» waiting room

@[i] irene [sh] Jongdae only follows behind Junmyeon on their way backstage, still fiddling with the cloth that was supposed to be there until his hand heals. He keeps his head down, aware of the awkward silence enveloping them. Jongdae notices the leader's pace slow down in front of him, and also slows down so that he doesn't bump into the latter. It's only when he hears the name he hasn't heard in weeks does he look up, eyes slightly widening as he comes to a stop beside Junmyeon and sees the one who made him like this.

Joohyun's looking back at him, and he doesn't know what to do because his breathing stops for a moment and he stares at her, notices that nothing much has changed except for the color of her hair and how it made her even fairer than she already is. He realizes that his heartbeat still speeds up when he sees her, that the urge to run up to her and hug her is still there. He realizes that he still loves her.

Then the memories of that night in his apartment come flooding back into his mind, and he unconsciously clenches his right hand, not minding the sparks of pain running up his arm because the pain he felt at that moment was far greater than what he was feeling right now.

At least, not until he sees Joohyun ignore his presence and walk up to Junmyeon. He hears his heart breaking into pieces all over again, but he pretends that he isn't affected at all because he doesn't want to make a scene. He hears another name come out of other than the leader's, and Jongdae makes a small face as the name of the woman he despises is spoken, but neither of them seem to notice. Of course, being the responsible man that he is, Junmyeon offers to help her find the member.

He takes a look at the two of them, notes the usual smile of the man beside him and how the woman in front of them- Junmyeon, actually- looks at the other.

It isn't that big of a detail, but Jongdae thinks that Joohyun always looks like she's in love with the person she's looking at. The thought of Joohyun possibly being interested in Junmyeon makes him slightly bitter, since their leader /is/ quite attractive, and it's impossible not to like someone like him.

Ignoring the slight tinge of jealousy bubbling in the pit of his stomach, Jongdae turns away, muttering a small 'I'll go ahead' before walking in the direction of the waiting room, and he doubts that they even noticed him walking away.

@[i] seulgi He rests his head against the door before turning around, back against the frame, and sinks down to the ground. The door isn't opening - you hear that, Byun Baekhyun? The door isn't opening. It isn't opening it isn't opening itisntopeningitisnopening -

He gets caught up in the repeating thought, and it repeats like a taunting mantra as his lungs lack oxygen. Baekhyun can only hold onto his already bruising hand and squeeze tightly, tries to get his mind off of things and turn pain the only thing he feels - the only thing he knows and cares about. If he hurst enough, then his breathing will come back to normal. If he takes his mind off things, figures out why the sudden panic attack, then he'll calm down.

When his eyes snap open, he realizes he had them close this whole time, and the first thing he sees (as if by a grace of God) is her. She looks so beautiful, confused and worried, eyes wide and different from their usual semi-closed, cat shape. "They are going to tease us about this forever," she tells him, and his mind whispers out a simple 'You're right'.

And she's everything - standing there, looking at him, Kang Seulgi becomes everything. He realizes just now that she's the reason for his panic. He's always thought of her as someone so much more than that one girl, that one stranger that's more than just a stranger. She became the first person he ever let himself ever feel around with, the first person to know the real Byun Baekhyun, the person to be his best friend, the person who haunts him every single day.

Because she proved him wrong - she didn't fall in love with Jongdae, and he ended up broken, and Baekhyun fell in love.

Soft hands snake around his neck and Baekhyun is jarred from his thoughts, his eyes land over thin, pink lips before straining themselves on worried eyes. Seulgi - her name lingers at the tip of his tongue and it feels like an aphrodisiac - it makes him feel ecstatic and he doesn't say it in case he wakes up from this pleasant dream. Seulgi has her hand cupping his neck and she's in front of him and she looks like his next mistake but it, he wants to revel in the presence of her being.

"Well... They don't need to know what happens inside, right? Because..."

Because, what?

He's about to ask this to her and then he finds pair of lips molding with his, and then all the air he even had left escapes his lungs, and then he's gripping onto her waist, standing up against the door and pulling her up with him. And then he's kissing her back.

And then he's feeling better with every small movement - pushing her against the door and cupping her neck and holding her waist and nipping her lower lip and kissing her kissing her kissing her.

But suddenly, he felt like he wanted more than just kissing her.

@[i] suho She pulls on her fingers.

Counts heads over as they pile up inside the car.

One. Sooyoung. Two. Seungwhan. Three. Yerim.

She pulls more on her fingers, counts the number of heads, the number of seconds that pass.

One. Two. Three.

"Where's Seulgi?" She asks this, worried and frantic, and she can already feel the embarrassment she'll feel if they arrive late to the after party. It seemed off for her, but the way that Junmyeon-ssi had pulled her aside one day, smile as bright as ever, and asked her if they wanted to go out with them, she couldn't possibly say no. Especially since it was SM that arranged it.

Sooyoung is the one to look at the other two members and stare at Joohyun, obvious lack of knowledge written all over her face. "The last time I saw her she was going back to get something in our dressing room."

One. Two.

Joohyun lets out a loud sigh.

Three. Four.

She pulls on her fingers once more, they curl slightly against the palm of her hands before she pushes her hair back. "I'll go fetch her." And she does.

She walks away from the laughing brought by Seungwhan's ever list of jokes and snarky remarks and walks pass security and back to the back stage corridors of the music show. Inside, Joohyun feels annoyance bubbling in the pit of her stomach, because Seulgi has never been one to leave and not come back. She's always been very direct with her words and actions - clean-cut and with purpose. Even with their avoiding one another and broken relationship ever since Joohyun could remember, Joohyun still knew Seulgi better than most.

So what was keeping her behind so long?

At the sound of a familiar and endearing voice, Joohyun's head cranes up and her eyes land on that bright smile - Joonmyeon's. The girl smiles back - barely, but she smiles - and as she approaches them she sees him of all people make his way from behind Joonmyeon to stand next to the latter. At the sight in front of her, she can't help but frown slightly.

The one person she's been trying to avoid is the one person she'd bump into. That's life, isn't it?

