SEVENTEEN

Abby was the first one to finish making her dish while Abel and Josiah were both still having difficulty making theirs. Josiah was the one struggling most. He had spent most of the time just washing the chicken. But that was a good thing for Abby since it meant that she would at least not have to worry about it not being clean. She had even offered the guys to help wash their ingredients just so that she made sure everything was well cleaned. The maknae however had not wanted to give up the chicken and washed it himself. Because of that he had fallen behind on his cooking.

Abel's pork belly was still on the grill when he decided to go check the comments fans were writing. Many of them were saying that Cain had looked like a professional cook and that his dish looked good. Some were even commenting that they couldn't wait and that they wanted Cain to try out his dish. They wanted to know if it was as good as it looked. Seeing the comments gave Abel an idea, something fans were going to like to see.

Abby no longer being able to bear seeing Josiah struggling, felt like she had to help him.

"I know we aren't supposed to help each other out but is there something I can help you with?" 

He was putting udon noodles in a pot of boiling water when she asked. She hadn't known he was going to make noodles with his chicken bulgogi so it surprised her, it was no wonder he was taking as long. 

"Remember how you said I could use your gochujang? Well could you perhaps put some on my chicken? But make sure to also add the gochugaru."

Abby might not know how to make Korean dishes other than her ex's favorite dish but she knew enough to know that gochugaru were Korean chili peppers. She also knew that Abel couldn't eat super spicy foods so she wondered why Josiah would even want to use gochugaru on top of the gochujang which was already a chili paste. He was probably just being an evil maknae. She knew Abel would most definitely not like having to eat two spicy dishes. She was just going to have to make sure to serve him some extra rice and seaweed to take some of the spiciness away.

"Say ah" 

At hearing Abel's voice, Abby turned around and saw that he was standing behind her. She was barely able to process his nearness to her that she was caught by surprise when she felt a piece of salmon had been shoved inside her mouth. She had made the salmon so she knew everything was done cleanly, the question was were Abel's hands clean? Abby knew he had washed them before starting to cook but he could have touched anything else other than food right after. She hated it when people did that, people that would start cooking but then do something else like get on their phone and then go back to handling food without washing their hands a second time.

"Is it good? The fans couldn't wait and they wanted to see you try the salmon you made." 

She felt like throwing up. She hadn't even chewed the food, she couldn't. Not when she didn't know if Abel's hands were clean from germs.

The camera had been facing her and she was able to see the comments. Fans did in fact want to know if the salmon she had made was good. Some of them were even saying they were going to try the recipe if it was. Abby knew she couldn't throw up the food, not with the camera being there. It would end up making Cain look bad. But she still needed to get the food out and possibly even go brush her teeth, or at least rinse her mouth out. Cain was always known to be dramatic so she decided to use that as an advantage. She fanned herself with both hands and pretended to tear up.

"Water. It's spicy." 

Covering her mouth as she said this, she pretended to leave to get water while still having the food in her mouth. 

She thought it was gross to keep food in her mouth for that long but there was no way she would have swallowed it. She spit it out in the nearest trash can which was just outside the room they had been in. Wanting to rinse, she knew she was going to need water. Vending machines that sold drinks were on every floor of EVE's Entertainment building, she just needed to find one. It took her some time since the building was big but she finally got to one.

But finding a vending machine and getting that water bottle were two separate things, at least to someone like her. Because as she stood there, she realized that she was going to have touch buttons to get it. Buttons that many others had touched with their dirty hands before. She knew a lot of people didn't wash their hands, some people were even as gross as to not wash their hands after going to the restroom. That thought alone made her want to puke.

Abby had been standing in a daze when all of a sudden she saw someone's hand touch the buttons on the vending machine. She stared as a water bottle came out from the bottom flap and then as the bottled water was being handed to her.

"Here. Have it. I grabbed it with my other hand that didn't touch the buttons. I thought you would have come here when I heard you say you needed water and left the room." 

It was Cain. He was standing in front of her and he had just given her a bottled water. He had told her that he was going to watch the Vlive but he had never said anything about being in EVE's building. She also knew that not just anyone could get in. Only artists and employees were allowed. It wasn't some public place for anyone to be able to walk in.

"Surprised I'm here, aren't you?" 

Cain took her silence as a sign of her being surprised. 

"Well it is definitely unexpected to see you here. How is it that you were allowed in? I mean...normally you would be allowed in since you're an artist here but you're not you..."

