─ canteen 'kazanjian'

@◈ moon byulyi ᴍᴏᴏɴʙʏᴜʟ⁻ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ Something else. She said it herself, but what could they really talk about? Should she ask about rapping tips again? After she had basically burst down crying in front of her? Moonbyul had so much she cared about, she had her whole career, probably tons of friends, tons of interests. As for Yewon... she only had her, she only cared about her, she was all she could talk about hours on end, but that's the one topic she can't bring up right now.

There was a long silence that followed, and Yewon was just lost. Lost in her head, lost in her thoughts, simply and purely lost. Everything she had been worrying about, every single thought she tried to push back, all came rushing in with the strength of something that had been waiting, building up to beat her up, to tear her down so bad she wouldn't dare get up again.

These stupid tears just wouldn't stop falling, even as she tried desperately to wipe them away, her deepest and most burried feelings waiting to burst her open with each droplet that stained her jeans, and even then all she could think about was how big of an idiot she was, and how Moonbyul didn't deserve to witness whatever it was that was happening to her.

In the end, she was what mattered, she was the only person whose feelings mattered, and Yewon felt like she was taking advantage of them by laying all of herself to her when they barely even knew each other. The trainer was bound to get tired of her, or even weirded out by her, but Yewon had hoped it wouldn't be this soon.

Moonbyul had a naturally caring personality, and that was just one of the many things Yewon loved about her, but it also enabled the younger to spill out more than she wished she would, and that was dangerous. She could feel everything she had worked hard to bottle up in that tiny fragile glass bottle trying to break its way out of it, the walls getting thinner and thinner as they threatened to shatter and reveal everything, and there was just no way that was happening.

Her body was shaking ever so slightly, and she could sense all the panic, the anxiety that slowly filled her up. The trainee quickly grabbed her bag and got up, eyes fixated on the floor as she could not deal with the embarrassement of even glancing at the trainer. She was not going to do this today. Not now, not here, and probably not ever.

She had barely touched her food, but even if she did try and sit someplace else to finish it, her stomach would simply not be in the shape to take anything in, and as so she simply grabbed her tray before adressing the trainer one last time and taking off, eyes still spilling out every little drop of emotion.

"I'm... I'm so sorry, I have something I forgot to do, enjoy the rest of your lunch."

@✵ choi yewon⁻ᵗʳᵃᶦⁿᵉᵉ For a moment Byulyi had been feeling good. It seemed the words she was dishing out was hitting home with the right audience, and the expression on Yewon’s face was the kind of fuel she had always wanted for her job. It was the kind of look that said ‘well done, you’ve done it’ and she did not take that for granted.

Or at least she would not have, if it all had not seemed to turn on a dime. She was not sure exactly when in her little rant of optimistic phrases it had happened, yet when she looked at Yewon she could no longer see that spark that seemed to be there a moment ago. The shine that had seemed to emanate from her had ebbed out and died, much like Byulyi’s confidence when she heard Yewon’s voice sounding so painfully broken.

“I’m sorry… could we talk about something else?”

Byulyi’s face fell slowly, the usual gummy smile that clad her lips slowly closing to a thin line, then further a small frown. Where had she gone wrong? Was it even her doing wrong? It kind of had to be, did it not? It was not as if a mood could so suddenly turn without any outside input, and currently all of it was coming from her. So who else could it have been?

“U-uh, y-yeah. Yeah sure, of course,” she had eventually answered, her voice a bit halfhearted. Her mind was still racing, keeping her half-closed off from reality as she tried to come up with a solution. Perhaps Yewon had simply needed an outlet to went? Maybe she had wanted to cry it out somewhere and not expected to be confronted with it in public? There seemed to be a million reasons floating around in her storm of thoughts, each one as plausible as the next and none containing any actual help with finding a solution.

At best she would be text the trainee later in the day. Hopefully things would feel less turbulent by then and they could actually talk it all out.

“Anything… uh… in particular you wanted to talk about?”

@◈ moon byulyi ᴍᴏᴏɴʙʏᴜʟ⁻ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ 'Hey, chin up, huh?'

The table was smaller than one would think. It was small enough so that, even if sitting straight across from the woman, Yewon could just about make out all the little details in her eyes. Her dark, but not too dark, beautiful brown eyes with tiny little specks and flecks of darker shades of brown and black, all the subtle changes of tone and color that Yewon had memorized by now from the countless hours she spent staring at the infinite photos she'd saved of the trainer. The way the tiny golden rays of natural light occasionally bathed them melted Yewon's heart, and even if just for a split second, all her worries were pushed to the back of her mind. Moonbyul was breathtaking, and Yewon could never get enough of discovering every little new detail on her face.

And so as the trainer leaned towards her, her arms folded on the table, Yewon hoped human technology was so advanced she could be able to capture images with her eyes. There was just this natural aura the trainer possessed, and Yewon had never felt anything close to it from anyone else. She needed the world to see her the way Yewon did, but at the same time, all these feelings, it all just felt like something special between them. She was hers, even if she wasn't. The younger couldn't help but to stare at her as she spoke, eyes slightly widdened and mouth agape in admiration. The trainee was sure her eyes sparkled every time she looked at her, but no matter how many times she did, she just looked more and more majestic.

