Being EXO’s fem!idol crush who gets shipped with them - Maknae Line Ver.
a/n: this is based on the SM girl group idol au that i wrote a while back, please read that first so that the writing will make sense :) AND these scenarios are LONG (esp. Chanyeol’s omg it took FOREVER) so i’m splitting this into two parts! enjoy :)
TW: kissing, sleeping in the same bed, mentions of food, slightly suggestive remarks, mentions of bullying, being held, sitting on his lap, mild cursing
You were both sent by the company to be on a new variety show called “Idol Roommates,” where a bunch of idols would be living together in the same house for a month. SM had sent you, Chanyeol, Yeri, and Ten, Hybe had sent Beomgyu, Jake, Sakura, and Minji, and JYP had sent Bangchan, Yuna, Lily, and and Gunil. The fans were super excited to see all of their favorite idols be roommates, and you had to admit, you were a little too excited to be living in such close proximity with Chanyeol.
The first episode began with you all arriving to the house with your label mates, and greeting all the other idols in the kitchen. There were cameras hidden all around the house, except for in the bathrooms, so you never really could tell what was being broadcasted and what wasn’t.
“So, what do we do first?” Sakura asked once everyone had arrived.
“Oh, there’s a note here on the table…” Bangchan said as he reached for it. “‘Welcome to your new home for the next month! In this bowl are all of your names. Please draw for your roommate and choose your rooms in order of your ages.’” he read aloud.
“Well, Chanyeol hyung is the oldest, so he goes first.” Ten explained, patting Chanyeol’s shoulder.
“Wow, you don’t have to rub it in.” Chanyeol joked, a playful smile on his face. Everyone laughed along with him, quieting down when he reached into the bowl to draw a name.
“Y/N.” he announced. Everyone turned to you expectantly. Yeri and Ten shot you mischievous grins, to which you blushed and looked away. They knew about your enormous crush on Chanyeol, how he had been your bias since high school, and how you used to have posters of him all over your wall. You shot them a dangerous glare before turning to Chanyeol.
“Alright, shall we go pick our room?” you proposed, desperate to get the attention off yourself.
“Yeah, let’s go!” he agreed, leading you up the stairs.
“This one looks the biggest.” you suggested after you had surveyed all the rooms.
He walked over from the other end of the hall and glanced inside the room you were talking about. “Alright, works for me!”
You had separate beds on opposite sides of the room, but it was still a little awkward. The two of you had several interactions in the past, and they were all pleasant, but mostly formal. You began unpacking your suitcases and shuffling around the room to get settled in silence.
As you did so, you could hear the other groupings running excitedly up the stairs to claim their rooms. Ten and Sakura were first, then Bangchan and Yeri. Gunil had picked Jake, then Beomgyu picked Lily, and that left Yuna and Minji together. Hearing the chatter of your colleagues in the background helped ease the tension a bit.
“Do you sleep with a light on?” Chanyeol asked suddenly, making you jump a bit.
You nodded sheepishly. “I’m a bit scared of the dark to be honest.”
“Ah, you’ll have to remind me. I don’t sleep with a light. Are you okay with having a fan on?”
“Yeah, I don’t mind that!” you told him, shuffling awkwardly. “I’m sorry you got stuck rooming with me. I know I’m not the most fun person in the world.”
“No, don’t be sorry… I’m actually relieved that I drew your name.” he told you reassuringly.
“Really?” you asked, cocking your head to the side in curiosity. “Why’s that?”
“Because you’re one of the few people I feel comfortable around in the idol world.” he answered, a tiny, bashful grin on his face.
You tried to ignore the flush creeping up your cheeks. “I feel the same way about you.”
Suddenly, Bangchan and Yeri appeared at your door. “Hey, are you guys ready for the debrief? We’re all heading downstairs now.” Chan asked.
“Yeah, let’s go.” Chanyeol replied, leading you out of the room. He followed Bangchan down the stairs, and with their backs to you, Yeri turned around and wiggled her brows at you. You pushed her forward a bit out of annoyance, causing her to tumble down the stairs by a few steps. You instinctively reached out for her, then looked at her, concerned. You both broke out into laughter, her gripping onto the railing and you holding onto her.
“That would’ve sucked.” Yeri chuckled, holding onto her stomach from laughing so hard.
“Okay, so all the housework has been assigned.” Sakura declared, setting down her slice of pizza. “We’ll do meals in order of oldest to youngest, and chores in order of youngest to oldest.”
The production company had sent you all pizza for your first dinner, but you were instructed to prepare meals for the house for the rest of the time you would be there. That meant that you and Chanyeol would be preparing breakfast tomorrow.
For the remainder of the night, you all just chilled in the enormous living room and talked about all of your careers while a movie played on the TV. Conversation was flowing so smoothly that time just seemed to fly by, and before you knew it, everyone was getting up to get ready for bed, including you and Chanyeol.
“You can take a shower first.” he told you, sitting down at his bed to check his phone.
“Okay, thanks!” you chirped, making your way over to the bathroom.
Once you were done and in your pajamas, which embarrassingly enough had little kittens all over them, you padded your way back over to your own bed. “It’s all yours.” you told him.
“Awesome, be right back.” he responded, getting up from his bed. He did a double take as he looked at you. “Nice pajamas. They’re cute.”
You blushed, trying to focus on drying your hair. “Thank you. Kaori got them for me and I just can’t resist wearing them, even if they are kind of silly.”
“They’re perfect.” he smiled as he walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind him.
You sighed, placing your hands on your cheeks to cool them off. Get it together Y/N. You’re on TV.
