As soon as Nari was out of the shower, she set about putting her plan into motion. The first thing she had to do was contact the person who could make it happen. She set her noodles onto the side table and relaxed into her plush, cushioned chair. As the noodles soaked, she began her text.
Nari opened their group chat as soon as the first text came through.
Before she could start typing her reply, she received a video call. She laughed as she shook her head and answered it.
"I just took a shower," she said as she tried to brush her wet locks away from her face with one hand.
"We wanted to see you, nuna," replied Min-su, the youngest.
As he spoke, the other four members of the group waved at her from behind him. She waved back and laughed at their silliness.
"We're sorry we haven't called you," Myeong, the oldest, apologized. "Our manager bought a new van, and the producer wants us taking it from now on. It's safer now that we have some crazy fans out there."
"No need to apologize or explain, Myeong," she replied. "Your safety is what's important. Although, you could have called me just to say hello. I'm hurt." She gave a dramatic sniff of her nose and an exaggerated pout of her bottom lip.
"No, we made nuna cry!" they began to say. "We have to make it right!"
"What do you need, Nari nuna?" asked Han. "Name it! It's yours!"
"Well, since you insist," she giggled, and they pretended to look nervous. "I have a younger friend who is having a hard time at school. Do you remember the scandal with the broadcasting CEO and the owner of DaeSong Restaurant?"
"Yeah," they all agreed.
"His son, Dong-Geun, has had a really hard time at school because of all of that," she explained.
She told them everything about the prank and the request by his father.
"I was wondering if I could bring him to your concert," she asked. "I mean, if it wouldn't be too much trouble. I know it's practically last minute."
"You got it!" Duri quickly replied and the others agreed. "We'll send over some things tomorrow. How many tickets do you need?"
"Give her four," Haneul said. "One for her, one for him, and two for a couple of his friends."
"I appreciate that," she replied, "but you know I don't like big crowds."
"You don't have to worry about the crowds, nuna," Min-su told her. "We'll give you VIP passes and back room passes. You'll get front row, so you can ignore everyone behind you."
She gave them a smile at their generosity and wondered if she could handle it. She thought of Dong-Geun and what he'd had to endure from society. He went out every day in spite of his anxiety. For his sake, she decided she could, too.
"Come on, Nari," encouraged Duri patiently. "Just focus on us. You know we'll take care of you."
She cleared her throat and blinked back tears. They were the only ones who knew just how badly her social anxiety could get. Even Yoo SangHoon didn't realize because she hid it well so she wouldn't worry him.
She met Duri when his driver's car wouldn't start, and he needed a ride to a photo shoot as soon as possible. One of her regular clients called her and she hurried to help.
As they arrived at the studio, fans rushed around the car. She struggled to help him out and was attacked by female fans who thought she was his new girlfriend. He and security helped her inside to hide from them, and that's when he realized she was experiencing more than fear over the fans.
The other members came to the room where she was brought to calm down. She was shaking and crying so badly, she couldn't even hold a glass of water. Duri held her close and the others sat beside her and talked to her like she was one of them. They forced the manager to take a break from the photo shoot until she was stable enough to leave.
They texted her later that night to be sure she was okay, and then texted randomly and called just to talk. She drove them several times for quick trips when the van wasn't available.
They had grown close over the years, even as their career skyrocketed. They were the brothers she never had. In fact, they were the only family she had outside of Yoo SangHoon.
She nodded and wiped away the tears before they fell.
"I know, Duri," she replied. "I'll be there."
"Yes!" they shouted.
"Look for a box to be delivered tomorrow," Duri told her.
"We have to go," Han said as they heard a voice calling them in the background.
"Thank you all," she told them, and they waved and blew her kisses goodbye.
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