starring oh hyunseol of txt and yoo jimin of æspa; directed and produced by gong daejung
summary: follow oh hyunseol of txt and yu jimin of aespa on their journey being two young adults entering the new horizon of their lives, the dating life.
status: discontinued; focused on the smau
episode 1: bonnie & clyde in action 🎥
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episode 2: the chaos within us 🎥
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episode 3: home is wherever with you 🎥 (writing)
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episode 4: when the stars and planets align 🎥 (soon)
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episode 5: my happily forever after 🎥 (soon)
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-----
playing... matchz playlist
disclaimer the dialogues happened in this show isn't based on true life or the idols' life. this is for entertainment purposes only. this show is inspired by we got married.
hyunseol steps into view and smiles at the camera before speaking up. "love happens in the most unexpecting way possible. so unexpected you'll find yourself wondering how you ended up in that situation or how that event even came to be. love is never an easy concept for us to comprehend because it just happens."
karina joins the other idol and stands beside the 5'11 foot idol, leaning her head against the latter's shoulder and intertwining her hand with the latter before she smiles. "but not every question that we could think from the top of our heads need an answer because love could be the only answer why we feel the flutter in our stomach or we end up looking forward to meeting our special someone every day. it works mysteriously, but it makes sense."
cut
the camera turns on and hyunseol's eyes comes into view, a huge smile forming on her lips while waving at the camera. "helloo. good morning, everyone~"
her manager, yongsun giggles at the sight of the idol. txt's oldest member looks like a kid being at an aquarium for the first time, eager to look at the fishes swimming inside.
"ready for your first date?"
hyunseol nods as she tears her eyes away from the camera to look at her manager, unable to keep a smile off her face. "yeah, i'm ready and excited. i just hope i won't get clumsy in front of her. my heart won't be able to move on if i did mess up in front of a beautiful woman."
caption: the bane of seol's existence: women
"i'm sure you won't mess up." yongsun steps on the brake in front of the stoplights flashing red and turns to the idol while removing her hand from the steering wheel. she then holds the idol's face in her hand and smiles at hyunseol like a mother reassuring her child. "besides, you can just rizz her up so you won't feel embarrassed."
caption: manager yongsun is aware of seol's rizz 🫣
hyunseol chuckles and moves away from yongsun's hand, playfully grimacing. "i don't think i can even use something such as my rizz to her, unnie."
"why?"
"just... no, i won't. oh, look, we arrived." once the car stopped, hyunseol immediately hops out of the vehicle without letting her manager say anything, knowing the latter will continue to tease her.
a cameraman immediately catches her arrival and the idol subtly nods at the staff as a greeting. she then walks in the café, the agreed place for the date and the bells by the door announces her arrival inside.
meanwhile, karina snaps out of her thoughts the same time she heard the bells going off and looks up from her fingers, her heart jumping into her throat. the tall idol stops walking as their eyes meet for a few minutes before they share a warm smile with karina's shoulders relaxing and hyunseol chuckling as her eyes disappear from her cheeks.
caption: they? are? so? cute? is it bad if i call them my parents? 🥹🥹
once hyunseol arrives in front of the booth karina is seated, she immediately smiles at karina with undeniable shyness present in her voice. "hi."
"hello." karina then snaps out of her trance and licks her lips, looking up at hyunseol with an infectious smile. "please take a seat."
"i hope i didn't make you wait." hyunseol gulps as she sits across the sm idol and hangs her head low.
karina immediately shakes her head, her thighs accidentally moving the table that startled both of them before she blushed and placed her hands on the surface, taking a mental note not to move the table. "n-no, you actually didn't make me wait. i just arrived after you, so there's no need to apologize."
"oh... okay." the idols look away as they both blush with awkwardness rising in the air.
caption: they're so awkward with one another and it makes me smile for some reason
the idols keep looking around the café, hyper aware of the uncomfortable silence in both of them. they have no idea how to start a conversation, falling to their thoughts until a voice snaps them back to reality.
hyunseol blinks as she then turns and sees a man in a white polo with a name tag in front of their table. bobby, the nametag reads.
caption: they're so gay, your honor.
"oh, uhm, h-hi. sorry, what did you say?" hyunseol looks up at the waiter with a apologetic look.
"it's okay, miss." the waiter smiles. "may i ask what you two will have from the menu?"
suddenly, the producer comes into view and talks to the waiter before the clip goes fast forward, showing hyunseol shaking her head disapprovingly and clicking her tongue while karina shakes her head with a sigh.
caption: what's happened?? who made my parents upset?
hyunseol then watches the producer walk away, the latter heading to the manager office before she leans closer to karina and lowers her voice into a whisper, her eyes on the lookout for the producer.
"hey."
"hey, what's up?", karina whispers back as she also looks around, her heartbeat going to overdrive at hyunseol's sudden action.
"i think this date will not go well." hyunseol sighs. "what do you think?"
"i have no hopes for this, to be honest. unless..." the 5'11 foot idol turns her attention to the sm idol, waiting for the latter to finish her sentence before karina meets hyunseol's awaiting eyes and blushes while looking away when a devilish thought flashes in her mind.
karina moves away and the bighit idol looks at her with curiosity before clearing her throat. "as i was saying, i have no hopes for this date, unless we go out and do a real date ourselves."
hyunseol raises a brow as she smirks, looking over karina. "perhaps are you suggesting that we ditch the production team here and film our own date?
"because if you did", the txt member whispers, still smirking at the sm idol. "then i'm totally on-board with the idea, you rebel."
karina shrugs while pouting. "but i don't know how we would pull that off. i'm only the thinker, not the doer in these types of mischief. normally, i would just chicken out of this."
hyunseol smirks even wider, chuckling in a low voice. "good thing i'm your date, then. we're the perfect pair since you're the thinker and i'm the doer. we're gonna be like bonnie and clyde, but the less evil version."
"how are we less evil than those two when we're planning to ditch them here?" karina looks at the bighit idol with a raised brow with a hint of teasing in her voice.
hyunseol holds up two fingers while saying, "first of all, we aren't committing any kind of robbery anywhere as far as i know. second, we're a good team... although i admit now that i did pick a bad duo."
the tall idol scratches her nape and looks away, awkwardly chuckling. "okay, fine. that was—"
"that was kinda cute", karina interrupts the bighit idol and smiles at hyunseol who looked at her in disbelief. "you know, thinking of a duo name for us doing some mischief although you did choose a bad name."
hyunseol grows silent while trying not to smile and hangs her low to hide the smile she couldn't seem to resist doing from the camera.
caption: is— is she smiling? and blushing? from karina?! i mean, i would too if karina called me cute, but still?!
karina giggles at the reaction she received while looking away and feels blood rushing to her cheeks, knowing she just made the oh hyunseol of txt speechless. the legendary smooth talker among 4th gen idols.
caption: kudos for the production team in getting these two together. they just made me feel more single than ever, sigh.
hyunseol clears her throat and looks to the manager's office, noticing that the producer hasn't come back yet before turning her attention on karina. "should we do it now? gong pd-nim might come back sooner or later."
karina points to the camera strapped into a small tripod, looking at the taller idol. "we only have one camera. do you think it will be enough to film our date?"
hyunseol shakes her head, frowning. "no, we need one more and—" her eyes then widen in realization and looks at karina with a knowing smile. "wait, i think i saw one when i came in the café earlier. hang on, wait for me here."
karina nods and watches as hyunseol immediately looks around the place before she hops out of their booth and dashes to the front door. the sm idol offers herself to be the lookout while hyunseol gets herself busy on untangling the camera that somehow gets itself on the mess with the decoration vines of the establishment.
the sm idol doesn't know why but being the lookout while hyunseol does the dirty work (it's only fair to call whatever the bighit idol is bad considering they will ditch the production team) gets her so excited and jumpy. being an artist under sm entertainment restricts her to have fun, but starring in various reality shows like this makes her feel alive.
it makes her feel human again; having emotions, feeling that adrenaline rush, that feeling when your cheeks start to hurt from smiling so much, etc. it's been a while since she felt that and feeling those feelings again with hyunseol makes it more fun, exciting, and intimate considering they are on a date.
thump-thump, thump-thump
but despite them ditching the whole production, karina will look forward to their own date and to the day ahead of them (she feels herself blushing once she realized that she will be left alone with hyunseol, the girl she somehow feels happy to be with).
"hey, are you ready?" karina snaps out of her trance and meets the bighit idol's eyes nervously. hyunseol then tilts her head when she noticed something about the latter that she couldn't quite identify. "are you okay? is this too extreme? we could stop this whole ordeal if—"
"no!" karina immediately covers her mouth with her hand when she realized she slightly raises her voice. "i-i mean, there's no need for that. it's okay and we need this time for ourselves.
