American Casual

“You did not!” Jin exclaimed.

“I did and would again,” Julia affirmed.

“So what then? Did he come to your session the next day?”

“Yes, though he didn't participate much. The best part is even though he can hide the bruise around his eye, he can't hide the burst blood vessels in his eye.”

Jin laughed so hard he had to lean against the wall for support. “That just became my favorite idol story,” he gasped. “You're really shaking them up, aren't you?”

“Lee Jin!” a gruff voice barked. Jin immediately snapped to attention as a muscular middle-aged man came barreling toward them. “We have deadlines to meet!” he said, throwing his hands in the air. “EXO may be on hiatus, but that doesn't mean you are!”

He noticed Julia and gave her a quick bow. “Park Heejin,” he said tersely.

“Julia Park,” she replied, returning the bow. “I apologize for detaining your assistant.”

“Oh, he's perfectly capable of detaining himself, believe me,” Heejin muttered. “Let's go!”

He snapped his fingers and took off down the hallway, Jin following closely behind him. He turned and gave Julia a smile before disappearing through a set of double doors.

Julia took an elevator down a few floors and headed for one of the many practice rooms scattered throughout the building. To her disappointment only Junmyeon, Baekhyun and Minseok were present when she walked in. “Where’s everyone else?” she asked.

“They’re coming,” Junmyeon said quickly. “Don’t worry.”

Too late, she thought to herself. “Are you feeling better, Minseok?”

Minseok nodded. “I deal with migraines sometimes. I’m much better today.”

The door opened and the other members came filing in. Jongdae brought up the rear, as if making sure no one tried to slip away. “Hey Julia,” he said cheerfully, pulling the door closed behind him.

“Hey,” she replied, smiling at him. Chanyeol high-fived her as he joined Baekhyun on the floor. “So what’s the plan?” he asked, crossing his legs Indian style.

“We’re going to start with some roleplay today,” Julia said, stretching her arms over her head.

“Why are we in here?” Baekhyun interjected.

“So if someone tries to start another fistfight, I can buzz security to haul them out,” Julia said flatly. “Who wants to go first?”

Several hands went up and she pointed at Jongdae. “Come up here,” she invited. Baekhyun oohed as Jongdae got up and stood beside her. “Looks like Julia’s got a favorite,” he sang out.

“Wait, is Jongdae your bias?” Chanyeol asked excitedly. Jongdae wiggled his eyebrows at her and she couldn’t help laughing. “I’ll never tell,” she said, folding her arms.

“So you do have a bias!” Baekhyun shouted triumphantly. Minseok elbowed him and Baekhyun gave him an annoyed look. “What?” he demanded.

“Okay, bring it in,” Julia called. “Let’s get back on topic. We’re going to play a game. I’ll roleplay some common scenarios with you to help with your conversation skills. If you make it through without messing up, you get a point. If you do mess up, you lose.”

This seemed to perk them up a little and they sat up interestedly.

“Jongdae, I want you to pretend you’re ordering in a restaurant.”

“What should I get?” he asked.

“Anything you want. Order whatever you would normally get.”

Jongdae took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders back. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Julia nodded. “What can I get you?” she asked in English. Jongdae hesitated. “I… would like… a steak with corn and… and potatoes.”

“How would you like your steak cooked?”

“Medium rare.”

“What kind of potatoes?”

“Um… fries.”

“What to drink?”

“Coke.”

Julia nodded again. “Very good,” she said in Korean. “You get a point. Who’s next?”

She pointed at Chanyeol and he bounded up immediately. “Chanyeol, you’re going to order a coffee,” she instructed. “Ready?”

He nodded excitedly.

“What can I get you?”

“One coffee,” he said proudly. Everyone laughed and Julia couldn’t help chuckling too. “Fair enough,” she said, shoving him lightly. “Take your point and sit down.”

She looked around the group. “Sehun,” she decided. He got up without complaint, though his bloodshot eye made his grumpy expression seem outright livid. Julia ignored this. “I’m going to ask you for directions to your apartment building. Be as specific as you can. Ready?”

He nodded once and folded his arms loosely.

“Can you direct me to the apartment buildings near the highway?”

He thought for a moment. “Turn left out of the… parking lot, then drive for…” he hesitated. “Three miles,” he said, “then turn right beside the… shops. It’s on the left.”

Everyone applauded and Sehun let out a tiny sigh of relief. Julia clapped too, inwardly amazed at his progress. “That was excellent,” she said, touching his arm encouragingly. Sehun made brief eye contact with her and for the first time he didn’t have contempt in his expression. He sat down and Julia cleared her throat. “Let’s do… Kyungsoo next.”

Kyungsoo got up and cracked his neck. “I’m ready,” he announced.

“Okay Kyungsoo, tell me about EXO’s recent comeback.”

Kyungsoo groaned. “That’s not fair!” he whined. “The others got easy ones!”

Julia raised an eyebrow and he huffed. “Fine,” he muttered in English. “Our comeback had an island theme. We released an album with… nine songs. The single is called Ko Ko Bop.”

