SHUFFLE x The Ring that Calls for the Sound of Bells: Prologue
“With that being the case… try to come up of ways to convince the higher-ups to allow your request while not jeopardizing the current job you’re assigned with.”
Big thanks to reimeltdown for EN proofreading!
Eichi: Hello there, Anzu-chan.
Oh, don’t worry about it. You actually came earlier than the appointed time.
The job I had earlier was cancelled, you see. I just arrived here a little early.
Situations like these are unavoidable, but I wonder if there's a better way to manage schedules. Some people working in this industry, I swear…
Sudden cancellations like this make me feel like I only wasted my time.
Back then, it was easy to get away with this. But now we’re living in the age where everything needs to be efficient. Don’t you think so too, Anzu-chan?
Ah, I apologize. It can be difficult to respond to complaints like this, right?
The busier I get with work, the more I get prone to complaining without realizing it.
Well then, I’ll get straight to the point.
I won’t waste any more of Anzu-chan’s time by talking about stuff in this manner.
Regarding Anzu-chan’s proposal… in conclusion, ES has decided not to go through with it.
Ah, you look dejected. I’ve been supporting your proposal from the start, but well, we can’t do anything about ES’s decision as a whole.
And if I may add, this decision was made for your own sake.
Hm? The reason for rejecting your proposal?
Aren’t you already busy as it is? You’ll end up having your hands full, considering your situation.
It’s not that I’m doubting your abilities, but… realistically speaking, there isn’t enough time.
If something goes wrong halfway with either jobs, the one who will get hurt the most is you.
Hm, I knew you’d say “it’s okay.” But just because you said so doesn’t mean everything will turn out okay.
You know I can’t bear to discourage you, Anzu-chan, but we have decided to push through with the safer option.
This is just my personal opinion but, you don’t have to do everything this year.
You’ll have plenty of opportunities from here on out, and surely you’ll be able to work on the proposal at a favourable time.
Hm… I see you already have thought this through.
Although… for now we can’t overrule ES’s decision yet.
With that being the case… try to come up of ways to convince the higher-ups to allow your request while not jeopardizing the current job you’re assigned with.
If you pull it off then perhaps the situation will change for the better.
Ah, don’t mention it.
Ever since our days at Yumenosaki up until the present here at ES, Anzu-chan have been devotedly supporting me, and it pains me to turn down your proposal.
Mm-hmm, that’s right. Please think it through one more time.
If you can convince me and the higher-ups then I promise I’ll lend you my assistance. This isn’t something to be trifled with; I suppose we can call it a contract between us.
Fufu… you suddenly seem motivated.
I admit I don’t quite understand why you would go this far to insist on this request, but if this is what you really want then I trust your judgement.
Oh, I suppose it’s already time for you to leave ES. I’m certain you have to look after a TV recording today.
That program’s pretty strict about time so it’s better if you leave earlier than usual.
I’ll see you later, Anzu-chan.
Hmm… I didn’t think she was serious about it. With the way things are looking right now, I’m sure she’ll come around once again.
Dear me… Even so, I wonder why women are drawn to the idea of “marriage”?
As the kpop boy group NOIR will be holding their 1st ever Tokyo Concert this 2019. Catch the good vibes as they will perform live on the 2nd-14th day of February at HY Town Hall. Save the date! And dont forget to give lots of love to NOIR!
the day had been a schedule of non-stop activities, the seven of them finding the interior of the vans driving them around the city the only constant when it came to their check list of interviews that had been set up for their day in new york. jaebeom had hoped that there would be some time in between the madness for them all to check out the city on their own and do some of the things they personally had mentioned wanting to do; but his hopes had been squashed under the demanding foot of media coverage and attention.
not that jaebeom was complaining because he wasn’t; it was just a lot at times.
the silence hummed around them as they stood in the hotel elevator, watching the numbers dial up until it brought them to their floor. jackson was still talking animatedly about the electronic billboard they were on out in times square, the others going along with the conversation casually with easy laughter spilling between them. jaebeom’s eyes can’t help but find one member in specific, though, his silence something that had been nagging in the back of his mind since they landed in the big city.
youngjae’s eyes were focused on his phone, lips pressed in their natural pout and face void of anything that could be perceived as upset. he seemed fine — but jaebeom knew better than that. so he waits until they’re in their shared hotel room and youngjae’s flopped down onto the bed with a sigh, mumbling something about who should shower first to voice it.