"we need to do our own date without anyone else, just... us", the sm idol mutters as her hand finds the taller idol's arm, her fingers absentmindedly trailing down hyunseol's skin. the bighit idol can feel goosebumps rising on her arm and slowly feels it getting warm. their eyes meet one another as neither from the pair dares to move, silence ensuing between them for a moment.
thump-thump, thump-thump
caption: why... why am i smiling?
hyunseol blinks and clears her throat, moving away as the warmth from karina's hand leaves her arm while karina snaps out of her bubble and removes her hand after realizing what she was doing to the latter. "o-okay, w-we need to go, come on. we're all set."
once the pair gets ahold of their plan and hyunseol made sure the coast is clear with no production staffs in sight, the bighit idol signals the sm idol to follow her. the pair is running to the front door when the manager's office door opens and the producer catches them in the act, screaming while pointing at them, "hey, stop right there!"
hyunseol and karina meets each other's eyes with the biggest smirks ever known to mankind over their faces before the taller idol offers her hand to the the sm idol and the latter doesn't hesitate to hold hyunseol's hand, both of them bursting out of the café.
the cameras they're holding catches the smiles on their faces as they run out of the establishment with the cameraman and the producer on their heels. they could hear the "hey, stop!" from behind, but they ignore it as the wind meets their faces. the adrenaline rush flowing in their veins and bodies keeps them running away while not bothering to look back.
hyunseol keeps a tight grip on karina's hand and shouts through the wind as she throws the latter a look, "hey, do you trust me?!"
"i thought that was already given the moment i hold your hand and run away with you!", karina answers as she clutches the camera in her other hand, still smiling so wide.
the txt member then smiles wider and tightens her hold on her camera while shouting back, "just making sure! now, come on, follow me! i know how we can lose them!"
hyunseol turns her attention forward and karina looks at the 5'11 foot idol, her eyes focused on the huge smile plastered on the taller idol's face. the sm idol tears her eyes away from the bighit idol and looks forward, letting the latter lead her somewhere. somewhere with hyunseol.
caption: i don't know who's more happy: hyunseol or karina but what i'm sure of? they're so gay, you can see it in their eyes
the clip then gets cut to the next scene, showing the pair in an alley as they try to catch their breaths, leaning against the concrete wall.
hyunseol manages to ask with her eyes closed as she gasps for air, "are... you okay?"
"... yeah", is the only word karina to say between her breaths before turning to the tall idol. she then grabs a handkerchief from her pocket and grabs a fistful of hyunseol's clothes, gently dragging her down to her height.
"woah!"
"i'm sorry, but you have something on your face. let me just...", karina apologizes and wipes the sweat trailing down the txt member's face. hyunseol becomes stiff and remains unmoving, her eyes falling on the aespa member's face. she could swear feel the 5'6 foot idol's breath against her lips and manage to push all the accumulating thoughts out of her mind.
"there, all good."
karina then notices silence from the tall idol and tilts her head, whispering with her face subconsciously leaning closer to the latter. "are you okay?"
"y-yeah, e-everything's good."
caption: liar, everything's not exactly okay. karina just made you blush for the nth time, seol.
hyunseol clears her throat and steers her head away, more blood rushing to her cheeks as she grows aware the lacking distance between their faces. karina blinks and looks down at her hand to find it still gripping the 5'11 foot idol's mint green sweater vest before she looks up at hyunseol to see the color red decorating latter's face and ears.
the aespa member immediately lets the fabric go and steps backward, looking away flustered.
caption: them being awkward? check. gay? 10000% check.
after a few minutes of regaining their composure, hyunseol clears her throat and straightens her sweater vest while speaking up, "now that we lost them, let's start this date. shall we?"
"where should we go?"
"well, let's eat lunch first. we haven't eaten anything ever since we left the café", the txt member suggests while looking at karina. "what do you want to eat in this moment?"
"could it be anything?", the sm idol looks up at hyunseol who flashed her a smile and a wink, placing a hand on karina's shoulder.
"oh, it could be anything, princess. tteokbokki, bibimbap, kimchi, anything you want." hyunseol's smile fades for a moment and realizes something. "wait, hey."
"hm?"
"i just want to ask if you're... okay with me calling you petnames?" hyunseol waits for karina's reaction before she adds with a hint of stutter in her voice, "because i could stop using petnames to you if you are not okay with it and just settle on calling you by your name—"
"no." a pause ensues before the sm idol pushes hyunseol against the concrete wall, startling the latter. karina grabs hyunseol's chin as she looks right into the latter's widened eyes her action taking the txt member by surprise. "don't, just... just keep using the pet names. it's more than okay for you to use them. okay, baby?"
caption: baby? baby? baby?!
hyunseol hangs her head low as her heartbeats overtake her sense of hearing and if she wasn't a tomato earlier, she is now sure she's one by how she's blushing right now.
caption: hyunseol.exe just stopped working. recalibration needed.
"o-okay." karina smiles and kisses hyunseol's cheek, earning a small shriek from the tall idol. the latter's reaction makes karina's smile grow bigger before she lets the txt member's face go and intertwines her hand with the bighit idol's slightly bigger hand, the hand feeling warm in her hold.
karina looks down at their hands and tilts her head before she shakes her head and throws hyunseol a look, flashing the latter a smile. "ready to go, babe?"
hyunseol decides to nod, not trusting her voice at the moment while she avoids looking at karina with her ears still looking red.
caption: yoo jimin, the only woman who can rizz seol back
"anyways!", the bighit idol exclaims as she turns away from the sm idol, her camera unknowingly catching her taking a deep breath while fighting off a smile on her lips. "come on, let's borrow a friend's car or something to go to my friend's resto. i don't want to keep you starving, that will be the not-so-seol of me if i did."
"perhaps do you know someone we can borrow their car?"
hyunseol chuckles. "oh, baby, you're forgetting you're talking to the nation's best friend. i can borrow a car for us to use, just say anything and i'll do it blindly."
karina looks up at hyunseol with a tilt of her head, a smirk playing over her lips. "anything?"
the taller idol looks down and sees the glint present in the other idol's eyes, raising a brow at the latter. "and with that look of yours, what are you insinuating, miss yu?"
"hm...", karina hums as she leans closer to hyunseol, standing on her tiptoes to get on the taller idol's level with her arms on the latter's shoulders. the bighit idol keeps her ground while smirking as she decides not to move away, keeping her eyes trained right into the shorter idol's.
the 5'6 foot idol then turns away and moves her arms away, the sm idol's camera catching their interaction. "it's nothing, now come on, miss oh. we better get lunch."
----
"you knew her?!"
hyunseol laughs at karina's reaction upon meeting her said friend. the sm idol has her jaws hanging wide open as she blinks, her mind cannot wrap her head around the fact that taller idol has one of the the famous restaurant owners in korea for a friend.
for. a. friend.
"how?!"
caption: and what do we expect for the nation's best friend??
"i just lent her some money and her business surprisingly became successful. i don't know how, but it did." hyunseol sets her camera on the table towards her, giving her a full view of herself before helping karina with the latter's camera.
"yes, and now, seol here is the co-owner of this establishment."
the bighit idol whines and pouts as she shakes her head, looking up at her friend. "no, no, i'm not! don't say something like that! this resto has only one owner and it's you—"
"don't listen to her, karina-ssi. she is the restaurant's co-owner, but she only agreed under one condition. it is a good thing it's an easy request because i would really like to show my gratitude for her help."
unbeknownst to the camera, hyunseol sends her friend a pointed panicked look and a small shake of her head before recomposing herself when karina looked at her.
"but anyways!" the owner claps with a smile and pulls out a notepad and a pen from her back pockets. "what will you guys have for lunch?"
hyunseol then grabs the menu board from her friend's hand and examines the contents while karina leans closer to the taller idol, looking at the foods displayed that might spark her interest.
"hm...", the bighit idol hums and throws karina a look. "what food should we order?"
the sm idol turns her head and meets hyunseol's eyes before her gaze goes back to the menu board. "i don't know..."
"well, we could pick separate cuisines like i'll take the bibimbap and you'll take whatever dish you like best or something along those lines. or maybe we could share one?? i don't really know what you prefer, so i need your opinions on this." the taller idol gazes upon the board and trails a finger on the surface, making karina look at it and follow its movement before blinking when she realized what she was doing.
"what's your best-selling foods in the menu?", karina asks as she looks at the owner, laying her chin on hyunseol's shoulder.
"most of our regular customers order tteokbokki, bulgogi, japchae, and jajangmyeon."
the two idols look at one another and turn their attention back to the owner with matching smiles. "could we get all of that please?"
caption: oh, i know they are gonna eat well in this ep.
"okay, please wait for your orders." the owner immediately excuses herself while the pair bows to her before she leaves the couple alone in their table.
karina moves away and playfully smacks the bighit idol's arm. "i still cannot believe you personally know her. did you know that it took me and my group days to get a reservation here while it took you seconds?"
hyunseol shrugs while smirking. "perks of being the first investor of this place, i guess. besides, i gave her a call that we'll drop by. that's why it took me seconds to enter this place."
karina nods and turns her attention around the place before something catches her eye. hyunseol looks at the sm idol after a few minutes of silence and follows her line of sight to see the shorter idol looking at the unique design of their booth's interior that she couldn't help but to admit now holds so much memory.
"do you like the design?"
