FOURTEEN

It was Cain’s first job other than being an idol. He had no experience whatsoever and to anyone that saw him it was noticeable. All morning long he had trouble using the machines to make the drinks and not only that but he had also spilled a couple of them. It was when the customers started to complain that he was put to work at the cash register. But after giving the wrong change to some customers, he was then put to work as a waitress. Not only did he have to take orders to tables but he also had to clean those tables once the customers left. It was a more strenuous job but easier to handle as he wasn’t the only one doing it.

“Don’t worry. You’ll get the hang of things." Dori, the chirpy waitress with rainbow hair patted him on the back. "Our job may be tiring but it isn’t all that hard. All you really have to do is smile and take people’s food to their table. You’ll even find some people are interesting once you talk with them and if you’re lucky you might even get a hot guy’s phone number. But if any of them are jerks to you just let me know and I’ll handle them for you.”

"Thanks for helping me unnie." Even though his coworker was just a college student and not not much older than him, she seemed to know a lot more about things and had helped him out immensely. Had it not been for her, he would have most likely taken some of the orders to the wrong tables.

"No problem, it's my job as an unnie. I’ll even help you out in more ways than one."

Cain wasn’t sure what she meant but then noticed her smiling while looking across the room at a guy.

"That guy over there at 6'oclock, He's been watching you for a while now. I think he likes you. He's good looking. You should go see if he gives you his number."

He didn’t know what Abby's type was as she hadn’t told him but he was sure the guy that sat across the room was the kind that would be any girl's type. Despite him being seated, Cain could see he was tall as his legs reached all the way down the chair across from him. And his arms which were crossed on the table were muscular but not too muscular, just the right amount. He was even dressed like a model, all of his clothes looked expensive. And with skin so clear and a jaw that looked as sharp as a knife, he was sure any girl would find him handsome. He could even see Abby falling in love with such a guy. There was however no way he would try to hook her up with anyone, not while he was interested in her.

"He looks to be closer to your age unnie. Why don't you go instead?" He wasn't really sure if what she told him was true about the guy checking him out but he didn't want to find out.

"Well I was going to until I noticed he had his eyes glued on you. Besides, don't you think older guys are better? You should really go for him."

The guy must have noticed them staring as he started to signal them to go over. With a loud squeal, DoRi pushed him from behind. “C’mon he's to drool for! And if his good looks make you nervous then don’t worry, I’ll go with you. Perhaps he has a hot brother and we could double date!”

A double date was the last thing Cain wanted unless of course it was with Abby but as rejecting the guy was a possibility, he went ahead to see what he wanted.

"Wow. So it really is you, Abby.” The guy took a sip from his drink and leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head. Were it not for the wall behind him, he wouldn’t have been able to do such a thing. “I never thought I would see you out ever again. When my aunt told me you started going out I didn’t believe her. I guess we just have to see things for ourselves sometimes. There's this one other thing she told me though and that is that you have a boyfriend now. Of course I also won’t believe it until I see it.”

"You know him?" DoRi whispered into Cain’s ear.

He didn't know who the guy in front of him was but that didn’t mean Abby didn’t. He even knew her name and he wasn’t wearing a nametag as he hadn’t yet been given one. He had to tell DoRi to leave just so he could figure out who the guy was.

"I'm sorry but do I know you?" Acting forgetful was all Cain could really do. Abby had told him she didn't know many people since she had Agoraphobia so it made him wonder if perhaps the guy had just mistaken her with someone else with the same name. But as he saw the guy laugh at his question, he didn’t think that was the case.

"Did that germaphobe guy really make you forget all of our years together? My aunt said I probably still had a chance with you but why would I want to be with a freak that hangs out with other freaks?"

It was the second time he mentioned an aunt and considering how he also mentioned a guy that was a Germaphobe, it made Cain think of Abby and the evening at her parents restaurant. Taking both things into consideration, he came to the conclusion that the guy in front of him could only be one person, "Jun?"

"So you remember my name now? How long has it been? 6 years? Are you not even thankful I let you have my apartment for dirt cheap? It’s probably even worth a lot more now."

Cain didn’t have much experience with dating but he knew it wasn’t normal for someone to call over their ex if they saw them out somewhere. And as Jun had basically insulted Abby, he was pretty sure the guy’s goal was just to ridicule her. Knowing this, he decided to ignore him and turned to walk away but then felt his arm being tugged, it was Jun. His grip was so tight he had no doubt it would leave a mark.