You went about the rest of your nightly routine, then curled up in bed to scroll on your phone for a bit. After a while, you heard the water shut off, meaning that Chanyeol was done with his shower. And then it happened. Everything went to black.
You yelped a bit at the sudden darkness, gripping onto your blankets.
“Guys?” you heard Gunil shout from down the hallway.
Everyone started emerging into the hallway with their phone flashlights on. “Is everyone okay?” you heard Lily ask.
“Everyone’s here except for Chanyeol and Y/N.” Jake stated. You heard shuffling down the hallway coming towards your room, which only made your anxiety worsen. You didn’t want any of your adult colleagues to see you scared out of your mind just because the electricity went out.
Just as you were preparing to face your housemates, Chanyeol emerged from the bathroom and practically sprinted over to the door with his own phone’s flashlight.
“Yeah, we’re both good in here.” he told your housemates from the doorway, shielding you from the view. “Since it’s the middle of the night anyway, I say we just all go to sleep. The production company’s cameras will have suddenly shut off, so I’m sure they’ll fix it by morning.”
“Yeah, that’s a good point.” Chan agreed. “Well, since everyone’s okay, let’s just go back to our rooms.”
Once everyone was back in their rooms, Chanyeol rushed over to you, sitting down on your bed. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice dripping with concern. You had never seen him so serious before.
“Yeah… just scared…” you shuddered, gripping onto your blankets.
“It’s okay, nothing is gonna happen to you. I promise.” he comforted you, patting your shoulder. “Do you think you can try to go to sleep?”
You thought for a moment, then shook your head. “I’d be too anxious. I know that nothing is going to happen to me, but it’s just a fear I’ve never been able to shake.”
He looked as if he was tossing an idea around in his head. Hesitantly, he looked back up at you. “Would you be able to sleep if we shared a bed?”
Your eyes went wide. Was Park Chanyeol actually offering to sleep in the same bed as you just so you would feel safe? It was as if all of your dreams were coming true in this moment.
You coughed awkwardly. “Well um… you don’t have to if it makes you uncomfortable, but… it would definitely help.” you stuttered out.
“I don’t mind at all.” he told you, a comforting smile on his features. “I just want you to feel better.”
You grinned, feeling your heart swell with emotions, then scooched over to make room for him.
It was obviously a little bit awkward at first. You both faced away from each other, a good three inches of space between the two of you. You thought that was going to be how the rest of the night went, until you started shaking.
“Y/N, are you trembling?” Chanyeol asked, turning towards you.
You froze. “Um… yeah. I’m sorry. I’m just scared.” you sighed in humiliation.
“It’s alright… do you want me to hold you?” he offered, placing a hand on your shoulder.
“I… I don’t want you to feel like you have to…” you spat out reluctantly, even though your heart was screaming at you to say yes immediately.
“I want to, Y/N.” he told you, a slight chuckle slipping out as he did so. “I mean, who doesn’t want to hold the person they like as they fall asleep?”
Your heart stopped. More than anything, you said in your head.
Your mouth fell open in shock, and you frantically flopped over to face him completely. “You like me?”
He nodded, a small smirk on his face. “I thought it was obvious.”
Your face broke out into a huge, toothy grin, and you lunged forward to hide your blushing face in his chest. He chuckled at your bashfulness, closing his arms around you in a tight embrace.
“Shall we get some sleep?” he asked.
You happily nodded in his hold. “I think I can manage now that I’ll have something to dream about.”
“Goodnight Y/N.” he whispered, placing a gentle kiss to your forehead before curling up around you.
In the morning, you tumbled awake to see him sitting up against the headboard scrolling on his phone. “I was just about to wake you up.” he chuckled, ruffling your hair. “Did you sleep well?”
You nodded groggily, smiling through squinted eyes. “All thanks to you.” you curled into his side.
“Although you look super adorable right now, we really should get started on breakfast.” he suggested. “We don’t want everyone going hungry.”
“I suppose so…” you sighed, getting out of bed. You both threw on your robes and slippers and made your way downstairs to the kitchen.
“Alright, what are we working with?” Chanyeol inquired as he opened the fridge, inspecting its contents.
“Well first of all, we’re going to need lots of coffee.” you giggled, busying yourself with the coffee pot.
“Very true. I can get started on some eggs and bacon while you do that.” he decided, swiping the ingredients out of the fridge and moving over to the stove. You prepared breakfast in a comfortable silence, that was, until the front door swung open, and three suited men strode in. You recognized one as your manager, but had no idea who the other two were.
“Hyung? What’s going on?” Chanyeol asked one of the men you didn’t know. You now assumed it was his manager.
“Don’t worry, we shut the cameras off this morning.” the man responded to him. “However, the production manager would like to tell you something.” He turned to the last remaining unidentified man and looked at him begrudgingly. Your own manager looked equally as annoyed with the supposed production manager, tapping his foot impatiently.
The man sighed. “The electrical outage was staged last night. Cameras were rolling throughout the entire night, and everything that went on was broadcasted.”
“You mean… the fans saw…?” you asked meekly, feeling your heart drop into your stomach.
“Yes, they saw you and Chanyeol sleeping in the same bed and confessing to one another.” your manager told you, a sympathetic look in his eyes. “I’m sorry kid. They didn’t tell us about this, or else we would’ve told you not to act as if you were in private.”
“There is, however, a bit of good news that goes along with this.” Chanyeol’s manager interjected. “The fans are really happy about it.”
You both snapped your heads up in shock. “Really?”