"yeah, i don't know how to describe it, but it looks good." after a few minutes without a reply, karina then looks at the taller idol to see her drawing on the table with her finger and leans closer to the latter, tucking her chin on hyunseol's shoulder. "what are you doing?"
the latter doesn't respond and continues, making karina focus on whatever hyunseol is doing to pass time. after a few seconds, she realizes that the taller idol is writing something and starts smiling after she finally understand what the bighit idol was writing before she looks at the camera and looks back at the table, her smile getting impossibly wider.
caption: what are they doing that got karina smiling??
you're so pretty, hyunseol writes on the surface as she smiles, not bothering to look at karina to know the latter's reaction. you're the prettiest girl i've ever seen.
caption: ayo, let us on the fun too. i wanna know what you guys are smiling for :((
karina finally looks up from the table, her cheeks flushed a warm pink. she stares at hyunseol's side profile for a moment before looking away. "you shouldn't say such things," she mutters softly.
hyunseol grins and reaches out to take the shorter idol's hand in her own. "i can't help it," she says softly, her voice full of admiration for the ever-so-beautiful woman. "you're just too beautiful." she brings karina's hand up to her lips and presses a gentle kiss against it.
karina blushes even more deeply, but she can't help the small smile that appears on her face. she looks into hyunseol's eyes and squeezes the latter's hand tight in hers.
"i'd tell the whole world about your beauty," the taller idol murmurs as she tucks a loose hair strand back into karina's ear with her other hand, "but i have a feeling they already knew about it."
caption: now i can see the vision why seol is part of the rizz gods of txt, but i'm still upset on what seol is writing on the table
karina's gaze lingers on hyunseol's features, taking in each one with admiration. her voice softens as she speaks her next words, “you’re not too bad yourself, you know. in fact, i think you might be the most beautiful person i’ve ever met.” she watches for the taller idol's reaction, feeling suddenly embarrassed but unable to look away.
hyunseol's jaw slightly drops and her cheeks flush pink as the compliment echoes in her ears. she opens her mouth, a faint whisper escaping from her lips, "really?" her heart races and butterflies fill her stomach while a warmth spreads through her chest.
karina nods, her eyes shining with sincerity. "really," she confirms, and leans forward to press a soft kiss to hyunseol's cheek, making the latter blush at the sudden action. "but it's not just your physical beauty, you know. it's your heart, too. the way you care for others and the passion you put into everything you do like what you did for the owner of this restaurant. that's what makes you truly beautiful."
hyunseol feels her face flush as she listens to the smaller idol's heartfelt words. her heart races in her chest and her breathing becomes shallow, as if the intensity of the moment had stolen the air from her lungs. she opens her mouth to speak but no sound comes out; it took a few moments before she could force any syllables out.
finally, she manages to whisper as her mind goes back to several memories from the past, “you’re too kind. i’m not sure i deserve all of that.”
caption: nooo, you deserve those kind and appreciative words, seol. please don't think otherwise :((
karina's face softens, and her eyes glistens with emotion as she lifts her hand to hyunseol's cheek, her fingers trailing the soft skin. her thumb slowly caresses a gentle line along the latter's cheekbone. "you deserve all of it and more," she says quietly. a wistful smile lights up her features as she looks at the taller idol who became silent. "you're an amazing person, hyunseol, and i'm so grateful that i've met you."
caption: my cheeks are hurting so much from smiling, but i'll happily go through this pain for them no matter how it already hurts
the waiter glides through the restaurant, the clinking of plates and cutlery coming from the kitchen following him like a symphony. his heart feels heavy as he approaches the couple, deeply engrossed in their conversation. he could tell they were in the midst of an intimate exchange; the look in their eyes – a deep, passionate gaze – tells him this. he pauses for a moment, regretting that he had to interrupt them before he clears his throat, making his presence known. the couple looks up, embarrassed. they know what was coming, but they didn't care. not a little bit.
the waiter smiles, but he could not help but feel a little guilty. he had seen the couple’s orders come through the kitchen window and he knew he had to deliver it. he puts on a brave face and announces, “your orders are ready.”
caption: aww, even the waiter can see their chemistry
the couple shares a look, a slight smile of understanding, before the waiter places the dishes on the table. the aroma of the food fills the air and brings the couple back to reality.
"thank you." the waiter bows and takes the trays with him before giving the couple the privacy they need.
"let's eat!" the couple then grabs the two chopsticks and both split it before they start eating, ready to satiate their hunger. a comfortable silence ensues between them as they all look at each dish on their table, their mouths filled with food.
while chewing, hyunseol throws karina a look and immediately puts her chopsticks down before she leans closer to the latter and gently cradles the sm idol's face in her other hand, karina's cheeks filled with food.
the shorter idol slightly flinches and blinks in surprise before meeting hyunseol's eyes. the latter smiles apologetically. "eyes on me, princess. you have something on your cheek. let me get it for you, hang on."
hyunseol wipes the stain which was the soybean paste from the jajangmyeon with her thumb and smiles at the other idol. "there all good." she then leans away as she licks the stain off her finger, oblivious to the stare karina is throwing before the latter snaps out of her reverie and goes back to eating with flushed cheeks.
caption: seol will never let karina breathe, i fear
----
"thanks for stopping by the resto." the couple nods as the bighit idol smiles at her friend, patting the latter three times on the back.
"you're always welcome, i'm happy to drop by, but sadly, karina and i need to go."
"of course, and oh, here is my car key." hyunseol's friend hands out a car key belonging to a car the bighit idol is familiar with and they meet each other's eyes for a moment with smiles on their faces.
"i promised to bring your car back without a scratch."
the restaurant owner nods, although she already knows that hyunseol is a great driver. "you two better stay safe, okay?"
the 5'11 foot idol salutes and playfully winks. "will do, madam! thanks for lending me your car!"
"you're welcome, and i just want to say before you go, you guys look good together." karina and hyunseol immediately throw each other a glance before looking back at the bighit idol's friend, one with a shy look and the other with a smirk. "but i bet you guys already know it. anyways, i need to go. see you guys soon again, bye!"
caption: seol's friend really said gay rights !!
"anddd... that's my friend. what do you think?"
"she's so sweet. now i know why you're friends with her." hyunseol nods and opens the passenger seat door out for karina.
"yeah, she's sweet. no wonder her business became successful. she deserved that success."
"come on in, princess", the bighit idol smirks and slightly leans against the door. "we are going to the spend the rest of the day on something. i'm not sure what it is, but i'm sure we'll figure it out."
as soon as karina enters the car, hyunseol shuts the door and rushes to the driver's seat before she hops in, her camera in hand. "are we going to use my camera or yours in the car?"
"let's use yours." after a few minutes of setting her camera up, hyunseol nods and realizes something as she turns to karina and they meet each other's eyes, receiving a raised brow from the sm idol. "yes?"
"let me just..." the bighit idol reaches for the karina's seatbelt, leaning closer to the latter. the shorter idol's camera catches the lack of distance between their faces as their eyes meet, hyunseol wiggling her eyebrows teasingly. "oh, hi there."
caption: and if i wish i was there to make them kiss, then what?
once hyunseol finally fastened the sm idol's seatbelt, she turns away with a smirk after seeing the color pink invade the latter's face and inserts the car key in the key hole, revving the engine. karina then turns her camera off as she then places the device on her lap, blushing.
"let's go."
the camera catches karina sighing in relief as she places a hand over her chest, leaning her head against the window. she looks outside the car as they pass several tall buildings and other cars in the road.
"hey."
"hm?"
"is there a place you want to go?", hyunseol asks.
several seconds in the silence before an idea stumbles in karina's mind as her body instinctively shoots up while shouting, "oh, i know where we could go!" that surprised hyunseol who lost her attention on driving being worried for the woman beside her.
the car slightly swerves on the road before hyunseol immediately gains focus in her surroundings as her hands grow a tight grip on the steering wheel and her feet expertly step on the clutch and brake to avoid having a collision with the other cars. quietness rises between the pair as they try their best not to break it knowing they almost ended up in an accident while maintaining their gaze to the road ahead of them.
"i'm sorry...", karina finally mutters under her breath after several minutes of an excruciating silence and hyunseol notices guilt laced in the shorter idol's voice. "i didn't mean to surprise you, i'm sorry."
"hey, it's okay—"
karina whines. "no, it's not. stop saying things like that. we could've died, and—!"
"but we didn't. we're still alive and breathing. that's what matters, right?", hyunseol cuts karina off with a warm tone as she keeps her eyes on the road.
the txt member is aware that it is indeed karina's fault, but the latter doesn't need to know that. she will never admit something like that to the woman beside her. no, never, over her dead body. she won't do no such thing, especially now that she sees the sm idol is beating herself up with that fact.
"but—!"
"but nothing. admit it, there's nothing to be sorry for. something like that happens, okay?"
the sm idol looks at the taller idol with narrowed eyes, crossing her arms. "you're not going to let me win this argument, are you?"
"depends", the bighit idols responds as she glances at karina with a smirk before she looks back on the road. "are you going to keep arguing with me?"
"i don't know if it'll be just a waste of time or not."
"oh, princess", hyunseol remarks with a teasing tone. "it is indeed a waste of time. when you're in a relationship with me, don't waste your time worrying about such trivial things especially when you know it's not needed. you only need to waste your loving me because you got me, i got you, and we got each other, always."
the taller idol then throws karina a look and sees the latter in a state of spacing out before turning her gaze back to the road as a hint of fear starts accumulating in her chest. "are you okay?? did i say too much? i can take everything i said back if—"
"no, it's okay. i'm fine."
