Wanted ||| Ateez

3

May couldn't help her jaw dropping a little when she watched the boys eat. It was an organized chaos. Those were the only words she could find to describe it.

They had ordered way more food than eight people would normally eat, and it was all set on the table where they could reach everything.

Chopsticks moved all over the place, transporting food to different mouths, even if it wasn't the owner of the chopsticks.

May gritted her teeth and just picked at the food she could reach, wanting to get out of here as fast as possible.

"So, I supposed we should introduce ourselves." Hongjoong said when the madness had died down a little.

Greeeaaaat. "Well you already know me, I'm Alice." She waved a little.

Hongjoong introduced each one of them in turn. She stared at their faces for a long time, internally chanting their name over and over again. They looked so different than the pictures she had since they didn't have makeup on. They are still pretty boys though...

"So, tell us about yourself, Alice." Jongho leaned forward and rested his chin on his hands.

"There's really not much to tell. I had a normal life, normal parents, normal schooling. I just decided I wanted to travel a bit and when this job opened, I thought I'd apply." She said, keeping it short and to the point.

Yunho scoffed and said, "That's it? Come on, you're here to get the inside scoop! It's only fair we get to know a little about you." His wide smile spread across his face.

Ugh... Think, think, think. Whatever you say you have to remember. "Well, I don't know, I'm just your average girl. Really. I love languages, but I'm sure you guessed that already."

They seemed disappointed when she didn't want to give them any more answers, but she didn't care. She wasn't there for them to get to know her. She was there to complete her mission.

"Tell me about you guys," She pulled out her notebook. "That's the reason why I'm here. How did you meet? What was your life like before? What's it like being a member of Ateez?"

The boys lit up and all started talking at once. She tried to write down the bits she heard, but most of it was of how much they loved being here and how thankful they were for the opportunity. These jerks. They totally skimmed over the first two questions, and they got mad at me for not answering them. She gritted her teeth and focused on writing things down.

She found her eyes wandering to each one in turn, trying to memorize their movements, signals, and tells. Every blink, every hand movement through the hair, every twitch of the lips. It could all mean something at some point.

"Having a hard time being around so many boys?" Mingi said, chuckling as he leaned over to her.

May jumped and snapped her book shut. "What? No! Of course not. I'm just trying to do my job."

His laughter grew louder. Shut the fuck up, giant.

"It's ok, I know it can be overwhelming sometimes." He smiled and slapped a hand against her back. She groaned as she bent forward.

"Nope. Not at all." She said, still a hint of a groan.

The rest of the night passed without her really learning anything, other than this group was incredibly loud. Well, except for Seonghwa, who looked like he was embarrassed most of the time, and Yeosang, who spend a lot of his time covering his face with his hands.

Most of the time the pink haired boy didn't really seem like he fit in here. He was definitely the shyest of the group, but he participated in conversations by nodding his head often. His wide eyes were almost always fixed on whoever was speaking.

The other thing that surprised May was how much the boys enjoyed skinship. It came so naturally to them. It really enforced the brotherly love they claimed to have. It was a sight she wasn't used to seeing. Boys in America maybe participated in the 'bro hug' or patting backs, but they never cuddled like this group did.

"Have you been given a tour of the house, Alice?" Seonghwa said after the conversation started to die down.

"No, not yet. I know where my room is, but that's about it."

"We can show you on the way to our rooms." He smiled sweetly and stood. Everyone else followed suit and she was shown a couple other rooms that they used to record in, Hongjoong's studio, and a couple other rooms for practicing or other activities.

She was surprised to find out they slept in pairs of two. Hongjoong and Seonghwa left the group when they got to their room. Then San and Yunho, Mingi and Jongho. Yeosang and Wooyoung were the last to leave. The younger gave May a cheery goodnight as he walked into his room.

"Can you find your way back?" Yeosang asked.

"Yes, I think so. Thank you." May bowed her head and left him standing there, watching her walk away.

Back in her room, she sighed and pulled out her phone. She dialed the only number programmed into it and waited for him to pick up.

"Password?"

"Wonderland."

"Report."

"There's not much to report today. I fear this mission is going to be harder than we initially thought. They are never alone. They don't even have their own rooms."

"Earn their trust. Get them alone."

The line went dead.

Great... Why can't I just go in, do it, then get out. But nooooo, that's not what the client wants. She fell back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. No mess. Make it look like an accident. Or suicide.