Chapter Text
Addison POV
Seoul, South Korea is a place I could only describe as a dream come true. The beautiful skyline, the spring time weather and the politely disinterested look of the people. With a population of over 9.7 million people it reminded me of home. NYC has 8.4 million and felt more crowded than Seoul. Maybe it was the way everyone kept to themselves in a polite respectful way, vs the NYC aggression. the way people gave you space as you walked the streets and instead of pushing through you to get past.
Was it perfect? No, but nowhere is. I was beginning to think I was the problem, that I was destined for the mundane. Which is why I constantly craved more. Craved excitement. Craved extraordinary things.
As a kid I had thought I would get superpowers, become a princess or save the world. Those were nice dreams to have at age 5 when I watched way too much tv and then read too many fantasy books. Now I just wanted a life of happiness and adventure. Maybe even a little romance sprinkled in. Romance had been almost obsolete dispite how I often did date but no one ever stuck. Maybe it is a me problem, I thought to myself many times. Truth is no one had the spark I was looking for. I was searching for a home more than anything.
For once in my life I had taken a leap and had managed to land not only on the opposite side of the globe but exactly in the middle of everything I had ever wanted. A career I could be proud of, in a city I was falling in love with. As for where my career was taking me?
Outside the tall glass building with its three signature blue letters at the top. I thanked my taxi driver and took several deep breaths as I approached the all blue entrance. I pulled my lanyard out of my bag and let the cool metal of the door handle center me as I wrapped my fingers around it. Pulling the door to my new life wide open.
I walked into the JYP Entertainment building with my company issued ID hanging from my neck. It suddenly felt heavy and for the first time since I arrived in Seoul I wished I could just blend in. But no, I wasnt that lucky, I was clearly out of my element, a small fish in a very large pond.
I was a Dominican American in South Korea, every one did double takes as I passed by. My figure wasn’t up to the korean standards, I had curves in places I loved but I certainly wasn't making it to the cover of any Korean Magazine anytime soon. My hair was a natural curly mess most days. Today, however, I had managed to straighten it into compliance while keeping my make-up to a minimum. I was not someone who likes attention, I wasn’t born to stand out. I preferred blending in while all the world was a stage, I preferred to be behind it.
The high ceilings of the main floor made the reception area feel enormous in comparison to what I knew the rest of the building looked like. The one sided floor to ceiling glass windows made it feel bigger, it was basically a giant fish tank. This was my first time here alone, no one to escort me around or guide me, not that I needed it. I remembered exactly where everything was, but the odd stares I was receiving really made my already introverted self shrink.
Addison Cruz, I told myself, you are the most qualified person for this job, not only are you an excellent teacher but you have a entertainment business degree and are a kpop fan. If anyone is qualified to teach idols English it’s you. I stood a bit taller as I walked to the scanners that would lead me to the four elevators. I would hate to embarrass myself if my ID did not scan on the first try. I said a quick prayer to the kpop gods and pressed my ID against the scanner. The red light turned green with a click and I walked in.
Shoulders back, head up, you belonged here, I said to myself. I did my best to look as confident as the people around me. People who I assumed had been entering this building for years, of course they looked confident. I looked like a deer in headlights. Everything felt new and shiny. I tried to hold it together until I was alone.
As I bowed politely to the security team by the elevators, I couldn’t help but notice how handsome they were. Honestly I had run into quite a few hotties in my short time here. What was in the water in this country? Or maybe it was something in the kimchi?
I pressed the elevator button and waited, taking small calming breaths. The ride up to the eighth floor felt eternal as I stood in the all mirrored box. Every surface of the elevator except the floor was covered in a reflective material. With the exception of a small corner of the elevator with a camera where the ceiling and walls met. I stared into the eyes of my reflection, willing myself to look more confident. I wore a black long sleeve bodysuit and a pair of dark olive green loose fitting pants. I had cute boots that were silenced against the carpet of the building’s hallway. In my purse I managed to fit my laptop and things I had prepared for my classes.
My office was on the 8th floor, it would also be my classroom, where I would work with Idols and staff teaching them English. It had been a joke between me and a friend that I would ever be doing this. A joke I wore out until I saw the job opening after hours of searching for something in Seoul.
