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American Casual

Mistake

“Kyungsoo?” Julia called, poking her head into the apartment. “I brought the eggs.”

“Just a second,” he called from another room. Julia closed the door behind her and set the carton of eggs on the bar as Kyungsoo emerged from the hallway, looking annoyed. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing,” he muttered. “I just can’t find my hoodie. I think someone’s taken it again.”

“What do you need eggs for?”

“I’m cooking dinner tonight,” he said, going into the kitchen. “I wanted to make chicken and mixed rice, but somehow we were completely out of eggs. Thanks, by the way.”

“No problem. Can I help?”

Kyungsoo scrutinized her carefully. “Okay, but just remember that I’m the head chef here,” he said with mock severity. Julia saluted him and set her bag on the floor. “Is it okay if I put on some music?”

Kyungsoo shrugged. “Sure, whatever you want,” he said, setting a skillet on the stove.

Julia plugged her phone into the living room speakers and hit shuffle on her Favorites playlist. Slow Hands by Niall Horan started playing and she saw Kyungsoo hide a smile. “What?” she asked.

“Nothing,” he said, “I just didn’t think you were a… Directioner, is that it?”

Julia punched him in the arm playfully. “You’re not the only boy band in my life,” she teased.

“Boy band?!” he exclaimed indignantly. Julia grinned and he shook his head. “Fine, now we’re even,” he said, pouring olive oil into the skillet. “You can start the rice.”

As Julia started the rice cooker WINNER’s Really Really started playing and she had to repress the urge to dance. Kyungsoo glanced at her. “Do you know this routine too?” he asked, as if he’d read her thoughts.

“Just the end,” she confessed. “I didn’t learn the girls’ parts.” She grabbed a knife and cutting board and started chopping vegetables. “You didn’t say anything, did you?”

“If I had, you’d know,” he said, laying slices of raw chicken onto the skillet’s steaming surface. “Most of the guys aren’t exactly the best secret-keepers.”

Julia hummed to herself as she worked, adding the cut veggies to a large bowl between the two of them. Seunghoon’s rap was her favorite part and she sang along under her breath. To her surprise Kyungsoo took Seungyoon’s part, singing over the sound of the sizzling chicken. They went back and forth, Julia mainly sticking to the rap parts. When the final chorus hit, they both turned and did the choreography, laughing so hard they struggled to keep singing. The song ended and they high-fived each other. “Nice job,” Kyungsoo chuckled. “I didn’t know you could rap too.”

“Me either,” said a voice behind them. They turned around immediately. Chanyeol, Junmyeon and Sehun stood by the bar, staring at them. Julia shrugged. “You didn’t think I spent all my time translating, did you?” she teased.

“Soo, what did you mean ‘you could rap too’?” Chanyeol asked. “Can you do other stuff, Julia?”

Julia was saved from answering by the door opening again, this time letting in Jongdae and Jongin. “Hey guys,” Jongdae greeted them. “Wow, that smells great, Soo!”

Jongin glanced at Julia and gave her a tiny nod before disappearing into the hallway.

“Finally, some improvement,” Junmyeon muttered.

Kyungsoo put the last of the chicken onto a platter and set it on the counter. “Dinner is served,” he announced. Everyone lined up to make plates, piling them high with chicken and rice. Junmyeon fried a few eggs in the skillet and passed them out to whoever wanted them.

“Where's the soy sauce?” Chanyeol asked, digging through a cabinet.

“Here,” Jongdae said, handing it to him. “Anyone seen the chili paste?”

Julia passed it to him and licked her fingers. “This is delicious, Soo,” she said, stirring her food together.

“Where are Baekhyun and Minseok?” Junmyeon asked. “I don't think I've seen them all day.”

“Baekhyun's been out for a while,” Kyungsoo called. “I think Min’s in his room.”

“Again?” Chanyeol said incredulously. “He's been in there a lot lately.”

Julia saw worry in Junmyeon’s eyes and she set her food down. “I'll take him some dinner,” she said, grabbing a new plate. She loaded it with food and grabbed a bottled water on her way to Minseok’s room. “Minseok? It's Julia,” she said, tapping on the door softly. “I brought you some food in case you were hungry.”

The door opened and Minseok smiled at her wanly. “Thanks,” he murmured, taking the plate from her.

“Are you okay? You look sick,” she said worriedly.

“I'm fine,” he said, “or I will be soon. I'm just tired.” He took a bite of food and smiled at her. “Really, I'm fine.”

Julia returned to the living room, unable to shake the uneasy feeling she had. I hope he's not getting sick, she thought.

“I'm home!” Baekhyun called, practically flying through the door. Kyungsoo looked at him and set his food down slowly. “Kyungsoo?” Sehun asked. “You okay?”

Kyungsoo vaulted over the couch and grabbed onto Baekhyun's arm. “It was you!” he shouted. “You stole my hoodie!”

Baekhyun broke free and ran around the couch. “I thought it was mine!” he claimed. Kyungsoo chased him around the room, but Baekhyun was too quick. “Give it back!” he demanded.