It was basically impossible to count the number of times the older had tried to encourage her, to compliment her, to simply motivate and support her. 'So this is what it would feel like..'
Yewon would never take her words for granted, and Moonbyul wouldn't just say any of that just because... would she?
She was special to her-

'..you got heart, kid.'

It might've been hard to tell, but there was a microscopic change in Yewon's expression, something so small but oh so strong that she tried desperately to control. If in the moments before her heart felt like it would burst out of her chest, now... well, now it could very well have sunk with the titanic.

'kid.'

There it was.

The lump in the back of was back as that damn ing word echoed in her head, except now there really was no telling when Yewon was going to break. There was bitter-sweet smile on her lips for a split second and a half-broken chuckle as the trainee's back hit the back of her chair. All she could do was nod at the older's words, words that barely registered in her head as it hung low, the trainee now staring at the tiny wet spots forming on her jeans, her vision blurry as her hands trembled to roughly, almost angrily, wipe the tears away, her focus never leaving her lap.

"I'm sorry... could we talk about something else?"

@✵ choi yewon⁻ᵗʳᵃᶦⁿᵉᵉ A silence had crept in between them as Byulyi spoke. Not just of sound, but of impressions and emotions. It was like a solid wall erected between them, not visible to the eye but just as palpable and sturdy as if it was made of bricks. So despite how open the whole canteen was around them Byulyi swore she could feel a drop in the air quality as a hollow cold set in.

Yewon had been a hard worker from the little she had seen; one who showed promise and talent when given the opportunity. Though they had not interacted a lot one-on-one she felt as if she had gotten to know the woman a bit, and there was no doubt she had every quality to be a start.

That was… If she wanted to be.

Not everyone was set for the stage. It had taken a while for Byulyi to learn that herself as she had watched friends to great work off stage, yet never seeming to be able to replicate it in front of people. It could be nerves or stress, or simply just their own mind pushing them down. For all she knew they just simply did not enjoy it. But… Yewon seemed defeated. As if the chance afforded to her was a shot to her moral.

“Hey, chin up, huh?” the trainer tried, laughing a bit nervously against the frigid air around them. “Shouldn’ have to work yourself to death for it. I’m sure they have a setup to let you all come to it at your time.” What advice did one even give to someone in a moment like this? She had learnt well to peptalk the kids that needed a bit of a push, but they were all so self-driven and dedicated that you would think they would pass any challenge with enough time.

And yet Yewon seemed different. She had seen the drive in her once, practically having the woman bounce in her chair with excitement. Now she just seemed tired, like a deflated balloon left behind in the wake of a party.

Byulyi’s eyes softened a little alongside her voice. “Hey...” *Her arms folded on the table as she leaned forwards, giving her a bit of support. “I mean it, Yewon.” The trainer paused as she glanced over at the other woman, debating if there was any action at this point that could be right. Would reaching out to touch her shoulder be too much? Was petting her head going to just make her feel smaller? Byulyi’s expression tightened a bit, her lips no longer in their usual aloof smile but rather a thoughtful purse. Her brows were tense, knitted closer together as she tried to find the right words.

“You got talent… But… More than that, you got heart, kid.” She hoped that what she said could reach through that wall, even if just a tiny speck of it all. “I saw it when I first met you. You put yourself into your work and you give it your all, even when you stumble. That’s admirable. And I know you can do it now too, but…”

She hoped the bosses would not catch wind of her telling their ‘assets’ this.

“-only if you want to.”

@◈ moon byulyi ᴍᴏᴏɴʙʏᴜʟ⁻ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ Yewon tried to get used it, she really did. It had taken a lot of effort to stop herself from prolonging the contact, from getting up and simply taking Byul into her embrace. It would be completely out of line, but that's how her body naturally reacted every time the trainer initiated contact with her. The first time it happened, the reaction had been so strong that she promised herself she'd take a few deep breaths every time she felt her body reacting to something on its own, that she'd calm herself down.

Aside from the usual loud beating in her chest whenever the older addressed her, the palpitations making her dizzy, almost as if in a high state, there was this adrenaline rush whenever she felt her close, this fire that both ran through her body, leaving every inch shaking and tingling, but that also drowned her every senses with the realisation that she would be the only one feeling this way, that it would never be more than it actually is.

This time around, Yewon couldn't even be happy about it. The dread she'd been feeling for the past couple weeks had made her exhausted both mentally and physically, to the point that everything even remotely bad that happened seemed like god's plan to ruin her. This time, there were only negatives and negatives. This was what she wanted though, wasn't it? To be close to Moonbyul. To at the very least become close enough to be able to have her in her life, even if not too closely. This had been the plan all along. So why did it hurt her this bad?

