Double Life

Decisions

     I wake to the smell of bacon and toast flooding my nostrils, gently convincing me to open my eyes.  I roll off the couch, my foot sliding on one of the many fitness magazines Xuimin leaves lying around.  I scramble to find my footing, rubbing my eyes and straightening my shirt.  In the kitchen someone is bumbling around the stove, and from their unique smell of cocoa and something like roasted pine nuts, I can tell its D.O.  His height is another give away, and in a burst of confidence I creep up behind him and slowly wrap my arms around his neck, gently pulling his small body till it's pressed against mine, hugging him from the back.  He reaches up and lightly runs his fingertips over my arm before going back to cooking, and I hum a hello. 

"You're in a good mood."

He says, and I hum again, wondering if he'll make me a coffee anytime soon. 

"Coffee?"

I question, tilting my head to the side and putting my chin on his shoulder.  Something about Kyungsoo makes me feel less threatened than the other members.  He's less wound up than everyone else.  I flick my ears around until I pick up on his heartbeat, a slow calm timing accompanying the sizzling of food. 

"Go sit Grey I can't cook with you behind me."

He says, reaching up and tapping my nose.  I release him and wander over to the table, grabbing my phone while I'm at it.  As soon as it's in my hand it starts to ring, and I check the caller ID this time before answering. 

"Oh shit."

"Grey we've been over this-"

"It's the Boss."

"S.M.!?"

He whispers, dropping the spatula as his eyes widen.

"Good morning Sir."

I say, wincing at my American slang melting through. 

"So formal today Mister Grey.  Very unlike your informal attitude towards bad press."

"What can I say, I'm honest to a fault!"

There's silence at the other end for a few seconds to long before a sigh crackles its way through the microphone.

"Honest?  I wouldn't call lying to thousands of teenage girls about your gender being honest, but who am I to say? I'm sure your conscience is clear."

I refuse to reply, letting the silence grow and fester as the seconds count away on my phone.  The man sighs again, but I detect the slightest hint of cockiness in his outward breath of air.

"Since you so informally fired one of our leading choreographers, Miss Grey, I will just as informally be hiring you as the replacement choreographer for your own band.  I expect a dance practice to be completed by the end of this week, and remember, you will be performing it live.  You don't have very many rules here Grey, but one of them is this, do not make my company look bad.  You will suffer for it."

And the line goes dead, 'call ended' flashing on my screen. 

"Uh, I gotta go do shit."

I say, grabbing my wallet off the table and keys.

"Grey what was that about?  Why did S.M. call you? Hello?"