“what’s the matter?” jaebeom asks instead of supplying an answer to youngjae’s question, causing the other to pause and finally look over at him and away from his phone screen.
“what do you mean?” youngjae asks with a frown, but there’s a hesitance in his voice that jaebeom catches.
“you’ve always been good about hiding when you’re upset, but not from me. i can tell something has been bothering you all day. do you want to talk about it?” jaebeom makes sure to leave it open-ended, giving youngjae the option on whether he wants to open up about this or not.
youngjae watches him for a moment, face blank but his bottom lip is suddenly caught between his teeth, another giveaway to something being wrong. jaebeom’s natural instinct is to take care of youngjae and help him. he wants to fix whatever problem the other is having. he can only do so much, though, if he doesn’t know what the issue is.
“it’s dumb,” youngjae finally mumbles out, pursing his lips and shaking his head. “you’ll think i’m being immature.”
jaebeom quirks a brow and moves to take a seat on the bed besides him. “try me,” he answers in a light tone, waiting patiently for youngjae to explain.
a heavy sigh leaves youngjae’s lips as he pushes himself up, resting back on his elbows and tossing his phone to the side. “i just... was really excited to come back here, is all, and it sucks that i might not be able to experience it again the way i wanted to,” youngjae says slowly. “i know that this is different. when i came here the first time i was on my own and had my own schedule, and now i’m with the group so i shouldn’t expect anything and i’m putting the group first no matter what. i’m really trying not to complain about anything. i guess i’m just a little bummed that there isn’t much free time to do our own thing this time around. it’s not like we can casually come to new york whenever we want, y’know?”
jaebeom nods his head slowly, understanding youngjae’s feelings and sympathizing with them himself, too. he had wanted to see more of the city as well, but they were on a tour and their north american portion was extremely busy, so they all should of known there wouldn’t be much time for personal pleasures.
jaebeom is so lost in his own head and thoughts for that moment that he misses the look of guilt that suddenly crosses youngjae’s face at the lack of a response, and he only snaps out of it when youngjae sits up fully and runs his fingers through his hair out of nervous habit. “like i said, it’s really, really dumb. it’s not like i even wanted to do a whole lot. there was just a few places i wanted to go to and s—”
and it seems that jaebeom’s brain to mouth function decides right then to stop working, because the next thing he knows he’s opening his mouth and talking before he can even fully comprehend his own thoughts.
“let’s go see them then,” jaebeom cuts him off.
youngjae blinks at him, face falling into one of confusion. they both look a little put off by jaebeom’s words.
“we don’t have any time, hyung... the concert is tomorrow,” youngjae explains slowly with a shake of his head.
“we can go now,” jaebeom continues, at this point accepting the split decision on his part and quickly coming up with a plan in his head. maybe it’s his own personal desire to get out and see the city as well. maybe he just didn’t know how to not try and fix any problem that’s presented before him in an attempt to make his members happy. or maybe it’s got something to do with the look of disappointment that had been creeping onto youngjae’s features as he tried to excuse his feelings, and that jaebeom was also potentially jumping on the opportunity to have an excuse to spend some alone time with youngjae.
...yeah, maybe it was a little mix of all of things.
whatever the reason, jaebeom couldn’t go back on his words now. youngjae seems a little more interested, perking up the slightest but still watching him warily.
“hyung, we could get in a lot of trouble if they find out we left,” youngjae says, trying to be a clear voice of reason.
jaebeom decides he’ll blame the lack of sleep and exhaustion from the day for all of this.
“i guess we’re gonna have to make sure they don’t find out then, aren’t we?” jaebeom says with a grin, shrugging his shoulders and moving off the bed to slip out of the nice attire of clothes he had been wearing for the interviews. he finds a more casual outfit, slipping on a hat to help hide away his features more. it was nearing nine in the evening and the sun was set. it was officially night time in the city so the dark would only be an advantage for them not getting noticed.
“you’ve officially lost your mind!” youngjae suddenly laughs from where he’s still laying on the bed, having not taken his eyes off jaebeom even as he changed, but there’s a twinkle in them that tells jaebeom that he’s certainly winning him over.
