contains | 1.1k words, fluff, implied nudity at the beginning, jisan are just cute
notes | i honestly didn’t think i was going to finish this anytime soon but i started using a writing sprint bot and it actually really helped 😭 but i hope you guys enjoy!
taglist | @teezingsiyeon @moonkyeom @itzynabi
San walked out of the bathroom, a towel around his neck that he used to dry the few stray droplets of water falling from his hair.
On the other side of the room was Jieun, sitting at the desk with her phone propped up like a mirror. A straightening iron rested on top as Jieun sprayed heat protectant all over her hair.
“Choi San, put a shirt on!” she exclaimed, seeing the older boy in the corner of the screen.
He grinned sheepishly, opening his drawer to pull out a shirt. “My bad.” After slipping it over his head, he rubbed his hair with a towel to get rid of the excess water. San looked over at the girl, quietly watching as she sectioned her hair before picking up the straightener, using it to curl her hair.
Curiously, he walked closer to her, taking a seat on the bed beside the desk.
“What’s the special occasion?” he asked with a small tilt of his head. “You never curl your hair.”
Without looking at him, Jieun shrugged. “I don’t know. I just felt like it.”
“Are you going out?”
She nodded, continuing to curl her hair piece by piece while he watched. “Wooyoung-oppa asked if I wanted to try out a restaurant he heard about. Apparently they have really good steak.”
“Just the two of you?”
“I guess so.”
San stood up, slowly reaching in front of the girl before carefully taking the tool out of her hand.
“Here, let me help.”
“It’s ok, I can do it myself.” She looked over at him, reaching for the straightener, though he held it out of her reach.
“It’s fine, I got it,” he responded, taking a section of hair. “Besides, I know you hate curling the back of your head.”
She looked at him through the reflection of her phone, watching the older boy’s concentrated face as he carefully curled each section of her hair before placing it over her shoulder to keep it out of the way.
“Where’d you learn how to curl hair?”
Upon her question, a small smile made its way onto San’s face.
“I have an older sister, remember? She’d complain her arms were tired and make me do her hair for her,” he chuckled. “Plus, I’ve been watching the stylists curl your hair for the last- what? Six years? I think I’ve picked up some things in that time.”
Jieun nodded, continuing to watch as he curled her hair through her phone screen.
“What restaurant are you guys going to?” San asked.
She shrugged. “I’m not sure. He wanted to keep it a surprise.”
The older boy nodded, quickly glancing at her reflection before looking back to her hair. “You guys have been hanging out a lot.”
Jieun thought back to all her recent hangouts with the boy. Just the night before Wooyoung had come over to their room to watch a movie with her, but surely they hadn’t been hanging out so much that it was worth pointing out?
“Making up for lost time, I guess,” she eventually answered, slight confusion in her voice at the sudden comment.
“Did he ever tell you why?”
The girl froze for a moment, glancing at the phone screen to see San watching her, having temporarily stopped curling her hair to gauge her reaction. After a second of hesitation, she slowly shook her head.
“No…” she answered slowly, shaking her head immediately afterward and giving a tight-lipped smile. “But…it’s fine. He’ll tell me when he’s ready.”
Before she could look at San’s reaction, a notification on the top of her phone screen distracted her. Jieun reached forward and grabbed her phone, opening her messages to see what she’d been sent.
Wooyoung oppa: You almost ready?
She read the message over a couple times, fingers hovering over the keyboard as she tried to decide what to say. A chuckle behind her made her raise her head despite the fact that she couldn’t see her reflection.
“I’m almost done, don’t worry,” San said, having read the message over her shoulder.
Jieun smiled, humming as she turned back to her phone.
Me: Yeah, I’ll be done in a bit
Without waiting for a reply, Jieun locked her phone and placed it face-down on the desk before adjusting her posture. She let out a small sigh, waiting patiently as San continued on her hair.
A couple minutes later, San placed the straightener back down on the desk. He ran his fingers through her hair, brushing out the curls before placing her hair over her shoulders.
“Alright, all done,” he said, taking a step back.
Jieun stood up, walking over to the mirror to see the results. The moment she saw her reflection, a wide smile spread across her face.
“You’re better at curling my hair than I am,” she commented, brushing a few parts of her hair. Jieun turned to the older boy, who watched her with a fond smile. “Thank you, oppa.”
San shook his head as he walked up to her, patting her on the head before moving back to his bed.
“You should get changed now. Don’t want to keep Wooyoung waiting too long, do we?”
