American Casual

Julia stepped out of the stairwell just as Youngjun got off the elevator. “Julia! So glad you could make it,” he said, hurrying over to her. “Sorry about you having to take the stairs, but I didn't want any accidental encounters before I had a chance to speak with the boys.”

“It's fine,” she assured him. “I'm just wishing I'd brought my jacket with me. It's freezing up here.”

“You can wear this,” Youngjun said, snatching a purple windbreaker off a nearby chair. “They should be here any minute, so just give me a few minutes to warm them up before you come in.”

Julia slid the giant windbreaker on and nodded. “Copy that,” she said, saluting him. Youngjun went into the conference room and Julia found a chair in an unobtrusive corner to wait in. She wasn't worried, not yet anyway. By all accounts the members of EXO were awesome to work with, and she'd spent the plane ride from Long Beach learning about them. Junmyeon is the leader, she repeated to herself. He's twenty-six and his stage name is Suho. Jongdae, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo are all twenty-four, and Jongdae is in EXO-CBX with Baekhyun and Minseok. Sehun is the maknae and only a month older than me. Jongin is my age too and is their visual, whatever that means.

The elevator opened and she slunk down in her chair as some of the members walked into the conference room. None of them gave her a second glance and she resumed her litany. Yixing is the only remaining Chinese member. His stage name is Lay. The elevator opened again and three more members passed her on their way inside. Is that seven, or eight? I should've kept count.

Her question was answered by another elevator opening and Chanyeol running out at breakneck speed before flying into the conference room. That must be it, she thought, releasing a pent-up breath. Okay, focus. Chanyeol, Sehun and Jongin are the main rappers, and the others are mainly vocalists. I'm still not sure how they determine main dancers.

A man started talking loudly and Julia realized it was Youngjun's voice. Chanyeol must've left the door open, she thought. She got up and tiptoed closer to hear.

“So, how do you guys feel about an American tour?” she heard Youngjun ask.

“You mean like L.A., New York and Chicago?” someone asked.

“L.A. kinda freaks me out,” someone else said, possibly Baekhyun. “I always feel like I'm gonna get mugged.”

Julia suppressed a smile and kept listening.

“That's not what I meant,” Youngjun said, a trace of irritability in his voice. “I'm talking about an actual tour. Eighteen cities, fifteen states.”

“You're serious,” a third voice said.

“Of course I am. You've gained a lot of American fans over the last couple years, so we're thinking it would be a good idea.”

“I'm in!” Chanyeol said immediately.

“Me too!” Jongdae chimed in. “It sounds like fun.”

One by one the other members agreed and Julia sighed. So far so good.

“Good,” Youngjun said approvingly. “The thing is, you won't be going for another four months.”

“What?!” another voice exclaimed. That was definitely Minseok, she thought.

“That doesn't make sense,” someone else grumbled.

“You need to be adequately prepared, which includes all of you learning more English. And I don't mean a handful of words; you have to be able to hold full conversations with your fans.”

“So what, we have to take a class or something?” the first speaker asked.

“Not quite. In the spirit of saving time and effort on everyone's part, we went a different route.” She heard papers being shuffled. “Meet Julia Park,” he announced. “She's twenty-three and graduated early from Columbia University with a degree as an interpreter. Besides English, she speaks Korean, Japanese and Spanish.”

“She's pretty,” one of them said immediately. “Is she going to teach us?”

“She'll be spending every day with you between now and your tour,” Youngjun replied. “It's likely she'll also accompany you around the States as well.”

“What do you mean, spend every day with us?” Minseok asked.

“She'll live in your building,” Youngjun explained. “She'll go with you everywhere, hang out with you, participate in everything you do. She's fun, you'll like her.”

“Wait, she's already here?!” another member hissed. “Don't we get a say in this?”

“Yeah, I don't really see the point of learning more English,” a new voice said. “We can get by with what we know, can't we?”

