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Chapter Text

Huang Zitao was happy.

He had been happy since he had found out that she was coming to China. That they would be mentors together on the show where they first met.

So, when he found out that she had no place to stay, he had been happy to offer her his spare room.

When his phone rang and he looked down at the caller he chuckled. It took him long enough.

"Yibo! How are you?"

"Is she there?"

"Hm? Aw, I've missed talking to you too."

"Is it true? Is she staying with you?"

"Is your ex-girlfriend staying at my house? Yes, yes she is and she has been for three days now. I'm surprised it took you so long to call."

"I'm coming over."

"Oh no you don't. Not without her permission."

"Tao... I need to talk to her."

"I'm sure you do, but you can't force yourself into her life after forcing her out of yours. You made a choice. The wrong one, but fixing it is the hard part. I won't let you hurt her again."

"I won't. I'll make this right."

"You should be telling her, not me."

"How is she?"

Zitao sighed.

"You know her. She acts like she's fine, but I can see the sadness in her eyes. She's nervous about the show too."

"Is it because of you?"

"Is what because of me?"

"The show. Are you the reason she was invited to be a mentor?"

"Well, they were taking suggestions and I said wouldn't it be cool if one of our previous contestants came back as a mentor."

"And you said her name."

"It was an easy sell. They're still focusing on reaching an international audience and no one else has reached that kind of level."

"Have you decided on the celebrity guests yet?"

"You say that as if this is my show. I'm just a mere mentor I don't actually have much say in what happens and who takes part."

"Tao."

"I know why you're asking and it might be possible."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. You know, I'm surprised you didn't just come over here instead of calling. Are you not in the city? Where are you?"

"At the airport... in Korea."

"Ah. Wait, did you say Korea?"

"I was planning on talking to her. I didn't know she had chosen to move to China... despite me."

"Oh, Yibo... I look forward to seeing how this plays out. You don't mind some competition, do you?"

"She's not a thing. She can't be won."

"You know what I mean. May the best man win."

Chapter Text

It was weird being back in China, in particular, back at the place where it had all started.

She still felt slightly out of place. Although she had changed since she was on the show, being back brought back all the memories from that time. Standing on the stage in front of the contestants' seats she remembered her audition and wrapped her arms around herself.

She was so lost in thought that she jumped slightly when an arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"What do you think?"

She glanced up at Zitao and smiled. Her friendship with him had picked up where it left off even though they had barely seen each other the past year. She had worried that living with him would be awkward, but it had been the opposite and she was so grateful that he had offered her a place to stay.

"I think I'm glad I'm not a contestant this time."

"Ha! Are you ready to rehearse?"

"Sure."

They went to one of the practice rooms and started to rehearse for the mentor introduction performance. Since she didn't have any solo songs, Zitao had suggested that she perform with him. Her Mandarin was a little out of practice, but he helped her with the pronunciation, and she quickly had the vocals memorised. Now they just had to work on performing it together.

After practising for a while, they took a break. Zitao passed her a bottle of water.

"I forgot to ask. How was the meeting with the producers?"

She shrugged.

"The paperwork was a little complicated, but we worked it all out in the end. Thanks for suggesting me by the way."

"When you told me your contract with BTS was ending and you were thinking about coming to China, well the opportunity appeared, and it seemed like fate."

"Fate."

"What? You don't believe in fate."

"Perhaps I did once, but I'm not so sure now."

Zitao watched as she stared off into the distance and he had a feeling that he knew who she was thinking about. He pondered over whether to tell her about the phone call he had received and, in the end, decided that honesty was always best even if it didn't benefit him.

"Yibo called me earlier."

If he wasn't watching for her reaction, he wouldn't have noticed the way she tensed up for a moment.

"Why are you telling me?"

"He wants to talk to you."

"I think he said enough."

"He's in Korea. He went there to talk to you."

Her head whipped around to look at him.

"He did? So, what does it matter."

She tried to cover up her reaction, but there was no hiding that she wasn't as indifferent as she was trying to appear.

"I know you still love him."

"What? Are you suggesting I forgive him? Take him back?"

"No. I want you to stop hurting. Whether that's with or without him."

"Really?"

"Your happiness is important to me."

She looked into his eyes and saw the sincerity behind his words. Zitao had always been blunt about the fact that he wanted to be more than just her friend, but he never did so in a way that made her uncomfortable. She felt a strange flutter in her chest and had to look away.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being you."

She glanced back at him to see him smiling warmly at her.

"You're welcome."

Chapter Text

She started to think this was a very bad idea. 