Cain chuckled at this. He knew that she meant that he was no longer in his body, the body of an idol and not that he wasn't him.

"Well you remember how you had said I should try to get a job as a makeup artist here? Well I got hired!" 

"Omg! Really?!" 

Hearing this, Abby only hoped that he had been assigned to be her makeup artist, especially on the days when she was going to have to be an MC. Having him actually be there with her and not just as another person in the audience would be a lot better. And it wasn't like she had thought that he was always going to be able to go to Music Beat just to be a part of the audience.

"Yup! You are now looking at 7Guys's new makeup artist!"

"Oh." 

Abby looked disappointed at this. Of course she would. The only person she felt comfortable with was going to work with another group and not with Adam like she would have liked. She was still happy that he at least seemed happy. Cain was however able to notice her slight frown before it had turned into a smile.

"You were hoping I would say I was hired to work with Adam, weren't you?" 

She nodded. 

"But you'll still be working here, right? You'll be able to be in the same building as me?" 

That should have been enough for her but she somehow wished for more. It was better than having him work someplace else though and she had to be content with that. At least it meant that they were going to be able to see each other more instead of just texting one another all the time.

"Cain!" 

"Joel?" 

Both Cain and Abby turned to see Joel who was running towards them. 

"Josiah is already done and they are just waiting for you so that the food tasting can begin. I saw that you said your salmon was too spicy though so perhaps you should try doing something to make it less spicy otherwise Abel might not vote for your plate. Oh? She's here..."

By "she", Joel was referring to Cain's so called "girlfriend" as he was looking at Cain. Abby wondered how it felt for Cain to be called his own girlfriend, she knew it felt weird to her being called her own boyfriend.

"She works here now." 

"Oh really? What do you do?" 

Joel kept looking at Cain. 

"I'm a makeup artist." 

"It looks like you have something in common with your boyfriend then since he's actually good at doing makeup, did you know that?" 

Cain nodded.

"So did you get the job to be closer to your boyfriend? Will you be working with us?" 

By "us" Joel was referring to Adam. It was the second time in less than a minute that Joel used the word boyfriend, Abby cringed each time. For 28 years she had been referred to as female and to be referred to as male just seemed way too weird to her. She still hadn't gotten used to it. 

She felt mad at the tree and the twig for having caused all the mess they were both in. And she was even more mad since the only way they were supposedly going to be able to change back was if she could find "love", something she hadn't wanted and something she thought was impossible for her. If that was really what it was going to take for them to switch back bodies, she didn't think she was ever going to be herself again. But rather than feeling bad for herself, she felt bad for Cain. She only wished she could make the switch possible for his sake. His life had after all been stolen by her.

"I will be working for 7Guys so I won't really be that close to him. Besides it's not good for others to find out about us, is it?" 

Cain said this while hoping for a "it's fine if people find out" but he knew he wasn't going to be hearing that from Joel. 

"No. That would definitely not be a good thing. I think it might be better if we act as if we've never even met. So good looking lady that is also a stranger, please excuse me but I have to take this lad with me. The guys await him." 

Abby felt Joel pat her on the back but she moved away and he ended up dropping his hand. 

"Oh sir whom I've just met, will you be joining said lad on his Vlive?" 

Abby rolled her eyes at their little act. She couldn't believe both Cain and Joel were actually doing that. It wasn't like it was necessary considering how it didn't seem like there was anyone around to see them, the halls were all empty.

"Because if you are then might I suggest something?" 

"Sure thing pretty lady." 

Joel winked at Cain thinking that it was a girl who he was talking to. Abby couldn't hold her laughter in while Cain looked frozen on the spot. His face almost looked like it would turn blue rather than red which would be how a girl's face would normally turn had they been called pretty lady by someone like Joel.

"Why are you laughing?" 

Joel had turned to look at Abby who was still laughing.

"Oh it's just because you two are acting all weird pretending not to know each other when there's not even anyone around. I think it's fine to lower our guards when we're alone. Also, thanks for calling my girlfriend pretty." 

Abby had really wanted to thank him for calling her pretty but instead she had to thank him for calling her "girlfriend" pretty.

"So what's that suggestion of yours?" 

Joel looked back at Cain. 

"Well first of all, are the other guys around?"

If Abby had been uncomfortable being fed her own food by Abel, Cain knew that she wasn't going to like being fed food made by others. So he had come up with an idea. But for his idea to work, having the other guys around was going to be necessary.