Jieun immediately nodded and without waiting, turned back and opened her drawers. She looked through her clothes for a couple seconds before picking out a few pieces and throwing them over her shoulder. With one final smile in San’s direction, Jieun retreated to the bathroom.
She emerged a couple minutes later, wearing a white dress with a brown leather jacket over it. San watched as she walked around the corner with a sheepish smile, brushing herself off. She looked at him expectantly.
“Give us a spin, Eunnie,” he said with a grin. Jieun laughed as she walked in a circle, placing her hands on her hips. San raised his hand to give the girl a thumbs up. “Tell Wooyoung to have you back by 11.”
She rolled her eyes lightheartedly, shaking her head at the boy. “You sound like Hongjoong-oppa.” Without waiting for a response, she reached for her bag and one of the room keys before slipping her shoes on. Before walking toward the door, she waved. “Bye, oppa.”
“Have fun~” San sang, smirking to himself as she disappeared from sight.
The moment he knew she was out of the room, San immediately went to his contacts and pressed on one, holding the phone up to his ear. After a couple rings, a “hello?” from the other side sounded through his phone’s speakers.
“Jongho, remember what you were telling me the other day? I believe you now.”
ateez_official_ [#TimeforLua] a few years ago, maybe almost a decade ago, i met someone who bloomed to be my sun, my soulmate, my source of inspiration, my shoulder to cry on, my biggest supporter, my everything. throughout everything we’ve been through, and everything we will face sooner or later, i’ll never let go of her hand. because me & her? it’s a forever kind of thing. happy birthday to you, the love of my life, kalaya ☀️❤️ #inkalua #happyinkaday
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taglist : @stealanity @lost-leopard-beanie @ateezivy @cixrosie @alinxsuperstxr — send an ask / dm to be added (crossed out means can’t be tagged) !
summary | jieun learns some things during dinner with wooyoung
circa | august 2024
contains | 1.5k words, fluff, some angst, jiwoo!!
notes | this is a continuation of this fic!!
taglist | @teezingsiyeon @moonkyeom @itzynabi
“Are you ever going to tell me how you keep finding these places?” Jieun asked with a lighthearted chuckle, cutting into her steak.
Wooyoung shook his head as he raised his pointer finger to his lips. “A genius never reveals his secrets.”
The restaurant Wooyoung had found was only a couple minutes walk from their hotel. She wasn’t sure how she’d missed it before, considering how upscale the restaurant had looked just from the outside. Even as they went inside, Jieun could tell that the restaurant wasn’t just a small local business. How Wooyoung had managed to get a reservation? She’d probably never know.
“I can’t believe the tour’s almost over,” she commented wistfully. “It feels like it went by so quickly.”
“I know,” Wooyoung replied, nodding. “And then after this we’re back home and we get our break.”
“You’re going on a trip with your family, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, our parents and both my brothers.” He looked up at her with a curious gaze. “What about you? Are you and Jihoon-hyung going to go anywhere?”
Jieun pursed her lips, shaking her head.
“Jihoon-oppa’s on a work trip for the next couple weeks,” she answered with a shrug. “It’s alright though. I was just planning on staying at the dorms and getting some work done for my projects.”
She turned back to her food and continued to eat, not noticing the frown on Wooyoung’s face as he watched her. He stared at her for a couple moments before going back to his own meal, though he had a concentrated look on his face the whole time.
“What if you came with us?”
Jieun’s hands froze, looking up at the boy. She searched his gaze for any hint that he was joking, but Wooyoung watched the girl with a completely neutral expression that showed he was anything but.
She let out an awkward chuckle. “It’s alright, it’s a family vacation. I wouldn’t want to intrude and-”
“It’s not intruding if I invited you,” Wooyoung retorted, cutting her off. When Jieun blinked at him again, he let out a quiet snort. “Plus, my family loves you. I’m pretty sure my mom wants to adopt you as her own daughter.”
She glanced down at her food, staring blankly as she contemplated his words. After a few seconds, a small smile spread across her face. Jieun raised her head again, shrugging at the boy.
“I’ll think about it,” she eventually answered, taking another bite of her food.
Wooyoung stared at her with an expression that she couldn’t read, though after a couple seconds, he gave a reluctant nod and turned back to his own meal.
The dinner continued on in silence, something that Jieun was accustomed to. However, rather than the comfortable silence she often found herself in, there was a hint of something in the atmosphere that continuously nagged at her. She took quick glances at Wooyoung in an attempt to figure out what it was, though there was nothing she could do to curb that strange feeling.
