𝗿𝘂𝗻, 𝗯𝘂𝗻𝗻𝘆, 𝗿𝘂𝗻. . . txt added member ✔

𝟮.𝟭 the story of mina

❝ RUN, BUNNY, RUN... 𓏴 ♢

ᶻ 𝘇 𐰁 . . . 𝗜 𝗠𝗔𝗬 fail but i will never give up ❜ ⸝⸝

⊹ . ◌ ༚ ˳ 🕳️⠀﹒⠀ ꙳ .

˚ ༘♡ ·˚ ₊˚ˑ༄ؘ

- 2017, June

Mercy was the name her mother had chosen for her, though she remained uncertain about it. During her childhood, teasing was a constant - 'Are you going to show us mercy, Mercy?' they'd jeer. Oh, have mercy, Mercy. They found it amusing; Mercy, not so much. Hence, she often went by her British name, Mina, finding it easier and more accessible for those who complained about her name. At least her brother had a name that was effortlessly pronounced - Jungkook? Too simple.

Her mother insisted she would grow to love it, to appreciate the name she gave her. So far, Mercy was struggling.

Mina rolled off her tongue more smoothly, helping her blend into the world. Fitting in was something Mercy yearned for, as, for most of her life, she hadn't.

Fame loomed behind her like a shadow. Whether it was a blessing or a curse was up for discussion. Not that she could complain about being famous - it was every girl's dream, right? Possibly, but not when that fame was due to someone else. Granted, Mercy was proud of her older brother, who had achieved so much, becoming almost untouchable. Or at least, that's what his fans wished for - they wanted him to be untouchable while still being touchable. Strange, right? No, Mercy figured it was a form of possessiveness - 'I can touch, but not you!' It was an odd dance of harmony. Perhaps harmony was not the right word, but Mercy wasn't sure what else to call it. Balance? Yes, that sounded about right.

It was a balance where her brother provided, and his fans took. (A bit oversimplified).

And Mercy, well, she was about to step into the same life. She remembered her first step inside the building, realizing her experience would differ from everyone else's. She was a young girl among many young boys. 'But you have so many people you can date!' people said. 'Absolutely not,' Mercy retorted. It was unprofessional, distasteful, peculiar, and a bit rebellious and exciting. Yes, one cannot fault her for having a brief romance with one of the trainees, Yeonjun. She was young, he was young, and they were absolutely foolish.

It was mostly for fun and infatuation.

They parted on good terms - if they were ever together, that is. Mercy sometimes wondered if they were dating during those few weeks they held hands when they walked into the cafeteria. Sometimes she even wondered if Yeonjun chose her because she was the only girl, and the supply consisted of only her.

Either way, her name and her past relationship with Yeonjun weren't her biggest problem - far from it. It was the fact that she was the lone woman - or rather, a girl (though she liked to think she was an adult as it made her feel more mature) among male trainees. Lucky, people said. 'You have an array of boyfriends.' Or, in Mercy's case, an array of troublemakers. Excuse the language. But then again, their mean words were only delivered in voiceless whispers.

Backtrack to Jungkook. Indeed, one of the most famous idols out there was the reason she was where she was. A female trainee among male trainees. The company did not have female trainees, at least not yet. Some had tried and failed - actually, everyone had failed. Mercy only got in because of her brother. Otherwise, she might have been stuck at JYP Entertainment, which in theory did not sound that bad, for there would have been other girls there, other people that she could have an easier time connecting with.

Yet, Bang PD-nim was a savvy man; he knew how to play the game (or at least he should). Attention was attention, even if it was negative. Mercy already had some fame as Jungkook's sister, which would bring even more attention to the group. Not only that, but a girl in a boys' only group? How utterly mad he was! A mad genius! (A bit of an exaggeration). And instead of Jungkook being the touchable untouchable, Mercy became it. And she truly was untouchable. Being the sister of the world-famous Jungkook came with its perks. One of them was that not many dared approach her, fearing she would use her connection to Jungkook, who, in turn, would use his connection to PD-nim to get them kicked out of the company. Quite the stretch, but not an unrealistic one!

So here she was, a few years later with the confirmation that she was going to debut with BigHit's second boy group - with one girl. Would it be Mercy and the gang, like Alvin. . . that chipmunk? Or would it be, the boys plus Mercy? Or perhaps Mercy was to pretend she was a boy? No, that sounded even worse. . . She had many questions about the dynamic of the group. But one thing she was certain of was the fact that Mercy was nothing more than something to drag attention into the group. Yes, she was a good trainee, on top like Yeonjun, but there were many good trainees; she was not the only one. So why her?

It was an ugly truth, truly. It might have been her passion to perform, just as it was her brother's. But, in the end, it was their job. And when they had a job whose whole purpose was to be the perfect image of a partner, there were things they could not do. They were limited in their freedom.

It was a sacrifice, one that she was willing to make.

'They look terrified,' Yeonjun commented with a snicker, lips curling into a small smirk. (They, in this context, were the new trainees who had joined just today).

Mercy narrowed her eyes at him before speaking, 'I can assure you that you did not look better.' Absentmindedly, she prodded her food with her chopsticks. Today was an odd day, as was every day - but this day was odder. She could not quite place a finger on it; one might call it her 'spidey-sense' (Not that it existed).

'They are staring at us,' Soobin's lips pulled into a big smile, waving at them.

'Stop that,' Mercy muttered with a small scowl, 'Don't draw attention to us.'

'And here I thought you relished in that.' Beomgyu seemed proud of his comment, for he leaned back, eyes crossed over his chest.

'Something wrong?' Soobin asked her. Now, the smile was gone, replaced with a worried frown. 'You seem down.'

'My time of the month.' The explanation was simple, and it was the truth.

'Mine too,' Yeonjun said.

'Huh?' Poor Huening Kai only looked confused. Now, he was not that oblivious, for he had grown up with two sisters, but the comment still put him off.

The next few moments are a blur for Mercy, for she suddenly catches the eye of big, brown, doe-like eyes. Curiosity takes over her as she looks at the boy; she had not seen him before. Yet his gaze was intense, and soon, Mercy forced herself to look elsewhere, fearing she might get lost in his eyes if she continued.