they've only been filming for a few hours, but hyunjae's already exhausted. variety shows are usually fun, but today he isn't feeling it. maybe that's to be expected—he hasn't been in the best of moods for a while, and trying to fake excitement for the cameras is taking more out of him than if he was actually able to enjoy himself.
this show isn't particularly fun, either. they'd been playing a game where the guests had to direct each other how to solve a puzzle through nothing but verbal directions, and hyunjae had been partnered with a girl group member, who had seemed to give up from the start when she first laid eyes on the puzzle box. hyunjae had tried, but the other idol had just stared wide-eyed at the wires and dials as hyunjae tried not to get frustrated.
he can't even really blame her. the puzzles don't make sense, too difficult to explain let alone follow. they aren't meant to solve it. it's funnier for audiences if they look dumb and fail. it kind of feels like some sort of roundabout punishment, and hyunjae just wants it over with.
a smarter idol would be spending their break networking with their costars, but hyunjae isn't in the mood to play the affable sunbae to the rookie guests. so instead he makes his way to the quieter side of the catering table, where only a handful of cast members are standing around. he sports a somewhat familiar face there--RaSe member qiu yunlong. hyunjae’s surprised to see him here (more surprised that he didn’t see him sooner), but decides he’d make better company than anyone else.
so he walks over, offers a quiet nod. “hi, yunlong-sunbae. having fun?”
