"Any more questions?" the sous chef asks.

"No chef," we enthusiastically reply.

"Alright! Get to the stations and begin!"

I was nervous before I came here, but it's not that bad. I guess.

"Man, it's real hot in here. Like real hot," one of the fellow students says when the sous chef leaves.

"Yeah, what's with that?" another one says. "I've always dreamt of coming here. It's grande, on the outside and as well as inside this kitchen, but the occupational discomfort's still the same. No scratch that, it's even hotter than our university kitchens."

What did they even expect?

Can't believe they're the aces in my batch. Maybe I'm judging too much. They're not experienced in this, I mean they've only seen the comfortable kitchens in our university, not the real ones. My family restaurant's kitchen is way hotter than this 5-star grandiose hotel's restaurant we're in now. This kitchen is huge and spacious, and all I have back at mine is a 14 sq feet area worth of kitchen.

We all begin making the sauces and other preparatory items at our stations. Today, we're here—when I mean 'we' I mean me and the other fellow aces of our batch our professors nominated for the batch ace team— to work with the chefs of this restaurant as their assistants. Of course, our professor is also here to have a check on us and decide the grades.

I am whisking away the sauce in vigour and passion, I want to finish it fast and move to the next one. If I could. But you know cooking, it's a science, it can't be altered than it's supposed to be; if the instructions call for you to be slow and steady, you must do that and that only.

I have to perform well than my peers in this, I remind myself.

My phone suddenly rings.

Bloody timing!

Why didn't I put it on silent mode?

The others turn to look at me for a split second. I don't answer the phone. Can't afford to even decline it, the sauce will burn if I do. It rings and rings until I feel my skin evenly burns all over with embarrassment when I imagine how annoyed the others in here might be. They could be glaring at me for all I know, I can't dare to look up and confirm. But the sauce is finally done.

I pick up the phone which is— yea— still ringing.

Why so persistent, ugh!

But what if it's a really important call?

I check the caller. Unknown caller?

Maybe I should still pick up. People aren't this persistent for a reason.

"Hello, who is this?" I ask, annoyed.

"Is this Ahn Soojin I'm talking to?" a male voice from the other line says. It's a familiar voice. I'm sure no one with this voice has ever called me on my phone, but I know I've heard it a lot. Or maybe it sounds like someone whose sweet voice I've heard a lot. I think I exactly know who that someone is.

"Yes, and you are?" I ask.

"Kim Hongjoong," comes from the other line.

Wait, what?

I freeze for just a second but recover fast. This is a terrible time for pranks. I think I can point who's behind it, but she should know better, today's an important day for me.

"Um hm?" I voice out unenthused.

"...from Ateez," he continues. "I'm sure you who know that. You were there at the last fan meet."

His voice is a bit hesitant, like he's nervous, exactly like how Hongjoong's is when he's facing those emotions. The voice actor's that good?

"Listen, Mister, I'm doing a very important university test right now. My sister should have known better than to arrange this prank now, she'll have to face my wrath when I go back home. Hope you tell her that," I tell him—or her, voice actors have a wide range, I don't know— saltily.

As I'm about to hang up they say, "I understand. Hope you perform well on the test. Sorry for disturbing you at this time. And I'll be calling later, it's not a prank, just to let you know."

And then they hang up.

What the hell just happened?

Was that reall—

"You there, miss! Station 8!" the chef brings me back to attention.

"Sorry, chef," I say and go back to work.

.

.

.

Soojin has been pacing back and forth in the backside of her restaurant. There hasn't been any customer since the lunch hours ended, and now that the evening's just begun, people usually won't be coming in until the dark; so she has ample time to get distracted. Today's topic of wonder: if she should call back to that number from earlier in the morning or not. The girl's issue is, she really wants to believe that the caller was really Hongjoong, but then the possibilities of why he would call her seemed scary; The easier alternative is to simply deem it a prank, but then Sooyoung isn't back from the after school classes to have her confirm to that.

While she's deciding, let me go take a look at what the guys are doing. Ahh, how I remember the time when I didn't really have to travel to reach the guys! They lived right across then. I would stand between the road separating both their houses and that's all I needed to comfortably see everything happening in both the houses. Now I actually have to travel. Sure, it takes 1 second to transport, but it still went from 0 to 1. Jeez, is Soojin's laziness rubbing off on me?

I'm finally here after a while: Ateez's company building. I knew I'd find Hongjoong here. I can tell where they all are, like a GPS system in this modern age. You might think if it's not just limited to Soojin, since she's the client, but to tell you, no. Everyone relating to Soojin, I am concerned with them. That's how I know all the stuff about where all Sooyoung's been. One more thing to add to your discovery list about my limits today.

Anyway. Hongjoong.

The boy's lying on the floor after the dance practice. The dance instructor's left long ago and the other boys are either drinking water, or sitting against the mirrored wall with their phones, or simply resting, just not in the defeated manner as Hongjoong does. He kinda looks like a dead goat, to be honest.

