Lucid

Chapter 12

POV: Fixer
I leave their dorms again, heading out the back door and getting onto my bike. WM had more work for me, as always. The call last night meant I had to go talk to their artists, and even if it's not hugely exciting it's more than just paperwork and deleting records. First person, was Lee Chaeyeon. I scrolled through her file on my heads up display as I drove. Dancer, mostly. Former IZ*one, that's ironic. Ah, and her sister is in Itzy, I think I've met her. I return home, and quickly change clothes to something a little more casual. I had been in interceptor kit, but that's not needed to negotiate a contract. I swapped into casual clothes, but still kept my light armor and usual weapons. Heading back downstairs, I got into my Bentley and began driving south, to Yongin.

It took a while, but I eventually arrived at the Lee household. I parked the car out front, grab the file, and walk to the door, knocking politely. After I knocked again, a girl opens the door, probably fifteen or sixteen years old. I bow politely, then say "Hello. Is this the Lee house?"
"Yes. Who are you?" Right to the point.
"I work for WM entertainment, I need to speak to Chaeyeon." She eyes me again, clearly seeming unimpressed by my jacket and cargo pants.
"I'll go tell her." She closes the door on me. That's rude. People always seem to not like me here, it's odd. Maybe it's because I'm obviously not Korean? I mean, it's a nice change from people kneeling to me, but it gets tiring after a while, and it's a little difficult. Another minute passes, then the door opens.
"Hello, you're from the company?" Chaeyeon asks, quietly. She's cute, I'll admit. I nod, and say
"Yes. There's been some issues with invalid contracts being signed recently. I have one here that I need you to look over and sign once you're ready." I hand her the file, and she looks down at it.
"You can come inside." She says, and turns and walks in. I follow her, into the house. It's quite pleasant, and it smells really nice. One of the Lee's must be an amazing cook. She sits down at a table, and I sit down across from her, then set down a pen.
"Whenever you're ready." She looks at me for a moment, then pulls the contract out of the folder and begins reading over it. "This contract is only about exclusivity and non-discretion. You'll have pay amounts negotiated on a contract-per-comeback basis. This does include stipends for food and housing." She nods along, although I have no idea if she's listening or not. Her sister, who I now remember is named Chaemin, stands a nearby doorway. I give her a small smile, and she simply glares. Like I said.

After a few minutes, she looks back at me.
"I'll need to talk to my manager, first."
"They're at the company, I contacted them. Let me call them." I pull out my cellphone, call the WM CEO, and place it on the table.
"Hello Fixer. Did she sign the contract?"
"Not yet. She wants to talk to you as well, so you're on speaker."
"Hello Huijangnim, this is Lee Chaeyeon."
"Hello Chaeyeon. Sorry to disturb you on break. Fixer here has been handling some legal issues, so we just need you to sign this. It reaffirms your contract with us. As you can see, I already signed it, so it's just awaiting your signature."
"Alright, sir. I just wanted to call and make sure."
"I'm happy that you did, Chaeyeon. We're in this mess because some of our artists didn't." He says, laughing. "But that's a topic for another time." Chaeyeon signs the contract, and I grab ahold of it. I make sure the signature is legible, then put it back into the folder.
"It's signed. I'll drop it off soon. Fixer out." I hang up the call, and Chaeyeon is looking at me intensely. Her eyes are quite something. "Yes?"
"Your name is Fixer?" Ah, this question again.
"It's my title. I fix things. So, they call me Fixer." The usual question, the usual answer.
"So what's your name?"
"That's a secret" she rolls her eyes. Runs in the family, I guess. I stand up, and start to leave.
"What do you do for the company?" She says, grabbing my arm. I shake her off gently, then respond
"I'm an independent contractor. They hired me to avoid getting taken over. So I fixed some issues with stock ownership."
"That sounds... illegal." I smirk.
"There's a reason for that." I walk to the door, before she asks,
"What reason?" I would have thought that was obvious given my tone of voice
"Because it is illegal."

