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silver-hwaberry · 3 months ago

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⭑I Can See You⭑

THREE: secret messages

Warnings: angst, online bullying, body shaming, arguing, mental health struggles, brief mention of a suicide attempt but no explicit details, excessive drinking, mentions of company manipulation and mistreatment

Word count: 11.9k

⭑2016⭑

The day of Moonlight's comeback had arrived, and as expected, Yeonghwa was absent from school. Without her, class felt dull, and Yunho occasionally glanced at the empty seat next to him. However, he concentrated on his studies, eagerly counting down the minutes until lunchtime when he could finally watch her music video for "Cosmic Rush." He had enjoyed the teaser clips and concept photos that had been released. Although he had already heard the song and seen the choreography, he was excited to watch the full music video.

The second the school bell rang out and everyone started packing their books, he pulled out his phone and opened his YouTube app. His fingers desperately searching for the music video. A massive smile coming to his face when he sees Yeonghwa is the thumbnail for it. Her white hair with pastel streaks, pink and silver gemstones on her face beside her eyes.

As the music video begins to play, it starts with each member having solo shots of them walking down a darkened street with a dulled down instrumental of the song playing. Haneul is first, then Jinni, Misty and Areum before Yeonghwa comes on the screen and for the first time in his life Yunhos heart races so fast and hard he can feel it beating against his chest, he swears it is about to burst out his chest. Each of their outfits for the opening shots are different but it suits their own styles. Yeonghwa is wearing short white dress with a black corset on top of it, her hair is styled in loose waves. The only thing that is the same for each member is the gemstones beside their eyes. The bands name flashes on the screen and the song fully kicks in.

Yunhos captivated from the start. His eyes on Yeonghwa on every scene she is in. The tone of the music video is a night time theme with lots of stars, moons and sparkles which fits their overall band concept well. There is some stunning shots of Japanese landscape. Seeing the whole choreography together with all 5 members and their outfits, it looked even more spectacular than when Yeonghwa taught him it in the private practice room.

All 5 looked amazing but Yunho was just in awe over Yeonghwa effortlessly dancing, her powerful dance moves and emotive facial expressions. Even when sharing the scene with 4 other people she commanded it.

As the dance break begins he find himself mimicking the dance moves she taught him with his arms and upper body as he sat on his seat. All 5 members are in perfect sync with one another but the signature move of the backwards handstand into splits was Yeonghwas solo move as the 4 members stood around her, as she gets to her feet they continues the rest of the choreography together to the end.

When the final notes faded out and the screen goes black, Yunho sits motionless for a few moments, processing what he had just watched. His heart is still racing but has calmed down slightly. He feels a sense of pride for Yeonghwas performance on the video, she looked amazing, her dance moves were flawless and her rap solos were jaw dropping while her backing vocals on the track were noticeable.

The entire performance was incredible, showcasing the effort each member had invested. However, Yunho feels especially proud of Yeonghwa, knowing how she had juggled her schoolwork and additional solo commitments while working tirelessly for this comeback.

He is so excited for the upcoming music show performances of it now, the first one being aired in a few hours. Although he had a dance practice scheduled after school, San - a huge fan of Moonlight, had mentioned he would watch the performance during a break, so Yunho intended to join him. They were also going to meet the new potential trainee.

It was going to be a busy evening but he felt a jolt of motivation to work harder. He looked up at the clock and quickly realised he had to go to Mingis school for their usual lunch and he had spent 10 minutes of his 1 hour lunch break staring at his phone and thinking of Yeonghwa.

“Shit!” he mumbles pushing his school books into his bag and running out the classroom, praying Mingi wouldn’t be annoyed at him running late.

As he runs outside the building, he slips on the light snow that had started to fall during the morning. It was nearly the end of November and the weather had turned cold quickly. Yunho had been so focused on school work and making sure he made diligent notes for Yeonghwa too that he hadn’t noticed the snow begin from the window beside his desk. He pulls his blazer tighter around his body as the cold hits him. Instantly regretting not taking his coat with him that morning, however most of his things were now packed as he and the other trainees were moving into their dorm that in a couple of days.

Yunho moved from Gwangju to Seoul after transferring to the Seoul dance academy, where he met Mingi. Though initially in separate branches, they became fast friends during joint meetings. So Yunho seized the chance to move to Seoul when he was offered a transfer. He had wanted to be closer to Mingi but also to be in a city with more opportunities to do what he loved and live with his grandparents. Earlier that year, he auditioned for KQ and was pleasantly surprised to find Mingi there too. They both knew they were going to auditions but neither said for which company so it was a happy surprise when Mingi walked into the training room that day!

Initially, it was just Hongjoong, Yunho, and Mingi, but San soon joined then. His next goal was to apply for SOPA and was overjoyed to be accepted into the program as he had wanted to train there for years. With Seonghwa recruited and a potential new trainee, Yunho was pleased when the CEO announced they would have a dorm.

Yunho had loved living with his grandparents and getting to spend that time with them but he also could not wait for dorm life. It meant they could all bond better, their day schedules would be separate as they all attended different schools but when it came to coming and going from practice they would be together now.

“Where were you?” Mingis deep voice booms across the small cafe as Yunho eventually runs into it.

“Sorry, I was… uh.. held up after class.” he replies falling into the seat opposite his friend who has already ordered

Yunho didn't want to admit to Mingi that his tardiness was due to watching Moonlight's music video. He hadn't shared his friendship with her with anyone yet, not even his grandparents. He could picture Hongjoongs disapproving look at Yunho being friends with a girl, San was a huge Moonlight fan and would likely lose his cool if he found out, but Yunho also felt she deserved her privacy. Even though Yunho had repeatedly suggested that Yeonghwa join him and Mingi for lunch, he hadn't revealed to Mingi the identity of his new friend at SOPA, leaving Mingi unaware. If Yeonghwa decides to join them, Yunho would inform Mingi about her identity and make him promise to keep it a secret. Until then, Yunho intended to stay silent.

“Well I ordered food.” Mingi replies pointing to the food laden table, “And I don’t want to hear any shit about you paying me back! It is the least I can do when you drag your ass all the way over here everyday just so I don’t have to eat alone.”

“You know I don’t mind it.” Yunho says

“Guess it beats eating lunch with the asshole SOPA crowds!” Mingi laughs

Yunho feels his stomach lurch. While Mingi is slightly correct, most of the students at the school were in fact assholes there were a few ones who weren’t. Yeonghwa being the main one, but during her days away from school he had made somewhat acquaintances with some of the other fellow trainees. He didn’t want to hang around with them the way he did with Yeonghwa though.

Everyone was wary of her, there wasn’t one person who liked her except Yunho. Most made inappropriate comments, while others kept their distance, intimidated by her idol status or misconceptions about her. Many thought she was egotistical and spoiled, without any proof but the majority were jealous she was already achieving what they wanted. In reality, Yunho found her to be the opposite: genuinely kind, caring, and inquisitive about his life and training. She wasn't spoiled or bossy at all.

When they were alone, she felt at ease, and her voice shifted away from what Yunho thought of as the 'Aria voice.' Her natural tone was deeper, similar to her rapping voice. As Aria, however, she used a high-pitched, almost childlike tone, a result of years of extensive coaching to make her sound cuter. Around him, her Jeolla dialect, which matched his own, emerged more frequently, evoking memories of home for him.

Deep down he could see how she longed to be ‘normal’, to be treated like a regular person and not some circus freak. He noticed the people in class and around the school looking at her, whispering, taking sneaky photos of her and he saw the pain in her eyes whenever it happened. She never said anything or complained, but he could see it upset her, which is why he often used his height a lot of the time in an attempt to shield her from it as much as he could.

