➛ backstage.

@── yoo jimin. ❜ in spite of all the chaos, he manages a small snort to her quip. if it weren’t for their tenuous connection or the predicament they were in as their bodies moved in languid harmony to fix a problem neither of them had anticipated, he might have thought her to be genuinely funny. she surprised him with how much talking she did given he’s only ever known her cold shoulder. don’t mention it. he clears his throat at her gratitude, one he couldn’t take much credit for given it was a natural reaction for any decent human to do, and detaches himself from her petite frame. upon her stylist being the first to examine their plight, it’s his couturier with the scissors that make the cut between their connection. with his hands free, he casually tucks them into his pants pockets as he’s finally able to draw back into the concerns of his own team. a small curl dance on one corner of his lips before he gives a nod in her direction. i’ll see you in thirty, yoo jimin. he doesn’t linger long enough to catch the crack of a smile she throws his way, already striding in the direction of the rest of his band members.

every second counts and regardless of how quickly their wardrobe malfunction started and ended, eric wasn’t sure of which karina he would be meeting after it all. would it be her usual rebuff of him? or would it be the one whom he almost found a friend in? he couldn’t help but dissect their interaction all the way from his dressing room to hers, already stripped down from his stage outfit into something more casual before he raises a fist to the painted white wood. ‘Aespa’ stares back at him when he moves to lean against the wall opposite of the door, wanting to give the soon approaching woman space when she steps out. hey, i’m a little late. had to make sure i had no zippers on me.

@── eric son. ❜ just a word of advice, but telling a person not to cry only makes them want to cry harder. yet, she prevails in holding back her tears, trusting the guidance in his words as she follows the instructions he directs her to do. despite not having the best image of him in her mind, she believed he’d do his best to get them both out of this scenario unharmed. her hand grasps a hold of his sleeve as she’s easily lifted, motioning her legs to walk in a stride as he carries her down the stage. disheartened by the circumstances, she didn’t have the charisma in her to smile; only eagerly waved at her fans who were caught in her line of sight with a taut pout that gave the impression that she was saddened that the event had ended. finally, out of range, the young woman lets her arm falter as they’re approached by staff from each conditioned party to sort out the malfunction. thanks, eric. I mean it. exhaling softly to get rid of the nerves coiled in her abdomen, she pats the male’s arm reassuringly to loosen the grip he had on her. the shadow she so desperately needed at the moment served his purpose without question. maybe he wasn’t as bad as she had initially thought. the visual takes the blanket her manager gave her, wrapping it around her shoulders as she takes a step away from her protector. I should probably get changed first, hm? it isn’t soon before the rest of the team is whisking her away from the taller idol, putting space in between them to inspect further damage to her costume. the commotion makes it harder for her to keep her gaze on him, a defeated exhale leaving her brims as there was no time left to talk. meet me in front of the aespa dressing room in thirty minutes. we can go over everything there before i have to leave. she gives the man one last glance with a genuine simper and heads towards the opposite direction to reunite with her bandmates.

@── yoo jimin. ❜ his lips purse in result to the words regarding her bosoms. they have never been close enough for him to appraise her, he wasn’t even sure he knows exactly how she looks like given they’ve only stood within half a room’s distance of each other. this proximity that they have right now is completely new and unusual, and it leaves him with no idea how he should respond even as she continued on about their size. it would be inappropriate if he as much as acknowledged her statements, which he’s quickly coming to assume is made out of shock, maybe even panic when he catches the way she quivers in his embrace. he only meets her with a sigh. the column of his neck straightens, eyes quickly scanning the stage and then back down to the petite woman. even though she attempts to hide it, the reflection of lights gleam off the brim of her eyes and he immediately knows she trying not to cry. if they were in any other situation at all, the sight of his rival in such a dubious predicament would appease him. hey, don’t cry. i’m going to get us out of here. despite the way her words irked him, almost as if she didn’t believe he’d help her unless she dangled the cessation of their quarrel, her permission simmers through his ears first. immediately, his fingers let go of her torn crop top to come around the front of her waist, pressing her back to his chest as a new makeshift glue to keep her shirt together. pretend to move your feet like you’re walking, but please don’t kick me. he whispers into her ear just as he lifts her off the ground, enough so that her feet are hovering. with her secured in one arm, his other waves to their fans, feigning absolute bliss and camaraderie as he smoothly walks their bodies the rest of the way across the stage and down the stairs, already gesturing for a staff member. he doesn’t let go of the facade until he’s sure they’re safe but his arm stays secured around her, afraid that if he lets go now, the female would only end up flashing the team, which in of itself, is just as bad as the wave of people outside. we need to talk after all this is sorted.