Hongjoong's phone rings. Oh, but what can be done? He's lying just where he danced moments ago, too out of it to move or register the sound of the ringtone. But luckily, we have Wooyoung who's sitting against the wall beside the members' phones and wallets, too enthused to read the caller's ID on his hyung's phone. He picks up instead.

"It's Ahn Soojin's call!" He yells out before answering to see the rest either drag their butts along the floor to reach nearer, or drop their water bottles to sprint to him, or, in Hongjoongs case, crawl his way to him like a zombie.

"No, you don't answer it!" the leader yells.

"Hello..." Soojin's voice booms from the phone. The second youngest had already put it on speaker.

San snatches the phone from Wooyoung. "It's right," he whispers. "You shouldn't really do the talking." Wooyoung glares at his friend who now hands the phone to the leader.

"Hello, are you there?" Soojin again goes.

"Aah...Hello, Ahn Soojin-ssi..." Hongjoong says summoning up non-existent energy to sound confident enough.

The boys wait in anticipation but they only meet silence.

Hongjoong now a bit tensed, speaks again. "Uh... Hope your test went well. I'm sorry to have bothered you at that time." The other boys pass each other a glance, not enlightened about the fact that their leader had already once called her in the morning.

"You called her before?" Seonghwa says, not bothering to whisper, unminded that he's near the phone.

There's an adding second of silence and then they hear the sound of a throat clearing: Soojin's. "Yeah, it caused me some trouble and embarrassment to have my phone ring and having to answer to it then, but it's okay. I could have put it on silent mode. Ignoring the phonecall part, I think it went well, it wasn't technically a 'test' test, so don't worry."

The boys have their faces concentrated. They don't know what to feel. Soojin's voice sounds different than how Daisy's did. Yeah, it's noticeable it's the same person, but within that same voice range, Daisy lay on the higher pitch spectrum where Soojin lies somewhere lower than that. Soojin sounds mature and confident. Confident than Daisy who was a patient to not having much knowledge of her life and her purpose, and also confident than the Soojin they met on the fan meet.

The crux is: she's different from their Daisy, yet she's the same. But these boys, right now they are wanting to incline on the former, aren't they?

"Oh, that's good to know," Hongjoong says.

"But..." Soojin's voice falters just a little. It falters; There it is, the similarity that the boys are choosing to ignore. "Was that Park Seonghwa-ssi's voice just before?... You aren't a prankster voice actor? Call it off. Call it off if it's a prank, please. If you have chosen this specific prank for me, maybe you'd also know why it could affect me so much. That's cru—" Soojin composes herself just on the verge of her voice starting to pathetically waver.

"It's definitely not a prank," Wooyoung jumps in. "Recognize this voice? I think you do, considering you're an Atiny."

"Wooyoung's voice."

"OR... the real Wooyoung himself!" San says. "You were wearing golden framed glasses the last time we met, Ahn Soojin-ssi. I asked you if I could see it."

"San..."

"Yup."

"Do you believe us now?" Yunho asks.

"I-I," she clears her throat. "I don't know?"

"Video call?" Mingi suggests.

"....."

"Ahhh, too introverted for video calls, understandable," Yeosang says.

"I never said no!" Soojin jumps to answer. "Honestly, I need to know. If it's a prank, I'm about to beat some ass. If it's not, then I apologize for using bad words just a second ago. It would be an embarrassment for me if it's the latter but I'm living dangerously."

"So it's a yes to the video call?" Hongjoong asks.

"Yes, but you won't see me though, it's you who have to prove anyway."

"Agreed." Hongjoong hangs up the call and waits a minute. Ample time for the girl to save the number. When the next time he calls— video calls— she picks up instantly. What they see is all black on the screen, but they simply wave at the front camera and do the greetings, all awkwardly smiling and a Seonghwa who's uncomfortable and robotic.

And what they hear, is a low gasp and some incoherent mutters.

"So you see us perfectly clear," Yunho states.

"Yes..." Soojin weekly replies. "But why?"

"Why what? Why are we calling you?" Hongjoong asks.

"Yes."

"We want to see you in person," Jongho says.

"WHAT!"

"There's something we've to talk about with you," the maknae says.

"Okay."

"Wait, really!" Wooyoung says. "That was fast," Mingi comments.

"Yeah, really," Soojin says. "I think I have an idea why this is happening."

The others have a concoction of bewilderment and fear on their face. And Soojin sees that, herself feeling something similar.

"Uh...so where to meet?"

"Anywhere quiet, I hope you understand why, and we are free now, and for the rest of the day," Hongjoong says.

"I have a family restaurant, I'll have it close early, I'll send the location and time."

"Alright, thank you for, you know..." the leader searches for words.

"For not getting weirded out by this? Don't worry, there are more weird things in the world and I have seen a few. Bye for now." Soojin hangs up.