Jieun took a sip of her drink as the waiter handed Wooyoung the receipt. He’d once again insisted that he pay since he chose an expensive restaurant, despite Jieun’s protests. Once the waiter was gone, the two were left in silence once more. Wooyoung was looking out into the distance, while Jieun’s gaze remained lowered as she studied the grooves of the tabletop.
After a few minutes of this, their waiter suddenly returned with another plate in hand. He set it down on the table with a smile, revealing a layered chocolate cake with some gold decoration on top, along with two forks.
“Oh, we didn’t order this,” Jieun said, putting her hand out.
The waiter gave a small wave. “It’s on the house, don’t worry.”
Jieun glanced over at Wooyoung, who looked at her with the same amount of surprise that her own expression held. They turned back at the waiter in unison and offered their thanks, who uttered a single “enjoy” before heading off.
“Wow, free dessert,” Wooyoung said, raising his eyebrows. He pushed the plate toward her with a tight-lipped smile. “You can have it.”
Jieun frowned as she pushed the plate back so it was in between them. “You should have some too.” She motioned toward the forks with her head. “He gave us two forks.”
Wooyoung looked at her with the same unreadable expression from earlier, before he let out a small chuckle and picked up a fork. She did the same, and the two clinked their forks together before digging in.
The older boy’s jaw dropped the moment he took a bite, eyes widening. “Wah, it’s really good,” he said, his mouth full. This caused Jieun to giggle as she nodded, covering her mouth.
“Must be our lucky day.”
The two continued eating, so immersed in the cake that they didn’t notice an older couple approaching their table until a lady spoke up.
“Must I say, you two are the most adorable couple I’ve ever seen,” she said with a warm smile.
Jieun’s eyebrows raised in surprise, stunned at the comment. Before she could come up with a response, however, Wooyoung swiftly spoke up.
“We’re not dating.”
This seemed to surprise the couple, who leaned back slightly as surprise took over their expressions.
“Oh, my apologies,” the lady said, letting out a sheepish chuckle. “I shouldn’t have assumed.”
Jieun gave a small smile, nodding awkwardly as she glanced down at the half-eaten cake.
“You two have a nice evening,” the man said, wrapping an arm around the lady before leading her toward the exit. Jieun watched as he pressed a swift kiss to her temple, causing the lady to jab him in the side. She chuckled at the interaction before turning back to the cake, though her appetite had suddenly become non-existent.
“I’m really full,” she said sheepishly. “You can have the rest, oppa.”
Wooyoung looked over at her. “You sure?” Jieun nodded, pushing the plate closer to him. Her gaze lowered to her lap, where her hands rested neatly as she ran her thumbs over each other.
She was usually grateful when the members spoke up so she didn’t have to, but Wooyoung’s quick response jabbed into her like a knife. The older boy had only been clarifying their situation, so why was she so upset?
Jieun took a deep breath as she looked up at the boy, who was just finishing off the cake. Wooyoung grabbed a napkin to wipe off his face before looking up, and upon noticing her staring at him, gave the girl a wide smile. She stared at him for a moment before the corners of her mouth raised upward, hoping her smile didn’t look as strained as it felt.
The sun had set at some point during the duration of their meal, a couple stars already shining brightly in the sky as they left the restaurant. As they made their way back, the ache in her chest only continued to grow, causing her to gently press against her abdomen in an attempt to stop the feeling. Unfortunately, Wooyoung immediately took notice and glanced at her in concern.
“You ok?” he asked, tilting his head.
Jieun nodded, sending him a small smile.
“I’m alright,” she answered. “Just…girl things. You know?”
Wooyoung’s eyebrows raised, his mouth forming a small ‘o’ shape. “There’s probably a drugstore nearby, if you wanna get something.”
“It’s fine,” Jieun said a bit quicker than she’d intended. “I’ll be ok. Let’s just get back to the hotel.”
She looked away before she was able to see his reaction, though from the fact that he didn’t respond, it was clear he’d accepted the end of the conversation.
“Thanks again for tonight,” Jieun said as they made their way down the hotel hallway, eventually stopping in front of her door.
Wooyoung smiled at the girl, tilting his head down. “Anytime, Eunnie,” he replied, before hesitantly adding, “You’ll think about the trip, right?”
Jieun nodded distractedly as she pulled her room key out of her purse. “Yeah…I will.” She swiped the card through the lock before pushing it open. “Well, good night, oppa.”