“So Hongjoong called me this morning before I left for school…” Mingi says with a mouthful of noodles

“Oh?” Yunho responds, pulling his thoughts away from Yeonghwa, “He didn’t call me.”

“He tried but your grandmother told him you had already left for school early. Anyway he wants a meeting as soon as we all arrive at the company after school. Something about this new potential trainee coming tonight.” he answers, “He wants us all on our best behaviour! ‘Just act like normal human beings for once in your lives and not your weird selves!’” he adds imitating Hongjoong while scrunching his face

“Probably!” Yunho laughs loudly nearly spitting out his food "Hongjoong really does think we're a bunch of wild animals.”

“I mean, is he wrong?” Mingi shrugs his shoulders "Remember when San tried to do that back flip off the practice room couch and nearly broke the couch?"

Yunho chokes on his drink. "Or when Hongjoong found you hiding in the storage closet eating ramen at 1 AM during that overnight practice. Your face was priceless," he laughs. "You looked like a raccoon caught digging through trash."

"Hey! I was starving! That tiny hyung had us practising for six hours straight!" Mingi defends himself, pointing his chopsticks accusingly. "Not all of us can survive on determination and spite like him."

Yunho wipes his mouth, still chuckling. "I swear he's part robot. I've never seen him actually sleep."

"Who needs sleep when you can compose?" Mingi mimics Hongjoong's serious face before breaking into a grin. "So, any idea who this new trainee might be?"

Yunho shrugs, pushing his food around. "No clue. Just hope they're not another perfectionist. We've got enough of that with Seonghwa and Hongjoong."

"God, can you imagine? Three of them?" Mingi groans dramatically, clutching his chest. "I'd never get away with leaving my socks on the floor again."

"You shouldn't be doing that anyway, you nasty bas-"

"Like you're any better!" Mingi cuts him off. "I've seen your room at your grandparents. It looks like a clothing bomb went off."

Yunho's ears turns red. "That's... different. I was packing."

"For three months?" Mingi raises an eyebrow. “Lets just hope you are cleaner when we move into the dorm this weekend.”

"Shut up and eat your food," Yunho mutters, kicking him under the table.

Mingi winces but keeps his shit-eating grin. "So how's the fancy school treating you? Made any friends besides this mysterious lunch-ditcher you keep mentioning?"

"It's... fine. You know how it is. Everyone's too busy trying to be the next big thing."

"Except you, obviously," Mingi teases. "You're just tall."

"Can't help genetics," Yunho shot back. "Unlike you, who needs platform shoes to reach the top shelf."

"I do NOT wear platform-" Mingi starts indignantly, then caught Yunho's smirk. "Asshole."

"Takes one to know one."

Yunho checks his phone, trying to be subtle, but Mingi caught him.

"Waiting for something? Or someone?" Mingi wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

"Just checking the time," Yunho lies, quickly pocketing his phone. He'd been checking to see if Moonlight's video had gained anymore views yet.

"Sure, sure," Mingi drawls. "Anyway, Hongjoong told me to tell you to go straight to the company after school, ‘fed up of that boy always being late after school!’."

Yunho blushes slightly, the reason it takes him longer than usual to get to the company is he liked to wait with Yeonghwa until her manager picked her up. She usually waited until everyone had left before she went out in an attempt to avoid the crowds and he didn’t like leaving her alone in the classroom. “The buses from the school are always full, I need to wait like 7 buses before I can get on one!” he lies

“You wouldn’t want to miss Hongjoongs all important meeting!” Mingi continues

"Or the Moonlight performance," Yunho blurts before he could stop himself.

Mingi pauses mid-bite. "You follow them too? I thought San and Seonghwa were the only ones with the girl group obsession."

"I don't… I mean… they're just really good dancers," Yunho stammers, feeling his face heat up. "Professional research, you know?"

"Uh-huh," Mingi nods slowly, a mischievous smile spreading across his face. "Professional. Research. Got it."

"Fuck off," Yunho mutters, throwing a napkin at Mingi's face. "So, uh... what do you think the company has planned for us this weekend when we move into the dorm?" he asks, hoping to steer Mingi's teasing away

"Not sure," Mingi shrugs, popping a piece of meat into his mouth. "I do know that Seonghwa will have us deep cleaning the entire dorm though and probably have a cleaning schedule made up too! You’ve seen how bad he is in the dance practice room, imagine what he is like at home!”

“To be honest that wouldn’t be a bad thing, we are all pretty messy and probably need someone to keep on our asses about being clean.” Yunho says finishing up his food

“He really is obsessed with the cleaning. Did you see him cleaning the mirrors yesterday? He looked horrified at how dirty the water was after the first wipe.” Mingi laughs

“Can you blame him? I don’t think those mirrors in the practice room have ever been cleaned! I know none of us has!” he replies

“That’s true!” Mingi nods

As Yunho and Mingi finish their lunch, they part ways, promising to meet up at the company later. Yunho checks his phone one last time before putting it away. The video has surpassed 10 million views in just 4 hours! He feels a surge of pride for Yeonghwa and her group, and he can’t resist any longer.

Yunho: Hey Yeong! Congrats on the music video hitting 10M!! The MV is so good, you nailed that choreo! I’ll be watching the comeback performance later on. Fighting!!

He knows she’ll be too busy to check her phone but wanted to let her know that he watched the video and loved it.

The rest of his school day goes by quickly and before he knows it he is stepping on to the bus to the company building. As he finds a seat at the back and settles into it, Yunho pulls out his phone again, refreshing Moonlight's page. The number had continued to climb steadily - 12.5 million now! He smiles proudly to himself as he reads through the comments but his smile fades when he reads one -

‘that company clearly favours Aria. Making her the thumbnail when her performance this comeback was so shit!’

He goes on to read more comments.

‘Her dancing was a mess, rapping was awful, and her outfits?! Disgusting!!’

‘She gained so much weight. Are the stylists blind? How could they even think of squeezing her fat ass into those tight outfits?!’

‘I hope she falls on her ass during the performances, they should have gave that dance move to someone who can pull it off like Misty.’

‘You can tell her bandmates fucking hate her.’

Yunho clenches his fists, his knuckles turning white as he stares at the cruel comments attacking Yeonghwa. A surge of protective rage floods through him, his heart aching for his friend who didn't deserve this vicious bullying.

"That's it, I've had enough of this crap," Yunho mutters under his breath, jabbing at his phone screen with a vengeance. He began furiously typing out a scathing retort to the vile commenters:

‘How dare you critique Aria’s weight and appearance like that?! She's a talented, hardworking idol who pours her heart into every performance. Her body is none of your damn business! She is a minor and you are an adult talking about her body! And her dancing was on point - you obviously have no clue what you're talking about if you think she messed up. Aria is an integral part of Moonlight and her bandmates clearly love her. You're just pathetic trolls spewing nasty personal attacks because you have nothing better to do with your life. Grow up and get a hobby that doesn't involve bullying idols.’

Satisfied with his scathing riposte, Yunho hits send before pausing. He knows Yeonghwa reads comments on videos. After her strict no eating policy in the lead up to the comeback, he knew the weight comments would hit her the hardest and he also had a feeling her company was harder on her because of them. It was madness to him as she was so petite naturally and a lot slimmer in person than he had realised.

The day in the private practice room when she nearly fell over and he instinctively held onto her waist to steady her, his hands easy fit around it, his fingers almost connecting on either side and he felt her hip bones. Yunho was already concerned about her restricting her food intake for the upcoming comeback, but he worried that reading negative comments could have a more lasting impact on her. Knowing she often read comments about the band, he hoped she would encounter the supportive words from genuine Moonlight fans and realise that not everyone believed the harsh rumours about her. He begins to report every negative comment he can see for the rest of the journey.

