seven

Three out of the four days that I have left in Korea are spent, getting set up with a tutor in the States, making a schedule between my publishing company, school, and Kai's schedule, and taking every opportunity to spend time together for a photo op.

Now there are photos circulating of Kai and I, taking my parents out to eat, me waiting backstage as EXO do interviews on variety shows, and us casually walking to a cafe and back. It was exhausting.

That entire time, I worried about not looking bad in front of the cameras and not being attacked by crazy fans, that I didn't get to really spend time with the man I was supposed to be getting to know.

Now we set in his room in the dorms, spending my last few hours together. No reporters, no fans, no company supervision, just me and Kai.

I didn't expect the text from him asking to see me at all, SM didn't schedule us anything, and though I was expecting the Photo-op at the airport, I didn't expect this.

He came to my room, but because some angry fans had found out what hotel the pictures came from, they camped out front hoping that I came down. Kai snuck me out the back, and because I didn't want to be in public, we came back to his room.

His members were nice about me being there, but I was so exhausted that I didn't feel like being social. So here I was, curled up in a weighted blanket and looking at Kai as he sat in the chair across the room.

"I started learning Korean already," I said into my phone.

We still had to use a translating app to talk to each other, and it was frustrating and the translator didn't always know slang in both of the languages, but there was no other way for us to communicate. And the communication was a vital part of our "relationship."

"I just know the alphabet, and some key phrases and words. I'm learning the formal way to speak first. So, even though I'm older than you and can talk casually, I might still say something formally."

"I don't have to worry about that in English. There's not a formal and then a casual way to say things, but it's still confusing," His translation says.

His silver hair isn't styled today and hangs down into his eyes. He wears just sweats, and he looks very sexy, yet very comfortable. It's the first time I've seen him laid back in the week I've known him, and it has oddly helped me relax.

It doesn't hurt that I'm wearing his shirt and some shorts, that way I don't wrinkle the "airport outfit" that was picked out for me by SM. Which was some jeans and a shirt that he wore before so that anyone who takes the time to look will realize that we share clothes, even if we don't really share clothes.

"Are you excited to be going back home?"

"No," I say, "I'm not a fan of sitting on a plane for 20 hours, even if it is first class. Then I have a meeting with my publishing company to talk about if they want to drop me, and then a meeting with the Dean of my college. Many people are asking for me to be expelled."

"Ottoke haji," he says, "This is all because of me."

I just look at him while he hits me with those puppy dog eyes. I couldn't lie, for a while I was angry with him, blaming him for all these issues because he took the pictures with our faces. But he never asked for them to be leaked, and I had agreed to the photos. He also was going through the wringer. SM was deciding if they wanted to end his contract or not, and his involvement in promotions for City Light's was currently suspended until further notice.

This morning, I had forgiven him, and decided to spend the rest of my time getting to know him.

I cuddled deeper into the blanket and his pillow, smelling his scent everywhere. "Would you like to cuddle?" I ask.

He looks at me, unmoving, even after his phone translates what I'm saying.

"We've already had sex, seeing every inch of each other, and said the most intimate things. We should be able to just cuddle. We're supposed to be getting closer."

He gets up, walking slowly towards me, but not in the "I want to eat you up" kind of way, but more like "I don't want to scare you. Are you sure that this is okay?"

He lifts the blanket and I try to ignore the way his muscles bunch up. He gets in the bed, but is on the other side of the bed, leaving a tremendous gap between us.

I reach over, grabbing onto his hand under the cover, and pull him close to me, and he lets me. I snuggle into the warmth of his neck and feel his heartbeat against my shoulder.

It's warm and comforting and for the first time in these last few days, I feel safe.

I put my free arm around his waist and intertwine our legs until I'm completely wrapped around him, and I'm happy when he puts his arm around me.

His door burst open, but I don't look up from his warm embrace.

I hear Korean words, and then the words Sarah, but I don't look up still.

"I didn't mean to barge in," says the same voice in English, sounding like D.O., "I just wanted to let you know that Sarah was here for when you go to your flight in a couple of hours."

"Okay," I say muffled into Kai's neck.

I hear the door close and Kai hugs me to him tighter.

"I… I'm going to miss you," he says in rough English.

I chuckle and the tears threaten to fall. This has been exhausting and frustrating being in the limelight this way and having to worry about his company, my company, my father's company, and school. But through it all, Kai has made sure I knew that even if this all didn't happen, he'd still try to have a relationship with me.

It was confusing how he could like me so much after just one day. Sure, the sex was amazing, but he knew nothing about me beyond being a pretty face.

"When's the next time we get to see each other?" I ask, "Two months from now, right?"

He just shrugs his shoulders after the phone translates.

"Do you think we'll get to know each other, or will it just be a bunch of publicity until everyone else decides we're old news and break up?"

"I won't let it be," He says.

I come out from his embrace and look at him. I wanted nothing more than to stay in his arms and not face what was waiting for me back home. Some of it was because I was a coward, but some of it was because it was comfortable with him.

"Do you want to take a nap?" I ask.

He laughs and his smile makes my heart skip a beat.

"Ne."

↞⇠⇠⇠⇢⇢⇢↠

I step into the van first and since we're not the only ones using it; I move all the way to the back. SM decided that it would be an even better story if all the members of EXO came to see me and Sarah off. Which only made me feel guilty. I don't know if they reassured me that it was no issue because I was crying ugly tears in front of them or because they were genuinely okay with it, or just because they were going to the airport for their own flight, anyway. So I spent my last bit of time trying to get to know all of them.