“c’mon,” jaebeom urges, grabbing one of the other hats he brought and tossing it youngjae’s way, smile stretching across his face. “it’s now or never.”
jaebeom moves back towards the bed when he sees youngjae hesitate, stopping in front of where his legs are dangling off the edge of the mattress. he reaches out and offers youngjae his hand, open and ready to whisk him out of the hotel room to make a grand escape for a night out in the city. “sneak out with me, youngjae-ah,” jaebeom says in a light, playful voice, but there’s sincerity laced in his words. “i want to see all the places you wanted to go to. show me them.”
youngjae swallows as he stares at the hand in front of him, blinking rapidly for a second before slowly looking back up at jaebeom, as if double-checking for something. whatever he sees seems to be enough to convince him, and jaebeom can’t help but smile more when he feels the warmth of youngjae’s hand suddenly envelope his own, fingers curling around his and tightening.
“okay,” youngjae breathes out after the silence had lingered, a smile beginning to take over his face. excitement bubbles up between the two of them immediately. youngjae moves to get off the bed, allowing jaebeom to pull him up and they teeter in front of each other for a moment, the sudden close proximity having not been anticipated. jaebeom can feel the soft brush of youngjae’s breathy laughter on his face as he pushes him back to change his own clothes.
that laughter stays like an echo as the hours tick by.
jaebeom hears it when they’re sneaking out their room and taking the stairs to avoid the elevator, their hurried whispers filling the small space.
jaebeom hears it as they successfully escape and run through empty streets.
he hears it as they create their own adventure in the middle of the night unbeknownst to anyone but themselves, taking pictures and letting their worries fade away just for that short amount of time.
and he hears it, muffled and pressed against his neck, when they’re sneaking back into their hotel room high off giddy adrenaline around three in the morning, youngjae’s arms around him and face brighter than he’s seen it in awhile. seeing youngjae like this makes the risk of it all much more bearable, jaebeom thinks. youngjae leans back and looks up at him when they finally shut the door behind them and lock it, staring at him for a second before uttering a quiet “thank you, hyung” and giving him a look that jaebeom’s only seen from time to time—the look that makes something in his chest surge, makes him fluster and feel something that the two of them still don’t quite know what to call nor have they acknowledged it, yet.
it’s not until right then in that moment that jaebeom convinces himself that whatever happens after this, whether management finds out or not, it was all completely worth it if it meant making youngjae that happy. he smiles at the other.
“anytime.”
Hi.
We are A team.
It’s been one and half month ago since VAV’s last promotion.
Many of you can only rewatch VAV’s old contents :(
So! We prepare a new event for you, which is “VAV Review Event”.
Please refer below for more details.
▶ [VAV Review Event]
- Event period: 2017.09.20 (Wed) ~ 10.10 PM3 (Tue)
- Winners: 3 persons
- Prizes: VAV Rolling Paper with TO.
- Participating Method:
1. Watch all previous and current VAV contents
2. Write your review about VAV at [후기게시판/Review Bulletin]!
* Title format: [Upload Date] Content Name
ex) [170919] Vapp_RonOnAir First Broadcast Review
[170704] Review - Watch ABC MV 1 times
[170704] Review - Watch ABC MV 2 times
* If you are not sure about the exact date, please fill in like this [15.00.00] or [16.11.00].
* The more you upload, the change of getting selected is UP!!!
All fans are welcome to join the event !!!!
[EVENT] KCON Japan fan art contest: Entries in Top 20 will decorate Block B's dressing room! Top 3 = KCON NY ticket!
Info: http://mwave.interest.me/kcon-japan-event
SHUFFLE x The Ring that Calls for the Sound of Bells: Masterlist
SHUFFLE x The Ring that Calls for the Sound of Bells
Translation by : forbidden-rain
EN Proofreading by: reimeltdown
Event Story
Prologue
Take me on - 1
Take me on - 2
Take me on - 3
Take me on - 4
Take me on - 5
Take me on - 6
Take me on - 7
Take me on - 8
Take me on - 9
Take me on - 10
Take me on - 11
Take me on - 12
Take me on - 13
Epilogue
Minitalk
Keito - Wedding Research 1 | 2 | 3
Keito - Preparations Before Filming 1 | 2 | 3
Mao - After the Misunderstanding
Mao - Just Before An Ordinary Photoshoot
