Six weeks later


Julia chewed her nails as she waited in the deserted hallway. What's taking so long? she wondered. They've been in there for over an hour.

She was confident that the guys were proficient enough to go on the tour, but Youngjun had insisted on bringing in a tester to examine them. “You've done an excellent job, Julia, but the executives just want to ensure the boys’ fluency,” he had assured her, hence why she was sitting outside the testing room, ready to tear her hair out. All nine members had to make at least a B on the test to green light the tour, and if more than two members failed the tour would be summarily canceled. They're going to pass, she told herself. They're ready. They can do this.

The door opened and she looked up immediately. “Well?” she asked anxiously.

“We won't know until tomorrow,” Chanyeol said, holding the door for the other members.

“I'm not sure I did well on the oral part,” Jongdae confessed. “I kept hesitating, even on words I know.”

“That's just nerves,” Julia said reassuringly. “You're all more than proficient enough to go on the tour, believe me. This is just a formality.”

Sehun took her arm and tucked it in his chivalrously before following the others down the hallway. He had become increasingly fond of her over the last several weeks, in a brotherly sort of way. “Are you going with us to the States?” he asked her.

“Of course,” she replied easily. “Someone's got to keep you from doing something dumb.”

“I thought you said we were ready!” Baekhyun protested.

“To communicate in English, yes. To communicate intelligently, well…” she trailed off and several of the guys chuckled. “I'm glad you're coming,” Sehun announced.

“I never thought I'd hear those words,” she commented. “Hold on, don't you have birthday plans tonight?”

The guys cheered and Sehun smiled sheepishly. “We decided to wait until tomorrow,” he corrected her. “We’ll just go out to dinner after we get our test results.”

“At least I have time to get you a present,” she laughed.

They walked out into the lobby and Julia saw Shindo waiting by the main doors. “Bye,” she called, pulling away from Sehun and heading over to Shindo.

“Where have you been?” he asked. “I've been waiting for a long time.”

Julia raised an eyebrow. “Waiting? I didn't know you were waiting for me.”

“I texted you eighteen times and you never responded.”

Julia checked her phone and there were indeed nearly twenty new messages in her notifications. “I'm sorry,” she said, “my phone was on silent. I was waiting for the guys-”

“Yeah, I'm sure,” he said irritably.

“What is your deal?” Julia demanded. “How many times do I have to remind that I work with them? It's my job, Shindo.”

“Is it your job to walk arm-and-arm with one of them?” he shot back.

Julia folded her arms and he sighed. “I'm sorry,” he murmured. “You're just doing your job, I know that.”

Julia felt a little stab of guilt. I do spend a lot of time with the group, she conceded. Maybe I've been neglecting Shindo. “No, I'm sorry,” she said aloud. “I've been focusing too much on them. Why do we go get some lunch?”

Shindo smiled and took her hand in his. “That's a great idea,” he said, kissing her forehead.


******


“See!”

Chanyeol watched Julia and Shindo leave the building and he shook his head. “It looks like they just had a little argument,” he shrugged.

“This is ridiculous,” Jongin hissed. “Why did you make us watch that?”

“Because I have a weird feeling about it,” Jongdae retorted.

“Enough with the weird feelings!” Jongin snapped. “She has her personal life, and we have ours, which is supposed to be playing video games at the apartment right now.”

“I'm telling you, that's the same expression he had on his face when I met him a few weeks ago,” Jongdae insisted. “I don't like it.”

“Let's just head home,” Chanyeol suggested, putting a calming hand on each guy's shoulder.

He did look upset, a nagging voice told him, but he shoved the thought away. It's none of my business, he told himself firmly.


******


Julia hummed to herself as she packed her lesson materials away, her new bracelet from Shindo sparkling on her wrist. Her birthday being the day after Sehun's had so far been a well-kept secret, since she didn't want the members making a big deal about it, so she had made Shindo promise not to say anything.

She stood up and stretched her arms widely before putting the box in her bedroom. She still planned on working with the guys as often as possible, but she was tired of Shindo eyeing the folders as if they represented some sort of competition between him and the members. I really can't ignore him so much, she reproached herself.

She heard a frantic banging on her door and hurried back to the living room. “Julia! It's us!” Baekhyun called.

“Alright, I'm coming,” she said quickly, and she barely managed to open the door before all eight members spilled into her apartment.