Her eyes are strained on Jongdae and he's looking at her as if she was a ghost and she doesn't blame him. A swallow is what she needs to push away the wanting to dig her nails into the palms of her hands and the feeling of sadness and regret. She swallows, wonders if she pushed back the feeling deep enough that she won't be able to remember him the next day or the next or the next (even though she's lying, she knows that when she wakes up it'll be in cold sweat with his name on her lips) and she walks towards Junmyeon. Ignores Jongdae.

"Hi, Junmyeon-ssi," she greets back, giving him a slight bow. "Have you seen Seulgi-ah around by any chance?"

@[i] chen [sh] Suho's head snapped at the sudden participation of the fellow member. If he recalled correctly, he found it uncanny as he didn't feel the prescence of Chen earlier. Customarily, Chen, as Suho can describe, is considered as one of those vociferous in the bunch. Together with the beagle line, they can arise a whole village in early morning simply with their exuberant noises. It was overemphasizing but who knows, it can be possible. Another basis for his unorthodox comportment was highly because of his recent break up. It was, indeed, tragic. Suho didn't know the story behind, nor even planning to know. How the sudden news came up to him was rather dubious. But who was him to judge? It's not like he encountered such situation. In fact, it wasn't like he got involved in a relationship before. Taking Chen and even Wendy's broken state, Suho's exhilaration in being in a relationship tragically went down from thrilling to confusion, unenthusiastic. Now it leaves Suho wondering, what could possibly happen later at the party then?

He didn't refuse, nor even say a word. Rather couldn't because the latter had already stepped out of the car before Suho did. "Well then," A mumble raced out of his lips before getting off of the vehicle. The leader couldn't help but perceive Chen's hand that was covered in bandage, the thing that Chen kept playing. Suho wanted to stop him, however he just kept his mouth shut. His feet started leading him to the backstage entrance. Awkwardness sheltered them, but he sticked to it since it was better than a tensive topic to begin with. He knows that the latter was only trailing behind. Suho's pace slowed down as he became aware that there's was a third person in the scene. His head turned and saw a rather more feminine figure. It wasn't long until a name escaped from his lips, "Irene-ssi."

@[i] suho Jongdae was sitting in his usual spot, just beside the door because he was always the last one to go in. Unlike the other members who never failed to keep the van noisy, he just looked out the window, too distracted to even notice what the other members were joking about, which was unusual, but surprisingly, no one noticed. Teasing their leader again, probably. They were just about to go somewhere to celebrate their successful comeback, along with Red Velvet, the girl group he had one too many ties with. He was lucky enough to have at least one member he got along with, to be honest, because the last thing he needed right now was someone who would give him even more pain.

His attention was stolen by the members at the mention of Baekhyun's name, and Jongdae started to wonder what was going on but before he could even ask, Suho asked them if somebody wanted to help him find the vocalist. Oh, so that's what it is, he thought. The lad raised his hand up before anyone else can, saying, "I can go with you," and he's already outside the van as soon as the last syllable rolled off his tongue. He vaguely remembered Baekhyun saying something about going back to the waiting room, so that would be a good place to start. Playing with the bandages on his right hand, he waited for the leader to come out of the vehicle to start in finding their missing member.

It was another day for another performance. Since the deliverance of their latest song to their fans, it was surprising how it topped major music charts in such rapidity. In such astonishment, it didn't require such time for them to attain their first win for this comeback. Thus, they were called for a celebration for their stupendous success. Of course, it wouldn't be just them. In spite of their company's technique, they invited their hoobaes, who also made their comeback stage weeks before they did. As for Suho, he opposed to the idea of having a party that invites Red Velvet. It was delightful for the fact that their hoobaes were winning almost every music shows. Though it made him agitated for the fact that EXO and Red Velvet competed for the same chart, victory was taken by his group. It was complexed because it appears for them to be celebrating with a group that they defeated. He didn't want to leave a bad impression, appearing for them to boast something the latter didn't get.

Suho shook his head, avoiding to get so vexed just because of a deep thought. The only thing that he hopefully gives the girls is an aura of comfort. With a snap back to reality, he jerked at the surprising move of one of s. "Yah, hyung are you alright?" One questioned, while the other added, "You look like you were imagining something!" Soon, to be followed by a laugh. "Aye, hyung, what were you thinking?" One asked, then it was followed by a series of teases before Suho brought out a stentorian shout. "It was nothing." He added, looking at the members from the rear-view mirror. As he was about to signal the driver to take them to the celebration, something made his eyebrows furrowed. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight members at the back. Nine, including himself. They were supposed to be ten. "Wait, there's only nine of us, who's missing?" Interrogation escaped from his mouth. He closely watched as the members observed and realized there was someone missing. "Where's Baekhyun?" As the short moment of silence, someone figured out the missing member. "Yeah, where's Baekhyun?" Then followed by the repeated question. "Okay, everybody stay here, I'll go check if he's still inside. He just probably did something." He stated. Before stepping out of the car, his head turned to the back, asking, "Anybody who wants to help me find him?"

@[i] baekhyun Upon getting facts right about them being locked up, Seulgi felt the feeling of relief. It was probably because of the thought that she wouldn't have to be so problematic whether to go or not. Though the duration just to make a decision would've such caused burden to her group since they were most likely waiting for her. They would've thought she went to the restroom and probably trapped herself in there until they've finally made up a decision and left her there, thinking that she wouldn't want to go with them anyways. It was a possibility. But the fact that she was with a member of the group that they're going to celebrate with made her think of possible scenarios again. It can be that they left without them, they're repeatedly asking where they are, or they're searching for them already. And if they did find them, you know what kind of words will come out from their mouths. Teases, of course.

Seulgi automatically gave way for the other to reach for the door. It suddenly worried her as Baekhyun also can't open the door just by a simple turn of the door knob. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and in concern. "B-Baek, you don't have to-" She protested, seeing the desperate state of the other as he start banging the door. Her heartbeat became faster, following each bang that Baekhyun makes on the door. It came to the point where the lad kicked the door in annoyance which made her flinch at the sudden noise.