As Yunho exits the bus, he feels lighter knowing he had stood up for his friend in a some small way. His company building comes into view as he rounds the corner and he spots San squatting down to tie his shoelaces. His giant backpack almost completely hiding his small frame. Yunho sneaks up behind him and as San stands up, he grabs his waist and shouts ‘boo’ causing the young boy to scream loudly.

San's scream echoes through the small street, causing several passersby to turn their heads. He whips around, clutching his chest dramatically.

"What the actual fuck, Yunho?!" San gasps, eyes wide. "I think my soul just left my body!"

Yunho doubles over with laughter, slapping his knee. "Your face! Oh my god, your face!"

"Yeah, laugh it up," San grumbles, adjusting his backpack. "See if I share my snacks with you during practice."

"Aw, come on," Yunho says, throwing an arm around San's shoulders. "Your screams are like music to my ears."

Yunho had bonded instantly with San when he joined the company, he felt a sense of protectiveness over the young boy. He was petite in size, had a baby face despite only being a couple of months younger than Yunho, had an innocent outlook on the world and he could barely dance but his vocals were out of this world. However, San always worked harder and longer than everyone on his dancing to make up for it and both Yunho, Hongjoong and Mingi could see the determination and potential in him so Yunho made it his mission to help him with the dancing aspect.

"I hate you so much right now." San shrugs off Yunho's arm, but there's a small smile tugging at his lips.

“I know you love me!” Yunho grins in response

They walk through the entrance of the small building, scanning their trainee ID cards.

"So," San says with a mischievous look creeping on his face, "Mingi texted me that you're a secret Moonlight fan? Interesting development."

Yunho nearly trips over his own feet. "What? No… I mean… it's not like that."

"Your phone screen is literally still open to their YouTube page," San points out, gesturing to the phone in Yunho's hand. “Which you better hide before Hongjoong sees it!”

“Shit!” Yunho quickly shoves his phone into his pocket. "I was just... appreciating their choreography."

"Mm-hmm, and I'm just 'appreciating' Mistys vocals," San air-quotes with a smirk. "Come on, admit it! You've fallen into the Moonlight black hole just like me and Seonghwa hyung."

"You're delusional," Yunho mutters, pressing the elevator button with more force than necessary.

"Says the guy who just wrote a novel-length defence of Aria in the YouTube comments," San retorts, leaning against the wall with a knowing look.

Yunho freezes. "How did you-"

"I follow the comments section like a hawk," San shrugs. "Plus, your username is literally 'JYunho99.' Not exactly incognito, genius."

The elevator doors open, and Yunho steps in, wishing he could disappear into the floor. "Those comments were bullshit. They don't know what they're talking about."

San's teasing expression softens. "Hey, I get it. The hate she gets is ridiculous. I've been reporting those comments all morning during lessons."

“Really?” Yunho asks surprised

"Of course! Moonlight deserves better than that toxic crap," San says earnestly. "Especially Aria. Did you see that backwards handstand into splits she did? Absolutely insane."

Yunho can't help the smile that spreads across his face. "Yeah, it was pretty awesome."

"‘Pretty awesome’? It was god-tier!" San exclaims, bouncing on his toes. "I've been trying to figure out how she does it without breaking her spine. My back hurts just thinking about it."

"You'd need years of practice and probably some superhuman flexibility," Yunho says, remembering how Yeonghwa had patiently taught the technique to him until he had mastered it.

"Or black magic," San nods seriously. "I'm leaning toward black magic."

The elevator dings, and they step out onto their practice floor.

"By the way," San says, lowering his voice as they approach the practice room, "I set an alarm to watch their music show comeback stage later. Wanna join?"

"Already planning on it," Yunho admits.

San's face lights up. “It will be so good to have another Stardust around!”

“Who is a Stardust?” Seonghwa voice comes suddenly from behind them

“Yunho!” San grins, “He has saw the light with Moonlight and decided to join the Stardust fandom!” Yunho can feel his ears turning red once more, “He also already has a bias!”

“San!” Yunho groans as the three of them walk into dance practice room to see Mingi and Hongjoong already there

“Oh who is it?” Seonghwa asks excited, “No, let me guess!! Is it Jinni?!”

“Nope!” San shakes his head

"Areum?" Seonghwa guesses again, leaning against the practice room mirror.

"Not even close," San snickers, dropping his backpack on the floor.

"Oh come on," Yunho groans, "can we not do this right now?"

"Do what?" Hongjoong asks, looking up from his notebook where he'd been scribbling what looked like lyrics.

"Yunho's got a thing for Aria from Moonlight." San answers

"I do not have a 'thing'!" Yunho protests, his voice cracking embarrassingly. "I just think she's talented… they all are!"

“Helps that she is cute, adorable, full of aegyo, pocket sized and koreas princess!” Mingi says with a massive grin on his face

“Oh could you imagine the two of them side by side! She is so tiny and he is so tall, they’d look cute together!” Seonghwa grins

Yunho can feel his ears getting hot and red. Little did they know he has been side by side with her multiple times and her small height compared to him is one of the things he likes most.

"Plus he wrote an essay defending her honour in the YouTube comments," San adds, taking off his school tie.

Seonghwa's eyebrows shoot up. "Oh? Our Yunho, getting into fan wars online?"

"It wasn't a fan war," Yunho mutters, dropping his bag and avoiding everyone's eyes. "People were being assholes."

“Wait.. how were you able to write in the comments?” Hongjoong asks Yunho his eyebrows lowering before he looks over at San, “And how did you know?”

Yunho and San exchange silent glances at one another. Neither of them can reveal their secret phones to him or he’ll take them away.

“School computers!” San replies with a nonchalant shrug

Hongjoong closes his notebook with a snap. "As fascinating as Yunho's idol crush is-"

"It's not a crush!"

"-we have more important things to discuss," Hongjoong continues, ignoring Yunho's interruption. "The new trainee is coming soon, and I need you all to behave like functioning human beings for once."

"Define 'functioning'," San smirks.

"No screaming, no weird jokes, no random dance battles, no talking of excessive cleaning routines, and for god's sake, no one mention the time Mingi got stuck in the bathroom stall," Hongjoong lists off, pointing at each of them in turn.

"The lock was faulty!" Mingi protests

"Anyway," Hongjoong cuts in before they can derail further, "this kid could be our future member, and we really want him so first impressions matter."

“Do we know much about him?” Seonghwa asks

“All I know is that he is coming from Big Hit, I don’t know the reason why he is leaving them but there are many companies competing for him so he is a big deal!” Hongjoong says, “If we can show him he’d be a great fit here then we have a chance of him picking us.”

“But if there are so many companies after him, why would he pick an unknown small one like us?” Yunho asks

“It is true these bigger ones have more advantages and opportunities than us but what we can do is give him the attention to learn and become who he wants to. Less people means more attention for what the individual needs.” he answers, “So we need to be welcoming and professional, show him we are serious about this and him.”

“So, to recap - Yunho is a secret Stardust with a crush on the maknae,” San begins as Yunho rolls his eyes while he takes off his yellow SOPA blazer, “Mingi claims the lock was faulty in the bathroom which is how he got locked in there for nearly an hour, and we’ve to be normal!”

“Pretty much.” Hongjoong replies, “Now lets get changed and warm up for this practice, he will be here in an hour.”

They all make their way to the changing room. Yunho catches himself checking the time on the wall clock, it was 2 hours until Moonlight's first performance for this comeback. He was hoping that he could watch it live and not on a replay.

