Bits & Pieces

Chapter 6

Their promotions end before their manager quits quitting smoking, Hayoung does not get to meet Sehun one last time and is a miserable mess to say the least. She's pouty, moody, and sullen, skulking about the dorm and practice with a permanent scowl on her face, though she'll deny it with a fake smile any time someone calls her on it. Chorong takes it in stride, it's nothing she hasn't dealt with before, perks of being the leader and the oldest, though it admittedly doesn't make the attitude any easier to take.

Chorong won't says she isn't completely pleased with all this. It was, in fact, what she had been hoping for all along, with all the interference she had been running. That once their promotions no longer overlapped, that with the less likelihood of meetings and physical interactions, the feelings and emotions that seemed so overwhelming will die down until they inevitably fizzled out like they usually do in these situations, and they could both go their own ways with no hard feelings. She's been through it with Eunji and Bomi, back when they were all young and inexperienced and didn't know better, she's been through it herself. It's just the way things are.

But after almost a full month since their promotions ended, the two seemed to be texting more, not less, and Hayoung stares longing at her phone in the brief moments she wasn't glued to it, waiting on any kind of reply. It's a little hard to watch and Chorong doubts herself, just a smidge.

But all of a sudden, Hayoung's mood changes. While she's still on her phone an ungodly amount, she's more focused during practice, during meetings, and even at the dorm, picking up extra chores and helping Chorong with dinner, clean up, and all the things she'd usually try to get out of doing. It's not hard to see she's trying to suck up to Chorong, clearly building up the courage and good will to ask for something she wasn't going to approve of. And as expected, a week after the good behavior, Hayoung inches closer to her on the sofa after having taken over dish washing duties for her that night, innocent smile on her face.

"Unnie~" She sings. Chorong doesn't look up from her phone.

"Unnie~" She tries again, shuffling closer again.

Chorong sighs. "What?"

"Unnie, so you know how we're going on tour soon?"

"Yes, and?"

"And well, we won't be in the country for a while."

Chorong pauses from her scrolling, looking up. She can feel where this is going. "And?"

"And, well, me and Sehun oppa were talking and..." Hayoung takes a deep breath. "And we were hoping we could meet up before we leave." She drops the last part of the sentence like she was spitting out a rap verse.

Chorong laughs. "Absolutely not." This was exactly what Chorong dreaded the most. At the broadcasting station, at least the staff were somewhat used to idols hooking up. There was some mild discretion built into the environment. But out in the real world, meeting up was so much more dangerous and the risk of getting caught by someone you didn't want catching you was also so much higher.

"Unnie, c'mon!" Hayoung pulls on her arm, pleading. "We already haven't seen each other in over a month. I miss him. We miss each other."

"Welcome to idol dating." Chorong mutters, unsympathetic. "Get used to it."

"Please unnie, please!" Hayoung begs, hands clasped tightly around Chorong's. "It'll be in the middle of the night, we'll stay in the car the whole time, it'll only be for an hour or two."

"Car? Whose car? Last I checked, neither of you could drive."

"Well, Sehun oppa said his hyung was going to drive him. And Bomi unnie said she'd drive me."