It was close to 3 am that night in New York when I stumbled my way onto a Korean job site, looking for English teachers. I was about to give up when I saw it. I read the words JYP Entertainment and froze. After filling out the application I pressed send and shook my head at my ridiculous attempt at trying to apply to this place.
The job offer included living accommodations and travel to South Korea. As well as a pretty good salary and a permanent possession could be offered once my year long contract was up. I was not getting this job, but I hit send and closed my laptop, too exhausted to turn it off properly. I wasn't the girl things happen to, not that i had bad luck but luck didn't intervene in my life, i got what i got and worked with it.
The next morning I woke up to a request for a virtual interview. It was the most nerve racking moment of my life. Oddly enough the kpop gods were on my side because I got the job a week later. Maybe luck and I would become friends after all.
Here I am a month of paperwork and protocols later, walking into my first day of work. I had no idea who my students would be. No clue who I would work with, could be anyone. The truth is I was in the same building as Stray Kids which both excited me and terrified me. The chances of running into them had gone from 0.01% to about 99.99% but I wasn’t here for them. This was about me, about finally living a life of adventure and excitement. The last thing I needed was a distraction like SKZ.
I had been told to order things I would need for my classes, from one of the HR people I had spoken to over the last month. My office/classroom was pretty big compared to the fact that I didn’t expect to have one at all, but I guess that they take idol education seriously. According to the company everything arrived yesterday and all that had to be done was set it up to my liking.
I walked down the hall of the pretty empty 8th floor and keyed in my door code, taking a deep breath as it unlocked. The dark room was a bit cold as I turned on the lights listening for the automatic click of the closed door. My shoulders slumped into a more relaxed position as I was now alone with no chance of anyone seeing me. Suddenly it hit me like a freight train, I was here. I took a moment and flapped around my fists in excitement. A habit I had since childhood, whenever I was excited or happy.
I walked over to my desk and pressed the remote to open the blinds to the two windows on two walls of the room. There were boxes and furniture everywhere and I shook my head at the idea of decorating before teaching whoever ended up walking through that door.
After two hours of moving things around and setting up a rolling white board with the date and my name , I stepped back to admire my work. I smiled at the horseshoe desk setup, proud that I thought it would help me best connect with my students. I had six desks with chairs which made me wonder how many students I’d have at once. There was a couch set up in the back of the room against the glass with a small coffee table in front of it. By the door I had my desk and a rolling white board I could move around the room as needed. I looked at the two blank walls and made a mental note to find something to hang so as to not have the world’s most boring room.
I unpacked my lesson plan for the first student whose identity I had yet to know. Over the past month I had studied up on a few more JYP groups, since my previous focus had been on SKZ. Stray Kids wasn't just my focus but my small obsession. I was a little delulu but hey what kpop fan wasn't. They were my favorite group. I knew little of the other groups so at least becoming familiar with names and who spoke English and who didn’t was helpful. My contract also said I might be teaching staff as well, but there wasn’t much I could do about learning every JYPE employee’s name.
My job felt exciting but so did everything else. Everything was new but I wasn’t homesick, on the contrary. I was elated by what seemed to be a new world around me. This adventure would be everything I had ever wanted. A chance to be someone new. Someone who took risks and tried new things. Someone brave and daring.
I had always been a creature of habit, after all if it isn’t broken why fix it. The real truth is that under all that laid someone I was too scared to tap into. Someone who didn’t let time tick by while they sat sedentary. I refused to have come this far both figurative and literally, to let that part of me go ignored any longer.
I snapped myself out of my inner monologue and organized my paperwork separating the lesson plans by paperclips for the separate sessions I would have throughout the day. I had made different tests for the different levels. I honestly was over prepared and I knew as much, but I preferred that than seeming like I didn’t know what I was doing.
My first session was a one on one which I have to say was my favorite type of class. It allowed for a more comfortable setting for the student. One where they wouldn’t feel the pressure to keep up or worry about making mistakes in front of their peers.
From the work I had been given the student was pretty well versed in the English language. I would maintain the entire class in English to see how far I could push their knowledge of the language.