“Our ratings went through the roof.” the production manager explained. “Just in the past eight hours, we’ve received more viewers than any of our previous pilot episodes combined.”
“What are they saying?” you inquired, still incredibly surprised that the response was positive. Fans were not usually supportive of idol romance, wanting to maintain their own personal fantasies about their idols being available. In fact, “Idol Roomates” was kind of a controversial show because it allowed male and female idols to live together as if they were couples.
“See for yourself.” your manager instructed, holding his phone out to you. You began scrolling through some recent tweets he had pulled up on his phone, Chanyeol looking over your shoulder to read them with you.
I TOLD YOU GUYS IDOL ROOMMATES WAS FIRE, NOW WE GET Y/N AND CHANYEOL CONTENT 🔥
channie was soooo sweet to comfort y/n while she was afraid of the dark 🥺 i love seeing him be so soft to her ❤️
that innocent forehead kiss!!! i love them so much!!! <3
“Wow… that’s amazing.” Chanyeol marveled, running a hand through his hair. “So… what now?”
“Well, that’s up to you guys.” his manager replied. “The company has given us the okay to either confirm or deny the relationship based on your wishes.”
You both glanced at the floor, thinking to yourselves for a moment. Suddenly, you looked up and realized that you didn’t owe anyone an explanation.
“Let’s not say anything.” you suggested. Everyone looked over to you with a slightly shocked expression.
“Nothing?” your manager asked. “You mean, just let them wonder?”
“Actually, that’s not a bad idea…” the production manager agreed, tapping his chin in thought. “They are the most popular couple on the show, and no matter what, there are going to be skeptics on whether or not it was staged. Why don’t we just let the show be an experiment?”
“And if we ever do develop a relationship, this can be looked back on as where it developed.” Chanyeol grinned, taking your hand in his.
You grinned at him appreciatively, then turned back to your manager. “Is that okay?”
He shrugged, an amused smile on his face. “It’s your call, kid.”
You looked back over at Chanyeol, who gave you a determined nod.
“Let’s do it.” you decided.
“Alright, case closed.” Chanyeol’s manager stated, clapping his hands together. “We’re going to see that you guys have a few minutes to speak with each other alone before they turn the cameras back on...” He shot a dirty look to the production manager before continuing. “… but other than that, we hope you have fun on the show. And please, don’t take it too far. Fans can be quite temperamental.”
As soon as the three men left the room, you turnt to Chanyeol. “Did you really mean that?”
“What? That I see us developing a relationship?” he asked, scratching his head with a cute smile. “I thought that much was obvious.”
You giggled, shaking your head at yourself. “This is the second time I’ve been completely oblivious. I feel like such a fool.”
“You’re not a fool.” he reassured you, pulling you into his arms for a tight hug. His height always allowed him to give the best hugs. He made you feel so safe and cared for. “You have nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Thank you…” you whimpered into his chest. “I really do want to make this work.”
“And it will.” he grinned, rocking you slightly. “I promise.”
You looked up, resting your chin on his chest. “I believe you. You promised nothing would happen to me last night, and you were right.”
He smiled down at you affectionately. “There’s one more thing I want to do with these last few minutes we’ll get alone.”
“Hm?” you asked, once again oblivious to his insinuation.
Before you even had time to register what was happening, his lips were on yours. His hands came up to hold onto your face and press himself further up against you. You held your breath, then relaxed into his arms, hands linking together behind his neck. He began to deepen the kiss, puckering his lips against yours repeatedly and darting his tongue between them periodically. When you were completely out of air, you pulled back, both of your chests heaving against one another.
“I can’t wait until this show is over and we can have some real privacy.” you grinned suggestively. “Now, shall we finish breakfast?”
You rubbed your sweaty palms against the rough material of your jeans, taking a deep shaky breath as you waited in the recording studio. Usually when you were nervous in a place like this, it was because you were worried about messing up your notes or forgetting the lyrics. But that wasn’t the case today. You had practiced the drama’s OST relentlessly, and knew the song forwards, backwards, and sideways. What you were nervous about was the fact that you were going to be singing a duet with Do Kyungsoo.
Not only were you totally intimidated by his vocals, but you also had the most mortifying crush on him. Everyone at the company seemed to know about it except him, and you wanted to keep it that day. You just hoped you wouldn’t make a fool of yourself in front of him today.
You jumped as he entered the room, springing to your feet. He looked ungodly handsome, clad in a black button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up halfway and jeans.
“Hey Y/N.” he smiled warmly as you locked eyes. “How’s it going?”
“Hey, I’ve been really good!” you choked out, playing with the sleeve of your sweater. “How about you? I saw you guys were in Jeju Island last week. I mean, on Instagram, I wasn’t there stalking you or anything. Not that I’m not a fan, but…” you stopped yourself before you dug down into an even deeper hole.
He chuckled at your babbling, somehow finding it endearing. “We were, it was a really good trip. Although I almost threw Baekhyun off a cliff while we were hiking.”
“Oh, that’s not good! Accidents happen, I suppose.” you shrugged, brushing your hair back behind your ears. You could feel a thin layer of sweat on the back of your neck, a telltale sign that you were nervous. You had to tell yourself to calm down, you didn’t want to look sweaty when they filmed the video.
“Oh no, it would’ve been on purpose. He was being insufferable.” he explained, grinning evilly. God, he was so attractive.
You laughed, genuinely this time. “I get it. Sometimes I want to strangle the girls.”
He hummed in amusement. “Look at us, bonding over wanting to kill our members.”