He was still at his workplace so there wasn’t much he could do if he didn’t want to cause a scene. But he sure as hell wouldn’t tolerate such mistreatment especially if it was the kind that ended up hurting Abby’s body. Noticing the ice cold drink on the table, he grabbed it and poured it all over Jun’s head. At this Jun immediately stood up with his arm raised at him.

Cain found it shocking that he would even hit a woman but that woman had a knight to defend her and it was him. Before Jun could even lay a hand on him, Cain raised his leg up and kicked him right on his weak spot. It was what he wanted to do from the start but as Jun had been sitting down, he hadn’t been able to. It was a good thing he poured the drink on him first otherwise he would have remained seated and he wouldn’t have been able to kick him.

It was when Jun was crouching that Cain noticed Abby walk into the cafe. Her timing couldn't have been more perfect. He just had to get her and take her to where Jun was but as he knew he couldn’t directly touch her, he opted to grab her by the sleeve of her shirt.

Abby let out a yelp and staggered back but then saw it was Cain. “What are you doing?” She flailed her arm helplessly.

“I just need you for a bit, c’mon.” He half dragged her to Jun’s table.

Abby gasped as soon as she saw Jun there. She had only gone to the cafe with the guys so they could get a drink. The last thing she expected was to see her ex there.

"You said you wouldn’t believe I have a boyfriend until you saw him, right? Well here he is, my boyfriend.” Cain pushed Abby forward but not before winking up at her. He only hoped she would go along with it. “He's much better looking than you, don't you think? And not only that but he's not a jerk like you.” He walked forward and showed Abby her arm that was not only red but had also started to bruise. “Oppa. You remember I told you my ex was a jerk? Well this is him and this is what he did to me."

At this, Abby's anger started to boil that before she knew it she had taken a swing at Jun, a punch straight to the eye. She felt lucky she was in Cain's body otherwise the punch might have not been as strong.

"So you were dating this whole time? Well as the leader, you don't have to worry about me saying anything. I'm sure the rest of the guys will keep this a secret too, right guys?"

"Yup." All six other members replied in unison to their leader.

Abby had almost forgotten the members had been following right behind her, they had been there the whole time, even when Cain called himself her boyfriend.

"She's so pretty. Is she really your girlfriend or do I still have a shot with her?"

Cain shivered as Eli winked at him.

Abby opened her mouth to speak but before she could say anything, Cain pulled her down and whispered in her ear. "Just go along with it. It's not like we can actually tell them the truth." Not only that but he also liked the idea of the members thinking she was his girlfriend.

"She has to go back to work guys. Let's just order our drinks and get out of here." All Abby really wanted was to get out of the situation. She had never planned on Cain and her to act as if they were dating.

"So you're an idol and because of that you can't date, right? That’s why your group members said they won’t tell on you but I’m not one of your members."

She had forgotten all about Jun being there, he looked more furious than she had ever seen him. He had walked closer to her and even though Cain was tall, he was taller. It almost felt as if he were towering over her. With his arms crossed and wide stance, she could tell he was trying to intimidate her but knew him well enough to not be scared of him. He was always one to bluff. His death stare meant nothing to her.

"Oh please. I know you won’t really tell. What would you even gain by doing so? And how about proof? Do you have any?” She got closer to him to show him she wasn’t scared. “We can all just easily deny everything and you’ll just end up looking like a liar and a fool. And aren’t you supposed to be a director at your aunt’s company? Wouldn’t that just make not only you look bad but also e.Lee Cosmetics as a whole?”

"I’m actually a Vice President now and soon to be CEO. And even if I don’t tell on you two, it's not like you won't be found out sooner or later. Ever heard of sasaengs?" Instead of waiting for a response, Jun put his sunglasses on and strutted out of there.

Having turned around, Abby saw all the members sitting at the table where Jun had been. Despite the table being meant for only four people, it looked like three of the guys had grabbed chairs from nearby as they were all huddled around the too small table. She was glad there was no more room for her otherwise she would have been expected to sit with them and she much preferred to stand than to sit on chairs where many others had sat.

"So...now that he's gone, can you tell your leader how you two met?"

Joel looked at Abby, expecting an answer as he believed she was Cain. But as it was him that told the lie, she thought it was only right for him to do all the explaining. Once she made sure none of the guys were looking, she stomped on Cain's foot.