I had a little time left so I decided to walk down the hall to one of the staff lounge areas to grab a coffee. It seemed to be deserted on this floor which was honestly a benefit for me. I liked the quiet. Though I knew the rooms were usually used for extra practice space and vocal lessons, they were sound proof.
The lounge was identical to the one on each floor. The walls were a bright yellow and the white cabinets that held the JYP blue cups and mugs. I grabbed a JYP monogrammed mug and placed it under the coffee machine. I made a mental note to bring a cute mug for myself. Once I had my black coffee I walked back to my office as I heard the door to the elevator open.
“An-” my greeting was cut short as I looked up to see Kim Seungmin step out of the elevator.
“Anyo- I mean Hello.” he smiled shyly.
“Hello.” I said I’m sure I looked like a deer in headlights, mostly because that was exactly what I felt like. There are pretty people, then there are handsome people, then there’s the members of SKZ which exist in a category all on their own. Kim Seungmin was a marvel to look at, he had that boy next door thing going even down to how he was dressed today. He wore a dark letterman type jacket over a plain white t-shirt, and black joggers. I would bet anything he had practice later today.
His tan skin and boyish smile, his puppy dog eyes, wow. I never thought I would be this close to him or that I’d have my heart leaping out of my chest like it was.
“I think you are my teacher. I am Kim Seungmin.” He said with his hand outstretched.
“Yes, I’m Addison or Addy.” I said, taking his hand. How were his hands so soft?
“Not Mrs. Addison.” he let go and I grabbed my coffee with both hands. Mostly out of fear I’d drop the mug.
“Oh, umh, let’s keep that for the classroom.” I said watching as my second bias wrecker stared back at me.
“Okay. Can I get a coffee before I go inside?” he pointed in the direction I had come from.
“Of course. Just come in when you’re ready.” I said taking a step back.
“Thank you.” he nodded his head.
I walked away and placed a hand over my fast beating heart. Who on earth said I was qualified to teach Kim Seungmin English? Right, he is just a person Addy, I talked myself down. I entered my code in the door and pressed the button on the inside that left the door unlocked.
I took two sips of my coffee and set the cup on my desk as I reread through the paperwork I had been given about the student, who I now knew was Seungmin. It all made sense now, his English was almost perfect though he had specifically stated he wanted to become more fluent in the language, which was why he was still taking classes. Not that that surprised me, he still took vocal lessons regardless of his perfect singing voice. The man was a perfectionist with many things.
Seungmin walked in and I turned to smile at him.
“Coffee always comes first.” I said, waving my hand in the direction of his seat.
“Thank you, Mrs. Addison,” he started.
“It’s Ms. Addison, not Mrs. I am not married.” I corrected.
“Oh right, Misses is married.” he said as he took a seat in one of the desks.
“Yes.” I couldn’t believe I was talking to this man. Lately this man had been absolutely wrecking me to pieces. Something about his new hair cut had all of Stayville under a spell.
“What about mister?” he asked, removing his jacket and placing it on the chair beside him.
“Mister is always used for a man even if he isn’t married.” I tried to focus as I watched him.
“Oh okay.” he nodded.
“For today, I want to give you a test, it’s to see how much we need to work on. I know your English is pretty good. Let’s test it then we can work on it from there. Sounds good?”
“Test on my first day. Ugh.” he started laughing, shaking his head as he grabbed the pencil I had placed on his desk on top of the test. His usual Seungmin humor made me smile. My Stay heart had calmed a bit but I would definitely be freaking out about this once the day was over.
To bad I signed the worlds longest NDA before working here, i knew my kpop friends would have freaked the fuck out, to put it lightly. I mean i would have too if i wasn’t his teacher and again so much paperwork about behavior i could barely understand it at some points. My old job was working with a lawyer reading contracts as an assistant so legal jargon wasnt foreign to me. The stacks of documents I had signed were pretty ridiculous though I could completely see why they were necessary. Had to keep these idols safe and also of course making money.