You giggled at his comment, feeling yourself relax slightly. Maybe this isn’t going to be so ba-
“Alright guys, the company wants us to film the video now, so in the booth.” your manager decreed as he entered the room.
“We don’t get a chance to practice at all?” Kyungsoo asked, looking understandably irritated.
“I’m sorry guys, they forgot about the deadline they gave the marketing team for the drama.” the other man explained sympathetically. “They need it within the next hour, and editing is going to need at least a half hour after we film it.”
“Awesome…” you sighed, grabbing a pair of headphones and following Kyungsoo into the booth.
You could feel your nerves getting the better of you, making your hands shake and your throat go dry, both of which would not be good for your performance.
Kyungsoo seemed to notice this, and grabbed your hand gently. Your heart stopped, making you freeze in place.
“Hey, you’ve got this.” he whispered with a comforting smile. “You have the voice of an angel.”
Butterflies swarmed in your stomach. He thought your voice was angelic?
“Alright guys, camera is rolling.” your manager said from the control panel. Music starting in 3…2…”
You exhaled as the music started, letting yourself ease up. You glanced over at Kyungsoo. He was looking at you with such kind, sensitive eyes. You couldn’t help the smile that appeared on your face as you began to sing your lines. When you were looking at him, it was really easy to belt out a love song.
He seemed to feel the same way as he started singing his own verse, his smile never faltering as he gazed into your eyes affectionately.
As you began to sing the chorus together, it was like the stars aligned. You were perfectly in synch, voices intertwining together like two rivers of golden honey merging into one. You were both putting so much passion and energy into the song, the lyrics resonating in both of your hearts as you looked at one another.
As the song came to a close, you both held your notes until the music ended, looking at each other breathlessly. Both of your eyes were twinkling, and you could feel chills running down your spine. That was the best duet you had ever sung with anyone.
“That was amazing you guys!” your manager suddenly said, snapping you out of your daze. “I don’t know how you guys did it perfect on the first try, but great job!”
“Uh, thanks!” you stammered, removing your headphones. You started to blush as you realized the amazing connection you and Kyungsoo had just had. Your anxiety was quickly returning, causing you to act without thinking.
You turned to him. “God, it’s hot in here. Are you hot? I mean, you are hot, I mean-“
He looked at you expectantly, as if you could possibly recover from that humiliating sentence. However, he didn’t look embarrassed at all. He had a hopeful glint in his eyes and an anticipated smile.
However, you were far too overwhelmed with your own nerves to notice. “Well, I’m gonna go home. See you later alligator!”
And with that, you bolted out of the studio and ran back to your dorm, not stopping until you were back in your bedroom. Nabi and Kaori were shouting after you, but you just ignored them, slamming your door behind you.
You collapsed your back against the door and slid down until you were on the floor, placing your head in your hands. “‘See you later alligator?’ What am I, 50?!”
After a few hours of cycling through rotting in your bed, pacing the floor in anxiety, crying out of humiliation, and passing out from exhaustion, you were disturbed by yet another knock on your door. You groaned, assuming it was one of your members trying to talk to you again.
“Dude, I love you, but go away, I need to be alone.” you grumbled, pulling your pillow up over your head.
You heard the door open and someone walk in, but you didn’t have the energy to look up. Maybe if I stay really still, they’ll think I’m dead, and then they’ll leave, you thought.
You felt them sink down on the bed next to you and place a hand on your shoulder. “Y/N? Can we talk?”
You snapped up, eyes widening as you realized who was in front of you. “Kyungsoo!” You frantically fixed your hair and wiped your face. “Oh god, I look terrible…”
“No you don’t.” he chuckled, brushing a strand of your hair behind your ear.
You froze at his touch, relishing the feeling of his fingers in your hair before blinking back to reality. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, I just thought you should know how well our OST is doing.” he grinned, pulling out his phone. You leaned forward to see the music video you made that already had millions of views in just a few short hours.
“Wow, people love it this much?” you asked in disbelief.
“That’s not all. Look at the comments.” he handed you his phone, and you did as he asked.
You know this drama’s gonna be good when they got Y/N AND Kyungsoo to sing the OST… total power vocal couple!
Y/N and Kyungsoo might as well be the main couple in the drama, their chemistry is insane
the way they sing the song to each other… my heart 💓 💓💓
You couldn’t help the giddy feeling that was blooming in your chest, attempting to fight off your smile to no avail. “They really like us, huh?”
He nodded, setting his phone back down. “There’s another reason I came here.”
“Hm?” you asked, cocking your head to the side in curiosity.
He took your hand in his, just as he had done in the recording booth earlier. “Y/N, you don’t have to be so nervous around me. I think you’re adorable, and I really like you.”
Fireworks went off in your stomach. “Y-you do?”
“Of course I do.” he laughed, shaking your hand in exaggeration. “Why do you think I asked to sing the OST with you?”
Your jaw unhinged in shock. “You asked to be paired with me?”
“Well yeah, how else was I going to get close to you?” he chuckled. “I was going to ask you out after we finished, but you ran away so quickly, I never got the chance.
You blinked at him a few times, then erupted into a fit of laughter. He joined you, doubling over slightly.
As you both settled down, he leaned in closer. “Will you go out with me?” he practically whispered.
You nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, yes! Of course I will!”
He smiled brighter than you had ever seen him do before, then slowly inched closer to your face. His eyes were focused on your lips.
Deciding you had been oblivious enough for one day, you took the hint and closed the distance between the two of you, crashing your lips onto his. He placed a hand delicately on your cheek, then began deepening the kiss, until you both pulled away, eyelids fluttering open slowly.