"... are you sure? i didn't go overboard with my teasing, right?" karina senses a hint of guilt laced in hyunseol's voice. she doesn't know how to feel about that fact because she is doubting herself if she either sensed it or just assumed that the bighit idol is feeling guilty.
"yes, i'm sure and thank you." pause. "i'm just worried that we could've died if you weren't skilled enough for us to avoid getting into an accident. if only i didn't surprise you, then..."
karina hangs her head low as she plays with her fingers and falls to her thoughts, a pout forming on her lips.
hyunseol immediately pulls over to the side of the road and karina turns to the former, both surprised and confused about the stunt the taller idol pulled.
"what? what's wrong?"
caption: i'm asking the same thing, girl
"hey— wait, can i have consent to hold your hand first?"
caption: baby bear, you didn't ask her consent earlier, so why now? but still, when she asks for consent 😍 >>>
"uhm, sure."
"okay, thank you." hyunseol envelops her slightly bigger hands around karina's smaller one and meets the latter's eyes, hers filling up with warmth the shorter idol couldn't identify. "please stop blaming yourself about what happened. we were both unaware of what's going to happen, that's why it happened."
"but..."
"okay, let's put it like this." the txt member takes a deep breath and drops the most outrageous statement known to the aespa member that had the latter looking at her as if she had committed the dumbest thing in the world (which hyunseol did for karina). "it's my fault, not yours. my mind wasn't on alert when you—"
"but you're the one driving the car... so why should it be your fault?"
"just because." hyunseol then reaches out to tuck a loose strand over karina's ear, careful not to linger a touch on the latter's skin, particularly her face. "so if you keep blaming yourself for what happened, then might as well blame myself too."
"but it's not your fault..."
"whatever you're feeling right now is what i'm feeling whenever you say it's your fault when i told you it's okay. we could just put this situation behind us so we could move on from this and—"
knock, knock, knock
the couple jumps, startled and turns to the hyunseol's side of the car where the sound came from to see a female police officer waiting outside.
caption: uh-oh??
the pair immediately shares a look and gulps before the txt member rolls down the window and flashes the police officer a smile.
"hello there! may i ask what seems the problem we have, officer?" hyunseol's eyes slightly widen at the familiar policewoman and immediately recomposes herself, remembering that the camera in the car is recording.
the officer tilts her head and raises a brow once she saw hyunseol, but immediately goes back to professional mode when she noticed karina beside the bighit idol and a camera where a dash cam should be.
"miss oh, is there a problem here? you're aware that pulling over to the side means something's wrong, right?"
hyunseol nods, feeling a bit embarrassed. "um, yes. yes, you're right."
"but may i ask what it is?"
"uh—"
karina immediately speaks up with a nervous smile over her face as the policewoman and hyunseol turn to look at her. "sorry, ma'am, but it's my fault. i was feeling nervous about going on a date with hyunseol here, and uhm, i kind of panicked. she noticed me panicking, so she pulled over and helped me calm down. sorry if we got you worried."
the sm idol bows her head. "rest assured that i-it won't happen again."
hyunseol and the police officer share a quick look as if the idol told the latter using her eyes before they both look away. hyunseol holds karina's hand to ease the sm idol's nerves as she moves her hands on her lap and signs something without the camera catching her unusual action and raising any suspicion from karina, making the policewoman's attention fall on the moving hand.
the police officer then looks away and states, "it's okay, miss yu. thank you for telling me what had happened, i understand it now. don't worry, both of you aren't in trouble. i'll be going now, and also, miss yu."
karina nervously looks up and meets the policewoman's eyes. "y-yes?"
"you're a lucky girl to have hyunseol."
caption: it takes a matchz supporter to know another one
"uhm... t-thank you."
"you're welcome, i'll go now. good luck on your date." the bighit idol and the cop share a look with a small nod before the latter walks away as the sm idol sighs in relief, leaning against the passenger seat with her hand over her chest.
hyunseol immediately throws karina a look and turns her whole body, facing the sm idol with a worried expression over her face. "are you okay? that officer didn't scare you too much, right?"
caption: when she's worried for her future gf first than herself>>>
"n-no, but she just surprised me." the txt member sighs in relief and nods, smiling at karina who met the taller idol's eyes. "but what about you?"
hyunseol tilts her head, confused. "what about me, princess?"
"are you okay?"
the bighit idol's smile becomes wider, a bit genuine than flirty. "just seeing you okay makes me feel okay, so yes. i'm okay, rina. you don't need to ask, but i still appreciate your effort doing so. thank you."
the taller idol then boops the shorter idol's nose with her finger and gently pats the latter's head, still having a wide smile over her lips. hyunseol is moving her hand away when karina got ahold of her wrist and halted her movements. surprised, the bighit idol looks at karina and blinks in stunned silence before she asks, "yes?"
"hold my hand."
caption: when she's becoming to be bold from her future gf>>>
hyunseol jerks her head back in, clearly taken aback before a smile breaks out on her lips and her shoulders relax as she chuckles. "okay, you scared me for a bit there."
"sorry..."
"it's okay, princess, but hang on." hyunseol then revs the engine and turns to karina expectantly with a shit-eating grin on her face, holding her right hand out. "and your hand, madam."
the sm idol playfully rolls her eyes and holds the taller idol's hand, intertwining their hands together while the bighit idol's grin grows wider. "there you go, it wasn't so hard, right?"
karina shrugs as she tries not to smile. hyunseol then asks, "so where do you want to go?"
----
"hey. hey, are you okay?"
"y-yeah i-i'm good", hyunseol stutters as she tries to give karina a thumbs up and her hand trembles while her other hand has a tight grip on the metal pole, trying not to look down past the cable car.
"i don't think so. your face is getting paler than earlier", the aespa member comments as she cradles the taller idol's face in her hands, her fingers caressing the latter's cheeks. she then sees the panic in the bighit idol's eyes and grows worried. "hey, hey. deep breaths. take deep breaths for me, seol."
"b-but—"
karina holds hyunseol's face in place when the latter tried to look outside of the cable car and softly talks, "eyes on me, baby. eyes on me, don't you dare look away. are you afraid of heights?"
"y-yes, i-i'm sorry. i'm not usually like this, so a-afraid." the txt member hangs her head low.
the aespa member then lifts hyunseol's chin and looks at the latter in the eye with a warm smile tugging her lips. "hey, it's okay. no need to be ashamed of having a phobia. don't worry, okay? just hang on, we'll be at the top soon."
the bighit idol frowns and karina apologetically smiles at the former. "i'm sorry for mentioning it, but i'm here. you can lean on me for the mean time, okay?"
caption: i'd want nothing more than to see my independent girl rina caring for her gf
ding!
"okay, we're here. i got you, baby."
caption: there's already so much b bombs dropping even when they're still not together, but i'm not even complaining
"when you said you want to go here, i never expected my phobia kicking in and got myself holding onto you."
karina giggles. "there's nothing to be afraid of holding onto me, but i can see why you're so into treating me good. it makes me feel satisfied."
"of course, why do you think my love language is acts of service?"
suddenly, a bird flies by while chirping and karina immediately moves her head, burying her face against hyunseol's arm. alerted, the txt member miraculously gains strength in her body and protectively wraps an arm around the aespa member's figure as she looks around.
she then looks down to the sm idol as she whispers, her camera catching the interaction between the idols. "hey, what's wrong?"
"... birds." hyunseol then looks around and finds several birds around which makes her gulp before looking back down. "are they everywhere?"
"yeah, kinda."
"why did they just decide to come bothering us right now?", karina mutters with a hint of disdain and hyunseol hears it, but she doesn't know if the mics attached in their clothes had caught the sm idol's mumble.
the txt member worriedly asks, "do you want to get away?"
karina looks up and meets hyunseol's eyes. "but what about the entrance fee we paid for? isn't it a waste for us to pay for it and just leave without even several minutes us being on the top?"
"if you're worried about our money, i can just pay you back—"
"do you not want to be here with me? is that what you're aiming for?"
"what— no. why are you even thinking like that?"
"i have a feeling you're hinting you want to leave...", karina mumbles as she looks away with a pout.
caption: i don't know what's the drama here, but i'm curious on what seol's approach will be here
hyunseol bites her lips and sighs before answering. "look, i'm sorry if i talked as if i don't want to be here with you. that wasn't my intention and it's not also your fault for thinking that way, but please, don't force yourself to be here with me when you know you'll just be uncomfortable.
"i just don't want to end this date with you being uncomfortable. i rather waste my money than be a bad date to anyone, especially when i know and can feel you're getting uncomfortable right now."
...
..
.
karina looks up and their eyes meet while the aespa member has a small smirk over her lips. "are you always this smooth of a talker with everyone you meet?"
hyunseol jerks her head back, blinking and throws the camera a quick look, her eyes slightly widening before she looks back at karina with a nervous smile. "... kinda, why?"
the aespa member tilts her head, raising a brow. "so i'm not the only one you've charmed, huh?"
caption: oohhh, karina calling out seol's player side out 👀
"are... are you accusing me of being a player?"