Without waiting for him to respond, she walked into the hotel room and closed the door behind her, letting out a big sigh the moment she was through the doors. After pulling her shoes off, she walked further into the room and hung her bag on the side of the chair before opening her drawers.
A small sigh of relief escaped her lips as she noticed San’s absence, presumably out with one of the other members or hanging out with them in their hotel rooms. After quickly changing and doing a shortened version of her night routine, Jieun laid down in her bed and pulled the covers over her.
The feeling was still there, nestled deep inside her chest as her heart beat pounded in her ears. She stared up at the ceiling, trying to make sense of what was going on, though it was to no avail. Even as she closed her eyes, the feeling only continued to grow, warming every part of her body to the point where she had to push the blanket off or risk overheating.
notes | surprise! part two to the jieun fight is here!! part one can be found here
Wooyoung paced back and forth in his room, his phone placed face-up on the table. Maybe it was the coffee running through his veins, but he couldn’t stand still.
He’d kept his promise from the night before and texted Jieun earlier that morning, but she’d yet to respond. He told himself it was because she was out and probably not checking her phone, but the thought that she was purposefully ignoring him lived strong in his mind.
He jumped as his phone dinged, immediately picking it up to read the notification, only to sigh in disappointment when he saw who it was from.
Jongho: have you talked to her yet?
Me: …
Jongho: mf
Me: i texted her this morning but she hasn’t responded yet
Jongho: ok
Wooyoung snorted, shaking his head as he put his phone down on the table before walking back to his bed. He let out a long, drawn out groan as he laid down and stared up at the ceiling.
He couldn’t blame her for avoiding him. After all, he’d spent weeks brushing her off and ignoring any attempts she’d made to talk to him. When he thought back on it, all those times he’d purposefully disregarded her concerns and pushed her away, he’d never truly thought about how much pain he was causing her.
He felt horrible.
Wooyoung remembered how he’d felt during each of those interactions, the crippling fear that looking at her for too long would reveal how he truly felt. She’d always been good at telling how he was feeling.
Maybe she’d already figured it out. Maybe Jieun realized the reason why he started avoiding her in the first place and was so disgusted that she was avoiding him. He couldn’t stop his mind from coming up with the endless list of what if’s, only causing him to spiral more as he waited in fear of when, or if she would respond.
A knock sounded at his door, five light taps in a slow, melodic rhythm that Wooyoung recognized immediately.
He shot up from bed, about to run to the door when he caught himself and forced himself to walk normally. Once at the door, he looked through the peephole to see someone standing there. They were staring at the ground, only allowing Wooyoung to see the top of their head, but he instantly knew who it was.
Taking in a deep breath, Wooyoung unlatched the lock before slowly opening the door. In front of him stood Jieun, eyes still glued to the ground with her arms hanging limp at her sides.
“You can come in,” he said, stepping out to the side to allow Jieun to walk into the room. Closing the door behind her, Wooyoung followed the girl as she walked a bit further, stopping when she was in the middle of the room.
The longer Wooyoung watched her, the more his heart sank as Jieun continued to stare at the ground, shoulders slumped and her hair half-covering the tired expression on her face. He’d never seen her so…exhausted. The tour had been taking a toll on all of them, but it was like she was carrying hundreds of pounds on her shoulders. It broke his heart.
“Jieun,” Wooyoung spoke softly, voice growing thick. “I’m so sorry. You didn’t do anything wrong.” She didn’t respond as words continued to tumble out of his mouth. “You were actually completely right. There is something that I’m going through right now, but it wasn’t fair for me to take my emotions out on you, and I’m sorry.”
She nodded slowly, though still kept her gaze low. “I can understand not wanting to talk about your feelings, but it really hurt when you started ignoring me out of nowhere.”
“I know… and I’m sorry.” His head hung low as he stared at his feet in shame. “You didn’t deserve how I treated you, and I completely understand if you can’t forgive me yet, but I hope that one day you’ll be able to.”
A silence fell over the two as Wooyoung waited for her response, hearing the blood rushing in his ears.
“I forgive you,” she whispered, a small sigh escaping her lips. “Are you still going through something? Do you wanna talk about it?”
Although a small burden was lifted off of him, his heart still sat heavy in his chest. He’d hurt her, and she still wanted to make sure he was ok. Even after all he’d put her through, she still cared. He didn’t deserve it.
“I’m sorry, I don’t think I’m ready yet.”
Jieun only nodded, the slightest smile spread across her face as she looked up at him, taking his hand in hers.
