EXO's new manager

PART 9

the night manager went out with old one ~
Tae wasn't feeling very good for this meeting .. but he felt that it would be rude not to answer the old man with an aproval ..

" meeting him is not going to be that bad .. calm down Tae .. I am sure he just wants to make sure his kids are in good hands .. yeah .. that's it .. yeah .."
he kept talking to himself in the bus ..

" wow .. "
he arrived in front of a very fancy looking club ..
he gulped , feeling his stomach flip uncomfortably ..
" okay Tae .. we can do this ! " he whispered to himself ..

inside .. Tae felt very uncomfortable .. everyone looked rich by their suits and judging stares .. some even covered their mouth when he passed to muffle their laughs .. as If it isn't obvious enough that they are judging his look ..

he was wearing a simple white shirt and black tight jeans ..
some one was waving at him in the last table .. he recognized the man and went to him ..
" hello manager nim .. nice to meet you " Tae gave a formal bow ..
the manager chuckled .. " no need for formality Tae ah .. just call me hyung .."

" y .. yes .. manage- I mean hyung .."
the manager pointed to the chair in front of him " have a seat Tae ah .. "
even though  the manager tried to be friendly .. Tae couldn't help but feel off with that half smirk ..
" I ordered some drink .. I hope you like my choice .. "

Tae said nervously " anything is okay as long it is not strong .. "
the manager chuckled " you don't take'em strong huh ? why ? you are old enough "

Tae looked at his lap " umm .. I don't have alcohol tolerance much .. I can't control my actions .. "

the manager chuckled again " aha .. okay then don't worry .. so .. you are the new manager .. huh .. so .. how is it ?"

Tae felt somehow guilty .. this man has been with exo since their beginning .. been with them through their ups and downs ..been there through their happy moments and sad ones as well ..

and now .. he took them after they are now popular .. he didn't do anything to deserve them ..

the manager saw the conflict on the other's man face .. he could sense the guilt slowly eating him up .. so he slowly smirked .. this guy is easy to break .. what an idiot
" so ? "

Tae snapped out of his trance and blushed " umm .. it is nice .. yeah "
"do they give you a hard time ? "
the waitress came with their drinks and left ..

" no .. they are really sweet and nice .. and hard working "
" well .. try to not be so nice with them .."

Tae looked at him surprised .. "huh ? "
the manager sighed " thats what I was worrying about .. you are a very nice guy Tae .. they will ' ride ' you .. as we managers say .. "

Tae was confused " ride ? "
the manager sighed again with fake worrisome " Tae .. Tae .. Tae .. I was just like you at the beginning .. naive .. innocent and a fool really .. they acted nice and so .. but later .. they started to take advantage of me .. get out late at night .. forcing me out with them to protect them .. being late for dance practice .. when they are hurt for their clumsiness I get the shouts from Lee soo man nim .. when they are not ranking first because of their laziness I get the blame .. they really showed me their real ugly face when I got attached to them .. when I couldn't say no to them ..

you will need to be fierce sometimes Tae .. they are not what they seem like Tae .. trust me .. I know then since the beginning .. just be careful and don't let yourself be too close emotionally to them .. they will use your secrets and past against you .. "

Tae just kept staring at the manager who tsked and gave him a napkin .. " no need to cry Tae ah .. I know it is hard .. but life is like this .. unfair .. "
Tae was surprised that he was crying .. the tears scrolled down his cheeks ..

" you become like their older brother .. but they don't see you as anything more than a manager who can satisfy their needs .. "

Tae wiped the tears harshly ..
" but .. but .. they didn't look like .. like they .. are .. th-that t-type .. "

the manager held the hand of Tae across the table .. " of course they wouldn't show you their real face ! they have to make sure you fell for them and want to help them in every way possible Tae .. "
Tae kept looking at their intangled hands ..

is this true ? are those going to repeat what his old gang did to him ? take advantage of him ?
no .. it can't be right ?
" do you know why the 3 Chinese members really got out of the band ? "
Tae could sense that this information was not going to make him feel better ..

" they wanted me to give them more money than they already get ! I talked to Lee soo man but he didn't want to because the company was having some financial problems .. so Kris .. just ran away ... and the other two did the same .. and to make it even worse .. they raised a file in the court against the company ! "

the manager took a sip from his glass .. while Tae kept staring at him with a blank face ..

" I know you saw the shows and radios they were in .. but always remember .. an idol is a reflection of his fan's desires .. they act cute and caring and loving because that's how they want them to be .. i am sorry to make it look awful .. this job I mean .. but this is life .. you have to be strong and hard when you are dealing with them .. okay ? and i am always here to make it easier to you .. alright ? "
Tae just nodded absent-minded .. looking again at the cup he didn't even touch and trying to think straight ..

when Tae was back to his apartment .. his phone kept ringing showing different calls and messages from suho ..
he threw himself on the couch .. staring at the ceiling .. and dozed off ..

next morning .. he didn't feel any better ..
he again ignored the phone that now is showing more names ..
kyungsoo .. suho .. xiumin .. etc ..
but he couldn't talk to them .. until later in the afternoon .. he talked to suho ..

" hello suho .. nothing .. I am fine .. I won't go with you to China .. " and he hung up on him ..
* I have to think about this .. but I don't know what to do at all .. *
so he did what he has to do .. called his best friend choi min woo ..who is obsessed with exo .. he is not as emotional as himself .. he would definitely think with logic and help him out ..

he called him " hello .. min woo hyung .. are you free today ? I really need you hyung .. "