As Yunho enters the changing room, he feels his phone buzzing in his pocket. He swiftly heads to the restroom, locks the door, and takes out his phone. A broad smile spreads across his face when he sees the hamster emoji on his message notification, his hidden contact name for Yeonghwa.

Yeonghwa: ‘I’ll work extra harder on todays performance, show everyone the best side of me.’

Yunho knows shes read the comments online and his heart drops. He stares at the phone, wondering how to respond when he sees she is currently typing something. He waits with batted breathe for her message to come through as he hears Hongjoong tell Mingi to stop messing around and get changed, knowing he will be getting scolded next he quickly changes out of his school clothes and into sweats when the message pops up.

Yeonghwa: ‘And thank you for your message.’ Yunho: You will do well. San, Seonghwa and I will be watching and cheering you on!’

“Lets go everyone!” Hongjoong shouts

Yunho stares at his phone, his thumbs hovering over the keyboard debating sending a second message.

Yunho: ‘I missed you today.’

He sends before quickly adding

Yunho: ‘at school I mean!’

His heart is racing at his impulsive actions. He can feel beads of sweat gather on his brow as he rereads what he just wrote.

Yeonghwa: ‘I miss you too…’

His heart skips a beat as he stares at his phone,

Yeonghwa: ‘at school.’

Yunho's cheeks heat up as he stares at the message, his stomach doing a weird flip. Was she flirting? Was he flirting? Were they both just being friendly? He has no idea, but he can't stop smiling like an idiot.

“Yunho, now!!” Hongjoong shouts again, “Unless you’ve pulled a Mingi and gotten yourself locked in there!”

“Yah!” comes Mingis loud voice from the hallway, “The lock was faulty!!”

“I’ll be a second!” he shouts back as Hongjoong mumbles something before walking out, leaving the changing room now empty

Yunho grins at his phone, fingers tapping rapidly.

Yunho: 'Good luck on your performance. Knock 'em dead (but not literally, that would be bad for your reputation)'

Three dots appear immediately.

Yeonghwa: 'Thanks. My manager is glaring at me. Gotta go soon to get my makeup done. They're putting actual CRYSTALS on my face. The glue they use for stage performance is brutal! Pray for my skin!!' Yunho: 'RIP your pores. Fighting!' Yeonghwa: 'What are you doing right now?' Yunho: 'About to do dance practice. New potential trainee coming to interview. Hongjoong's having a meltdown.' Yeonghwa: ‘That is normal. It is like a requirement for leaders to be having a meltdown. Haneul has had 7 so far today…. wait make that 8, she’s just spilled water on her top! Manager-nim is no longer glaring at me now! haha’

Yunho laughs loudly before clamping his hand over his mouth to muffle the sound then sees more dots appear.

Yeonghwa: 'Make sure you stretch properly before practice. Don't want you pulling something before our next dance session.'

His heart does that stupid flutter thing again.

Yunho: 'Aww, are you worried about me?' Yeonghwa: ‘Just don't want to waste my teaching skills on an injured pupil.'

Yunho's thumbs hover over the keyboard. Yunho: 'I'll be extra careful then. Can't disappoint my favourite dance teacher.' Yeonghwa: 'Smart boy. Better than all those SOPA kids who can't tell their left from right.'

The bathroom door rattles suddenly, making Yunho nearly drop his phone as he hadn’t heard anyone come back into the changing area.

"Yunho-ya!" Seonghwa's voice calls through the door. "Hongjoong's about to blow a gasket. Are you alive in there?"

"Yeah, just… uh… stomach issues!" Yunho calls back, wincing at his lame excuse.

He can practically hear Seonghwa's eyeroll. "Well, hurry up. Staff member has just said the new kid's just arrived. CEO changed his appointment time and didn’t bother telling us."

"Shit, really?" Yunho says, his heart jumping for a different reason now

“Yeah, Hongjoong is freaking so come on so he can give us another pep talk on acting normal before we meet the guy.” Seonghwa says before leaving the changing room,

Yunho quickly sends one last text.

Yunho: 'Gotta run! New guys here early. I’ll try to message you tonight when I get home… let you know what you missed at school today.’ Yeonghwa: ‘Good luck with the new guy! Remember to stretch properly and drink lots of water! oh and eat a banana afterwards! Training, fighting!!’

With a smile and a final look at the messages, Yunho tucks it back into his bag, feeling a renewed sense of determination and motivation. As he exits the changing room and goes back to the practice hall, he knows that no matter how busy their lives may be, their connection will always be a source of strength and support between one another. With a sense of contentment, he looks forward to the moments they will share, both in person and through their messages, knowing that their friendship is only growing with each passing day.

⭑2020⭑

A week has passed since the award show. Yeonghwa had managed to get Yunhos number via her manager who knew someone who knew one of Ateezs managers. ‘It was a whole who-knows-who thing!’ her manager had laughed when she handed the number over to Yeonghwa.

She attempted to text him several times to set up the coffee meeting, but each time her thumb lingered over the 'send' button, a surge of nausea would wash over her, prompting her to delete the message. Was she truly ready to let him back into her life? What if the coffee meeting turned into a disaster? Or even more complicated, what if it went smoothly and everything became chaotic?

After she walked out of his dorm that night, Yunhos excruciating sobs ringing in her ears, his heartbroken face burned into her brain, and Mingis words hitting her hard, she walked to Han River. She craved a moment of solitude before returning to her own dorm to face her roommates. The thought of their disappointed and judgmental looks was unbearable. However, as she stood on the bridge gazing at the water, the weight of her actions struck her hard—the harsh words she uttered and the pain she inflicted became all too real.

The water below had appeared so serene that she almost envied it, and before she realised it, she had scaled the railing. In a matter of seconds, she was forcibly pulled back and slammed onto the concrete ground by a man who pinned her down, shouting at her. She couldn't hear his words, it felt like she was in the water, drowning, everything was muffled but she knew it was her manager. His rough handling of her left a cut on her cheek and bruises on her arms and legs, which only angered her company further. They belittled her for being reckless and for creating additional work for the makeup artists who now had to conceal her injuries. Instead of showing concern for her mental state or attempting to help her after her actions, their primary worry was how it affected them.

Afterwards, Yeonghwa buried her pain deep inside, locking it away securely. She understood that she couldn't allow herself to think about him again, fearing she might repeat her past actions. Her bandmates were supportive, though their reactions differed to the situation with Yunho. Haneul and Jinni were annoyed that she had gotten involved with someone, while Areum and Misty showed her compassion. Despite their differing views on the situation, all four agreed that Yeonghwa needed help, and if the company wouldn't provide it, they would step in. They kept a close watch on her, ensuring she was never left alone. Although she realised their intentions were well-meaning, she felt suffocated—caught between the company, her well meaning bandmates and keeping her pain at bay.

Initially it was easy for Yeonghwa to put her feelings aside, the company had took away her phone so if had tried to contact her she wasn’t seeing any of it, she didn’t see him anymore as they’d both graduated school and she was busy with work. But then all that was ruined when one night in the company building as she was rehearsing for an upcoming solo schedule she had, Yunhos voice floated through the quiet corridor, his hearty laugh and her heart fluttered and her legs nearly gave out.

It had been months since she last heard him, heard his infectious laughter and she had quickly followed the noise. Her body unconsciously seeking him out, down the corridor and into a small room. There she saw some staff members watching TV and there he was. Dancing in a practice room at KQ with Hongjoong and Mingi, a room that Yeonghwa had visited a couple of times. That was the night she learned that he was preparing to debut and they had filmed a show about it called Code Name is Ateez.