Surprised by her action, Cain turned to look at her but realized why she had done it. "We actually just met recently. It's been what, two weeks and two days?" He turned to look at Abby a second time and took her nod as a sign to proceed. "I had to get my vaccination and that's where I met Cain, at the clinic."

"That's it? Well who asked who out first?" Joel had never been as interested in one of his group members as he was then. Cain was after all the first in their group to break the dating rule and yet he was one of the younger members.

"Cain did." He answered himself as he knew that if he were able to, he would have been the one to ask her out.

"Well congrats on being an oppa now." Joel was about to pat Abby on the back when she bent over laughing. "Dude. Why are you laughing?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

As Cain knew the reason for Abby's laughter, he decided to correct his leader, "I'm actually his noona."

"A noona? You don't look that old.” Joel peered at Cain. “Surely you're not my noona." As he was the oldest in the group, he was sure the girl in front of him couldn’t be any older than him.

"She's 5 years older than you." Abby corrected him. All of the members' jaws looked as if they were about to drop at that moment.

"Wow! Not only did Cain score a pretty girlfriend but a noona too! Lucky dog!" It was the second time Eli had called her pretty that Abby couldn't help but blush.

"Omg! Look at your face hyung! You're as red as a tomato!" Josiah who sat nearest to where Abby stood got up and poked her cheek. He had been one of the members that had grabbed a chair from another table and he had touched her face.

"Excuse me but I have to go to the restroom." She cleared her throat and walked off.

Cain followed after her and all of the members started to whistle behind them.

"Josiah touching you on the face bothered you, didn't it? I'm sorry. He tends to be touchy since I've always been like that with him. Let me grab a disinfectant wipe for you." He went to the café's supply closet where he had seen a box of them.

"It's fine. Just tell me where the restrooms are and I’ll wash my face there."

"There's no soap. I was actually supposed to fill the soap dispensers but then the whole Jun thing happened and I didn't get the chance to." Apart from waiting tables, Cain had also been given restroom duties such as refilling soap dispensers and toilet paper. He had been lucky that DoRi was the one that actually cleaned the restrooms. The cafe was just so short on staff that the waitresses had to take on other duties until more people were hired.

"I just really want to take a hot shower right now." Abby sighed as she placed her head on top of Cain's shoulder without realizing what she was doing. In a way she still thought of her body as herself at times. Although most of the time she did think of him as another person, she just couldn’t fully separate her body from her own self. And at that moment she didn’t think of Cain as someone else.

"It’s been an exhausting day for you so far, hasn't it?" He had only been with her for a few minutes and he could already tell she was having a hard time.

"It has. But the worst part was not being able to find the showers at EVE."

He should have known she would want to know where the showers were and yet he had forgotten to tell her. Usually all the members showered at the same time which was at the end of their practice. Since there was only one bathroom at their dorms they needed to take advantage of the showers that were at EVE. "You're not planning on going in the showers with the guys, are you?" Cain couldn't help but feel jealous at the thought. He remembered how shy she had been the first time they showered together and hoped she still had that shyness to her.

"Of course not. Lucas did walk in on me while I was taking a shower last night though. I had locked the door but he opened it and got in just so he could take a piss, can you believe that?"

Cain's eyes widened at this. "And you saw him?!" He didn't care if Lucas saw his naked body but for Abby to see him was a whole different thing.

"No. Luckily I was still in the shower when I heard him so the shower curtain prevented me from seeing him."

Members walking in to use the bathroom while others showered was actually common but Cain didn't like the fact Abby would be exposed to such barbaric behavior. He only wished the guys would stop doing such a thing, at least while she was in his body. "I'll draw you a map to show you where the showers at EVE are. The guys always take their showers after practice but you can try taking one just before practice ends or if you prefer to take a longer shower, wait until after they’re done with theirs."

"I think I'll wait until after they’re done. And thanks for what you did back there with Jun. I don't know why you did it but you didn't have to lie to him and pretend you were my boyfriend." She hadn't known what exactly Jun might have told Cain but she remembered the bruise he had left on her. She had also seen how he had been crouching and that could have only meant one thing, "You kicked him in the balls, didn't you?"

"Hard enough that he won't ever be able to reproduce little douches like him."

“Good. We don’t need more Jun’s in this world.”