“But it's so comfy!” Baekhyun whined, hiding behind the table. Kyungsoo tried to chase him down, but they just ended up running around the table like cartoon characters. Everyone else watched as Kyungsoo finally lunged across the table and latched onto Baekhyun’s waist. Junmyeon and Chanyeol grabbed their food protectively as they twisted around and went down in a heap of arms and legs. “Okay, okay!” Baekhyun puffed. “You can have it back!” He took it off and Kyungsoo snatched it from him.

Julia offered Baekhyun her hand and pulled him back onto his feet. “Why didn't you just give it back to him?” she asked.

“Where's the fun in that?” he returned. “Speaking of which…”

He grabbed the TV remote and turned it on. “I found something that I think you're gonna like,” he announced. Everyone gathered around as he pulled up YouTube and typed something into the search bar. By the time Julia realized what it was, she was too late to stop it. She hid her face in her hands as her California State dance competition video started playing on the TV.

“What is this?” she heard Jongdae ask.

“Is that our music?” Junmyeon wondered.

“No way!” Chanyeol exclaimed. “Julia, that's you!”

“Maybe,” she said, completely embarrassed. “Baekhyun, how did-”

“Shh,” he whispered. “I'm trying to watch.” All of them watched in stunned silence, but when she did the spinning leap they yelled excitedly. “That was epic!” Chanyeol shouted.

“What's going on?” Jongin asked as he came out of the hallway. “Who's screaming?” He looked at the TV and surprise streaked across his face. “Is that…” he didn't finish, just staring at the screen.

The video ended with the audience cheering and clapping frantically and the boys immediately added their own applause. “Woohoo! Amazing!” they yelled, turning to look at Julia. This proved to be a little too much and she felt a tear race down her cheek. She dried it quickly, but Junmyeon still noticed. “Why are you crying?” he asked, pausing in mid-clap.

“I'm not crying,” she snapped as another tear fell. “I have allergies.”

“You were incredible!” Jongdae attempted. “Really, we wouldn't just say that.”

This only made her cry harder and all of them glanced at each other in confusion. “Aw, don't cry,” Chanyeol said, hugging her.

“I'm sorry if I embarrassed you,” Baekhyun said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I googled you for fun and the video popped up. I didn't think it would bother you.”

Stop crying! she thought frustratedly. What are you, some silly girl in a fanfiction?!

She took a deep breath and pulled away from them. “I'm fine,” she said, wiping her face with her sleeve. “I just… it's only… well, the truth is, discovering EXO inspired me to take my dancing seriously. I learned all the routines, studied your techniques, and we even won that competition using the Mama routine. And getting to be here, with you guys…” she sniffed loudly. “It's kind of a big deal.”

A few of them wiped their own eyes. “Wow,” Jongdae said softly.

“So, does that mean you can do any of our routines?” Baekhyun asked. Julia shrugged. “I don't know. It's been years since I tried.”

“Show us just one,” Chanyeol pleaded. “Just a little bit.”

“We'll see how you do in our next review,” Julia said, her composure coming back. All of their faces fell and she laughed. “What? I've gotta motivate you somehow.”

“We could do one together!” Baekhyun said excitedly. “Since Yixing's not here, you could take his spot.”

“I'm not nearly good enough to replace Yixing,” she chuckled.

“I don't know about that.”

Everyone looked up to where Yixing stood in the doorway, smirking like he was enjoying a good joke. “Yixing!” Junmyeon shouted, running over and hugging him. The other members were right behind him and soon Yixing was buried under his friends. “Okay! Let me breathe!” he laughed.

“I thought you weren't coming in until next week!” Junmyeon exclaimed.

“My filming ended early, so I decided to surprise you,” he said, extricating himself from the group. “I didn't think I'd be almost suffocated.” He looked around the room. “Where's Minseok?” he wondered.

“Laying down,” Julia offered. “He was tired.”

“I'll see him tomorrow,” Yixing decided. He bowed to Julia and took her hand. “Zhang Yixing,” he said smoothly, shaking her hand.

“Julia Park. Glad you decided to join us,” she replied dryly. It took him a second to realize she was teasing and he relaxed. “I'll try to do better, laoshi,” he said seriously, though his eyes twinkled merrily.

“Yixing, you've gotta see this!” Baekhyun said, springing back onto the couch and reaching for the remote.

“After I'm gone, please,” Julia groaned. “One viewing is enough for me.”

“Did someone say you're a dancer?” Yixing asked. Julia's ears burned. “Yeah,” she admitted, “though it's been years since I practiced regularly.”

“You should use the practice rooms at SM,” he suggested. “We can get you in whenever you want.”

“Thanks,” Julia said, bowing again. “You're probably tired from your flight. I should go.”

She ignored their protests and grabbed her bag, giving them a little wave as she left the apartment. That went better than expected.


******


Yixing looked into Jongin's room and knocked on the door frame. “Hey,” he said softly. “Can I come in?”