She struggled to suppress her feelings and, instead of practicing, found herself searching for details of Ateez's debut and watching their dance videos online. She couldn't resist watching him dance, feeling proud of his solo performance and their upcoming debut, but an unbearable pain struck her, and she dropped her iPad. He was no longer in that box. In the following weeks, she tried to move on, but on the debut day, she secretly watched their performance and music video. Hidden in the closet, she cried tears of happiness and pain.

Every new music video, every comeback, she followed it all. She was so happy that he, and his fellow members had finally debuted and were slowly doing well in the industry but it made her long for him once more and those feelings she’d buried deep were coming back again. Her members could see her inner turmoil and tried to be around her more, keeping a very close eye on her mental wellbeing. None of them wanted her going back to that dark place again. Misty and Areum were the only ones to know she was watching every performance though.

It wasn’t until award season of 2019/2020 that they finally came to be in the same room. She tried not to look at him, especially infront of eagle eyed fans who filmed everything. Just a glance in a male idols direction can cause a scandal and she did well until the award show last week when Ateez and Moonlight were seated side by side.

“Ya, what you doing?” a voice from behind her causes her to jump and drop her phone on the hardwood floor

“Misty!!!” Yeonghwa growls picking it up

“Just text him!” she replies sinking onto the floor beside her

Yeonghwa had yet another message typed out to send him and had spent the past few minutes staring at it. She had been so focused on the device in her hand and the memories of Yunho holding her hand, remembering all over again how tiny her hand was in his, his forehead pressed against hers from the week before that she hadn’t even heard Misty enter the empty dance practice room.

"Text who?" Yeonghwa asks, pretending to be clueless.

"You know, that very tall and handsome guy from the rookie group who was eyeing you last week," Misty responds with a mischievous grin.

"I have no clue who or what you're even referring to!" Yeonghwa retorts, deleting the message and locking her phone before stretching her arms above her head.

“Don’t try to play dumb with me Hwa!” she says as she begins her own stretching routine, “Areum told me about your little rendezvous with Yunho.”

“Shut up!” Yeonghwa snaps her head to look at her, “Don’t say that! Haneul will fucking kill me if she knew!”

"I haven't told her, and Areum won't either. Jinni's in the dark too. So relax!" Misty says, her teasing tone quickly disappearing as she notices the fear in Yeonghwa's eyes. "Want to tell me how it went when you talked to him again?"

"Weird," Yeonghwa replies, tugging at a loose thread on her leggings. "It was awkward at first, but then we slipped back into our old ways so quickly. The banter we used to have, him teasing me about my height, and me doing the same to him..." A small smile appears on Yeonghwa's face, mirrored by Misty, who is pleased to see her younger friend looking happy. But then Yeonghwa's smile fades. "Then he asked me out for coffee."

“Coffee?” Misty asks, stretching her legs and leaning forwards between them so her chest was flat on the floor

"'Just as friends... no pressure!'" Yeonghwa says, using air quotes to mimic Yunho's words.

“And what did you say?”

“Well after trying hard to resist, I ended up agreeing to one coffee.” she sighs

“One coffee?”

“ONE coffee!” Yeonghwa shoots her a look, “Then Mingi showed up.”

“That fucking dude!” Misty rolls her eyes sitting upright and twisting to the side, “He is such a jerk!”

“Mingi is just… protective of Yunho. I can’t blame him for reacting the way he did.” Yeonghwa sighs

“And how exactly did he react?” Misty raises an eyebrow, her jaw tightening

Yeonghwa grimaces, picking at her leggings more aggressively now. "He pulled Yunho away from me like I was some kind of disease. Called me a bitch right to my face."

"He fucking what?" Misty's stretching halted immediately, her face contorting with rage. "That lanky piece of-"

"I kind of had it coming," Yeonghwa interrupts, shaking her head. "After what I did to Yunho."

"No, fuck that." Misty was now fully upright, her stretching completely abandoned. "I don't care what happened between you two. That doesn't give Mingi the right to call you names like you're nothing."

Yeonghwa let out a sigh, resting her head against the mirrored wall. "That's not even the worst part."

"What could be worse than-"

"Yunho shoved him."

Misty's jaw drops. "He did what?"

"He physically shoved him. Hard. It looked like they were about to start a fight right there in the hallway." Yeonghwa rakes her fingers through her hair, further disarraying her already messy ponytail. "I've never seen Yunho like that. He was... Oh my God, he was furious. His face was all red and-"

"Shit," Misty mumbles. "What happened next?"

“Hongjoong showed up, thank fuck!” Yeonghwa closes her eyes, the memory still fresh. “He told them both to go back to the waiting room then simply told me to stay away from Yunho.”

“Shit!” Misty repeats, “So you’re telling me..” she scoots closer, “that Yunho, the most calmest man on the planet almost fought his best friend over you!”

“Don’t say it like that!”

"Like what? Like he's still clearly hung up on you?"

Yeonghwa groans. "This is why I can't text him. It's all too messy already. Previous emotions are still too raw."

"Or maybe," Misty nudges her with an elbow, "it's proof you should text him. Yunho's not the fighting type. If he was ready to throw down with his bestie, that coffee date means more to him than just catching up."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of," Yeonghwa mutters, picking up her phone again. "What if I hurt him again? What if the company finds out? What if-"

“Kim Yeonghwa!!” Misty says firmly, instantly causing her mouth to clamp shut, “Sorry to use your full name but I had to shut you up and stop you from spiralling.”

Yeonghwa swallows hard and nods, taking a deep breath to steady herself.

“Our new company… it isn’t like the old one. That place almost killed you…” her voice falters slightly but she quickly regains her composure, “what they forced you do to Yunho, and to yourself. I hated it. You know I did. We all did.”

Yeonghwa closes her eyes, biting the inside of her lip as painful memories flood her mind.

“They blackmailed you. An innocent teenager. Maybe if you told Yunho he’d underst….”

“No!!” Yeonghwa interrupts firmly “Yunho can never know what our old company did or what they planned to do to him! Never!!”

“But Yeon…”

“I said no Miyeon!” The mention of Mistys Korean name stops her in her tracks. It was rare for her bandmates, or anyone to call her that. Unlike Yeonghwa, she liked her stage name. She knew when someone called her Miyeon, it meant they were serious. “I love you like a sister but I swear to god if you or anyone else tells him the truth, I will hate you and I’ll leave.”

“Okay, I won’t say anymore about that.” Misty nods softly "You're scared, I get it. But sometimes you've got to pull your head out of your ass and just do it."

"Poetic," Yeonghwa mutters before letting out a small laugh

“That is why you and Haneul are the talented songwriters and I am just here to provide a pretty face and some comedy!!” she replies, “But seriously, you’ve spoken to him and he’s spoken to you. If he seriously hated you, he wouldn’t have and he wouldn’t have asked for coffee either and he certainly would not have pushed Mingi.”

"Why is everything so fucking complicated?" she whines, staring up at the ceiling. “What if it blows up in my face? What if he wants to meet so he can just tell me to my face how-”

"What if you stop overthinking for five fucking seconds and just see what happens?" Misty grabs the phone from beside Yeonghwa. "One coffee. That's all you agreed to. Not marriage, not getting back together. Just coffee."

"Hey!" Yeonghwa lunges for it, but Misty rolls away, already typing.

"'Hi you sexy handsome tall man,'" Misty reads aloud as she types, "'I've been staring at my phone for a week trying to work up the nerve to text you but I kept getting distracted when I thought of your face and sexy ass-'"

"I will murder you in your sleep!" Yeonghwa scrambles to her knees, diving at Misty who shrieks and rolls again.