Opening the door, I notice that I'm not alone here. There's another car parked, and apparently it's a family reunion because here comes Chaeryeong, dropped off by who I can only assume is one of ITZY's handlers. She spots me, and covers her mouth in a gasp.
"You!" Let me guess, she'll probably roll her eyes at me soon.
"Yes, me." Chaeyeon pokes her head around me and asks,
"Him?" Chaeryeong pushes me aside and hugs her sister, then backs up and points at me again.
"This guy, is the only person JYP-Sunbaenim ever personally banned from the JYP building." Chaeyeon takes a turn to look at me, shocked.
"What did he do?" At this, Chaeryeong starts glaring. These girls really do act alike.
"I can't even talk about it."
"Look, what I did is far exaggerated."
"They caught you and Jihyo-"
"That was a coincidence."
"What about when you and Jeongyeon-"
"A misunderstanding!"
"I doubt that, especially when Nayeon Unnie said-"
"Alright, what I did or didn't do with which members of Twice is really not any of your business."
"That's not what Momo said." I grin a bit. I simply can't help it.
"Momo said quite a lot of things." I reply with a wink.
"Ya!" She says, smacking me. "byeontae!"
"I should go. I doubt we'll meet again, but if there's any other issues I'll be in contact, Chaeyeon."
"Stay away from my sister!" Shouts Chaeryeong, standing in front of her. Chaeyeon simply nods, although if they get to talking about me she'll probably want riot gear before going near me again. Going back to my car, I sit down and toss the file into the other seat. I should call Momo again sometime.

POV: Leeseo
Me and my Unnies were at the company, talking to our managers, as well as the head of Idol accommodations and CEO Lee. They had already heard everything that happened, and made sure to ask about our welfare. After our manager's insistence, along with a message from Fixer encouraging them, they seemed to agree we needed security.
"So it seems clear, we agree on security. Now we just need to know how many security guards, and who to hire them from." Wonyoung says,
"I think we'll mostly need people for when we're out in public. We're fine at the company." Then Yujin adds on,
"I agree. And our dorm is fairly safe. It's mostly when we're traveling and when we're out and about." Liz takes a turn, to say
"But personally I'd like to be sure we can trust whoever we have." Everyone agrees with that.
"Of course, we'd make sure whoever we hire is completely reliable." Gaeul cuts in and adds,
"If possible, it would be good if it was someone we know. That would help it be less stressful, I'm sure." CEO Lee nods, and thinks for a moment.
"Given these criteria, and the obvious fact we need someone talented but also subtle, I think this narrows it down to one perfect option." He says, with a smile but also a small wince. "It'll be expensive, but I trust they'll be able to completely ensure your security." He assures us he'll take care of all the arrangements, and we leave his office along with our managers. Heading down to a dance room, we get ready to do a bit of practice.
"So who do you think they'll hire?" Asks Rei.
"Probably some random company. Maybe one another band uses." Offers Yujin.
"I doubt it. He said he knew someone who had everything we wanted, and I don't know how we could just trust some random security group." Disagrees Gaeul.
"Well I doubt He'll bring in Monsta X-sunbaenim to guard us." The others laugh for a moment, but then Wonyoung gasps.
"Omo! I think I know who it is!"
"Who?" They all ask, and gather around.
"So it's someone who can protect us, right? Someone we can trust. Who's subtle, that's what he said. And Gaeul said she wanted someone who we know personally. That leaves one option." Rei also gasps, suddenly realizing her implications.
"Fixer-ssi!" She shouts, and Gaeul groans.
"What is it with you and bringing him into things?" She asks, sounding frustrated.
"You were the one who asked for someone we knew, Unnie. That's a pretty small group of people who can do it." Points out Rei, and Gaeul palms her forehead.
"I regret it now." Yujin puts an arm around her shoulder and says,
"Don't worry. I didn't like him when we met him, but I'm warming up to him. Just give him some time, maybe you'll wind up liking him." She glares, then turns away.
"I doubt it. Now, let's get to practicing."

POV: Fixer
My phone is ringing. I hate how often this has happened the last few days. Even though I'm tempted to refuse, I answer simply because what was happened last time I answered. "Fixer. Talk."
"Fixer, this is President Lee from Starship Entertainment. I have another contract to offer you."

A/N—-
Today's is dropped a little early. I've been having issues recently so I'm not sure about daily updates going forward. But I'll try to update when I have a chapter.
P.S. please comment, it reassures/encourages me the best.