“It’s ok. I’ll be here when you are.”
This only added to the pit of guilt that Wooyoung found himself falling into, but he forced himself to swallow his feelings as he squeezed her hand. He hid his pain behind a small chuckle.
“I feel like I should be the one comforting you. I hurt you the most.”
Jieun let out a soft sigh. “It’s ok, oppa,” she said. “Well, your actions weren’t ok, but I know you feel bad about it and won’t do it again. I won’t make you feel any worse than you already do.”
Wooyoung nodded, the slightest tremble in his gaze as he met her eyes. “I do- and I won’t.”
“Just promise me that if you’re going through something, you’ll tell me?” Jieun asked. “You don’t have to go into detail if you don’t want to, but you don’t have to carry the burden alone. I’m here for you.”
Without thinking, Wooyoung pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around the girl. He buried his head into the crook of her neck, holding her tightly.
“I promise,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry, Jieun.”
Initially caught off-guard, Jieun took a moment to process before wrapping her own arms around him, nodding.
“I know you are, oppa.”
Neither was sure how long they stood there, but Wooyoung felt his stress slowly fade away with every second that passed. When they eventually let go, he immediately missed the warmth of her embrace, but Wooyoung straightened up, shaking off any fleeting thoughts he had as he looked down at her.
“Sorry I didn’t respond to your message, by the way,” Jieun said with a sheepish laugh. “My phone’s been acting up all day. I’m gonna get it checked out tomorrow.”
Wooyoung shook his head. “Just get a new one already! You’ve had that phone for as long as I can remember. It’s on its last life, Eunnie.”
“I don’t wanna have to go through the process of setting everything up and transferring all my data,” she reasoned. “Plus, it still works perfectly fine most of the time.”
“Most of the time,” he snorted, chuckling. “But anyways, do you have any more plans tonight?”
She shook her head. “I went out with Hongjoong-oppa this morning, did some errands, and went to the gym. I think I’m done for the day.” Jieun tilted her head curiously. “Why?”
“Wanna watch a movie or something?” Wooyoung asked, raising his eyebrows. “We can hook up my laptop to the TV and watch something.”
Jieun tapped her cheek as she pretended to contemplate, clearly fighting off a smile. “Do I get to choose the movie?”
“Of course! It’s the least I could do after everything.”
A grin broke out across the girl’s face as she nodded. “Alright, let’s watch something.”
Without wasting another second, Wooyoung walked over to his backpack and pulled out his laptop while Jieun took a seat on the bed. After he finished setting everything up, he joined her and took a seat beside her, gesturing to the computer.
Jieun leaned forward and began scrolling through the catalogue of movies, smiling as she came across a particular movie that caused Wooyoung to groan.
“Mamma Mia? Again?”
She looked over her shoulder, raising her eyebrow at him. “You said I could choose the movie.”
“Alright, alright.” Wooyoung held his hands up in surrender. “Put it on.” He pushed himself further back on the bed, moving some of his pillows into place for both of them to lay comfortably. Jieun started the movie before crawling over, laying down beside him. One of his arms snaked around her and pulled her closer as she leaned into his chest.
Wooyoung glanced down at the girl, her eyes fixated on the screen as she hummed along to the first song. It wasn’t like it was their first time watching a movie together, yet he couldn’t stop his pulse from starting to rise.
His mind went back to his conversation with Jongho from the night before.
“She wants to be there for you and for things to go back to how they used to be.”
“They won’t. I can’t go back to how things were before.”
“Can you at least try? For Jieun’s sake?”
“Ok, I’ll do it.”
Wooyoung let out the softest sigh, one that Jieun luckily didn’t seem to pick up on. He’d promised to Jongho that he’d try to get things back to normal, and though he’d try as hard as he could, there was one thing that he knew for certain:
Things couldn’t go back to how they used to be.
taglist: @teezingsiyeon @moonkyeom [send an ask to be added to or removed from the the taglist]
summary | with their dreams of debut just barely in reach, the boys discover some devastating news
circa | july 2018
contains | 2.9k words, angst, hurt-comfort, depictions of anxiety
note | cried multiple times while writing this👍
“I’m glad you could all join me today,” their CEO’s welcoming tone sounded throughout the room as he pulled his chair closer to the table.
Meetings like this with their CEO had become more and more frequent as the days leading up to their debut passed by. The first few had been nerve wracking, when their futures within the company were still unsure and it felt as though the smallest slip-up would end their careers before they even began. Even after their debut date was confirmed, meetings were always a slight source of stress for the members, but as long as they were all together, the nine of them could always be sure that things would be alright.