Julia angled to where she could see a tiny sliver of the table. Sehun looks pretty unhappy, she mused.

“Working with Julia is the only way you can make the tour happen,” Youngjun said. “Otherwise they'll just cancel it.”

“That's not fair!” Chanyeol protested.

Screw this, she thought, pushing the door open. “I agree,” she said in a clear voice. They all turned around and she tossed her hair out of her eyes, looking more confident than she felt. “How long have you been there?” Jongin demanded.

“Jongin!” Junmyeon reprimanded him.

“Is she wearing my jacket?” Chanyeol whispered to Baekhyun. Julia looked down at the windbreaker. “Is this yours? I can take it off,” she offered, starting to remove it.

“No it's- I don't care, it's fine,” Chanyeol said quickly. “You're obviously wearing it because you're cold, and it's good for that. Good for when you're cold, I mean.” He buried his head in his arms and groaned quietly.

“This is Julia,” Youngjun said, coming around the table to where she stood. “Julia, this is everyone.”

“Except Yixing,” she said, scanning each face quickly. “Is he…?”

“Still in China,” Youngjun confirmed, “but he'll be back in a couple of weeks. Will that hinder you too much?”

“Not at all,” Julia said, smiling. “I'll add some extra one-on-one sessions with him to catch him up.”

“Good. I take it you're familiar with everyone's names, but I'll introduce you anyway. This is Jongdae,” he said, pointing at him. Jongdae got up and bowed, then sat down again. “And Minseok, Kyungsoo, Junmyeon, Jongin, Chanyeol, Baekhyun and Sehun.” Each member bowed in turn, though she saw that Junmyeon had to kick Jongin under the table to make him do it.

“I'm Julia,” she said, bowing to all of them. “But you know that, obviously. I'm excited to work with you and get to know you.”

Sehun snorted and Jongdae gave him a look. “We're excited too,” he said, smiling at her. Julia glanced at Youngjun. “Could I have a glass of water?” she asked politely.

“Of course, I'll be right back,” Youngjun said, giving the members a knowing look before leaving the room.

“I just want you to know,” she began, “that I have no intention of falling in love with any of you.”

Baekhyun burst out laughing, quickly dispelling the tension. The others chuckled and Julia smiled as Baekhyun regained control of himself. “I also know that most of you are predisposed to hate me. That's fine, but it won't make this process any shorter and we won't get to have fun if you hate me.”

“I like you,” Chanyeol pronounced, still grinning.

“I'm glad to hear it,” Youngjun said, returning with her drink. “They've got an interview this afternoon, but why don't you all have dinner tonight? Company treat.”

The boys whooped and Julia laughed. “Sounds great. I have to finish moving in anyway.” She stood by the door as they filed out, each one giving her a quick bow as they left.

“That went well,” Youngjun sighed.


******


“We're not actually going along with this, are we?” Sehun demanded. Chanyeol looked at him in surprise. “Do you have a problem with her?” he asked.

“I just don't like the idea of someone being up in our space all the time,” Sehun said defensively. “We have enough of that as it is.”

“I agree,” Jongin said as the elevator doors opened. “We've been to America plenty of times without needing to be fluent in English. Why is this time different?”

“Because Youngjun says so,” Junmyeon said flatly, “and because this tour will be huge for us. Think about how much our fan base is gonna grow!”

“I don't know,” Kyungsoo mused. “I kinda agree with Sehun. I don't want someone invading my privacy all the time.”

“Guys, it's only for a few months,” Baekhyun said, leading the way to the car. “She seems cool, so let's give her a chance.”

“Not all of us befriend everyone they meet,” Minseok said pointedly. “What if she's crazy, or super weird?”

“They wouldn't hire someone without vetting them first,” Junmyeon reminded him, opening the car door.

“Still,” Sehun said, climbing in, “who learns three languages and has an interpreter’s degree by the time they're twenty-three?”

“I don't know,” Chanyeol said, sitting beside him. “Who’s a member of the most popular KPOP group of all time by the time they're twenty-three?”