@── eric son. ❜ her career flashes before her eyes at the sound of tearing fabric; a small internal battle she chooses to have with herself and the other male idol attached to the other end of her costume as she answers him with complete silence. out of the smoldering lights but into another unfortunate situation. although the panic doesn't show on her facial expression due to trained years of professionalism, her palms are clammy, trembling hands extend to hold the janky material. i don't know if you've seen my...assets but they're pretty, y'know. she gestures to her chest, making a curve that could only be assumed to be big by the eye as she sighs to suppress the incoming flood of emotions down. she didn't want to be known as that girl who ruined her image because of something completely out of her control or stylist mishap. they're pretty big and it would be embarrassing if they got exposed because we have beef, eric. here she was blubbering something to her enemy that he possibly couldn't care less for but it was still her body, her privacy and she needed it. thanking him silently as he moves to shield her from unknown surveillance, the woman huddles closer to his frame to shrink herself down to the size that she felt in the moment; small. her eyes sting in betrayal, forcing herself to laugh at herself for dopamine and to keep her makeup perfectly intact. do whatever you need to do to get us out of here and i promise you that our little squabble is over.

@── yoo jimin. ❜ you think this is my fault— stop moving so much! he grits lowly between his smile, which comes out more as a clench of teeth. the constant movement they both engage in to extract each other apart only worsens their situation, and it’s clear in the sound of stretched fabric when he steps back at the same time that she takes one forward. immediately, his eyes lower to zero in on what the sound could indicate and sees threads of her jewelry along with a huge slash of her shirt hanging to his sweater zipper; in feigned casualness, his nimble fingers come to pinch her ripped top together as they both waddle to the side to let his remaining members off. he doesn’t miss the questioning look they throw him as they pass by and he only waves to them with his free hand and a strained smile. apologize for what? i don’t know what you’re talking about. she was crazy, he concluded. if they moved apart even the slightest, there was a huge risk of the female flashing the audience, and not only would it be embarrassing for her, but him as well. the last thing he needed was an article involving the spiteful woman. yet, all she seemed to care about was getting an apology out of him for something he has no clue of. if anything, she should be feeling sorry for their strained relationship. eric remembered it perfectly, how she had ignored him in their first meeting of the collab and every rehearsal since. at the time, he chalked it up to her just being uncomfortable around his group but she got along well with everyone else except him. the thing he found most puzzling of all was that their meeting was only three months ago which clearly doesn’t align with her perception of time. he turns his back to the audience as an attempt to provide her with privacy from the prying eyes and cameras. we should get off stage before the next group comes on. your shirt isn’t necessarily.. in one piece right now. do you need me to carry you?

@── eric son. ❜ the heat of the stage lights was a sensation that she'd never get used to. they were hot, almost blinding but the adrenaline pumping through her veins guided her to the end of their collaboration stage. but with who? a name she didn't like uttering in public nor their own shared privacy. a small altercation that she held a grudge for when he stepped on her toes at an end-of-the-year ceremony but didn't apologize. it was petty, she knew it— but her feelings were justified. proceeding to step down the stairs off stage, she allows her members to go ahead of her first, bowing her head at the rest of the men in his acquainted group. a scowl rests on her face when she locks eyes with eric, whipping her head back around to proceed forward until she's greeted with a bump of his chest. can you not? another attempt to move draws her back to him with a surprised gasp, lowering her voice to discreetly yell at him. stop playing around! in a matter of seconds it takes her to realize that his zipper is stuck onto the accessory of her crop top. the girl groans softly, ushering over to the side to let everyone else exit the stage before attempting to wriggle herself free. if this is your idea of apologizing to me after what happened last year it's not working.

@── yoo jimin. ❜ the melody of the song was coming to a finish as the cheers from the crowd grew louder. it was a moment of being onstage he was never fond of, when it felt like he had just stepped on only for it to end within a blink of an eye. however, he’d never been more glad for this respite in their performance and he was sure the woman standing near him shared the same feeling. it was one mutual thing they had in common amongst their many differences. hostility aside, a wide grin graced his lips for the audience as the two of them waved in the direction of their fans— a picture perfect image he’d quickly mastered for when the cameras were on. any normal person standing in the crowd wouldn’t be able to pinpoint the tension in his shoulders caused from being in close proximity to karina, created by none other than one of s when they pulled them up beside each other. with the sudden jerk, he bumped into her back and tried to retreat as quickly as possible only to feel a tug at his shirt. dude, let me go. he mumbled quietly behind a tight lipped smile as he attempted another step back only to be wrenched into her backside again.