Chapter Text
"What do you mean the booking isn't there? I made that booking myself Sir. Look, here's the confirmation email. I know how to do my job and I booked 3 rooms. So fix it! NOW!!!!"
Wren stands at the hotel reception drilling her nails on the wooden counter top, tired, hungry and pissed off.
"I'm sorry Miss Kang, I don't understand what's happened but the only room we have left is a family suite, but there are 2 beds in the room. 2 double beds".
Chan and Minho walk up behind her after hearing Wren shout. Something she never really does. Yes she gets angry when things fuck up, but she's never been one for raising her voice.
Wren turns to the men and explains the situation.
The 3 of them are there as Chan and Minho have a photoshoot and interviews together the next day for an animal charity they are both involved in, helping to promote funds and adoption.
They have had a long drive to get here through horrendous traffic and it's now 6pm so they are all hungry.
"Wren it's fine, if its all they have then there isn't much we can do. Min and I will take 1 bed and you can take the other. It's fine. It's only for 2 nights".
Wren rubs her hands down her exasperated face and turns back to the poor man in reception. He visibly flinches when she whips around. "It will need to do" she snaps out as she hands over her company credit card.
Wren has been Stray kids manager for just less than a year now. She started the job just as they finished up their last tour and their old manager was leaving permanently to move to another country.
She's used to the music and entertainment business as her Dad, well step dad, Eun Kang is a well known music producer with his own, extremely successful company where Wren worked. She was production manager for a while then became lead sound engineer. Although he isn't her blood father, he was still her Dad. He was the one who brought her up from age 2.
She was born and brought up in New York. Her biological father left her mother when Wren was 6 months old.
Eun and Donna, Wrens mother, met then married when Wren was 3.
One day out the blue when Wren was 10, her mother left, wanting a new start with another man.
Donna was really young when she had Wren, stating she never had a life since having her.
Wren was a wreck. Not only did her father not want her, but after 10 years, her mother decided that as well.
So thats how she found herself starting a whole new life in Seoul age 11.
Eun, although not her biological father, was the most important person in her life. He raised her as his own daughter without any hesitation.
Moving to a different country was tough. Eun was Korean and always insisted on her leaning his native tongue, so that made things a little easier. Leaving behind all her friends though. That was hard.
Wren got picked on quite a bit in school. Her looks being the forefront of the bullying. Her green eyes stood out way too much so she used to wear brown lenses to blend in more but it was no use. She didn't look Korean in any way.
She was extremely fortunate that she managed to get out of school and start working at "EKE" (Eun Kang Entertainment), when she turned 16. Eun was aware of the bullying and wanted her away from it so he started her at his company as admin. Over the years Wren showed him how dedicated she was and worked her way through the ranks on her own merit to production manager, then into sound engineering where she thrived.
When she applied for the Stray kids management job her Dad said he knew a lot of people there but Wren asked him to allow her to do it on her own, which she did.
The bosses at JYPE knew who she was AFTER getting the job and she asked them to keep it to themselves. Eun was well respected within the industry and she didn't want special treatment. Eun was beyond proud of her. Most people would ride the apron strings of his success to get what they wanted, but not Wren. She is capable, strong willed, independent and determined in everything she does.
Wren is now 35. She has her own money, which she earned and saved herself. A beautiful large 2 bedroom apartment with floor to ceiling windows in the livingroom which open to a large outdoor terrace. Its within a gated area not far from JYPE and the kids houses and she has just bought herself a brand new Mercedes AMG GT 63 in black.
Wren isn't the show off type of person. Everything she has, she pays for with her own hard earned cash. She doesn't spend a fortune on clothes, always high street shopping, but she loves her cars.
The year she's spent with Stray kids has been a whirlwind. At first a few of them gave her a run for her money, but she proved to all of them that she isn't one to be messed with. Over the year they have established a great relationship with each other. They trust her and she trusts them which is a huge deal, especially in this business.
She keeps her private life to herself though. They don't know where she lives, they don't know her friends. They've never seen her outside of work commitments and she likes it like that. The guys soon realised she doesn't open up and she doesn't speak of her life outside work with them. They try every now and then but Wren shuts it down. She needs to have a work/personal life balance.
All she's told them is how her biological father left when she was a baby. Her mother married a Korean man then she too left, leaving him to bring Wren up and she calls him Dad.
Wren and the boys are close, they have to be, but she can't allow them to be anything more than the people she manages even with her growing crush on Chan and Minho. That was part of the reason she was hired. She'd heard how a lot of people tried for the job because they want their 5 minutes of fame or to get close to the 8 men, personally. Wren wasn't like that and the bosses could see that.
"Miss Kang i can only apologise for the mix up. Please enjoy your stay with us".
Wren sighs and takes the key card from the man who looks like his soul has left the building.