Sehun elbowed him and folded his arms. “It sounds suspicious to me,” he said stubbornly.

“How about this,” Jongdae said, looking at them over his shoulder. “We'll give her a week, and if it's not working we can go to Youngjun. Baek’s right, though. She deserves a chance.”


******


Julia knocked on the door and the talking on the other side died immediately. She checked her watch and knocked again. “Guys? You ready?” she called.

The door opened and Junmyeon smiled at her, leaning on it casually. “Hey,” he said, giving her a slow once-over before looking into her eyes. Julia frowned. “Are you trying to flirt?” she asked, sidestepping him. The other guys were sitting in the living room, obviously holding back laughter while their faces turned red. Junmyeon closed the door dejectedly. “That usually works,” he muttered, sticking his hands in his pockets. The others burst out laughing, Baekhyun clapping like a breathless seal as tears poured out of his eyes. “Let me guess, there was some kind of bet,” she said, folding her arms.

“We just wanted to see if it worked,” Chanyeol said, still grinning. “He's always bragging about his moves, so we thought he could test them on you.”

Julia thought for a moment. “Okay then,” she said, sitting in the middle of the floor. The guys looked at each other blankly. “What are you doing?” Minseok asked cautiously.

“Let's see what you've all got,” she said, crossing her legs comfortably. “Put your best move forward.”

No one moved until Kyungsoo shoved Chanyeol forward, smiling evilly. Chanyeol sat down across from her nervously, staring at the floor. “Okay,” he said, lifting his head up. He leaned forward, as if he didn't want to miss a word she said. His brown eyes gazed at her lovingly and Julia nodded. “That was pretty good,” she admitted.

“What?!” Junmyeon exclaimed. “He didn't even do anything!”

“All you said was “hey”,” Julia said, turning to look at him, “and then you eyeballed me like a piece of meat.”

The other guys giggled and Junmyeon didn't respond. “I'll go next,” Jongdae said, nudging Chanyeol out of his seat. He sat down and took her hand slowly, caressing it with his thumb. “Nope,” Julia said immediately, pulling her hand back. Jongdae looked crestfallen. “What do you mean, nope?” he asked.

“You were creeping me out,” Julia shrugged. “I like my personal space.”

“Move aside,” Minseok said, getting up. He didn't sit down, but leaned over her and brushed her hair back from her face with the tips of his fingers as he arched an eyebrow and gave her a little smile.

“That was actually pretty good,” Julia admitted, pushing her hair back into place. Minseok strutted away and Baekhyun stood up. “I can beat that,” he said, stretching his arms over his head. He walked over to her rapidly, grabbed her hand and pulled her up until their faces were almost touching. He put his other hand on her face and tried to lean in, but Julia shoved him back and he tumbled to the floor. “Why'd you do that?” he whined, propping himself up on his elbows.

“Because you invaded her space,” Sehun said from the doorway. He was expressionless, scrolling through his phone as if they weren't there.

“You try it then,” Baekhyun said, getting back onto his feet.

“Aren't we going to dinner?” Sehun asked, ignoring Baekhyun's proposition. Junmyeon nodded. “Yeah, we are,” he said, grabbing his jacket. “We should probably go.”

After a few minutes of putting on jackets and looking for phones and wallets and keys they were finally ready to leave. Julia led the way, walking slightly ahead of the group to the elevators. “Can't you at least make an effort?” she heard Junmyeon whisper.

“This is me making an effort!” Sehun snapped. Julia pretended she hadn't heard as she pressed the elevator button. The doors opened and they all crammed in together. “Sorry,” Chanyeol whispered, standing next to her and nodding at Sehun.

“About what?” she asked innocently. Chanyeol gave her a half-smile and the elevator began its descent. I should've just met them at the restaurant, she thought, watching the numbers count down. Once in the parking lot, they decided to take two cars and Jongin wasted no time peeling away. Sehun, Kyungsoo and Junmyeon trailed after him, Junmyeon giving Julia an awkward smile over his shoulder.