She failed to make a sound after the finishing kick. Seulgi, herself, was lost for words and out of ideas regarding on how to get out. Her concerns rose up as Baekhyun was in the state of hyperventilation. She gulped at the awkward tension that she started to feel around them. Her heart was still beating faster (for who knows why.) "Why do we get locked out of all people?" She heard the other questioned that made her snap her attention to him. The lass bit her lower lip. Truthfully, no one actually knows the possibly that can happen in this very moment. Seulgi wanted to talk. Despite for a long time they haven't talked. She wanted to find answers by herself. If words weren't enough, then maybe you can do it in a different way. The idea in Seulgi's head was bizarre, but it sure was something that makes her thrill. "They're going to tease us about this forever." It was the last sentence she heard before her eardrums can crack because of total silence. Maybe it was true, if someone find out about their incident trapped in the waiting room they would be teased full time for sure. It was something that can make her annoyed yet red at the same time. Her heartbeat fastened as she walked closer to the other. They were distant because they felt awkwardness in being near since they haven't stood closer to each other for months or even years. For Seulgi, all that matters is to break the barrier that blocked them for being near to each other. It took her a few heavy steps before she could actually stand in front of him. Seulgi gently cupped Baekhyun's face with her hands, tilting his head to look at her. Her eyes searched for his, before her hands s towards the back of his neck. "Well...they don't need to know what happens inside, right?" She whispered, making it audible enough for him to hear, her eyes traveling down to his lips. "Because..." Seulgi trailed off, feeling the temptation of tasting his pair. Without anymore words, she closed the distance between them, pressing down her lips with his.

@[i] seulgi He was disappointed hearing that Seulgi did want to go with s, he already started thinking about inviting her to do something together and catch up, which would be pretty much impossible if the rest of EXO would be around them. Though, at the same time, he was thinking about going to the party, just for Seulgi, to be there with her. He guessed that she would have a hard time around s, due to what happened between her and Chen, and he didn’t want anything to go wrong, since it was his fault after all. And at the same time, he felt like he didn’t need to come up with a reason to go with Seulgi, he just simply wanted to be close to her after having to deal with not seeing her for such a long time. Upon realizing that, Baekhyun made up his mind to go with her. He turned towards her with a smile, – he was smiling as he realized how he was still comfortable around her, it was an important thing to him, he was afraid that their friendship would get ruined, but it didn’t - but just at that moment she stood up and hurried over to the door of the waiting room.

Hearing Seulgi struggle to open the door made him extremely worried. He didn’t want to believe that they would be locked inside. “Let me try it,” he said and tried to do what Seulgi couldn’t, only to see it himself – they were indeed locked in. He started banging a few times, in hopes of someone hearing it, but it didn’t seem to be successful, which only made him kick the door in annoyance. “What are we going to do now?” he asked from the girl, he was getting really worried, his breathing hard as thoughts about various things rushed through his mind.

No matter how hard he tried to think, he couldn’t come up with anything to do. His breathing still kind of hard, he tried to calm himself down with a sigh. “Why do we get locked out of all people?” he asked quietly, not particularly from Seulgi. “They’re going to tease us about this forever,” most of s knew about him liking someone, but only a few knew about it being Seulgi, and he was positive that even those few would start jokes and whatnot about him being locked inside a room, all alone with the girl he likes, and the rest would be fast to not let those jokes die out anytime soon. This also made him go quiet again, as he began thinking about Seulgi’s feelings. He knew he couldn’t just ask her, he’s way too shy for it. He bit on his lip and looked down towards the ground, just waiting for something to happen.

@[i] baekhyun It was another successful ending of a weekly music show. Results were announced for the number one spot and it was expected for their seniors, EXO, to win. Despite their defeat, they were proud not only for their label mates but as well for themselves. For a rookie group like Red Velvet, Seulgi was satisfied about the outcome of their comeback. With six continuous victories in music shows, it was enough for her to savor the positive results of their unique concept for Ice Cream Cake.

As for another celebration for EXO's victory, the staffs as well as Red Velvet were invited to go to their after party. Though Seulgi was also fond of parties, her inner voice advised her not to go. Considering, yes, it could appear a little disrespectful to ditch a party that was meant for their seniors that they look up to. She wasn't feeling relaxed as she was used to be. Her relationship with other EXO members were too complicated to be explained. And if the lass is gonna be truthful, she fears that there is a high possibility for her to interact with some of them, especially to Chen. It could end up in a highly awkward situation, or in a never-ending fight.

And so, she excused herself from the band for the moment, stating that she forgot something in the waiting room even though she just wanted to spend her time in there, trapping herself in a circle of thoughts. She paced back and forth in the waiting room. She was problematic if she should go or not. If she would go, a lot of worse case scenarios can happen. If she wouldn't go, what could she make up as an excuse? Not feeling well? Had to meet up with someone else? No, those were obviously lies. She heaved a deep sigh, stopping her tracks as she ran her fingers through her hair. Foot steps, those were what she heard that were becoming louder as they come closer. They seemed to stop, messaging that the person was probably inside the room already. She hitched a breath as she heard the latter said a simple, "Hey." It was short but it was enough for her to notice who it was. His voice was already a ringtone that she couldn't take off in her mind despite the long time that she didn't personally hear it. Seulgi slowly turned around, facing the person, or rather the male that came into the room. It was Baekhyun. Byun Baekhyun. Her eyes followed his figure as he grabbed his things, she was tense. After for so long, she haven't personally talked to him. About his life, health, friends. But she couldn't deny the fact that she was dead curious to know if he was liking someone else right now. Because as for Kang Seulgi, she was still serious about the feelings that she feels for him. Even if a way of proving her interest in him was to crush someone else's heart. Seulgi snapped back to reality as he broke the silence by asking a simple question. "A-actually, I was planning to go-" She stopped midway, as she wondered why she stuttered...and also when she heard the door knob clicked. Her eyes widened, her feet made her race towards the door, turning the door knob, however it didn't open. They were locked.

@[i] seulgi They won. Baekhyun could say that he was used to it, but it still surprised him how soon they got their first win, even after a quite eventful year - not necessarily full with great events for their group. He couldn’t stop smiling, he was feeling happy since everyone worked hard for their comeback to be as successful as it is, and even though he felt a little unsure about his fans still supporting him, those worries were forgotten as soon as he heard the crowd shout his name, and he was finally happy without worrying about anything.