“We did it!” Baekhyun yelled, thrusting a paper in her face. “We passed!”

The others handed over their papers excitedly and she took them as quickly as possible. “Okay, okay,” she laughed, trying to stack them together. “Why are you giving me these?”

“So you can see our scores!” Chanyeol said excitedly. “Look, I got a ninety-two!”

Julia flipped through the papers, her heart expanding with each pass. All of them had made nearly perfect grades, which if she was honest was more than she had hoped for. “I'm so proud of you all!” she cried, throwing her arms around Chanyeol. “I knew you could do it! When do we leave?”

“May first,” Junmyeon replied, beaming at her. He looked as proud as she felt, and his face was brighter, as if some cloud she hadn't noticed before was now gone.

“And now we can celebrate Sehun's birthday!” Baekhyun added as he plopped down on the couch.

“Baek! We haven't been invited to sit!” Minseok admonished. His recovery was almost complete, but the other members still insisted on opening doors for him or carrying his things, which only seemed to amuse him.

Baekhyun didn't seem ruffled by his reproach. “You're still coming tonight, right?” he asked her.

Julia glanced at the bracelet on her wrist. “Well, uh…” she fidgeted with it nervously, drawing Jongin's attention to it. “Whew,” he whistled, lifting her arm to inspect it, “that's a nice bracelet. Who gave it to you?”

“Probably Shindo,” Sehun said with a knowing smile.

“Are you guys getting serious?” Junmyeon prodded.

“They must be if she's getting gifts like that,” Chanyeol said decidedly.

Hearing them discuss Shindo somehow made her discomfort worse and she hid the bracelet behind her back. “I don't think I should go tonight,” she confessed.

“What?!” Jongin said indignantly.

“Why?” Jongdae asked.

“Because… because…” they were all looking at her, awaiting whatever reason she gave them, and she felt embarrassed. “Because Shindo wouldn't like it,” she finished quietly.

An uncomfortable silence fell as the guys considered this. Baekhyun looked like he wanted to protest further, but she saw Minseok give him a slight shake of his head.

“I guess we didn't realize he felt that way,” Chanyeol said, breaking the silence.

“Yeah, you don't have to come if you don't want to,” Sehun added quickly.

“It's not that,” Julia said, “it's just better that way.”

“Because some guy says so?” Jongdae demanded. “Don't look at me like that, Jun, it's true! This guy is trying to control you, Julia!”

“It's not-”

“Julia wouldn't let anyone control her, Jongdae!” Chanyeol interrupted. “Stop being so suspicious all the time!”

“I don't think either of you are qualified to comment on Julia's relationship,” Minseok attempted.

They ignored him and continued arguing until all of them were talking over each other and none of them could be heard clearly. “Hey!” Julia shouted, but no one heard her, so she stomped over to the dish rack on the kitchen counter, grabbed a pan and a metal spoon, then went back to the living room and started clanging them together. The noise was so awful the guys stopped immediately and turned to look at her.

“Stop it!” she yelled, tossing the spoon aside. “Do you all realize you're arguing about my life? Did anyone ask me how I feel about this?”

They looked at each other awkwardly. “How do you feel about it?” Junmyeon asked.

“Too late!” she snapped. “I decide where I go and who I spend time with, not you or Shindo or anyone else, got it?!”

They all nodded meekly and she pointed at Jongdae. “When I want your advice, I'll ask for it,” she growled. “And Chanyeol, I'm perfectly capable of defending myself!”

She opened the door and jerked her head at it. “I think you should leave,” she said tersely.

They all bowed their heads and filed out obediently. Chanyeol tried to offer an apology, but Julia shook her head and he continued out.

She leaned out into the hallway and was surprised to see Jin standing there, looking utterly confused as the reprimanded members brushed past him. “Did… someone die?” he asked hesitantly.

Julia sighed and stood back from the door. “No, just… come in,” she muttered.

Jin followed her into the apartment and closed the door behind him. “Is this a bad time? I can-”

“No, it's fine,” she insisted. “We just had an argument.”

She sat down on the couch and Jin followed suit. “What, all nine of you?” he asked in disbelief. “That's gotta be a world record.”

Julia smiled in spite of herself. “What's that?” she asked, nodding at the white box in Jin’s hand.

“Only if you tell me what the argument was about,” he said with a wicked grin.