"maybe."
the tall idol playfully rolls her eyes and lays her head as she slightly tightens her arm around the latter's waist, towering over karina. "don't worry about the other girls, princess. i only use this smoothness around you because believe me, you're the only one for me."
"oh, really?"
"yep, you're the only one who could take my breath and make my heart race." hyunseol winks. "now, come on. let me treat you to some ice cream."
----
"thank you for today. being with you for almost one day has been fun."
"you're welcome, always here to bring you nothing but the best, my princess. you deserved this kind of date and several good things more."
the pair had stopped in front of a few blocks away from the aespa's dorm and decided to just go on foot on the rest of to not leak the girl group's dorm address while having their hands intertwined. they are talking about the various wild activities they did (although they didn't do much) to fill the silence between them.
"although we didn't get to spend much time together", hyunseol states as she pouts. "crazy birds... and heights have to ruin our namsan tower date."
karina giggles as she sees the growing pout over the taller idol's lips and shakes her head while she looks away. "yeah, but today's date still wasn't so bad. i mean, i'm with you, so any date with you is basically a great date."
caption: *jaws drops*
hyunseol automatically halts and karina looks back with a tilt of her head as the former narrows her eyes at the latter, a small smirk over her lips. "what? why are you looking like that? is there something on my face?"
"no, just beauty. and what was that?"
"what was what?" karina furrows her eyebrows together and sends her camera a look, hoping to make her confusion known before she looks back at hyunseol.
caption: don't look at me like that, madam. i'm sorry, but you are on your own here
"'i mean, i'm with you, so any date with you is basically a great date.' really? why are we switching sides?" a quick flash of realization passes over the aespa member's face before she laughs out loud while a smile appears on the txt member's face, her eyes trained on the sm idol. "i can't believe you, yu jimin. are you learning to be a smooth talker? 'cause let me say, you're one quick learner."
"i mean...", karina trails off as she leans closer and meets the taller idol's eyes, her fingers of her free hand slowly trailing the latter's arm with a smirk. "for you? i would. i mean, i'd rather want to be a top performing student in the smooth talking department than letting you get the upper hand every time we had a date. i'm ready to learn new things if it means surprising you."
caption: i don't know if i want to be seol or karina at this moment
hyunseol chuckles as she hangs her head low. "okay, okay. stand down, lover girl. stand down. no need to be so close—"
"aw, is your heart beating up so fast right now?" karina leans her face closer to hyunseol's face who instinctively looked away, her ears going red. "aw, why are you so shy now? you weren't like this earlier, baby."
the bighit idol chokes on her saliva and pulls her hand back away from karina's, covering her face with her now freed hand as she adjusts her hold on the camera who was catching the moment of the txt's reaction.
caption: ayo, karina successfully making seol blush?!
hyunseol removes her hand from her face and the camera catches the growing scarlet color in the taller idol's face.
"hey, come back~!" karina loops her arm with the bighit idol and looks up to see the latter's face and ears in the color red. "is this what you have to see whenever you charmed other girls?"
"stop..."
"aww, but you're so cute while blushing." karina pouts and smirks wider before kissing hyunseol's cheek that earned herself a small yelp from the latter. "okay, i'll stop now."
the sm idol looks around and halts her steps, stopping the bighit idol too. "okay, this is my stop."
hyunseol nods, still recovering from the short idol's bold actions and the sm idol pouts at the silent response. "baby, please. no goodbye kiss—?"
the txt member cuts karina off by kissing the shorter idol's forehead and both cheeks in one swift motion, leaving the aespa member's mind to short circuit.
the taller idol smirks and pulls her arm away to caress karina's cheek. "you may be learning to take me off guard, but always remember that i am still and will always be the original smooth talker between us. you're not going to take my job so easily, jagiya."
caption: seol proving that no one can outrizz her
the sm idol blinks and looks up at the taller idol only to receive a wink from the latter. karina immediately looks away as her eyes look everywhere but not hyunseol's eyes, making the bighit idol chuckle. "aw, she's shy now, but okay, fine i'll stop."
hyunseol let out one chuckle before she moves her hand away and kisses the top of karina's head. "this marks as the end of our first date. it's pretty eventful although we didn't exactly have a time to enjoy the impromptu namsan tower date, but after that small competition we had a few minutes ago, ditching the whole production is worth it. right?"
karina only nods, still not over the fact that hyunseol threw her off by doing the surprising actions of giving her forehead and cheek kisses before she manages to mutter in an audible whisper. "yeah, everything was fun even though i don't know if we could count it as a full date."
"a date is date as long as we enjoyed ourselves. did you enjoy it, though?"
karina looks at hyunseol in her peripheral view before looking away immediately while trying not to remember the wordless compliments she received back in the restaurant. "if the huge smiles i gave you earlier weren't obvious, then yes. i did enjoy being with you."
"okay—"
"i enjoy it so much i want a second date."
hyunseol smirks. "oh really? if i agree to have a second date—"
karina jerks her head back and raises a brow. "agree? baby, you have nothing to say about this. we are going on a second date no matter what you say"
caption: i love me some leader-type of women 😍💞
the txt member smirks wider. "oh, not even going to let me say anything?"
"never. we are going to that second date. end of discussion."
the taller idol immediately hangs her hands up in surrender and backsteps when karina takes a few steps toward her. "okay, ma'am. we are going to that second date, i hear you."
"be careful on your way home, okay?"
hyunseol sarcastically says as she fakes gasps and a mocking tone can be heard in her voice, "when she's so sweet— ack!"
the txt member throws karina an accusatory look while trying not to laugh. "why did you pinch me?"
"you were mocking me."
hyunseol immediately pulls the sm idol into an embrace and gently places her chin on karina's head, softly humming for a few minutes before she speaks up, "okay, i'm sorry. that was not cool of me, so i'll never do that again, but yes, i'll be careful driving back to my friend's and on my way home."
"see you on the next date, okay?"
the bighit idol then nods with a smile. "rest assured that i'll be there."
"okay...", karina trails off she swiftly pulls hyunseol down by her sweater vest and lands a kiss on the latter's cheek before she runs off, hurry present in her heels.
the txt member blinks as she watches the aespa member walk away before she looks at the camera as if her eyes were asking, did you guys see that shit?
"wow." hyunseol gulps before she chuckles and stuffs her hands inside the pockets of her pants. "she really got the guts, i must say."
confusion overtakes her face when she felt something in her pocket before she gently pulls it out and sees a small piece of paper in her hand, showing it to the camera. she then unfolds it and reads what was written in it before she slowly starts smiling.
caption: why are you smiling for??? karina isn't here anymore, seol
hyunseol then looks at the camera and covers her mouth with her hand, trying not to cheer loudly. "ayo, she gave me her number!! we're going home successfully, let's go!"
hyunseol then looks at the camera with the biggest grin and bids goodbye, "i'll go home now, everyone. look out for the next episode! bye, bye!" she then proceeds to cover the camera lens as she winks.
----
a/n: this is so long, smh bcs the last time i checked, this is over 9.2k words and counting and the ending is kinda rushed, so yeah 😬😬 also, no proofread
pairing/s: florist! kim minju x high school teacher! gp! oc
summary: when batch '16 decides to hold a high school reunion, minju decides it was a good idea to tag along with her friends to attend the event, but a good decision before is a bad decision now if it means encountering her old high school sweetheart and first love, ahn hyunjae.
"you still like tulips?"
"yes, what about you? do you still love marigolds?"
"yeah, i still love them (the same way i still love you)."
tags... crack, fluff; angst; hurt; no beta we die like men; second chance romances; exes-to-friends-to-lovers; non-idol au, old high school sweethearts meeting again, straight-a troublemaker x straight-a good student, adult au, wlw
warning/s... angst; suggestive/smut themes; dark jokes; strong language, bullying (affectionately); multiple mentions of alcohol and its consumption; violence mentioned; idk anymore, i'll add more if i notice something;
posting schedule.... whenever a sense of motivation hits
featuring... izone, some nmixx members (mostly haewon & bae), some ateez members (mostly wooyoung & seonghwa), and many more idols that are either mentioned or appeared in some chapters.
status... will rewrite
————
profiles. spawns of satan, the chaos within, the flowers in the meadow
chapters (number of chapters & some titles still unidentified)
a/n: jae can be interpreted as the reader or whole other person. it was supposed to be y/n, not jae but i find it hard to imagine if i pair minju to someone i can't imagine, so that's where jae is born.
disclaimer all images and pictures used in this story are not all mine. they belong to their rightful owners and i therefore give credits to their edits. i DO NOT CONDONE or ENCOURAGE the violence mentioned here.
hyunseol types on her laptop while on her bed, trying to cure her boredom by writing a song. her members aren't in the dorm with her, probably out with their idol friends or visiting a family. she just finished doing her weekly clean-up in the whole dorm, including the members' room (she asked for their consent first).
now, she is currently taking a rest before she goes out for her daily afternoon walk.
she has been staring at her laptop for a few minutes before she lays down with a grunt, experiencing a writer's block. looking up on the ceiling, she breathes out as she runs a hand through her hair. out of nowhere, the memory of interacting with minjeong from the other day floods her mind.
suddenly, she finds herself sitting up on her bed and searching for minjeong's group profile on her laptop with her fingers aggresively typing on the keyboard. several websites pop up before she clicks one of them, the site looking a bit promising.
the picture of four girls pop up on the screen with the words æspa above it. she scrolls down a few minutes and arrives at minjeong's part of the group profile. the txt member raises a brow when her eyes read her new friend's birthday.
birthday: january 1, 2001
we're born in the same month, and i just had my birthday, so that means...
hyunseol immediately exits from the website and grabs her phone in her nightstand, dialing a number.
