Mark didn't even need to snooze his alarm today. He was already wide awake way before the Coldplay song went off. Haechan was still snoring when Mark wore a pink tank top and gym shorts. He was excited about having someone to manage his schedule and having more time for himself. And that all started today! Lucas and Jaehyun stumbled into the car, looking more tired than ever.
"How are we doing this fine morning?" Jaehyun asked the usual question while starting up the engine and rubbing the last drop of sleep from his eyes.
"Great! Fantastic! Absolutely swell!"
Lucas whipped his head around to look at the youngest in the car. "I'll have what he's having."
Jaehyun laughed, shaking his head. "Let's give today's workout session our all. We need to feel that burn a little."
And Mark definitely did push himself way more than he had yesterday. He stationed himself at a treadmill, drinking a few sips of water before choosing his pace. He took off, hoping to release a little of his limitless energy. That happened way sooner than he realized. By the end of the mile he was running, he was a sweating, panting mess. He gulped down swigs of water. Glancing down at his watch, Mark's eyes widened and he scanned the room for Jaehyun and Lucas who were busy lifting weights.
"Guys, it's 9:50 AM! We have to be in the dance practice room at 10 to meet Manager Kim and the new staff member!" Mark panicked. If he thought he was sweating earlier, he was mistaken. Beads of perspiration broke out on his forehead. Lucas nearly dropped the barbell on his chest, but Jaehyun helped him, and they piled into the car.
"We're definitely going to be a couple minutes late," Jaehyun sighed, eyeing the digital clock in the car. "Just giving you both a heads up."
Mark bit his bottom lip. "You don't think Manager Kim is going to be mad at us right?"
"Us? No. You? Maybe," Lucas answered. "This new lady is your personal manager. The rest of us are just meeting her, but don't worry. I think Manager Kim is a great dude. He won't get mad at you for exercising."
Mark hoped Lucas was right. And he knew Jaehyun and Lucas would back him up by saying they actually lost track of time while working out. As soon as Jaehyun pulled into the parking lot, the three boys quickly unbuckled their seat belts and dashed into the SM building and up four flights of stairs. They burst into the dance practice room, and Manager Kim spun on his heel upon hearing the heavy breathing of the three tardy boys.
"Ah, we were just introducing ourselves. Why don't you three give a little introduction?"
Mark stood in the line beside his bandmates, now slightly nervous. A girl stood beside Manager Kim. She wasn't too tall, probably coming up to Mark's shoulder. Her face was young and framed by long, straight black hair.
"I'm Jaehyun, a vocal for NCT 127 and NCT U."
"I'm the handsomest member, Lucas, and I'm a rapper for NCTU."
Mark stepped forward, not realizing there was sweat dripping down the side of his exhausted face. "Um, I'm Mark Lee. I'm a rapper in NCT 127, NCT Dream, and NCT U. I currently am an MC for Music Core. Um, I have a pretty busy schedule, so I'm really thankful for your help, Manager Song," Mark bowed a perfect ninety-degree angle.
The girl laughed, and he straightened himself out, confused. "None of that manager stuff for me. Just call me Rina. We're the same age anyways, so feel free to drop the formalities. I guess it's my turn to tell you about myself, right?"
Manager Kim gestured for her to continue.
"My name is Song Rina, but like I said earlier, you can call me Rina. I'm nineteen, and I grew up and lived in Busan all my life, but I visit Seoul pretty often, so I'm familiar with the city layout. Um, I speak Korean, English, and Spanish, but I don't think that last one will be that useful, right?" she laughed to herself and was relieved to see the other members laughing along with her. "Um, I write lyrics for artists every once in a while, and I also make beats."
"Whoa, that's so cool!" Chenle squeaked. "You're like low-key famous!"
"Well, I should be more honored because you guys are NCT! And I'm a huge fan of your music," Rina answered. "So, shall we head out, Mark? You have to get ready for your MC rehearsal."
Mark nodded, running out behind Rina. They were walking to the dorms in silence when Mark broke it. "Sorry that I look like this. I came from the gym, and I got caught up on the treadmill."
"Geez, I haven't exercised in years. You think I'm joking, but I'm not," Rina told him, and Mark laughed in response. "Maybe you'll have to drag me along sometime. Oh wait, since I'm your personal manager, does that mean I wake up early and take you to the gym every morning?"