That was until the group decided to go out and celebrate Call Me Baby’s first win, bringing along the staff and also, Red Velvet. Baekhyun didn’t feel like doing anything like that though, he just wanted to get home and rest as much as possible, he knew that he needed the energy for their upcoming performances. Once he dressed back into his casual clothes, he told the rest of the boys that he’d go back into the waiting room to pick up his stuff, then decide if he wanted to go with the them or not.

Once he reached the room, he was surprised to see someone inside. It didn’t take much time for him to recognize who it was, even seeing only her back, Baekhyun could tell that it was Seulgi. He closed the door before saying anything, then walked over to the chair he left his jacket on. “Hey,” was all he said, being alone with the girl he liked was making him a little nervous, so he quickly grabbed his phone and sunglasses off from the table to put them away, but as soon as he did that he began to feel... bad. He didn’t meet Seulgi in such a long time, he wanted to know if she was okay, if she had any problems she needed help with, if things between her and her members were going well... and of course, a part of him was curious if she still liked him. “Are you going to celebrate with us?” Baekhyun asked out of the blue, in an attempt to start a conversation with her.

@[i] irene [sh] The way Irene-unnie's eyes felt so heavy and sad the past few weeks had been worrying me. Concern as well as slight anger bubbled in the pit of my stomach every time I saw her with such blood-shot and sad eyes. I wasn't one to do well with these kinds of things, especially since we've all been stressed with our schedules, but I knew that Wendy and Seulgi have been trying to console her lately, and as the closest one to her, I think that it would be best to ask exactly what was wrong lately.

Maybe it had to do with Chen-oppa? Or that she's been hiding something from all of us - the way her brows furrow and her fingers twitch could only mean that she's been hiding something.

Walking up to Irene-unnie with a heavy heart, I took notice of her appearance for the first time in a while. Brown hair turned blonde was tied up in a bun, nails fixed, and despite the make-up and the cover-ups and costume, I could still look pass that and know that even if she's been crying, she still hasn't healed. She didn't deserve that. Not at all.

Pulling on the hem of my skirt, I swallowed loudly, which made her attention snap up to look at me. She was smiling, and I was mesmerized. Irene-unnie always smiled so gorgeous. Maybe it wasn't the best time to talk about this, since we were about to record our first stage for our comeback, but I couldn't stop myself from saying, "Let's talk, unnie, yeah?"

@[i] b.i Sooyoung blinked at the stranger - once, twice - until it hit her exactly who he was. She smiled, brightly, her eyes soft and gentle. "I remember seeing you on TV last year," she confessed, slightly embarrassed at her words, a blush forming over her cheeks. "My friends back in school really love you!"

The girl looked down at her strands of hair, threading her fingers through her long locks absentmindedly, nodding at his words. "That's right, Red Velvet," she responded, eyes squinted to reflect happiness and smile cheeky. "Oh, um... I was going to go buy some drinks. Want to tag along, perhaps?" She asked the taller stranger, beginning to walk a bit before turning on her heel to stare at him expectantly.

@[i] b.i The girl hummed as she walked down the corridor of the waiting rooms. Mumbling to herself what her members wanted from the vending machine - "Water, canned coffee, vitamin water" and repeat - she clutched the bills in her hands as she turned a corner. She fumbled, falling back with a gasp as she hit someone also turning then and the girl looked up embarrassed.

"I'm so sorry," Sooyoung began, scurrying to get the two bills that fell around her from her grasp. She stood, dusted herself off and looked up to see a boy around her age looking down at her. "Hi," the girl began, smiling shyly. "I'm Joy or Sooyoung um... You look familiar but I'm not sure where I've seen you...?" At this, Sooyoung pinned her brows together, wondering where she had seen the stranger before, the thought bothering her slightly.

@[i] himchan Knowing that it was too late to back down anymore, the youngest of the two continued to press the others buttons, infuriate him even more than he already was, toy with his mind and trigger memories that he might have liked to forget. In all honesty Tao was quite amused at how Himchan was tolerating the constant mockery and bashing from him, but the blonde could clearly see the agitation in the others glare and Tao's eyes were glinting just as dangerously, like as if an inferno raged within his own. It was just like old times, the two were at their throats again but this time the rapper felt that there was going to be a fifty-fifty chance on either side and that, was quite interesting if he actually thought about it.

At his question Himchan released the hold he had on the blondes arm and instead of caressing or checking his hand for any wounds Tao stood defiant completely unfazed by the stinging sensation on his arm. The blonde would have loved to mop the floor with the olders face then and there but their surroundings werent the least appropriate, even if he did try it would cause too much of a ruckus and drama, which was the least of his worries. Tao didn't even flinch when the other hand bent down to whisper in his ear, the others breath grazing sharply against his sensitive skin as he let a wicked smirk curl at the corner of his lips at his words of intimidation.

”You’re just the same as ever” At this the younger couldnt help but snicker darkly, he wasn't stupid enough to think everything would pass just like that, like as if nothing happened. “This isn’t ing over, alright?” He side glanced when Himchan offered a pat on his arm and proceeded to leave. Tao halted the other in his tracks as he gripped the older boys wrist gripping it with monstrous force just in case the other tried to wrench out of the hold, Himchans back facing him. Did he really think that the younger would just let him off after listening to him ramble? No, not without letting the older hear his response. It was tit for tat as Tao let his own nails dig into the others skin.

"Its far from over" he spat menacingly "Actually it's only just begun" with this said Tao released him, turning his back on the other as well, sticking both hands into his pocket before adding. "I look forward to seeing you again, I'll send the Black Scarves your regards" the younger added, hoping the name would ring a bell. Himchan might have assumed that he had given up on the life of being in a gang ever since his successful life as an idol. Wrong, like the habit of smoking and alcohol he had given up on trying to quit, the temptation of being the darker side of himself was too strong to deny. Being with the Black Scarves was where he could truly be himself without having to put on some facade just to impress people, he could unmask his true face with not the slightest ounce of fear.

@[i] himchan So much for making a quick getaway seeing as he was dragged right back and literally forced to face the infuriated Himchan. He wasnt done with their conversation just yet, more like, he was far from over. Judging from how tired the other looked Tao assumed he hadnt been able to catch the lies, but considering the fact he was pretty sure about the guy he was talking about, then why play possum? The idols true face revealed itself only then as Tao let a cat like grin spread across his face, eyes glinting with nothing but malice as he stared at one of the countless he had bullied mercilessly during the fifth and eigth grade.