I began working on finding a work sheet for Mr, Miss and Mrs for a warm up exercise for my next lesson with him. I tried to keep myself busy so I wouldn’t be tempted to stare at the gorgeous man in front of me. He caught me looking at him once and I turned bright pink as he smiled back at me. I couldn’t help but think of all the Stays who would have meltdowns over the simple gesture of him smiling. Me being one of them. It was the short hair. Mean Girls (the movie) was definitely right. Some guys just look better with their hair pushed back or in Seungmins case currently cut short.
The class continued smoothly. Seungmin was smart, but I already knew that. I graded his test with him so he could see what we would be working on. Most were idioms and things of that nature.
He seemed excited about learning with me which was a good sign that my professionalism was working because when he laughed my Stay heart melted a bit. I was also excited that his sense of humor was everything I already knew but so much better. He joked around and I felt like we were both comfortable in each other’s presence. I really hoped that it would be like this with anyone I taught. Especially the idols, after all they were under so much pressure with everything else I didn't want to make learning English a struggle for them too.
Once our hour was up he headed to vocal lessons. I had an hour break before my next students which were three at pre intermediate to intermediate level. I did wish I had more info then I had been given on the students, but the first was great so I hoped the same for the others.
I left my door unlocked while I waited. I continued pulling up different things I could use for Seungmin. Now that I knew it was him, it would be easy to cater my lessons to his taste specifically. Things I knew he liked or stuff I heard him mention in interviews or in other content.
The knock on my door made me jump a bit, the door then opened before I had the chance to ask them to enter in korean. Which seemed counterintuitive considering I was teaching English.
I looked up from my computer. If i had been in a movie the next few moments would have been in slow motion. Changbin’s smile stunned me as he walked in. His black T-shirt was tight around his muscles and it took everything in me not to stare at his chest. I was no better than a man when it came to these men. He wore dark blue fitted jeans that contoured his thighs perfectly. Kpop gods send help!
“Hello”, he bowed his head, I stood from my seat and did the same. “I’m Changbin”, he held out his hand as I held out mine.
“Hi, I’m Addison or Addy, Ms. Addison in class.” I shook his hand, apart from the calluses from working out his hand was soft but firm.
“Ms. Addison.” he repeated letting go of my hand.
“We are going to wait for two more students so please have a seat.” I waved at the desks, allowing him to choose. Mostly giving my racing heart time to calm down. This couldn’t be possible. My students couldn’t all be SKZ. There was no way I was that lucky or would it be unlucky. Honestly it was hard to tell.
“Hyunjin and I.N will be here soon, they had dance practice.” Changbin said taking a seat in the U shaped desk setup.
“Oh okay. No problem. What did you do before this?” I asked to be polite but honestly I was curious.
“I was in the studio, you know 3Racha?” he beamed with pride at the name, his shoulders straightening out with confidence.
“Yes, I know 3Racha.” I said with a giggle, his hair was its natural curly state and I did my best not to swoon.
There was a knock on the door and then the door opened to reveal Hyunjin and I.N. I was glad I didn’t have to explain my knowledge of 3Racha to Changbin though I would mention I liked their music as I had done with Seungmin.
They both looked perfectly angelic as they walked in, saw Changbin and bowed to me. I.N wore gray sweats with a gray hoodie and Hyunjin had on a Versace T-shirt and loose joggers. How could all of them be even more stunning in person? They all had no makeup on and I said a silent thank you to the universe for letting me see them in such a way.
After quick introductions I explained the test they would be taking and how we would go over it once they were done. Much like with seungmin, I needed to test their knowledge of the language.
I tried not to watch them but in truth I kept glancing up at the men before me. They probably knew I was watching them but I tried to keep my eyes on my computer. I needed them to feel safe around me, not like I was some crazy fangirl. They knew I had signed an NDA but I wanted them to know they could let their guard down. But the truth is I would be a stranger to them for a while before they would feel safe around me, if they ever did. I could only imagine how hard it was to trust people when you had their type of fame and status.
The thing is I wasn’t the girl things happened too, i had to always work for everything and most times it didn’t even work out in my favor. Life was never easy and I never once got lucky. Except for this. Being in Seoul and working at JYP Entertainment was everything I could have ever wanted but didn’t know I could have. Add my favorite kpop group to my students and it was a dream come true.