"hello, is your service available today?"
----
"minjeong, did you order something?"
the said girl stops playing her mobile game for a moment and blinks, trying to remember if she did order something from the previous days. she then looks up from her phone and meets the leader's gaze, shaking her head. "no, i didn't. why?"
"a package and a bouquet arrived in the front porch just now. the surprising part is that, it's addressed to someone named azrael?" karina points to the front door.
"what?!"
minjeong approaches the items, one gift-wrapped box and bouquet and crouches before she inspects them carefully. she then opens the box and sees the jacket, a black designed with smiley emojis in a light yellowish color.
she takes the apparel out and a note drops on the box before she grabs it and examines the writings.
curious, ningning asks as she looks over her fellow maknae's shoulder. "what does it say?"
the second youngest starts to read the note, "'dear minjeong,
happy belated birthday !! i just found out that we were born in the same month and would like to greet you as a gratitude for being my new friend.
signed, azrael'"
"who's that?"
"i don't know?" minjeong shrugs and looks at her members before looking back at the two items and grabbing her phone.
"hold on, i'll ask around."
----
summary: txt's oldest member, oh hyunseol just want a peaceful life after pandemic with her members, but it seems like fate wants to shake things up.
note: i'm writing this while listening to this (its a filo song & idk what the english song could measure up to the vibe that song gives me)
warning/s: too long chapter ahead, yunjin js too detailed when it comes to seol, and usage of unofficial uno rules; no beta
"are we really going to do this, unnie?"
"yes, and besides, it's about time to shut yunjin up. so why can't we grant her wish with seol?"
two people huddle together while talking in hushed whispers, one looking around for unsuspecting passersby.
"uh, hi? may i ask what you're planning to noona?"
the pair jumps startled and turns around to see a 5'11 foot guy with a knowing glint settling in his eyes. behind him are his two members who are looking at the pair with curiosity. "please tell me you're doing what i'm thinking you're doing. if you need help, my members and i can step in."
the pair looks at one another before looking back at the tall guy. "and what are you thinking exactly?"
he tilts his head, raising a brow at chaewon and sakura. "you're going to trap those two in noona's studio, right?"
sakura asks as she raises a brow back, "how are we even going to do that without getting it opened from the inside?"
yeonjun, taehyun, and beomgyu look at each other before they share a laugh, a mischievous smirk appearing over their lips. "just do one thing and leave the rest to us."
----
"love is sour, love is sour grapes ~"
hyunseol nods, her right hand spinning a ballpoint pen with her eyes trained on the lyrics sheet and her blank expression makes the six girls nervous. "thank you, girls, but i noticed something." she then looks up from the paper, looking at yunjin. "why are you nervous, yunjin-ah?"
the tall girl blushes as she looks away, her fingers finding the hems of her shirt. "uhm, i'm sorry. i didn't mean to."
"may i ask what seems the problem? your voice really seems nervous earlier unlike what we had practiced last time, so we can address the problem." hyunseol leans against her seat and trains her eyes on the 5'8 foot girl who is still fiddling with the hem of her shirt. "yunjin-ssi?"
"i-i just want to be perfect for you, sunbaenim."
surprised, hyunseol's head jerks back with a blink. what? she said what?
the eyes of some le sserafim's members widen before turning their heads to their tallest member while chaewon and sakura keep their attention on the 5'11 foot idol, holding themselves from smirking by how taken aback hyunseol was at what had happened.
you're so stupid, yunjin! what did you say that?! 'i just want to be perfect for you', ugh! stupid stupid stupid!, yunjin mentally reprimands herself as she turns impossibly redder. hyunseol then gets flustered once what the american had said finally sinks in her mind.
"p-perfect? for me?" hyunseol repeats, sounding a bit in disbelief and clears her throat, shaking her head. "what do you mean by that, yunjin-ah?"
"w-what i mean is that, i'm nervous to mess up parts, sunbae. you're just so cool and i just don't want to mess up in front of you. it's too embarrassing."
you're such a simp, yunjin, chaewon thinks to herself as she shakes her head. good thing we'll be doing you a favor.
"please, don't call me sunbae. i would like to be called as seol unnie or unnie. not sunbae or sunbaenim because that honorifics make me feel old", the txt member addresses. "yunjin, we're on the same level. we're equal, so please don't think highly of me. i'm just seol from txt.
"and please, don't be afraid to mess up. that's why i'm here to help whenever you have any trouble. just because we're idols doesn't mean we lost our humanity. you're allowed to fail and try again and most importantly, you're allowed to have feelings, yunjin. don't let others make you think otherwise."
fuck you, hyunseol, yunjin thinks to herself as she tries to contain her raging heartbeats at bay, her ears joining the flustered fest. for raising my standards higher. fuck, god, why did you make her to be so so perfect? and my type too?
"o-okay, su— i mean, seol unnie. i'll remember your words."
the big hit idol nods and grabs her pen, smiling. "all right, let's try that again."
----
do the plan, sakura noona!
the oldest le sserafim member eyes hyunseol's phone laying on the table and remembers what yeonjun told her earlier.
"you need to grab seol noona's phone, sakura noona. seol noona has two phones, okay? one is for personal use while the other is for business use. i heard from noona that she left her business phone charging in the practice room because she rarely uses it nowadays. so, you need to take the other phone, it's the one in the black phone case and believe me when i say she keeps her eyes on that phone. you need to create a distraction for her before you grab the device, or else, she'll catch you."
le sserafim just finished practicing for their vocal practice (yunjin asked the txt member if the group could have a vocal practice doing the final recording) and now, they're ready to head to the cafeteria. chaewon and sakura share a look before their eyes fall on the unguarded phone. it's now or never.
"unnie", the bighit idol looks up from the music sheet and meets chaewon's innocent eyes. normally, hyunseol would question the behavior of the '00 liner, but she has no energy to ask.
"yes, chaewon?" the said girl then moves to shield the phone from the 23-year-old idol's sharp eyes. "do you need something?"
while chaewon talks to hyunseol, sakura immediately makes her way to the phone and grabs the device, stuffing it inside her pocket. when she looks up, she meets the eyes of her members: kazuha, eunchae, and garam. yunjin, on the other hand, is too engrossed on gathering her things to notice sakura's odd behavior, her thoughts still about txt's oldest.
sakura raises a brow at the maknae line and the trio raises their brows back, their eyes focused on the phone as if they're asking their oldest member, what are you doing?
trust me, sakura mouths and walks away when chaewon gently tapped her back, a signal to get away from the txt oldest. the leader then taps yunjin's arm, catching the latter's attention. "come on, let's go. it's time to eat."
"it's okay, unnie. i'll catch up with you guys. i just need to talk to seol unnie."
hearing that, chaewon almost cheers and scream, but she holds herself back and softly smiles at the '01 liner. "okay, we'll wait for you in the cafeteria."
she then meets sakura's eyes and smirks before gathering her members, knowing very well she and the oldest succeeded. the five out of six members walk out and are surprised to see the people outside the studio.
on the other side, yeonjun and the rest of txt members stand patiently. chaewon makes sure to close the door behind her before sakura gives hyunseol's phone to yeonjun.
huening kai, confused on what's happening asks as he crosses his arms in front of him, raising a brow at the pair. "why do you guys have seol noona's phone?"
uh-oh, yeonjun thinks to himself as he starts sweating. i didn't think ahead, fuck. we forgot to tell huening kai. shit, we're doomed.
while yeonjun starts having a mental breakdown, beomgyu immediately jumps into action, leaning against the maknae's 6'0" figure. "please, just this one, hyuka. help us trap seol noona and yunjin in the studio."
sakura starts off as she tries to support the oldest of txt's maknae line, "uh, yes, you see, yunjin likes-"
"- seol noona? we know. she isn't exactly hiding her infatuation very well." huening kai cuts le sserafim oldest, looking unimpressed.
the le sserafim members look at txt's maknae in shock, blinking. "what-?"
chaewon immediately covers eunchae's mouth before the latter could scream and asks, "how do you know?"
"we've noticed from our last vlive", taehyun answers before continuing. "and if we noticed, i'm sure seol noona did too, even before we did."
"yeah, she isn't exactly dense like she usually shows", soobin voices out.
"so...", yeonjun trails off as he looks at '02 liner hesitantly, knowing the success of their plan will depend on the maknae's decision. "are you going to help us, hyuka?"
the txt maknae looks at the phone adorned in a black phone case, thinking over the options he has before smirking.
"give me the phone."
----
"thank you again for the kind words from earlier, i guess i need to hear that. it's been a hard month for us."
the '99 liner smiles, as soft as the pillow and as warm as the rays of the first peak of sunrise. "you're welcome, i can tell that you guys start to feel the pressure. being in the industry is hard, i'll tell you that. you girls will be needing a friendly face amidst of the chaos. you're lucky because i'm willing to be in that role."