Himchan had a strong grip on his arm and the nails digging into his flesh were almost drawing blood. Upon seeing the older boys fist twitch, quick reflexes and sharp instincts made the blonde reach out to swiftly grab the other by his collar raising it up slightly, just to show that he had no intentions of backing down himself. The eldest of the two had a more defiant expression on his face compared to the past where he would cower and shrivel back in fear to let fate decide the outcome. Even so, it didn't conceal the will that still wavered when it came to the difference the two had in physical strength and stamina. Tao could have flung the other across the room with one throw if he tried, but given the atmosphere and situation he didn't dare attempt.

"Did it really mean that little to you?" Came the first question followed by "Destroying someones life like that, is that really such a little, forgetful, thing for you?" which should have left Tao in tears, however, the youngers expression showed not even the slightest hint of regret or sadness towards Himchan and his actions, instead he held his ground as he parted his lips to speak, his tone of voice clearly mocking the other "How could I forget? That priceless expression on your face when we beat you into a pulp and how your friends just stood there watching" he offered the older a careless shrug, his feline like eyes formed into a wicked glare which spoke all on its own, and grip on his collar tightening until his knuckles went white.

"Do you really want to settle our childhood bickering here?" He questioned upon hearing the attendant call for him once more. He was resilient to the stinging feeling pulsing on his arm and the rapper gave no hints of wavering or being impressed in the others newfound strength. His exhaustion forgotten Tao was being fueled by rage as he grit his teeth to prevent an impending profanity escaping his mouth.

@[i] himchan The blonde stepped back abrutply to avoid a collision, a little disofiented from the brief but rather close proximity. He let his free hand grip the door frame, unknowingly his hold tightening on the timber to the point it would break off. This was as cruel as fate could get, terrible timing with one of the people he didn't want to cross paths with for as long as it would allow. Tao could feel the rage literally fuming out from the other and that, for some odd reason, triggered his rather arrogant and cocky persona from the
past.

"I wonder, do you remember me? We used to go to school together" He didn't really give a about that anymore but he didnt deny the fact he didnt know who the older was. 'Kim Himchan, Id rather not remember' the rapper responded in his mind as he resisted the urge to voice out the snarky comment. He wasnt too shabby when it came to plastering a face and he saw it as the perfect situation to sharpen his acting skills.

"Pardon? I cant seem to recall" the blonde answered in a casual and stable tone of voice. He let the suspense sink in with a momentary silence before continuing with a small 'Ah' and a snap of his fingers "You're from BAP right?" Childhood had seemed to have re surfaced and re ignited the fury inside him and Tao let what passed for a small smirk curl at the corner of his lips. Inwardly groaning at how this little meeting might end up a little bit more than two school mates meeting each other, Tao hoped desperately for something that he could use as a legit excuse to leave.

As if his prayers were answered right on cue, "Tao-ssi its your turn" an attendant called with utmost urgency to which the blonde replied merely seconds after. Shoving himself past Himchan through the available space between him and the door, the rapper continued to feign innocence giving the other a small pat on the back before mouthing "Maybe we'll cacth up some other time to refresh this memory of mine" Knowing that the vocalist wouldn't be able to see his expression Tao let a wicked smirk run across his face as he took his leave.

( Nah its fine nothing to apologize for )

@[i] yura Talking with the girls was nice and all but, Siwan gave up on his plan to fetch their numbers. They were too willing, too easy for his tastes. Any one of them would gladly hop into bed with him if he asked, he liked it if they put up a little fight, he liked the feisty ones. But, they were all very kind and bright so Siwan hung around a little longer before turning to leave for his designated dressing room. Not before the leader slipped a scribbled number in his back pocket and a shy smile before she vanished with her manager and members. Shrugging, it looks like Siwan has gotten something out of this. Turning around, he noticed the female MC again. Her expression was off to him, and the thoughts he had previously started to creep their way back in.

Based on the way she stood, he figured she hasn't really realized he'd noticed her so, he simply turned the next corner into a now deserted hallway to go back to his dressing room. Siwan's thoughts wandered back to when he first met the girl, she hasn't changed much really, she was still as beautiful as when he first saw her. He remembers her calling out his name, her soft lips against his own, and the night of passion that they had quite clearly to be honest. It was a surprising thing to himself too. But after and before those facts, he couldn't remember much about that encounter anymore.

Entering the room, s were all undressing from their stage outfits and into regular clothing. With no more schedules for the day, Siwan followed suit quickly. After getting his makeup off, he resumed reading his a scripts as s went off to to fool around, the stylists to put their makeup kits away and out into the car, and his manager to do whatever he needed to do.

The waiting room was now deserted, with only Siwan sitting on a chair reviewing his script for filming early next morning.

@[i] himchan It had been a overwhelmingly busy month for the members of EXO with them having to promote their new album 'Overdose' which was trending and receiving all kills on various music charts, garnering quite a lot of attention from their fans. As a result, their already packed schedule had interviews, variety shows, and concerts literally crammed in, making much less time for rest. Tao especially found himself straining quite a bit considering the fact that the newest release showcased a powerhouse of choreography moves, with him displaying his exceptional skills for anything which had to do with martial arts. He found himself lacking sleep only getting the slightest bit of shut eye while they traveled in the van to the next concert, which normally lasted nothing less than a few minutes. The blonde was famished, being able to eat only what the food tables in each venue provided, his diet and sleeping pattern completely unbalanced.

Tao waved at the fans at the end of their song, a smile which had managed to capture a billion hearts plastered across his face as the twelve boys bid farewell. His wardrobe and the sweat trickling down the side of his neck sparkled against the now calmed stage lights which flashed blindingly during their performance. After giving the camera, more like his international fans a playful wink Tao followed in an orderly line with the others who trudged backstage, exhausted and in need of dire rest. The fifth concert for the day was taking a terrible toll on their bodies and the effect was evident on their facial expressions.