The 3 of them make their way up in the elevator with their bags and step off when it reaches their floor. They walk along the corridor to find the room and Wren unlocks it so they can get inside.
It's a spacious enough room but Wrens guts are twisted. Even though she's seen them all half naked during changes and around their houses, she's never actually slept or showered in the same space as them. As strong as she is mentally, her body has always been an issue for her. She isn't exactly overweight, but she does have curves. She knows none of them care nor do they look at her in that way she thinks. 4 of them are gay. 2 are Bi and the other 2, shes sure are straight, but still. She can't help feel a little anxious about them seeing her freshly showered without make up on, especially Chan and Minho.
"Shit" she suddenly let's out. The men turn up look at her confused. She shakes her head and hands motioning it's nothing. She was very suddenly reminded of what sleepwear she has... nothing!!! Wren hates the feeling of wearing anything to bed so never packs any because she's always in her own room.
"Wren.. what is it?"
"Erm nothing, I'll deal with it Minho".
Her brain is scrambled. She'll just need to wear the tshirt she's wearing now to bed. It's long but not long enough to cover much. She plans on just getting some work done on her laptop later until the men fall asleep then she can quickly shower and sprint to her bed which she's just noticed is the farthest away from the bathroom. She's going to have to run past the foot of the bed that Chris and Minho will be in to get to hers.
The boys have never seen her bare legs. She always wears long pants of some kind for a reason. She has her entire right lower leg fully tattooed with a massive Songbird and beautiful coloured flowers. From her knee to her ankle. Wrapped all around. Women with tattoos are not the norm within the entertainment industry here so she's always kept it hidden.
"I'm too tired to go out for food, so...room service?" Chris suggests in his full dimpled, can't say no to face.
"Fine, whatever. Just order and I'll eat. I've got a shit ton of emails to get through so yeah, just order" Wren says rolling her eyes.
Once the order is placed, and bags are moved from beds, Wren sits on hers with her back against the headboard, legs flat and her laptop on her thighs and gets some work done. After about 20 minutes she starts rubbing at her eyes when they start to dry out from wearing contacts all day. "God damn it" she mumbles as she gets up towards the bathroom before grabbing her case and solution then her black framed glasses. She stomps into the bathroom and takes the contacts out feeling instant relief. She puts her glasses on and throws her hair up in a bun without even looking in the mirror. Just as she comes out the bathroom the door goes so she opens it and pulls in the silver trolley filled with food. "Grubs up" she announces as she rounds the corner. She looks up and sees Chan and Minho with wide eyes. "What?" She says feeling extremely paranoid.
"You...you look....different" Chan says while still staring at her as she hears Minho laugh. She realises none of them have ever seen her wear her glasses. And they've certainly never seen her with a birds nest on her head. She always has her hair down.
"My eyes were starting to burn. I needed the contacts out and my hair is heavy so...."
"You don't need to explain. Just wasn't expecting.....that" Chris says while trying to look away.
"Oookaaay then, now that's cleared up, can we please eat?" Minho laughs out while climbing off the bed towards the trolly Wren still has her hands on. "Yes, of course" she shakes her head pulling her out of her own head.
They eat and Wren gets back on her bed with her laptop. The emails are never ending. It's now 9pm and she's still working. The 2 men are scrolling on their phones and chatting to each other when Wren feels a pillow smack her head. "The hell was that for?" she glares over at the 2 men now full on laughing as she straightens her glasses. "I was asking why you are still working & when you didn't respond...well the pillow took flight". Minho, the chaos munger at his finest.
"It's 9pm, this is early" she grumbles as she concentrates back on her laptop.
She sees movement out the corner of her eye and looks up just in time to see Chan take the laptop off her and put it on the dressing table. "You're done for the night. It's getting late" he scolds her. "Erm, may I remind you it's my job to keep you in check, not the other way around". She tries to sound angry, but she can't. Chan is right, it's getting late and she needs to draw the line to stop working. Something shes never really been able to do.
"Fine! I'm done. Put a movie on or something then"
"I'm going to wash up first. I won't be long then you guys can get in" Minho announces as he pulls some shorts and tshirt out his bag. Wren's stomach drops. As Minho vanishes Chan notices the change in her in those few seconds and asks her what's wrong. "Um...I don't really.... well, i don't usually sleep wearing anything so yeah...all I have is the tshirt I'm wearing which frankly, ain't covering shit". Wren can feel the red glow coming from her face as she can't bring herself to look at Chan. "Jesus erm, ok...I can give you something if it helps? I'm sure my tshirts will...cover more?" He says almost sounding like a question. He gets off his bed and rummages around his bag then pulls out a black tshirt, because it's Chan so obviously it's black. "This is the longest one" he says as he throws it towards her. "Yeah, that's great. Thank you".
Wren looks up and smiles at Chan. Is he blushing? She thinks as she hears the bathroom door unlock.
"This is going to be hell" she mutters to herself.....