"'-I cannot wait to see you again. How's tomorrow at 2? There's a place near-’"

"MIYEON I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD-" Yeonghwa finally tackles her, wrestling for the phone.

"And... send!" Misty grins triumphantly, holding the phone out of reach.

Yeonghwa freezes. "You didn't."

"I absolutely did."

"Give me my phone." Yeonghwas voice is icy cold as she stares blankly at her member

Misty hands it over with a smug smile. "You'll thank me later."

Yeonghwa snatches it out her hands, frantically opening her messages to see what damage Misty had done. Her eyes widen as she reads it. "You... you actually wrote something normal."

Yeonghwa: ‘Hi Yunho, it’s Yeonghwa. Sorry for the delay, we’ve been busy with tour prep. Are you still on for coffee? Let me know.’

"What, you thought I'd sabotage you?" Misty looks offended

"I literally just watched you try to type out a confession!"

"I wouldn't actually do that," she insists, her voice carrying a playful lilt despite the sincerity in her eyes. "Sure, I'd joke about it, just to watch you squirm - it's entertaining, after all! But I'd never really go through with it!" Her expression softens, a gentle understanding lighting up her features. "I understand how much Yunho means to you. He was your first love, the first real crush that made your heart race. He was your first kiss, and you shared something deeply intimate with him when you both lost your virginity to one another."

“Misty!!” Yeonghwa groans covering her face in embarrassment, “I should never have told you that!”

“Hey, I was your alibi for that night back in our dorm remember?” Misty giggles lightly pulling her hands away, “I had to sit in a cafe for 3 hours until you text to say Yunho was walking you home so we could walk into the dorm together as if we had been doing cardio practice like we told Haneul!”

Yeonghwa groans and drops her head onto Misty's shoulder. "Don't remind me. I thought I was going to have a heart attack when Haneul looked at me when we walked in. I thought she knew just by looking at me that I had just lost my virginity."

“Well your hair was looking particularly wild when got home!” Misty laughs, “It was when she asked why you were walking weird though and you told her without missing a beat you pulled a muscle doing a tricky position! I nearly died holding in my laughter at the ‘tricky position’.”

“Well I had just lost my virginity to a guy who made me realise the tall man, big feet myth was in fact very true!! Anyone would be walking funny after that!” Yeonghwa joins in with the laughter

“I guess technically your weren’t lying as a position is what gave you that injury!” Misty grins as their laughter dies down, "And for what it's worth, I never told anyone about catching you two in the practice room that time."

"Oh my god, I thought we both agreed to never discuss the practice room incident again," Yeonghwa whines, dropping her head into her hands. "I wanted to literally die when you walked in."

"Please, the look on Yunho's face was priceless. Like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar… or should I say, up your shirt." Misty wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.

"Stop!" Yeonghwa shoves her playfully. "I had just convinced him we wouldn't get caught. 'No one uses this practice room after ten,' I said. 'We'll be fine,' I said."

"And then BAM! Enter Misty, looking for her forgotten water bottle." Misty claps her hands together dramatically. "The way he jumped away from you like you were suddenly made of lava."

“It wasn’t like we were doing anything, just kissing!” Yeonghwa says chuckles despite herself feeling embarrassed again

"With his hand up your shirt and you sitting on his lap?" Misty raises an eyebrow. “And then tried to act all casual like, 'Oh, hey Misty, we were just... stretching.' A revolutionary new stretching technique," she adds with mock seriousness. "Highly effective for... certain muscles."

They both dissolve into laughter again, Yeonghwa's earlier anxiety momentarily forgotten as she leans against the practice room wall.

"God, we were so stupid back then," Yeonghwa sighs, wiping at her eyes. "Sneaking around, thinking we were so slick."

"You weren't slick at all," Misty snort. "Haneul and Jinni might not have caught on, but Areum and I knew something was up when you started wearing his hoodie to practice and claiming it was 'just something you picked up at a store’ and ‘was trying a new style.’"

"What?! You knew about that too?" Yeonghwa's jaw drops.

“Oh come on, the hoodie was like down to your knees and 3 times too big! It was obvious, except to Haneul and Jinni clearly!”

"Why didn't you say anything?" she asks

"Because unlike our company at the time, we weren't complete monsters." Misty's tone shifts slightly, a hint of the old anger surfacing. "And you were happy. Actually fucking happy for once, not just that plastic smile you'd put on for the cameras."

Yeonghwa swallows hard, looking down at her phone where the sent message to Yunho still sat unanswered.

“Look don’t worry about our company. They aren’t like our old one, there were many reasons we left when our contract renewal was up 2 years ago but how they treated you regarding the Yunho situation and refusing to get your mental health help was the deciding factor for Haneul that none of us were staying.”

“I’m sorry.” Yeonghwa says as Misty tilts her head and shoots her a confused look, “For getting involved with someone and putting everyone at risk, for… what I tried to do on that bridge and for causing you all to worry about me.”

“Don’t apologise for Yunho, you two loved one another. That is nothing to be sorry for! But you scared us all so much. Not just getting that call from the manager saying he’d just pulled you back from a railing but what happened afterwards. How despondent you were. You wouldn’t eat, sleep or even speak outside of work. When you were in work mode, you seemed like the cheerful girl we all knew, but the moment the cameras stopped rolling, you looked lifeless, completely dead inside."

“Misty…” she begins

“and I know you felt dead inside too. Do you think I'm not terrified of what might happen if you reconnect and things go wrong? I can't bear another call from a manager telling me you've tried to jump off a bridge again!" Misty exhales deeply, "Or something even worse!"

Yeonghwa places her phone on the floor and crawls over to Misty, hugging her tightly. “I promise you, that will never happen again. I am stronger than I was back then.”

“I know you are but I’ll always worry about you. You are my little baby!” she replies

Suddenly, Yeonghwa's phone buzzes on the floor. Both girls froze, staring at it like it might explode.

“It’s him!” Yeonghwa whispers looking at the notification on her lock screen

"Well, fucking open it!" Misty hisses, crowding over her shoulder.

With trembling fingers, Yeonghwa unlocks her phone.

Yunho: 'Hey Yeonghwa! No worries, I understand you're busy. We have been the same. How about today at 3? There's a little place near our company building in Mapo -gu called Bean There. I think your new company building is in Mapo-gu too? They have private booths in the back that I can book if today suits but I am happy to go wherever you want and what makes you most comfortable.'

Misty snatches the phone again, scanning the message. "Bean There? Isn't that place like, stupidly expensive?"

"Give it back!" Yeonghwa grabs for her phone, nearly toppling over in the process. "And yes, it is. They have those rooms that people who want privacy can use."

"Ooooh, privacy," Misty wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. "So he wants to get you alone, huh?"

"It's not like that!" Yeonghwa slaps her arm. "It's so we don't get caught by fans, you perv."

"Sure, sure. So what are you going to say?"

Yeonghwa stares at her phone, chewing her lip. "I don't know... is it too soon to see him again?"

"For fuck's sake, Hwa! You've waited a week and like 2 years!!" Misty says, “Type something before I do it for you, and this time I promise it’ll be embarrassing!”

Yeonghwa huffs and begins typing.

Yeonghwa: ‘Today would be ideal, but could we schedule it for a bit later in the evening? My day is packed with rehearsals that will keep me busy until the late afternoon, but I'll be free after 7 pm.’

“Happy?” she says to Misty

“Ecstatic!!” Misty grins and within seconds a reply comes back, “Someones keen!”

“Shut up!” Yeonghwa replies but she can’t stop the smile coming to her face and warmth in her chest, “He’s asking if 8pm suits.”

“Gives you time to get a shower and put some clothes on that aren’t sweats or leggings, dress yourself up for him!”