The girls in the competition didn't respect her. Some saw her as someone who lost the last competition and therefore wasn't any better than them. Others didn't like her because of her time with BTS. Most of them agreed that she wasn't good enough to be their mentor. 

Her first class was awful. The girls wouldn't listen to her. However, she wasn't one to shout or tell people off. So she spoke to them calmly. 

"If you don't want my help, or feel that you don't need it, then you are free to leave."

The contestants glanced around at each other. 

"This isn't a trick. There's an empty room next door if you'd rather practice on your own."

Just over half the class got up and left. Whether it was for dramatic effect to get noticed on the show or because some truly didn't want to be taught by her and the rest followed, it didn't matter. After the door closed, she addressed those who stayed behind. 

"Well, it looks like you'll each be getting personal training from me. I promise to do everything I can to help you get through this and succeed. Okay? Great! Let's get started."

As was tradition in this competition, the first task was to learn the theme tune for this year. The contestants had three days to learn both the vocals and the dance. She was there to help them with the vocals. 

"Now I know my pronunciation isn't perfect, but most of the lyrics are in English, so I have an advantage there. Shall we sing it through all together a couple of times first, just to get a feel for it?"

"Miss? Can you sing it for us first please?"

She smiled at the girl who had spoken. 

"Of course."

They all clapped after she finished singing. 

"Thank you. Now remember today we are just getting the general feel for it, for tomorrow you need to have memorised the words, and then we will fine-tune everything. Sound good? Perfect. Is everyone ready? Let's try it."

They sang it together at speed, slowed down and then she went through and broke down the pronunciation and the rhythms for those who were struggling. 

"Okay, solo time. Who wants to go first?"

When no one volunteered she realised that the ones that had stayed behind were the non-singers. She smiled kindly at them. 

"It's okay. We're all friends here. I don't want to put anyone on the spot by force, but I can't help you if you don't sing for me. Remember that we are all here to learn and this is only day one. No one expects you to be perfect."

One by one the girls started to raise their hands. They took turns singing and getting feedback from their mentor. By the end of the class, the contestants felt a lot more confident and they all thanked their mentor as they left the room. 

"They like you."

She spun around from where she was collecting her things to see Zitao standing by the door with a smile on his face. With a sigh, she gave him a small smile back. 

"You didn't see the beginning of the lesson. Half the class left."

His smile dropped and was replaced by a frown. 

"What?!"

"I told them too. If they didn't want to be here then there was no point in them staying and disrupting the rest of the class."

"They should want to be here. The whole reason they're here is to learn from us."

"They don't believe I can teach them anything."

Zitao's eyes softened. He reached out and rubbed her arm comfortingly. 

"I'm sorry."

"Does it ever stop?"

"What?"

"Having to prove ourselves?"

"No. I'm afraid it's the nature of our job."

She sighed. 

"It's exhausting."

He pulled her into a hug and she melted into his arms. 

"You had a positive impact on those young trainees today. Focus on that."

"Thank you... For wanting me to be here."

Zitao understood the meaning behind her words. The contestants hadn't wanted her here and neither had Yibo. He held her tighter to let her know that he wasn't letting her go anywhere. 

Chapter Text

"Noona! We miss you!"

"I miss you more!"

"I miss you the most!"

While the BTS Maknae line bickered, she watched Yoongi roll his eyes on the screen. She was meant to be having a video call with her best friends but it appeared to have been gatecrashed. 

"How are you?"

"I'm okay. Classes are going better."

"Good. Those girls were being stupid. That kind of attitude won't do them any good in this industry."

"True, but think of it from their point of view. The rest of the mentors are well-known experts in their field. In China, I'm a failed variety show contestant."

"And a former BTS member. You proved your talent and gained lots of experience. They should know that we have a lot to offer."

"Are you going to tell them that?"

"Phone me next time you have class and I will."

"Yeah yeah."

She smiled fondly at Yoongi's protectiveness. 

"Are you still living with Huang Zitao?"

She tilted her head a frown appearing between her eyebrows. 

"Yes... Why? Do you think I should be looking for my own place?"

Yoongi shrugged. 

"Depends. Do you plan on staying there after the show is finished?"

She didn't know how to respond to that. Part of her had been hoping that Yibo would turn up, she would forgive him, and they would start a life together. Now, however, she knew realistically she couldn't stay in China without work and she had no idea what would happen after the show finished filming. 

Yoongi spoke again. 

"Have you heard from him?"

She bit her lip. 

"No... But he phoned Tao, so he knows where I am."

"Are you going to talk to him?"

"I probably should."

