One step at a time

Chapter Thirteen - Trainee

Part of me still couldn't believe it. It was two weeks before we were meant to be going back to school, and I had been accepted into SM Entertainment. They had insisted we moved into the dorms immediately, so a week later I was living in a small room that I shared with two trainees I hadn't met before, Lee Ashley, who came from England who specialised in dance and her vocals, and Noe Yun So, who's talent was dance. Ho Jin had helped me to pack up and would visit most days. Even though the staff told him he couldn't come in, they weren't too bothered as I wasn't famous yet.

I sat on my bed, texting my friends. Ashley was out eating in the cafeteria. We had yet to be set in a group so we all just socialised together, but we had rough ideas of who would be put together. Ashley had told me to join her, and I was going to in a bit. I was still trying to find my way around the dorms as they were very big.

I put my headphones in and took my phone with me when I left to room. I hummed along to some of the songs and enjoyed myself. I was able to live the life not many people could, and even if it was only for a short time I would live it as much as I could.

"Seo Young!" I lift my headphones from my ears. Further down the corridor I see Chen looking and waving my way. With him is another young man, I assumed another member of EXO. I rolled my eyes at having seen him again.
He looks at me dissaprovingly. "I thought you loved seeing me?" He winks at me.
"Ugh as if" I respond.
The young man coughs.
"Oh yeah, this is D.O, or Do Kyungsoo." Chen gestures to him.
"You can call me Kyungsoo." He smiles at me.
"Kyungsoo..." I repeat his name. "Well nice to meet you Kyungsoo" I smile at him and extend my hand for him to take. He reaches out. His hand is soft but his grip firm.
"How come I didn't get this reception when we first met?" Chen pokes me.
"Because you fell on me when we first met" I poke him back.
"It's not my fault that you're blind." He teases me.
Kyungsoo interrupts us. "Are we going to get food?" He looks at Chen expectantly.
"Oh yeah," Chen keeps his eyes on me. "Are you coming Seo Young?"
"Yeah, I mean I was going to meet Ashley, So Hyun and Chan Hee anyway"

We walk into the cafeteria, where I see multiple groups of young people eating.  On one table I see So Hyun and Chan Hee talking with Ashley, and other girls who we were training with. Chen takes my hand, and tries to pull me to the opposite side of the room.
"But my friends are over there." I protest.
"You can go to them in a minute." He says. "I just want to introduce you to some people."
He leads you to a table with seven people sitting at it, all males. You recognise Chanyeol and Baekhyun, who are sitting next to each other, and Xiumin, who was sitting next to Chanyeol.
As soon as we approached them, Chanyeol and Baekhyun waved to us, and the rest just raised their head in surprise.
"Sorry no autographs" One of the boys, who was very thin and looked tall, said immediately as I approached the table.
"Um excuse me, but who are you?" I innocently replied. The guy's face changed to disbelief. Everyone at the table snickered, including Chen and Kyungsoo from behind me. The guy glared at Chen.
"That is Oh Sehun, again from EXO. Well everyone here is from EXO." Chen responded. So this was the guy Chan Hee was in love with.
Kyungsoo sat in the empty seat next to another tall, beautifully olive skinned guy. Kyungsoo looked at me and saw me staring. "This is Kim Jongin, or Kai." Kyungsoo smiled at him. Chen approached your ear and whispered into it. I felt myself blush at the contact.
"We like to say that those two are in love." He told me. I chuckled. It was cute, I thought. In a way you could see why the guys thought that, in the way they sat so close together, and exchanged secret conversations.
"We're not in love by the way" Kyungsoo again saw me looking at the two of them. "Just good friends"
"Yeah" It was the first time you had heard Kai speak. He had a cute voice, if that was even possible. "We're not in love, don't worry you still have your options open." He winked at me, and I wondered what he meant. Kyungsoo opened his mouth in surprise.
"And me, you know if you...." Kyungsoo reassured me. He was cute too, in a dorky way.
"Children, no dating the trainee" one of the guys scolded them. He had an air of responsibility.
"Meet our mother, Kim Junmyeon, or Suho." Hearing his name reminded me of So Hyun, she was in love with him.
"Hey I should really go back, or bring the girls over here." I told Chen.
"But you don't know everyone yet." Chen complained.
"I do. I know you, Kyungsoo, Kai, Suho, Sehun, Chanyeol, Baekhyun and Xiumin" I pointed at each in turn.
"What how do you know Xiumin, and Baekhyun, and Chanyeol actually?" Chen asked confused.
"I told you I'd met them before when you spoke to me after the auditions, now let me leave." I moaned
"But what about me." The guy at the end of the table next to Xiumin asked timidly.
"Oh yeah, this is Zhang Yixing, or Lay." Chen informed me.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. But nice to meet you." I smiled. He smiled back, two dimples prominent in his cheek.
"YOU HAVE THE CUTEST DIMPLES" I screamed. He just laughed.
"Ok that's enough talking to the hot guys for today." Chen ushered me away.
"Wait!" Lay told Chen. "We don't know her name."
"Oh, I'm Kim Seo Young, but just call me Seo Young." I responded.

