Bastien did an admirable job of schooling his smile from amused to sympathetic. “And it’s been… a week since then? Less? Nobody can learn something this new this fast,” he said, although, personally speaking, he learned new things very fast and often perfectly. But that was irrelevant and needn’t be shared.
“Kim,” he said when Joon Sung was finished, voice packed with mock sternness. Or maybe it would better be labeled real sternness disguised in a more fun and relatable tone. “You’re right about one thing –” he straightened his posture for emphasis. “– you are great. That’s what gotten you this far. I see that you’re struggling – and that means that you’re trying. That spirit will always lead to progress, even if it’s in ways we don’t expect. And. It might be difficult. But we can’t dwell on our lives out there right now. We have to believe that they have plans for this, if they’ve known about it all of our lives. Right? Would your manager really abandon you like that? Your… fans? If they were here, they’d be cheering you on.” He didn’t necessarily know what he was talking about, but it felt right. “Kim. You’re driven. You’re passionate. Nobody’s giving up on you.” Caught up in his pep talk, Bastien grabbed Joon Sung’s shoulder to give him a firm, inspiring shake and held out the other one for him to use to stand.
❝I can! I... I usually can❞ he mumbled, absentmindedly moving the pebble with his index finger, only touching it with his fingertip. Slowly, he interrupted the contact and focused on the rock, spacing out to ignore Bastien’s voice better; the peep-talk was boring and useless, serving no purpose other than putting him into an irritable state. Why was this guy his negator? Was it because their personalities could not be any more different? Because they, literally, could not be any more different.
❝Oh, just shut up, of course he would❞ he snapped, taking Bastien’s hand to stand up but, it seemed that he had stood up too fast. The ground felt like it disappeared from under his feet and the dizziness made him take a step back, then two and without a second to stop himself, his third step missed the ground. With a shout, Joon Sung fell backwards into the pool, splashing and sinking in his confusion. What the actual f...?
Underwater, looking up at the sun, Joon Sung held his breath and relaxed, letting his body find the ground before he tried anything else. He felt weightless yet heavy, his sense of self seeming distorted and altered; it felt different from everything he had felt before, no drug had ever shaken him like this and, he decided, he didn’t want to feel it again. The moment his hands found the bottom of the pool, everything was right again and he pushed up, breaking the surface with an over-the-top gasp, shaking his hair and wiping the stray droplets of water from his face with his palms.
❝Well, that was definitely something.❞
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