Being one the youngest out of the twelve Tao was the last to get changed every time they finished a concert and he savored the minutes that ticked by in order to rest as he waited his turn in the waiting room. Sprawled over the couch he let himself fall in and out of slumber. His throat felt dry and the blonde literally felt like choking on his own saliva, with no attendant in sight to assist, Tao much to his dismay had to tend to himself. Still in his stage wardrobe the rapper felt uncomfortable at having to wear such clothing even after the performance but he had to let it slide just this once.

Tao couldnt help but be in a terrible mood seeing as the tiredness and exhaustion were building up. He was usually the one to keep all his frustrations bottled up until they all exploded like a dormant volcano, which was quite a horrifying tantrum according to s. In this case, the volcano was only a few seconds away from exploding and if he was pressed the wrong way it could most probably explode.

Swinging the door open with a little bit more force than intended he came to an abrupt halt seeing as someone was right in front of him. Someone oddly familiar. He groaned internally at the sudden memories that came flashing back and a name which resonated in his mind repeatedly 'Himchan'. Boom.

(....same here, blame the sleep? )

@[i] yura Watching the leader boards and the votes that they and the group they were against worried him, were they going to win this week? Was their hard work enough for this win? He felt the hand of his youngest member go around his wrist in worry. Hearing his group's name be called out brought a wide smile to Siwan's face, and all of s. Confetti rained down on them and the cheers of their fans brought out an ever brighter smile on his face, even if he was dead tired. They cheered and shuffled closer to the center of the stage to receive their trophy, their leader received the bouquet of flowers. Looking at the female MC that was bowing, he silently remarked that she was quite beautiful indeed, although he couldn't see her face whatsoever.

Soon though, the microphone was into his hands and he was forced to say a couple thank yous, so he started with the regular ones of the staff and the members familes for helping them towards this win. Unsure of what else to say, he held the mic for his leader as he made a couple more remarks about their fans and thanking the members for this win today on the show. With wide smiles all around, their song started playing for the encore and ending credits, and soon he saw the other performers bowing and exiting the stage for them. Bowing to everyone who bowed to him, he soon rejoined the rest of s to sing their song.

Out of the corner of his eye though, he noticed the same MC that had handed a bouquet of flowers and he noticed her face seemed peculiar to him. It was a face he had seen before, and not on television. Blinking a couple times and taking another look, the memory popped back into his mind. Glasses of Scotch, pre debut, it was her wasn't it.

But then s dragged him back into the celebrations and he soon lost track of the memory. Now returning into the waiting room, he noticed the rookie girl group that he had winked to and how he wanted their numbers. Heading over to greet them, they all bowed and started congratulating him and ZE:A for the win. Their numbers were going to be easy enough to get after all. And the MC on stage flew out of his mind for the moment.

@[i] yura Siwan sat in the dressing room with his eight other members, his head was buried into a script and wasn't going to come out for a while. Juggling crazy film schedules with poorly timed comebacks from his company put a toll on him and had obviously cut down on the time he had to memorize scripts nowadays. If he could even remember what scene he was filming that day was already considered a miracle for the staff. He kind of felt bad for that. Flipping to the page, he muttered his lines to himself before he was herded onto a makeup chair and one of the stylists fixed him up before the end of the show, while he read his scripts. A brush went over his cheeks and the stylists worked whatever magic they had on his face. Hearing his leader call out that cameras were rolling soon, Siwan put down his scripts and headed into the hallways. The torture was almost done and he could head home for the day.

There, he passed by bunches of rookie groups which he greeted with a slight smile, too tired to muster anything more than that. He saw some rookie girl groups who were obviously peeking at him, finding them cute enough, he threw a wink before heading onto the stage and taking his place beside s. One of them who had noticed his subtle wink to the girl group rolled his eyes jokingly at him, his leader dragged him closer to the front of the stage near to him for who knows what reason. Without anything else to do, he elbowed the youngest member beside him and they started waving at the fans together, might as well since there wasn't anything to do but stand around.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the rookie group he had winked at before was standing a little ways from him. Now openly staring and giggling, he winked at them again before turning back to the fans. Siwan figured that if he could get one of their numbers by the end of recording, the lost time he could of been revising lines for his drama wouldn't have been wasted.

Now seeing the camera men preparing the filming and PD's scurrying around, he knew they were starting soon. With a relived sigh, he turned his attention to the MCs of the day's show and to the cameras.

Whatever they started speaking went in through one ear and out the other for him, all he was interested in if ZE:A was going to win the show today or not. Plastering on his biggest smile and appropriately nodding throughout the mini speech, finally they started the countdown.

@[i] tiffany Jieun was worried she'd get caught because she was still close to Tiffany's things. That's why when the other started talking to her, she jumped a little. But she quickly played it off by putting her hand on her chest and laughing a little. "You scared me!" Now she had to act as if she knew absolutely nothing about the things on her table, and hopefully she'd do it convincingly. Her laugh was short, and eventually turned into a smile instead. "But yeah, I was watching you on the t.v." She glanced at the screen again and noticed it was showing clips of the other group in the room, since it was their turn to preform. "You did amazing, by the way. I'm sure you'll win today." She was speaking the truth here, the fan in her coming out a little. "TaeTiSeo needs to go out with a bang, right?" She laughed again, but this one wasn't part of an act or a lie. By now the other group was leaving and she watched them exit the room, leaving only her and Tiffany alone. Well, not really alone; the other two TTS members were still with them. "So, did you think you did good?" Jieun asked, because, well, sometimes the artist didn't think they didn't do a good job, and she was curious. She also didn't want this conversation to end since she didn't really talk with the other. Probably just fangirl instincts kicking in, she assumed, leaning against the nearby couch.

@[i] jieun It was the end of her promotions that day, making her both excited and a little sad, though, she wanted to make the day memorable with doing her best on stage, making every single fan proud of her and her other two members who are also promoting along with her under the name of TaeTiSeo. They did everything they would before going up and perform, greeting everyone in the waiting room and having little chit chats, showing things for the fans to their reality show's cameras and such, just having a good time to make it less stressing. The TV set up in the waiting room was playing their simple 8 seconds long 'teaser' to warn everyone about the upcoming performance. The three girls headed out from the room to give a last live of Holler to their faithful fans, dropping jaws and making hearts skip beats all over the World.