“Oh that isn’t happening - shower hell yes but dressing up nope! The aim is to be as low key as possible and not pull attention to the fact 2 idols are having coffee together.” she says typing out another reply.

“Correction 1 idol and koreas princess!” Misty grins

“Fuck off!” Yeonghwa mumbles kicking her legs in Mistys direction. Yunhos reply comes quickly

Yunho: ‘I’ll get the coffee place booked for 8pm. Looking forward to it! ☺️’

Yeonghwa let out a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding. "He sent a smiley face too."

"Scandalous," Misty said dryly.

"No, but... that's good, right? He's not just doing this out of obligation or to like tell me how much he hates me?"

Misty grabs Yeonghwa by the shoulders. "Hwa… the man almost threw hands with his best friend over you. He's not meeting you for coffee in a ridiculously expensive cafe to give you a lecture on how you ruined his life."

“But what if-”

“If you say ‘what if’ one more fucking time, I’ll tell Jinni you ate her strawberry cake and blamed the manager for throwing it out.”

Yeonghwa gasps, “You wouldn’t dare!”

“Try me!” Misty challenges, “Now instead of overthinking this, why don’t we figure out what you are going to wear before the others arrive and we need to start this rehearsal.”

A smile tugs at Yeonghwa's lips. "Fine. But nothing too obvious! I want to blend in, not stand out which is already hard enough with this red hair!"

“I have you!” Misty smiles softly

Yeonghwa feels a slight calmness wash over her. Excited to see Yunho again but also worried as Hongjoongs words ‘stay away from him’ repeat at the back of her head.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

Yunho places his phone on the table next to the computer and multiple cups of coffee as everyone begins their warm up routines in the practice hall. A smile on his face at finally hearing from Yeonghwa. He knew she was busy as their world tour was starting soon so figured her delay in messaging him was down to that but at the same time, he was scared she would never message him. Since that night after the award show he had thought nonstop about her.

Finally allowing himself to think of her after so long made him remember all their good memories together. But it also opened up the pain once more. He knew Yeonghwa wasn’t a cruel person, despite what Mingi and the others would say about her. She wasn’t bad or evil, or even selfish! He had witnessed first hand how caring, kind, thoughtful, sensitive and selfless she was. The others just never knew her really.

When the message from the unknown number came up on his phone, his heart had skipped not one but 3 beats! He just couldn’t wait any longer to see her and after their dance rehearsal this morning and afternoon, he was free of all schedules for the day which is why he suggested today. Plus he knew that in 5 days Moonlight were having their opening concert of the tour in Seoul then flying to America for 3 months, so she would be very busy. As was he as they were flying out for a tour soon too.

As Yunho turns around in his seat, he notices his flushed face in the mirrored wall and saw Mingi and Wooyoung's eyes on him. "Ooh, Yunho's blushing!" Wooyoung exclaims loudly.

"Shut up!" Yunho retorts, pulling his hoodie over his head to hide his embarrassment.

“What’s got you blushing like a school boy?” San joins in with the teasing

“No one.. I mean nothing!!” Yunho defends, his voice a little louder than he expected

"Yunho's got a cruuuush," San sings, stretching out the word and shimmying his shoulders towards Yunho.

"I do not!" Yunho protested, but the flush on his cheeks has spread to his ears.

Mingi, who has been silently watching from the corner, suddenly speaks up. "It's her, isn't it?"

The playful atmosphere evaporates instantly. Wooyoung freezes, and San's teasing smile falters.

Mingi's jaw tightens. "Yeonghwa."

The name fell like a stone into still water. Hongjoong, who had been adjusting the music, turns around slowly.

"Is it?" Wooyoung asks, his voice suddenly serious as he looks at Yunho.

"Yes, it was Yeonghwa. No, I don’t have a crush on her, and we're going for coffee," Yunho replies, turning around.

"Coffee," Yeosang repeats flatly from where he was tying his shoes.

"Yes, coffee. Does anyone have a problem with that?" Yunho snaps, sounding more defensive than he wanted.

Mingi scoffs. "After everything she did to you—"

"You don't know shit about what happened between us," Yunho says, his voice dangerously low.

"I know enough," Mingi shoots back. "I know I was the one who had to pick up the pieces when she destroyed you."

Yunho takes a step toward him. "Watch it."

"Or what?" Mingi challenged. "You gonna push me again? Over her?"

Seonghwa, who had been silent until now, steps between them. "Let's all just calm down. We have rehearsals in five minutes, and Yunho's personal life is his business."

“Remember we said we wouldn’t get involved when it came to the two of them.” Jongho says

“Unless it affects the group!” Hongjoong says, “We cannot have a repeat of what happened at the award show, and we absolutely cannot have you two fighting either! So Mingi, when it comes to Yeonghwa I don’t want to hear any of your opinions anymore, you keep them to yourself!!” his tone suddenly gets harsher, “And Yunho, stop being so argumentative when it comes to her!”

Both Mingi and Yunho look at one another before looking at their leader.

“Sorry hyung.” Yunho mumbles

“Yeah sorry.” Mingi says

“Don’t say sorry to me!!” Hongjoong says, “I want you both to focus on our practice because some of us have other schedules today and I don’t want to hear another word about Yeonghwa for the rest of the day either!”

Everyone nods and gets themselves ready. A few hours pass by with no further issues or conflict. When they are finished, they go their separate ways while Hongjoong stays at the company to work in his studio. Seonghwa stays behind, sensing something was wrong… more than usual leader stress and the situation between Yunho and Mingi.

"Aren't you heading home?" Hongjoong asks upon spotting Seonghwa in the hallway as he makes his way to his studio.

"Not yet. I wanted to get some more practice in," Seonghwa replies, "but I also wanted to have a private talk with you."

"Come to my studio," Hongjoong responds with a nod.

They walk quietly down the corridor. Seonghwa notices the tension in Hongjoong's entire demeanour, his pale complexion, and dark-rimmed eyes. It's evident to everyone that he's stressed, and Seonghwa knows the situation isn't making things easier. Once inside the small studio, Hongjoong drops his bag in a corner and takes a seat at the desk, while Seonghwa settles onto the small sofa.

“Is everything okay?” Hongjoong asks, keeping his tone straightforward and practical.

“That is what I wanted to ask you,” Seonghwa responds with empathy, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just busy.” he replies in his usual straightforward manner.

“I mean about this whole Yunho and Mingi situation, not to mention Yunho and Yeonghwa!” Seonghwa says

Hongjoong lets out a long sigh and leans back into his chair, closing his eyes and running a hand through his hair. Seonghwa can see the effect it is having on him.

“I don’t know what I am going to do with the two of them. I’ve never seen them speak this way to one another before,” he mumbles with a sense of responsibility, “Out of everyone those two have always been at the bottom of my list to have issues with one another. I always knew I didn’t need to worry about them in that sense. But this? Arguing, fighting? It isn’t them!”

“I know.” Seonghwa nods leaning back on the sofa, "Perhaps we should arrange a proper discussion with them, rather than snatching brief conversations backstage after awards shows or before practice when emotions are running high."

“That’s probably our best option,” he replies, “Mingi has way too many opinions of Yeonghwa - some are warranted but most aren’t. Fuck, Seonghwa… the way he looked at her last week and the way he spoke to her... she looked terrified! It gave me chills, and it wasn't even aimed at me."

"I never really considered how she must have felt witnessing all that," Seonghwa says softly.

Hongjoong sighs once more, “I don’t think I helped matters either and I’m worried it will affect Yunho more.”

