“If you know her, then why don’t you talk to her?”
Yeah, well, geez. If it was that simple then she’d be on the phone right now helping me prove you wrong, wouldn’t she? As much as the snarky remark sits on his tongue, tempted to spit back to the older bandmate, he’s quiet and resorts to a cheeky eye-roll instead.
“it’ll be worth it, unnie, i promise! c’mooooon. go make yourself look presentable!” cue her trademark puppy dog eyes and jieqiong has the elder female wrapped right around her finger. chaeyeon was well aware of how this exchange would transpire before it even began; why did she bother resisting in the first place? she had a soft spot for loved ones, members included, of course. jieqiong seemed to know just the right tricks to get her to agree to something she wouldn’t usually opt to do on her own. convincing her would have been even easier had it not been for the harrowing voice of her coach constantly taunting her about staying thin. she tries her best to brush off the thought as she heads towards the closet.
go make yourself look presentable. the words ring in her head. if they were merely going out to the street vendor to get a late night snack, why did she have to worry about her appearance? was she worried about her unnie’s image? an airy chuckle leaves her lips at the thought, hands lazily going through the small selection of clothes that she left at ioi’s dorm. needless to say, there wasn’t much to choose from, having taken most of her belongings with her to dia’s dorm where she planned to stay for the duration of promotions with the said group. thus, clad in jeans and a light sweater, she and the younger make their way out of the group’s abode.
immediately, features distort at the cold breeze against her skin. but it’s refreshing, too. besides, the vendor is only a short trip away by foot – definitely not worth it to go back inside to borrow someone else’s clothes – and being with jieqiong only made it feel shorter. the way there is filled with questions to catch up on what the other has been up to while they were apart, with some playful banter here and there. before they knew it, the small street vendor comes into sight along with an elderly woman stirring food and a tall man standing before her. chaeyeon’s immediate reaction is to slow down once the stranger comes into view, but the tug on her arm keeps her walking steadily towards their destination. as the two approach the figure, she squints slightly at his visage. there was a certain familiarity that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. before she can even process her thoughts, however, her member skips towards him swiftly at a much more rapid pace than she, holds a brief exchange, and disappears.
“yah! jie–” she begins, before both her call and steps come to an abrupt halt. it was-- him? it was him.. oh my god. it was him! much taller. much sharper. and much more mature. but it was him. a gentle smile embellishes fair features shortly after his order, soft pink hues coloring her cheeks. whether it was the nippy temperature or the pleasantly unexpected reunion with an old friend that caused it was unknown. she finds herself looking down at the assortment of food momentarily, right shoe tapping against her left a few times over. “mingyu, you have good memory.” she reluctantly opts for formal speech due to his superior status in the industry, but it all feels much too awkward rolling off the tip of her tongue after her old friend’s name.