Mark scratched his head. "Uh, I can ask Manager Kim for you, but I think it's cool with Jaehyun driving. Alright, I'll shower and change. You can make yourself comfortable in the living room, if you want."
Rina smiled, taking a seat on the sofa and scrolling through something on her phone. Ten minutes later, Mark strolled out in jeans and a t-shirt with a baseball cap pulled low to complete the look.
"Alright, let's go!" Rina unlocked her car and gestured for Mark to sit in the passenger seat. Weirdly enough, he had never sat in the front. Compared to the other members, he had shorter legs, so they always put him in the back. For once, he had a good amount of room to stretch his legs.
On the way, Mark fell asleep, and Rina wasn't sure how to wake him up once they got to the site. "Mark?" she whispered, shaking him gently, but he didn't budge. He must be really tired she thought. "Mark?" she shook him gently again, and this time, he slowly opened his eyes, looking around and taking in his surroundings.
"Oh, we're here. Why don't you come inside? You can sit in the audience and watch the rehearsal," Mark offered, and Rina grinned. She was excited to get an insider's perspective of the idol life.
They walked inside and a female idol popped out of nowhere, clinging onto Mark's arm. And then she laid eyes on Rina. Immediately, Rina felt out of place. She was wearing jeans, a turtleneck, and a jacket whereas the female idol had her hair beautifully styled, makeup done to perfection, and her tall, slim figure was neatly tucked into a dress.
"Who are you?" the female idol asked, eyeing Rina like she was some disgusting creature that just crawled out of a swamp.
"Um, I'm Song Rina, Mark's new personal manager," she introduced herself.
The female idol let out a high-pitched laugh. "Oh, so you're the reason why he's late?"
"Late? We're five minutes early?" Rina glanced confusedly at her phone.
"He usually arrives ten minutes early. It helps him get into the right head space," the other girl snapped. "If you're gonna do your job, do it properly, sweetie." The female idol walked away, dragging Mark along with her. Mark looked over his shoulder, staring at Rina's sullen expression, and he heaved a sigh.
Rina took her spot in the audience that was pretty empty. There were other managers and assistants running around or taking a short nap. It was sad to think she was one of them now, just another background figure, but she didn't mind if it was for a bigger cause. And she really loved NCT's concepts.
Mark ran through his lines effortlessly while the female idol who had snapped at Rina earlier failed to remember countless cue cards.
"Ugh," she stomped her foot in frustration. "Sorry that I can't remember," she apologized, pulling her cue cards out and trying to memorize.
Next thing she knew, Mark was standing beside her, ready to leave. He looked exhausted even though he just had to recite lines for two hours.
"You don't have anything else planned for the rest of the day, so do you want me to take you back to the dorms?"
"That works," Mark replied, noting Rina's still down expression. "So, do you have other things you need to do, or would you like to come chill with NCT?"
"I need to help Manager Kim with some paperwork, and then I have lessons for producing and songwriting, so I'm pretty booked."
"I see." Mark and Rina got out of the car, and she waited for the boy to enter the dorms before yawning and heading into the large building next doors.
Manager Kim greeted her at the front entrance, filing her arms with a high stack of papers. "I need these stapled and filed in alphabetical order. You can use my office. I'm going out for lunch."
Rina took the elevators up to the fourth floor, making sure not to lose a single piece of paper on the way up. Manager Kim's office was unlocked, and she set the papers down on the desk, quickly arranging them before starting. If she worked fast enough, she could get through this pile in maybe two hours.
Mark, in the meanwhile, was greeted by the smell of fresh-cooked bulgogi and ramen. He sat down, digging in with the other members. When Taeyong made his famous bulgogi, it was game over.
"This is amazing!" Kun grinned from ear-to-ear.
"Rina, you should eat up, too," Doyoung said, and when no one answered, he looked around. "Where is Rina? Wasn't she with you, Mark?"
"She had other things to do," Mark told him. "Paperwork with Manager Kim and-"
The house phone rang and Ten ran to get it. "Hello? Manager Kim? Oh, um, we're eating now. Yes. Alright, bye!"
"Was that Manager Kim?" Taeyong asked, not taking his eyes off his plate of food.
"He's out eating lunch with some friends and was wondering if we needed any food," Ten answered. "Wait, didn't you say Rina was doing paperwork with Manager Kim, Mark? Something isn't adding up."
Mark had a bad feeling in his stomach. He had a feeling Rina was sitting in the SM building all alone doing the paperwork.