As they stood there after the last line of the song, Tiffany's smile only got wider, seeing all those people cheering for them, the lightsticks waving from left to right. She bowed respectfully before getting off from the stage, getting into her thoughts about fans. Did they really like them? Will they talk about this last performance a lot? Also, will a present wait for her again, as it would all the time after doing a live? She got an answer to the last question right after she opened the door to the waiting room, seeing a water bottle and an usual note next to it, making her eyesmile, though, she noticed that another artist was standing quite close to her place, so she decided to approach her. "Were you watching us on the TV?" She asked cheerfully to start a conversation, not wanting to already bomb the other with a question out of the blue about the stuff placed on her desk.

@[i] sunny I appreciate that you think I'm strong, that means a lot to me. But sometimes, I feel that I let myself be walked over and I'm too fearful to make it stop. The person that I like, that I love, may not be fully mine yet. It's hard to tell what's really going on with her. We've agreed to be more than friends, maybe even girlfriends, but because there's someone else she loved before me, I don't know if she can be fully committed. I just don't know what we are to each other. But you know what? Everything will work out in due time. I'm not going to get too attached, and I'm going to act as if everything is normal. I'm not going to let myself get hurt.
/Tenses slightly in your arms and shrugs in attempts to slump off any burdens or problems, wanting to focus only on you and I spending time together. Widens eyes in surprise and grins from ear to ear, raising my eyebrow with amusement
Oh, so you do have someone, huh? Well, let's do this: if I tell you the person I like, then you have to tell me yours. I'm sure I'll accept them right away, because knowing you, you would've picked a pretty great one to fall for. You have good judgement, so I trust that the person is okay. Though, I still may have to put them through a long interview, just in case.
/Laughs genuinely and draws my eyes over towards the coffee machine across the way, nodding at your approval of getting you a cup. Begins striding over to grab a cup off the rack and slides it underneath the dispenser, the warm liquid flowing into the rimmed glass
See, I really think they should put me in more commercials. I'm pretty damn good at convincing people to do things. Whatever, they're just missing out.
/Takes the steaming cup and brings it back over to you, extending my hand out towards you
Thanks for giving me all of the advice, by the way. I'm glad it was you that walked in, not someone else.

@[i] tiffany The waiting room seemed pretty empty to Jieun, with the exception of one other group way on the opposite side of the room. She was supposed to be the last one to preform. She knew for a fact that TTS were ending promotions today, so she wanted to leave Tiffany something to congratulate her on her hard work. That was the thing with Jieun, she was basically Tiffany's secret admirer, so to say. For how long, she couldn't quite remember anymore. A year? Two years? It had been a long time no matter which way you put it. Even if the room was empty, and the other group in the room wasn't really paying attention, Jieun still looked around cautiously before proceeding to casually walk over to where Tiffany's things were, gently setting a water bottle and a bag of jelly candies next to her bag, making sure the plastic didn't make a sound due to the quietness, still not wanting to attract attention. (Well, there was the t.v in the room that played the performances currently going on in the backround, but other than that it was pretty much silent.) What she failed to realize, though, was that TaeTiSeo had finished up a little while ago. The door to the waiting room pushed open, and Jieun was barely beginning to reach over to put the little congratulations note next to Tiffany's stuff. So when she jerked back, the note slipped from her hand, lightly hit the table, then fluttered to the ground, and she couldn't do anything about it without getting caught. Instead, she left it there and took at least four big steps back to try and distance herself, then turned her attention to the t.v as if to act like she had been standing there watching it the whole time and not trying to leave her a gift with a little note attached. Hopefully nobody saw anything.

@[i] yuri Yeah, I do know. But you reached your conclusion just now, didn't you? You really would be leaving behind people that have become your family, memories that you may lose in time and no one would win if you left so... There you have it.
/Gives you a gentle look followed by a smile as I see your lips pull up to one. I begin to relax more, knowing that I managed to ease your tense state, feeling slightly proud that I managed to make you feel happier now. I nod at your words, trying not to laugh dryly again at our sad reality.
It really is pathetic, honestly. It's actually not fair. That's the more proper word to use, I think. I mean - we wanted to be artists, didn't we? But by doing so we signed our rights to privacy and... it's sad. It's unfair... People viewing us as if we weren't humans but we have feelings too.
/I hear my voice crack and I look down to the floor, trying hard to catch my breath before looking up again, my eyes landing on your soft, brown orbs. I stay sitting up on the couch, my shoulders slightly slumped, my fingers fidgeting.
Whoever it is, whether I know her or not, if it's someone you picked, I'm sure they are strong-willed. It's you, Yuri, anyway - you're one of the strongest people I know so I'm sure whoever your heart desires is as strong a person as you are but know that if you ever want to tell me I'm all ears.
/I smile down at you as I feel your arms wrap themselves around me and I let my hands play with your hair, sighing out in content.
I'm so glad, Yuri. You have all the right to be able to pursue your happiness however you deem it right, okay? And I'm here supporting you.
/I look at you, cocking my head as I hear you speak. A chuckle escapes my lips and I smile whole-heartedly down at you.
Thank you, Yuri. But don't be skeptical I... the one person who has my attention is a good person and I'm sure that, once I'm positive about my feelings and I tell you, you'll accept them in a heartbeat. Hopefully?
/My eyes shift slightly, looking around the room at the proximity of your being. I feel my cheeks turn warm at your words, my heart beat beating loudly in my ears, wondering if you could hear it, I begin to feel embarrassed. My eyes close softly as you kiss my forehead, relinquishing at the soft feel of your lips against my skin. When you step away, my eyes snap open to look at you.
I would love some coffee, actually! The way you say it seems like your promoting a product, Yul, but I'm sure it's amazing.