He doesn't like Shindo either, Julia remembered. What if he gets upset too? “Okay, but don't get upset,” she warned him. “We were arguing about Shindo.”

Jin’s face fell a little and he dropped his gaze to his lap. “Oh,” he muttered. “Um… why?”

“He's been upset lately because I've been hanging out with the members a lot,” she replied, “and the guys think Shindo's being some controlling jerk.”

“And what do you think?”

Julia smiled slightly. “I think everyone's way too interested in me,” she said, tucking her legs under her comfortably. “Don't they all have lives of their own without getting caught up in mine?”

Jin didn't reply and she suddenly felt bad. “I'm sorry,” she said, “you didn't come here to get tangled up in this mess. Can I see the box now?”

Jin brightened a little and handed her the box. It was flat and rather heavy, and Julia lifted the lid carefully. “Wow,” she breathed. It was a photo book filled with pictures of her, in the break room with her friends, selfies she and Jin had taken together, and pictures he'd snagged of her with some of the members. The best ones, however, were the candids - Julia sitting in her office, walking down hallways, standing beside Shindo's car - even just shots of her trusty satchel or the coffee mug on her desk. The last picture was the selfie Baekhyun had taken on the set of the Power music video. It was the only picture Julia knew of with her and all nine members in it, and seeing it included made her emotional.

“Don't you like it?” Jin asked worriedly.

“Of course,” she sniffed, “I just…”

“What?”

“I didn't know I was friends with a stalker.”

Jin rolled his eyes and grinned. “Very funny,” he said. “I can't take credit for the last picture, I kind of asked Baekhyun for it.”

“Jin!”

“Don't worry, I didn't tell him what it was for,” Jin said quickly, “just that I wanted it for a project. He was happy to help.”

“It's a beautiful gift,” she said, turning the pages again. “Thank you, Jin.”

Jin spotted the bracelet on her wrist and raised an eyebrow. “Not the most beautiful gift, apparently,” he said, nodding at it. “He must be pretty wealthy to afford jewelry like that.”

“He's a great guy, Jin. I wish I could convince you.”

“You're not the one I need convincing from,” he said stubbornly, “but I'm glad you're happy.”

Julia went back to the last picture and studied it closely. She felt a little guilty for yelling at her friends, and she wished she had been more patient with them. “Maybe I shouldn't have yelled at them,” she murmured.

“Are you sure you don't want to go with them tonight?” Jin asked. “They're still your friends, you know.”

She did want to go, but she didn't want to upset Shindo again. Maybe if I talk to him first, it won't be a big deal, she reasoned. “I need to make a call,” she said, standing up. “Do you mind if I…?”

“Go ahead,” Jin said, sitting back comfortably. “Just leave the remote.”

She grabbed it off the table and tossed it to him before retreating into her bedroom. She heard the TV click on and she smiled. Jin had become a fixture of her life in Korea, despite her relationship with Shindo. They shared at least one meal together every day,and he was at her apartment so much he joked about there being a Jin-shaped spot on her couch. He and Shindo never mingled, which Julia privately thought was for the best. You'd think two grown men could behave better, she thought as she dialed her phone.

Shindo picked up almost immediately. “Happy birthday, beautiful girl!” he sang out, though he sounded out of breath.

“Oh, sorry, you're in the middle of rehearsals,” she remembered, mentally kicking herself, “I didn't mean to bother you.”

“We're taking a break anyway,” Shindo panted. “What's up?”

“I… I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Okay, what is it?”

Julia felt a weird sense of trepidation that made the words heavy on her tongue, but she pushed past it anyway. “The guys have invited me to go out with them tonight, for Sehun's birthday, and I'd like to go.”

There was a pause. “Out to dinner?” Shindo repeated. “Babe, I thought we talked about this.”

“I know, but-”

“You need to keep your social life separate from them.”

“But they're my friends too,” she countered. “It's just a dinner, but I didn't want to go if it makes you uncomfortable.”

Another pause, then, “Look, if you want to go, just go.”

“Really?” she said, elated. “Thanks, babe!”

“Sure,” he muttered, then the line suddenly went dead.

He's probably got to get back to rehearsal, she reasoned, though his surly tone still bothered her a little. She went back into the living room and Jin turned around. “Well?” he asked, turning the TV off.

“Looks like I'm going out tonight,” she replied.

Notes