"Yea. What about them? You want to meet them?" 

"I was actually asking because they could crash the Vlive. Instead of Cain, Abel and Josiah judging each other's foods, wouldn't it be better if others did? Did you guys make enough food for that?" 

Cain looked to Abby who was surprised yet amazed by his idea, she wondered why she hadn't thought of it before. It was something that would definitely help her out if it meant that she would no longer have to eat the foods.

"Well we each made side dishes to go along with our main dish so I would say there is enough so long as each member is given small portions."

"Perfect! So Mr. Leader, what do you say? Want to have the guys crash their Vlive? It would be a nice surprise to the fans, don't you think?"

Joel had agreed to Cain's suggestion. And as the leader he had been able to gather all the guys in the same room. All three main dishes along with their side dishes were laid out on a table in front of the person who had made them.

"Hey Ebenezer's! Are you all surprised to see us all here?" 

Joel had the camera with him and started reading some of the comments out loud while replying to them. Abby was able to see on her own phone that many hearts were being given by the fans and that meant that they were happy to see them all there.

"Ebenezer's want you guys to present your food and say something about it like why you chose the dish you made and how or who taught you guys how to make it and if it brings you back any memories."

Joel had the camera pointing at Abby, which only meant that he expected her to go first.

"Uhhh. Well salmon is food that is good for your health and it is also good to eat while you're on a diet since it's low on calories. The gochujang is probably what makes my dish more special as it spices it up and that adds flavor. Also I used a little bit of honey and some light soy sauce so not only is it spicy but it's also a bit mixed with sweet and salty. And even though that may sound like an odd combination, the different flavors really complement each other. I would say the dish is a burst of flavors because of this. As for side dishes, I think it goes really well with rice and seaweed."

Abby knew that she hadn't exactly answered what the fans had asked, she had only really presented her food and talked about the ingredients. But she hadn't been able to bring herself to answer such questions as the ones the fans had asked. She only hoped that she would get away with what she had said.

It seemed like Joel had expected her to say more though as he still had the camera pointed at her even after she had been done talking.

"So you chose it because it is good for your health and also good to eat while on a diet? So now, how or who taught you to make it and does it bring back any memories?" 

It indeed brought back memories to her but those were all memories she had long been wanting to forget and she didn't want to recall them, especially not on camera when she was supposed to be Cain.

"Uhhh..." 

Not being able to come up with a lie, she didn't know how to respond.

Abel noticed how Cain seemed to be at a loss for words. He remembered him saying that it was a recipe that his grandma had taught him but he hadn't believed him. Because Abel was usually good at telling when people were lying, he was able to tell that it had been a lie. And he could tell that there was something behind that recipe for that salmon, he just didn't know what or why Cain was at a loss for words at that moment. He did however know that he had to step in to help him.

"His grandma taught it to him, right? That's what you had told me when we went shopping for the ingredients."

Abby didn't know why Abel was helping her because that's what it seemed he had tried to do. She had thought that he hadn't believed her earlier but yet he was still trying to help her out.

"Yes, it was my grandma that taught me this recipe. It's my grandpa's favorite dish so she always makes it for him and she taught me how to make it during one of my vacations when I stayed with them. I believe I was just starting middle school at the time. So making this reminds me both of my grandma and grandpa and of how I used to spend my vacations with them." 

It looked like her lying ability had come back thanks to Abel's help. She just really needed that little push to get her mind to work again.

"Well that's a nice heartwarming story. I bet the other two won't be able to beat your story. Abel, how about you?" 

Joel had the camera pointed at Abel. And the spotlight had finally been taken off of her. She felt a huge relief at this. So far everything had seemed to be going okay and she hoped it stayed that way. She still remembered Cain being there so that alone brought some calm to her. Even though they weren't in the same room, just knowing that he was in the same building as her was a consolation to her.

Abby had stopped paying attention to what the members were saying or doing as soon as she saw she got a text message from Cain. She hadn't really felt like she belonged there with the members, she felt like a fraud but with Cain it was different. He was the only one who knew who she really was and so talking with him was the easiest because she no longer had to pretend with him. The mask she wore in front of everyone else was taken off whenever it was just him and her. She could finally be herself.