@[i] sunny /Relaxes under the gentleness of your touch, my shoulders physically slumping, and feels the throbbing in my head decrease to a dull pulse, rubbing at my temple with my index finger to smooth away any remnants of the reoccurring headache
It just sounds so foreign, you know? To express your thoughts of wanting to leave, to hear others think about leaving, it just feels so unnatural. I guess you have a point, there's too many things to leave behind, than to gain.
/Listens intently to each and every one of your words and cracks a smile against the skin of my palms, your laugh causing my seriousness to break, even under the circumstances of our conversation
Well that just makes everything seem a little pathetic. We're not even allowed to be seen out in public with a boy without everyone asking our company if we're dating. Assumptions our made, but they'll never know the true us. Going on a normal date with someone I love feels so far fetched, when really it should be easy to do. I would never trade this lifestyle, because I honestly don't know what I would be doing without it, but I wish that people were just more sympathetic of our feelings.
/Trails my eyes from the floor, upwards, to meet with your welcoming ones, completely resting back into the cushions of the couch
I'm just worried. I don't know if she would be able to stay with me with all of the attention. Would she flake under the pressure? We could hide it, I'm sure, from the outside, but once it got out to the public, would we make it? I trust you, Sun, I really do but I feel I should clarify feelings before just coming out with the name.
/Watches you get up and immediately returns the hug, wrapping my arms as best I can around your waist in my seated position
I've had this seven year fight of what I should do and I think that I will just go with the flow from now on. I'd rather live this live of secrecy than give it up.
/Releases you once you move away and smiles softly at you, the burden of stress and pain suddenly being lifted away with those final words
I will support you too, always. Sure, I may be a little skeptical of the person you choose to date, but it will be out of my love for you. And Sunny...
/Moves closer to you and places both of my hands gently on your cheeks to take your head into my hold, staring directly into your eyes
I mean that I love you, never forget it.
/Presses a lingering kiss to your forehead, relishing in our closeness, before pulling away, backing up a few steps
So, would you like some coffee? It's actually pretty good compared to the other waiting rooms' we've been in.

@[i] yuri /I look at you, my brows furrowing, and all I can do is to wave off your comment. I give you a smile - a reassuring one - as I put down my bag and walk towards you, crossing my arms beneath my chest/

I should have knocked, shouldn't have I? /I begin, giving you a small smile as I listen to you speak up, crossing your legs. I rest my hand on your shoulder, feeling the uneasiness coming from you/ Yeah, until the end... But, you know, you're not the only member that has ever felt like that - wanting to quit. I myself have wanted to just drop everything and go faraway, but all of you are the one reminder and reality check I need to know why it is that I'm doing what I'm doing now, you know? /Furrows brows, tilting my head down at you.

My gaze softens as you cover your face with your hands and I take the seat next to yours, getting closer to you, looking at you as you speak, frantically, and all I can do is to chuckle sardonically./ I know what you mean. We truly are grown women and it is horrible - having to keep up with appearances... But, Yuri-ah... /I rest my hands on your knee, chewing on the inside of my cheek, trying to find the right words/ We all kind of signed away that small right to privacy when we decided to do this, didn't we? And, it's okay for it to creep up on you like that. I've also been thinking about that lately. I just really want to be happy and find a relationship with someone I care about without worrying about the rest of the entire world population making it some sort of scandal... /I trail off, scoffing soon after at my own words.

I let you continue and I hear you gulping, my hands still resting on your knee, squeezing tightly there, trying to reassure you and give you support in that way. My mouth falls open slightly and then I close it. I blink - once, twice - and slump my shoulders, sitting back and looking down at my hands on my lap./ It would be harder, wouldn't it? I mean, if it were with a guy, there probably wouldn't be so much backlash, but with a girl... it's really... it would be harsh on both of you, and I don't know who the other is, but for me - if I had to see you suffer, I wouldn't bare it, Yuri-ah. /I look at you now, pursing my lips/ Is it okay to ask who it is you're thinking of?

Yuri-ah... /I begin, standing up from my chair to hug you, caressing your locks of hair soothingly/ I know that you wouldn't leave. We love you, too - all of us. And we all want more freedom, that's inevitable. We all want happiness but it's hard to find it when we live in the lives we run... /I move away now, looking down at you/ I wouldn't want to deny you of happiness, however. If you want to date someone, I would support you a hundred percent of the way, you know? You're a special person in my life, Yuri-ah - my one and only Yuri, actually.

@[i] sunny /Feels a pang of shock hit my heart and sweep through my veins at the sudden interruption behind me, my hand fumbling to keep hold on my phone, ultimately dropping it in my lap. Turns my head to follow your movements and puts on a feigned look of happiness, a small smile playing against my lips
Oh hey, Sunny, I didn't expect you to come in here right now. I...
/Scratches my head nervously and uncrosses my legs, only to cross the opposite leg with the ever present panic from realizing you heard my words
I didn't really mean it...I would never think of leaving. We're supposed to be nine until the end, right?
/Takes a deep breath and lets my guard completely down, burying my face in my palms with combination of frustration, sadness, and desperation.
I just don't know what to do anymore. I'm tired. And no, it's not just because of the lack of sleep, I'm emotionally exhausted with having to play innocent all the time and keep up my image. For God's sakes, we're grown women, why must we have to hide what we're feeling just because the public might lash out at us for doing so. I don't know why this is hitting me all of a sudden like this, because it hadn't really bothered me before.
/Looks up at you and gulps down the rest of my words, closing my eyes for a lingering moment before opening them
What if I wanted to openly date a girl, particularly someone I've known for a long time? Do you that would tarnish our reputation? Would they accept it? I just want to be myself and this has been weighing down on me for a long time.
/Runs my fingers through my hair before smoothly sliding them down to my tips
Sunny, I don't want you to think I'm leaving, because I won't. I love all of you too much to let everything go. I just wish we were given more freedom, that's all. I'm getting to the point where I want to express myself truly to the fans without lying to them about who I really am.

@[i] yuri /Sighs loudly as I make my way towards the door of our waiting room. God, truly, waking up early wasn't exactly my favorite thing in the world, and I knew for sure that Yuri was probably one of the earliest there, so I made sure to get quickly to the door. I stopped, my hand resting on the door knob and my shoulders slumped as I heard the voice that could only belong to the one and only Kwon Yuri.

I made sure to open up the door slowly, gently, trying not to cause a lot of noise and I found her sitting on a chair, playing around with her phone, so I took in a deep breath./

It wouldn't be good if you quit, you know, Yuri-ah? /I began, going into the room, closing the door behind me, a smile on my face as I heard her shift in her seat to turn to look at me./ We'd all miss you so much... Plus, you have me and the rest of our sisters, right? Do you want to talk about things...?

[post deleted by owner]