What Yewon hadn't accounted for, was that she was naturally a greedy person. Influenced or not by her origins, whenever she wanted something, deep down she felt like, she *knew* she'd eventually get it. Except that's not how life works, that's not how humans work. Yewon wants more. Whatever relationship there is between them right now, trainer and trainee, acquaintences, friends, she wants- no, needs more. But had she known this is how it would turn out, there is just no way she would followed the same path that got her here. She cares too much for the trainer to put her greediness over the other's well-being. But now she's here, and the lump on the back of and the way her heart feels like it'll burst out from her ribcage keep threatning to expose her every feeling, the only thing stopping it from spilling it all out being the almost blood-drawing way she's biting her bottom lip, her gaze remaining fixated on her lap where her hands cling to the fabric of her jeans like it'll tear, mirrorring the feeling on her chest.

Lost in a nightmare-like prison, the younger struggled to give the older any type of reply. The compliments that would usually leave her giddy only stabbing her already broken heart, the emptiness of her now lonely hand, everything and anything seemed to be against her. The world was spinning, but she was getting left behind.

"Yeah... I guess you're right. Thank you, I'll just keep practicing." was all she could offer. Any more than that would send her into an emotional downward spiral, and she had no right to put the other in the position to witness that.

@✵ choi yewon⁻ᵗʳᵃᶦⁿᵉᵉ The way Yewon seemed to skirt the topic almost fully with her vague answers only furthered the suspicion Byulyi sat with from earlier. Though it did not fully make sense to her it was clear that something about it all bothered the young trainee, and not just a little. This seemed to be a heavy cloud hanging over her, about ready to swallow her up at any moment.

Over and over she would give of signs of being under immense pressure. It made the trainer worry that perhaps there was more to it than the excuses she gave, even if they all seemed somewhat plausible as well.

Deciding that it was better to cross a small boundary and ask for forgiveness after, Byulyi reached out, quickly grabbing one of Yewon’s hands, hurriedly trapping it between her own. A small sympathetic smile played over her features as she gently pet her hand, trying her best to not let the worry show too much.

“Trust me, we ain’t always ready at the same time, but I’m sure you’ll be given the time to catch up. I’m just glad to hear that there ain’t any bad blood. That cuts up a group faster than anything else.” She raised her brows a little, trying to give off the expression of ‘believe me on this’ as she had seen first hand how small rifts could easily become massive sinkholes of doom if not looked after.

“And so what if you’re a tad behind? Don’ we all stumble at times?” Byulyi finally added as she let go of Yewon’s hand, retreating her own hands back to her side of the table. She gave a quick shrug of her shoulders, trying her best to swallow down the onset of a yawn. “I’d say you’re more ready than you think. The bosses wouldn’ have picked ya if you didn’ impress them in some way.”

Her eyes sought Yewon’s face for any sign of it helping, not sure her motivational speech had come out as cool as she had hoped. “They see potential in you, kiddo. That’s not just nothing. Means they believe that no matter you are as good as all the other girls. You feel me?”

@◈ moon byulyi ᴍᴏᴏɴʙʏᴜʟ⁻ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ A faint blush appeared on Yewon's cheeks as she tried to dismiss the conversation, much too embarrassed to say anything and simply giving the older a short shake of the head that hopefully got the message through. Did she really have to make a fool of herself every time they met? Well, at least now she had a good motive, it's not like she can control when or how her muscles decide to give out after hours and hours on end of practice.

At the sudden quickness displayed by the trainer, Yewon raised an eyebrow, clearly interested in the now far gone napkin she had just been holding. If the trainer wanted to talk about it she would, but she got a feeling that was not going to be the case. 'You're not friends, Yewon. Stay in your lane'. And so she did.

Ever since their first meeting, Yewon could not stop thinking about the what ifs. Sure, the trainer was older and probably viewed her as nothing more than a simple kid that looked up to her, but in her delusional heart she wished for more, she alwas had. Except now she was sitting right across from the person she spent years following around like a lost puppy, and it couldn't feel more like a dream. She tried to hide it, but the increasing heartbeats, the droplets of sweat on the back of her neck, the way her hands shook everytime she heard her voice this close to her, all those tiny little things were enough to make anyway question what her intentions were, but the trainee knew her place. She would never cross that line.

“Oh… Not getting along with the other girls?”

If only that was the only issue. Out of everything, that was what Yewon cared about the least. One could even question if she cared about it at all. She had absolutely nothing to say about it, so she simply tried to brush it off, giving some excuse about simply not having had the time to really connect with them, or something like that, but making sure the trainer knew there wasn't any bad blood between them.

It did seem like the conversation had died. 'Good job'. Yewon wasn't sure if it was simply because of her lack of response or if it was something else, but she was so lost in her thoughts she couldn't even view it as awkward. There was just more silence for the voices in her head to fill, and they filled it until she thought she was going crazy. It was almost headache-inducing, but Yewon had learned to cope with it.

“You don’ wanna be in a group, do ya…?”