I walked over to the table with my friends on. They had nearly finished eating. "Damn it EXO, made me miss out on food."
"What?" Chan Hee responded. "We have food for you here you numpty. What took you so long?"
I sat down at the spare seat next to So Hyun, opposite Chan Hee. They had bought me fruit salad and yogurt, and a banana milkshake.
"I was talking with some friends." I responded.
"What friends?" Ashley joined in the conversation. "We're your friends."
"I'll take you to meet them if you want." I told them.

Following me back over to the EXO table, were So Hyun, Chan Hee and Ashley. "Hi guys, I'm back, but only because they wanted to meet their biases." The guys were welcoming of my friends. So Hyun and Suho began to converse, which was the opposite of Chan Hee and Sehun, who just sat there awkwardly as Chan Hee was too over powered by his presence that she was speechless. Ashley went to her bias, who I found out was Lay. "SO YOU LIKE THE DIMPLES TOO?" I asked her.
"YES THEY ARE ADORABLE" Ashley responded. Lay blushed.
I sat there for a while, as my friends talked to their biases. I had brought my fruit salad and yogurt with me when I came to the table. I stood there eating it until I felt a hand tug my t shirt. It was Chen.
"Come sit here." He pointed to the chair next to him. I sat down and places the fruit salad on the table. Immediately he grabbed the fork I was using.
"Put it down." I commanded him.
"Nope." He teased me.
I glanced up and saw that Xiumin and Kyungsoo were watching our exchange. Everyone else was engaged in their own eating and talking to my friends.
"Let me eaaat" I moaned.
"Ok" Chen replied. Without missing a beat he picked up a piece of watermelon with the fork and held it up to my mouth.
"Eat then." He told me expectantly.
I opened my mouth and he placed the fork inside of it. I chewed, while staring him directly in the eye, trying to tell him how unamused I was. He just smiled and laughed.
"You look cute when you're annoyed."

I finished eating without the help of Chen. I stood up and told everyone I was going back to the dorm, to prepare for training in an hour. My friends were going to join me soon, and hopefully we would find out what group we would be in today, as SM wanted to have it sorted as quickly as possible, so we could begin to train.

I opened the cafeteria door, and stepped out into the hall. I had an hour, so I was going to change into something more comfortable ready for training, and then practice the dance we had been set to learn for training. I set off down the corridor, when I heard someone shout.
"Seo Young!" I turned around.
It was Sehun.

"I believe we got off on the wrong foot, but don't forget that I am your elder, so you better respect me." He warned me.
"I'm so sorry, I honestly didn't know. I didn't mean to cause any harm." I sincerely told him.
"Well... Good." He said, and turned in the opposite direction.
I continued up to my room.