Jongin nodded and paused his video game. “What's up?”

Yixing sat on the bed and tucked one leg under him comfortably. “Julia seems nice.”

Jongin shrugged. “I guess.”

“You guess?” Yixing echoed. “For the last two weeks you've been texting me about how stuck-up and insufferable she is.”

“I just don't see the point!” he exclaimed. “We've done concerts in America before and gotten by just fine without English.”

“I’m not here to convince you,” Yixing said, “I'm just trying to understand. You don't like her because you don't like learning English?”

“She just came in here and took over everything,” Jongin grumbled. “She got our schedules cancelled, hangs out in our apartment, and even showers here!”

Yixing raised his eyebrows. “Really?”

“Oh shut up,” Jongin muttered. “The point is she's ruined everything.”

Yixing smiled sympathetically. “You know, you weren't the only one texting me about Julia,” he said. “Some of the others had some really good things to say about her.” He stood up fluidly and went to the door. “Maybe you should make more of an effort.”


******


The next day Jongin was leaving the SM weight room when he saw Julia coming down the hallway. Oh no, he groaned to himself. He tried to avoid her, but he was too slow.

“Jongin!”

He turned around grudgingly. “What?”

“Do you have a minute?” she asked. “I just wanted to-”

“Yeah, I've got a minute,” he snapped. “In fact, I've got months to listen to you, thank you very much.”

Julia frowned. “I had nothing to do with the schedules and you know it,” she said shortly. “That was all Junmyeon and Jongdae.”

“Was that before or after your special shower?” he sneered.

“You take that back!” she hissed. “Maybe if you had been trying to learn in the first place, they wouldn't have had to cancel everything!”

Jongin regretted the shower comment, but he couldn't stop himself. “What could I possibly learn from you? You're just an obsessed fangirl. I bet you faked your credentials just to meet us!”

She took a step back and he thought he saw tears in her eyes. “You know,” she said thickly, “you're right. I'm just a fangirl. And it's kinda funny you should say that, since you're the one dancer I wanted to be like.”

Jongin blinked in surprise and she sniffed. “Ironic, isn't it?” she said sadly. “My bias hates me. I guess you really shouldn't meet your heroes.”

Jongin felt like everything had suddenly been knocked sideways. “Me?” he stammered. “I inspired you?”

“Oh don't worry,” she said, “not anymore. The last few weeks have shown me what a petty and cruel person you are. I'm sorry I ever wanted to be like you. I won't make that mistake again.”

She turned and walked away, her head bent low. Jongin knew he should try to fix this, but he couldn't speak past the lump in his throat. She's right, he realized. I have been petty and cruel. What do I do?


******


Julia was sitting miserably on the floor beside her desk when Jin came in. “Hey I'm - whoa, what happened?”

“Nothing,” she sniffed. “Where have you been?”

“I'm sorry, Julia, but Mr. Park had a last-minute booking outside the city and he has a strict no-phone policy during jobs.” He sat down beside her and twiddled his thumbs aimlessly. “If I guess it, will you tell me what happened?” he asked. Julia didn't reply and he sighed. “Let's see,” he muttered, thinking hard. “You auditioned to be a trainee and they turned you down?”

Julia didn't respond.

“Okay, hmm. Oh, they were out of Reese's cups in the vending machine?”

She still didn't respond, but she couldn't help smiling a little. Jin seemed to be encouraged by this and he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I've got it! You're in love with one of the members!”

Julia giggled in spite of herself. “No, you idiot,” she muttered.

“Oh good, I was afraid you'd lost the ability to speak in sentences.”

Julia shoved him and he just laughed. “Come on, you can tell me,” he said.

“I fought with Jongin,” she confessed. “He said some hateful things and I… I said more than I meant to.” She leaned her head back until it touched the desk. “It's barely been a month and I'm already going crazy.”

She thought Jin would come back with some witty remark, but he just handed her another tissue from the box between them. “It's okay to feel crazy,” he said, “because that's what makes life memorable.”

Julia wiped her eyes and hiccupped loudly. “I met someone,” she added carelessly. “The night we were supposed to have dinner. He's really nice.”

Jin’s eyebrows flew up his forehead almost into his hairline. “That's something!” he said encouragingly. “Let's go get coffee and you can tell me all about him.”

He got up and offered her his hand. She took it and pulled herself up, still clutching the tissue in her hand. “Thanks,” she said quietly. Jin just smiled and beckoned her to follow him. “So, what's his name?” he asked.

Notes

Comments

Love this story! Thank you!

Krazzi-J Krazzi-J
8/14/18

@Kaimin
Thank you!

Now I can't wait to know how Minseok does. I'm crying ! Hahaha ! I really liked it dispite you living it in uspence. Hihihi !

Kaimin Kaimin
10/7/17

@Kaimin
Thanks! It's nice when they all get along lol

Every chapter catches more my atrention. Its sp funy ! Hahaha ! Fifhring !

Kaimin Kaimin
9/15/17