Chapter 4: Black Stallion
Nara shouldn't keep smiling like that. It keeps distracting me. I'm working my notes in one corner of the room while the rest clean up the mess. The managers were pretty pissed because the girls needed to practice. I tucked the writing pad under my folded arms and let out a breath. I was working on some songs before we came back from holiday and Bang pd started saying things like how I never disappointed him. I asked him if something's the matter and he only patted my back telling me not to worry.
"You boys are getting older", he said, "and I only wish what's best for all of you. I want you to enjoy life as much as you can before you're my age and your bones start turning brittle"
I don't think he realized how much he was scaring me with that talk. I sighed in relief when he told me about the collaboration. It was only that. Not even a song collaboration. An event. But with that talk he gave us, I suspected an ulterior motive.
"You work too much", is what he told me after Nara left the office. "And I fear all that stress is going to kill you one day"
I kept quiet.
He kept telling me to let loose and to find a hobby that isn't related to my work. Then he laughed and said,"look at me, teaching you how to slack off. What kind of a boss does that make me?"
"The best boss in the world"
I expected him to laugh at this or make a pun but he looked at me with that evil glint in his eyes and I could almost hear the wheels turning in his head. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it again, shaking his head. "Do me a favor Namjoon-ah"
"Anything"
"Take good care of Nara for me. You may think she's old enough to take care of herself, that she's strong, but you don't know her like I do. She's not just weak, she's fragile. It won't take more than one blow to break her. Do you understand me?"
I didn't understand why he thinks she's weak, but I nodded for him to go on.
"I fear that people will take advantage of her nature. She's too trusting for her own good. That's why I'm asking this of you. I need you to make her realise that not every person is a good human being"
"I understand", I said, "but why me, though? Wouldn't it be easier for one of her members?"
"It's not like that", he clasped his hands, looking into my eyes and speaking softly to make me understand, "the members look up to her. Even the leader, Lizzy. They think she's perfect. Saying that she's more vulnerable than any one of them will only make them feel insecure and they'll worry for nothing"
I didn't have any doubts to what he said. After being a leader for ten years, the emotions of my members were transparent to me. I could tell right away if anyone was putting up an act for the camera's sake. I wondered if she was doing the same thing right now. Why, though? There were no cameras in this room. What happened yesterday was a big deal. Such incidents were notoriously stressful and with her own psychological issues, I have no idea how she can poke Hobi's back with a mop then turn away like nothing happened while smirking mischievously.
But Bang pd said she was weak.
So is she going to act like nothing's wrong and cry when no one's watching?
I sighed and got up, grabbing my stuff as I left the practice room. Maybe I do need to slack off. I went to my studio and turned on the computer. I checked out their album, very cool stuff. I made a sticky note to remind myself to buy one and posted it on the calendar on my desk. I turned off the computer screen and put my arms behind my head, staring at the ceiling. My phone pinged a few minutes later. It was a text from Jimin.
*BTGS' Lee Nara exposed - youtube*
I frowned.
*What is this?*
I waited but he didn't give me a reply. So I did the most logical thing and opened the YouTube app on my phone. I entered the text in the search bar and a number of hits came up. I clicked on the first one and waited for it to load.
"Urin Nara....", it started with a clip of one of the members speaking. It looked like they were on weekly idol, "has a very manly personality. The first time I saw her in the dorm, she had just come out from taking a shower and I screamed because I thought it was a man"
What in the world?
"Aera-ssi", one of the mc's said, "I think you should elaborate on that. Our audiences will misunderstand"
"When Nara takes a bath, she doesn't dress in the bathroom...", Lizzie was explaining and the frame changed to show Nara's reaction. She was only listening intently with no signs of embarrassment, "but she also doesn't use a robe. She just ties a towel around her waist and-"
The mc's did their job, butting in where they wanted to make the statement scandalous. The girls, all except Nara denied it aggressively and explained how she wears an oversized t-shirt. The mc's asked her why and she replied with,
"I take care not to show a lot of my skin because I'm afraid that the members will fall in love with me"
I laughed at that. Maybe she and Jin-hyung are siblings separated at birth.
There was another mention of this habit at a radio show. The members made it clear how she looks a tribal with that shirt, a towel on her waist and another wrapped on her head like a turban. There was a clip from vlive with her drinking coffee. She suddenly shuddered. The member next to her asked what was wrong and Nara asked who made the coffee.
"Oh? Ayano did"
"This is the best coffee I've had in my entire life! This is better than Starbucks. Where's Ayano? AYANOOO...!", she exclaimed and raised her hands when the girl peeped through the door asking what was wrong. "Take me!", Nara exclaimed, "I give you full permission to take me right now, I give you full permission to-"
I wondered why the audio wasn't working but then some text appeared on the screen,
*Sunhee dead ass muted the live stream when Nara submitted to Ayano. LOL I love jealous girlfriends.*
There were other random clips with Nara acting and speaking like a 'homo fresh out of the closet' as it said on the screen. Then there was a solo vlive where she said, "I don't know why you guys keep asking me if I like girls. Of course I do. Who doesn't like girls? Do I look like the type to bury my firstborn alive if it's a daughter? What's the problem with you guys?", then she leaned closer to read the comments, "we love you Nara.....sorry, it went up too fast. Uhm....we think you're lesbian, are you? Sorry again. I don't know what that means. My Korean is not that good. Next one.....what size condom do you-ah! sorry. It went up again..."
I couldn't stop laughing. This girl, seriously. She's going to land herself in so much trouble.
"....we will always support you no matter what", she looked into the lens,"thank you", she beamed her thousand watt smile and her million dollar dimples. Her reaction was repeated once more in slo-mo. In the next clip, Lizzy was making her apologise for reading out racy comments. Nara declared loudly that she finally knew what lesbian meant. I thought she was going to deny being one herself but she only looked straight at the camera and said,"you think I'm lesbian, a.r.m.s.?", she placed her hand over her heart, "I'm flattered"
Lizzy pinched her on the shoulder and said in a low voice, "Just deny it..."
"Wae? What's wrong with being les-aah!", she suddenly yelped, clutching at her foot under the table and excused herself from the broadcast. No wonder Bang pd was so worried about her. 'That was the wild' I read the text that appeared on the screen, 'and here's the sexy', there were live performance clips and fan cams zoomed in on Nara and I.....how do I explain this? The dances aren't sensual and the costumes aren't way over the top sexualised like it is with other girl groups, but when you focus on Nara, she makes it look hella provocative.
Like.....WHAT THE HELL?
SHE'S WEARING OVERALLS FOR FUCK'S SAKE!!
Back to the video.
There was text again before the last video clip. It said how no matter how much of a black stallion she might be, arms will always be soft for her because....
The screen changed and it was inside a van. The camera was focused on Nara in the backseat, hugging a pillow. It looked like she was sleeping. The person holding the camera asked her what she was doing. Without opening her eyes, she said that she was tired. Cutely. In English. With her British accent. The member next to her took away the pillow and she opened one hooded eye, jutting out her lower lip in a sad pout.
"Nara, where are we?"
"Hmmmm...?", she hummed in question and opened her other eye, looking at the camera like a sad puppy.
"Where are we?"
I think she meant to say Osaka but mixed up her accents and it sounded like oh-oo-sah-kuh.
I want to squish her cheeks. She started talking gibberish and there were 2 more minutes remaining but i stopped the video. I can't believe I've been watching this for ten minutes. There was a text from Jimin.
*Did you watch it?"*
*Is it a video?*, I felt a little evil.
*You know what, hyung? Never mind*
I blew out my cheeks and laughed remembering scenes from the video.
What a piece of work....
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