“Excuse me,” Hongjoong spoke up with an apologetic nod, raising his hand. “I’m sorry, but we’re not all here yet. Could we wait for Jieun?”
The members looked around, having noticed and felt the girl’s absence since they’d gotten to the company, but they’d assumed she was already on her way. Considering her school schedule, it wasn’t uncommon for Jieun to arrive to meetings or practices on her own, but it wasn’t like her to be late.
A sympathetic expression spread across their CEO’s face, the look alone enough to twist their hearts, if not for what he said next.
“Jieun will no longer be making her debut with ATEEZ.”
The world seemed to come to a stand still, time slowing down as all eight boys stared at their CEO in shock. Suddenly, the room felt too small to accommodate all the people in it, no one daring to make a sound or even take a single breath. It was Yeosang’s pained voice that broke the silence.
“She’s not…debuting?”
Their CEO shook his head sadly, though he frowned in confusion as he looked around at them.
“I’d assumed you’d already known; Jieun said that she’d already informed you all.”
The statement seemed to break whatever sense of peace was left in the room as voices exploded, questions thrown up in a frenzy.
“Why is she not debuting?”
“But she’s trained with us for so long!”
“Did she not meet a requirement or something?”
“Why now? Why so last minute?”
“We need her in the team!”
Their CEO raised his hand, the room instantly falling silent. They all sat back in their chairs, shoulders slumped in embarrassment and defeat. Some of them looked at their CEO, though a few members simply stared into space, still processing all that was happening.
“Jieun arranged a meeting yesterday, requesting to leave the group and the company.” Those who had been staring into nothing snapped their heads up at their CEO, all eyes now on him in disbelief.
“N-no, she couldn’t have,” Seonghwa said, shaking his head. He looked around at the other members, though none of them met his gaze before he turned back to their CEO. “She asked to leave?” He only gave a single nod, giving them a sympathetic look.
“I’m sorry you all had to find out this way. I’m sure this must be devastating to hear,” he said with a small sigh. After a moment of silence, he opened the laptop in front of him. “But if we’re all here, I’d like to begin the meeting-”
“I’m sorry,” Yunho spoke with a slight wince. “But did Jieun say why she was leaving?” Their CEO looked over at the boy.
“She stated that she didn’t feel she was ready to debut and believed it would be in the group’s best interest for her to withdraw.”
“That’s a load of shit,” Wooyoung said, immediately covering his mouth in embarrassment while some of the members, namely Hongjoong and Seonghwa, glared at him. “Sorry for my language– that’s completely wrong.”
Jongho nodded in agreement. “Jieun’s improved so much and she’s more ready to debut than anyone.”
“I also agree,” their CEO responded, nodding. “Jieun is very talented and she was added to this line-up for a reason. However, she believed that she was not ready and as she is not under contract, there was no choice but to honour her wishes.”
“But what if we can change her mind?” Mingi asked, arms resting on the table. Slowly, his hands balled into fists. “You said she only asked yesterday, so nothing important has been changed yet, right?”
“If we can convince her to stay,” San spoke up quietly. “Can she rejoin? Please?”
They all looked at the CEO expectantly, breaths caught in their throats. His eyes scanned over the eight boys sitting in front of him, eventually letting out a small chuckle.
“Your loyalty is admirable,” he said, nodding. A few of them exhaled in relief as he smiled. “Yes. If you can change Jieun’s mind and convince her to stay, at this point in time it will not negatively impact any of your schedules.”
Without missing a beat, all eight members rose from their chairs and immediately bowed to their CEO.
“We’re sorry, please forgive us for leaving this meeting,” Hongjoong said as he stood up straight. He glanced up, making eye contact with the other members. “Please let us talk to her.”
Their CEO nodded, waving them off. “Go now, before it’s too late.”
Not wanting to waste anymore time, the members quickly made their way out of the meeting room.
“All of her stuff was at home when we left, right?” Jongho asked the moment they were out. The others nodded in response as they began walking through the hallways.
“What time does she get out of school again?” Wooyoung looked down at his phone, checking the time. “We can wait for her to get home.”
“She should be done by now,” Yunho responded. “But she didn’t come to the agency straight away, so where is she?”
“I can’t believe she actually asked to leave,” San said, tears welling up in his eyes. Wooyoung put an arm over the boy’s shoulder, gently squeezing. “She must’ve felt so sad about it, but we didn’t notice.”