Yewon couldn't be sure if the way her heart dropped was at all visible to the trainer, but that she was at least a bit in a state of panic she was sure was more than noticeable. Did she know? Had the trainee done that bad of a job hiding it? Maybe she did miss practice a bit too often... maybe she didn't show the improvement that was expected of her, maybe her lack of interest was written that obviously across her face. Well, whatever it was, Yewon had to get rid of it. If anyone found out about it she'd be kicked out, and she isn't ready to lose what little she has.

"Huh? No- no, of course I do. I just... I'm just not sure I'm good enough to debut with the other girls. It seems like they keep improving so much every time and I just feel.. stagnant."

She hoped the excuse was a good enough one that it would fool the older, specially since she tried her best to use what little acting skills she had to fake a confused expression, followed by an insecure one.

"I just don't think I'm ready."

@✵ choi yewon⁻ᵗʳᵃᶦⁿᵉᵉ Though she had managed to keep the sound to a minimum, the small scrape of the chair’s legs and the nudge against the table was enough to draw Byulyi’s attention up from her packing efforts. The expression on the trainee’s expression said it all, and Byulyi could not help but smile apologetically. “You okay there, kiddo?”

Her eyes finally noticed the napkin Yewon was offering once she was seated, widening as she hurriedly grabbed it out of the trainee’s hand. There was an obvious stressed tension in her shoulder as she pulled it closer. Shaky fingers carefully unfolded it enough to see the words she had written back on the train still legible, causing the older to sigh in relief. She quickly refolded the napkin, sighing again as she gingerly placed it back against the inside of the back cover in her notebook. There was a reverence to the way she treated it, much like someone would an object of high worth and not a napkin.

Byulyi’s eyes shifted to look at Yewon again, softer than they had been before. “Thank you,” she whispered simply, knowing that to the trainee it might have seemed like such a nothing thing to do, but to her it meant a lot. More than she could adequately express in words.

The messenger bag’s fastener finally clipped in place before she hoisted it off the table and onto the seat next to her. From here the rest of her lunch-break would be dedicated to catching up with an old friend of sorts. Byulyi leaned back in her seat, plucking with her the little bag of chips as she did so.

“Oh… Not getting along with the other girls?”
There was genuine confusion in every word Byulyi spoke. Was this not the dream of every trainee that came here? To get to debut with a solid group that could easily raise someone to the top? With all the showings the girls had at that TV show they were sure to already have a lot of fans, so their popularity was almost guaranteed if they kept it up. And yet Yewon seemed hesitant. And though she said the workloads would get higher, it seemed that was not the full reason for the stress.

After a momentary silence where Byulyi simply observed the trainee playing halfheartedly with her food while sighing she finally spoke, asking the one question that seemed the most prominent. “You don’ wanna be in a group, do ya…?”

@◈ moon byulyi ᴍᴏᴏɴʙʏᴜʟ⁻ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ The plan had been to simply greet her, maybe even keep the conversation going for a few minutes, something simple and friendly. Well, that had been the plan, but as the trainer began to gather her things, putting them away almost instantly, Yewon had missed the timing to say something, anything, to let her know it was fine, that she was just going to sit somewhere else. Her slightly parted lips and the thrown off expression covering her face went by unnoticed as the older was much too focused on making space for her to set down the tray she had been holding.

"Ah you don't have t-" ah whatever. She wasn't one to be delusional, the trainee knew better than anyone that any interaction between them meant nothing more than what is actually was. Even if she felt differently about Byul, would it really hurt anyone to just enjoy it while she could? An opportunitiy like this wouldn't just present itself to Yewon too often, so why shouldn't she take it?

With a short huff she lifted the tray and stretched over the back of the chair to place it on the table, almost losing her balance in the process as her muscles were still too sore and too tired to function properly, letting go of the tray at the very last second as her ribs collided abruptly with the back of the chair. Luckily the noise hadn't been too loud, or the whole canteen would be staring at her by now.

Clearing ever so quietly in the hopes the trainer had been too distracted with her own things to notice, Yewon dragged the chair back as silently as possible and sat down, her focus never really leaving the person in front of her. Luckily she wasn't all too distracted, because as soon as a napkin flew over to her side of the table, stopping right by the edge, threatening to fall over any second, Yewon simply grabbed it and reached out her hand to return it.

"It was... fine, I guess." The trainee's gaze wondered towards her tray, the spoon in her hand nervously pushing a piece of meet from one side to the other.

It was all she had been able to think about. Probably not for the reasons one would think, but it still clouded her every thought. Yewon didn't want to debut. She wasn't necessarily against it, but she had no dream to become a singer, an idol, whatever you want to call it. She didn't get along with the other girls, she had no motivation to practice and let's be real, as soon as the rest of the trainers realize just how much Yewon does not care about this, she'll be kicked out.

And that is what scares her.

She has no life purpose to turn to. All she has is the person in front of her. She's the reason Yewon even got here in the first place, and she's the only reason she hasn't yet left.