“Why wasn’t Yixing a part of the comeback?”

Kyungsoo frowned. “He had a… schedule concert.”

Julia made a buzzer noise. “I think you meant conflict,” she corrected him. “No point for you, Soo!”

The others jeered as Kyungsoo sank to his knees in defeat. “Why would I say that?!” he exclaimed. “I know what ‘concert’ means! How did I do that?”

“It’s okay,” Baekhyun said. “You’ll just never live it down.”

Julia looked at Jongin and smiled encouragingly. He got up reluctantly, but didn't come over.

“Jongin, I'm going to interview you. We'll do three questions, okay?”

He didn't respond, so Julia forged ahead. “Mr. Kim, what is your role in EXO?”

“Visual, dancer and rapper,” he replied, his face stony.

“Do you have any pets?”

She saw his eyes brighten in spite of himself. “Two dogs,” he said. “Jjangu and Monggu. I've had them for… a couple years.”

“Wonderful. Last question: what's your favorite part of your day?”

The brightness disappeared again. “My personal time,” he said with a smirk. Julia knew this was a barb directed at her and her smile faltered. “Good job,” she said quietly. “That's the end of the game.”

“But some of us didn't get to play!” Baekhyun protested.

“We'll play again later,” she murmured, still looking at Jongin. “Why don't you all go get lunch and meet me back here in an hour?”

Baekhyun started to protest again, but Junmyeon put a hand on his arm. “One hour,” he agreed, tapping his watch. “Let's go, guys.”

They got up and left the practice room, whispering under her breath. Once the door closed behind them Julia kicked the wall angrily. How long can he hold a grudge? she wondered frustratedly. I hate this!

She looked around the empty room, trying to suppress tears. Her fair skin meant any signs of crying would still be obvious when the guys came back, and she was determined to remain strong. She looked at her reflection in the mirrors. I'm in an EXO practice room, she realized. Millions of people would kill to be me right now.

A high school memory surfaced and turned into a crazy idea that she couldn't resist. She dug her phone out and plugged it into the speakers, then went through her music library until she found the track she wanted. She hit play and took a spot in the middle of the floor, glancing at the door as EXO’s Mama started playing. As the intro began she felt herself start to relax, her eyes drifting shut. Then the beat dropped and she started to dance.

She'd had this particular routine memorized for years, but hadn't performed it since her senior year of high school. There were a few moments of uncertainty, but as the chorus hit she quickly got over those. I've missed this, she thought, smiling at herself as she danced. When the dance break hit she went all out, even nailing Tao’s spinning leap at the end. That was what won her and her dance crew the California State dance competition, though she was surprised she could still do it.

The song ended and she did the final turn, breathing hard as she stared at the floor. It felt good to dance again, especially to one of her favorite songs. She dropped her arms and pushed her sweaty hair off her forehead.

“What was that?!”

She jumped and cursed loudly. “How long have you been standing there?” she demanded. “I thought you went to get food!”

Kyungsoo tried to formulate a response, but no words came out. Julia was overcome with embarrassment and she grabbed her bag on her way to the door.

“Wait!” Kyungsoo spluttered. “That was awesome!”

Julia paused. “You really think so?” she asked.

“I didn't know you could dance like that,” he said. “You did the whole routine flawlessly. Did you train somewhere?”

“I took hip hop for six years,” Julia admitted. “But I don't really dance anymore.”

“But-”

“Please don't say anything to the others,” she said quickly. “I never meant for any of you to know about that. I feel like a stupid fangirl.”

“I won't,” Kyungsoo promised reluctantly, “but you shouldn't be embarrassed. It's cool seeing our fans imitate us, but especially when they can actually dance.”

His phone rang loudly. “Hello?” he said, putting it to his ear. “Yeah, I found it. I'll be there in a second.” He hung up and grabbed his wallet off the floor. “This is why I came back,” he said, holding it up for her to see. “I'd like to see you dance again. Will you think about it?”

Julia shrugged. “Maybe,” she said noncommittally. “Don't say anything. You promised.”

“I know, I know. My lips are sealed,” he said. He left the room and Julia sighed loudly. At least I didn't wipe out on the leap, she thought with relief.


******


“... mean-spirited comments like that which hurt the entire group!”

Uh-oh, Kyungsoo thought as he approached the car. Junmyeon hadn't wasted any time getting into Jongin's face and Jongin looked pretty angry. “All I did was answer her question,” he snapped.

“What is your problem?” Junmyeon demanded. “Seriously Jongin, I can't understand why you're still so upset about this. Don't you want to go on the tour?!”

“Junmyeon,” Kyungsoo murmured, putting a hand on his arm. “Let's just go get lunch.”

Junmyeon stepped back, giving Jongin a look that said the conversation wasn't over. They drove to the restaurant in silence, mainly because Kyungsoo was still reeling from his encounter with Julia. A dancer, he thought, shaking his head, and a good one, too!