He smirked. “So, where do you want to go, angel voice?”
“You’ve got it… you’ve got it…” Ten instructed you, guiding your movements. You were both in the dance practice room, covered in sweat as you went through the routine. You were working on a partner dance for your next solo album, and you wanted it to be with Ten, but somehow it just wasn’t going as planned. You were stumbling through the steps, there was no flow so your movements were jerky, and you somehow couldn’t shake the tense expression from your face.
As the music finished, you awkwardly caught your footing and struck the most pathetic ending pose you’d ever done. Ten gave you a crooked smile out of sympathy, which somehow made you feel ten times worse.
“Ugh, this is hopeless.” you sighed, throwing your hands up in resignation as you plopped down on the floor and leaned your back up against the mirror. “I’m never going to get this routine down in time.”
“Hey, it’s not your fault.” he attempted to reassure you, sitting down next to you. “You’re doing everything right. Sometimes, it just takes a little while to get the right feel for it.”
“Yeah, or I’m just a horrible dancer.” you huffed. You put your head in your hands and scrunched up your hair. The shoot was in two weeks, and this routine had to be perfect. Your fans deserved nothing less.
Ten was conflicted on what he should say next. On one hand, he wanted to tell you how amazing and talented you were, but on the other hand, he knew it wasn’t going to mean anything if you didn’t believe it yourself. He decided to grab a water bottle and hand it to you with a warm smile. “How about you just take a little break? I’m sure you’ll feel better in a few minutes.”
You smiled back at him, taking the water bottle from him gratefully. Your brow furrowed as he stood up and walked towards the door. “Where are you going?”
“I’m gonna go find something that’ll help.” he grinned over his shoulder before leaving the room.
You shook your head at his cryptic behavior, then collapsed back against the mirror, staring up at the ceiling in desperation. Please God, if you’re listening, please send me something to help with this dance.
“Y/N?” you heard someone ask from the doorway.
You snapped your head down to see who it was, and smiled widely at the pleasant sight before you. “Kai! What are you doing here?”
“Just checking in on my favorite junior.” he smirked, shutting the door behind him as he strolled in. His hands were shoved in the pockets of his jacket as he stopped in front of you, looking you over with a concerned expression. “What are you doing on the floor?”
“Just taking a break.” you replied, stretching slightly. “I’m too bad of a dancer not to.”
He frowned, crouching down to your level to glare at you. “Don’t say that about yourself. You’re an amazing dancer.”
“You haven’t seen me practice this routine.” you chuckled. “I’m sure you would change your mind if you did.”
“Alright then, show me.” he demanded, standing back up and taking a step back.
“Wait, like now?” you asked, slowly getting up yourself. “You don’t even know the routine…”
“I’m sure I can improvise.” he grinned, taking his jacket off and throwing it to the side, leaving him in just a cutoff tank top and sweats. “What, do you doubt my skills?”
“Absolutely not.” you chuckled. You had been secretly admiring him since before you even became a trainee, in more ways than one.
You got into position and waited for the music to start, then thrust into action as you began the routine. The first half went almost perfect, as it was just your solo part. You began to get nervous as the duet portion approached, feeling your muscles begin to tense up.
Kai approached you and placed his hands gently on your waist, a focused spark in his eyes. He somehow knew the exact partner position, and began guiding you across the floor.
“Relax, relax…” he instructed calmly, “remember to breathe.” He spun you around and placed a hand on the small of your back.
You inhaled deeply, holding the breath in your chest for a bit, then exhaled and released all the tension you didn’t realize you were holding onto. You started being able to flow through the moves better, but now you were hyper-focusing the footwork.
“Hey, don’t look at your feet. Focus on me.” he brought you back to center once again, twirling you back to face him and placing his hands on the sides of your face.
You looked up at him, locking in on his pretty brown eyes. It was as if they were telling you exactly what you needed to do, and for a moment, your body was running on autopilot, and all you thought about was being close to him.
“Show me that pretty smile, white swan.” he chuckled with a playful grin, instantly making you giggle and blush.
You actually couldn’t believe that you were going through the entire routine without any problems, and as you struck the ending pose, you were absolutely speechless. “That was…”
“Brilliant!” Ten suddenly interrupted you, causing you to jump away from Kai defensively.
“T-Ten!” you stammered nervously. “We were just-“
“It’s okay, I told him to come here.” your best friend smirked from the doorway. “I found him in the hall and he asked how you were doing.”
“You did?” you asked, a touched lilt to your voice.
“I told you, I wanted to check in on my favorite junior.” Kai explained, brushing the hair out of his face with an innocent half smile. “Ten said you were having trouble with the dance, so I had him show me the training video, and then I told him I’d help you.”
“Oh, well that’s a relief...” you sighed, glad you didn’t have to explain yourself to Ten. “So, you’re not-?”
“Jealous? Hardly.” he chortled, shaking his head. “In fact, I think you should do the dance with Kai for your music video.”
Your jaw unhinged slightly in shock. “Really?”
“Oh yeah, the chemistry is way better. You really seem to enjoy yourself when you’re dancing with him.” he teased, winking at you inadvertently.
You shot him a warning glare, then turned back to Kai. “Is that alright with you?”
“It’d be my pleasure.” he grinned, extending his hand to you. “Shall we?”
It had been a week since your latest solo comeback dropped, and all of Starlight was losing their minds over it. Albums sold out everywhere, you had already one two awards, and everywhere you went, you heard it being played on the radio.