"They haven't really given us that many details yet, we're mostly just continuing with our practices. They'll probably increase our workload in the next few weeks though." and with that she left out a heartfelt sigh, finally picking up the piece of meat before dropping it back on the plate and sinking back into her chair. If the amount of work she had been given so far was already this draining, how exactly was she supposed to get through the next couple weeks?

@✵ choi yewon⁻ᵗʳᵃᶦⁿᵉᵉ The schedule began forming before her, slowly becoming a more solid and coherent plan on the now third page of her notebook. Setting up a plan like this was the kind of thing she had never truly been the best at. So despite the struggles that came with it she had to endure, for she enjoyed the work and the time she got to mentor the trainees afterwards. One could call it a treat after a test, in many ways.

Her pen kept her focus with its satisfying scratches along the paper, making the relative monotony of planning a bit simpler. Though there was one thing that would make it all even better.
A break.

And as if called by the heavens themselves a voice quietly rung out from the other side of the table. Byulyi looked up, first only finding legs and a tray where she had expected a face. It took her brain a second to catch itself before looking further up, seeing a familiar face standing there by the table, as if she needed permission to get seated.

“Hey kiddo,” she brightly greeted back, letting her pen drop to the face of the notepad as she gestured towards the chair. “I’m takin’ too much of the table, ain’t I?” the coach laughed, more to herself than Yewon. “Lemme just-“ She closed the laptop, quickly cleaning up some space for her surprise companion to have a sit. One by one the items from the desk got dumped into the messenger bag she had carried it in when she had arrived.

Last but not least came the notebook, hurriedly grabbed by the spine as she swung it up, accidentally letting a piece of folded napkin from among the pages float down and slide across the table. Had she not been busy stuffing her things away Byulyi would have been diving for it. Even if she knew she had a copy of its contents saved on her laptop, there was something to having the original idea on paper that she still enjoyed.

“There. So-“ Byulyi’s attention turned back to Yewon as she got more comfortable, grabbing a chip and using it a bit like a piece of chalk when a teacher pointed to their student. “Heard some musings about a potential group after the show. Congrats, I assume? How was it?” There was a hint of excitement to her otherwise calm voice, a clear proof that she was happy for her trainee. She twisted the hand with the chip, lifting it up to deliver it off between her lips.

@◈ moon byulyi ᴍᴏᴏɴʙʏᴜʟ⁻ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ The last couple of weeks had been hard on Yewon. Her body was there, for the most part, but her head was definitely someplace else. From the basically daily night walks, to the laying on her bed for hours on end contemplating just what the hell was she doing with her life, little no to no space in her head was left for practicing.

She wasn't very present, physically, either. It had worked in her favor that almost everyone at DSF was focusing on the show, though some teachers did end up reprehending for skipping practice too often. What was she doing, really? She didn't want to be there. There was nothing she wanted to do that justified her staying. Yewon hadn't even planned on debuting, she simply wished to stay close enough to the company, for her own personal reasons. However, when it was announced she'd be debuting in a group alongside the other girls she didn't really know all that well, she couldn't just say no, could she? What was she doing there, if not to debut?

Today she was made to attend her lessons. Not like someone physically dragged her out of bed, but one can imagine something like that, as she definitely didn't just get up out of her own willfulness. Eithery way, between arriving late to practice and actually being made to work on some random choreo, time flew by. And seeing as to how her stomach had been rumbling for the past 40 minutes, Yewon thought she'd pay the canteen a short visit.

She was way too tired to even think, so Yewon mindlessly grabbed a tray and stood in line for a couple minutes, grabbing some stuff here and there and placing it on the metal compartments. Tray in hand, the trainee browsed for a table for a few seconds, before her eyes landed on a rather familiar someone. We'll skip the internal conflict that would take longer to explain than the time it actually took on Yewon's head, whether to strike up a conversation or not, in respect to her privacy. Ultimately, she decided on simply passing by to greet her teacher, as it sounded more polite and not too intrusive.

Tray still in hand, Yewon nervously approached said table as quietly as she could. The trainer did seem to be busy working on something, and Yewon didn't really want to disrupt her work. Balancing the tray on the chair's back next to the trainer, simply to lessen it's weight on Yewon's already exhausted muscles, the trainee anxiously swallowed hard.

"Hey teach, working even at lunch time?"

@✵ choi yewon⁻ᵗʳᵃᶦⁿᵉᵉ The company had been abuzz with activity for the past months. Even without her own album having come out there had been something going on every day. It had left little time at work for the quieter moments to herself that Byulyi needed to plan out for a proper class. It would still be a first come, first serve type of deal, but she wanted to make it useful for the trainees that would take time out of their day to show up.
And she got that they were busy too. She had seen the efforts the kids had put into their performances on 9Lives. She had seen the excitement and dedication from them all in their work.

With a portion size bag of honey-butter chips (she called it lunch, though not many would agree) Byulyi found herself a quiet corner of the company cafeteria. She pulled her work-laptop, her phone and a notebook, placing them out on the table where they would be easiest to operate. It did not look very organized, but it was about as efficient as she could make it.