"i guess we girls lucked out when it comes to you."
"yeah, i guess so..." an awkward silence ensues as yunjin tries her best to save the conversation, but came up with nothing.
"i better go now, my members might be waiting for me."
"yeah... i hope you and your members eat well."
"you too." yunjin eyes the huge paper bag near the 23-year-old idol's work station and tears her eyes away from it. i really have no game against karina when it comes to seol. she's just confident, cool, and pretty and i'm just me. what do i even have that she doesn't? there's nothing, might as well give up.
"see you later, yunjin."
"see you later, unnie." the 5'8 foot idol bids a greeting and heads to the door. when she grabs the door and twists the handle, she blinks when she didn't hear a small click.
she takes a deep breath and decides to try again, calming herself down because if she didn't, she'll end up embarrassing herself more in front of her crush. let's not panic immediately, i must have just done something wrong.
"fuck", yunjin curses in english under her breath as the realization finally settles in. she's stuck inside with seol, the current subject of her infatuation. her hold on the door handle loosens until her arm comes back on her side. god, why now? why?!
hyunseol, on the other hand, turns her seat around when she still sensed the le sserafim member's presence in the room and tilts her head at the latter's back, the music sheet now thrown on the table with abandon.
"are you okay there, yunjin?"
"k-kinda? i-i don't know." hyunseol frowns at the reluctant response from the american before standing up from her swivel chair. when she approached the soon-to-be idol,
she notices the latter avoiding her eyes which is unlike what yunjin was earlier when they were practicing. flirty, attentive, and confident. her sudden change of behavior confuses the bighit idol even more.
what's gotten into her?, hyunseol thinks to herself and decides to grab the door handle and open it. just like when she welcomed le sserafim in her humble abode.
but except this time, it doesn't open. like she usually expects it will.
hyunseol blinks and tries again, but to no avail. surely the door is sealed shut, leaving her trapped inside with yunjin who is undoubtedly one of the pretty girls the txt member ever met in the industry.
oh fuck.
get yourself together, hyunseol. where's your phone?, her mind reproachfully speaks as she immediately springs into life and looks around the studio, her eyes desperately looking for her personal phone.
the very one sakura just stole minutes ago.
"wait, it can do that?"
"yeah, seol noona showed it to me some time ago. apparently, there are times she likes to be alone, so she often locks herself in her studio while she does songwriting. i remembered her saying that the door could lock someone in and out using her phone."
the five txt members and five le sserafim members take shelter in txt's practice room. on hyunseol's stolen phone shows a live footage of txt oldest member looking for something, but txt knows she's looking for her phone that was in huening kai's hands.
"aw, now i feel bad for unnie", chaewon voices out when she caught the distraught expression over hyunseol's face.
"me too, but it's already done, chaewon-ah."
"so that's why you asked something from seol unnie while sakura unnie stole seol unnie's phone", eunchae remarks as she looks at her leader and her fellow member in realization before she throws one piece of french fry inside her mouth, her eyes trained on the phone screen.
"yeah, that's why", chaewon comments before she takes another sip from her drink. "sakura unnie needs to grab the phone without getting seol unnie suspicious, so i stepped in."
le sserafim and txt have agreed on eating their lunch inside the latter's dance practice room to spy on their fellow members trapped in a studio. it sounds weird and creepy, but chaewon and sakura deemed it being the only way for yunjin to slowly adjust being around the txt member, knowing hyunseol having the nation's best friend persona only need several minutes to strike a conversation with yunjin.
hyunseol sighs as she sits back down on her swivel chair. she's certain now if she wasn't minutes ago. there's no way out of this room without her phone.
she then looks at yunjin who is starting to space out on the couch inside her studio before rummaging the paper bag her manager had dropped. she scowls when she saw two takeout containers inside and two sets of plastic utensils with two bottled colas on the plastic bag near it.
she mentally sighs in exasperation and rolls her eyes when she realized something. her phone is on the table earlier, but after chaewon asked her about something, it just disappeared.
is it magic? no, she strongly believes there is no way it just magically went missing before she got trapped with yunjin because she knows it's possible huening kai is an accomplice of chaewon and sakura with a few bribes being made. the maknae is the only one who knows about the studio door.
hyunseol then turns to the cctv camera she installed in her studio that overlooks the whole room and narrows her eyes while crossing her arms.
huening kai immediately drops his hold over the phone, his action catching everyone's attention. "uh-oh."
yeonjun asks, looking at the maknae, "what? what?"
the maknae meets the second oldest member's eyes and scowls, "we're doomed, noona finally realized what's happening."
hyunseol throws yunjin a glance and immediately returns her attention to the cctv camera when she saw the latter in the state of spacing out. with a disapproving shake of her head, the txt oldest member signs as she clenches her jaws, you shouldn't have done that, huening kai. chaewon and sakura, is this why you stole my phone for? to trap me and yunjin inside? you guys better sleep with an eye open tonight.
huening kai whines as he gives the phone to soobin. "you hold the phone, hyung. i cannot hold it while watching."
"what did she say?", sakura asks curiously, looking at the txt members.
"she's asking you and chaewon if trapping her and yunjin is the reason why you stole her phone, noona", yeonjun shares and gulps. "she also said that we better sleep with an open tonight."
"i don't know if i should be scared or not by how much she is glaring at us right now", chaewon mutters, her eyes trained on the idol.
"it's okay to be scared of seol noona, chaewon noona.", huening kai comments and frowns. "you're luckier than us, though. you guys don't share a dorm with her."
hyunseol then rolls her eyes and turns away from the camera, massaging her temple. getting annoyed isn't going to help. focus, seol. you're not the only one who's trapped inside. you're with yunjin, think about her. she must be starving.
"hey." the txt member's raspy voice brings yunjin out of her thoughts and they share a look for a moment before the korean smiles warmly at the american. "come on, let's eat. it'll take us centuries before we bust out of this room and believe me, there's no way we could leave the room if i don't have my phone with me."
the former opera singer tilts her head with a frown, her brows creased together. "but your phone was here moments ago."
yunjin noticed it, the device laying within the txt member's reach while she and her members have their vocal practice. it couldn't possibly just disappeared, right?
"i have a feeling on what had happened to my phone." yunjin looks at the bighit idol.
the '01 liner then stands up and helps hyunseol setting the big foldable table up. "what's happened?"
hyunseol carefully takes out the two bibimbap-filled containers with bulgogi meat draped on the side, drinks, and utensils before laying them on the table. "chaewon distracted me while sakura unnie grabbed my phone and used the chance to run away when you told your leader you'll catch up with your members in the cafeteria before trapping us inside."
the le sserafim member throws hyunseol a look. "eh? did they really steal your phone?"
"i believe so, because we wouldn't trapped right now." the txt immediately corrects herself, not wanting yunjin to misunderstand her statement. "n-not that i don't want to be with you, of course. j-just..."
"oh, hyunseol's stuttering."
"wait, what?" the txt and le sserafim members huddle together, their eyes glued on the phone screen. and there hyunseol is, stuttering and blushing like a madman.
"j-just that... it's too coincidental for us to get trapped here, right?" hyunseol succesfully plays it cool with a chuckle and a shake of her head. great quick thinking, seol.
"and besides, think about it, yunjin-ah. they wouldn't trap us here if they have no reason, right? there must be something they want to achieve for them to drag my members in this shenanigan."
there must be something they want to achieve..., yunjin lingers on the thought and her eyes widen when she remembered her tweets from the night before. fuck, chaewon unnie and sakura unnie must've seen my tweets about seol, and now i'm stuck with her. great, good job, yunjin.
"hey, you good?" the 5'8" foot idol blinks and meets hyunseol's eyes before they share a small smile and look away, blush adorning their cheeks.
"i swear to god, they're so gay for each other", sakura fake gags. "like you can see how they look shy around one another and it makes me puke."
"y-yeah, i'm good." yunjin clears her throat and looks away.
"all right, here's your utensils. let's eat, yunjin-ah." the txt member then drags her swivel chair closer to the table.
despite being awkward at first, the pair slowly adjusts in the silence and enjoy the food manager yongsun had dropped off before yunjin gasps and the bighit idol worriedly looks at the soon-to-be idol only to see the latter looking at the food in amazement.
"wow, this is so good." yunjin takes another bulgogi meat from her container and immediately sighs in delight. "where did you buy this food, unnie? it's so good."
"manager unnie bought it from a friend of mine. i'm glad you enjoyed it." hyunseol chews and adjusts herself on her seat, throwing yunjin a look and noticing something on the latter's face. "hey."
the former opera singer stops chewing and looks at the tall girl, her awaiting eyes trained on the bighit idol.
she looks like a puppy, hyunseol thinks to herself. she'd make a cute puppy.
the american's action makes the txt member giggle before the latter grabs a napkin laying discarded on the table and stands up from her chair.