After one of your performance stages, you were sitting in your dressing room, and decided to look over some of the comments on the music video again. You always loved seeing what your fans had to say about your work.
There were a lot about how pretty you looked, how beautiful your vocals were, and how proud of you your fans were, all of which made you giddy with appreciation. However, some were starting to stick out to you and pique your interest. Particularly, the ones about your dance with Kai.
the tension between Y/N and Kai is so thick you could cut it with a knife 👀
i don’t think i’ve ever seen our Y/N dance so well with anyone else than with Kai… i hope they do more stuff together :)
anyone else think Y/N and Kai would make the PERFECT couple??? just me???
You felt your cheeks grow red and warm at the insinuation. I mean, sure, you had been fantasizing about dating Kai for years now. But now that you knew your fans approved, it was all the more flustering.
“Knock knock.” someone interrupted your thoughts as they entered your dressing room.
You looked up, then scoffed playfully. “Kai, if you keep showing up unannounced, I’m going to have to start locking my door. I could’ve been bare faced!”
“And you’d still look just as beautiful.” he commented, smiling at you genuinely.
You pouted your lips affectionately, then stood up to hug him. “Thank you so much.”
“Me? What for?” he asked, wrapping his arms around you to reciprocate the hug.
“If it wasn’t for you, I never would’ve gotten that dance down.” you beamed into his shoulder.
A quiet chuckle rang through your ears. “You already had everything you needed to accomplish it. I just pointed you in the right direction.”
You gave him one final squeeze, then invited him to sit down on the couch with you. “So, what brings you all the way here?”
“Well, I had to admit, seeing you do the dance with that backup dancer on stage made me pretty jealous.” he replied, a more serious expression appearing on his face.
“Oh?” you inquired, folding your hands in your lap. “Is that so?”
He nodded slowly. “Indeed. I was going to let it go, but after reading some of the comments on your music video, I was inspired to do something about it.”
Your heart soared as you imagined him reading the exact comments as you had read previously. Did he feel the same butterflies when he read them over?
“And what exactly are you going to do?” you asked, feeling your nerves vibrate harder with every passing second.
“I want to ask you out.” he told you. He leaned in closer to you, to where you could see the sparkle in his eyes. “Is that alright?”
“Yes, it is.” you replied, letting a huge smile plaster itself across your face. “And yes, I’ll absolutely go out with you.”
He replicated your large grin, patting your leg affectionately. “That’s wonderful. Because I don’t want you dancing with anyone else.”
You chuckled, squeezing his hand a bit. “Well, you’re going to have to fight my members for that right.”
He thought to himself for a moment, then shook his head. “I don’t think I could take them, they’re pretty tough. I’ll settle for being the only guy you dance with.”
“Deal.” you giggled, leaning forward to place a soft kiss on his cheek. “Thank you again, Kai.”
“You’re welcome, white swan.” he chimed. He rose up from his seat and walked over to the door. “I’ll leave you to unwind. I’ll text you later to set up the date, okay?”
You nodded, waving goodbye to him. “Sounds good, talk to you later!”
You turnt back to your mirror, beginning to brush out your curls. However, you were startled as Kai ran back into the room quickly.
He placed a bouquet of flowers on the vanity in front of you, then kissed you on the cheek briskly. “I almost forgot, these are for you. Congratulations on such a good comeback.”
“Excuse me, pardon me, ‘it girl’ coming through!” Nabi declared as you made your way through the busy photo shoot studio.
“Ugh, shut up Nabi!” you scowled over your shoulder at her. “I hate it when you call me that!”
“Hey, I’m not the only one.” the leader shrugged, chuckling mischievously. “Everyone calls you that nowadays.”
“Well, I’d prefer to only deal with it when I’m being interviewed.” you scoffed, setting your bag down at your vanity.
“Spoken like a true queen.” Nabi smirked, crossing her arms across her chest.
You rolled your eyes. “Why did you even come with me today?”
The younger girl shrugged. “You’ve been stressed lately. I figured I’d tag along to make sure you have a comedic buffer.”
You softened at her kind gesture, touching her arm lightly. “That’s really sweet of you.”
“They also always have huge snack buffets at these things.” she added. “I’m gonna go get a plate, okay?”
You went back to your previous mood, sighing and sitting down. “Yeah, just get me some chips.”
You watched her skitter off to the snack table, shaking your head at her. In front of the other girls, she was a strict, stern dictator. But around you, the only member older than her, she was a true child. However, she was your best friend, so you tried to find it endearing.
“Y/N?” a deep voice inquired from behind you.
You spun around in your chair and gawked at the realization of who stood in front of you. “Sehun?!”
He smiled at your surprise, holding out his arms in a dramatic gesture. “In the flesh.”
You sprung up out of your chair in an instant, practically jumping into his arms to give him a hug. He stumbled backwards a bit, laughing at your sudden affection, then caught his footing and wrapped his arms around you.
“I’ve missed you so much!” you told him, pulling away. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here for the Valentine’s Day shoot.” he replied.
You knit your brows together in confusion. “Really? Because this is…” You looked around the studio, then it dawned on you. There were heart shaped decorations and pink balloons everywhere, and the studio had a romantic, dim lighting.
“Oh… they didn’t tell me this would be a couple’s shoot…” you chuckled awkwardly.
His eyebrows raised in surprise. “Really? That’s strange. Maybe they knew you’d be nervous if you were told ahead of time that you’d be doing a shoot with the Great Oh Sehun.” He flipped his hair dramatically, a cocky smirk on his face.