“Okay…” The pen between her index- and middle finger bounced against the paper of her notepad, its rhythmic thuds of metal on paper helping Byulyi zone out the other sounds around her. “First I could-“ she began, her voice low and mumbled as if not really talking to anyone. Which in reality was true. She was only talking out loud to give herself distractions.

The pen satisfyingly scratched against the paper as she began writing, setting up a rudimentary list of what she wanted to go through with her new class. At first it was just a jumbled mess of suggestions and words, outlining the possible topics and tricks to go through. Some she would immediately scratch out, others she would add extra notes to; times and further explanations, that sort of stuff. Every now and then she would reach her left hand over to the side of the computer, picking out a single chip from the bag as she kept writing and humming to herself.

She worked best this way.

@◈ choi seunghyun ᴛ.ᴏ.ᴘ⁻ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ *for a brief moment, anticipation and mild confusion paint her features as she watches him move back toward the computer before she clicks her tongue, despite the grin sitting on her lips*
You're no fun~
*faux-complains, fingers naturally finding their way into his hair to lightly massage his scalp. she's quiet as he speaks, smile softening into something more relaxed before she laughs*
Sounds /super/ fake. Who would've thought, right? To think I really hated you a year ago
But I'm glad we're here, I'm glad I get to be your little cheerleader from the sidelines. And I get to see a side of you I'd never get to see before
Not gonna lie, I think I like the full Choi Seunghyun better than that other guy
*admits mirthfully, eyes turning up into little crescents with a silent chuckle*
That other guy wasn't nearly as lovely

@◈ luc quyen⁻ᵐᵘᵃ Let me just do this-
*out of breath he just leaves the album playing on a loop, collapsing down onto the couch over queen's relaxed form*
There we go, that's better... leave me here.
*flops his head on her stomach and hugs around her middle, quiet as flower road starts up again*
It'll be so good to finally get these songs out, I've been waiting forever... It's funny really, I pushed you away because of my career, but right now I'm here with you and I'm making my own debut. Sounds fake, doesn't it?

@◈ choi seunghyun ᴛ.ᴏ.ᴘ⁻ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ It's what I do~
*chimes sweetly before sinking onto the couch with a tired flop, energy expunged by the impromptu dance party*
Oh? Booo! Boo! Encore!
*cherry lips turning into a little frown at the news, she raises both hands to present a pair of thumbs down before cupping them around to simulate a disgruntled crowd*
Encore! Play it again! Give us a show!

@◈ luc quyen⁻ᵐᵘᵃ Thị Thúy, see I got it.
*tips imaginary cowboy hat and winks before continuing shenanigans, laughing at her surprised reaction. But he's the best dancer in the world (thank you very much) and with gusto he confidently dances akin to someone mid-seizure, jerking a robotic arm around and making goofy sound effects over the music which, when the song ends, even gets an added computer shutdown sound. Another performance of a lifetime over he looks for validation and receives 9.98 of it*
Thank you for keeping me grounded, darling.
*he smirks, the nose boop unlocking a new shy setting that causes his cheeks to burn*
The sad news is, it's a mini-album so... that's it for now. 5 songs...

@◈ choi seunghyun ᴛ.ᴏ.ᴘ⁻ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ Mhm, it's the Thị Thúy bit
*supplies after a little laugh at his expense, drawing her knees up to comfortably listen to the songs. eventually, every song is run through and they're up, and dancing*
Oh-!
*she makes a surprised noise but goes along with the twirl happily before showing off her best disco cliches and laughing until her stomach hurts because she's happy and because every time Choi Seunghyun dances, he looks like a baby giraffe that's just getting used to its limbs*
I /loved/ that one; so fun! 9.98 out of 10
*replies, sneaking a hand up from where they'd naturally rested against his chest to boop his nose as she continues the joke*
minus 0.02 points so you stay humble, beloved

@◈ luc quyen⁻ᵐᵘᵃ Yeah, y'know, be inspirational.
*playfully bounces his eyebrows*
I thought your middle name was...
*mumbles the full length of her name again, frowning*
Is there a middle name in there somewhere?
*folds his arms across his chest, a smug smirk on his face*
Oh I'm ready. Bring it on Queen.
*he takes note of her little gestures during the other songs and beams from how cute she is but he's too into the terrible dancing to stop and explain, happy to twirl her in a circle when she accepts his hand. The iconic Disco Finger makes him crack up and he does it in time with her, pointing at her whilst adding in an extra foot stomp for fun. When the song comes to a close he laughs and pulls her to his chest, hands sneaking her middle*
What did you think of that one?

