UNDERWATER

001

You stood in front of the mirror, scrutinizing the outfit you'd chosen for yourself. You were dressed simply in a big sweater with overalls on top. Should you have gone to your stylist? Your waist didn't show enough. Did it look weird? Will you embarrass yourself?

You felt a tap on your shoulder. It was Siri with her eyes shining with their usual happinesses, "Why are you so stressed? You look great, and it's not a big deal, it's just enhypen."

You scanned Siri's body with your eyes. Her skin looked soft and her eyes were big and pretty with minimal make up. You could see the shape of her body, but she looked pretty and comfy at the same time. Her lips were delicate.

You looked down and stared at your hands. You'd painted your nails for your debut shows and the paint was chipping. You were out of nail polish remover and you didn't have time to go to the salon.

You hid your hands behind your back and pouted as you looked up at Siri, "You would be just the same if we were meeting BTS. Same goes for Lu. And Sun would be like this too if we were meeting TxT. Not my fault you all haven't watched i-land."

Siri rolled her eyes with a smile and placed her head on your shoulder when you looked back at the mirror, "Calm down, you look great. Besides, that's my sweater, you have to look great."

You smiled a bit and both you and Siri turned at the sound of footsteps.

"Are you doubting yourself?" Sungmin asked sternly as she walked in. She raised her eyebrows and her expression changed, "That sucks. Last I checked we all have good genetics, but apparently your mind doesn't seem to agree."

You grinned wide now as she patted your head. "I love you guys," You reached up and patted her head too as Siri stood there with her arms crossed.

The door creaked open and Bella peeked into the room, "Strange." She mumbled, "Is this a cult?" Then, louder, "We have to go now, we need to be there at least a half hour early for preparations."

"Yeah, that's why I came to get s/n and Siri." Sungmin said, removing her hand from your head. "Come on."

The drive there was filled with the sharp streams of light from the windows and laughter from your band mates. At some point in time, you found yourself falling asleep to the lull of the car and the voices around you.

Your mind was filled with a soft buzz. It was like you were only half awake. You saw static and all the bad things you'd ever felt. It all seemed to bunch up and swirl around you, choking you. It was like an ocean. An ocean writhing and swirling with scaly coal colored monsters.

The ocean cleared in front of you, and you lay on a cold tile floor, spitting out sea water and seaweed, specs of blood scattered across the white of the pale ground.

How ironic it was that your band name was UNDERWATER.

You looked up.

The walls of the room were white and glowing in a way that blinded you.

That's when you saw their faces. Faded, but smiling in the light.

Sungmin, Sun, Siri, Lu, Bella, and other faces too.

Enhypen,

but you hadn't ever met them before.

Your friend from elementary school,

but she was dead now.

You were shaken awake by Sungmin, "Do you want to wash your face once we get in? You look drowsy." She said softly. You stared at her in a daze for a moment, the claws of sleep still gripping onto you like a vice.

You nodded and rubbed your eyes as you unlatched your seat belt. You followed Sungmin and the other members out of the car.

When you all entered the building, you followed the producers of the interview show you would be on with curiosity. You knew the staff trailing you were filming a behind the scenes, so you tried your best to hide the way your thoughts rushed with images of your dream.

Finally, you a came to a small preparation room with mirrors and hairbrushes and make up. They left you with a small paper of general questions you might be asked by the host, and you were told that the producers and more staff would be back in a little while.

Before brushing your messed up hair, you asked for the bathroom, and were given vague directions. The staff offered to go with you, but you assured her you would be fine.

You ran the instructions through your head. They were vague but fairly simple. You brushed your right hand along the smooth wall as you walked down the long gray hallway.

There were paintings on the wall every few feet. Some of people, some simply strikes of color. One particular painting caught your eye, urging you to stop walking.

You brought a hand up and touched the uneven surface. The painting was on a black canvas with bold and dark cuts of sea green and gray paint all over it in different shades.

You moistened your lips. It reminded you of your dream.

Of the ocean.

It was engulfing, drowning you. Filling your mouth and nose until you couldn't breathe. Your head was underwater.

UNDERWATER.

Your group was called UNDERWATER to represent where you had started, somewhere dark and lonely where no one knew who you were.

Rise above the tide.

Breathe. You told yourself.

You took in a raspy breath and moved away from the painting. You wondered what the artist was thinking when they made those stormy streaks on that dark, dark black canvas.

You crossed the hallway to the other side and kept on walking until you came to another hallway that branched off. Turn left at the big green plant. You remembered.

You stared at the two pots that stood at the sides of the hallway. The two were replicas of each other, the leafy plastic plants only reaching your thighs. Maybe this was it.

You turned the corner, but it didn't seem like the correct hallway. There were no bathroom signs, only another preparation room that you saw out of the corner of your eye.

You crashed into a body.

"Oh!" A voice said.

Two warm hands caught you so you wouldn't fall back onto the hard ground. You looked up with a startled expression, still having not shaken the dark ocean from your head.

You found yourself surprised at the next thought that flashed through your mind;

he's so pretty.

You took in his entire being in only seconds.

The worry in his eyes.

The soft look of his face.

Kim Sunoo.