“Can I ask something?” Julia inquired as she walked with the others to Minseok’s car. “Sure,” Baekhyun agreed, walking beside her.

“Why do Jongin and Sehun dislike me more than the rest of you?”

The guys all looked at each other uncomfortably. “Whatever do you mean?” Jongdae said after a beat. Julia rolled her eyes. “I'm not stupid. I just find it interesting that they're reacting more negatively than the rest of you.”

Chanyeol made a dash for the front seat, only to be clotheslined by Minseok. “Ladies first, remember?” he said, gesturing for Julia to get in.

“That was a little uncalled for,” Chanyeol grumbled as he picked himself up off the ground. Minseok opened the door for her. “Jongin's been through a lot over the last several months,” he said. “He had a few injuries, plus his relationship with Krystal didn't work out. I think he's just using this as a way to vent.”

“And Sehun's just being a baby,” Baekhyun said cheerfully, climbing into the backseat. “They'll be fine.”

They drove to a popular chicken place not too far from their building. The others were waiting for them outside, whispering to each other. Julia guessed that Junmyeon had said something to them on the way over, because they all gave her a forced smile. “We were beginning to worry you'd gotten lost,” Kyungsoo said.

“More like hoping,” Jongin mumbled. Junmyeon smacked him and Chanyeol facepalmed. “Let's eat,” Julia said, pretending once again not to hear as she led the way into the restaurant. They were seated immediately, Junmyeon and Jongdae flanking her like bodyguards.

“Here you are,” the waitress said, handing Julia an English menu. Julia waved it away. “The regular one's fine, thanks,” she said in Korean. A brief look of surprise flashed across the waitress’ face, but it vanished quickly and she handed Julia a menu in Korean.

“Your Korean really is good,” Junmyeon commented, flipping open his menu. “How did you learn it so quickly?”

Julia smiled. “My parents are Korean, actually,” she said, sipping her water. The entire table looked up in shock. “But… you're white!” Chanyeol exclaimed. Sehun to spat his water all over Minseok, soaking his shirt. Minseok gave him a dirty look as he wiped himself off.

“Chanyeol!” Junmyeon gasped.

“She's obviously adopted, you idiot,” Kyungsoo snapped. Chanyeol's ears turned bright red and he slunk down in his seat.

“It's okay,” Julia said quickly. “I get that all the time and it doesn't offend me. Not anymore, anyway.”

“So, Korean parents,” Jongdae said, changing the subject. “That's pretty cool.”

“Yeah, it is. They immigrated to California in the mid-eighties right after they got married. My dad got a job as a consultant at an engineering firm in Los Angeles and my mom worked at an art gallery. They tried to have kids, but my mom kept miscarrying. Eventually they turned to adoption and got me.”

“Just you?” Baekhyun asked. “No siblings?”

“I have a younger brother. He's a senior this year,” she replied, getting her phone out and showing them a picture.

“He's black?!” Chanyeol exclaimed incredulously. The whole table erupted this time, all of them smacking him or kicking him under the table. “I'm sorry, it just came out!” he said, taking shelter behind his menu.

“So you learned Korean from your parents,” Jongdae tried again, giving Chanyeol a stern look. Julia nodded. “But enough about me, I'm here for you guys,” she said, looking around the table. Sehun snorted and she laid her menu down. “If you're going to make this meal unpleasant, you might as well leave,” she said, looking him in the eye. Sehun's mouth dropped open. “I can leave?” he repeated, standing up. “I can-”

“Sit down, she's right,” Kyungsoo said, yanking him back into his seat. “I don't want to eat with you when you're pouting either.”

Sehun looked to Junmyeon for backup, but Junmyeon just pretended to be engrossed in his menu.

“I don't know about you,” Baekhyun said, closing his menu with a snap, “but I'm already having lots of fun.”

Notes