Hero (Dreamies)

You’ve been working for SM Entertainment for the past five years and you absolutely hated it. Having friends that worked at other companies made you realize early on that SM was a horrible company to work for. All they cared about was money. They treated their employees like trash and, in turn, the employees treated the idols like trash.

The foreign idols had it the hardest, in your opinion. Although it wasn’t technically a rule that the members had to speak Korean when they were doing shows or vlives, the managers were never happy when they didn’t.

To you, it seemed like the more money SM earned, the more they stopped caring that the idols were human beings, not machines. You were one hundred percent ready to leave the company and go work for a better company, like JYP. But you weren’t a quitter and you kept telling yourself to give it some more time, which eventually turned into years of time.

Finally, you set a time limit for yourself. You would stay with the company for one more month and if nothing changed, you would finally move on.

The next day, you were assigned to help manage one of NCT’s sub-units. They were called Dream and it was a group of seven boys all under the age of eighteen. You had already met the oldest member of the group, Mark, as he had debuted in a different unit. To your understanding, he was meant to debut in every single unit, which was just insane to you.

SM fully intended to work that child like a dog until he broke in half and it made you sick to your stomach. It was then that you came to the realization – this was your sign not to quit your job.

That night, you met up with your best friend, Seunghoon, who managed the group Got7. With everything on your mind, you ended up having a bit too much to drink, but it helped you make up your mind on what you needed to do.

“I’ll become a hero and protect the Dreamies from the evil of this world!”

“Ma’am, please don’t stand on the table, you’re disturbing the other customers…”

“Ah, I’m so sorr – ” Your apology died when you lost your balance and collided face first with the ground.

Seunghoon had to apologize to the owners before carrying your drunk ass away.

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Despite the hangover and the painful throbbing of your nose, you went to work the next morning filled with determination.

The Dreamies’s parents put their faith in the company to watch over and protect their children and you’d be damned if you let that faith go to waste!

Maya, the current assistant manager, brought you over to where the boys were getting their hair and makeup done for their MV shooting. “Boys, this is Y/N. She’ll be taking over for me when I move on to NCT U. Be on your best behavior for her, okay?”

They chorused their agreement before taking turns hugging her, seeming sad that she was leaving them. You realized that you had big shoes to fill.

She smiled brightly at you, “Don’t worry! I leave them in your capable hands.”

Swallowing down your nerves, you watched as she walked away. Kids had never been your strong suit in life and standing in front of seven teenagers made you feel older than you actually were. You cleared your throat, trying to sound as confident as possible. “Hello! My name is Y/N and I’ll be taking care of you from now on. Let’s get along!”

You were pleasantly surprised when they smiled and greeted you politely. You listened carefully as they introduced themselves, finding yourself smiling at how adorable and innocent they are. Suddenly, the years of SM hell seemed worth it.

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“Noona~” Chenle pouted, resting his head on your shoulder. “Can we go get ice cream after our interview?”

“Of course~!” You patted his head when he hugged you as thanks.

“There’s a new game that just came out,” Jisung scratched his cheek, shyly. “Can we… maybe go check it out?”

“We can stop by on the way to the ice cream shop. I’ll buy you a copy.”

“Really? Thank you so much, noona!”

Haechan waddled over cutely, showing you a finger heart to win you over. “Noona~ Can I get the new Air Jordans that just came out? They’d look amazing in our new music video!”

“Go ahead and order them.”

“Yes!”

Jaemin shook his head as he sat on the couch beside you. “Don’t you think you’re spoiling them too much, noona?”

“Nope,” you grinned, happily. “I ordered you some new headphones, by the way. They should arrive tomorrow!”

“How did you – ” he followed your gaze to Haechan and sighed, “Should’ve known.” He then offered you a thankful smile. “I appreciate it, thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Nana.” You ruffled his hair, feeling your heart flutter with happiness. Since you had been an only child growing up, working for Dream was like having a bunch of adorable baby brothers to spoil and make happy.

“You’re late!”

Hearing the manager yell, you looked up. He was pretty angry, that obnoxious vein popping out on his forehead. In front of him stood Mark, breathing heavy as he bowed his head in apology. He was upset, but not because he was being scolded – it was because he had taken so long to arrive. Rather than resting after his schedule with NCT U, he had rushed over to practice with Dream, only to get screamed at for his efforts.

You stood up and approached them, resting your arm around the boy’s shoulders. As much as you wanted to scream and insult the man, you had to keep your job if you wanted to protect the boys. Clearing your throat, you put on your best fake smile. “With all due respect, sir, perhaps we should let Mark rest instead of scolding him. He’s working very hard!”

“Not hard enough!” He bit back, turning his glare to you. “And you have no say in this. You work for me, so your opinions mean nothing. Don’t forget your place, Y/N.”

Your grip tightened as anger coursed through you, making Mark look up at you with concern. Even so, your smile never faltered. “Of course, sir. My apologies!”

When the manager walked away, Mark turned to you with a grateful smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Thank you for standing up for me, but… I don’t want you to get into trouble.”