@◈ choi seunghyun ᴛ.ᴏ.ᴘ⁻ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ "Get creative?"
*inquires, raising a brow with an amused grin*
Challenge accepted! Don't you know creative is my middle name?
Get ready to be very /very/ inspired, Choi
*promises confidently, taking to an idle back and forth swiveling in her seat. she's attentive through every song, bopping along and pointing out beats or melodies that make her brain tingle in just the right way*
Whyy-
*starts to question/whine the sudden loss of the catchy intro to D.I.S.C.O when it's quickly given back, the nostalgic nu-retro sound filling the room. as soon as her eyes land on the goofy-looking dancing, she snorts and takes his hand, standing up to join him. laughing the entire way, she responds to his hip wiggles with an award-worthy (incredibly goofy) rendition the iconic Disco Finger and hand roll combination while parroting the earworm intro even as the song proceeds through the first verse*

@◈ luc quyen⁻ᵐᵘᵃ *her chuckle makes him want to do the dumbest , like climb the tallest building he can find as if he's godzilla or some and yell her name from the top of his lungs whilst beating on his chest. The most innate urge to make a fool out of himself for her, jingling his metaphorical clown bells. That feeling builds when she pulls his face close for the cutest kiss*
And I love you.
*he mimics her affectionate tone, his cheeks flushing with a rosy hue at the squeeze. In retaliation he squeezes her hand when it returns to his and those deep dumb dimples poke into his cheeks as he smiles at her, his nerves melting away under her sunshine gaze*
It's ok, I believe you. I'm glad you like it... Maybe I'll write more when you inspire me. So you should get on that, totally. Feel free to... uh... get creative with the inspiration, y'know... like muses in a painting.
*he winks, knowing how absurd that sounds but shooting his shot anyways. His goofy humour aside, he nods and loads up another demo of the album tracks. Some of the songs are catchy rap beats, others more pop-ish, some a little emotional. He ends on a high note with D.I.S.C.O which features Miso's voice but now he gently tugs her headphones off and plays it loud enough to make the room shake*
Come on, dance with me.
*he wriggles his hips awkwardly, trying to seduce her with a silly dance whilst holding his hand out to her*

@◈ choi seunghyun ᴛ.ᴏ.ᴘ⁻ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ *that much is obvious—so much so that it prompts a short, breathy little chuckle—but it doesn't stop the warm fluttering feeling that takes over her insides, nor does it make her want to burst his bubble even in the most jokey of ways. she'd much rather enjoy the moment and plants a hand on either side of his face to pull him into a sweet kiss*
And I love it~
*coos, affectionately squeezing his cheeks and then reclaiming his hand to play with, thumbs tracing idle shapes and patterns in the skin. her lips are set in a seemingly permanent grin while she bashfully continues*
Nobody's everrrr written me a song before, and I'm honestly so happy that I'm, eh well, forgetting the words to express that in Korean. But just know that it'll be the top song in my wrapped this year, for sure. And maybe even the next unlessss you decide to write me another
*winks before pressing a little kiss to the back of his hand and letting go so he can regain use of it, head tipping in the direction of the monitor*
Wanna show me the others too?

@◈ luc quyen⁻ᵐᵘᵃ Because you're royalty.
*he makes another queen pun for the 10000th time but it's just as fun as the first. It feels nice letting her in, making her a part of his creative process. He didn't want their focus to be on the past but this is a big step for them both, for seunghyun to share this intimate part of his life. He smiles at the continued praise and nods in agreement*
Both have crazy work ethic, but I enjoyed working with them. It means we could work quicker.
*he tries not to hyperfocus on her reaction, it's not the end of the world if she doesn't like the song. The gaslighting comes to an end when he feels her grip on his hand, Seunghyun breathes out the breath he didn't know he was holding in. He returns the squeeze, whilst his thumb runs along the side of her palm. He playfully remarks*
You can be biased, but only because you're my favourite too... You inspired me so, it's your fault. I'm glad you like it though, it was really fun to make. To me, it's the most important song on the album because... well, it's about you.

@◈ choi seunghyun ᴛ.ᴏ.ᴘ⁻ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ Such a gentlemannn
*coos, settling in the offered chair and getting comfortable by drawing her legs up into a crossed position. with idoldom being such a new aspect of Seunghyun for her, she's wholly interested and found herself bidding her attention between taking in all the bits and bobs of the studio—something she'd never stepped foot in in her entire life—and watching his ministrations as he prepped the songs. she settles on him finally when he speaks, an eager little grin on her face because she's about to be afforded the highest honor of getting a sneak peek*
Ooh, I hear nothing but good things about those two! Good choice, gau~
*compliments while putting on the headphones over her ears. with no technical knowledge, all she can really offer is subjectivity, but, very early into the track, she finds herself listening a bit closer to the lyrics that feel very close to home and it quickly makes sense why this song in particular is being given priority. in the moment, words don't really feel necessary and she wants to keep enjoying the song, so she merely seeks out his hand to squeeze in a warm show of acknowledgement and keeps holding it even after the song is done*
Okay, not to be biased because I have a giant crush on you or anything, but that was so good! I really like the melody on the chorus parts