Ateez members look at each other. They all have one thought in their mind, but none speaks up, they don't have to, they just understand from each others' eyes.

.

.

.

"What!" Sooyoung screams. "Oh my God! You're kidding!"

"...."

"No way!"

"You still didn't tell me why you're here," Soojin boredly says.

"OMG, when Donghyuck oppa told me we're closed, I thought he was just kidding. But then eomma confirmed it. She seemed like she both liked and hated the idea, but was happy more. Of course, she would be, it was the first time you'd bring a whole group of people over. I think she was proud. But she would be prouder, only if you told her it's celebs who're coming over. Poor eomma has no idea. But did you tell oppa? He was smiling weirdly and suggestively when he told me this."

Oh yeah, there were a few white lies behind the setup. Soojin had to present it the viable way, and knowing her mother who's desperate to see her daughter have a social life, she figured a "the batch's ace team from the morning and professors are coming over to do a project on a local restaurant, also they're friends and lovely coaches who think of me and other students as their children" would work.

"Donghyuck's still at the house? And do you really think I'll tell him that? He'd be the last person."

"Eomma's making him help with the prep chores, serves him right."

"You're dodging the question. Why did you come here when you initially thought it's uni people who're coming."

"'Cause it was very very very....very very sus," the younger one says. "I know you." She dramatically points finger at her sister with scrutinizing eyes that of a detective in a 60s television drama. "And you would never volunteer for them to come to your place."

Soojin claps. "Congratulations on your victory figuring it out. Now you may leave."

"What! Hell no! I'm staying to give you mental support."

'Mental support' makes Soojin realize how much mental and emotional control she needs right now. A shiver runs through her body making her hold on the giant Sikhye bowl she pulled out from the refrigerator weak, but she quickly recovers.

"Cut the crap, Sooyoung," she says, getting the bowls ready to serve the drink. The boys could reach any minute now.

"Alright, I just have to meet one celeb in flesh and blood, that's all I ask for in this terribly mediocre life of mine. Is that too— "

"Fine, whatever! Wipe the tables."

Sooyoung looks around. "You polished every little spot here, tables are clean too, what is to do?"

"You clean it again or you leave." Soojin throws a cleaning cloth onto her sister's face.

The girl starts doing it, cursing the elder one in her heart.

"And Sooyoung," Soojin composedly calls, no outwardly signs that she's blatantly having an all-out panic mode inside.

Sooyoung moans an affirmation to the call.

"If you spout bullshit in their presence, I'll rip your tongue out," Soojin growls.

"Yes, ma'am," she says.

A bare minute or two's distance away, on the other side, Ateez is feeling something similar.

"And Wooyoung..." Hongjoong calls out to the second youngest from the passenger seat of the vehicle.

Wooyoung moans an affirmation to the call.

"Don't jump the gun and say something too forward or weird. Even if she was Daisy, she's now Ahn Soojin, we don't know Soojin, so, be respectful."

"In other words, avoid being your bratty and foolish self," Yeosang makes it clear.

Three minutes pass and Sooyoung yells out to the other in the kitchen. "Unnie, I think they're here!"

Soojin jumps; her hands are shaking, palms sweating and she's overall quite fidgety. She takes two deep breaths and arranges the bowls on the trays ready to leave the kitchen.

"Funny to see that they're walking in here? I thought they'd pull up in a car with tinted windows and managers escorting or something," Sooyoung speaks away, unbothered that the boys are walking through the door, completely availing to her audible words.

Looks like girly forgot the 'no nonsense' pact just as it began.

Jongho looks at the unfamiliar girl standing by the table and wiping it, wondering if he should answer her or not.

"You were birthed into this place, girl," the voice the boys were hoping to hear booms from the kitchen, getting louder as Soojin advances out into the dining area with a tray in her hands. "Now, I know you're dumb, but thought you'd at least remember that there's no parking on this street. Also in the eyes of the law, they're as equal as we are."

Sooyoung wants to tell her that's not how she meant it, but knowing Soojin, she'll defend with more arguments against whatever she says. The elder always ends up being the one who outsmarts, and Sooyoung doesn't want to be more embarrassed than she is.

Soojin and Ateez are busy facing each other, Soojin in all her glory, confident and friendly, posture same as she had back then, the sass and the smile of the eye on her seeming cold features at one glance of her face. It is as if it's Daisy that's in front of her. And it was stirring emotions in all their hearts. Emotions that are more than just one in each of their hearts, some same for all and some polarly apart.

Sorry if it's too dialogue-oriented. This book's gonna have too much dialogues and too much description about emotions and feelings. (yea, and i wrote it all, me, a half-human half-robot loser). If y'all didn't check, one of the genres of this(2nd) book is "drama". So yea..not everyone's cup of tea, y'all could be bored. Also, it's a triple update, and the 3rd chap is kinda long and intense and boring. So if you spend one hour to read all 3 consecutively, then: respect+