“I saw her this morning before she left for school,” Seonghwa admitted, guilt written all over his face. “She seemed off when I gave her her lunch, but I just thought she was tired.” He shook his head. “I should’ve known something was off.”
The members found themselves standing outside the company building, brought to silence as they thought back to the last few days. Searching through their memories, they thought back to every little interaction they’d had with the girl. Surely, there had to have been signs, warnings that this was going to happen. How had they missed it?
Hongjoong was the last member to exit the doors to the company building. He looked around at his members, saw their dejected expressions and spoke up.
“Jieun’s at the dorms right now, packing up all of her things,” he informed them. They all looked to the leader, who let out a long exhale. “I know you’re all probably feeling confused and hurt because none of us saw the signs, but there’s no point dwelling on the past. Right now, we just have to make it back before Jieun has a chance to pack everything up and leave.”
Everyone nodded at the leader as they exchanged glances, all sharing the same thought. Without another word, they all began running down the street, heading back home together. Onlookers saw the group of boys running and sent odd expressions in their direction, though the boys couldn’t care less. All that mattered at that point was Jieun, and they were determined to make it before it was too late.
It felt as though there were 20 pound weights strapped to each of Jieun’s ankles, her feet dragging with every step she took. She knew she had to work fast– she wasn’t sure how long the boys would be gone and wanted to be done before they got home, but the more she willed herself to move faster, the heavier her limbs became.
Jieun crouched down in front of her bed, reaching toward the bedside table and opening all the drawers. One by one, she took out each item from inside and gently placed them into the cardboard box beside her. After each drawer was emptied out, her eyes landed on the picture frame sitting beside the lamp. Jieun reached over and grabbed it, gently holding the picture frame out in front of her.
A photo taken during their time in LA. While everyone posed for the camera, Jieun had ended up in the back, resulting in her being completely covered by the others. The members immediately noticed, moving so that Jieun was in the front and center, but Wooyoung thought it would be a great idea to try and pick the girl up.
Long story short, he’d overestimated his strength, and both of them would’ve fallen if not for the others quickly grabbing the two and helping to hold her up. It was a silly photo of them struggling to help keep her up, but Wooyoung printed and framed it for her as an apology for almost dropping her.
“Are you really sure about this?” Jihoon’s soft voice made the girl flinch. She quickly turned the picture frame, placing it faced down in the box as she looked over at her brother. Jieun rapidly blinked back the tears that had started welling up in her eyes.
“Wha- yeah, I’m fine,” she quickly responded as she closed the box and stood up. Jieun took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly as she nodded. “It’s the right thing to do.”
Jihoon’s expression softened as he leaned against the doorframe. “But is it what you want?” Jieun chewed on her lower lip, giving a small nod.
“Yes. It is,” she answered, the room shrinking as she spoke. “It’s what’s best for the team.” Jieun’s stomach churned at her own words, feeling her breath get caught in her throat. Had the room always been that hot?
“Did you talk to them about it?” Jihoon took a step toward the girl. “Your members– what did they say?”
Jieun shook her head. “They wouldn’t understand,” she answered firmly. “It’s better for all of us if I leave now while I can. I don’t want to ruin their chances of success.”
The silence between the two siblings grew as Jihoon stared at her with a sad expression. Jieun stared down at the box in her arms, not wanting to meet his gaze. There was no doubt he knew how she truly felt– he always did– and Jieun knew what he was probably thinking, but seeing her brother’s expression would only reaffirm what she knew deep down.
She was making the wrong decision.
“Jieunie, all I want is for you to be safe and happy,” Jihoon said, gently placing his hands on the girl’s shoulders. “I know that it’s been difficult, but I’m trusting that you’re making decisions that are in your best interest, ok? No one else’s.”
Jihoon’s phone rang in his pocket. His hands dropped from her shoulders as he straightened up, pulling out his phone.
“I have to go take this call,” Jihoon said, glancing over at the girl. He gave her a soft smile that went unnoticed before gently ruffling her hair. “I’ll be right back.”
Without waiting for her to respond, he turned around and picked up the call, voice fading as he made his way out of the room, leaving her standing there alone. She should’ve continued as she was, should’ve taken the box out of the room to pack up more things, but it was as though her feet were cemented to the ground.