You scrunched your nose up, hitting him on the arm playfully. “Ugh, don’t be so smug. It doesn’t suit you.” You were actually just trying to hide the fact that he was right.
Sehun had been slowly becoming one of your best friends at the company, ever since that day he walked in on you being bullied by a bunch of female trainees and silenced all of them with his presence. He was actually competing with Yeri, Ten, and Karina for a spot on your BFF list.
However, you had always secretly hoped for more with him. He was so kind, even though he could seem cold at first, and he always made you laugh. He was so caring, despite how hard he tried not to be, and had incredible wit and humor. Plus, there was the fact that he was incredibly handsome. Like, obnoxiously so. But, as much you wanted things to go to the next level, they remained stagnant. Neither of you were the most upfront about your feelings.
“There you guys are!” the director suddenly clapped his hands behind you, pulling you away from your conversation. “I’ll let makeup and wardrobe know you’re here, and we should be able to start shooting in about an hour.”
You both nodded and thanked him, then turned back to one another.
“See you behind the camera.” Sehun proposed with a minuscule wink that was so small you wouldn’t have caught it if you hadn’t been admiring his features so closely these past few years.
You sent him one last smile, then turned back to your vanity while he strode over to his own.
Suddenly, Nabi reappeared next to you with a plate full of snacks. “What was that about?” she asked, crunching on a pretzel.
“Oh nothing, I just have to do an amorous photo shoot with my secret crush.” you grumbled, falling back against your chair with your hands bunched up in your hair. “Did you get my chips?”
Her eyes widened. “I’m sorry, I forgot.”
“Nabi! Either be helpful or leave!”
The hour of makeup and wardrobe went by way too fast for your liking. You had been trying to build up your courage to no avail. It seemed hopeless. How on Earth were you going to do a romantic couple’s shoot with your crush without it looking you were hopelessly devoted to him? Not that you weren’t, you just didn’t need the whole world knowing it. That would be mortifying, not to mention a total career killer.
You walked over to the photo setup, which featured a red velvet sofa and a table with an extravagant bouquet of flowers. You swallowed the hard lump in your throat, making one last stitch effort to calm yourself down. Settle down, Y/N. It’s just a photo shoot with your colleague. I’m sure he won’t even be-
“Is this chain on straight?” your thoughts were interrupted by the man in question. You flipped around to see him dressed in a deep v-neck black blazer with a white button-up shirt underneath, the top three buttons undone to reveal his chest, adorned with a glimmering silver chain necklace. His thick black locks were tousled and textured perfectly around his forehead, and his skin was practically glowing.
Okay nevermind, time to panic.
“Holy shit, you look hot.” you heard yourself speak, although you don’t remember making the decision to. Instant regret flooded your brain, and you immediately began apologizing. “Oh my god, I meant the chain looks hot. I’m sorry. I mean, not that you’re not hot, I just…”
“Thank you.” he cut you off, a pleased smile evident on his features. “You look hot too.”
Your heart practically jumped out of your chest. “Th-Thank you…” You were sure your face was as red as a tomato. However, you had to admit, you did look pretty hot in your tight red dress, pearls, vampy lipstick, and red strappy heels.
“Alright, we’re ready to get started!” the director declared from his chair. “Sehun, I’d like to start with you laying on the couch horizontally. Y/N, go ahead and sit on his lap facing the camera.”
You did as instructed, although uncomfortably. He sensed your tension and placed a comforting hand on your shoulder.
“It’s okay, just relax.” he suggested, a reassuring smile directed at you.
You gave him an appreciative grin, loosening up and leaning into his form.
“Okay, now Sehun, put your chin on Y/N’s shoulder and rest your head against her neck. Y/N, just keep looking forward.”
The camera flashed a few times, with a few breaks in between to look over the shots.
“I’m really proud of you, you know.” Sehun told you while the camera crew was busy.
“What do you mean?” you asked him, laying against the back of the couch.
“You’ve come a long way from the girl I met who was letting some older trainees pick on her.” he teased. “I’ll never forget the look on your face when I appeared next to you.”
You laughed at the memory. “And I’ll never forget the looks on those girls’ faces when you told them off.”
He joined you in your laughter. “Notice how none of them are at the company anymore, and how you’re the ‘it girl’ now?”
You smiled contentedly. “Everyone seems to be calling me that these days.”
He suddenly scooped you up in his arms and pulled you down to his chest, ruffling your hair affectionately. “You’ve always been my ‘it girl’ Y/N, from day one.”
You squealed as he caged you in his arms, feigning resistance. A sudden flash went off, and you both looked up to see the camera crew staring at you blankly.
“Ah, sorry guys, that was my fault...” a feeble intern announced nervously. “I accidentally hit the wrong button.”
“Wait, let me see that shot…” the director demanded, motioning for the camera to be brought over to him. He looked it over, then turnt to you both with a baffled expression. “This is it. This is our cover photo.”
“What? No way.” you marveled, getting up and walking over to the director. Sehun followed you, catching you as you stumbled a bit in your heels. You looked at the photo, and soon you were both making the same face that the director had made a few seconds ago. “Woah… this is amazing…”
“Look at how beautiful you are…” Sehun commented, taking in the picture lovingly.
You blushed, nudging him slightly.
The director clapped his hands dramatically, snapping you both back to reality. “Alright, let’s keep this energy going! Next I want a shot of Y/N pulling Sehun in by his chain!”
