playing on the TV.

"Come, this way." Lay steers me to the back of the room, and we step into the kitchen. It's a small kitchen compared to the size of the living room, with a large table in the middle, and multiple fridges against the wall. A tall figure wearing a sleeveless shirt and sunglasses is standing in the corner, and turns around when he hears us come in.

Huang Zitao. He looks even cooler in person!

Lay calls out to him in Chinese, and introduces me. Tao casually strolls over to us, and I focus on breathing in calmly. He asks me something in Chinese that I can't understand very well.

"W-wo zhongwen shuo de bu hao..." I stutter, awkwardly. "Sorry... My Chinese is really bad..."

"Oh, annyeonghaseyo," Tao quickly switches to Korean. "It's nice to meet you. Please take care of Yixing-hyung."

"It's nice to meet you too, and I will." I quickly bow my head and straighten up again. It's easier talking to Tao, especially as I can't see his eyes behind his sunglasses.

He gives me a quick smile, and I nearly lose my last shred of composure that I'd been holding on to.

Tao and Yixing start talking with each other in Chinese, and I stand to one side until Manager Kotoba appears from the other room.

"Ahh, Aika-chan!" She comes over to me, phone in hand. "We've got some exciting things lined up for you!" Concern crosses her face. "Aika-chan, are you alright? You look very pale. Here, let me take your coat."

"Ah, I'm fine, Manager-san," I smile as Kotoba-san helps me out of my coat, and she puts it on the back of a kitchen chair.

"Well, I still think you should watch out for your health," she says, firmly. "Don't worry about any negotiations tonight. You go on up to bed, and I'll talk with Mr. Kim and arrange things. We've been told to make ourselves at home, apparently our room is upstairs at the far end of the hallway. We can finalize things in the morning. "

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Kotoba-san." I thank her gratefully with a smile.

I hesitantly turn to Yixing, who's still talking with Tao. Their expressions are serious, and their Chinese is smooth and fast.

"Ah, Yixing-ssi?" I ask apologetically, as soon as there's a pause in their conversation. "I'll be going up now. Goodnight."

His serious expression fades to a softer one. "Goodnight, Aika-ssi. Sleep well. See you in the morning."

I smile and nod, and make my way up the smooth staircase that overlooks the kitchen.

All the lights are on up here, and I find myself in a long hallway. There are doors all along both walls, some of them are slightly open, and I can hear voices and music drift out of a few. I tiptoe past them all, and pause outside the door at the end of the hallway. I tentatively push it open, and step into what seems to be the spare guest room.

There are two single beds with folded pajamas on them. The beds look inviting, and apart from them, the room is almost empty save for a small desk and computer in the corner of the room.

I close the door behind me, and flop backwards onto the clean sheets. Today has been surreal. I start to laugh a little. Beyond the closed door and down the hallway, I can hear Baekhyun and Chanyeol talking with each other, and Xiumin laughing. I feel completely bewildered.

I don't think I'm dreaming... If I am, then I'm going to be very depressed when I wake up.

There's a small knock at my door, and I wearily pull myself up from my bed. I cross the floor and open the door, expecting it to be Manager Kotoba - and not Kim Jongdae.

"Ch-Chen-ssi? I mean, J-Jongdae-ssi?" I'm so surprised, I momentarily forget to breathe.

He grins, and his trademark kitty smile makes my cheeks burn. "Aika-ssi!" He starts, then pauses awkwardly, fiddling with the black beanie that rests on his fringe.

My eyes focus in on what he's holding in his left hand. I gasp, and my hand flies to my mouth.

He laughs at my reaction, and holds the cd in front of him. "Ah, I'm really sorry to bother you, Aika-ssi..." He says, and looks away shyly. "But... I have a huge favor to ask... If it's okay, could you sign this for me please?"

I can't believe what I'm seeing. With shaking hands, I take the cd from him. The box is covered with scuffs and scratches, but the album cover remains the same - a picture of me, sitting on a white, wooden swing, my hand outstretched in front of me.

I hold the cd in both hands, and feel tears prick the corners of my eyes. I look so young. I can't believe how many years have passed...

I look up, and notice Chen holding out a black marker pen to me. I laugh a little, and hurriedly take it from him. It's been a long time since you've signed your autograph, Aika.

I uncap the pen, and slowly sign my name across the cover. "Oh!" I pause, suddenly remembering. "Would you like me to address it to you, Chen?"

"Ah, Jongdae, please." He laughs, and looks around the hallway, furtively.

I laugh with him. "I'm sorry, it's just... I haven't held a copy of my cd in a long time," I say, quietly. To Jongdae. Ahh, what do I say? Do I put "love"? What if that's too much? Should I just put my name? Oh. Oh I can't handle this. Chen has asked me to sign my cd. This should be the other way round...! Breathe, Aika. Breathe.

To Jongdae.

Love, Aika Aoki.

I take a deep breath, and tentatively hand him the cd.

"Daebak," he exhales. "Thank you so much!"

"Ah, it's okay," I can't meet his eyes, so I look at the cd instead.

"Oh, I'm sorry it's so scratched," he says, apologetically. "It's been a lot of places."

I grin, and force my tears back. "No, please don't be sorry! It looks like it's been loved well. I mean, I- thank you. Thank you, for listening. Yes." Aika, baka! Stop squeaking! What are you saying? Stop messing this up!

He chuckles. "I remember listening to it all the time..." His voice trails off, and I look up at him.

Bad idea. His precious, smiling face sets off a strange feeling, deep within my heart. A very, very dangerous feeling.

"Oh!" I suddenly remember. I take off his face mask from around my neck, and hold it out to him. "Thank you so much for letting me borrow this." Well done, Aika. But you're still squeaking.

"Ah, no problem, any time." He takes the mask from my hands, and for a brief millisecond, our fingers touch. Hold it together, Aika. Stay calm. Stay calm.

"Well, thank you," I smile breathlessly, and hold on to the door. "Um, goodnight then."

"Ah, goodnight!" He bows his head. "See you tomorrow!" He turns on his heel and heads down the hallway, but after a second he pauses. "Oh, Aika-ssi?"

"Mm?" Aika, if you squeak one more time...

He grins. "It was really good to hear you sing again, today." He waves the cd at me. "Thanks again!"

I watch him as he walks away, and pushes open one of the doors further down the hallway. I wait until he's completely out of sight, before closing my own door.

For a few moments, I concentrate on breathing. Then, I stumble over to my bed, and fall on it.

My mind can't take any more.

I close my eyes, and let sleep take over my body. The last thing I think of is Chen's cheshire-cat smile.