Now we all sat in a large van, me and Kai in the back attached at the hip. He had his arm around me, and yet I still wanted to be closer. I held his other hand and put a leg over his. We needed to do these kinds of things for the camera, but not when we were by ourselves, but I needed all the comfort I could get, and Kai was more than willing to give. This right here, how close we got in the last five days, this was for us, not the fans or the media or the companies.

We sat close, not saying anything, and just relaxing in each other's embrace. We could have used the translator to talk, but since everyone would hear our conversation, we decided not to say anything at all.

The van pulls up to the airport, and there is a vast crowd waiting for us. Before the doors even open, the bulbs of cameras flash continuously, and shouts from the fans are deafening.

Are you ready?" D.O. asks us, right before opening the door.

I don't think anybody said anything, but yet he nods, and the manager on the outside pulls the door open.

The crowd is quiet for just a moment, confused as D.O. steps out first. And then, as the other members step out, the crowd whips up into a frenzy. All the fans that came to either cheer Kai on or curse me out didn't expect to see the other members, and they seemed to love it, almost as much as the paparazzi, who tried to get more pictures.

Soon it's our turn to get out, Kai squeezes my hand tightly. The flashes go crazy but I keep my eyes open and relaxed, just as they taught me to at SM. Try not to make a face. You can smile but be careful it's not too creepy. It's best to go with a blank face because if they take an ugly picture, they'll post it.

Kai pulls me tight to him and leads the way to the airport doors when suddenly the crowd surges. The media is pushed out of the way, and fans crowd around us.

It's hard to see between Kai's back and the rushing fans.

My hair is fiercely yanked back, and I cry out as the pain sears through me. Kai swings around, and before the fan lets go, he grabs her wrist and holds her there. I look behind me at that fan and her eyes are wide. She smiles, and I get the chills. "Kai touched my hand," she whispers.

The crowd of fans back up and the media takes pictures again, but the only sound is the cameras flashing, and the footsteps of the remaining members of EXO coming to see what's wrong.

I rub the back of my head as I stare at the woman.

"Kai touched my hand!" She says louder.

Kai tosses her wrist away and cups my face, making me look at him. "Ottoke haji. Gwaenchanayo?"

"Eo," I reply.

He can see the tears in my eyes, so he pulls me toward him, putting one arm around my shoulders. He gives a quick kiss to the top of my head and then walks us forward and into the airport lobby.

We pass more fans and more media, but we don't stop moving until I am in front of my boarding gate. Each member of EXO stood around, asking in various languages if I was okay, or what happened. Sarah stood behind me and checked the back of my head.

"No bald spots, and no bleeding. And your hair still looks good," she says.

One member, Baekhyun, says, "Is there anything we can do for you before we leave to our gate?"

I look up to him, remembering that they have their own schedule after this.

"No, it's okay," I say, "thank you for accompanying me here. I appreciate it. And I hope you have an amazing concert."

Four out of the six members wave as they leave, making sure one last time that I was okay, and then it was just me, Kai, Sarah, and DT left.

I looked up to Kai as he put both hands on my arms. "Gwaenchanayo?"

The way he looked at me with those soft loving eyes, like he genuinely cared about me, threatened to undo the emotional block I put up. I didn't want to keep crying.

I hug him tightly, squeezing him to me, and then let go just a little so I can reach for my phone and look at him at the same time.

"I have a tutor for when I get home. She's agreed to teach me every day for at least two hours. She will even come with me on the book tour. When I see you again in two months, I'll be practically fluent."

"I don't want to wait two months until I see you again," He says.

I look at the phone after the translation finishes. There's this weird feeling in my chest, and these butterflies in my stomach. I've never felt this way towards anyone, and I don't want to name it. Then it makes it real.

I clear my throat and look up at him.

"I will still call and text you, like every day. And when you're on break, you can call me too. We'll face-time, and It'll be like we're not even apart," I say.

"Not the same. Bogosipeulkkoya… nan... nol joahaeyo. Jinja joahaeyo. "

I smile at him, before squeezing him to me one last time.

"Are you going home, or are you allowed to go to the concert with everyone else?" Until this moment, they suspended him from all EXO promotions, and it really messed him up. He loved singing and dancing and performing for his fans. He said he was happy having some off time and getting to spend it with me, but when he wasn't looking, I could see his smile disappear.

This time his smile lit up his face. "The Chairmen put out a release this morning, saying that they would keep my contract with the company and that they allowed me to resume promotions with the boys."

"Go then," I smile pushing him towards his gate, "You're going to be amazing. Go before you miss your flight."

He hesitated, looking at me.

"It's okay. My flight is about to board soon. I'll text you when it lands in Louisiana, okay?"

"Ne."

He walks always, and I watch him as he continuously looks back, making sure I'm still there and I keep waving at him. "Ga. Ppalri wa."

They call Sarah and my flight to board and we get on, buckling in our seats and getting ready to go.

"You like him, don't you?" She asks me.

"Duh. He's my bias. What's not to like?"

"You like him as way more than just your favorite member of the group. You can't lie to me, we've known each other our entire lives."

"That's because you are a spoiled child who Dad gave into. Veruca Salt said she wanted a sister, and so she got one," I laugh.

Sarah nudges me in the side for her teasing me. "Just because you didn't ask for much doesn't mean you weren't spoiled too. I mean, who turns down a car because she'd rather work to get her own."

I just smile at her, and shake my head, putting my headphones in and sleep mask on.

Did I like him? I think I was starting to.