‘This kid can’t be real’, you rested your hands on his shoulders and your smile turned genuine. “I’m an adult, dear, you don’t have to worry about me. As your noona, it’s my job to protect you. You work harder than anyone I know and I’m very proud of you, Mark.”

This time the smile did reach his eyes.

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You threw yourself onto the wooden chair angrily, eyes burning with determination. Seunghoon looked over at you with a raised brow.

“Sometimes, in order to beat the evil you’re facing, you must become evil itself.”

“Did you grab a drink on your way here?”

You slammed your hand on the table. “Miss, one mug of beer, please!”

“Coming right up!”

By this point, he had become convinced that SM had stripped you of the small bit of sanity you had left. How bad were things there that you were talking about heroes and evil? “Whatever you’re planning, I don’t want to know. Just… don’t get arrested, I don’t have the money to bail you out.” You gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up and he sighed. “I’m going to the bathroom.” He headed to the back, internally questioning why he was friends with you. It was bad enough that he had to deal with Got7’s crazy antics, but he also had to deal with yours. Seunghoon definitely was not getting paid enough for this.

Deciding to use this time to put your plan into action, you pulled out your phone and called up your old compadre, Lucile.

– “ Hello ?”

“Luci! I need a favor.”

''– He scoffed. “ It’s been three years and I don’t even get a ‘hi’? ”''

“Hi, Lucile! Long time no speak! How ya been, buddy? Good? Great! I need a favor.”

''– He sighed deeply. “ What can I do for you, noona ?”''

“Glad you asked! I need you to find some dirt on someone.”

''– “ Oh? Are you reverting to your old self? ”''

“Only a little bit… but it’s for the greater good this time!”

''– He hummed. “ Name? ”''

“Chul Kim.”

''– “ Consider it done. ”''

“As payment, you can come over and spend time with Mittens~”

– “ … ”

“…you already do, don’t you?! You broke into my apartment, you little shit?!”

– “ Gotta get to work, bye noona~ ”

“Oi, don’t you dare – ” click. “Son of a – ”

Seunghoon slowly sat back down, trying to ignore the last bit of the conversation, but it worried him. Despite himself, he questioned, “Should I be worried about someone breaking into your apartment?”

“Yes,” you answered, confidently. “The evil is strong, Seunghoonie.”

He sighed once again, convinced that you were, in fact, insane.

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You were sitting in the waiting room with the Dreamies, impatiently checking your phone. Lucile was taking his sweet time to deliver the dirt you requested and you were starting to feel anxious. Although you did your best to hide it, intuitive little Jaemin noticed.

He took the seat next to you, playing on his phone. “What’s wrong, noona?”

“Nothing! Everything is perfectly fine~”

He deadpanned, knowing that you were lying. “Noona…”

You changed the subject, “Let me ask you something, Nana. You have to answer honestly, okay?”

Jaemin nodded, putting his phone into his pocket as he turned to give you his full attention.

“Do you like your manager?”

His body tensed at the question and he immediately looked away, glancing at Mark. “He… does his best.”

You hummed at his answer, getting all of the information you needed.

The door swung open and Mark rushed inside, breathing heavily. Their manager glared at him, ordering him to hurry up and change. You felt your anxiety growing as you scowled at your phone, ‘Luci, so help me, if you don’t hurry up you’re never gonna see Mittens!’

As if hearing your thoughts, your phone vibrated as Lucile sent various pictures and snippets of information. You quickly scrolled through it, feeling your lips tug up. This was absolutely perfect!

When the Dreamies went on stage, you approached the manager, tapping his shoulder. He glared at you, demanding to know why you were bothering him. You smiled brightly, showing him one of the pictures. His eyes widened and he grabbed you, his voice harsh and low.

“Where the hell did you get that?!”

“I have my sources~”

“What do you want?” he growled.

“From now on, I’m in charge. If you even think about being rude to those boys, I’ll make sure every media outlet sees these pictures. You’ll be ruined – no one will ever give you a chance!” You grinned, feeling satisfied as he grew angrier. “The Dreamies deserve the world, and you’re going to give it to them. From now on, you – ” you pointed your index finger at his face. “ – will be their slave!”

“That’s ridiculous! I would never stoop so low.”

“Okay, then~” You pulled up your e-mail, getting ready to send the pictures.

“No, wait! Stop!” He grabbed your wrist, looking desperate. “Fine, fine!”

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The next few weeks were wonderful. Their manager was treating them like kings and he stopped scolding Mark, instead praising him for working so hard. Everyone noticed the change, but only Jaemin realized that you had something to do with it.

You sat off to the side, watching the manager bring bottles of water to the boys after they finished practice. You felt proud of yourself and you were even tempted to return to your old ways because of how amazing it felt.

The couch dipped as Jaemin settled in beside you, leaning his head on your shoulder.

“You did a good job, Nana.” You pulled him into a hug, patting his head.

“Thank you, noona… for everything.”

You tilted your head to the side and he smiled brightly.

“You’re our hero~”