They pulled up to the restaurant and Junmyeon got out without a word. Jongin went to follow, but Kyungsoo reached over and pulled the passenger door closed again. “Junmyeon’s right,” he said. “You have no business being upset with Julia. Now tell me what's going on.”

Jongin folded his arms. “It's fine,” he mumbled.

“It's not fine. Everyone has accepted her, more or less, except for you. You haven't been yourself for weeks and I would like to fix whatever's going on so that I can have my friend back.”

Jongin softened a little. “I'm sorry, Soo.”

“Good start,” Kyungsoo said approvingly.

“I don't know, I'm just… nervous.”

“Nervous? About what?”

“About the tour,” he sighed. “Honestly the idea freaks me out. I know we tour all the time and whatever, but this feels different. And she's just a constant reminder of that.”

Kyungsoo felt a stab of compassion for his friend. “There's nothing to be nervous about,” he said gently. “You already know quite a bit of English, and we've been to America before. We'll have a great time, Jongie.”

The use of his nickname made him smile. “Let's just eat,” he said, climbing out of the car.


******


Julia checked her watch again. She'd been waiting outside the cafe for over an hour and there was still no sign of Jin. Her calls and texts remained unanswered and she sighed. Guess I'll just go home, she thought glumly. She stood up to leave, but someone crashed into her and she fell hard on the sidewalk. The crasher fell on top of her and her vision swam alarmingly.

“Oh, I'm so sorry! I'm so clumsy,” the person gasped. He tried to get up, but it took a minute for them to untangle before he managed to roll off. “Are you hurt?” he asked. Julia shook her head slowly. “I… don't think so,” she said. Her eyes focused on a name tag lying on the sidewalk and she grabbed it as she got up. “Is this yours?” she asked, turning around.

The crasher was a tall, broad man wearing a white button-down and black slacks. A nice silver watch glinted on his wrist as he rubbed his neck in embarrassment. “Yeah, thanks,” he said, taking it from her. “I'm terribly sorry. I tripped over that chair and couldn't catch myself in time.”

“Glad I could catch you instead,” Julia joked. He smiled amusedly. “Were you leaving?” he asked. “You seemed to be waiting for someone.”

“I don't think they're coming,” Julia shrugged. “I'll just head home and catch up on work.”

“You've got a scrape on your arm,” the man said, pointing. “I'll ask the staff for some first aid supplies, then let me buy you dinner as an apology.”

Julia's cheeks reddened slightly. “That's really not necessary,” she said.

“It's the least I can do,” he insisted. “My name is Byun Shindo.” He bowed and Julia returned it immediately. “Julia Park,” she said, extending her hand. Shindo shook it firmly. “My table’s right here,” he said, leading her inside. “Have a seat, and I'll be right back with that first aid.”

Julia watched him disappear into the crowd and shook her head incredulously. He seems nice, and cute too. And here I thought encounters like this only happened in dramas.

Shindo came back with a little white box. “The hostess said this has everything we need,” he said, opening it on the table. “Allow me.”

Julia extended her arm and Shindo cleaned the scrape carefully with a cotton ball soaked in disinfectant, then applied a layer of antibiotic ointment before covering it with a large Band-Aid. “Good as new,” he pronounced, closing the box. “And now a nice meal to heal the emotional trauma.”

Julia laughed as a waitress came to the table. “Ready to order?” she asked.

“Get whatever you want, my treat,” Shindo insisted. After they ordered the waitress took the first aid kit away and brought them tall glasses of ice water garnished with lemon and mint. “I don't mean to pry,” Julia began, “but was that an SM ENTERTAINMENT name tag you dropped? Do you work there?”

“I do,” Shindo nodded. “I'm a junior choreographer and backup dancer for the company. I help come up with routines for some of the groups. What about you? Where do you work?”

Julia pulled her own SM name tag out of her pocket and showed it to him. Shindo grinned in surprise. “No way!” he said, examining it closely. “I've never seen you around. Did you just start? What department are you in?”

“Slow down,” Julia laughed. “I started two weeks ago. I'm an interpreter.”

“Really? What languages do you speak?”

“Korean, English and Spanish,” she said modestly. “I plan to learn Chinese and Japanese too.”

Shindo's eyebrows furrowed. “I don't mean to be rude, but what are you doing at SM?” he asked.

“I… work with employees mainly,” she said evasively. “Teaching English and whatnot.”

Shindo's eyes widened. “You're… you're that girl!” he said. “The one working with-”

“Shh!” Julia hissed, looking around rapidly. “I mean, it's not a secret, but I'd rather not be mobbed.”

“Sorry,” Shindo whispered. “I've heard about you from the other dancers. No one's seen much of… them since they went on break.”

“Have you worked with them before?” Julia asked.

“Once or twice. I tend to work with newer groups mostly. My goal is to become a senior choreographer someday.”

“That's amazing!” Julia exclaimed. “I used to dance in high school, but I got out of the habit after I started college. It must be awesome, getting to dance for a living.”

“And exhausting,” Shindo added. The waitress brought their food and Julia took a big bite. This has been a great day, she thought, smiling at Shindo.

Notes