"I thought I was going to find you two making out since neither of you were coming out."

At hearing Joel’s voice from behind, Abby realized she had her head on Cain’s shoulder and quickly pulled away.

"Sorry. I really do hate breaking you two up but we have to go.” Joel turned back to look at the other members who were already standing by the door. “Our vocal trainer just texted me, he's waiting for us."

Cain noticed as Abby's hands started to shake, it was usually one of her first symptoms of a panic attack. If she didn't manage to calm down soon, she would get shortness of breath. "You'll be fine. You practiced more than enough for this and each time you did better than the last so don't worry." He grabbed a disinfectant wipe and wiped her face with it. It felt weird to think of his face as hers and didn't think he would get used to it anytime soon. He did however like the fact their body switch had brought them together. Had it not happened, he most likely wouldn’t have met her.

Joel who was still there saw their interaction as weird but loving at the same time. He had never thought wiping someone's face with a disinfectant wipe could be romantic but somehow they made it look that way. Not only that but he found her words to him to be sweet. Cain had always been insecure about his rapping so he was glad his dongsaeng had found someone that believed in him. He only wished that someday he too would find someone like that and not only him but the rest of the members as well.

As soon as they stepped out of the cafe Abby was bombarded with questions. It made her wish they were in their vans instead of walking since at least that way there would have been only three guys asking her questions instead of seven. She didn't even know how to answer any of them and it wasn't like she could text Cain to ask him what to tell them.

One thing was certain though and that was that she and Cain would have to talk as she was sure the members would only persist with the questions and it was important for both of them to match their story. Keeping up such a charade wouldn’t be easy but she knew Cain had been right when he said they couldn't tell the members the truth. The only problem was Jun. Even if he didn’t tell others, just by mentioning such a thing to his aunt would be like telling her parents. Pretending with the members was one thing but to pretend with her parents was another. Abby knew they expected her to marry soon so if she were to date someone, they would expect that relationship to be a serious one.

They had just arrived at EVE when she received a text from Cain. It was a photo of a napkin with a map to the showers drawn on it and along with it were the lyrics to the Dora The Explorer I'm the map song. <~If there's a place you got to go. I'm the one you need to know. ~ I'm the map. I'm the map. I'm the map. ~ If there's a place you got to get. I can get you there I bet. ~ I'm the map. I'm the map. I'm the map~>

She figured he must have started watching the cartoon as soon as he started learning Spanish. He had after all told her he also wanted to learn some English along with Spanish so watching a kids cartoon like Dora was a perfect way for him to learn both languages. But him sending her the song lyrics along with a hand drawn map was something she hadn’t expected.

Abby hadn't noticed but she was smiling at the text and it ended up being Joel that pointed this out to her. "You're smiling while looking at your phone. That could only mean one thing, you're talking to that girl, aren't you?"

She shoved the phone away in her hoodie before he could see the text. "And you believe that simply because I'm smiling?"

"Well I could tell she really likes you so I would assume that makes you happy."

She thought he was just imagining things if he really believed Cain actually liked her. "Well anyone liking me would make me happy, isn't that true for everyone?"

"Yea but the feeling is different depending on who it is that likes you. Because if it's someone you like that likes you back, wouldn't that make you happier?"

"Ugh. Whatever you say.” She rolled her eyes at him. “Is it my turn now?" She had been too distracted by the text to see who had just gone but she was supposed to be the last one to go.

"The coach wants both you and Abel to do your parts together." Joel handed her a sheet of paper with lyrics. The time to test her skills had come. If she couldn't do well during a simple practice then she most likely wouldn’t be able to do well at all.

Having gotten stuck on several parts, Abby had to go back each time to redo them. She felt just like the first night she practiced with Cain except she felt more pressured. Abel hadn't gotten a single part wrong and yet he too had been forced to redo his parts all because she kept messing up hers. It was a good thing they weren't recording and that it was just practice but the vocal coach had grown impatient and made them take a 20 minute break. All she wanted to do in that time was to text Cain.

It was something their coach tended to do whenever any of the members had trouble.

<Yea, a 20 minute break.>

The only person Abby thought she wouldn't feel nervous around wasn't there, Cain. She knew if he were there she would feel more at ease but he wasn't so she had to settle for the next best thing, a mirror. As there was already one in the room all she needed to do was stand in front of it while she rapped and in that way it was as if Cain were there with her.