A few days later, you were chilling out at the dorm with your members, having a much needed girls’ night. All of your favorite snacks were laid out on the coffee table, you were all in your pajamas, and there was a cheesy rom-com playing on the TV, even though none of you were paying attention to it. You were far too busy gossiping, squealing, and beautifying each other. It might have been stereotypical girl behavior, but it was incredibly therapeutic.
“Everyone shut up!” Nabi suddenly decreed, jumping up on the couch and holding something behind her back.
You looked up from braiding Kaori’s hair. “Oh god, what is it now?”
The younger girls all laughed, finding it hilarious that you were the only one able to talk to Nabi like that.
“Well ‘it girl,’ it just so happens that I have the most recent issue of Elle in my hands.” the leader grinned evilly, brandishing the magazine out in front of her.
The other three girls all gasped and rushed over to grab at it, except for Iseul, who just jumped up and down excitedly. Her nails were still wet from Marie painting them a few minutes ago.
“Oh my god, you look so hot!” Marie marveled, flipping through the glossy pages.
“Yeah, and this one of you pulling Sehun in by his chain is just perfect!” Iseul nodded in agreement.
“Wait, the shoot was with Sehun?” Kaori asked, her eyes going wide with innocent shock.
“Yes Kaori, we talked about it three days ago. Keep up.” Marie groaned at the maknae.
“Hey, be nice.” you warned protectively. “It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Yeah right. You’ve only been in love with him for years now.” Nabi challenged you, jumping down from the couch.
“I am not in love with him.” you rolled your eyes. “Besides, he doesn’t feel that way about me.”
“The fans seem to think differently.” Nabi commented smugly, whipping out her phone. “Look what they’re saying on Elle’s post about it.”
You snatched the phone out of her hand and began to skim over the comments.
you could tell me the cover shot was totally improvised and i’d believe you… their affection looks so real <3
who knew the oldest member of Etoile and the youngest member of EXO would make such a fire couple? TOTAL goals!
The fact that they’ve been friends since Y/N was a trainee makes this so much cuter… they’re clearly in love with each other 💞
These two OWN Valentine’s Day now 😤
“Look at how big her smile is!” Kaori grinned admiringly at you.
“I know, it’s so cute!” Marie added, wrapping her arms around your maknae and twirling her around. “‘Oh Sehun, please marry me!’”
“‘Oh Y/N, I’d love to make you my wife!’” the younger girl acted out, giggling madly.
You scowled, trying not to laugh along with them. “How come you two only get along when it’s at my expense?”
You all froze as the sound of a phone ringing suddenly cut through the noise.
You looked over at the end table to see your phone lit up and vibrating. You picked it up and unhinged your jaw as you saw who it was from. “It’s Sehun. I’m gonna go take this.” You got up and rushed down the hall to your bedroom.
The three youngest members attempted to follow you, but Nabi stood protectively in front of the hallway. “Nope, no one is eavesdropping. This should be private.” Marie, Iseul, and Kaori started pouting and vocalizing their protest. That was, until Nabi gave them her signature glare. “Living room, now.” She really was a great leader when she wanted to be.
Shutting your door behind you, you answered the call. “Hello?”
“Hey Y/N, it’s me.” Sehun said from the other end. He sounded uncharacteristically anxious.
“Hey, is everything okay?” you asked in a concerned manner.
“Oh yeah, I’m fine.” he coughed nervously. “I just wanted to… you know….”
“Wanted to what?” you giggled, sitting down on your bed.
You heard him exhale momentarily as if mentally preparing himself for something. “If you’d like to go out with me for Valentine’s Day?”
Your breath hitched in your chest. “What?”
“Don’t make me say it again…” he sighed, clearly having trouble being this forward. “I just… we had so much fun at the shoot together… and you’re just so cool, and fun, and pretty. I’ve never really known how or when to say it, but… something about that couples’ shoot just pushed me to go for it. So will you?”
You clutched onto your chest as if it was the only thing keeping you grounded to Earth. “Yes… yes, of course I will!”
“Really?” he marveled, sounding genuinely surprised. “I can’t believe you agreed.”
“Sehun, I’ve literally been waiting for you to ask me out for years now.” you chuckled. “You’re the worst at picking up on signals.”
“Yeah, well you’re not very good at sending them.” he teased, clearly getting his confidence back.
You laughed cutely into the phone. “We’re not very good at this are we…”
“No, not at all.” he chortled, shaking his head. You could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke. “And just so you know… I meant it when I said that you’ve been my ‘it girl’ since day one.”
You blushed with a small smile. “I usually hate it when people call me that. But with you, it feels good.”
“Well, I’ll have to call you by that name as much as possible. Then you can be mine exclusively, and no one else’s.” he replied.
You laughed once again, feeling like a giddy school girl. “I always have been, remember?”
He laughed at your sudden cockiness, knowing that you definitely learned it from him. “I’ll see you on Valentine’s Day?”
You nodded, feeling your lips curl up into a grin. “I’ll see you then.”
“Goodnight, my ‘it girl.’”
“Goodnight Sehun.” you giggled, hanging up the phone. You then threw it across the room and flopped back onto your bed, rolling around and kicking your feet in ecstasy.
“Y/N! What happened?” Marie suddenly burst through your door, followed by the other girls. You assumed Nabi held them off as long as she could, but eventually lost strength. There were three of them after all.
You sat up, brushing your hair out of your face. “Guess who’s going out with Sehun on Valentine’s Day!”
The four girls all screamed and jumped on your bed, showering you with praise and congratulations. You laughed as you captured them all in a group hug. It was then that you realized you didn’t need to be the ‘it girl’ to be happy, you just needed moments like these. And with Sehun, they seemed to just keep coming.