"hang on, you have something on your...", hyunseol trails off as she leans closer to yunjin, her free hand holding the latter's chin in place. the soon-to-be idol's breath hitches at the close proximity of their faces, the gentle hold the tall girl has on her chin, and the concentration looming over the txt member's face.
yunjin isn't certain if she caught hyunseol's eyes darting back and forth from the mess on her jaw to her lips. on top of that, she notices the latter subconsciously licking her own lips while wiping the offending smudge on her face.
the pair then locks eyes for a moment, the humming coming from the a/c being the only sound in the room. the '99 liner's voice rings in yunjin's ear, noticing a hint of softness laced in them. "hey, you okay? you kinda... spaced out there."
"yeah... i'm good..." are the only words yunjin could say at the moment, her voice a bit slurred from the moment.
"okay, there you go. your face are all cleaned up." hyunseol subconsciously runs her thumb over the former opera singer's jaws and immediately lets go when she realized what she did, turning her face away with blush dusting her cheeks.
"uhm...", yunjin stutters with a flustered face when hyunseol finally moved away and sat back down before she looks away as her hands cover her face, immediately missing the warmth over her jaw. "t-thank you, you didn't have to. that was so embarrassing, i'm sorry you have to see me like that. i don't normally eat like that, i'm usually—"
"no, no, don't do that. it's okay, it wasn't embarrassing at all." the bighit idol giggles and waves her dismissively. "trust me, you're cute from where i'm seeing you, yunjin. there's no need to be embarrassed and besides, you're a pretty girl, yunjin. i hope you can see that."
"ahhh, seol noona!!!" the txt members loudly squeal and runs around their practice room with huening kai being the loudest while the le sserafim members sit on the couch, stunned.
"t-they are flirting, right?"
huening kai's loud voice fills the room. "yes! seol noona is flirting with yunjin noona! we told you, they only a nudge to start talking."
yeonjun and beomgyu then throw each other a look and share a knowing smirk.
"t-thank you, you're kinda pretty yourself too", yunjin mutters before immediately stuffing her mouth with food, hoping the food will ease her flustered mess.
hyunseol chuckles as she opens her drink and takes a sip. "thanks, i'm glad you found me attractive."
the le sserafim's opera singer lets out a yelp as her face turns redder than any existing red color in the world, hell even redder than the nose of rudolph the red nose reindeer.
the txt member chuckles, her eyes looking at the 5'8" foot girl. "okay, okay. i'll stop now. let's continue eating in peace."
----
"no fucking way."
chaewon and sakura have their hands over the ears of their minor members, garam and eunchae who looked at the two oldest members innocently while txt chuckles at their oldest's reaction.
hyunseol whines as she takes another two cards from the deck, her five cards in her hands becoming seven while yunjin smirks triumphantly, holding up four cards.
the pair just finished cleaning up the mess they made with their trash stacked on one corner, waiting to be fetched. now, they're playing uno with the uno cards the bighit idol always carry with her once they decided that their members won't be coming to free them sooner or later.
and now, from where yunjin is looking, hyunseol is losing at the game.
"fuck, how come you're so good at this?!", the txt oldest groans as she sighs before taking another two cards from the deck.
the txt members look at one another at their oldest member's questionable choice of words with mischievous smirks before bursting out in a laughter while sakura and chaewon facepalm with a shake of their heads, leaving le sserafim's maknae line looking at the phone screen confused.
"i'm a pro at this, unnie. my little sister could tell you that." yunjin then puts down two of her cards which is both 8 from red color before holding up her two cards. "i'm closer and closer to winning, unnie. you better catch up."
"oh, i'm gonna catch up all right." hyunseol grumbles as she places two cards down, still on the losing side.
----
"they're so gay for each other", chaewon comments as she watches hyunseol and yunjin entertain themselves with uno cards.
"what's the meaning of this?"
both members of txt and le sserafim tense up at bang si-hyuk's terror-filled voice before slowly turning around to see the producer himself with their managers, moonbyul and yongsun standing beside him guiltily. the producer looks at the two groups with raised brows and arms crossed.
"i'm sorry, guys. he asked me where hyunseol is and i tried to lie to him, but he doesn't believe me", yongsun apologizes as she meets the eyes of the txt members.
"that's okay, noona. at least you tried."
"where is hyunseol, huening kai?" si-hyuk knows that the txt maknae is aware of the door mechanics of hyunseol's studio and seeing the phone of the txt's oldest in huening kai's hold, he has a hunch on what's happening.
he also notices that yunjin is nowhere to be seen with her members and realizes what the two group did, narrowing his eyes at the phone. "did you two try to play matchmaker on them?"
"yes, pd-nim. we're sorry."
si-hyuk sighs and massages his temples. "it's okay, but you guys need to apologize to those two, not me. i'm not the one who was trapped in there. come on, let's fetch them."
----
"ha, i win! take that, yunjin. i told you from the start, i'll win."
"aww, i lost. that's too bad."
truthfully, yunjin was supposed to win, but seeing the determination burning in hyunseol's eyes make yunjin change her mind and let the tall idol win.
normally, her competitive side always aim to win every game, but her infatuation on hyunseol won over her competitiveness. with the txt member, she doesn't mind losing—no, scratch that, she will never mind losing. as long as she gets to see that wide smile appear on hyunseol's face, losing to her in will always be worth it.
although she and hyunseol only spent almost an hour inside the studio, it gave yunjin an idea as to why people adored and befriended the txt member. the perfect person to be with, why?
hyunseol is open-minded to several topics whether it may be controversial or not. she isn't quick to turn down other people's opinions, but instead, she listens attentively because she said that people's thoughts are what makes people people, giving a glimpse of what kind of person they are.
the txt member is also kind and understanding because like what happened earlier, she addressed the opera singer's thoughts about herself of not being good enough or the fear of messing up. she understood yunjin's fears and made it like it was okay to be in that state because at the end of the day, they are humans first, idols second. idols have to look out for each other in the cruel innerworkings of the industry they work in. it's natural to think like that, but they shouldn't think like that all the time.
the bighit idol is funny too because surprisingly, she has a sense of humor that align with yunjin's and share laughter at the jokes they throw each other as if they share one braincell. as if they made the inside joke together.
and at last, she is a people person. she was warm as the first peak of sunrise, easy to make friends, and an excellent listener because hyunseol makes sure to stop whatever she is doing to listen and lend her ears to the person talking. like the idol did when yunjin shared a few tidbits of her life.
if those qualities didn't make yunjin fall for hyunseol before, it surely did now. not only the 5'11" foot idol is her type, but she also became the opera singer's standard.
like people said, why settle for less when you know you deserve more, right?
"that was a good game." yunjin giggles at the bighit idol's words before she helps the latter gather the discarded cards on the couch. "although i was so sure you would win minutes ago, yunjin."
"i didn't think it through, unnie. i thought i could do a miracle in the game, but i suppose you immediately noticed my bluff and won."
"probably—" the door of the studio opens and the pair immediately gets on their feet when they saw bang si-hyuk standing on the other side.
"pd-nim", hyunseol politely regards the producer with a greeting before she sees her members and the rest of le sserafim standing behind him. she then returns her gaze on the producer. "uhm, good afternoon?"
"i was informed that you guys have been trapped in here." si-hyuk motions yongsun beside him before looking back at the idols. "we've come to fetch you. i hope you guys are okay while being trapped inside."
hyunseol and yunjin share a look while si-hyuk notices the way the pair immediately look at each other. the two idols then look back at the producer with smiles plastered over their faces. "no, pd-nim. we are okay. manager unnie managed to drop off some food in the studio before we got trapped, so..."
"we ate well and played some cards to pass time. it was good, despite getting trapped against our will", yunjin adds to hyunseol's statement, smiling at the thought of the interactions she shared with the txt member.
"okay, that's good to hear. also, hyunseol." si-hyuk nods and looks at hyunseol who flinches at the producer's gaze.
"y-yes?"
"come, i need to talk to you about something in my office." the six members of txt look at one another before the oldest looks back at the producer.
"solo schedule?"
"no, it's code oh." the five txt members look at hyunseol with wide eyes.
"c-code oh?"
"yes, now, come on."
"but the trash, pd-nim." the 5'11" foot idol motions to the neatly stacked paper bag in the room and si-hyuk looks at the five members of txt, the latter immediately realizing what the producer will say.
"your members will take care of it as their punishment of trapping you and ms. huh here. right boys?"
"yes! we'll do it!"
"it's okay, noona. we'll take care of it", huening kai states as he gently drags the oldest out of the room. "bang pd-nim needs to talk to you."
"okay, okay. i'll go." hyunseol then looks at yunjin and smiles with a slight bow. "i'll see you around, yunjin-ssi."
she then looks at the rest of le sserafim with a smile. "good luck on your debut, okay?"
"see you around, seol unnie." chaewon waves with the rest of her members.
si-hyuk then leads the txt's oldest member away from the group and yunjin's eyes follows hyunseol before the pair disappears around the corner.
"you girls really are evil." yunjin finally speaks up as she meets her fellow unnie line members before a smile breaks out on her face. "i can't believe you guys did that."
"so, yunjin noona." the former opera singer the turns her head to meet the eyes of txt's maknae. "what do you think about seol noona?"
"well..."
----
summary: txt's oldest member, oh hyunseol just want a peaceful life after pandemic with her members, but it seems like fate wants to shake things up.