𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆 | 𝒆𝒏𝒉𝒚𝒑𝒆𝒏 (𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨)

23

I don't want you to open
Your eyes in this kind of danger

SEVENTEEN - Fear

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Chaerin remained standing while the short manager reprimanded her. She remained to stare at nowhere as all the words from the manager’s mouth never reached her ears.

When can she go home? Chaerin could feel her stomach begging for food.

“Ya! Are you even listening to me?” The manager asked as Chaerin felt a hand push her shoulder.

She stared at the manager, coldly assessing her from top to bottom. Her eyebrows furrowed as her hands moved to rest on her hips.

“Are you done?” The manager went tight-lipped as she let out the three words.

She watched as red hues covered the person’s round face. Chaerin bowed and walked away from her, giving out her album to a seventeen member.

A teen with cute cheeks smiled at her, albeit quite nervous from the obvious shaking of his shoulders.

She inwardly held her laughter and said, “I don’t bite, Seungkwan-ssi.” Although she said that, he eventually stopped and smiled at her.

He let out a burst of laughter and Chaerin patted his head. “I like your high notes a while ago,” she said as the teen hid his head into the shoulder of Vernon-ssi.

“Thank you, noona,” he mumbled.

She held the album Seungkwan-ssi gave to him, bowing to him before walking to the next person.

The teen had light mocha hair, curled and a bright eye. His table, it filled with plushies of frogs and cute animals. His eyes brightened as he let out a smile, “Palranghae!”

“You look like a frog,” she commented before her eyes widened, realizing what she said.

She fumbled her hands in front of him, “I am so sorry!” Chaerin bowed to him many times before the teen laughed at her.

“It’s okay, noona,” he reminded her with a soft chuckle.

Chaerin bowed one last time before heading towards the other teen. He had soft brown hair with a drowsy eye. Although she thought that it adds up to his charms.

“Woah, you are tall, noona,” he said as Chaerin squatted a little, “better?”

“Yes,” he replied and grinned back to her, although she could feel the teasing gaze of the teen.

“What brought you here, noona?” She smiled at him before pointing at Nara who squealed at a seventeen member.

“She is a fan of Seventeen,” she stopped before continuing, “I just accompanied her, but now I think I may be a fan.”

“Thank you,” she continued before greeting the next member.

He had long black hair, reaching to his shoulders. How enviable, she thought. Jeonghan-ssi smiled at her, making her smile a bit.

“Aju nice,” he teased at her.

Her smile tensed even though it stayed on her face. She stared at him before giving her album to him albeit quite angry.

“That’s rude,” she commented as she heard Jeonghan-ssi laugh at her. “Do you know what’s ruder?”

“Not saying honorifics,” he explained as she opened her mouth in comical shock.

Remember when she said that he was enviable?

She takes it back.

Chaerin bit her lips as his eyes wandered. “I am so sorry, Jeonghan… oppa.”

He handed her the album, and Chaerin at once went to the next person. She could still hear his voice as he kept saying aju nicely.

Patience, Chaerin. The winners of war always won with patience.

She heaved a sigh and met face to face with a handsome boy, brown-haired and styled into perfection.

His eyes curved into a crescent shape as he smiled towards her. He looks familiar to her, yet she cannot remember where she saw him.

“Umm, Miss?” He asks as she blinked in rapid succession, she must have spaced out again.

Chaerin bowed to him and lifted her head to him. He had a cute smile as she handed the album to him. She stood there in a daze, watching him sign the album.

“Oh, you have the VIP backstage pass,” he mumbled although she could not hear it.

It must have been personal, she thought. “See you later,” he bided her goodbye as she walked to the next member in a daze.

“I see,” the next person said, making Chaerin look at him with confusion clear to her face. The man chuckled as red hues appeared to her ears, showing the understanding of the misunderstanding the man thought of.

Chaerin gave him the album, her eyes wandering to the line of man and the man after him. Her hands fidgeted as she bit into her lips, but she mustered courage and look at him straight in the eyes.

“Can I please have some advice in raising children?”

“Eh?” Scoups-ssi asked as he looked at her up and down with confusion clear to his face. The woman in front of him has a warm aura and a beautiful face, but he never thought that she had kids.

“You see,” she stopped before continuing, “I have kids at home, and I saw that you are the leader of many children. So, I figured why not ask for some advice?”

Chaerin looked at him processing her words, and she enjoyed it. It was fun to watch others doubt her words that she was a mother.

“You just need to watch over them, to be honest. They were a handful, but I would never trade them for anything,” he replied.

“It was the same for me too. I love them dearly, but they would always create ruckus at home,” she laughed a bit and grabbed the album handed to her. Chaerin bid him goodbye before looking at the next person.

“Oh, Chaerin-ssi!” The person greeted her with a familiar temperament like someone else.

She awkwardly returned the greeting as she handed him the album. “Thank you for taking in my cousin, she’s a handful, but she means well.”

Cousin? “What do you mean cousin, Mingyu-ssi?” She asked him as he laughed a little bit with a bit of fondness.

He set his chin down on his pal, looking at her with a bit of interest, “My cousin is Kim Nara.”