Jimin's face popped up on the screen. 

"You don't have to do anything."

And then Taehyung and Jungkook joined him. 

"It's totally up to you, Noona."

"I say forget about him!"

Yoongi pushed them out of the way. 

"Get lost you three!"

"Bye, Noona!"

"Don't forget about us!"

Yoongi stared at them and they rushed out the door. Jungkook came back to say bye before running out of the room, closing the door behind him. 

"Anyway, are you enjoying living with Zitao? I know you said you were friends before, but you hadn't seen each other for a while."

"It was a little awkward at first, but we soon got comfortable around each other again. It was like no time had passed. Yoongi... He's so sweet to me."

Yoongi gave her a soft smile. 

"Good. It's nice to see you happy."

"You're a good friend."

He raised an eyebrow. 

"Is Tao just a friend as well?"

"Yes? I know he wants to be more - he's never been shy about letting me know that - but before I, well, I only had eyes for Yibo."

"And now?"

"I... I don't know. I think it's too soon, but then we have these moments and -"

"And?"

"I can't help but imagine what it would be like to allow things to... Progress."

"You should tell him."

Her eyes widened. 

"What?"

"Tell him that you're not immune to his charms but you also don't want to use him as a rebound. He may want to wait until you've properly finished things with Yibo, or he may want to help you move on. Either way, you should give him a choice."

"Not all of us can be as straightforward as you, but I'll think about it."

Yoongi nodded and leaned forward. 

"Do you want to hear what Jin-Hyung did yesterday?"

She smiled at the change of subject and eagerly leaned forward to listen as he told her stories about the members. It was a nice distraction from the chaos that was going on inside her head. 

Would Yoongi's idea make things better, or worse?

Chapter Text

Living with Zitao had become strangely normal. 

It was different to living with BTS. With BTS it had been busy and sometimes chaotic. Every day was different, and they worked odd hours. With Zitao they had a routine.

She rolled out of bed, quickly pulling on some comfortable clothes before heading to the kitchen. The sight of Zitao bustling around, preparing breakfast, greeted her.

"Good morning."

 As he flashed her a bright smile, her heart fluttered as she remembered what she and Yoongi talked about last night.

"Morning. You didn't have to make breakfast."

Zitao shrugged, setting a plate of scrambled eggs and toast on the table. 

"You say that every morning, but I like taking care of you."

She couldn't help but notice how especially handsome he looked today. 

"Thank you, Zitao. You're too good to me." 

"Anything for you. Ready for another day with the trainees?"

She sighed as she wondered whether she would have a full class today.

"I'm just hoping today will be better."

"It will be. You've got this."

She had been a bit of a mess since she moved to China and things wouldn't have gone as smoothly if Zitao hadn't been around to help her through it. 

At the studio, she found herself in front of the trainees once again. The girls who had stayed behind yesterday were already present, their expressions a lot calmer than the day before.

"Good morning, everyone. Are we ready to tackle the theme tune again today?"

The girls nodded, and she led them through a series of vocal exercises to warm up.

"Let's sing it through a couple of times to get comfortable."

As they all sang together, she noticed a few faces at the door. After a minute the door opened, and a group of trainees came in. She recognised them as some of the girls that left yesterday. She waved them in, and they joined the back of the class.

"Great work, everyone. I'll come around and see each of you one by one, but if you have any questions or need help with anything, don't hesitate to ask."

She walked around the room, offering individual feedback and encouragement. She didn't question those who had come in late, and they seemed very grateful for her help. The atmosphere was significantly better than the previous day, and she could see the girls gaining confidence with each passing hour.

When the official rehearsal time ended, she noticed some of the trainees lingering, still eager to practice.

"Do you all want to stay a bit longer?" 

They nodded, and she stayed late with them, working on fine-tuning their pronunciation and rhythm until everyone felt confident about the assessment the following day. 

"Great job, everyone. I'm really proud of how hard you've worked. Keep this up, and you'll do amazing tomorrow."

The trainees spoke in unison.

"Thank you, Miss!"

And then one of them called out. 

"We couldn't have done it without you."

She felt a warm glow of satisfaction as she packed up her things and headed out. Zitao was waiting for her by the entrance, his smile as bright as ever.

"How did it go?"

"Really well. They worked so hard, and I think they're ready for tomorrow."

"I knew they would be. You have a way of bringing out the best in people."

His words touched her deeply, and she found herself appreciating him even more. As they walked back to the car, she glanced at him, her heart feeling lighter than it had in a long time. Maybe Yoongi was right. Maybe she did need to give Zitao a chance, to see where things could go.