“What do you mean?” Seonghwa asks, noticing the conflict on Hongjoongs face

“After I sent Mingi and Yunho back to the waiting room… I spoke to her.” he slowly says, his hands rubbing at his face

Seonghwa stops himself from asking what he said to her, he can see how troubled Hongjoong is by this and decides to let him speak at his own pace and just listen to him. A short silence fills the small room.

“Firstly, I wouldn’t let Yunho talk to her. I told him… no I ordered him to say goodbye as he tried to apologise to her for how Mingi spoke to her… pretty sure he wanted to push me too at that. I think my leader position saved me.” Hongjoong lets out a small breathy laugh, an attempt to release some of the tension from his body and the room.

“Your leader position has saved you a few times… mostly from the wrath of Wooyoung and Jongho!” Seonghwa chuckles and Hongjoongs shoulders relax a bit as he smiles

“Yeah!” he nods, “Anyway, after Yunho left I reminded her of what she said to him when she broke up with him - to ‘leave her alone’… and I told her to do the same to him. I was just so angry looking at her. All my old feelings came back.”

Seonghwa can’t stop the grimace on his face.

“In my defence I didn’t know he’d asked her for coffee and she’d agreed!” he adds quickly

“Joong… how were you supposed to know that? You walked into Yunho and Mingi practically fighting in a public space, had to deal with that situation then you saw her. I don’t know if I could have held my tongue either.” Seonghwa says, “Seeing Yunho in such pain was awful. Fuck, even just remembering seeing him so broken, lying in bed, his eyes empty and then when he disappeared in the middle of the night. Those 5 days we didn’t know where he was were terrifying!”

“Finding him in that motel, drunk and gaunt was the worst. At least the company got him help and a good therapist! I dread to think what could have happened if they didn’t.” Hongjoong replies solemnly as Seonghwa nods slowly.

Both of them knew how close to the edge he was and their company looking after him so well during a vulnerable time was one of the reasons Yunho didn’t walk away.

“Anyway when I looked at her and all I saw was that image of him in that dirty motel, surrounded by empty bottles of alcohol, just looking so dead inside. I was angry at her once more but had to keep reminding myself where I was and who she is. She may be the girl who broke him but she is also a well respected idol and a sunbaenim.” Hongjoong says, “What if my telling her to stay away from him hurts him? He’s already asked us to back off when it comes to her. What if he finds out what I said and hates me for meddling?”

“There are too many what ifs in the world when it comes to Yunho and Yeonghwa. You will drive yourself mad asking them and looking for an answer. All we can do is be there for him, no matter what happens today or afterwards.” Seonghwa replies

“And find a way to gag Mingi at the same time?” Hongjoong says making Seonghwa laugh lightly

“That too!” he replies, “Look if Yunho finds out you spoke to her and tried to warn her off, just explain that it was after you saw the two giants fighting in public and before he told us they were meeting for coffee. He’ll understand.”

“Will he?” Hongjoong asks, “When it comes to Yeonghwa, he is blinded and so defensive. If anyone dares bring her up, you see how he gets.”

“He’ll have to understand.” Seonghwa says, “Maybe you should tell him, explain it was before you knew they’d agreed to coffee and we’d agreed to back off.”

Hongjoong can only nod. A silence falls over the pair, as they both contemplate what could happen.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

The room is small and inviting, featuring soft lighting, cushioned seating, fairy lights adorning the walls and ceiling, and a small table with fresh flowers in the middle. It offers complete privacy, which is exactly what Yunho needed. He understood the importance of ensuring that no one spotted her or noticed them together. He needed the freedom to talk with her without the worry of being observed or overheard.

Every sound from outside the room makes his heart race, wondering if it's her arrival. He glances at his phone to check the time: 8:19 pm. The possibility of being stood up enters his mind, prompting him to take a long sip from one of the bottles of water he ordered. His knee bounces anxiously, causing the small table to tremble slightly. How long should he wait? If she is indeed standing him up, what's a reasonable amount of time to stay? He checks his phone again: 8:23 pm, and a feeling of dread washes over him as he adjusts the baseball cap on his head.

Suddenly, the door in the corner slides open, revealing a petite figure clad in jeans and a black hoodie pulled over their head, with a black face mask covering their face. He rises swiftly, nearly toppling the table laden with bottles of water, assorted cakes he had chosen, and two iced americanos. A streak of vivid red hair slips out from under the hoodie as the mask is taken off, revealing her face. Yeonghwa was standing infront of him - finally!

“I am so sorry I am late!” she huffs

Her face is flushed and she is trying to catch her breath, it was clear to Yunho that she had ran here as she clutches her side. He quickly moves to the other side of the table and pulls her chair out for her.

“Jinni kept asking me to show her my spin jump and to break down how I do it.” she continues as she sits down and he passes a bottle of water to her

"It's alright!" he says with a smile, settling back into his own seat.

"I don't even know why she was asking as when it comes to jumps, kicks, and handstands she has the same coordination and control as a bag in the wind!!" Yeonghwa says, rolling her eyes as she pulls her hood down, her long red hair cascading around her shoulder. Yunho can’t help but laugh at her description. "And sorry for looking such a mess! I didn't have time to shower, just a quick spritz of deodorant and a change of clothes," she adds, glancing at him.

Yunho's smile widens as he looks at her. He feels happy and calm in her presence, the stress from the earlier argument with the guys melting away as he watches her run her fingers through her hair, trying to smooth it out.

He relaxes feeling relief that she hadn’t stood him up and was merely late, as he removes his hat. "You look good… amazing as ever!"

She puts her bag on the floor, eyeing the spread before her. "Did you order the entire menu?"

"Only the best parts," he replies with a shrug, sliding an iced americano toward her. "Still your favourite, right?"

She accepts it, their fingers briefly touching. "You remembered." Her eyes go wide as she looks up at him.

“Hard to forget when you ordered one every day at school!” he laughs, “And told me it was the ‘nectar of the gods’ and how hot coffee is ‘inferior in every way’!”

“I still stand by the nectar of the gods statement but don’t tell anyone this… I sometimes drink hot coffee now.” she whispers dramatically

“Your secret is safe with me.” he whispers back

They share a laugh and exchange glances, feeling the warmth of reuniting but also the nervousness about what lay ahead. The unavoidable conversation about their breakup loomed, with the potential to uncover even deeper wounds.

(AN: I just wanted to add a note at the bottom instead of at the top so as not to spoil anything for this chapter. I wanted to make a point of showing the difference in the Yeonghwa old company and KQ in how they handled the aftermath of the break up. Yeonghwas company ignored that she needed professional help especially after her attempt, instead focusing on covering up her injuries and force her to work. While KQ got Yunho into therapy and helped him. Although I am touching on these moments to build the story up, I will be going more in depth into those moments in later chapters but KQ also gave Yunho time off while Yeonghwa was forced to work the following day. Also her old company was one of the big 4 - I will not be saying which one!)

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silver-hwaberry · 3 months ago

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I Can See You ♡ masterlist

Summary: Since she was young, everyone knew her as Aria, the youngest and most versatile member of the K-pop group Moonlight, and their ‘queen maknae’. She was adored by fans all over Korea, but no one saw her as Kim Yeonghwa, a girl from a small coastal town. That is until she meets 17-year-old Jeong Yunho at SOPA, and they form an instant friendship that soon turns into love. Despite their strong bond, Yeonghwa makes the difficult decision to break his heart and let him go in order to give his career a chance. But as time passes, their paths continue to cross and fate keeps bringing them together, they struggle to resist the undeniable connection between them.

Pairing: idol!Yunho x IdolFem!OC

Genre: romance, angst, fluff, smut, young love, forbidden love, childhood sweethearts

Chapters: ONE ☾ TWO ☾ THREE ☾ …more to come

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