I went over the test with the guys, Hyunjin being an introvert finally loosened up towards the end. I.N was pretty excited about what I promised to teach but he was also very proper when he spoke. Changbin screamed with joy when I said I could add some music production terms to my lessons with him to help with his music.
It all felt surreal and yet so comfortable to be around them. I guess years of watching all their content really helped me out with that. After all they were just guys with really cool jobs. Guys that looked like princes but guys nonetheless.
I was working at my desk getting different lesson plans together for the next class when there was a knock on my door. Then through my door walked the last person I was expecting to see today. JYP himself.
“Ms. Addison, how are you?” He asked and I stood from my desk, giving a small bow.
“Hello Mr. Park, I’m good, how are you?” I felt nervous but I had learned through the interview process that this man wouldn’t respect me unless I showed him I deserved it. Which wasnt my favorite approach but after all this was his world.
“Good, good. I was wondering if you had a moment.” he asked.
“Yes, of course.” I said as he walked around the room.
“I would like to know how your first two classes went.” He said it wasn’t a question more of a demand but he spoke in a soft tone.
“Oh um, they’ve gone great so far.” I was not sure how he expected me to respond.
“Has it been difficult working with Stray Kids considering you are a fan?” he asked and I froze. I mentioned it in the interview process once when I was asked if I knew any of the artists that worked at JYPE. I didn’t know he had been privy to that information.
“Oh um, no, not at all i think it’s actually been helpful, after all they are just guys with cool jobs.” I said out loud and instantly regretted the last part.
“Ha, you are right about that.” he chuckled. “I’m glad to hear it won’t be a problem.”
“No sir.” I said, meeting his eye for a moment.
“Good well I'll leave you to it.” He exited the room after I gave him a small bow.
Well that was strange, I thought as the door closed behind him. I couldn’t understand why he would pay me a visit in the first place. Honestly, even him being involved with my hiring process had felt weird, but I couldn’t think. Things were so different here. I wondered what had prompted the visit from big boss JYP himself. It seemed out of place.
>>>
It had been two weeks and I wasn't just teaching four members of SKZ but also some members of the Division One staff.
I had one class that morning with one of the security guards and then would have a few hours to myself before my next class.
I headed to the convenience store down the street. As I waited for the elevator I thought of who my next student must be. They were new on my schedule for this week. Han Jisung would be interesting to teach, he was known for his forgetful nature. On multiple occasions forgetting he wrote certain songs or more then once forgetting his own lyrics. I smiled to myself as I got into the mirrored elevator.
I walked out of the building to the most beautiful day I had experienced in Seoul so far. The sun was out but there was a light breeze. The sun against my skin felt warm and inviting while the breeze ruffled through my straightened hair. I’d kill to be outside versus in the building but hey you can’t have it all. I knew there was a rooftop space but I would feel awkward there on my own.
Convenience stores in South Korea really did live up to the name, they had pretty much anything you can think of. The convenience store was packed with things like food, household necessities and toiletries. It was pretty empty aside from the cashier and one person in the back dressed in all black. They looked like they were buying enough drinks for a village. I headed straight to the ice cup fridge grabbing one and a coffee. I then headed to the premade food counter picking a sandwich and some chips for later. As I went to pay the person in the back headed for the counter at the same time. The man in all black with wide shoulders couldn’t be who i thought it was. There was no way, but I couldn’t see his face as he hid under the brim of his hat and face mask.
I watched as he walked away and I knew it was him, Bang Chan. The way that man walked was very 6 ft 5 for a man who was 5 ft 8 on a good day. I as well as any other Stay could easily tell who he was, most Stay could tell the members apart by their hands or lips. The world of a kpop stan was an interesting one, that’s for sure.
I paid for my lunch and headed back to the JYP building. The thought of entering this building was still exciting. I hoped that novelty didn’t wear off any time soon. I ran into a few girls from a girl group I wasn’t too familiar with but I bowed as they did, it was certainly something I’d have to get used to. I waited for the elevator and I ran into Seungmin and he looked down at my bag.
“Are you having lunch alone?” he asked as he pressed the button first.