All Jieun could do was stand there and blankly stare at the box in her hand, because she knew that Jihoon was wrong. Jieun didn’t know what was in her best interest, but she knew that if she stayed, it would only make it that much more difficult for the others to succeed. It didn’t matter if it hurt her to leave. She had to do what was best for the team, even if it meant removing herself from it.
“Jieun?”
She looked up at the sound of her name, breath catching in her throat as she realized who was in front of her. Hongjoong, who’d been the one to say her name, and behind him, the rest of her group mates.
Former group mates.
“Jieun,” Hongjoong spoke again, taking a step forward. “Please. Talk to us.”
Her head immediately tilted down as shame filled her whole body. She tried taking in a deep breath, but the air didn’t want to enter her lungs, leaving her chest feeling as though it were about to explode. Her shoulders slumped, and Jieun wished that she could’ve just disappeared at that very moment.
“Were you really going to leave without saying goodbye?” San asked, voice cracking. For a moment, she glanced over at the boy, heart lurching when she noticed his red eyes and nose. Had she been the reason for his tears?
“Eunnie, we won’t hold it against you if you do,” Mingi spoke softly. “But please, just tell us why you decided to leave so suddenly.”
Jieun’s reply was barely a whisper, so soft that only half of them heard her. “It wasn’t a sudden decision,” she said, shaking her head. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while.”
“But why?” Seonghwa asked, taking a step forward. “This morning when I saw you, Jieun, you acted like everything was fine. Why didn’t you tell any of us that you’ve been feeling this way?”
She only shook her head again. “It never would’ve worked out,” she replied bitterly. “You guys have worked so hard for years and are so close to reaching your dreams.”
“But so have you!” Wooyoung pointed out. “You gave up almost your whole childhood to train and become an idol. You’re so close, Jieunie-”
“I can’t fulfill my dreams if it means ruining all of yours,” Jieun choked out, bringing them all to silence. She screwed her eyes shut, her limbs going numb as she took in quick breaths. It was too hot in the room. Too suffocating. She couldn’t breathe. “If I stay, it makes it so much harder for you guys to succeed. I’ll just be a burden to you all. I can’t do it.”
They all stood in shock at the girl’s confession. No one dared to move except for Hongjoong, who slowly made steps toward the girl. His gaze travelled down to her trembling hands, tightly gripping onto the box. After a moment of hesitation, he reached toward her, gently taking the box out of her hands. He took a step back, allowing Yunho to take the box from him and place it off to the side.
Hongjoong turned his attention back to the girl. Carefully, he placed a hand on either of her shoulders, leaning down so he was at eye level with her.
“I don’t know who put these thoughts into your head, Jieun, but you’ll never be a burden to any of us.”
Jieun kept her eyes tightly shut, not wanting to meet his gaze. She only stood there in silence, trying her best to fight the tears threatening to spill.
“If leaving the group is what you really want, then we’ll support your decision, even if we don’t understand it. We’ll always be here for you, Jieunie.”
Every emotion that Jieun had been suppressing up until that point came flooding through all at once. All the fear, the constant worry, the guilt that Jieun had tightly locked away hit her like a wave, releasing as a heartbroken sob. Tears began streaming down her face as she hung her head in shame.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered through ragged breaths, repeating the two words over and over again even as Hongjoong wrapped his arms around her. Overcome by guilt, all Jieun could do was apologize. “I’m sorry for wanting to leave.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Hongjoong whispered, holding her tighter as she cried into his chest. Despite his words, apologies continued to spill out of the girl’s mouth.
“I’m sorry for being selfish.”
“Song Jieun.” Seonghwa’s firm voice sounded. He walked closer, staring at the girl with a sad expression before eventually wrapping his arms around the two. His voice softened as he spoke. “You’re one of the kindest people I know. Please, just this once, be selfish. It’s ok.”
“If anything, we’re the selfish ones because we want you to stay when you’ve been having such a hard time,” Yeosang said, holding back his own tears.
Although she wanted to, she couldn’t bear to look up at her members. Jieun only continued to cry, clinging onto Hongjoong as he held her tightly.
“I want to stay,” she eventually whispered, though it was still heard by everyone in the room. “I want to stay.”
One by one, the rest of the members joined the oldest two in engulfing the girl in a big hug. With every second that passed, Jieun felt the tightness in her chest slowly start to ease up. She took in a deep breath, allowing cool air to fill her lungs and calm her down. The tension in the room seemed to dissipate as she stood in the center of the group that she’d nearly allowed herself to lose. Tears still silently fell down her cheeks, but they were accompanied by a warm feeling in her chest that reminded her of one thing.