@◈ luc quyen⁻ᵐᵘᵃ *queen matching seunghyun's energy every step of the way was something the rap coach didn't know he needed until he had it. mentally wanting to smack his brain around for ever thinking it was a good idea to let her go. when they're free of potential work he smiles at her, the cheek pat an affirmation that he did good*
I hope it has something to offer at least.
*takes queen's hand before he glances around the recording rooms and finds one free, opens the door for her to enter first before he closes it behind them and locks it, the occupied light lighting up above the door*
Have a seat babe...
*he pulls out a chair for her before he occupies the one next to her and he plugs in the hard drive from his bag, loading up the demos of his recorded songs, some of them have been finished for a while, whilst others were still in the works.*
There's one song I really want to show you, I have jimin and taeyang on the track too, then I was thinking about asking some of the trainees to record the rest. But tell me what you think first-
*he hands her some headphones and takes a set for himself, hitting play on the track*
https://youtu.be/xqC4rdra40Q

@◈ choi seunghyun ᴛ.ᴏ.ᴘ⁻ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ [let's keep it going u w u]

*exhilarated laughter rings out through the halls, along with the thuds of thundering footfalls, and she holds on tight because she'd rather not get left behind, let alone end up sprawled out on the floor like a Bollywood drama's plotting filling dead body because that'd be humiliating*
Oh !
*harmonizing with his much more workplace friendly reaction, another series of giggles follow*
We are sooo dead
*sighs in reluctance, face tucking into his shoulder with particularly dicey turns or when collisions seem all too possible. by the time they've reached the safety of the fire escape, she's her own brand of spent from trying not to wipeout and hops down with a heavy, short sigh*
You did good~
*coos, patting his cheek affectionately before crossing the landing to open the heavy door*
Let's see what the second floor's got to offer

@◈ luc quyen⁻ᵐᵘᵃ *laughs at the pat and tries to ignore his enflamed cheeks whilst Queen searches for her target, he turns around in a small circle until the target is locked, it's then he grips her thighs tightly to his sides*
Alright. Ready, set-
*at her explosion of gogogo's he races for the door, like t-rex fresh out of confinement, he clumsily charges out of the canteen, ducking and diving out of innocent bystander's way. The stage manager lets out a shriek and covers their head, which is hilarious whilst they make their grand escape. However, it's thwarted by the elevator which opens only for them to be greeted by Seohyun with Tiffany*
Red alert!!!
*he U-turns on the spot and runs in the opposite direction, ignoring what sounds like a call of his name. Suddenly he can run faster than he ever has and he makes it to the fire escape, kicking the door open though only going up half a flight of stairs before the smoker is out of breath*
Well , I hope one of the recording rooms on this floor is free because I don't think I can get up to the third...
*he stops at the top of the stairs and crouches down, loosening his grip so Queen can climb down*

(do you want to end the thread soon and say queen listened to the demo album or should we move to one of the recording rooms? I can do it in my reply if you want uwu)

@◈ choi seunghyun ᴛ.ᴏ.ᴘ⁻ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ I know~
*chimes lightly before hopping onto his back—not before a swift pat—and getting comfy, securing her non-dominant arm over his shoulders while casing the space for a victim. her eyes soon lock in on one of the irritating stage managers—ehem, assistant stage managers—that's always getting on everyone's case*
Target acquired. Get ready to dash
*mutters, anticipatory glee clear in her voice before she rears back with the firing arm and launches the cup of reject m&ms in the assistant stage nagger's direction and uses her newly freed hand to pat her getaway car's shoulder urgently *
Gogogogogo!

@◈ luc quyen⁻ᵐᵘᵃ *he thinks about it for a sec and tips the contents of his red cup into her blue one, chucking the empty cup wherever it lands. Then he hands her the green cup and takes the precious cup to slide into his pocket*
This is why I love you.
*he bends down and waits for her to climb onto his back, hands ready to lock around her legs.*
Alright, climb on. Your chariot awaits, my Queen.
*he wiggles his , playful as he mockingly imitates a posh English accent*

@◈ choi seunghyun ᴛ.ᴏ.ᴘ⁻ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ *grins while grabbing the blues and yellows, leaving the orange and brows to whoever wants them or the end all be all of the garbage whenever a janitorial staff makes their rounds. she's already laughing at the image of someone getting a whole cup of candy coated chocolates hurled at them and is prepared for a resounding yes before she remembers the extra 7 inches of height and the platforms supplying them*
I'm so not wearing running shoes, babe.
But, hear me out. You carry me, I launch.
And then you run like we're being chased, weaponless, by a hoard of those zombies from World War Z

@◈ luc quyen⁻ᵐᵘᵃ I totally agree. 100%
*he jokes and takes a cup of green ones, now in menace mode himself the rap coach aims for someone's empty coffee cup. Cheering quietly when it lands and tips the paper cup over, going unnoticed until the person reaches for the cup and grabs air. Duel shenanigans in place, he feels her cute little pecks and smiles, feeling much better about everything*
Great, grab a cup or two and let's get out of here.
*he smirks, grabs his red cup and a green cup, leaving the blue and yellow for Queen, and stands up*
leave the coffee it tastes awful, I'll get you a better one later. But I say we launch a cup at someone and run, what do you think?