“Umh, Yeah.” I smiled shyly. I had been eating alone for most of my time here, occasionally joining some of the staff I taught if our lunch times matched up.
“Why don’t you have lunch with us?” he offered.
“Us?” he couldn’t possibly mean the members.
“Me and a few members in the cafeteria.” Seungmins smile could stop traffic.
“Oh no i couldn’t.” I said, honestly, that just felt like a recipe for disaster.
“It’ll be me and Han and Changbin hyung,” he said.
“Oh I don’t want to intrude.” I said as the elevator opened for us to get in.
“Please Addy.” The look in his eyes melted away any concern I had at that moment.
He really did have puppy dog eyes. There was a different side to Kim Seungmin than the side I had always seen. I knew these men were different from their kpop idol personas but the gentleness in which he pleaded with me was still a bit jarring.
“Okay.” I said, shaking off my new realization.
“Great.” he said with a smile and pressed the third floor button.
“Thank you for inviting me.” I said with a small bow.
“Can’t leave our new favorite teacher alone.” he giggled and damn it had me weak in the knees.
“Oh, am I really your favorite?” I asked.
“Yes, much prettier than the old guy we had before.” Seungmin said matter of fact, did he just call me pretty.
“Thank you but you also think Bang Chan is old, and I’m two years older than him.” The throw away comment caught me off guard but I played it cool.
“You are still prettier.” He smiled, emphasizing the word again and faced the elevator door as it opened.
“Umh thank you.” I blushed. I looked down in order to avoid tripping on my own feet as we exited the elevator.
“Cute.” he said as he saw me blushing. I hadn’t noticed he had turned to me, and was watching me.
We walked around the cafeteria and picked a table in a corner, it reminded me of high school. Just like back then I sat with my back towards the wall and Seungmin sat next to me. The room was pretty empty aside from a few staff members.
“Do you always eat lunch at this time?” I asked.
“Oh it depends on our schedule.” He said taking out his phone and placing it face down on the table between us.
“Makes sense.” I nodded.
“How’s teaching at JYP?” He asked, crossing his arms over the table and turning his head to look at me. He looked so comfortable here.
“It’s been good, I can’t really complain, teaching SKZ is interesting.” I said with a smile.
“And loud?” he asked.
“Yes and a little loud but I enjoy it.” I giggle.
“Why did you become an English teacher?” He asked and I saw the genuine interest in his eyes.
“I wanted to challenge myself. Push myself to do more and be more extroverted.” I said nervously.
“What is your MBTI?” he smiled.
“Oh, INFJ.” i said, i guess that really was a common thing to ask here.
“Mmh, where in the United States are you from?” he leaned a bit closer to me, it was a subconscious gesture, a sign he was actually interested in what i had to say.
“New York but my parents are from the Dominican Republic.” I explained.
“That's in Latin America?” he said after a second.
“It’s a small island in the Caribbean but yeah we speak spanish.” I said, I assumed it was less likely that someone on this side of the planet would be well versed in my tiny island in the Caribbean.
“Spanish is a very…” he searched for the word. “nice language.” he finally said.
“Nice?” I asked, knowing that that was probably not his first word choice.
“I would say sexy but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” he said with a shy smile.
“Oh don’t worry i dont get uncomfortable easily.” I knew he liked jokes and was good at reading people. I wanted him to know that I could be someone he could joke with too. That he could let his guard down around me too.
“Good to know,” he said.
Neither of us had noticed Changbin and Jisung walking up to the table as we were so engrossed in our conversation. They stood in front of us and we both finally looked up.
“Ms. Addison?” Changbin cocked his head to the side in confusion.
“Just Addy if we are outside of class.” I corrected.
“This is our English teacher, Addy.” Seungmin explained to Han and the way he said my nickname made my stomach flip.
“Hello, I’m Han.” Jisung bowed like a prince, one hand swooping over her body with a smile on his face.
“Hi Jisung.” I giggled.
“She was going to have lunch alone so I invited her to eat with us.” Seungmin continued.
“I hope it’s okay.” I said politely.
“Yes it’s okay, food is better with friends.” Changbin smiled then looked over at the food area.
