4:00pm, hanli checks the time on her phone and breathes a sigh of relief. she’d just made it in time for her vocal lesson - hanli knows she’s considered one of the most, if not the most, contentious member of her group. she remembers the time her mr removed videos had brought her infamy, as the member who got out of breath despite just having the bare minimum of lines.
so, in an attempt to improve herself as well as stop the mean comments (what if they actually got her to leave the group?), hanli would schedule vocal training as often as she could, whenever she had time off her variety schedules. today’s one of those days and hanli knocks politely on the door where she’s supposed to be at.
there’s no answer so hanli pushes the door open, ready to run through her warmups. oh no. there’s someone else there and hanli feels her blood freeze. it’s jia sunbae, Choo Jiyoung, the living legend, the nation’s girl crush in all of her glory. despite being in the same company, hanli still finds her intimidating, her talent and success at levels that hanli can only dream of. their interactions have also been limited, although it’s expected with two of them are from wildly different leagues.
after what seems to be like five long years, hanli finally comes to her senses, bowing politely and stammering a short greeting, internally cringing at herself. her mind’s a wild panic - she’s not quite sure what to do: should she just leave or would that be too rude? would jiyoung get mad at her for invading her space? does her usual stoic face come off as disrespectful?