<I'm watching the Vlive. You look great on camera btw!>

<Me? Or you?>

<Me, you, what's the difference? We're one in the same, aren't we?>

<Uh NO. You sir are having what I like to call an identity crisis. Now answer me one question, are you a man or are you a woman?>

<Well you just called me sir, so I guess that means I'm a man?>

<You say that like you are not certain.>

<Hold on. Let me check under my pants.>

<No! Don't you dare look down there!>

<Well then how am I supposed to know what I am?>

<You are ridiculous, that's what you are.>

<Hey look behind you.>

Abby didn't know why Cain wanted her to look behind her but she did and what she saw was what seemed to be a note that had slid under the door. She checked to see if the camera for the Vlive was recording in her direction but it wasn't so she went over to see what was on the floor. She didn't pick up what was there though, instead she just looked down but whatever it was it seemed to be facing down.

<Did you get it?>

<You mean what's on the floor?>

<Yea and don't worry I just opened the door a tiny bit to wipe down the section of the floor before sliding it in so it's safe to pick up.>

At this, Abby bent down to pick up what was on the floor. She gasped at seeing that it was an actual photo of her with Junho and on top of it was a sticky note with an autograph of Jinah.

<Did you pick it up already?>

<Yes. And OMG! When did you get these?! And How?!>

<After Music Beat. I went to the same places Junho and Jinah usually go to. I asked Junho for a photo since you had taken one but without him knowing and without you actually being you. So I thought it would be better for you to have an actual photo of you with him. And I also remembered you saying you wished you could get an autograph from Jinah so I asked her for one. Hey the camera is behind you right now! Lucas is recording you!>

Abby quickly hid the photo and autograph in her jeans pocket. She turned around and saw that Lucas was indeed recording her.

"Hey. What's up?" 

She tried to act natural but really she was nervous. She had almost been caught with the photo and autograph in hand.

"Ebenezer's are asking for the dancers to dance since we're all here."

"Da-da-dance?" 

She had taken the ankle brace off just the day before and because of this she no longer had an excuse to not dance.

Abby felt the phone that was still in her hand vibrate. She looked down at the screen and saw that it was a text from Cain.

<You don't actually have to dance like I do. It's a Vlive not a dance practice, just have fun with it and dance like no one is looking.>

He was right, it wasn't a dance practice so it wasn't like they had to actually dance like they normally did. She could just have fun with it. Cain had taught her how to dance for a week and she had actually improved a bit but she was definitely nowhere near his level of dancing. 

"Sure. Let' do it." 

She smiled at the camera and winked. She had meant the wink especially for Cain and hoped that he would know that.

Abby danced along with Lucas and Abel and saw that they too were just having fun with their dancing and weren't actually dancing like they normally did. They always seemed to act like kids but they were cute and she liked that about them, they knew how to have fun. Having fun was something she knew she needed to learn since for the past few years she had experienced everything but fun.

"And those were the dancers of our groups. Do you Ebenezer's think we should be worried about that? Should we perhaps get new dancers?"

Joel who had been recording them was only teasing but the fans immediately started to respond. Most of them were saying that they actually preferred to see them dance that way since it looked more fun. Abby thought that was sweet of them and it made her happy to know that not only was she stanning the right group but that she was also in the right fandom.

"You guys are so sweet! I love you guys!" 

She made a big heart with her arms towards the camera.

"Dude Ebenezer's are starting to ask if you'll be their boyfriend. Some of them are saying if you can be their boyfriend for 5 seconds and others are saying for 10 seconds." 

Joel showed her the laptop that had started blowing up with such comments. Abby had seen fans requesting such things on other Vlives before and she knew how idols usually responded to this. Either they went along with it or—

"He can't. He's already taken." 

It was Abel and he had his arm around her. It almost felt like time had stopped until he said "by me." At this Abby saw him winking at her.

She had been scared that he was going to say that Cain had a girlfriend but it looked like he had just wanted to scare everyone for a second because even the members had gasped at this. Even Cain who had been watching the Vlive had not been able to believe Abel would do such a thing as exposing one of the group members like that. He was glad that it only turned out to be him messing with everyone.

The rest of the Vlive had gone without a hitch and it was all thanks to Cain's idea. In a way he had saved Abby. Things could have gotten real bad for her had it not been for him. She was going to have to make sure to thank him. And since she had won the competition by having the most votes, she had been giving the next practice day off. She thought of going to her apartment and cooking a meal for Cain as a way to thank him. She hoped he was still watching the Vlive because she said thank you at the end but in Spanish. Since he had been trying to learn Spanish, she thought that he would be able to tell that the thank you had been meant for him.