“Let’s go get our food hyung.” Seungmin said to Changbin then turned to me, “I’ll be right back.” Seungmin said to me as they both left.
Jisung took the seat in front of where Seungmin had been sitting, and began removing food from the bag in his hand.
“I have a question.” He said in a confused tone.
“I might have an answer.” I smiled.
“Do I have to take a test too?” He asked.
“Yes, but I promise it’s just so I know what to teach you, what level you’re on, things like that.” so he was my new student today.
“Tests are so hard.” He said with even more of a boyish charm then normal.
“This one isn’t too bad.” I tried to ease his nerves.
“Okay.” he pouted.
“I’ve heard you speak english a million times, trust me this will be fun.” I said hoping not to freak him out with me knowing so much about him.
“You heard me speak english?” he said with a puzzled look.
“Yes I have.” I waited.
“When?” his eyebrows knitted together.
“I’m a Stay.” I said.
“Oh, oh.” his eyes got bigger as he realized what i had said.
Changbin and Seungmin had returned with trays of black bean noodles from the cafeteria.
“She’s a Stay.” Jisung almost shouted.
“We know.” Seungmin said.
“She told us.” Changbin took the seat in front of me.
We ended up all having a wild conversation about food as we ate. Wild because Changbin and Han seemed very into the subject of the best ramen and where to go. They were giving me restaurant recommendations, where to order and what to try. The loud voices of the guys seemed to be white noise for the cafeteria staff and JYP employees because no one batted an eye.
I laughed as Seungmin shook his head. It felt odd to be this comfortable around complete strangers. Everything seemed as if I was standing right in the middle of one of their SKZ-talker videos. Here I was just having lunch with members of my favorite group who just so happened to be my English students.
“We have to head back to the studio, Channie hyung is waiting.” Jisung said after he aggressively grabbed Changbins phone to check the time as it sat in the middle of the table. With a yell Changbin snatched his phone back and the table erupted into laughter.
“Oh well make sure he eats too and thank you for letting me have lunch with you.” I said to them as they both got up to leave.
“Anytime Addy you’re funny, I like it.” Han said with a smile.
“Thank you Jisung. I’ll see you later for your lesson.” I said and he smiled before turning to follow Changbin.
“What about you Minnie? What’s next?” I asked, trying to find out if his outfit was due to dance practice.
“I have dance practice with Minho hyung,” he said, sounding deflated.
“You don’t sound excited.” I said.
“I can’t seem to get this one.” he looked at his phone for the time.
“You are amazing and so talented. You can handle it.” I said with an encouraging smile. He was so much more than that but I couldn’t say anything even close to what I would have said as a Stay.
“Thank you, that means a lot.” He paused but I knew he wasn’t done speaking. “We don’t get to hang out with Stay so it’s nice to hear.”
“Well I know a lot of Stays who would love to tell you how amazing we think you are.” I instantly regretted it.
“Are you friends with a lot of Stays ?” he asked.
“Well internet friends but yeah.” I smiled.
“What do you talk about?” he asked, a crooked smile playing on his lips.
“Nope, that’s for Stayville only.” I couldn’t take my eyes away from him.
“But I’m Stray Kids.” his smile spread to a mischievous one.
“You don’t get to know what we say.” I smirked back.
“Who’s your bias?” he asked and the question caught me off guard. I was glad I was still sitting.
“Ot8.” i said, truth is there was an order to them, with Seungmin coming in at number three. I was certainly not saying that out loud.
“That’s not true we are all so different.” he had a point.
“There’s things in each of you that I connect with.” Each member had particular qualities and personality traits that made them each special in their own way.
“What is it about me?” He asked.
“You’re going to be late for practice.” I changed the topic.
“Okay Noona. Next time you have to tell me.” he said with a flirty tone and my stomach filled with butterflies.
“Noona.” it wasn’t a question but it felt odd considering i wasn’t korean.
“Sorry it’s a habit.” he said with a shy smile running his hand over the back of his neck.
“It’s okay.” I smiled to put him at ease.
We both got on the elevator he headed to practice on the fourth floor and I went up to my room.
“Have a good day, Addy.” he said as he left the elevator, a hint of flirt in his voice.